Chapter 8 The Emperor's Property Author: Ming Yue ?? txt Traditional Chinese

  Zhu Di's military campaign against the Mongolian tribes was effective in intimidating the Wala and Tartars. After his victory over the Wala in 1414, the borders of the Ming Empire were finally quiet, the Wala were on their last breath, and the Tartars were left with a lingering fear. The saying "not hitting is not submitting, hitting to submission" is quite fitting here. In this way, Zhu Di used military force to create a good living environment for his people. At that time, the Yongle Encyclopedia had been completed, the borders were peaceful, and the surrounding four barbarian tribes were competing to pay tribute to the Ming emperor, making the Great Ming Empire unparalleled in grandeur.

  Under the hard work of Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di, the Ming Empire's cultural and military achievements reached their peak. The scene of national prosperity, flourishing industries, and thriving businesses once again appeared on Chinese soil. This was indeed an achievement of Zhu Di, but fundamentally it was still the good foundation laid by Zhu Yuanzhang that played a role, because Zhu Yuanzhang was like a diligent housekeeper who had already formulated a series of policies for his descendants to follow.

  In fact, the system implemented during Zhu Di's reign was still his father's, but Zhu Di himself also had his own inventions and creations on this basis. Below we will introduce several new institutions that emerged during Zhu Di's rule, which had a profound impact on the history of the Ming Dynasty, and these can indeed be considered as the result of Zhu Di's hard work, surpassing those of his predecessors, worthy of mention.

  Let's start with the most important one first.

  This was a brand new institution, set up by Zhu Di himself, but the founder of this new institution, Zhu Di, would never have dreamed that decades later, it would grow into a terrifying behemoth, so large as to threaten the emperor's position and power.

  This body is the Cabinet.

  In the early years of Yongle, Zhu Di, who was exhausted by politics and could hardly survive, finally couldn't bear it anymore. He had learned from his father Zhu Yuanzhang's work efficiency and spirit, but even if he worked day and night with all his might, he found it difficult to complete his tasks. In this situation, he appointed Xie Jin and six others as the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, participating in state affairs.

  These seven people formed the first cabinet of the Ming Dynasty, and from then on, Zhu Di would discuss with these seven people before making decisions on matters such as war, personnel, and even the establishment of a crown prince, their powers and responsibilities were not small.

  But unexpectedly, the official positions of cabinet members were only fifth-grade, far lower than those of central officials such as Shangshu and Shilang. This was also carefully set by Zhu Di, who had some reservations about the cabinet. To prevent these seven people from becoming too powerful, he deliberately lowered the ranks of these so-called cabinet members. He seemed to think that this would be an effective way to control the cabinet.

  It was later proved that he was wrong.

  No one would have expected that this initially inconspicuous institution would eventually become the central governing body of the Ming Empire, and that a cabinet minister with an official rank of only fifth grade at the time would become the leader of all officials. What is even more unbelievable is that the life span of this institution would be longer than that of the Ming dynasty itself!

  It has evolved from an institution into a system, and has continued for more than 500 years since then, becoming an extremely important part of China's feudal political system.

  In our subsequent narrative, this institution will frequently appear in our articles, and countless loyal ministers, treacherous ministers, and chaotic ministers will all perform their lives on this stage.

  The cabinet is important, but the next institution has a reputation far greater than it. This department established by Zhu Di for special purposes has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years, and its name is often associated with evil and conspiracy.

  The name of this department is Dong Chang.

  We mentioned earlier the Jin Yi Wei, a special task force that was once abolished by Zhu Yuanzhang but restored soon after Zhu Di ascended to the throne. The reason is simple: Zhu Di needed spies.

  Like Zhu Di, who came to power through rebellion, although he didn't say it out loud, in his heart he was very insecure. People who scheme against others always think that others are also scheming against them. In order to more effectively monitor the officials, he reinstated the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

  But soon, Zhu Di felt that the Brocade Guards were not very useful either. After all, these people were born as good citizens and had a lot of contact with officials. With Zhu Di's suspicious and nihilistic scientific spirit, he determined that these people were also unreliable.

  This is getting difficult, the agent is unreliable, who can be relied on?

  Eunuch.

  Eunuchs are the most reliable, although these guys are uncultured and physically disabled (special grade), most of them also have a bit of abnormal psychology (can be understood), but after all, they helped me usurp the throne and have been by my side all along, so it's not wrong to trust them.

  It's settled then. Establish an organization headed by eunuchs, responsible to me alone, in charge of gathering intelligence, and reporting directly to me for instructions. The office can be set up at the East Peace Gate, which will also make it more convenient to mobilize.

  As for the name, since the headquarters is at Dong'anmen, let's just call it Dongchang.

  In the 18th year of Yongle (1420), Zhu Di set up the Eastern Depot, and this largest secret agency in the Ming Dynasty thus stepped onto the historical stage. Its power was so great, its evil deeds were numerous, and its notorious reputation was rarely matched.

  Because its institution was located at Dong'anmen, it was named the Eastern Depot. Friends living in Beijing who are interested can go to the original site for a look. The specific address is the northern part of today's Wangfujing Street in Beijing, and the name is also called Dongchang Hutong.

