Chapter 24 Section 6 The Game of Monarchs and Ministers

It stands to reason that the occurrence of such a serious case as the Wang Shanwang case should be enough to awaken the emperor's dream of prosperity.The fact is that the emperor is still oblivious.The older he got, the more the emperor formed a psychological stereotype: the situation is always good, the achievement is always the main one, and the problem is always partial.The country he has managed for many years is indestructible.Although many major corruption cases broke out in Qianlong's later years, the emperor still believed that these problems were just a finger point, and after discovery and treatment, they were resolved.

So, why everyone in the world can see it clearly, but only the old emperor turned a blind eye?Is he too old to be stupid?Not really.An important reason is that the old emperor in his later years became a "cave man" through and through. "People who have been in power for a long time tend to develop an 'illusion of power'...power becomes a cave, and this powerful person becomes a caveman. He is a captive of his own power. What he sees and hears is what supports power Positive information and negative information are all washed out as wrong information. A mechanism is formed around him, which automatically filters out wrong information and inputs correct information. In this case, the leader often cannot correctly Looking at himself and the world, he can't even form a proper and realistic judgment on his own strength." ("The "Falling Saddam War" and the End of Saddam Hussein")

China's dictators can easily become "cave men".Because there are a large number of people around him who make a living by spying on his mind.Even the stupidest people know that flattery is easier to hear than criticism.Therefore, the highest power holders are easily brainwashed by a large amount of positive information.This is why we can see that many officials behaved normally, even rationally and shrewdly before taking power. In his early years, Qianlong was very vigilant against the deceitful tricks of his ministers, "it is difficult to dazzle and fake".But in his later years, his self-confidence became more and more inflated, and his weakness of flattery and evil was gradually exposed.The ministers naturally peeked at the direction of the wind, reporting good news but not bad news.For autocrats, there is no gap between "too shrewd" and "foolish", and only a slight change in mentality is required.Surrounded by a large number of "positive reports", it is understandable that he would be extremely angry at Yin Zhuangtu's fierce "negative reports".While announcing the memorial of Yin Zhuangtu, Qianlong refuted it from the beginning:

Yin Zhuangtu said that the officials and people in the world frowned and sighed.This is absolutely impossible.Because I have been on the throne for fifty-five years, and I have shown great kindness to the people of the world, which is unprecedented in history.Free money and food six times, and relief victims countless times.No expense was spared to build seawalls and rivers to protect the lives of the people. "Relief for partial disasters, frequent loans, and building rivers and seawalls to protect people's livelihood cost more than tens of millions. And the general exemption of money and food from the world four times, and grain grain twice, the number is tens of millions. Fu Hui Lu Yan, there are There is no end to it. Looking at the annals of history, since the victory of the kingdom and going back to the beginning of the Han Dynasty, only half of the land rent granted by the Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to the peasants has been exaggerated by the officials of the history. I love and support Li Yuan like a wound in my arms. I am afraid that if I don’t get one, the benefits I feel are not enough. I worry about the night and work hard, and I am diligent in seeking the people’s health. This year, I am over eight ranks. I am still working hard every day. Even though he is well-off, he is still very wary and never shows favors.” In the Qing Dynasty, political stability, economic development, and people’s lives have reached a well-off level.Therefore, the broad masses of the people are grateful to the imperial court, and there will never be a situation of "frowning and sighing".

As for Yin Zhuangtu's corruption in the officialdom and deficits in various places, the emperor thought that this was just a cover-up and generalized.In fact, if we look at it historically, comprehensively, and essentially, the current era is the cleanest period in history.Not only surpassed the previous dynasties, but also far superior to the period of the emperor's ancestors and fathers: "During the Kangxi and Yongzheng years, although the laws were strict and the officials were orderly, there were inevitably Mingzhu, Xu Qianxue, Suo'etu, Gali, Longkoduo, and Nian Gengyao. Stealing and stealing power, Ertai, Tian Wenjing, and Li Wei are also said to be three parties." During the Qianlong period, the punishment of corruption was unprecedentedly severe, and officials everywhere were as cold as ice, and most of them did not dare to break the law.Even if there are one or two daring people, they will be severely punished immediately: "Since I came to the imperial court... for those who are greedy and lawless, such as Wang Shanwang, Chen Huizu, Guotai, Hao Shuo, etc., once exposed, they will all be punished immediately. Governors all over the world, when this official administration is purged, even if they have an unworthy heart, they will also subtly subvert it, how dare they try the law by themselves! Every governor... If it is said that they will send out many subordinates under the pretext of paying compensation, they will definitely not dare to do so..."

