Chapter 15 Chapter Twelfth: The Rain Is Coming and the Wind Is Over the Building——The Background of Party Struggles in the Gongju Fraud Case

In this spring when the birds are scattered and the flowers are falling, let us look through the vast smoke and clouds and cast our eyes on the green, fat, red and thin season thirteen years ago, that is, the third year of Yuanhe.At that time, another exam was being held. This is a slightly different examination from Jinshi.Obtaining a Jinshi only means getting the qualification to become an official, that is, "Shi Brown".The new Jinshi had to participate in the selection of the Ministry of Officials before they could become officials.In the more than ten years after he became a Jinshi, Han Yu, who had "declined from eight generations of literature", was repeatedly frustrated by the selection, and was unable to formally enter the officialdom for a long time.The system is different.It is elected as one, and officials can be appointed after enrolling in the imperial examination.For the imperial court, this is breaking the rules and selecting extraordinary talents; for the scholars, it is regarded as a shortcut to success.In the late Tang Dynasty, Fan Yu once said: "It is time for the nobles to compete for the system and use it for men to advance."Qingjin scholars and white-clothed poor scholars are all eager for the system.Even those who have already passed the imperial examinations and even become officials want to gain a higher starting point for their political careers through the system.

Thirteen years ago, Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi and Li Zongmin were such a group of people. When the examinees quietly filed out of the examination room, anxiously waiting for the day when the rankings would be released, the articles they wrote with splashed ink had already been sent to the case of Wei Guanzhi, a member of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Among the famous officials in the Yuanhe era, Wei Guanzhi was famous for his noble character.His father, Wei Zhao, was a member of Zhongshushe in his early years. Because he repeatedly criticized the government and offended the power minister, he was not promoted for many years.The prime minister once said that if Wei Zhao came to visit, I would arrange a good seat for him.But after Wei Zhao heard it, he was indifferent like the wind passing through his ears.Wei Guanzhi's greatness is the legacy of his father.When he was a teenager, the envoys of Hezhong and Zelu called him into the curtain with thick coins.But he chose a life of poverty.The three meals a day are just bean paste, which is quite like the ancients eating and drinking.Li Shi, who was appointed by Tang Dezong (Li Shi) in his later years, was notorious.If he promised to recommend someone to be an official, he would do what he said in a few days; conversely, it would be easy for him to slander someone.The scholar-bureaucrats were all afraid of this villain.Li Shi once showed the wat board in his hand to others, on which Wei Guanzhi's name was written.He deliberately said: Wei Guanzhi lives in the same Lifang as me, and I am willing to recommend him to the emperor.The person who heard this told Wei Guanzhi exactly.Wei Guanzhi laughed at this blatant hint just like his father did back then.After Tang Dezong died, Li Shi was demoted and had to flee Chang'an by a remote path, only to escape the people whose sleeves were full of rubble.Wei Guanzhi, who did not have the treacherous minister of A Fu, was finally promoted, and was also appointed to be the examiner of the Yuanhe three-year examination.

It was an early summer night of "gradually blooming lotus and falling rose".Wei Guanzhi calmly turned on the light on the desk, and slowly unfolded the first scroll by the faint candlelight... Time passed silently in the slight "rustling" sound of the paper stretching.Yang Yuling, the servant of the household department, was also appointed as the examiner by order.But it was Wei Guanzhi who really judged the policy papers.Most of the essays written in a hurry during the exam are as light as water, which makes people tired easily.Wei Guanzhi rubbed his sore eyes, and reached out to take another roll that smelled of ink.

This is Huangfu Shi's test paper.When Wei Guanzhi's eyes swept across the neatly rolled surface, his eyes suddenly brightened.He seemed to see those words that he wanted to say but didn't dare to say for a long time.The heavy topics about the domineering eunuchs in the court and the crises outside the court were solidified into a line of elegant regular script.What Wei Guanzhi didn't expect was that he read three articles that made his heart tremble slightly this night. Wei Guanzhi rubbed the papers of Huangfu Shi, Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin for a long time.The three articles are filled with the fresh air of "accusing Chen Shizheng's mistakes are inevitable" unique to young people, rushing to the face, making Wei Guanzhi, who is in the middle age, suddenly think of himself when he was young... Three papers were specially picked out and kept at hand, ready to be included in the first place.This seemingly ordinary movement is brisk and casual, like the flutter of a butterfly's wings on a Tumo flower.

I seem to see that the breeze at the bottom of the wing has evolved into a storm of factionalism twenty years later through a series of unpredictable changes and reactions.Looking at Wei Guanzhi who was grading papers with a candle, I could only sigh softly: Butterfly, in the shadow of the lights in the third year of Yuanhe, spread its strange and beautiful wings. A few days later, the papers selected by Wei Guanzhi were sent to Pei Ji and Wang Ya, academicians of the Imperial Academy.They were ordered to reread it.No one picked on the articles of Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi and Li Zongmin.The papers and list were quickly sent to Li Chun (Tang Xianzong)'s imperial case.At the very beginning, the emperor was also very satisfied with the results of the examination that year.After the announcement of the list, he asked Zhongshu Province to arrange for eleven scholars to be selected.

