A long time later, when Minglan recalled those days, she still felt a little vague.
It was the fifth day after the Third Prince adopted a son. Rulan had just gotten a pot of Yunyang fern, which was lush and green. She invited Molan and Minglan to appreciate it. Molan was too lazy to listen to Rulan's bragging and made a half-hearted joke about the He family.
"Madam He and the old lady have been friends for many years. It's rare for them to send an invitation, but the madam, sister-in-law and sisters can't go, so naturally only the old lady and I can go." Minglan concealed the truth without a single leak.
Rulan covered her mouth with her hands and smirked cunningly, deliberately stretching out her tone and saying, "Oh~~~~, there was no way Fourth Sister could go at that time."
Molan looked angry and glared at her fiercely.
According to the old lady, after both families saw each other and saw the pair of children, they were very satisfied, and the matter was almost settled. However, Minglan's two older sisters had not yet been engaged, and she didn't want to make a decision first. To do so would be unpleasant and would damage the girl's reputation. So she only told Sheng Hong and Wang Shi, and kept it a secret from the rest.
Sheng Hong diligently investigated the Fan He family's background as usual, assessed them back and forth, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Although the family is a little poor, it is a well-off family. The boy is sensible and capable. He will be blessed to have the old lady to take care of him tomorrow."
Wang pursed her lips and said, "That brother's father died early, and his grandfather retired early. He only has an uncle who works as a Tongzhi outside. But he is more than enough to be a Ming girl."
In fact, she was feeling jealous. He Hongwen seemed to have ordinary conditions, but his conditions were just right in every aspect. He had a wealthy family background and an official background. She basically didn't have to serve her parents-in-law. She could be the head of the household after she got married. Although he didn't look very good, he was very cost-effective.
Wang didn't know that this kind of person in Minglan's world was called an economical and practical man, and was very popular. After the couple finished talking about this, Sheng Hong went to the Ministry of Works, and Changbai had already set off for the Hanlin Academy.
That day was exceptionally gloomy. It was grey and gloomy in the early morning and it was still cloudy at noon. It was clearly early winter, but the autumn heat had returned, making people sweat and suffocate.
It was just after 3 p.m. when the evening drum sounded in the city. The deep thud made people's hearts sink. Then the whole city was under martial law. Every household was locked up and no one was allowed to go out. There was no pedestrian on the road. Soldiers were patrolling everywhere. Anyone suspicious would be stabbed to death. In a few hours, many innocent people were killed on the road.
The wealthy families all closed their doors and waited until night, but Sheng Hong and Chang Bai did not return home. Wang immediately panicked, while Hai was relatively calm, just dazed with her belly sticking out. The whole family was in a panic. For three consecutive days, the father and son did not come back, and no one knew whether they were alive or dead. All the female relatives gathered in Shou'an Hall, and no one knew what had happened. The old lady had a sullen face and scolded them not to panic, and ordered the servants to secretly go out and inquire.
Unexpectedly, the situation outside became even stricter. Even ordinary people who bought vegetables and picked up firewood were not allowed to enter or leave. If they protested a few more times, they would be beheaded in the street. They could not find out anything. They only knew that the imperial guards controlled the capital, and some were transferred from the Five Cities Army. The old lady secretly sent someone to ask Kang Yuner, and found out that Changwu had not been home for several days. Yuner refused to hide in her mother's house, and just stayed at home crying all day.
The women all sat together, at a loss and in panic. In the quiet room, only Molan's soft crying could be heard. Rulan lay in Wang's arms. Hai stared blankly at somewhere with her eyes open. Changfeng paced back and forth at the door impatiently. Changdong opened his eyes wide, tightly clutching Minglan's sleeve and dared not speak. Minglan felt cold, and a chill seeped out from her bones. In such hot weather, she felt so cold that she wanted to shiver.
For the first time, she realized the importance of her father and brother to this family. What if Sheng Hong or Chang Bai died? Minglan couldn't imagine it.
