Hakka was such a character. The emperor praised her, and the ministers gave her concessions. Even the eunuchs and cabinet ministers who were the governor of Dongchang at that time had to give her some face.

For Wei Zhongxian, who is over fifty years old, this woman is his only chance for success and the last chance. So, he made up his mind to overcome all difficulties and win over this person. And the best way to win over this person is to make her his wife. You read that right, I wrote it right, that’s the fact. Although Wei Zhongxian is an eunuch, he can find a wife.

As a tradition in the ancient palace, eunuchs looking for wives have a long history. In fact, there is even a special term for it - eating.

Confrontation means that everyone eats together, but in the palace, if you have to confront others, they may not be willing to do so.

In the palaces of the past dynasties, there were many maids. They could not leave the palace, had nothing to do, and could not get married. They were lonely and unbearable for a long time, and they were idle. Many people looked for partners in the palace. . But apart from the emperor, there were no men in the palace. Looking around, the only ones who looked like men were eunuchs.

There is no other way, just let it be. Although the eunuch is not considered a man, he is not a woman after all. Anyway, he is in name only. It is enough for everyone to live together and talk. This phenomenon is called anti-eating. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it has been a classic play in the harem and has been performed frequently. Most emperors don't care much about it, but it is still quite dangerous if you encounter a vicious one. For example, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was said to have been stabbed in the head without blinking when he saw him.

In Ming Shenzong's generation, he still took care of it at first, but later he didn't go to court, so he naturally stopped taking care of it. But if Wei Zhongxian wants to "match up" with the Hakka family, there is still a huge obstacle: the Hakka family already has a partner. In fact, food and love are similar to each other. There are also cliché plots such as a third party involved, picking wild flowers on the roadside, looking for life and death, etc. But this time, the situation is a bit special. Because the person of the Hakka family happens to be the Wei Dynasty.

As I said before, Wei Chao is an old friend of Wei Zhongxian and has introduced him to jobs. The relationship is quite good. The so-called "friends' wives should not be bullied" is really a problem.

But Mr. Wei Zhongxian once again proved his shamelessness with facts. Facing his friend's wife, he went shirtless without saying a word and had no psychological barriers.

But the people all know that there are conditions for finding a partner. Needless to say, the Hakka family was the emperor's wet nurse and a popular person in the palace. She was less than forty, "coquettish and beautiful, with lewd conduct". In the Wei Dynasty, she was a subordinate of Wang An, serving as the eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, and also in charge of the military affairs department. , is a successful person among the eunuchs, and can be said to be a good match.

In comparison, Wei Zhongxian was much poorer. He was just in charge of a warehouse, and his backer had fallen. He had little hope of poaching.

But Wei Zhongxian did not belittle himself, because he had an advantage that the Wei Dynasty did not have: courage.

As a former gambler, Wei Zhongxian is very courageous and dares to gamble. This is reflected in the Hakka family, that is, he dares to spend money. He obviously does not have much money, but he still dares to spend his money. Not only does he flatter Hakka family, but he also dares to spend his money. He talks sweet words and often gives her expensive and fashionable gifts, similar to today's French cosmetics and high-end perfumes, which are quite lethal.

Not to mention this, he invited guests to dinner every now and then. The price of the meal was "sixty dishes per table, costing up to five hundred gold." Translated into vernacular, a table of sixty dishes costs five hundred taels of silver.

Five hundred taels of silver, which is about more than 40,000 yuan, is just one meal. The consumption level of the declining eunuch Wei Zhongxian is roughly the same.

It doesn’t matter if you are poor, as long as you are bold. This is the life principle of Mr. Wei Zhongxian. In fact, this trick can still be used today. For example, if your family is not rich, you only need 600,000 yuan, but if you dare to use the 600,000 yuan to buy a ring and propose, you may be able to get the person back.

In addition, Eunuch Wei is illiterate, looks silly, and extremely honest, so he is really the best choice for women in the palace. So, in just six months, Hakka left his old lover behind and accepted this third party.

However, in another historical book, the truth of the matter is not like this.

A few years later, a man named Song Qifeng followed his father to the capital. Because his family had a good relationship with the eunuchs in the palace, he often visited the palace. He saw and heard a lot here.

Decades later, he wrote a book about his experiences at that time, named "Barnyard Theory". The so-called barnyard grass is a weed. What Mr. Song Qifeng means is that his book is a wild road. Whether you believe it or not is just for fun. He doesn't care. But in terms of the value of historical data, this book is quite reliable, because Song Qifeng is not a Donglin Party or an eunuch Party, and there is no issue of stance. In addition, he has been in the palace for a long time, and many things have been experienced personally. No need to talk nonsense.

