Confucian culture changed by the literary inquisition of the Qing Dynasty
In the later years of Kangxi, the princes launched a fierce struggle to seize the throne of the prince. The deposed prince Yun Yunai sought to be restored to the throne, the eighth prince Yun (the fourth son of the emperor) was ambitious, the fourteenth prince Yun Yuti and the third prince Yunzhi also coveted, but all their efforts were in vain. The scheming fourth son of the emperor, Yun Nuo, used double-faced tactics to paralyze his opponents, please his father, secretly cultivate power, and win people's hearts. Finally, he defeated his brothers, and Queen Yu Huansheng Zubin ascended the throne.
In the thirteen years since Emperor Yongzheng reigned, he emphasized the talents of officials and neglected scribes. The top priority in administration was to eliminate long-standing abuses and rectify the administration of officials. He monopolized power and had to do everything personally. The criminal law was severe and his intentions were profound. He was governed by his own people. Have a distinct personality and unique style.
In terms of literary inquisition, Emperor Yongzheng’s guiding ideology was to use the literary inquisition to clean up the court’s customs and discipline, and to restrain customs and people’s hearts. Although the Yongzheng dynasty lasted only a short time, literary inquisitions were frequent, and major cases occurred one after another. With his unique sensitivity and profound intentions, Emperor Yongzheng gave precise instructions and ingenuity to almost every case, thus creating the most indelible "performance" in the history of civil war.
(1) Cases related to the punishment of cronies
1. The case of Wang Jingqi and Qian Mingshi
Wang Jingqi and Qian Mingshi were the first literary jailers of Yongzheng group of victims. Their misfortune was due to the same reason, that is, they devoted writings to cling to Nian Gengyao.
Nian Gengyao was a member of the Xianghuang Banner of the Han Army. He was a Jinshi and had military talents. He fought in Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet and other places (there was a rebellion in Sichuan and Tibet at that time). General Dingxi and governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi. He has always been attached to Prince Yong Yunzhen, and his sister is Yunzhen's side Fujin (deputy princess). After Yunzhen succeeded to the throne, Nian Gengyao was favored and favored. He was successively awarded the title of Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Taibao, Fuyuan General, and first-class Duke. However, he eventually fell out of favor because of his arrogance and lack of respect for the king's laws. Emperor Yongzheng felt that keeping him was a curse and determined to kill him as a warning to others, so a series of attacks were launched one after another.
In February of the third year of Yongzheng's reign (1725), the astronomical phenomenon of "the sun and the moon uniting, and the five stars connecting pearls" appeared in the sky. Officials expressed their congratulations. Nian Gengyao, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, also presented the memorial in accordance with the regulations. Emperor Yong found two flaws in his writing: first, the font was illegible; second, the idiom "morning work and evening work" was written as "morning work and evening work" ①. "Morning work and evening vigilance" comes from the hexagram "Qian Gua" in "The Book of Changes": "A gentleman works hard all day long, and if he is vigilant at night, he has no fault." It means to be careful all day long, and the meaning of writing "night vigilance and morning work" remains unchanged. Nian Gengyao's congratulatory note used these idioms with changed word order to praise the emperor. However, Emperor Yongzheng believed that "Nian Gengyao relied on his own merits and showed signs of disobedience. His perversity was definitely not unintentional" (March 23, even One day order). The officials took action upon hearing the news and launched a siege against Nian Gengyao. In April of the same year, Nian Gengyao was transferred to the post of General of Hangzhou; in June, he was deprived of his first-class official title; in July, he was deposed as an idle flag officer; in September, he was sent to the Ministry of Penalty; in December, Nian Gengyao was impeached by the minister of state affairs. For committing ninety-two major crimes, Emperor Yongzheng ordered Nian Gengyao to commit suicide. His family property and status were confiscated, his relatives and associates were killed, exiled or demoted, and a large number of people were purged and punished. This is the famous Nian Gengyao case.
Seven days after Nian Gengyao died, Wang Jingqi beheaded him in public.
