Everyone has his or her own position and demands, especially in the officialdom.
This is true for honest officials, and it is also true for traitors.
The attitude expressed by ministers when faced with any resolution is not simply judged by right or wrong, good or evil. It cannot be said that such officials do not exist, but they are definitely rare. In the long history, there are only one or two occasionally.
This person is destined to go down in history and become a legend.
At the very least, during the Zhenguan Dynasty, there were no such "pure ministers"...
Looking at the ministers of Zhenguan, there are many "capable ministers", but there are only a few "honest officials". Changsun Wuji, Xiao Yu, Gao Shilian, Cen Wenwen and others have outstanding abilities and have made immortal contributions to the prosperity and stability of the empire.
But in fact, these people are all working hard to expand and develop their respective families and power, and do everything possible.
Even a gentleman like Fang Xuanling is well versed in the principle of "protecting oneself wisely". It is true that he works diligently and sleeps day and night, but the art of officialdom is slippery, and no one can catch the slightest clue, so he can make connections.
Accessible and unbreakable.
Perhaps, only Ma Zhou can be praised as the last "pure minister"...
There was silence in the main hall for a long time before Cen Wenwen spoke up: "The enclosed enclosure of Silla was requested by its queen. Now she has personally rushed to Chang'an to present the national seal to His Majesty in person, hand over the credentials, and request the Tang Dynasty to confer an imperial edict.
A prince is going to Silla to succeed the throne. If Your Majesty refuses, wouldn't it mean that Queen Seon-deok's whole-hearted respect for the Tang Dynasty has been dampened, and the people of Silla's hope for mercy and compassion from the Celestial Empire? Therefore, I think that Your Majesty should agree."
He is one of the few ministers in the court who always clings to the emperor's thigh. This is because his family is weak and powerful. In the court where the Guanlong nobles and Jiangnan nobles are so famous, they must have both sides to ensure their status. With this,
, it is better to follow the emperor's footsteps and follow suit step by step.
The emperor's wishes were known to everyone in the court.
Now he has made it clear that he supports the emperor, which can be regarded as a correct stance...
His Majesty Li Er felt comfortable in his heart, but his face was as calm as water. He glanced at the ministers lightly and asked: "My dear friends, what do you think?"
Changsun Wuji pondered for a moment, and then said: "The words of the minister are mature and prudent, and the veteran has no objection."
As the leader of the Guanlong nobles, Changsun Wuji's words were a public statement on behalf of officials from the Guanlong nobles in the DPRK.
In fact, as the force closest to the Li Tang royal family, the Guanlong nobles are happy to see the royal family's children divide the world. Don't you see, which one of His Majesty Li Er's princes does not have a close relationship with the Guanlong nobles?
Once His Majesty Li Er's disciples divide the world into feudal states, everyone's interests can immediately be extended to various feudal states...
It's just that many feudal dynasties in history did not end well in the end, so they initially opposed His Majesty Li Er's "feudal world" policy.
No one wants to see a prosperous empire set back history due to a wrong policy, and eventually fall into division and civil war.
This is also a matter of personal interest...
But now the situation is different. The Queen of Silla is crying and asking for annexation and for the prince of Tang Dynasty to be crowned King of Silla. Why can't this be done?
As soon as Changsun Wuji finished speaking, Shangshu's right servant shot Zhang Xingcheng and objected: "The words of Duke Zhao are absurd! The Tang Dynasty was so powerful that it relied on its invincible army, but it could conquer the world immediately, but how could it rule the world immediately?"
In my opinion, the Queen of Silla's request for annexation to Chang'an should be rejected, and more kindness should be given to calm her mind. I ordered the Royal Navy of the Tang Dynasty to support the Jin clan in Silla, eliminate the rebellion, and help them.
Stabilizing the government will inevitably make the people of Silla feel the power of the Tang Dynasty and sincerely respect them. On the contrary, if the prince is forced to be the king of Silla, the people of Silla will inevitably become more worried and conflicted, and they will definitely resist in the next few years.
Continuously, the empire was in dire straits and wasted a lot of military expenditures in that harsh and barren land. It was really not worth the gain..."
It's a long article, but the key point is at the end - what is the use of the bitter cold and barren land of Silla?
In fact, Zhang Xingcheng was also helpless.
The consensus of the Shandong family is to follow Fang Jun's footsteps, support Fang Jun to become the chief minister, and train him to become the spokesperson of the Shandong family in the court. Although Zhang Xingcheng is already the right servant of the minister, but he
Zaifu, who listens to what you say?
He just took advantage of the overt and covert fight between the Guanlong nobles and the Jiangnan gentry and both sides suffered losses. No one took him seriously...