The fair Mr. Song told us this in his wild cursive book: "Although Wei is still corrupt, his power is not exhausted, and he uses the skills of the house to charm and win the favor of his guests." This sentence, to put it in layman's terms, means that although Wei Zhongxian was cut off, he was not completely cut off. The second half of the sentence is inappropriate for children, so I won't explain it.

According to this statement, with this advantage, it is absolutely certain that Wei Zhongxian will steal Wei Chao's wife. With the ability to speak, the courage to spend money, and the special skills that eunuchs cannot match, Wei Zhongxian successfully defeated the Wei Dynasty and became the new enemy of the Hakka family. To put it bluntly, dating is about falling in love, and falling in love is based on rules. If the relationship breaks down and the girlfriend is gone, just look for her later. But the Wei Dynasty was more miserable, and he couldn't find a second girlfriend.

Because Wei Zhongxian is a rogue, and rogues never follow the rules. Not only does he want to steal Wei Chao's girlfriend, but he also wants his life. In the first year of Tianqi (1621), with the cooperation of the Hakka family, the Wei Dynasty was dismissed from office and was assassinated on the way to distribution.

The reason why Wei Zhongxian was able to get rid of the Wei Dynasty was because of Wang An.

As a veteran eunuch of three dynasties, Wang An has reached the pinnacle of his life. The current emperor, and even the emperor’s father, were all supported by him, and the Donglin Party are all his good brothers. That's really invincible in the world, much more powerful than Dongfang Invincible.

But Wang An also has a fatal weakness - he likes high hats.

One blow.

Since the beginning of the world, we have known that flattery has a voice. But Wei Zhongxian's flattery broke this cliché and reached the highest level of flattery - silent fart.

Every time he met Wang An, Wei Zhongxian never took the initiative to flatter or speak, but only kowtowed. If Wang An didn't call him, he wouldn't go. If Wang An didn't ask him, he wouldn't speak. When Wang An talked to him, he didn't say much, and his attitude was only modest.

He doesn't come here in vain, but in real terms. When giving out things during the holidays, he still gives them in a big way, with gifts arriving home in droves. So when the Wei Dynasty and Wei Zhongxian fought, Wang Ping'an supported Wei Zhongxian and drove away the Wei Dynasty.

But he didn't know that Wei Zhongxian's target was not the Wei Dynasty, but himself. At this time, Wei Zhongxian was already standing on the threshold. As long as he took one more step, he would be able to gain supreme power. But Wang An was standing in front of him. This person must be eliminated before we can move forward. Just like before when dealing with the Wei Dynasty, Wei Zhongxian had no ideological barriers. Friends can be betrayed, and superiors can betray them. As a scoundrel, gangster, and scum, he always keeps his true nature in mind at all times. But what to do? Wang An was not from the Wei Dynasty. He not only had a high status and seniority, but also had a good relationship with the emperor. He was also very powerful. Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou of the Donglin Party often visited his home. With Wei Zhongxian's strength, it seems impossible to get rid of him. But he did it, in an incredible way.

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In the first year of Tianqi (1621), Lu Shou, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, was dismissed because he committed a crime. At that time, although Lu Shou had a high status, his power was not great, so this matter was not noticeable. Wang An fell into this inconspicuous matter.

As mentioned before, among the eunuchs, the most outstanding ones are the eunuchs who serve on ceremonies, including one eunuch who holds the palm seal and several eunuchs who hold the pen.

As the top leader of the ceremonial eunuch, according to convention, if the position is vacant, eunuch Bingbi should take over. At that time, Wang An took over.

It must be noted that although Wang An has always been the actual leader of the eunuchs, he is not the eunuch in charge of the palm. No one knows the specific reason. It may be that this man knows that the first shot will kill the first bird, so he can't stand out. Find someone to top the tank.

But this time it was different. After Lu Shou's accident, he was the only one with the most qualifications, so he had to do it by himself. But Wei Zhongxian didn't want him to do it, because this position was too important. If Wang An was to sit in it, he would have to wait until the next life. But the fact is that raw rice has become cooked rice, and Wei Zhongxian has nothing to do.

Wang An thought the same way. He took care of everything, accepted the appointment, and wrote a letter to the emperor in accordance with past practice. The main meaning is nothing more than that I am incompetent and can't do it, and I hope the emperor will find someone else who is capable. It seems hypocritical to write this after accepting the appointment, but there is nothing I can do about it. In our place with a glorious tradition, you cannot be proud of your success, and your pride cannot be seen by others. A few days later, he got a reply from the emperor: Agree, change.

