Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty: In the beginning, Li Qingzhao and Li Qingzhao made a private decis

Chapter 196

"Small benevolence but great inhumanity!"

Zhao Xu snorted coldly in his heart, he was extremely dissatisfied with Sima Guang, and he was inclined to Wang Anshi in his heart, after all, Wang Anshi was bent on changing the law and trying to become stronger.

However, Fan Zheng sneered: "Sima Guang is benevolent but not benevolent, while Wang Anshi is benevolent and inhumane."

"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Xu frowned.

Fan Zheng said with a sneer: "Wang Anshi's original intention of the reform was to enrich the country and strengthen the army. It is indeed the great benevolence of the world. However, his reform was extremely stubborn. He ignored the actual situation of the Song Dynasty and insisted on going his own way. Even though it has already caused harm, he still did nothing Repentance is a little inhumane to ordinary people."

Zhao Xu couldn't help sighing, Wang Anshi's reform was indeed beneficial to the national level, but it aroused the opposition of the whole people, and it was indeed not very friendly to the people.

If the two can cooperate sincerely, it will be a match made in heaven. If there are deficiencies and make up for the omissions, the revival of the Great Song Dynasty is just around the corner.

Both of them have flaws in their personalities, Wang Anshi is stubborn, he doesn't listen to others' persuasion, even if the new law is wrong, he will not change it, but Sima Guang is stubborn!I would rather retire to Luoyang than be an official in the same dynasty as Wang Anshi.

Forget about the fight between the two, and at the same time drive the old and new parties to fight, making Da Song miss the opportunity of revival, which makes people sigh.

Zhao Xu had a terrible headache. Today seemed to be a battle of posthumous names, but in fact it was a battle of ideas between the old and new parties. If one fails, the tragedy of Shenzong's past will repeat itself.

Fan Zheng said solemnly: "Since the old and new parties are constantly arguing, it is better to give these two life-long enemies a most fair trial, settle the merits and demerits of the two, and end this decades-long struggle. "

"Conclude the coffin!"

Zhao Xu nodded slightly, knowing that this matter must be cut quickly, otherwise the momentum of the old and new parties will inevitably reappear.

Meeting on the second day.

"Reporting to the officials, Sima Guang disrespected the officials and abolished the late emperor's new law without authorization, making decades of hard work by the late emperor come to naught."

"Sima Guang will report the case of Ayun, he is really a hypocrite!"

"Sima Guang's dedication to Xixia ruined the great situation of Song Dynasty."

........................

Sure enough, the New Party impeached Sima Guangdao again, seized on Sima Guang's pain points, and lashed out fiercely.

Yang Wei counterattacked without hesitation: "Report to the officials, Mr. Sima's abolition of the new law is just following the example of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty when he abolished tyranny."

"tyranny?"

Zhao Xu looked at Yang Wei and his eyes turned cold.

The new law is a policy that his father, Emperor Shenzong, painstakingly implemented for 16 years, which made the situation in the Song Dynasty slightly better, but in the eyes of Sima Guang, it turned out to be a tyranny that harmed the people.

Feeling guilty, Yang Wei immediately understood that he had said something wrong, and immediately changed the subject: "Wang Anshi's reform is self-willed, and the cruel law harms the people. The people have accumulated grievances for 16 years, and it has already reached the point where it has to be changed."

Zhao Xu took a deep breath, looked around at the new party and the old party who were at war, and immediately showed a hint of playfulness: "Since the court has its own opinions, in my opinion, why not judge the merits and demerits of the two ministers in public?"

"Evaluate merits and demerits in public!"

Both the old and the new parties were taken aback, and looked at Zhao Xu in amazement.

For a long time, judging the right and wrong of the predecessors is usually recorded in the history books, but it is the first time to make a public judgment in the court, let alone in the court today, the two prime ministers have a group of loyal supporters.

The officials of the two parties looked at each other, and could not help but show a fierce fighting spirit.

Zhao Xu looked at Su Zhe, who was at the side, and said, "Su Xianggong, you are here to preside over the court discussion on the merits and demerits of Wang Anshi and Sima Xianggong."

Su Zhe is a neutral faction, and he is responsible for presiding over the final conclusion of the old and new parties, which can be regarded as the most fair and just.

"Wei Chen obeys!"

Su Zhe frowned. These were the two most controversial prime ministers in the Song Dynasty. A little carelessness would cause criticism. However, Zhao Xu personally called him by name, so he had no choice but to accept the order.

Su Zhe looked around at the old and new parties, took a deep breath, and said, "Since ancient times, judging a person's merits and demerits usually involves personal integrity, official conduct, internal and external policies, etc."

The old and new parties nodded their heads slightly, and what Su Zhe said was true.

"Take personal integrity as an example, whether it is Wang Anshi or Sima Guang, they are both upright and honest, and they are a model of a minister." Su Zhe said seriously.