The one who received the order was Li Jifu, the minister of Zhongshu and Tong Pingzhang. When he was young, Li Jifu was highly respected by the immortal prime minister Li Mi.When Lu Zhi was prime minister, the two had different political views.Li Jifu was demoted from Chang'an.After traveling around Jianghuai for fifteen springs and autumns, he was suddenly transferred to Zhongzhou as the governor.Because the traitors in the court had already demoted Lu Zhi there.This is deliberately stuffing the knife into Li Jifu's hand.However, their wishful thinking of killing people with a knife fell through.Li Jifu respects the troubled Lu Zhi very much, and has long put aside the grievances of the past.Such a measure won a lot of admiration.In the Yuanhe era, Li Jifu could finally return to Chang'an.In the suppression of the rebellions of Liu Pi in Xichuan and Li Qi in the south of the Yangtze River, he stood firmly on Li Chun's side and strongly advocated "removing the feudal clan by force".

In the first month of the second year of Yuanhe, two prime ministers were vacant.Li Jifu is confident that with his achievements in the past two years, he is expected to be prime minister.At this time, a decree from the palace asked him and another Hanlin scholar, Pei Jie, to draw up two white hemp books on fortunetelling.The document drafted by Li Jifu is to worship Wu Yuanheng as the prime minister.After finishing writing, he couldn't hide his disappointment and sighed repeatedly.Who would have thought that the white linen book that Pei Ji was drafting on the other side of the bead curtain was for Li Jifu.After Pei Jie finished writing, he stood up calmly and congratulated him.When holding the hand, Li Jifu almost burst into tears.He said emotionally to Pei Jie: I have been living in Jianghuai for more than ten years, and I don't want to be favored once and become a prime minister!

Having been wandering abroad for many years, Li Jifu still has a little estrangement about the situation in the capital.He solemnly asked Pei Yi, who had been in Chang'an for a long time, to recommend talents.Pei Jie was also very moved, took a pen and paper, and wrote down more than thirty names in one go.However, within a few months, Li Jifu reused them one by one according to the list issued by Pei Jie.For a time, the ruling and opposition parties praised Li Jifu for his proper employment. Sima Guang told us that after reading a few papers, Li Jifu's every nerve was burned with cold blue anger.angry?Embarrassed?The ruling prime minister was angered by the unbridled criticism of the current situation by the disciples.He placed the three papers one by one in front of him with trembling hands, pondering the right and wrong behind the paper just like us.When Li Jifu believed that he had sorted out the context of the relationship after Ce Wen, he took the paper and strode into the Daming Palace...

Looking at the crying prime minister, Li Chun was a little at a loss.Li Jifu not only pointed his finger at Wei Guanzhi, the chief examiner, but also Pei Ji and Wang Ya who were reviewing the papers.Huangfu Shi is Wang Ya's nephew.Wang Ya, who knew he should avoid it, didn't say anything; as a colleague, Pei Jie didn't have any objections. A cry put Li Chun in a dilemma.Deep down, he may not take Li Jifu's accusations seriously.But he thought more.Li Jifu is the person in charge of the great cause of cutting down the feudal clan.Li Chun had to seriously consider how to maintain the authority of the prime minister.If there is nothing to do with Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi and Li Zongmin, it is tantamount to agreeing with their attacks on Li Jifu.According to the usual practice, Li Jifu had no choice but to make way for the virtuous.This will have a negative impact that cannot be underestimated on the resistance to the use of force.Thinking of this, Li Chun did not hesitate any longer, and quickly announced the final verdict: Pei Ji and Wang Ya were dismissed as Hanlin scholars; He also left Chang'an and went to Guozhou to serve as Sima.Because he did not raise any objection to Wei Guanzhi's judgment, Yang Yuling, the nominal policy examiner, was released to Lingnan. Amidst Li Jifu's wailing, the situation took a turn for the worse, ending in a series of unexpected relegations.

This is the description of the Yuan and Nian policy case.A thousand years later, we still have to ask: what kind of sharp words hurt Li Jifu? The most direct way to find the answer is to read the three policy theories that stir up the wind and rain.The articles written by Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin have long since disappeared.Opening "Complete Tang Wen", I found Huangfu Shi's policy essay.Perhaps, this is the last key to unravel the mystery in our hearts.I tossed and turned, trying to see through the things on the back of the text, but my eyes were blank.Not a word is to criticize and insinuate Li Jifu personally.The sharpest sentences are directed at the eunuchs behind the heavy curtains.Why did such a policy article provoke Li Jifu, who is quite capable, to get angry?

