Chapter 10 5. New politics

In the eighth year of Zhenguan (634), a strange thing happened in the empire.A Zhongmu county magistrate named Huangfu Decan wrote to the imperial court, enumerating the three major mistakes of the emperor: building the palace wasting money for the people, collecting land rent and competing for profits with the people, and wearing high buns by court ladies ruined the social atmosphere.The county magistrate was only a minor official of the eighth rank, and Huangfu Deshen's words were too much, so Taizong was furious: What does this guy mean!Could it be that I don't need anyone, don't charge a penny, and all the ladies in the court shave their heads, so that he can be satisfied?

Accordingly, Huangfu Decan should be convicted of ridicule and slander. It was Wei Zheng who came out to speak. Wei Zheng said that since ancient times, letters have been exaggerated, because otherwise they would not attract the attention of the monarch.Tang Taizong also understood immediately.He said, if I punish this person, who will dare to speak again in the future? Therefore, twenty bolts of silk were given to Huangfu Deshen. Wei Zheng said, "Recently, His Majesty's heart seems not broad enough. Tang Taizong understood again, so he simply did not do anything, and promoted Huangfu Deshen to supervisory censor.The supervisory censor is Zhengqipin, and he is a full-time supervisory official, who enjoys the independent supervisory power to directly carry out impeachment without asking for instructions and reports.The appointment of Huangfu Decan as the supervisory censor shows that the emperor is sincerely willing to listen to opinions.

As soon as the doors and windows are opened, fresh air blows into the imperial court. This is actually not easy.After all, there is no legal restriction on the use of imperial power, and there is no institutional guarantee for the supervision of public opinion.Under such a premise, in order to create an environment and ethos of "knowing everything and talking endlessly", being a ruler certainly requires tolerance and generosity, while being a minister requires not only courage, but also skill and wisdom. Wei Zheng has a clear understanding of this. At the beginning of Zhenguan, someone made a small report to Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty: Wei Zheng was careless in life and had a bad influence.Wei Zheng said: Monarchs and ministers should be of one heart and one mind, keep justice and go private.If we stick to small details, it is difficult to say whether the country will prosper or perish.

Tang Taizong replied immediately: I understand. Wei Zheng took the opportunity to say: May Your Majesty make Wei Zheng perfect, and be a good minister instead of a loyal one. Taizong was surprised. He asked: Is there a difference between loyalty and goodness? Wei Zheng said: Of course.Loyal ministers just put forward opinions without considering whether the other party can accept them. As a result, they lose their lives and the ruler also bears a bad name, which is not advisable.The correct approach is to let the monarch become a wise ruler and himself a good minister. Taizong said: Very good!

Then he asked again: How can one become a Mingjun? Wei Zheng replied: If you listen to one side, you will be dark, and if you listen to both, you will be bright. Taizong nodded and said yes, so the two worked together.Wei Zheng's principle is: All criticisms and suggestions are out of public interest.Skill and wisdom are: all correct decisions are attributed to the emperor, including the relatively relaxed public opinion environment and political situation during the Zhenguan period.He once answered Taizong's praise in public and said: The officials and others can speak freely, and they are all guided by your majesty.Otherwise, how dare Wei Zheng offend Longlin repeatedly?

This is not flattery, but seeking truth from facts. After all, in the era of imperial power, the emperor is the decisive factor. But even so, Wei Zheng almost lost his head.One day, Emperor Taizong of Tang came back to the palace and angrily said to Empress Changsun: Wei Zheng always makes me look bad in person, and one day I will kill this country bumpkin. The queen didn't say a word, and changed her court clothes to worship Taizong. Taizong was taken aback and asked, "What is the queen doing?" Empress Changsun replied: The concubine heard that the minister is straight when the master is clear.Now that Wei Zheng is so upright, isn't it because His Majesty is a wise ruler, how dare his concubines not congratulate him?

This is of course not true.But it is true that Empress Changsun once played a mediating role between the two of them.It is also true that Taizong was brooding and Wei Zheng took the risk.So we have to ask: Wei Zheng puts life and death at risk like this, what else should he do besides repay Tang Taizong for his kindness? Realize your political ambitions. What is Wei Zheng's ambition? Establish an ideal monarchy, which includes the following: First of all, the recognition of the people is the premise and reason for the existence of the monarch.In the words of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, it is "the king depends on the country, and the country depends on the people".Therefore, it is possible to "govern the world with one person", but not "serve the world to one person".

