Author: Qi Yunke
One day in September of the eighth year of the Ming Dynasty (1443), at the top of Longquan Mountain in Yaojiang (present-day Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province), a cloth-clad man solemnly established the spiritual seat of Liu Qiu, the minister of the Ming Dynasty, sacrificing cigarettes and toasting three, and then leading his family to cry and weep like rain, like a mourning concubine.
The matter of weeping sacrifice was written by Shao Bao, a Ming Dynasty man: "The rise and fall of the ancients is full of tears, and an altar recalls the year of loyalty." The big book pen is holding on to whom, and the high-pitched song is waiting for me to pass on. There is no land to throw into the Xiangshui people, and one day it should be taken care of over the mountains. Cloth Min Shi Yu Can hang, where is the pine catalpa is a cemetery field? ”
Why did a deceased minister of the DPRK perform such a high-level sacrifice to a deceased minister of the Dprk?
1. Young talents
Liu Qiu was born in the 25th year (1392) of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty in an area of Anfu County, Jiangxi Province. He studied diligently and inquired from an early age, set up lofty ambitions and lofty ideals, and took Mencius's responsibility of "helping the world at the same time as the best, and being alone in the poor", vowing to "rule the country and the world together" and be a person who stands up to the heavens and the earth and serves the country and the people.
Liu Qiu thinks and does this.
When he was a teenager, Liu Qiu visited famous teachers to study and traveled at the same time, and he had a certain understanding of folk suffering.
When Ming Chengzu launched the "Battle of Jing" to seize the throne, the young Liu Qiu realized that he could not solve such a big problem, so he studied behind closed doors and painstakingly studied and learned.
After the appearance of the national Shengping scene, Liu Qiu, who was in his twenties, embarked on the road of the imperial examination like all young people at that time in order to realize his life ambitions.
After several twists and turns, Liu Qiu passed the jinshi examination in the nineteenth year of Yongle (1421). At that time, the Ming government was moving the capital, coupled with the frequent conquest of Mongolia, snubbed the jinshi, and Liu Qiu, who had not been appointed an official for a while, saw this and returned to his hometown to continue his studies.
In his hometown, Liu Qiu studied while recruiting young people to teach and teach, because of his fame, so there are many protégés, most of whom come to admire.
A few years later, Liu Qiu's name of merit was broadcast to the world, and even Hu Qian, a major minister in the DPRK, was alarmed. On hu's strong recommendation, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming granted Liu Qiu the post of head of the ministry, allowing him to serve as an official in the capital.
2. Offend the eunuchs
Shortly after Liu Qiu entered the dynasty as an official, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming died young, and his youngest son Zhu Qizhen succeeded him as Emperor Mingying. The little emperor was only eight or nine years old, and it was a good time to receive an education. Under the planning and arrangement of empress dowager Zhang, because Liu Qiu had been a teacher in his hometown and had outstanding achievements, he was recommended by Hu Qi, and finally used Liu Qiu to preach the scriptures and became a close minister of Tianzi.
However, soon after, Liu Qiu was jealous and retaliated against by Wang Zhen for his illegal behavior of knocking on the side of Emperor Ming Yingzong and attacking the eunuch Wang Zhen, and was pushed out to edit the "Records of Emperor Xuanzong" and become a Hanlin attendant.
Seeing that his cousin Liu Qiu had entered the court as an official, Liu Jue, who was far away in Renzhi County, Putian County, went to Beijing to give him a cool summer cloth so that he could sleep peacefully in the summer. Liu Qiu was very angry when he saw this, believing that his younger brother was skillfully taking advantage of the people's fat and people's ointment, so he did not let the people bring it back intact, and wrote a family letter sternly warning him to be a good parent official, do more good things for the people, do practical things, and not damage public wealth and private interests, and oppress the people.
In the sixth year of orthodoxy (1441), due to Wang Zhen's strong insistence, Emperor Ming Yingzong decided to once again conquest Luchuan and pacify Thesis Si Renfa, who had disobeyed the Ming government.
At this time, Wang Zhen's power was already very large, seeing that the little emperor supported his conquest of Luchuan, the group of ministers only promised not to oppose, even the heavy minister Yang Shiqi did not dare to clearly express his opposition to the expedition, but said: "Since ancient times, the saints do not talk lightly about the soldiers, but I hope that the journey of the big soldiers will be perfect." On the one hand, he did not explicitly express his support for the troops, on the other hand, he was afraid of offending the emperor and the eunuchs, indicating that he did not support the dispatch of troops, but hoped that the troops should be considered thoroughly and should not act hastily.
Seeing this, Wang Zhenzheng was proud that he was about to make meritorious achievements and make a name for himself again, but at this time, a person stood up and clearly expressed his opposition to sending troops to conquest Luchuan now.
When everyone looked, it was Liu Qiu again.
Liu Qiu stated that the reason for not sending troops was that the Luchuan rebellion only needed to send people to appease and reconcile, and did not need to go on an expedition; what needed to be done most now was not to target the southwest, but to move mongolia in the north, and the country should train its army, strengthen its defenses, and guard against Mongol invasion at all times.
Liu Qiu's words annoyed Wang Zhen and made Ming Yingzong unhappy: Emperor Chengzu Yongle, his great-grandfather, made many expeditions to Mongolia during his lifetime, and Mongolia had long been scared by my Daming. Do you want to shake the ugliness of your ancestors?
