The era reflected in "Jin Ping Mei" is an era of combining internal worries and external troubles, which is an important feature of this era.
The so-called internal worries: the emperor is mediocre, treacherous and powerful, and the imperial court has been corrupted to the extreme; The so-called foreign patients, foreign races constantly invaded, border affairs were frequent, and the corrupt imperial court could not resist. As usual, a romance novel that writes Ximenqing's story does not have to involve external troubles at all.
However, "Jin Ping Mei" involves many external problems. What it wants to tell the reader is the inevitable law of how internal troubles lead to external troubles, so that the entire feudal dynasty is irretrievably destroyed.
The close combination of internal worries and external troubles seriously threatened national security, which was the characteristic of the times during the Yansong dictatorship of the Jiajing Dynasty.
And see how "Jin Ping Mei" reflects the characteristics of this era.
The seventeenth episode of "Jin Pingmei" wrote for the first time about external troubles: Because the northern invasion of the border and the seizure of the Xiongzhou territory, Wang Shangshu of the military department did not send men and horses, and the military plane was mistaken,...... Wang Yi and Yang Jian did not serve their own soldiers, connived in deep capture, poisoned the people, lost their troops and generals, and fell to the hinterland,......
In order to directly offend Cai Jing, "Jin Ping Mei" wrote a military department to Yuwen Zheng in the matter, and participated in Cai Jing's book in front of the emperor:
The patient who is recruited today is nothing like Cai Jing, a scholar of Chongdian University: he used the resources of evil and treachery, and he used the act of incorruptibility and shame, and slandered and sycophant; The upper cannot assist the monarch in charge, praise the yuan rationalization, the lower cannot declare the virtue and the government, protect the love of the yuanyuan, self-finance with Lilu, hope to retain the throne, tree the party and harbor traitors, deceive the monarch, slander the good, the loyal are dissolved, and the four seas are chilled; Lianpian vermilion, gathered in one door.
He Huang lost his discussion, and the main discussion was to cut Liao and cut the three counties inside,...... All of these are the great mistakes of the country, and all of them are not in office by Beijing. ......
Over the past few years, disasters have caused differences, the loss of capital and the loss of the yuan, the heavy burden of service, the separation of the people, the rampant thieves, the obedience of the prisoners, the anointing of the world has been exhausted, the discipline of the country has been abolished, although the promotion is not enough to count the crimes of Beijing and so on. ......
Fu beggars broke, Jiang Jing and so on... Or set the canon to show the slaughter. ...... The law of the country has been corrected, and the troubles have disappeared.
The text details Cai Jing's crimes, which is clearly an essay to criticize Cai Jing, and explains the relationship between internal and external troubles very profoundly.
Dai Dunbang Painting · Cai Jing
The 64th "Jin Ping Mei" borrowed Xue Nei's Xiangkouyun: "Yesterday, Dajin sent envoys to the table to cut off the three towns in the interior. According to Cai Jing's old thief, he will be allowed. ”
Here, the author of "Jin Ping Mei" is directly guilty of Cai Jing. The meaning of this layer is clear. But as soon as I checked the history of Song, it was wrong again.
First, as stated in the seventeenth cycle, "the Northern Empire invaded the border and seized the boundary of Xiongzhou", which occurred in the fourth year of Xuanhe (1122).
The "Chronicle of the History of Song", volume 53, "Fuyanyun", reads: In the fourth year of Xuanhe, "June was ugly, the cultivator retreated to Baoxiongzhou, and the Liao people pursued to the city."
According to the forty-ninth volume of the same book, "Cai Jing Zhengguo": In the second year of Xuanhe, "June Peng Yin, edict Cai Jing to the shi." The dictatorship of Beijing has been under power for a long time, and the public opinion is not beneficial, and the emperor is tired of it."
Cai Jing retired with the imperial master Lu Guogong, and Wang Yi became Dazai (left phase). This means that the incident of "the Northern Empire invading the border and robbing the boundary of Xiongzhou" occurred two years after Cai Jing's abdication, which shows that this matter has nothing to do with Cai Jing.
What is written in "Jin Ping Mei" does not correspond to historical facts.
Second, the 64th reply: "Dajin sent envoys to the table to cut off three towns in the interior. This happened in the first year of Jingkang (1126).
The "Chronicle of the History of Song" volume 56 "Jin Ren Enters Kou" contains: Jingkang's first year of the first month of the first month of the first month,...... (Emperor) ordered the Jin army. ...... "... cut the land of Zhongshan, Taiyuan and Hejian Towns...".