Secondly, it emphasizes that the monarch must be moral, especially respecting the people's right to life and survival.Also in Taizong's words, it is "the way to be a king must first save the people."Satisfying personal desires at the expense of the people's interests is a suicide policy. Third, advocate the unity of the monarch and the ministers to rule the world together.Tang Taizong said that no one can really manage everything.And even if you can, there's no guarantee you won't make mistakes.If all decisions are made by one person, then as long as one mistake is made a day, ten days is ten.As time goes on, when will we wait until the country is not subjugated?

Therefore, only when the monarch and his ministers are of the same mind can the world be expected to be in order. The people are the foundation of the state, the monarchy is virtuous, and the world is governed together. This is called "ideal monarchy", and it is the common pursuit of Wei Zheng and Taizong. In fact, it was the best option at the time, if not the only option.In an ancient and precocious agricultural nation like ours, and in this vast and open agricultural land, it is impossible for democracy to arise spontaneously, nor for capitalism to arise spontaneously.We can only choose the monarchy and move from the "three-level decentralization" state system (feudal system) to the "centralized" imperial system.

Under this premise, enlightened autocracy is the ideal. But this must not be pinned on an enlightened monarch.The personal charm and moral character of the monarch are unreliable, and the rule of man has never been the main theme of traditional Chinese politics.The characteristic of personal politics is that people die and the government rests, which cannot guarantee long-term peace and stability at all.Therefore, it is only applicable to the era of turmoil (such as the Three Kingdoms) and the period of the lord (such as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty), but in the peaceful world, we can only rely on the system.

Volume 199, Volume 84 of "Tongdian" Volume 208, "Tang Huiyao" Volume 84 Volume 213, "Tang Huiyao" Volume 84 Volume 213 Volume 214, Volume 37 of "New Book of Tang" Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty learned the lessons of the Sui Dynasty and practiced strict economy in the country. The people recuperated, the social order was stable, and the economy and population of the Tang Dynasty gradually increased. From this standpoint, we have to re-evaluate the rule of Zhenguan. In fact, the rule of Zhenguan is a typical rule of man, and its success is mainly due to Taizong and Wei Zheng.If Wei Zheng met Emperor Sui Yang, his head would have fallen to the ground long ago; if Taizong was surrounded by Feng Deyi, he would inevitably repeat the same mistakes.Before the Xuanwumen Incident, Feng Deyi expressed his loyalty to Li Shimin, but secretly acted as Li Jiancheng's eagle dog.This matter was not exposed until after his death, which surprised Tang Taizong. How can people be reliable? Taizong himself was unreliable.In the early years of Zhenguan, he was indeed modest and cautious.In the middle period, you start to be complacent.Even when he praised and admired Wei Zheng, it was not without complacency.In March of the twelfth year of Zhenguan (638), Tang Taizong gave Wei Zheng a saber at a banquet for officials above the fifth rank, and then asked a sentence: How is my government affairs these years compared with before? Obviously, he wanted to hear the flattery. But Wei Zheng said: What the mighty virtue has added is not what it used to be, and what the people's hearts are aspiring to is not what it used to be. Tang Taizong was dumbfounded. He said: How could it be? Wei Zheng replied: In the early years of Zhenguan, His Majesty was afraid that he would not hear good advice, so he always tried his best to guide him and obeyed him happily.Although he can still listen to opinions now, he is always reluctant to do so, with a look of embarrassment on his face. Of course, it is not as good as before. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty felt lost: it is really rare for people to know themselves! No wonder after Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong of Tang said: "With copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; with ancient times as a mirror, you can see success and failure; with people as a mirror, you can know gains and losses."Wei Zheng passed away, and I lost a mirror. However, such a mirror, is it impossible to meet? Therefore, what is reliable is the system. In fact, the Sui and Tang Dynasties were an era of institutional innovation.This innovation began in the reign of Kaihuang and completed in the reign of Zhenguan. It is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of several generations.Its rich content is what we will talk about shortly. Now, we might as well make a summary first: the magnificent and brilliant Sui and Tang Dynasties were jointly created by many people.Emperor Sui Yang opened up the north and the south, Emperor Taizong of Tang merged Hu and Han, Wei Zheng and others established a new politics, and together they created a new civilization.This new civilization can be summed up in three key words: bureaucratic politics, half-blood dynasty, and world empire. So let's go through them one by one.

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Notes: Volume one hundred and ninety-four. Volume one hundred and ninety-two, but only "New Book of Tang Wei Zheng Chuan" recorded the distinction between loyalty and goodness and double listening to Zeming at the same time, and it recorded Jianting Zeming in the second year of Zhenguan. Volume one hundred and ninety-two. Volume 1 "The Way of the King". Volume 1 "Regime". Volume one hundred and ninety-seven, one hundred and ninety-eight. Volume one hundred and ninety-five. Volume one hundred and ninety-six.