Chapter 5 The Great Arena of the Empire: The Confrontation of the Prime Ministers (Part 2)

Even without Yu Wenrong, Pei Guangting and Xiao Song would still be strangled. Speaking of these two prime ministers, their backgrounds are not small.Pei Guangting was the son of Pei Xingjian, a famous general and administrative expert in the Gaozong era, and Xiao Song was a descendant of the Xiaoliang royal family in the Southern Dynasty and the grandnephew of Xiao Yu, the prime minister of the early Tang Dynasty. Both of them had prominent family backgrounds.Pei Guangting was born in a civil service and was good at administration. After becoming prime minister, he served as a servant and minister of the Ministry of officials; Xiao Song was good at border affairs and had outstanding military achievements.

Maybe it's because both of them are from high family backgrounds and have made achievements in their respective fields, so they both have a bit of an eye above the top, and often have conflicts when dealing with government affairs.It is often something that one person advocates, and the other must try to oppose it, so "the same number of years, the situation is quite inconsistent." ("Old Tang Book · Biography of Xiao Song") One of the most important things that Pei Guangting did during his tenure was to promote the reform of the official selection system of the Ministry of Officials.Before him, the selection of officials by the Ministry of Officials of the Tang Dynasty was based on ability. Those with skills could be promoted by leapfrogging, and those without skills would not be promoted for the rest of their lives.It stands to reason that there is nothing wrong with doing so, but it will inevitably have some side effects. For example, many officials have worked for most of their lives and have very rich experience, but because they have not outstanding achievements, they are still a small sesame official; He was admitted to Jinshi at a young age and obtained the qualifications to be an official, but either because he had no connections or because of bad luck, he couldn't fill the vacancy for twenty years, and he was still a candidate for an official in his old age, and he was buried like this all his life.

In response to these disadvantages, Pei Guangting put forward his reform proposal - "follow qualifications". That is to say, from now on, when governments at all levels appoint and promote officials, they will not care about their abilities, but only their qualifications.To put it bluntly, it is seniority. This reform by Pei Guangting can make up for some deficiencies of the previous "theory of ability only", but at the same time it will inevitably cause new problems, that is: "all the mediocre, dull and stagnant people are happy", "all talented people complain ". (Volume 213) That is to say, after the reform was implemented, all the mediocre old guys who had not been promoted for a long time were all applauding, but the young officials who were talented but lacked qualifications were full of complaints.

People can't help wondering whether Pei Guangting's reform has gone from one extreme to another? It is undeniable that the past "capability-only theory" is indeed unfair, because it will allow some pompous people who are good at political performance projects to take advantage of the loopholes, and at the same time bury those honest people who can only work hard and are not good at performance. People; however, is there nothing wrong with the "qualifications only theory"?Isn't it also cheap for the mediocre people who are sitting on a vegetarian diet, suppressing the really talented people, which leads to greater injustice?

Perhaps it was because this reform was indeed overkill, so Xiao Song had great differences with Pei Guangting.But Pei Guangting is the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, of course he has the final say on this kind of matter, so he ignored Xiao Song's objection and still insisted on it. It is conceivable that in this matter alone, the two prime ministers are enough to fight head-to-head, and there is no such thing as helping each other. The prime ministers always fight like this, Xuanzong naturally has a headache.Fortunately, Pei and Xiao were just fighting alone, and they didn't form cliques and gather crowds to fight like Yu Wenrong, so Xuanzong just turned a blind eye and let them go.

A few years passed in the quarrel between Pei and Xiao, and it was not until March in the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan (733 AD) that the struggle between the two sides came to an abrupt end.It's not that they finally reconciled, but because Pei Guangting died of illness, a slap can no longer be made. When Pei Guangting died, Xiao Song breathed a sigh of relief.Before Pei Guangting could rest in peace, Xiao Song impatiently abolished the reforms he had implemented for several years, and at the same time released all of Pei Guangting's cronies who had been promoted in the past few years as local governors, leaving none behind.