Sheng Hong might not have been a good son or husband, but he was a competent father. Whenever he had free time, he never forgot to check his children's homework, coaching his son on his studies and exams, and teaching his daughter etiquette and understanding, never resorting to scolding. For the sake of his children's future, he carefully searched for families and sought out renowned teachers. Even Changdong, through Sheng Hong's connections, found a prestigious school in the capital.
Minglan couldn't help crying, she didn't want to lose her father.
On the fourth day, no one came back. We only vaguely heard that it was the Third Prince who had plotted a rebellion and had been sentenced to death after his plot failed. Now the Fourth Prince was searching everywhere for those who conspired with him in the rebellion according to the imperial order. Several lecturers in the Third Prince's Mansion had all been executed, and eight people including the Junior Chancellor of the Chancellery had been executed. The Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Palace, Lord Chen Zhen, the Second Assistant of the Cabinet, Lord Yu Yan, and the Minister of Personnel were charged with conspiracy and sentenced to death with white silk. There were also many officials who were implicated and were thrown into the imperial prison, and their lives were unknown.
This news was like adding insult to injury. For a time, the entire capital was in a state of panic, and the women in the Sheng family were even more frightened.
"What is the Imperial Prison?" Rulan asked anxiously, "Did Daddy and Big Brother go there?"
Molan burst into tears. "That's the prisoner ordered by the Emperor himself. They say those who go in there will be skinned alive even if they don't die! Could it be... Daddy and brother are also..." Minglan said coldly, "Don't talk nonsense, Fourth Sister! Daddy and brother are cautious and never form cliques. They have no dealings with the Third Prince's Palace. How could they be implicated?!"
"That may not be true!" Aunt Lin, who had been standing in the back, couldn't help but say, "Madam often interacts with Princess Pingning. That princess is the Sixth Prince's relative, and the Sixth Prince and the Third Prince are in the same boat..."
"Shut up!" Before Aunt Lin could finish her words, the old lady suddenly got angry and threw a bowl of boiling hot tea to the ground, splashing hot water everywhere. The old lady stood up straight and stood in front of everyone. Minglan had never felt that she was so majestic.
"Everything is still unclear, so stop saying discouraging words! Anyone who dares to say another word will be slapped in the face immediately!" The old lady glanced down murderously, Wang Shi sobbed softly, and Aunt Lin lowered her head in silence.
The old lady's face was resolute as she spoke word by word, "The families of those generals, their fathers and brothers went off to war, and they lived well too. Could it be that they were as useless as you?" The women's sobs subsided slightly, and the old lady said firmly, "Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven. The Sheng family has the blessings of our ancestors and the protection of the gods. They will surely return safely!"
Perhaps it was the old lady's sudden shout, or perhaps it was because they were too nervous, but everyone calmed down. Wang wiped away her tears, and went about her housework as usual. She glared at the frightened servants and watched over the house.
That night, an unknown army sneaked into the capital city at night and engaged in fierce street fighting with the defenders in the city. Fortunately, the Sheng Mansion was not in a prime location. Only in the area around the imperial palace and the royal palace, the sound of killing was deafening, the eyes were filled with flames, the streets were filled with blood, and many civilians were killed by the swords.
The women had no choice but to stay at home, in constant fear. They fought like this for a day and two nights. On the morning of the sixth day, the sounds of killing suddenly stopped and a light rain began to fall. The sweltering heat of the past few days was finally driven away, and a cool breeze blew into the house, letting people breathe a sigh of relief. Then, in the misty drizzle, Sheng Hong and Chang Bai finally returned home.
Both father and son looked in a disheveled state. One had a beard and sunken eyes, as if he had spent a golden week in detention. The other had sunken cheeks and pale lips, as if he had watched a horror movie for a week straight.
Wang went forward laughing and crying, and Aunt Lin also wanted to rush over, but was cleverly stopped by Liu Kun's wife. Hai ignored etiquette and pulled Changbai's arm and refused to let go. The three Lans happily pulled their father's sleeves with tears on their faces. In the chaotic conversation, no one could hear clearly. It was the old lady who gave the order and asked the father and son to clean up first.
