Chapter 3 The beginning of the third chapter game

In the first ten years of Zhang Juzheng's administration, Wanli could neither govern nor manage affairs, even drinking and messing around, but he still had a basic right-to marry a wife. In the sixth year of Wanli (1578), selected by Queen Mother Li and approved by Zhang Juzheng, the fourteen-year-old Wanli married his wife and was registered as the queen. But for Wanli, this is not a very pleasant thing, because this wife is identified, and there is no such thing as a chance encounter or free love. Start to go through the formalities, go through countless cumbersome procedures and ceremonies, and then officially announce that from now on, she will be your wife.

Arranged marriages, purely arranged marriages. Although it was a makeshift marriage, Wanli was lucky because his wife was quite makeshift. Empress Wang of Wanli, a native of Zhejiang, belongs to the traditional virtuous wife type. She is well-behaved, has a clear positioning, and is good at catching key people at critical moments. Once the old lady takes care of her, the problem of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will be solved. In addition, she was also the director of the emperor's office. Since Wanli did not go to court later and liked to work at home, official documents were often piled up everywhere, and she would sort them out calmly. Where, when, and by whom, she also cared for the emperor in daily life, and she was an excellent secretary and wife dual-purpose talent.

This is a wife who seems to be impeccable, except for one aspect - she can't bear a son. The ancients said: There are three kinds of unfilial piety, and having no offspring is the greatest. Although there are a lot of sons in the family, there are not a few who are thrown into the street in the end.So in the ninth year of Wanli (1581), at the behest of Empress Dowager Li, Wanli issued a decree: order women from all over the country to be selected for selection. In fact, when the two got married in the sixth year of Wanli, Wanli was only 14 years old, and in the ninth year of Wanli, he was only 17 years old. He was not even qualified to be shot, so forcing him to have a son seems a bit unreasonable, but This is the concept of ordinary people. The emperor is not an ordinary person, so the concept is naturally advanced. It seems that having a son is more urgent than ordinary people.

But when the decree was passed on, Zhang Juzheng blocked it and said that this order was absolutely impossible. Don't get me wrong, what Mr. Zhang means is not to consider the sufferings of the people, it is not feasible, it is not feasible. In the end, Mr. Shoufu was scheming, it is said that he had just seen this decree, and then asserted: If this order is issued, no one will be able to challenge it. As the saying goes, once you enter the gate, the door is as deep as the sea, let alone a palace gate. Sending a daughter who has worked so hard to bring her up is like a tourist attraction during the Golden Week.Those who come from famous families and have good looks will naturally not come, if all those who come up are crooked melons and cracked dates, disgusting my lord, who will take the blame for this?

But the emperor had to have a son, and he had to find a wife. It was necessary to ensure both the quantity and the quality. After all, it seemed that it was difficult for the emperor to make do with it. Things are difficult to handle, but in the hands of Mr. Zhang Juzheng, there is nothing that cannot be done. He turned his head and added a few words: The original text is to choose to enter the palace, with a swipe of a pen, it becomes to choose to enter the palace and canonize concubines . The matter was settled in this way, because in the final analysis, whether to enter the palace or not is also a matter of cost. If you enter the palace and you can't get along with anything, it is really not worth it if no one cares about it for decades.Before entering the palace, indicate the treatment, affirm the level, and give others a bottom line, and they will all come naturally.

That's the level. But even Zhang Juzheng didn't expect that the trick he had thought about so hard was still useless. Because Wanli solved this problem by himself. Just after the imperial decree to select concubines was issued, one day, Wanli had nothing to do, so he went to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Li. When the water came, Wanli looked around while washing his hands, looked around, looked around, looked around, and then looked at the maid who carried the washbasin. Normally, this kind of person would never look at Wanli, but now not only did he look at him, but he became more and more pleasing to the eye, and when he was pleasing to the eye, he started to chat up.

As far as the way to strike up a conversation, there is no difference between the emperor and the street ruffian, it is nothing more than your surname, where you are from, and so on.But the difference is that after the little ruffian finishes talking, he still does what he should do, and the emperor is different. After a few words, Wanli felt good, so he felt lucky when his head got hot. The emperor is an extraordinary person, so fortunately, his reaction afterward is different from that of ordinary people. He doesn't need to say anything impulsive, just pat his ass and leave.However, Wanli was quite kind, and when he left, he rewarded her with a pair of jewelry. This may not be due to his awareness, but the palace's regulations: Whenever one is lucky, a gift must be given.

Because of complying with this rule, he regretted it for many years. As far as Wanli is concerned, this is a trivial matter. The emperor is lucky, and feelings are out of the question. In fact, he may not even remember this person's name. This court lady's surname is Wang, which he will remember firmly soon.Because not long after, the palace lady unexpectedly discovered that she was pregnant. The news soon reached Wanli, and instead of being unhappy, he kept his mouth shut and never mentioned it. Because the status of the palace lady is low, and she is not someone like a fish or a wild goose, she is just a whim, Wanli does not intend to admit it, and it will be as long as it can be delayed.

