Chapter 9 Zhang Tingyu's excellence in the first quarter

In the thirteenth year of Qianlong (1748), the veteran Zhang Tingyu, who had been an official for 47 years, encountered punishment for the first time in his long career. In September of the thirteenth year of Qianlong, the Wenying Hall of the "Royal Publishing House" compiled the emperor's "Imperial Poetry Collection" and presented it to the imperial audience.The emperor flipped through it, found several typos, and was furious, so he ordered three people, including the University scholar and the president of the Wenying Museum, Zhang Tingyu, to "commit to the Ministry of Discussion".This was the first time in Zhang Tingyu's life that he was "discussed and punished". Although the punishment was not serious, it was enough to shock him.

On the day of the winter solstice of this year, the Hanlin Academy, as usual, wrote a sacrificial oration for the recently deceased Empress Xiaoxian, using the word "quantai" in the article.The emperor, who had not been freed from the pain of losing his wife, was critical again, thinking that these two words were not "dignified" enough and could be used by ordinary people. He will be fined for one year's salary for the crime of not paying attention to inspections, hasty handling of responsibility, and lack of respect and justice."With this edict, Zhang Tingyu was even more heartbroken.

Zhang Tingyu was originally one of the luckiest ministers in Chinese history. Although the high place is extremely cold, Zhang Tingyu has the ability to walk on the ground in the high-risk area of ​​​​the political center, step by step, walk out of an astonishingly long curve, and become one of the most successful representatives of civil servants in the Qing Dynasty. Zhang Tingyu was born in Tongcheng, Anhui.He was born in a scholarly family, a high school Jinshi at the age of 29, and was named Hanlin. At the age of 33, he had a chance to talk with Kangxi, which left a very good impression on the emperor. Kangxi thought he was dignified and decent, so he "served the South Study Room by order" and became the emperor's personal low-level secretary.Due to his outstanding service, he was promoted to the deputy minister of rites at the age of 45.

After Kangxi passed away, Yongzheng ascended the throne. Seeing that he "has a calm demeanor and a clear response", he was quickly promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Rites and participated in secrets.Yongzheng was a well-known difficult emperor in Chinese history. He was especially disliked by Han ministers who were born in imperial examinations, but he fell in love with him at first sight and admired him extremely.No matter how big or small, you must discuss with him, and he will write all decrees.Yongzheng and his monarch and ministers have been together for thirteen years, and their relationship is so good that they can't even be separated for a day.In May of the fifth year of Yongzheng (1727), Zhang Tingyu was ill for a period of time. After recovering from illness, he entered the palace. Yongzheng said: "I told my attendants two days ago that my arm has been hurting for several days. Do you know? They asked the reason in surprise. I said, the great scholar Zhang Tingyu is sick, this person is like my arm, isn't this the pain in my arm?" The story spread and became a good story for a while.At the end of Yongzheng, Zhang Tingyu went home to visit his relatives. The emperor wrote to him and said: "In the eleven years since I came to the throne, among the close relatives and ministers above the court, only you have not been separated from you for a single day. You and I are loyal and close friends. Today It's been more than a month, but I miss it every time." ("Chronicles of Zhang Tingyu")

Yongzheng repeatedly promoted Zhang Tingyu to be a bachelor, the chief minister of military affairs, and concurrently in charge of the two departments of officials and households, with power pouring into the government and the public.In order to express his admiration for Zhang Tingyu, Yongzheng made a special will, to use the two most trusted ministers, Ertai and Zhang Tingyu, to enjoy the Taimiao after his death, that is, to accompany him to the underworld after death.This is a very high political honor. During the two hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, he was the only Han Chinese who enjoyed this treatment.

