In the autumn of the fifteenth year of Jianlong (1032), Yanzhou Prefecture, Mount Tai.
As one of the most well-known mountains in the empire, it has been favored by officials and literati all year round. In the past few decades, countless talented people have come here because of its reputation. Students from Qilu often use it as a holy place for study tours.
.Not only influenced by Qilu culture, but also because of Emperor Shizu’s feat that year: Feng Chan.
Since the beginning of the fifteenth year of Jianlong's reign, the Yanzhou government has closed the boundaries of Mount Tai, prohibiting logging and access. At the same time, the government has mobilized a large number of manpower to renovate the roads and buildings in Mount Tai.
The commotion was quite loud, and all the measures stemmed from one thing: today, we will also be granted Zen status! This matter has been brewing since the twelfth year of Jianlong, when it was rumored that the barbarian bandit Liu Jin was the leader.
It was not until the fourteenth year that there was no more war between the north and the south, and Guanhe was peaceful, that it officially entered the court's discussion agenda. By the fifteenth year, it entered the implementation stage.
Regarding Feng Chan, there was actually a huge controversy within the imperial court, which also triggered a political earthquake. Shangshu Ling Han Chengjun was the first group of ministers to clearly express their opposition and write to remonstrate.
Although the ministers had many considerations in choosing words and sentences for His Majesty's sake, the meaning behind them was obvious, and their merits were not enough. After all, Emperor Shizu was so meritorious back then that he paid such careful attention to the matter of conferring Zen, and delayed it until
It was only eleven years since Kaibao set foot on Mount Tai.
Emperor Taizong spent the fourteenth year of his life working hard, working hard to establish military virtues, and was admired by the world. In the end, he humbly declined the invitation of his ministers and did not take this step. You, Liu Wenji, have achieved such great achievements that you actually want to surpass the imperial examination.
, comparable to Shizu?
In the final analysis, although Liu Wenji had subdued the officials and actually held the highest power in the empire, in the minds of many powerful people in the Han Dynasty, he was far from being comparable to Shizu and Taizong.
The Han Empire was able to prosper today because of the hard work of all the wise men. The chaos in the south and the bandits in the north were also the result of pillar generals such as Cao Wei and Dong Congyan and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Liu Wenji's intention to grant Zen not only broke through the psychological "bottom line" of the powerful people who held such ideas, but also squeezed their space from the perspective of practical political interests. The opponents were not so much defending Taoism and Shizu as
It is to roll up your sleeves and fight with the emperor for the right to speak. You can never get rid of the word "power".
As a result, there is no doubt that it ended with the emperor's victory. Han Chengjun, the most "mediocre" prime minister in the history of the empire, lost his position and was demoted to the rank of servant.
At the same time, Han Chengjun was deposed together with a large number of nobles and bureaucrats. On the key issue of fighting against the monarchy, it seems that there is no room for cooperation between the aristocratic group and the common people group.
In fact, by the 14th year of Jianlong's reign, Liu Wenji had been in power for 17 years. At this stage, if he really wanted to accomplish something in the empire, as long as he put aside his worries, no one could really stop him.
With power.
What's more, the matter of conferring the title of Zen was not something the emperor had to fight alone, nor was it Liu Wenji's style. He always made plans before taking action on anything he wanted to do, and there was always a group of "younger brothers" leading the charge.
In the court, those who managed and promoted this matter for Liu Wenji were Ding Wei, Wang Zeng, and Cao Ling. Of these three, one was a traitor and capable, one had been a consolation messenger for more than ten years, and the other was a good licker.
From Long Jiuchen to Prime Minister, everyone has a group of partisans, possesses special political influence, and creates enough momentum.
With such a group of "loyal ministers and officials" taking care of it, Liu Wenji saved a lot of trouble. In the end, in an atmosphere where hundreds of officials asked for orders and everyone supported them, he declined the request three times, and then issued an imperial edict to enshrine him.
Accompanied by Zhao Jie, the prefect of Yanzhou, and a group of officials, the imperial prime minister Ding Wei came in person to inspect the Taishan project and the preparations for the Zen ceremony. Ding Wei arrived early on this trip to stand in front of the emperor and confirm the ceremony preparations again.
.Ding Wei, who is nearly seventy years old, works so personally and respectfully, so his purpose is naturally not simple.
The emperor's canonization was also an extremely important political speculation for Ding Wei, who had been at the top of the temple for many years. The fundamental reason why Ding Wei was able to pull off his old face, ignore criticism, forcibly stir up public opinion and promote the emperor's canonization was still the minister
The temptation of the position of "prime minister" of the empire was his last attack on the extreme of human ministers before he left office.
Perhaps due to the difference in following his "boss", Ding Wei's reputation among Han political scholars was not as bad as it was during the "Zhao and Song Dynasties", and he even maintained the image of a capable minister and official.
Ding said that he had been an official for three dynasties. In addition to being despicable due to his ingratiating behavior during the Kangzong Dynasty, in other periods he was a standard young talent, loyal ministers and capable officials, and a famous minister of the country.
Of course, Ding Wei is by no means the kind of traditional Confucian scholar-bureaucrat. He has done a lot of things as he adapts to the wind and takes the wrong approach. While he is good at understanding people's hearts, he is also very narrow-minded and has a strong vindictive mentality. He works in Hubei
During this period, a subordinate official named Zheng got drunk and made fun of Ding Wei's appearance. After Ding Wei found out about it, he was forced to dismiss from his post, his family fortune was lost, he left his hometown, and finally went overseas.
Back then, when Kou Zhun was the minister, Ding Wei felt resentful because he laughed at him for "slipping his beard". When Kou Zhun was dismissed as prime minister, he also added fuel to the flames and even thought of deposing Kou Zhun directly as a commoner.
