In the early morning of the seventeenth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of the Ming Dynasty, surrounded by Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang and others, Emperor Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen took the lead in coming to the Fengtian Temple and restoring the throne, which is known in history as the "change of seizing the door". For thousands of years, people have always felt strange that there were many secret service agencies in the Ming Dynasty, and they were also very powerful, such as the East Factory and the Jinyi Guard. Their task is to supervise the hundred officials, so why are they unaware of the conspiracy of the "change of the door"?
Friends who have watched film and television dramas about the Ming Dynasty should have heard of the "prestige" of Dongchang and Jinyiwei. The East Factory, whose full name is dong ji shi factory, was founded by Zhu Di, the ancestor of Ming Cheng, and was managed by the emperor's close eunuchs, whose main duties were to "visit and plot against evil and evil words". Founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor, the Jinyi Wei was originally only the emperor's bodyguard agency, and later mainly engaged in reconnaissance, arrest, interrogation and other activities.
Dongchang and Jinyiwei were collectively known as factory guards, directly under the emperor's command, responsible for supervising the civil and military officials, and could arrest and interrogate people at will without going through the Punishment Department. It is reasonable to explain that the East Factory and Jinyi Guards of the Dynasty are very powerful, And Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang and others have been plotting for a long time, plus they want to mobilize some troops, it is impossible not to leak the wind, why are the factory guards unaware of it?
Speaking of this matter, Wang Shizhen, a famous literary scholar and historian of the Ming Dynasty, once made a comment, saying: "Emperor Jing did not fake the internal erection, and the disaster of the southern city was constructed." Emperor Jing refers to Zhu Qiyu, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the "Disaster of the Southern City" refers to the change of the gate. The meaning of this passage is well understood, because Emperor Jing suppressed the power of eunuchs, which led to the outbreak of the change of the door.
During Emperor Ming's first reign, he appointed his close eunuch Wang Zhen to control the imperial government, and Wang Zhen arranged for his henchman Ma Shun to serve as the commander of Jinyiwei. However, due to the "change of Tumu Fort", Wang Zhen died in the rebellion, and Ma Shun was beaten to death by the hundred officials because he reprimanded the hundred officials in the court. Later, the Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu took the throne, and the arrogance of Jinyiwei and Dongchang was suppressed, and they could not do whatever they wanted.
According to historical records, in the second year of Jingtai, the eunuch Shanzeng was "pampered and arrogant, and the momentum was getting worse and worse", and later on his birthday, some ministers met to pay homage to him, "as in previous years Wang Zhen". When the imperial historians received the news, they immediately wrote a letter of impeachment, and Emperor Jingtai was furious when he heard the news, and immediately ordered Jinyi Wei to arrest Shanzeng and punish him. After that, Yushi impeached the eunuchs for all kinds of illegal acts, which were punished by Emperor Jingtai.
During the reign of Emperor Jingtai, there were constantly jinyiwei officials who said that the emperor and others were plotting to restore the throne. Emperor Jingtai punished these Jinyi guards. Thereafter, the eunuchs Gao Ping and Xu Zheng were both convicted of involvement with Emperor Ming Yingzong. Since then, both the East Factory and the Jinyi Guards have been very careful about the matters involving Ming Yingzong, and Bi Wang, who has mastered the Jinyi Guards, is also very mediocre, "just following his duties."
Because of the lessons of the past, even if Jinyiwei and Dongchang can hear the relevant news, they dare not rush to play. In addition, shi heng used most of the "disciples and soldiers" in this coup, which was relatively secretive. In Wang Shizhen's view, Emperor Jingtai suppressed the eunuchs, causing him to lose the support of the factory guards in the hands of the eunuchs. In the end, the Jingtai Emperor lost the throne in the "Change of The Gate" and lost his life.
References: 1. "History of Ming"; 2. "The End of the Chronicle of Ming History"; 3. "Collection of YishanTang"