The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

March 14, the sixteenth year of the Zhengde reign, at the time of Si.

The morning sun had already shone brightly on the Daming Palace. Two eunuchs were carrying a white robe and walking towards the Leopard Room.

The tall eunuch noticed the soldiers from the Military Affairs Department standing guard every ten steps in the palace.

The tall eunuch said to his companion, "Why are the palace guards all wearing mandarin duck battle jackets and soldier hats? They don't look like the Han generals wearing heavy armor."

The short eunuch lowered his voice and said, "These people were just transferred into the palace by Prime Minister Yang. They are all from the Military Affairs Department."

The tall eunuch asked, "What about the Han generals?"

The short eunuch advised him: "It's none of our business, so it's better not to ask too much."

Now the entire capital city and the entire imperial palace have been completely controlled by the civil servants headed by Yang Tinghe.

Over at the Imperial Household Department.

More than a hundred soldiers from the Bingmasi surrounded the gate of the Silijian duty room.

Zhang Yong, Gu Dayong, Wei Bin and others were so anxious that they started cursing.

Zhang Yong cursed, "Guo Xun, you bastard! Yang Tinghe, you bastard! You're crossing the river and then destroying the bridge. You dared to send troops to surround the Imperial Household Department! The emperor is critically ill, are you planning a rebellion?"

The one who led the siege of the Imperial Household Department was naturally the heavyweight civil servant - the new Minister of War Peng Ze.

Peng Ze sat on a chair at the door, drinking tea leisurely: "Eunuch Zhang is wrong. The civil servants of our Ming Dynasty are most loyal to the court and the royal family. How could we rebel?"

Gu Dayong asked, "Then why did you surround the Imperial Household Department and not let us go to the Leopard Room?"

Peng Ze smiled and said, "The ancestral system set by Grandpa Taizu states that eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in government affairs. The emperor is now on his deathbed. The imperial physician said that he might pass away today. I have imprisoned you in the Imperial Household Department because I am afraid that you will interfere in government affairs - the most important government matter now is to establish a new emperor!"

Leopard room.

Four women were kneeling in front of the bed of Emperor Zhengde, namely Empress Dowager Zhang, Empress Xia, Liu Xiaoyan and Princess Chang Tian.

It goes without saying that Empress Dowager Zhang was the biological mother of Emperor Zhengde, and Empress Xia was his first wife.

Liu Xiaoyan was the adopted aunt of Emperor Zhengde and watched him grow up. Chang Tian, ​​the adopted aunt, was Emperor Zhengde's playmate since childhood.

The four women cried together from the bottom of their hearts.

Behind them, the four cabinet elders were also crying bitterly, but it was hard to say whether they were crying from the heart.

The Zhengde Emperor on his sickbed seemed to be having a last glimmer of life. He opened his eyes.

The Naihe Bridge appeared before his eyes, and his father, Emperor Hongzhi, was waving at him.

Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty is a well-known "tyrant" in history books. The history about him is almost a dark mass.

This is not surprising. During the 16 years of Emperor Zhengde's reign, his greatest wish was to curb the power of civil officials. He was regarded as an enemy by civil officials. And the history books were compiled by civil officials.

People are not black or white, and the same goes for emperors.

Emperor Zhengde had both merits and faults in his short life.

Politically, he used the Eight Tigers led by Liu Jin, an eunuch, and the Frontier Army led by Jiang Bin to suppress the cabinet and promote "Leopard House Politics", which enabled the Factory Guards to gain considerable power.

He got rid of the interference of the court officials in his power. He curbed the power of the civil officials. He kept the court politics in a delicate balance, rather than the civil officials being the only ones in power. This in itself was a remarkable thing. After all, the Ming Dynasty was destroyed by the royal family and the civil officials!

In terms of economy, Emperor Zhengde developed overseas trade. In the third year of Zhengde, he accepted the proposal of Wu Tingju, the governor of Guangdong, to impose a 20% tariff on the "tribute" trade. This was the first time that the Ming Dynasty imposed tariffs. It expanded fiscal revenue and promoted the prosperity of the coastal economy.

In terms of culture, he ordered a major revision of the "Da Ming Hui Dian" and wrote the preface himself. The revised version of the "Da Ming Hui Dian" was published throughout the country during the Zhengde period.