Wang Jingqi was born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou), Zhejiang Province. His original name was Riqi, with the courtesy name Wuji and the nickname Xingtang. He has been in poverty for nearly forty years. Although he won the imperial examination, he never had any chance of becoming wealthy. In the early years of Yongzheng's reign, his friend Hu Qiheng was appointed as the chief envoy of Shaanxi Province and was a confidant of Gengyao in the same year. Wang Jingqi went to visit him, took the opportunity to send a letter to pay homage to Nian Gengyao, and became Nian Gengyao's temporary guest. Wang Jingqi wrote two volumes of "Essays on the Western Expedition in the Reading Hall" during this journey to the West, which was collected by Gengyao in the Nian Dynasty. Nian Gengyao was offended and his house was confiscated, and "Essays" were confiscated to the palace. After reading it, Emperor Yongzheng gritted his teeth and wrote an inscription on the front page: "This is so absurd and crazy! It's a pity to see it so late, let's wait for another day, so that this kind of thing will not slip through the net."
"Reading Hall" "Essays on the Western Expedition" was originally lost for a long time. According to the fragmentary copy published by the Palace Museum during the Republic of China, there is an article called "General Fuyuan's Announcement", which is extremely flattering and even calls Nian Gengyao "the greatest man in the universe". There is also the article "Heroes cannot do anything", which blames the phenomenon of "the cunning rabbit dies and the lackey is cooked" in history on the supreme ruler. The author writes:
The master of this suspicion is mediocre in his talent and timid in his ideas. When the thief Kou Changchi was in power, his soul would be frightened when he looked at the beacon fire, and he would tremble when he saw the military letter. Suddenly, a minister with extraordinary talent and extraordinary ability arose and quelled the evil forces, bringing peace and tranquility to the whole world. He was overjoyed as soon as he played a short message, and was treated with the solemn courtesy of the Seven Treasures. After a long delay, he then thought about it and said: The enemy is so arrogant and the military is so meticulous, but this minister actually destroyed it. If the army of Jinyang rises, who can defend it? So doubts arose;
When I read the merit books, I saw hundreds of thousands beheaded somewhere, thousands of miles of land spread somewhere, some captured somewhere, some captured somewhere, my heart was shocked, my soul was shocked. Awe-inspiring, fear arose in the south;
Having accomplished extraordinary feats, achieved many successes, held a high position in the fifth rank, and was extremely polite to hundreds of officials, he was regarded as the most important thing in the imperial court by both internal and external ministers. , and worship it without disrespect. The flatterers tend to be frightened, kneel and kowtow, and treat others with more than common courtesy.
Moreover, if you mention an official, you will think he is good at it; if you write a memorial, you will prevent him from being reckless; if you describe his merits, you will regret his fraud; if he gets something, he will be accused of keeping it for himself. ;
He claimed that he had been greatly favored and served his country with loyalty, and wanted to leave Lu Qi with great ambition. Li (Richeng) longed for Wei Pian. But the love of friendship cannot be abandoned, and the loyal words cannot be heard, but I hate him for being rude to the king, and relying on his achievements to be arrogant, so he is tired of it.
Doubt, fear, anger, and disgust, these four are used to treat the meritorious officials. Is it possible that the end will not be cruel but will end? ...Although the minister's integrity is not pure, I also guess that the master of violence is responsible for it.
These words seem to be a wake-up call to Nian Gengyao.
Some entries in "Essays" express dissatisfaction with the official selection system and officialdom at that time. It is said that there is also a poem ridiculing the saint ancestor "The emperor spends nothing for valuables"②. He also criticized the posthumous title of the Holy Ancestor and the reign title of Yong. His "Lun on the Era Names of the Past Dynasties" said that the word "zheng" was split into "Yizhi", which was an ominous sign. There were no reign names with the word "zheng" in history. Good endings, such as King Hailing of the Jin Dynasty (the reign title is "Zhenglong"), Aizong of the Jin Dynasty (the reign title is "Zhengda"), Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty (the reign title is "Zhizheng"), Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty (the reign title is "Zhengtong"), Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty (the reign title is "Zhengda") Year title "Zhengde"), etc.
The "paradox and madness" that Emperor Yongzheng criticized probably refers to the above content, but the edict to punish Wang Jingqi only said that Wang Jingqi "wrote poems to ridicule Emperor Sheng Zuren, which is treason." As a result, Wang Jingqi was executed and his head was displayed to the public; his wife and children were sent to Heilongjiang to be slaves to the armored men (Manchurian sergeants); his brothers, uncles and nephews were exiled to Ningguta; all those in the official position of his estranged relatives were dismissed from their posts and handed over to the local magistrates of their place of origin. Due to the large number of people involved, rumors of a "city massacre" even spread in Pinghu County, where Wang Jingqi lived. The residents fled in panic, and only settled down after being informed by local officials.