After Pei Guangting passed away, the court had to find a new prime minister.Xuanzong thought, since the prime minister I selected will end up fighting, then this time I might as well delegate power and let you, Xiao Song, recommend one yourself—you can’t choose the one you choose yourself, but you can’t kill him, can you? Xiao Song was really moved by the emperor's trust.He secretly vowed that this time, he must choose an honest and kind person, not only to make himself feel at ease, but also to make the emperor feel at ease! Xiao Song immediately scanned through his circle of friends, and soon locked on Wang Qiu, who had the strongest relationship with him and was the regular attendant of You Sanqi at that time.From Xiao Song's point of view, Wang Qiu used to be good at the local government, which was highly appreciated by Xuanzong, and he was low-key, reserved, modest and prudent, so he was asked to cooperate with him in his work, so that everything was safe and sound, and everyone was happy.

Yes, Xiao Song was right, Wang Qiu was indeed very low-key.But the problem is, this man is too low-key.When he heard that Xiao Song was going to recommend him to be prime minister, he shook his head like a rattle and kept saying, "No, no, I'm not capable enough, I can't do it." However, Wang Qiu did not disappoint Xiao Song too much, and immediately recommended another person to him—Shangshu Youcheng Han Xiu. Xiao Song knew about Han Xiu, he was similar to Wang Qiu, and he was also a kind of humble and gentle person.After much deliberation, Xiao Song decided that since there was no better candidate, let's choose Han Xiu.

In order to show that he has a good eye for people, when Xiao Song recommended Han Xiu to Xuanzong, he also strongly praised Han Xiu for being upright, not envious of honor and wealth, and of noble character, enough to be a prime minister. Han Xiu immediately entered the prime minister with the title of Huangmen servant. However, what Xiao Song never dreamed of was that troubles would come before his words of praising Han Xiu fell. Because Han Xiu is not the kind of person he thinks at all! Xiao Song originally thought that Han Xiu was "gentle and easy to control", and if he was told to go east, he would definitely not dare to go west. Unexpectedly, this old man was "straightforward" and "abiding by integrity". Duan, never act according to Xiao Song's will.

Since Xiao Song had been a prime minister for many years and knew Xuanzong's likes and dislikes very well, it was inevitable that he would be obedient and flattering when he played things.Whenever this happened, Han Xiu would bluntly refute Xiao Song, and argue with him in front of Xuanzong, never giving him any face. Xiao Song's lungs exploded with anger. It's fine if you don't appreciate my recommendation, you can't repay your kindness, can you? ! Unfortunately, Han Xiu didn't think so. From his point of view, you, Mr. Xiao, recommended me, Mr. Han, for the sake of the country, not for your personal favor. Therefore, I have no obligation to obey you, let alone flatter you!As a prime minister, everything can only be done with the country as the most important thing, and everything must be based on discipline. Even if you disagree, you are fighting for the public good, not self-interest; if you have the same opinion, it is out of public interest, not friendship.

