Looking at the surprised emperor in front of him, Wang Mang's face was full of respect. The image of the saint who had always been respectful and polite in front of the people of the world was displayed in front of the emperor.
The reason for this is because Wang Mang understood that the world belongs to the emperor after all.
The empress dowager's status is indeed higher than that of the emperor, but most of the power of the country is still in the hands of the emperor. The emperor is born with power bestowed by heaven, while the empress dowager's power comes from the moral principle of filial piety.
Facing an adult emperor, other than the Empress Dowager Lu, even the Empress Dowager would be hard-pressed to shake her. When the Empress Dowager is most powerful, it is usually when the emperor is still young.
In ancient times like the Qin and Han Dynasties, a complete system of bureaucratic promotion and demotion had not yet been formed. Kings mainly relied on clans, relatives, and close ministers to rule. This was a remnant of aristocratic politics. The characteristics of aristocrats were that they were born noble and had undisputed possessions. Power can arbitrarily make ministers noble.
Therefore, it is often seen in history books that people hold high positions at a young age. The Luo family followed this path. The only difference is that due to thousands of years of raising hopes and lofty prestige, people ignore this.
Wang Mang also relied on his family background to embark on an official career. He didn't think there was anything wrong with this. As long as his heart was bright, how did he achieve it?
…
"Jujun, you have changed a bit."
Wang Mang walked on the corridor of the palace, looking at the sunlight in the sky, leaving a large number of dark shadows in the corridor, and only half of the light could shine on him.
Recalling what the emperor said, Wang Mang suddenly chuckled. Was it a big change?
It is indeed very big compared to before. People will not seek change unless they encounter failure.
It was like breaking the shackles of the soul. After figuring out something, his whole person was completely sublimated. This is how Wang Mang feels now.
I am no longer the person I used to be, but the court is still the same court.
…
"Now the world is in a state of exhaustion. I heard that when the world is exhausted, if we want to prosper, we must have sage kings and wise ministers.
Wang Mang is a virtuous person, respectful and filial to his elders, gentle and kind to the poor and weak, and making friends with sincerity.
I heard that if there is a wise man in the court who sets an example, all the officials in the world will follow him and learn from him.
I now appoint Wang Mang to serve as Imperial College's liberator, Guang Luxun, head of the Tibetan Palace, minister in charge, and title of Marquis of Ren.
May the Han Dynasty inform all the counties and counties in the world for thousands of years, so that the people know what I mean. "
When Wang Mang returned to Chang'an, he certainly didn't come here to find work. All he got were positions with real power or nobility.
He directly served as one of the Nine Qings, and then gained the status of the Emperor's closest minister. The Taixue's offering of wine allowed him to unite the scholars, and the Chief of the Treasurer's Office was also a prestigious and expensive position. In this world, books were extremely important, and knowledge was extremely important. It is an extremely precious era, and it is the most noble position second only to the Imperial College's offering wine.
Because of the relationship with the Empress Dowager, he was able to enter and leave the palace relatively smoothly, and he became one of the most popular political figures in Chang'an City.
The most important thing is the signal reflected in it. Wang Mang is a reformist, which is obvious. Although Wang Mang has become much quieter after returning this time, no one thinks that he will change his ambitions.
The emperor activated Wang Mang, which meant that the situation in the world had further declined. The reform party had a stronger influence on the government and the world, forcing the emperor to make concessions.
The reformists, who were deeply hit by the deaths of two consecutive emperors, finally returned to the center stage under the impetus of the general trend.
Such a wonderful start made countless people who wanted Wang Mang to return to Chang'an feel happy. The wise man they called for has returned to Chang'an. Is restructuring still far away?
"Go to visit Jun Gong!"
"Let Duke Jujun know that there are countless people in the world waiting for him."
"Let Chang'an and the powerful people in the world know that there are people who have never given up."
"What the sages have written, it is up to us to realize it and save the declining world."
This was the slogan shouted by the scholars, and some radicals even said directly: "The world is so exhausted and the people are in unbearable hardship, but the emperor is unwilling to change the system.
In ancient times, Yao, Shun, and Yu all abdicated their thrones to wise men who could govern the world.
Now that the world is exhausted and everyone knows that the system needs to be restructured, but the emperor doesn't do it, isn't it against the destiny of heaven?
This is probably the fate of the Han Dynasty is about to decline! "
This is not the first time that such words have appeared. Such voices have been heard as early as the reign of Emperor Li. With the continuous occurrence of natural and man-made disasters, such voices have become more and more frequent.
These scholars may not understand what the dynasty cycle law is, but if the Han Dynasty continues like this, I am afraid it will be over, but they can still see it.
I don’t know how many people came to visit Wang Mang with gifts. Faced with countless exquisite gifts that could not even be piled in the mansion, Wang Mang showed no expression.