Wang An has been in the palace since he was a child. From emptying toilets to working as a ceremonial officer, he has always been a realist and has never believed in myths. But this time, he saw the myths with his own eyes.

Writing this memorial is nothing more than being polite to the emperor, and the emperor is also polite, and then what to do. Such a sudden confrontation is really unexpected.

But what was even more unexpected was that not long after, he was ordered to retire and driven out of the court completely. But Zhu Youxiao, whom he held in his own hands, showed no reaction at all.

Wei Zhongxian is indeed a very smart man. After thinking hard, he finally found this opportunity that was not an opportunity: If you want to leave, I will approve it. It is only natural.

But the prerequisite for this idea is that the emperor must approve it, which is difficult. Because although the Emperor likes to be a carpenter and has little education, he really needs a reason to trick the prince and father-in-law who once flattered him.

Wei Zhongxian helped him find the reason: Hakka.

A wet nurse, a nanny, and possibly a prostitute. With such connections, it should be enough for her to get rid of the prince. Wang An lost his official position, retired from the political stage, and passed away miserably. Only then did he understand that the decades of ups and downs in officialdom, intrigues, and achievements in supporting two emperors were not worth a nanny. Frustrated, he planned to go back to retire, but failed. Because one person is determined to eradicate the roots, and that person is Wei Zhongxian.

Someone once asked me who was the worst among the people who tortured Yue Fei to death. I answered without thinking: Of course it is Qin Hui. So the man looked like he wanted to be beaten, smiled and said to me: No, it's Qin Hui's wife. I thought for a moment and said to him: You are right. I remembered the account I read back then. Qin Hui wanted to kill Yue Fei, but he couldn't decide whether to do it or not. So his wife, Li Qingzhao's cousin Wang, told him that he must do it, he must do it, and it would not work if he didn't. He did it. The situation of Wei Zhongxian is roughly the same. Although this man did not recognize his friend, he recognized his leader. After much deliberation, he told his wife, Hakka, forget it. Then, Hakka said a few words to him:

"When moving to the palace, the news was passed on to the outside world that it was Wang An who was holding the prince hostage by Li Xuanshi; the Donglin Party came to rob him and took the prince away. It was Wang An; it was Wang An who colluded with the Donglin Party to force Li Xuanshi to move out of Qianqing Palace. This person must be killed!"

Her expression was very serious when she said this! , with a very serious attitude.

Women are more cruel than men, believe it or not.

Wei Zhongxian followed his wife's instructions and decided to kill Wang An. This matter is difficult to handle. The Emperor is more kind than Wei Zhongxian. Although he does not need Wang An, he will never order his death. But in Wei Zhongxian's case, it is not difficult, because the person who succeeded Wang An as the eunuch in charge of the ceremony is his confidant Wang Tigan, and he himself is the eunuch Bingbi of the ceremony and the eunuch of the East Factory. He has great power. You can do whatever you want. Anyway, the emperor is working as a carpenter every day and doesn't care much.

Soon, Wang An had an accident while doing hard work and died suddenly at night. Later, I died of natural causes and that was the end of it.

At this point, Wei Zhongxian, through unremitting shamelessness and despicability, finally took control of Dongchang and became the biggest spy.

All the emperor's official correspondence had to be reviewed by him before they could be approved, and at least they were all in one word.

However, every time an official document was delivered, he would not read it because he was illiterate. Wei Zhongxian was honest and honest when it came to illiteracy, but he did not delay national affairs because of this. He always took official documents home and gave them to his dog-headed military advisers to study. He used the useful ones and used them to wipe his butt and set the table. Feet, make the best use of them.

After more than thirty years in the palace, Wei Zhongxian finally reached the peak of his life. But it's not the peak yet.

Defeating the Wei Dynasty, getting rid of Wang An, and getting rid of the emperor, but this is not enough. If you want to become the true ruler of this country, you must face the next and final enemy-Dong Lin Dang.

Shortly after the lackey became the eunuch in charge of Dongchang, Wei Zhongxian launched an attack on the Donglin Party after careful consideration and careful preparation. Specific actions include sending people to contact important figures in the Donglin Party, including Liu Yijing, Zhou Jiamo, Yang Lian and others, saying that they had just come here and wanted to take care of many things, and sent gifts many times. In addition, he also praised some cadres of the Donglin Party in public, and his excitement was beyond words. What is even more touching is that he repeatedly spoke before the emperor, saying that Zhao Nanxing of the Donglin Party was a rare talent in the country, worked hard and conscientiously, and was trustworthy. He also sent his close associates to visit him to express his respect.

