Chapter 28 Chapter Four: The Logic of Losing Officials

Chen Zhizhong was born in a family of officials and eunuchs. His father, Chen Shuguan, was second only to the deputy prime minister.With such a family background, Chen Zhizhong became an official under the shadow of his father, starting from the most basic level of magistrate affairs, which can be described as ups and downs in his official career.During Zhenzong's time, because of Shangzi's suggestion to establish the prince early, it attracted Zhenzong's attention.When he served as the governor of Qingzhou, the local Wang Lun rebelled. This Wang Lun is the historical prototype of the "Wang Lun, a gentleman in white".Wang Lun struggled for about three months before he was arrested and killed in Caishiji by inspector Fu Yongji sent by Zhizhou Chen Zhizhong.With his military exploits, Chen Zhizhong was transferred to the imperial court as a political adviser. After Wen Yanbo left the field, he was promoted to Tongzhong Shumenxia Pingzhangshi.

Chen Zhizhong paid homage to the prime minister twice before and after, and he was in power for eight years. "Song History" records: "For eight years in the middle school, no one dares to do it for selfishness." Engage in those things that bend the law for personal gain and use power for personal gain, so that it affects the government and the public.Generally speaking, the old man has done a good job as an official. Once his son-in-law asked him to find a job.In the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, it was useless to have officials and positions. You must have actual work, and only when you have power in your hands can it work.Chen Zhizheng flatly refused. He said that the official position belongs to the state, not our old Chen's family.On the one hand, this trivial incident shows that Chen Zhizhong is not nepotism, and on the other hand, it shows that his son-in-law's ability is limited, so he left nepotism, but he was rejected face to face by his father-in-law.In the years when the world is peaceful, the main job of the prime minister is to select qualified talents for the empire.Chen Zhizhong's way of being an official is actually very simple, a bowl of water is level, whoever has the ability will win, and those who have no talent have to stand aside, even their own relatives. "Dongxuan Transcripts" also recorded a similar story, saying that Wang Anshi, a new political star, once declined the recommendation of Wen Yanbo, Ouyang Xiu, etc. to work in the Central Pavilion, and finally stayed with Chen Zhizhong in Beijing, allowing Wang Anshi to be a professor of Jixian Academy. Wang Anshi resigned, and later changed to a judge of the group herdsman.The Group Animal Husbandry Division was established in the fourth year of Song Zhenzong's Jingde (1007), and the superior directly subordinated to the Taipu Temple, which was in charge of the country's war horses and other stables. It seems more reasonable to be under the control of the Privy Council.The army of the Song Empire mainly consisted of infantry, while other surrounding countries mostly consisted of cavalry. The Great Song Dynasty was mostly at a disadvantage in foreign wars, so war horses were very important to the empire.The highest leader of the Group Animal Husbandry Division is usually held concurrently by the "top leader" and "second leader" of the Privy Council, with one deputy envoy, two capital supervisors, and two judges.

Wang Anshi was dissatisfied with the position of magistrate of the group shepherds, so he resigned from the position, saying that he would not hang out in the capital, but had to go to work in the local area.Hearing that Wang Anshi resigned from office, he was overjoyed to see Shen Kang, the collaborator of the pavilion.Because Shen Kang has coveted the position of judge of the Qun Mu Si for a long time, he has gone to the shuffle many times hoping to be transferred to the Qun Mu Si to work, but for some reason he failed in the end, and he failed repeatedly.Shen Kang was moved upon hearing the news, and hastily met Chancellor Chen Zhizhong. In terms of seniority, I am older than him, and in terms of attitude, I am more urgent than him. It seems that it should not be Wang Anshi's turn.Shen Kang's attitude is indeed very positive.Chen Zhizhong replied that because Wang Anshi refused to call for an examination, the imperial court gave him a higher official position, which has nothing to do with seniority.The imperial court set up pavilions to wait for the talents of the world, not for you to compete for fame and fortune.Bachelor Shen, can you show some face?Shen Kang was so ashamed and depressed when he was braised by the leader, he had to give up.

The above two short stories illustrate that when it comes to selecting officials, there is a steelyard in the Chen Executive Center, and he is very clear about who is good and who is not.The principle of his selection of officials does not involve any emotional factors. Whether it is his own relatives or senior officials in Beijing, if he wants to be promoted and recommended, he must meet Chen Zhizhong's standards.Such an honest and meritocratic prime minister lost his position because of a fire in the backyard.It is difficult to guard against family thieves by day and night. No matter how high-spirited and upright an official is in the government and the public, once the backyard catches fire, he will immediately become the target of verbal criticism by the scholar-officials, and then his reputation will be ruined and he will lose his official position.After all, the prime minister is a scarce resource in the officialdom, with high remuneration, high courtesy, and high status. The benefits of the "three highs" are what everyone wants and pursues.

