In the Song Dynasty, Yue Fei's Legacy of the Ruling and Opposition, without mentioning the author's name, described the scene before Yue Fei was killed:
In the eleventh year of Shaoxing (11), on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Qin Gui was thinking hard about how to settle the case that Yue Fei and his son were imprisoned in Dali Temple for more than two months. At this moment, Mrs. Wang came in. Knowing that her husband was considering how to deal with the Yue Fei case, she said, "Is" xianggong "so indecisive? You know, it's easier to catch a tiger than to let it go! " Qin Gui this just suddenly enlighted. He took a pen and paper and wrote a few words, then he sent people to prison. In the proposal, Wan Cheng Division Association obeyed the order and interrogated Yue Fei again, forcing Yue Fei to make a commitment in advance on a fabricated confession. Yue Fei looked up at the sky with infinite sadness, and then wrote eight big characters on the confession, "Every day is bright, every day is bright." Soon, Yue Fei was poisoned and Zhang Xi 'an and Yue Yun were beheaded. This is the so-called "Qin Gui punishes Yue Fei", and Song Gaozong Zhao Gou is just a confused emperor at the mercy of traitors.
However, the complete judgment of this case is kept in Li Xinchuan's Miscellaneous Notes of the Ruling and Opposition since the Strict Establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Wrong Certificate of Twelve Yue Shaobao. The front line is full of rumors and slanders from the prison department and accusations from Luo Zhi. The verdict is: "Yue Fei's private crime was beheaded, and Zhang Xian's private crime was distorted." "Yue Yun Private Offender" is, of course, "Today's imperial edict roots can be explored, and the imperial edict is cut together." Later, he said: "There is an imperial decree: Yue Feite gave death, and Zhang Xian and Yue Yun obeyed the military law, so that Yang Zhong supervised the army and beheaded it, but sending more troops will protect it. I am broken. " It can be seen that this case was dealt with by imperial edict and finally decided by Song Gaozong, so Zhao Gou should be the mastermind of this case.
After Yue Fei was rehabilitated, his son Yue Lin began to collect information and sort out his father's history, and entrusted him with this important task when his son York died. With people's help, York compiled 28 volumes of Nazi Collection of Jin Tuo and 30 volumes of sequel, which made considerable achievements and partially restored the true colors of history. However, because my grandfather was rehabilitated under the regime of Zhao and Song Dynasties, the author can only try his best to avoid the contradiction with Yue Fei and objectively excuse the emperor, so that he has to distort some historical truths. In particular, York should have read the relevant materials of the above files, but he would rather quote unofficial history's description, saying that Qin Gui wrote a note and gave it to the prison officer to kill Yue Fei. Of course, the difficulty is pitiful, but the result of such painstaking concealment has a great influence on the record of this matter in later generations, especially on the interpretation of novels and plays. Therefore, since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, historians still hold different opinions on this case.
In the middle of Ming Dynasty, Wen Zhiming, a famous scholar in Suzhou, wrote the poem Red River for Yuefei Temple in Hangzhou;
Wipe away the remains of the inscription, and the flying word is faintly readable. How important it was to fly at first, and how cool it was later! If you succeed, you die, but poor things cannot be redeemed. The most innocent is even more pitiful, storm prison!
Don't hesitate, Central Plains Cu, don't study, Qin Hui is humiliated, but Qin Hui has returned, what is this body! For thousands of years, if you don't talk about crossing the south, you are afraid of the Central Plains! You can't do anything to get what you want!
The author clearly shows the intention of writing this word, that is, pointing out that the mastermind and culprit of killing Yue Fei should be Song Gaozong Zhao Gou, not the traitor Qin Gui. This word means that from Emperor Gaozong, Yue Jiajun was extremely unwilling to return to the Central Plains. Welcome back to Emperor Qin, and judge that Zhao Gou was most afraid of "returning to Qin, where is this body!" So in order to keep the throne, Zhao Gou would rather get rid of Yue Fei and his army first, so as to avoid such future trouble. Therefore, Zhao Gou's killing of Yue Fei is the inevitable result of this contradiction. Qin Gui's role in this unjust prison is only to cater to or carry out it according to Song Gaozong's wishes.