But this man obviously made a wrong calculation. Going to court can be delayed, government affairs can be delayed, and pregnancy can be delayed until the end. It will kill someone. As the palace maid's belly grew day by day, more and more people knew about it, and finally, the Queen Mother knew about it. So she called Wanli and asked him about it. Wanli's answer was silence, and he looked like a rogue in silence. However, Empress Dowager Li has always had a lot of experience in dealing with such characters.Veterans like Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng have dealt with it back then, so the new gangster Wanli who just entered the industry is naturally no problem.If you don't talk, just keep asking.

Pretending to be dumb won't work anymore, Wanli joked casually, saying that he has no impression, and intends to refuse to admit it. The reason why Wanli has no fear is that this kind of thing is usually known to everyone. There are no witnesses at the scene, and even if there are witnesses, he dare not come out (peeping at the emperor is fatal). His attitude of denying people when he put on his pants completely angered Queen Mother Li, so she called for witnesses. The name of this witness is Neijuzhu. In ancient documents, daily life notes are records of the emperor's daily words and deeds.For example, how much work has been done today and how many places have been visited, which are the first-hand sources of historical materials.

However, what is recorded in the daily living notes is only the external work of the emperor, which everyone can see, and the part that is invisible to everyone is the inner living notes. The inner living notes record the living conditions of the emperor in the harem.Such as where to go, whom to meet, what to do.Of course, in view of the particularity of the place and the work of the emperor, the actual recorder was not a historian, but an eunuch.The so-called innocence on the outside and violence on the inside can basically be figured out as long as you look through the two daily life notes. Due to their physical advantages, eunuchs can enter and leave the harem, and it is much more convenient to do such things.Wherever the emperor went, he followed him (of course, it should not be too close), the emperor went in and started working, and the eunuchs waited outside.When the emperor came out, he began to record. On a certain day of a certain month, the emperor came to a certain concubine, entered at a certain time, and left at a certain time. The record is hereby stored in the file. It is a fine tradition in the harem that the emperor works and the eunuch records. Facts have proved that this regulation is extremely effective and reasonable. Because there are too many people in the harem, and the emperor doesn't count them, encounters like palace ladies can be found everywhere.In fact, it is not important for the emperor to mess around, what is important is the result after the mess. If the court lady or concubine happened to be pregnant and gave birth to a child, it would be a dragon species. If it was a son, it might be the next emperor. If there is no original record at that time, it will be troublesome. So recording work is very important. But there is still a loophole in this work, because when the incident happened, only the emperor, the eunuch, and the concubine (court lady) were present.Once there is a child afterwards, the concubine will naturally insist that the emperor did it, and the emperor generally does not remember whether it was done by himself. The final definitive evidence is the eunuch's records.But the problem is that eunuchs are also human beings, and they may be bought by others. If the concubine plays tricks or the emperor refuses to admit it, the eunuch has no credibility. Therefore, the palace stipulated that after the emperor finished his work, he should give the person an item, and this item was evidence. Empress Dowager Li took out the internal living note, turned to that page, and handed it to Wanli. Everything came to light, and Wanli could only bow his head and admit it. In the tenth year of Wanli (1582), the procedure of boarding the fare was completed, and the status of the palace lady was finally confirmed. She accepted the title of Concubine Gong with a big belly. Two months later, she lived up to expectations and gave birth to a son, the eldest son of Wanli, named Zhu Changluo. When the news came, the whole country rejoiced, the old lady was happy, and the ministers were also happy. The only one who was not happy was Wanli. Because he didn't have much affection for this Concubine Gong.Naturally, he couldn't even say he liked this unexpectedly born son.What's more, at this time he already has a concubine De. Concubine De is commonly known as Concubine Zheng in later generations.A native of Daxing, Beijing, he entered the palace in the early years of Wanli and was quite popular with the emperor. In many later records, this Concubine Zheng was described as a coquettish, vicious woman.But in my opinion, it is still possible to have a coquettish appearance, but it is far from being vicious and vicious.In the following decades of harem struggles, this person's clumsy means, stupid brain, and slow response are really outrageous. According to the comprehensive analysis of historical data, his IQ level can only be scolded in the vegetable market. But Wanli