Chen Zhizhong's wife had no heirs, and his concubine, Mrs. Zhang, gave birth to a son named Chen Shiru.Mrs. Zhang has a bad temper and often beat and scolded her servants. She once flogged her maid Yin'er to death with her own hands.There is also a maid named Haitang, who was abused by Mrs. Zhang and has sores all over her body.Haitang couldn't bear this inhuman torture, so she hanged herself.It was Cai Xiang, a famous calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty, who knew about Kaifeng at that time, and he handled the criminal case impartially.Knowing that Kaifeng government affairs are equivalent to the mayor of the capital, the political position is very special, so it is not easy to do!Usually it is held by the prince or an important minister. For example, the first governor of Kaifeng was Zhao Guangyi, the king of Jin.Officials must not only be loyal to the emperor, but also have extremely high political literacy.Kaifeng Mansion is a stage where bureaucrats, nobles, cunning officials, and profiteers compete.The prefects of the Kaifeng government usually rotate every few months, and Bao Zheng, the most famous, is ruthless and has worked for more than a year.At that time, there was a popular saying in the official circles, which was called "filial piety to Yushitai, disobedience to Kaifeng government", which means that Taiwan's admonishing officials in Song Dynasty seldom demoted officials, at most they were lowered to the same level, because they had powerful public opinion tools in their hands. We are afraid of them.Once someone from Taiwan admonishes an official to go to the local area, the officials will serve them carefully, and they may return to Beijing at some time.On the contrary, the officials who go out from Kaifeng Mansion are usually the result of political interest competition, and they must offend the big bosses of the court. Once they go to the place, it is basically difficult to come back, so the attitude of the officials has changed sharply, and they immediately look like a donkey ("Stone Forest Swallows") .

The detailed process of Cai Xiang's handling of this matter is not clear, but the result is very clear.Mrs. Zhang was not punished for forcing the murder of her maid, and everyone was equal before the law, which was just a cover in the Song Dynasty.For example, the emperor broke the law and committed the same crime as the common people. When did you see the emperor break the law?Playing the dragon robe is enough.The imperial court thought it was not a big deal, since the death of a servant was nothing more than a shocking event, so they protected Chen Zhizhong in every possible way.Maids can be bought and sold, and killing a maid is equivalent to destroying a commodity.However, this provided a reasonable and legal excuse for the censor admonishing officials, and the censor Zhongcheng Sun Wei, the censor Fan Shidao, the imperial censor Zhao Bian and others attacked him.The imperial court's attitude of protecting the prime minister Chen Zhizhong angered the Taiwan admonition officials, and the censors chased after him and found the prime minister's lace news that Chen Zhizhong had committed adultery with his maid.

Chen Zhizhong's situation fully conforms to the fifth article of the characteristics of the officialdom environment in the Song Dynasty, "good slander, little evidence".According to the unspoken rules of appointing officials in a moral society, those who have both ability and integrity are the first choice, followed by those who have virtue but no talent, and those who have talent but no virtue and those who have no talent and no virtue can only stand aside.The moral problems of officials are far more serious than murder and arson. The prime minister should set an example for all officials, set an example, and set a good moral example for the officials below.Among the admonition officials, Ouyang Xiu was the one with the most violent words. He said in "Admonition Officials' Statements on Taiwan Are Not Heeded": "Admonishing the government as a prime minister caused floods and droughts in the world to exile, public and private hardships, and not to be overwhelmed." Uneducated, hating love and coercing love, except changing the difference, making fun of China and foreign countries, family property is filthy, gossip, gossip, dedicated to meeting the king." Ouyang Xiu's words are too extreme, no matter what, the admonishing officials are angry Fierce, the imperial court was forced by the pressure of public opinion, and Chen Zhizhong's phase was dismissed.Chen Zhizhong stepped on the biggest landmine in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, and went down sadly, and soon became an official with the honorary title of "Situ", one of the "Three Dukes".

