To be fair, Wang Mang is a very powerful person. Wang Mang was born in a poor family. After learning "Etiquette", he played the role of a Confucian scholar all the time and won the praise of everyone. When Liu Xin was in power, he was demoted back to his fiefdom and was isolated from power for three years. But as soon as Liu Xin passed away, with the help of the incompetent Dong Xian, he returned to Chang'an as a winner. Because Liu Xin, like Liu Ao, failed to leave any descendants, there was a power vacuum. During the transition of power, Wang Mang's appearance filled the vacancy in the throne and finally made it possible for his ideals to be realized.
Wang Mang, who is good at forgery, has seen his reputation rise instead of fall during the three years since he was demoted. For the sake of reputation, Wang Mang forced his middle son Wang Huo to commit suicide because Wang Huo killed a domestic slave. History repeated itself again, but the difference was that for Wang Li, he could not bear to leave his children but could not protect himself. Wang Mang, on the other hand, was reluctant to let go of his children and could not gain fame. Things in this world really need to be exchanged for one thing.
During Liu Xin's reign, a solar eclipse occurred, which recalled former prime minister Kong Guang and Wang Mang to Chang'an. Because Wang Mang was too powerful, Liu Xin did not dare to appoint him to an official position. After Dong Xian's death, Wang Zhengjun asked his courtiers to recommend suitable candidates for Grand Sima. However, what the court lacks most at this time is not the position of Grand Sima, but that there is no one to take over as emperor. Since Liu Xin left no son, the heir to the throne was the biggest problem. But Wang Zhengjun decided to let the Chief Sima be chosen first, obviously because he wanted the Chief Sima to take over power.
Most of the courtiers believed that Wang Mang was most suitable to be the Grand Sima. On June 28, Wang Mang was named the Grand Sima, and he legitimately took over the power. Wang Mang's control of power was not due to his superb political skills, but the result of historical choices. If a capable man appears in the Han Dynasty at this time, Wang Mang will not be able to take power.
Wang Mang returned this time as a resurrected person, that is, the Wang Mang of today is not the Wang Mang of yesterday. The first time he became Chief Sima, Wang Mang listened to Wang Zhengjun's words; the second time he became Chief Sima, Wang Zhengjun's status in Wang Mang's heart was a bit uncertain. I remember when Wang Zhengjun told Wang Mang to leave, Wang Mang would not stay; when Wang Zhengjun asked Wang Mang to stay, Wang Mang would not leave. However, today Wang Mang has grown up, and Wang Zhengjun tells him to leave, but he will not leave; Wang Zhengjun tells him not to kill people, but he will not agree.
Now that he is in power, Wang Mang wants to end his three years of grievances. Back then, Wang Zhengjun wanted to kill Zhao Feiyan, and Geng Yu fabricated a lot of fallacies. Liu Xin became Zhao Feiyan's protective umbrella, causing Wang Zhengjun's more than a year of hard work to come to nothing. Wang Mang was responsible for investigating the cause of Liu Ao's death. In the end, Zhao Feiyan did not die. He hated her to the core. Wang Mang said, Zhao Feiyan deserves to be damned for being too seductive and bewitching Liu Ao; Zhao Feiyan deserves to die for killing Liu Ao's son and poisoning the beauties in the harem; Zhao Feiyan deserves to die for supporting the honorific title of Fu Zhaoyi as Empress Dowager and destroying the patriarchal system!
Adding up the three deaths, Zhao Feiyan still deserves to die. After the death penalty was announced, Zhao Feiyan was rushed to Beigong where Fu Zhaoyi lived. A month later, Zhao Feiyan was demoted to a civilian and assigned to guard Liu Ao's tomb.
For a woman, the most terrible day is when no one cares about her. The beauty Zhao Feiyan could not bear the lonely life outside the tomb, so she could only commit suicide in the end.
As for Fu Zhaoyi who wants to defeat the Wang Group, Wang Mang will naturally not let him go. First of all, everything Fu Zhaoyi gained by robbing Lai Lai was deprived by Wang Mang. Wang Mang put the label back on Dingtao and changed his name to Fu Zhaoyi as Queen Mother of Dingtao and Empress Ding as Ding Ji. When big shots do things, they must root out the roots, and Wang Mang is no exception. He removed all Fu and Ding's relatives from their posts and sent them into exile.
