Chapter 9 2. Fengman Yushitai

The February of the second year of Xining (1069) was extremely unusual. First of all, it is worth noting that Fu Bi and Wang Anshi were appointed chancellor and vice chancellor respectively.The two personnel changes were one before and one after the other. The first day Fu Bi paid homage to the prime minister, and the next day Wang Anshi took up his new post.We know that the prime minister and the deputy prime minister are collectively called the prime minister, and they are both members of the central government's team.So why weren't the two appointments announced on the same day?Is there no mystery in it?

Of course there is, but few people pay attention to it. In fact, Fu Bi's appointment itself is very strange.As we said in the previous chapter, the advice he gave at the beginning of Shenzong's accession to the throne was to rule by doing nothing, which was exactly the opposite of Wang Anshi's proposition.What's more interesting is that as soon as Fu Bi finished speaking, Wang Anshi announced when he met the emperor for the first time three days later that if you want to learn from Yao and Shun, you don't need to learn from Tang Taizong's rhetoric.How could such two people form a team?

However, Shenzong did just that. Obviously, this should not be the emperor's impulse.On the contrary, at this moment, Shenzong probably knows very well that a "State Council" that uses both old and new is what he needs most and is most at ease: newcomers can promote reforms, and old people can maintain stability.Although the young emperor was determined to innovate, he did not want his empire to be in turmoil. So, he thought of Fu Bi. Like the former prime minister Han Qi and the current prime minister Zeng Gongliang, Fu Bi was also a veteran of the three dynasties.Moreover, if Zeng Gongliang, one of the chief editors of the military book "Wu Jing Zong Yao" in the Northern Song Dynasty, was a military scientist, then Fu Bi, who presided over the negotiations with Liao Dynasty in the second year of Qingli (1042), was an outstanding diplomat.At that time, the Khitan came aggressively to ask for land from the Song Dynasty, and all the Chinese and military officials in the court turned pale and avoided them. Prime Minister Lu Yijian took the opportunity to "recommend" Fu Bi, who was at odds with Renzong.Ouyang Xiu was worried that Fu Bi would go and never return, and raised objections, but Fu Bi went into the palace and said to the emperor: The worry of the master is the humiliation of the subordinates.The minister is willing to go to the Northern Dynasty, and dare not be greedy for life or fear of death.

As a result, Fu Bi won 80 years of peace for both sides. There is no doubt about the prestige and loyalty of such a minister.What's more, Fu Bi neither supported Wang Anshi like Zeng Gongliang, nor explicitly opposed Wang Anshi like Han Qi.Let him serve as prime minister together with Zeng Gongliang, which is said to be able to stabilize people's hearts.Of course, in order to show courtesy to the veteran, the announcement of Wang Anshi's appointment was delayed by one day.It should be said that this is wishful thinking and a reasonable arrangement. But what was the result? Things backfired, Xining was not peaceful in the past two years, and it will be the same in the future.

, against reform It was Wang Anshi who caused the trouble, and it was Lu Hui who caused the disturbance.However, although Lu He was demoted, he did not scare off those admonishing officials and supervisory officials, but aroused their fighting spirit even more.At this time, although Yushi Zhongcheng was replaced by Lu Gong's work recommended by Wang Anshi, the Tang and Song dynasties have always had the tradition of "No Chief in Taichung".That is to say, all officials of Yushitai, regardless of their positions, can impeach the prime minister and deputy prime minister, and there is no need to ask Yushi Zhongcheng for instructions in advance.

As a result, one wave is not smooth, and another wave rises again. The joint impeachment of Wang Anshi was Liu Shu, Liu Qi and Qian Yi (read as above), whose positions were to serve the censor to know miscellaneous affairs, to serve the censor and to supervise the censor Lixing.In the Tang and Song dynasties, the Yushitai had three courts under its jurisdiction. The main officials of the Taiyuan were the censors, the officials of the palace were the censors in the palace, and the officials of the procuratorate were the supervisors.The unofficial supervisory officials with less seniority are all called Lixing, and the senior censor attendant knows miscellaneous affairs, and is in charge of the daily affairs of Yushitai.

Therefore, the joint impeachment led by Liu Shu, who served as a censor and known miscellaneous affairs, was no less serious than Lu Hui's independent battle.The wording of the memorial is even more severe, denouncing Wang Anshi's domineering and unscrupulous since he came to power, against the Tao of Tang Yao, Yu and Shun's harmony, using the tricks of commercial martingale and Han Fei, abandoning the law of the ancestors' benevolence, the people's love of things, and changing the law of competing with the people for profit and harming the world. New proposals, so that people's hearts fluctuate and become uneasy.Therefore, they asked the emperor to immediately rescind his position as a political advisor, and even Zeng Gongliang, the prime minister who secretly supported Wang Anshi, and Zhao Yan, the deputy prime minister who resisted weakly, should also be dismissed together.