Although Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin's essays are lost, but inference, the themes should not be far from each other. We should think that Wei Guanzhi, the chief examiner, had a deep dislike for eunuchs.After the death of Minister Pei Jun, his son wanted to ask Wei Guanzhi to write his epitaph.Writing epitaph is also called flattery tomb.This is the fashion of the Tang Dynasty.Bereaved families are often willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for a hymn to the deceased.This time, the Pei family is willing to take out ten thousand pieces of silk as a pen.But Wei Guanzhi publicly threatened that he would rather starve to death than write this epitaph.Because he despised Pei Jun as the adopted son of the lieutenant of the Zuo Shence Army, who was too close to the eunuch during his lifetime.It is not surprising that the three articles criticizing the eunuchs were favored by Wei Guanzhi.Therefore, some people suspected that they made a mistake, that it was a certain power eunuch who was crying in front of Li Chun, not Li Jifu. Looking through the new and old Tang books, we found that their records of the Yuanhe three-year policy case were quite different from the previous ones. In the two biographies, things start with Pei Jun.At that time, the adopted son of the lieutenant of the Zuo Army served as the Jiedu envoy of Jingnan.He bribed the eunuchs in the palace with gold, silver, jade and silk, and wanted to return to Chang'an to be shot by his servants.Li Jifu was also very contemptuous of Pei Jun and obstructed him, which made Pei Jun and the eunuch behind him very angry.When Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi, and Li Zongmin pointed the finger at the eunuch, Pei Jun's party members immediately spread rumors, saying that the three candidates were ordered by Prime Minister Li Jifu to maliciously attack the eunuch.In this way, the eunuchs in the inner court cried and complained in front of the emperor.As a result, Li Jifu was demoted from Chang'an.Almost at the same time, Pei Jun got his wish and entered the court as a servant. The new and old Tang books and "Tang Huiyao" only generally stated that the policies of Huangfu Shi and others caused dissatisfaction among the dignitaries, and did not point out who the dignitaries who were furious were at all.So, why did Sima Guang conclusively point out that this powerful man was Li Jifu?In his works, Li Jifu is narrow-minded and can't tolerate others. He conspires with eunuchs and puts on a disgusting face of power. Is it the perpetrator or the victim—which Li Jifu is the real one?I can't help but hesitate. Among the three candidates in the vortex, Huangfu Shi was relegated several times in his life because of his high morale.Looking at his life, most of the time he either went in and out of the shogunate, or he was a subordinate.Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin, who suffered the same misfortune with him, will be influential figures in the next few decades. An intriguing detail is that among the three policy articles, Huangfu Shi's article has survived.The articles written by Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin, two important figures in the history of the late Tang Dynasty, have disappeared.They all had an ambiguous situation with the eunuchs later on, and kept secret about the feat of attacking eunuchs when they were young.Some people speculate that in order to cover up their early hatred of eunuchs, Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin destroyed their own policy theory and falsified the records of the Yuanhe three year policy theory case as much as possible. As time goes by, the truth fades away.The target of Ce Wen's attack became Li Jifu, and the person who persecuted them also became Li Jifu.The eunuch who cried and pressured the emperor was carefully hidden. So, Sima Guang made a mistake? I speculated that this might be the case.Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi and Li Zongmin criticized the eunuchs in their theories.At this time, Pei Jun was seeking the position of You Pu She, but was opposed by Li Jifu.Therefore, his party members spread rumors that Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi and Li Zongmin attacked the eunuchs in their policy theory and were instructed by Li Jifu.Feeling wronged, Li Jifu cried and defended himself in front of Li Chun.He absolved himself of responsibility, but made Pei Ji, Wang Ya, Wei Guanzhi, and Yang Yuling scapegoats.In Li Jifu's eyes, Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi, and Li Zongmin are small characters who are not worthy of protection. In this way, the two sides left a knot that could not be untied for decades. Li Jifu won the policy discussion case, but lost the public opinion.A month later, Bai Juyi, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, summed up the reaction of the government and the public with the eight words "up and down Dukou, the hearts of the people are furious" in Shuzuo.Pei Ji, Wang Ya, Wei Guanzhi, and Yang Yuling were all well-known ministers at the time, and the reason for their relegation was so far-fetched.People pointed their finger at Li Jifu.Yesterday's wise prime minister has become today's powerful minister who suppresses speech.With the help of this dissatisfaction, the forces opposed to Li Jifu openly or secretly began to take action.In the third year of Yuanhe, Chang'an had a