There is an alternative in the Fu Group, and this person is Fu Xi. Fu Xi doesn't like to play politics, and politics doesn't like playing with him. Wang Zhengjun issued an edict and ordered Fu Xi to be the special advancer. When Liu Xin, his great patron, was alive, Fu Xi didn't like being an official; when his patron died, Fu Xi disliked him even more. Fu Xi doesn't like politics, but he can understand political conspiracies and knows that it is unlucky to advance. Fu Xi didn't accept it, so Wang Zhengjun sent him back to his fiefdom to retire. This man was a wonderful man, and he could enjoy a long life if he got out of politics as soon as possible.
The harem was stabilized, and so were Fu and Ding's relatives. The third target was the Dong family. In order to express her love, Liu Xin gave everything to Dong Xian. After Dong Xian died, Wang Mang wanted to root out the evil and ransack his house. To eradicate the family members is to remove the entire Dong family from their posts and send them into exile, and to confiscate the entire family is to take away the rewards given by Liu Xin.
It is said that the money Wang Mang took from Dong Xian's house could build a city in Chang'an.
The enemies in the open are all dead, and the enemies and potential enemies in the dark cannot be spared. He Wu and Gongsun Lu, who had obstructed Wang Mang, were also dismissed by Wang Mang.
All powerful people want to be surrounded by useful people and talents, and Wang Mang is no exception. After the foreign enemies were eliminated, Wang Mang set out to clean up the toxins within the group. The Wang Group has a strong tendency towards corruption and is particularly fond of money. There are many people like Wang Li who are willing to do anything for money. Wang Mang loves fame but not money. For the sake of fame, Wang Mang needs to get rid of people who love money. It was not convenient for Wang Mang to impeach Wang Li, so he asked Kong Guang to take action. Wang Mang and Kong Guang are both resurrected people. Wang Mang is powerful and Kong Guang is well-behaved. They have the same mind and they are really the best partners. Only Kong Guang and Wang Mang can explain such a tacit understanding clearly. The two of them cooperated sincerely and prepared to make a play for Wang Zhengjun.
Kong Guang told Wang Zhengjun that Wang Li had no brains and accepted bribes from the traitor Chun Yuchang, which insulted the reputation of the Wang family and should be kicked out of Chang'an. This was originally a wonderful play, but the lines were not good and Wang Zhengjun didn't like it. Seeing that Wang Zhengjun did not agree to kick Wang Li, Wang Mang said that if Wang Li did not leave Chang'an, he would ask the courtiers to strike. Courtiers went on strike. When Wang Zhengjun heard this word for the first time, he was so frightened that he could not speak.
After achieving his goal, Wang Mang quickly comforted Wang Zhengjun, saying that he just wanted Wang Li to return to his fief to rest, and that he would pick Wang Li back up when Chang'an calmed down. Wang Mang has grown up and Wang Zhengjun is old. Wang Li can only obey Wang Mang's instructions and leave Chang'an.
After Wang Mang gained great power, his desires were hard to satisfy. He ordered the courtiers, He Wu and Gongsun Lu to be disobedient and were dismissed; he ordered Fu and Ding's relatives to be dismissed from office and exiled, except for Fu Xi, who was pure and stoic; he ordered the Dong family to be dismissed from office and exiled, and Dong was inspected The Xian family property; the harem was determined, and Zhao Feiyan was forced to death. As Sima, he controlled the country of Han Dynasty.
Chang'an fell into Wang Mang's hands, and Wang Mang set out to install a new emperor. The Han court was incompetent, and Prince Liu was even more in decline. Liu Ao only had two brothers, one was Liu Kang and the other was Liu Xing. Liu Ao loved Liu Kang, but Liu Kang was short-lived. Liu Ao couldn't give birth to a son, so he chose the crown prince between Liu Xing and Liu Xin. Fu Zhaoyi taught well and Liu Xin was elected as the prince.
