bdsm-fiction Chapter 38 Debate
Chapter 38 Debate
The official disregarded the influence of the characters and began to read the article.
The more the emperor read, the wider his smile grew. Finally, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Well written!"
Wang You's article truly touched his heart.
Although no one criticized or accused him about this matter after the new law was suspended.
But the official always felt that other people were looking at him strangely.
Does the Emperor not know that bestowing the posthumous title of Wenzheng upon Lord Fan is a form of self-negation?
On the one hand, it stemmed from guilt, and on the other hand, it was because of Fan Da Xiang Gong's reputation.
Moreover, by not granting Fan Da Xiang Gong a posthumous title, he can shift all the blame onto Fan Da Xiang Gong.
That's not realistic.
On the contrary, some people might think that this is a deliberate attempt to suppress him.
Giving Fan Daxiang the posthumous title of Wenzheng, although somewhat disadvantageous to him, demonstrates his magnanimity.
Therefore, after careful consideration, he insisted on giving Fan Da Xiang Gong the posthumous title of Wen Zheng, despite the opposition of his ministers.
But it's impossible to say that the government doesn't care at all.
It can only be said that it was a choice made by the government out of desperation.
However, Wang You listed some ancient reforms in his article and then compared them with the Qingli New Policies.
It neither negated the reform nor failed to emphasize the difficulties of the reform.
It is said that the government's decision to halt the reform was not a bad thing; even if it had continued, it would likely have yielded no results and would have only exacerbated the conflict.
Although this article was written to curry favor with the officials, this is the only point in the entire article that reflects Wang You's true thoughts.
Even if the Qingli New Policies were forcibly implemented, they would not yield good results.
There are countless examples of reforms throughout history. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, various states also implemented reforms to strengthen themselves.
But the only truly successful example is Shang Yang's reforms in the Qin state.
While the Warring States period was a time of division, unified dynasties also implemented reforms.
The most famous of these was the reforms during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
However, with the exception of a few that were retained, most of the policies were abolished.
The ancients only thought about resolving contradictions through reform, but failed to grasp the essence of reform.
The emperor was unaware of Wang You's thoughts, but that did not prevent him from acknowledging Wang You's views.
Since persisting with the reforms would not yield good results, his decision to halt them was a wise one.
However, this viewpoint needs to be seen and accepted by more people.
In addition, Liang An suggested addressing long-standing problems step by step, rather than solving all the problems at once, which the emperor greatly appreciated.
Even if the effect is diminished during implementation, it still has some effect.
It won't face the same level of resistance as the reforms, which encountered significant obstacles from the very beginning.
Thinking of this, the Emperor issued an order: "Summon Minister Wen, Minister Fu, Minister Ouyang, and others to an audience."
"Yes."
Eunuch Li responded and quickly went to make the arrangements.
……
The Secretariat, the Hall of Governance.
The Song Dynasty implemented a system of multiple prime ministers, and the Secretariat was the office of the prime minister and his assistants.
The Zhizheng Hall was where the prime ministers worked.
It was already evening, and it was almost time to finish my shift.
All the officials, both ministers and assistants, had finished their official duties for the day and were preparing to leave.
Some close friends would get together for a few drinks after their shifts, creating a very relaxed atmosphere.
This relaxed atmosphere was not unique to the Ministry of Personnel; it was the same throughout the entire Song Dynasty bureaucracy.
In the Song Dynasty, the civil officials held absolute power, and with no external threats, internal power struggles among them had been going on for a long time.
The so-called reformers and conservatives are merely targeting the reform movement.
The reformists were alright, since they were few in number. But the conservatives were different; they made up the majority of the court, so it was impossible for them to be harmonious.
When Fan Da Xiangong and others were demoted, they fought fiercely for the vacant positions.
The fact that Fu Xiangong and others were able to return to the central government was largely due to their incompatibility.
Some people felt they shouldn't be allowed to return, while others felt they were no longer a threat and their return wouldn't be a problem.
Just then, a palace attendant arrived at the Ministry of Personnel to convey the Emperor's decree, summoning Minister Wen and Minister Fu to an audience.
The other officials in the Ministry of Personnel were somewhat puzzled. The palace gates were about to close, so why was the Emperor summoning Minister Wen and the others? Could it be that something serious had happened?
There was no news at all, and their discussion yielded no results.
However, when he finished his shift and talked with officials from other departments, he learned that the emperor had not only summoned Minister Wen and Minister Fu, but also other officials and scholars from the Hanlin Academy.
These people all had one thing in common: they either supported the reform or neither supported nor opposed it.
This has made many officials uneasy. Is the government preparing to implement reforms again?
……
When Wen and Fu arrived at the Longtu Pavilion, the Emperor did not say anything after they paid their respects. He simply offered them seats and told them to wait.
Soon, other officials arrived one after another. After everyone had arrived, the Emperor said, "Today is the prodigy examination. I saw an article that I thought was very well written, so I have summoned all of you to take a look together."
Everyone present was somewhat skeptical of this suggestion, considering that everyone there was a person of both virtue and talent.
No matter how prodigious a child prodigy may be, their age and experience limit their ability to produce truly outstanding writing.
After the emperor finished speaking, he instructed Eunuch Li to circulate Wang You's answer sheet to everyone.
After reading it, Wen Xiangong, Fu Xiangong, and the others merely frowned slightly in thought, without uttering a word.
"What do you all think of the viewpoints presented in this article?" the Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, the article suggests that the court's long-standing problems should be addressed one by one. At first glance, this seems reasonable, but upon closer examination, it is unrealistic."
Fu Xianggong openly stated, "As the saying goes, 'pulling one hair affects the whole body,' all the various systems of the imperial court are intricately connected. Changing only one point will more or less cause problems in the other systems."
When Fu Xianggong spoke up, the other reformers echoed his agreement.
Wen Xiangong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this method is excellent."
Reform is a major undertaking, and addressing the problems directly is the best approach.
Several years ago, I submitted a memorial requesting the reduction of part of the army. The court's military expenditure has exceeded 60%, which is unprecedented in history.
The army has a large number of elderly soldiers, which not only affects the army's combat effectiveness but also increases the burden on the imperial court. Removing the elderly soldiers would save the imperial court money and strengthen the army's combat power.
Before becoming prime minister, Wen Xiangong not only served as deputy privy councilor, but also led troops to quell a rebellion.
He was very knowledgeable about the military situation and once submitted a memorial requesting the reduction of the number of elderly and weak soldiers in the army.
However, due to obstruction from many people and resettlement issues, the attempt was unsuccessful.
He neither supported nor opposed the reforms, but he strongly agreed with the disarmament.
"If the military is downsized, how will they be resettled?"
Fu Xiangong retorted: "The army has the largest expenditure, and reducing the number of soldiers can indeed effectively alleviate the pressure on the court."
However, the imperial court had no land to distribute to the dismissed soldiers. These soldiers had no way to make a living and were bound to cause trouble in the region.
As I said before, addressing the root cause while focusing on a single issue is a good strategy, but the court's systems are intricately interconnected, and solving only one aspect without addressing the others is simply unrealistic.