That being the case, there is no such thing as repaying kindness, let alone repaying kindness! Xiao Song fainted. When he met such a single-minded person, what else could he do besides scolding himself for being blind?Could it be that he just told the emperor yesterday that this is a talent, let him go up!Tell the emperor again today, this guy is no good, let him come down! Isn't this a slap in the face? Can't do that. Therefore, we can only endure. Han Xiu's appearance not only made Xiao Song extremely depressed, but also made Xuanzong feel very uncomfortable. Because he always made outright remonstrances at every turn, and even dared to fight against Xuanzong face to face. Once, a Wannian county lieutenant named Li Meiyu offended Xuanzong for some reason. Xuanzong was furious and ordered him to be exiled to Lingnan.When Han Xiu heard the news, he immediately went to the palace to remonstrate, and said: "Li Meiyu's official position is humble, and what he committed is nothing more than a sesame seed and mung bean. However, there is a big traitor in the court, but he has been doing evil for a long time and is getting away with it. I dare to ask Your Majesty, why do you enforce the law?" different?" Xuanzong was very displeased: "Who do you say is a traitor?" "Golden General Cheng Boxian!" Han Xiu said loudly, "Relying on Your Majesty's favor, this man not only corrupted the law, but also lived in a mansion, traveled in carriages and horses, and dressed in clothes that surpassed the rules of etiquette. Your Majesty, please rule Cheng Boxian first. Punish Li Meiyu again." The Cheng Boxian that Han Xiu was talking about was the elder brother of the great eunuch Gao Lishi. A few years ago, Gao Lishi's mother, Mai Shi, went to the funeral.Because Xuanzong was extremely fond of Gao Lishi, he loved Wu Jiwu, and even showed great favor to Cheng Boxian.Relying on the support of his boss and the emperor, Cheng Boxian was confident and violated the laws of the country repeatedly. Han Xiu had long wanted to deal with him, and this time he finally seized an opportunity to make use of it. When Xuanzong heard the words, he was silent for a long time.After a long time, he said in a low voice: "I have my own discretion about Cheng Boxian, so don't mix everything together. Today we only talk about Li Meiyu, not Cheng Boxian." But Han Xiu refused to let him go: "Li Meiyu only made minor mistakes, and His Majesty cannot tolerate him; Cheng Boxian is a big treacherous villain, how can His Majesty ignore it?! If Your Majesty does not punish Cheng Boxian today, the ministers will not dare to obey the imperial edict. Exile Li Meiyu." Xuanzong choked all of a sudden. At this moment, Xuanzong really wanted someone to drag Han Xiu out of the hall, but after thinking about it later, he endured it.It's really not worth it to break the skin with the prime minister for a little Li Meiyu, and it seems that she is too immodest. In the end, Xuanzong managed to squeeze out a smile, and praised Han Xiu a few words, the content of which was nothing more than "Love Qing Gong is loyal and straightforward, my heart is very comforting", and then revoked the edict to exile Li Meiyu. After this incident, Xuanzong was really afraid of Han Xiu, just like he respected and feared Song Jing back then. Indeed, Han Xiu did have the demeanor of Song Jing back then.Since the 13th year of Kaiyuan, since Fengchan Taishan was granted, the empire seems to have not seen such a prime minister for a long time.Therefore, when Song Jing heard about this incident, he couldn't help admiring Han Xiu, saying: "It doesn't mean that Han Xiu can do this, but the courage of the benevolent!" ("Old Tang Book·Han Xiu Biography") The prime minister is both benevolent and brave, and the emperor is doomed to be hard-pressed. Since Han Xiu came to power, Xuanzong's amateur cultural life has been subject to many restrictions.For example, sometimes when he was having fun in the palace, or hunting in the Forbidden Garden, Xuanzong would anxiously ask his left and right: "Does Han Xiu know that I'm here?" Han Xiu's letter of remonstrance arrived, and the emperor, who was in high spirits, suddenly lost his interest and felt bored. Under this ever-present and ubiquitous constraint, Xuanzong was naturally depressed.As the days went by, people actually lost weight.Whenever Xuanzong took a selfie in the mirror and saw his face getting thinner and thinner in the mirror, he couldn't help but sigh.At this time, the eunuchs around him would fight for the emperor, saying: "Since the old man Han Xiu became the prime minister, His Majesty has lost a lot of weight than before. Instead of being controlled by others, it is better to drive him away!" Xuanzong shook his head with a wry smile, and sighed: "Although my appearance is thin, the world must be fat! Xiao Song always obeys my wishes. After retiring from the court, I can't sleep well; Peace of mind. Therefore, using Han Xiu is for the community, not for me personally." In the middle and late period of Kaiyuan, Xuanzong was in the process of transformation from bright to dark. Although most of the spirit of hard work, self-discipline and self-discipline in the early years had been lost, it still had not developed to the point where the state was neglected in the later period of Tianbao. Xuanzong at that time could still say such more rational words.Especially the eight words "Although my appearance is thin, the world must be fat", although it is a bit hypocritical, it still truly reflects Xuanzong's mentality at this time. In other words, during this transitional period, once the principles of heaven and human desires were at war in the heart, and once national interests conflicted with the emperor's selfish desires, Xuanzong would probably still respect the former and suppress the latter.However, with the passage of time, Xuanzong's inner balance tilted irreversibly towards the latter, and finally pushed the prosperous empire step by step into the abyss. Of course, that's a later story. With the continuous