The experience of life and death seemed like a lifetime ago. After washing up, Sheng Hong hugged the old lady's knees and couldn't help crying. Changbai pulled the crying Wang and Hai and comforted them gently. It took a long time for them to calm down. The old lady dismissed all the maids and asked Sheng Hong and his son to explain the whole cause and effect.
Six days ago, the old emperor, as usual, claimed to be ill and did not attend court. The heads of various departments reported to the cabinet, and everything seemed fine. However, the situation suddenly changed. First, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Xu Xin, was ambushed and killed outside Xihua Gate. Then, the deputy commander, Rong Xian, took over the Jingji Guard and declared martial law in the imperial city. The Fourth Prince was ordered to enter the palace to protect the emperor.
As soon as Sheng Hong heard the news, he knew that the Fourth Prince had launched a mutiny.
Wu Yong, deputy commander of the Wucheng Army, placed commander Dou under house arrest and led his troops to control important departments such as the six ministries of the cabinet and the Censorate, detaining all officials. Then the imperial guards surrounded the palace and the Third Prince's mansion. The Fourth Prince, holding a forged imperial edict, sentenced the Third Prince to death with a cup of poisoned wine. He then used his troops to persuade the emperor to abdicate and establish himself as the crown prince.
Minglan's heart trembled, it was just like another Xuanwu Gate Incident!
However, the Fourth Prince was not Li Shimin, and the old emperor was not Li Yuan. He had left himself a way out. Sheng Hong and his son did not know how the old emperor would act. They only knew that a few days later, the three major camps stationed in the suburbs of Beijing counterattacked, and several other deputy commanders under the Wucheng Bingmasi found an opportunity to escape, rescued Commander Dou, and then waited for an opportunity to kill Wu Yong and regain control of the guards. After that, they cooperated inside and outside to let the three major camps into the city and counterattack the imperial city together.
The situation immediately reversed, and the two factions engaged in close combat. The Fourth Prince was defeated and captured, while the rest of the accomplices were either killed, captured, or escaped. The seven-day "Shenchen Rebellion" ended.
Sheng Hong couldn't help but sigh, "Luckily, our Shangshu was quick-witted. As soon as he saw something was wrong, he quickly led us into the Ministry of Works' secret room. We had stored water there, so we were safe for a few days. There weren't any casualties. But our colleagues in other departments... some of the most upright and unyielding were killed by the bandits while in custody, and I don't know how many others were killed or injured in last night's chaos."
Changbai, who had been silent all the time, suddenly said, "The Prime Minister fled and the Second Prime Minister was killed. Then the traitors forced the Grand Secretary Tang to write an imperial edict. The Grand Secretary refused and denounced them as traitors. Then he hit his head on the golden steps and died, and his blood splattered on all of us. Then they forced the Imperial Lecturer Lin, but he refused to obey and died with a smile on his face. Then it was the Imperial Reader Kong, who spat on the face of the traitors and was killed." As he spoke, Changbai's eyes also turned red. Hai stood by and wiped her tears silently. Those people were her grandfather's disciples. They usually took good care of Changbai.
"...If Lord Dou had arrived half a day later, I'm afraid it would have been the turn of a seventh-rank editor like me." Changbai's face was pale and he smiled bitterly. "By then, your grandson had even written a suicide note and hid it in his sleeve."
Although Wang knew that her son was alive at the moment, her face was still pale with fear, and she grabbed Changbai's sleeve tightly. Changfeng, who was standing beside her, had a bleak expression on his face, and moved his lips a few times, as if he was imagining how to respond, and then he lowered his head. Aunt Lin, who was sitting behind her, flickered her eyes a few times, as if she was unwilling.
The room was silent for a long time, and the sound of a sound could be heard. Sheng Hong sighed again: "How could such a person, a member of the royal family, come to this?"
No one answered. After a long while, Changbai calmed down and said quietly, "It would be better if His Majesty could appoint a crown prince sooner."
