Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Murder

Wang Xijue completely calmed down. In the thirty-sixth year of Wanli, Ye Xianggao officially ascended the throne and became the chief assistant of the imperial court. In the following seven years, he was the first and only person in the cabinet, and was known as "the only prime minister" in history. The current situation seems to have not changed, Wanli still does not go to court, the cabinet is still half-tired, and the ministers are still scolding, but the truth is not the case. Beneath the surface, subtle changes have taken place in political forces. New ones have arrived, while old ones have lingered. For their respective interests, the two sides have been searching hard, looking for an opportunity to kill each other.

Finally, they found the best and most suitable opportunity - the prince. The prince has been doing pretty well recently. Since the demon book case, he has been very clean for a few years, nine years to be exact. In the forty-first year of Wanli (1613), a report written by one person dragged the prince into the water again. This man was called Wang Yueqian, who was in charge of Jinyiwei Baihu at the time. In layman's terms, he was a spy. The spy wrote to the emperor, saying that he found a very bizarre thing: three people gathered and cut three paper figurines with the names of the emperor, empress dowager, and crown prince written on them, and then nailed seven seven Forty-nine nails (really not easy).After nailing it for a few days, set it on fire.

This is a complicated process, but the intention is very simple - a curse, after all, nails are nailed to the paper figurine, and if you say it is a blessing, it seems unreliable. That's all, what's more troublesome is that the spy also reported at the same time that this matter was instigated by an eunuch, but this eunuch was also the eunuch of Concubine Zheng. So things got serious, and the memorial was sent to the emperor. Wanli overturned the table, and couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, wandering around in a hurry.After the crown prince found out, he was also very anxious, fearing that the matter would become a big problem. Concubine Zheng even cried out, saying that she did not do this by herself.

Everyone was in a hurry, but Ye Xianggao in the cabinet was silent. Wanli was exhausted and remembered this person, and immediately cursed: "Why didn't this person speak up when such a big thing happened!?" At this time, the eunuch beside him handed him something, and soon Wanli said the second sentence: "It's all right now." This thing is Ye Xianggao's memorabilia, which was sent up as soon as the matter came out. The content of the memorial is roughly as follows: Your Majesty, I know the plaintiff (referring to Wang Yueqian) and the defendant (referring to the curser) in this matter. They are all rogues. The Yaoshu case is very similar, but the Yaoshu case is anonymous and no one can investigate it. Now that the plaintiff and the defendant are all there, it will be known at the first instance. Your Majesty, just keep quiet.

After reading this passage, my feeling is: this is a very smart person. Ye Xianggao's superficial meaning is that this matter, regardless of the right and wrong, should not make a big fuss, as long as you don't say it, I don't say it, put this matter down, and the first trial will be fine. This is an unreasonable choice.Because Ye Xianggao is a member of the Donglin Party, and the Donglin Party supports the prince. Now that the prince is cursed, he should investigate to the end. How can we stop there? In fact, Ye Xianggao was right. The next day, Ye Xianggao sent Wang Yueqian to the Sanju Judiciary for interrogation.

This is a decision that confuses many people. If this person goes to trial, won't the matter become serious? If you think this way, it means that you are very simple, because the day after he ordered the interrogation, Comrade Wang Riqian died in prison for unknown reasons, and the cause of death is yet to be investigated. What is black?This is called black. And as long as you analyze the situation at that time and uncover a few doubts, you will find Ye Xianggao's real motive: First of all, the biggest question is: Is this incident done by Concubine Zheng, and the answer: it doesn't matter.

Since ancient times, there have been countless things like cursing. To put it bluntly, I want to get rid of a person, but I have no courage to jump out. I make a few dummies at home and vent my anger by cursing. This is pure Ah Q spirit.Generally, it is the old lady who does it (some people still do it today, and there are many forms, such as "beating villains"), and Zheng Guifei's IQ just fits this level. If she really does it, I would believe it. . But the problem is that it doesn't matter whether she did it or not. Anyway, iron nails can't kill people if they are stuck on a dummy. What is really important is that this matter cannot be investigated and there can be no truth.

Pursuing this matter seems to be an opportunity for the prince to avenge Concubine Zheng, but in fact, it is an out-and-out trap. The reason is very simple. At this time, Zhu Changluo is already the prince. As long as there is no major incident, he will naturally take over at that time. Concubine Zheng's tricks such as crying, making trouble, and hanging herself three times have been useless for more than ten years. But if the matter is made a big deal and the emperor is alarmed, no matter what the result is, it will only do harm to the prince, not good.Because there is only one thing for the prince to do at this time - wait.

Facts have proved that Ye Xianggao's judgment is very correct. There are various signs that Wang Yueqian, who complained, has a close relationship with the group of people who cursed. This matter is likely to be a well-planned conspiracy. , For some purpose, I want to muddy the water, and fish in troubled waters. Comrade Ye Xianggao, who has been tried and tested for a long time, saw through the trap and successfully passed the crisis. But the cruelest test in the life of His Royal Highness is coming, after two years. In the forty-three years of Wanli (1615), the fourth day of May, at dusk.

The prince Zhu Changluo is resting in the Ciqing Palace. In the 29th year of Wanli, he was named the prince and lived here. However, his father's character is poor and the infrastructure should be lacking. He doesn't give anything he wants, even the eunuchs around him are The emperor didn't want to see those eliminated by others, and the ministers naturally didn't buy it. Usually, no one came to the door, and it was very deserted. But on this day, someone special has come to his door and will greet him in a special way. Holding a wooden stick, he entered the Ciqing Palace.