turbulent undercurrent. This was a situation that neither Li Chun nor Li Jifu expected.Under pressure, Li Jifu had to leave Chang'an after half a year and go to Yangzhou to take refuge.The position he vacated was reserved by Li Chun for Pei Jie who was implicated in the Gong Ju case. For Li Jifu, this was just a small setback.A few years passed in a blink of an eye, and the Gong Ju case has been gradually forgotten by people.Pei Ji resigned as prime minister due to wind disease, and Li Jifu returned to Chang'an... It seems that the page of the tribute case in the third year of Yuanhe can be turned.But Li Jifu did not expect that he had arranged for his son a lifelong enemy.Witnessing the relegation of important court officials who supported them one after another, Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin did not dare to have extravagant hopes for the future.However, they are still young, and they will come back to Chang'an with hatred for Li Jifu. Among the eleven high school students in the third year of Yuanhe, there were four future prime ministers.In the future, Yuhu Zhumen and Zhukancuilou in Chang'an will be active everywhere.The two names of Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin are destined to be tied together, and as crony leaders, they will be written into the history of the late Tang Dynasty.Yang Yuling was the teacher of Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin, and he was demoted to Lingnan because of the two men's arguments.This layer of origin made Yang Sifu, the son of Yang Yuling, a close friend of Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin.He is also the backbone of the future crony. By that time, Li Jifu's tomb had been arched.It will be Li Deyu, the son of Li Jifu, who will meet their challenge. Thirteen years ago, Niu Sengru, Huangfu Shi and Li Zongmin were just a group of little people, and they didn't have enough weight to compete with Li Jifu.Pei Ji, who supported them, was on the same level as Li Jifu.But he is not Li Jifu's political enemy.The story of Pei Ji recommending talents for Li Jifu has become a good story that has been passed down through the ages.The most prominent feature of party struggle is the unity of the parties and the suppression of differences, and personnel rights have always been the focus of party struggle.But it is precisely in the appointment and removal of personnel that the two have a high degree of tacit understanding.The policy case may have hurt their friendship.Li Jifu was still brooding over Pei Ji.But in the third year of Yuanhe, there was no sign of the two forming a party to confront each other. In short, the policy discussion case in the third year of Yuanhe was an inexplicable and unclear event.How many grievances and entanglements it caused was the antecedent of the Niu Li faction a few years later.But in itself, this is not a partisan fight. Li Jifu, who returned to Chang'an, is no longer the Li Jifu who could "meet and smile with Lu Zhi" back then.He frequently took action to take revenge on the ministers who had feuded with him for several years.Even Li Chun has heard of Li Jifu's style of vengeance.In order to avoid his wishful grievances, the emperor appointed Li Jiang to contain Li Jifu.Both of them came from the Li family of Zhao County.But Li Jifu is feminine, while Li Jiang is masculine; Li Jifu's value lies in actions, and Li Jiang's value lies in words; Li Jifu is an ideal ruler, and Li Jiang is a natural opponent; During the years when the scholar Li Jiang and the utilitarian Li Jifu were in charge of the government together, the two were incompatible.Their arguments are written all over. In the tit-for-tat debate, Li Jiang had the upper hand.But in the Yuanhe period, he was still just a bystander in the chess game who could make timely suggestions.Li Jifu showed his embarrassment in the debate, but in actual government affairs he was able to handle it with ease.Sima Guang spared no effort to repeat Li Jiang's words like shards of glass, which are fragile, but sharp and sparkling.Li Chun also did not underestimate his most capable prime minister.Until his death, the entire Outer Dynasty has been under the control of Li Jifu, and he has systematically reformed the official system, reorganized the army and prepared for the reduction of feudal vassals by force.On the contrary, Li Jiang presided over matters such as changing the soldiers of the Shence Township in the west of Beijing to the subordinates, inspecting the frontier soldiers, etc., and most of them were left alone. Rumors spread in Chang'an that Li Jiang and Li Jifu formed separate parties. Li Jiang hated Jingzhao Yin Yuanyifang promoted by Li Jifu very much, and expelled him from Chang'an.Taking the opportunity of entering the palace to thank him, Yuan Yifang said to Li Chun: Li Jiang expelled me to Fufang because he wanted Xu Jitong to be Jingzhao Shaoyin in the same year of his imperial examination.The next day, Li Chun asked Li Jiang: Do people always favor their own contemporaries? Li Jiang said: The so-called same year, but people from all over the world accidentally passed the examination at the same time, so there is no personal relationship!If a person is really talented, even his own clansmen will not give up to avoid suspicion, let alone the same year? As the legendary protagonist of the party struggle, Li Jiang's answer did not change his usual straightforwardness.He said that since