just likes this woman, and often goes to stay overnight.And Concubine Zheng's belly was also quite competitive. In the eleventh year of Wanli (1583), she gave birth to a daughter. Although she could not take over, Wanli was very happy, and even promoted her as a noble concubine. This is an ominous omen, because in the harem, the noble concubine has a higher status than other concubines—including Concubine Gong who gave birth to a son. And this Concubine Zheng's personal quality is really problematic. After becoming the leader of the concubine, no one but the queen looks down on her, especially Concubine Gong, who is often called an old woman by her.In the rampant palace, he is domineering and very aggressive. What is commendable is that Comrade Guifei is not only particularly capable of fighting, but also particularly capable of giving birth.In the fourteenth year of Wanli (1586), she finally gave birth to a son named Zhu Changxun. This Zhu Changxun was the future King Fu.According to Concubine Zheng's idea, with Wanli as her backer, the child will be the emperor after birth.But she never dreamed that decades later, her precious son would die under the butcher's knife.The person who wielded the knife was named Li Zicheng. But at that time, the birth of this child really made Wanli extremely happy.He didn't like his eldest son, Zhu Changluo, and planned to replace him. How could he be unhappy now that a substitute came? However, he will soon discover that the emperor does not necessarily mean what he says. He has learned from the rich experience of his ancestors fighting against the officials and ministers in the past 100 years.Wanli did not dare to expose the target prematurely, and never mentioned the matter of replacement, but quietly waited for the time to ripen, and then cooked the uncooked rice. But before the rice was put into the pot, someone called at the door, and he was not a speaker. In March of the fourteenth year of Wanli (1586), Shen Shixing, the chief assistant of the cabinet, made a statement: I hope that your majesty will establish a prince early, so as to determine the country's plans and consolidate the foundation for the future. An old fox is an old fox. Since Zheng Guifei gave birth to Zhu Changxun, Shen Shixing has realized the hidden danger.He knew what his student wanted to do. With years of political experience, he also knows very well that if he does this, the oncoming waves must be unprecedented.From then on, the imperial court will never have a peaceful day. So he immediately wrote a letter, hoping that Wanli would establish his eldest son as soon as possible.The implication is, I know what you want to do, but this can't be done. You should stop thinking about it as soon as possible and go to bed early. In fact, Shen Shixing's original intention was not to interfere with the emperor's private life: anyone is fine, but it's not my son, so what does it have to do with me?The reason why you get vaccinated early is really out of good intentions, telling you that you can’t do this, so stop early, so as not to suffer in time. But his good student seemed to have made up his mind that he must endure hardships. When he received the memorial, he only replied with one sentence: "The eldest son is still young, so wait a few more years." The student was so clueless, Shen Shixing could only sigh and walk away. But this time, Teacher Shen was wrong, he underestimated the opponent's IQ.In fact, Wanli was very aware of the hidden meaning of this memorial.It's just that in his opinion, the emperor is the emperor after all, and the ministers are ministers after all, and if he can persevere to the end, it is victory.This is the so-called, knowing that there are tigers in the mountains, but walking towards the mountains. But generally speaking, there are only two kinds of people who go up the mountain to look for tigers to play with: one is hunting, and the other is committing suicide. Having said that, Wanli did not fight an uncertain battle. Before he officially showed his dagger, he decided to play a trick. In March of the fourteenth year of Wanli (1586), Wanli suddenly issued an edict: Zheng Guifei worked hard and made great achievements, and was promoted to the imperial concubine. When the news came, it was really a bomb in a cesspit, and it was full of weight.There was a lot of discussion in the court, and the crowd was excited. Because in the harem, the imperial concubine is second only to the queen, and is considered the second in command.And in the past dynasties, there are very few people who can win this honor (give birth to an only son or serve in the harem for many years). According to this standard, Concubine Zheng is useless.Because she has not been in the palace for a long time, and the emperor already had the eldest son, so she has not made any outstanding contributions, no matter how she calculates, it is her turn. It can be said that Wanli took great pains to come up with this trick suddenly.First of all, it can be used to improve the status of Concubine Zheng. The son is more expensive than the mother, and the mother is the imperial concubine, so the son's status is also easy to handle; secondly, it can also take the opportunity to test the reactions of the officials.Today I promote the child's mother, and if you agree, I will dare to promote the child the day after tomorrow.Boil the frog in warm