To fake the truth: how he climbed to the emperor's throne by playing the role of "humble gentleman"

To fake the truth: how he climbed to the emperor's throne by playing the role of "humble gentleman"

Ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, if we talk about the level of performance, probably no one can surpass Wang Mang in the last years of the Western Han Dynasty. It was this Wang Mang who was able to climb from an ordinary foreign relative's son to the supreme emperor's throne by playing the role of a "humble gentleman". Such super acting skills are not only the world's super-first-class level, but also the real actors with excellent acting skills cannot match him. Moreover, his performance was not chaotic, spontaneous, and sloppy; but always closely in line with the atmosphere of advocating a gentleman in the society at that time, and he unremittingly used all his strength to play the role of "gentleman" until he finally became the emperor.

The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi has a poetic cloud: "The jade test must be burned for three days, and the discernment must wait for seven years." The Duke of Zhou feared the rumors of the day, and Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the time. Xiang Ling died in the first place, and the truth or falsity of his life is unknown. "Yes! Distinguishing between a person's authenticity and falsity sometimes takes a lifetime. Just imagine, if the Duke of Zhou died when he was the regent of king Cheng, and rumors were spreading, what he left behind must be the insult of usurping power and seizing the throne, how could there be a Zhou Gongfu who was handed down later to become a king, and achieved the reputation of the Zhou Dynasty for eight hundred years? In the same way, if Wang Mang died before he usurped the throne, then what he would have left behind would have been the reputation of a "humble gentleman", rather than the eternal infamy of a traitor who usurped the throne of the country.

Wang Mang was one of the many nephews of Empress Dowager Xiaoyuan of the Western Han Dynasty, and it was foreign relatives in the Western Han Dynasty who were in power at this time. Wang Mang's family was not well off because of the early death of his father and the lack of shade. In order to squeeze into the center of the ruling clique of foreign relatives, the young Wang Mang, in accordance with the customs advocated by society at that time, tailored a role of "gentleman" and "filial piety" for himself, and devoted himself to the performance of this role.

First of all, Wang Mang was not as extravagant as his other uncles and brothers, but he did not have money to be extravagant, but "lonely and poor, because of the thriftiness", "diligent and erudite, obeyed like a Confucian student", "a mother and a widow, raising an orphan brother, and doing a lot of preparations." He is also handsome in diplomacy, serving fathers internally, and has courtesy. (All of the above are in the Book of Han. Wang Mang's biography). You see, as soon as Wang Mang came up, he performed frugality, diligence, filial piety to his mother, respect for widows and orphans, friendship with the elite, and service to your uncles.

After Wang Mang's uncle, the great general Sima Wang Feng, fell ill, Wang Mang delivered soup and medicine every day, tasted hot and cold, and served diligently in his clothes, making himself unkempt and emaciated. Wang Feng was deeply moved, and before his death, he recommended Wang Mang to Empress Wang and Emperor Cheng of Han, and the emperor issued an edict to "worship Huang Menlang and move the sound of the school lieutenant" (Book of Han. Biography of Wang Mang). It was in this way that Wang Mang entered his career with his wonderful performance.

After some time, Wang Mang's uncle, The Grand Sima Of Chengdu, wrote to Wang Mang that he was willing to give a part of his fief to Wang Mang. In addition, many ministers and celebrities have said things for Wang Mang and praised his virtuousness. In the first year of the Yongshi Dynasty (16 BC), Wang Mang was given the title of Marquis of Xindu, "the capital township of Xinye in Nanyang, with 1,500 households." He was also promoted to the rank of Knight Lieutenant Guanglu Doctor and Attendant, and served as a guard for the imperial palace.

Although Wang Mang was promoted to an official, he did not show a look of arrogance, but appeared more modest and courteous than before, "the title is more honorable, and the more modest the discipline." He often gave his carriage and clothes to guests in need of help, leaving his home empty. He also took in celebrities and befriended the generals, so that the government and the public praised him, and many people lobbied and recommended him. As a result, Wang Mang's reputation even surpassed that of his uncle.

At that time, Empress Wang's nephew Chun Yuchang, with his talent, became the Ninth Secretary, and the position was above Wang Mang. Wang Mang secretly searched for his sins, and after finding out, he told his uncle Sima Wanggen that Chun Yuchang would be reprimanded for his sins. In this performance, Wang Mang killed two birds with one stone, not only eliminated political enemies, but also gained a good reputation of loyalty. In the first year of Suihe (8 BC), Wang Gen returned to his hometown and recommended Wang Mang to be the first emperor, and Emperor Cheng of Han promoted Wang Mang to the position of Grand Sima (大司馬). At the age of Chinese New Year's Eve, Wang Mang became the fifth member of the Wang family to assist Sima Da (his uncles: Feng, Shang, Yin, and Gen were all Grand Sima ).)