ancient times, emperors have hated ministers forming cliques the most, so when villains slander gentlemen, they will always use the excuse of cliques.why?Because the clique is hateful to say, but there is no trace to be found (the villain just uses the characteristics of the crony that can only be understood but not verified).Immediately afterwards, Li Jiang cited events at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to illustrate his point of view.At that time, all the virtuous and gentlemen recognized by the world, the eunuchs said they were partisans, and the disaster of party imprisonment was caused, and the country was destroyed forever.Li Jiang ended his long speech with a powerful rhetorical question: "A husband and a gentleman are always united with a gentleman, how can we make him unite with a villain, and then call it non-party evil?" Logically speaking, Li Jiang's point of view is impeccable.However, when we put this logically impeccable speech into a specific historical background, it appears so suspicious.In the same year, he formed a party, and the history is endless.Li Jiang's words linger in the beams, and the real protagonists of the party struggle are about to make their debut.We have to admit that the power of impeccable logic to explain reality may be far inferior to Li Chun's repeated questioning.A person who has profoundly influenced the direction of history like him always has the ability to foresee the occurrence of specific events before they occur. As early as the eighth year of Yuanhe, when Xiyun was born, Li Chun had already keenly smelled the westerly wind that was about to come, from the sky above Chang'an. Those rumors about cronies, such as the wind that "has no shape and no cause", are obvious precursors of the coming rain and snow.He and the Two Tang Books repeatedly mentioned rumors of cronies.However, there is no text that mentions where these rumors were summarized or fabricated, which classes and villages they spread, who is most enthusiastic about spreading them, and who finally spread them to Daming Palace and the ears of the emperor. .No, nothing is recorded.It's not that it's not recorded, but it's impossible to write.Even the most well-informed figures in the Yuanhe era could not tell the ins and outs of the rumors.This is the essential characteristic of rumors.They are rootless and groundless, but they are impressive.They are often not long speeches, but fragments of words.But those are all speech fragments that make people unforgettable.There is truth in the false, and there is false in the true.Its falsehood is exciting, making people want to spread; its truth is obvious, making people believe that their spreading is justified.These rumors that move on hearing the wind and go with the wind can not only confuse the audience for a while. Sometimes, "the wind begins at the end of Qingping", it rewrites the whole history. When the rumors of party disputes floated in the air of Chang'an, the rich ministers also quietly changed their minds: Maybe it was just a personal grievance, and now the parties have to carefully evaluate the entire social network behind each other; maybe it's just the wrong thing A person's point of view, before expressing it, it is necessary to consider the feelings of all kinds of people around him.Everyone is using their own standards to classify the people around them, linking their own destiny with certain people; the big right and wrong behind the social relationship are now slowly being looked down upon... Chang'an's personnel are like a spider's web, good and evil Intertwined, with indescribable and unclear levels and dimensions.Everyone is turning himself into an ugly spider in the process of weaving a web of desire.The spider silk shone faintly in our eyes.Every thread and every thread may have logic to follow, but the whole net is tangled and complicated, full of stickiness, with three points of poison, once touched, you can't escape. There is a saying that "a gentleman is a group but not a party, and a villain is a party but not a group".Ministers will not be ignorant of Confucius' various expositions on the classical division of gentlemen and villains.But they go their own way, and in the pursuit of personal utilitarianism and obsession with narrow-mindedness, they forget the principle of standing. The faction is still there, and the heart of the crony is beating quietly in the age of rumors.It was an incurable poison, a hostility that diffused like air.Rumors like bookworms swallowed up the ink that read "Gentlemen are not partisan, villains are not partisan". What is left is a volume of history of the late Tang Dynasty full of holes. Surprisingly, the first dignitary to be sacked on charges of cronyism was actually Wei Guanzhi, who had the reputation of being "firm and upright". After discussing the case in the third year of Yuanhe, Wei Guanzhi was first relegated to be the governor of Guozhou, and then received a strict order on the way to relegation, and was deposed as the governor of Bazhou.However, his reputation has not been harmed by repeated relegation.Soon, the emperor called him back to Chang'an.During the two years when he served as the minister of the Ministry of Rites and presided over the imperial examinations, Wei Guanzhi rejected the entrusted people and resisted the vanity, which won a lot of praise.Li Chunmian bestowed on Jin Zi and made him prime minister.There is no evidence to