How did Shen Wansan die? Legend has it that Shen Wansan was executed because he was too rich!

Brief introduction and cause of death of Shen Wansan: The legendary richest man in Jiangnan, Shen Wansan, was so rich that even Zhu Yuanzhang coveted it, so much so that he was killed and his family was destroyed. Is this really the case? Why did the Shen family end up like this? Is it really because they are too rich?

Shen Wansan is worshiped as the living god of wealth by the people

Known as "China's No. 1 Water Town Zhouzhuang is known as "the town is a country, surrounded by water". The river passes through the town. "Everyone traveling within a short distance requires a boat", which is full of poetry and painting. Next to a small bridge in the water town, a middle-aged woman scolded a child who had dropped a grain of rice: "Do you have a Shen Wansan at home?" This sentence is very interesting, that is, there is no rich man like Shen Wansan in the family. He must know how to be diligent and frugal and not spend too much money. In many places in the Yangtze River Delta, ordinary people can tell a story about Shen Wansan. As Zhouzhuang became a tourist attraction, Shen Wansan's former residence, Shen Hall (said to have been renovated during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty), attracted many visitors. The "Wansan Hoof" and "Wansan Cake" sold in small shops in the town also made The tourists not only feast their eyes but also enjoy their taste. The story of Shen Wansan spread like wildfire and spread all over the world.

Shen Wansan is indeed worthy of our exploration. Since the Ming Dynasty, Shen Wansan has almost become synonymous with rich people. During the Jiajing period, Yan Song came to power. A Bingchen Jinshi from Jiaxing County, Zhejiang Province spent 23,000 taels of silver to buy the head of the Civil Service Examination Department, which earned him the nickname "Shen Wansan Official" at the time. In the "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua" published during the Wanli period, Pan Jinlian repeatedly yelled a sentence that is very impressive: "Shen Wansan in Nanjing, withered willow trees in Beijing, a person's name, the shadow of a tree." The meaning of this sentence is that , everything exists objectively, just like Shen Wansan in Nanjing has a reputation, and the dead willow trees in Beijing have shadows, which cannot be covered up even if they want to. It can be said that Shen Wansan is famous all over the country, and is known to all women and children.

In Zhouzhuang, Shen Wansan has become the god of wealth respected by generations; the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing also retains Shen Wansan’s memory, and the ancient city walls carry the story of Shen Wansan’s cornucopia; even in distant Yunnan, There are traces of Shen Wansan's activities. The various rumors about the richest man in Jiangnan are confusing and confusing, and people still ponder it.

Portrait of Shen Wansan

Shen Wansan was indeed a man who was "as rich as any country". How "rich" was he? According to the "History of the Ming Dynasty", Shen Wansan rewarded his private school teacher: "For every article completed, the reward is platinum in yi." Platinum is silver, and one "yi" is twenty taels. Such a high remuneration for just one article shows Shen Wansan's family fortune. When Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the city-building plan, the brick-making unit alone involved the First Department (Ministry of Works), the Third Guards (Garrison Guards), five provinces, 28 prefectures, 118 counties, and three towns. Shen Wansan alone was responsible for the more than ten kilometers of city wall from Hongwu Gate to Shuixi Gate, accounting for one-third of the entire project. Kong Er's "Yun Jiao Guan Ji Tan" in the Ming Dynasty said that the Shen family "had dozens of hectares of land, and dug canals to divert water to supply wine." This means that the Shen family needed dozens of hectares of land to make wine and divert water. Such a family property is staggering. . Tian Yiheng of the Ming Dynasty also wrote in "Liu Qing Rizha": Zhu Yuanzhang was going to reward the three armies, and Shen Wansan said that he would give the reward on his behalf. Zhu Yuanzhang deliberately made things difficult: I have an army of millions, how can you spread it all over? Unexpectedly, Shen Wansan responded generously: I would like to reward each army with one tael of gold! Based on this, people today may be able to understand why Shen Wansan is known as the "richest man in Jiangnan".

