【Zizhi Tongjian Vernacular Text】
3rd year of the Tai Dynasty (267 AD)
In the spring, on the first day of the first month, Sima Yan, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, made his son Sima Zheng crown prince. The edict said: "In modern times, every prince must pardon criminals. Now, the world will be at peace, and the distinction between good and evil should be shown, so that the people will no longer be lucky. Blindly treating criminals with favors, I disagree. "No pardon was issued.
【Interpretation】
"Sima Yan made his son Sima Zheng the crown prince", a short sentence, but do you know that this incident has spawned huge historical waves!
Isn't it normal for the emperor to be crown prince? But Sima Yan is particularly big,000, because his son Sima Zheng's IQ is not high, and he can even be said to be almost a fool, can such a son succeed him? Sima Yan had more than one son, and historical records record that he had 18 sons, of which the eldest son was called Sima Rail, but he died prematurely when he was very young, and the second son was Sima Zheng, who died and became the eldest son. In addition to Sima Yan's son, Sima Yan also had a younger brother, Sima You, who later passed on to Sima Shi as his son. Sima Yan's father Sima Zhao's position of power was passed on by Sima Shi, and if the throne was returned to Sima Shi's family, it was also in line with the etiquette, plus Sima You was very good, so there was a voice in the government and the public to let Sima You succeed to the throne, and Sima Yan himself also had this consideration.
Sima Yan couldn't make up his mind, so he secretly asked his wife Empress Yang Yan what to do? Yang Yan's attitude was very resolute: "How can the establishment of concubines depend on their old age and not on their talents?" "Empress Yang must have had her own selfish intentions (if she made the son of another concubine crown prince, her future position would be dangerous), but her reason was grandiose. Since the Zhou Dynasty, successive dynasties have basically followed the same set of monarchical succession system, that is, "li concubines are not wise to be long, and lizi is noble but not long". According to this system, sons born to a proper wife have the right of first refusal to inherit the throne, and in order of age and age, and regardless of their intelligence, they can only choose a suitable heir among the sons if the right wife has no children. Of course, the emperors also break the rules of the game, but most of them will cause great turmoil in the country. Therefore, Sima Yan weighed it again and again, and finally made his stupid son Sima Zheng the crown prince.
The Western Jin Dynasty collapsed in a short period of time, for many reasons, but the most important of them was that Emperor Wu of Jin chose his idiot son Sima Zheng as crown prince, and as a result, he gave the harem exclusive power, which directly led to the rebellion of the Eight Kings.
Li Xi, a lieutenant colonel and a member of the Shangdang, impeached Former Lijin (Lijin, place name) County, liu you, former Shangshu Shantao, Sima Mu, Shangshu Shu, Wu Xiao, and others from the county to invade the state-owned rice fields, and asked Shantao, Sima Mu, and others to be removed from their posts. The emperor issued an edict saying: "Liu You stripped and stripped the people, used to tempt high-ranking government officials, to find out the truth, and severely punish adultery and evil." ShanTao and others have corrected their mistakes, have not committed them again, and will no longer pursue them. Li Xi acted impartially, feared no power, and was the pillar of national integrity. Emperor Guangwu once said, "Your relatives and take care of the two surnames of Bao." 'Hereby exhorts his subjects, each with caution, that this kind of grace will not always be. "Sima Mu is the son of Sima Yi's younger brother.
Sima Guang said:
The root of politics is punishment and reward. The punishment is not clear, how can politics be achieved! Sima Yan, the Emperor of Jinwu, pardoned Shantao and praised Li Xi, which was the loss of both punishment and reward. If what Li Xi said was right, then Shantao could not be forgiven; if Li Xi was wrong, then Li Xi should not be praised. Praise him, let him speak, he said but did not adopt, the result of the people below formed a grudge, so that those in the upper position, play with authority, what will be the consequences in the future? Moreover, the four ministers committed the same crime, but Liu You was killed, but he did not ask Shantao and others about the crime, avoided the powerful, and punished the officials. At the beginning of the establishment of the regime, it could not establish the foundation of governing the country, so wouldn't it be too difficult to pass on the foundation to future generations?
These cases belong to state officials embezzling state-owned assets, typical of major corruption cases, and Sima Yan's handling methods have surprised people. What the hell is this? Why are there different sentences for the same crimes? Only shoot flies, do not fight tigers, such selective law enforcement, can it be called governing the country? It's like a child's play! Sima Guang's remarks were very sharp, criticizing Sima Yan to the point of being unmatched.