Han Shizu

Chapter 2171: Emperor Shizong Chapter 47: Fengshan
In the autumn of the fifteenth year of Jianlong (1032), Yanzhou Prefecture, Mount Tai.

As one of the most famous mountains in the empire, it has always been favored by the children of officials and literati. In the past few decades, countless talented people have come here to visit, and students from Qi and Lu often regard it as a holy place for study and research. Not only is it influenced by Qi and Lu culture, but also because of the great feat of Emperor Shizu: Fengshan.

Since the beginning of the 15th year of Jianlong, the Yanzhou government has closed the territory of Mount Tai, prohibiting logging and entry and exit. At the same time, the government has mobilized a large number of people to renovate the roads and buildings of Mount Tai.

There was a lot of noise, and all the actions were based on one thing: the emperor was going to perform the Fengshan ceremony! This matter had been brewing since the 12th year of Jianlong, when the Naiman bandit Liu Jin was beheaded. It was not until the 14th year, when there was no more war between the north and the south and the border was peaceful, that it was officially included in the court's discussion agenda. In the 15th year, it entered the implementation stage.

There was actually great controversy within the imperial court about Fengshan, which triggered a political earthquake. Shangshu Ling Han Chengjun was the first minister to express his opposition clearly and wrote a letter to advise against it.

Although the officials had many considerations in choosing words and sentences to avoid mentioning the name of the venerable, the meaning was obvious: his merits were not enough. After all, Emperor Shizu had so many merits that he was so cautious and attached great importance to the Fengshan ceremony, and did not set foot on Mount Tai until the eleventh year of Kaibao.

Emperor Taizong worked day and night for fourteen years, and made great efforts to govern the country. He was admired by the world for his literary and military virtues, but in the end he humbly declined the request of his ministers and did not take this step. You, Liu Wenji, have achieved so much that you want to surpass the emperor and be comparable to the emperor?
After all, although Liu Wenji had subjugated his colleagues and actually held the highest power in the empire, in the minds of many powerful people in the Han Dynasty, he was far from being comparable to Shizu and Taizong.

The Han Empire can be prosperous today because of the dedication of many wise men. The suppression of chaos in the south and bandits in the north are also the achievements of pillar generals such as Cao Wei and Dong Congyan and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Liu Wenji's intention of Fengshan not only broke through the psychological "bottom line" of the powerful and wealthy who held such ideas, but also squeezed their space from the perspective of practical political interests. Rather than defending the Dao and Emperor Taizu, the opponents rolled up their sleeves and fought against the emperor for the right to speak, and they could never get rid of the word "power".

As a result, there was no doubt that the emperor won a complete victory. Han Chengjun, the most "mediocre" prime minister in the history of the empire, lost his position and was demoted to the title of Shizhong before retiring.

At the same time, Han Chengjun was deposed along with a large number of nobles and bureaucrats. On the key issue of resisting the monarchy, it seems that there is room for cooperation between the noble group and the commoner group.
In fact, by the 17th year of Jianlong, Liu Wenji had been in power for years. At this stage, if he really wanted to accomplish something within the empire, as long as he put aside his concerns, there would be no one or force that could truly stop him.

What's more, the Fengshan ceremony was not something that the emperor could do alone. That was not Liu Wenji's style. He always planned carefully before taking action on anything, and he always had a group of "little brothers" leading the charge.

In the court, the three ministers Ding Wei, Wang Zeng and Cao Liyong were the ones who managed and pushed this matter for Liu Wenji. Among these three people, one was treacherous and capable, one had been the envoy of comfort for more than ten years and was good at flattering, and one was an old minister who followed the emperor and became the prime minister. Each of them had a group of followers and possessed special political influence, creating enough momentum.

With such a group of "loyal and capable officials" to manage the matter, Liu Wenji was able to save himself from many troubles. Finally, in an atmosphere where all officials requested him to do so and the people supported him, he declined the request three times and then issued an edict to enthronize him.

Accompanied by Zhao Jue, the prefect of Yanzhou, and his subordinates, the prime minister Ding Wei came in person to inspect the Taishan project and the preparations for the Fengshan ceremony. Ding Wei arrived first to pave the way for the emperor and confirm the ceremonial preparations. Ding Wei, who was nearly 70 years old, did this personally and respectfully, and his purpose was obviously not simple.

The Emperor's Fengshan was also an extremely important political speculation for Ding Wei, who had been in high office for many years. The fundamental reason why Ding Wei could swallow his pride, ignore criticism, and force public opinion to promote the Emperor's Fengshan was the temptation of the position of Shangshu Ling, the "Prime Minister" of the Empire. This was his last attempt to become a high-ranking official before he retired.

Perhaps because he followed a different "boss", Ding Wei's reputation among the political circles and literati in the Han Dynasty was not as bad as it was during the "Zhao Song Dynasty". He even always maintained the image of a capable official.

Ding Wei served in three dynasties. Except for the period of Emperor Kangzong, when he was despised for his flattering behavior, he was a typical young talent, a loyal official, and a pillar of the country.
Of course, Ding Wei was definitely not a traditional Confucian scholar-official. He also did a lot of things that were unconventional. While he was good at understanding people's minds, he was very narrow-minded and had a strong desire for revenge. During his tenure in Hubei, a subordinate named Zheng made a joke about Ding Wei's appearance while drunk. After Ding Wei found out, he was forced to lose his job, lose all his wealth, leave his hometown, and finally go abroad.
At that time, when Kou Zhun was the Minister of the Chancellery, Ding Wei was laughed at by him for "flattering" and he harbored a hidden resentment against him. He also fanned the flames when Kou Zhun was dismissed from his position as prime minister and even thought of demoting Kou Zhun directly to a commoner, but was rejected by Liu Wenji.