  The Eastern Depot was very impressive from the start, mainly reflected in the official seal of the Eastern Depot. Unlike other departments whose official seals simply stated their department names, the Eastern Depot's seal was quite different. Specifically, it had 14 large characters: "Imperial Envoy General Governor Eastern Depot Official School Affairs Eunuch Seal". Although the grammar may not be fluent, it is very impressive and in my opinion, such a seal also has some anti-counterfeiting effect. After all, street vendors who privately engrave official seals would need to spend more effort and money to engrave so many characters.

  The East Factory was initially only responsible for investigation and arrest, without the right to trial. The captured offenders had to be handed over to the Jin Yiwei Beizhen Fu Si for trial. However, later on, in order to facilitate framing and wrongful convictions, with the spirit of "you have it, I have it; you have it, I'm better", the East Factory fully played its role and also set up its own prison.

  The Dongchang had various positions such as qianhu, baihu, zhangban, lingban, and sifang, but the actual workers were the yezhang and fan yi. Their responsibilities were very broad, covering everything, and they oversaw everything. When the imperial court tried cases, the Dongchang would send people to attend the trials; when the various government ministries went to work, the Dongchang would dispatch personnel to sit in on their meetings. The Dongchang also sent people to review documents from the Six Ministries. Moreover, these people were even responsible for market research, and they had to record the prices of vegetables like cabbage and radish at the market today.

  These all-pervasive people not only monitor the hundred officials, but also their fellow Jin Yiwei, showing how great their power is.

  Being able to command such a large organization and having such great power, the leader of the Eastern Depot also became a profession that everyone admired, but this profession had an innate restrictive condition: it must be a eunuch (there are gains and losses).

  The head of the Eastern Depot was called the Dongchang Zhāngyìn Taījiān, and was the second most powerful eunuch in the imperial court. The first most powerful eunuch was naturally the Zhāngyìn Taījiān of the Imperial Household Department.

  These eunuchs of the Eastern Depot, while spying and oppressing the people, also had their own idols and creeds. Next to the grand hall of the Eastern Depot's headquarters, a small temple was set up specifically for worshiping this idol.

  I believe everyone will absolutely not think that this idol who has a large number of fans from the East Factory is actually - Yue Fei.

  What's even more ridiculous is that the Dongchang personnel also built a memorial arch in front of the main hall, inscribing their motto - "Fragrant for a hundred generations".

  They believe they can't achieve a good reputation that will last for centuries, but it's highly likely that they'll leave a stench that will last for ten thousand years. And poor Yue Fei, if he knew there was such a group of people idolizing him, probably wouldn't be too thrilled either.

  Also, please note that you should not believe in the so-called top eunuchs in the New Dragon Gate Inn, and in reality, the East Factory eunuchs do not have any legendary skills or treasures. Most of the actual tasks, such as capturing people and showing off their power, are done by normal people under the East Factory eunuchs.

  Since the establishment of this institution, not only have the officials of the imperial court been unlucky, but also the Imperial Guards have been depressed, because they were originally special agents, while the people from the East Depot became the supervisors of these special agents, and the status of the Imperial Guards was greatly affected.

  Before the establishment of the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also a promising career, and many "young people with ambition" joined the Ming dynasty's secret service for various purposes. However, after the emergence of the Eastern Depot institution, it overshadowed the Embroidered Uniform Guard and stole its thunder.

  The reason is also simple. The Eastern Depot was directly responsible to the Emperor, and its leader, the Eastern Depot's eunuch in charge of the seal, was a person close to the Emperor, with an extraordinary relationship that couldn't be compared to that of the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

  So in the subsequent development of Ming Dynasty history, the originally equal Jin Yiwei and Dong Chang gradually became a superior and subordinate relationship, with some Jin Yiwei commanders seeing the Dong Chang's eunuch even having to kneel down.

  However, there are exceptions in history. In the Ming dynasty's secret police history, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard relied on his own ability and efforts to suppress the Eastern Depot for the first time. This commander was very formidable, and during his tenure, the prestige and power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard far surpassed that of the Eastern Depot, showing that human effort can change circumstances.

  This man, who can be called the strongest Brocade Guard of the Ming Dynasty, was a heavyweight figure in his time with great power and far-reaching political influence. We will introduce his life in detail in future articles.

  The last one is a title we often hear in TV dramas - Governor.

  Everyone should be familiar with this name, which first appeared in the Yongle period and can also be considered as Zhu Di's invention. In fact, the governor at that time was not the same as the later governors.

  We previously introduced that during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, the Ministry of War was abolished and the Governor's Office was established. The highest official was the Governor, who was in charge of all provincial affairs, equivalent to our current Provincial Governor. Originally, the Governor's management was normal, but Zhu Yuanzhang had a hobby - decentralization. He never trusted giving all the major powers of a province to one person, so he also set up two other departments, which were in charge of justice and military affairs.

  The two departments were the Ti Xing An Cha Shi Si and the Du Zhi Hui Shi Si, with the highest officials being the An Cha Shi and the Du Zhi Hui Shi.