The same book contains: "Li Bangyan and others urged the emperor to follow the Jin Discussion", "Li Bangyan and others said: 'The capital city is broken in the day, why are there still three towns?'" Therefore, according to his words, Emperor Yi sent Shen Huan to go first with an oath, "and show it with a map of the three towns." It can be seen that the person who decided to cut the land was Emperor Qinzong, and the person who persuaded the emperor to cut the land was Li Bangyan, and this matter had nothing to do with Cai Jing.
Moreover, although Cai Jing revived the "resumption of the three provinces" in December of the sixth year of Xuanhe (1124) and became the state for the fourth time, he was dismissed from office in the summer and April of the seventh year of Xuanhe (1125).
The incident of cutting the three towns happened in the first year of Jingkang, after Cai Jing was removed from office, how can this be counted as his crime.
Third, the seventeenth remark that "the military department gave Yuwen Zheng in the matter" and that Cai Jing was impeached for misleading the country and conniving at the country, which is also inconsistent with historical facts.
According to the 53rd volume of the "Chronicle of the History of Song", "Fuyanyun", in the fourth year of Xuanhe, Yuwen Wanzhong, a person from Zhongshushe, wrote a book, but what he said was that it was not appropriate to send troops to destroy Liao, and advocated that "the general should be returned to the dynasty, and there is no gap."
It can be seen that it is completely contrary to what is written in "Jin Ping Mei". As a literary work, it is completely okay for "Jin Ping Mei" to process and transform this historical fact so much. The question is why did the author do this?
"New Engraving Embroidery Criticizes Jin Ping Mei"
I think that on the surface, the author intends to blame Cai Jing, but in essence he is guilty of Yan Song. Here, the author exposes very deeply the serious situation of internal and external troubles during Yan Song's reign.
Jiajing dynasty Sejong fainted, Yan Song misled the country. Yan Song embezzled a large amount of military expenses, "towards the gate of the Duzhi, into the house of traitors, four who lose the side, and six who give to Song."
In order to bribe Yan Song for promotion, the guarding generals also withheld a large number of military salaries, and the soldiers mutinied many times, and the border defense force was exhausted, even though the northern Mongol Tatars invaded on a large scale.
In the twenty-fifth year of Jiajing, the Tatar cavalry invaded Yan'an Province and penetrated deep into Sanyuan, Jingyang and other places to kill and plunder; In twenty-six years, the Tatar khan agreed to join the people into the Hetao and plotted to invade Yan'an and Ningxia; In the twenty-seventh year, he entered the Xuanfu; In the twenty-ninth year, he invaded Datong and went east to attack Gubeikou.
The Ming army was lost, and Li answered the Jing division, burned and looted under the city of Beijing, and the fire burst into the sky. The Ming army did not dare to fight, and the outskirts of Beijing suffered heavy losses. At such a serious moment, Yan Song still did not frame dissidents for the sake of national planning.
In the twenty-fifth year of Jiajing's reign, the governor's trilateral military attendant Zeng Mill tried to retake the Hetao, and was supported by Xia Yan, the head of the cabinet, and attacked and won. And Yan Song entered the rumor in order to seize the position of Xia Yan's first assistant.
The "Chronicle of the History of the Ming Dynasty" volume 58 "Discussion of the Restoration of the River Loop" contains: In the twenty-seventh year, "Yan Song accumulated regrets, and wanted to slaughter his first assistant, so because of the disaster and neglect of Chen Chen, he said: 'He once milled the side to start a provocation, and misunderstood the country's great plan. Xia Yan is similar in appearance, confusing state affairs, and being a crime. So stop talking, arrest Ji Yijing. "Later, he was cut off.
In October of winter, "when Juyong called the police, Songfu held on with defiant force, actually sat and milled the traffic law, abandoned the western market, died in words, and returned great power to Song." After Xia Yan and Zeng Mill were beheaded, they invaded Beijing again.
Yan Song, however, gave the advice to Shangshu Ding Ruku of the military department, saying: "It is difficult to hide the loss of the division near the ground, and the generals should not fight lightly, and they will be fed." ("Yan Song's Story")
It can be seen from this that the seventeenth episode of "Jin Ping Mei" on Cai Jing's misunderstanding of the country and the in-depth narration of the connivance is not the true reflection of Yan Song's misunderstanding of the country and the in-depth connivance of the country?
In the seventeenth episode of "Jin Ping Mei", the author borrowed the military department to count Cai Jing's crimes in Yuwen Huangzhong, clarifying the deep meaning of internal worries leading to external troubles, and achieving the goal of swearing Cai Jing alone.
I think this text refers to Cai Jing (it has been examined before and is inconsistent with historical facts), and it is very appropriate to refer to Yan Song. Find out the history, the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, Xu Xueshi of the Criminal Department Langzhong said:
Prepare for the outside and treat it inside in an emergency; The key to internal rule is to be true to you. Today, Shi Song, a scholar of the university, is extremely greedy and insatiable; The honorable and noble inside, the small from the outside, the auxiliary government for ten years, day by day.