In terms of military affairs, he boldly reformed the military system. In the last years of the Hongzhi reign, the military was controlled by civil officials, and the Beijing Army and the garrison troops had not been in battle for a long time, which led to the low military strength of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Zhengde used border army generals and transferred the "Four Outer Families" to Beijing to train the Beijing Army. This led to the great victory in Yingzhou, which made the little prince dare not go south to invade.

These are all the merits of Emperor Zhengde, both his civil administration and his military achievements.

But Emperor Zhengde also had many faults.

For example, he indulged his trusted eunuchs and generals in lawlessness; he used his status as an emperor to blackmail civil officials; he was addicted to wine and sex; and he liked to go on tours incognito at every turn. In the heart of Emperor Zhengde, there actually lived a child who had not yet grown up.

The Zhengde era was not all dark as the civil servants had claimed, with “the court in darkness and the emperor not caring about state affairs.” Nor was it all bright.

Please allow me to quote a passage from a person who is truly worthy of the word "great" in his evaluation of Emperor Zhengde: "The History of Ming Dynasty annoyed me the most. Except for the two illiterate emperors, Ming Taizu and Ming Chengzu, who did a relatively good job, and Ming Wuzong and Ming Yingzong who were slightly better, the rest of the Ming Dynasty were not good and did only bad things.

"It's a little better", these four words are enough to comment!
Emperor Zhengde suddenly said, "Mother."

Empress Dowager Zhang was extremely surprised: "My son, are you awake?"

Emperor Zhengde said to Empress Dowager Zhang with a weak breath: "After my son dies, the civil officials cannot be trusted."

Yang Tinghe felt mixed emotions after hearing this. Emperor Zhengde was his student, and how could anyone be heartless? He had a relationship with Emperor Zhengde that was almost like that of a father and son.

But at the same time, the struggle between ministerial power and imperial power made Yang Tinghe and Emperor Zhengde enemies.

Yang Tinghe smiled bitterly and thought to himself: Your Majesty, Your Majesty, before you die, you don't forget to scold us civil servants.

Empress Dowager Zhang quickly held the hand of Emperor Zhengde and said, "My son, I will remember your words. You have no children, so who will you designate as the successor?"

Emperor Zhengde said: "Zhu, Zhu, Zhu"

As soon as he said the word "Zhu", Emperor Zhengde closed his eyes and died.

Empress Dowager Zhang quickly felt the breath of Emperor Zhengde with her hand and uttered a mournful cry: "The emperor is dead!"

Yang Tinghe and the three elders burst into tears immediately: "Your Majesty! The sky is falling and the earth is splitting! Wuuuuuu!"

"Farewell to the late emperor!"

Half an hour later, Xizhimen.

Chang Feng and Wang Qiong, with four thousand Jinyiwei, anxiously confronted the soldiers guarding the city wall.

Basha said, "My Lord Chang, why don't we just go all out and lead our troops into the palace!"

Chang Feng said angrily, "Nonsense! Then we will become Jiang Bin's accomplices in the rebellion! Do you want me to learn from Jiang Bin and rebel?"

Basha said, "What should we do? Don't forget that Madam, Ninth Madam, Young Madam, Madam Sun, and the Princess are all in the city! The city is now ruled by Yang Tinghe."

Chang Feng said: "That's why we can't act rashly. Do you want my whole family to be executed for treason?"

Wang Qiong sighed, "It's over. I fought with Yang Tinghe for ten years, but I finally lost to him. Lord Chang, the same goes for you."

Basha asked, "What if Yang Tinghe rebels in the city?"

Chang Feng shook his head: "He won't rebel. He will only be a powerful minister who controls the real power!"

At this moment, a huge white scarf flew down from the top of Xizhimen City Wall. The soldiers guarding the city also began to tie white scarves on their heads.

Guo Xun shouted from the top of the city wall: "The late emperor has passed away!"

Chang Feng was struck by lightning when he heard Guo Xun's shout. The scenes of his interactions with the Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao, the Zhengde Emperor, and the mighty generals and commanders for the past 31 years appeared before his eyes.

Chang Feng was so sad that his eyes went dark and he passed out. He didn't know how long he was unconscious. In a trance, he heard someone talking: "Propagate the Empress Dowager's decree! Chang Feng falsely passed on the imperial decree, disbanded the regiment, and conspired with Jiang Bin to rebel. But considering that he has served the court for 36 years and has made great contributions, he is now allowed to enter the capital with his son Chang Po Nu to guard the body of the late emperor. He will be punished after the funeral is over. In addition, the Jinyiwei and Dongchang personnel are stationed outside the city. They are not allowed to enter the city during the funeral."

