Five hundred and sixty-two chapters Xining two years
The second year of Xining.
Last year was an eventful year. First there were earthquakes in the capital and Heshuo, and then there was a lack of snow in winter.
After the officials personally went to the suburban temple to pray for snow, it snowed just before the Chinese New Year.
Sima Guang drove back to his house from Chongwen Hall.
He had just returned to Beijing not long ago, and had been assigned by the government to regulate the river.
Last year the Yellow River burst and overflowed in Hebei.
The Du Water Supervision Bureau and the Hebei Transshipment Department had a quarrel about river management. Both sides insisted on their own opinions. Later, the internal suggestions of the Du Water Supervision Bureau were not unanimous. Officials asked Sima Guang to inspect the Yellow River and deal with the matter.
When Sima Guang said goodbye to the officials, he knew that the officials had decided to use Wang Anshi as a political advisor. When Zhang Yue was waiting to be controlled, he knew that the officials had made up their mind to carry out reforms.
Sima Guang had read all the history books and had already foreseen what was waiting for him in the future.
His political views were not in line with the official family, and he would definitely be politically frustrated in the future. Rather than being criticized by the government, it would be better to go back. So before going to regulate the river, Sima Guang took the initiative to propose to the official family that he leave Beijing and serve as an official in his hometown of Shanxi.
The officials did not agree.
This time when Sima Guang returned to the capital, he once again asked the officials to invite the county.
The officials still did not agree. They said that when Lu Gong was on a mission to Liao, Sima Guang had just dismissed the post of censor Zhongcheng. Everyone in the Liao country was very puzzled. They thought why Sima Guang, a minister with such kindness and talent, did not take up the post. Censor Zhongcheng.
The officials tried to persuade Sima Guang, "You are well-known abroad, so how can you go abroad?"
Sima Guang also disagreed and insisted on asking the county.
Now when Sima Guang returned to his house, he heard from his subordinates that the emperor was waiting to see the seal of Tianzhang Pavilion.
Sima Guang walked to the door and saw Zhang Yue taking off his boots, wiping them and chatting with an old servant at home. It turned out that Zhang Yue had just entered Sima Guang's house when his horse's hooves fell into a snow puddle and his boots were stained with slush.
"Chapter to be made!"
When Zhang Yue saw Sima Guang, he quickly stood up and saluted.
Although the two people are now considered to have "different paths and do not work together," Zhang Yue still admires Sima Guang's character and knowledge privately.
Sima Guang also knew that he admired Zhang Yueben very much, but he knew that on the day when Zhang Yue was to be promoted, he wore narrow-sleeved boots and went to see the officials, hoping that the officials would imitate King Zhao Wuling and start reforming state affairs by changing customs.
The two have completely parted ways.
Sima Guang sighed: "I haven't been to my residence for a long time. Is this a private matter or a business matter?"
Zhang Yue felt a little ashamed after hearing what Sima Guang said and said: "I came here at the request of the official."
Sima Guang glanced at Zhang Yue and nodded, "It's really business, otherwise Zhang Daizhi wouldn't have come to visit."
Sima Guang and Zhang Yue both felt a little regretful. They were both people they admired, but in the end they drifted further and further away.
The two sat down, and the old servant served them tea sets.
Sima Guang personally brought the tea soup to Zhang Yue and said: "At first I asked Zhang Daizhi to follow me to practice Zizhi Tongjian, but you didn't agree. Now if you let Daizhi do it, you can't go back."
Zhang Yue held up the tea soup and said: "The compilation of history and books will be famous throughout the ages. It is Zhang's lifelong ambition, but it is a pity that now is not the time."
Sima Guang laughed and said: "If you don't practice it now, I'm afraid there will be no chance in the future."
Zhang Yue said sternly: "Zhang is not joking. When Zhang retires, he is willing to serve as an in-house manufacturer to grind ink and lay paper. Please don't despise Zhang for being slow and clumsy."
Sima Guang nodded solemnly after hearing what Zhang Yue said.
Zhang Yue said at this time: "Your Majesty asked me to retain the internal control."