How Shen Wansan got rich has always been a mystery. The most legendary and widely circulated theory is undoubtedly the "cornucopia" theory. It is said that when Shen Wansan was poor, he saw a farmer carrying more than a hundred frogs, so he kindly bought them and released them. Unexpectedly, the next day, he saw many frogs gathered in an earthen basin and did not disperse, so he took the earthen basin home and used it to wash his hands. Once, when his wife was washing her hands, she accidentally dropped a silver hairpin in the basin. Unexpectedly, the silver hairpin changed from two to four, and soon the basin was full. Shen Wansan was said to be the richest man in the world, and it was said that he was a member of the Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing. The ancient name Jubaomen also comes from this. It is also said that Shen Wansan knew the "Golden Touch" and could turn objects into gold, so there was an endless supply of gold. There is also a theory of wealth sharing. In the Yuan Dynasty, there was a wealthy family named Lu Deyuan in Wujiang, and Shen Wansan managed his accounts and finances for him. Later, Lu became disillusioned with the world of mortals, left home for a trip, and handed over his wealth to Shen Wansan, who became a "rich Jiangnan family". In addition, there are also legends such as Shen Wansan obtaining crow stone or horseshoe gold from a fisherman, which are all very magical.

Disaster fell from the sky. How much money does Shen Wansan have?

It is said that after Shen Wansan became rich, he regarded Suzhou as an important business place. He once supported the Zhou regime of Zhang Shicheng in Pingjiang (Suzhou), and Zhang Shicheng also established a monument and biography for Shen Wansan. In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang made Nanjing his capital. Shen Wansan's two sons were appointed officials by Zhu Yuanzhang because of his merit in building the city wall. But soon, Shen Wansan was sent to the army by Zhu Yuanzhang and spent the rest of his life in Yunnan.

The revised version of "Ciyuan" in 1979 records: "Shen Wansan was born in Wuxing in the Ming Dynasty, with the courtesy name Zhongrong. He later moved to Suzhou. He was extremely wealthy and was said to be the first family in Jiangnan. Zhu Yuanzhang established his capital in Nanjing, summoned him, and ordered him to present his gifts at the end of the year. A thousand ingots of platinum, a hundred catties of gold, Jiama Qiangu, and a lot of money were taken from his family. Later, he was sent to Yunnan (one theory is Liaoyang), and his descendants were still rich and prosperous. There is a lot of folklore, but there are many books. There are discrepancies in the records, making it difficult to determine in detail.

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A widely circulated theory among the people is that Zhu Yuanzhang did not find any evidence of Shen Wansan's crime at first, and Shen Wansan's wealth did not seem to be illegal. Shen Wansan probably also understood the principle of a big tree attracting trouble, so he wanted to take the initiative to repay the favor to ensure safety. Around the sixth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1373), when he learned that the capital (now Nanjing) was going to build a city wall, he took the initiative to bear one-third of the cost to build the city wall from Hongwumen to Shuiximen. He also paid tribute to Zhu Yuanzhang with dragon horns and He presented two thousand ingots of platinum, two hundred catties of gold, ten soldiers, and ten horses. At the same time, he built 1,654 verandahs and four restaurants in Nanjing. In addition, Shen Wansan even expressed his willingness to donate money as a reward. Sergeant. Who knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and wanted to put Shen Wansan to death: How dare a civilian join the army, isn't this a rebellion? Fortunately, Queen Ma dissuaded him: I heard that the law only kills those who break the law, and does not kill those who are unlucky. But it was he himself who was unlucky for the enemy. God would bring disaster to such a person, so why should his Majesty kill him? Zhu Yuanzhang spared his life and was sent to Yunnan. Naturally, all the property of the Shen family was confiscated. It is said that there were thousands of fields alone.

This blow not only caused the Shen family to lose Shen Wansan, but also lost most of its wealth. Now it seems that even if Shen Wansan does not actively donate to the army, he will not be able to escape the fate of being punished. In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, it was a crime for Shen Wansan to be so rich that he wanted to accuse him of it. In short, all his property should be returned to the "public". , there seems to be no doubt that Mr. Gu Cheng, an expert on Ming history, once wrote a special article "A Study of Shen Wansan and His Family's Deeds" to examine Shen Wansan's life experience in detail, rejecting the theory that he was born in the early Ming Dynasty, and believed that he was born in the Yuan Dynasty. He also died in the Yuan Dynasty, and all the "deeds" about Shen Wansan in the early Ming Dynasty in historical records are false.

