The most favored eunuch in the late Ming Dynasty was highly valued by the Apocalypse. Why was it eradicated by Chongzhen?

Wei Zhongxian, formerly known as Wei Jinzhong, was able to hold a bow in his left hand and pull a string in his right hand when he was young, and his archery hit rate was extremely high. Although he can't read, he dares to do things, is good at making decisions, and is quite scheming. However, this man is addicted to gambling and fooling around with a group of hooligans all day. On one occasion, Wei Zhongxian lost the gambling, which was very humiliating. In a rage, he castrated himself and married his wife. In order to get ahead, he decided to enter the palace as a eunuch.

After entering the palace, Wei Zhongxian formed a relationship with Xizong's wet nurse Hakka with his own feelings and have it both ways's means? The right food? A disguised couple composed of a maid-in-waiting and a maid-in-waiting Relying on the background of Hakkas, Wei Zhongxian was soon promoted to be a eunuch in charge of ceremonies from the salary and thrift department.

The dispute between Lindong Party and Yan Party, which was formed in Wanli, changed greatly in the early days of the apocalypse. After Wei Zhongxian's dictatorship, those dismissed by Lindong Party took refuge in Wei Zhongxian in an attempt to make a comeback and suppress Lindong Party.

Cui Chengxiu was impeached by Zuodu Shi Yu Gao Panlong. After being dismissed from office, he generously visited Wei Zhongxian, shamelessly recognized Wei Zhongxian as his adoptive father, and willingly became his minion.

In the fourth year of the Apocalypse (1624), Wei Zhongxian began a tentative attack on Lindong Party, falsely accusing Lindong party member Wang Wenyan as the nephew of Fu Bin and Wei Zhongxian, and sent him to the prison, implicating Zuo Guangdou and Wei Dazhong. Yang Lian, the vice capital's suggestion, angrily listed Wei Zhongxian's twenty-four major crimes. Wei Zhongxian was very scared when he learned this. He went to the emperor and cried, wanting to resign from the East Factory. Zhu Youxiao not only gently comforted Wei Zhongxian, but also issued strict laws to protect Wei Zhongxian.

With Jiazong as the big backer, Wei Zhongxian became increasingly arrogant and constantly suppressed Lindong party member by various means. Zhao Nanxing, Gao Panlong, Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and Wei Dazhong were relieved of their ministerial posts. Ye, a backstage official of the political forces opposed to Wei Zhongxian, was also forced to resign and return to China, which undoubtedly removed the biggest stumbling block for Wei Zhongxian's authoritarianism. Wei Zhongxian promoted his minions to important positions by increasing their ranks and titles. He successively created six gentlemen's prisons and seven gentlemen's prisons for party member in Lindong, which led to the arrest and imprisonment of Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and Wei Dazhong, and eventually died of torture. The more upright forces in the imperial court were greatly eliminated.

From the Cabinet, the Sixth Ministry to local governors and governors, Wei Zhongxian has planted his best friends many times. Wei Zhongxian's nephew relatives? One person gets the word, and the chicken and dog ascend to heaven? His son, Wei Liangqing, was also named Ning Gong, and even took the place of the son of heaven to host sacrifices to heaven and earth and the emperors in the southern suburbs. Their family, Sun He, is a doll under three years old. They are also named Prince Taibao and He. Wei Zhongxian himself is called? Nine thousand nine hundred years old? Many people also build shrines and burn incense for them. Wei Zhongxian's power has reached its limit.

However, what Wei Zhongxian did was just playing with fire and setting himself on fire. He relied on the support of the Sect, who was lazy in politics and was in a fog. Once Xi Zong changed his face or died, he would not come to a good end. Wei Zhongxian also thought of this.

