On the third day of April in the first year of Zhengde, on the third day after the court meeting, a little-known Ministry of Works officer was evacuated and impeached Liu Jin on 19 counts of corruption, accepting bribes, and befriending foreign ministers.
This memorial is very surprising. Its author is named Yang Xuan. He is usually a humble person. I am afraid he will be in this position for the rest of his life. How dare he shake Liu Jin with a small thing? This big tree.
According to the first law of black politics, if a small person dares to impeach a big leader, and excluding the factors of personal insanity, the only conclusion is that there is someone behind him.
This person is Xu Guan, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and this routine is also the general process of the Ming Dynasty's party and government. In fact, to put it bluntly, the big boss in the court does not come forward, and sends a small role below to involve the matter, and then everyone writes letters one after another to cause the problem. The trend of public opinion puts pressure on the emperor. If the big boss emerges from the beginning, it will involve too many things and be too big, which will often not end well.
But Liu Jin didn¡¯t dig up Xu Guan¡¯s ancestral graves. Why did Xu Guan send people to impeach Liu Jin? In the final analysis, it is still a matter of passing the exam. Li Dong once warned Xu Guan about the water conservancy issues of the Yellow River at the coronation ceremony, saying that if the Yellow River burst occurs this year, only Xu Guan can ask, when will it rain or flood will occur? Xu Guan can't control it. I guess he can't control it. When such a natural disaster really happens, Li Dong can't use this matter to embarrass Xu Guan, so Xu Guan only needs to strictly control his subordinates, make them less greedy, use better materials, and build the dam stronger. Can.
But the situation at that time and now has changed. Now all officials must be held accountable for their actions. No matter if something happens to Li Dong, whether it is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, as long as the Yellow River floods, Xu Guan's official position may be over. And Based on Li Dong's opinion of him, it's a matter of two minds whether he can save his life by then.
So as soon as the examination method came out, he immediately asked his subordinates to launch an attack on Liu Jin. His purpose was to muddy the water and make Liu Jin, who was responsible for supervising the officials, smelly. Since Liu Jin himself was not clean, what else could he have? The right to take the exam to become a hundred officials.
Xu Guan thought well, but the bad thing was in the memorial. I don¡¯t know whether Xu Guan didn¡¯t explain it clearly beforehand, or whether Yang Xuan was too jealous of evil. In the memorial, Yang Xuan not only made nineteen crimes against Liu Jinluo In addition, Liu Jin was given a very resounding nickname - traitor.
No matter whether it is a traitor or a bitch, no one likes such a nickname, and Liu Jin doesn't like it very much. Liu Jin also handled this matter very neatly - Tingzhang, a Tingzhang with heart!
Yang Xuan was not as good as Jiang Qin, so he would not receive special care from Li Xiang. Therefore, the execution guards of Jinyiwei had to follow the rules, and Yang Xuan died on the spot.
According to the experience of kneeling down at the Meridian Gate last time, everyone should have basically stopped at this time. The matter ended here, but things have changed. Facts have proved that the cunning Xu Guan arranged for Yang Xuan to be the first to make sense, because Yang Xuan also had several important fellow villagers of the same age in the court.
The same year means that these people participated in the imperial examination in the same batch and were selected by the same official. This is like the relationship between classmates in later generations. When they were in school, the relationship was purest and they were sincerely communicating with each other. Therefore, after graduation, as long as the classmates have In times of difficulty, help usually comes from all directions. There is such an unwritten rule in the official circles of the Ming Dynasty that people of the same age help each other and support each other. After one person develops, he will take care of the other people of the same age. They exist in the form of an alliance. What's more, those people were Yang Xuan's hometown, so there was no way those people would remain silent about this matter.
Others may be afraid of Liu Jin and his deadly imperial staff, but those people are not afraid because they have a special status. They are Yanguan. The Ming Dynasty has an ancestral system and does not kill Yanguan for crimes of speech! Even if they scolded Liu Jin for being a woman, Liu Jin could only endure it! The officials who submitted the letter included more than 20 officials, including the Censor of the Supervisory Yuan, Bo Yanzheng, and the Nanjing Dao Zhong Dai Xian. They almost described Liu Jin as the greatest bastard in history, who had never been seen before or since, and they must make Liu Jinxiao the top priority of the imperial court. Watch and listen!
But the problem is that although Mr. Liu Jin doesn¡¯t study much, his level is not high, he can¡¯t handle national affairs well, and he engages in corruption and bribery from time to time, making the government a mess, he still has some unique ideas in punishing people.
In the Ming Dynasty, there was a kind of punishment called shackles. Compared with skinning off people, imperial staffs, etc., this thing was just a verbal warning. At most, it meant standing at the gate of the city wearing shackles or walking around in the street twice. It's a bit embarrassing, but finally my skin is not at a disadvantage. Therefore, this punishment was very popular among ministers.
Liu Jin¡¯s punishment for those people was shackles. More than 20 people wrote letters on behalf of Yang Xuan, one for each shackle, and no one could be missing! Everyone didn't care when they heard that it was just a shackles punishment. They thought that for the sake of the friendship between the same year, they would just go away. Maybe it would make them famous in the world and make their name clear.