At this time, the distance between him and the prince was only two doors. The first door was unguarded, and he stepped through it. At the second gate, he encountered obstacles. Generally speaking, there are soldiers with loaded guns standing guard at the gates of important state organs. Even if they are close, there are still a few security guards. It was the same in the Ming Dynasty. Needless to say, Jinyiwei, Dongchang, etc., there were soldiers guarding the front of the military department, but there were no soldiers or security guards at the gate of His Royal Highness, not even the old man. There are only two old eunuchs. So, he swung his stick and hit him. As we all know, the physical fitness of eunuchs is worse than that of ordinary people (except for those who have practiced the classics), let alone old eunuchs. Soon, an old eunuch was wounded, he crossed the second gate and moved towards the goal. The target is not far ahead. However, although the eunuch couldn't fight, he was very good at shouting. Under the sharp shouting, the other eunuchs finally appeared. What happened next was quite logical. After all, this man was not holding a submachine gun, and he himself could not change shape, and he could not give us more surprises. Under the siege of a group of eunuchs, he was finally captured without a fight. The prince was in the Ciqing Palace at that time, and he didn't panic after receiving the report. After all, the man was caught and didn't come in. He ordered the man to be handed over to the palace guards. In his opinion, this was just a trivial matter. But what happened next would be far beyond his imagination. If someone is caught, it will naturally be tried. According to the principle of territoriality, where the case is committed, the government will try it. But this case is different. The case in the palace, can you let the emperor try it? After pushing and pushing, it was finally confirmed that Liu Tingyuan, the censor of Xuncheng, was in charge of the trial. After interrogating for a long time, Liu Yushi came to a ridiculous conclusion - this man is a lunatic. Because no matter what he said, lures and threats, this man's answer is not right, not right at all, and from time to time he pops out a few words that no one can understand, he is considered a complete lunatic. So after a few rounds, Liu Yushi did not interrogate him anymore. If the interrogation continued, he would become a lunatic. But it is wrong to say that there is no achievement at all. The lunatic confessed that his name is Zhang Cha and he is from Jizhou. As for other situations, he knows nothing. Although this result is not good, it is very appropriate, because since he is a lunatic, he can naturally do what a lunatic does. There is an explanation for his breaking into the palace and beating people. Li went to the palace in a daze, and beat someone in a daze, very good, very good. Yes, yes, this matter should be left to other dynasties. Once the emperor suppresses it and the ministers hold it in hand, it will be settled. Unfortunately, unfortunately, this is in the Ming Dynasty. As soon as this matter came out, the news spread, everyone in the streets and alleys discussed it, not to mention the court ministers, they talked about this matter every day, and everyone agreed: this matter was done by Concubine Zheng. The so-called public opinion refers to the opinions of the masses. As more and more people commented, this matter could no longer be suppressed, so Wanli personally stepped in and ordered the three judicial departments to jointly review the case. It is said that it is the Sanju Department, but in fact there is only the Ministry of Punishment, and the quality of the interrogators is not high. The Minister of Shangshu did not come, but there are only two doctors (at the main hall level). But the level of these two people is obviously higher than that of Liu Yushi. After asking several times, they actually made things clear. To investigate a case, one must find the crux of the case, and the crux of the case is not who did it, but why it was done, which is the so-called motivation. After some questioning, Zhang Cha revealed his motive: not long ago, the firewood pile in his house was burned by someone. Zhong broke into the palace, and was afraid, so he beat people casually, that's all. If you use two words to describe Zhang Cha's statement, it is nonsense. The firewood was burned, and he had to go to the capital to appeal. This statement fully illustrates the point: Zhang Cha is a fool even if he is not a lunatic. Because this is really not a good reason. If you want to change someone, you have to make up a story about burning down the house and bullying the common people. Only then can everyone sympathize with you. What's more, there are too many people going to the capital to complain, how many of them can enter the palace, the palace is so big, why did you end up in the prince's bedroom, and you keep rushing in? For this point, the two Langs who tried the case are naturally familiar with it, but they are even more aware of the leadership's intentions. This matter can only be handled in a small way. The names of these two doctors are Hu Shixiang and Yue Junsheng respectively. The reason why they proposed their names is because these two people are definitely not ordinary people. So after some discussion, Zhang Chai's case officially came to an end. Leaving aside the motive of the