Chapter 68 Chapter 68: Wang Mang's Commencement

Looking forward to the peace of the border, the year name was changed to "Jingning".Emperor Yuan died in this year.The Crown Prince Liu Ao thus ascended the throne, and his reign title was "Jianshi".The first year of Jianshi was 32 BC.The new emperor's biological mother, Wang Zhengjun, of course became the empress dowager. When Wang was still a queen, there was nothing arbitrary about her behavior.Wang was the Yuan Emperor who was infatuated with Sima Liangdi, and he arbitrarily established himself as the queen under the mentality of self-defeating and self-abandonment.The emperor didn't have any love for her - this, Wang knew very well.If she has any domineering actions and angers the emperor, she will be deposed as queen immediately, which is a certainty.Therefore, she wholeheartedly flattered Emperor Yuan and never dared to go beyond her duty.

The reason why she is extra cautious is not only to keep the queen's position, but also to keep the crown prince's position for her son Liu Ao. The crown prince is not only addicted to alcohol, but also likes to hold banquets. In fact, a good wine socialite is not necessarily a heinous villain.However, Emperor Yuan, who was immersed in Confucian dogmatism, hated the character of the crown prince very much. After Emperor Yuan came to the throne, he doted on a woman named Fu Zhaoyi (Zhaoyi is the name of a female official), and made her son King Dingtao.Since King Dingtao was a very smart child, Emperor Yuan sometimes had the idea: "How about abolishing the Crown Prince and establishing King Dingtao instead?"

But after careful consideration, I found that this measure seemed inappropriate.In the era of the crown prince, because his father hated Confucianism extremely, he was almost deprived of the position of crown prince and was replaced by King Huaiyang. ——The reason why I let you continue to retain the crown prince is to commemorate your late mother... Once, his father, Emperor Xuan, told him the truth after drinking: Because your mother shared weal and woe with me in the common people's time, so I couldn't bear to abolish you-that's what my father thought. ——I was able to assume the throne only because of the shade of my late mother.

Emperor Yuan often said this sentence, and Mrs. Wang had heard it countless times.So Wang came up with this idea - as long as I keep myself safe, Ao's position will be stable.Therefore, she was extremely restrained in words and deeds, and tried her best to win Emperor Yuan's favor.Her efforts worked, and Emperor Yuan later changed his mind. ——I have experienced the same situation in the time of the crown prince.Stop thinking about deposing the crown prince, it will make his mother sad... When Emperor Yuan died, Empress Wang breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder.In the sixteen years since she was established as a queen, she has never had a single day of comfort.In order to win the emperor's sympathy and favor, she really worked hard.In other words, she was never in an easy mood.

"I can breathe a sigh of relief now..." When there is no one around, she often murmurs like this, then shudders, and quickly looks around. —Fortunately no one was there. It has become her habit to pay attention to everything around her.Then, she murmured again: I will no longer have to restrain myself and live my life in a swallow.My real life is just beginning now... Her voice was so low that it was impossible for anyone nearby to hear her. Wang's son, Ao, was twenty years old when he came to the throne, and Wang Feng was appointed General Sima.Wang Feng is the elder brother of Empress Dowager Wang.Of the other brothers, only the Marquis of Guannei became the "Marquis" in name, but in the second year of Heping (27 BC), the empress dowager's five younger brothers were also named princes.

The world was in an uproar.In the two hundred years since the founding of the Han Empire, such a thing has never happened. People call this matter "five princes a day", but this sentence does not mean respect, but a kind of ridicule. The Empress Dowager has eight brothers in total.Among them, Wang Feng, the eldest brother, is already the Great General of Da Sima, and inherited his father's title as Marquis of Yangping.The Empress Dowager's younger brother, Wang Chong, was granted the title of Marquis of An Cheng. After his death, his son Wang Fengshi succeeded him. The Empress Dowager had six half-brothers, among whom Wang Man died very early.The remaining five were enshrined as Marquis on the same day, namely:

