origin

In life, you will face all kinds of "temptations". Today, I would like to tell you about "temptation". This incident originated from the article "Ouyang Duwei" in the "Former Notes" written by Zhu Yunming, one of the "Four Talents of Wumen" (that is, the "Four Talents of Jiangnan" Zhu Yunming, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, and Xu Zhenqing).

introduction

The incident happened during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty (the first year of Hongwu to the thirty-first year of Hongwu), as for the specific year of Hongwu, the author of the original text, Zhu Yunming, did not clearly point out. Zhu Yunming is a native of the Ming Dynasty, and the year he was born (the fourth year of Tianshun of Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, 1460 AD) was 62 years from the 31st year of Hongwu (1398 AD) of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. After all, the era in which Zhu Yunming lived was not too far away from the Hongwu era. According to everyone's understanding of the habits of the literati, Zhu Yunming should know very well about the major events that occurred during the Hongwu period. The things mentioned here, Zhu Yunming only said that it was in the Hongwu period, first, it shows that this matter is not an earth-shattering event, and second, it shows that this matter is probably not a letter history of adults and gentlemen sitting in danger and writing straight books. Therefore, this story is likely to be the lace of street talk, and it is likely to be the talk after dinner, and everyone doesn't need to read it with a straight face, relax your spirit, and read it with a smile.

Gossip aside, and see what kind of temptation the emperor can't resist?

Zhu Yuanzhang had a total of sixteen daughters, one of whom married the Ouyang family. I'm a little unsure if there's such a thing. So, I looked up the information and found that what Zhu Yunming said was still well-founded. According to the data, Zhu Yuanzhang's daughter, Princess Anqing, married Ouyang Lun in the fourteenth year of Hongwu (1381 AD). Whether this Ouyang horse is the "Captain of the Horse" in Zhu Yunming's record, there is no way to verify the identity, it can only be said that it may be the same person. In order to avoid controversy, it is better to call this character in the story "Ouyang Concubine". There's a lot of gossip again.

body

It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang married a daughter to the Ouyang family, so the princess's son-in-law is naturally Ouyang Concubine. It may be the uninhibited nature of young people, or it may be impregnated by social customs, this Ouyang colt will occasionally have an affair with a trick/woman. At that time, people with official backgrounds were punished for secretly engaging in tricks/trysts without due process. The official background of the identity of the colt is very obvious, he is not only the son-in-law of the royal family, but also must have a considerable position and rank. Therefore, it was very inappropriate for a colt to drink alcohol without complying with the regulations, and it was not allowed by the legal system at that time. If this kind of behavior is discovered, the girl may be punished with severe criminal penalties.

Once, Ouyang recruited four tricks/women to drink together. He himself thought it was done very tightly and secretly, and it would not be discovered. However, I don't know where it was negligence, or where the news leaked, and the matter of drinking with the tricks/girls or the East Window incident was revealed. When Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, firstly, the laws and regulations were more stringent, and secondly, the implementation of the decrees was also in place, and since the matter had been put on the table, the imperial court could not help but use the pursuit procedure.

It stands to reason that the matter of the horse drinking with the horse is not necessarily the fault of the horse/woman, but the state must not cut off the head of the horse and let the princess be widowed. Then, you can't control one side, you can only start from the other side. Those tricks/women who accompanied Ouyang and the horses to drink and have fun suffered a big disaster now. The official family quickly arrested the tricks/women who accompanied the wine that day. These tricks/women are very clear about the official regulations, and they think that this is over, according to the decree of the imperial court, it must be a capital crime to accompany the official's family to have fun in private.

Normal people, when faced with death, generally do not sit still. In the face of capital crimes, the desire to survive is no different from that of ordinary people.

What can we do to escape the catastrophe and avoid death? After thinking about it, the tricks/girls didn't figure it out. In the end, they thought of a solution, that is, to self-destruct, using such a means of self-punishment and never being able to pick up customers in the future, maybe they will get a glimmer of life. Think about it at the moment of death, life is the most important thing, even the most cherished face of a woman, even the capital to make a living in the future can only take a back seat. At this moment, being able to survive is the first thing.

The idea of the self-destructive appearance of the women/girls somehow reached the ears of an old errand officer. This old errand officer, who has been walking in officialdom for many years, is accustomed to seeing the world's sophisticated feelings, and knows a lot of ways to deal with the world in prison.