Since then, those who agree with Wen Zhiming's view have been further demonstrated on the basis of more conclusive evidence from time to time. As some scholars have pointed out, this case was called "Imperial Prison" at that time, that is, the prison designated by the emperor, where there was no truth that Emperor Gaozong did not know. Some scholars believe that in the seventh year of Shaoxing (1 137), Yue Fei intervened in the establishment of a store by a military commander in the imperial court, which caused great dissatisfaction from Emperor Gaozong. Some scholars pointed out that after his death, he warned his officials more than once that it was his own decision to make peace with Kim, and no one was allowed to object because of his death, so as to shake the established national policy. The Yue Fei case should also belong to the established national policy of "making peace with gold", so the culprits should be Zhao Gou and Song Gaozong.
However, the view that Qin Gui is the main murderer still has advantages in society. For example, Qian Cai's Yue Zhuan in the Qing Dynasty described it as a spy sent. Yue Fei defeated Jin Wushu's army in Zhuxian Town, and Wu Shu wrote to Qin Gui to find a way to kill Yue Fei. So, Qin Gui persuaded the emperor to send Yue Jiajun back with twelve gold medals, and made a false imperial edict to put Yue Fei in Dali Temple prison. Under the collusion of Wan Sixie, Zhang Jun and Luo Ruzhen, Yue Fei was charged with trumped-up crimes, and Yue Yun and Zhang Xian were trapped and tortured to extract confessions all day long, but the three of them would rather die than surrender, and there was no confession. It has been delayed for more than two months. Qin Gui was worried that things would reach the ears of Emperor Gaozong. As soon as the father-in-law was released, he discussed with his wife Wang how to explain to Jin Wushu. Wang made a secret order in the orange, and ordered Dali Temple to kill his father and son at midnight tonight. Qin Gui listened to the big, immediately do it. Yue Fei thought that the imperial edict had come down, and personally bound Yue Yun and Zhang Xian who tried to rebel, and was finally strangled.
Such a story has become a household name among the people. As we all know, the traitor is the chief culprit in killing the national hero Yue Fei. Therefore, today, Wang, Zhang Jun and other traitors kneel at the tomb of Yue in Hangzhou, and ten thousand people revile them. In fact, since modern times, many scholars have also given strong evidence in the textual research of historical events, such as the biography of Yue Fei by Deng Guangming, an authority on Song history. Chapter 19 of the book is entitled "Qin Gui and Zhang Jun wantonly framed Luo Zhi, and Yue Fei, Yue Yun and Zhang Xian were killed", focusing on demonstrating that "Yue Fei was illegally dismissed from office", "Wang Diaoer falsely accused Zhang Xian" and "Yue Fei was imprisoned, tried and murdered" were deliberately framed by a group of traitors headed by Qin Gui. And demonstrate that "Zhao Gou did not hear about this matter when he made the plan of this unjust case, but after hearing it, he only expressed' terror' and did not mean to stop it; In the future, I will let Qin Gui go and do it without objection. "
Deng Guangming's Biography of Yue Fei used another chapter to prove that "Qin Gui was the chief culprit in killing Yue Fei". People think that in the process of hurting Yue Fei and his son, it is impossible for Qin Gui and Wan Sixie to hastily concoct related charges and criminal names. Therefore, after Yue Fei's father and son were killed, the verdict was concocted by means of backward flow, and it was also to cover up the traces of his factual behavior. "He also refuted Wen Zhiming's view that beggars can do anything, affirmed that Qin Gui was a spy sent to Qin Gui by Xu Jin in the Southern Song Dynasty, and thought that Qin Gui had gradually gained the position of usurping power over the DPRK, and it was entirely possible to correct the murder. Therefore, the Yue Fei prison case is called "imperial edict, but not imperial edict".
Wang Zengyu, an expert in the history of Song Dynasty, tried to clarify this view through comprehensive discussion in The Biography of Yue Fei: Song Gaozong was the chief culprit in killing Yue Fei. It has been pointed out that Zhao Gou is by no means incompetent. He is knowledgeable and knows it by heart, reading "more than a thousand words a day". The martial arts function of "one arrow and five carvings", that is, a bow that can pull 160 kilograms, should be considered superior at that time. After the difficult and sinister course in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, in the eleventh year of Shaoxing (1 14 1), Zhao Gou became the emperor for fifteen years, from a flower in a deep palace to a very cunning and sinister supreme ruler. In October this year, more than a month before Yue Fei was killed, Zhao Gou was still warning his ministers: "The power of man is arbitrary!"