Therefore, the current situation in the Qing Dynasty is the best in history. It is a great prosperity rather than a minor prosperity, and it will get better and better. It cannot be better. Then, why does Yin Zhuangtu keep talking nonsense with his eyes closed? In the last edict, the emperor publicly analyzed that Yin Zhuangtu's move was based on the following despicable motives: he thought that his academic ability was mediocre, he could not be promoted to a servant in the court, and he could not be sent to study politics. It is even more difficult to dream of a position, so I want to use this memorial to show my talent, maybe I can get hired by chance, and I can also use the name of interrogation to intimidate and blackmail along the way, hoping to get bribes and benefits, so that I can gain both fame and fortune. Such intentions, how can I escape from me insight?

Before the bet was settled, the emperor launched a personal attack, revealing his desperation. The emperor put on the ring with Yin Zhuangtu even more aggressively, and wanted to compete openly.However, the rules of the game are unfair. If you want to pierce the paper coat of "Qianlong's prosperous age", the method is very simple.Make an unannounced visit and the situation will be judged. Yin Zhuangtu also thought so. However, the emperor did not give him this chance.The emperor explicitly rejected Yin's request for a "secret visit" on the grounds that "there is no such regime".

In fact, although the old emperor didn't want to hear any criticism, he also knew very well in his heart that there was nothing to discuss in today's world.What Yin Zhuangtu said was abolished bureaucracy and a shortage of warehouses did exist in some places.In the fifty-first year of Qianlong (1786), he had sent Agui and Cao Wenzhi to Zhejiang Province to investigate the case of treasury deficit.And the province of Yunnan is now short of 1 million taels, which Qianlong clearly grasped.If Yin Zhuangtu is really sent to conduct unannounced visits, then it is difficult to guarantee that some deficiencies will not be found out, where will he put his face!

The difference between the emperor and the Yin family did not lie in the existence of deficits, but in the emperor's belief that these phenomena were localized and controllable, and did not affect the glory and greatness of Qing politics.The emperor and the Yin family made this bet in order to fight back against those disharmonious voices who maliciously sang about the political situation of the Qing Dynasty.Therefore, it is also necessary to take a small wrist.The so-called "doing big things without sticking to small details". Therefore, the emperor proceeded from the overall situation and made a series of relevant decisions from a high-level perspective:

First, Yin's "secret visits" were refused.Not only was secret investigation not allowed, but it was also stipulated that whenever Yin Zhuangtu went, the court would notify the local officials five hundred miles away. Second, before Yin's departure, an encyclical was issued to inoculate officials across the country to prevent confusion.The emperor pointed out in the edict that the purpose of making this bet is to use Yin as a negative teacher to give a situation education class to the subjects of the whole country, and to warn the ignorant.The emperor said that the result of Ling Yin's interrogation must be to "convince him" with facts. "If there are no shortages in the warehouses that have been inspected, it is Yin Zhuang's attempt to gain fame and reputation by making false rumors. He not only accused local officials of corruption, but also wiped out the sincerity of hundreds of millions of people in the world. And I am fifty In the past five years, Zihui Yuanyuan's solid government is almost equivalent to a world of violent extortion." Yin's crimes will therefore be exposed to the world.

Anyone who understands Chinese politics knows that, of course, nothing can be found through such an investigation.In the face of "big right and wrong", local officials will never be ambiguous.Therefore, Yin Zhuangtu hadn't set off yet, and the outcome of this bet had already been decided. However, the form still had to go.Following the emperor's decree, Qingcheng, the household servant, took Yin Zhuangtu on the road.The old emperor was very mean because he was angry, and he specifically stated in the edict that Qingcheng was on a business trip and all expenses would be reimbursed by the state.Yin Zhuangtu went to investigate voluntarily and asked for trouble, so he couldn't provide him with travel expenses, and he was responsible for the expenses along the way to show the country's grand duke. Qingcheng's official sedan chair was in front, and Yin Zhuangtu followed alone on a mule. The first stop came to Datong, Shanxi. The result of the "check" is of course no suspense.The local officials led two inspectors to open the granary bank one by one, and opened the accounts one by one. It turned out that there was "no shortage of silver in the warehouse" and the "number of stones" of the grain stored in the warehouse was consistent.After the inspection, the magistrate led Qingcheng to see the grottoes, leaving Yin Zhuangtu alone in the hotel to write the report materials. No matter how ignorant people are, they know what to do now.The honest and stubborn Yin Zhuangtu finally learned to lie.He reported the inspection process and results in detail in an extremely serious tone.Then, he concluded very sadly that he was really insane and "stupid" to "blaspheme" with hearsay materials.After the emperor's double education of Yuyin and