In the seventh year of the Apocalypse (1627), on August 26th, Ming Xizong died in Zhu Youxiao. That night, Wei Zhongxian called the letter king Zhu Youjian into the palace for a wake. I believe that Wang Su knew that Wei Zhongxian was treacherous and consciously had a thorn in his back. He drew his sword and put it on the table. He stayed up all night in the palace in case something happened.

The second day early in the morning, civil and military officials entered the palace and wept bitterly. Wei Zhongxian knelt beside the coffin, eyes red and swollen, crying, and asked Cui Chengxiu to talk privately. The content is unknown. It is said that Wei Zhongxian tried to rebel and ascend to the throne, but Cui Chengxiu thought that the time was not ripe and he was not sure of success, so he gave up.

After Zhu Youjian acceded to the throne, he was called Emperor Chongzhen, and Wei Zhongxian resigned to test it. Because Emperor Chongzhen was not ready and had no permission, he just asked the Hakkas to move out of the palace. Eunuchs began to worry about themselves and looked for their own way out.

On the suggestion, Yang Weiyuan impeached Cui Chengxiu, the minister of the Ministry of War, and thought that Cui Chengxiu's disobedience to his father's funeral was against etiquette. Emperor Chongzhen seized this rare opportunity and immediately ordered Cui Chengxiu to be removed from his post and returned to his native place. This is a clear signal that the emperor wants to attack Wei Zhongxian. Ministers with abnormal political sense of smell immediately impeached Wei Zhongxian. Jiaxing Gong Shengqian also wrote a special article listing several major crimes of Wei Zhongxian: juxtaposing with the former emperors; Engage in internal exercises; No great-grandfather; Deduct and reduce gifts to the captaincy; Despise saints; Abuse of knighthood; Cover up the contribution of border guards; Bribery, back door.

Emperor Chongzhen appreciated Qian's behavior very much, so he summoned Wei Zhongxian and asked the chamberlain to read Qian's article to Wei Zhongxian. Wei Zhongxian was trembling with fear, and hurriedly knelt in front of Emperor Chongzhen and began to cry. Emperor Chongzhen kept silent and didn't say a word, just let the left and right sides drive him out of the door.

Wei Zhongxian was anxious like a cat on hot bricks, busy discussing countermeasures with the Hakkas. The two decided to bribe Xu Yingyuan, the personal eunuch of Emperor Chongzhen, and asked him to mediate. Xu Yingyuan is also very loyal, that is, he went to see Emperor Chongzhen to intercede for Wei Zhongxian. But before he could finish, Emperor Chongzhen severely reprimanded him and beat him with a stick.

1 1 5th of the month, Emperor Chongzhen issued a letter announcing all the crimes of Wei Zhongxian and delivering it to Fengyang. Wei Zhongxian, a bold man, asked the dead he usually recruited to go with him to save his life.

The spy reported all the behaviors of Wei Zhongxian to Emperor Chongzhen, who flew into a rage and decided to arrest Wei Zhongxian. When Wei Zhongxian's best friend Liu Xueyi learned the news, he sent someone to tell Wei Zhongxian that he had better get everything ready. Wei Zhongxian knew he was doomed, so he drank with his cronies until midnight and finally hanged himself.

After Wei Zhongxian's death, Emperor Chongzhen ordered his body to be chopped into meat paste, hung his head in the city gate for public display, and confiscated Hakka property. Emperor Chongzhen, after cutting off the influence of Wei Zhongxian and Hakkas, ordered Han Entropy, a university student, to examine and approve the inverse case headed by Wei Zhongxian, so as to remove all eunuchs, kill them or demote them, and re-enable Lindong party member.

Sadly, Emperor Chongzhen did not believe in being a civil servant. He reused eunuchs and cultivated private forces. Even on the eve of Li Zicheng's visit to Beijing, he accepted the suggestion of eunuch Cao Huachun and buried Wei Zhongxian's body in secret. Wei Zhongxian's resplendent mausoleum in Biyun Temple in Xiangshan was not destroyed until the 40th year of Kangxi (170 1).