The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Who is Li Dongyang?

A talented man who became famous at a young age.

The contemporary leader of the Huguang Township Party.

The current chief minister of the cabinet.

A literary leader who led the gentry with his articles.

No matter which identity he holds, he is worthy of respect.

But this guy is an uneasy politician!

In fact, Tang Hao did not have much intention to kill Li Dongyang at first.

After all, Zuo Yidao was right. Li Dongyang was a member of the East Palace Cabinet system. He was a close minister of the East Palace of Emperor Hongzhi in the past and had a half-teacher relationship with him.

Even when Tang Hao teamed up with Zhu Houzhao to pursue the Huguang Township Party, he left some face for the cabinet minister and did not directly dismiss him from office and expel him from the court. He just drove away Liu Daxia, who was in charge of the Ministry of War.

After all, among the high-ranking officials of the Huguang Party, Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, has the most power. Li Dongyang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, is suppressed by Liu Jian, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, and can't make any waves at all. In addition, there is Xiong Xiu, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, who was also driven away to become the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Without the power of the Ministry of War, Li Dongyang's Huguang Party is actually equivalent to having its core power taken away. It is almost difficult for a suppressed Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to turn over.

However, even Tang Hao did not expect that Li Dongyang would have the day to become the Prime Minister of the Cabinet!

It seems that in history, it is indeed Li Dongyang who succeeded Liu Jian and succeeded as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.

At that time, it was precisely when Liu Jin was in power, the cabinet was in name only, and Li Dongyang, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, was of no use at all.

But now it seems that the light sentence in the history book is full of conspiracy and intrigue!

Facing the strange looks from the ministers, Li Dongyang remained calm, but he was extremely angry in his heart.

Tang Hao, the damn barbarian, had been planning to throw dirty water on Li Dongyang from the beginning!

He wanted to force the death of Tang Shaozong on Li Dongyang himself.

After all, if it weren't for Li Dongyang's instigation, Tang Shaozong would not have committed such bad acts as rebellion and backstabbing the head of the family, so that he had to die to apologize in the end.

In other words, Tang Shaozong was actually forced to death by Li Dongyang.

Tang Hao's behavior was unlikely to bring down Li Dongyang. After all, he had only been the prime minister of the cabinet for a few months. How could he step down so quickly? Isn't it a joke for an important official in the court?

So, throwing a basin of dirty water on Li Dongyang was real.

After today's incident, everyone in the court and the public will know that the new cabinet chief is ruthless and unscrupulous. Even those who flatter and curry favor with him will carefully consider whether Li Dongyang is worthy of their loyalty!

However, it is far from enough to just get here, otherwise Tang Hao's thirty court canes would not have been in vain?

So the Marquis of Zhongshan continued to speak with a face full of grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, all the ministers, I wonder if you still remember that before I, Tang Hao, went out to sea to suppress the Japanese, I was assassinated by the Japanese deputy envoy!"

With Tang Hao's reminder, the monarch and his ministers in the hall immediately reacted.

Yes, it seems that this is indeed the case.

At that time, it was said that the Marquis of Zhongshan Tang Hao was assassinated by the Japanese deputy envoy Ouchi Hongzhen, but the assassination failed and Ouchi Hongzhen and eleven others were killed on the spot. Then the Marquis of Zhongshan forcibly mobilized troops to surround Huitong Hall and took away all the Japanese envoys and detained them.

Then, the Japanese envoy Ashikaga Yoshitsugu personally testified in the court that Ouchi Hiromasa accepted money from others and went to assassinate Zhongshan Marquis Tang Hao, and the clue was finally cut off at the Huguang Guild Hall where the Huguang folks gathered...

Hiss... So it seems that this is not the first time that the cabinet chief Li Dongyang has calculated Zhongshan Marquis Tang Hao!

Tang Hao angrily asked: "Your Majesty, when I was assassinated, the clue was finally cut off at the Huguang folks, and the Jinyiwei arrested a group of people."

"However, today, after I went to sea and returned to Beijing, I heard that the case was unresolved, and even those involved in the case had been released long ago!"

"Is there no law in the country? Can the assassination of important officials in the court be fooled? Or am I, Tang Hao, the Zhongshan Marquis, not as good as him, Li Dongyang, the cabinet chief, and deserve to die even if I die?"

As soon as this was said, the whole court was in an uproar.

The ministers immediately talked a lot, and most of their eyes were focused on Li Dongyang.

At first, the ministers were quite puzzled by the case and could not believe that Li Dongyang would do such a mean and vicious thing. However, now that Tang Hao mentioned Li Dongyang's "criminal record", even the dumbest people could think that Li Dongyang was indeed very suspicious!