The biggest landmine in officialdom in the Song Dynasty was moral issues.If an official has a moral problem, it is far more contemptible than inaction, incompetence, corruption, and bribery. It is a powerful reason to attack, and most officials are overturned because of this problem.In a society governed by morality, behind-the-scenes transactions can be covered up by morality. It is true that officials' handles can also be found through morality. The term "morality" can be traced back to Lao Tzu's earliest words: "Tao produces it, virtue breeds it, things form it, and utensils make it. Therefore, all things respect the Tao and value virtue. The respect of Tao, the dignity of virtue, and the destiny of life But often natural." At that time, "Tao" and "virtue" were discussed separately, and they were a generalization of the law of development and change of things.Xunzi said in "Encouragement to Learning": "The old learning is as far as the ritual, and the husband is the extreme of morality." In the true sense, the meaning of "morality" is mentioned, which is one of the social ideologies. According to people The rules and norms for people to live together and their behavior have played a role in balancing interests, mediating conflicts, educating the people, and supplementing the judiciary.

The traditional morality of Chinese society is influenced by the development of philosophical thoughts, and the moral standards of any era are also different.The development of Chinese philosophy is the pre-Qin philosophers, Han Confucian classics, Wei-Jin metaphysics, Sui and Tang Buddhism, Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, Qing Dynasty Puxue and modern Western learning.According to the constant changes in the social system and the will of the ruling class, politics chooses ideology, and ideology serves the ruling, and each period has a different moral orientation.In the sixth year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (135 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accepted the "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man" proposed by Dr. Dong Zhongshu, a Confucian scholar. Influential ethics.

The Northern Song Dynasty was built on the ruins of 200-year-long melee. At the beginning of the founding of the country, there was almost no morality at all.After Zhao Kuangyin practiced Zuo (ascension to the throne), he adopted a political attitude of "prospering culture and education and suppressing military affairs".He once said: "Fangzhen was brutal in the Five Dynasties, and the people suffered from it. I ordered more than a hundred Confucian officials to be elected to serve, divide and rule the great feudal clan, and even if they are all corrupt, they are not as good as a single military official." That is to say, since the Five Dynasties , The local separatist warlords fought back and forth, and the people were harmed miserably.Today, the system of emphasizing civility and despising military affairs is adopted, and a few Confucian officials are selected to govern the world. Even if they take bribes, the harm will not be as harmful as that of a military official.Therefore, in the early Song Dynasty, official corruption, bribery, showing off wealth, and extravagance were not considered moral issues, and it continued until the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty.Under the advocacy of Fan Zhongyan, Confucianism revived, and the "Three Masters of Neo-Confucianism" Hu Yuan, Shi Jie, and Sun Fu appeared successively, followed by Zhou Dunyi Lian Xue, Shao Yongxiang Mathematics, Wang Anshi Xin Xue, Zhang Zai Guan Xue, Er Cheng Luo Xue, Sima Guangshuo School , Su Shishu and other high development of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty.The revival of Confucianism brought the society of the Northern Song Dynasty into the category of Confucian morality.

