<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="82" > introduction</h1>
Thirteen years of Ming Yongle, snow is flying, and the earth is wrapped in silver. Xie Jin, a former Hanlin scholar and the first assistant of the cabinet, dressed in wine and bare-chested, walked towards the open space of the school yard inside the Zhao Prison. JinYiwei commanded Ji Gang to stand in front of the hall with his hands around him, watching expressionlessly as Xie Jin's figure drifted away, and the wine and food in the house behind him still emitted hot air.
Thirteen years after Yongle, Xie Jin, a great talent who had presided over the compilation of the Yongle Canon, left the human world that he was incomparably attached to in this way. It was also in this year that a family surnamed Lin in Ningde, Fujian Province, gave birth to a baby boy. Birth, old age, illness and death were repeated every day in the Ming Dynasty, and there was no stagnation because of the nobility of personal status. But no one expected that this baby boy would grow into a strong and upright constitutional official in the future, and inject a trace of human brilliance into the barbaric death penalty system of the feudal dynasty in his way.
Forbidden City Stone Lion
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="74" > the official field is new and asks for the people's life</h1>
Lin Cong, Zi Ji Cong, No. Omi An, Fujian Ningde Qidu people. His father, Lin Guan, was a well-known local county school instructor who served in five counties and had a career of more than 40 years. The Lin family is not rich, and Lin Guan often has to go to the land to farm, which is a typical farming and reading family. Although born in Fujian, Lin Cong followed his father to Zhejiang since he was a child. Every night, my mother would light a candle lamp and sit next to Lin Cong to accompany him in reciting and copying books. The study style of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is better than that of Fujian in my opinion, so Lin Cong has developed the habit of hard reading since childhood.
In the third year of orthodoxy, Lin Congzhongju was raised; the following year, Jinshi and the first, this year Lin Cong was twenty-three years old. I was surprised to find in the history books that Lin Cong, who was a senior in the orthodox four-year high school, was actually assigned to a real post in the eighth year of orthodoxy, and there was a whole four years missing in between. Considering that Lin Cong, as a new branch soldier, has a small chance of offending the big guys in the DPRK, and has been idle for three years without sending out any illegal cases, I deduce that Lin Cong should have returned to his hometown after high school bereavement or maternal bereavement. Such a toss is almost three years or so.
Ming Dynasty official
In the eighth year of orthodoxy, Lin Cong was awarded the Criminal Division, officially opening his career. He was a petty official of the Seven Pins, but his authority was not small, including supervising the six departments, impeaching hundred officials, speaking bluntly about the responsibility of heaven and hearing, and complementing the imperial history, and also being a speech official.
From the time of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor, yan officials played a huge role in the korean situation, and later even reached the point where they could "hear things about the wind" at one time. To put it nicely, they were an important part of the Daming supervision system, and they worked diligently and tirelessly in maintaining the discipline of the court and the virtues of officials; to put it ugly, they said that the Emperor Daming was an important tool for consolidating imperial power and provoking infighting among the courtiers, and was a strange existence in the ecological chain of dynasty officials.
As big as the emperor's laziness and slackness, the corruption of the cabinet bosses, the unfavorable combat of the noble generals, as small as the water on the Jingshi Road, the old banner of the city head, the farts of the guards standing guard, there is nothing they do not care about, there is nothing they dare not impeach, and some officials are on the line as soon as they are impeached, endlessly, and they are about to come to the set of "martial death battle, wen death advice" at every turn, which is very headache. To put it bluntly, many of the things impeached by the officials and to what extent they are impeached have to do with the moral character and political stance of the officials themselves.
The Ming Emperor went on a tour
However, we must also admit that there are also such a number of officials who hold up the rules for the country and the people, and dare to speak out for the country and the world. Lin Cong is this kind of person.
In the eighth year of orthodoxy, Lin Cong, who had just entered the official field, went to the court to advise that the working conditions of the miners of the Ningde Baofeng Silver Mine were poor, and the official government collected too much silver lessons, and requested the imperial court to deal with it in a timely manner.
Ningde is Lin Cong's hometown, considering that he is likely to have done personal investigations in the years when he returned to his hometown to guard the system, it should not be aimless, nor is it to fire the first shot after taking office.
