Chapter 75 Renzong Chapter 17 The Beginning of Party Struggle
Chapter 2200 Renzong Chapter 17 The beginning of the party struggle
During the Renzong Dynasty, Bao Zheng was a well-known minister, veteran, and upright minister who was well-known throughout the world. He was even known as the "First Minister of the Han Dynasty." Even his political opponents never denied his ability and integrity.
Bao Zheng's death made countless knowledgeable people inside and outside the government sigh with regret. At the same time, it also triggered a lot of speculation about the cause of his death. Some said he died of exhaustion, some said he died of illness, and some said he died of anger.
, and those killed by traitors.
The "victimization theory" is the most widely spread, triggers the most discussions, and arouses the highest emotions. As for the facts, it is not that important. The key is that this kind of rumor is most in line with the expectations and imagination of the common people about the powerful and the officialdom.
And this can also reflect what the political situation of the Han Empire was like before and after the 21st year of Orthodoxy: tense and even turbid.
Analyzing the structure of the empire's internal and external courts, the "treacherous party" referred to in the rumors generally refers to two factions, the prime minister party and the eunuch party. The prime minister party here only refers to the party of Wang Shilin, the minister, and the eunuch party refers to the eunuch party.
The contemporary eunuch group headed by provincial Cai Jue.
Let’s talk about the eunuchs first. The eunuch group is a group that cannot be ignored in any dynasty. After all, they are the most reliable vassals of the imperial power. In the Han Empire, the energy of eunuchs has never been ignored. Just look at the founding of the country more than 100 years ago.
Come, you will know how many "big eunuchs" there are in the inner court.
Of course, the influence of eunuchs has always been mainly limited to the inner court, and they exist as the most loyal minions of the imperial power. Of course, there are constraints from the imperial political system, but it is also related to the relatively high "success rate" of emperors in the past few generations, which makes
As the power of eunuchs grows, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
But after entering the Zhengtong Dynasty, the situation changed. The power of the eunuchs continued to grow, and they could not restrain their minions and spread from the inner court to the outer court. The root cause of this problem still lies with the emperor.
The orthodox emperor Liu Weizhen may be short of wisdom and indifferent to political affairs, but he still takes his power position very seriously and tries his best to maintain it. In addition to promoting Wang Shilin and other trusted ministers, the most important reliance is to reunite under the
The eunuchs around him.
The empire's eunuch mechanism structure was built by Emperor Shizu. After a hundred years of development, the powers and responsibilities have become quite mature and perfect. The eunuchs, front and rear provinces + imperial city department can basically cover the entire palace.
It was precisely because of a group of loyal servants and lackeys that Liu Weizhen was able to have a relatively clear and timely understanding of the situation in the imperial court while living in peace.
The ten years before Orthodoxy were the period when the empire's ministerial authority was at its strongest. At that time, the court was still very peaceful, and the eunuchs and minions were relatively peaceful. However, after Fan Zhongyan resigned as prime minister, Liu Weizhen's throne reached a point where no one could shake it.
The eunuchs also began to show their talents.
To put it simply, the eunuchs were no longer willing to stay in the "traditional realm" and began to extend their hands to the outer court and interfere in politics, blatantly.
And this was obviously not tolerated by those in power. You must know that during the reign of Emperor Shizu, there were always courtiers who dared to criticize, let alone Liu Weizhen.
Therefore, in the 14th year of Zhengtong, Cao Lun, who was then the minister, came to lead a group of ministers to put pressure on the emperor to remove the eunuchs and prevent eunuchs from intervening in politics, so as to correct the atmosphere of the court.
Although he had been emperor for more than ten years, Liu Weizhen had never experienced such a battle. His weak nature was exposed and he was at a loss to deal with it. Finally, forced by public sentiment, he chose to compromise and deposed several powerful officials such as Shi Quanbin and Chen Wei. , the storm subsided.
However, the emperor is the emperor after all and is not so easy to offend. Cao Lun gained great popularity through this, but he was soon replaced by Wang Shilin. After all, it affected Liu Weizhen's feelings for the queen (although Liu Weizhen only had feelings for the queen at that time). The only thing left is to respect each other as guests). After all, they are all members of the Cao family, and they may even influence the prince Liu Xiuyuan.