water, let's take our time. The abacus was well calculated, but it was a pity that it was just deception. You know, this group of people messing around in the imperial court is not simple: the children of ordinary people, who have worked hard for decades, studied hard, passed the exam to death, entered the imperial court, and then were trampled on. Only then did the cultivation come to fruition.All zodiac signs belong to the fox, with an extremely sensitive sense of smell, good at adapting to the wind, and making trouble out of nothing.This little trick played by the emperor is just a joke in front of them, only fools can't see it. What's even more rare is that the ministers of the Ming Dynasty not only could see it, but also let it go.The first one to come forward was Jiang Yinglin from the Ministry of Household Affairs. Relatively speaking, this man is quite civilized, he doesn't speak vulgar words, he doesn't swear, he just presents the facts and makes sense: "Your Majesty, I heard that you want to make Concubine Zheng the imperial concubine. I think it is inappropriate. Concubine Gong is the eldest son of the emperor, and Concubine Zheng is the third son of the emperor (there is another one in the middle, who died young). Concubine Gong should come first. Seal it first. If you have made up your mind, you must seal it, and you should also seal Concubine Gong as Noble Concubine first, and then Concubine Zheng as Imperial Concubine, that would be considered appropriate." "In addition, I also think that His Majesty should appoint the eldest son of the emperor as the crown prince as soon as possible, so that the world can be stable." Wanli was angry again, which is understandable. After thinking hard for a few days, he finally came up with a trick, and he was proud of himself. He didn't expect that people would not buy it, and even revealed his true intentions with a single word, which really hurt his self-esteem. In order to save face, he immediately ordered Jiang Yinglin to be dismissed from office. This is the beginning of the good show.One day later, Shen Jing, a member of the Ministry of Officials, wrote a letter to support Jiang Yinglin, and Wanli dismissed him without saying a word.A few days later, the Ministry of Officials wrote a letter to Yang Tingxiang in the matter, supporting Jiang Yinglin, Shen Jing, and Wanli to dismiss him.A few days later, Sun Rufa, the head of the Criminal Department, wrote a letter to support Jiang Yinglin, Shen Jing, and Yang Tingxiang. Comrade Wanli took the trouble and ordered them to be dismissed and assigned. In this struggle, the ministers of the Ming Dynasty showed a fearless fighting spirit: not afraid of demotion, not afraid of dismissal, not afraid of distribution.One by one, they rushed up carrying the explosive packs, one after another, the more people made more noise, and the trouble became bigger and bigger.There are not enough officials in the central government, and local officials have also written letters to join in the fun, making a mess and a miasma. However, the matter was finally done. Although countless people opposed and scolded, Concubine Zheng became Imperial Concubine Zheng. Although the battle was turned upside down, the things that should be done were still done.In March of the fourteenth year of Wanli, Concubine Zheng was officially canonized. The successful resolution of this matter left Wanli with the impression that what he wanted to do could be done. This is a wrong judgment. However, since then, on the issue of establishing the crown prince, Wanli has indeed stopped—for more than four years.Of course, not making trouble doesn't mean not being scolded.In fact, during these four years, the officials have been very conscientious.They found a new breakthrough—the emperor did not go to court, and took this as an opportunity to continue to march forward bravely under the leadership of Luo Yuren and other exemplary pioneers. But generally speaking, there are many small things, no big things, and the situation of stability and unity remains the same. Until this historic day: the first day of the first month of the eighteenth year of Wanli (1590). After solving the Luo Yuren incident, Shen Shihang lifted the lid again: "The minister has something more to ask." "The eldest son of the emperor is already nine years old this year. Both inside and outside the court believe that he should be registered as the crown prince. I hope His Majesty will make a decision as soon as possible." From Wanli's point of view, this matter was more of a headache than Luo Yuren's debauchery, so he took the shovel that Shen Shixing had just used, and then said with the mud: "Of course I know this. I don't have a legitimate son (that is, the queen's son), and my elders are orderly. In fact, Concubine Zheng has asked me to register as the eldest son many times, but the eldest son is still young and weak. When he becomes stronger, I'm just relieved." This passage is very level, according to the analysis of philology, there are roughly three meanings. The first layer first said that I have no legitimate son, which means that I can only establish the eldest son; then said that the elder and younger are orderly, which means that I will not jump in the queue, but after all, it does not say who to establish; Pull it out, and there is no silver three hundred taels here. In the end, I changed my tone and