The silver tax is the tax paid on the silver mining field, because silver has become the main circulating currency, so the silver tax is the heaviest of all the mineral taxes. The mining industry in the Ming Dynasty was not developed, or even inferior to that of the Song Dynasty. The silver tax is implemented in the tax package system, that is to say, once a quota is formed, regardless of the good or bad year, whether the mine is rich or poor, it is necessary to pay a certain amount of silver tax.
silver
Since the Yongle period, the silver class in various places has been growing, according to statistics, the silver class in the Yongle period is 20 times that of Hongwu Year, and the silver class in Xuande Period is nearly 30 times that of Hongwu Year. In order to be able to complete the task of paying taxes, many officials even do not hesitate to distribute the silver tax to the local people, which greatly increases the burden of the people, and over time, it is also prone to the situation of collective corruption of officials.
The Ningde Baofeng Silver Mine mentioned by Lin Cong was one of the six largest government-run gold and silver mines in the Ming Dynasty at that time, and the forces of all parties were intertwined, and the water inside was also very deep. And the orthodox eight years is a very sensitive period.
In the eighth year of orthodoxy, Yang Rong of the "Three Yangs" cabinet has passed away for three years, Yang Shiqi left the core decision-making circle because of his son's violation of the law and his old age and infirmity, and The Empress Dowager Zhang, the grandmother of Yingzong who has always ruled the overall situation behind the scenes, has long since passed away, and only Yang Pu is struggling to support the situation. And Yingzong has gradually grown up and is constantly absorbing power by supporting Wang Zhen's team. The imperial court seems to be stable and peaceful, but in fact it is surging undercurrents.
"Sanyang"
Lin Cong's superiority at this time is actually very dangerous, and if he is not good, he will be used as an opportunity for a party struggle. Fortunately, no one took Lin Cong's letter seriously at that time. You say Lin Cong lacks a minimum of political maturity? Maybe, but I prefer to think of this as Lin Cong's request for the people's life, and he is sticking to his own principles. It's one thing for people to be light-hearted, it's another thing to do or not to do.
In the ninth year of orthodoxy, a huge miners' uprising broke out in Fujian and Zhejiang, and these two places were the major mining provinces of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the imperial court wiped its ass again, suppressed the suppression, dealt with it, and then dismissed the silver class in the Ningde area, alas, why did it go earlier.
But for Lin Cong, this miners' riot may not be a blessing in disguise. When everyone began to reflect, they turned over Lin Cong's Shangshu last year, and the name Lin Cong was remembered by the emperor and the ministers, and his future Shangshu would cause a certain degree of attention.
Forbidden City Noon Gate
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="76" > superior combat effectiveness and mutually beneficial</h1>
In the fourteenth year of orthodoxy, the "civil change" broke out. Yingzong and Wang Zhen's party were still too anxious, and while monopolizing power, they did not do a good job of internal unity of the team, and finally brought misfortune. Then there was the Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Qiyu who came to power and changed the year to Jingtai.
At that time, when the news of the defeat on the front line reached the Jingshi, the officials and people of the Jingshi were indignant, and then the political liquidation of the eunuch clique headed by Wang Zhen was launched by the civilian official clique. Shi Jinyiwei commanded Ma Shun to die in the palace so inexplicably.
As a traditional literati, Lin Cong reads, conducts scientific research, and becomes an official, and naturally opposes eunuchs in his own attributes. During this time, Lin Cong went on several consecutive recitals, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he scolded Wang Zhenyi for how he was. In fact, this is very normal, the country is in great trouble, it is bound to need a person to bear all the guilt, and Wang Zhen, who has buried the corpse of the tumu fort, is undoubtedly the best person to carry the pot.
In the first year of Jingtai, Lin Congsheng gave things to the middle. From the orthodox eight years of giving things to the first year of Jingtai's first year, this is a whole seven years of promotion from section officer to section chief.