Forming cliques for personal gain was also something that Ding Wei was criticized for. His brothers and nephews all held official positions, not to mention his followers. For example, Zhao Jue of Yanzhou Prefecture was a disciple of Ding Wei, and was specially arranged by Ding Wei to be here to take charge of the preparations for the Fengshan ceremony. He even boldly encouraged him with the story of Zhang Qixian.

All his shortcomings and defects did not prevent Ding Wei from becoming a famous and capable minister in the Jianlong Dynasty. Over the past ten years, he had served as the Censor-in-Chief, Finance Minister, and Minister of Personnel in the court. In each of his positions, he had made substantial achievements and outstanding contributions. He was a very useful knife in Liu Wenji's hand, especially in the execution of government affairs and political struggles.

Especially in the five or six years after Kou Zhun was dismissed from his position as prime minister, he made rapid progress. In this process, he defeated Wang Qinruo and replaced him with Zhang Zhibai, and used the proposal of Fengshan to bring down Han Chengjun. Although the final decision-making power lay with the emperor, Ding Wei's maneuvering and fueling the flames did play a key role.

Now, Ding Wei was only one step away. In his opinion, as long as the Fengshan Ceremony went smoothly and was successful, he could ascend to the throne of Shangshu Ling. During the more than half a year since Han Chengjun was dismissed, the position of Shangshu Ling was vacant. This was the first time in decades that the power of the Political Affairs Hall was truly shared by the ministers, who took turns to lead.

Although Ding Wei was already nearly 70 years old, age was never a key issue for politicians, and power was always a panacea that could prolong life. Since he entered the government as a Jinshi in the Yongxi period, Ding Wei had been working in the political arena for nearly 40 years. Now that he had reached the final hurdle, how could he not give it another try?

It is worth mentioning that during the process of gradually developing into its complete form during the Jianlong era, the struggle among the high-ranking officials of the empire has always been fierce. Especially after Kou Zhun, the central government was even more divided into many factions and "heroes vying for supremacy."

Various power struggles and political wrestlings emerged one after another, and the contradictions were not limited to the "inherent" oppositions between the emperor and his subjects, the nobles and the commoners, and the north and the south. Take the struggle between Wang Qinruo and Ding Wei, for example. Both of them coveted the position of prime minister, and they also wanted to be the first commoner bureaucrat and become the minister most trusted by the emperor.

They both came from the south, but their backgrounds and experiences were typical of two different types. When they rose to the narrow political hall, the contradictions became more acute over power, fame and wealth, and they almost regarded each other as heretics. This may not be without the reason of the emperor's indulgence.

Wang Qinruo eventually fell from power. Although he was openly charged with crimes such as factionalism and malfeasance, the fundamental reason was that he had secretly colluded with eunuchs and spied on the inner court, which violated the emperor's taboos.

In the extremely complex political struggle environment of the Jianlong Dynasty, with the coming and going of people and the replacement of the old with the new, the originally clearly defined political struggle situation gradually became chaotic. The aristocratic group and the commoner group were intertwined and intertwined, and there were still many contradictions, but it was not uncommon for them to merge.

The greatest credit for the court's ability to maintain a relatively rational struggle and the political situation to remain stable for a long time should go to Emperor Liu Wenji, because of his mature and flexible political skills.

Although Liu Wenji cannot be compared with Shizu and Taizong, he was indeed the pillar of the empire during the Jianlong era. Many people are subconsciously dissatisfied with this emperor, but they rarely think about where the empire will go without this emperor and how they will deal with themselves.
The five-colored altar at the foot of the mountain has been restored to its former glory of sixty years ago. The steps in the mountain have been expanded and renovated again, like a street in heaven, leading directly to heaven.
Climbing up the stairs, Ding Wei and his party could not help but stop at the foot of the Dengfeng Altar. Sixty years of wind, frost, rain and dew have left the monument full of traces and accumulation of time. The heavy sense of history that is saturated with the glorious achievements of Emperor Taizu makes everyone feel as if a stone is pressing on their hearts.

Without much hesitation, Ding Wei took the lead in bowing to the monument of Emperor Taizu's merits. However, when he bowed, Ding Wei felt particularly heavy-hearted. When he looked at the small monument prepared for Liu Wenji beside the big monument, he even felt a little dazed.
It was an indescribable feeling, but it was the first time since Ding Wei had advocated and promoted Fengshan that he felt hesitant and uneasy. The change in Ding Wei's mood could not be hidden from others, but it was difficult for others to understand his intention. After the inspection, he simply praised Zhao Jue's performance and pointed out that the Fengshan ceremony had caused the people in Yanzhou to be exhausted and that he should pay attention to it. The imperial carriage was coming and he should not cause any unpleasant scenes. No one could afford to ruin the Fengshan ceremony.

Not long after staying at Huiguan Inn, Ding Wei fell ill. The illness came suddenly, causing him to be unable to participate in the Fengshan Ceremony, and he also lost the position of Shangshu Ling that was within his grasp.

Liu Wenji originally intended to let Ding Wei serve as prime minister for a few years, but due to his poor health, there was nothing he could do. In the end, Chen Yaozuo, who was the Shangshu Pushe at the time, took advantage of the situation. Cao Liyong was promoted to Minister of War, Wang Zeng was appointed Minister of Works, and Zhang Jian succeeded Ding Wei as Minister of Personnel.

Of course, Liu Wenji did not treat Ding Wei unfairly. He appointed him as Shangshu Pushe and allowed him to continue to serve as "deputy prime minister". He also gave him the title of Sikong, which made him still the highest position among the ministers. However, judging from the results, Ding Wei was quite hit.

On September 23rd of the 15th year of Jianlong's reign, Liu Wenji of the Han Empire performed Fengshan at Mount Tai at the age of 57.

(End of this chapter)