September 30
Wufang children make trouble in Chang'an
Yongzhen revolution plays tragedy
Tang Dezong and Li Shili lived for twenty-five years The emperor died of illness at the age of sixty-four. 805.1 Guisi (twenty-three), Dezong died
Prince Li Song came to the throne and became Shunzong. 805.1 Jiawu (twenty-fourth), the imperial edict was promulgated in the Xuanzheng Hall, and the prince obeyed all officials; Bingshen (twenty-sixth), the emperor was seated in the Taiji Hall.
Li Song had always been frail and sickly, and had one problem in particular, which was that he could not speak. After being emperor for more than seven months, he voluntarily abdicated and gave the Dragon Throne to Prince Li Chun. This was Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty.
During these seven months, known as the "First Year of Yongzhen" in history, there was nothing else but the famous "Yongzhen Reform". This was a group of young and middle-aged officials headed by Wang Shuwen, who wanted to reform certain political and economic policies of the imperial court, but failed, and the result was a tragedy. Modern historians enthusiastically praised and affirmed the "Yongzhen Reform" and considered it an important political reform movement. However, the records in "Zizhi Tongjian" are basically negative, especially for the main characters such as Wang Shuwen and Wang Zuo. This is generally the case.
Wang Gong from Hangzhou was good at calligraphy, and Wang Shuwen from Shanyin knew how to play Go. The two often accompanied Dezong's crown prince Li Song, serving in the Imperial Academy and waiting for imperial edicts, and they had a good relationship. At the beginning of 803.7, King Hanlin was good at writing, and Uncle Wen, the king of Shanyin, was good at chess. They both went in and out of the East Palace to entertain the prince.伾, a native of Hangzhou.
Wang Shuwen was smart, witty, and knowledgeable. He had time to talk to the prince about the governance of the country and the suffering of the people, and he was dissatisfied with exploitative behaviors such as "palace market". The prince was very angry after hearing this: "I want to report to the emperor and put an end to this evil trend!" 803.7 Shu Wen was cunning and scheming. He claimed that he knew how to govern through reading, and he often spoke to the prince about the sufferings of the people. The prince tried to discuss the affairs of the palace and the city with the attendants, Shuwen and others. The prince said: "I only want to say what I want." "Jinyan, Your Majesty is suspicious of you winning people's hearts. How will you explain it clearly? It's better to calm down and wait." 803.7 Everyone praised, Du Shuwen was speechless. After he retired, the prince left his uncle to himself and said: "You have nothing to say to me, how could you have any evil intentions?" Shuwen said: "My uncle is lucky to have the prince. If he sees something, he dares not to hear about it. The position of the prince should be regarded as a meal." It is not appropriate to say hello to foreign affairs. Your Majesty has been in power for a long time, so how can you explain yourself if you doubt that the prince is popular?"
The prince thought it was reasonable and regarded him as his adviser, and he paid special attention to him. 803.7 The prince was shocked and cried, "I don't know this unless you are sir." Then he fell in love with Wang Gong and became attached to Wang Min.
Dezong was in power at that time. He was old, dull and confused. He could only listen to praise and hate criticism.
Li Shi, the emperor of Jingzhao, wanted to please the emperor, plundered them extensively, and treated them as "Xianyu" to pay tribute to the emperor. 803.3 Li Shi, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Yin of Jingzhao. In fact, the government is tyrannical, but I love and believe in it. Really relying on his kindness and pride, he invited people to recommend him, frequently paid homage to officials, and falsely accused him of expelling him. All of them worked as expected, and the scholar-bureaucrats looked at him with fear.