Emperor Ming Dynasty Zhu Qiyu
As I said at the beginning of the line, Lin Cong, as a constitutional official, acts just and righteously, and such a person is often very easy to offend his colleagues, and he only talks about procedures and principles in doing things, regardless of what circumstances. Therefore, Lin Cong's popularity will definitely not be too good. This promotion of Jingtai in the first year of the year, I think, is not simply Lin Cong's affirmation from the officials, but a "bribe" from Emperor Daizong to all officials. You can check the list and frequency of the promotion of officials during the Jingtai period, and a large number of officials in Beijing have more or less received the dividends of the new monarch's ascension to the throne. Daizong was originally just a prince, and being an emperor belonged to the "pie in the sky", although this cake almost fell on himself, but he finally ascended to the throne.
On the one hand, his brother Yingzong was still alive, and Emperor Yingzong's biological mother, Empress Sun, had always been suspicious of the imperial throne falling to the sidelines, on the other hand, a large number of courtiers in the court were former ministers of Emperor Yingzong, and Emperor Daizong had gained the recognition of his ministers by helping the civil official clique liquidate Wang Zhen, so Emperor Daizong always felt unconfident, because his strength and fame were there, so he constantly showed goodwill to all parties. I dare say that if it were not for Emperor Daizong's succession to the throne, Lin Cong would most likely have been the life of a clerk for the rest of his life. Of course, the few letters he scolded Wang Zhen at the beginning also had a different effect, which was considered good luck.
But people can't be lucky for a lifetime, coupled with Lin Cong's straight temper, it will always come.
Three things made Emperor Daizong gradually lose patience with Lin Cong.
First, he also sent emissaries to Beijing first, and the imperial court was ready to call him "Khan", which Lin Cong believed could not be;
Second, Emperor Daizong tempted his subjects to make his son crown prince, and Lin Cong explicitly objected;
Third, Yingzong was also released first, and Lin Cong said that the specifications of the greeting were too low;
These three things, you say, are they big things? Big, involving the dignity of the court, the selection of the crown prince and the treatment of the emperor; you say that the matter is small, but also small, for the vast majority of courtiers, these rise to the level of the survival of the dynasty, will not implicate their career prospects, to put it bluntly, it is only a matter of "fighting for the throne" within the royal family.
Dragon chair
But Lin Cong recognized the death reason. He also captured Yingzong first, slaughtered the ministers and generals, was an enemy of Daming, was a rebel, what honorific title was given, what khan was called? Before Emperor Daizong came to power, you said that you would only be emperor for one term, and the empress dowager even established Emperor Yingzong's son Zhu Jianshen as the crown prince early, so why do you say that change will change now? Even if Emperor Yingzong is at fault, he is nominally daming's "Emperor Taishang", so you send a few people to carry a small car and send it off? Is the gas volume too small? For Lin Cong, what is said about the situation of the DPRK and what the people's feelings and wishes are all nonsense, in his eyes, one is one, right is right. Emperor Daizong expressed his displeasure, so many tired courtiers, meritorious and noble, they did not say anything, you give a small thing, this is not OK, that is against, are you not punching me in the face?
In the fourth year of Jingtai, Emperor Daizong made a big stroke of his pen and transferred Lin Cong to Zuo Chunfang. In fact, he went to zhan shifu and became an assistant of the Eastern Palace. By the time of Jingtai's third year, Emperor Daizong had deposed his nephew Zhu Mishen as the Prince of Yi and made his young son Zhu Jianji crown prince. Don't you Lin Cong disagree with me changing the prince? I will let you serve my son now, which is not a bad taste of the emperor.
A corner of the Forbidden City
But righteous people have their own justice to help.
Everyone knew that the emperor was annoyed with Lin Cong, and he wanted to throw him into idleness. At this time, the university scholar Shangrui stood up and interceded, and Daizong said that although Lin Cong was a little shafted, he did not have any bad intentions, and he was also responsible for the people of the country, or it was appropriate to stay in Kedao as a speech official.
ShangRui was elected into the cabinet by the civilian bureaucracy when Daizong was in charge of the country after the "Civil Engineering Revolution", and in many things he has always acted in a kind and old style, and Daizong also trusted him very much. Daizong decided to sell Shangru a face, in fact, it was also a face of several big men in the huge civilian official group behind the seller, and transferred to the official Kedu to give the matter.