Zhang Yue's words had already been expected by Sima Guang. Sima Guang said: "As a matter of fact, I came up with a poem when I went to Hebei to inspect the river construction road. I looked at Wang Jisi as calm as the earth and the sky.
Only then did I realize that taking risks is not as good as virtue, and it has been a hundred years since I evened out my victory."
Zhang Yue tried to figure out the meaning of the poem. It was Wu Qi who said that virtue is not dangerous.
But during the Song Dynasty, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin felt that Bianliang was connected in all directions and could not be defended, so he planned to move the capital to Luoyang.
At that time, Zhao Guangyi, the later Emperor Taizong, objected and used the phrase "morality is not dangerous".
Zhao Kuangyin gave up moving the capital because of these words.
This is what Sima Guang's poem talks about. From Wangji Bianjing, you can see a flat plain in all directions, and the earth is like a square car and the sky is a cover.
Only now do I understand the meaning of Taizong's saying that virtue is not dangerous. I have relied on this saying for hundreds of years since the founding of the Song Dynasty.
Of course, politicians do not compose poems casually; they all contain ambitions and express political intentions.
When Sima Guang went to inspect the Yellow River, he and Wang Anshi had just finished quarreling over the financial management of Yanhe Hall. Afterwards, Zhang Yue proposed another quarrel among officials with more than two systems. In the end, Sima Guang of course lost.
Even the officials helped Wang Anshi.
Sima Guang's poem reiterates that morality is not dangerous, which means that the system of our ancestors has been running well for hundreds of years. Why do the officials and Wang Anshi have to change it?
The first priority is to govern the country with benevolence. As for dangers and the failure of the people to provide adequate resources for the country, it is all art, not Tao.
Is it okay to abandon the Tao and seek skills?
Zhang Yue said to Sima Guang: "Internal control and benevolence are the techniques of Confucianism. Apart from the two words benevolence, is there anything else in the way of the ancient kings?"
Sima Guang looked at Zhang Yue and asked, "Is benevolence still benevolence when it is mixed with other things?"
Zhang Yue learned Sima Guang's eloquence on the spot, so he asked: "Then how does the internal system view Dong Zi (Dong Zhongshu) and Yang Zi (Yang Xiong)?"
"Are they Confucians?"
"Dong Zi introduced law into Confucianism, Yang Xiong introduced Taoism into Confucianism, and the metaphysics of the Wei and Jin Dynasties introduced Lao Zhuang into Confucianism."
"I heard that Zhou Lianxi (Zhou Dunyi) of Guangnan West Road Prison and his student Cheng Zhengshu (Cheng Yi) were mentioned. They paid attention to the study of life and life. In the past, we Confucian scholars could not even think of it. I think there will be people in the future.
It’s not surprising that Buddhism was introduced into Confucianism.”
"Benevolence and virtue can be the way, which cannot be changed, but the art can be changed!"
Zhang Yue talked about it, but Sima Guang did not agree with Zhang Yue's statement.
Zhang Yue had no intention of convincing Sima Guang, this was not something that humans could do.
He continued: "The imperial court has already approved the treaty-building strategy advocated by Internal Control during its inspection of the river works. Does Internal Control know who promoted this matter?"
Sima Guang suggested building a T-shaped dam on the river to gradually reduce the flow of the north-flowing Yellow River, allowing the north-flowing Yellow River to slowly self-silt up, and at the same time increase the flow to the east.
"This case was exactly what Wang Jiefu strongly supported in front of the imperial court."
Sima Guang did not expect that Wang Anshi supported it.
Sima Guang thought that maybe Wang Anshi would use this method to retain him after he learned about his invitation to the county.
Jiefu has always been a conceited person, so he came to this tactfully.
Sima Guang thought of this and felt a little happy in his heart: "The reason why I invited the county is to complete the decades-old friendship with Jiefu, not for anything else!"
Zhang Yue heard that Sima Guang also wanted to make amends with Wang Anshi. Before the two of them really broke up, Sima Guang said that I would take a step back on my own initiative. We will still have friendship when we meet in the future.