  Lao Zhu did this, mainly to facilitate the control of various provincial affairs and prevent local forces from becoming too powerful. His original intention was not bad, but later developments went beyond his expectations. This is because his move coincided with a Chinese proverb:

  Three monks have no water to drink.

  Although the three officials had different powers, the governor was in charge of civil administration and finance, the procuratorate was in charge of justice, and the commander-in-chief was in charge of military affairs. However, they all worked in the provincial capital, and their relationship was not good, which caused a lot of trouble. Normally, none of the three families would submit to each other, and it was fine during peaceful times. But if there were natural disasters such as floods or droughts, it would be very troublesome without unified coordination. Especially at that time, peasant uprisings often occurred, and without a general commander in charge, the peasant army might attack the government office while the three officials were still arguing over who should be the leader.

  To deal with these three monks' problems, the central government came up with a solution, which was to send someone from the central government to manage provincial affairs. This person similar to a central envoy is called a governor.

  It should be noted that the central government did not casually send someone to serve as a governor, in China where seniority was taken very seriously. Those who were sent to govern were not ordinary people. Generally speaking, these governors were vice-ministers (deputy minister level) of various departments.

  Unlike what many people think, during the Yongle period, there was actually no official title of "Xunfu" in the central government's official sequence. The so-called Xunfu was just a temporary position, and the central government's intention was to send someone down to take charge of things, and after the matter was settled, you would come back and continue to be a deputy minister.

  But heaven does not follow people's wishes, and when a high-ranking official from the central government goes to the local area, small matters are easy to handle. However, if they encounter ethnic conflicts or peasant uprisings, these big issues cannot be resolved in just one or two years. If such things happen, the governor will have trouble, running around everywhere, busy for half a year, solving problems here and there, and when it's time for festivals and holidays, ordinary workers can return home to celebrate, but some governors with a lot of worries may not be able to return home for several years.

  It was originally just a temporary errand, but it often became a one-way trip. The governors also had wives and children, and there were problems such as marital separation and children's education. It was really hard for these officials to be away from home for so long, and the central government was also troubled. Often, just as one governor returned, another report would come in about an incident somewhere that local authorities couldn't handle, requiring another dispatch. This cycle repeated itself, affecting personnel arrangements at the center. As a result, over time, governors gradually changed from temporary special envoys to permanent special envoys. They were still considered central government officials, but they worked locally and no longer had to make multiple trips in a year.

  Now that we've mentioned the Governor, we can't help but mention two other official positions related to it.

  Although the governor is a high-ranking official, he is not the largest local official. In fact, there are two levels above the governor, and these two officials are truly influential figures.

  After the Ming government established the system of touring inspectors, new difficulties arose because at that time the peasant uprising armies would often change locations, also known as "hit and run" or a type of guerrilla warfare. Those from Shandong fled to Hebei, those from Hubei fled to Hunan. When encountering such situations, the touring inspectors were in a dilemma. For example, the Zhejiang touring inspector led soldiers chasing after the uprising army, just about to catch up, but they ran to Fujian instead. The Zhejiang touring inspector was unfamiliar with the terrain and it wasn't convenient to enter someone else's territory, so he would request cooperation from the Fujian touring inspector or the commander-in-chief. If their relationship was good, then that was fine, just helping out a friend. But if their relationship was bad, then there would be trouble. The other side could raise an eyebrow and say: "Who are you? What's your surname? Why should I listen to your orders?"

  To deal with this situation, the central government had to send out even higher-ranking officials (usually at the level of a Minister or a Governor) to handle affairs in the local areas and oversee the governors. These people were known as Governors-General.

  A governor-general usually oversees two provinces or a large province (such as the Governor-General of Sichuan who only oversees Sichuan), and can issue orders to the provincial governors.

  It seemed that the matter should have been settled by now, but the policy really couldn't keep up with the situation. By the late Ming Dynasty, when fierce people like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong emerged, the guerrilla troops became regular armies, and the scale was quite large. They had tens of thousands of men under their command, and they didn't take your small governor or commander-in-chief seriously at all. Regular armies don't make a big fuss about small things, if you want to fight, you'll fight in provincial cities, and one riot will affect several provinces, and the governor can't control it either.

  In this case, the largest local official in Chinese history appeared. The Ming government, which was tired of responding, finally had to create a new official title - Du Shi. This official is specifically in charge of the Governor, where the peasant army makes trouble, he will be in charge there. Of course, such high-ranking local officials are generally held by the highest central civil servant, the Grand Scholar.

  The above three institutions or official positions were all created by Zhu Di during the Yongle period, and their functions have both good and bad effects. We introduce them here because we will often interact with them in later articles, so it is necessary to lay a foundation first.

  Compared with these institutional achievements, Zhu Di also left his descendants a more precious treasure, which not only created the prosperous era of Yongle but also maintained this prosperity after Zhu Di's death.

  This treasure is talent.

  Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang were both capable and wise rulers in Chinese history, but overall, Zhu Di was a notch below Zhu Yuanzhang in various aspects, except for one thing.

  This is where the vision for talent comes in.