prove that Wei Guanzhi formed a clique for personal gain. However, this gentleman offended a jester around the emperor——Zhang Su, who won the emperor's favor with his eloquence. Official uniforms in the Tang and Song dynasties were distinguished by color: purple for ranks above three, scarlet for ranks five and above, green for ranks seven and above, and green for those below rank seven.Therefore, those who have fallen into low office will sigh with emotion, "I was born 30 years ago, and my hair is white, and my clothes are still blue. At sunset, I have been with a wealthy family, and I have never dyed my robes red." The hidden fish symbol is used as a certificate for entering and leaving the palace gate.Those of the fourth to fifth rank are equipped with whitebait bags; those of the third rank and above are equipped with goldfish bags.In the early years, a small official named Zhu Qianyi wrote a letter stating that "I dreamed that your majesty was eight hundred years old".Wu Zetian was overjoyed and awarded him Supplements.Once, Zhu Qianyi was ordered to go on an envoy, and after returning to the court, he wrote a letter, saying that he heard Songshan singing long live.This time, Wu Zetian gave him a whitebait bag.Therefore, wearing a fish bag is a compliment. Zhang Su was Zuo Buque at the time, and his grade was slightly higher than Zhu Qianyi's Shiyi, but he was only from the seventh grade, and he was not qualified to wear a fish bag.Once, Zhang Su was ordered to go to Pinglu Army.In order to raise his status and show that the imperial court valued Li Shidao, Pei Du came forward to ask for an order, hoping that Zhang Su would enjoy the treatment of whitebait scarlet clothes.But the straightforward Wei Guanzhi said: Zhang Su is just a treacherous sycophant, not worthy of silver fish scarlet clothes.When the words reached this villain's ears, of course he hated Wei Guanzhi to the marrow.However, Xiao Xiao Zuo Buque also knew in his heart that it was impossible for him to bring down a prime minister.The villain had no choice but to hold back and wait for the opportunity to retaliate. In the dawn of June in the tenth year of Yuanhe, the assassination of Wu Yuanheng, which shocked the world, changed the political situation of Yuanhe Dynasty. After Li Jifu's death, Wu Yuanheng and Pei Du were the successors of the policy of reducing the vassal by force.The two were assassinated at the same time, making all suspicions point to the Hebei Fanzhen.Based on the accusation of General Shence and Jing Zhaoyin's interrogation notes, Li Chun concluded that Chengde Jiedu envoy Wang Chengzong was the mastermind behind this case.The tragic scene of the prime minister's blood splattered on the Changqu greatly stimulated the emperor.He hastily decreed to cut off Wang Chengzong's official title and announced a crusade against Chengde. However, at this time the Battle of Huaixi was in full swing.Wei Guanzhi repeatedly went up and asked the court to take Huaixi first, and then to win Chengde, so as not to fall into the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.But the scene of the prime minister lying dead on the long street greatly stimulated Li Chun's nerves.He didn't listen to Wei Guanzhi's advice at all.As one of the assassination targets, Pei Du, who was eager for revenge, did not stand by Wei Guanzhi's side.For this reason, the two have had several disputes. All this fell into Zhang Su's eyes.The holy family has declined, and the conflict with Pei Du, the most powerful minister, is sharp. This is the weakest time for Wei Guanzhi.Zhang Su knew that the time was right to take revenge on Wei Guanzhi.But he still needs a reason. As analyzed by Li Jiang, the name of "clique" is abhorrent to say the least, but there is no trace to be found.For Wei Guanzhi, who has a flawless character, it is the most appropriate charge.Therefore, Zhang Su secretly instilled in Li Chun the view that "Wei Guanzhi formed a party".So, who are Wei Guanzhi's cronies?Zhang Suluo weaved these people: Wei Wei, Li Zhengci, Xue Gonggan, Li Xuan, Wei Chuhou, Cui Shao... This list touched a tight string in Li Chun's mind.After repeatedly warning ministers not to fall into the quagmire of party disputes, Li Chun also seemed to realize the weakness of language.He wants to use the power in his hand to stop party struggle. In this way, Wei Guanzhi was removed from the position of prime minister.Guo Qiu, a Hanlin scholar and Zuo Shiyi, immediately went to Shushu to defend Wei Guanzhi.As a result, his name was also added to this list of cronies. Wei Guanzhi and his so-called cronies were all exiled from Chang'an.Among these people, Wei Wei, Li Zhengci, and Wei Chuhou were all upright and respected by the world.Wei Chuhou was also the future prime minister.Although Zhang Su was happy with his hatred for a while, his despicable behavior also proved Wei Guanzhi's evaluation of him: a villain with no actions. In the case of Wei Guanzhi's cronies, Pei Du watched from the other side.After Wei Guanzhi was demoted, he lost a very important opponent with great power.But because of this, the emperor turned his vigilant eyes on him again.Pei Du was actually ignorant and immersed in a good sense of himself.When he heard that Huangfu Bo would become the new prime minister, he hurriedly went to the emperor and strongly opposed it.Li Chun, who has been prejudiced for a long time, is even more convinced that it is Pei Du who is fighting against