came to a conclusion: Although I can only establish the eldest son, I will not jump in the queue, and my wife did not interfere with this matter, but considering that my son is too young and in poor health, it is better not to stand up for the time being. It might be okay to fool others with this trick, but it's a bit ridiculous to deal with Shen Shihang. After decades of fighting, how can you rank up with you kid? So Mr. Shen followed his plan and said something like this: "The eldest son of the emperor is already nine years old, and he should leave the cabinet to study. Your Majesty, please decide this matter as soon as possible." This seems to be a completely irrelevant matter, but it is absolutely not the case, because in the Ming Dynasty, when the prince went out to study in the cabinet, it was tantamount to recognizing him as the prince. He can always go out to study, the form is not important, the content is the key. Wanli is not stupid, and he doesn't say not to study, he just emphasizes that if a person is talented and smart, it is okay not to study.Shi Shihang immediately retorted, saying that no matter how smart a person is, he cannot become a talent without someone to teach him. In this way, from the issue of heirs to the issue of education, the two brothers came and went and refused to give in to each other. In the end, Wanli got annoyed: "I know everything, sir, you go back!" Having said that, he had no choice but to go back. Shen Shixing left the palace and walked towards his home. However, when he just stepped out of the palace gate, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Shen Shixing turned around and saw an eunuch who brought the emperor's edict: "Don't go yet, I have already called the eldest son of the emperor, sir, please see him." More than ten years later, when Shen Shixing wrote his memoirs at home, he mentioned this incredible scene and the strange scene after that countless times. Throughout his life, he also failed to guess Wanli's plan. Shen Shixing didn't dare to neglect, and immediately returned to the palace, where he saw Wanli and his two sons, the eldest son Zhu Changluo, and the third son Zhu Changxun. But what left the deepest impression on him was not the two princes, but Wanli's expression at this time.No anger, no cunning, just serenity and peace. Pointing to the eldest son of the emperor, he said to Shen Shixing: "The eldest son of the emperor has grown up, but his body is still a little weak." Then he pointed to the third son of the emperor and said: "The third son of the emperor is already five years old." What followed was silence. Wanli looked at Shen Shixing calmly, without saying a word.At this time, he is not a fool who is drunk and rich, nor is he a violent man. He is a father, a father who is extremely gratified to watch his children grow up. Shen Shixing knew that the opportunity had come, so he broke the silence: "The eldest son of the emperor is already old and should go out to study in the pavilion." Wanli's mind seems to have not changed: "I have assigned a servant to teach him to read." So far, I have no choice but to go all out: "Your Majesty, you were only six years old when you were in the East Palace, and you were already studying. It's already too late for the eldest son to study now!" Wanli's answer was not angry but made people dumbfounded: "I can read since I was five!" Shen Shixing knew that in his life, he might never find a better opportunity to persuade Wanli, so he made an astonishing move. He took a few steps forward, walked up to the eldest son of the emperor without permission, looked at it for a moment, and said sincerely to Wanli: "The emperor's eldest son is extraordinary in appearance and will become a great weapon. This is the emperor's blessing. I hope that your majesty can make a plan early. The court is very lucky! The country is very lucky!" On the first day of the first month of the eighteenth year of Wanli, after anger, communication, and disputes, Wanli finally smiled for the first time. Wanli nodded with a smile, and said to Shen Shixing: "Of course I know this. In fact, Concubine Zheng also advised me to have an eldest son early, so as to avoid outsiders' suspicion. I don't have a legitimate son, and it will be a matter of time before I register an eldest son." These gentle words made Shen Shixing feel warm. When his son came out, he also said good things. Although he also said a few nonsense about Zheng Guifei's support and no son-in-law, he expressed his position after all. The situation was very good, but then, Shen Shixing did not say a word, and left the hall after saluting. This is exactly where he is extremely clever. Stop when you can, and stop when you see it. Set the tone today and take your time later. But he never imagined that this harmonious dialogue was not only unprecedented, but also unprecedented. The seriousness of the "struggle for the country" incident will far exceed his expectations, because neither Wanli nor him will decide the final direction of this matter. After the conversation, Shen Shixing returned home and began to wait with great hope for Wanli's edict to arrange for the eldest son of the emperor to study in the cabinet. But as the days passed, hope turned to disappointment.At the end of the month, he couldn't sit still anymore, and immediately went to the library to ask the date when the eldest son