Han Shizu

Chapter 2120 Kangzong Chapter 11 The Era of Co-Government

As for whether Emperor Liu Wenpeng can make changes, this is inevitable. After all, he has taken power personally and can finally do some things he wants to do.

However, before that, Liu Wenpeng needed to find someone to take over the position of Shangshu Ling, which made Liu Wenpeng very nervous.

According to Liu Wenpeng's temperament, he originally thought of simply abolishing the post of Shangshu Ling, because he found that the power of the "Prime Minister" of the Han Empire was a bit too restrictive on him as the emperor.

Of course, this kind of idea is just an idea. Just think about it. Liu Wenpeng really doesn't dare to make such a big move as abolishing the prime minister. This may involve the issue of "ancestral system", which to a certain extent is much more serious than suppressing and ostracizing the prime minister.

When a prime minister falls, there will always be someone to replace him. Everyone has to thank the emperor for giving him the opportunity. If he directly ruins his job, then don't blame the ministers for fighting according to the methods of their ancestors.

The affairs of the Han Empire, by the fourth generation of emperors, were obviously no longer decided by the emperor alone. Liu Wenpeng's ability to take charge of the government can only prove that he took the initiative in controlling the power of the empire. He was a world away from Taizong, let alone Shizu.

Even without discussing these, the empire's prime minister system was first continued from Shizu, and the central leadership position of Shangshu Ling under this system was completely determined as early as when Zhao Pu paid homage to the prime minister for the second time, and the will of Shizu was also implemented.

Taizong did not dare to change the things set by the ancestors, let alone you, Liu Wenpeng? Regardless of the fact that Emperor Taizong carried out many reforms during his fourteen years in office, this resulted in many obvious changes in the empire's appearance during the Yongxi era compared to the Kaibao period.

But in fact, what Emperor Taizong really did was to correct and improve the government and system of the ancestors. There were many changes, but there were even more enhancements. All changes were made without departing from the sect, the most basic thing of the empire. It was still Shizu's way. What Emperor Taizong really did was to carry forward the past and open up the future.

And things that have lasted for decades cannot be easily changed by Liu Wenpeng, a young emperor who has only been on the throne for four years.

To be fair, it was not too difficult for Emperor Liu Wenpeng to drive away Liu Yan, Zhang Qixian, Lu Mengzheng and other ministers, or even exclude all Yongxi ministers from the central government.

What is really difficult is to truly and thoroughly master this empire and this mature social management system, and to settle the invisible conflicts and struggles. If he can do this, then Liu Wenpeng will be qualified to touch the system, rules and so on. Something fundamental.

In this entire imperial system constructed by Emperor Shizu, the emperor could theoretically have unlimited power, but this power did not include modifications to the "ancestral system."

Emperor Taizong was able to touch him a little, which was supported by the strong strength and great prestige accumulated by the prince for more than thirty years, and he had been in charge for many years. Even so, he was cautious, walking on thin ice, and even openly sang "Emperor and Han Clan Law" "Flags and slogans.

If Taizong is like this, let alone Liu Wenpeng. Without the authority of Shizu and Taizong, if you want to exercise their power, problems will inevitably arise. If one dares to change the patriarchal law, especially the patriarchal law that involves the fundamental interests of the powerful, it is conceivable that there will be a large number of people holding high the ancestral law to fight with the emperor.

Once such a situation is formed, Liu Wenpeng will not have much power to draw on. Those nobles and important ministers who have been on his side before may become his opponents. Even those "imperialists" who are lucky enough to advance may not I won't have any doubts. After all, such people are far more keen and smart than ordinary people in seeing opportunities.

Liu Wenpeng, who had first assumed power, was naturally very proud and arrogant. However, he may not be able to see the clues and key points, but the people around him are not all stupid, such as the old slaves of the three dynasties, Liu Gui of the Shaofu, and the newly promoted Minister of Zhongshu and Prime Minister Wang Qinruo. After the emperor revealed After deposing the prime minister's intention, everyone's expressions changed with shock, and they tried their best to dissuade him and made powerful statements.

Especially Wang Qinruo, although he supports the abolition of the "prime minister" power of Shangshu Ling from the bottom of his heart. After all, his qualifications as a new prime minister are weak and it is difficult for him to gain a foothold in the political hall. That is good for him. However, Wang Qinruo, who wanted to take a long-term view, obviously did not dare to give the emperor any ideas that would offend the public.

In addition to Liu Gui and Wang Qinruo, even the imperial envoy Wang Yue and the military envoy Lin Te also offered advice or warning to Liu Wenpeng.

Seeing that these cronies or "heroes" around him all expressed relatively consistent views, the young emperor Liu Wenpeng couldn't help but murmur. Of course, if Liu Wenpeng's willfulness breaks out, these people cannot persuade him.

What really prevented Liu Wenpeng from "taking off" were the two great mountains of Shizu and Taizong. The power of the ancestors' laws in the current era is difficult for unreasonable people to understand. Each of the articles that gave Shizu his will was Rules are a constraint for everyone, including the emperor.

This is also the most effective restriction on the emperor by the ruling classes of the empire. How can everyone not hold such a high banner high and defend it with all their strength?