At this time, Sima Wang Mang did not stop the pace of performance, but showed more humility and frugality, "wanting to make his reputation surpass his predecessors, so that he could not tire of himself" and "become more frugal" (Book of Han. Biography of Wang Mang). Although he was frugal at home, he was able to make friends with celebrities and celebrities externally, to serve righteousness and to loose wealth, and to let the literati record his deeds and publicize his virtues. At the family banquet full of high friends, there are always waiters who will come out to remind Wang Mang: "Lord, it is time for Gao Tang to take medicine." Wang Mang immediately got up and left the table and personally went to feed the old mother soup medicine. This greatly touched the guests, and Wang Mang's reputation for filial piety did not go away. When the wife of the Prince of Gongqing went to the Wang family to visit the Queen Mother, the wang wife dressed in coarse cloth and short clothes came out to greet her, and everyone who saw it thought it was a servant woman. For a time, the aura of "True Gentleman", "Virtuous Prince" and so on was worn on Wang Mang's head.

A year after Sima Mang assisted the government, Emperor Cheng of Han died, Emperor Ai of Han took the throne, and Wang Zhengjun became empress dowager. Because of the infighting in the imperial court, Wang Mang was attacked by political enemies, so he was deposed and returned to his Nanyang fiefdom. After returning to the fiefdom, Wang Mang did not slack off passively, and in order to win the audience, he worked harder to perform "virtuous virtue"; he worshipped Confucius's descendant, the famous Confucian scholar Kong Xiu, as a teacher, and went to the Confucius family with a group of young students to take classes, without any big Sima shelf. Such a "virtuous" Sima was very flattering to the young students.

During the period of self-defense of the fiefdom, Wang Mang's son Wang Yu killed a slave, and when Wang Mang learned of this, he cursed his son and forced him to commit suicide. The price paid for this show is too high, but there are also high benefits. Although Wang Mang stayed in the fiefdom for three years, the popularity of praising his virtuousness soared. Imperial court officials complained about Wang Mang's petitions, and hundreds of people wrote letters.

In the first year of Yuan Shou (2 BC), coinciding with the eclipse, the eclipse of the ancient sun was a sign that the emperor had done something wrong, and many officials praised Wang Mang's merits at this time and cried out for it. Under the pressure of public opinion, the Han Emperor had to reinstate Wang Mangguan. After returning to the palace, Wang Mang, while trying to please the empress dowager, used conspiracy to force the death of his political enemies. As a result, the power of the government was finally all in the hands of Wang Mang.

When all the opponents in the court were slaughtered by Wang Mang, the Han Emperor also died. At this time, Wang Mang was full of ambition, and he no longer had to please the empress dowager Wang Zhengjun. He first set up a two-year-old young emperor as a puppet, but it wasn't long before he couldn't help but officially claim the title of emperor himself. At this time, the "super performance master" had not forgotten the old line of acting, he took the little emperor's small hand, appeared to be extremely sincere and said: "In ancient times, the Duke of Zhou became the regent of the king, and finally made the king return to the throne, and now I am forced by the mandate of heaven, and I cannot follow my loyalty to the Han family to serve the king, which is really sad!" He cried as he spoke.

At this point, the empress dowager Wang Zhengjun could see clearly that Wang Mang's past "humility and virtuous virtue" were all pretended to achieve today's purpose. It is precisely because of Wang Mang's nephew's long-term wonderful performance that he unconsciously snatched the Han Room Jiangshan from the hands of her old aunt. Finally, when Wang Mang sent Wang Shun, the Marquis of Anyang, to ask her for the Imperial Jade Seal, she said sadly: "The old widow of my Han family, who wants to be buried with this seal, will not be able to get it!" He said to Wang Shun, "I have died in my old age, and I know that my brothers are now extinct!" (See Zizhi Tongjian. Han Dynasty XXVIII)

The wonderful performance of "super performance master" Wang Mang finally came to an end in 9 AD. Wang Mang went to Han to claim the title of emperor and establish a new dynasty, and his true appearance was finally completely exposed: abolishing the old dynasty, reforming the new system, killing the virtuous, and enriching the private pockets; causing the law to be harsh, the people were not allowed to cultivate mulberry, the officials invaded the small people, the rich could not protect themselves, and the poor could not survive on their own, so they became thieves.

Wang Mang removed the true face of the performance illusion, which caused anger and resentment in the sky, and smoke was everywhere. Fifteen years later, the rebellious Green Forest Army and the Han Army finally broke through the city, and the emperor who was transformed from a generation of "super performance masters" turned into a billet of dung.

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