At the same time, after dismissing Shi and Chen, Liu Weizhen quickly promoted new people, and it was at this time that Cai Jue came to power. Although Cai Jue may not be considered a eunuch, he was an extraordinary person. He was both civil and military, resourceful, and his background was not ordinary. His adoptive father was Cai Jing, the imperial envoy during the Sejong Dynasty.
It was precisely under Cai Jue's advice that Bao Zheng was able to successfully become the prime minister and the imperial envoy. It should be noted that as the most important person in the imperial court, Bao Zheng has actually been ostracized by those in power. It is because of this People "are not afraid of powerful people".
Bao Zheng's character and style can be seen from how he served as the governor of Luoyang. Everyone in power in the court also knew that bringing such a person into the political hall was definitely asking for trouble.
Therefore, it is better to seal the territory than to make him a high-ranking minister. Fan Zhongyan tried it before, but in the end due to too much resistance, he was given the post of Southeast Transit Envoy.
In this context, Cai Jue suggested to the emperor that Bao Zheng should be transferred from the position of governor of Lingnan to the central government, to serve as prime minister, or to be the governor of the capital. What kind of restraint and influence would it have on the imperial elites? Shock.
In fact, this is also the case. Since Bao Zheng took office as the imperial envoy, the atmosphere of the court has changed somewhat, even though Bao Zheng's efforts are just a "Quixode-style" charge and persistence.
Of course, Bao Zheng did not accept Cai Jue's recommendation. He just stayed in his position and pursued political affairs. At the same time, he always insisted on prohibiting eunuchs from intervening in politics and restraining spies and minions. Since taking office, in addition to cracking down on corrupt officials and illegal honors, Bao Zheng , still focus on "taking care" of the eunuch group.
This caused a rumor to spread in Beijing, saying that Cai Jue shot himself in the foot. Of course, the drama of "Bao Ducha resists eunuchship" only exists in folk legends.
In fact, there was never a direct conflict between Bao Zheng and Cai Jue. After Cai Jue came to power, he did not condone the eunuchs. On the contrary, he had many restraints and regulations on those "eunuchs and eunuchs". The eunuchs Bao Zheng criticized were only It's about discussing things.
It's just that Quan Huan's reputation is really not very good.
Speaking of the prime minister, Wang Shilin, as a minister who followed the dragon, can also be called the first contributor to Liu Weizhen's success in overpowering the emperor's uncle and successfully inheriting the unification. Liu Weizhen rewarded him extremely generously after he ascended the throne.
From the Shaofu to the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, even the financial envoy when Cao Lun was in power, he was all a big shot in the court and a powerful man. Moreover, he was always regarded as the "first minister of the imperial party" and the emperor's mentor.
After Cao Lun, when Wang Shilin launched an attack on the position of Shangshu Ling, he also received the support of Liu Weizhen. Although the orthodox emperor was an emperor, if he really made up his mind to support a certain side, the advantage that one side would gain would be huge.
Therefore, Wang Shilin finally got his wish, overpowering his main competitors such as Zeng Gongliang, Fu Bi, and Pang Ji, and successfully ascended to the throne, becoming the center of power and the first minister of the empire who ruled the world.
Wang Shilin is definitely talented. He is a leader in strategy and insight, both internally and externally. He has strong political ability, rich experience in governing affairs, is good at understanding people's hearts, and has a deep understanding of the operation of the imperial system. In addition, he has won the trust of the emperor.
For such a person to hold great power, at least it won't be too bad for the government.
The past five or six years have also proved this. Perhaps the empire has had many problems from top to bottom, but overall, it is relatively stable, in terms of disaster relief, relief for the people, border consolidation, quelling chaos, and suppressing bandits.
, and his outstanding performance is that Wang Shilin is never ambiguous about key matters.
However, unlike a virtuous man like Fan Zhongyan, Wang Shilin did not have much feelings about his family and country, and there was basically no "idealism" in him. He was just a bureaucrat who was an eunuch, good at maneuvering, and a pragmatic person.
Pai, a balancer.
Many of Wang Shilin's decision-making considerations during his administration were often based on self-interest and the emperor's likes and dislikes, rather than serving the country and the people in the traditional sense.
For example, when providing disaster relief to the people, he did not hesitate to distribute grain and pay, but in the end, the evaluation of disaster relief officials was not based on how many lives were saved, but on where there was the least turmoil and who controlled the fewest thieves and refugees. What he valued
, are officials’ means and abilities of “maintaining stability”.