prisoner, the prisoner's ending is certain—the death penalty (also counted as murder). But if you want to kill someone, you have to be charged with a crime. Naturally, this is not a problem for the two dear friends. They are worthy of being members of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs. Those who are killed will be cut according to the law. Why don't you care about hurting people, don't care about hurting anyone, the case ends here, just close the case like this, everyone is clean. Closing the case in this way is rare, and the truth of the matter will be completely buried. However, in this world, after all, there are still people who are not confused and are unwilling to pretend to be confused. On May 11th, the Ministry of Criminal Justice went to jail. It has been seven days, and Zhang Cha has completely gotten used to life in prison. Although the current situation is different from what he expected, it is generally normal. Pretending to be crazy is very effective, and the truth is still hidden in his heart. When it was time for dinner, Zhang Cha walked to the prison door and waited for today's meal. But he didn't know that there was a pair of eyes watching him in the dark. According to regulations, although the prisoner has already confessed, the Ministry of Criminal Affairs must send special personnel for interrogation every day to prevent the confession from being withdrawn. On May 11th, it was Wang Zhicai's turn. Wang Zhicai, with a single heart, was the head of the Ministry of Punishment at that time. The person in charge is a low-level official from the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and although this Mr. Wang is a small official, he has a big heart. He is a staunch conspiracy theorist, and he believes that there must be some secrets hidden behind this lunatic. Coincidentally, when he arrived in the cell, he happened to meet the meal, so he found a hidden corner and watched the lunatic quietly without making a sound. Because it's hard to fake a person while eating. After that, everything was normal. Zhang Cha calmly received the meal and prepared to eat calmly. However, Wang Zhicai has already determined that this is a problematic person. Because his identity is a lunatic, and a lunatic will not be so normal. So he stood up immediately, interrupted Zhang Cha who was eating, and told the guards that the interrogation would begin immediately. Zhang Cha was very surprised, but he calmed down immediately. In his opinion, this uninvited guest was no different from the previous officials. The interrogation started, as before, Zhang Cha pretended to be crazy, but he was surprised to find that the man in front of him didn't say a word, just looked at him quietly. After he finished his performance, the scene fell into silence again, and then he heard this sentence: "To be honest, I will give you food, and if you don't tell me, you will starve to death." In the art of extorting confessions by torture that flourishes in our country, this is a rather funny sentence. However, in interrogations, the national righteousness and frankness are generally the first, followed by tiger stools and pepper water.Even if you want to lure, it's promotion and fortune, money and beautiful women. And the bait for Mr. Wang is just a bowl of rice. In any case, it is too stingy. Facts have proved that Zhang Chai is indeed a very good person, which is manifested in his simple mind and simple thinking. Between eating a bowl of rice and concealing the truth and saving his life, he chose the former without hesitation. So he lowered his head and said something like this: "I dare not say." The meaning of not daring to say it is not that you don’t know, nor that you don’t say it, but that it’s inconvenient to say it if you know it. Wang Zhicai is a very smart person, and immediately dismissed all the people, and then he held the bowl of rice in his hand, and heard the truth: "My name is Zhang Cha. I'm from Jizhou. My nickname is Zhang Wu'er. My father has passed away." "One day, two acquaintances came to me and took me to meet an old man (that is, a eunuch). The old man said to me, you come with me to do something, and after the work is done, I will give you a few acres of land to ensure that you have no worries about food and clothing. " "So I went with him. I arrived in the capital on the fourth day of the lunar new year (that is, May 4th). I went to a house and met another old man." "He told me, just go in and kill anyone you see. If you kill them, we can save you." "Then he gave me a stick and led me into the palace, and I walked in, knocked down a father-in-law, and was caught." Wang Zhicai was stunned. He didn't expect that the speculation from the outside world turned out to be true. It was indeed a political assassination that had been planned for a long time. But what he didn't expect was that this assassination would be so stupid. Although the man in front of him is not a lunatic, it is true to say he is a fool, and he is neither a martial arts master nor a professional killer. That is a tough farmer. The process of committing the crime is also extremely ridiculous. It sounds like it was recommended by the masses. The eunuchs used it and took it to the capital. They didn't give the beauties or money. They didn't even live in a star hotel. They didn't see any benefits, so they agreed to go. Hitting someone, where do you find such a fool? Besides the murder