  Previously, we introduced the three people left by Zhu Yuanzhang to his grandson. In fact, these three people proved to be real bookworms with extremely limited use. Zhu Di also left three people for his own children and grandchildren, but these three people were quite different from Qi Huang before.

  They are truly talented people who can govern the world.

  Because all three of them were surnamed Yang, they are collectively known as "Three Yangs".

  They were the most outstanding figures of that era, each with their own strengths. Not only did they have abilities, but also had a deep understanding of the world and its ways. They survived through four dynasties without falling, and can be called extraordinary people. Next, we will introduce their legendary experiences one by one.

  The First Person: Yang Shi Qi - Upholding Orthodoxy and Antiquity

  If one were to choose the first creator of the Renxuan Prosperity, one of the most famous prosperous ages in Chinese history, it would probably not be the two emperors Ren and Xuan. This honor belongs to Yang Shiqi, because without him, Zhu Gaochi might not have been known as the Ming Ren Emperor.

  This legendary minister of letters was active in four dynasties, controlling state affairs, with boundless glory, but all this was what he deserved, for to reach this point, he paid too much.

  In the 25th year of Zhizheng (1365), Yang Shi Qi was born in Yuanzhou. That year, Zhu Yuanzhang was making revolution everywhere, and people were in a state of panic, unable to make a living. To avoid famine, Yang Shi Qi's parents took him on the run, and their days were very difficult. When Yang Shi Qi was one and a half years old, his father Yang Mei finally found relief from the chaotic world - he passed away.

  In his childhood, Yang Shi Qi didn't understand sorrow and had no time for it either. He still had to follow his mother around in order to survive. Heaven is fair after all; although it didn't give Yang Shi Qi a happy childhood, it gave him a good mother.

  Yang Shi Qi's mother was a far-sighted person, even when drifting around, she did not forget to do one thing - teach Yang Shi Qi to read. In those years of war and chaos, she abandoned many pieces of luggage, but always carried a book - "The Great Learning". To be ashamed, I didn't finish reading this book until I was 20 years old, while Mr. Yang Shi Qi could recite it at the age of 5. Every time I see this, I sigh that the new society is good, if I were born in that era, I would probably still be a child at the age of 40 or 50.

  Reading books is a matter of fate, Yang Shiqi has a lot of fate, but reading books also needs another more important thing, that is money.

  Yang Shi Qi had no money and his mother also had no money.

  Without money, one cannot attend a private school, cannot read books, and therefore cannot take the imperial examination in Beijing, and thus cannot become an official. After all, the imperial examinations do not only test "The Great Learning".

  Yang Shi-qi and his mother thus welcomed a turning point in their lives amidst poverty.

  In 1371, Yang Shiqi's mother remarried, and from then on, he had a stepfather who was stern and strict.

  This stepfather's name was Luo Xing, who also served as Yang Shiqi's teacher.

  Luo Xing, also known as Zi Li, was not an ordinary person. He was born into a prominent family and was already a well-known scholar with official positions at the time. His personality was straightforward but he had a haughty temperament and looked down on others.

  Yang Shi Qi moved into Luo Xing's home with a mix of curiosity and apprehension, which was also his own home.

  Lu Xing is a very strict and proud person, who doesn't give a good face to the child who followed his newly married wife (or concubine) into the house, but is not of his own blood. This seems like a natural thing.

  Soon after entering the Luo family, Yang Shiqi was forced to change his surname to Luo, which seems normal too, people who give you food always have some kind of power.

  Yang Shi Qi began his life in this unfamiliar environment, although he changed his surname to Luo, but after all, he was not the child of the family, and there were always differences in treatment. Luo Xing didn't pay much attention to him either. This point, even young Yang Shi Qi could feel it. The only thing he could do was be more careful, try not to cause trouble, so as not to bring trouble to himself and his mother.

  Two years later, an astonishing feat by eight-year-old Yang Shi Qi changed his life circumstances.

  In the sixth year of Hongwu (1373), the Luo family held a ceremony to worship their ancestors. Yang Shiqi, who was still a child at that time, was moved by this and thought of his deceased father and his wandering life. He also wanted to worship his own father and relatives.

  But the ancestral hall of the Luo family would never have a place for the Yang family, and if he openly worshipped his own family members, it's unlikely to make his stepfather Luo Xing happy.

  The eight-year-old boy did not give up, he picked up a piece of soil from outside, made it into a shrine-like shape, found an unnoticed corner, and solemnly knelt down to pay his respects to his late father.

  Yang Shi-qi did not know that his supposedly secretive actions had been seen by someone, and this person was Luo Xing.

  Soon after, Luo Xing found Yang Shi Qi and told him that he had seen his actions of paying respects to his ancestors. He also informed him that from now on, he would be restoring his surname Yang and no longer follow the surname Luo.

  Yang Shi Qi was extremely frightened, he thought Luo Xing didn't want to raise him anymore and wanted to drive him out of the house.

  Luoyi shook his head and sighed: "My several sons are not promising, I hope you can take care of them a little in the future."

  He continued to sigh: "You are only eight years old, but you can be humble and not lose your ambition, remember your ancestors. You will become a great man in the future! You don't have to change your surname, in the future you will definitely not shame your father's surname."