Although the exact birth and death dates of Shen Fu (Shen Wansan) are difficult to know, he was in the Ming Dynasty. It is certain that he died before the establishment of the county. "Wujiang County Chronicle" says: "Zhang Shicheng, according to Wu Shi, Wan San was dead, and his two sons, Mao and Wangmi, transported rice to Yanjing from the sea. "Zhang Shicheng's army captured Pingjiang Road (Suzhou) in February of the 16th year of Yuan Zhizheng (1356). This means that when Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty in 1368, Shen Wansan had been dead for more than twelve years. Since he had already died at the end of the Yuan Dynasty Of course, it is impossible to be hit by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Whether the records in "Wujiang County Chronicles" are reliable can be examined from three aspects: first, to estimate the living years of Shen Wansan's descendants; The second is to demonstrate from the narratives of people closely related to the Shen family; the third is to look at Shen Wansan's activity years from credible documents, according to "Shen Rongfu's Epitaph" and "Shen Rongfu's Epitaph" written by Wang Xing, a native of the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. Judging from Shen Maoqing's Epitaph, in the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368), Shen Rong, the son of Shen Wansan (Shen Fu), was 62 years old, and his grandson Shen Sen was 39 years old, at least 80 years before Shen Wansan was born. When the Yuan and Ming dynasties changed, Shen Wansan's son had entered his twilight years, and the possibility that he himself was still alive was extremely small. Although we cannot conclude that Shen Wansan would never live to be over eighty years old to see the establishment of the Ming Empire with his own eyes. However, the Ming army, led by generals Fu Youde, Lan Yu, and Mu Ying, began to invade Yunnan in the 14th year of Hongwu (1381) and pacified the area in the 15th year (1382). Even though Shen Wansan was still alive, and after pacifying Yunnan, He was immediately banished to the place in 1949. Shen Wansan was also considered to be around 100 years old. Could he live such a long life? From this point of view, some of the records about Shen Wansan in the Ming Dynasty Unofficial History Notes and "History of the Ming Dynasty" were probably recorded folklore, and some were recorded. Not understanding the truth, they mistakenly attributed the story of Shen Wansan's descendants to Shen Wansan himself.

Was there a person called Shen Wansan in the Ming Dynasty?

Shen Wansan was already very wealthy in the Yuan Dynasty. The theory of metallurgy seems too absurd today to be believed. So what is the real reason for his wealth?

According to relevant historical records, Shen Wansan’s ancestral home was in Huzhou, Zhejiang, and his ancestors moved to Changzhou ( Dongcai Village in today's Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, moved to Nanxun Town, Huzhou when his father Shen You was in the second year of Zhizheng (1342). There was a flood in Nanxun, and the poor fled to other places. Shen You also moved to Zhouzhuang at this time.

< p> Shen Wansan should have started his career as a farmer and then got rich through business. Huang Sheng, a native of Suzhou in the mid-Ming Dynasty, recorded in "Wu Feng Lu": "Since Shen Wansan's show, he has spread his fields and houses, and has become rich in gold and jade. To this day, he has been seeking wealth." Wealth is a priority. "After Shen Wansan's (rich) father moved from Nanxun Town, Huzhou to Dongcai Village, Changzhou County, he worked hard and fully developed the fertile land that had been abandoned in the local area.

Due to good management, the land was occupied day by day. The Shen family turned into large landowners who recruited tenants, rented out fields, hired long-term and short-term workers, and issued usury loans. By the time the Shen Wansan brothers took charge of the family business, they already owned fertile land spanning several counties. ", benefit Rao", historical records claim that the farmland reaches thousands of hectares. Kong Er, a Ming Dynasty scholar, also recorded that Shen Wansan paid great attention to the construction of water conservancy. "If Wansan had fields near the lake, he built stone banks along the lake to protect the fields." In addition, The Shen family cemetery in Xiunan Village was built in the 21st year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1388). The owner of the tomb is Shen Zhuang, the grandson of Shen Wansan. The local people call it "Anshan Tomb". Its epitaph records, " His ancestors started their fortunes by farming, and their eldest father (Shen Wansan) was rich, and he coached his children to do their best," etc. This is a piece of ironclad evidence that Shen Wansan first "started his fortune by farming".

