Chapter 182: Heaven Chapter, Pavilion Night (Part 2)
Zhao Zhen also felt that the atmosphere was a little wrong, so he stood up, walked to the window, looked at the night outside, and slowly said: "The late emperor welcomed the heavenly book, enfeoffed the east and west, and it was a bit extravagant. In the tenth year of Tiansheng, everything followed the precedents of the previous dynasty, and the accumulated problems were deep. Now it is impossible to change. Now the court is deficit every year, and the top and bottom are whitewashing the peace. What if this continues? Since taking power, he has issued several edicts to open up the road of speech. No matter what scholars and commoners are, as long as they say are beneficial to the current affairs, they will not hesitate to reward them. But only Li Shu waited for several people, was loyal to the king's affairs, and submitted a memorial to reform the current affairs. Alas——”
Xu Ping stood behind him and didn't know how to interfere. In this era, he really wanted to go through the sea of swords and fire. Xu Ping really didn't have the determination to step in, and he didn't even have the confidence to get out of it.
In fact, no matter when, major policy changes are earth-shaking and countless risks are taken.
Because once this flag is erected, it can only advance but not retreat, and there will be no burial place when retreating. The fight between reform and counter-reform is due to the fact that there are too many involvement.
Since Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, the empress dowager has been in power for ten years. Although she has not revealed it, she is actually full of resentment. This is why she replaced all the priests as soon as she takes power. She must depose the queen, which is to vent this anger.
After the outrage, the government affairs were made. The Empress Dowager's policies were abolished and her own authority was established. Since last year, several edicts have been issued to ask the subjects to govern the world, and they are more earnest and more sincere.
But what's the use of issuing an edict? I really think that the masters are among the people! Systematic reforms must be united in the king and ministers and have great courage to carry out. Now he doesn't believe in the original bureaucratic system at all, so how can it have practical effects?
To be honest, Lu Yijian did not oppose reform, and he never opposed the emperor. But now the political situation in the court is the result of his years of power. How could he know how to change it? Those who can be changed have been changed long ago.
Lu Yijian doesn't care about policies, he cares about real power. As long as he doesn't move his real power, he can change it no matter how he changes it.
But reform is inevitable to redistribute the benefits. How can everyone be satisfied? Without moving Lu Yijian's real power, where can I find someone to help me do things? This is a dead knot, and I can't solve it without fighting to the death.
Xu Ping looked around. There was no prime minister supporting him or his own foundation team. What kind of battle with Lu Yijian? He was not so naive that he thought that with the support of the emperor, the imperial power was not that strong, and the emperor did not have such a strong will. When he encountered difficulties, he might be repulsed.
Fan Zhongyan dared to fight with Lu Yijian because he had the support of Wang Zeng and supported by a large group of middle and lower-level officials. Otherwise, an imperial edict would kick him to an unknown remote prefecture army, so he could not speak out in the capital.
Xu Ping believed that Fan Zhongyan and his group were not instructed by Wang Zeng, but their actions were supported by Wang Zeng. Wang Zeng was not Lu Yijian, so he would not privately build up his followers, nor would he connect with small gangs. Wang was a real politician, had his own political propositions, and would also support those who supported his political propositions, although he might not have said anything to these people in private.
After Wang Zeng and Fan Zhongyan, no one has such ability, such a broad mind, and such responsibility. No matter how bad Xu Ping's history is, he also knows the Qingli New Policy, the gentleman party and the villain party, and the Fan Zhongyan and Lu Yijian fight you to death. He also knows that Wang Anshi's subsequent reforms, the struggle between the new party and the old party even bet on the fate of the world.
Such a surging wave of social change, one wave after another, is definitely not because of a person's will, nor is it the whimsical imagination of a group of people, but the necessity of history.
To put it further, since the reunification of the country in the Taizong era, and the defeats against Khitan and Jiaozhi and later Dangxiang, the entire country was in a state of rest and recuperation. It was said that Confucianism was the only one, but actually the Huang-Lao technique was used. The general direction of the policy was to be quiet and inaction, and rest with the people.
The previous prime minister Lu Duan said, "The profit is not huge, and the law is not changed" is a portrayal of this situation.
In the late period of Emperor Zhenzong, this policy tendency was becoming increasingly unsustainable. During the period when Empress Dowager Liu was in power behind the curtain, she was just forcibly extending her life to such a policy.
Now that the emperor is in power, everyone in the world understands that it will not work until it remains the same. Even Lu Yijian, who is considered the biggest obstacle to change, actually does not oppose change.
This is the general trend of history and no one can stop it.
The only problem now is that there is not enough people to lead the change, and no one knows how to change.
Political thoughts do not appear out of thin air, they must have academic thoughts as the basis. At this time, this academic thought has obviously not appeared yet and cannot guide political practice. Everyone is in a daze. Xu Ping cannot create them out of thin air. What he learned in his previous life must be combined with this era, and there is still a way to go.
There is no absolute truth that is always correct in ancient and modern times. Any theory must be combined with reality. The closer this combination, the more it can guide the country and society to the right direction. On the contrary, if it is separated from social reality, everything will become empty talk. Theories that are boasted will only harm the country and the people, and even lead to destruction.