And Liu Wenpeng, after all, caught up with Shizu in his later years. Although it was short-lived, he had a real and intimate experience of Shizu under the afterglow, how majestic or terrifying he was, and he grew up in the "shadow" of Taizong.

Perhaps Liu Wenpeng didn't respect Master Tiandi that much, but he always had a sense of awe for the two generations of late emperors.

You can't change the system, you still have to follow the rules in the end. A single imperial envoy can stir up excitement in the whole court and make various factions fight, let alone the position of Shangshu Ling, the prime minister of the empire.

There was a bloody fight within the imperial court, and basically all the major factions came to an end. Many people whom Liu Wenpeng didn't even have much of an impression of were recommended to him, such as the Hedong transfer envoy Chai Zongjie, who was the youngest son of the British Gong Chai Rong. Gao Churang, the chief envoy of Guannai Road, is the third son of Anguo Gong Gao Huaide; Zhao Yu, the southwest inspection envoy, is the second son of the late Shaanxi Gong Zhao Yanjin. Both of them are the founding fathers and meritorious officials.

It is worth mentioning that there has been a trend in the inheritance of the nobles and nobles of the Han Empire. Among the second-generation successors, there are still some outstanding talents who can hold important positions in the court, enjoy real power, and continue to consolidate and extend the achievements and influence created by their fathers.

It can be said that there have been a lot of similar figures in the past few decades, and many of them have indeed become the mainstay of the empire, including many ministers and generals who have closed borders, including Zhao Kuangyi. In the third generation, the situation gradually changed. Those who inherited the title basically only held false positions in the court and did not hold real power. Those who worked hard on behalf of the family to continue to maintain and enhance their authority and influence were those who did not. The descendants of the right of inheritance.

This trend was already reflected in the later period of Shizu Kaibao, and by the time of Taizong, it was already very common. This was not necessarily without the promotion of the two generations of emperors. While preserving the blessings of the descendants of nobles, it also caused certain divisions among the major families.

This move greatly guaranteed the fundamental interests of the major noble families, and also enabled the nobles to always occupy a relatively important interest in the political ecology of the empire, even with various management, restriction, and restriction policies and measures of the two generations of Shizu and Taizong. , but their influence on the empire is actually increasing instead of decreasing.

By the time of Liu Wenpeng's prosperity, the nobles not only maintained an absolute say within the military system, but also within the civil service system, they also conquered cities and occupied many important positions. Liu Wenpeng was caught off guard for the "candidates" who suddenly appeared one after another.

As for the position of minister within the imperial court, each one used different means. The situation was so complicated that even the political affairs hall was unable to organize a court meeting to elect the minister, because Li Hang, the envoy of finance, Liu Jichang, the minister of the Ministry of official affairs, and the minister of the war ministry reported to Deming. They are strong competitors for Shangshu Ling, and they are all elected by the political factions they represent.

Even Yang Yanzhao, the consort and commander-in-chief, was favored by others, but Yang Yanzhao decisively refused and even took the initiative to suppress the voices of those "enthusiasts".

A large number of previous cases have proven that Liu Wenpeng lacks both the ability to control and the ability to deal with such complicated situations.

Therefore, Liu Wenpeng, who was extremely troubled, made a decision that was full of his personality and not surprising after careful consideration. On September 26, the fourth year of Pingkang, he issued an edict to appoint Wang Dan, the bachelor of the cabinet and As a minister, he is the Prime Minister of the government.

In fact, from Liu Wenpeng's perspective, basically none of the candidates recommended by internal and external ministers would be recognized. The first thing to be eliminated is the two military and political systems of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War. It was impossible for the chief of the second government office to become the "prime minister" in the Taipei era.

Next is Li Hang. He is both a veteran of three dynasties and an assistant minister appointed by Emperor Taizong. Liu Wenpeng finally managed to get rid of Liu Ai and Zhang Qixian. How could he make himself uncomfortable again without bringing Li Hang along with him? By being kicked out of the court, he showed restraint.

The same is true for Liu Jichang, the official secretary. After all, he is also the son of Liu Chengyun, the late king of Xu Jian. After the clan, Liu Wenpeng has to be called imperial uncle in terms of seniority. It took a lot of effort and effort to drive Liu Ming to Nanhai Fengguo. How could it be possible to bring Liu Jichang up again?

As for other people's considerations, it's even simpler. He's not familiar with it.

After much deliberation, Wang Dan was the right choice. First of all, he is a veteran of three dynasties. He is in his early fifties, and his age, qualifications, ability, and reputation are all sufficient. Secondly, he can be regarded as a noble queen. After all, his father Wang You is one of the "Twenty-Four Officials of Kaibao". Even if he is a The water-filled list is also a group of top talents in this huge empire in the past thirty years.

Third and most importantly, when Emperor Taizong established the crown prince, he actually found three teachers for Liu Wenpeng. The prince's tutor, King Zhao Liu Fang, was getting old, and he was forced to take the initiative to build a hut in Mang Mountain to guard the mausoleum; the prince's young prince, Wang Yucheng, has passed away, and Liu Wenpeng still carries a bad reputation for being unfair to his master; the remaining one, It’s Wang Dan, the prince’s guest.