facts, he deeply realized that his understanding of the Qing Dynasty was completely wrong.This is the case in Datong, Shanxi, which naturally proves that it is the same everywhere in the country.It goes without saying that today's treasury is full.Now the situation is clear, so I don't plan to waste the emperor's precious time, "return to Beijing immediately to punish the crime", let the emperor throw himself into prison earlier, so that he can save his mind to deal with other important matters. It stands to reason that at this point, the emperor has achieved his goal, and the matter can come to an end.However, the emperor was not satisfied.Right after the start of the match, Yin Zhuangtu fell to the ground, apparently feigning death to escape the blow.The emperor must pull Yin Zhuangtu up and force him to continue the beating until he is truly convinced and he can't live without dying. On the third day of December in the fifty-fifth year of Qianlong (1790), the emperor issued an edict, saying that Yin Zhuangtu asked the matter to end here. Remonstrance, I can't tolerate the false appearance of "speaking out", he scolded Yin Zhuangtu's move as "deceitful and deceitful, it is impossible to ask"!The emperor said, Yin Shi wants to return to Beijing, but I will not let him come back.Because "there is no shortage in one province, it may not be enough to convince him, and he will go to Shandong, Zhili Zhengding, Baoding and other places."He must be convinced before condemning him. As soon as the curse of "deceitful intentions" came out, the evil fire accumulated by the old emperor for many days burst out, and then he scolded Mrs. Yin carefully from head to toe.The emperor also really had a leisurely heart. He read Yin's memorials several times again, picked out two inappropriate words, and then said that Yin Zhuangtu resented the court because he couldn't be promoted to an official and couldn't let him study politics.In fact, it's not that the imperial court doesn't want to reuse him, but because his talents and learning are really limited. How can such a person with so many words be sent out to study politics and take on the important task of educating scholars? The emperor also speculated that when Yin Zhuangtu proposed the secret investigation, he mainly wanted to blackmail the salt merchants in the Huaiyang area.Because the salt merchants in that area are all very rich, if the Yin family uses the prestige of the imperial envoys to threaten them, they will definitely bribe them, and the Yin family will be able to gain both fame and wealth. After sarcastically and sarcastically ridiculing Yin Shi, the emperor cursed, even a mediocre master would not be deceived by this kind of trick, so he still wants to use it to deceive him?You really don't have eyes, you deserve it! "If I can see the light of my candle, I know the truth and the hypocrisy, and the villain's tricks, I have already seen the lungs and liver!" The emperor, who had had enough scolding, suddenly thought of another problem: he was afraid that under severe punishment, Yin Zhuang would seek death in fear of crime, so he would not be able to fully play the role of a negative teacher.Therefore, in the upper edict, he asked Qingcheng to tell Yin that he would not kill his head, and told him to live well and cooperate with the court: "It is hard to escape the blame for the absurdity, but it is ignorance, and the crime cannot be judged." Death is not worth punishing for a felony." The emperor was very kind, and last time he said that he could not reimburse Yin's business trip expenses, but now considering that he is a poor scholar, the disk fee probably will not be much. If it is not enough, let Qing Cheng allocated some of the business trip expenses to him as appropriate, so that he could come back healthy and healthy, so that he could accept the final treatment. There was no other way, Yin Zhuangtu had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Qingcheng to continue this ridiculous "national inspection". While he was checking, the emperor kept writing to him, asking him, "Did you see merchants frowning and sighing on the way?" How is the mental state of the people all over the country?Do you support the Qing regime? Yin Zhuangtu knew that his next task was to completely deny his troublesome memorial with his own mouth.Therefore, during the following journey, Yin Zhuangtu was busy racking his brains and writing a large number of investigation reports to report to the emperor. In the report, he repeatedly said: "Seeing the businessmen and people enjoying their business, there is no such thing as a frown." In the report, he used a lot of space to "truthfully" report what he saw and heard along the way, and enthusiastically praised the prosperity and stability of the Qing Dynasty and the people's living and working in peace and contentment: Witnessing the abundance of treasuries in various provinces, he has sufficient reserves and no shortage at all, and within thousands of miles of travel, merchants, businessmen and people live and work in peace and contentment, sharing peace and prosperity, and there is really no disturbance from local officials. The towns of Huai, Yang, Chang, and the provincial capital of Suzhou that I passed through were just in time for New Year's celebrations, when people crowded shoulders in the alleys and brought porridge and wine. ... After the "National Inspection" was over, Yin Zhuangtu wrote a letter again, expressing a complete plea, "I confess my falsehood, please punish me."Said that he "has already devoted himself to obedience, can you be kind and order him to return to Beijing to punish him"? These reports met the emperor's expectations.The Emperor concluded the case with the satisfaction of triumphant victory. On the tenth day of the first lunar month in the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong (1791), Qianlong issued a long edict, "Ling Qingcheng took him to Shanxi, Zhili, Shandong, Jiangnan and other provinces to check the warehouses, and there were no shortcomings. It was Yin Zhuang's attempt to succeed. It is beyond reproach to make false statements.”  … The emperor summed up the case, starting from the beginning, saying that Yin Zhuangtu was originally a cabinet bachelor, but because there were no high-ranking officials in Yunnan, the emperor made an exception and promoted him. In terms of his talent and knowledge, it was a fluke to become a cabinet student, and he still wanted to climb up. , "I have already seen his lungs and livers for his Xirong's despicable thoughts."Therefore, it is a serious crime to slander national politics. For some reason, the emperor always felt that although this crime was "very big", it was still not enough to convince the public.He weaves in every possible way, trying to make the Yin family completely rotten. After repeated deliberations, the emperor raised a new question: Yin Zhuangtu originally returned to Yunnan from Beijing Dingyou, and should only pass through Zhili, Henan, Huguang, Guizhou and other provinces. How could he pass through Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangxi provinces? The emperor asked himself and answered: Naturally, he deliberately made detours to communicate with local officials in order to fight the autumn wind, so he must be honest. This accusation against the emperor also knows that it is not very strong, because after all, it is only speculation, and there is no physical evidence.But he has more powerful weapons.After investigation, the emperor found that Yin Zhuangtu's 70-year-old mother was still living in her hometown of Yunnan.The emperor said that filial piety is the first of human relations.As a disciple of Confucius and Mencius, since you cannot bring your mother to Beijing, you should resign and return to your hometown to support her.However, the Yin family chose neither of them. If one person is an official in Beijing, "he clings to his position and forgets his relatives, and abandons them. How can he be called a human being?" Yin Zhuangtu not only has no ruler, but also no relatives. Living in the imperial court, humiliating the gentry? Yin Zhuang planned to be dismissed, and he was handed over to Qingcheng and brought to Beijing, where he was handed over to the Ministry of Punishment for punishment." Is there a greater sin than this without a king or relatives? How should such a serious crime be dealt with?After many discussions, the ministers proposed that Yin Zhuangtu should be sentenced to death in accordance with the "Law of Defrauding the Public by Defrauding the Government and Raising Dissents" (the crime of creating false appearances to deceive the government and deliberately making illegal suggestions). On the fourth day of February, Qianlong made the final judgment on the case.When the emperor did things, he always paid attention to both achieving his goals and winning people's hearts.Unexpectedly, the emperor adopted the principle of being strict in cracking down on criticism and lenient in organizational handling.The emperor said that everyone's sentencing of Yin Zhuangtu was very correct. Even if Yin's serious crimes were not beheaded, he should be exiled to the army. But the emperor was very kind. Although he, Yin Zhuangtu, was despicable and shameless and malicious, but the emperor had a big stomach and a high style, "it might as well use slander as a rule", nothing more than encouragement.Therefore, "if Jiaen is exonerated from his crime, he will be used as a cabinet minister, and he will remain in his post with dismissal. He will only be allowed to resume his post after eight years without fault." That means that it was originally a "contradiction between ourselves and the enemy", but it was handled as an "internal contradiction".Downgraded to use, from deputy ministerial level to departmental level.Because there was no vacancy in the cabinet, Yin Zhuangtu was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Rites. It's interesting to say that the emperor forgot that he listed Yin Zhuangtu's "losing his job and forgetting his family" as an important reason for his conviction at this time, and he actually let him continue to work in Beijing and separate from his mother. On the contrary, Yin Zhuang tried to find out the fun, and after being grateful, he applied for resignation on the grounds of serving his mother.As soon as the resignation was submitted, the emperor could not refuse, so he had to let him go home.In August of the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong (1792), Yin received the grace, packed up his clothes and went back to his hometown to adopt his mother. Seven Chinese people's "Dream of Prosperity" A prosperous age is a dream of the Chinese nation.To be born in a prosperous age is the greatest expectation of every Chinese for the times. The so-called prosperous age is an era in which there is no serious political corruption inside, no imminent enemy and foreign aggression outside, the social order is good, and the common people can generally have enough to eat.In Chinese history, there have been three such large-scale prosperous times, namely, the rule of Wenjing in Han Dynasty, the prosperous period of Zhenguan Kaiyuan in Tang Dynasty, and the