Whenever the policy of tranquility and inaction cannot continue, Confucianism becomes an alternative. This was the case in the Western Han Dynasty and this was the same in this era. Fan Zhongyan and others were calling for the revival of Confucianism, starting from academic research, and carrying out social changes.
At this time, it was the time when the newly revived Confucianism was impacted by the actual implementation of Huang-Lao thought. It was manifested by the struggle between Fan Zhongyan and a group of emerging Confucian scholars and the old bureaucrats led by Lu Yijian.
Xu Ping is not a great scholar of Confucianism, but he has been immersed in the officialdom for so many years, read so many books, and has memories of his previous life. If he can't even see this, he will blame himself for being ignorant.
But Xu Ping still did not dare to join the battle rashly because the emerging Confucianism had not yet taken office, and internal strife had begun. Fan Zhongyan was able to transcend this internal strife and become the common leader of all parties. Xu Ping could not believe that he could be so lucky.
The internal struggle of the Neo-Confucianism actually did not go beyond the pre-Qin pattern. The mainstream was Han Yu's school of respecting Meng, but there were also many scholars who respected Xunzi, and a new school of its own emerged quietly.
Mencius said that nature is good, and everything comes from this, and when it comes to politics, it means being lenient and loving the people, and everything else is supplementary.
Xunzi talked about the evil nature, and the change in the direction of serving the emperor was the Legalists, and the change in the direction of Confucianism that emphasized the ritual system was the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. Because human nature was evil, it must be restricted by strong rules and regulations, which is the fundamental.
The niche is the so-called simplicity of nature, which means that people are born without good and evil, and everything depends on acquired teaching. This requires Guangxing schools to teach the people to be good and to be leniency-severe and strict and appropriate punishments.
In addition to these views, because Mencius said that "it is better to have no books than to believe in books" and advocated "with intentions and despairing one's will", so that future generations can open up a different path to life in the scriptures, and even "Six Classics are annotated by me". Some scholars with different books from Mencius' schools also praised Mencius, forming a massive Mencius upgrade movement. However, fundamentally, it was to make academic theoretical preparations for change.
Xu Ping knew at least that when he talked about Confucianism in his previous life, he actually wore the skin of Mencius and practiced Xunzi's reality. Who will win or lose? Xu Ping did not dare to draw a rash conclusion with his historical memories of his previous life.
In fact, Sima Guang, who paid the most attention to the Three Bonds and Five Constant In this era, respected Xunzi in his thoughts. Wang Anshi, who regarded him as his mortal enemy, respected Mencius in his thoughts. Mencius's status rose rapidly when Wang Anshi was in power. But history is so funny. In the end, the literati who regarded Wang Anshi as an enemy, respected Mencius and also paid attention to the Three Bonds and Five Constant Instant Instruments.
Even in later generations, the theoretical basis of capitalism in the early days was that human beings were born selfish, seeking profit and avoiding harm was human nature, and all political and economic models revolved around this. The essence of electoral politics is the republic of the ruling class, not the broad political power. If you make mistakes, you will be traumatized.
On the other hand, it is "Sixty million people in China will be full of Shun and Yao", who firmly believes that the people are great and selfless.
In the final development, the conflict and collision between the two sides, and finally found that no party was right, and even if you changed the most basic theory, it would be safe. In the end, you have me and I have you, who knows which one is right and which one is wrong?
Now is the time to argue about the most basic problem, a fundamental problem that has not been solved for thousands of years, so how could Xu Ping rashly join in? What he needs now is not to go into the water and just watch quietly on the shore.
Reform without theoretical support will eventually become a farce and make people laugh. And how can it be so easy to form a theory that can support reform? How can it be explained clearly in a few words?
Only by moving forward step by step, slowly exploring and finding theories in practice. However, Xu Ping's so-called exploration went hand in hand with Lu Yijian's maintenance of the status quo, and the policy direction could not be escaped.
People think that they have mastered the supreme truth of the universe. Once they are in power, the world will be peaceful. How can they tolerate Xu Ping taking it slowly? It is already thankful that the firepower is not on me.
The wind in spring night is still a little cool. Zhao Zhen stood at the window, facing the wind blowing in, his eyebrows still.
After a long time, he asked in a deep voice: "You have been in the fifth year of Tiansheng and worked in the local area for six years. You have many political achievements. Do you have no opinion on the current government? Don't you feel the need to change your course?"
Xu Ping said: "Everyone in the world knows to change, and I also knows to change, but I just don't know how to change."
Zhao Zhen shook his head: "There are many governments, and there are always untimely things. Why don't you ask for something to change?"
Xu Ping was helpless: "Since the empress entered the capital to serve, the three departments' governance has been constantly changing. From reforming the tea law, to reforming the money law, to reforming the administration of officials, these are different from before. What Your Majesty said was that the empress did not propose any change, but because the empress had never impeached the minister, had not counted the faults of his predecessor, and had not taken the eye and ears. But are these necessary?"
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Chapter completed!