Chapter 5 5. Wang Anshi enters Beijing

Wang Anshi, who was two years younger than Sima Guang, was from Linchuan, Jiangxi, and his style name was Jiefu. He was also a descendant of an official like the former.It is said that Wang Anshi even originally ranked first, but because Emperor Renzong didn't like a sentence in his examination paper, he was ranked fourth. The sentence that violates the taboo is called "a child like a friend". Ruzi are children.In the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi Jinggong played games with his son, pretending to be a cow with a rope in his mouth, and letting his son lead him away.Unexpectedly, when his son fell down, Duke Jing's teeth were broken, leaving behind the allusion of "Ru Zi Niu".

Obviously, there is no problem with Ruzi, and it is Friends who make taboos.This word reminded the emperor of the crony disputes in the court, and the crony factions were the most troublesome and disgusting to the monarch. Although Renzong could not know that the factional disputes would be intensified due to Wang Anshi's reform. So the emperor said: If you have this sentence, you can't be the leader. Everyone felt wronged, but Wang Anshi himself didn't care. Such a person, of course, doesn't care what official position he holds, and what the officer thinks of him.We know that Wang Anshi's first job as a Jinshi and Die was to sign judgments in Renhuainan, Yangzhou, and the chief was Han Qi.Because reading and writing often lasted all night, Wang Anshi often had no time to freshen up when he went to work, so Han Qi mistakenly thought that he was looking for flowers and asking willows to sing every night.So one day, Han Qi finally couldn't help but said to him earnestly: Young people, if you want to make progress, don't give up on yourself!

In this regard, Wang Anshi's reaction was silent. This made Han Qi very unhappy, and the relationship between the two did not improve.Later Han Qi resigned from the capital and left the capital. Emperor Shenzong once asked him: Aiqing resigned, who can take over this position?How about Wang Anshi? Han Qi categorically denied: No! Wang Anshi continued to go his own way.According to the practice at the time, after his tenure in Yangzhou expired, he could return to Beijing to take the exam, thus becoming a member of the emperor's secretary team.Wang Anshi gave up this opportunity, and went to Dangzhi County in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province today, and Shuzhou (now Qianshan County, Anhui Province) to do the general judge.He even declined the recommendations of Wen Yanbo and Ouyang Xiu, and devoted himself to being a magistrate.

Of course, Wang Anshi also served as a Beijing official since then, but he was always uneasy and always asked to be transferred to a local government. There are so many poor people that it is really unaffordable to live in a place with huge expenses like the capital, so I implore the imperial court to take it back. However, the more Wang Anshi resigned, the more the court wanted him to be an official.Both parties are very persistent and patient, and they will not hesitate to start a tug-of-war.The most dramatic thing was that in November of the fifth year of Jiayou (1060), Wang Anshi and Sima Guang were assigned to repair the daily life note at the same time, that is, to help the emperor write a diary, and the two resigned together.As a result, Sima Guang resigned five times, and finally had to accept it.Wang Anshi refused to do so, and even hid in the toilet when the edict was delivered.The messenger had no choice but to put the edict on Wang Anshi's table, and Wang Anshi caught up with the messenger and returned the letter of appointment.

However, when he was appointed Zhi Zhi Gao the following year, he never resigned. In this way, he stayed in the capital until August of the eighth year of Jiayou (1063). Wang Anshi finally returned to his second hometown, Jiangning, also called Jinling, which is today's Nanjing, because his mother passed away.Perhaps at this time, he wrote a popular poem: It's late autumn in my homeland, and the weather is beginning to be sober.Thousands of miles of Chengjiang seem to be practiced, and emerald peaks are like clusters.Returning to the sails to sail in the setting sun, with the westerly wine flag slanting behind its back.The clouds on the colorful boats are light, and the stars and herons are rising. It is difficult to draw a picture.Think about the prosperity and competition in the past.Sighing outside the building, grief and hatred continue.For thousands of years, it is honor and disgrace.The old things of the Six Dynasties follow the flowing water, but the cold smoke and fragrant grass turn green.Up to now, business women still sing from time to time, a song left behind in the back court.

It is said that there were more than 30 Jinling nostalgic poems written in the mode of "Osmanthus Fragrance" at that time, and only Wang Anshi's poem is the masterpiece of the ages.Even the talented Su Dongpo praised and said after reading it: That old guy is probably a wild vixen. The artistic achievement of this poem is beyond doubt.However, we read more about the family and country feelings of the scholar-bureaucrats at that time.Especially the line "To this day, business women still sing from time to time, a song left behind in the backyard", the heart of worrying about the country and the people can be said to be vivid on the paper.What's more, "taking the world as one's own responsibility" was originally a proposition that Wang Anshi agreed with.Therefore, why he has repeatedly refused to serve in the central government inevitably makes people speculate.

