Chapter 19 5. Restoration of Sima Guang
The day Sima Guang entered Beijing, the streets were empty.
This is the last ten days of March in the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085).More than twenty days ago, Emperor Shenzong passed away at the age of thirty-eight.Sima Guang, who had lived in Luoyang for fifteen years, accepted Cheng Hao's suggestion to bid farewell to Emperor Daxing, and was recognized by the guards as soon as he walked to the gate of the palace.They raised their hands and said: This is Sima Xianggong!The people also came from all directions, surrounded Sima Guang and said: Don't leave, Mr. Xiang, stay and assist the new emperor, and give us poor people a way out!
Sima Guang was terrified and excited.
It is hard to say whether this record in the official history is exaggerated, but it is probably true that some people at the top and at the bottom are dissatisfied with the reform.Although the causes of dissatisfaction are different, for example, the rich and powerful groups have been passively cheesed because of the reform itself, and ordinary people have increased the burden because of mistakes in implementation, but the dissatisfaction is exactly the same.
Dissatisfaction is an emotion, and emotions don't make sense.
This is troublesome.
What's more troublesome is that those who now exercise imperial power hate the new law.This person is Shenzong's mother, Empress Dowager Gao.After Shenzong's death, Zhezong who succeeded him was less than eight and a half years old, so she could only listen to the government behind the curtain as the empress dowager.
In fact, this empress dowager is extraordinary.After she was a general, her great-grandfather started his career in martial arts when he was in Taizong.His mother is the elder sister of Empress Renzong Cao, so she has lived in the palace since she was a child, and she is her own son with Emperor Yingzong's childhood sweetheart, Shenzong Zhao Xu and Qi Wang Zhao Hao.Who can challenge her position?
What's more, the old lady's moral character is also impeccable.She never seeks personal gain for herself, and she even pays for the Gao family's building and decoration.Once Shenzong's nanny came through the back door, and the queen mother said: What are you doing here?Do you want to repeat the mistakes of foreign relatives meddling in politics, interceding for others and asking for officials?Let me see you next time, and I'll kill you immediately!
So everyone said: Yao and Shun, the female middle school!
Now the trouble is big, because Sima Guang is also recognized as a gentleman.The female Zhong Yaoshun and the minister Zhong Gaotao first occupied the moral high ground.The highest power is armed with moral ideals and the foundation of public opinion, which is invincible.The new law jointly opposed by Empress Dowager Gao and her aunt and mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Cao, will surely die.
The same is true.After listening to the government behind the curtain for two months, the Empress Dowager adjusted the team of the central government.A reformist figure who will be mentioned later was appointed as a member of the Privy Council, and Sima Guang succeeded him as the servant of the door.At this time, due to Shenzong's Yuanfeng reform, the prime minister was no longer called Ping Zhangshi, but was changed to Zuo PU She, who was also the servant of the door, as the first prime minister, and right servant, who was also the servant of Zhongshu, to be the second prime minister.The deputy prime minister was no longer called Shenzhizhengshi, but was changed to four people: Menxia Shilang, Zhongshu Shilang, Shangshu Zuocheng and Shangshu Youcheng.Therefore, Sima Guang's current position is the first deputy prime minister.
Sima Guang also did his part.A month ago, his proposition was just to screen the new law: save those who benefit the people and benefit the country, and remove those who sicken the people and hurt the country; The reckless and reckless behavior of "a minister of affairs" does not conform to the original intention of the late emperor.As for whether the abolition of the new law would violate the Confucian ethics of "three years without changing the father", the historian also explained: the empress dowager is the master, and it is obvious that the mother changed the son, so how can the son change the father?
As soon as this remark came out, Empress Dowager Gao felt relieved, and the restorationists also applauded.As for the eight-and-a-half-year-old little emperor, of course he has no objections.He expresses his opinion, and reverses that reversed history again, nine years later.
The remaining manuscript is an outline, with traces of Sima Guang's revisions on it.It is 33.8 cm long and 130 cm wide.Collection of National Library of China.
Personnel arrangements and organizational work are also progressing smoothly.Fan Chunren who fought side by side with Sima Guang back then, Lu Gong who was pushed out of Beijing by Wang Anshi, and Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers all returned to the capital.Fan Chunren was appointed to be in charge of reviewing imperial edicts and memorials, and Lu Gongzhu even served as the deputy prime minister, Shangshu Zuocheng.As for the prime ministers Cai Que and Han Zhen, they were not united, and both were impeached, and it was only a matter of time before they stepped down.
The situation was good, but Sima Guang made a mistake.
The problem lies in how to view the previous reform measures.The correct approach is to analyze specific problems in detail, discard what should be discarded, keep what should be kept, correct what should be corrected, and improve what can be improved.However, it is extremely difficult to do.Not only is it impossible for Sima Guang and Wang Anshi to reach a consensus, but even Su Shi and Fan Chunren have different opinions.
