The period when Yan Song served as the first record in The Ming Dynasty was also the process of the struggle for purity and strictness. In the play, Xu Jie, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng are the core of the Qing school. Gao Gong is the most indignant and always "hard and rigid" with the Yan Party, while Xu Jie, the second assistant, has the highest rank in the clean stream. Compared with the "angry youth" Gao Gong, Xu Jie always revolves around Yan Song. It can be said that Xu Jie is a figure who is in the cabinet (Yan Song's territory) and has a clean heart.
After the success of the martial law, Xu Jie did not exterminate Yan Song, but still treated Yan Song with courtesy, showing Xu Jie's tact. So how did Xu Jie take power in history? First, Yan Song's seizure of power taught Xu Jie a lesson
Xia Yan was the most powerful record at the beginning of Jiajing Dynasty. Xia Yan worked as a university student in Wuyingdian, Shao Shi and cabinet records, and was given jade belts and embroidered pythons and flying fish Kirin clothes, which was hard to see. However, Xia Yan's most fatal shortcoming is that he has no talent, is proud of his position, and is not totally honest. Yan Song was an official twelve years earlier than Xia Yan. He was an official predecessor of Xia Yan, but he entered the cabinet six years later. Therefore, he was looked down upon by Xia Yan and became the object of Xia Yan's ridicule.
Xia Yan often sneers at Yan Song in public. In terms of cabinet authority, "the more arrogant (Xia Yan) is, the more arrogant it is." Where there is a purpose, there is no longer a consultant (strict). Song also silently can't spit a word, and the heart is very hate "(Wang Shizhen's" The Tale of Xia Gong "), which shows that Xia Yan is more arrogant. What about Yan Song? Being good at forbearance is not only "willing" to be a secondary assistant and well-behaved, but also "as strict as a son's service to Xia Yan" (Wan Li Ye was compiled).
Xia Yan regarded the eunuch in the chamberlain as a slave, dismissing him; Yan Song tried his best to get along with eunuchs. Xia Yan dares to impeach Liu Bing, the commander of the Royal Guards; Yan Song tried his best to curry favor with the Royal Guards. This shows that the two are friendly on the surface, but they are tit for tat in private.
Jiajing loves Taoism, and he loves to wear Taoist robes and crowns (this is vividly expressed in Ming Dynasty). He not only wears them himself, but also lets the important officials wear them together. Xia Yan thinks that this is against the court etiquette and resolutely disagrees: "It's not worthy to be dressed as a minister" (Ming History);
Yan Song tries his best to flatter. Jiajing was most tired of showing off his integrity, and finally Xia Yan fell out of favor. This is also one of the root causes of Xia Yan's death. Yin Shouheng's Stealing the History of the Ming Dynasty agrees with this view. "(Xia)' s speech is dead ... (Jiajing)' s language is still the same as not wearing a fragrant crown before." Second, Xu Jie's personality
Yan Song joined forces with eunuchs and Royal Guards to frame Xia Yan for trumped-up charges. Under the imperial edict of Jiajing, Xia Yan was abandoned and his wife was exiled. Who was alarmed by Xia Yan's death? Xu Jie, hand-picked by Xia Yan, and his death cast a deep shadow on Xu Jie. Xia Yan's "parallel head was slaughtered, and Song's crime passed through the sky" ("Stealing Ming History").
In this process, Xu Jie saw Yan Song's slow and steady, hard-working and shrewd political skills. I also saw Xia Yan, the teacher of the tree, who was very attractive, and did not lead an honest life; I understand that my position depends entirely on the emperor, and only the emperor is the only backer. Xia Yan's death educated Xu Jie, and formed Xu Jie's character of "being good at Rong Zhi, being clever and sensitive, having the right to neglect, but being heavy on yin" (Ming Shi).
Xu Jie is a junior official and a typical academic professor. In the early days, he was only responsible for the compilation of "Da Ming Hui Dian", and later he was promoted to assistant minister of the official department by Xia Yan. But because Xia Yan abandoned the city, Xu Jie was on pins and needles.
Fortunately, Xu Jie's boss, Shang Shu Jia Xiong, is also an upright official. Jia Xiong did not liquidate Xu Jie because of the collapse of Xia Yan, Xu Jie's backstage, but took great care of Xu Jie because of Xu Jie's ability. At the same time, Jia Xiong didn't go with the flow and dared to remonstrate with the emperor. Jia Xiong and Zhang Zhi, a university student, also remonstrated with the emperor.
As the saying goes, "Shizong is mysterious, and there are many ministers who please him, but Jia Xiong and Zhang Zhi are the mainstay." (Wu Ruideng's Charter of the Two Dynasties, October 29 of Jiajing). Naturally, this kind of honest official did not come to a good end, so Jia Xiong's fate also gave Xu Jie a warning, and Xu Jie had to go with the flow. Third, the strict party came to power, and Xu Jie was wise to preserve our health
Xu Jie's political fate was still smooth after Xia Yan's collapse. The reason was actually that he was saved by sycophanting and writing green words to the emperor, just like Yan Song. The so-called green words are prayers burned to heaven when Jiajing offered sacrifices to heaven. Xu Jie has a high cultural accomplishment and writes well. "Those who should make more articles and say more about the purpose are calling people to live in seclusion, and writing fast words with great scholars Zhang Zhi and Li Ben." ("Ming History")
So after Xia Yan was killed, Xu Jie was transferred to the position of Minister of does instead, staying with the emperor, and Xiu Xuan asked. This kind of favor even arrived. At that time, the minister of the official department was vacant, and the court negotiated to let Xu Jie take up his post. Emperor Jiajing even reprimanded the ministers, "What is the plan?" (Ming History) said that he didn't want to be separated from Xu Jie.
