| 摘要: | 明熹宗即位後，宦官魏忠賢干政掌權，網羅黨羽，違法亂紀。楊漣、左光斗為激濁揚清，於天啟4年（1624）上疏舉劾魏忠賢二十四大罪，魏大中、袁化中、周朝瑞、顧大章等又隨之彈劾忠賢及其黨羽。魏忠賢忌恨，遂羅織黨獄，誣陷六人收受熊廷弼賄賂，拷打酷刑逼討贓款。楊、左等六人因此冤死獄中，本文稱之為「天啟忠烈」。
「天啟忠烈」不畏強禦的政治氣節，其來有自：父親延師課子，以身作則，傳授忠孝節義等儒家核心價值；母親亦在日常生活，潛移默化，形塑其清廉品格與風骨；而妻妾承擔起家庭責任，孝敬翁姑，撫兒育女。「天啟忠烈」得以無內顧之憂，於朝廷實踐理想抱負。
但是當「天啟忠烈」鋃鐺入獄，受拷掠慘死，家屬其實亦深罹其害。家眷為營救「天啟忠烈」，奔走求援，因此耗盡家財，流離失所。思宗即位後，家眷上書為「天啟忠烈」平反冤屈，祈求明正典刑魏忠賢與罪臣。至於女眷，守寡保節，苦謀生計，教子承襲家風。家眷的箇中辛酸，難以勝數。
到了明清易代之際，局勢紛雜多變，「天啟忠烈」子嗣背負「忠烈」後裔之盛名，承受社會高道德標準的眼光，生死、出處的抉擇極為艱難，且須面對隨之而來的輿論批評。然而傳統歷史敘事大多關注於「天啟忠烈」或其豐功懋烈，家眷子嗣的付出與苦楚幾乎是被忽視。因此本文將以「天啟忠烈」家眷為研究主題，藉此探究「天啟忠烈」遇害後，身為政治受難者的家屬面對的困境，以及對應的作為，呈現其剛毅奮進之生命歷程。
;After the Xi Zong Emperor came to power, the Chinese court eunuch Wei Zhongxian intervened in political affairs to accumulate power. Wei engaged henchmen, broke the law, and violated codes of discipline. At that time, Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou, who were attempting to eliminate crime and praised righteous behavior, first accused Wei of 24 crimes and reported to the emperor in Tianqi 4 (1624 AD) and subsequently impeached him and his henchmen of various other crimes. Holding a grudge regarding this, Wei framed six people that were against him for accepting bribes from Xiong Tingbi. They were then imprisoned, tortured, and forced to return the allegedly stolen money. Eventually, the six people including Yang and Zuo were treated unjustly and died in prison; they are referred to as the Tianqi Martyrs.
The Tianqi Martyrs possessed moral integrity and did not fear those in power. Such a disposition was cultivated through learning from their fathers, who endeavor to serve as exemplary figures, as well as through lessons from teachers hired by their fathers. They were taught core Confucian values such as loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness. Moreover, their mothers nurtured the strength of their honesty and integrity in their daily lives. The martyrs’ wives took care of their families, demonstrating filial respect to their parents, and raising their children so that the Tianqi Martyrs could pursue their goals and aspirations in the imperial court without having to worry about their families.
However, when the Tianqi Martyrs were sent to jail and whipped to death, their family members also experienced considerable hardship. Frantically seeking help to rescue them, the martyrs’ families lost all their wealth and possessions and became homeless. After the Si Zong Emperor came to power, the martyrs’ families presented a written statement to the emperor to vindicate the false accusations of the martyrs and ask for justice done to Wei and other culprits. The womenfolk of the martyrs’ family remained widowed and faithful to their marriage; they endeavored to make a living and pass on their family values to their children. The hardships and difficulties that their families experienced were ineffable.
During the transition period between Ming and Qing dynasties, the political environment became complex and volatile. The offspring of the Tianqi Martyrs bore the reputation of being the descendants of their fathers. Thus, they were under pressure from the high moral standards of society and faced a dilemma when making decisions to live or die and take up official positions or retire from public life. Moreover, they had to confront public opinions and criticism regarding the decisions they made. However, traditional historical narratives have mostly focused on the Tianqi Martyrs’ great achievements. By contrast, the endeavors and hardships of their offspring were almost entirely overlooked. The present study investigated the Tianqi Martyrs’ families, specifically exploring the hardships that the family members of these political victims underwent and their responses after the martyrs passed away, to depict their determination and perseverance in the face of adversities throughout their lives. |