Objectively speaking, Jing Tai Nian was Lin Cong's period of fame, and it was also an important period for him to accumulate political experience and improve his political thinking.
The Ming Dynasty was sparse
He impeached the eunuch Jin Ying and his family for illegal acts and crimes, impeached the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan and a number of imperial historians for shielding and inaction, and fell a number of officials, and also became one of the many straws that overwhelmed Jin Ying; he impeached the eunuch Shan Zeng of the Beijing Army for insulting civilian officials, conniving at domestic slaves as adulterers, Shan Zeng was imprisoned, and later even if he was released by the emperor, his behavior was much more low-key; he also impeached Huguang as a deputy envoy, Hubu Shilang, Marquis Shiheng of Wuqing, Shangshu of the Bureaucracy, and even a series of "inappropriate" measures by the emperor. And the vast majority of impeachments were productive, and the emperor was able to listen to them.
At that time, when impeaching the official Shangshu, he also pulled down a large number of officials of the official department, and Lin Cong's move was completely desperate. But lin cong's impeachment could not be justified, and it was indeed innocent that these officials could not be stopped.
As a result, from the cabinet ministers to the imperial history of the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan, from the officials of the inner court to the six subordinate ministers, everyone knows that Lin Cong is not a good person, and even some people will think that Lin Cong is a very hateful person. Of course, retaliation will certainly not be late.
Lin Cong like
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="78" > to start the court and bow down</h1>
In the fifth year of Jingtai, some officials impeached Lin Cong for holding officials hostage, recommended local officials for favoritism, and maliciously slandered political opponents. At that time, things were very big and boiling.
Because Lin Cong's fame of "being particularly able to fight" was too great, many Yamen did not want to take the initiative to provoke him at that time, so Lin Cong's advice on some things, if there was no principle problem, many people would sell him a face. And if this kind of thing is understood from the level of "hostage-taking", I don't think it is too wronged for him.
Why is this a big deal? Because Lin Cong was sentenced to death, even Hu Hao stood up to protect him.
I have written about Hu Qi before, this old minister who has been deeply favored by the emperor since the Yongle period, in the orthodox, Jingtai period is already the Taishan Beidou of the civil officials, in the middle of the dynasty protégés are all over the place, and has a great influence on the korean situation. And even if Hu Qian came out to endorse Lin Cong, Lin Cong still could not hide the fate of being demoted. Fortunately, he was not expelled from the Beijing Division, and remained in the Guozijian as a teacher, and his official rank was Zhengjiupin.
Hu Xi like
Prosperity will decline, and the world will be reasonable. Lin Cong, who became a teacher, did not become decadent, but began to reflect on the people and things he had experienced over the years. He may act too bluntly, but he never thinks that there is any error of principle in what he has done. Instead, he saw too many dark sides of the dynasty.
One person committed a crime, dozens of innocent clans were killed, and between the talks and laughter of officials, they were transformed into wisps of unjust souls; in some cases, it has been found that it was a false accusation, and the emperor could order the direct execution of the relevant personnel because he was suspicious of trouble and took into account the face of the imperial court. Lin Cong sometimes wants to ask the heavens, is it true that human life should be so despicable?
In the eighth year of Jingtai, the "change of seizing the door" broke out, and Yingzong, with the support of Xu Youzhen, Shi Heng, Cao Jixiang and others, launched a military coup, successfully restored the throne, and changed the year of Tianshun. In the first year of Tianshun, as a "victim" of the former Emperor Daizong period, Lin Cong was promoted to the position of Du chayuan Zuo Yu Du YuShi ( 正四品大員). In the same year, Lin Cong was ordered to go to Shandong to relieve the disaster, open a warehouse to release grain, and nearly 1.5 million victims benefited, and then promoted to the right deputy capital of the Metropolitan Inspection Bureau, Yushi, Zheng Sanpin.
Ming Yingzong Zhu Qi Town
That is, in the second year of Tianshun, Lin Cong wrote the famous "Beggars To Ease and Heavy Prison Neglect" and solemnly proposed the "Court Trial System". The so-called "heavy prison" is the death penalty, and the probationary prison is the prudent sentencing of the death penalty.
