"I didn't expect that Han Zhang, who had been prime minister for many years, could still be so humble. These old people who had followed him for many years gave up."
Han Zhang is indeed a good person when it comes to finding a career. In terms of his wisdom in this area, Han Zhang belongs to the ceiling of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Seeing that something was wrong, Yushitai had already started to attack him, and all parties were preparing to attack him. Han Zhang immediately took measures.
For his subordinates, he was demoted when they should be demoted, dispatched when they should be dispatched, and dismissed when they should be dismissed. He decisively chose to cut off his tail to survive.
Except for the period when he worked for Zhao Zongquan, in order to recruit helpers and help Zhao Zongquan grow his reputation, Han Zhang did not appoint basic moral and ability assessments for his officials.
At other times, Han Zhang acted calmly in the court, adhering to the principle of doing nothing less and not doing more, and he really couldn't find any faults.
Han Zhang's mistakes were basically concentrated during the period when Zhao Zongquan was in power. He did things without principles and was considered to be helping the evil.
But the new emperor is Zhao Zongquan's son after all. Even if the new emperor does not approve of Zhao Zongquan's actions, he cannot publicly deny his father.
Therefore, many of the mistakes Han Zhang made cannot be discussed openly, and the new emperor was the first to not support them.
The new emperor still had feelings for Zhao Zongquan. Zhao Zongquan had been emperor for two years without any achievements.
To put it bluntly, eliminating redundant troops, reducing national expenditures, checking salt taxes, and increasing tax revenue are all things that are beneficial to the country.
The rest of the time is spent in political struggle.
After counting what Zhao Zongquan has done during his reign and summarizing Zhao Zongquan’s lifetime achievements, it’s time to put a final seal on Zhao Zongquan’s coffin.
Ordinary civil and military ministers only need a posthumous title after they leave.
But the emperor has a different identity after all, except for his posthumous title.
After the emperor dies, the same taboos remain, and the name cannot be mentioned directly.
Therefore, in addition to the posthumous title of more than ten words that distinguishes the emperor from his ministers, the emperor will also have a simple temple name of Erzi to facilitate future generations to address him.
"Your Majesty, the late emperor did not reign for long and did not have time to make any great achievements. I think it is appropriate to propose the word 'virtual' for the late emperor."
According to the "Posthumous Law", it is a fictitious thing to be cold and virtuous, and it is fictitious to be eloquent but not real. This is an obviously evil posthumous title.
This fully proves the civil servants’ disapproval of Zhao Zongquan’s rule.
When Zhao Zongquan was in power, the civil servants had nothing to do with Zhao Zongquan, but now that Zhao Zongquan is dead, the civil servants could still give him something in return.
The ministers giving the emperor a temple title was also a means for civil servants to restrain the emperor.
As long as the emperor cares about his posthumous reputation and the evaluation of those who come after him, he will always have some scruples in doing things.
In fact, the posthumous title "Xu" summarizes Zhao Zongquan's life quite accurately.
Zhao Zongquan inherited Renzong's empire and bullied the old widow left by the old Renzong. His nature could indeed be considered cold and cold.
He was adopted by Renzong, and after inheriting the inheritance cleanly, he wanted to recognize his biological father, which was obviously unruly and disrespectful.
He opens his mouth every day for the sake of the common people in the world, and shuts his mouth for the sake of the people of Zhou Dynasty. He keeps saying that he wants to be a wise king, but his actual actions are nothing. He likes to talk big words, and bragging can be said to be the truth.
Maybe Zhao Zongquan’s original intention was not like this, after the political struggle was completed and the power in his hands was concentrated.
Zhao Zongquan might really do something for the world, but if he died so early, he would have no chance to do anything.
It only left an impression of empty talk to the people of the world and the civil and military ministers.
"It's ridiculous. After the late emperor inherited Renzong's legacy, he didn't dare to be negligent. He was conscientious and dedicated to his work. He devoted himself to the great Zhou Dynasty and worked hard at night. How could he get such a bad posthumous title?"
After hearing this, the new emperor stood up angrily and was very dissatisfied. This was also the first time that the new emperor became furious after he succeeded to the throne.
The new emperor himself doesn't care much about false fame, but he can't ignore it completely.
He inherited his father's throne and asked the ministers to build such a temple for his father.
It can be considered unfilial in any way. Whether it is the new emperor's original intention to be filial to his father or the consideration for his own reputation, he cannot accept this result.
"Your Majesty, the late emperor only reigned for a short two years. His deeds in these two years are indeed the most suitable for a posthumous title." After the ministers looked at each other for a few times, they explained to the emperor.