It happened to be early in the morning and the people were living in poverty, but he reported that "although it was early in the morning, the seedlings were growing very strong." He would not reduce or reduce rents. The people demolished their houses and sold tiles and timber, and some sold young crops, barely paying the rent, which was very miserable. In 803.12, King Yinsi Dao of Jingzhao asked for help and offered it as a gift. He said: "Although there is a drought this year, the crops are very beautiful." As a result, rents and taxes were inevitable, and people were so poor that they sold tiles, wood, and wheat seedlings to lose their official positions. When the excellent man Cheng Fuduan was performing in makeup, he joked and sang a song smoothly: How could Qin's city be so despicable for two hundred years? One dump of wheat seedlings and five meters of rice, three main houses, two thousand dollars! ①
Shuowu rice is one stone and five buckets of rice; two thousand coins is two coins. The Chang'an area is a geomantic treasure of the capital. In order to pay taxes, the people sold their fields and houses, and they were so cheap! However, Li Shi complained to Dezong: "Cheng Fuduan slandered the government!" He was immediately dragged down the palace steps and beaten to death with a cane. 803.12 The excellent person Cheng Fuduan was ridiculed by rumors; Fuduan slandered the government and was killed with a stick.
Han Yu, the supervisory censor, wrote a letter saying: "The people are poor and cannot pay this year's taxes and food. Let's wait until the broad beans and wheat are ripe next spring before paying them back. Let them breathe." His opinion was not accepted. However, he was demoted to Yangshan (now Yangshan, Guangdong) as a county magistrate. 803.12 Han Yu, the supervisory censor, went to Shangshu and said, "The people in Gyeonggi are poor and if they have not received the taxes, grass and millet collected this year, please wait until next year for silkworms and wheat." Yu sat down to ban Yangshan.
What on earth was Tang Dezong doing?
Wang Shuwen’s worries and dissatisfaction are justified.
After Shunzong ascended the throne, his voice became hoarse and he could not make a sound. He sat upright behind the curtain of the main hall, accompanied by the eunuch Li Zhongyan and his concubine Niu Zhaorong, while hundreds of officials played things across the curtain. It was Wang Shuwen who came up with the idea. Wang Shuwen often passed his opinions to Wang Gan, who passed them on to Li Zhongyan, and then announced them to his ministers. 805.1 At that time, Shunzong lost his voice and could not make decisions. He often lived in the palace and put up curtains. Li Zhongyan and Zhaorong Niu were the only eunuchs who waited on him. When hundreds of officials came to play, they could do it from behind the curtains. From the beginning of Dezong's reign, Wang Xian came in and summoned Wang Shuwen by imperial edict to sit in the Imperial Academy as an envoy to decide matters. Use the meaning of the uncle's writing to enter the words of loyalty, and say that when the edict is issued, those who are ignorant at the beginning.
As for external matters, Wei Zhiyi, a Hanlin scholar, is in charge. 805.2 Wei Zhiyi, a doctor in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was appointed as Shangshu Zuocheng and Tongping Zhangshi. Wang Shuwen wanted to take charge of the country's affairs, so he first appointed Zhiyi as his prime minister.
There are also several close friends in life and death, including Han Tai, Han Hua, Lu Chun, Lu Wen, Li Jingjian, Chen Jian, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, etc., as well as Ling Zhun and Cheng Yi, who are all enterprising. The middle-level Beijing officials in the heart collected responses from various places and cooperated with the two kings, creating a huge momentum. 803.7 Shuwen because the prince said: "Someone can be a prime minister, someone can be a general. Fortunately, he can be used in the future." He closely connected with Wei Zhiyi, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and Lu Chun, Lu Wen, Li Jingjian, and Han Hua who were famous scholars at that time and wanted to advance quickly. , Han Tai, Chen Jian, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, etc. are designated as dead friends. And Ling Zhun, Cheng Yi and others, because of their party, travel everywhere, their tracks are mysterious, and no one knows the truth. Fanzhen or Yinjinjin money, combined with it.