prosperous period of Kangxi, Yongqian and Qianlong in Qing Dynasty.In addition to these three great times, there were also several small-scale prosperous times or ruling times, such as the "Guangwu Zhongxing" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the "Kaihuangzhizhi" in the Sui Dynasty, and the "Renxuanzhizhi" in the Ming Dynasty.Even in the context of the great split, some small dynasties in the corners have achieved good governance achievements.For example, Fu Jian of the former Qin before the Southern invasion during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the era of Emperor Liu Song and Wen of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and a certain period of time under the rule of the Later Zhou and Southern Tang of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. But that's all.Although the Chinese people of all ages have dreamed of a prosperous age, there are only a handful of prosperous ages, and the duration is not long. The rule of Wenjing lasted for nearly 40 years.In fact, when Emperor Wen came to the throne, the world was still quite dilapidated. The real prosperity appeared in the period of Emperor Jing, and was pushed to the peak by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.Counting the early period of Emperor Wu, the rule of the Han Dynasty lasted for nearly 70 years, of which the prosperous period was about 30 years. The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty is called the rule of Zhenguan and the prosperity of Kaiyuan in history.These two stages are not consecutive.The rule of Zhenguan lasted for 22 years from 627 to 649. This stage was the stage of social and economic recovery and development, and the achievements did not surpass the previous generation.The rule of prosperity in the early days of Xuanzong lasted about 30 years. Only the prosperous period of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong lasted the longest. However, counting from the 20th year of Kangxi (1681) to pacify the San Francisco Rebellion, to the 40th year of Qianlong (1775), it lasted less than 100 years.Even if it is calculated from the first year of Kangxi (1662) to the sixty years of Qianlong (1795), it is only more than 130 years. Some people have calculated that in the thousands of years of Chinese history, prosperity and governance have been added together, but for about 400 years, the rest is a period of peace and decline full of famine, turmoil and corruption. The word "prosperity" is unique to China.These two words cannot be found in history books outside the Han cultural circle.It is no wonder that Chinese history has been full of disasters and disasters. After careful consideration, the word "prosperous age" itself contains helplessness and ominousness. "Prosperity" and "decline" are relative, without the background of the decline, there will be no beauty and splendor of the prosperity. First, every prosperous age in Chinese history needs a large-scale disaster as a prelude. The first prosperous age in Chinese history was the rule of Wenjing.Twenty years before the appearance of this prosperous age, China had just ended the war at the end of Qin Dynasty.More than ten years of wars have caused huge population losses in China. There are many references in the "Han Shu" to the astonishing population changes in various places during the transition of dynasties. "Han Shu Chen Ping Biography" records that there were 30,000 households in Quni City in the Qin Dynasty, but when Liu Bang passed by the city during the war at the end of Qin Dynasty, he found that its population was only 5,000 households left. "Han Shu" also said that after Liu Bang ascended the throne for twelve years, the national population was only two or three tenths of that of the Qin Dynasty.Taking into account factors such as fleeing, historians generally infer that the wars during the Qin and Han Dynasties caused a loss of about 30% to 50% of China's population. As for the economic loss, it is even more serious.At the beginning of the establishment of the Han Dynasty, it was probably more embarrassing than any other dynasty. "Han Shu Shihuo Zhi" contains: "Han Xing, taking over the Qin Dynasty, the princes rose together, the people lost their jobs, and there was a great famine. If there are five thousand rice and stones, people eat each other, and more than half of the dead." "The world is set, the people Since the death of Gai Zang, since the Son of Heaven can’t have a full-bodied horse, the general or the prime minister rides in an ox cart.” That is to say, the common people don’t have any food reserves, and even the emperor’s carriage doesn’t have enough horses, and the prime minister has to ride in an ox cart when going out. The most famous prosperity in Chinese history is of course the "Government of Zhenguan" plus the "Golden Age of Kaiyuan".The background of this prosperous age is also an unprecedented and tragic population loss.In the first three years of Li Shimin's accession to the throne, that is, the seventh year of Wude (624), the large-scale wars at the end of the Sui Dynasty just subsided.The chapters in the middle are all tragic human tragedies.In the sixth year of Zhenguan (632), when Wei Zheng described the aftermath of the war, he still said: "Today, from the east of Yi and Luo, to Huhai and Dai, there are vast and vast lakes, thousands of miles away, no human habitation, no smell of chickens and dogs, and poor roads. "("Zhenguan Zhengyaoji Collection" Volume 2 "Blunt Remonstrance and Contest Attachment") In the 11th year of Zhenguan (637), when Ma Zhou wrote a letter, he still said: "The current household registration is not as good as the Sui Dynasty's 11th." The background of the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty is also the massacre and destruction that lasted for decades.