Chapter 76 Renzong Chapter 18 Three Years of Political Chaos
Chapter 2201 Renzong Chapter 18 Three Years of Political Chaos
There is no doubt that Wang Shilin's greed for power and unwillingness to retire caused very serious damage and harm to the political ecology of the Han Empire. Even though the empire did not have any regulations or regulations, the term of office of Shangshu Ling was only five years.
years, and the aristocrats and common people bureaucrats took turns in power.
However, the consensus reached between the government and the opposition through decades of practice, countless struggles, compromises, and exchanges, and the unspoken rules established by the core ruling elites, cannot be easily broken.
Compared with the legal regulations written in the "Xingtong" and "Huidian", the consequences of the destruction of this kind of hidden political rules are more serious. Because the former is mainly used to restrain the ruled and exploited classes, while those who hide
The rules under the water are the real balance of all interests achieved by the ruling class (the powerful).
Once it is destroyed, it will not only break the political principles, but also the balance of interests that was finally formed. If it infringes on the interests of other people, it will inevitably trigger public outrage.
As for conflicts of fundamental interests, it is easier for the rent-seeking ruling elites to unite and fight than for the stability of the government, the stability of the country, and the happiness of the people.
With Wang Shilin's sophisticated calculations, he may not be ignorant of the difficulties and risks involved in this situation, but it is just that the temptation of power, especially the temptation of governing power, is not so easy to resist.
Among the successive ministers of the empire, Wang Shilin was definitely considered the young one. After working for five or six years, he was only in his early sixties. He was in good health and full of energy, and there was no way he was willing to quit like this.
Even outside the court, there are still officials in the border areas, ministers, generals and ministers waiting for him, but how can they be compared with the power and majesty of a country's prime minister?
The reason why Wang Shilin is willing to take action for his desire for power and put it into practice probably comes from his own self-confidence. He thinks that with twenty years of hard work and the bonus of the position of Shangshu Ling, he already has enough.
Prestige and strength to settle those opposing voices.
He is confident that he can balance conflicts of interest by relying on his familiarity with the court and his own tactics and tactics. He has indeed done a good job in the past.
More importantly, it was the attitude of the orthodox emperor. Liu Weizhen had no objection to Wang Shilin's pursuit. He even said that Wang Xianggong managed the country very well. I had no worries and fully relied on his contribution. This was a shot in the arm.
With these three factors as the basis, Wang Shilin officially started his "re-election" in the 21st year of Zhengtong. This naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of a large number of powerful people and bureaucrats at home and abroad, and the struggle began.
The confrontation with Bao Zheng is just a warm-up, a warm-up. After all, although Bao Zheng’s attitude and words are fierce, he only discusses the matter and considers the overall situation. All actions are also under the constraints of the government. Although the impact is
Large, but limited in scope.
But after Bao Zheng, things were different. One Bao Zheng fell, and thousands of Bao Zhengs stood up. Of course, it was only about overthrowing Wang Shilin's dictatorship.
Princes, nobles, court ministers, scholars, and all kinds of people all unanimously attacked Wang Shilin. Moreover, it was not just verbal and written criticism. From politics to military affairs, from official affairs to people's livelihood, all political actions of Wang Shilin were put under a magnifying glass.
Research is used to find flaws, loopholes and even shortcomings and criticize them.
This is only the basics. The party members who are attached to Wang Shilin are even more important targets of concern, and the most important thing they have is problems.
Wang Shilin knew it would be troublesome, but he never thought it would be that troublesome. When the court nobles, central ministers, and celebrities from the Qing Dynasty joined forces, the pressure on Wang Shilin was also extremely huge.
He even felt like he was surrounded on all sides and ambushed on all sides. In this situation, Wang Shilin naturally could not sit back and take a beating. On the contrary, his counterattack was also very fierce.
The world is as dark as crows. If you dare to expose my shortcomings, I will dare to expose your base. With the real power in my hands, the counterattack from the "Xiang Party" will obviously be sharper.