Wang Tan Weiping Ahou Wang Shang is Marquis of Chengdu Wang Liwei as Marquis of Hongyang Wang Gen is the Marquis of Quyang Wang Fengshi was the Marquis of Gaoping In fact, the empress dowager also has a half-brother.After the empress dowager's mother, Li Shi, divorced Wang Jin, she remarried with a man named Li Bin in Hanoi and gave birth to a son named Li Can.The empress dowager intends to entitle ginseng as a marquis. The Han royal family had this example.Tian Fu, the half-brother of Empress Jingdi, was once named a Marquis. "Arita Fu's previous example can be cited, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The empress dowager asked her son the emperor. The son is a twenty-five-year-old adult, so of course he won't be submissive to his mother everywhere.He knew that because of the matter of "five princes a day", he became the object of snickering in the world.Even conferring five uncles as vassals was ridiculed by people as useless, how could he have the nerve to also confer the lordship of uncles with different surnames who have complicated relationships! "The matter of Feng Tianfu's becoming a Marquis has caused quite a lot of controversy. Therefore, it is appropriate to postpone this matter."

Emperor Cheng apologized for this and it was difficult to do so. "Really? If you want to suspend it, you can suspend it, but it's okay to give him an official position, right?" said the empress dowager. Emperor Cheng was helpless, so he appointed Li Shen as a servant and conferred the official position of Shui Heng Duwei. "Man, this child is really unlucky. He died before I became the empress dowager and had the right to make arrangements for him. It's really pitiful..." The Empress Dowager always had a grudge against Wang Man, the only younger brother among the eight brothers who did not become a prince.

"Yes, I will think of a way for Man's son!" The empress dowager began to pay attention to Mang, the son of the poor brother. "I must arrange for that poor child some place." The more prosperous the tribe is, the stronger her compassion for those who are in a bad situation. The same nephew, the young man whose father is a prince, all complacently put on an arrogant posture.In contrast, Wang Mang, who grew up in a family without a title, could never lift his head up in front of others.Every time she heard the news, the empress dowager felt anxious in order to find a solution for him.