  Good character is right, ambition has never been in old age.

  From then on, Luo Xing began to look at Yang Shi Qi in a different light and made an effort to cultivate him, providing him with books to read.

  If things go on like this, Yang Shiqi should have passed all the exams and become an official in the imperial court, for he indeed had the ability to do so, but Heaven is really playing tricks on people.

  Only one year later, Luo Xing was demoted to a remote place for his crime, and Yang Shiqi and his mother's life fell into difficulties again. However, in this harsh environment, the ambitious Yang Shiqi did not give up hope, he still worked hard to read books and study, striving for his own future.

  Due to his family's poverty, Yang Shi Qi was unable to take the imperial examination in Beijing like other scholars. To make ends meet, he became a teacher at a rural private school at the age of 15. At that time, there were many private schools and no monopoly on education existed. Each student paid part of their tuition when they enrolled, and if they felt the teacher was not good enough, they could leave at any time. Therefore, a teacher's income depended on their level of expertise, with more students meaning higher earnings. Although Yang Shi Qi had a solid foundation in his studies, many people came to be his students, but since he was in a poor rural area, his income was still very meager, barely enough to get by.

  Yang Shiqi and his mother lived a poor life, but soon after, he interpreted the meaning of the proverb "A man is poor, not his ambition" with his own actions.

  One of Yang Shi's friends was also very poor, but he had no other way to make a living and had elderly people to support at home. He really couldn't make ends meet. Yang Shi took the initiative to find him and asked if he had read the Four Books. Although this person was poor, he still had some learning and replied that he had read them. Yang Shi immediately stated that he could give half of his students to him and also divide the remuneration for teaching books by half with him.

  His friend was deeply moved, because he knew that Yang Shiqi also had a mother to support and his family was very poor. In such circumstances, he could still be so chivalrous, it's really not simple at all.

  Yang Shi Qi returned home with half of his income gone and told his mother about what had happened. He thought she would be unhappy, after all their already impoverished household could hardly afford such a loss. But to his surprise, his mother was overjoyed and said to him: "You were able to do this, it wasn't in vain that I raised you to adulthood!"

  Yes, poor people also have dignity and integrity. It is precisely because of such a wise mother that Yang Shiqi could become a famous minister later on.

  Yang Shi Qi grew up in this way, constantly striving in difficulties and persevering in poverty to ultimately achieve his career.

  A poor man should not have low aspirations!

  Yang Shi Qi's career path was not smooth, he first worked as a training officer (similar to today's county education bureau official) in the county. The training officer is a small official who spends his days idling around the government office, but Yang Shi Qi was really bad at being an official and couldn't even idle around successfully.

  Not long after, Yang Shi-qi unexpectedly lost his official seal at work. In that era, losing an official seal was a very serious matter, much more severe than a police officer losing their gun today, and could even lead to imprisonment. At this time, Yang Shi-qi showed his flexible side.

  If Fang Xiaoru had lost the seal, he would have written dozens of self-criticisms and then gone to the local government to surrender himself. He would still be reflecting on his mistakes while in prison. Yang Shiqi didn't have so many tricks up his sleeve; he simply abandoned his official position and ran away.

  Yang Shi Qi is really not a bookworm after all.

  Afterwards, the fugitive Yang Shi-qi wandered around Jianghu. This so-called fugitive should be put in quotation marks because the county government wouldn't bother to spend time and effort chasing him. To put it bluntly, he didn't even have the value of being pursued. For more than 20 years, he drifted from place to place, working as a teacher at private schools to make a living. Fortunately, his long-term wandering life did not turn him into a rascal. In his spare time, he continued to study hard and his academic level had reached a considerable height.

  After a long period of wandering and studying, Yang Shi Qi finally waited for the turning point in his life.

  In the second year of Jianwen (1400), Emperor Jianwen summoned Confucian scholars to compile the "Veritable Records of Taizu", and 36-year-old Yang Shiqi was recommended for compilation due to his solid foundation in historical literature.

  During the compilation process, Yang Shi-qi completed his work with his profound literary and historical talents and was praised by Fang Xiao-ru, the chief editor of this book. He unexpectedly became the deputy general editor of "Taizu Shilu".

  After Yongle's accession, Yang Shiqi was truly reused. He and Xie Jin were appointed as one of the seven members of the first cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. Since then, he became a senior minister of Zhu Di.

  Like Xie Jue, he was not a peaceful man. Not long after, he became embroiled in the struggle to establish the Crown Prince, and like Xie Jue, he supported Zhu Gaochi, but unlike Xie Jue, he was much more cunning.

  The hardships of Yang Shiqi's youth tempered him, making him mature and thoughtful. He was very cautious in his words and deeds, remembering everything others told him, never speaking lightly or revealing secrets. He was a loyal supporter of the crown prince, but he never showed it openly, which revealed his deep character.

  Yang Shi Qi's success can be summarized in one sentence:

  When you just start out, be low-key, even more low-key.