With so many suitable places, it is not surprising that Liu Wenpeng chose Wang Dan, and the reasons for promoting him to Shangshuling are also ready. The "Taizong Records" supervised by him has finally been completed. This is a big project , is also a great merit.

In addition to Wang Dan, Liu Wenpeng also promoted Murong Dechen, the inspection envoy to Huguang, to the central government and served as Minister Zuocheng, worshiping the prime minister. This move naturally pleased Empress Dowager Murong, and the relationship between mother and son returned to its original state. In fact, since Liu Wenpeng drove King Lu Liu Ai out of the center, the relationship between mother and son had already begun to reconcile.

By the winter of the fourth year of Pingkang, the new core leadership group of the Han Empire was formed: Wang Dan, the Minister of Finance, Li Hang, the Minister of Finance, Liu Jichang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Xiang Minzhong, the Governor of the Imperial Guard, Li Jilong, the Privy Councilor, Xiang Deming, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and The ministers Zuocheng Murong Dechen, Shangshu Youcheng Kou Zhun, as well as the Minister of Punishment Xu Shilian and the newly promoted Minister of Zhongshu Wang Qinruo.

Compared with the early years of Pingkang, the situation has undergone earth-shaking changes. At least the kind of characters who can barely subdue the ministers and lead the overall situation (King Zhao Liu Fang, King Lu Liu Ai, Shangshu Ling Zhang Qixian) no longer exist.

The imperial center also initially formed a leadership group with Emperor Liu Wenpeng as the core, and the Han Empire also began to enter an era of co-governance. This so-called "era of co-governance" was also started by Emperor Liu Wenpeng himself.

The young emperor Liu Wenpeng, who had just taken power for the first time, showed an unexpected performance of diligence. He took charge of national affairs personally, organized meetings, received ministers, personally reviewed memorials, and handled major military and national affairs. He enjoyed the experience of guiding the country and the country. The scenery and hard work of taking care of everything.

During this process, Liu Wenpeng handled some things well. Chen Zhi, the Minister of Rites, and Wen Zhongshu, the Xuanwei envoy, both passed away, and he issued edicts to express condolences; He was executed by him in order to rectify the country's laws. The famine-stricken prefectures and counties in the pass also issued edicts to provide relief, sympathize with the suffering, and exempted them from taxes.

To be fair, Liu Wenpeng's performance for such a period of time was quite satisfactory, with a lot less impetuousness and humanity. Although he did not conquer the hearts of many ministers, at least people had a lot of change in their perception of him.

The emperor has grown older, has taken charge of the government, and has matured in his behavior. So many of his unpopular behaviors before taking charge of the throne seem to be understandable and worthy of forgiveness. To the emperor, the superiors and subordinates always showed more tolerance.

It can be said that the more than half a year from the autumn and winter of the fourth year of Pingkang to the summer of the fifth year was the most stable period for the upper class of the Han Empire since entering the Pingkang era.

However, such a period of time was too short, so short that people almost thought it was an illusion. Well, the reason lies with Emperor Liu Wenpeng, who neglected his political affairs.

Liu Wenpeng finally discovered that the days after he had worked hard to drive away the emperor's uncle, defeat his ministers, and gain power were not as good as before for him.

It is difficult to be a wise king, and it is even harder for a diligent wise king. However, Liu Wenpeng's "career of a wise king" actually only existed for less than half a year. He was tired of the overwhelming, endless and endless government affairs.

Compared with dealing with those "trivial" things all day long, Liu Wenpeng prefers riding horses, hunting, playing chess, and even singing and dancing. Even if he hangs out with the concubines in the harem, it is better than staying in the Chui Gong Hall, facing the dry winter and aging. It is much more interesting to hear them argue about state affairs and listen to them nagging and dealing with one after another mundane matters that cannot be dealt with at all.

As a result, Liu Wenpeng gradually relaxed and often showed boredom and fatigue during government meetings or when the monarch and his ministers were asking questions. Later, he simply "returned" state affairs to the political hall and let Wang Dan and others watch and handle them. Only when a resolution cannot be reached, and when there are matters at stake involving important appointments in the army or the court, sacrifices, conquests, etc., do you need to ask for his instructions.

The rest of the time, the prime ministers can make decisions together. Of course, Liu Wenpeng will check in from time to time to show his presence. Even this point is slowly giving up as time goes by.

Because he found that many prime ministers had no intention of "dealing with" him, and they had many conflicts with each other and fought happily. He often needed to be the arbiter, which did not threaten his throne. At the same time, with the presence of the Imperial City and Wude Divisions, he can also keep abreast of the situation in the DPRK at any time. As an emperor, he is as stable as Mount Tai.

After getting rid of the heavy state affairs, Liu Wenpeng finally had time to do the things he really liked, such as hunting four times a year, playing "human chess" with Jia Xuan and other state servants, playing war games in the palace, and holding various "hi Party until dawn, wandering around the streets of Xijing in search of novelties

(End of this chapter)