Although Qin Gui was the prime minister, he didn't have that much power to murder such a respected minister as Yue Fei without going through the emperor. In the early years of Shaoxing, Qin Gui took a fancy to Zhao Gou, but because Qin Gui was eager to plant the party's authority, he was quickly dismissed. Emperor Gaozong also personally wrote down his crimes and reported them to the ruling party and the opposition party to show that he could not tolerate them. In the eighth year of Shaoxing (1 138), he couldn't wait to make peace with Jin before he came into use again. This time, Qin Gui had to learn from the previous lesson, but the emperor did the same, doing things carefully, so as to develop steadily. This winter, for peace talks, Qin Gui was still worried about the strike that year. Afraid that the emperor would make the same mistake again, he said to the emperor alone: "If your majesty is determined to make peace, please make a decision, discuss it with ministers alone, and do not allow ministers to interfere, then it is ok;" Otherwise it is useless. " After the emperor approved it, he asked the emperor to "think carefully for three days." Three days later, he wanted Emperor Gaozong to "think for three more days". Three days later, when Qin Gui was "firm in knowledge and meaning", he put forward a peace proposal. He began to win the favor of the emperor because he could carefully ponder the inner world of Emperor Gaozong and then meet the needs of Zhao Gou according to the situation.
It is generally believed that the contradiction between Emperor Gaozong and Yue Fei mainly lies in the army's northern expedition and welcoming the "double saints", because if Qin Zong returns to the DPRK, Emperor Gaozong will not be able to keep the throne. This is actually a guess that future generations take for granted, which is not very credible. When Song and Jin negotiated, they talked about "welcoming the two saints" several times, and Shaoxing almost succeeded in eight years. Emperor Gaozong once wrote a letter: "The palace of Emperor Sheng Yuan (Qin Zong) was ordered to be built by Lin 'an House", and Qin Zong was ready to come back and take good care of his life. Because Emperor Gaozong clearly knew that Qin Zongding must have been exhausted after such a painful captive career, and his return would not threaten his throne. It can be seen that on the issue of "welcoming two saints", Zhao Gou does not need to avoid Yue Fei. The emperor had a bad feeling towards Yue Fei, and later he "had the intention of killing Fei". It was not a day's work. There is a process of development and accumulation, which is also closely related to Yue Fei's personal temperament.
For example, in the seventh year of Shaoxing (1 137), Emperor Gaozong, on impulse, entrusted Yue Fei with the task of northern expedition, and then cancelled his power of attorney. Yue Fei left his post in a rage and went to Lushan to pay homage to his mother. This made Emperor Gaozong very angry and warned Yue Fei that "whoever violates our laws only has the ears of the sword" and so on. This means murder. What annoyed Emperor Gaozong most was Yue Fei's resolute anti-gold attitude and a series of actions. For example, in the second year, Yue Fei's request for more troops once again violated Zhao Gou's suspicion and was rejected. Afterwards, Yue Fei recalled the throne, insisted on "irreconcilable" and begged the whole army to "recapture old Xinjiang". The emperor completely ignored it. In the ninth year of Shaoxing (1 139), Song made peace with Jin and Yue Fei submitted their resignations with regret. The following year, Jin Wushu broke the contract and went south on a large scale. Yue Jiajun won the first battle, but was forced to dispatch troops. "Ten years of painstaking efforts are wasted once" and he resigned angrily. Although Emperor Gaozong refused to accept Yue Fei's repeated resignation, he became increasingly jealous of Yue Fei's outspoken behavior.