  Although Yang Shiqi was skilled in intrigue and strategy, the fact proved that he was not a two-faced person who would switch sides at will. In this life-and-death struggle for power, he firmly stood on the side of Zhu Gaochi and ultimately defeated his political opponents with his wisdom and loyalty, helping Zhu Gaochi ascend to the throne.

  The most brutal political struggle during the Yongle era was the dispute over the throne between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui. In this struggle, countless heads fell to the ground, countless ministers were executed, and endless plots and schemes emerged. Both sides employed extraordinary tactics, and after a series of twists and turns, the conflict continued until the night of Zhu Di's death. A person took great risks, secretly setting out overnight, rushing for a month to report the news, only then was the outcome decided.

  In fact, not only did Yang Shiqi participate in this struggle, but the other two of the three Yangs we will introduce below were also not idle. They were all powerful members of the Crown Prince Party. In the following articles, we will give a detailed introduction to this shocking and earth-shaking imperial throne contention.

  The Second Person: Resourceful and Cunning — Yang Rong

  Yang Rong, the second of the three Yangs to be introduced, did not have the outstanding political talent and academic foundation of Yang Shi Qi, but he had one ability that others could not match - accurate judgment.

  Yang Rong, born in 1371, a native of Fujian Province, originally named Yang Zirong (note the distinction), although he did not have the heroic feat of entering the tiger's lair and eliminating bandits, his great wisdom and bravery can indeed be compared to that of a later fighting hero.

  Unlike Yang Shi Qi, he did not suffer much when he was young. His family environment was good and he took the traditional path of reading books, taking exams and becoming an official. In 1400, he passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi due to his excellent results. He was appointed as a compiler, also known as a Hanlin scholar.

  During the Jianwen Emperor's reign, the Hanlin Academy was a gathering place for bookworms. This is not surprising, after all, people like Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru were in power, and it was normal for those above to influence those below.

  However, the facts later proved that Yang Rong, this excellent student, was very different from his colleagues. He was not a bookworm, but should be considered a thoughtful strategist.

  Like Yang Shi Qi, this resourceful and cunning person was also reused during the Yongle period, but his rise to prominence has a somewhat legendary color, because he relied not on his talent, but on one sentence.

  In the fourth year of Jianwen (1402), Zhu Di finally defeated the stubborn Southern Army, entered the capital city, and seized the throne. Now he had only one thing left to do - ascend to the throne.

  But just as he rode his horse towards the grand hall, something unexpected happened.

  One man stood out and blocked his way (in front of the horse).

  This man is Yang Rong.

  Due to the chaotic situation at that time, it was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe, and it was hard to guarantee that some ministers loyal to Emperor Jianwen would not play a trick similar to that of terrorists or Jing Ke. The people around him were extremely tense, and Zhu Di himself was also greatly shocked, but he did not expect that what would shock him even more was yet to come.

  Yang Rong surprisingly told him that it was not the right time to enter the palace and ascend to the throne.

  Shouldn't I ascend to the throne? What a joke! After fighting for so many years, pretending to be foolish for so long, and having so many people die, all just for the sake of the imperial throne. And yet this bookworm in front of me dares to stop me from ascending to the throne. On what grounds?! How ridiculous!

  The people present almost thought Yang had gone mad and were ready to collect his corpse.

  But Yang Rong really stopped Zhu Di's accession and made Zhu Di willingly obey, and he completed this impossible task with just one sentence.

  "Should Your Highness go to the mausoleum first or ascend to the throne first?"

  A single word can wake up someone who is dreaming.

  We mentioned earlier that Zhu Di's rebellion was cloaked in legitimacy, to put it bluntly, he wanted to be a prostitute while also setting up a plaque, his victory had gone to his head and for a moment he forgot about the plaque, only wanting to be a prostitute. No matter what, if he didn't first pay respects at his father's grave, it would be very inappropriate, Zhu Di hastily turned his horse around and went to offer sacrifices at his father's tomb.

  From this matter, we can see that Yang Rong has become extremely astute. He has grasped Zhu Di's psychology and seen through the true nature of the power struggle behind the scenes. Such a person is many times more clever than his superiors Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng.

  Similarly, the old and cunning Zhu Di remembered this person named Yang Rong from then on. After he ascended to the throne, he reused Yang Rong and summoned him into the inner court, making him one of the seven members of the inner cabinet.

  At that time, the seven members of the cabinet were all famous people, and among them, Yang Rong was not conspicuous. He didn't have Xie Jin's academic talent or Yang Shi Qi's political ability, nor was he a person who attracted attention. But this is definitely not because his abilities were not up to par. In fact, what he excelled at was another kind of skill - strategy and decision-making.

  What is meant by "mouduan" refers to strategy and judgment, which should be the specialty of people like Yao Guangxiao. However, Yang Rong, who has been familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood and should be a honest bookworm, surprisingly excels in these areas, which is indeed puzzling. Nevertheless, it is an undisputed fact that he is good at judging situations, as illustrated by the following example.

  One night, the border suddenly received an urgent report that Ningxia was being besieged by Mongolian troops. The defender sent someone to rush hundreds of miles to deliver the message, which was a critical military situation. Zhu Di also hastily got up and went to the Grand Council to discuss with the ministers how to handle it (the Grand Council had a 24-hour shift system, changing every seven days). Coincidentally, that night, the one on duty was Yang Rong.