They think that with great power, they can quickly change the status quo, reward each other, and feel satisfied. [805.2] Wang Shuwen, the prime minister of the palace, was appointed as the regular servant of Zuo Sanqi, and he was waiting for the imperial edict according to the former Imperial Academy. Wang Shuwen, Sigong of Suzhou, was appointed as the living scholar and a bachelor of Imperial Academy. The 似 is in a poor state of mind, speaking in Wu language, and the superiors are profane and obscene; while Shu Wen is quite self-reliant, has little knowledge of the meaning of literature, and is good at talking about things, so he is slightly respectful to the superiors, and cannot come in and out unimpeded like the 伾. Shu Wen entered the Imperial Academy, and Wan entered the Shilin Courtyard, where he met Li Zhongyan and Niu Zhaorong to discuss matters. Most of the time, uncle Wen relies on Gong, Gong relies on loyal advice, and loyal advice relies on Niu Zhaorong, and they make friends with each other. Every time, he went to the Imperial Academy to ask his uncle whether it was possible, and then announced it in Zhongshu, and Wei Zhiyi followed it up. In the outer party, Han Tai, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi and others mainly listened to foreign affairs. They discussed and sang together, working hard day and night, recommending each other, saying Yi, Zhou, Guan, Ge. They were so contented that they said there was no one in the world. Advances and retreats of honor and disgrace, born of making mistakes, do whatever you want, regardless of routine. The scholar-bureaucrats are afraid of him and follow the road with his eyes. Those who are in contact with each other will be promoted one after another until several people are eliminated in one day. The party may say, "Someone can be a certain official," and they will get it in just a day or two.
In front of Wang Shuwen’s house, it looks like a busy city day and night, and the same goes for other houses. The person who requested an interview often lived near a nearby restaurant or restaurant. Because there were so many people, the hotel was already packed, and even a floor bunk cost a thousand dollars a night. Wang Min was particularly wretched. He was jealous of money and accepted gifts. He built a large cabinet specifically for gold and silk. The couple took turns guarding it, fearing that thieves would come. Relatives and friends also became proud after them. 〔805.2〕 So Shuwen and more than ten families in his party were busy day and night with carriages and horses in the market. When guests meet Shu Wen and Wan, they stay at the bakery and wine bar in their square. Each person is given a thousand coins, so he is accommodated.伾You Que Rong (wretched), specializes in accepting bribes. He makes a large cabinet to store gold and silk, and the couple sleeps on it.
Due to Shunzong's support, the reformers did a lot of good things, which was indeed beneficial to the people. The first was a general amnesty, which also exempted all taxes owed to the country. In addition to the regular taxes twice a year, no additional exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes are allowed. Contributions from various places must be made in accordance with formal regulations, and any extra "excess" will be cancelled. All the bad policies during Dezong's period, such as "Gongshi" and "Wufang children", were all removed.
[805.2] Jiazi, go up to the Danfeng Gate and pardon all the ungrateful people in the world, and exempt all those who are unwilling to pay tribute. Except for the regular tribute, all the sacrifices will be made. At the end of the Zhenyuan period, people with political affairs, such as Gongshi, Wufang children, etc., should be dismissed.