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the population lost at least 40 million, of which as many as 7 million died directly from the massacre of the Qing army.According to the "Ten Diaries of Yangzhou", "approximately more than 800,000 corpses were burned" in Yangzhou alone.A more extreme example is the demographic change in Sichuan. In the "Manuscripts of Qing History · Wang Zhi Biography", Wang Zhi said in Kangxi's Shangshu that "Sichuan disasters followed each other, and there were hundreds of miles of barren smoke. The ministers transported grain in the past, and there was devastation everywhere. Since the fall, he has recuperated, but he plans to pass the provincial household registration. , but still no more than 18,000 people, less than the population of a county in other provinces.""China's Population History" by Zhao Wenlin and Xie Shujun believes that the real figures are not so extreme, and there are a large number of fugitive and hidden populations that have not been counted by Wang Zhi.He estimated that in 1626, the population of Sichuan was 3.56 million.In 1661, more than thirty years later, the population remained at 950,000.In other words, three quarters were lost. The great destruction in the age of extreme decline is the necessary condition for the emergence of the prosperous age.An important reason for the collapse of traditional Chinese dynasties was population pressure, and the great chaos relieved the population pressure for the new dynasty and provided a broad stage for its rise.It was the large number of population deaths caused by the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty that caused a large number of fields to be abandoned, so that the Tang Dynasty was able to implement the land equalization system and distribute one hectare of land to each male.The natural "land reform" caused by the war was also one of the main reasons for the "recruitment and exile" in the early Han Dynasty and the rapid economic development in the early Qing Dynasty.In fact, after the great turmoil has passed, as long as the new dynasty can ensure that there will be no major political turmoil for decades, it does not need to propose a clever development strategy. It only needs to govern by doing nothing and follow the trend, and it will naturally reap the rewards. A bountiful economic recovery period.Therefore, every prosperous age is a kind of rebound and a kind of compensation for the catastrophe and destruction of the previous stage. Second, the emergence of the prosperous age benefited from the experience and lessons provided by the declining age. The serious consequences of the perverse actions of the previous generation of rulers have given great vigilance to the descendants of the ruling group who have seen enough human tragedies.The monarchs of the three prosperous ages are very good at summing up experience and lessons from the failures of their predecessors. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the entire political hierarchy was thinking about why the strong Qin Dynasty fell violently.The emergence of the rule of Zhenguan is due to the "negative teacher" of Emperor Sui Yang.Similar to this, several generations of emperors in the early Qing Dynasty all took the bad governance of the late Ming Dynasty as a mirror of their own governance.The emperors in the late Ming Dynasty were famous for their greed for profit with good goods.An important reason for the demise of the Ming Dynasty was the excessive exploitation of the people.When the Qing people entered the customs, they immediately abolished the "three rates" (Liao rate, suppression rate and training rate) in the late Ming Dynasty.In view of the lessons of the Ming Dynasty, the tax level set by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty was the lowest in history. From Kangxi to Qianlong, the emperors strictly adhered to the principle of "never adding taxes", fearing that the mistakes of the late Ming Dynasty would be repeated, and they did not dare to go one step further.In the late Ming Dynasty, the laziness of the emperors reached its peak, and Wanli even set a historical record of not going to court for 20 years.The emperors of the Qing Dynasty were the most diligent group of emperors in Chinese history.The scourge of cronies in the Ariake generation was the worst, causing serious political corruption.From Kangxi to Qianlong, three generations of emperors continued to vigorously crack down on cronies, making the Qing Dynasty the era with the least scourge of cronyism in Chinese history. The few prosperous times in Chinese history were the high scores obtained after paying high tuition fees in the extremely declining times. Of course, paying the price of a world of extreme decline does not necessarily guarantee a prosperous world.In fact, the conditions for the emergence of a prosperous age are far harsher than this.In Chinese history, not all disasters can be compensated by progress, and more often, disasters are only exchanged for greater disasters. Not long after Sima Yan usurped the throne, he conquered the state of Wu and ended the history of the melee of the Three Kingdoms. Emperor Wu of Jin also became the fourth emperor to unify the whole country after Qin Shihuang, Emperor Gaozu of Han, and Emperor Guangwu of Han.At the beginning of the reunification, he was proactive, complied with public opinion, and reduced or exempted