weapon, generally speaking, to assassinate a big man, one should use high-end gadgets. When Jing Ke assassinated Qin Qin, he even found Mrs. Xu's dagger. I also had to find a short knife, but when this brother entered the palace, let alone those high-end gadgets, he didn't even have a kitchen knife, so he just beat him with a wooden stick. From the beginning to the end, no matter how you look at it, this matter is not right, but after all, the situation was found out, Wang Zhicai did not dare to neglect, and immediately reported it to Wanli. But after the memorial was sent up, there was no response at all, and His Majesty the Emperor didn't respond at all. But this was already in Wang Zhicai's expectation. The old man had already copied the copy and distributed it everywhere, and he himself was also working around to create public opinion and demand an open trial. When he made a fuss, another big name in the judiciary, Wang Shichang, the prime minister of Dali Temple, jumped out and yelled along with him, calling for a joint trial by the three judicial departments. But Wanli still didn't respond, which is understandable. You must know that he had experienced the struggle for the country back then, and hundreds of people swarmed him. That is the big world, and this kind of small scene is nothing. According to this situation, the matter would subside soon, but His Majesty the Emperor did not expect that another person jumped out of his silence. This person is Zheng Guotai, the younger brother of Concubine Zheng. The cause of the matter was just a memorial. Just a few days after the interrogation transcript was made public, Si Zhenglu received a memorial and raised several questions: Since Zhang Cha said that a eunuch was looking for him, who is this eunuch?He once went to the capital and entered a house. Where is the house?A eunuch talked to him, who is this eunuch? That's all right, at the end of the article, he also said something innocuous, to the effect that when I was canonized by the King of Fortune, I went to the Shu, hoping to beware of treacherous people, and today it really came true! Although this remark was a bit accusatory, it didn't actually say anything, but Mr. Zheng Guotai jumped out and wrote a memorial to defend himself. This is the so-called right seat, which vividly shows that Zheng Guotai's IQ index is basically at the same level as his sister. Not to mention, in this memorial, Mr. Zheng left the following words: Is there any conspiracy to overthrow the prince?What has the Lord done?What is the purpose of buying outlaws? ... I dare not even think about these things, let alone say them, and I can't bear to hear them. This action vividly tells us that the original stupid characters are written like this. Mr. Zheng's brains are really stupid to a considerable extent. This kind of genuine goods has no silver three hundred taels here, and the officials will naturally not let it go. Soon, He Shijin reacted to the incident in the engineering department, and the reaction was quite violent. : "Who said you overthrew the prince! Who said you were the master! Who said you bribed outlaws! You both defended and confessed, trying to cover up!" Zheng Guotai was speechless, the matter had reached such a point that he couldn't stop it. At this time, almost everyone believed that the truth was about to be revealed to the world, except Wang Zhicai. After the success of the first trial, Zhang Chai's case was retried, and Wang Zhicai was very proud for a few days. However, not long after, he realized that he had overlooked a very important issue: Zhang Cha's pretending to be crazy is very clumsy, and he just opened his mouth for a bowl of rice. Why didn't the previous officials see it? After thinking about it, he came to a very scary conclusion: they did it on purpose. The first thing that is doubtful is Liu Tingyuan who interrogated Zhang Cha first. The saying that Zhang Cha is a lunatic originated from this. After thorough analysis, Wang Zhicai discovered that this Mr. Yu Shi is not an easy character. Although this person is only a censor who patrols the city, he seems to have a close relationship with Zheng Guotai, and the two criminal ministers Hu Shixiang and Yue Junsheng who were later re-examined also have close contacts with him. This does not seem to be surprising, although Zheng Guotai is relatively stupid, he still has strength. After all, King Fu is favored, and there are many people who take the initiative to seek refuge. But soon he found that things were not as simple as he imagined. Because a few days later, the Ministry of Criminal Justice decided to retry the case, and the presiding judge was Hu Shixiang, the doctor who had confirmed Liu Tingyuan's conclusion. Hu Shixiang, the Shandong Division Langzhong of the Ministry of Criminal Justice at the time, was the leader of Wang Zhicai in terms of rank. During the trial process, Chief Wang was surprised to find that Hu Langzhong had been evasive, insisting that Zhang Cha was really crazy. Don't pursue the truth of the incident. Everything gave Wang Zhicai a deep impression: behind this so-called lunatic, there is a huge force hidden. And Liu Tingyuan and Hu Shixiang are just the tip of the iceberg of this force. But what puzzled him was that Zheng Guotai did not seem to be instigating these people. Although they tried their best to cover up the truth, Mr. Zheng was not very popular in the court, and he was rather