Causing hostility, it gradually comes. And Song vented his own content, falsely quoting the saying that "the good soldier is unknown" to clarify the discussion. ...... The father and son of the current doctor all sighed indignantly, and no one dared to resist, sincerely coiled inside and outside, up and down compared with the week, accumulated over time and became strong. ...... The minister asked for the urgent removal of the father and son to clear the origin. ("Ming History Chronicle Ben Mo Yan Song Uses")
In the 32nd year of Jiajing, Yang Jisheng, a member of the military department, discussed Yan Song's ten major sins, and briefly said:
"The dictatorship of ministers and ministers, who is too Song", "Those who are too Song", "Those who take the power of one person and invade hundreds of officials", "The abolition of side affairs, all are due to the unclear reward and punishment of meritorious crimes." ...... Gangsters are ,...... Risking the military merits of the imperial court", "Answering the prisoners deeply,...... The military plane of the wrong country", "the great handle of chaos and dethronement", "the ministers are afraid of the troubles of the world, not outside the country but in the domain", "Your Majesty listens to the words of the ministers, and the traitor of Chasong." ...... Heavy rules are placed in the constitution and the law of the country is adopted; Light edict to the people, to the national body. The inner thief goes, and then the outer thief can be removed." (Ibid.)
Comparing these two loose copies with Yuwen Wan's loose book in "Jin Ping Mei", it is not difficult to find that there are many similarities:
First, the crimes of Yan Song (Cai Jing) are similar;
2. Clarify that internal worries lead to external troubles are completely consistent;
Third, the purpose of Yan Song (Cai Jing) is completely the same; 4. The same is true of the desire to demand strict punishment from the emperor.
It can be seen that the fictional impeachment of Cai Jing in "Jin Pingmei" by Yuwen is an artistic reproduction of the impeachment of Yan Songshi by ministers during the Jiajing period.
"The End of the Chronicle of the History of the Ming Dynasty"
Then, can researchers who hold the "mid-Wanli theory" also find out from the mid-Wanli period the fact that the dictatorship of one person has caused internal and external troubles? I see it impossible.
As mentioned above, in the middle of the Wanli period, there was no incident of treacherous dictatorship and misunderstanding of the country, and there was no problem of border troubles in the north.
In the early years of Wanli, Zhang Ju was in the country, and adopted a series of measures to strengthen border defense on the one hand, and to pacify and good-neighborly on the other, so that the Han and Mongolian ethnic groups could communicate with each other and be at peace with each other.
According to the 60th volume of the "Chronicle of the History of the Ming Dynasty", "Answering the Tribute":
In the fourth year of Longqing, "the alliance was established, and the city of Tonggongma was established, and the ministries were also greedy for Chinese property, and they were unspeakable."
In the fifth year of Longqing, "he was made the king of Shunyi, and his descendants were made governors and other officials."
In the first year of Wanli, "the king of Shunyi was awarded the Fan Sutra and gave a gilded silver seal".
In the second year of Wanli, "Shunyi Wang Li answered Zi Bin Tu to ask for Hexi mutual market".
In the fourth year of Wanli, "I promised to open the market for tea horses".
In the ninth year of Wanli, "King Shunyi replied to the tribute horse", "King Shunyi replied to death, gave seven altars, mined twelve pairs of coins, and clothed hundreds of horses." His wife Sanniangzi led his son Huang Taiji to thank the table and pay tribute to the horse."
In the eleventh year of Wanli, "Huang Taiji attacked and crowned King Shunyi".
In the fifteenth year of Wanli, "Ji Like was crowned the King of Shunyi, and the third lady was the Lady of Zhongshun".
In the forty-first year of Wanli, "after the year, the payment was stuffed, but he was first given the title (Bu Lost Rabbit attacked the king of Shunyi, and made Hanbi a prostitute the lady of Zhongyi), and his tribes were scattered, so they did not compete."
It can be seen that the northern border of Wanli Dynasty completely turned Gange into jade. The external trouble of the Wanli Dynasty was the coastal rebellion.
There is no problem of chaos in "Jin Ping Mei", so it should be discussed differently.
According to the above examination, the internal and external troubles written in "Jin Pingmei" are also the events of the Ming Tuo Huizong Dynasty and the actual writing of the Jiajing Dynasty. This is not only an important corroboration of the "Jiajing Theory" in the era background of "Jin Pingmei", but also another negation of the "Wanli Theory".
"Selected Studies of Zhou Juntao<金瓶梅>"
The author's unit: Shenzhen Federation of Literature
This article was published with the author's permission, originally published in Zhou Juntao <金瓶梅>Research Collection, 2015, published by Taiwan Student Bookstore Co., Ltd. Please indicate the source of forwarding.