"I don't agree. Although the new emperor has not been in power for a long time, he has made many achievements. Without the former emperor, the court would not be as stable as it is today. When the posthumous title of the late emperor is reconsidered, you should not be the only ones discussing it.
All officials under Zhongshu’s sect and those with two systems or above can participate.”
The new emperor directly expanded Zhao Zongquan's posthumous title.
The scope of the discussion was expanded to include several prime ministers and subordinates of Zhongshu, who were originally supporters of Zhao Zongquan.
Zhao Zongquan received a bad posthumous title and was reused by Zhao Zongquan. These courtiers who supported Zhao Zongquan would inevitably also be labeled as treacherous and sycophantic.
How could a foolish emperor not be accompanied by treacherous ministers? Every famous foolish emperor in history had his own treacherous ministers and doglegs.
This time, Zhao Zongquan reached agreement with the interests of these people.
After five days of lively and intense discussions, a new result acceptable to all parties emerged and was ready to be reported to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, after discussion, I think it is inappropriate to give the late emperor a false posthumous title." After hearing this, the emperor's originally solemn expression became more relaxed.
"Considering that the late emperor passed away at an early age, we have proposed a 'mourning' for the late emperor this time."
Although the word "Mail" does not look very festive, it is not a bad posthumous title.
It is called mourning when one performs labor and sacrifices without restraint. It is called mourning when one dies young in middle age. It is called mourning when one is afraid.
It can be regarded as a middle or medium posthumous title, which is also accurate for Zhao Zongquan, who was dedicated to giving his biological father the honorific title of the Emperor's Mausoleum.
He died young in middle age and his reign was short, which is also true for Zhao Zongquan.
Regardless of personal likes and dislikes, what Zhao Zongquan wanted to do was not accomplished after all, the consequences were within the tolerance range, and the damage caused was limited.
Killing someone's life and attempting murder should not both result in the same trial.
To give him a posthumous title is barely fair.
After all, in order to give the king some dignity, there really weren't many people in history who gave the emperor a bad posthumous title.
As long as the country can be maintained, it will not be stupid and cruel, and excessive taxation will lead to the country's destruction.
Considering that the position of the country's top leader is not easy to fill, no matter how incompetent the emperor is, as long as he can maintain the situation, he can usually get a posthumous title.
And the word "mourning" is actually not a bad word. It has some pity and posthumous meaning, and some pity for Zhao Zongquan, including the meaning of pity.
Considering the reality, even if there are people who feel sorry for Zhao Zongquan, there are not many.
This temple name can be said to have beautified Zhao Zongquan's life to a certain extent.
"Is it just a word of mourning?" The new emperor expressed that he could accept the temple name Zhao Zongquan, but it was not completely satisfactory.
The main reason is that the father and son belong to a small sect and inherited the large sect.
If the person who inherits the throne of Renzong cannot make some achievements and do better than Renzong.
To some extent, it is not a wise choice to choose Renzong, the father-son successor.
The current situation is that Zhao Zongquan, Renzong's successor, has done much worse than Renzong.
And his early death put all the pressure on the new emperor.
It can be clearly seen from just a temple number.
A temple title like Emperor Renzong is undoubtedly a beautiful posthumous title.
The name of the temple that Renzong got even though he did not have his own son and had a purpose for himself must be true.
Cultivating righteousness and achieving great achievements is called benevolence; being kind to the people and loving things is called benevolence; being self-restrained and restoring etiquette is called benevolence; honoring the virtuous and being affectionate is called benevolence.
They are all considered true portrayals of Renzong.
"Your Majesty, in terms of posthumous titles, it is very rare for an emperor like the late Emperor, who only reigned for two years, to receive a posthumous title."
In fact, by the Zhou Dynasty, the matter of giving the emperor a temple title had gone through for thousands of years and had lost a lot of its objectivity.
Because the Zhou Dynasty treated civil servants well, the posthumous title of a civil servant after his death also needed to be decided by the emperor.
Repaying kindness and reciprocating favors is actually a situation where you are good to me and everyone is good to you.
Whether it was the courtiers or the emperor, they tried their best to give each other good posthumous titles. Bad posthumous titles were rarely seen in the Zhou Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, I have a different opinion. Since the late emperor died young, why not use an English word to represent his temple."
Originally, the new emperor had already accepted it in front of him, but Han Zhang jumped out again.
What he said was still unprincipled.
It is true that after the bottom line is exceeded, there is no bottom line.
When I took the temple number, I also learned the concept of secret exchange.
It is also the temple name of Zhao Zongquan, and it is also related to Han Zhang's posthumous name. Zhao Zongquan can get a good posthumous title, and Han Zhang, the only prime minister during Zhao Zongquan's reign, can also get a favorable evaluation.
