"Small benevolence but great unkindness!"
Zhao Xu snorted in his heart and was extremely dissatisfied with Sima Guang. His heart was greatly inclined to Wang Anshi. After all, Wang Anshi was bent on reforming the law to become stronger.
However, Fan Zheng sneered and said: "Sima Guang is a little benevolent but a little unkind, while Wang Anshi is a little benevolent but a little unkind."
"What do you mean by this?" Zhao Xu frowned.
Fan Zheng sneered: "The original intention of Wang Anshi's reform was to enrich the country and strengthen the army. He was indeed a benevolent person in the world. However, his reform was extremely stubborn. He ignored the actual situation of the Song Dynasty and insisted on carrying out the reform. Even though it had caused harm, he still did not do anything. Repentance is unkind to ordinary people."
Zhao Xu couldn't help but sigh. Wang Anshi's reform was indeed beneficial to the country, but it aroused national opposition and was indeed not very friendly to the people.
If the two can cooperate sincerely, they will be a match made in heaven. They can correct the shortcomings and revitalize the Song Dynasty.
Both of them have character flaws. Wang Anshi is stubborn and refuses to listen to others' advice. Even if the new law is wrong, he will not change it, while Sima Guangjian is stubborn! He would rather retire to Luoyang than serve as an official in the same dynasty as Wang Anshi.
Forget about the fight between the two, it also led to partisanship between the old and the new parties, making the Song Dynasty miss a good opportunity for revival, which made people sigh.
Zhao Xu had a huge headache. Today seemed to be a battle over posthumous titles, but in fact it was a battle over ideas between the old and the new parties. If one of them failed, the tragedy of Shenzong's past would be repeated.
Fan Zheng solemnly said: "Since the old and new parties are at odds with each other, it is better to give these two lifelong enemies the most fair trial to determine their merits and demerits and end this decades-long battle. "
"The final word is sealed!"
Zhao Xu nodded slightly, knowing that this matter must be cut quickly, otherwise the old and new parties will inevitably fight again.
Meeting on the second day.
"Reporting to the officials, Sima Guang did not respect the officials and abolished the late emperor's new law without authorization, thus making the late emperor's decades of efforts come to nothing."
"Sima Guang will retaliate for the Ayun case. He is really a hypocrite!"
"Sima Guang offered his land to Xixia, ruining the great situation of the Song Dynasty."
……………………
Sure enough, the New Party impeached Sima Guangdao again, seized on Sima Guang's pain points, and attacked fiercely.
Yang Wei counterattacked without hesitation: "I reported to the officials that Sima Xianggong abolished the new law. He just followed the example of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in abolishing tyranny in the later period."
"tyranny?"
Zhao Xu looked at Yang Wei with a cold look.
The new law was a policy that his father, Emperor Shenzong, had painstakingly implemented for sixteen years. This made the situation in the Song Dynasty slightly better, but in Sima Guang's eyes, it turned out to be a harsh rule that harmed the people.
Yang Wei felt guilty, and immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing, and immediately changed the subject and said: "Wang Anshi's reforms are self-willed, and his cruel laws harm the people. The people have been grudges for sixteen years, and they have already reached the point where they have to change."
Zhao Xu took a deep breath, looked around at the tense new and old parties, and showed a hint of playfulness: "Since everyone in the court has their own opinions, I think it's better to judge the merits and demerits of the two husbands in public?"
"Evaluate merits and demerits in public!"
The old and new parties were suddenly surprised and looked at Zhao Xu in amazement.
Judging the rights and wrongs of predecessors has always been recorded in history books, but this is the first time to publicly judge in the court, not to mention that now, both prime ministers have a group of loyal supporters in the court.
The officials from the two parties looked at each other, and they couldn't help but feel fierce fighting spirit.
Zhao Xu looked at Su Che who was standing aside and said, "Xiangong Su, you are here to preside over the court meeting to evaluate the merits and demerits of Wang Anshi and Sima Xianggong."