The so-called five squares are the carving square, the falcon square, the harrier square, the eagle square and the dog square. The children are the managers and are set up for hunting. Under the guise of catching birds, they set up fences at the gates of neighbors' houses, and people had to pay money to enter and exit the gates. Anyone who refuses to surrender and approaches the fence will be slapped with a big hat: "Do you dare to scare away the emperor's birds?" He will be beaten severely, then sent to the government, and will be released after paying a bail. These "boys" often go to restaurants to eat and drink. After getting drunk and full, they run away. The owner of the shop, who doesn't know his identity, stops him to ask for money. He immediately slaps the shop owner with his fist and slaps him until his nose and face are swollen. He even stares at the shop owner and asks: "Do you know what we are doing?" Who is it?" Sometimes, he left a bag of poisonous snake centipedes as money for food and drinks: "Keep it well, we will come back to redeem it; you will be responsible for killing it!" The shop owner could only kowtow and beg them to take it away. How dare you ask for money for food and drinks? Shunzong had heard about these abuses of people and animals when he was the prince, and Wang Shuwen often mentioned them. Now that he is in power, he will be removed soon. 〔805.2〕First, the children of Wufang set up traps in the houses, and they were all violent in order to take people's money and things. Then there were those who set up nets at the gates to prevent people from entering or leaving, or placed traps on the wells to prevent them from draining. When he got close, he often said: "You are surprised to worship birds!" He beat him severely, offered money and things to thank him, and then left. Or they would get together to eat and drink in a drinking and drinking establishment, and then leave drunk and full. The seller might not know about it, so he would ask for it, and he would often be beaten. Sometimes he left a bag of the snake as pledge and said: "This snake was caught because it was causing birds to catch it. I will keep it for you now. Fortunately, you can feed it well so that it will not make you hungry or thirsty." The seller was ashamed to thank him and begged for mercy, so he took it with him. go. Everyone who was in charge of Dongguan knew its disadvantages, so he was the first to ban it after he ascended the throne.
During Dezong's reign, there was no amnesty for ten years. If a court official commits a minor offense, he will be demoted and sent to another place without promotion. Only now have the opportunity to be mobilized, such as Lu Zhi of Zhongzhou, Zheng Yuqing of Chenzhou, Han Gao, the governor of Hangzhou, and Yangcheng, the governor of Daozhou. They were all first-class figures in the court and the cream of the country. They were called to Beijing this time. Unfortunately, both Lu Zhi and Yang Cheng died of illness a few days before receiving the pardon letter. [805.3] At the end of Dezong, there was no pardon for ten years. Those who were punished and expelled by the officials for minor offenses were no longer used. Only then could they be moved. In Renshen (the third year of junior high school), he followed Lu Zhi in Zhongzhou and Zheng Yuqing in Chenzhou. Han Gao, the governor of Hangzhou, and Yangcheng, the governor of Daozhou, went to the capital. …Both Zhi and Yangcheng died without hearing the imperial edict.
This was a glorious period for political reformists.
Du You is a senior financial management official who serves as the salt and iron transfer envoy. In 805.3, Du Youdu branch and other salt and iron transfer envoys were added.
Wang Shuwen wanted to control the financial power and had to rely on Du You's In order to gain prestige, he became his deputy envoy, discussing with his colleagues day and night, ambitiously planning to further reforms. 805.3 Wang Shuwen was appointed as Duzhi and deputy envoy of salt and iron transportation. First, Shu Wen and his party conspired, and with the national endowment in hand, they could form alliances with servants, win the hearts of the soldiers, and consolidate their power. However, they were afraid of being suddenly overpowered, and people were dissatisfied. Du Youya had the reputation of being an accountant, and he had an important position. The task is to be self-sufficient and easy to control, so the first order is to bless the name of the master, and the self-removal is the deputy to specialize in it. Although Shuwen was sentenced to two envoys, he did not care about writing down books. He and his party were whispering day and night, and no one could predict what he would do.
Han Tai was also asked to control the Forbidden Army and be in charge of the affairs of the Shence Army. In 805.5 Xinwei (the third day of the Lunar New Year), Fan Xichao, the general of You Jinwu, was appointed as the left and right Shence envoy to the towns in the west of Beijing. In Jiaxu (the sixth day of the lunar month), Duzhi Langzhong Han Tai was his marching commander. Wang Shuwen knew that he was hated both internally and externally, and he wanted to seize the eunuch and military power to consolidate himself. He borrowed the name of the veteran general of the Xi Dynasty and used his name as his master, but in fact he was dedicated to his work. Human factors did not predict what he would do, which made him more suspicious and fearful.