  Zhu Di hastily arrived at the Imperial Cabinet, handed over the memorial to Yang Rong and asked for his opinion.

  Contrary to Zhu Di's expectations, Yang Rong remained calm and composed after reading it, with a natural expression, as if he had the attitude of "the eunuch is not anxious, but the emperor is".

  Zhu Di was anxious and urgent, but Yang Rong replied slowly and calmly: "Please wait a little longer, Your Majesty. Ningxia will definitely send another rescue report."

  Zhu Di looked at him curiously, asking him to give a reason. Yang Rong also didn't dare to play dumb at this moment, because Zhu Di was not a person who had much patience with his ministers.

  Yang Rong said with confidence: "I understand the situation in Ningxia, where the city defense is solid and has been fighting for a long time. The soldiers have rich experience and can resist the surrounding Mongolian army. From the date of their first report, it has been more than ten days since today, and Ningxia should have been relieved by now, and they must have sent out a second report."

  Soon after, Zhu Di received the second report of relief. Zhu Di, who thought he was good at predicting things, admired Yang Rong very much and gave him a more glorious task - to join the army.

  Zhu Di recognized that Yang Rong was a capable and decisive person, and such talent was exactly what he needed in the war against Mongolia. Therefore, during the expedition of Yongle 12 (1414), Yang Rong accompanied Zhu Di on the campaign, performed well, and gained his trust. Zhu Di then handed over the most important thing in the army - the seal to Yang Rong for safekeeping. Moreover, all matters in the army, such as proclaiming imperial edicts, had to be reported to Yang Rong before they could be issued. It can be said that Yang Rong was Zhu Di's private secretary.

  One of the main reasons why Zhu Di trusted Yang Rong so much was that he handled matters impartially and did not participate in the struggle for power between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui, nor did he have any factional background. Of course, this was just what Zhu Di thought.

  Zhu Di did not expect that this seemingly obedient Yang Rong was not as simple as he appeared on the surface. Zhu Di granted Yang Rong the power of seal and memorial, only to make him work hard, but Yang Rong took advantage of this convenient condition and did a crucial thing at a critical moment.

  In the seventh month of the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), when Zhu Di was dying, the one who made a decisive decision, rushed thousands of miles to report the news of Zhu Di's death to the crown prince, and gained precious time for the crown prince to ascend to the throne with a well-planned plan, was Yang Rong, who had always been low-key. Because his true identity is like that of Yang Shi Qi, he is an undisputed member of the Crown Prince Party.

  The Third Person: Fearless in the Face of Danger — Yang Yu

  The following Yang Yu, his fame and achievements compared to the two previously introduced have a significant gap, but he is the most legendary of the three, others become famous and are reused relying on their talent and ability, he relies on squatting in prison.

  Yang Yu, born in 1372, was a native of Shishou, Hubei Province. He passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi in 1400, during the second year of the Jianwen Emperor's reign. What is even more remarkable is that he was also appointed as a compiler, making him a colleague of Yang Rong. However, unlike Yang Rong, Yang Yu was born into the "Crown Prince Party" because he was sent to serve Zhu Gaochi in 1403, making him an early member of the party.

  Zhu Bi is still too naive, Yang Rong and Yang Yu's relationship as classmates and colleagues, plus the inherent political stance of the seven-man Wenchen group in the cabinet to support the crown prince, saying that Yang Rong is not a member of the Crown Prince Party is something even ghosts wouldn't believe.

  Yang Yu did not have the outstanding talent of Yang Shi Qi and Yang Rong. He assisted the crown prince for over a decade, without achieving anything significant or drawing attention to himself. If things continued this way, even if the crown prince ascended to the throne in the future, he would not have had any prospects. However, an unexpected event that occurred in the twelfth year of Yongle changed his fate, but this sudden event was actually not a good thing.

  In the twelfth year of Yongle (1414), the "Eastern Palace Welcoming the Emperor" incident occurred, an event with extremely deep political background. The true mastermind behind the scenes was Zhu Gaoxu. In this incident, the Crown Prince Party suffered a severe blow and almost collapsed. Many officials were imprisoned as scapegoats, and Yang Rong was one of the countless ordinary scapegoats among them.

  As Yang Yu's work unit was the Crown Prince's East Palace, he was identified as a direct responsible person and enjoyed special treatment. He was imprisoned in the top-grade prison - the Imperial Guard Prison.

  Jinyiwei Prison is a historic and well-known prison with a high level of prestige. Only the most heinous criminals or high-ranking officials can be imprisoned here. As the saying goes, "even if one cannot enter in person, their heart yearns for it". Some ordinary prisoners also have a curiosity about this mysterious prison, which is understandable. From ancient times to the present, being imprisoned has always been a capital for bragging rights, such as "I was inside back then", which sounds very impressive when said aloud.

  In addition, the number of people who are famous for being imprisoned is not small. In fact, no matter where you go to prison, find a well-known prison to stay in, and when you come out later, you can still brag "Brother, I was in prison that year", which should also scare away many fellow prisoners.