Therefore, Liu Qiu's move was not only not adopted, but also made the emperor and the eunuch unhappy.
Third, die of hard breath
During the Orthodox Years, especially after the death of Empress Dowager Zhang in the seventh year of the Orthodox Dynasty (1442), the actual daimyō of the Ming Dynasty was not Emperor Ming Yingzong, but the eunuch Wang Zhen, who watched the emperor grow up.
Wang Zhenben was an intellectual, and when he was dozens of years old, he saw that he had no future, so in order to change his living method, he entered the palace. Because Wang Zhen had culture, he was able to serve the young lord and believed that strange goods could be lived. The little emperor hated school, so he took the little emperor out to let the birds and horses walk the dogs, coaxing the little master to be very happy, and gradually holding the power in his palm. Many ministers who disobeyed him were squeezed out one after another, and even lost their offices, imprisoned, and killed.
Liu Qiu had offended Wang Zhen, would Wang Zhen be willing to let him go?
On August 24, 1443, the eighth year of orthodoxy (1443), a lightning bolt of thunderclaped, and the Imperial City Fengtian Hall was struck by lightning. The little emperor and Wang Zhen had ghosts in their hearts, believing that they had acted recklessly and angered the heavens, so the heavens warned them, and they issued an edict to quit the dynasty for three days, banning the slaughter of creatures for 17 days in the whole country, and sending people to pay tribute to heaven and earth to show introspection.
Seeing this, Liu Qiu thought that the opportunity had come for Kuangfu Sheji and to advise the monarch, so he rushed to the book and made ten suggestions, advising the emperor to be diligent in learning and learning with integrity and morality, pro-government and overall power, select the best and the best, clarify the rule of officials, prudently punish and avoid unjust imprisonment, and repair armament to prevent foreign troubles.
Liu Qiu's "Ten Matters of Repairing the Province" advised and accused the emperor of favoring Wang Zhen's misdeeds, deeply worried about the problems existing in the country, and hoped that the emperor would be able to exercise his own authoritarian decisions, exert great efforts to govern, strictly prevent Mongolian foreign troubles, and be a holy and bright prince.
As a result, after the omission, Liu Qiu was unlucky.
At this time, Hanlin cultivated Dong Xuan and wanted to be too often a god of qing affairs, and Liu Qiu once wrote that "too often can not use Taoists, it is advisable to treat them as a jinshi." Wang Zhen framed Dong Xuan and Liu Qiu for conspiring to use their power for personal gain, and immediately sent someone to throw the two into prison.
Wang Zhen told Jin Yiwei to command Ma Shun to "entertain" Liu Qiu well.
One day, Wang Zhen went out of his way to see how Liu Qiu was doing in prison. He led a vicious dog, ordered Liu Qiu to kneel down, and released the words: "As long as You Liu Qiu kowtows to the dog, I will immediately let you go home." ”
Liu Qiu contemptuously spat at Wang Zhen.
Wang Zhen was annoyed, and went forward to grab Liu Qiu's hair and dangled it, asking: "Lao Tzu just wants to take charge of Chao Gang, what's wrong?" You also said, ah, on the book! ”
Liu Qiu glared, "That's what Zhongchen said!" Then he swore to Wang Zhen's vicious dog: "If I Liu Qiu fail the country, please eat my meat!" ”
Ma Shun saw this and drew his sword and cut off Liu Qiu's head. However, Liu Qiu's body did not fall down. Ma Shun ordered the people to dismember Liu Qiu's body and feed it to the vicious dog, but the evil dog retreated backwards and did not dare to come closer.
Seeing that the dog did not eat its flesh, Wang Zhen ordered Ma Shun to send someone to wrap Liu Qiu's body and bury it in the open space behind Jinyiwei. Dong Xuan stole the bloody clothes that Liu Qiu had worn and returned them to the Liu family. Later, Liu Qiu's son Liu Yu found a stumped arm of his father and buried it in blood.
Under the circumstance that no one from all over the court dared to rebel against the power of the eunuch Wang Zhen, Liu Qiu adhered to justice, was loyal to the country, was not afraid of rape, dared to struggle, and stood up the indomitable backbone of the scholar with a magnificent and upright spirit, which was admired by the people of the world.
Six years after Liu Qiu's death, by the fourteenth year of orthodoxy (1449), the Mongol Wala invaded the Ming Dynasty. Ming Yingzong listened to Wang Zhen's words and rushed out on the expedition, but the army was defeated and captured at Tumu Fort, and Wang Zhen was also killed in the army by the Ming generals. After Emperor Jingtai ascended the throne, Ma Shun, as Wang Zhenyu's party, was angrily beaten to death by his ministers above the court. Another chancellor who framed Liu Qiu, Peng Deqing, fled from Tumu Fort to the Ming Dynasty, was thrown to prison by Emperor Jingtai and died, and then issued an edict to kill him to vent his anger.
Emperor Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty deeply felt Liu Qiu's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty, so he posthumously honored him as a Hanlin scholar, nicknamed Zhongyu, and also set up a shrine in his hometown for many years.
(Liu Qiu's calligraphy ink)
【About the author】Qi Yunke, male, educator. In recent years, he has published more than 900,000 words in media at all levels. He is a member of the Henan Provincial Writers Association.
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