Qian Mingshi was sentenced in March of the fourth year of Yongzheng (1726). Although he was not decapitated, the experience was no better than decapitation.
Qian Mingshi, whose courtesy name was Liang Gong and whose name was An, was born in Wujin, Jiangnan (now Wujin, Jiangsu Province). He was a Jinshi in the 42nd year of Kangxi's reign. He ranked third in the Imperial Examination, was awarded the title of editor in the Hanlin Academy, and was promoted to the imperial examination. He and Nian Gengyao were in the same year of the provincial examination (the two were in Dujiangyan City in the 38th year of Kangxi's reign, one was in Nanwei and the other was in Beiwei), and they probably had a friendship because of this. In the second year of Yongzheng's reign, the powerful Nian Gengyao came to Beijing for an audience. Qian Mingshi presented poems in praise of him, such as "The flags of Shaanxi are divided into Zhou Zhaobo's, and the Han generals are drawn from the sky and drums." "Two monuments" wait for the sentence. In the last years of Kangxi, the emperor's fourteenth son Yunzhen was awarded the title of General Dingyuan, and he went to Qinghai and Tibet. The Holy Ancestor once erected a monument in his honor. Yun Ti was once an important player in the fight for the crown prince. After Emperor Yongzheng came to the throne, he immediately lifted the military power (and later restricted it). He was the last person to be mentioned, but Qian Mingshi didn't know how to avoid it.
Nian Gengyao was executed, and Qian Mingshi certainly escaped. Emperor Yongzheng charged him with "excessive flattery and praising evil" and "rebellious poetry". However, he was not killed, but was dismissed from his post and sent back to his hometown. However, he wrote the four words "famous religious sinner" and ordered him to pay money. The famous local officials made plaques and hung them in the hall of Qian's home (one theory is that on the gate). This was a common method used by Emperor Kangxi to favor his officials. For example, the ancestral hall of Fan Wencheng was inscribed "Yuanfu Gaofeng". Li Guangdi inscribed "Fang Zhongchun Shen" and so on. Emperor Yongzheng also occasionally followed suit, such as "Qingcao Suzhu" for Yang Mingshi, "Qingjin Gongfang" for Tian Congdian and so on. Landlords can change what they want, and it is easy to turn praise into disgrace. The four words of "faithful sinner" not only made Qian Mingshi shameless as a man, but also made his descendants unable to hold their heads high. On the first and fifteenth day of each month, the magistrate of Changzhou and Wujin went to Qian's house to check the hanging status of the plaque. If it was not hung, they would report it to the police and punish him.
This is not enough. Qian is famous in the world. When he left Beijing, Emperor Yongzheng ordered all officials in the capital from Da Jingguan and Jiuqing to write satirical poems as "gifts" for Qian Mingshi. As a result, 385 people were ordered to write poems by Yongzheng. After the emperor read them one by one, he handed them to Qian Mingshi and compiled them into a special collection titled "Poems of Mingjiao Sinners" and distributed them to schools across the country, so that everyone in the world would know and praise the satirical poems. There is a sentence in Chen Wance's poem about Zheng Zhanshi: "A famous person has the same name as a worldly crime, and showing off work is no different than showing off work and rape." ③ The meaning of the sentence is sharp and the sentence is innovative. He was praised by Yongzheng School and was read by Wu Xiaodeng. Because of the "fallacy" of the poem, he was sent to Ninggu Gan Tower to be a slave of the armored men. His colleagues Chen Bangyan and Chen Bangzhi were also dismissed because of the "wrong" of the poem. This is the satirical poem written by Wu Yingdian to usurp Fang Bao. Of:
Famous religion brings shame to the world. In this life, I live in vain.
I am accustomed to walking in dangerous ways, remembering the ugly and flattering words.
p>
I feel so much sleep at night, but I only have a dream.
There is no place in the world to stand, and it is too late to regret it when I grow old.