Excluding force majeure factors such as amnesia in a car accident and accidental stroke, the possibility of Wei Zhongxian suddenly getting better is roughly zero. So the conclusion is that these actions are all disguises, and behind the illusion, there are ulterior secrets hidden.

The ulterior secret is: Wei Zhongxian wants to be friends with the Donglin Party.

It is necessary to state again that I did not write this sentence wrongly.

In fact, the history of our country has always been relatively complicated. It is said that there is me among you, and you among me. If you can make do with it, you can make do with it, and if you can fool it, let it be fooled. Looking back further, the only ones who are truly persistent and never give up are probably the cavemen.

Wei Zhongxian is no exception. Although he is illiterate, he is very knowledgeable. He knows very well that the Donglin Party not only holds great power, but they are also scholars. In fact, holding great power is not scary, only bookworms are scary.

Since ancient times, scholars have been roughly divided into two types, one is called literati, and the other is called scholars. Literary people are "literary people look down on each other". The specific characteristics are that they are relatively shameless and have low self-esteem. If you are good, he will always say bad, but if you are good, he will say no. He is still timid. He usually swears, but when he encounters someone serious, he will put his head back. Really This is quite nonsense.

The main characteristic of a scholar is "scholarly spirit", which is manifested as two poles plus one rib, good is good, bad is bad, accepts death, does not usually cause trouble, and is not afraid of death when trouble comes. Daring to risk his life at the critical moment, the weak scholar transforms into a steel warrior. He doesn't need to find a phone booth or change clothes, he just blinks.

Scholars back then were relatively reliable, so in the Donglin Party, there were both types of people, with the latter accounting for the majority. The image spokesperson is Yang Lian, who bites the bullet and won't let go, which is quite a headache.

This kind of brainless person who dares to do random things is really a natural nemesis for Wei Zhongxian, a scoundrel who acts according to the situation and bullies the weak but fears the strong.

Therefore, Wei Zhongxian desperately wanted to curry favor with the Donglin Party. He really did not want to offend this group of people. It's not easy for everyone in this world. I just have to make a living. I don't want to be an emperor. At most, I can only be a successful eunuch. You worked happily with Wang An before. Now I'm here. It's just a different person. What's the difference?

Regarding Wei Zhongxian's goodwill gesture, the Donglin Party's reaction was as follows: all gifts that came to the door were returned, and those who came to visit were driven away.

The person who gives the least face is Zhao Nanxing.

Among the Donglin Party members, Wei Zhongxian liked Zhao Nanxing the most, because Zhao Nanxing and he were fellow villagers and easy to get along with, so he visited him many times, and always praised fellow Zhao Nanxing to everyone he met. How good.

But Mr. Zhao not only did not appreciate it and refused to meet him, but once, in front of many people, he said this to Mr. Wei's actions: Everyone should work hard to do good.

In the context of the relationship, the implicit meaning of this sentence is that everyone can do their own thing, don't have any evil thoughts, and don't bother me if you have nothing to do.

Wei Zhongxian doesn’t understand. Wang An and you can cooperate, why don’t you want to cooperate with me?

In fact, the reason why the Donglin Party refused to cooperate with Wei Zhongxian was not because Wei Zhongxian was illiterate, not because he was a scoundrel, but because he was not Wang An.

There is no way, all scholars accept death. Although in terms of essence and physical structure, there is really no difference between Wang An and Wei Zhongxian. They are both eunuchs, supervisors of ceremonies, and in charge of official documents. However, the Donglin Party has always been more mature than experienced, and treats people inappropriately. They despise social trash like Wei Zhongxian who comes from a scoundrel background and behaves despicably.

It should be said that this kind of thinking is worthy of respect and admiration, but it is absolutely wrong. Because they don’t know that the highest skill of politics is not life and death, but compromise.

Wei Zhongxian was angry, and his anger was justified, not only because the Donglin Party refused to cooperate, but more importantly, he felt that he was despised.

There are many types of people in this world. Wei Zhongxian belongs to the Jianghu type. This kind of person has been mixed up in society since he was a child. He has a lot of bad friends. He can do without his wife or his daughter. He only has face and cannot do without. The contempt of the Donglin Party greatly shocked his filthy soul. He learned from the pain, repented, and made a decision resolutely:

Since you don't want to give face, then let's break up! But Eunuch Wei soon discovered that it was not easy at all to break up. Because he is illiterate.

To deal with the Wei Dynasty and Wang An, all you need to do is be ruthless and dark-hearted, but the Donglin Party is different. These people are all intellectuals, at least Jinshi, and are good at court struggles. This happens to be Wei's Father-in-law's weakness.