After Qianlong ascended the throne, he treated the veteran of the three dynasties with the utmost courtesy, and continued to be regarded as the head of the Han officials.He usually talks to Zhang Tingyu with a pleasant face.When Zhang Tingyu went to court, the emperor never forgot to remind the eunuchs around him to help him, for fear that the old man might make mistakes.In the second year of Qianlong's reign (1737), the emperor specially granted Zhang Tingyu the title of third-class earl.After that, there were many rewards.In order to express his trust, the emperor gave him poems many times. There is a saying in the poem: "Mouthpiece has been in charge for many years, and the two dynasties have a strong ambition. Wei Gong ordered Deguang Luli, and Shan Furou Jiayao compiled a compendium." Another poem Zhong Geng said: "Lu Guo was very hale and hearty in his later years, and Lu Duan was not confused about major affairs." Comparing him to Zhong Shanfu, a good minister when King Xuan of Zhou, and Wen Yanbo and Lu Duan, the famous ministers of later generations, shows the utmost respect.Among the ministers of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Tingyu's status and favor were unprecedented in the Qing Dynasty.

In traditional politics, being a close minister of the emperor, especially a high-ranking and powerful one, is by no means an easy and pleasant task. Due to the selfish nature of the autocratic system, the monarchy shows a strong exclusivity and precautionary psychology.This determines the fragility and temporary nature of the relationship between monarch and minister, especially the relationship between monarch and minister.As the saying goes, "Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger".Indeed, living at the top of authoritarian politics is full of traps and crises at every step.It is even more difficult for a person to always gain the trust of the monarch.

Most of the famous civil servants and military generals in Chinese history did not end well.Especially those who once occupied a great position and enjoyed a great name, almost no one has a happy ending.Bigan was heartbroken and died, Li Si changed hands and died, Han Xin was destroyed after success, Zhou Yafu died of hunger strike, Yue Fei spilled blood on the storm pavilion, Yu Qian went to the guillotine, and Yuan Chonghuan was brutally tortured.With Wei Zheng's loyalty, he was also suspected of forming a party by Li Shimin during his lifetime, and even after his death, he was "served by his stele" by Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty.Based on Kou Zhun's achievements, the end of his life was to be dismissed and demoted, and died on the way to exile.Although many monarchs awarded iron coupons to their subjects in order to reassure them, few of them escaped the tiger's mouth in the end.That is to say, taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, in the middle and early Qing Dynasty, several powerful ministers who were powerful in the government and the public, except for Mingzhu who died a good death, the rest died of violent deaths: Obai, Nian Gengyao, and Arsenic were all ordered to commit suicide, and Suo'etu was detained. The land starved to death, and Long Kedo died in prison.In fact, in the thousands of years of history before the Qing Dynasty, Guo Ziyi was the only one who achieved a good death with great meritorious service.The later famous official Zeng Guofan understood this very deeply. He said: "I have read all the ancient and modern figures. It seems that there are very few people who can preserve their fame and power." , Guo Fenyang is the only one in the ages.”This shows that the potential tension between the monarch and the powerful ministers is due to the nature of the autocratic system, and it does not depend on personal will.

Up to thirteen years before Qianlong, Zhang Tingyu had been as stable as Mount Tai at the highest political level, and had never made any mistakes for more than forty years, which was very rare in the entire Chinese history.It has to be said that there is something extraordinary about this person. First of all, Zhang Tingyu has extraordinary talent.Zhang Tingyu has fully demonstrated his outstanding secretary genius since he entered the South Study Room in the 43rd year of Kangxi (1704) and drafted documents for the emperor.At the beginning of Yongzheng's ascension to the throne, there were many edicts. The emperor "dictated general ideas, (Zhang Tingyu) either prostrated himself on the ground in front of the emperor to write a book, or passed a few letters behind the curtain, and the manuscripts were presented to the emperor. No less than ten times a day, all of them were called edicts."Every time Yongzheng dictated it, Zhang Tingyu could draw it up within a few moments. He never made a mistake more than ten times a day.

