Chapter 39: King Sejong Chapter 40: Death of the King, Empire Ten
Chapter 2164: King Sejong Chapter 40: Death of the King, Ten Years of the Empire
In the eighth year of Jianlong's reign, Liu Wenji's constraints as emperor were further weakened. In addition to his ability to further control courtiers and court affairs, it was also because the older generation of dignitaries passed away one after another.
Of course, if it can be said that those who can have an important influence or even deter Liu Wenji, they are only a few people. Empress Dowager Murong died at the end of the winter of the sixth year of Jianlong. The old lady just stayed in the Ciming Palace for three more years.
, died just now.
The death of Empress Dowager Murong also meant that the threats faced by Liu Wenji within the palace were further eliminated, and he had a lot of heartache. However, this connotation cannot be expressed. After all, she was the original wife of Emperor Taizong. Orthodoxy and legal principles
The aura of Liu Wenji cannot be wiped out. On the contrary, it needs to be maintained from time to time. This is consistent with the legal rationality of Liu Wenji's succession.
Therefore, when the queen died, Liu Wenji left urgently and returned south from Taiyuan to attend to the funeral of Empress Dowager Murong. Although it was just a gesture. In comparison, Empress Dowager Xiao's grief for the death of Empress Dowager Murong was much more real.
To be fair, Empress Dowager Murong was alienated, fearful, and repulsive towards Empress Dowager Xiao and her son. Even after Liu Wenji ascended the throne, he adopted many rough and stupid political methods, but from beginning to end, he never really used any conspiracy to persecute them.
Therefore, Liu Wenji's treatment of Empress Dowager Murong was only based on a kind of political security prevention and suppression, while Empress Dowager Xiao always maintained respect and concern for Empress Dowager Murong. However, whether this attention included a layer of surveillance and prevention, it is a matter of fact.
Another discussion.
The funeral of Empress Dowager Murong was still held in the form of a state funeral, which was very grand. In this matter, Liu Wenji also tried his best to not follow the facts. At the same time, due to the death of the Empress Dowager, he also completely gave up the idea of mobilizing troops to deal with the situation in Anton.
Thoughts, filial piety and righteousness should still be taken seriously unless necessary. This is an important means of governing the world.
On the other hand, after the death of Empress Dowager Murong, Empress Dowager Xiao naturally rose to a higher level and became the only upright empress dowager in the Han Empire. Liu Wenji originally planned to let Empress Dowager Xiao enter Ciming Palace. After decades of expansion and decoration, Ciming Palace
The palace is a very large and livable palace complex in Ziwei City. Liu Wenji obviously used this to express his love and reward for his mother.
However, this was also rejected by Empress Dowager Xiao, who bluntly said that she was staying well in Yuehua Palace and settled in her place to calm her mind. Behind this humble statement was a reminder to Liu Wenji: Don’t be too arrogant.
Less than two years after the death of Empress Dowager Murong, in the autumn of the eighth year of Jianlong, another pillar of the Han Empire, which could be called the "last elder" of the Shizu Dynasty, the head of the clan in the Jianlong era, King Zhao, and the crown prince Taifu Liu Fang also passed away.
.
There is no need to say more about Zhao Wang Liu Fang. His origin, resume, and achievements have long been engraved in the history books, classics, and legends of countless empires. He is a star that still shines with the glory of the old era even in the Jianlong era.
It's just that this star finally fell and fell silent after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Liu Fang's death was a kind of relief for Emperor Liu Wenji. It was like a layer of shackles surrounding him had been lifted. From then on, he was the only authority of the empire!
Not unexpectedly, the person who was most saddened, sorrowful, and helpless by Liu Fang's death was none other than the crown prince Liu Jili. Liu Fang and Liu Jili had a relationship of patriarchal friendship and master-disciple relationship, and they also cultivated Liu Fang in eight years.
of deep feelings.
More importantly, in the Han Dynasty in the eighth year of Jianlong's reign, Zhao Wang Liu Fang was still Liu Jili's most solid political backer. Now, this backer has also been destroyed by the weather. How can Liu Jili, who is already very mature, not feel sad and sad?
perturbed.
In the current Han Dynasty, the situation of the crown prince Liu Jili is actually a bit embarrassing. The premature death of Queen Li is the most critical factor. Although Liu Jili was established as the crown prince early, the actual political environment has caused his
The position of the prince is not so stable.
There was Empress Yang in the middle palace, and as early as the second year of Duangong (1016) when Empress Li was still alive, she had given birth to a young son Liu Jiying to Liu Wenji. As he continued to grow, it almost had an impact on Liu Jili's status.
Something inevitable.
They were both direct descendants, with the empress in her prime inside and Yang family dignitaries outside. Although Liu Jili had the title of legitimate eldest son and had accumulated a lot of prestige over the years, he could not hide his lack of strength.