The root of everything was that the throne had been vacant for a long time. The old emperor's hesitation had led to a long-term confrontation between the two princes. A large number of forces were gathered on each side, the civil officials attacked each other, and the military generals formed their own factions. The two sides were like water and fire. In the end, both sides were in a dilemma and were on the verge of a fight to the death. The moment the old emperor agreed to let the third prince adopt his son, the fuse was lit.
Even if the Fourth Prince was willing to give up at that time, the people around him would not retreat for the sake of their wealth and future.
"Fortunately, Master Yuan and Brother Wu are both safe. Our family can be said to be blessed by our ancestors!" The old lady sighed.
Yuan Wenshao was Dou Laoxi's confidant. They were placed under house arrest together, rescued together, and then counterattacked the imperial city together. Their merits and demerits offset each other, so probably nothing happened. The Zhongwei Guard where Changwu was located was transferred away from the capital by a forged imperial edict early on, so he was not involved in the melee. He also made some contributions during the counterattack, so he could probably be promoted.
There was a brutal fight and drastic changes in the court. How many heads fell and how many families were destroyed? Everyone was exhausted, both the speaker and the listener. The old lady told everyone to go back and rest. Everyone left in a line. Sheng Hong went out first. He wanted to go back to the study to write two memorials. Chang Feng and Chang Dong followed behind, and then the girls.
When it was finally Changbai's turn to leave, he stood up, hesitated for a moment, and suddenly turned around and said to the old lady and Wang beside him, "There is one more thing... The Sixth Princess and the Princess of Jiacheng County have passed away."
At this time, the three Lans had already walked out the door, but it was late at night and everyone was asleep. They all heard this sentence, looked at each other, stopped, and tiptoed to the door to listen.
The old lady and Hai were both shocked. Wang asked quickly, "How did he die?"
Changbai spoke with difficulty, "Marquis Fuchang colluded with the Fourth Prince, and Concubine Rong was an insider. Before launching the rebellion, they summoned some female relatives from the royal families into the palace as hostages. After the mutiny, Rong Xian broke into the palace and took away the Sixth Prince's Concubine and the Princess of Jiacheng County in front of everyone. It wasn't until Commander Dou broke in yesterday that the bodies of the Sixth Prince's Concubine and her daughter were discovered in a palace room. It was..."
Changbai paused, seemingly struggling to find the right words. But then, thinking about the number of soldiers who had seen the body, and the fact that it couldn't be kept secret, he said briefly, "He was tortured to death."
The air seemed to stagnate suddenly, and the instantaneous chill hit the girls' hearts. Rulan and Molan turned pale with fright, covering their mouths in disbelief. Minglan couldn't see the situation in the house, and she must have known that everyone was also frightened.
After a while, the old lady's dry voice was heard: "Could it be... for the daughter of the Rong family?"
"That's right." Changbai said softly, "That Rong Xian always said that he wanted to avenge his sister. A few months ago, they found out that the group of thugs who kidnapped Miss Rong were actually the Sixth Princess's guards and servants in disguise. They just wanted to ruin Miss Rong's reputation and prevent her from gaining a foothold in the capital. Who knew something went wrong? They didn't expect that the county lady was so young, but she was so cruel, and Miss Rong was also a hot-tempered person, so..." Changbai spoke vaguely, but everyone who heard it understood.
"They can file a complaint with the emperor!" Wang said anxiously.
"Even if we sue, what can we do?" Changbai said calmly.
——Yes, what good would it do if they sued? Would the old emperor kill his own daughter-in-law or granddaughter to pay for Rong Feiyan's life? The young concubine Rong had no children, and the old emperor was still alive, yet the Sixth Prince family dared to act so arrogantly. If the old emperor died, the Rong family would be meat on the chopping block. It would be better to turn to the Fourth Prince in his distress, killing two birds with one stone. Rong Feiyan's death was the kindling of hatred.
No one spoke in the room. Minglan took one of her sisters by the hand and turned around and walked away. Halfway through, Molan covered her mouth and started crying softly. After all, these were the girls who had drunk tea and talked with her, two young lives that were so bright and beautiful a few months ago, but now they had both died unexpectedly.
