Liu Ji

Liu Ji

Liu Ji (December 24, 1427-1493) was named Youzhi and yue'an. Boye (now Boye, Hebei Province) was born in beizhili. He was a political figure in the Ming Dynasty. He served as the chief cabinet assistant from October 23, Chenghua to August 5, Hongzhi (1487-1492).

Liu Ji was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Zhengtong (1448). He once participated in the compilation of Huanyu Tongzhi, Daming Yitong Zhi, Yingzong Shilu and other classics. He also read the classics for mingyingzong and his prince Zhu Jianshen. After Zhu Jianshen succeeded to the throne, he became more and more important. In 1475, he became a member of the cabinet and worked with Wan'an to exclude Liu Xun. After emperor Xiaozong ascended the throne of Ming Dynasty, he became the first assistant of the cabinet. During his term of office, although he had many remonstrations to him with Liu Jian and other cabinet officials, he continued to exclude dissidents. Although he was still attached to the inn, he eventually returned to his hometown in 1492, and died a year later.

Liu Ji, Wan'an and Liu Xun were nicknamed "the three cabinet elders of paper paste" in the Chenghua period because of their dead bodies. He himself was also nicknamed "Liu Mianhua" because he tolerated impeachment and stayed in the cabinet for 18 years.

Life of the characters

Early experience

Liu Ji, with the name of Youzhi, was born in Boye, North Zhili. In 1449, Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty passed the imperial examination. Later, he was selected as a scholar and studied in the Imperial Academy. After three years of study, he stayed in the Imperial Academy as an editor because of his excellent performance. When Liu Ji was a editor, he also served as an official of Jingyan and told the emperor the history of Jingyan. Liu Ji participated in the compilation of the universal general annals, and was promoted to the position of compiling the national history in the Imperial Academy (from six grades). In the fourth year of Tianshun (1460), Liu Ji waited on Zhu Jianshen, the crown prince, and read the classics for him. Later, he returned to his hometown because of his family's funeral.

be successful in one 's official career

In the eighth year of Tianshun (1464), Yingzong died, and the crown prince Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne. After Xianzong ascended the throne, he ordered the historiographers of Hanlin academy to participate in the compilation of Yingzong Shilu, and Liu Ji was recalled to the capital. After Liu Ji arrived in Beijing, because he was still in the period of Ding you's ruling, he wrote a letter to ask for his resignation. Xianzong refused to approve it and promoted him to Shidu (zhengliupin, the official position of the Imperial Academy in charge of classics and History). As soon as yingzongshilu was written, Liu Ji was promoted to a Bachelor of Arts (from Wupin). He was on duty in the Imperial Palace and left to the emperor to read classics and history with other imperial officials. After that, he was promoted many times and lived in the Li Department.

In the 11th year of Chenghua (1475), Liu Ji, together with Liu Yu, the left servant of the Ministry of official affairs, was appointed to serve as the chief of the Hanlin academy, the Hanlin bachelor, to work in the cabinet and participate in the maintenance. Before long, Liu Ji was promoted from Minister of rites to minister of rites.

In the 14th year of Chenghua (1478), Emperor Xianzong took crown prince Zhu Youzhe out of the imperial palace to study. He ordered his ministers Wan'an, Liu Yu and Liu Ji to supervise the officials of Hanlin Academy. In order to reward them, Emperor Xianzong gave them additional officials. Liu Jijin was the crown prince Shaobao and the Bachelor of wenyuange.

In the 18th year of Chenghua (1482), Liu Ji's father died. According to the regulations, Liu Ji had to go home to watch the funeral for three years, but the emperor Xianzong ordered him to continue to use him. On the one hand, Liu Ji falsely and repeatedly wrote a letter of refusal, on the other hand, he secretly went through the door of his relatives and relatives. Finally, the emperor did not agree with Liu Ji's refusal. This year, Liu Ji participated in the compilation of Wenhua Da Xun, a book written, Xianzong Liu Ji into the crown prince Tai Bao, Wu YINGDIAN bachelor.

In the 21th year of Chenghua (1485), Liu Jisheng became the Secretary of the Ministry of household affairs and the Bachelor of Jinshen hall. In the later period of emperor Xianzong's reign of famine, the cabinet officials had no rules and regulations, and most of the Shangshu were mediocre. There was a saying that "paper pasted three cabinet elders, clay sculpture six Shangshu". The three garrisons refer to Wan'an, Liu Min and Liu Ji, and the six ministers refer to Yin min, Yin Qian, Zhou Hongmo, Zhang Peng, Zhang Ying and Liu Zhao. However, in the "paper paste three cabinet elders", Liu Xun was slightly better than Wan'an and Liu Ji, and once denounced Wan'an as "shameless for his country". Wan'an and Liu Ji design to frame Liu Yu, but they still pretend to rescue him. In September of this year, Liu was forced to retire. After that, Peng Hua and Yin Zhi joined the cabinet one after another, while Wan'an and Liu Ji's clique forces were more and more consolidated.

In the 22nd year of Chenghua (1486), Xianzong promoted Liu Ji to Shaobao and Taizi Taifu.

Power and rule

In the 23rd year of Chenghua (1487), Emperor Xianzong died, and Prince Zhu Youzhe ascended the throne as emperor Xiaozong. At that time, there were three cabinet ministers, with Wan An as the leader and assistant. The other two, Yin Zhide, were quoted into the cabinet by the demon Lizi Province, while Liu Ji was married. As long as their official positions are stable and they are promoted according to their seniority, they can do anything ugly. After emperor Xiaozong ascended the throne, Zou Zhi and Jiang Hong wrote to impeach the assistant ministers of the cabinet, saying that Wan'an, Yin Zhi and Liu Ji were villains and should be expelled from the cabinet. Therefore, Liu Ji hated Zou Zhi and Jiang Hong like bone.

Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty removed Wan'an and Yin Zhi from the cabinet, leaving Liu Ji to succeed him and adding Xu Pu and Liu Jian to the cabinet to participate in the maintenance. After Liu Ji became the first assistant of the cabinet, in order to get a good relationship with the officials of science and Taoism, so that they would not continue to expose themselves, he once proposed to move them over. However, the Taoist officials didn't accept him and didn't stop exposing him. Liu Ji was impeached one after another by Zhang Sheng, the son of Zuo Shu, Cao Li, Ouyang Dan, Nanjing, and Chen Song. Liu Ji was very angry and found an excuse to expel Zhang Sheng from the court. After that, Zou Zhi and Xiang Xiang were imprisoned and demoted to remote areas, and Jiang Hong was demoted. Liu Ji conspired with eunuch Jiang Cong to expel Southern censor Jiang Wan from the court. Because Liu Ji Li used his power to crowd out dissidents, the Taiwan government offices (government offices) at that time were idle. From then on, the ministers inside and outside the court did not dare to face up to Liu Ji, and the number of people who impeached him decreased a lot.

sail with the wind

After Xiaozong ascended the throne, only Liu Ji kept the old cabinet officials. He saw that Xiaozong was an emperor who made great efforts to rule the country and dethroned the sycophants. The new cabinet officials Xu Pu and Liu Jian were all noble people, so they were more careful. Because Liu Ji is the head of the cabinet, whenever Xu Pu and Liu Jian put forward suggestions, Liu Ji always signed his own name, and these suggestions are often correct. Liu Ji steals his good name to cover up his shortcomings.

In February of the second year of Hongzhi (1489), there was a drought. Xiaozong asked the cabinet minister to lead the Confucian minister to write the prayer for rain. Liu Ji and others said: "in the past, the demons Lizi province and Deng changen were favored and valued for offering evil prescriptions to the former Emperor (Xianzong). Recently, some evil villains followed the practice of Lizi province and Deng changen. They observed that the weather was changing and it was going to rain, so they wrote to the emperor to pray for rain, so as to show that the gods had come true and could be favored and valued by the emperor. Once the door of favoring evil villains is opened, more and more people rush to write to pray for rain in order to obtain the emperor's favor, but it brings disaster to the country. For this reason, ministers dare not take orders to write prayers for rain. " Xiaozong understood the meaning of this, and ordered to stop the matter.

In May of the second year of Hongzhi (1489), there was a disaster in the world. Liu Ji and others wrote a letter asking Xiaozong to cultivate virtue to prevent minor mistakes. They also asked Xiaozong to be a diligent emperor from beginning to end. In August, Liu Ji and others wrote about seven major events conducive to the national economy and people's livelihood. At that time, the Daiwang offered Haiqing to the imperial court. Liu Ji and others said that the emperor had already announced when he ascended the throne. If you don't accept the tribute from the world, please don't accept it.

In March of the third year of Hongzhi (1490), Liu Ji and other cabinet ministers remonstrated: "the emperor is respectful, thrifty, benevolent, and diligent in governance, which is different from the former Emperor. We should cut down all our hobbies. If you ask the emperor to do the same as the emperor, the emperor should take Taizu and Taizong as an example to reprimand and drive them away. The rule handed down by our ancestors is that there should be a time limit for banquets and entertainment. The emperor can follow the practice of his ancestors. "

In April of 1490, the envoys of Turpan paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. When the envoys were about to return, Emperor Xiaozong ordered the cabinet to draft imperial edicts and send middle officials to see them off. Liu Ji and others said that the etiquette towards Turpan envoys should not be too generous, lest they despise the emperor and the Central Plains. Xiaozong accepted their advice and stopped it. Then, Liu Ji and others remonstrated that Turpan committed many evils, only because the conditions for fighting against Turpan were not mature, and troops were not launched for the time being, but the pass should still be closed. This time, Turpan's tribute to the Ming court was a plan to postpone the war, but the frontier generals had already sent the envoys to the Beijing division according to the custom, so they only reduced the hospitality to the envoys and did not refuse them. At the same time, Liu Ji and others suggested starving the lions who paid tribute to Turpan, saying: "lions and beasts eat two sheep a day, which is 720 a year, and they have to use 50 soldiers to guard them every day. This is a waste. We should cut off the food sources of these beasts and let them starve to death slowly." The suggestion of starving the lion was not adopted by Xiaozong.

In December of the third year of Hongzhi (1490), the astrology changed. Liu Ji and others said: "recently, the disaster stars appear in the sky. The diviners say that this is a sign of war, famine, floods and droughts. This year, drought and locust plagues occurred in Beijing, Zhili, Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi, and the harvests in Sichuan and Huguang were not good. If this is still the case next year, I'm afraid there will be a lot of thieves, and war will not be avoided. I hope that the emperor can be thrifty, dismiss the concept of banquets and pleasure tours, reject slander and heresy, and study the classics and history carefully to seek the truth of governing the country. As for building bridges in Shahe, building porcelain in Jiangxi, and repairing walls in Nanhaizi, they are not urgent at present. They should all stop. " Xiaozong greatly appreciated and adopted this suggestion. At that time, Emperor Xiaozong was confused and close to the officials of alchemy. He was very superstitious in praying for something that could be done. So people issued a scripture card to let the cabinet ministers write praises, and also asked them to draw up the title of the God general. Liu Ji and others strongly urged the emperor to reject false words.

Chinese PinYin : Liu Ji