After acquiring financial and military power, they thought they were sure of victory. Their minds were dim and they were quite majestic and domineering, which made them jealous of a large group of civil and military veterans. The eunuchs, in particular, hated this group of reformists and gnashed their teeth, wanting to chew them up and swallow them before giving in. These people quickly formed a gang and coaxed Shunzong's son Li Chun into his hands, forming a powerful opposition group. Among them are the eunuch leader Ju Wenzhen, veteran minister Jia Dan, Western Shu Jiedu envoy Wei Gao, Taichang Qing Du Huangshang, Jinwu general Yuan Zi and others. They are all extremely powerful figures. They collude and spy on each other in front of and behind the scenes. The time is right, waiting to make a move.
Wang Shuwen and others felt that the situation was critical, but their power was weak and they lacked strong backing. Once they lost the support of Shunzong, they would be nothing more than a group of "scholars" with no power to stand up to the veterans. A slap with a fist? Of course not!
The opposition spotted the weakness and tried their best to make plans for the emperor. At this time, Shunzong's condition worsened, and the ministers coaxed and forced him to pass the throne to his son, and they quickly achieved their goal. 805.3 The eunuchs Ju Wenzhen, Liu Guangqi, and Xue Yingzhen were all former envoys in the previous dynasty, and their cronies such as Ji Shuwen and Zhongyan were doing whatever they wanted. They then summoned Hanlin scholars Zheng Wei, Wei Cigong, Li Cheng, and Wang Ya to enter the Jinluan Palace and establish the prince system. . At that time, Niu Zhaorong thought that King Chun Yingrui of Guangling was disgusted. He refused to invite him again and presented a piece of paper with the words "Establishing a direct descendant to grow up". He nodded. On Guisi (24th day), Chun was made the crown prince and his name was changed to Chun.
On the day when Emperor Shunzong appointed Li Chun as the crown prince, all the senior ministers were so excited that their eyes filled with tears, but Wang Shuwen was so sad that he could not speak. He stood in the palace for a long time, only chanting softly. Du Fu's famous saying: "Death before leaving the army, always makes the hero burst into tears!" People who heard it laughed and cursed: "Hero? Are you a hero? Failure is doomed, heroes have no distinction!" 805.4 Yisi (On the sixth day of the lunar month), go to the Xuanzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace and register as the crown prince. When all the officials saw the prince's appearance, they all retreated and congratulated each other. Some even cried, which was a great joy at home and abroad. Wang Shuwen, however, had a unique look of worry and dared not speak, but he recited Du Fu's poem "Zhuge Liang's Ancestral Hall" and said: "He died before he left the army and made the hero burst into tears." Those who heard it laughed.
Wang Shuwen stood dumbly, his heart was bleeding, his good wish to reform the bad government was shattered, and maybe the butcher's knife would be put on his neck.
Then Wei Gao, a powerful figure, petitioned the emperor and demanded that Wang Shuwen and his party be punished. 805.6 Gao relied on his important ministers and was far away in Western Shu. King Du Shuwen could not be swayed, so he accused him of treachery. From Russia, the Jingnan Jiedushi envoy Pei Jun and the Hedong Jiedushi envoy Yan Shou Jianbiao followed. Their intentions were the same as those of Gao. Both China and foreign countries relied on them for support, but the evil party was frightened.
At this time, the Shence Army was instigated by the eunuchs and eunuchs and refused Han Tai's command, and their military power was suddenly lost. 805.6 Since Wang Shuwen used Fan Xichao and Han Tai to lead the army in the west of Beijing, the eunuchs have not yet settled down. The generals on the side of the meeting each addressed themselves to the lieutenant, and said that Fang Fang belonged to the Xi Dynasty. The eunuch first surrendered his troops and was seized by Shu Wen and others. He was furious and said: "If you follow his plan, my subordinates will die by his hands." He secretly ordered his emissaries to return to the generals and said: "No troops can belong to others." I hope that the dynasty will come. Fengtian, all generals will never come. Han Taichi returned to Bai Zhi, and his uncle had nothing to do with his plan, so he said: "What can I do! What can I do!"
