Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 74: Birth determines future - Scholars in the Tang Dynasty were secretly priced by fate

This article talks about Hebei and Gaoshi from a macro perspective.

When writing this book, in the process of continuously digging out the historical truth, I am more and more in awe of the magnificent and magnificent history before the Anshi Rebellion.

That's right, awe.

Because ignorant people always think that they know everything, and what they know is the truth, but in fact, the stories written in black and white in "New Tang Book", "Old Tang Book" and "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" are also likely to be true. It was compiled by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty.

So I want to talk about my own understanding by sorting out the historical context.

Words and phrases in history books can be falsified, but the historical context and countless corresponding cultural relics, folk customs and customs cannot.

What this article has to say is:

Gao Shi was the epitome of Hebei scholars at that time.His fate, in fact, is closely related to Datang's fate to some extent.

Everyone knows that Hebei was discriminated against during the Kaiyuan Tianbao period, or even in the early Tang Dynasty.

This kind of discrimination is comprehensive, long-lasting, and institutionalized.

It began in the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong.

Why is this so, because the Guanlong nobles are the basic board of the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty.Although Taizong was surrounded by many powerful men in Shandong, the final result was that they were "absorbed" into the Guanlong nobles through marriage.

For example, Yan Zhenqing's ancestors.

Although brothers Yan Zhenqing and Yan Gaoqing worked hard in fighting the Anshi rebels in Hebei, I have to remind you again: their ancestors for more than five generations were already out-and-out Chang'an bureaucrats.

Regardless of personal feelings, if they serve as governors in Hebei and don't fight against the Anshi rebels, can they still join forces with the other party?
Even if I want to, my family background won’t allow it!
This matter is the same for Gao Shi.

Twenty-three years before Kaiyuan, Gao Shi's life was rough, and his official path was blocked, so he had to go to Youyan to get his qualifications.There are actually many Hebei scholars like him, and many of them have become figures who advise the Anshi rebels. They are even active in the Jiedu Mansion in the three towns of Heshuo later.

After all, not every literati is a poet or has poetic talent.But every literati has to eat to make a living.There was no place for them in the Li Tang court, so they had no choice but to hang out with An Lushan and his gang.

Scholars at that time had already divided into "Qingliu officials" and "Zhuoliu officials".It is still possible for scholars in Hebei to enter the Zhuoliu official position, and they do not need to pass the imperial examination.But don't even think about becoming a Qingliu official.

The so-called Qingliu official means that he has great power, few things to do, and he is close to the emperor with his words.These official positions were clearly recorded by the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song Dynasty when they were compiling history books.

On the contrary, most of the names of the large number of Zhuoliu officials have been lost, and they have not been recorded in the classics. Only some of them were gradually excavated by relying on modern archaeology in later generations.

These people often do very specific and technical work, and are attached to the governor or Jiedushi.Once the governor is transferred, these people will immediately lose their jobs.They are officials with rank, but they are despised and rejected by Qingliu officials.

Gao Shi had rotated in such official positions in the early days. I don't know how many official positions he held. Anyway, the nobles in Chang'an didn't care much.

Gao Shi had a talent for poetry, and he began to take the imperial examination in the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, but it was obvious that he could not pass the exam.This is exactly the same reason why Fang Chongyong, the protagonist of this book, will be able to pass the imperial examination in the future.

At that time, a person's origin had already determined his future.Futile efforts may be seen by God, but they may not necessarily change fate.

Birth determines destiny, wrist influences pattern, it's so realistic.

I especially despise the historical novels of the Tang Dynasty, in which the protagonist can climb up the ladder by his own ability without birth.The harshness and harshness of this era far exceeded the imagination of later generations.

To put it more cruelly, the servant of the noble family, even if he pushes the stone mill until the stone mill smokes, the flour piled up like a mountain.Even with such efforts, can he change his fate as a slave?Probably not.

People at that time took this matter for granted, but in the eyes of us younger generations, it was actually too cruel.

Fang Chongyong was like running on a high-speed rail, while Gao Shi ran with his own legs, and the result was doomed.

He is from Hebei and comes from a noble family in Hebei. This is enough.

From the next time until the eighth year of Tianbao, Gao Shi continued to expand his contacts and squeezed into Chang'an's circle, but he didn't make any noise.

Until this year, Zhang Jiugao, the prefect of Suiyang, recommended Gao Shi as Youdao Branch, went to Chang'an in Sanfu, and was awarded the title of Qiu Wei.

County captain is the starting point for scholars to become Qingliu officials. Of course, it is a relatively poor starting point.When Bai Juyi entered the officialdom, he was the starting point for the position of "College Secretary". Beijing officials were noble, and they would not be punished if they had less work and more vacations. It was regarded as the preserve of the gentry class, and they strictly controlled the distribution of the position of "College Secretary".

Of course, this is Gao Shi’s real career as an official, but he has a low starting point and is despised (if it’s hard to understand, it’s easy to understand it as a wild dog picking up nobles and throwing bones), and he cares about "vulgar things".

Gao Shi, who had a keen observation of the political situation and current situation, resigned and returned to Chang'an, where he went to the Hexi shogunate to look for opportunities, and was appreciated by Ge Shuhan.

Having said that, Gao Shi has been circling around outside the circle all the time.The core of the ruling class, he has never touched, not even touched the road.

Be cruel.

The turning point of Gao Shi's fate came from the Anshi Rebellion.

That's right, if there hadn't been the Anshi Rebellion, it can be said bluntly that he would have been like that in his life, and there would never be any chance, not even the slightest chance.

Gao Shi began his political investment.

Those who worked desperately at the grassroots level in the past were far inferior to those who knelt down and licked Li Longji and Li Heng when their father and son were in trouble.

It's not funny, but it's sad and pathetic.

Li Heng saw the "united front value" of the Hebei gentry, and Gao Shi, a typical example, could offset the legitimacy of the rebel rebellion to the greatest extent.At least, a flag was raised to call on the Hebei gentry not to cooperate with the Anshi rebels, and the court left a place for the Hebei gentry.

The power of role models is great.

This may be the only thing Gao Shi deserves to talk about, from my point of view.

The development of the middle and late Tang Dynasty after the Anshi Rebellion all confirmed that one after another "Gaoshi" in Hebei stood up.

The "Chang'an Dream" of Hebei Family has indeed come true to a certain extent.In Chang'an in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the descendants of Hebei aristocratic families took turns to serve as prime minister.

Of course, in order to be easily taken over by Huang Chao in the future, they all moved to live near Chang'an and Luoyang.

These people have reached a strategic cooperation with Tang Ting, and they will naturally lose the support of the grassroots in Hebei.So Hebei began to overflow with associations, the rise of tooth soldiers, and mutual protection at the grassroots level. By the way, the Jiedushi was emptied in the struggles.

Not only did Tang Ting fail to rule Hebei, but it actually isolated the Hebei aristocratic families from the grassroots in Hebei and lost the right to speak locally in Hebei.

Gao Shi's personal efforts are so insignificant in front of the great tide of the times that they are not worth mentioning.

On the contrary, it confirms the iron law that "if you move with the trend of the times, you will prosper; if you move against the trend of the times, you will perish."

As for Li Bai's fate—the merchant class talked about official luck, since he was unwilling to be Li Longji's hardcore licking dog, he blocked his official path, so let's not mention it.

Feudal society, everyone can think about it casually, but don't yearn for it.

(End of this chapter)