corvee. For a time, "the world's books are the same, the cars are on the same track, the cattle and horses are wild, and the surplus grain is the same as the mu, so there is a saying that there are infinite people in the world."There are signs of a "prosperous age" appearing indistinctly.If he puts more effort into it, a large-scale flourishing world will come naturally.However, not all emperors have the outstanding qualities of Han Wendi and Tang Taizong.Emperor Wu of Jin quickly fell into material enjoyment.Under the example of the emperor, the aristocrats of the Western Jin Dynasty, Wen Tian and Wu Xi, squandered wantonly, creating a well-known "beautiful style" in Chinese history.Therefore, not surprisingly, shortly after the death of Emperor Wu, the Western Jin Dynasty fell into chaos. Therefore, another necessary condition for the emergence of a prosperous age is to meet a wise emperor.The three great times in Chinese history were all created by monarchs with super quality.A monarch in a prosperous age needs to have outstanding political skills, and secondly, to have outstanding self-control.In the deep palace, with the hands of a woman, it is not easy to cultivate such talents.Except for Tang Taizong, who was regarded as half of the founder of the country, Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Han Jing, and Emperor Kang, Yong, and Qian were really outliers among Chinese emperors. In fact, the shrewdness of a generation of emperors is not enough.The emergence of the prosperous age is the result of the relay efforts of several generations.The law of China's prosperous age is that a wise and powerful founding emperor established the scale and laid the foundation for the new dynasty.After the death of the founding emperor, there will often be a small period of running-in, turmoil and adjustment, and then another shrewd and capable descendant will open the bottleneck period of the dynasty's development and push the dynasty to prosperity.When Liu Bang founded the country in the Han Dynasty, he established the idea of ​​​​governing the country in peace and inaction, but it also left behind the political hidden danger of the division of the princes.After Liu Bang's death, there was turmoil in the period of Empress Lu and Emperor Hui.Until Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, on the one hand, they carried forward the strategy of "resting with the people" on the one hand, and on the other hand, they successfully attacked the separatist forces of princes with the same surname, eliminated major hidden dangers in the political system, and thus gave birth to the heyday of Emperor Wu.During the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, Gaozu and Taizong established the foundation and laid the foundation, and there were short-term turbulent adjustments by Gaozong, Empress Wu, Zhongzong, and Ruizong, and it did not reach its peak until Xuanzong.The prosperity of the Qing Dynasty was also laid by Dorgon and Shunzhi.The succession of Kangxi to the throne solved the two development bottlenecks of power ministers and San Francisco, and thus the Qing Dynasty embarked on the road to prosperity. The emergence of a wise emperor is a low-probability event in Chinese history, and it is as rare as winning a lottery for successive generations of emperors. Therefore, it is not difficult to explain why there are so few prosperous times in Chinese history. A prosperous age is difficult to appear, and even more difficult to maintain. The prelude to the prosperity is the decline, and the end is also the decline. The three great eras in Chinese history failed to avoid the ending of "prosperity and decline".Moreover, the decline of the prosperous age is often a foregone conclusion in a very short period of time.The early period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was the highest peak reached by the rule of the Han Dynasty.However, after Emperor Wu's heyday, he whipped the world too much, which soon led to decline.In his later years, the world was in chaos, and uprisings spread throughout the Kanto region, with thousands of people in large groups and hundreds of people in small groups. The flames of the uprising almost ruined the Han Dynasty.When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty opened the Yuan and Tianbao, it was known as "the heyday", and the prosperity was unprecedented in history, but the turmoil of the "Anshi Rebellion" instantly blew away the prosperity of the past. In 752, the eleventh year of Tang Tianbao, the population of the Tang Dynasty reached its peak, reaching 52 million.But eight years later, in 760, that is, the third year of Qianyuan, it suddenly dropped to 17 million.In the most prosperous area during the Tianbao period, within 500 miles from Yiyang to Wulao, there were only 1,000 households with registered population.The rapid decline of the dynasty can be imagined. The political clarity and full-scale corruption in Qianlong's heyday were only moments away.Three years before Qianlong's death, the White Lotus Sect uprising broke out, and the Qing Dynasty fell into a precarious situation. From prosperity to decline so quickly, the reason is of course that the emergence of these prosperity depends on the rule of man.The few great times in Chinese history have only left in the history books the shrewdness of the rulers and the strength of their personality, but not many institutional achievements. Chinese emperors were all believers in the rule of man. As Yongzheng said, "There has never been a rule of law for governing people. Civil and military government is based on plans, and the