It should be a standard work in "Poems of Mingjiao Sinners"
The ancients said: "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." At this point in life, Qian Mingshi is really not as good as simply taking a knife, but the "Holy Master" insists on it. Use him for fun, humiliate him, but don't kill him. I don't know what year he died. It is said that he was "not a scholar". He participated in the revision of "History of the Ming Dynasty" and took several manuscripts written by Wan Sitong as his own works. It was indeed beneath the status of a Qingwang official to write poems to please the domineering generals, but in any case, Emperor Yongzheng also went too far. He explained in the edict: "Yi used his words to flatter evil and was famous for it. If the teachings do not allow it, I will use the words as the law of the country to show the people and ministers the strong precepts.
"
However, there is no such thing as "using words to flatter evildoers will be punished". Emperor Yongzheng also "takes words to be the law of the country." In the last years of Kangxi, Kuixu, the minister of the Ministry of Works, issued a letter (绻田***), After his death, he was given the posthumous title "Wen Duan" for his service. After Emperor Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he deprived Kuixu of his posthumous title and removed the text on his tombstone, and changed it to "The tomb of Kuixu, an unfaithful, unfilial, insidious and sinister person." . The tombstone of Aling'a, another member of Yun's party, was also engraved as "The tomb of Aling'a, who was disobedient, violent, greedy and mediocre." Emperor Yongzheng also renamed Yun (绻田***) "Aqina", and Yun Yutang changed his name to "Seshei". Both names are Manchu and are said to mean animals, pigs and dogs.
Only Qing Shizong could think of and pull off such mean pranks!
2. The Chasi Ting Case
At the beginning of Emperor Yongzheng's accession to the throne, there were two most respected figures, one was Nian Gengyao and the other was Longkodo. Longkodo was the younger brother of Empress Xiaoyi of Kangxi and the son of the first-class Duke Tong Guowei. In the last years of Kangxi, he was promoted to the infantry commander and the minister of the vassal academy. In the early years of Yongzheng, he was promoted to the first-class Duke and was awarded the title of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Taibao. Similar to Nian Gengyao, Longkodo was also a figure who "recruited power and accepted bribes, and was good at exerting power and fortune", which attracted the attention of Emperor Yongzheng. When handling Nian Gengyao's case, Emperor Yongzheng compared him with Nian Gengyao everywhere and gradually devalued his honor and rank. In October of the fifth year (1727), Longkodo was put on trial for the crime of secretly hiding jade documents (royal genealogy). The kings and ministers convened to impeach Longkodo for committing 41 major crimes. He was imprisoned forever and his family property was recovered. The stolen silver was stolen, and his second son was also punished. The next year, Longkodo died in prison.
The Zha Siting case related to the Longkodo case ended several months before Longkodo was convicted.
Zha Siting, courtesy name Runmu and No. Hengpu, was born in Haining, Zhejiang Province. He was a Jinshi in the 45th year of Kangxi's reign. He was elected to the Hanlin Academy and was awarded the title of scholar-bureaucrat in the cabinet by Longko Duobao. King Tingbao of Cai was awarded the title of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites. In the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign (1726), Zha Siting was appointed as the main examiner of the Jiangxi Provincial Examination, but was accused of "resentment and irony" in the test questions. In September of this year, Cha Siting was arrested and imprisoned as soon as he returned to the capital from Jiangxi. Before the case was settled, Cha Siting died of illness in prison.
The so-called test questions "resentment and sarcasm" refer to the question in "The Analects of Confucius": "A gentleman does not use words to promote others, and does not use people to waste words"; "Mencius" questions: "The path of the mountain path is used occasionally. If you don't use it, it will be blocked." But the jealous Emperor Yongzheng further doubted the second question of "The Book of Changes" written by Zha Siting: "The feelings of heaven and earth can be seen." "Carry on," the third title: "The purpose is far-reaching, the diction" and the fourth title of "The Classic of Biography": "A hundred houses are full, and a woman is content to stop" contain more secret irony. According to his understanding, it is a curse on the reign name of "Yongzheng"; the two sentences "its purpose is far-reaching and its diction" imply that the two words "zheng" and "zhi" in the two questions have a corresponding relationship. What an amazing association.
Later, there were also opinions among the people, saying that Zha Sitingsuo also mentioned the sentence "Wei Min Zhi" in the title (from the "Book of Rites·University"), and the two words "Wei" and "Zhi" are the words "Yong" "Zheng" cut off his head. This is probably because Zha Siting wrote a book called "Wei Zhi Lu", and the title of this book came into being in later generations.