However, the feudal kings and surrounding vassal states were seriously contrary to the interests of the Shandong family!
The Guanlong nobles rely on their military merits and the founding of the country by supporting the Li and Tang royal families. They pursue never-ending foreign wars to maintain their respective foundations.
The Jiangnan gentry relied on their deep-rooted ruling foundation in Jiangnan, especially the Hairao family headed by the Xiao family, a descendant of the Liang Dynasty, which had unparalleled influence in Jiangnan. Among ordinary people, they only knew local Chen Xie, Yuan Xiao, Gu Lu, Zhou Zhang, etc.
There are many people who are nobles but do not know who the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is.
And what does the Shandong family rely on to survive and prosper?
Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Shandong family, which has been suppressed by the imperial court and passed down poems and books, with unparalleled tradition and righteousness, has been in ruins in the court. The highest official is Zhang Xingcheng, who picked up a right servant of Shangshu for free, and has no influence at all... without the court.
If the ministers fight for their own interests, it will be difficult for the Shandong family to make political demands. In a vicious circle, the situation is already in danger.
What we rely on is nothing more than the foundation of the classic meaning.
However, since the end of the Sui Dynasty, countless knowledgeable people from Shandong aristocratic families have clearly realized that even though they have the final interpretation power of the world's history books and occupy a unique academic position, they have no corresponding power.
In front of the sticks, swords and guns, in the end it's just a few shouts. People ignore you, and it's all in vain if you tear your throat...
But even if you understand this, what’s the use?
The power is almost divided. The plate is so big and there are so many brats. Everyone has a good position. Who will let you take a bite?
The Shandong family is also in despair!
Who told me that I was in the wrong team and didn't get on the big ship of His Majesty Li Er?
There is no other way, but to cling to the Confucian classics and principles, stubbornly to the end, and hope that with the times, when Confucianism can rise again, the Shandong aristocratic family will inevitably make a comeback, and Kong Yingda's compilation of "Five Classics of Justice" once allowed the Shandong aristocratic family to see Confucianism.
There was hope for revitalization, but the subsequent foreign wars strangled this trend in the cradle...
Zhang Xingcheng had no objection to Silla's internal affairs, and he could not influence it.
But he couldn't accept the imperial edict to send the prince to Silla to succeed the throne. As a Confucian student with the highest official position in the court, it was his natural duty to maintain the orthodoxy of Confucianism, which was a hundred times more important than seeking officialdom!
What is the orthodoxy of Confucianism?
Lord, Lord, Minister, Father, Father, Son!
As a monarch, you should act like a minister, as a minister, you should act like a minister, as a father, you should act like a father, and as a son, you should act like a son. Only in this way can the law be in order and the universe be in place!
To put it simply, all the people in the world perform their own duties, and do not hesitate to "subjugate the superior" or "reverse and usurp". Only by staying within their own boundaries and each pursuing his or her own affairs can the world be stable and the country prosperous.
Therefore, back then, the Shandong family supported Li Jiancheng, who had a great reputation, instead of His Majesty Li Er, who was more enterprising and ambitious!
In Zhang Xingcheng’s view, this is justice, orthodoxy, and truth that must be defended with life!
Like Fang Jun, he stirred other countries into chaos at every turn. The ministers rebelled and killed the emperor, and the queen had to abdicate the throne and let the virtuous people dedicate themselves to the country. This is clearly a violation of Confucian justice. How can this be done?
If everyone in the world behaves like this, the orthodoxy on which Confucianism depends for its survival will completely collapse...
Opposition is necessary!
Even if Fang Jun proposes this proposal, he must oppose it!
However, all civil and military officials in the dynasty did not take this seriously...
The first person to bear the brunt is His Majesty Li Er.
Just imagine, he got the throne by "subjugating the superior" and "usurping it against the superior". Confucianism advocates "the king, the king, the minister, the father, the son, the son". Doesn't this deny the legitimacy of his throne, and even publicly accuse him of being a "rebellious minister and traitor"
?
It is tolerable, but what is intolerable!
His Majesty Li Er glared at Zhang Xingcheng with a dark face and a fierce light in his eyes: "In your opinion, Silla has come to annex, and this kind of expansion of territory and the majesty of the Tang Dynasty should be rejected.
Out the door?"
Anger rose in his heart!
Whether you are Confucian or Legalist, I don’t care what your opinions are!
It doesn't matter if you close the door and chat a few words in the yard at home, even if you are scolding me!
But bringing your tricks to the court, intending to influence national policy, and even putting a frame on me, telling me that I can't do this, and that I can't do that, otherwise it will harm the country and the people, and it is perverse...