Chapter 26 10. Cleverly "fighting for face" for superiors

After Wen Yanbo resigned, Chen Zhizhong served as prime minister.Chen Zhizhong didn't commit crimes for a long time, and stepped on the biggest landmine in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty-moral issues.Chen Zhizhong's concubine, Mrs. Zhang, privately beat and killed the maid at home. This incident spread like wildfire, like a bomb exploded in the court and the public.The officialdom of the Song Dynasty was relatively clean and tidy, and it is enough for you to have moral stains.Due to the pressure of the situation, the imperial court dismissed Chen Zhizhong as prime minister, and was replaced by Wen Yanbo, Liu Hang, and Song Xiang.

After a lapse of three or two years, Wen Yanbo was once again on the stage, which was a reward for taking the blame for his superiors.The meaning of taking the blame is close to that of a scapegoat, but the severity of the two is not the same.The level of scapegoating is deeper. When the situation gets out of control, find such a hapless ghost to die.To a large extent, taking the blame is not because the situation has developed to the point of ransacking the family and dismissing the job.The emperor of China has the most research on "balance", so it is appropriate to take the blame for Shangfeng. The officials know that one day, sooner or later, they will make up for what you lost, and turn the "blame" into a "golden rice bowl".Wen Yanbo once again ascended to the stage, put aside the sentimentalism in the literati complex, and had an objective preparation and counterattack for the political situation and the attacks of his colleagues. A mature politician is almost perfect.

Wen Yanbo's re-emergence aroused the envy and hatred of the relevant people. Only colleagues are naked hatred. This sentence is not wrong at all.The changes in the officialdom are mostly due to the competition for interests, and looking at you when there is no profit will also become an excuse for struggle.The literati and bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty did not have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, but they were used to fighting internally. In the first year of Jiayuan (1056), Song Renzong violated Yu and fell ill. "Continued Zizhi Tongjian" contains: "Spring, the first month, Jiayinshuo, the Emperor's Daqing Palace received the imperial court. On the eve of the previous day, there was heavy snow, and the Emperor was in the forbidden court, praying to the sky with his feet, and when he died. All the officials were listed. , the emperor feels the wind and dizziness, and the crown is tilted to the side, left and right or pointing at the emperor's mouth to saliva, it is Xiaoyu, and it is fun to salute." It may be that the cold air induced the epileptic seizure.The emperors of the Song Dynasty had a history of hereditary family mental illness. According to incomplete statistics, a total of 18 emperors in the 13 dynasties of the Song Dynasty suffered from hereditary mental illness. Among them, 5 emperors had the most obvious manifestations. They were Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng (schizophrenia), Song Yingzong Zhao Shu (schizophrenia), Song Xiaozong Zhao (depression), Song Guangzong Zhao Dun (schizophrenia), Song Duzong Zhao (mental retardation, commonly known as "mentally retarded").Epilepsy is the same as a normal person when it does not attack. Once it occurs, it is very dangerous and it is easy to suffocate to death.The information about the genetic medical history of the royal family of the Song Dynasty may become a breakthrough in the mystery case of the early Song Dynasty "the sound of the ax and the shadow of the candle".

Song Renzong entertained the visiting delegation from the Liao Kingdom with his sick body, and held a banquet in the Zichen Hall. Wen Yanbo and other ministers accompanied him to the banquet.It is hoped that the two countries will continue to maintain good-neighborliness and friendship in the new year, maintain high-level mutual visits, and raise a toast to the friendship between the people of Song and Liao, and to peace.During the banquet, Wen Yanbo toasted the emperor on behalf of all the officials. Song Renzong held up the wine glass and smiled "hehe", and said, "Are you unhappy?" Wen Yanbo was stunned on the spot: the emperor fell ill.Song Renzong felt that he was about to fall ill again, so he barely supported himself, and had to have a drink for the dignity and face of the empire.After the banquet, he went to rest in the inner court.The envoy of the Liao Kingdom did not know, so he asked why. Wen Yanbo said that the officials were drunk.

