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魏忠賢閹人也，明末肅寧人。於明神宗時入宮為小太監。熹宗立，蒙帝之乳母推荐，而得帝寵，掌管東廠（特務機關），藉機植黨，專權橫行，殘害忠良。當時，顧憲成辭官歸裡，於東林書院講學，評論時政；正義君子擁護，無恥小人反對，推魏為領袖，極力壓迫，毀全國書院，禁止講學，指東林黨為叛國老，乃囚禁之。諂媚之徒，便全國為魏立生祠，佔民房四千餘所，尊如帝王。後被思宗所誅，為民除害，大快人心。
註解：
《水鏡回天錄》是《春秋》的手筆，是分褒貶，別善惡，所以有人看了這本書的時候，善者可以為法，不善者可以為戒。人看了之後，就諸惡不做，眾善奉行。因為諸惡不作，就挽回天意；眾善奉行，就體會到天地好生之德。所以寫這一部書，我在十幾年以前，就開始寫了。
這本書預備寫幾十萬字，所以先給你們各位講一講，大家先聽著，覺得有什麼地方不對，我們隨時可以修改，令其正確一點。現在是評論明朝的魏忠賢。魏忠賢這個名字，好像很好，可是卻名實不相副，掛羊頭賣狗肉；說是忠賢，其實既不忠，也不賢，壞透了，對國家和人民造了無量的罪。魏忠賢是閹人，明末肅寧人，在明神宗時被人介紹入宮為小太監。
歷朝以來，皇宮內一向很黑暗，很多事令人很不平。譬如清朝咸豐皇帝知道慈禧太后年輕貌美，很不守規矩，死時留遺詔給東太后，即慈安太后，萬一慈禧有什麼不對，她隨時可取出皇帝的詔書，把慈禧殺了，不許可她作亂。慈安太后老實忠厚，與慈禧太后相處三十多年，相安無事，覺得耿耿於懷，對不起慈禧，於是乎拿出咸豐皇帝的遺詔給慈禧看。慈禧太后看了怒氣沖天，先下手為強，把詔書燒了，當晚就下毒把慈安毒死。慈安本來以仁義待人，想不到招了殺身之禍，七孔流血而死，誰也不知道她怎麼死的。宮裡黑暗之事有說不完那麼多。
魏忠賢是太監，非男非女：你說他是男的，他不是男的，也不會長鬍子；你說他是女的，他也不是女的：在宮中靠諂媚得寵。熹宗立，因帝之乳母推薦：「魏忠賢是宮裡最好的。」熹宗信任乳母，不理朝政。魏忠賢掌管東廠，有權有勢，上瞞天子，下欺百姓。他的暗殺機構說殺誰就殺誰，殘殺很多忠義之士。當時顧憲成眼看這種宦官在作怪，覺得很不值得做官，於是辭去官位，回去無錫，於東林學院講學，認真評論時政，想栽培青年學子，繼承國家大事，將來好整頓朝廷內錯誤的朝政。有正義的君子都擁護他：善於投機拍馬諂媚的無恥小人，覺得對他們不利，結黨擁護掌握朝政的魏忠賢，做他的走狗，稱顧憲成為東林黨，極力壓迫，毀除全國書院，囚禁東林黨人。
待續 |
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Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch who lived at the end of Ming Dynasty. He was from Shuning. He came to the palace to serve as a young eunuch during Emperor Shen's reign. When Emperor Xi ascended the throne, he was recommended by Xi's wet nurse and won the trust of the emperor. He was given the responsibility of managing Dongchang— a national intelligence agency. He took the opportunity to form a clique and used his position to oppress loyal and good people. At the time the government official Gu Xian-cheng resigned from his post and returned home to lecture at Donglin (Eastern Forest) Academy, criticizing the political situation. Righteous people supported him and petty ones opposed him. The latter, with Wei as their leader, suppressed Gu, destroyed all the academies in the nation, and prohibited lecturing. They accused Donglin of being a rebellious faction and put its members in prison. The flatterers of Wei honored him as if he were an emperor and set up shrines all over the nation for him, occupying by force over four thousand civilian houses for this purpose. However, Wei was later killed by Emperor Si. The people were greatly relieved and overjoyed to finally be rid of this baneful influence.
Commentary:
Reflections in Water and Mirrors: Turning Back the Tides of Destiny is styled after the
Spring and Autumn Annals. My wish is to restore justice by distinguishing good from evil, praising the proper and criticizing the improper. I hope that after reading this book, we may learn from the good and stay away from evil, practicing all good deeds and avoiding all improper ones. If we can do this, maybe we can change the course of our destiny and realize heaven's virtue of nurturing all life.
I plan to write several tens of thousands of words. I am telling you now so if you have any improvements to suggest, bring it up and I will make corrections. Together we will make this book reflect the truth more accurately. Today we will critique Wei Zhongxian. The characters of his name zhong (loyal) and xian (worthy) certainly have a good meaning, but in reality he was neither loyal nor worthy. In fact, he was rotten to the core and committed offenses beyond anyone's reckoning. He "hung out a sheep's head and sold dog meat." He was from Shuning and at the end of Ming Dynasty he was introduced into the imperial palace to serve as a junior eunuch.
Throughout history the imperial court has always been full of corruption. There have been many injustices. For instance, in the Qing Dynasty Emperor Xianfeng knew that the woman who later became Queen Mother Cixi was young, attractive, and ambitious, so before he died he left an imperial decree to his queen (later known as Queen Mother Ci'an). The decree stated that if Cixi did not behave herself, Ci'an could order her execution. Ci'an was very wholesome and kind and after getting along very well with Cixi for over thirty years, she felt guilty for holding this imperial decree behind Cixi's back.
One day she showed it to Cixi, who burned it and murdered Ci'an by poisoning her that same night. Ci'an had treated Cixi with kindness, but in return she lost her own life. She died a violent death, with blood flowing from her seven orifices. No one knew how she was murdered. That is why I said that there are countless skeletons in the closet in all the imperial courts.
Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch; he was neither male nor female. He could not be considered a man since he could not grow a beard. He could not be considered a woman either. He won the emperor's favor by flattery. When Emperor Xi came to power, Wei was recommended by the emperor's wet nurse. She said, "Wei Zhongxian is the best person in the whole palace." Emperor Xi trusted his wet nurse and ignored the affairs of state. He entrusted Dongchang, the national intelligence agency, to Wei and made him a powerful and influential figure. When Wei was in charge of Dongchang, he used his authority to cheat the emperor and oppress the citizens. He assassinated whomever he wished, and many loyal and righteous people lost their lives. Gu Xiancheng was a government official who resigned from his post feeling discouraged that the eunuchs were in control and acting unscrupulously. He returned to his hometown, Wuxi, and started teaching at Donglin Academy. In his lectures he gave serious critiques of government affairs in order to train his students to be able to manage national affairs someday and reform the government. Righteous people supported him and petty ones opposed him.
To be continued |