In fact, Wang Mang is one of the empress dowager's most qualified nephews.Just like among the emperors of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Xuan, who had experienced the life of the common people, had the highest evaluation. Those who have tasted the bitterness of the world are indeed different in quality. Wang Mang is the second son of Wang Man.His elder brother Wang Yong died of illness shortly after he became an official.This elder brother had a son named Wang Guang, and Wang Mang raised Wang Guang as if he was his own.Wang Mang, who was not a son of a princely family, did not live as well as his cousins ​​because he did not receive Shiyi.Nevertheless, he gave his brother's son a better education.He also often gave gifts to Wang Guang's teachers and classmates. "You are not so kind to Yu Hehuo..." Wang Mang's wife expressed dissatisfaction for this. Wang Mang's eldest son and second son are named Yu and Huo respectively.He takes care of this nephew better than his own children. "Are you dissatisfied with that?" Wang Mang asked his wife back. "It's not that I'm dissatisfied, I just hope you can be fair..." the wife replied. "You know that I'm poor." Wang Mang said, "But one day I will definitely make a fortune and let you enjoy the glory and wealth. For this reason, the first thing to do is to stand out--you should understand this truth?" "Of course I understand." "Then you can't interfere with how I treat the light well. No matter how much money you spend on your own children, this is what you should do, and no one will praise you for it. In order to get ahead, I must first get people's praise, have you thought about it?" Is this?" "I understand. No matter how nice you are to Guang, I won't say a word in the future." Wang Mang's wife said. After all, they were husband and wife for many years, and she knew what her husband was thinking after hearing these few words. —is a wise man. - is a dutiful son. —is a man of insight. After such a rumor spread, one day it would be heard by Datian, and the emperor would summon him accordingly. At that time, other than relying on family connections, ordinary people had to go through such procedures. Because the Yuan Emperor attached great importance to Confucianism, this method of employing people was quite fashionable, and the situation was the same in the subsequent Chengdi era. Wang Mang was not alone in his attempt to "be widely praised by the people." There were many such hypocrites at the time. In addition, Wang Mang also treated his brothers and sisters-in-law who had become widows with courtesy and took care of them in many ways. The world also praised him very much for this. Not only did he dress plainly, but he also lived an extremely frugal life.The more luxurious his cousins ​​lived, the more attention was paid to his frugal life. ——Compared to those dandy children, Wang Mang is many times stronger than him! The residents of Chang'an praised Wang Mang for this. If Wang Mang was an unknown person, maybe it would not be easy for him to become the object of people's praise and rise to prominence?He has the identity of the empress dowager's relative, but his fortune is not good-this alone has become the object of people's attention. The Wang family is a big family.People at that time generally referred to uncles and uncles as "following the father".The nephew must respect his father as his father, and the father treats his nephew as his own.However, this is just the rule of Confucian ethics, and the situation in actual society is not the same. It is not an easy task to completely abide by the rules.Therefore, Wang Mang treated his elder brother's son better than his own children, which naturally won people's praise. What's more, most of Wang's sons are mediocre people, who often do evil things, and they are even the object of criticism. Therefore, Wang Mang's existence is even more dazzling. In the third year of Yangshuo (22 BC), General Wang Feng, the Great Sima, fell ill, and his condition was already quite serious.Emperor Cheng personally visited his uncle Wang Feng before the hospital bed, and said with tears: "If the general has any problems, I will let Ah Hou Ping succeed you." Ping Ahhou Wang Tan is Wang Feng's younger brother.After you die, I will let your younger brother succeed the country's highest position, General Sima, and you can rest in peace.The line you established will never be changed by anyone——Emperor Cheng said this to reassure the dying Wang Feng. However, Wang Feng said to Emperor Cheng tearfully: "Although Tan is the younger brother of the minister, he cannot be entrusted with important matters because of his pride. Not only Tan is like this, but other younger brothers are also not qualified to participate in state affairs." "Then who should be in charge of the government?" Chengdi asked. "In my opinion, it should be the doctor Yushi who is the most suitable." "Okay, I understand. I will appoint Wang Yin as the great Sima, don't worry!" Emperor Cheng nodded. To the empress dowager and Wang Feng brothers, Wang Yin, the imperial historian, is "following the father".Because he is the younger brother of their father, Wang Jin. Da Sima is the highest authority of the Han Dynasty regime.This position is usually passed not to a son or younger brother, but to a senior uncle.Even so, it is also the regime of the Wang family. Wang Feng died in August of this year.Serving at the bedside from beginning to end was a rare practitioner of Confucian ethics—his nephew Wang Mang.It is also called "from the father", but the uncle or uncle who ranks the longest among them is especially called "the father of the world".According to the rules, special respect must be given to the "father of the world".For Wang Mang, Wang Feng is the eldest brother in his father's generation, so he is a veritable father. Wang Mang served at the bedside of his biological father Wang Feng for several months.Of course, Wang Feng's political opponents are many.Therefore, it is very possible to be poisoned and killed when he fell ill.Wang Mang, who waits on the bedside, will definitely taste the medicines sent by the doctor first.In addition, he never left the hospital bed for a moment, nor did he go home to take a shower and change clothes. Messed up and dirty, undressed for a month. "Hanshu" recorded Wang Mang's situation at that time.This shows how loyal he is to his patients. Of course he is praised by the world. After Wang Feng's death, Wang Mang finally got an official position.He became Huang Menlang, and was later promoted to Captain Shesheng. Six years later, in the first year of Yongshi (16 BC), Wang Mang was finally named the new capital.This was the result of the unanimous recommendation of Shaofu (official title) Dai Chong, Shizhong Jinshe, Zhonglang Chentang and other celebrities at that time. ——He is a rare sage nowadays.Everyone in the world feels the same about this... They said such praises in unison. The empress dowager cared very much for Wang Mang, so of course she had no objection to making him a Marquis.Wang Mang was thirty years old at the time.