There are many similar historical events, and there are even more similar Liu families. Liu Xing was incompetent and died young, leaving behind a son named Liu Jizi. Liu Xin had no sons. After his death, the courtiers felt that Liu Jizi should be welcomed. Neither Liu Kang nor Liu Xing was lucky enough to become emperor, but their sons fulfilled their wish. Liu Jizi was only nine years old, and Wang Mang liked him just for this reason. That's because Liu Jizi was young and needed the Queen Mother to assist him in politics. Wang Zhengjun assists the government, which is equivalent to Wang Mang assisting the government.
On September 1, the second year of Emperor Ai Yuanshou (1 BC), Liu Jizi ascended the throne, Wang Zheng came to the court to listen to politics, and Wang Mang handled government affairs. It should be noted here that Kong Guang is still the prime minister. By convention, the prime minister is responsible for government work, not the Grand Sima. The fact that government work was handed over to Wang Mang also showed that Kong Guang was dispensable.
After taking power, Wang Mang began to use his creativity to realize the dream of a reformer. In order to welcome the new era, Wang Mang changed the prime minister to Da Situ, the imperial censor to Da Sikong, and Da Sima retained. The name has changed, but the nature of the work remains the same. Da Situ still manages government affairs, Da Sikong is responsible for supervision, and Da Sima controls the military. Judging from this move, Wang Mang's reforms are not much different from He Wu's reforms. They both changed the names but not the actual content. Wang Mang's reforms were not very creative and were false reforms.
The pot-bellied Wang Mang's authoritarian and arrogant style is disgusting to anyone who sees it. The chief Sikong is Peng Xuan, who is responsible for supervision. However, Peng Xuan knew that Wang Mang had a problem and could not tell him, so he resigned. Unable to handle government affairs, and seeing others resigning, Kong Guang also felt that it was boring to continue working, so he submitted his resignation letter.
Wang Mang had just taken control of Chang'an, and the senior officials resigned one after another and went home. This was a slap in the face to Wang Mang and damaged Wang Mang's reputation. Wang Mang loves fame as much as Wang Li loves money, and both uncles and nephews have deep desires. However, Wang Mang is very smart and knows how to obtain it; Wang Li is stupid and always messes up things.
Kong Guang was very qualified, so Wang Mang refused to let him go and ordered Kong Guang to be the emperor's teacher. Wang Mang really thought that letting Kong Guang be his teacher would neither damage his reputation nor hurt Kong Guang's heart. Looking back on the history of the Han Dynasty, many powerful figures were teachers of emperors or princes. Let the masters be the teachers. After reaching this point, you can advance to attack and retreat to defend.
Now Wang Mang is like the Dugu hero in the movie "Ashes of Time", who is surrounded by loneliness because he can't find a real opponent. Since Wang Mang came back, he hasn't met a master who can compete with him, and he feels very lonely. Wang Mang effortlessly destroyed the Fu Group, and the remaining Dong Group was even more vulnerable. Moreover, among the three princes, Kong Guang was very obedient. He Wu and Gongsun Lu had the ambition to duel with Wang Mang, but they did not have the strength. Looking at Chang'an, Wang Mang is the only one in the world, and no one dares to call the formation.
The days without opponents are depressing and lonely. In order to pass the time, Wang Mang decided to challenge himself. In the first year of Emperor Ping's reign (AD 1), Wang Mang went to Yizhou County (now Dongjin Town, Jinning County, Yunnan Province) and caught three pheasants, one all white and two all black. Wang Mang told Wang Zhengjun that these three pheasants were rare animals and very auspicious. Wang Zhengjun didn't read much and couldn't understand Wang Mang's profound meaning, so he asked Wang Mang to sacrifice white pheasants to the Taimiao Temple.
Anyone who is familiar with ancient Chinese literature knows that the white pheasant is related to the Duke of Zhou. Wang Mang caught the white pheasant not to sacrifice to the Ancestral Temple, but to compare himself with Duke Zhou. There were a bunch of nerds in the Han Dynasty. They borrowed allusions and immediately catered to Wang Mang, saying that Wang Mang was the second Duke of Zhou.