The plausible explanation is that he wants to do practical things, not to be idle.When he was the county magistrate in Yin County, Ningbo (Yin read as silver), Wang Anshi spent 13 days traveling hundreds of miles to conduct research, and finally figured out the reason for the drought in such a place with abundant water sources, and carried out a radical cure.Under his governance, the government of Yin County is well-organized and the people are harmonious, and everything is prosperous. It is stable and united, and it is thriving. Later, in other positions, Wang Anshi also showed the spirit of hard work.He even wanted to dig a canal when he was the magistrate of Changzhou.Due to various reasons (including bad weather and opposition from superiors and subordinates), this matter could not be carried out in the end, and it is difficult to judge whether it is right or wrong, but there is no doubt that he wants to do something.

Wang Anshi is a good official, at least he wants to be a good official. What's even more rare is that Wang Anshi has a big picture in his mind.In October of the third year of Jiayou's reign (1058), he was appointed as the judge of the third division, that is, the official responsible for the revenue and expenditure of the State Finance Committee.This was his first contact with central finance, but he immediately and keenly discovered the potential crisis of the empire.So, just like what Sima Guang did four years later, Wang Anshi also wrote a letter to Renzong, which was also eloquent and wrote a thousand words, which has always been regarded as a programmatic document for subsequent reforms.

The content of the Wan Yan Shu is very rich, and what makes history remember these words: Today's financial resources are getting poorer day by day, and customs are getting worse day by day. The problem is that I don't know the law, and I don't follow the previous king's government.Those who follow the rulers of the former kings only follow their intentions. ...Since ancient times, in governing the world, lack of wealth has never been regarded as a public problem, and the problem is that there is no way to manage wealth. In other words, finances should not have been a problem in the first place, but became a problem because of lack of financial management, and lack of financial management was due to ignorance of laws and regulations.Therefore, in order to fundamentally solve the problem, the only way out is reform.

Isn't this exactly what Song Shenzong was going to do, the person he was looking for? However, His Majesty the Emperor was very uncertain, because Wang Anshi was notoriously stubborn.When he was working in the central government, he was temporarily dispatched to review criminal cases in the capital, and he immediately clashed with the Kaifeng government.The case is simple: a guy took someone else's quail without consent, and was chased by the owner and kicked to death in the street.Therefore, the Kaifeng government sentenced the latter to death. Wang Anshi wants to reverse the case.He said: According to the law, both robbery and theft are thieves.The owner of the quail was a robber, not a murderer, and the Kaifeng government made a wrong judgment.

Of course, Kaifeng government refused to accept it, and appealed to the highest judicial organ, Dali Temple, and the highest review organ, the Trial and Criminal Court. Both courts supported Kaifeng government.In fact, Wang Anshi's statement is problematic.Because arresting criminals was originally a matter for the public security department, the public has no right to kill or arrest without authorization, even though this person just missed and did not intend to murder. Therefore, the crime of manslaughter is appropriate. It's a pity that neither side thinks about the problem that way.The Kaifeng government advocated murder for life, and Wang Anshi insisted on acquittal. Wang Anshi, who lost the lawsuit, would of course be held accountable.But at this time, Emperor Renzong was too lazy to worry about these trivial matters, and ordered not to pursue them.However, according to the system and practice, Wang Anshi still had to go outside the palace to thank him and apologize. But Wang Anshi said: I am innocent, no thanks! Of course, Yushitai, the highest supervisory organ, could not just sit idly by, so he issued official documents to urge him, and if the urging failed, he impeached him again, but Wang Anshi still refused.The imperial court had no choice but to change his position and dispatch him. Therefore, when Shenzong wanted to call Wang Anshi to Beijing, he was very afraid that he would not come. Han Wei told the emperor to rest assured.He said: Wang Anshi is a person who aspires to stabilize the country and help the people, and he is not willing to die in the mountains.What's more, your majesty has just ascended to the position of great power, and he is striving to govern, thinking of talents and thirsting for talents, who in the world does not compete to serve him?If you hired him sincerely and courteously, why wouldn't Wang Anshi not come? Shenzong said: How about Aiqing saying hello first and testing it out? Han Wei said: Then he will definitely not come.He is a person who can only be persuaded by morality and cannot be seduced by interests.Please Your Majesty. Shenzong readily agreed: Good!Just do as you say! Wang Anshi finally came to Kaifeng, Tokyo again.

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