The moral categories of Confucianism mainly include "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, faith, loyalty, filial piety, integrity, wisdom, and courage" and other "four dimensions, five constants, and eight virtues".Mr. Sun Yat-sen summed it up as "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, faith and peace".Confucianism emphasizes "ruling the country with virtue" in governing the country, and "self-cultivation" in personal moral cultivation. The morality emphasized by Confucianism has a profound impact on China's politics and individuals.For example, during the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu was worshiped as "Emperor Guan" in a detached image among the people, and the underworld usually worshiped Guan Erye, and later he became the God of Wealth and was enshrined in major shops.The historical image of Guan Yu in "Three Kingdoms" is just a brave general. Due to the influence of literary masterpieces, he was shaped into a moral model that fully conforms to Confucian loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, so he has always been worshiped by the Chinese.Looking at the folk moral influence of ancient Chinese historical figures, there are not many who can surpass him.According to the story, Song Jiang went to Liangshan after several twists and turns, and took the top spot. The first thing he did was to change the name of Liangshan Juyi Hall to Zhongyi Hall.The reason why masterpieces are widely circulated is largely due to their superficial or hidden conformity with the moral thoughts of the readers. As is the case in literature, real history abounds with examples of moral influence.For example, during the reign of Emperor Renzong, there was a man named Xing Sishun in Jiangzhou (now the Jiujiang area of ​​Jiangxi), who was quite old and a scholar. He sold wine in Jiangzhou for a living.The old man is very popular with his family, no matter men, women or children, they kindly call him "Xing Xiucai".An official had some contacts with Xing Sishun, and Xing Xiucai presented him with ten jugs of wine.At that time, the ground in Jiangzhou was not peaceful, and a group of thieves robbed the official.The group of thieves drank the wine when they saw it opened, and exclaimed that this is a lucky scholar's wine!The official had an idea and quickly said, Xing Laoxiu and I are relatives.The group of thieves looked at each other and said, how can we rob the relatives of the old man!let go!All the looted property was returned and the official was released.Things have come to this point, which shows that Xing Laoxiu's moral influence is so far away that even terrorist organizations admire him very much.After the officials were sent away, an even more surprising scene happened.The group of thieves said, don't mention this matter ("Zhi Lin") when you meet Xing Xiucai in the future.This is the case among the people, and the same is true among the officials.At the end of the sixth year of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan (632), Emperor Taizong personally reviewed the death row prisoners, and issued several imperial decrees in succession to let 390 death row prisoners from all over the country go home for the New Year.Death row prisoners were released without supervision, and those who could not return were left alone.But a miracle happened, and one of the three hundred and ninety death row inmates disappeared, and all returned to the capital Chang'an to wait for execution.This little story shows how clear the social atmosphere of the Zhenguan Reign is, and at the same time shows the high moral level of the prisoners on death row.When Tang Taizong heard the news, Long Yan Dayue took this opportunity to show the emperor's benevolence and pardoned 390 death row prisoners.This is something that seems incredible to us today, and it seems absolutely impossible to happen, but it did happen under the moral force. Death row prisoners were pardoned and released because of their noble morality, which shows that morality had a profound influence on the judiciary in ancient China, and sometimes it could influence judicial decisions. "Song History Criminal Law Records" records that during Song Renzong's reign, the father of Liu Yu, a commoner in Shanzhou, was beaten to death by Wang De. Liu Yu killed Wang De in order to avenge his father. According to the law, Liu Yu was sentenced to death.During Song Renzong's review, he discovered this criminal case with serious filial piety, and it was immediately "Chiayi".Not only did the murderer Liu Yu not be held accountable, but he was strongly affirmed and praised for his filial deeds.This is because the power of morality has affected the judicial decision. In the end, Liu Yu was exempted from the death penalty, and sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment after being beaten with a few sticks.In the ninth year of Renzong's Tiansheng (1031), several civilians in Long'an County were falsely accused of being thieves. Sun Ji, the Zhizhou, used such an unscrupulous trick in order to make a lot of political achievements.One of the civilians was beaten to death, and four of them were tortured. The case was reported to the central government. Song Renzong personally made a decision and found several logical errors in the case.Zhizhou Sun Ji was removed from his post, and other participating officials were exiled to Lingnan. These historical facts illustrate the influence of morality in society, which is invisible but real, and defines the scope of behavior for everyone.It is true that there is also a scope of morality in the officialdom, which can be roughly divided into five aspects, namely, fire in the backyard, connivance with children, framing and slander, character problems, and life style. No matter which official, especially one in a high position, once he touches a landmine, his official career will be ruined in every case, and losing his position is inevitable.In short, the fire in the backyard is equivalent to pampering the children. Both are the problems of the family members of officials, but they are different in nature. The former officials are more in a state of passive involvement, while the latter officials are actively protecting the calf.The core of the two is the same, the officials did not manage the family members well.The official careers of many officials have failed in this aspect. Even if the officials are honest and selfless, it is difficult to guarantee that the family members will not be corrupt and pervert the law and use the influence of the elderly to seek benefits.Usually everyone turns a blind eye and pretends not to see it. Once the real thing comes, the family members are the best breakthrough to bring down the official.As the "Luozhijing" said: "Friends of relatives, enemies of enemies." Relatives and friends are the best choice for the enemy to attack the official. The example of Chen Zhizhong's dismissal of prime minister is the most illustrative. First, his concubine, Mrs. Zhang, beat her maid to death for no reason. According to historical records, three people were killed successively.The censors and admonishers used this as an excuse to attack the prime minister Chen Zhizhong. The imperial court favored the old prime minister, and the censors made a fuss about Chen Zhizhong.Whether it was fabricated or slandered, it doesn't matter whether Chen Zhizhong committed adultery with the maid. The important thing is that the censors rationally used moral weapons to create public opinion and quickly killed the court officials.In the end, they succeeded.Unexpectedly, Chen Zhizhong was defeated by the "unnecessary" morality, and his son Chen Shiru repeated the same mistakes.