After Shen Wansan accumulated a certain amount of wealth, he engaged in trade and became a millionaire. During the Yuan Dynasty, shipping was developed, foreign trade was smooth, and many foreigners came to China for trade. On the other hand, Jiangnan's economy was developed and did not suffer any damage during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. By the late Yuan Dynasty, it had become the best in the country. Suzhou and the Hangjiahu area have always been famous as the "granary" throughout the country, and are known as "the food in Suzhou and Huzhou is sufficient in the world". Shen Wansan owns thousands of hectares of land, so he naturally has a large amount of rice for sale as a commodity. At that time, the food needed in the north, including Dadu (Beijing) of the Yuan Dynasty, mainly depended on the south, and Shen Wansan must have been a "big food seller." As a result, Shen Wansan accumulated a large amount of capital. After becoming rich, Shen Wansan turned to "Tongfan", exporting local textiles, porcelain, etc. to various countries in Asia and Africa, and then returning to the ship to import large quantities of treasures, spices and medicinal materials, earning huge price differences from each trip. With these favorable conditions and the huge profits from foreign trade, it is not surprising that Shen Wansan became rich quickly. Kong Er wrote in "Yunjiaoguan Jitan" that Shen Wansan became a maritime merchant and traveled between Huizhou, Chizhou (now Guichi), Taipingfu (now Dangtu), and Changzhou, trading and earning millions in gold. , so show wealth. The famous historian Mr. Wu Han also said: "The reason why Shen Wansan of Suzhou became rich was his overseas trade." This can also be confirmed with the "Wujiang County Chronicle", "Shen Wansan lived in Zhouzhuang, the 29th capital of Wujiang, and was the richest in the world. According to legend, it was obtained through Tongfan." Professor Pan Qun of Nanjing University, an expert on Ming history, believes that Shen Wansan's wealth accumulation was completed in the Yuan Dynasty. His wealth originated from "agriculture" and expanded from "business". He was an authentic big landowner and businessman.

Since Shen Wansan died at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was certainly impossible for him to be attacked by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Bad luck befell Shen Wansan's descendants after the Lan Yu "rebellion case" occurred in the 26th year of Hongwu. Previously, the Shen family had been involved in some troubles. In the 19th year of Hongwu, Shen Wan's third son Shen Wang's two sons, Shen Zhi and Shen Zhuang, were imprisoned for a time and were soon released. Around the same year, Shen Wansan's son-in-law, Lu Zhonghe, who was the grain chief of Wujiang County, Suzhou Prefecture, was in trouble and was accused of being a "Hu Party" and executed. Generally speaking, before the "Blue Party" incident, the Shen family, as the richest man in Jiangnan, had not been hit hard by the imperial power and the government. The statement that the Shen family was expelled from the army before the death of Queen Ma in the fifteenth year of Hongwu was purely false, and it was not until Hongwu Twenty-four years later, the Shen family still maintained its status as a wealthy family. This can be proved from the following facts.

First, in the 21st year of Hongwu (1388), according to the imperial order, Suzhou Prefecture recommended talents to serve as officials in the capital. Shen Gui’s grandson Shen Jie was awarded the title of Wailang, a member of the household department, and Shen Fu’s in-law Mo Li also served as an official. Wang Gongda was appointed as the director, Zhang Jin and Yang Deyi were appointed as the director of the Ministry of Industry, Xu Yan was appointed as the director, Gong Dake was appointed as the director of the Ministry of War, Pan Xian was appointed as the director, Jin Bozhong was appointed as the director of the Ministry of Rites, and Li Ding was appointed as the director. These ten people resigned on the same day and received their salaries. On February 29, the 22nd year of Hongwu's reign, during the morning court meeting at Huagai Hall, Shen Jie and others reported: "The land, property, and property of the ministers are all protected by the emperor, and now they have been granted salaries. It is really hard to bear." , please resign." The imperial edict said: If you want to resign, I will do it with you. Then there is a purpose: those who are willing to listen. Shen Jieci said: "I sincerely dare not harm other families because of my wealth. I think that my family has been favored many times, and I have kept my wife, children, farm and house. I have exceeded my expectations, and I am in a high-ranking official position. I have captured my father and ancestors with honor, so I dare to change." Thank you very much!" Thank you again. It can be seen that at this time, the Shen family was still "preserved" by Zhu Yuanzhang and was as wealthy as ever.