Regarding the affair case of the horses and the tricks/women, in fact, this old errand officer has heard the rumors. In his opinion, in fact, drinking with tricks is not a big deal, in the officialdom, there are more people doing this, but Ouyang is unlucky, so he was caught. Relatively speaking, it is not a big deal for Ouyang to be caught, at best, his reputation will be damaged, and his money will be damaged. Fame and money are really not of much importance to Ouyang Concubine. The tricks/women who accompanied Ouyang to drink were miserable, they took their own lives. At this young age, he can accompany the horse master to drink and have fun, of course, he looks very handsome. These girls are a good time for the living, wouldn't it be a pity if they were beheaded?

When the old officer learned that the ladies were going to disfigure themselves in order to save themselves, he immediately went to find what the people today call "stumblers"—however, at that time, without sinning, their business was not considered a "stumble" in the government.

When he saw the girls, the old officer asked them:

"Girls, I heard that you are going to be disfigured to save yourself, and you want to find a way to live?"

One of the girls replied:

"We really have no choice but to use this to save our lives."

When the old officer heard this, he just laughed.

One girl asked:

"The little women's lives are on the verge of death, why is the old man laughing?"

The old officer said:

"I don't know who came up with this method for you, according to the old man's foolish opinion, this is just a bad idea. Doing so will not only not save your lives, but will also cause you to suffer disfigurement before you die! ”

The old errand officer is a person who has seen the world, and in front of these girls, he will not avoid anything, so he speaks straightforwardly.

Although these girls are not very old, they make a living in this sound field, and they have some insight and experience. The women in the Fengyue Field are the best at observing words and colors, and they know best how to distinguish all kinds of people. The girls listened to the old officer's words, and between the words, they carefully looked at the overall image of the old man in front of them, and the girl led by thought in their hearts: This old man is a person who cultivates in the public gate, since he can come and talk, it must not be for no reason, there must be a reason for him. Thinking so, the girl asked the old officer:

"If the old man has a way to save us, the little girls will repay the old man's deep kindness!"

The old errand officer smiled:

"Girl, don't say such a heavy reward for gratitude. Old man, I see that you are young and have not lived much, and you have encountered this murderous disaster, which is somewhat unbearable. The old man has been on an errand for many years, and he has some understanding of human feelings. I have a way to save you, but I have to make it clear......"

When the girls heard that there was a way to get away with their crimes, they were very excited, and one of them interrupted the old errand and asked anxiously:

"What is the magic of the old man, say it quickly, we will do everything you say."

The old officer said slowly:

"This girl, don't be in a hurry. Listen to the old man say, the old man gave you an idea, not in vain, you have to give the old man a thousand taels of silver. ”

The girl at the head said with a smile:

"It's easy to say, as long as money can solve it, it won't be difficult for us."

After that, the girl took out a silver ticket worth five hundred taels from her body, handed it to the old officer, and said:

When the little woman heard the news of the arrest, she secretly hid the silver ticket on her body for the purpose of dredging. There were also some small pieces of silver, and I couldn't take them out. The old man first collected the five hundred taels of silver tickets, and later, the little woman immediately asked someone to give you another five hundred taels. ”

The old errand officer took the silver ticket, folded it neatly, and put it in his pocket. Said with a smile:

"The rest is not in a hurry, if it can save your lives. It's not too late to make it up to me by then. Although the old man has accepted your money, he cannot guarantee that you will be 100% alive. ”

Girl says:

The little woman understands that this public matter is not so simple. As long as the old man can point out a way out, we are already grateful, how dare we ask for any guarantee! ”

The old officer laughed again and said:

"This girl is really sensible. No wonder even the horse master is fascinated by you! ”

At this time, where can the girls still care about listening to other people's words of praise for them, all they think and think about is the strategy of survival. She asked the old officer:

"Don't make fun of it, uncle! May I ask my uncle, where is our way of life? ”

The old errand officer said:

"The old man pointed out the road to you, and the old man was somewhat sure in his heart. You just do what the old man says, don't ask why. ”

The girls replied:

"It's all according to what the old man said."

The old errand officer still spoke in a gentle tone, which was the result of many years of life experience. He said slowly:

"Girl, the disfigurement you think of is actually a fool's cleverness. If you think about it, the Holy One is so wise and clever, doesn't he know how extravagant and presumptuous we are in our daily lives? Something happened to you today, dress up in tatters, and put some scars on your face and pretend to be pitiful. Isn't this a fool of the Holy One, isn't this an insult to the Holy Wisdom? To do so is to clearly deceive the king, and to speed up the speed of his own death. ”

The girl replied:

"What the old man taught me is that it was the little women who thought of this because they were clever and didn't know the depths. If it weren't for you, uncle, we might still applaud the rhythm of self-inflicted death! ”

Old Errand Officer Says:

"I can't blame you for this, most people will probably think of you when they encounter this. People think they are clever and take others for fools. The old man walked in the public gate, and he saw how many high-ranking officials and magnates, all of whom died by themselves. Most of the people in the upper positions, except for a few who are really stupid, are not stupid. They know everything, but many times they don't say it because of various situations. Stop gossiping, talk about your business. ”

The girls said:

"Uncle, please speak!"

