Chapter 51 The emperor has never changed
The news that the Yan Mansion was besieged by Dongchang spread like wings throughout the capital in an instant. After hearing the news, all the righteous people All excited and uplifting!
"My emperor has finally seen through the true face of the thief, God bless the Ming Dynasty!"
Excitedly, Shen Lian shouted out the depression that had been building up in his heart for a long time.
Shen Lian was the governor of Jiajing for ten years. At that time, Shen Lian's father, Shen Bi, was not happy at home. As early as when Shen Lian was still young, he ignored the dissuasion of his family and insisted on selling the family property for several hundred taels of gold and traveling around. At this time, Shen Lian went to the capital to take part in the examination, and once again saw his father who had been in decline for a long time.
In the eleventh year of Jiajing's reign, he, like many complacent candidates who hoped to excel in the examination, also wanted to stand out in the examination, pass the imperial examination, honor his ancestors, and return home with his father. .
But it is a pity that the intensity of the Ming Dynasty's entrance examination can be described as tragic. Three to four thousand people took the exam together, and in the end only two to three hundred people were selected as new subjects.
So Shen Lian naturally did not have such good luck, and he failed.
Shen Bi, who wanted to look like a good person, saw that his son had failed the examination, and felt shameless to return to his hometown with his son Shen Lian.
But as a filial son, how could Shen Lian watch his father wander alone?
So Shen Lian wholeheartedly begged his father to return to his hometown with him and reunite with his mother.
Shen Bi insisted not to return, and Shen Lian couldn't help wailing and crying, unable to stand upright.
Shen Bi was finally moved by his son Shen Lian's filial piety and sincerity. He repented and cried: "My son is so filial, so what worries do I have that I can't solve myself? I can go home."
< br>After welcoming his father back home, Shen Lian did not blame or neglect his father because of his poor family, but served him wholeheartedly and was happy with him.
In the twelfth year of Jiajing's reign, Shen Lian's mother, Mrs. Yu, fell ill. Shen Lian remained naked for three months without taking off her clothes. She stayed by the bedside day and night, burning incense in the sky, hoping that she could take the place of her mother's illness. Soon, Mrs. Yu recovered from her illness, and the villagers said that this was the reason why Shen Lian's filial piety and sincerity moved God.
Therefore, Shen Lian's reputation as a filial son spread and became a local moral example.
In the 17th year of Jiajing's reign, after several years of hard work, Shen Lian finally passed the Jinshi examination and was awarded the title of magistrate of Liyang (now part of Jiangsu).
During his tenure, Shen Lian was honest and diligent, strictly enforced laws and regulations, fought against the strong and powerful, and protected the good. At that time, bullies who relied on power in the county often died under Shen Lian's staff. Ah offended the censor.
So in the 22nd year of Jiajing, due to Shen Lian's uprightness, arrogance and disobedience to the censor, Shen Lian was transferred to Chiping (now Shandong) as the county magistrate.
After taking office, Shen Lian still adhered to his past behavior, being honest and strict, and sued Jian Minhe within just a few months. As a result, he also gained the love of local people.
At that time, it was a year of famine. Shen Lian was considerate of the people's sentiments and asked him to open an official warehouse to lend food to the people and save them from the fire and water. His love for the people is like the sun and the moon, selfless and without shame.
At the same time, Shen Lian also personally practiced the Confucian principle of "getting rich first and then educating". He personally lectured on the classics and meanings to the people on New Year's Day every month, and visited the private schools of private students several times. Teach by words and deeds.
Shen Lian's various actions during his tenure won unanimous praise from the local people. At that time, there was a saying among the people that "Shen Chiping is as bright as a mirror and as clear as water. He does not reward the people for persuasion and does not follow orders in anger."
However, soon after, Shen Lian's father passed away, and Shen Lian could not continue to serve as an official according to the etiquette, so Shen Lian went home to observe his filial piety. In the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing's reign, Shen Lian's filial piety period expired and he was sent to Qingfeng County (now part of Henan) as the county magistrate.
Shen Lian, who was born as a Jinshi, experienced more than nine years of wasted time and made no progress. However, he did not sink in and slack off because of his lack of official career. Instead, he became more diligent in politics and blamed himself for self-motivation.
During his tenure, Hui Pu Lu Yan was quite popular among the people, and his reputation soon spread to the capital. Lu Bing, the commander of the Jinyiwei, heard about Shen Lian's uprightness and wanted to transfer Shen Lian to the Jinyiwei as an experiencer. When Shen Lian left Qingfeng, the people sent him off in the streets, wept and tried their best to persuade him to stay.
Afterwards, the people of Qingfeng built a shrine specifically for him in gratitude for Shen Lian's kindness, and continued to worship him.
It can be said that although Shen Lian, who has served in the local area for many years, has not been appreciated by the top, he has risen to the top. However, his upright personality as an official and his philosophy of governing for the people still made him loved and recognized by the people where he served.
Therefore, after being appreciated by Lu Bing, from the rank of civil servant to the royal guard, Shen Lian still maintained such an upright and fierce personality, with no trace of sand in his eyes.
But precisely because of his character, it is also destined that he cannot be like some people and light.
Shen Lian is an upright man and hates evil as much as his enemies. However, his character is quite wild and unruly. Every time he drank, he would sit on the ground with his legs stretched out, looking up to the sky and laughing, enjoying himself as if there was no one else around. In addition, Jin Yiwei commander Lu Bing treated him with courtesy. Lu Bing also had a close friendship with Yan Song and his son. For this reason, Shen Lian also drank with Yan Shifan many times. Yan Shifan abused the guests at the wine table. Shen Lian felt dissatisfied when he saw such a scene, so he stood up against Yan Shifan.
Therefore, Yan Shifan was afraid of Shen Lian, and at the same time he hated Shen Lian deeply. In addition, the Yan family has been arrogant and domineering over the years, as well as their actions to kill Zhongliang. This also made the relationship between Shen Lian and the Yan family always tense.
So Shen Lian's biggest wish now is to help Daming pull out the cancer of the Yan family.
But this is easier said than done?
To use a line from Hu Zongxian in "The Ming Dynasty 1566": "No one can push down those who the emperor wants to use, and no one can protect those who the emperor does not use."
This is what the Yan family is like now.
Emperor Jiajing just killed Xia Yan, and just raised Yan Song to a high position to help him do things. Now many things have not been done, and Emperor Jiajing will not do this. He easily threw away Yan Song's dirty white gloves.
After all, the court now needs a stable situation. The chief minister is changed every day. How can the world think that the Ming Dynasty court is stable if the chief minister is killed?
So Shen Lian's desire to seize evidence of the Yan family's crimes and bring down Yan Song can be said to be just wishful thinking.
Emperor Jiajing would not simply view the world in terms of good and evil.
Emperor Jiajing always had only one view towards the world, and that was stability!
As long as it can help him stabilize the world situation and help him firmly grasp absolute power, Emperor Jiajing will not have any hesitation even if he uses a so-called "treacherous official" to govern the country.
Because Emperor Jiajing also knew Yang Tinghe, Xia Yan and other loyal ministers who claimed to be Qingliu very well. These may be loyal ministers, but these people are not necessarily loyal to Jiajing. Their loyalty may be the so-called morality in their hearts.
Therefore, in order to maintain his authority, Emperor Jiajing would never use these people to help him govern the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Shen Lian's excitement now is just one person's self-impression!
The emperor never changes!
(End of this chapter)