In our history, from the beginning of the wanton killing of those in power, to the later improvement of the legal system, the death penalty has also undergone a process of development from barbarism to relative civilization. The "autumn post-autumn beheading" that we often hear in film and television dramas is actually a kind of development, at least the rulers of the feudal dynasty have delayed the execution of death row prisoners from the perspective of heavenly induction and whitewashing of benevolent government.
The "court trial system" proposed by Lin Cong should go further, that is, after the annual frost falls, before asking the death row inmates, it is necessary to go through a questioning session of the three judicial divisions together with the courtiers, re-examine the cases of the parties, check for defects and addendum, and be cautious and cautious about whether to directly judge the case.
Lin Cong's "court trial system" reflects his respect for life, his insistence on judicial justice, and also shines with the brilliance of human nature. In fact, during the Jingtai years, Lin Cong had put forward similar views, but he had not been responded to. After The Restoration of Emperor Yingzong, he was also anxious to explain his views to the Emperor, but he was always dragged along.
Ancient Yamen
It was not until the third year of Tianshun that Emperor Mingying's Zhu Qizhen officially accepted the "imperial trial system" and issued an edict to become customized. This is Lin Cong's great contribution to our legal history.
I think that only this emperor who has experienced the "change of civil engineering", seen hundreds of thousands of troops being slaughtered in front of his eyes, heard the once-intimate courtiers wailing in his ears, and in the occasional late night quiet moments, can vaguely feel the sense of resonance that Lin Cong said that "the heavens have the virtue of good life". Remember that Yingzong was the emperor who abolished the martyrdom system of the Ming Dynasty?
The story after that is boring.
In the fifth year of Tianshun, the eunuch Cao Jixiang and his son and nephew Cao Qin plotted a rebellion and were suppressed, and Lin Cong actively ran for the innocent victims to cry out for justice;
Emperor Yingzong died, And Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne.
Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen
In the second year of Chenghua, Lin Cong went to the Jianghuai region to preside over disaster relief, and with remarkable results, he was promoted to the right capital of the Metropolitan Imperial History. Look, from the deputy imperial envoy of the Duchayuan in the early years of Tianshun to the number one of the Duchayuan in the second year of Chenghua, it is another ten years, and Lin Cong is really not easy.
In the seventh year of Chenghua, Lin Cong inspected Datong and prepared for border affairs, but resigned the following year due to overwork and illness. Chenghua ten years, revived, transferred to Nanjing, in charge of the Nanjing Metropolitan Inspection Institute. During this period, Yushi was required to actively issue advice; Chenghua thirteen years, Shangshu of the Ministry of Promotion, plus prince Taibao, fully presided over the work of Daming's criminal name; Chenghua fifteen years, with the eunuch Wang Zhi and others to go to Liaodong to investigate the case, the water was too deep, Lin Cong requested Zhi Shi the following year, but was not allowed;
In the eighteenth year of Chenghua, Lin Cong died of illness at the age of sixty-eight.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="80" > conclusion</h1>
Huaishui has been fighting dust for a long time, and oil has been exchanged for one frequency. The common monarch is engaged in before and after, ashamed to see the merits and others.
Not many people knew Lin Cong, after all, in the period when Yingzong and Daizong were all blended, there were too many earth-shattering, nine-curved ileums. A small wind gendarme, in the face of the power struggle, is really too small and too powerless. But this man named Lin Cong, he is still insisting, insisting on what he thinks is right and wrong, good and evil, and insisting on the little conscience that he should uphold as a wind gendarme.
Corner Tower of the Forbidden City
People like Lin Cong are doomed not to climb to the top in a complex political game, and even in my opinion, he was able to finally mix with Shangshu of the Punishment Department, spending much more time than his peers, and exhausting too much good luck, but his positive impact on history is enough to benefit everyone we have today. Now I return to the beginning of the article, when Xie Jin went to death, did he also hope that there would be such an opportunity, such a system, that would allow him to confide in his grievances and eliminate the king's murderous intentions? If Xie Jin has a chance, will Yu Qian, who was the same era as Lin Cong, also have a chance?
Talk about the family, talk to relieve boredom.
Asahi Twilight, exclusive original.