Secondly, Zhang Tingyu was very diligent in his work and spared no effort to serve the emperor.According to historical records, after he retired from the court at night, he still had to light two candles to treat his affairs. Even after he had gone to bed, he would often think about the articles he had written on his pillow, and if he felt something was wrong, he immediately put on his clothes and got up to correct it.He is meticulous in thinking and has a strong memory. He can tell the background and experience of the ministers of various ministries, border officials all over the country, as well as the names and origins of the officials, counties and even subordinate officials, just like a living archive.Emperor Yongzheng once praised his ability to handle affairs in this way: "What you can do in one day is what others can't do in ten days." (Volume 1 of "Chenghuai Garden Yu")

Of course, this is only half of the reason for his success in official career, the other half has nothing to do with talent. Zhang Tingyu is the son of Zhang Ying, a great scholar in the Kangxi period. This is an innate superiority that others cannot match.Zhang Ying was a famous minister in the Qing Dynasty. He was admired by Kangxi because of his "meticulousness and diligence".In order for Zhang Tingyu to continue to be popular in the family, Zhang Ying taught him by example and taught him a lot of unique methods of being an official. Therefore, Zhang Tingyu, who had just entered the official career, showed his mature and sophisticated demeanor to the court, which attracted the special attention of Emperor Kangxi. Although he is young, he has a deep understanding of "the way of being a minister" and "the art of protecting oneself". Zhang Tingyu, who is familiar with the classics and history and has obtained his father's unique secret biography, has long realized that the way to be a minister is nothing more than two key points: on the one hand, he must be able to successfully obtain fame and wealth from the monarch, and on the other hand, he must not be the emperor. Injured by the tiger. This is like taking a chestnut out of a fire, it is really a difficult movement. Zhang Tingyu knew very well that what the emperor was most wary of was the minister's selfishness.In front of the Ming Lord, only by retreating as advance, seeking without seeking, and pursuing selfishness with selflessness, can you get what you want.Therefore, he has been an official for decades, and he considers and judges everything from the emperor's point of view, and never takes the initiative to seek personal gain for himself.The court recognized him as indifferent and peaceful, with a peaceful temperament.Emperor Qianlong praised him as "graceful like nine years old".He usually lives a quiet life, acts out of public interest, and has never been accused of corruption.When he was the chief examiner, some people wanted to get through the joints and tried to test it with subtle words. He wrote a poem to recite: "The moonlight in front of the curtain is as bright as day, don't look at it like a night in the world." Of course, the more this is the case, the less the emperor will let him suffer.Because of his innocence, Emperor Yongzheng rewarded him many times, and gave him tens of thousands of taels of silver, and gave him a pawnshop to subsidize his life.Because he never took the initiative to seek personal gain for his relatives, the emperor also took care of his relatives' career advancement.But the more gracious the emperor is, the more humble he will retreat. Every time the emperor is rewarded, he will try his best to be humble.In the eleventh year of Yongzheng (1733), Zhang Ruoai, the eldest son, was a top three student in high school. Zhang Tingyu was "terrified" when he heard about it. Lower the rank of his son.Zhang Tingyu said, "There are so many talents in the world, and in the three-year competition, everyone is expected to be the top of the tripod, and the sons of officials should not be the first among the poor in the world."Yongzheng was greatly moved, and upon his pleading, he changed Zhang Ruoai to a second-class one, and announced the circumstances of the matter in the decree, praising Zhang's public loyalty to the country. ("Chronicles of Zhang Tingyu") In addition to the above reasons, Zhang Tingyu has another outstanding feature, which is "softness" and "smoothness". Zhang Tingyu has a deep research on the reasons why the ministers of the past dynasties suffered disasters.He believes that the most taboo of being a senior minister is as follows: One is that their personalities are too upright, such as Bigan and Hai Rui.They confronted the emperor without any means, and of course the end was tragic. The second is to be too principled in doing things, such as Yue Fei.He only considered issues from the perspective of the nation and the nation, but ignored the emperor's personal psychological privacy, and challenged the emperor's selfishness with social justice, and he had to die in the end. The third is that there is too much power and I don't know how to be cautious.Most of the unlucky power ministers in history came from this.The emperor and the ministers have different starting points for considering issues, different personalities, temperaments, ways of thinking, and personal preferences. It is impossible to think of everything together.Since there are many things that disagree with the emperor, it is inevitable that resentment will arise for a