As for the maternal clan, the Li family, which was inherited from Jiuyuan Marquis Li Wanchao, was just an ordinary one among the many dignitaries in the empire. It has improved in recent years, and it was also because of Empress Li's honor that some of their children were able to serve in official positions.
Important positions. And the help these people can provide Liu Jili is obviously not enough.
Therefore, the supporters who gathered around Liu Jili, in addition to the East Palace officials and the Li family, were only some conservative bureaucrats who insisted on the orthodoxy of the direct eldest son. The quality of this group of people may not even have been the same in the court when Emperor Kangzong was the crown prince.
None of the supporters are as good as .
After all, righteousness and orthodoxy also require sufficient strength to support it. As the crown prince and tutor, Liu Fang has also been a flag for the supporters of the East Palace in the past few years. The fall of this flag has a far greater impact on Liu Jili than
What appears on the surface is much deeper.
Of course, the crown prince's matter ultimately depends on the emperor's decision. The current emperor Liu Wenji obviously has the final say in this regard. If we talk about Liu Wenji's attitude on this matter, at least in the eighth year of Jianlong's reign, he never did anything else.
Thought.
Liu Wenji obviously had special feelings for his eldest son. He was known for his humility, dignity, and filial piety. At the same time, he also had high hopes for Liu Jili. This can be seen from the configuration of the East Palace. Every personnel arrangement is
It is very true that if Liu Fang is either a noble queen or a momentary hero, supplemented by mature and talented people, having Liu Fang be his tutor is the most powerful interpretation of Liu Wenji's hope.
Even in the eighth year of Jianlong's reign, from the perspective of an emperor's identity and power, Liu Wenji would resolutely safeguard the status of the prince. First, for the sake of the country and the country, the inheritance of the throne was safe and orderly. This was the mission of an emperor, and Liu Wenji also had this.
sense of responsibility.
On the other hand, the Yang family was already the most prominent relative of the dynasty. The purpose of establishing Yang as the queen was to attract Yang as a support and to check and balance the dissatisfied nobles. Even if you respect and utilize them, you cannot be unprepared.
After giving the Yang family supreme honor, if his son becomes the prince again, wouldn't the world belong to the Yang family?
Therefore, the weaker the prince Liu Jili is, the more stable his position will be. At the same time, his status as the heir apparent is an advantage that can never be overthrown. As long as he maintains it, the future is still promising.
Of course, the palace state has complete systems and strict rules. However, within these rules and regulations, there are countless people and things that violate the laws. Before a conclusion is reached, any twists and turns are possible.
With the increasingly frequent exchanges between sects and vassals on the sea and land, the contacts between the imperial court and the major feudal states have become an indispensable issue for the imperial court as a political country. However, to be honest, the northern and southern feudal states and those "under the kingdom"
"Principles" and "masses" are just planets surrounding the star of the central empire.
If the central empire wants to continue to shine, it must rely on its own energy. For the center of the empire, the affairs of feudal states are just a small detail. They will always be within the empire, in political policies, and in the hands of hundreds of millions of people.
There is a saying that from the emperor down, the focus of the imperial court is always on the thirty Dao Han (including the Tubo region), hundreds of state capitals, thousands of counties and towns, the operation of national order, the struggle for power, and the division of interests.
, all centered around the "traditional" Han Dynasty.
Starting from the eighth year of Jianlong's reign, the Han Empire can basically be said to have reached its most beautiful moment and peak state. From a comprehensive balance of politics, military, economy, people's livelihood, ideology, system and other aspects, this is its most powerful
a stage.
In the ten years from the eighth year of Jianlong to the eighteenth year of Jianlong, if Liu Wenji did not make any greater breakthroughs in terms of national governance reform, the development of the empire had entered a bottleneck period. Even with the stimulation of feudalism, it was still very difficult.
It is difficult to make new changes.
As for setting the tone for the empire, in terms of big and small aspects, Shizu and Emperor Taizong have actually done almost everything. What is left to Liu Wenji is to make some appropriate modifications and corrections within the existing framework and system to maintain the empire.
Just healthy and orderly development.
Although this maintenance is not so vigorous and magnificent, in terms of the scale and proportion, it is a great test of the quality and temperament of an emperor. Managing a big country is like cooking small dishes, and Liu Wenji is also the successor and defender.
Identity, using this method of slow cooking over low heat, gradually created a peak empire.
In the past ten years, Liu Wenji has achieved remarkable results in many aspects of governing the country. First of all, in terms of talent selection, a large number of outstanding talents have been discovered and gradually moved to the center of the imperial political stage. These are all under Liu Wenji's leadership.
The talented and learned people who emerged under the guiding ideology of governing the country are deeply imprinted with his mark and are the talents who maintain Liu Wenji's rule.