Hongwu Blue and White Jade Pot and Spring Vase with Intertwined Branches Another incident is that in the 23rd year of Hongwu (1390), Mo Li, who had been promoted to the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, took leave to return to his hometown to visit relatives and visited the Shen family in Zhouzhuang. At that time, all the utensils used by the Shen family were gold and silver, and the banquet was made of carved silk. Twelve tables of purple ware were set up. Each table was set with two pieces of mutton-fat jade. It was more than a foot long and about an inch wide, with a channel in the middle for placing chopsticks. , to prevent the chopsticks from staining the engraved silk. A white agate plate is used for wine-making, with patterns and a sprig of purple grapes. Five apes compete to pick it, which is called the five apes competing for the fruit. They are all treasures. Gu Xuewen, the son-in-law of the bride-in-law, set up twelve tables of Xuanhe Dingqi, with seven rows of wine for each set of soup, and a treasure cup for each row. Even the servants of the two families wore silk and satin, not to mention other rare delicacies. Mo Li sighed: "Wow, a hairpin costs 700,000 yuan. The predecessors thought it was a monster and would bring disaster. Now looking at the wealth of the Shen family, it is more than just 700,000 yuan for a hairpin! It is a good time for it to suffer disasters!"

In the 23rd year of Hongwu when Mo Li returned to his hometown to visit relatives, it was Zhu Yuanzhang who was responsible for re-capturing the "Hu Party". In March, Tan King Zhu Zi was frightened by his father-in-law Yu Hu's involvement in party troubles, and he was frightened by Princess Yu. Die by self-immolation. In the fourth month of the leap year, Li Shanchang, the Grand Master of South Korea, who was more accomplished than Xiao He, was imprisoned. Soon the same batch of meritorious officials were executed, and his whole family was wiped out. It was in such a frightening political environment that Mo Li took leave and returned to his hometown for a short stay. He wrote the poem "Returning to Wujiang to Provincial Relatives" and said: "If you don't steal the fortune of Yiquan, I have to accept the favor and go to the sun for a while. I am ashamed to serve the country and have no economic strategy. It is the year of separation when I miss my relatives. A thousand pieces of gold cannot buy long and healthy body, and the five blessings are not as good as longevity." First of all. Return to the hut with a smile, happy to see people reunited." The wording is careful, but it only vaguely expresses the feeling that it is a blessing not to be tortured. It was obvious that Mrs. Mo was full of uneasiness when she returned to her hometown, and the Shen family's in-laws entertained their relatives who were high-ranking officials in the capital in a lavish way. They must not have understood the approaching crisis. However, Mo Dan's record of how Mo Li was warmly entertained by the Shen family in that year corroborates the "Epitaph of Shen Boxi". Although the Shen family suffered some hardships in the 19th year of Hongwu, they had not suffered any harm yet. The devastating blow from the imperial power was not expected.

Liu Sanwu, a Hanlin scholar in the early Ming Dynasty, wrote an epitaph for Shen Han's masterpiece in the 24th year of Hongwu's reign. He still praised the Shen family for being rich and polite, and receiving good rewards from God. All these can completely prove that not only is the statement that the Shen family was expelled from the army before Queen Ma died in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, it is completely false, but also that the Shen family still maintained its status as a wealthy person until the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu.