stupid. If he was the backstage boss, It's really flattering. So what is going on with all this? Wang Zhicai's feeling was correct, the shadow standing behind Liu Tingyuan and Hu Shixiang was not Zheng Guotai. The name of this shadow is Shen Yiguan. As far as Shen Yiguan's political achievements are concerned, he is just an ordinary character in history books, but in fact, this dear man has a very important historical status and is a key figure in the study of the late Ming Dynasty. Because the brother's greatest achievement is not in politics, but in organization. We have reason to believe that during his working period, besides his daily government affairs, he has been doing one thing—pulling people. How and how many were recruited are impossible to verify, but we are certain of one thing, that is the recruiting principle of this organization—Zhejiang people. Shen Yiguan is a native of Siming, Zhejiang. In terms of nepotism, he is similar to his later fellow countryman Chiang Kai-shek, so on the basis of cronies, he established a fellow villager association. This hometown association was later called the Zhejiang Party in Chinese history. This is the other side of Shen Yiguan. He is the chief assistant of the imperial court and the leader of the Zhejiang Party. It should be said that this is a wise decision, because you must clearly realize that: During the Wanli period, a chief assistant who had no backer (emperor) and cronies (buddies) was absolutely unstable. So Shen Yiguan worked for five years, Ye Xianggao worked for seven years, so Zhao Zhigao was trampled on, and Zhu Geng was ignored. Of course, Shen Yiguan was not the only one who organized the Fellowship Association. In addition to the Zhejiang Party, there was also the Qi Party dominated by people from Shandong, and the Chu Party dominated by people from Huguang (now Hubei and Hunan). This is the famous three parties of Qi, Chu and Zhejiang in history. These are three organizations with great energy and strong combat effectiveness, because the backbone members of the organization are the officials. Spokespersons, including the six ministries and the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, can interfere with the decision-making of the leaders of the ministry, and sit on an equal footing with the minister (Shang Shu), and have a great influence on central affairs. The censor is equivalent to a special commissioner, not only can write a letter of impeachment, but also often go down to inspect various places, and a senior censor can also serve as a governor. Therefore, although the members of the three parties are all small officials of the sixth and seventh ranks, they are inconspicuous, but they are quite powerful. It must be explained that in the 200-plus years of Ming Dynasty history, although it was commonplace to form cliques, there was no precedent for blatant organization, and the precedent came from this. It's an interesting mystery. Can't come out early, can't come out late, why did he appear at this time? What's more interesting is that the three parties are not hostile or fighting, but peaceful and mutual assistance. This is really something that does not conform to tradition. Existence is rational, and the reason why something happens is because it has a reason to happen. There is a reason for the establishment of the three parties one after another, and there is a reason for them to live in peace.Yes, the name of this reason is called Donglin Party. Gu Xiancheng of Wuxi is just a commoner. What he runs is just an academy, but almost everyone knows that this academy can despise the chief ministers of the dynasty, calling them puppets and babies. This academy can prevent ministers from reviving and change the emperor. appointment. Under the great tomorrow, the country's decisions are all in the hands of the common people.From ancient times to the present, I have never seen such an awesome common people. Whether it is Gu Xiancheng, Gao Panlong, Zhao Nanxing who are in the opposition, or Li Sancai and Ye Xianggao who are in the court, they are not fuel-efficient lamps. The Donglin Party has both public opinion and important court officials. If you say it is a purely moral organization, Ghosts believe it, but I don't believe it anyway. Even I don't believe it anymore, how could the gang of treacherous and slippery guys in the Ming court believe it, so they were afraid in front of such an opponent who could influence the court and influence the world. The most effective and quickest way to overcome fear is to find someone to fear with you. Shi Yun: The Ming Dynasty perished due to party disputes.I said: Party struggles started at this time. Liu Tingyuan and Hu Shixiang are not from Zheng Guotai. An idiot like Mr. Zheng has no organizational skills. Their real identity is that they are members of the Zhejiang Party. But the question is, Shen Yiguan also supported the crown prince, why should he support Zheng Guotai in this matter? The answer is, to people and not to things. Shen has always disliked Zheng Guotai, let alone the Donglin Party, because of public outrage. The so-called public indignation means that when he was in power, people like Gu Xiancheng always had trouble with him in official affairs. He was very angry, so it was called public indignation. However, the person he dislikes the most is not the Donglin Party—Ye Xianggao, because of a personal enmity, a personal enmity of thirty-two