This kind of exposing each other's shortcomings is obviously not going to help solve the problem. On the contrary, it is intensifying the contradiction. The final result is often a lose-lose situation. When the ruling dignitaries fall into civil war, the situation in the court will also be turbulent.
Uneasy.
In the late Jianlong period, due to the dispute over succession, a large-scale political dispute broke out between the DPRK and China. Compared with that time, there was no essential difference this time. It was still a game within the ruling class due to power and interests.
However, last time, Emperor Sejong suppressed it. No matter how chaotic the situation was, there was a bottom line and the negative impact could be controlled. But the current emperor is not Sejong, but Liu Weizhen.
What was the Emperor of Han doing during the constant battle between the Prime Minister Party and the Overthrowing Party Party? He was not just watching a show. Faced with the mountains of impeachments that came one after another, Liu Weizhen was caught off guard and became extremely angry.
He severely reprimanded Wang Shilin, saying that he was unable to unite his ministers, causing resentment between superiors and subordinates. He also did not let go of those dignitaries who had frequent disputes. He issued several edicts and exhortations, hoping that the princes could tolerate each other for the sake of the country.
Liu Weizhen's series of statements were not without effect, but they only served to calm the boil and never touched the root of the problem. The emperor's ambiguous attitude naturally gave Wang Shilin the opportunity to continue to have power.
Of course, Wang Shilin also put a lot of thought into Liu Weizhen's place. In addition to his consistent attentive service, it was also related to Wang Shilin's advice: The post of minister was awarded by your majesty. Now your majesty has no intention to remove it, and the ministers are urgently needed.
If you want to be deposed, what is your motive? Today, if you can unite to attack your ministers, if you join forces to force your majesty to do so tomorrow, how will your majesty handle it?
Wang Shilin's remarks are naturally suspected of subverting concepts and deflecting conflicts, but they are very effective for Liu Weizhen. This is not a confident emperor. He is used to the peaceful days of the dynasty. In the face of chaotic political situation and surging public opinion, he really has no skills to deal with it.
.
Therefore, it seems to be a good choice to let Wang Shilin stand up to the disturbances and storms from the outer court, although these chaos were caused by Wang Shilin. Of course, Liu Weizhen's attitude was also affected by Cai Jue, the head of the inner chamber, at least the dignitaries of the outer court.
When restraining each other, those of them who serve in the inner court are in a much easier situation.
This party struggle surrounding the power of the prime minister lasted for a full three years. Due to the attitude of Emperor Liu Weizhen, Wang Shilin always had the advantage. During this process, he made considerable compromises in order to seek cooperation, but he failed to do so.
What's more, they use various means to suppress political opponents.
Zeng Gongliang, Fu Bi, Zhao Shangfan (after Zhao Kuangzan) and other important ministers were squeezed out of the center one by one. For example, Ouyang Xiu was even exiled to the local government. Although they did not think highly of these elites, their reputations among the scholars were too high.
, the pen in my hand is still very powerful.
Wang Shilin's performance in the later period of his reign was very consistent with the characteristics of a powerful prime minister or even a treacherous prime minister. He was a villain in the traditional sense. His tactics were all used to appease the emperor, suppress political opponents, consolidate his position, and serve his own selfish desires.
As a result, the government fell into confusion, resulting in chaos in government affairs, restlessness among officials, and excessive personnel.
Although the emperor Liu Weizhen had to bear a large responsibility for the shock to the imperial court, it was Liu Weizhen who finally made the final decision and ousted Wang Shilin. The emperor's authority within the imperial system was far from being wiped away. It always existed.
It just depends on whether the person sitting in court is willing to exercise it.
Wang Shilin almost sat in the crater for more than three years, and firmly suppressed the turbulence under his buttocks from all aspects. However, in the long-term confrontation, he would inevitably make mistakes and even lose his mind.
His biggest mistake was that during his long career in power, he gradually ignored who his power and status came from.
In the first month of the 24th year of Zhengtong (1065), in a cold spring, the then 48-year-old Emperor Liu Weizhen was so excited that he fainted while favoring a palace maid. After the news spread, the government and the public were shaken, and undercurrents surged.