The tragic ending of the Shen family

The Shen family's complete defeat began with the "Blue Party" incident in the 26th year of Hongwu. In the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, Prince Yiwen Zhu Biao died of illness. Zhu Yunwen was made the emperor's grandson and the legal heir to the throne. Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid that his grandson was too young and lacked prestige and experience to control the world. If a "hero" emerged, he would be killed. The created Ming Empire might fall into the hands of others, so he made a determined effort to restart the killing spree and eradicate all potential forces that might endanger the Zhu Dynasty. It was against this political background that the "rebellion" case headed by General Liang Guogong Lan Yu came into being. Whether the Lan Yu rebellion case is indeed true or not will be discussed in the following chapters. However, the "Resistance Records" written by Zhu Yuanzhang himself and edited by Hanlin officials more than two months after the Lan Yu case was full of flaws. Not to mention the factors that led to the attack, that is, in terms of the words they confessed, most of them are based on rumors and are unbelievable. Now that Zhu Yuanzhang has cast a huge net, the martial arts groups and wealthy families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang who still have considerable strength after the "Hu Party" cannot escape. The best excuse for bringing the Shen family into the "Blue Party" first was to make a fuss about Wang Xing's close relationship with the Lan family and the Shen family.

Wang Xing, whose courtesy name is Zhizhong, also has the nicknames Banxuan and Chuyuan. When he was young, his family was poor, and his father, Wang Mao, sold medicine in a pharmacy opened by Xu's family in Changmen, Suzhou. Wang Xing is extremely smart and became his father's right-hand man when he was ten years old. The master discovered that his talent was abnormal, so he let him read the "Hundred Classics of Classics and History" books collected at home. When Wang Xing was seventeen or eighteen years old, he began to associate with local literati and established a private school at Qimen in the north of Suzhou City. Gao Qi, a famous scholar at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, and Shi Daoyan (Yao Guangxiao), who later made suggestions for King Zhu Di of Yan to launch an army to pacify Jingnan, were all his friends. When Zhang Shicheng was stationed in Pingjiang (today's Suzhou), Rao Jie, a political officer who was stationed in Zhejiang Province, recommended Wang Xing to Shang Shu of the Yuan Dynasty. Wang Xing did not serve as an official because of the troubles in the world. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou magistrates Wei Guan and Wang Guan recommended talents to Zhu Yuanzhang, but he had never been an official except for serving as a tutor at Suzhou Fuxue. Wang Xing basically devoted his life to teaching. He served as a tutor in the Shen family twice and as a tutor in the Lan Yu family twice. The first time he taught at the home of Shen Wansan's son, Shen Daqing, was in the late Yuan Dynasty. In the twelfth year of Hongwu (1379), he was hired by the governor Lan Yu in Nanjing and sat at Lan's house. He was highly appreciated by Lan Yu and once accompanied Lan Yu to visit the home of the left prime minister Hu Weiyong. The following year, due to the Hu Weiyong party case, he resigned from the embassy and returned to his hometown in Suzhou for fear of being implicated. After that, he went to sit at Shen Daqing's house and taught Daqing's grandsons Shen Xun, Shen Cheng, Shen Heng and others. In the 24th year of Hongwu's reign (1391), his family was classified as a "weaving and weaving craftsman household" for unknown reasons, and he went to live in Shibafang, Shangyuan County, Yingtian Prefecture. In view of Zhu Yuanzhang's "powerful laws", his friends tried their best to persuade him not to go to Nanjing. Wang Xing was nearly sixty years old at the time. He could have asked his son to serve in the army, but he insisted on going by himself. He replied: "There is a good game in the tiger's den." He went straight into the tiger's den - Nanjing. At this time, Lan Yu was already the Duke of Liang (he was granted the title by Yongchang Hou in December of the 21st year of Hongwu). When Lan Yu's eldest son, Lan Biying, heard that Wang Xing had arrived in Beijing, he immediately invited his son Lan Qingsun to teach in Fuzhong. wait. These materials show that Wang Xing had a friendship with the Shen family for at least thirty years, and a friendship with the Lan family for more than ten years. Moreover, this kind of friendship was extraordinary, as they both served as the concubine of Xibin. Before Zhu Yuanzhang determined to eradicate the martial arts group headed by Lan Yu, Lan Yugui was a duke, served as a general several times, and was famous in both the government and the public. The Shen family mistakenly used Bingshan as a backer, just like they donated a large amount of property to Zhu Yuanzhang in the early years of Hongwu. They also wanted to use Wang Xing as an intermediary to establish relations with General Lan. In their view, Lan Yu not only holds military power and is very popular, but the daughter of his sister (Chang Yuchun's wife) is the concubine of Prince Yiwen, so it is a "smart" move to establish a relationship with the crown prince. With Wang Xing talking about it, the relationship will naturally be solved, and the tricks of fate will follow.