Su Zhe is a centrist. He is responsible for presiding over the final conclusion between the old and new parties, and can be regarded as the most fair and impartial.
"Wei Chen obeys your orders!"
Su Che frowned. These were the two most controversial prime ministers in the Song Dynasty. If they were not careful, they would cause criticism. However, Zhao Xu personally named him, so he had no choice but to accept the order.
Su Che looked around the old and new parties, took a deep breath and said: "Since ancient times, judging a person's merits and demerits usually includes personal integrity, official service, internal and external policies, etc."
The old and new parties nodded slightly, what Su Zhe said was indeed true.
"Take personal ethics as an example, both Wang Anshi and Sima Guang are honest and upright, and they are models of ministers." Su Zhe said seriously.
Officials from the old and new parties nodded one after another. They attacked each other for the sake of officialdom and government. No one could criticize Wang Anshi and Sima Guang in terms of their character.
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "My dear friends, you can speak freely."
Wang Di was the first to come out and said: "I am reporting to the official family. My grandfather Wang Anshi was devoted to the country. In order to revitalize the Song Dynasty, he worked hard and ignored the criticism of the world. He presided over the great cause of reform, enriched the country internally and strengthened the army, suppressed Xixia externally, and recovered several states in Xihe. , worthy of the imperial court, and meritorious to the country, he deserves the posthumous title of Wenzheng!"
"I agree!"
Zhang Dun and other new party ministers seconded the proposal.
Lu Dafang sneered and said: "Wang Anshi is not ashamed of the country, but he is ashamed of the people. As soon as the new law came out, the people complained. With the "Refugee Picture" as evidence, how can Wang Anshi have no fault?"
"There have been doubts about the reforms in the past dynasties. Wang Xianggong's reforms were for the sake of enriching the country and strengthening the people. Although there are objections, they do not harm the great virtue." Cai Bian said firmly.
The New Party and the Old Party continued to quarrel, but generally they believed that Wang Anshi's reforms had good intentions and that his radical reforms caused a certain amount of public dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, Zhao Xu cut through the mess with a quick sword and said: "In my opinion, Mr. Wang is dedicated to the country. Although he has flaws, he cannot hide his flaws. It is better to score seven points of merit and three points of fault. If the merit is greater than the fault, he deserves to be in the temple of the late emperor, and his posthumous title is 'Wen' '."
"The posthumous title is 'Wen'."
The old and new parties can't help but be confused.
Although the posthumous title 'Wen' is not as top as 'Wen Zheng', it is still a rare good posthumous title. The New Party officials nodded slightly, especially Zhao Xu's affirmation of Wang Anshi by allowing Wang Anshi to enjoy the temple of Shenzong.
"On behalf of my grandfather, I would like to thank the officials for their kindness in pursuing the posthumous title." Wang Di thanked him with tears in his eyes.
The old party officials were also slightly relieved. At least the officials believed that Wang Anshi still had three faults, which broke Wang Anshi's golden body of reform, which was also good news for them.
Moreover, Wang Anshi's posthumous title was "Wen", which was one level lower than Sima Guang's "Wenzheng".
"Please sir, please judge the merits and demerits of Lord Sima." Su Zhe continued.
"Wei Chen believes that Sima Guang is not worthy of the name 'Wenzheng'." Zhang Dun sneered. Wang Anshi's posthumous title was 'Wen', and Sima Guang's posthumous title was 'Wenzheng'. Wouldn't that put the new party at a disadvantage?
The New Party directly exposed Sima Guang's actions bit by bit, especially the Xiandi Xixia and Ayun cases that were repeatedly attacked.
Even the officials of the old party were extremely speechless. They believed that one crime would not be punished twice. Sixteen years had passed since the Ayun case and he had already served his sentence. Why did Sima Guang still want to kill a weak woman?
Upon seeing this, Zhao Xu immediately said: "Sima Xianggong has a noble character and works conscientiously as an official. However, in the first year of Yuanyou's reign, he ignored the great situation of the Song Dynasty, abolished the new law without authorization, and dedicated the land to Xixia. The efforts of the late emperor for more than ten years were in vain. He is also suspected of taking personal revenge on Ayun. Three points of merit and seven points of fault."