Among the common people bureaucrats, starting with Cai Qi, Yan Shu, Fan Zhongyan and other ministers who took the imperial examination in the second year of Duangong, followed by a new batch of rising talents such as Bao Zheng, Zeng Gongliang, Fu Bi, etc., a large number of fresh blood entered the officialdom of the Han Dynasty.
The spring that the older generation of prime ministers Li Hang, Lu Mengzheng and others were looking forward to, and belonging to the literati (ministers), has finally arrived. Eighty years after the establishment of the empire, the power of the humble common people has also overshadowed the scene for the first time.
Honorable.
At the local level, Liu Wenji's attempt at a civil service school has also achieved initial success. Not to mention Loujiang College, which started the earliest, after thirty years, it has become the main source of civil service talents for the various Taoist departments in the southeast.
In addition to the main campus of Loujiang University, branch campuses have been established in various Taoist cities.
At the same time, Liu Wenji established three major schools in Chang'an, Chengdu, and Changsha: Northwest, Southwest, and Central and South respectively. The models were exactly the same, further promoting the concept of "specialized officials and specialized talents."
Although it is difficult to have accurate official statistics, the overall quality of the imperial bureaucracy during the Jianlong era was improving, and at the same time, its ability to control the people and its criminal methods were also constantly upgraded.
At the same time, those who can reach high positions must be "all-rounders" or have a strong background. With the improvement in the number and quality of basic staff, the official career path of "official transfer" is also gradually changing.
, opened up many joints, and it is not as difficult as it used to be.
One of the very important reasons is that the civil service school advocated and implemented by Emperor Liu Wenji cannot be too pure. Among them, whether nobles or common people, those powerful groups are reaching out to exert influence and exert influence on the power from top to bottom.
The struggle for interests has just shifted part of the battlefield.
This is also the result of a compromise. Without the participation and support of the powerful class, the so-called official school cannot be run at all, and it is not promoted. Even Liu Wenji himself was only a "powerful person" in his early years.
When political schools were in full bloom across the country, the Imperial University of Political Science and Law in Gyeonggi Province was undoubtedly the leader of all schools and produced the most political stars, including Zeng Gongliang, Bao Zheng, and Fu Bizhe.
Is the best among them.
When the upper class of the empire was increasingly solidified, Liu Wenji's official school system, on the one hand, accelerated this process, and on the other hand, it actually gave more possibilities to the common people from poor families in the world. The upward channel was not completely closed, even if this
The passage is getting narrower.
In this process, the group of common people's bureaucrats is growing, and the power of academic circles is also growing. At the same time, regional discrimination and party strife will inevitably rise. After a period of dormancy, the noble bureaucracy also has a group of capable people.
At the forefront, Shi Yuansun (grandson of Shi Shouxin), Zhang Wenwei (grandson of Zhang Yongde), Li Guangfu (great-grandson of Li Jun), etc., and they quickly rose to high positions relying on the accumulation of their ancestors.
While the selection of civil servants became more and more lively, military academies also developed greatly under the promotion of Liu Wenji, which can be regarded as a breakthrough. The empire's "Central Military Academy" has a long history, and can be traced back to the Fengchen Camp in the Shizu period, but strictly speaking
The professional division was carried out during the Jianlong period. Even if it was only divided into five categories: infantry, cavalry, baggage, engineers, and artillery, this was a major change in the military history of the empire. This was a milestone.
In addition to the two "Royal Military Academies" located in East and West Beijing, affiliated military command academies have also been launched simultaneously in core cities in the southeast and northwest. It is worth mentioning that half of the students in these military academies come from the imperial army.
, the remaining half were nominally recruited from society, but most of them were surrounded by military nobles and generals' disciples. If Liu Wenji hadn't drawn a "10%" red line, it would have been difficult for ordinary people who wanted to join the army to pass.
The military academy is a road to realize the ambition of getting ahead, not to mention a class jump.
Compared with the civil service system, the military system is completely different. Its closed nature, tradition and conservatism are extremely stubborn. In peacetime, this is a place where qualifications and background are based on necessity, and ability is only a foundation.
Of course, to a certain extent, this also ensured the stability of the imperial army and facilitated the control of the imperial court. Although they shared power with the nobles, there were still a group of commoner generals who rose to prominence in the army in the past ten years, such as Zhong Zhong.
Shi Heng, Di Qing, especially the latter, had completely gone from being ordinary soldiers to becoming generals step by step, gaining the emperor's ear and ascending to the Golden Hall.
In addition to the selection and appointment of talents, Liu Wenji's greatest energy was in finance and taxation, through the reform of salt affairs and land consolidation. These two things were difficult to handle, especially the latter. Liu Wenji spent ten years on it.
It took time to sort out the results, and the initial results were achieved.