It was a pity that Zhang Yue heard that the one who really prevented you, Sima Guang, from leaving was not Wang Anshi, but the officials! This was the reason why I came to see you this time.
Zhang Yue said: "Not only the internal system of the king, but also when the officials mentioned the internal system, they also said that when Ji An was in the court, the King of Huainan did not dare to rebel."
Sima Guang asked: "Who is the King of Huainan in the court now?"
This sentence about the King of Huainan is of course very broad, it could be Han Qi, it could be Wang Anshi, or even someone else.
At this time, Zhang Yue flattered him and said: "Without internal control in the court, I don't know how many people in the world will become the king of Huainan."
Zhang Yue's words are not an exaggeration. He has only been in charge of the official family for two years, and with Han Qi and other ministers leaving, his position is not yet so stable, and a real team has not yet been cultivated. With Sima Guang's current prestige in the government, it is possible
The mainstay among them.
But Sima Guang said: "I don't think this is a way to confuse different opinions?"
Zhang Yue felt a shiver in his heart. Sima Guang was a smart man. He knew clearly that the government did not intend to use him to promote political ideas, so why did he retain him?
Sima Guang guessed that staying in the court would make Wang Anshi, who was about to be appointed as a political advisor, have some scruples.
This is the policy of confusing different opinions that has been pursued since Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty.
In fact, Wang Anshi wants to implement a reform, which is unprecedented in this dynasty. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is crossing the river by feeling for the stones. Except for Wang Anshi, I am afraid that no one in the world, including the officials, has any confidence in this reform.
The official family needs you, Sima Guang, to stay in the court as a tool.
This guess is also possible.
In fact, Sima Guang didn't want to be disgusting. He knew that he was not welcome by the officials, so he wanted to take the first step. If he couldn't offend me, why couldn't he hide? Sima Guang asked the officials for three consecutive times.
Is that okay?
But the officials, who were about to use Wang Anshi to carry out reforms, had to send Zhang Yue to persuade Sima Guang to stay.
Zhang Yue thought to himself, if he said this, wouldn't he offend the official family?
Zhang Yue immediately said: "The internal system is the elder who decides the policy. In the Pu discussion, he also advocated the theory of imperial examination, which has the effect of bringing order to the chaos. When he was in the admonishment court, he was an outspoken minister, ranging from the emperor's relatives to the subordinates.
As far as the officials in the border areas are concerned, they are all outspoken and dare to criticize."
"Now that the national policy is undecided, we need to rely on the knowledge and talent of internal control. The most important thing is that internal control should not be party-oriented and be honest and honest. When it comes to stubbornness, no one in the world can match internal control except Wang Jiefu."
Sima Guang glanced at Zhang Yue and said, "Do you really understand me?"
Zhang Yue said: "I dare not say that I understand, but I know that both the late emperor and the current emperor know that internal control is the pillar of the country. Nowadays, the court cannot do without internal control."
What was the reason why the officials were reluctant to leave Sima Guang?
The emperor also spoke very vaguely, and the truths he could tell were often not true.
Finally, Zhang Yue implored: "I hope the internal system will be preserved for the sake of the country."
Sima Guang glanced at Zhang Yue and finally nodded slowly.
He looked up at the birds resting in the courtyard from inside the house, but now he was trapped in Bianjing. He wanted to leave but couldn't.
Seeing that Sima Guang agreed, Zhang Yue breathed a sigh of relief and could go back to communicate with the emperor.
In February of the second year of Xining, Wang Anshi paid a visit to the magistrate to participate in political affairs.
Wang Anshi made drastic changes when he took office.
In the same month, Wang Anshi asked for the establishment of the "Regulations Department of the Three Departments", which would be superior to the three departments.
These three departments of regulations were originally prepared by the officials for Sima Guang. When he came to the throne, he planned to let Sima Guang set up a team to abolish state affairs. Now they are used by Wang Anshi in the name of financial management.
After General Wang Anshi took charge, he arranged a team for the third department of regulations. The first official he recommended to the officials was Zhang Yue.