What can Yan Song, the records, do if he dotes on Xu Jie so much? Yan Song is envious and jealous of Xu Jie: "The taste is recommended by Xia Yan, and Song is quite taboo, and it is even taboo." (Ming History) So Yan Song often speaks ill of Xu Jie behind his back. Xu Jie is aware of this, but Xu Jie firmly believes that no one can hurt himself as long as he does not lose the emperor's favor.
Therefore, I worked harder to write green words and strive for the protection of the emperor. "The order is very dangerous, and I don't know what to do. I only benefit from carefully fasting words and forgiving them with pity." ("Ming History") At the same time, Xu Jie never had any dispute with Yan Song, so he made a compromise. Finally, in the thirty-first year of Jiajing, Xu Jie joined the cabinet with the minister of does. Fourth, entering the cabinet, cautious
Entering the cabinet, entering the territory of Yan Song, without the care of the emperor, life is bitter, and I don't want to be the second Xia Yan. What should I do? Zhang Dai's "Book of Stone Chamber" wrote Xu Jie's method at this time: "The first thing (strictness) is very sincere, and it is married to the association, and the first rule is appropriate."
In order to curry favor with Yan Song, Xu Jie married his daughter to Yan Shifan, the son of Yan Song, trying to get married and make peace. He also put his retired house next to his ancestral home in Yan Song, saying that he would follow Yan Song, consult from time to time, and take Yan Song as his teacher and father.
in the thirty-second year of jiajing, Xu Jie met the first problem after he joined the cabinet. At that time, Yang Jisheng, a small official of the punishments department, impeached Yan Song for ten crimes, such as cronyism, wrong country, power-playing, corruption, flattery and bullying, etc. Jiajing hated the courtiers for showing off their integrity, so he put Yang Jisheng in prison, and Yan Song tried to kill them all, making the commander make Liu Bing torture him, trying to make him bite at random, pointing at Xu Jie, and Xu Jie had to preserve his sanity in this matter, but did nothing and stay out of it.
Yan Dang's harm to the country will inevitably lead to the impeachment of upright officials, so in the thirty-seventh year of Wanli, Zhang Xian and Dong Chuance, petty officials of the Ministry of Punishment, impeached Yan Song again. The most coincidental thing is that Zhang Yi is a protege of Xu Jie, and Dong Chuance is a native of Xu Jie. Can Yan Song not be alarmed that Xu Jie is behind them? But Xu Jie can only inherit the traditional craft and continue to write green words to please the emperor; For the matter of the cabinet, completely uphold the meaning of Yan Song, to show his deference to Yan Song. V. Seeing the sunshine at last < P > In the thin ice, Xu Jie accompanied Yan Song for many years as a secondary assistant. Finally, Yan Song's stupor made a taboo, and Xu Jie came to the opportunity.
In the fortieth year of Jiajing, the palace of Jiajing, the West Garden Yongshou Palace, caught fire, and Jiajing moved to the old palace Yuxi Palace. Some ministers advocated that the emperor should move back to ouchi (Jiajing asked for the Xuan, but he couldn't live in the secular Qing Palace). When the emperor asked Yan Song, Yan Song lost his head and actually let the emperor move to Nanyuan, the place where Yingzong was imprisoned by Daizong, which was not auspicious. In addition, Jiajing took a special interest in Taoist geomantic metaphysics and was naturally very angry with this proposal.
Yan Song has since fallen out of favor; Xu Jie, on the other hand, cleverly suggested that the timber used to build palaces elsewhere should be misappropriated, and the new Yongshou Palace should be built to save time and effort. The emperor agreed, and sure enough, the new palace was built in January, and the emperor was overjoyed and named Wanshou Palace himself. "Naturally, the (strict) song situation is declining day by day, but the emperor only (Xu) listens to the words." "So Chinese and foreign people know what the emperor wants, saying that the order will be able to go to Song!" (Wan Sitong's Ming History)
Although Xia Yan was domineering, he "still held the right view" (Record of the Charters of the Two Dynasties). Yan Song's party is really a disaster for the country and the people. During Yan Song's administration, it was a serious period of Daming's invasion of southern Japan and northern Lu. Yan Song's party only knew how to manipulate power to collect money and self-destruct the border defense. During Xu Jie's administration in Yan Song, he kept himself sane, but this kind of preservation was forced, and he couldn't even protect himself. How can he rule the country and level the world?
Therefore, the Ming History says that Xu Jie "established a dynasty with different degrees, preserved good people, and the Jialong administration was saved by many people, but it did not lose a big festival". It can be seen that Xu Jie protected a large number of talents and laid a certain foundation for Longwan New Deal. From this point of view, Xu Jie is still a man who has made greater achievements.