"Three points for merit, seven points for passing!" Su Zhe couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't expect that Zhao Xu would judge Sima Guang, a gentleman recognized by both the government and the public, in this way.
"Take away the word 'wen' in his posthumous title and change his posthumous title to 'zheng'! It is a great honor to commemorate his death and leave the monument I gave him back then." Zhao Xu said solemnly.
"The posthumous title is 'Zheng'"
The old party officials were in an uproar. In terms of posthumous title, Wen Ke was higher than Zheng. As a result, Sima Guang was lower than Wang Anshi.
Yang Wei wanted to argue again, but Lu Dafang shook his head slightly.
Although the officials had a bad impression of Sima Guang, they still retained a little dignity after all, giving him three points of merit and retaining the in-person monument.
Furthermore, the merits and demerits of Sima Guang and Wang Anshi were rated at 70% or 70% for one, which is too much of a coincidence.
The posthumous names of the two people are "Wen" and the other is "Zheng". Together, they are the top posthumous title of "Wen Zheng". There is no deep meaning in this, and I am afraid no one will believe it.
"If Sima Guang and Wang Anshi could cooperate sincerely, they might be able to correct the shortcomings of the Song Dynasty for thousands of years. Unfortunately, because of their different ideas, the two eventually became opposed. Otherwise, why would there be today's dispute." Zhao Xu looked around the ministers and said solemnly.
Dividing Wang Anshi and Sima Guang's posthumous titles equally between Wen Zheng and their merits and demerits was a strategy secretly discussed by Zhao Xu and Fan Zheng.
On the one hand, it is very consistent with the achievements of the two men, and on the other hand, it warns the old and new parties not to repeat the old path of Sima Guang and Wang Anshi.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
All the officials cupped their hands and said.
Officials from both the new and old parties were elites among the people, so they naturally understood the significance of Zhao Xu's move and bowed their heads one after another.
Fan Zheng looked at this scene and couldn't help but sigh. The new party and the old party have different positions and represent different interests. Can they really cooperate sincerely?
As a centrist, Su Che has a soft personality, so it may be difficult to reconcile the struggle between the new party and the old party.
……………………
"Wang Anshi's three points exceed seven points! His posthumous title is Wen!"
"Sima Guang has three points of merit and seven points of fault, so his posthumous title is correct!"
As soon as this news came out, people were immediately excited.
Without him! During the reform period, Wang Anshi's reputation was not good and he was called a traitorous prime minister. Especially during the years when the old party was in power, it kept suppressing the new party. Wang Anshi's reputation was even called the traitorous prime minister.
On the contrary, Sima Guang, who was known as a moral model, was hailed as a wise prime minister through the propaganda of the old party and his own reputation.
However, the court closed the coffin in public and settled the merits and demerits. However, the evaluations of Wang Anshi's reform and Sima Guang turned out to be polar opposites. Wang Anshi's merits actually outweighed his faults, while Sima Guang's faults actually outweighed his merits.
"Aren't the officials taking revenge on the old party?" Some people also questioned.
After all, Sima Guang has always had a good reputation and has been hailed as a model for courtiers. However, he represents the old party. It is not impossible for the officials to use the new party to suppress the old party and belittle Sima Guang.
"No! Sima Guang may have impeccable character, but his ability to govern the country is not outstanding." Some knowledgeable people shook their heads and denied.
"Yes, I heard that this time it was the imperial court that publicly sealed the coffins of the two people. I think the Dibao must have published the details. I will just wait for the news." A Kaifeng commoner agreed.
"The newspaper is here!"
Sure enough, not long after, a new issue of Di Bao appeared on the streets of Kaifeng.
Since the use of movable type printing, the publication of the imperial newspaper has become more and more convenient. Whenever there is a major event, it is printed urgently and published as soon as possible.