What is the Huguang Guild Hall?

The base of Li Dongyang, the leader of the Huguang Township Party, would drink and have fun in the Huguang Township Party every day after the court, and feast his students and old friends.

Since the case of the assassination of Zhongshan Marquis by the Japanese Deputy Envoy involved the Huguang Guild Hall, it must be inseparable from the Huguang Party leader.

What is this?

The assassination failed once, and he planned a second time?

Last time he wanted someone's life, this time he was even more vicious and wanted to expel him from the clan?

What a great hatred and resentment!

The ministers talked about it, and the spearhead was pointed directly at Li Dongyang.

Even the Minister of War Yang Yiqing was a little confused now. He asked the Minister of Rites Zhang Sheng beside him, and then he understood the whole story of the assassination of the Japanese deputy envoy.

But it sounds like Li Dongyang is indeed a big suspect!

Yang Yiqing knew Li Dongyang very well. He was in a high position and was pampered. He only looked at the results and did not ask about the process. To put it harshly, it was unscrupulous!

Hey, it really looks like something Li Dongyang can do!

For a moment, Li Dongyang's face turned red and he was about to explain.

However, Zhu Houzhao seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly shouted: "I still have some impressions of the case of the Japanese deputy envoy assassinating the Marquis of Zhongshan!"

"Aren't the people involved in the case always being tortured by Jin Yiwei? Who released them without authorization?"

Hearing this, Li Dongyang felt extremely uneasy.

However, Zhu Houzhao did not give him a chance to react and directly summoned the Jinyiwei commander Mou Bin.

"Tishuai, who released the person involved in the assassination of the Japanese deputy envoy?"

After hearing this, Mou Bin immediately knelt down to apologize.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"This is Qianhu Song Yu's own decision!"

"All those involved in the case, including Li Zhaofan, were released by Song Yu!"

"Song Yu?" Zhu Houzhao continued to ask with confusion on his face: "Which Song Yu?"

Zhang Yong, who was on the side, finished his attack in time and reminded in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this Song Yu is Liu Dayun's newly adopted son!"

Speaking of which, when eunuchs accept people as adopted sons, it's all for profit, so they don't care about the age gap between the two parties.

After all, one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer. Song Yu became Liu Jin's adopted son and was immediately promoted to the rank of Jinyiwei Qianhu. At one time, he was so forced that Tishuai Mou Bin could not check and balance. With such power and interests, even if he was Liu Jin's adopted son, it would be Totally worth it.

People in this court only value relationships and the benefits they bring, nothing more.

If you really want to cultivate a successor, you should choose smart children and take more care of them. Naturally, they will not be pushed out by Liu Jin like Song Yu and slaughtered like a pig or dog by Tang Hao!

Liu Jin’s adopted son Song Yu released Li Zhaofan and other people involved in the case without any reason!

As soon as the news came out, the expressions of the courtiers present became increasingly ugly.

Because, who is Li Zhaofan?

The stepson of Li Dongyang, the chief assistant of the cabinet!

Do you still dare to say that you didn't collude with that damn eunuch Liu Jin? !

For a moment, the eyes of Manchao Wenwu and Li Dongyang became unkind.

However, this is not enough!

Zhu Houzhao continued to pursue him and asked: "This is simply unreasonable!"

"Where is Qianhu Song Yu now? Send it to the court!"

"I would like to ask, who gave him the courage to treat the laws of the country and the dynasty as nothing!"

However, when Mou Bin heard this, he smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Your Majesty, Song Yu can't come!"

"Huh?" Zhu Houzhao frowned, "What does Tishuai mean by this? Could it be that this thief fled out of fear of crime?"

"It's good that he escaped. Jin Yiwei can still search for him with all his strength!"

Mou Bin hurriedly explained: "But this Song Yu is already dead!"

"On the day when the Marquis of Zhongshan returned to the capital, Song Yu, who was ordered by someone unknown, led some Tiqi to surround the Marquis of Zhongshan, trying to prevent the Marquis of Zhongshan from entering the palace to meet the Holy Spirit, but he was later beheaded by the Marquis of Zhongshan on the spot!"

After hearing this, the officials suddenly reacted.

It turns out that the person Zhongshan Hou killed in the street was Song Yu, the adopted son of the eunuch Liu Jin!

At this point, all the truth is revealed, and the recent shocking turmoil in the capital is all connected.

First, the Marquis of Zhongshan suddenly rushed back to Beijing to meet Liu Jian, the former chief minister of the cabinet. He immediately prepared to enter the palace to meet the saint, but was blocked by Song Yu commanded by Liu Jin. Therefore, the Marquis of Zhongshan was angry and killed Song Yu, and then the Zhongshan War broke out. A series of surprises such as Hou breaking into the forbidden areas of the palace without permission!