Rulan couldn't help crying softly, "Is this matter over?"
Minglan thought to herself: I'm afraid this isn't the end yet, there will have to be another reckoning, plus a new crown prince.
【Author has something to say】
The national treasury of Yongzheng cannot be compared with the private money of the Ming Dynasty emperors.
Generally speaking, the Ming Dynasty was actually richer than the Qing Dynasty. When Chongzhen asked for money from the powerful and wealthy families in order to raise enough military expenses, those families cried and refused to pay. Later, when Li Zicheng broke through the capital, he found that the national treasury was empty, but the royal treasury was full (the Zhu family had very clear public and private accounts).
Later, the subordinates of King Chuang, such as Niu Jinxing and Liu Zongmin, saw a prosperous capital city, but instead of thinking about how to consolidate their power and resist the Qing Dynasty, they were busy robbing money and women, extorting and robbing the rich. When Li Zicheng was defeated in Shanhaiguan, he did take away countless gold and silver treasures. The treasure in Mr. Jin's "Snow Mountain Flying Fox" has a theoretical basis.
Laugh～～～, okay, let’s get back to the topic.
In essence, the Ming and Qing dynasties are different. Different political systems, different institutions, and different mentalities of the rulers make the Ming and Qing dynasties look very similar on the outside, but in fact, from top to bottom, from the temple to the countryside, they are completely different.
For specific and academic questions, please go to Baidu. There are many rigorous discussions that can explain the problem. I will just try my best to show off my skills here and point out a few obvious points. There may be omissions. Discussion is welcome, but please don't criticize me too deeply.
From top to bottom.
First of all, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty were a minority (no disparagement intended). During the more than two hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu nobles were extremely wary of a counterattack by the Han people. Dorgon issued a strict order to "keep your hair but not your head", Shunzhi became a romantic and rarely appeared in public, and Oboi diligently implemented the "enclosure" and "fugitive slave" laws; they harshly exploited the Han people, eliminated their will to resist both mentally and physically, and carried out a slave-like rule.
(Back then, harboring a runaway slave was a serious crime, so some bastards would first let their slaves escape, and then the slaves would knock on the doors of wealthy families, begging for water or help. Many families, seeing the slaves' battered and frail bodies, felt pity and let them in. Then the Manchus would come and accuse the families of harboring their slaves, and then they would confiscate their property and make the family members their own slaves! Pretty wicked, isn't it? It's true.)
By the early years of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the contradiction between Manchus and Han people became increasingly fierce. The vast inland areas were filled with rebel armies, and the Three Feudatories were causing trouble. After Emperor Kangxi took power, he initiated the concept of "Manchus and Han are one family", which slightly eased the contradiction. In addition, his personal admiration and in-depth study of Han culture, and his academic and administrative respect for Confucianism and Sinology finally softened the attitudes of a large number of Han Confucian scholars. This also won him the public opinion basis for pacifying the Three Feudatories and consolidating his rule.
However, please note that this kind of unity between Manchus and Han is very limited. In the six ministries, Manchu officials are always higher than Han officials. When a Han minister sees a Manchu minister of the same rank, he must bow. In the intermarriage between the Manchu upper class, Han women are even lower in rank. Only Han people who joined the Han military flag or were born as bondservants have some status.
With this mentality, no matter how wise the Qing emperors were (as Mr. Yuan said), their rule first required ensuring the stability of their own country, rather than the prosperity of the country and the people. They implemented a "weak people" policy, and the people just had to work harder as long as they were not starving.
Militarily:
The Shenjinying of the Ming Dynasty had taken the use of firearms to a world-class level, but in the Qing Dynasty, it regressed. The imperial court strictly prohibited the possession of firearms by the people and never deployed firearms in the army. The reason was that firearms were the natural enemy of nomadic peoples and were easier to control than strong bows and arrows. So Senggelinqin had no choice but to call on the Mongolian cavalry to fight against the foreign cannons.