All he can think about is the future. The main enemy before him is also the culprit who drove him out of Chang'an. They are basically the old guard and some powerful people who are unwilling to let the Han Dynasty reform.
Half of these powerful people are unwilling to have their interests touched, but the other half are not simply because their interests are damaged, but because they are choking.
Deep down, I also want to reform the system. After all, most people can see that the world is in shaky state.
In particular, the frequent natural disasters have completely shaken the economic foundation of Guanzhong. People can't help but think of the era of King You of Zhou, when three rivers were cut off. At that time, the vassal states in Guanzhong even had to move the entire country together because the land was no longer suitable for survival. .
Now the imperial court has no ability to provide relief to the victims, no ability to deal with these affairs, and it cannot even spend money on border military expenditures. If the semi-feudal system had not been implemented in the border areas, the Hu people would have come to Chang'an for a visit.
Listening to the congratulations, Wang Mang responded one by one. Everyone praised him. He was not arrogant at all when he reached a high position. He was indeed a great king!
Only Wang Mang knew that he needed higher reputation and stronger strength. One Jiuqing was not enough, he needed three princes, no, he needed to be ranked above the princes and princes.
There is definitely no need to think about the position of the Prime Minister. This position has always been Luo's private territory.
But there is a replacement position, the Great Sima General. If you can reach this point, it will be enough.
Grand Sima and Grand General are two official positions. Previously, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, Grand Sima existed as an additional title to the Grand General.
Because during the regency of Empress Gao, the Han Dynasty established the political rules of emphasizing internal affairs over external affairs, holding military power by the monarch, and elevating the power of the prime minister. Therefore, among the three princes, the prime minister is the first, followed by the generals, and the imperial censor is the lowest. It can be said that the generals are Together with the imperial censors, they are not as good as the prime minister, because four of the nine ministers are subordinate officials of the prime minister, and two are under the prime minister's control.
However, in order to elevate the status of the general, Emperor Xiaowu created the official position of Da Sima. As the supreme commander of the army, he was on the same level as the prime minister.
A simple Grand Sima has no real power, but his status is very high. Just like the previous Taiwei, he is a high-status decoration.
A simple general has great power, but he is subordinate to the prime minister.
Only when Great Sima and General appear together is the ultimate power.
Huo Guang took control of the state affairs as General Sima and Minister Gu Ming. This was Wang Mang's goal.
If you want to become a Great Sima General, so far, without exception, all of them are relatives.
The highest clan member is Liu Zizheng, who holds the position of prime minister, but military power has never been encountered before. Only relatives take turns to hold the highest power.
After entering Chang'an City, Wang Mang still maintained his own style, except doing some of his own work.
The most common thing to do is to go to the Imperial Academy, listen to the opinions of those scholars, see their opinions on today's world, and cultivate your own backbone in it.
"Nowadays, disasters occur frequently in the world. Doesn't it mean that God has given up on the rule of the Han Dynasty?
Isn't this the perverse behavior of the Han Dynasty that has gradually made God angry?
I heard that the emperor came to shepherd and protect the people on behalf of God. If he couldn't do it, he would be punished by God. Maybe that's the case now.
The common people are no longer willing to look forward to the royal family's rescue, but are directly swarming up. Isn't this a complete disappointment to the emperor and father of the world?
What are your Majesty the Emperor still waiting for?
Are we waiting for the swarming rebels to invade Chang'an? "
"Master Jujun, the world now is like a dark night sky without a trace of light.
You are a world-famous sage. Duke Zhao Zhongyi passed away in Heluo, and the Luo family has not left. Only you can save this dull and irreversible world.
We solemnly request you to make the world prosperous again. "
As the understanding deepened, Wang Mang became more and more confident. This is the general trend of the world, and who can stop it?
If you obey the fate of heaven, who can defeat yourself?
“The world’s current fatigue is due to the loss of morality and the gradual corruption of people’s hearts. The powerful and powerful are busy growing and annexing land.
The emperor was drunk and dreaming in Changle Palace, leaving only the common people struggling.
We lost the land we depended on for our livelihood. Today, when the ancient times are far away, there are still people of the Han Dynasty as slaves.
well.
Isn’t this the most critical issue to revive the moral people of the world? "
This is Wang Mang's worldview. His thoughts are from the inside out. It is a typical Confucian way of cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. He believes that if one is not upright, he will not be able to set an example. If an official cannot be upright, how can he let the people follow him? ?
He always firmly believes that as long as he can reach a high position with morality, he will surely create a trend in the world, just like the Luo Kingdom.
The king is wise, the ministers are polite, and the people are virtuous!
————
After the narrative of this chapter, we can answer the question at the beginning of this chapter. The era chose Wang Mang because he was indeed outstanding among that era. He was a strange flower. ——"The Biography of Wang Mang"
(End of chapter)