Cao Cao said, "The Duke of Zhou vomits food and the world returns to its heart." Wang Mang also wanted to say this. As the old saying goes, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Wang Mang bought people's hearts for only one purpose - to gain the world. Today, Wang Mang, the insatiable python, is finally ready to swallow up the Han Dynasty and ascend the throne as emperor.
Regarding the White Pheasant incident, the courtiers unanimously said that Wang Mang was the unparalleled hero who appeased the Han Dynasty. His merits were unparalleled and he should be made a Duke. In ancient China, Gong, Hou, Bo, Zi and Nan were the most basic levels. Wang Mang was promoted from a marquis to a duke, which meant that he was inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people.
As a smart man, Wang Zhengjun quickly saw the clues. In desperation, she had no choice but to agree to make Wang Mang a duke. The edict was promulgated, but Wang Mang did not accept it, saying that Kong Guang and other senior ministers should be sealed first. Wang Mang did this because there were no three hundred taels of silver in this place, and he wanted to cover it up. Liu Xin has used this trick for a long time when she wants something and throws in a random foil. Anyone with a discerning eye will know it at a glance.
Wang Mang is indeed a master of forgery. Wang Zhengjun offered him four offers and Wang Mang refused four times. According to common sense, it only takes three times. After three times, Wang Mang will accept it. However, Wang Mang always likes to break conventions and break records. Wang Zhengjun knew that she was riding a tiger to help Liu Jizi.
Wang Zhengjun is old and can only compromise and accommodate Wang Mang. Wang Zhengjun awarded the reward for the fifth time, and Wang Mang suddenly said that he was ill at home. In order to kick Wang Li home, Wang Mang threatened Wang Zhengjun with a strike. Now that Wang Mang is really on strike, Wang Zhengjun is really dumbfounded. Wang Zhengjun is also a person who is proficient in political battles. After thinking for a moment, she understood what Wang Mang meant. Wang Zhengjun appointed Grand Master Kong Guang as Grand Master, increased the fief by 10,000 households, and also granted titles to three other people. After sealing the companion items, Wang Zhengjun named Wang Mang the Duke of Anhan and increased the fief to 28,000 households. Wang Mang couldn't find a match, so he was lucky to meet Wang Zhengjun, his half-confidant.
To understand today, you should read more history; to understand Wang Mang, you should read more history, especially the events of the Duke of Zhou era. There was a great hero in the Zhou Dynasty, known as Zhou Gong. The Duke of Zhou was a great sage. Not only did Confucians admire him, but kings throughout the ages also highly respected him. Even rebels admired him. Wang Mang admired it the most. In the Zhou Dynasty, there were three princes, namely Taifu, Taishi and Taibao. Kong Guang was named Taishi and Wang Mang was named Taibao, which shows that Duke Anhan had great ambitions. Wang Mang believes that as long as he has enough desire, he can dominate the government. Wang Mang's desires were far beyond what Anhan Gong could satisfy.
After Wang Zhengjun awarded Kong Guang and others as a foil to Wang Mang, Wang Mang accepted the award and began to go to court. Wang Mang didn't like money and didn't want the financial reward of 28,000 households. He said he would only accept it after the Han people had improved their lives. Wang Mang declined several times, but in the end he only wanted fame and no profit. He was really a hypocrite.
Wang Zhengjun, who was very politically savvy, could understand Wang Mang's intention, but her response was too slow, causing Wang Mang to refuse five times in a row. For people like Wang Mang who are doing big things, time is more precious than life. In order to achieve his goal faster, Wang Mang decided to launch the first round of power struggle against Wang Zhengjun. Wang Mang instructed his courtiers to ask Wang Zhengjun, who was in charge of the government, to hand over the power of appointing, removing, and promoting local officials to Wang Mang.
This year, Wang Zhengjun was seventy-two years old, and she no longer had the energy to fight against Wang Mang. Therefore, she approved the courtiers' petition, handed over government affairs to Wang Mang, and gave Wang Mang the power to appoint, remove, and promote officials. From then on, Wang Zhengjun was just an idler with a jade seal in his hand and a name for himself.
"The Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world returns to its heart." Wang Mang couldn't wait for such a day. He wished he had more power in his hands!