survival of people depends on political actions. If I rule people, I have governing laws."For thousands of years, there has been no fundamental breakthrough and progress in the framework and operating rules of China's autocratic system.The performance of the ruling depends more on the personal spirituality of the ruler.Without the strict restriction of internal and external conditions, personal wisdom and self-control cannot resist the connivance and corrosion of the environment.From victory to arrogance, from work to rest, is the unchanging law of human nature.A monarch in a prosperous age is often wise and stupid, rational and expansive.They are not only the creators of brilliant achievements, but also the chief culprits of the decline of the dynasty. There is no such thing as a prosperous age in Western history. This is not to say that other countries have not had glorious eras in their history. In Western history, they are often referred to as the "Golden Age", such as the "Elizabeth Period" of the British Empire.Compared with China's prosperous age, the golden age in Western history was not so short-lived. There are many coincidences between the Elizabeth era and the Qianlong era.Queen Elizabeth and Qianlong ascended the throne at the same age of 25. Like Qianlong, she is also a sensible and flexible politician.When she came to the throne, England was in a state of chaos internally due to religious divisions, and externally faced war with France and tensions with Scotland and Spain.She freed Britain from the shadow of religious wars with a clever compromise strategy, and dealt with the surrounding powers with flexible diplomacy, ended the war with France, and gained a valuable development period for Britain. Elizabeth ruled England for 45 years.When she came to the throne, Britain was still a poor and weak second-rate small country, and when she died, Britain had become the world's number one naval power.As a result, she is widely regarded as one of the greatest kings in British history.Her reign is therefore known as the "Elizabeth Period" in British history. Unlike China's prosperity, Britain did not decline after the "Golden Age". The "Golden Age" became the starting point of a country's long rise. After that, Britain continued to prosper and lead the world in the following hundreds of years. The reason is that every step of the rise of the UK has been accompanied by institutional innovation.A history of British politics is a history of institutional evolution. Although there are always various contradictions that cannot be fundamentally overcome in British society, due to this unique way of political progress, every conflict can be resolved in a timely manner, and Britain has gradually gained more and more powerful. Through the review of history, we can easily find that it is out of date to mention the word "prosperous age" again. First, in Chinese history, the times when the word "prosperity" was the loudest often had many problems. A thriving, confident regime does not need self-promotion to embolden itself.On the contrary, in some problematic times, people often sing the tune of prosperity. Because the "prosperous age" is a powerful proof of the legitimacy of the traditional dynasty's rule.After a violent seizure of power, a regime needs to support its legitimacy with the achievements of "raising the people" and "herdsmen".And the emergence of the prosperous age is of course the best proof of the achievements of dominance. In the process of a dynasty immersing itself in pioneering and forging ahead, the rulers will not often mention the word "prosperity", but are committed to discovering and solving problems.In the rule of Wenjing in the Han Dynasty and the rule of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, no emperor or minister boasted of a prosperous age.On the contrary, those rulers who lack confidence often talk about "prosperity".Song Gaozong was lucky to have a great treasure due to the turmoil. He secretly settled in a corner, with the enemy at his side, but he had no intention of making progress.This kind of achievement, in any case, has nothing to do with the prosperous age.However, Song Gaozong often called himself "Zhongxing" and "Prosperous Age".Encouraged by the emperor, the voices of ministers praising the prosperous age were overwhelming and overwhelming.They said that the emperor was "ruiming in the emperor, fortune-telling Zhongxing, continuous in the eradication of Qing Dynasty, dry barbarians and Kunning". "Great achievements are towering, surpassing the past", "The emperor's devotion is better than Yao and Yu".他们夸秦桧“心潜于圣，有孟轲命世之才；道致其君，负伊尹觉民之任”，“大节孤忠，奇谋远识”，“圣贤一出五百岁，开辟以来能几人”。这些当初精心撰写的谀词，今天听起来只是讽刺。 中国历史上另一个“盛世”声音叫得最响的时代是清代。众所周知，清代统治者以少数民族入主中原，内心一直缺乏安全感。因此有清一代的诏书中，连篇累牍的内容是宣传大清政权的“深仁厚泽”。 但是，在整个清代盛世之中，盛世叫得最响的又是两个特殊阶段，一个是身背篡位恶名的雍正统治时期，另一个是乾隆晚期，也就是盛世已经渐行渐远之际。康熙时期，对盛世二字并不那么感冒。康熙平定三藩后，群臣请上尊号，康熙明智地拒绝了，他说：“贼虽已平，疮痍未复，君臣宜加修省，恤兵养民，布宜德化，务以廉洁为本，共致太平。若遂以为功德，崇上尊称，滥邀恩赏，实可耻也！”正是这种难得的清醒，才有了以后一系列正确政策的出台。 第二，“盛世”是循环论的产物，而今天的中国历史已经摆脱循环。“天道极即反，盈则损，物盛则衰，日中而移，月满则亏，乐终而悲。”与世界上其他大部分国家多元交错发展不同，中国历史是一个封闭的自我线性循环体，其线性发展的规律是一治一乱，一盛一衰。说：“日中则昃，月盈则亏”；“无陂不平，无往不复”。就是说，凡事发展到顶点后，无不向反方面运动。这确实是中国传统政治的运转规律。《孟子·滕文公下》中说，“天下之生久矣，一治一乱”。《左传》说，“其兴也勃焉，其亡也忽焉”。说“天下大势，分久必合，合久必分”。老百姓则说，“三十年河东，三十年河西”。这无一不证明着中国人治循环规律的牢不可破。在传统政治中，一个社会如果达到了“盛世”阶段，那么就意味着眼前无路，只有持盈保泰一法，尽量推迟那不可避免的衰败来临了。 然而，鸦片战争之后，中国身处“三千年未有之变局”。中国历史的发展，已经从自身的一治一乱循环转向与世界大潮合流。跳出中国文明的视界，我们就会发现，一个国家，一个民族并不是只有盛极而衰，百十年就要重新洗一次牌这一条路可走。 全球化使中国人有机会吸收和借鉴其他人类社会创造的政治文明成果。虽然中国自我运转的规律仍然在深层次地起作用，但是无论是谁，都已经不希望中国再次回到盛极而衰的旧有轨道。正如梁启超说： 古之天下所以一治一乱如循环者，何也？恃英雄也。其人存则其政举，其人亡则其政息，即世界借英雄而始成立之说也。故必到人民不倚赖英雄之境界，然后为真文明，然后以之立国而国可立，以之平天下而天下可平。