Officials from the old and new parties nodded their heads one after another. They attacked each other because they were both officials and politicians. No one can criticize Wang Anshi and Sima Guang's character.

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "My dear friends, you can speak freely."

Wang Di took the lead in saying: "To the officials, my grandfather Wang Anshi devoted himself to the country. In order to revitalize the Song Dynasty, he devoted himself to revitalizing the Great Song Dynasty. Regardless of the criticism of the world, he presided over the great cause of the reform, enriched the country and strengthened the military at home, suppressed Xixia externally, and regained the counties of Xihe. , worthy of the imperial court, and worthy of the posthumous title of Wenzheng for his contribution to the community!"

"The minister agrees!"

Zhang Dun and other new party ministers seconded the proposal one after another.

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 a lot. With the "Refugees Picture" as evidence, how can Wang Anshi be innocent."

"There have been doubts about the reforms in the past dynasties. Wang Xianggong's reforms are for the prosperity of the country and the people. Although there are objections, they will not damage the virtues." Cai Bian said firmly.

The new party and the old party kept arguing, but on the whole it was believed that Wang Anshi's original intention of the reform was good, and his radical reform caused certain public resentment.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu quickly cut the mess and said: "From my point of view, Wang Xianggong is dedicated to the country. Although he has flaws, he can't hide his flaws. It's better to set seven points for merit and three points for faults. The merit is greater than the fault. '."

"The posthumous title is 'Wen'."

The new party and the old party can't help but have a meal.

Although the posthumous title of 'Wen' is not as top-notch as 'Wenzheng', it is still a rare and good posthumous title. The New Party officials nodded slightly, especially Zhao Xu's appointment of Wang Anshi with the Shenzong Temple, which is already an affirmation of Wang Anshi.

"On behalf of grandfather, I would like to thank the officials for their kindness in pursuing the posthumous title." Wang Di thanked with tears.

The old party officials also relaxed slightly. At least the officials believed that Wang Anshi still had a three-point fault. Breaking Wang Anshi's golden body of the reform is also good news for them.

Moreover, Wang Anshi's posthumous title is "Wen", which is one level lower than Sima Guang's "Wen Zheng".

"My lords, please judge the merits and demerits of Lord Sima." Su Zhe continued.

"I think 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 overwhelm the New Party?

The new party directly spread out what Sima Guang did a little bit, especially the case of offering land to Xixia and Ayun was repeatedly attacked.

Even the officials of the old party are extremely speechless, one crime does not deserve double punishment, 16 years have passed since the Ayun case, and he has already served his sentence, why would Sima Guang kill a weak woman.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu immediately said: "Mr. Sima is a noble character and works hard 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, which wiped out the late emperor's ten years of hard work. There is also the suspicion of taking private revenge on A Yun. Three points of merit, seven points of fault."

"Three points for merit, seven points for failure!" Su Zhe couldn't help being stunned, he didn't expect Zhao Xu to judge Sima Guang, a gentleman recognized by the government and the public, in this way.

"Take his posthumous title 'Wen', and his posthumous title is 'Zheng'! Remembering his death is great, and keep the monument I bestowed back then." Zhao Xu said solemnly.

"The posthumous title is 'Zheng'"

Officials of the old party were in an uproar. In terms of posthumous title, Wen Ke was higher than Zheng Yao, so Sima Guang was a head lower than Wang Anshi.

Yang Wei wanted to argue again, but Lu Dafang shook his head slightly.

Although the officials have a bad impression of Sima Guang, they still have a little face after all, giving him three points of credit, and retaining the face-to-face stele.

Furthermore, the merits and demerits of Sima Guang and Wang Anshi are three to seven points, and the other is seven to three points, which is too coincidental.

And the posthumous titles of the two are 'Wen' and the other 'Zheng', which together happen to be the top posthumous title 'Wen Zheng' of a minister. There is no deep meaning in it, and I am afraid no one will believe it.

"If Sima Guang and Wang Anshi could cooperate sincerely, they might be able to change the thousand-year-old malpractices of the Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, because of their different ideas, the two eventually went to confrontation. Otherwise, why would there be a dispute today." Zhao Xu looked around at the ministers and said solemnly.

Dividing Wang Anshi's and Sima Guang's posthumous titles equally between Wenzheng's and their merits and demerits is a countermeasure secretly discussed by Zhao Xu and Fan Zheng.

On the one hand, it is very consistent with the achievements of the two, 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!"

Hundreds of officials bowed their hands one after another.

Officials of the new party and the old party are all elites, so they naturally understood the significance of Zhao Xu's move, and immediately bowed their heads.

Fan Zheng looked at this scene and couldn't help sighing. The new party and the old party have different positions and represent different interests. Can they really cooperate sincerely?

As a neutral, Su Zhe 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 are more than seven points! His posthumous title is Wen!"

"Three points of Sima Guang's merits and seven points of faults, his posthumous title is positive!"