In fact, in the two cases of the Hu Party and the Blue Party that broke out during the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang targeted the left prime minister Hu Weiyong and the general Lan Yu. Because of their positions, they had many contacts at work, and those who followed the trend were also There are many more, using this to indiscriminately incriminate others and kill potential dissident forces. Under this kind of premeditated plan, one is to arrest the person at the slightest hint of involvement, and the other is to encourage accusations and, after being arrested, torture and extort confessions. Not only were those arrested surrendered, but they were also implicated, often involving thousands of people. Many people in "The Record of Rebellious Ministers" were afraid that when the party case broke out, they were afraid that the arrested would confess their names, so they secretly asked someone to bribe the interrogators to "erase their names". Unexpectedly, it backfired, and instead became "ironclad evidence" of their participation in the rebellion. .

Wang Xing worked as a teacher in Lan Yu's family. Lan Yu recommended him to Zhu Yuanzhang several times, so Wang Xing was summoned by Zhu Yuanzhang. After the Blue Party case was discovered, not to mention that Wang Xing couldn't escape, everyone who got into the Lan family through him was arrested in one fell swoop.

Zhu Yuanzhang promulgated the "Records of Rebellious Ministers" on the first day of May in the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu (1393). At that time, there were nearly a thousand people named "Blue Party", and this was just the beginning. Mo Li and others were still Not among them. On September 10th of the same year, Zhu Yuanzhang issued the "Edict to Amnesty the Blue Party and the Hu Party", saying: "The recent court officials and the unfaithful Li Shanchang and others are causing trouble, and everyone is aware of it, and everyone is going to kill them.

This year, the blue thieves are in chaos and plotting to betray and capture them. Fifteen thousand people of the clan have been executed. Those who have not exhausted all the remaining items have been listed and pardoned. I still worry about being treacherous, stubborn and ignorant, and I still have doubts, which makes me restless. Today, under the great imperial edict, except for those who have already committed crimes and have been held in official positions, they will not be pardoned. Those who have committed crimes but have not been convicted and those who have not committed crimes will also be pardoned, regardless of whether they are blue or barbaric. "From April to September, the number of people involved in the Blue Party's "genocide" increased sharply from 1,000 to 15,000, which shows the wide range of involvement. We have no way of knowing what happened to Zhu Yuanzhang after the issuance of this pardon edict. Did the search really stop? Because the edict clearly stated that the number of people killed by the Blue Party in one case had reached 15,000, and then stated that "except for those who have already been convicted and have been detained by officials, they will not be pardoned." However, it was not until the 30th year of Hongwu that In February of the same year, the "Hu Lan Party" was still executed. In the 31st year of Hongwu (1398), "Lian Wan San's great-grandson Dequan and the Gu family died at the same time." This time, nearly 80 people in the family of Shen Wansan's son-in-law, Gu Xuewen, and the Shen family were all killed, and their land was confiscated. It can be said that the huge family business that Shen Wansan had worked so hard to manage declined sharply. The Zhouzhuang Shen family went from prosperity to decline.

It is worth noting that Zhu Yuanzhang died in Leap May of this year. In February, when he was ill, he was still detained in Chengding. The "Hu Lan Party" and the decision to extinguish Taguchi's family property can be said to have lasted until death. From the spring of the 26th year of Hongwu to the spring of the 31st year, a full five years passed, during which the work of hiding Taguchi's property through torture and extortion was inevitable. It was very thorough, and in the end there was no more money, and Shen Wansan's great-grandson Shen Dequan and others were sentenced to death. Even after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, many unjust cases in the Hongwu Dynasty were still taboo for a long time. The once famous richest man in Jiangnan. The true story of the Shen family has gradually been forgotten, except for a few historical records which record that Emperor Jianwen pardoned party members after he came to the throne, and that Shen Wansan's sixth grandson, Shen Hong, was famous for his calligraphy during the Chenghua and Hongzhi years. There are only some myths that are widely circulated. The legend of Shen Wansan.