But he was rejected by Liu Wenji.
Ding Wei was criticized for forming cliques for personal gain. All his brothers and nephews had official positions, not to mention his party disciples. For example, Zhao Jue of Yanzhou Prefecture came from Ding Wei's family and was specially arranged by him to manage it here.
In preparation for Feng Chan, he even boldly encouraged him with Zhang Qixian’s story.
All shortcomings and shortcomings did not prevent Ding Wei from becoming a famous capable minister and prime minister in the Jianlong Dynasty. In the past ten years, he served as the Imperial Envoy, the Financial Envoy, and the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
, all have real achievements and outstanding contributions. It is a very useful knife in Liu Wenji's hand, especially used in political execution and political struggles.
Especially in the five or six years after Kou Zhun resigned as prime minister, he made rapid progress. In the process, he defeated Wang Qinruo and replaced him with Zhang Zhibai. He also defeated Han Chengjun through the conferment of Zen, although he had the final say.
In the case of the emperor, Dante said that he was involved in the situation, adding fuel to the flames, and indeed he played a key role.
Now, Ding Wei only has the last step to go. In his opinion, as long as the ceremony of conferring Zen goes smoothly and the canonization is successful, he can take advantage of it to ascend the throne of Shangshu Ling. In the more than half a year since Han Chengjun resigned as prime minister, the position of Shangshu Ling can be There is a vacancy. This is the first time in decades that the power of the political affairs hall is truly shared among all the ministers, with the foreman taking turns.
Although Ding Wei is already nearly 70 years old, age has never really been a critical issue in politics, and power has always been a panacea that can prolong life. Since becoming a Jinshi in the reign of Emperor Yongxi, Ding Wei has been working hard in politics for almost 40 years. Now that we have reached the final hurdle, how can we stop fighting.
It needs to be mentioned that as the Jianlong era gradually developed into its full form, the struggle between the empire's top dignitaries has always been fierce. Especially after Kou Zhun, the center was full of hills, "heroes vying for hegemony."
Various power struggles and political struggles emerge in endlessly, and conflicts are not limited to the "inherent" oppositions between monarchs and ministers, nobles and common people, and north and south. Take the fight between Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei as an example. Both of them coveted For the position of prime minister, everyone wanted to be the first among the common people's bureaucrats and become the emperor's most trusted minister.
Both came from the south, but their backgrounds and resumes were two typical representatives. After rising to the narrow political hall, the conflicts became more acute over power, fame and fortune, and they almost regarded each other as heretics. There may not be no reason for the emperor's indulgence.
Wang Qinruo finally fell. Although he was accused of being a party member against dissidents, seeking personal gains and dereliction of duty, the fundamental reason was that he secretly had an affair with eunuchs, spied on the inner court, and violated the emperor's taboos.
In the extremely complex political struggle environment of the Jianlong Dynasty, as people came and went, and the old and the new replaced each other, the originally clear-cut political struggle situation gradually became chaotic. Between the aristocratic group and the common people group, They are intertwined, intertwined, and still full of contradictions, but merging is not uncommon.
As for the imperial court being able to maintain a relatively rational struggle and the political situation maintaining long-term stability, the greatest credit must go to Emperor Liu Wenji because of his mature and flexible political skills.
Although Liu Wenji cannot be compared with Shizu and Taizong, he was indeed the anchor of the empire during the Jianlong era. Many people were subconsciously dissatisfied with this emperor, but few people thought about it. Without this emperor, what would the empire have become? Where will they go, and how will they deal with themselves?
The five-color altar at the foot of the mountain has once again returned to its magnificence sixty years ago. The steps on the mountain have been expanded and renovated again, like a sky street, leading directly to the heaven. The merit monument on the mountain
Climbing up the stairs to the foot of the Dengfeng Altar, Ding Wei and his party couldn't help but stop. Sixty years of wind, frost, rain and dew have left the Merit Monument covered with traces and accumulation of time. The sense of historical weight permeated with the glorious achievements of the ancestors makes them feel... It was as if a stone was weighing on everyone's heart.
Without much hesitation, Ding Wei took the lead in bowing to the monument of merits of the ancestors. However, when he bowed his head, Ding Wei felt particularly heavy. When he looked at the small monument prepared for Liu Wenji next to the big monument, he even felt a little dazed.
It was an indescribable feeling, but it was the first time that Ding Wei had felt hesitant and uneasy in his heart since he advocated and promoted Feng Chan. Mr. Ding’s emotional changes were not hidden from others, but it was difficult for others to understand his meaning. After that, he simply praised Zhao Jue for his disciple's performance, and pointed out the things that Feng Chan had caused to Yanzhou's lack of resources and people, so that he would pay attention to it, and Luan Jia was coming, so as not to cause any unsightly scenes. , if Feng Chan is broken, no one can afford it.
Not long after returning to Guanyi, Ding Wei fell ill. The illness came so suddenly that he was unable to even participate in the Zen ceremony, and at the same time he also lost the position of minister that was easily available to him.
At first, Liu Wenji really planned to let Ding Wei serve as prime minister for a few years, but because of his poor health, there was nothing he could do. In the end, Chen Yaozuo, who was the minister's servant at the time, took advantage. Cao Liang was promoted to minister of the Ministry of War, Wang Zeng was appointed minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Zhang
Jian succeeded Ding Wei as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Of course, Liu Wenji did not treat Ding Wei badly. He made him a minister and continued to serve as "deputy prime minister". At the same time, he also gave him the title of minister, and he was still a very popular minister. However, judging from the results, Ding Wei was quite hit.
In the fifteenth year of Jianlong's reign, on September 23rd, Liu Wenji of the Han Dynasty was granted the title of Zen at Mount Tai at the age of fifty-seven.