He?It is indeed famous all over the world, because they were fortunate enough to be the first batch of shackle torture experiments improved by Liu Jin. When the execution was carried out, those people were surprised to find that the shackles assigned to them were quite special.
In order to achieve the purpose of using small punishments to accomplish big things, Liu Jin had an idea and transformed the shackles into a big thing weighing 150 kilograms. He put such a heavy shackle around his neck and stood in the wind and rain for several days. , unless these people are all saints and the collective small universe explodes, other than preparation, I really can¡¯t think of any miracle that can happen. According to Liu Jin, you are officials, I can¡¯t kill you, but if you are shackled to death Then it's none of my business. It's your personal poor health and you can't blame others.
Half of the more than twenty people died in the shackles, and the other half were tortured until they looked like humans or ghosts. Everyone in the court was immediately shocked. This Liu Jin was too cruel. He even dared to kill three officials. The bachelor also wrote a letter to impeach Liu Jin for disrupting the government and killing his colleagues in the DPRK and China. The party is united and opposed! Li Dong replied, "I understand!"
On the fifth day of April, the Jinyi Guards were dispatched and captured a military general. It is said that this person once threw a brick at Liu Jin on his way to court.
More than 20 famous officials who were shackled on April 6th were found guilty of corruption and were collectively dismissed, exiled, and reprimanded.
On the seventh day of April, Xu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was fined half a year's salary for being lax in controlling his subordinates!
Various methods are enough to explain Li Dong's attitude.
Except for the three great bachelors, the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was completely quiet. Anyone with a discerning eye could clearly see that the emperor was trying to build momentum for the imperial examination. Whoever dared to touch Liu Jin at this time would be in trouble. In this case, everyone should just stop their activities. After all, after working as officials for so many years, those with integrity have long been beaten to death by their own people, and the rest are old officials who cannot do anything that is not beneficial.
But the big guys in the court dare not say it, which does not mean that the literati below do not dare to say it. The capital is a place where scholars of the Qing Dynasty gather. They are all young and powerful, and they are all boxers of the angry youth level. When they see the court, There was a traitor causing trouble in the hall, and he was also a eunuch, so it was even more intolerable. They rolled up their sleeves one after another and gathered in the community. For a time, the crowd was excited and the words were raging. Many white walls lined the streets. It was covered with stickers, and some people even wrote directly on them with red pen, all quoting scriptures and insulting Liu Jin.
Just two days later, all the Qingliu leaders in the capital were invited to drink tea by the Jinyiwei. And you could see a large number of Jinyiwei wearing flying fish uniforms and carrying embroidered spring knives on their waists pouring into the streets, wherever brothels, teahouses, and literati were willing to gather. They all appear. Some teahouses have posted "Don't talk about state affairs" posts for fear of getting into trouble.
"Your Majesty, the public opinion in the court and outside is now in full swing and cannot be suppressed. Moreover, the people's opinions are worse than those of Fang Sichuan. If things go on like this, it will easily lead to instability in the country. Please make a decision as soon as possible!" Liu Jian has been so anxious that he has had blisters in his mouth these past two days. .
"Don't worry Liu Aiqing, I have already arranged for someone to do this!"
"Your Majesty"
"Just wait and see, there will be results within a few days." Li Dong said with a smile
If one were to say that the most distinguished nobles of the Hongzhi Dynasty were Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, and Zhang Heling, the Marquis of Shouning, these two people could be said to have unlimited power and power during the Hongzhi Dynasty. Hundred Days Red, because the two people had an enmity with the prince Li Dong in a conflict. After that, the two people also received a warning from Queen Zhang, saying that if there was a conflict with the prince, she would not be the best person between her son and her brother. It was difficult to decide, so I had no choice but to help each other.
After hearing Queen Zhang's words, these two people were stunned. All their power came from Queen Zhang. Without Queen Zhang's support, they were nothing. They would be crushed by Li Dong in the blink of an eye, so the two of them expressed their hatred towards Li Dong. Dong lowered his attitude to the lowest level and never dared to do anything to annoy Li Dong again.
In the Zhengde Dynasty, Li Dong became emperor, and the two men were even more cautious for fear of offending Li Dong. Especially Wang Ping, whom they had offended at the beginning, has now become the leader and general of the Guards, and is Li Dong's second subordinate. A great general, if Wang Ping comes to seek misfortune on them, I am afraid that Li Dong will laugh happily at that time. For some reason, the two of them have a consensus, that is, their uncle is definitely not as important as Li Dong in the eyes of Li Dong. Li Dong's boy scouts are friendly.
No matter from which aspect, the two of them must start to restrain themselves, so they restrain their servants internally and never say a word about government affairs externally. From time to time, they go to Tianjin with their companions to gamble, or stay in the mansion to enjoy themselves. The Marquis of Jianchang even spent a lot of money to buy all the streets around the Marquis Mansion and connected the entire mansion. He even built an artificial lake in the Mansion. The Marquis Mansion is fully equipped with pavilions and pavilions. A good place for leisure and health.
The two of them knew in their hearts that although Li Dong did not want to see their two uncles?But for Empress Zhang's sake, as long as they don't do anything illegal, there will be no problem with their lifelong wealth.
Although the civil servants outside were making a fuss about impeaching Liu Jin, these two people did not get involved. They closed the door of the mansion, drank and watched plays in the mansion, enjoying themselves.
"Master Hou, Master Li, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, wants to see you!"
Hearing Li Xiang¡¯s request to see him, Marquis Jianchang stood up in fright and let the wine spill on his clothes. ¡°He what is he here for?¡± Then he asked the steward sternly, ¡°Has anyone in the mansion been doing anything wrong outside recently?¡±
"Master Hou, no, the boys are all careful and have not done anything to ruin the reputation of the Hou Mansion!" the steward said firmly.
Shouning Hou was also frightened beside him and said in a trembling voice, "No matter what, let's invite people in first."
"Yes, yes, yes, open the door"
Jianchang Hou Zhang Yanling and Shouning Hou Zhang Heling went to meet Li Xiang in fear.
Li Xiang gave the two princes a thousand dollars as soon as they met.
"I'm going to pay tribute to the two princes."
"Master Li, why are you doing this? Master Li, get up quickly." Although the weather in the capital was not warm at this time, there were already large beads of sweat on their foreheads.
"The two princes, please step aside. I have something private to say to the two princes."
Since Li Xiang made the request, he naturally had to comply with it. Jianchang Hou hurriedly waved away all the servants around him, "Master Li If you have any questions, please feel free to tell me!"
Li Xiang smiled slightly, "I came here at the command of the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief said that he is in trouble now and would like to ask the two princes for help?"
The two men didn¡¯t realize for a while who the marshal was talking about. After a long time, Marquis Jianchang blinked and finally figured out, wasn¡¯t the marshal the current emperor, their nephew Li Dong? They fell to their knees in haste.
"I am scared, please give your Majesty a reply, Mr. Li. Your Majesty has entrusted you with something, and I will never dare to refuse!"
"Your Majesty wants your palace!" Li Xiang said leisurely
The Marquis of Jianchang raised his head suddenly, looked at Li Xiang in disbelief, and then hurriedly fell to the ground, "I will move out immediately!"
Li Xiang smiled and helped the two of them up, "The commander-in-chief said, tomorrow is a big day, so you two don't have to stay in the capital all the time. You can go outside and enjoy the scenery of the north and south of the country. As for occupying your land, Marquis of Jianchang?" As for the mansion, the Marshal has built another one for you near Tianjin. You can live in the Dragon Castle before it is completed. All expenses will be accounted for by the Marshal. There is also fifty thousand taels of silver here as compensation for the Marquis!"
The Marquis of Jianchang did not accept the banknote handed over by Li Xiang, "Please Sir Li, please give your Majesty a reply. I dare not accept the banknote. There are often rewards from the Queen Mother, and I still have some money. Your Majesty, please don't worry. Tomorrow, no, at the latest I will move out of the Marquis Mansion this afternoon, and I also plan to visit Tianjin. Thank you for your kindness!"
Li Xiang was very satisfied with the low profile of Marquis Jianchang, "I accept this favor for the commander-in-chief. From now on, no matter what happens to you, Marquis Jianchang, you can send someone to Jinyiwei to find me. As long as it is not a big issue, I, Li Xiang, will take care of it." Leave the words here, I will definitely do it for you!"
The Marquis of Jianchang was overjoyed, and a stone in his heart had finally fallen to the ground. He finally eased the relationship with the emperor, and at the same time forged such a good relationship. Compared with this, a Marquis Mansion is nothing! "Thank you, Mr. Li!"
On that day, all the people in the Jianchang Hou Mansion moved out of the Hou Mansion and disappeared, while another group of people moved in to carry out construction work. The people in the capital couldn't figure out what was going on there, but they could hear the clanging and clanging inside day and night.
Three days later, firecrackers sounded in front of the original Changhou Mansion, the red cloth was torn off, and the plaque hanging high in front of the door read "Freedom Garden" in large gilt characters, and there was a stone tablet next to it.
The so-called Freedom Garden is a place of freedom of speech. All people in it can freely talk about state affairs and criticize the gains and losses of any official in the court, regardless of whether their words and deeds are correct or not. What people say or write in the garden can Your remarks shall not be used as evidence in court. This garden is open at midnight and closed at midnight. During this time period, no one may be arrested in the garden under any pretext. Anyone who disobeys the order will be executed! Zhengde book.
The next day, the leaders of Qingliu in the capital who were invited to drink tea by Jinyiwei were sent back to their respective homes safe and sound. It seemed that they had gained some weight and their faces were rosy and shiny. Others asked if they were tortured in Jinyiwei, but they just Smiling and saying nothing, according to private rumors, they told their wives that Li Xiang was a wonderful man. . .