It's a real bombshell. In fact, after Lu Hui was demoted, Yushitai has been agitated.Memorials flew into the palace like snowflakes, and these three people were not the only ones participating in the battle.Wang Anshi's response was to instigate the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture, Wang Kechen Luozhi, to falsely accuse Liu Shu, and at the same time asked the emperor to demote Liu Qi and Qian Yi to other places to be petty officials in charge of salt and wine affairs. Qian Yi immediately set out on the road.When he left Yushitai, he publicly scolded Sun Changling, a colleague of the supervisory department who was recommended by Wang Anshi, to serve Yushi Sun Changling: As a supervisory official, he should serve the country loyally, why should he serve Wang Anshi like a slave?Do you think you have a plan and can go straight to the sky?I think you are not as good as a pig or a dog!

After finishing speaking, Qian Yi got on his horse and left. Sun Changling was inexplicably scolded so badly that he had no choice but to impeach Wang Kechen, the Kaifeng judge who sued Liu Shu, saying that he flattered the powerful and deceived the emperor, and said many things wrong with Wang Anshi's new law. Only then did he separate himself from Wang Anshi relationship, to save his face in the supervision department. As a result, Sun Changling was also demoted. At this time, an admonishing official couldn't stand it anymore.This man's name is Fan Chunren, and his position is Tongzhi Jianyuan, that is, the deputy chief of the department of advice and advice.Although the tasks of admonition and supervision are different, the former advises the emperor and the latter supervises officials, but since they both have the responsibility of reflecting public opinion, they respond to each other with the same spirit.What's more, this Fan Chunren is also extraordinary. His father is Fan Zhongyan, the former reformist leader.

Fighting side by side with Fan Chunren is Sima Guang.He said bluntly: Wang Anshi was originally unpopular, and now he dismissed the censor because of him, which is a double disregard for the support of the people.If the supervisory officials are loyal to their duties, they will also be punished. I am afraid that from now on, everyone in the world will keep their mouths shut, and His Majesty will never hear the truth again. Fan Chunren was filled with righteous indignation.He said: A minister is loyal to his duty, and a ruler is beautiful when he accepts advice.Only in this way can the ruling party dare not do whatever it wants, and the villain can't bring disaster to the country and the people.If the remonstrance and supervision system established by the ancestors is destroyed, how can your majesty ensure long-term peace and order?What's more, Wang Anshi deviates from the classics and rebels against the party. Isn't it perverse, shouldn't he be dismissed?Zeng Gongliang's collusion with the same people is not guaranteed at night, and Zhao Yan knows his faults and is unable to turn the tide. Should he stay in office?

At this time, Sima Guang and Fan Chunren were of one mind and one mind, and jointly safeguarded the freedom of speech that was scarce in the imperial era, as well as the right of scholar-bureaucrats to participate in and discuss state affairs.Although Sima Guang would become domineering later, Fan Chunren would also break up with him. Of course Shenzong could not accept their opinions.But Wang Anshi proposed to send Liu Shu to prison, but the emperor did not agree.The final result was that Liu Shu was relegated to today's Jiujiang, Jiangxi, to be a prefect, but only after Fan Chunren resigned. The resignation was not immediately approved, and Wang Anshi even secretly sent a message to Fan Chunren: Don't leave, the government is already discussing and arranging you to make a patent.Fan Chunren sneered: How did such words reach my ears?Is it to bribe, or to scare?What's the use of a high official and generous salary if the opinion is not accepted?So he kept doing nothing and sent a copy of his memorial to the Ministry of Education, which was equivalent to publishing an open letter. Wang Anshi gritted his teeth and asked the emperor to punish Fan Chunren severely. Shenzong said: He is not guilty, let him be a magistrate in a good place! Fu Bi couldn't sit still. As the elder of the three dynasties, Fu Bi knew very well the original intention of the emperor's appointment, which was originally intended to maintain stability and unity.He even invited admonition and supervisory officials to the government shortly after he took office, hoping that everyone would work together and help each other.It's a pity that no one sympathizes with him as a peacemaker. The chief of the remonstrance court said bluntly: If the imperial court does the right thing, who would dare to disapprove?If it is done wrong, even if the subordinate officials want to agree, they will not be able to do so! The days to come will be even more difficult.Although Wang Anshi was aggressive, Fan Chunren was not relentless.Fan Chunren said: Fu Bi received great kindness from the three dynasties, but he could not take the world as his own responsibility, and it was neither public nor private.Since Fu Bi and the first minister (Fan Zhongyan) were old friends, and the minister was also a speech officer, he dared not advise him in private.Therefore, I implore Your Majesty to hand over the minister's memorial to him so that he can reflect on it. Fu Bi had no choice but to resign.Shenzong had no choice but to agree. So the emperor asked Fu Bi: Who can replace Ai Qing when she leaves? Fu Bi replied: Wen Yanbo. The emperor was silent.After a while, he asked again: "How is Wang Anshi?" Fu Bi also said nothing. Shenzong didn't want Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi didn't want Wang Anshi, and the pie that fell from the sky fell on Chen Shengzhi's head. But no one expected that Chen Shengzhi and Wang Anshi would also fall out.

---

Notes: