Chapter 77 Renzong Chapter 19 The Downfall of the Prime Minister
Chapter 2202 Renzong Chapter 19 The Downfall of the Prime Minister
The most criticized thing about the orthodox emperor Liu Weizhen during his imperial career was not his political inaction, but his greed for beauty, indulgence in enjoyment, and favoring eunuchs. If there was a problem with the former, the ministers in power would take the blame.
The latter is an important indicator for evaluating an emperor's virtue.
Although the latter can often be regarded as the emperor's private affairs and has nothing to do with important matters, the actual situation is obviously not the case. The emperor's family affairs and state affairs cannot be separated so simply.
How the emperor performs has always had a profound impact on the empire, including for an emperor like Liu Weizhen. After all, he sat on the foundation laid by generations of previous emperors. The power given to the emperor by the imperial system, even if it is stained with dust, remains
Fundamentally it is still strong.
And Liu Weizhen, after enjoying his beauty for more than twenty years, finally suffered a backlash and completely detonated the biggest conflict within the imperial court.
During the "Immediate Crisis" in the early spring of the 24th year, Liu Weizhen actually went to the gate of hell. When the incident happened, if Gong'e screamed, Cai Jue, the eunuch who was waiting outside, broke in and relied on the skills he had mastered.
"Medical experience" took certain emergency measures, and perhaps Liu Weizhen died on the spot.
Here, we need to talk about Cai Jue. He was really a wily eunuch. In view of the emperor's lustful habits, he privately and presciently learned relevant first aid knowledge from the imperial doctor in case of emergencies. Finally, he
Really useful
But even so, with the efforts of a group of great doctors and doctors, who administered acupuncture and medicine, Liu Weizhen was in a coma for more than a day before he woke up.
As an emperor of an empire, especially one whose reign is not short, he is the best stabilizer for the overall structure of the empire.
Even if he is lazy in government affairs and has not been in court for a long time, as long as he stays in the palace, whether practicing Taoism or fishing, he exists, then no matter how fierce the fighting in the outer court is, or how chaotic the political situation is, there will always be someone.
At the most basic level.
Of course, the so-called "bottom line" is actually very low. If it reaches that level, then the problems in the Han Empire must be very serious. However, there is a situation that can easily break through the so-called bottom line of political struggle: the collapse of heaven and earth.
In the Han Empire, was there anything more serious than the emperor becoming emperor? Absolutely not!
Compared with the glorious and supreme position, what do those powerful people fight for the position of minister?
Of course, it was not because of the fall of Liu Weizhen that many rebellious officials and traitors appeared in the Han Empire, but because when the empire faced a sudden change, the previous principles of political struggle would also undergo fundamental changes.
As the saying goes, once the emperor and his courtiers are involved, the power and interests involved will make everyone involved in the situation see red.
Therefore, when the news spread, all parties took action upon hearing the news. Not only the important ministers in the court, but also many nobles who had been silent for a long time could not help but surface. At least they were closely watching the development of the situation. Rumors spread in Gyeonggi, and the situation
The waves are treacherous.
Of course, while everyone is preparing for the secret response, what they are most concerned about, besides the opponent's movements, is the emperor's specific situation, and the criteria and prerequisites for all actions are to put the safety of the dragon's body first.
Liu Weizhen was in a coma for more than a whole day, and one day was enough for earth-shaking changes to occur. It is also conceivable that during this period, as time passed, what kind of tense situation was inside and outside the palace.
In such an atmosphere, Wang Shilin, as Shangshu Ling, could not remain indifferent. In fact, due to the high political pressure from the DPRK and China in the past few years, he had to adopt some more active coping strategies, and with the help of Shangshu Ling's
With authority and convenience, he can do more.
But there are some things that often lead to more mistakes, especially Wang Shilin, who is in a sensitive and troublesome position.
If possible, Wang Shilin also hopes that Liu Weizhen can live a long life, but the situation is urgent and the safety of the country is at stake, and it is necessary to make some preparations. After all, it is also for the overall interests of the country, so he can make this explanation.
So, after confirming that the emperor was in a coma and had not improved for a long time, Wang Shilin took action.
If it can be said that uniting (forcing) all the ministers to carry out emergency control over the ministries and offices of the imperial court is still a stability maintenance measure within the scope of his authority, then in the name of Shangshu Ling, he urges the Privy Council to issue a martial law order, and even
By crossing the Privy Council and establishing contact with several Forbidden Army generals, and monitoring the capital through the Wude Department, it would be difficult for this series of actions to escape the suspicion of violating the law.
Wang Shilin's grandfather, Wang Xuanzhen, had a rich resume. From being a military envoy to a feudal official, and then to an auxiliary minister (during the Kangzong period), he laid a rich foundation for the descendants of the Wang family. When Wang Tulin rose to prominence, those foundations also
It gradually turns into strength.
After more than 20 years of painstaking management, Wang Shilin's influence has been very broad, covering almost all aspects of the empire's military and political affairs, including many powerful and powerful departments.
From this we can see how powerful the authority of Wang Shilin, the Shangshuling, was in the orthodox era, and we can also see what great changes have taken place in imperial politics in the past eighty or ninety years.
If during the reign of Emperor Shizu, the grass on his grave would be as high as the prime minister's hand. The most typical example is Lu Duoxun, who was competing with Zhao Pu at that time. Even starting from the Emperor Taizong period, the positioning of the "prime minister"
It is becoming increasingly clear, but there are also quite strict restrictions on its powers and responsibilities, not to mention Emperor Sejong. During his reign, a large part of his time and energy was spent on taking back power, seizing power, and strengthening imperial power.
That is to say, after Liu Weizhen succeeded to the throne, the authority of Shangshu Ling became stronger with each term, until a Machiavellian like Wang Shilin appeared. But there is a saying that the emergence of Wang Shilin was due to the right time, place, and people, and it was in such a situation.
It was only under the "special" historical period and conditions that such a powerful prime minister emerged.
At the same time, the political ecology and structure of the Han Empire, which took shape over hundreds of years, was so strong and stubborn that Wang Shilin could not easily shake it. The key to the problem lay with Emperor Liu Weizhen.
It was only after his fall that Wang Shilin truly realized that compared with the emperor's trust and support, the power he had accumulated over more than 20 years was just a castle in the air. Without Liu Weizhen's endorsement, it was like removing the pillars.
Faced with the counterattack of those heroes and nobles who had already been deeply rooted in every aspect of the empire, in the end it would only result in a sudden collapse.
During Liu Weizhen's coma for more than a day, there were of course many loyal ministers. The most prominent and critical ones were undoubtedly Cai Jue, the chief of the chamberlain, and Cui Hao, the chief of the chamberlain.
Needless to say, the former not only saved his life, but also strictly supervised the imperial doctors' treatment, took care of him and made every effort to save Liu Weizhen.
As for Cui Hao, he was a famous general in Kaibao. After Xingping Bo Cuihan, he only did one thing after the incident. He led the inner army to firmly guard the palace city and the imperial city, and controlled the entry and exit, especially the Chui Gong Hall where the imperial commander was.
Five hundred guards guarded it closely, and many attempts to get involved were dispelled.
As for the actions of the other ministers, the one that chilled Liu Weizhen the most was Wang Shilin. If there is room for explanation for other matters, then he later brought Prince Liu Xiuyuan from the East Palace to Guangzheng Palace.
, leaving no room for trust between the monarch and his ministers for decades.
Of course, the so-called heart-to-heart correspondence between monarchs and ministers is itself a very fragile relationship, and there must also be internal logic about political interests and situations.
And that "logic" collapsed after Liu Weizhen woke up and learned what the imperial ministers had done while he was in a coma.
Regarding Wang Shilin's move, Liu Weizhen said this: "I established an emperor's grandson at the beginning, and now I want to establish an emperor's prince? I'm not dead yet!"
This comment also announced the beginning of the collapse of Wang Shilin's political building.
As the emperor of the empire, even for someone like Liu Weizhen, every move he made had a significant impact on the political situation of the DPRK. After he regained consciousness, all the turmoil in the capital subsided in a short period of time, and everything seemed to be back to the way it was before.
Of course, that was just an illusion. After this "catastrophe", Liu Weizhen's mentality changed dramatically, which also brought about a major turning point in the imperial political situation. The political undercurrent that had been brewing for more than three years both inside and outside the court finally came to an end.
The scene completely exploded.
Beginning in February of the 24th year of Zhengtong, the DPRK and China once again erupted in a collective attack on the "Xiang Dang". From the clan to relatives, from nobles to ministers, they all filed petitions for impeachment.
Situations like this have not been uncommon in the past three years, but this time it is obviously more special. Not only the scale, but also some distinguished ministers and nobles who have never shown up before have also begun to show their aggressiveness.
But this time, Wang Shilin could no longer be calmed down, because he lost the ability to suppress the ministers and nobles. When the court was noisy, Emperor Liu Weizhen dragged his sick body to sit in the Chui Gong Hall to inquire about politics and listen to reports from ministers.
The administrative power center of the empire returned from the Guangzheng Hall to Chui Gong. The emperor's move naturally embarrassed Wang Shilin, while the officials were enthusiastic and acted enthusiastically.
When Liu Weizhen was promoted to the palace to discuss matters, of course he was not discussing political and military matters. He had neither the ability nor the experience, but he was the emperor of the Han Dynasty!
After hearing a large number of impeachments about the Shangshu Ling and his followers, Liu Weizhen took action. He led the three ministers to respond, including Xiao Yanquan, the minister of the Prime Minister Zhongshu, Xiao Yanquan, the Shangshu of the Criminal Department, Wang Hongfan, the imperial envoy, and Wei Jingyuan, the minister of Dali Temple.
Impeachment, whistleblower and matter investigation...
What this decision means is well understood by the real bigwigs within the imperial court and those who have a deep understanding of the political structure of the empire. The biggest thing in common between the three important ministers is that they were born in high honours.
No matter how expensive you are, you all have a distinguished ancestor.
Then, a larger-scale operation began, step by step, and attacked in groups.
In this process, along with another suspicious case of "the death of the military commander", Zheng Kuang, who was the military commander at the time, died suddenly in Guangfu, and the spies of the Imperial City Department went on a rampage.
Within half a month, dozens of partisans and bureaucrats suspected of partisanship were investigated, and some of them were even arrested and imprisoned. Faced with this situation, the towering tree of Wang Shilin could not even block the wind and rain.
Of course, it's not that Wang Shilin didn't try to redeem himself, but since Liu Weizhen woke up, he only met with the ministers twice and never met again. Every time he went there, he was blocked by Cai Jue: the official family was busy with state affairs.
It is inconvenient to meet Mr. Wang.
Until Bi Guanglin, the Minister of Civil Affairs, was imprisoned by the emperor for ten crimes including forming a clique, dereliction of duty, exceeding the regulations, violating the law, and engaging in selfish pursuits.
This edict caused a stir in the entire court, and the overall situation of the "overthrow of the king" career was basically established. Bi Guanglin's identity was also unusual, not because his ancestor was Kaibao, Bi Shiyuan, a famous minister of Yongxi, but because he was Wang Shilin's in-law.
He is an important figure in the "Xiang Party".
When Bi Guanglin was captured, wasn't the situation clear enough? Is Wang Shilin still far behind?
At this juncture, Wang Shilin also completely woke up, and he was as smart and insightful as he was when he assisted Liu Weizhen in seizing the throne more than 30 years ago. He did not take any other unnecessary actions, but took the initiative to resign, hoping to stay in office at an advanced age.
Looking for a decent place.
Yes, in response to his resignation, Liu Weizhen chose to stay in China and not express his position. This is the clearest attitude.
In fact, because of the Wang Shilin incident, the conflicts between the upper echelons of the imperial court and the bureaucrats have become very deep. The complaints inside and outside the court cannot be easily quelled. Even if Liu Weizhen can raise a hand, other people and forces cannot easily give up.
body.
Until the ninth day of March in the 24th year of Zhengtong, Wang Lin, who had been shut up at home for seven days, was finally taken away by some eunuchs and guards from the palace, and the mansion was sealed. The same package as Bi Guanglin was ordered to jail.
But there are many crimes, twenty-seven of which are listed.
The imprisonment of Shangshu Ling was an extremely rare and serious political event in the history of the Han Empire. From this, a top-down, inside-out liquidation of the Wang Shilin Party and its followers began.
, also unfolded rapidly, without a sense of proportion and scale, further harming the political ecology of the empire...