The imperial court sent officials to Haizi in Duanyang to catch frogs and squeeze them into purple gold ingots.
Haizi is now Nanhaizi, and it was a royal garden in the Ming Dynasty. Venenum Bufonis is regarded as a medicinal material by Chinese medicine, which is toxic. As for this purple gold ingot, I have never used it. According to the introduction on the Internet, it is probably a drug for external use to cure poison and relieve pain. The reason why we choose the Dragon Boat Festival to catch toads is because toads and other five poisons will flood around the Dragon Boat Festival, affecting human life, so we should catch them in time. Of course, there must be another explanation for the number of tricks. If I don't understand, I won't make a fool of myself. The ancients also figured out a way to attract another poisonous mosquito with part of toad's body. Ma Yu's Ma Shi Ri Copy;
There is a mosquito gathering method in the play. On May 5th, take a frog's head, fill its mouth with Beijing ink, reach its abdomen, and press it under a boulder for 100 days. The frog is dead, so take out the ink and grind it a few times at night. Mosquitoes have all flown into the ink. Covered with frogs, they can eat mosquitoes and have a sense of breath.
Dead toads attract a large number of buzzing mosquitoes, and people can kill them in one fell swoop, which is undoubtedly a good way to make use of waste. It seems that both the imperial court and the people will catch toads on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is a custom that runs through all walks of life. Of course, this is a disaster for toad. People in the Ming Dynasty even imagined that only on that day would toads hide in aquatic plants. Chen Peng Chuang Diary Volume 6:
On May 5th, frogs will hide behind the grass.
However, it is doubtful whether toad has such a high IQ.
Back to the topic, since this is a court practice, it is likely that Emperor Anzong didn't know it at all, or didn't take it seriously after reading the documents, just as he is unlikely to really care about what seasonal ingredients are stored in the royal kitchen. At that time, catching toads on Dragon Boat Festival was a custom, just like giving apples at Christmas now.
Regarding the political meaning and truth of this matter, Hong Guang Dynasty official Li Qing told us in Nandulu:
Shang Yan lives in the deep palace and sighs every time he wanders; It is said that "all ministers are unwilling to use it for us"! In terms of sensuality, it is rarely close. However, due to lack of reading, the chapter was not cut in person, and it was too high for people inside and outside to lean on each other as traitors. For example, catching frogs in the sun is an old practice in this palace, and it is abusive. Also known as child molesters, people die one after another. There are rumors inside and outside, and it is useless to distinguish. When the country broke down, the ladies-in-waiting ran into the people's homes and spoke vividly; Actually, it started.
Wu Tang, an old assistant, lives in Lishui. He once saw Datang and asked about the palace. In words, drinking and feasting include: indulging in prescriptions and medicines. And the rumors are not true.
Some officials and scholars in Nanming ignored Lu Wang's orders after learning that Beidu had fallen, but their execution was weak and they lost the opportunity. Therefore, they should do everything possible to discredit An Zong to prove his "foresight". Catching toads and prostitutes is like this, and so is the fake prince Wang Zhiming. Venenum Bufonis is obviously a commonly used medicine, but it is spread as an aphrodisiac. Twenty-five years ago, the red pill that An Zongshu took before Guangzong died was obviously a popular tonic at that time, but it was said to be an aphrodisiac, exactly the same. It is not surprising that traditional historiography is full of such denigration of private life because it has to explain the rise and fall of a country with personal morality.
However, in my opinion, the secret of Gong Wei is not sufficient in history. Besides, Anzong is not that kind of person. After the demise of the Hong Guang Dynasty, the ladies-in-waiting and eunuchs still spoke for Anzong, which is enough to explain the problem. In fact, whether toad lives or dies has nothing to do with the fate of the whole country. Few mathematicians talk about this kind of thing, which can only be said to be bad or stupid, and finally become the laughing stock of history.
So, what did Anzong do all year? Zhu Yousong is not an active political figure. All he did was appoint Ma Shiying-and then there was nothing. This is not surprising. As a prince in the late Ming Dynasty, his life was expected to be isolated from government affairs.
Finally, it ends with a poem in Lu Tong's Eclipse Poetry in the Tang Dynasty:
Alas, people raise tigers and are bitten by tigers. The frog was blinded by the beautiful sky. This is a kind of gratitude, one after another!