When fighting in the imperial court, it is not possible to use swords or guns. Generally, it is done by cursing and writing. The technical content is quite high. Allusions and idioms are often used to ensure that your ancestors will be scolded without a single curse word. For For Eunuch Wei, who was illiterate, it was really difficult for him to do this job.

In order to adapt to the struggle under the new situation and avoid laughing while being scolded to death, Eunuch Wei decided to find a few assistants, commonly known as lackeys.

The first and most important two lackeys to join were Gu Bingqian and Wei Guangwei.

Wei Guangwei, a Jinshi in the 32nd year of Wanli (1604), was a good or bad person. Wei Guangwei's father is called Wei Yunzhen, and Wei Yunzhen has a best friend named Zhao Nanxing. During the Wanli period, Wei Yunzhen once served as a minister. He had a very good relationship with Zhao Nanxing. The two had been friends for eight times. In today's terms, they were brothers who had worshiped each other. Wei Guangwei's official career was relatively smooth. He passed the Hanlin Examination and was promoted step by step. During the Tianqi Period, he became the Minister of Rites.

Ordinarily, this speed is not slow, but Mr. Wei is a very motivated person. In order to achieve leapfrog development, he found Wei Zhongxian.

Eunuch Wei naturally wished for him. In just two years, he was promoted from deputy minister to minister, and he was allowed to enter the cabinet and become a bachelor.

It is commendable that Comrade Wei Guangwei has new friends and does not forget old friends. After taking office, the first thing he did was to visit his father's old comrade Zhao Nanxing.

But Zhao Nanxing did not see him. While telling him to get out, he gave him four words: "Jianquan has no children!"

Wei Guangwei's father Wei Yunzhen, also known as Jianquan . This is a very cruel statement. If you say my father has no son, then who am I? Wei Guangwei was very angry. Furious, he came to the door for the second time and asked to see Zhao Nanxing. Zhao Nanxing still didn't see him. Next, Wei Guangwei made an unexpected move and went again.

Mr. Wei is worthy of being from a famous family and has good self-cultivation. When Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang to work for him, it only happened three times.

But Zhao Nanxing still refused to see him. Facing the closed door, Wei Guangwei was furious and vowed to be incompatible with Zhao Nanxing. The reason why Wei Guangwei was angry was secondary to whether he met or not. The key was that Zhao Nanxing broke the rules.

At that time, Zhao Nanxing was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but Wei Guangwei was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of Dongge University. Although both of them are ministers, Wei Guangwei is a member of the cabinet, equivalent to the deputy prime minister. According to the rules, Minister Zhao has to call him the leader.

But Grand Scholar Wei didn’t care. He came to visit me personally and returned three times, but you didn’t see me. This is really outrageous. In this way, this good or bad person, with Zhao Nanxing's selfless help, turned into a complete bad person. In addition to these two people, there were many other members of Wei Zhongxian's party, such as Feng Quan, Shi Fenglai, Cui Chengxiu, Xu Xianchun, etc., who were collectively referred to by later generations as: Five Tigers, Five Biaos, Ten Dogs, and Ten Children. Together, these four groups alone were There are already thirty. This is still a child's play. Eunuch Wei also has twenty children, forty monkey grandchildren, and five hundred adopted grandchildren. As an eunuch, he is really blessed to have so many children and grandchildren. I had planned to help these descendants of eunuchs make a public appearance, make an introduction, or at least list their names, but when I saw words like "five hundred righteous descendants", I immediately lost my courage.

In fact, the Donglin Party is also very good at building hilltops and organizing groups. But compared with Eunuch Wei, it is much worse.

Because the membership standards of the Donglin Party are relatively high and the channels are limited, one must either be a fellow villager (township party member), a colleague (jinshi in the same subject), or a chairperson (teacher-student relationship), except for a few people with special abilities. Foreigners (such as Wang Wenyan) must be high-level intellectuals (Jinshi or Hanlin), and must have clean financial records and no criminal record (corruption and bribery).

Eunuch Wei was much more open-minded. He was originally a scoundrel, illiterate, and a part-time human trafficker (selling his daughter). It would be difficult to find someone with lower quality than him.

So when he accepted people, he paid great attention to unity. The so-called heroes don't ask where they come from, wealth doesn't matter where they come from, cats and dogs don't matter, as long as they can work. His group of people are also quite knowledgeable, and they refer to themselves as "tiger", "bug", "dog", and "monkey", no matter what kind of beast they are, they are not human beings anyway.

The composition of this group of monsters and ghosts is very complex. They include eunuchs, spies, officials from the Six Ministries, local officials, and military generals, involving all walks of life and industries.

Although they come from different fields, one thing is the same: they are all carefully selected and extremely pure scum.