Old Errand Officer Says:

"Of course, you can't deceive the Holy One by destroying your image and destroying your appearance. According to me, you must not use disfiguring tricks in your business. Keep your image, as you do on the other day, and weep from the bottom of your heart and with pity! In this way, you may receive the mercy of the Holy One and forgive you of your capital sin. ”

The girl answered:

"What the old man said is true, but the little woman still doesn't understand it very well."

The implication of the girl's words is that everything is so simple, so that this big crime of killing the head can be settled.

The old officer smiled and continued:

"I see what you mean. It's not that simple. Listen to me:

"On the day of the execution, the Holy One will definitely be present. If you just do what I say, you will have a chance to live. ”

The girl asked:

"Dare to ask the old man what to do?"

Old Errand Officer Says:

"On the day of the execution, you must bathe, you must bathe more carefully than usual, you must wash cleanly, and you must not be stained with dust. After bathing, every inch of skin should be carefully greased and powdered from head to toe. Remember, be sure to let your fragrance permeate the space around you, and be sure to use good fat powder, so that the fragrance you emit will make people like it. The application of the skin should also be very careful, and every inch of the skin must be smooth and delicate. ”

When the girls heard this, they secretly thought in their hearts that this old man was really well-informed, and although he didn't know what the intention of doing this was, he could see that he was the master who had seen the world in terms of the old man's grooming requirements for girls.

The old officer paused, and continued:

"Girls, you can't be sloppy in this washing, bathing, grease and powder, and you must be more careful and careful in dressing and dressing! If any of your ornaments and garments are embroidered with gold, use those embroidered with gold, and those who can wear jade, put them on. All jewelry and clothes should be luxurious and elegant, but they should also be generous and decent, comfortable, and not piled up and cumbersome. ”

"And. That is, all the drapes on the body must be exquisite, and they must be meticulous and meticulous. Use the best from the inside out, shirts, underpants, underwear, and underwear should be prepared to wear according to the standards I said. I don't need to hide it, especially to emphasize, close-fitting underwear, you don't despise it, it must be gorgeous and glamorous, remember, underwear can not have half an inch of plain color, must be dazzling, good texture of the material. ”

"Do what I say. The purpose of what I ask for is to make people look at you, to be dazzled, to be able to ripple their spirits. You are from the past, and you should be able to understand what I mean. ”

The girls nodded:

"The little woman just does what the old man says."

"You just do what I say, and then wait for the execution. There is no other way. At this point, the old officer finished explaining his method.

The girl asked again:

"Uncle, what are we going to say when we are executed?"

The old officer said:

"You don't need to say anything, you just need to cry from the bottom of your heart."

Although the girls had doubts in their hearts, they didn't want to ask the old officer anything. Since the old man collected his own money, since the old man said so, there must be his reason in it. The matter has come to this point, and it can only be done according to this method, whether it is life or death, and can only accept fate.

When the girls are caught before the Holy One, they are about to be executed. The saint asked the girls if they had anything else to complain about. The girls just wept pitifully and sadly, and said nothing.

The saint looked at the people on the left and right, and said:

"Tie up a gang of criminals and beat them to death."

According to the law at that time, these prisoners who were to be beaten to death with sticks were not allowed to wear clothes. The person who was about to be tied up motioned to the arrested girls to undress.

The girls were asked to take off their jewelry one by one and take off their clothes one by one. I saw that these girls were wearing gorgeous and bright and dazzling clothes from the outside in. The pearls and jade gold shells that came with him were placed on the ground, and there was such a big pile. Golden, bright, dazzling. In the whole process of their stripping to the point where they were only filthy and almost naked, their attire was not ambiguous at all, and they were very elaborate and exquisite; When their skin is exposed, it is really warm as jade, and the fragrance is touching and soul-stirring, and even the people around them are a little confused and drunk.

When the saint saw this meeting, his heart moved, and a warm flow flowed through his body. He said to the people:

"These little girls, even if they look at it, they will be confused by them. You can imagine what the pony guy will do to them. ”

So, with a face full of anger, the saint asked his subordinates to let the girls go.