The burden of the empire suddenly fell on Wen Yanbo's shoulders. According to the official order, Song Renzong was the chief leader, and Wen Yanbo was his deputy.Now the big leader is unable to preside over the daily government affairs against his will, and his deputy handles all government affairs on his behalf.The bureaucracy of the Song Dynasty created a more "democratic" officialdom atmosphere. What government affairs are discussed together by the decision-makers. It doesn't matter if you come up with ideas and I argue, and the final decision is made by the emperor.Many government affairs are not decided by one person, and dictatorship did not work in the Song Dynasty.The emperor was more like a balance in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, playing a role in balancing the political interests of all parties.The emperor was ill, and Prime Minister Wen Yanbo, who was the chief of staff, became the core of decision-making.The days of acting as an agent of government affairs most test the political ability of officials.

China's monarchy is like a standing rhombus, with the court and the people facing each other, always maintaining a certain balance.Once this balance is broken, it will inevitably lead to imbalance.The imbalance mainly comes from the upper-level central government, mainly due to the transfer of power.History has proved countless times that the monarchy in ancient China failed to hand over the central government, which would cause social unrest.Song Renzong has been in power for thirty-one years, but he has no son, which means that there is no successor to the crown prince. If Song Renzong dies because of this, if there is a mistake in the transfer of imperial power, it will inevitably lead to chaos.The main task during this period is to maintain stability. Stability is a political situation. Adding the word "maintain" in front of it shows the various undercurrent risks hidden behind it.The interests of all parties continue to develop and change until the balance point is reached, and a stable situation emerges. How to ensure the maintenance of stability is an extremely difficult task.

Wen Yanbo and the officers and officials did the first step. It is very important to have an accurate understanding of Song Renzong's condition.If Song Renzong passed away due to illness, the chief executives should be aware of it first, and don't panic at that time.Information about Song Renzong's condition can be directly obtained through the Ministry of Internal Affairs officials.The Ministry of Internal Affairs was the eunuch organization responsible for serving the emperor in the Song Dynasty. Both the left and right classes were known as the highest official positions, and there were also officials such as deputy governors below.

Wen Yanbo asked the eunuch Shi Zhicong, no matter how softly he spoke, Shi Zhicong and other eunuchs had good professional ethics, and refused to disclose the emperor's illness to the prime minister on the grounds that they "did not disclose the forbidden affairs".Playing both hard and soft has always been the trump card of officials, and Wen Yanbo will do it too.Wen Yanbo yelled angrily, you are the only ones who have the right to enter and leave the palace.As the prime minister of the empire, don't I even have the right to know about the emperor's illness?What do you want to do?If there is something wrong with the official family, don't blame me for taking you first.

The eunuch gave in to Wen Yanbo's threats, so he had to tell the truth.But he was still not at ease, and every now and then, he asked Xiao Huangmen to enter the palace to inquire about the emperor's condition. "Continued Zizhi Tongjian Changbian" records that Song Renzong's condition worsened and ran wildly all over the hospital, yelling: "The queen and Zhang Mao are conspiring against each other." Empress Cao was so frightened that she cried bitterly, and eunuch Zhang Mao chose to commit suicide in desperation. Fortunately, he was discovered in time and rescued.Wen Yanbo persuaded him, Lao Zhang, why are you so confused?Now that the officials are sick, can the crazy words they say count?If you are really dead, may I ask where is the empress of Zhizhong Palace?A good word is warm in winter, and a bad word hurts people in June. Zhang Mao must have heard Wen Yanbo's heart warmed up, which means he saved his life.Although what the emperor said in a sick state does not count, but the emperor said what he said, and the person involved really jumped into the Yellow River and couldn't clean it up.Wen Yanbo succinctly hit the point of the problem, analyzed the pros and cons, and easily resolved this dangerous misunderstanding.Zhang Mao was grateful to him, and Empress Cao would be even more grateful to him. Wen Yanbo's simple words won him a lot of capital unintentionally.