Such as immunity law.
This is what Wang Anshi values most, and what Sima Guang hates the most.In the first month of the first year of Yuanyou, Sima Guang fell seriously ill. He thought he would die soon, so he forced his sick body to send a letter to the central government, claiming that the most urgent task was to abolish exemption from military service.He also wrote a letter to Lu Gong with his own hand, leaving a political will saying: I have entrusted my low body to the doctor and my family affairs to the fool.The affairs of the state have not been entrusted, so I will entrust my dear friend now.
He also said: If the evil law is not eradicated, I will die with peace in my eyes.
Under Sima Guang's insistence, the immunity law was abolished in March of the first year of Yuanyou.When the news reached Jiangning, Wang Anshi was dumbfounded.He said: Why, even this law should be abolished?The first emperor and I studied it for two full years before implementing it. We have considered everything thoroughly!After speaking, Wang Anshi couldn't help crying.
It seems that he is also dying.
I am afraid that the success or failure of the immunity law can only be discussed in the next chapter, and the story of Su Shi will also be told later.What I want to say here is that he also disagrees with Sima Guang's decision.Su Shi believed that exemption from military service and compulsory service have their own advantages and disadvantages, and we can only choose the lesser of the two evils.What's more, the policy must have continuity, and even if it needs to be changed, it cannot be stopped suddenly.These words are very reasonable, but Sima Guang lost his temper in the political affairs hall.Su Shi then said: When Han Qi was the prime minister and your Excellency was the admonisher, he didn't care about the fight.Could it be that Su Shi is not allowed to know everything now that he is in power?
Sima Guang immediately apologized with a smile, but still did not change.
Fan Chunren also believes that when exempting from military service and changing to official service, you might as well think twice before making a decision and make a decision before making a move. If you want to change it, it is best to pilot it first and proceed step by step.What's more, the prime minister should focus on the big and let go of the small to brainstorm, and the most taboo is to do it himself.If you make up your own mind about everything, the people below will try to flatter and flatter you, which is even worse.
Sima Guang didn't listen at all.
Fan Chunren let out a long sigh: Here comes Wang Anshi again!
Perhaps, this is where the tragedy lies.In fact, Sima Guang had only worked in the central government for 16 months since he served as the assistant minister of the deputy prime minister, including the leap month. He died of illness seven months after becoming prime minister.On the day of the prime minister's worship, Sima Guang was lying in bed unable to move, and the Empress Dowager sent someone to send the imperial edict and seal to the mansion, and issued a decree granting him permission not to make the pilgrimage.Sima Guang didn't dare to do it.He said: How can you see things without your face?Finally, after his condition improved, he played against the curtain, and then went to work.
Alas, he is desperate!
Obviously, if Wang Anshi would rather offend all his relatives and friends than carry through the reforms to the end, then Sima Guang tried his best to sing the opposite tune, and was too tired to vomit blood to overthrow those new laws.In doing so, they are not motivated by any personal interests, they are completely for the country and the people, so they have no hesitation.In a country that holds the banner of morality high, ghosts and gods will give him three points when encountering such a person, and whoever wins or loses depends only on who has the power.Now, of course, Sima Guang has the upper hand.
However, his life also reached the last moment.
Sima Guang went to court for the last time on August 12, the first year of Yuanyou.Six days ago, the Green Sprout Law was repealed.In this regard, Sima Guang hesitated at first, and even thought that the legislative spirit of the policy was good, but there were problems in the implementation.At this time, Fan Chunren had been promoted to the Privy Council of Tongzhi, so he asked the imperial court to continue to issue loans for young crops.
However, Su Shi believed that the Young Crops Law was not a problem with its implementation, but a problem with the legislation itself.He said that ordinary people have always lived within their means, so they are diligent and thrifty in managing their families, even though they are poor.Now that there is an extra sum of money, it will inevitably become extravagant.The imperial court doesn't care about these things and just collects interest. Isn't this a scam?
After hearing this, Sima Guang immediately got up from the bed, rushed into the palace and asked the Empress Dowager in front of the curtain: "Which traitor is it that tricks Your Majesty into giving out money for young crops?"
Fan Chunren's face turned pale with fright, and he dared not say a word.
Wang Anshi can't even say that, he passed away five months ago.
Twenty-five days later, Sima Guang also passed away.
So far, all kinds of new laws have basically been abolished, but this does not mean that the show is over.You must know that even many people who opposed Wang Anshi, such as Li Chang mentioned above, also believed that the new law was not useless, and those who sincerely supported the reform were even more unwilling to reconcile themselves to failure.As soon as the time is right, there will be a comeback.
For example Zhang Dun (read Rudun).
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