of the emperor would leave the pavilion to study.This means that you have to keep your word and give us a promise when we talked about something good. But Wanli seemed to suddenly lose his memory, and he didn't respond at all. Shen Shixing waited for a few days without saying a word. That being the case, let's come up with a new method. A few days later, Wang Xijue, a cabinet scholar, wrote: "Your Majesty, in fact, we don't ask you to appoint a crown prince immediately, but now the eldest son of the emperor is nine years old, and the third son of the emperor is five years old, so he should leave the court to study." He didn't talk about setting up the prince, but only said that he wanted to study, and he even brought the third son together. From this, it can be seen that Wang Xijue is also an old fox. But Wanli's side seemed to be completely dead, and there was no news at all. Wang Xijue waited for two months, but nothing came to light. In April, everyone including Shen Shihang couldn't bear it anymore, and four academicians from the cabinet jointly signed a petition to request the canonization of the crown prince. The old trick of Wanli who has tasted the sweetness is repeated: no matter what you say, I will ignore it. I am the emperor, what can you do to me? But he really underestimated the old fritters under him. They have always had a way to deal with people who don't like oil and salt. A few days later, Wanli received four memorials at the same time, which were the resignation reports of four cabinet scholars, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, Xu Guo, and Wang Jiaping.There are various reasons, some say that they are not in good health, some say that they are too busy to succeed, and anyway, in a word, they quit. Ever since Wanli retired to the second line, state affairs basically depended on the cabinet. There were only four people in the cabinet. If they all left, Wanli would be exhausted. There was no other way, His Excellency the Emperor had no choice but to show up and negotiate with a few comrades in the cabinet. It was almost a matter of begging for mercy, and he stated on the spot that he would resolve this issue in the near future. Several adults in the cabinet finally gave some face. After whispering to each other, they reported to the emperor: those who are sick are still sick, and those who are busy are still busy. However, considering the needs of work, Grand Master Wang Jiaping is willing to keep the overall situation in mind and continue to work. Wanli was secretly delighted. Because of this brother's strategy, it is a day to procrastinate.When these old guys have retired, and the third son of the emperor has grown up, it will be done by then, and you have to agree if you don't agree.This time the cabinet was fooled. However, he was the only one who was fooled. Because he had never thought about such a question: Why was Wang Jiaping the one who stayed? Wang Jiaping, a native of Datong, Shanxi, was a Jinshi in the second year of Longqing.Simply put, this is a bad man. Wang Jiaping's imperial examination results were very good, he was selected as a good scholar, and he also compiled "Shizong Shilu", which should be said to be very promising, but he has not made much progress all the time.The reason is simple. When Gao Gong was in power, he wrote to impeach Gao Gong's relatives. Gao Shoufu sent someone to talk to him and asked him to save face. He said, no. When Zhang Juzheng was in power, he practiced non-violent non-cooperation.Go to work as usual, but don't get closer to the superiors. When Zhang Juzheng just fell ill, many people went to pray for blessings and show their loyalty. Someone asked him to go with him, but he said, no. Zhang Juzheng died. In the twelfth year of Wanli, he entered the cabinet and became a bachelor.At this time, the cabinet already had three members, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, and Xu Guo, and he was ranked fourth.According to the rules, this tail-wagging newcomer should be more honest, but he is an outlier. Every time the cabinet discusses an issue, even if everyone agrees, he thinks it is wrong and opposes it.Even if everyone is against it, if he thinks it is right, he agrees. He has been tough in the cabinet for six years like this. Anyone who sees him will be afraid, and Shen Shixing can't do anything about him.What's more, when writing the resignation letter, other people's reasons are that they are sick and too busy with work, but he is unique, saying that there is a severe drought in the world, and as a cabinet member, he has a responsibility and should resign (Jiu Hanqi stop). To keep him is to toss Wanli. A few days later, Yu Shenxing, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, wrote a letter urging the emperor to appoint a crown prince, and his language was quite fierce.Wanli was also angry and fined him three months' wages. It should be considered normal for things to happen, and what is abnormal is the end of things. In the past, Shen Shixing had already started to wave shovels and mud, first to comfort the emperor, then to appease the ministers, and finally, hello, hello, hello everyone, call it a day. In comparison, Wang Jiaping is much more relaxed, because he has only one opinion - to support Yu Shenxing. Before the wages were deducted, he immediately wrote a letter, defending Yu Shenxing, saying a lot of