  It seems that going to prison is also a shortcut to fame.

  However, in fact, at that time, it was not easy to become famous by squatting in prison. First of all, you had to have enough seniority, and secondly, you also needed to have sufficient luck.

  Once you enter the imperial prison, it's not easy to come out alive.

  The prison is a real hell on earth, cold and damp, with poor living conditions. Although it's a high-level prison, it's far from being a model of hygiene. Mosquitoes and rats are everywhere, and the prison never conducts any sanitation evaluations. After all, these things don't bother them personally.

  Although the environment is harsh, the Jin Yiwei of the Beizhen Fu Si (the imperial prison is directly under the jurisdiction of the Beizhen Fu Si) have never relaxed their attention to the prisoners. They adhere to the management philosophy of being lenient with themselves and strict with others, making strict demands on the prisoners and adhering to the principle of resisting interrogation from a strict perspective, and often use prisoners to practice martial arts to achieve physical training purposes. At the same time, they also carry out scientific research work on various torture instruments and selflessly test the actual effect of torture instruments on prisoners.

  The daily life of the prisoners who first entered the prison was spent waiting - being interrogated - being beaten (fists, kicks, torture) - waiting. When no one came to interrogate or beat you anymore, it meant that your life had taken on three possible changes: 1. You were about to be beheaded; 2. You were about to be released; 3. You had been forgotten.

  I believe all prisoners would choose the second outcome, but unfortunately, they never have a choice.

  This is a prison, where prisoners have no chance to go out for exercise, no playing cards or other recreational activities, let alone queuing up in the evening to watch news reports in the hall.

  Tomorrow morning, famous iron men Yang Jisheng and Zuo Guangdou were all imprisoned in the imperial prison. Their legs were broken and their bones exposed, but no one cared about them, leaving them to fend for themselves. That's why we say this is truly hell on earth.

  Yang Yu entered this kind of prison, and when he first came in, he had to suffer a bit. Not long after, he also fell into the situation of suffering in prison, but what Yang Yu did not expect was that this wait lasted for ten years.

  What's even more miserable is that Yang You's life was always overshadowed by the shadow of death, and the "Eastern Palace Welcoming the Emperor" incident never came to an end. Zhu Gaoxu was even more determined to use this matter to thoroughly eliminate the Crown Prince Party. Under such circumstances, Yang You was in danger of being taken out and beheaded at any time (historical records say "dawn and dusk are about to die"). However, Yang You responded to the threat of death with an action that no one could have anticipated.

  If tomorrow life may end, and you are powerless, what would you do?

  I believe many people in this situation are prepared to write a will or have a big meal, making up for what they haven't done before. More people, however, complain and grumble about the unfairness of heaven.

  These are normal human reactions, but Yang Yuqi's reaction is abnormal.

  Tomorrow he may be dragged out and beheaded, yet he still reads books, and reads them incessantly (reads classics, history, and philosophers without stopping). This is really hard to understand. In such a perilous environment where his life is not guaranteed at any moment, what's the use of reading books?

  But this man seemed to be in prison as if it were not himself, every day in the foul-smelling, dirty and damp cell, but like being in his own study, he kept studying hard, his self-study behavior surprised other prisoners, and later even the guards who watched him suspected that he was mentally abnormal.

  His actions also caught the attention of Zhu Di, who one day suddenly thought of him and asked Yang Yu what he was doing now (fortunately not asking if Yang Yu was still alive), and his ministers told him that Yang Yu was reading books every day in prison.

  Zhu Di thought for a long time after hearing this answer, and then ordered Ji Gang, the commander of the Brocade Guard, to carefully guard Yang Yu and not let any problems arise.

  We mentioned earlier that Zhu Di is a very capable leader, and this capability is reflected in his understanding of people. He was very clear about Yang Yu's situation and psychological state, yet under such circumstances, Yang Yu could still face death with equanimity, without any fear, and it was not pretence (he couldn't pretend for so long), which is quite difficult to achieve.

  It's clear that this person named Yang Yu doesn't have the words "afraid" in his heart.

  The most frightening thing since ancient times is not death itself, but waiting for death under its threat every day.

  It's not knowing when it will happen, but knowing that it can happen at any time, this feeling of waiting for death is the most painful.

  Yang You is not afraid of death, nor is he afraid of waiting for death. With a person like this, what else can the world be afraid of?

  What a talent!

  It was for this reason that Zhu Di specially instructed people to take care of Yang Yu, although he did not want to use Yang Yu himself, but could leave him for his own son to use.

  Thanks to Zhu Di's care, Yang Yu was able to spend ten years of hard life in prison, finally enduring the full sentence and being released from prison with honor. He was entrusted by Ming Renzong with important tasks and became a famous minister of his generation.

  After reading the life experiences of these three people, we can see that: in this world, it's really not easy to make a name for oneself.

  The reason for introducing the experiences of the three Yangs here is not only because they will play an important role in the history of the Ming Dynasty later, but also because they all participated in that bloody struggle for the throne and played the leading roles. The above content is just a personal introduction to the actors who participated in this struggle. Next, we will begin to tell the story of this cruel political struggle.