differences in the party. "This year's flowers are as good as last year's, and last year's people are getting old this year." This glorious minister also followed Wei Guan's footsteps and was demoted from Chang'an. The escalation from verbal warnings to actual suppression shows that Li Chun's worries about crony disputes are deepening.He wants to prevent the era of factional struggle by means of a thunderbolt. It's a pity that Li Chun, whose gods are fading, neglects a real crony around him.The person who formed the clique was precisely Huangfu Piao whom Pei Du strongly opposed.He formed a solid political alliance with Linghu Chu and Xiao Zu. Xiao Zu is a descendant of the royal families of Nanqi and Nanliang.After the fall of the Southern Dynasties, there were many old homes in Jiangdong, like the setting sun at the entrance of Wuyi Lane, and they were no longer the same as before.The Qiliang house of the Xiao family in Lanling is probably the only exception.This house flew south and north very early, and did not become an ordinary family like other old families in the Southern Dynasty.The family members of Guanlong admired the romantic lineage of the Xiao family in Lanling.The Qiliangfang of the Xiao family wanted to rely on the political resources of the Guanlongmen Clan to maintain their status as a first-class gentry.The two parties use marriage as a medium to unite into one body.Eight descendants of Emperor Ming of Houliang successively became prime ministers, leaving behind the good talk of "eight leaves spread fragrance".Xiao Yu was born in this noble eight-leaf family.Xiao Yu's great-grandfather, Xiao Song, and grandfather Xiao Hua served as prime ministers successively in the Tang Xuanzong (Li Longji) and Tang Suzong (Li Heng) dynasties, and they are deeply respected by the world. In the filthy Chang'an court, Xiao Yu is like a green lotus spouting water, under the cover of passing fame and power, she still does not change her noble and pure nature. Linghu Chu claimed to be a descendant of Linghu Defen, one of the eighteen scholars in the early Tang Dynasty.But his grandfather and father were just small officials like county magistrates and meritorious officials, and their family background was Confucianism.Linghu Chu Zaohui, who passed the Jinshi examination when he was weak, enjoyed a high reputation for his gorgeous parallel prose.Tang Dezong (Li Shi) in the deep palace can recognize his incomparably gorgeous writing style from countless memorials.Once, there was a mutiny in Taiyuan.Dozens of knights armed with sharp knives took Linghu Chu from the shogunate to the gate overnight.The rebellious soldiers asked him to immediately draft an expression to convey their intentions to the court.Under the cold light of the blade, Linghu Chu calmly studied the ink and began to write, and finished it with one stroke.After the article was read out in public, the sentimental and reasonable words touched the hearts of many martial artists present.Linghu Chu looked around and saw faces with tears streaming down his face.With a flowery pen, let a chaos disappear invisible.From then on, Linghu Chu became famous all over the world. Compared to the lofty Xiao Chu, Linghu Chu was more complicated.In the eyes of his father, he is a filial son; in the eyes of his friends, he is a confidant who knows and values ​​righteousness; in the eyes of the younger generation, he is an elder who looks serious but is actually generous.However, Linghu Chu has his dark side: in order to exclude political opponents, he can disregard the overall situation and obstruct the battle of Huaixi;Unfortunately, he also has an even more notorious friend—Huangfu Piao. No matter their family background, character or knowledge, Huangfu Po, Linghu Chu and Xiao Zu are far from each other.Huangfu was not interested in materialism, Linghu Chu emphasized literary talent, and Xiao Yu emphasized morality.In a sense, they respectively represent the three types of scholar-bureaucrats, which are the three extremes.Nor is there any evidence that they shared any ideals.But it was these three people who formed Yuan and Mo's biggest cronies.What connects them together is that they both became Jinshi in the seventh year of Zhenyuan, the so-called "same year" - for the convenience of description, let's call Huangfu Po, Linghu Chu and Xiao Zu "the seventh year of Zhenyuan". Jinshi Party". The relationship of the same year can tie together three people who have never had a relationship and are not alike.It can be seen that Li Jiang's words that "people from all over the world accidentally passed the imperial examination at the same time, so there is no personal relationship", really cannot withstand scrutiny. Since the sixth year of Yuanhe, Xiao Zu has been a Hanlin scholar.After gaining power, Huangfu Pong also installed Linghu Chu into the Hanlin Academy.In this way, Huangfu Po can snicker in secret: he has two accomplices in the important Hanlin Academy to take care of him, which makes him feel like a fish in water.But Huangfu Po's smile froze quickly.Because of his opposition to Pei Du's conquest of Huaixi, Xiao Yu was dismissed as a Hanlin scholar.For the same reason, Linghu Chu was also expelled from the Imperial Academy by Pei Du in the second year.When Li Chun wanted to worship Huangfu Bo as his chancellor, it was Pei Du who stood up against him.Up and down the ruling and opposition parties, echoing voices came and went. In