reasons, and pushing Comrade Wanli's temper back alive.But what is even more surprising is that this time, Wanli did not lose his temper. Because he couldn't get angry, the matter was very clear. Of the four members of the cabinet, three left, and the one who stayed was still a second-hander. It was obvious that he wanted to embarrass himself.And this Mr. Wang who insisted on fighting still can't say, if he makes a fuss again, he might leave. Who will clean up this mess? But tolerance is not enough. Spokespersons and ministers go into battle shirtless, and the cabinet fights black guns, both openly and secretly. It is more ruthless than forcing the palace. If you don't give an explanation, you won't be able to survive. A few days later, an eunuch found Wang Jiaping and conveyed to him the emperor's decree: "I'm going to do the matter of registering the crown prince next year, don't bother me anymore." Wang Jiaping was overjoyed immediately, but this sentence was not finished yet: "If anyone dares to write a letter on this matter, let's talk about it at the age of fifteen!" Zhu Changluo was born in the tenth year of Wanli, and the time when Wanli issued the decree was the eighteenth year of Wanli, so this sentence means that if you dare to make trouble again, this matter will be done in six years! Although it was not an unconditional surrender, there is still a saying after all. After five years of struggle, the ministers won-at least they think so. The matter was settled, Wang Jiaping was excited, and when he was excited, he did one thing. He told the Ministry of Rites about the emperor's decree, and the first person to know the news was Yu Shenxing, Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Yu Shenxing was ecstatic, and immediately wrote to the emperor: "I just found out about this matter, and I have notified the officials of the court, asking them to wait patiently." Wanli was so angry that he almost foamed. Because what Wanli gave to Wang Jiaping was not a formal imperial decree, but an oral order conveyed by the eunuch. It seems that there is no difference, but in fact, this is a move with profound political intentions. In fact, in ancient times, Jun Wu’s joking words were basically nonsense. The emperor is also a human being. It’s normal to make up nonsense and brag from time to time. The only thing that needs to be done after saying it is the imperial decree.It was written in black and white on it, and it couldn't be fooled.That's why Wanli sent the eunuch to pass on the message to Wang Jiaping, and his intention was simple: I have a plan for this matter, but I can't do it now, so let me talk to you first, and don't confront me in the future, let's take it easy. His Majesty the Emperor originally thought that Master Wang had been in the imperial court for decades at least, so he should still have this level of awareness, but he didn't expect that this stubborn man would reveal the matter, and the secret talk turned into an announcement, and he was forced to go to Liangshan up. He immediately sent eunuchs to the cabinet to question Wang Jiaping, but he got an unexpected answer. Wang Jiaping argued in this way: "The establishment of a crown prince is a major event. Many ministers were punished for being absent before. I couldn't decide on my own, and I was misunderstood by many ministers. I had to convey your majesty's will to dispel everyone's doubts." The real meaning of these words is roughly as follows: I am not ignorant of your intentions, but now I am also under a lot of pressure, many people are scolding me, and I have no choice but to pull your majesty out of the blame. Although not on the road, he is also an old fox. In this case, we had no choice but to make a mistake. A few days later, Wanli officially issued an imperial decree: "I have already made a decision on the appointment of the eldest son of the emperor as the crown prince. I will keep my word (to treat the world with sincerity). When the eldest son reaches ten years old, I will naturally make a decree. At that time, when the appointment of the emperor's eldest son to study and other matters are settled together, there will be no problems." Please hurry up again." The eldest son is ten years old, which is the nineteenth year of Wanli, which is the next year. The emperor’s intention is very clear. I have agreed to register the eldest son. stand up! Now everyone is happy, and the situation of the few brothers in the cabinet has suddenly improved greatly. The sick have recovered, and the busy ones are no longer busy. Except for Wang Xijue (whose mother is sick and has gone home, really), Everyone is back. All that's left is to wait.In a blink of an eye, it's the 20th year of Wanli, the Spring Festival is over, the spring is over, and the watermelons are about to open, but there is no news from Wanli. Great country, based on honesty, this is boring. But after all, the twenty years of Wanli haven’t passed yet, and we have made an appointment before, if we rashly write a letter to urge him, if we are found to have breached the contract and delayed the registration, no one will be able to bear the responsibility for breaching the contract, and the emperor is the emperor after all, you can tell me It doesn't seem appropriate for him to play tricks. Some clever officials and ministers began to think about the need to beat the emperor without leaving any