History is always magical, and it will give some unknown people great opportunities, as long as they grasp the opportunity, they can soar to the sky. Liu Jin, a Ming Dynasty eunuch, is a striking example. At first, he was just a helpless little eunuch, and his survival was a problem, but he entered the prince's mansion by chance and got acquainted with Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao. With his extraordinary wisdom and talent, he not only won Zhu Houzhao's appreciation, but also woke up the emperor at a critical moment and made him regain his authority. In this way, an insignificant little eunuch turned out to be a powerful minister and control the court. No wonder some people say: "The eunuch is often the shadow of the emperor, and sometimes even more sober than the emperor himself." They have been by the emperor's side for too long and often understand the rules of the game of thrones better than the emperor himself. So, with what kind of skills did Liu Jin rely on to jump from an obscure little eunuch to a powerful eunuch?
For Liu Jin, the turning point in his life began during the Hongzhi period, when he was just a little eunuch who lacked attention. When he first entered the palace, he was still young, and he had no guidance from a master, so he accidentally violated the palace rules, and the crime was established, and what awaited him was a tragedy that was worse than death. Miraculously, he narrowly escaped the doom of beheading, and was transferred to the East Palace to be the attendant of the then crown prince Zhu Houzhao.
On the surface, Liu Jin took shit luck, escaped life and death, and became an official and a half-job. But this is not the case. The East Palace has long been reduced to hell on earth, Zhu Houzhao has a strange temperament, a short temper, and often beats his attendants for no reason, Liu Jin is not to mention being a prince's personal attendant, I am afraid that even the life of an ordinary eunuch is difficult.
To everyone's surprise, Liu Jin not only did not suffer in the East Palace, but was like a fish in water and was favored by Zhu Houzhao. The reason is very simple, because Liu Jin is not an ordinary eunuch, but a talented and wealthy figure. He is not only well-versed in the past and the present, but also able to talk eloquently, full of economy, for Zhu Houzhao, who has been staying at home for many years, it is simply a living dictionary of knowledge, and it is no wonder that Zhu Houzhao regards him as a close friend.
In the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty died, and Zhu Houzhao soon ascended the throne as the emperor, which was for Wuzong. The new emperor succeeded to the throne, and Liu Jin naturally followed suit. In that era when the power of eunuchs was gradually expanding, one person gained power, and the whole gang could soar. In addition to Liu Jin, the other seven people also got ahead and were collectively known as the "Eight Tigers". At this time, Liu Jin had become the most powerful eunuch in the court, and his main duty was to study how to make the emperor happy.
So, at the beginning of Zhu Houzhao's ascension to the throne, he was led by Liu Jin by the nose, making absurd chaos in the Forbidden City, laughing and scolding, he was simply a complete faint king. It is not easy to be a kind and virtuous emperor, but it is very easy to be a promiscuous gentleman. Although Zhu Houzhao was given the nickname of "Wuzong" in the history books, his performance at that time was really embarrassing.
In this way, the government became increasingly abandoned, and the ministers could no longer turn a blind eye, so they jointly wrote a letter demanding the dismissal of Liu Jin and other eunuchs. Li Dongyang, Xie Qian and others even strongly advocated that if the emperor still failed to do his debts, they would collectively withdraw from the court. Although this is just a piece of paper, it has made Zhu Houzhao, who is only 15 years old, feel palpitations. Thinking about it, he also understands that once the cabinet commands hundreds of officials, and the members of the six ministries and three divisions go on a large-scale strike, the entire Ming Dynasty will collapse. Just when the emperor was hesitating, Liu Jin came to the door and only said a very meaningful sentence: "Yue Jie's ministers want to control the entry and exit, so go to the taboo first."
To put it simply, the ministers wanted to limit the authority of the emperor, so they got rid of themselves as eunuchs first. Only then did Zhu Houzhao suddenly realize, I am the emperor, how can I be restrained by the ministers? So he unilaterally announced the collective resignation of the quasi-ministers, reused Li Dongyang as the prime minister, and completely cleared up dissent with Liu Jin and his henchmen.
In this battle, Liu Jin won, but he also lost. Although he helped the emperor regain power, he also made the emperor realize that he was the real master and would not allow anyone to abuse power. Although Li Dongyang was defeated, he became a pawn used by the emperor to balance the eunuchs, and his position was doubly stable. It seems that on the stage of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor is always the winner in the checks and balances, and the eunuchs and ministers can only play supporting roles.
Overall, Liu Jin is an out-and-out political wizard. Although he was born as a eunuch and had a humble status, he was born with his personal talent, and once became a powerful minister who controlled the government and the opposition; What is even more commendable is that he opened Zhu Houzhao's imperial mind as a eunuch, allowing a fledgling young emperor to recognize the essence of his power, and finally regained the initiative to rule. However, the Game of Thrones has always been like this, and there can only be one winner in the end, and that is Zhu Houzhao, the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty. Liu Jin's life can be described as full of drama, perhaps in response to the sentence: "Eunuchs are like double-edged swords, when they are sharp, they can help one person to rise to the sky, and if they are not careful, they will cut their own bodies." They must always keep a clear head and act prudently, because the one who stands at the top can always be the unique "dragon master". #头条首发大赛#