As soon as this news came out, the people immediately boiled.

Without him!During the reform period, Wang Anshi's reputation was not good, and he was called a scumbag, especially when the old party was in power these years and kept suppressing the new party, Wang Anshi's reputation was even crowned as a traitor.

On the contrary, Sima Guang, known as a moral model, was hailed as a generation of sages through the old party's propaganda and his own reputation.

However, the court made a final conclusion in public to settle the merits and demerits. However, the evaluations of Wang Anshi's reform and Sima Guang's evaluation turned out to be polarized.

"Isn't the government trying to retaliate against the old party?" Someone also questioned.

After all, Sima Guang had a great reputation all along, and was hailed as a model of courtiers. However, he represented 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's character may be impeccable, but his ability to govern the country is not brilliant." Some insightful people shook their heads and denied it.

"That's right. I heard that this time it was the imperial court who publicly built the coffin for the two of them. Presumably the mansion newspaper will publish the details. I'll just wait for the news." A Kaifeng citizen agreed.

"The Dibao is here!"

Sure enough, it didn't take long for a new issue of Di Bao to appear on the streets of Kaifeng.

Since the use of movable type printing, the issuance of the court's mansion newspaper has become more and more convenient. Whenever there is a major event, it is urgently printed, so that the mansion newspaper can be published as soon as possible.

The imperial court made a conclusion for the two most famous ministers in the previous dynasty. Naturally, Su Shi would not miss such a major event, and immediately urgently published the residence newspaper and published it to the world.

"Wang Anshi's reform was intended to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and the results are remarkable. However, it is too hasty and harmful to the people. Seven points of the merits and three points of the mistakes."

Seeing the news in the mansion newspaper, he nodded slightly. Although the ruling and opposition parties continued to oppose Wang Anshi, no one questioned Wang Anshi's intention to serve the country.

"It's fair!"

Seeing that the 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 change of the Song Dynasty's decline in Xixia began with Wang Anshi's reform.

Including the successive defeats of Xixia's offensives by the Song Dynasty, it is still the 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 failure can still be fair." An old master said angrily.

In his opinion, Sima Guang's coffin conclusion is not higher than Wang Anshi's, but at least on par.

However, when he saw Sima Guang's judgment in the mansion newspaper, he suddenly fell silent.

"The state affairs of the Great Song Dynasty were at stake, but Sima Guang abolished the new law, but did not propose an effective way to govern the country."

"Dedicate the land to Xixia, bring Xixia back to life, and bring disaster to the Northwest."

"The Ayun case is suspected of private revenge."

........................

The residence newspaper listed Sima Guang's merits and demerits one by one, and everyone frowned upon seeing this.

Before Dibao adopted movable type printing, the mouthpieces of the people were all in the hands of scholars, and Sima Guang was a model for scholars in the world, so he was naturally extolled by scholars as extremely great.

However, after the fair publicity of the residence newspaper, the people of the world suddenly realized that Sima Guang, who was known as the first Confucianist Sima Zi and who was almost perfect, had so many flaws.

Especially the Ayun case caused Sima Guang to suffer much criticism. After all, as an extremely human minister, Sima Guang had to strangle a miserable woman who had already served her sentence after many years, which was simply incomprehensible.

"Sima Guang's retrial of the Ayun case after more than ten years is to uphold the laws of the Song Dynasty."

"Sima Guang offered Xixia land in exchange for the captives of Yongle City!"

"Sima Guang abolished the new law because it harmed the people."

………………

Every time Sima Guang acted, he would find an excuse that he thought was perfect, and the scholars kept defending Sima Guang with this.

"Hmph! Sima Guang only insists on what he believes to be the law. The case of Ayun has been handled layer by layer. What's more, the late emperor personally judged the case. The case has already 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 is the final verdict and has already served his sentence. Sima Guang's move really cannot stand scrutiny.

"As for the captives who donated the Four Villages of Mizhi in exchange for the prisoners of Yongle City, then I waited for the soldiers of the Song Dynasty to attack the Four Villages of Mizhi and die countless deaths. Could it be that their blood was shed in vain?"

"Since Sima Guang believes that the new law is not good, he should implement the feasible law instead of abolishing it."

Sima Guang's excuse was nothing more than self-explanatory, and was soon scoffed at by everyone, and Sima Guang's reputation declined sharply amidst the people's discussions.

"Three points of merit and seven points of failure! The official's conclusion is worthy of the name."

"In my opinion, the officials still gave Sima Guang some face, kept the monument, and reduced his posthumous title to Zheng."

"Wang Anshi's posthumous title is 'Wen', Sima Guang's posthumous title is 'Zheng'

Neither of these thousand-year-old enemies got Wen Zheng's posthumous title. "

With the release of the Di Bao, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, the old enemies who have been entangled in grievances for a lifetime, finally came to a conclusion.

(End of this chapter)