excuses. After much deliberation, they finally found a perfect substitute target - Shen Shixing. No way, Mr. Shen, who made you the chief assistant?I had no choice but to let you carry it. Soon, a memorial titled "Lun Fu Chen Ke Chen Shu" was sent to the cabinet. Its main content was to impeach Shen Shixing's domineering power and suppress the officials, so that correct opinions could not be implemented. Poor Shen Shoufu spent his whole life in the mud, digging bricks and repairing walls, exhausted to the point of death, and being played by others at the end. This article is sharp, pointing at east and west, and pointing at others. It can be said to be a model of political texts. The author of the article is Tang Xianzu, the head of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites. In addition to this article, he also wrote another more famous work-The Peony Pavilion. Tang Xianzu, courtesy name Yi still, was born in Linchuan, Jiangxi Province. He was forty-two years old the year he wrote the letter, and he lived in the sixth rank of the official residence. Although it's really not eye-catching to be mixed up to the sixth rank in his forties.But this person is by no means an idle person. As early as 30 years ago, Mr. Tang was famous all over the world. At the age of thirteen, Tang Xianzu joined the Taizhou School (there is no age limit) and became a disciple of Wang Xue. He followed the gang of "heresy" and became famous. At the age of twenty-one, he passed the Juren examination.Seven years later, I went to the capital to take part in the examination. I was unlucky and met Zhang Juzheng. The reason why he was unlucky was not that Zhang Juzheng hated him, on the contrary, Zhang Shoufu admired him very much, and even asked his son to make friends with him. This is a good thing that you can't wait for, but the problem is that Mr. Tang is too deeply poisoned by heresy, he looks down on Zhang Juzheng, and puts on a show, saying that he refuses to make friends. Since he dared to play tricks on Zhang Shoufu, Zhang Shoufu naturally wanted to show him off, and failure in the exam was inevitable.Three years later, he went to Beijing again to rush for the exam. Zhang Shoufu persisted and still wanted his son to make friends with him, regardless of previous suspicions.But Mr. Tang still didn't give face and put on a show again.Mr. Shoufu naturally put him together again, and he failed again. But Mr. Tang not only had the backbone, but also had perseverance. Three years later, he rushed to the exam again. This time, Zhang Shoufu did not stop him (he died), and finally succeeded in the list. 由于之前两次跟张居正硬扛，汤先生此时的名声已经是如日中天。当朝的大人物张四维、申时行等人都想拉他，可汤先生死活不搭理人家。 不搭理就有不搭理的去处，名声大噪的汤显祖被派到了南京，几番折腾，才到礼部混了个主事。 南京本来就没事干，南京的礼部更是闲得出奇，这反倒便宜了汤先生。闲暇之余开始写戏，并且颇有建树，日子过得还算不错，直到万历十九年的这封上疏。 很明显，汤先生的政治高度比不上艺术高度，奏疏刚送上去，申时行还没说什么，万历就动手了。 对于这种杀鸡儆猴的把戏，皇帝大人一向比较警觉（他也常用这招），立马做出了反应，把汤显祖发配到边远地区（广东徐闻）去当典史。 这是一次极其致命的打击，从此汤先生再也没能翻过身来。 万历这辈子罢过很多人的官，但这一次，是最为成功的。因为他只罢掉了一个六品主事，却换回一个明代最伟大的戏曲家，赚大发了。 二十八岁落榜后，汤显祖开始写戏。三十岁的时候，写出了《紫箫记》；三十八岁，写出了《紫钗记》。四十二岁被赶到广东，七年后京察，又被狠狠地折腾了一回，索性回了老家。 来回倒腾几十年，一无所获。在极度苦闷之中，四十九岁的汤显祖回顾了自己戏剧化的一生，用悲凉而美艳的辞藻写下了他所有的梦想和追求，是为《还魂记》，后人又称。 牡丹亭，全剧共十五出，描述了一个死而复生的爱情故事，（情节比较复杂，有兴趣自己去翻翻）。此剧音律流畅，词曲优美，轰动一时，时人传诵：牡丹一出，西厢（）失色。此后传唱天下百余年，堪与之媲美者，唯有孔尚任之。 为官不济，为文不朽，是以无憾。 史赞：二百年来，一人而已。 总的说来，汤显祖的运气是不错的，因为更麻烦的事，他还没赶上。 汤先生上书两月之后，福建佥事李琯就开炮了，目标还是申时行。不过这次更狠，用词狠毒不说，还上升到政治高度，一条条列下来，弹劾申时行十大罪，转瞬之间，申先生就成了天字第一号大恶人。 万历也不客气，再度发威，撤了李琯的职。 命令一下，申时行却并不高兴，反而唉声叹气，忧心忡忡。 因为到目前为止，虽然你一刀我一棍打个不停，但都是摸黑放枪，谁也不挑明。万历的合同也还有效，拖到年尾，皇帝赖账就是理亏，到时再争，也是十拿九稳。 可万一下面这帮愤中愤老忍不住，玩命精神爆发，和皇帝公开死磕，事情就难办了。 俗语云：怕什么，就来什么。 工部主事张有德终于忍不住了，他愤然上书，要求皇帝早日册立太子。 等的就是你。 万历随即做出反应，先罚了张有德的工资，鉴于张有德撕毁合同，册立太子的事情推后一年办理。 这算是正中下怀，本来就不大想立，眼看合同到期，正为难呢，来这么个冤大头，不用白不用。册立的事情也就能堂而皇之地往后拖了。 事实上，这是他的幻想。 因为在大臣们看来，这合同本来就不合理，忍气吞声大半年，那是给皇帝面子，早就一肚子苦水怨气没处泻，你敢蹦出来，那好，咱们就来真格的！ 当然，万历也算是老运动员了。对此他早有准备，无非是来一群大臣瞎咋呼，先不理，闹得厉害再出来说几句话，把事情熬过去，完事。 形势的发展和他的预料大致相同，张有德走人后，他的领导，工部尚书曾同亨就上书了，要求皇帝早日册立太子。 万历对此嗤之以鼻，他很清楚，这不过是个打头的，大部队在后。下面的程序他都能背出来，吵吵嚷嚷，草草收场，实在毫无新鲜可言。 然而当下一封奏疏送上来的时候，他才知道，自己错了。 这封奏疏的署名人并不多，只有三个，分别是申时行、许国、王家屏。 但对万历而言，这是一个致命的打击。 因为之前无论群臣多么反对，内阁都是支持他的。即使以辞职回家相威胁，也从未公开与他为敌，是他的最后一道屏障，现在竟然公开站出来和他对着干，此例一开，后果不堪设想。 特别是申时行，虽说身在内阁，时不时也说两句，但那都是做给人看的。平日里忙着和稀泥，帮着调节矛盾，是名副其实的卧底兼间谍。 可这次，申时行连个消息都没透，就打了个措手不及，实在太不够意思，于是万历私下派出了太监，斥责申时行。 一问，把申时行也问糊涂了，因为这事他压根就不知道！ 事情是这样的，这封奏疏是许国写的，写好后让王家屏署名，王兄自然不客气，提笔就签了名，而申时行的底细他俩都清楚，这个老滑头死也不会签，于是许大人胆一壮，代申首辅签了名，拖下了水。 事已至此，申大人只能一脸无辜的表白： “名字是别人代签的，我事先真不知道。” 事情解释了，太监也回去了，可申先生却开始琢磨了：万一太监传达不对怎么办？万一皇帝不信怎么办？万一皇帝再激动一次，把事情搞砸怎么办？ 想来想去，他终于决定，写一封密信。 这封密信的内容大致是说，我确实不知道上奏的事情，这事情皇上你不要急，自己拿主意就行。 客观地讲，申时行之所以说这句话，倒不一定是耍两面派，因为他很清楚皇帝的性格： 像万历这号人，属于死要面子活受罪，打死也不认错的。看上去非常随和，实际上极其固执，和他硬干，是没有什么好处的。 所以申时行的打算，是先稳住皇帝，再慢慢来。 事实确如所料，万历收到奏疏后，十分高兴，当即回复： “你的心意我已知道，册立的事情我已有旨意，你安心在家调养就是了。” 申时行总算松了口气，事情终于糊弄过去了。 但他做梦也想不到，他长达十年的和稀泥生涯，将就此结束——因为那封密信。 申时行的这封密信，属于机密公文，按常理，除了皇帝，别人是看不见的。 可是在几天后的一次例行公文处理中，万历将批好的文件转交内阁，结果不留神，把这封密信也放了进去。 这就好比拍好了照片存电脑，又把电脑拿出去给人修，是个要命的事。 文件转到内阁，这里是申时行的地盘，按说事情还能挽回。可问题在于申大人为避风头，当时还在请病假，负责工作的许国也没留意，顺手就转给了礼部。 最后，它落在了礼部给事中罗大纮的手里。 罗大纮，江西吉水人。关于这个人，只用一句就能概括：一个称职的言官。 看到申时行的密信后，罗大纮非常愤怒，因为除了耍两面派外，申时行在文中还写了这样一句话：惟亲断亲裁，勿因小臣妨大典。 这句话说白了，就是你自己说了算，不要理会那些小臣。 我们是小臣，你是大臣？ ! 此时申时行已经发现了密信外泄，他十分紧张，立刻找到了罗大纮的领导，礼部科给事中胡汝宁，让他去找罗大纮谈判。 可惜罗大纮先生不吃这一套，写了封奏疏，把这事给捅了出去，痛骂申时行两面派。 好戏就此开场，言官们义愤填膺。吏部给事中钟羽正、候先春随即上书，痛斥申时行，中书黄正宾等人也跟着凑热闹，骂申时行老滑头。 眼看申首辅吃亏，万历当即出手，把罗大纮赶回家当了老百姓，还罚了上书言官的工资。 但事情闹到这个份上，已经无法收拾了。 经历过无数大风大浪的申时行，终究在阴沟里翻了船。自万历十年以来，他忍辱负重，上下协调，独撑大局，打落门牙往肚里吞，至今已整整十年。 现在，他再也支撑不下去了。 万历十九年（1591）九月，申时行正式提出辞职，最终得到批准，回乡隐退。 大乱就此开始。