In the 11th year of Shaoxing (1 14 1), Shanxi jinbing invaded the west of Huaihe River. The imperial court sent Zhang Jun, Yang Cunzhong and Liu Yong to meet them, and ordered Yue Fei to lead the troops eastward. When Yue Fei led the army to arrive, the nomads from the Huai and Huai Dynasties had already crossed. Yue Fei's reinforcements have been delayed by half a beat. The first reason is that he has a "cold and cough" (cold), and the second reason is that the troops are "short of food". I wonder if anyone is dissatisfied with Emperor Gaozong's obstruction of the Northern Expedition. However, the futility of aiding Huai quickly became an excuse for Yue Fei's persecution. According to the notes written by Qin Gui's cronies, "Wang Ciweng's readme", in February and March of the 11th year of Shaoxing, "there was the intention of punishing flying people", which was esoteric. It is in this will that Qin Gui began to organize and deploy unjust imprisonment to persecute Yue Fei.
In fact, the crux of the matter is: How powerful was Qin Gui at that time? Did you "take advantage of the situation to be king" and play with the emperor? Some scholars pointed out that although Qin Gui was highly valued by the emperor, it was only a favorite. Never manipulate the emperor at will, let alone eliminate dissidents by means of rectification. For example, in the ninth year of Shaoxing (1 139), the editor-in-chief of the Privy Council opposed the peace talks with Jin, demanding "decapitation, covering the streets" to thank the world. This condemnation soon spread widely, and Emperor Gaozong ordered Hu Quan to be "sent to Zhaozhou for editing and management". Although Qin Gui hated Hu Quan, he "wanted to kill him first and then kill him", but in the later years, he could not use a butcher's knife on this humble editor. This is especially true for a small official like Hu Quan, and Yue Fei, a distinguished lieutenant of the Council, cannot be disposed of without authorization. It is worth noting that in the Song Dynasty, there was still a set of strict judicial procedures for the trial and prison booking of major cases, especially for Dali Temple, which had detailed provisions on trial, detailed judgment, sentencing, appraisal and trial. Although Qin Gui's treacherous court official can play a certain role in it, the ultimate ruling power is still in the hands of the emperor. No matter how severe Qin Gui is, it is impossible to publicly "correct and order" to kill the minister. After Qin Gui's death, Emperor Gaozong rehabilitated some people, and many ministers asked for the rehabilitation of Yue Fei, but Emperor Gaozong always ignored it, from which we can see Zhao Gou's positive attitude towards this case.
Some scholars believe that on the issue of killing Yue Fei, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Gui have their own plans and use each other. In his opinion, Yue Fei is the biggest obstacle to his surrender. It's hard to make peace without killing Yue Fei. In Emperor Gaozong's view, what is more important is the so-called "punishment of staying arrogant", which is to set an example for him and let him control the generals more freely and control political affairs and military power. Therefore, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Gui are playing the trick of "using and supplementing each other", so Yue Fei must die.
At present, it can be said that many historians tend to think that the culprit is Song Gaozong. However, it is puzzling: Why did Zhao Gou kill Yue Fei, a general who relied on himself as a military pillar? The reason is still controversial. Some people think that Yue Fei violated the emperor's heart disease on the issue of "welcoming the two saints". Some people think that preventing military commanders from having excessive military power has always been a family law observed by Zhao and Song, and Yue Fei, who has high power, is regarded as a potential threat to imperial power. Some people think that Yue Fei's character is honest and frank, stubborn, often sharp-edged, and does not deliberately hide his strength. He didn't know how to preserve his sanity and go his own way, which made the emperor feel that Yue Fei was in charge of the military power and was difficult to control, so that after the military power was seized, he still didn't want to let Yue Fei go and set an example for him. Some people think that Yue Fei overstepped his authority on the issue of building storage and made a big taboo. Some scholars believe that before the Shaoxing peace talks, Jin Wushu was said to have the condition of "killing Yue Fei first, then making peace". In order to show the sincerity of peace, Zhao Gou had to get rid of Yue Fei. Some scholars in Taiwan Province even suggested that the emperor especially missed his biological mother. Empress Wei, who was captured by the Jin people, once told the Jin people that as long as the empress dowager was put back, any conditions could be agreed. Jin people took advantage of Gao Zong's psychology and forced him to do so in exchange for releasing his mother and killing Yue Fei. In other words, the decision is always made by combining all kinds of contradictions.
The battle for the culprit who killed Yue Fei seems to be getting clearer and clearer; However, the reason why Emperor Gaozong killed Yue Fei is still controversial. This can also be regarded as a major feature of China's traditional autocratic political rule.