On government affairs:
Regardless of whether you were a Jinshi from the two lists or not, unless you were directly favored by the emperor (Zhang Tingyu's family, Liu Yong's family, Tian Wenjing, Chen Tingjing, etc.), you had to rely on some powerful Manchu noble. Why was the Nine Dragons' Succession Battle so brutal? Because behind each prince were countless civil servants and local vassals, so that it was very difficult for Yongzheng to purge them later (the old Cao family is said to have been cannon fodder in this way).
Mr. Lu Xun said: That was an era when it was impossible to be a slave.
The root cause is the legacy of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, if you were a "slave", you were a member of the emperor's family. If you were not, you could only call yourself a "minister", which was one level lower than a slave.
Culturally:
Some Qing Dynasty supporters have documented that the Ming Dynasty also had literary inquisitions. While this is true, the scale and number of cases pale in comparison to those of the Qing Dynasty. Literary inquisitions occurred throughout all dynasties, but were most prevalent during the Qing Dynasty. According to records, the case of Zhuang Tinglong's "History of Ming" alone resulted in "no fewer than a thousand executions." From the Kangxi to the Qianlong reigns, there were over ten major literary inquisitions, so one can only imagine the sheer number of executions.
The brutality and bloodiness of the entire clan were the worst in history.
When Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia, he included all documents from various schools and schools, no matter how complex they were, and did not judge them based on subjective assumptions. However, when Emperor Qianlong compiled the Siku Quanshu, he only deleted documents according to his own wishes, and then designated all miscellaneous books outside the Siku Quanshu as "destroyable"!
It's really vomiting blood!
Teacher Yuan once said (in class): The emperors of the Qing Dynasty were all very wise, and the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were all very badass.
I really want to agree with this, but I'm afraid of being photographed; but why is it that the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644, longer if the Southern Ming Dynasty is included) with all the bastard emperors was not a few years shorter than the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911, with the foreign powers coming to visit in the next few decades) with all the wise emperors?
Many people may find these statements too subjective. You can look at the documents left by Matteo Ricci. He arrived during the Wanli reign, when the Ming Dynasty was already in decline. Forty years later, Li Zicheng conquered Beijing. Yet, Ricci's descriptions reveal the lives of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty, and the prosperity of major cities like Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and the capital. Not only were the people's material lives excellent, but their mental states were healthy and normal, free of pathology or servility.
Let's look at Macartney's description during the Qianlong reign. He even predicted directly that "the Chinese Empire is just a dilapidated old ship. It has only been fortunate that a few cautious captains have kept it from sinking for nearly 150 years. Its huge hull frightens the surrounding neighboring countries. If an incompetent person were to take the helm, the discipline and safety of the ship would be ruined."
You can compare them yourself and you will see some clues.
The Ming Dynasty is a long time ago, but almost all of its literature has been preserved, including "Water Margin", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Journey to the West", "Jin Ping Mei", "Three Words and Two Shots", etc.; while the Qing Dynasty is relatively close to us, "Dream of Red Mansions" is so incomplete that "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" is still there.
Because the rising middle class in the Ming Dynasty had spare money and leisure to buy a couple of novels to read at home, and cultural industries (bookstores and book stalls) became popular, but literary inquisitions were rampant in the Qing Dynasty, and even rich people did not dare to hide books at will, otherwise they would be implicated (hiding banned books was also a crime, but the book collectors might not know which books were banned, because most victims of literary inquisitions died because of the chapters and words); it was not until the late Qing Dynasty that the Manchu rulers loosened their control and "The Travels of Lao Can" and "The Scholars" came to light.
(Writing novels in the Qing Dynasty was also a high-risk industry. If I were there, I would never dare to write a piece of amateur fiction. You guys should not read this either, as you might get arrested and thrown in jail.)
Finally, if the current official historical records are correct, the Ming Dynasty should be richer than the Qing Dynasty because the Ming Dynasty's overseas trade and handicraft industry were more developed.
Volume 3: The crabapple blossoms are not afraid of rouge color, and do not need a golden house to recommend them to the palace.
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