the seventh year of Zhenyuan, when the Jinshi Party was driven to the end by Pei Du, the situation suddenly turned around.Under the insistence of the emperor, Huangfu Piao walked into the political affairs hall of the prime ministers with his head held high amidst the voices of opposition.Later, he promoted Xiao Yu to the position of Yushi Zhongcheng.The aggressive Pei Du has disgusted Li Chunxin.After he was demoted to Taiyuan, a position was vacated.Huangfu Bo recommended Linghu Chu to the emperor without losing the opportunity. In the last days of the Yuanhe Dynasty, the third year of Zhenyuan's seventh year of ascending the ranks ushered in the brilliant sunset on the peak. However, the dark night of Yuanhe Gongchang came one after another, subverting everything.During these years of living in the East Palace, Li You watched with cold eyes, but he could clearly see Huangfu Bo's treachery.Immediately after ascending the throne, Li You summoned the ministers who were still wearing plain clothes outside the Yuehua Gate, and announced in public that Huangfu Po would be dismissed.Everyone can see that the new emperor's murderous intentions are sprouting.Under the mediation of Linghu Chu, Xiao Yu succeeded Huangfu Po as prime minister.The two entered the palace hand in hand, begging Li You to let go of their same year.A few days later, Huangfu Piao, who had been in glory for a while, was escorted to the end of the sky and never came back.Huangfu Bo was once a key figure in the rise of the Jinshi Party in the seventh year of Zhenyuan.In the process of disintegration of this crony, he also became the most deadly factor. Due to being too close to Huangfu Piao, Linghu Chu has become the target of public criticism.He saved Huangfu Po's life, but pushed himself to the forefront.Before long, Linghu Chu's relatives revealed the scandal.Then, someone revealed that when Linghu Chu built the mausoleum and presided over the funeral for Li Chun, he connived at his cronies to collude with Yin and Yang officials, deducted the wages of the workers and apprentices, and used the deducted 150,000 guan as surplus donations to curry favor with Li You (Tang Mu Zong).Linghu Chu, who had no power to fight back, was soon demoted as a Xuanshe observer. As far as relegation is concerned, Xuancheng is picturesque and not a bad place to go.During the Yuanhe period, officials from Chang'an Province and temples gathered for drinking.While pushing the cups and changing the cups, the drinking orders are based on the things they like and dislike in their lives. Whoever speaks is right, everyone here will drink a cup together.Some people say they like painting and playing chess, while others are afraid of ignorant and flattering people.Only Wailang Zhouyuan, a member of the Ministry of Industry, said: I like Xuanshe observers the most in my life, and I am most afraid of tigers.Colleagues at the table expressed their deep sympathy.Everyone drank the cup in Tao Ran, and they would only rest when they were drunk. However, Linghu Chu failed to go to Chengxuanzhou.He made a book together, and he demoted Hengzhou again.In this way, the former prime minister, who was so famous in the past, flew to the cold Xiaoxiang like a lone goose. The Hanlin scholar who drafted this imperial edict was the poet Yuan Zhen.他让怆然南下的令狐楚，体会到什么是“人情薄如纸”。 元氏是北魏皇室。不过，到元稹这一代，已没落多时了。八岁丧父后，元稹在母亲郑氏的教导下，九岁写文章，十五岁两经擢第，二十四岁授秘书省校书郎，二十八应制举。登第十八人中，元稹独占鳌头。少年得志，使元稹有一种无所畏惧的锐气。在回长安的路上，他与一个出京办差的阉人在敷水驿发生争执。李纯将他贬为江陵士曹。从此，少年才子十年蹉跎，在元稹最潦倒的时候，爱惜人才的令狐楚将他召回了长安。 十年宦海颠簸，消磨了元稹曾有的气节和勇气。被贬江陵时，元稹结识了在那里任监军的崔潭峻。在他的刻意逢迎下，两人很快结下了很深的交情。回长安后，元稹通过崔潭峻，攀上了权势更大的知枢密魏弘简。往来酬酢中，元稹和宦官们称兄道弟，把酒言欢。如今的他早不是敷水驿那个嫉恶如仇的年轻人了。 还在东宫时，李宥就很喜欢元稹的诗歌。左右妃嫔，经常为他诵读那些脍炙人口的名篇。有几篇诗歌，还被谱成乐曲，传唱深宫。宫中都称元稹为“元才子”。在元和宫变中出过力的权阉崔潭峻听说后，他马上献出百篇元稹新作。李宥欣喜之余，问起诗人的近况。崔潭峻告诉他，元稹就在长安，不过是一位散郎而已。靠这一重渊源，元稹时来运转。短短数月中，他转祠部郎中、知制诰，入翰林学士院。看在崔潭峻、魏弘简面上，宫中的大小阉人争相结交这个天子新宠。 以元稹今日的地位，为令狐楚转圜，不是什么难事。但是，元稹有他自己的考虑。翰林学士号称“内相”，离真正的宰相也就一步之遥。可这一步，元稹怎么也迈不过去。他所缺的，不是圣眷，而是舆情。 长安人都知道，元稹是个薄情之人。他曾写过一本《会真记》。这篇传奇的主人公是一位贫寒的书生张生。在寓居普救寺时，他与已故相国之女崔莺莺相爱。在婢女红娘的帮助下，两人西厢幽会。情浓之时，痴情的莺莺以身相许。两人结下了一段孽缘。等张生在长安金榜题名后，却无情地抛弃了莺莺。这个故事后来被元曲大家王实甫改写成动人的。鲁迅和林语堂都认为，始乱终弃的负心人，就是元稹本人。 元稹的娇妻韦丛出身名门。在长安，韦家与杜家并称豪门。当时有谚语：“长安韦杜，去天尺五”，就是形容韦、杜两家地位之高。韦丛之父更是官至太子少保，死后赠左仆射。这样一门对仕途有利的婚姻，当然比普救寺中的如花美眷更能吸引功名心热的元稹。所以，陈寅恪抨击元稹：“综其一生行迹，巧宦固不待言，而巧婚尤为可恶也”。 当年，元才子可以为了自己的前程，抛弃旧爱、另趣新人；今天，他抛弃四面楚歌的令狐楚也就是意料中的事。 贞元七年进士党声名狼藉。与他们走得太近，对自己非常不利。这时候，元稹一门心思，琢磨如何与令狐楚划清界限。把令狐楚贬到宣州的制书，语气还算温和。等天子决定贬令狐楚为衡州刺史时，制书由元稹起草。这篇文章语气凌厉，将令狐楚的陈年旧事都拿出来大加鞭笞：“密隳讨伐之谋，潜附奸邪之党。因缘得地，进取多门，遂忝台阶，实妨贤路……”字字如刀，在令狐楚心头割开交错的伤口，也刻画出元稹薄情寡义的面目。 和令狐楚划清界限，并没有拉近元稹和朝中同僚的距离。 那一天，五月的正午阳光炙烤着长安，热度让人难以忍受。宰相们正在例行会食。借着午后难得的闲暇，中书省的官员们三三两两，聚在了一起，剖开一个瓜，聊解暑气。看见同僚们正在品瓜，元稹也笑着迎了上去，想和同僚们攀攀交情。 就在这时候，已故宰相武元衡的堂弟武儒衡夸张地挥舞着手中的蒲葵扇，边扇边抛了出了一句：“适从何来，遽集于此！” 元稹的脸刹那间苍白如雪。他下意识地抬眼望了望骤然稀薄的空气，希望能看到三、五只青蝇。不，一只，只要一只青蝇，就能证明那轻蔑的口吻不是针对自己的。“有，也许有吧，应该是有的。”内心深处，一直有一个声音在诚惶诚恐地安慰元稹。可午后的阳光纯净如水，没有一点青蝇的踪影。所有目光都聚焦元稹身上。在比骄阳还要炙热的目光中，元稹感到自己灵魂在熔化，一点一点的，失去了硬度……手足无措地呆立一边的人好象不存在了。 正午偏西一点的阳光下，砖地上只留下一个矮挫的黑影，象虾蟆一样，丑陋地蹲踞在元稹站的位置上。 深宫里的皇帝和阉人，改变了元稹的官位，却改变不了他被孤立的处境。曾经赏识他的裴垍墓木已拱，现在赏识他的令狐楚又被他自己背弃了。元稹在长安形单影只。在如此落寞的时刻，他结识了同样落寞的李德裕和李绅。 李德裕，如果我们的叙述还要延伸下去，延伸到宝历、太和、会昌，一直延伸到大中朝，我们就必须反反复复地提到的一个人物。他也许不是这个阴霾密布的时代里唯一的亮色，却是唯一绚烂的亮色。多年前，父亲李吉甫在朝为相。李德裕曾循大臣子弟回避之例，离开长安很长时间，栖身于天南海北的藩镇幕府间。元和十四年，也就是元稹回长安的那年，李德裕也回来了。李宥对李吉甫印象很好，对李德裕也是青眼有加，不仅让他入翰林学士院，还慷慨地赏赐金鱼紫衣。 和李德裕一样，李绅也出身赵郡李氏。他的高祖李敬玄曾是武则天时的宰相。但是，到了祖父和父亲这一辈，家道中落很久了。李绅与元稹都是早年丧父，都在母亲的抚养下诵读诗书经艺，在大致相同的时间通过科举踏入仕途。由于身材矮小，李绅被人戏称为“短李”。不过，他精悍过人，在诗歌方面尤有造诣。吕温看过李绅写的古风后，对旁人说：此人将来必然成为九卿，甚至可以当上宰相。这篇古风，后来可以说妇孺皆知：