After that, Zhongshan Hou was imprisoned for the following crimes. Li Dongyang began to take action, instigating Tang Shaozong to concoct a series of rumors with the intention of expelling Zhongshan Hou from his clan, causing Zhongshan Hou to be ruined and die without a burial place!

hiss……

What a ruthless method!

What a vicious method!

You, Li Dongyang, still dare to say that you didn't collude with Liu Jin? !

Wasn't this series of plans concocted by you, Li Dongyang and Liu Jin, with the cooperation of you?

After understanding these facts, the expressions of the officials present immediately changed, and many courtiers even looked sharply at Li Dongyang.

Speaking of which, Liu Jian, the former chief minister of the cabinet, became official, and many courtiers also made great efforts.

They seized Liu Yu's breakthrough and vigorously criticized and impeached Liu Jian, making Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, somewhat infamous.

After all, Liu Jian had recommended Liu Yu many times during the Hongzhi period, and Liu Yu was Liu Jian's fellow villager. As a result, Liu Yu had accepted bribes and enriched his own pockets. With conclusive evidence, he would naturally be imprisoned for his crimes. Liu Yu had been recommended and promoted so many times. Liu Jian, the chief minister of Yu's cabinet, was naturally implicated.

Liu Jian took the initiative to become an official because of this matter.

These courtiers originally thought that seizing the opportunity to force Liu Jian to return to his hometown and replace him with Xie Qian, the jealous chief minister of the cabinet, would be more conducive to them profiting from troubled waters.

However, no one expected that the strong-tempered Xie Qian would directly resign, leaving Li Dongyang to succeed him as the chief minister of the cabinet.

What the ministers did not expect was that this damn Li Dongyang, who was obviously a well-known scholar in the literary world, would choose to collude secretly with Liu Jin for the sake of ascending to the throne. He was really despicable!

Scholar-officials and eunuchs were themselves hostile groups.

Don't talk about personal ideas, just talk about political stance.

To put it bluntly, eunuchs are the family slaves of the emperor, and naturally represent the imperial power.

The civil officials and literati are the ministerial power, and they strive for power.

When the prime minister still existed in the past, this thing was called the prime minister's power, which represented the power of the subjects.

Then Emperor Taizu Gao took the opportunity to abolish the prime minister system in one fell swoop, and the prime minister's power no longer existed, and no one could check the imperial power.

The imperial power and the ministerial power are naturally full of contradictions.

And this also means that the literati group and the eunuch group are naturally standing on the opposite side.

This was the case in the Han Dynasty, the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the former Song Dynasty.

I don’t know how many eunuchs who have caused chaos in the country have appeared!

As a result, you, Li Dongyang, are very good. You secretly colluded with the eunuch Liu Jin. You really have no scholar's character and no scholar's bottom line!

Tang Hao noticed the strange expressions of the ministers, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

This is what he wants to see!

Give Li Dongyang the title of "eunuch party" and split the power in his hands!

The eunuch party refers to those officials who benefit from the power of eunuchs.

Eunuchs interfered in politics and the eunuch party was rampant. This has happened in many dynasties in Chinese history. For example, the "Party Imprisonment Disaster" and "Ten Eunuchs Rebellion" in the late Eastern Han Dynasty were one of the important reasons for the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty; in the late Tang Dynasty, eunuchs participated in the internal disputes of the royal family; and the famous Wei Zhongxian of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was "Long Live" and he, Wei Zhongxian, was "Nine Thousand Years Old", which shows how powerful he was.

The relationship between eunuchs and emperors is the relationship between slaves and masters.

The relationship between literati and emperors is the relationship between the emperor and his subjects, or even the relationship between opponents.

For example, the slogan shouted by the literati of the former Song Dynasty, "The emperor and the literati share the world", clearly shows that they want to fight with the imperial power. It is best to undermine His Majesty the Emperor, let the emperor be a mascot, and then the literati can govern the country.

House slaves are at least family members.

Therefore, compared with the outsiders who were fighting for power, the emperor was naturally more willing to trust these family slaves.

In each dynasty, the role played by eunuchs was like the slaves in each room of a wealthy family helping their masters to fight for property, but the power of the slaves was not so great that they could seize the property of the entire family, because their power all came from their masters (the emperor).

The disaster of eunuchs and the prosperity of the eunuch party, from Zhao Gao in the Qin Dynasty to the Ten Constant Attendants in the Han Dynasty, to the Ganlu Change in Li Tang, and then to the most famous Ming Dynasty, even the East Factory and the West Factory, two minions that specialized in serving eunuchs, appeared.

Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang once issued an edict strictly prohibiting eunuchs from interfering in politics. In the hands of Taizong Zhu Di, this iron discipline underwent a subtle change. Not only was he no longer wary of eunuchs, but he also began to regard eunuchs as his confidants and an important force to control the ministers of the outer court.

After Yongle, the emperors of later generations trusted eunuchs more. When Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji began to set up an inner book hall in the palace to teach eunuchs to read and write, the root of the evil of the eunuch party dictatorship in the Ming Dynasty was sown.

Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne at a young age and favored the eunuch Wang Zhen. The eunuch party began to form. Wang Zhen, the first powerful eunuch in the Ming Dynasty, stepped onto the historical stage and set a good example for eunuchs in later generations.

After that, the eunuch Wang Zhi during the reign of Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen and the eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao had established their own party and monopolized the government; during the Tianqi period of Emperor Xizong Zhu Youjian, the great eunuch Wei Zhongxian monopolized power, and a large number of court officials relied on his power, and the eunuch party reached its peak in history; after Emperor Sizong Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne, Wei Zhongxian was first dismissed and exiled to Fengyang, and then forced to commit suicide on the road. The main members of the eunuch party were executed, and the eunuch party suffered a fatal blow, but the Ming Dynasty also collapsed immediately!

The Ming emperor allowed these servants to compete with the civil officials and scholars for power and defend the imperial power. This was understandable, but the problem was that these eunuchs acted cruelly and lawlessly. Once they gained power, they would get carried away and start to gang up on dissidents and eliminate dissidents, which wasted the Ming Dynasty's luck.

But no matter what, whoever was tainted with the name of "eunuch party" would be doomed to be excluded and suppressed by the scholar-official group, even Li Dongyang, the leader of the literary world, was no exception!

Now that it has come to this point, Tang Hao no longer needs to take action, because someone will not be able to sit still.

Even the powerful prime minister Zhang Juzheng, who saved the time, only secretly maintained a tacit understanding with Feng Bao to reach a political alliance. Do you think Zhang Juzheng dared to eat, drink and chat with Feng Bao openly?

What is the truth? The ministers are too lazy to investigate it. They now want to bring Li Dongyang down!

We must not allow a eunuch party that colluded with eunuchs to continue to sit in the position of the cabinet's chief minister and lead the civil officials and gentry. Wouldn't that mean that our own boss would become an internal traitor?

So after a brief silence, someone immediately chose to take action.

Hanlin scholar Huang Xizhai immediately stepped out and said loudly: "Your Majesty, according to the consistent system of the country, one person cannot be in charge of two things. Since Li Xueshi has succeeded as the cabinet's chief minister, the chief minister has many affairs, and Li Xueshi has been ill for a long time, I suggest that other cabinet scholars be selected to take charge of the Hanlin Academy!"

Hanlin scholars are the highest officials of the Hanlin Academy. They are in charge of literature and are available for consultation with the emperor. In the early Ming Dynasty, their actual power was equivalent to that of the prime minister, and their status was noble and respected.

However, with the strong rise of the cabinet, the Hanlin Academy inevitably conflicted with the cabinet's powers, and all powers were transferred to the cabinet. The Hanlin Academy was also managed by a certain university scholar in the cabinet and became a subordinate institution of the cabinet.

The status of the Ming Dynasty Hanlin can be roughly equated to the top intellectuals, similar to the academicians and academic members of later generations.

But the difference is that under the imperial examination model, academics and officials were integrated, and scholars and bureaucrats had a strong circulation mechanism. Therefore, the Hanlins in the Ming Dynasty were both top scholars and senior civil servants, and many Hanlins were even teachers of the emperor.

There is a saying that one must take scientific examinations to become an official, and the Imperial Academy must come from the cabinet.

After Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, thanks to Sanyang Bingzheng, a promotion pattern was basically formed in which non-Jinshi did not enter the Imperial Academy, and non-Hanlin did not enter the cabinet, which became a custom-made promotion pattern.

Therefore, the Hanlin Academy has become a place where talents are nurtured and hoped for. Although it only controls the imperial edicts and historical records, it is the home of cabinet ministers and the palace of prime ministers. It has a high chance of rising through the ranks, becoming senior ministers in the imperial court and even local officials. 's stepping stone.

Huang Xizhai's words are actually depriving Li Dongyang of his authority, and even abolishing Li Dongyang's identity as a literary leader!

From now on, Tang Hao's purpose of beating the drum and filing a petition today is about to be achieved!