increase of Han Xiu's remonstrance, Xuanzong's psychological endurance gradually reached a critical point. Even so far, Xuanzong's rationality can overcome sensibility to a certain extent, but it is not a very comfortable thing to have such a strict and harsh prime minister who is often noisy in his ears.Furthermore, Han Xiu and Xiao Song strangled him in front of him all day long, which also made Xuanzong feel very bored. When Xuanzong was having a hard time with this, Xiao Song took the initiative to stand up and break the deadlock. He submitted his resignation to Xuanzong. Xuanzong was very surprised and said, "I don't hate you, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Xiao Song said: "I have received the great kindness of the emperor, and I am in a position of wealth. I am extremely rich. When your majesty does not dislike my minister, I can retire calmly; if I have disliked my minister, how can I retire voluntarily?" After finishing speaking, the tears of grievance of the two lines have already welled up in their eyes. Xuanzong was also a little sad at once, and he didn't know what to say after much deliberation, so he finally sighed and said: "You go back and let me think about it slowly." Whether Xiao Song's request for resignation was a threat to retreat or a forced choice is really hard to say.In this regard, Xuanzong is not easy to make a conclusion.However, one thing is indisputable - the development of the matter to this point has indeed made everyone very unhappy, so a solution must be come up with. So, should Xiao Song be allowed to retire? And that worry-free Han Xiu, should he just get along with him? Xuanzong was troubled by this problem for several days, and finally adopted the simplest and most effective old method - let two people step down together. Out of sight, out of sight, out of ear’s ear! At the end of the 21st year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong dismissed Xiao Song as Shangshu Zuocheng and Han Xiu as Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry. On the same day, two new prime ministers were appointed, one was Pei Yaoqing, and the other was the "Shanghai Emperor" who had left for future generations. The bright moon is born, and the end of the world is at this moment." Zhang Jiuling, a famous poet with a famous line through the ages. Zhang Jiuling, a native of Lingnan, had been a minor official in Shaozhou Biejia in his ancestors, and the later generations were ordinary people, which can be said to be a typical grassroots background.Although he was not born in a noble family, Zhang Jiuling was smart and eager to learn since he was a child, and he wrote beautiful articles. ("Old Tang Book Biography of Zhang Jiuling": "Young and smart, good at writing.") At the age of thirteen, Zhang Jiuling sent his work to Wang Fangqing, the governor of Guangzhou. After reading it, Wang Fangqing was very impressed and said repeatedly: "This child is incredible, and his future is limitless!" A few years later, Zhang Jiuling went to Beijing to participate in the Jinshi scientific examination , Sure enough, he won the first place in one fell swoop, and was awarded the post of school secretary.At that time, Xuanzong was still the prince, intending to recruit talented and learned scholars from all over the world, and personally held a "policy inquiry" in the East Palace. Zhang Jiuling went to take the exam, and came out on top, so he was promoted to You Shiyi. Since then, Zhang Jiuling has gained fame in the court.Whenever the Ministry of Officials wants to assess alternate officials or hold scientific examinations, Zhang Jiuling must be appointed as the examiner, who is responsible for evaluating the grades based on the articles and comprehensive performance of candidates or examinees.Every time a list is made, all parties praise Zhang Jiuling very much, and think that his selection results are fair and reasonable.Soon, Zhang Jiuling was promoted to the position of foreign minister. In the mid-Kaiyuan period, Zhang Shuo, who was then Zhongshuling, appreciated Zhang Jiuling's talent very much. He not only promoted him to Zhongshusheren, but also let go of the airs of the chief prime minister and recognized the same clan with him. Young people will surely become a generation of poets and literary leaders in the future." Zhang Jiuling was grateful for Zhang Shuo's kindness, and since then he has been loyal to Zhang Shuo and has become Zhang Shuo's confidant.Later, Zhang Shuo was overthrown by Yu Wenrong and others, and Zhang Jiuling was implicated and demoted from the imperial court. He served as governor and governor of several places. When Zhang Shuo was also in charge of Jixian Academy, he recommended Zhang Jiuling to Xuanzong many times, saying that he could be a decision-making consultant.After Zhang Shuo's death, Xuanzong remembered Zhang Shuo's recommendation, so he summoned Zhang Jiuling back to the court, paid homage to the secretary and junior supervisor, and was also a bachelor and vice president of Jixian Academy.Since then, Zhang Jiuling often presented secret performances to Xuanzong, and most of them were adopted, making great contributions to the government.Therefore, when Han Xiu and Xiao Song both stepped down, Zhang Jiuling naturally became the best candidate for the new prime minister. Judging from the performance of Zhang Jiuling and Pei Yaoqing in the future, Xuanzong should feel lucky. Because these two prime ministers are not only noble, talented, and capable, but most importantly—they can unite with sincerity and help each other! For Xuanzong's court, which has experienced long-term disputes between prime ministers, there is nothing more precious than the eight words "sincere unity and mutual assistance". However, it is regrettable that this hard-won stable situation did not last long, and a new round of duels appeared in the imperial arena soon. Because, just after Zhang Jiuling and Pei Yaoqing came to the stage, a new ring fighter followed him and made his debut. This person is Li Linfu.