The imperial court sealed the coffins of the two most famous ministers of the previous dynasty. Naturally, Su Shi would not miss such an important event, and immediately rushed to print the Di Bao and publish it to the world.
"Wang Anshi's reform was originally intended to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and it achieved remarkable results. However, it was carried out too hastily and was harmful to the people. The result is 70% merit and 30% fault."
After seeing the news in the Di newspaper, he nodded slightly. Although the government and opposition parties continued to oppose Wang Anshi, no one questioned Wang Anshi's intention to serve the country.
"That's fair!"
Seeing that the imperial court really pointed out that Wang Anshi's new law was too hasty, many people in Kaifeng nodded slightly. It has to be said that the Song Dynasty reversed its decline in Xixia, which started with Wang Anshi's reform.
Including the Song Dynasty's successive defeats of Xixia's offensives, they are still the lingering shadow of Wang Anshi's reform.
"Wang Anshi's evaluation is fair, but I don't believe that Sima Xianggong's conclusion that three points of merit and seven points of fault is still fair." An old master said angrily.
In his opinion, Sima Guang's coffin conclusion was not higher than Wang Anshi's, but at least the same. How could he have three points of merit and seven points of fault?
However, when he saw Sima Guang's judgment in the Di newspaper, he suddenly fell silent.
"The state of the Song Dynasty was in critical danger, but Sima Guang abolished the new law but failed to propose an effective way to govern the country."
"Offer the land to Xixia, bring Xixia back to life, and bring disaster to the northwest."
"Ayun's case is suspected of seeking personal revenge."
……………………
In the newspaper, Sima Guang's merits and demerits were listed one by one. Everyone could not help but frown when they saw this.
Before Di Bao adopted movable type printing, the mouthpieces of the people were in the hands of scholars. Sima Guang was a model for scholars in the world, and was naturally praised by scholars for his greatness.
However, after fair publicity by Di Bao, people all over the world suddenly realized that Sima Guang, who was known as the sage of Confucianism and nearly perfect, actually had so many flaws.
Especially the Ayun case has caused Sima Guang to be criticized even more. After all, as a highly respected minister, Sima Guang would strangle a poor woman who had already served her sentence after many years. It is simply incomprehensible.
"When Sima Guang retried the Ayun case more than ten years later, he was upholding the laws of the Song Dynasty."
"Sima Guang offered his land to Xixia in exchange for the prisoners in Yongle City!"
"Sima Guang abolished the new law because the new law harmed the people."
………………
Every time Sima Guang acted, he would find an excuse that he thought was perfect, and every scholar would use this to defend Sima Guang.
"Hmph! Sima Guang only adheres to the law he believes in. The Ayun case has been handled at all levels. What's more, the late emperor personally decided the case. The case has been closed and a verdict has been obtained. What qualifications does Sima Guang have to overturn the late emperor's judgment? "
According to later generations, the Ayun case was already the final verdict, and the sentence had been completed. Sima Guang's move did not stand up to scrutiny.
"As for the prisoners who sacrificed themselves for the Mizhi Fourth Village in exchange for Yongle City, then we and other Song soldiers attacked the Mizhi Fourth Village and killed countless people. Is their blood shed in vain?"
"Since Sima Guang thinks that the new law is not feasible, he should implement the feasible law himself instead of abolishing it."
Sima Guang's excuse was just self-justification, and it was quickly scorned by everyone. Amid the discussions among the people, Sima Guang's reputation dropped sharply.
"Three points of success and seven points of failure! The official conclusion is worthy of the name."
"In my opinion, the official family still saved some face for Sima Guang. They kept the monument and reduced the posthumous title to a normal one."
"Wang Anshi's posthumous title is 'Wen', and Sima Guang's posthumous title is 'Zheng'
Neither of the two thousand-year-old enemies received Wen Zheng's posthumous title. "
With the release of Di Bao, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, the old enemies who had been entangled in their grudges for a lifetime, finally came to a conclusion.
(End of chapter)