"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. There are records of posthumous titles. Outstanding ones are called Yings. Those who are morally worthy are called Yings. Those who have great virtues are called Yings. Those who have clear knowledge are called Yings. Those who died young are called Yings. Where did you get the word Ying from?"
Because the English word did not mean to die young, the ceremony official also firmly opposed it and refuted Han Zhang.
"What's wrong? Doesn't it mean that the late emperor died young?" Han Zhang asked.
"The late emperor did die young, but the English name is not appropriate for the new emperor," the courtesy officer replied.
Then, above the court, there were signs of transforming into a vegetable market.
Relatively speaking, the etiquette officer is at a disadvantage and must pay special attention to the wording.
In front of the new emperor, there was no way he could scold Zhao Zongquan directly.
"Since the matter is controversial, let's put it aside for the time being. The matter of the temple name of the late emperor will be decided later."
But the new emperor was obviously moved by the posthumous title given to Zhao Zongquan.
"Zecheng, Your Majesty just wants to give the late emperor a decent temple name, why is it so difficult?" Gu Tingye couldn't argue about this matter, so he went to Gu Tingye to talk to him.
"This is the difference between you and the civil servants. Even if you go to an academy to study, you can still pass the Jinshi examination. But you are not a pure scholar. You are fundamentally a martial artist."
Gu Tingye's butt has never sat on the side of the literati. There are not many places where literati can restrict the imperial power. Of course, it can be preserved, and I hope to preserve it as much as possible.
The warriors directly control the violent army, and there is no possibility of restricting the imperial power.
The power of military commanders is too great and cannot be regarded as a restriction. It is a threat to the imperial power.
The Zhou Dynasty's unrestricted attack on military generals was to prevent military generals from becoming bigger and posing a threat to the royal family.
"Then there is no possibility of resolving this matter. If the stalemate continues like this, won't the court fall into the same embarrassing party dispute situation as during the late emperor's reign?"
The originally harmonious court was now falling into quarrels because of Zhao Zongquan's temple name.
Although there is still a long way to go before the unprincipled party struggle during Zhao Zongquan's reign.
However, the imperial court of the Zhou Dynasty must always be mired in quarrels. After the grievances between the courtiers worsen, it is easy to fall into party disputes again.
Party strife is easy to start but difficult to stop.
If you don't control it, it can easily become an out-of-control situation.
"What you said makes sense. Are you asking on behalf of the official family?"
Sheng Changbai asked, already considering whether to stop this situation.
"If you have any idea, just tell me and I can tell it to the officials." Gu Tingye indeed has this ability.
Although the relationship between Gu Tingye and Zhao Zongquan is very good.
But because of his age, Gu Tingye still has a better personal relationship with the new emperor.
"In this matter, Han Zhang will inevitably have to be used... But in this matter, the officials must take a step back. Among the temple and posthumous titles of the late emperor, there can only be one beautiful posthumous title."
The attention given by Sheng Changbai is not complicated either.
We just need a new emperor because Zhao Zongquan's posthumous title and temple title cannot be resolved satisfactorily.
Show some respect for Han Zhang, for example, call Han Zhang to the palace for a small meeting over tea.
There are some signs that Han Zhang should be reused to check and balance the courtiers.
In order to avoid Han Zhang's comeback, it was naturally not difficult for the courtiers to make some concessions to the new emperor.
"If you want to say it's all about scheming, I'd rather say you civil servants." Gu Tingye teased.
"I am doing this for the sake of the stability of the court. I have no choice but to stabilize the court as soon as possible, and the officials can start solving the problem of redundant officials as soon as possible."
Sheng Changbai did this just to waste time for Zhao Zongquan.
As early as half a month ago, Sheng Changbai sent a memorial to the new emperor to reduce the number of redundant officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The new emperor was also a dedicated person, and he originally had the idea of getting rid of the redundant officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
After Sheng Changbai gave practical suggestions, the matter of redundant officials in the Zhou Dynasty was put on the agenda.
It is much more difficult to solve the problem of redundant officers than the problem of redundant soldiers.
Soldiers were only at the bottom of the ecological chain of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It is not difficult to maintain or even improve the treatment of elite soldiers and reduce the number of old, weak, sick and disabled in the army.
The reduced number of soldiers will not cause any trouble.
However, the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were regarded as the ruling class that assisted the Zhao family in controlling the country.
They are not as easy to handle as ordinary soldiers. If you don't want to reduce the number, you can simply remove officials who have nothing to do. It's as simple as that.
There are currently 20,000 to 30,000 officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty. If half of these people are left to do their own thing, it will not affect the administrative efficiency of the Great Zhou Dynasty. ()