This concept is obviously contrary to the idea that "the people are more important than the country and the king". Although this has always been the case, Wang Shilin behaved too nakedly in the process of governing.
Therefore, during the years when Wang Shilin was in power, his reputation was not very good. Of course, this "reputation" mainly refers to those scholars and elites. But it does not affect the overall situation at all. As a person in power, he does not need to be condescending.
Catering to those who talk freely, among scholars and bureaucrats, there is no shortage of those with vassal wings.
In the eyes of the empire's ruling class, especially those who are truly in power, Wang Shilin, the Shangshu Ling, actually did a pretty good job. The giant ship of the Han Empire has gradually shown signs of obsolescence under the erosion of time, but under his control
down, sailing forward fairly smoothly.
Including Bao Zheng, they are also average. Even if they are opposed to Wang Shilin's ideas and despise his virtues in their hearts, they can still endure it based on the principle of "tolerance for the sake of the country". Within the scope of their duties, they are loyal to the country.
Performing duties for the people also makes up for Wang Shilin's shortcomings (such as combating the powerful, corruption, and waste).
What really made Bao Zheng dissatisfied with Wang Shilin and triggered direct confrontation was Wang Shilin's power-loving dictatorship and his refusal to step down. By the 21st year of Zhengtong, Wang Shilin had served as Shangshu Ling for five full years.
According to the political principles regarding the term of office of ministers that have been thoroughly formed since the time of Sejong, Wang Shilin should abdicate the throne and make way for talents. However, it has been overdue for more than half a year, and Wang Shilin has shown no sign of resigning. On the contrary, he stepped up his efforts to recruit people inside and outside the court.
Power, deploying people, and cultivating party members.
The purpose of such behavior is obvious, and it will definitely arouse public outrage. Among the many verbal and written criticisms, Bao Zheng has the most firm and fierce attitude. He deeply understands that Wang Shilin's move to seize power, if it succeeds,
Destroying and harming the political stability of the empire.
Therefore, in the past few months, Bao Zheng did a lot of work, including but not limited to private persuasion, making public statements, and blocking the emperor's door, hoping that Liu Weizhen could intervene in the court situation, bring order to the chaos, and return the court to normal.
Bao Zheng naturally failed. The emperor's attitude was very ambiguous. He didn't have a conclusion about Wang Shilin yet, but he didn't have much favorable impression of Bao Zheng. However, after Bao Zheng tried to obstruct him at every turn, Wang Shilin hated him deeply and secretly.
Instead of making things difficult for his party members, he even thought that Bao Zheng also wanted to get involved in the post of prime minister.
As time went by, the contradiction between the two became more and more acute. However, although Bao Zheng was in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and was a highly respected veteran, he was not strong enough to directly confront the Shangshu Ling.
When Wang Shilin mobilized political resources and tried his best to suppress Bao Zheng, his status was also shaky. Although Bao Zheng was honest, self-disciplined, and loyal to his duties, there was basically no fault in him personally, but his subordinates, family members, and classmates
But it's different.
When the "battle between king and Bao" became increasingly fierce, Bao Zheng suddenly withdrew his fire and died soon after. Naturally, it inevitably led to many speculations by others. Even if Bao Zheng really just suffered an emergency and died.
The purpose of linking Bao Zheng's death to the "Xiang Party" was to arouse the sympathy of the scholars and the common people. The "persecution theory" can be widely spread, and it is obviously indispensable behind the promotion of some powerful people, and the implicit political goal is to target the target.
,it goes without saying.
After Bao Zheng's death, a big debate broke out within the imperial court regarding the issue of finalizing his coffin. Wang Shilin's faction naturally tried their best to suppress it. This kind of behavior aroused even more public outrage.
As a result, a large number of officials came to the court to speak for Bao Zheng and protect his reputation. For example, Ouyang Xiu, a great scholar, felt sad and wrote a memorial in person, praising his character, ethics and achievements.
Due to the efforts of the officials, Bao Zheng was given the posthumous title of "Wen Su". Of course, this was also related to Wang Shilin's letting go. Perhaps he thought of what happened behind him.
But starting from Bao Zheng, a party struggle broke out in the Han Empire that lasted for many years. The intensity was the most intense since the founding of the country, and it revolved around Wang Shilin's unwillingness to give up the position of Shangshu Ling.