years. Thirty-two years ago (1583, the eleventh year of Wanli), Ye Xianggao came to the capital to take part in the examination. Ye Xianggao, courtesy name Jinqing, was born in Fuqing, Fujian, in the 38th year of Jiajing. It must be admitted that he was very unlucky. He had gone through the test of life and death just after he was born. Because in the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing, Japanese pirates invaded Fujian and Fuqing fell. To be precise, the day of the fall was Ye Xianggao's birthday. It is said that his mother hid in the straw pile in order to avoid the Japanese pirates. After the Japanese pirates finished hiding, the child was born. It is not easy to think about it. Ye Xianggao, who survived the catastrophe, did not have any future blessings. In order to avoid Japanese pirates, he became a guerrilla at the age of one or two. Once the devils entered the village, he hid in the mountains with his mother. I believe that decades later, he He is both right and left, witty and cunning, and this is where he hits the bottom line. When Japanese pirates were most rampant, many people abandoned their children (burdens) and fled alone. Some people persuaded Ye Xianggao's mother, but she said: "If you want to die, die together." But they survived after all because of another great Ming Dynasty figure - Qi Jiguang. In the 41st year of Jiajing (1562), Qi Jiguang launched the Battle of Hengyu, conquered Hengyu, recovered Fuqing, and finally quelled the Japanese invasion. It must be explained that Ye Xianggao at that time was not called Ye Xianggao, but only had a nickname. This nickname is not very elegant today, so I will not introduce it. The name Xianggao was given by his father, which means step by step, to go high. Facts tell us that sometimes changing the name is still very effective. In the sixth year of Longqing (1572), Ye Xianggao was fourteen years old and a scholar. In the seventh year of Wanli (1579), Ye Xianggao was 21 years old, and he was a middle-ranked candidate. In the eleventh year of Wanli (1583), Ye Xianggao was twenty-five years old and participated in the examination for the second time.At the end of the exam, he felt very good. The result also verified his idea. He passed the 78th place in the examination and became a Jinshi.Now, in front of him, there is only the last hurdle - the palace test. The imperial examination went very well. The examiners of the Hanlin Academy were very satisfied with Ye Xianggao and decided to rank him first. Great Future is waving to Ye Xianggao. However, everything that happened next changed unexpectedly. Because from now on, Ye Xianggao and Shen Yiguan have formed a deep hatred, although they have never met before. It should be explained clearly that Ye Xianggao's 78th place is not the 78th in the whole country, but the 78th in the Southern Volume. In the Ming Dynasty, Jinshi was not admitted uniformly across the country, but was allocated quotas according to regions. It was specifically divided into three regions, South, North, and Central, with different admission ratios. The so-called south refers to the provinces south of the Huaihe River, with a proportion of 55%.North, that is, north of the Huaihe River, the proportion is 35%.And middle refers to the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Fengyang, with a ratio of 10%. Specifically, it means this. For example, if the imperial court wants to recruit 100 Jinshi this year, then they will be distributed to various places, that is, 55 people from the south, 35 people from the north, and 10 people from the center.This means that if you are from the south and you get the 56th place in the south in the exam, no matter how good your grades are, your writing is better than the first place in the north, you will not be admitted. And if you are from the central region, no matter how poor your writing is, you can only rank a few hundred in the south, but as long as you can get to the top ten in the central examination, you can become a Jinshi. This is a regulation with a long history. It has been implemented since Zhu Yuanzhang came to the throne more than 200 years ago. The cause was a very bloody political case - the North and South List case.This case is a muddled account, roughly meaning that it was an exam. Juren in the south did very well in the exam, so good that few in the north could be admitted, so some people were not convinced, saying that the examiner cheated, and the matter caused a lot of trouble. In Zhu's place, he was a real person, and he didn't argue about it, and he killed hundreds of people with a swipe of a pen. But after the work is done, things still have to be resolved, because the actual situation is that the quality of teaching in the north was indeed not as good as that in the south, and it doesn't matter if you kill everyone.In desperation, I had no choice but to set up a north-south list, no one should fight, it depends on where you were born, the south counts you as unlucky, and the north counts as your luck. Things changed again during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, because the area around Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan was regarded as the south, but back then it was a barren land, not to mention studying, and it was not easy to make a living. Extinct.So the emperor ordered that this place be listed as the central part, as a special zone, and Fengyang, because it was Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown, was also very poor, and it was also listed as a special event. Of course, there is no way to do this. After all, the foundation is different, and the foundation is different. In the exam, if you want to realize the harmony of human beings overnight, it is impossible, so this theory is still used now.I take care of this, called examination geographic determinism. This set of theories is very cruel, but also very real. It is mainly about playing with chance, depending on where you are reincarnated. For example, if you were born in Shandong, Jiangsu, Hubei and other places, you are really Amitabha. These places are often entrenched with a group of guys who study desperately. As far as I know, there are some "township middle schools" (you can't find them on the map) Most of the students go to the college entrance examination in the second year of high school (the grades are not recorded), and most of them can score more than 600 points (750 out of 100 points). Every time I think of this, I can’t help but feel terrified. The result of being neighbors with these people is: If you want to go to Peking University, more than 600 points is just the starting price. It should be said that there is still some progress, and if you are in a hurry, you can still play some dirty tricks, such as... changing your account. Unfortunately, Mr. Ye Xianggao in the Ming Dynasty couldn't play this trick. As a leader in Nanjuan, he had many opponents, one of them was Wu Longxuan. This Mr. Wu is also from Fujian, but he is much stronger than other opponents because his background is called Shen Yiguan. According to Shen's usual thinking, this person should be number one, and then enter the court and become his assistant, but Ye Xianggao's appearance disrupted Shen's usual deployment. Therefore, Shen always planned to let Ye Xianggao fail the ranking, at least not let him rank among the best. And he decided that he could do this because he was the examiner for this exam. But unfortunately, he didn't succeed, because a better person came forward. The chief examiner is certainly big, but no matter how big he is, he is no bigger than the chief assistant. Although Ye Xianggao has nothing to do with him, he has strength.The article was so well written that the other examiners were not convinced, so they reported the matter to Shen Shixing. Master Shen was overjoyed when he saw it, and called Shen Yiguan over, saying that this is a talent, and he must be admitted! This time Mr. Shen was depressed, and the big boss came forward. If he didn't give Ye Xianggao his job, his own job would not be guaranteed, but he was not convinced after all, so the final result was as follows: Ye Xianggao, admitted, ranked twelfth in the second class. This is a result that many people didn't expect, because if you want to punish people, you can send Comrade Ye Xianggao to the top three, and that's it. It's really puzzling to not give the champion, but give a passable ranking. Let me tell you, there is a lot of knowledge here. Ye Xianggao made a fool of himself, so he must be taught a lesson.But the problem is, this person is guaranteed by Shen Shixing, and Shen Shoufu is also an old fox. If you want to deal with him, there will be no good fruit to eat, so not only should you give him face, but you must also give him enough face.And the 12th place in the top two is the most appropriate arrangement. Because according to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, generally speaking, the 12th place in the second class can ensure that you will be selected as a good scholar and enter the Imperial Academy, but this ranking is quite far from the number one scholar, and it will not be too glorious. Ye Xianggao is disgusting. Just right. But no matter what, Ye Xianggao embarked on his official career smoothly.All went well thereafter until fifteen years later. In the twenty-sixth year of Wanli (1598), Ye Xianggao's fate was completely changed in this year, because he waited for a golden opportunity. At this time, Zhu Changluo, the eldest son of the emperor, had already left the cabinet to study. According to the regulations, there should be lecturers, and the candidates were determined by the Ministry of Rites. As we all know, although Zhu Changluo is not welcome, according to the current situation, it will be a matter of time before he ascends the throne. As long as he has this backer, he will naturally have no worries about his future.So as soon as the news came out, everyone went to the relationship to recruit relatives, just hoping to get this job. Whether Ye Xianggao will go through the back door or not, I dare not say, good luck is certain, because Guo Zhengyu, the servant of the Ministry of Rites who decides the candidate, is his old friend. The list was fixed, and he reported to the cabinet, but the cabinet suppressed it because there was Shen Yiguan in the cabinet. Shen Yiguan is a relatively consistent person. He has always kept in mind the incident fifteen years ago. Zhang Wei was responsible for talking about officials, but when Master Shen saw Ye Xianggao's name, he rushed to shout loudly. : "How can Fujian people be lecturers?!" There is a reason for this sentence. In the Ming Dynasty, Fujian had always been regarded as an uncivilized area, and Shen always talked about regional issues, which was quite insidious. But Zhang Wei didn't buy it, and he didn't care about your grievances between Shen Yiguan and Ye Xianggao. I like this guy, so I will use him! So, amidst Shen Yiguan's grinding of teeth, Ye Xianggao officially took office. Ye Daoguan lived up to expectations, gave full play to his subjective initiative, and established a good personal relationship with the prince while teaching. According to various historical data, Mr. Ye should be a very flexible person. We have reason to believe that while teaching and educating people, he also made many friends, such as Gu Xiancheng and Zhao Nanxing. 