The person who came to deliver the imperial edict turned out to be Xiao Jing, the old seal holder of the Imperial Household Department during the Hongzhi period. He was already eighty-three years old, with white hair and beard.

Chang Feng stood up with Basha's help: "Master Xiao, is this the Queen Mother's decree? Is it true? Tell me."

Xiao Jing sighed, "Yang Tinghe asked me to deliver the imperial edict. As for whether the imperial edict is true or false, the capital is in their hands, so the false ones are also true."

Chang Feng asked: "Where are the Queen Mother, the Empress, the women in my family, and my eldest grandson Qingyun?"

Xiao Jing lowered his voice and said, "Yang Tinghe asked me to remind you privately. Your whole family, including your eldest grandson, is now in the Leopard House. Treason is a serious crime punishable by the death of nine generations of your clan!"

Chang Feng found himself completely trapped by Yang Tinghe. It was Yang Tinghe who proposed to disband the regiment in order to crush Jiang Bin's conspiracy of rebellion. But in the end, it turned out to be him who falsely conveyed the imperial edict.

Chang Po Nu said from the side: "Dad, this is a false order, you don't have to obey it."

Chang Feng said, "The situation is over. We are at the mercy of others. Let's go into the city."

After saying that, Chang Feng shouted to all the Jinyiwei comrades: "What happened in the Xishan camp today was planned by me alone, and has nothing to do with you comrades. You just need to obey the Queen Mother's order and stay outside the city and wait."

Chang Feng and Chang Qingyun bid farewell to their old brothers from the Jinyiwei and entered Xizhimen.

As soon as they entered Xizhimen, soldiers from the Wucheng Bingmasi surrounded them and pointed guns at them.

Chang Qingyun asked: "What are you doing?"

Wuding Marquis Guo Xun walked up to them and said, "According to the order of the cabinet, arrest the rebel Chang Feng and his son immediately. Take them to the prison of the Ministry of Justice and wait for the joint trial of the three judicial departments. Old Marquis, I advise you not to resist stubbornly. Give yourself some dignity."

Chang Feng stretched out his hands: "Put the shackles on me."

Chang Feng, the hero who protected the throne during the Chenghua period, and the powerful and favored minister during the Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties, was completely reduced to a prisoner!
The father and son were taken directly to the Ministry of Justice and imprisoned separately. Also imprisoned was his eldest grandson Chang Qingyun.

As for the children of Liu Xiaoyan and Madam Nine, Yang Tinghe did not make things difficult for them. They were still accompanying Empress Dowager Zhang in the Cining Palace.

Cabinet value.

Yang Tinghe sat opposite the three cabinet ministers Liang Chu, Jiang Mian and Mao Ji, who had already changed into mourning clothes.

The history of the Ming Dynasty has come to a crossroads.

Yang Tinghe said: "I have already drafted the Emperor's will. Please take a look."

Liang Chu took the will and read it. The general meaning of the will was as follows: "I am already terminally ill. Please tell the Empress Dowager that the state affairs will be handled by the cabinet. The past events were all my fault and had nothing to do with others. I am chosen to succeed the throne."

The last words of Emperor Zhengde were clearly "civil servants cannot be trusted." But Yang Tinghe changed it to "national affairs should be handled by the cabinet."

Yang Tinghe held both the sword and the pen. How to write the will was up to him.

As for who will be chosen to succeed the throne, the name is left blank.

Yang Tinghe said: "The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The most important thing now is to select a wise man from the royal family to be the new ruler. Come, get the royal family genealogy."

If Emperor Taizu, who had killed several civil servants, had known that the civil servants would decide who would be the emperor more than 120 years after his death, I'm afraid the coffin in the Xiaoling Mausoleum would have collapsed.

Not long after, a scholar from the Hanlin Academy brought the royal family genealogy.

Yang Tinghe said: "This successor must have three qualities. First, his father must have passed away; second, he must be young and healthy; third, he must be intelligent and virtuous."

The death of a father is easy to understand. If the new emperor still has a living father, is the living father considered the emperor emeritus or a vassal king? There will also be disputes over power.