long time, and gaps will become enemies. The fourth point is more characteristic of the Qing Dynasty, that is, the ministers were convicted because of their "good name".Authoritarianism developed into the Qing Dynasty, and even the Confucian pursuit of personality became an obstacle to the extreme expansion of autocracy.the reason is simple.Although Confucianism has the aspect of maintaining the "Gangchang", it also has the aspect of pursuing self-improvement and requiring independent personality.On the one hand, Confucianism requires its believers to serve the emperor as best they can, and at the same time requires them not to give up their persistence in their personal dignity and pursuit of spiritual values. The emperors in the early Qing Dynasty were all talented and general, and they had great innovations in ruling techniques.They believe that if a minister pays too much attention to self-cultivation, it will also prevent them from serving the emperor without compromise.In order to completely transform ministers into slaves, Emperor Yongzheng put forward an important point, that is, ministers should not only seek profit, but also have no "good reputation".He said: "As a minister, not only can't be good for profit, but also you can't have a good name. Although fame and profit are different, they are always selfish." In the Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties, there were ministers who were severely punished by the emperor because of their "good reputation". .For example, Yang Mingshi in the Yongzheng Dynasty was a politician of integrity, and he had different opinions with the emperor on some issues, such as cracking down on Kejia cronies.He did a lot of good things to reduce the burden on the peasants, but he forgot to give credit to the emperor, which aroused Emperor Yongzheng's resentment.Yongzheng said that he "likes to sell fame and reputation" and "want to use the name of the king and father to make himself famous", so he was arrested and imprisoned for the reason. (Guo Chengkang, "Political Conflict and Cultural Gap: A Perspective on the Yang Mingshi Case") In his political career, Zhang Tingyu tried his best to avoid making the above mistakes.His political creed is never to conflict with the monarch because of differences in political thinking.Therefore he is not a politician, but only a great secretary.Don't be a thinker, only an executor. Zhang Tingyu has a famous saying, "It is better to be silent than ten thousand words".He has been a man all his life, cautious and cautious, silent and dignified.This feature is directly inherited from his father Zhang Ying. "Drafts of Qing History" stated that "the English and the Yi, do not do anything to show off, recommend something, but never let others know. The residence is not famous."Autocratic politics is a meat grinder full of risks, and the slightest carelessness can endanger lives.Every day when he returns home from court, Zhang Tingyu has to sort out the major and minor events of the day to see if he has said or done anything wrong.He never left his manuscripts in his private room, nor did he let his family and children know.He seldom handed over foreign officials, and for many years as an official in the court, "he never had a single word with the governor and foreign officials".Yongzheng had great trust in him, and he was often consulted for personnel decision-making, but he never revealed any rumors.He takes the emperor's heart as his heart, takes the emperor's will as his mind, and does everything silently without making any publicity.Many people were recommended by him and were reused, but they didn't know the background of their appointment all their lives.Beside Yongzheng, a "moody and angry" tiger, Zhang Tingyu is just like a tightrope walker, concentrating and always tense, never relaxing for a minute. He praised Yongzheng for thirteen years, and he participated in almost every important decision of Yongzheng Dynasty.However, the biographies of "Drafts of Qing History" mentioned only three insignificant things about his achievements, such as suggesting that women who had kept festivals for fifteen years should be commended.In this regard, his student Wang Youdun has such an explanation.He said that Zhang Tingyu had been in charge of the Shufu for twenty-four years. "Every major military and state policy, he agreed to discuss it. He often had knee-to-neck discussions with the emperor, and the discussions lasted for a long time. As for what he planned, we couldn't name a single one." The matter can be attributed to him in detail, and he has worked hard for the country all his life, but he has left no obvious records."He also said: "During the decades since Yongzheng, the administration of officials has been cleared up, and the people are in peace...Ms. Zhang sits calmly and discusses Taoism, enjoying a prosperous age...Then Mrs. Zhang's meticulousness is somewhat conceivable." ("Zhang Tingyu's Epitaph") That means that the achievements since Yongzheng are due to Zhang Tingyu's assistance.In the emperor's military medal, there is not half of Zhang Tingyu's, but there is also a piece of Zhang Tingyu's.It's just that Mrs. Zhang didn't mention it herself, which shows how meticulous Mr. Zhang is. From Kangxi onwards, the emperors of the three generations appreciated him very much.When Qianlong described this characteristic of him, he said: "If you don't be rude and don't spit out, you are both philosophical and enlightened."