老板有了，朋友有了，地位也有了，万事俱备，要登上拿最高的舞台，只欠一阵东风。 一年后，风来了，却是暴风。 万历二十七年（1601），首辅赵志皋回家了，虽然没死，也没退，但事情是不管了，张位也走了，内阁，只剩下了沈一贯。 缺了人就要补，于是叶向高的机会又来了。 顾宪成是他的朋友，朱常洛是他的朋友，他所欠缺的，只是一个位置。 他被提名了，最终却未能入阁，因为内阁，只剩下了沈一贯。 麻烦远未结束，内阁首辅沈一贯大人终于可以报当年的一箭之仇了，不久后，叶向高被调出京城，到南京担任礼部右侍郎。 南京礼部主要工作，除了养老就是养老，这就是四十岁的叶向高的新岗位，在这里，他还要呆很久。 很久是多久？十年。 这十年之中，朝廷里很热闹，册立太子、妖书案，搞得轰轰烈烈。而叶向高这边，却是太平无事。 整整十年，无人理，无人问，甚至也无人骂、无人整。 叶向高过得很太平，也过得很惨，惨就惨在连整他的人都没有。 对于一个政治家而言，最痛苦的惩罚不是免职、不是罢官，而是遗忘。 叶向高，已经被彻底遗忘了。 一个前程似锦的政治家，在政治生涯的黄金时刻，被冷漠地抛弃，对叶向高而言，这十年中的每一天，全都是痛苦的挣扎。 但十余年之后，他将感谢沈一贯给予他的痛苦经历，要想在这个冷酷的地方生存下去，同党是不够的，后台也是不够的，必须亲身经历残酷的考验和磨砺，才能在历史上写下自己的名字。 因为他并不是一个普通的首辅，在不久的未来，他将超越赵志皋、张位、甚至申时行、王锡爵。他的名字将比这些人更为响亮夺目。 因为一个极为可怕的人，正在前方等待着他。而他，将是唯一能与之抗衡的人。这个人，叫做魏忠贤。 万历三十五年（1607），沈一贯终于走了，年底，叶向高终于来了。 但沈一贯的一切，都留了下来，包括他的组织，他的势力，以及他的仇恨。 所以刘廷元、胡士相也好，疯子张差也罢，甚至这件事情是否真的发生过，根本就不要紧。 梃击，不过是一个傻子的愚蠢举动，并不重要，重要的是，通过这件事情，能够打倒什么，得到什么。 东林党的方针很明确，拥立朱常洛，并借梃击案打击对手，掌控政权。 所以浙党的方针是，平息梃击案，了结此事。 而王之寀，是一个找麻烦的人。 这才是梃击案件的真相。 对了，还忘了一件事：虽然没有迹象显示王之寀和东林党有直接联系，但此后东林党敌人列出的两大名单（点将录、朋党录）中，他都名列前茅。 王之寀并不简单，事实上，是很不简单。 当他发现自己的上司胡士相有问题时，并没有丝毫畏惧，因为他去找了另一个人——张问达。 张问达，字德允，时任刑部右侍郎，署部事。 所谓刑部右侍郎、署部事，换成今天的话说，就是刑部常务副部长。也就是说，他是胡士相的上司。 张问达的派系并不清晰，但清晰的是，对于胡士相和稀泥的做法，他非常不满。接到王之寀的报告后，他当即下令，由刑部七位官员会审张差。 这是个有趣的组合，七人之中，既有胡士相，也有王之寀，可以听取双方意见，又不怕人捣鬼，而且七个人审讯，可以少数服从多数。 想法没错，做法错了。因为张问达远远低估了浙党的实力。 在七个主审官中，胡士相并不孤单，大体说来，七人之中，支持胡士相，有三个人，支持王之寀的，有两个。 于是，审讯出现了戏剧化的场景。 张差恢复了理智，经历了王之寀的突审和反复，现在的张差，已经不再是个疯子，他看上去，十分平静。 主审官陆梦龙发问： “你为什么认识路？” 这是个关键的问题，一个平民怎样来到京城，又怎样入宫，秘密就隐藏在答案背后。 顺便说明一下：陆梦龙，是王之寀派。 出乎所有人的意料，没有等待，没有反复，他们很快就听到了这个关键的答案： “我是蓟州人，如果没有人指引，怎么进得去？” 此言一出，事情已然无可隐瞒。 再问： “谁指引你的？” answer: “庞老公，刘老公。” It's over, it's over. 虽然张差没有说出这两个人的名字，但大家的人心中，都已经有了确切的答案。 庞老公，叫做庞保，刘老公，叫做刘成。 大家之所以知道答案，是因为这两个人的身份很特殊——他们是郑贵妃的贴身太监。 陆梦龙呆住了，他知道答案，也曾经想过无数次，却没有想到，会如此轻易地得到。 就在他惊愕的那一瞬间，张差又说出了更让人吃惊的话： “我认识他们三年了，他们还给过我一个金壶，一个银壶。”（予我金银壶各一） 陆梦龙这才明白，之前王之寀得到的口供也是假的，真相刚刚开始！ 他立即厉声追问道： “为什么（要给你）？！” 回答干净利落，三个字： “打小爷！” 声音不大，如五雷轰顶。 因为所有人都知道，所谓小爷，就是太子爷朱常洛。 现场顿时大乱，公堂吵作一团，交头接耳，而此时，一件更诡异的事情发生了。 作为案件的主审官，胡士相突然拍案而起，大喝一声： “不能再问了！” 这一下大家又懵了，张差招供，您激动啥？ 但他的三位同党当即反应过来，立刻站起身，表示审讯不可继续，应立即结束。 七人之中，四对三，审讯只能终止。 但形势已不可逆转，王之寀、陆梦龙立即将案件情况报告给张问达，张侍郎十分震惊。 与此同时，张差的口供开始在朝廷内外流传，舆论大哗，很多人纷纷上书，要求严查此案。 郑贵妃慌了，天天跑到万历那里去哭，但此时，局势已无法挽回。 然而，此刻压力最大的人并不是她，而是张问达，作为案件的主办人，他很清楚，此案背后，是两股政治力量的死磕，还搭上太子、贵妃、皇帝，没一个省油的灯。 案子如果审下去，审出郑贵妃来，就得罪了皇帝，可要不审，群众那里没法交代，还会得罪东林、太子，小小的刑部右侍郎，这拨人里随便出来一个，就能把自己整死。 总而言之，不能审，又不能不审。 无奈之下，他抓耳挠腮，终于想出了一个绝妙的解决方案。 在明代的司法审讯中，档次最高的就是三法司会审，但最隆重的，叫做十三司会审。 明代的六部，长官为尚书、侍郎，部下设司，长官为郎中、员外郎，一般说来是四个司，比如吏部、兵部、工部、礼部都是四个司，分管四大业务，而刑部，却有十三个司。 这十三个司，分别是由明朝的十三个省命名，比如胡士相，就是山东司的郎中，审个案子，竟然把十三个司的郎中全都找来，真是煞费苦心。 此即所谓集体负责制，也就是集体不负责，张问达先生水平的确高，看准了法不责众，不愿意独自背黑锅，毅然决定把大家拉下水。 大家倒没意见，反正十三个人，人多好办事，打板子也轻点。 可到审讯那天，人们才真切地感受到，中国人是喜欢热闹的。 除了问话的十三位郎中外，王之寀还带了一批人来旁听，加上看热闹的，足有二十多人，人潮汹涌，搞得跟菜市场一样。 这次张差真的疯了，估计是看到这么多人，心有点慌，主审官还没问，他就说了，还说得特别彻底，不但交代了庞老公就是庞保，刘老公就是刘成，还爆出了一个惊人的内幕： 按张差的说法，他绝非一个人在战斗，还有同伙，包括所谓马三舅、李外父，姐夫孔道等人，是货真价实的团伙作案。 精彩的还没完，在审讯的最后，张差一鼓作气，说出了此案中最大的秘密：红封教。 红封教，是个邪教，具体组织结构不详，据张差同志讲，组织头领有三十六号人，他作案，就是受此组织指使。 一般说来，凑齐了三十六个头领，就该去当强盗了，这话似乎太不靠谱，但经事后查证，确有其事，刑部官员们再一查，就不敢查了，因为他们意外发现，红封教的起源地，就是郑贵妃的老家。 而据某些史料反映，郑贵妃和郑国泰，就是红封教的后台。这一点，我是相信的，因为和同时期的白莲教相比，这个红封教发展多年，却发展到无人知晓，有如此成就，也就是郑贵妃这类脑袋缺根弦的人才干得出来。 张差确实实在，可这一来，就害苦了浙党的同胞们，审案时丑态百出，比如胡士相先生，负责做笔录，听着听着写不下去了，就把笔一丢了事，还有几位浙党郎中，眼看这事越闹越大，竟然在堂上大呼一声： “你自己认了吧，不要涉及无辜！” 但总的说来，浙党还是比较识相的，眼看是烂摊子，索性不管了，同意如实上报。 上报的同时，刑部还派出两拨人，一拨去找那几位马三舅、李外父，孔道姐夫，另一拨去皇宫，找庞保、刘成。 于是郑贵妃又开始哭了，几十年来的保留剧目，屡试不爽，可这一次，万历却对她说： “我帮不了你了。” 这是明摆着的，张差招供了，他的那帮外父、姐夫一落网，再加上你自己的太监，你还怎么跑？ 但老婆出事，不管也是不行的，于是万历告诉郑贵妃，而今普天之下，只有一个人能救她，而这个人不是自己。 “唯有太子出面，方可了解此事。” 还有句更让人难受的话： “这事我不管，你要亲自去求他。” 郑贵妃又哭了，但这次万历没有理她。 于是不可一世的郑贵妃收起了眼泪，来到了宿敌的寝宫。 事实证明，郑小姐装起孙子来，也是巾帼不让须眉，进去看到太子，一句不说就跪，太子也客气，马上回跪，双方爬起来后，郑贵妃就开始哭，一边哭一边说，我真没想过要害你，那都是误会。 太子也不含糊，反应很快，一边做垂泪状（真哭是个技术活），一边说，我明白，这都是外人挑拨，事情是张差自己干的，我不会误会。 然后他叫来了自己的贴身太监王安，让他当即拟文，表明自己的态度。随即，双方回顾了彼此间长达几十年的传统友谊，表示今后要加强沟通，共同进步，事情就此圆满结束。 这是一段广为流传的史料，其主题意境是，郑贵妃很狡诈，朱常洛很老实，性格合理，叙述自然，所以我一直深信不疑，直到我发现了另一段史料，一段截然不同的史料： 开头是相同的，郑贵妃去向万历哭诉，万历说自己没办法，但接下来，事情出现变化——他去找了王皇后。 这是一个很聪明的举动，因为皇后没有帮派，还有威望，找她商量是再合适不过了。 皇后的回答也直截了当： “此事我也无法，必须找太子面谈。” 很快，老实太子来了，但他给出的，却是一个截然不同的答案： “此事必有主谋！” 这句话一出来，明神宗脸色就变了，郑贵妃更是激动异常，伸个指头出来，对天大呼： “如果这事是我干的，我就全家死光（奴家赤族）！” 这句话说得实在太绝，于是皇帝也吼了一句： “这是我的大事，你全家死光又如何（稀罕汝家）？！” 贵妃发火了，皇帝也发火了，但接下来的一句话，却浇灭了所有人的激情： “我看，这件事情就是张差自己干的。” 说这句话的人，就是太子朱常洛。虽然几秒钟之前，他还曾信誓旦旦地要求追查幕后真凶。 于是大家都满意了，为彻底平息事端，万历四十三年（1615）五月二十八日，二十多年不上朝的万历先生终于露面了。他召来了内阁大臣、文武百官，以及自己的太子，皇孙，当众训话，大致意思是：自己和太子关系很好，你们该干嘛就干嘛，少来瞎搅和，此案是张差所为，把他干掉了事，就此定案，谁都别再折腾。 太子的表现也很好，当众抒发父子深情，给这出闹剧画上了圆满句号。 一天后，张差被凌迟处死，十几天后，庞保和刘成不明不白地死在了刑部大牢里，就杀人灭口而言，干得也还算相当利落。 轰动天下的疯子袭击太子事件就此结束，史称明宫三大案之“梃击”。 梃击是一起复杂的政治案件，争议极大，有很多疑点，包括幕后主使人的真实身份。 因为郑贵妃要想刺杀太子，就算找不到绝顶高手，到天桥附近找个把卖狗皮膏药的，应该也不是问题，选来选去就找了个张差，啥功夫没有，还养了他三年。这且不论，动手时连把菜刀都没有，拿根木棍闯进宫，就想打死太子，相当无聊。 所以有些人认为，梃击案是朝廷某些党派所为，希望混水摸鱼，借机闹事，甚至有人推测此事与太子有关。因为这事过于扯淡，郑贵妃不傻，绝不会这么干。 但我的看法是，这事是郑贵妃干的，因为她的智商，就是傻子水平。 对于梃击案，许多史书的评价大都千篇一律，郑贵妃狡猾，万历昏庸，太子老实，最后老实的太子在正义的东林官员支持下，战胜了狡猾的郑贵妃。 这都是蒙人的。 仔细分析就会发现，郑贵妃是个蠢人，万历老奸巨滑，太子也相当会来事，而东林官员们，似乎也不是那么单纯。 所以事实的真相应该是，一个蠢人办了件蠢事，被一群想挑事的人利用，结果被老滑头万历镇了下来，仅此而已。 之所以详细介绍此事，是因为我要告诉你：在接下来的叙述中，你将逐渐发现，许多你曾无比熟悉的人，其实十分陌生，许多你曾坚信的事实，其实十分虚伪，而这，不过是个开头。