It is easier to understand because of youth. Young talents are easily controlled by civil servants and become their puppets.

As for the intelligent and virtuous, whoever is obedient is the intelligent and virtuous.

The three elders pretended to look through the royal genealogy for half an hour. In fact, they knew that the real decision-making power was in Yang Tinghe's hands. They just had to wait for Prime Minister Yang to speak.

Yang Tinghe finally spoke: "Please look, everyone, how about Zhu Houcong, the son of Prince Xingxian, grandson of Emperor Xianzong, cousin of Emperor Xiaozong, cousin of the late emperor, and the crown prince of Prince Xing?"

Prince Xing died in the 14th year of the Zhengde reign and was posthumously named "Xian". Zhu Houcong had not yet inherited the throne because he had not completed his mourning period.

Yang Tinghe said, "I have long heard that this fifteen-year-old prince of Xian is naturally intelligent. He is also a close relative of the late emperor. What do you think?"

Liang Chu, Jiang Mian, and Mao Ji could only nod their heads: "Very good. The prince of Xing will surely be a wise ruler."

Yang Tinghe had another consideration when he chose Prince Xing's son Zhu Houcong as emperor.

At the end of Chenghua, Concubine Wan wanted to make Prince Xing the crown prince. It was Chang Feng who saved the crown prince, so Prince Xing missed the throne.

If we consider it from this perspective, the first thing Prince Xing will do when he ascends the throne is to liquidate the Chang family.

Yang Tinghe had just defeated Chang Feng in a battle of wits. But he made a mistake. The name of this mistake is: knowing only one side of the story, but not the other.

Yang Tinghe had no idea that the Xingwang Mansion in Anlu had always had a close relationship with the Chang family.

The most trusted member of the Lu family in Prince Xing's Palace is Chang Feng's subordinate.

Zhu Houcong's biological mother, Concubine Jiang, was a female subordinate who was selected by Chang Feng from among the daughters of Jinyiwei officials by imperial order and sent to the Prince Xing's Palace to serve as the palace's most important eyes and ears!

The three eunuchs who lived with the crown prince Zhu Houcong day and night - Mai Fu, Lu Fang, and Huang Jin, two of whom were sent to the Prince Xing's mansion by Chang Feng. Among them, Mai Fu, the oldest and most favored, was even saved by Chang Feng!
In the near future, when Zhu Houcong left Anlu Prefecture and rushed to the capital to succeed to the throne, Concubine Jiang would say to him: "Chang Feng of the Jinyiwei is a reliable person, you should rely on him."

Yang Tinghe said, "Okay, since the three of you have no objection, let's make it a decision. In the will, specify that the successor is Prince Xing's son Zhu Houcong."

After saying this, Yang Tinghe took the will and filled in Zhu Houcong's name.

Mao Ji said: "Now that the successor has been chosen, we should send someone to pick him up immediately. Who should we choose?"

Yang Tinghe thought about it and drew up a list.

The first person on the list of people to welcome the emperor was Liang Chu, the second assistant, who represented the civil officials.

As the chief minister, I, Yang Tinghe, have to take charge of the government affairs. I don't have time to go to Anlu Prefecture to pick up you, the little emperor. Sending a deputy minister over is already a great honor to you.

The second person is the Minister of Rites Mao Cheng, who also represents the civil officials.

It is the duty of the Minister of Rites to go to the vassal state to welcome the new emperor.

The third person, Duke Dingguo Xu Guangzuo, represents the nobility.

You, Xu Guangzuo, have diabetes and are seriously ill, right? You have to go. I'll tire you to death, and it will be a good opportunity for my confidant Guo Xun to become the most honorable person in the court.

The fourth person is the eunuch Gu Dayong, who represents the inner eunuchs.

Gu Dayong was a stubborn fence-sitter. When Liu Jin lost power, he remained safe and sound. He stayed in the Imperial Household Department for another ten years. When he saw Yang Tinghe gaining power, he immediately switched sides to Yang Tinghe.

The fifth person is Zhang Heling, Marquis of Shouning, representing the maternal relatives.

The sixth person is Cui Yuan, the imperial son-in-law's supervisor, who also represents the imperial relatives.

The six-member team to welcome the emperor was confirmed, and they set off that day, rushing to Anlu Prefecture at full speed. (End of this chapter)