Knowing that he had completely failed, Wang Shuwen immediately resigned from his official position and left the leadership position of the reform by visiting his mother who was ill. Wang Nian pretended to have a stroke and was carried home, never to come out again. 805.6 There are few, and his mother is very ill. On Bingchen, Shuwen brought wine and food to the Imperial Academy and drank with the bachelors, Li Zhongyan, Ju Wenzhen, Liu Guangqi and others. Shu Wenyan said: "Shu Wen's mother is ill. Because he is responsible for national affairs, he is not allowed to practice medicine. Now he will ask for leave to return to serve. Shu Wenbi tried his best and did not avoid danger, all for the favor of the court. Once he leaves and returns, he will be slandered a hundred times. Come on, who would be willing to help me with a word of advice?" Wen Zhen kept saying what he said, but Shu Wen couldn't get it right, but he persuaded her, and they drank for a while. On Ding Si (20th day), Shuwen abdicated because of his mother's death.
In August of this year, Prince Li Chun ascended the throne and became Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty. In August 805, Gengzi (the fourth day of the Lunar New Year), he ordered "the crown prince shall be the emperor, I shall be called the Supreme Emperor, and the imperial edict shall be called the imperial edict."
He immediately issued an edict: he demoted Wang Shuwen to be the chief minister of Yuzhou. Wang Gong was the Sima of Kaizhou. Soon, Wang Min died of illness in the place where he was demoted. The next year, Xianzong ordered Wang Shuwen to commit suicide. In 805 Renyin (the sixth day of the lunar month), Wang Gong was demoted to Kaizhou Sima, and Wang Shuwen was demoted to Yuzhou Sima. He died of illness and was demoted. Next year, Shuwen will be given death.
In September, Xianzong continued to pass on edicts; Han Tai was demoted to the governor of Fuzhou, Han Ye was the governor of Chizhou, Liu Zongyuan was the governor of Shaozhou, and Liu Yuxi was the governor of Lianzhou. In 805.9, Sima Han Tai, who was demoted to Shen Ce Marching Army, was appointed as the governor of Fuzhou, Han Ye, the minister's official, was appointed as the governor of Chizhou, Liu Zongyuan, a foreign minister of the Ministry of Rites, was appointed as the governor of Shaozhou, and Liu Yuxi, a foreign minister of the field camp, was appointed the governor of Lianzhou.
Two months later, the veterans were talking a lot: "This group of people disrupted the imperial court and still want to be governor. It's too cheap. We don't accept it!" Xianzong couldn't resist, changed the original decision, and increased the punishment. They were all asked to become state Sima, two levels lower than the governor. These people are what history refers to as the "Eight Sima" after the failure of the "Yongzhen Reform". In 805.11, the court discussed that Wang Shuwen's party might be promoted to the provincial governor, and that the derogation was too light. Ji Mao (13th), Han Tai was demoted to Qianzhou Sima, Han Ye was Raozhou Sima, Liu Zongyuan was Yongzhou Sima, Liu Yuxi was Langzhou Sima, Hezhong Shaoyin Chen Jian was demoted to Taizhou Sima, and Hezhou Governor Shi Ling Zhun was the Sima of Lianzhou, and Cheng Yi, the governor of Yuezhou, was the Sima of Chenzhou.
This is how the reformists collapsed. Political desolation makes people feel aggrieved, and grievances often inspire people. When there is injustice, it cries out and breaks out, expressed in poems and articles, which are the most touching. For example, the poems written by Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi when they came to the demolition office together, and the prose "Eight Notes of Yongzhou" written by Liu Zongyuan are the most brilliant works. A blessing in disguise, is it a blessing? Later generations have mostly forgotten the names of Tang Xianzong and the opposition, but they will always remember and recite those emotional poems!
①This song is found in "Old Book of Tang·Biography of Li Shi".