Who was the most famous minister of the Tang Dynasty in the folk?
Saying that it was Wei Zheng, no one objected.
"Ten Thoughts of Emperor Taizong" is a famous text from ancient times, and has also been taught in the language selection textbook before; Emperor Taizong teases Wei Zheng with vinegar and celery, which is a legend of thousands of years; the longyan fury of "vowing to kill this Tian Sheweng" and the hexi of empress dowager Changsun, which also reflects Wei Zheng's straightness, the sage of the changsun clan and the enlightenment of Li Shimin, and it is also recited through the ages.
Finally, when Wei Zheng died, Emperor Taizong sighed how to use copper as a mirror, ancient as a mirror, and people as a mirror, Wei Zheng died, and he himself lacked a mirror.
This is the highest ending that can be enjoyed by a courtier.
Perfect.
So, as the most famous first counselor in Chinese history, what was Wei Zheng's specific work?
At the beginning of the Taizong Dynasty, the famous Fang Mou Du Duan: it was Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi. Fang Xuanling was almost a dynasty, and the eldest grandson Wuji was Emperor Taizong's right and left hand.
According to Mr. Qian Mu, the Tang Dynasty Zhongshu Province Menxia Province was the true prime minister, so among them Li Jing, Wen Yanbo, Gao Shilian, Xu Shijie, Cen Wenwen, Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang, and Changsun Wuji all participated in the work of the prime minister -- it seems that the court deeds of these prime ministers are not as famous as Wei Zheng?
Wei Zheng himself served as a secretary and supervisor to participate in the politics of the Yu Dynasty, and specially entered the province under the door, the national dynasty canon, and the victory and loss of the senator.
The Old Book of Tang clearly states:
He thought that he had done nothing to the country, and in vain, he participated in the veil, feared full of profits, and then abdicated with his eyes.
Wei Zheng also knew that he had no merit to the country, that he was in vain, and that he relied more on arguments, so he resigned more than once.
In the Cambridge History of China' Sui and Tang Dynasties, it is believed that:
"Wei Zheng rarely participated in actual administrative and decision-making work, and he did not become a representative figure at that time and in later generations as a politician engaged in practical work.
Wei Zheng has always been known as an indomitable moralist and fearless slanderer. ”
That is, among the courtiers of the Taizong Dynasty, compared with the doers such as Fang Xuanling, the advisers and brothers-in-law such as the eldest grandson Wujie, and the decision-making masters such as Du Ruqian, Wei Zheng was mainly responsible for:
Advice and opposition.
But even though he was old, Emperor Taizong still wanted him to stay in Chaoli town and find fault for himself.
It is said that when Li Shimin himself ascended the throne, his brother-in-law, Eldest Sun Wuji, was the chief strategist. But with the prime minister, Fang Xuanling is a Shandong native. Du Ru obscure family theory to get Jing Zhao Du clan.
Wei Zheng himself is a native of Hebei.
Tang Taizong's chancellor team came from all over the world, which was very important -- after all, we know that before Tang De tianxia, the Western Wei to Northern Zhou to Sui was a bunch of chaos, and the nobles of the dynasties were mostly the twelve generals of the Western Wei Eight Pillar State and their descendants tossing and turning back and forth.
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Zhengben was the prince who built it. After Xuanwu Gate, Wei Zheng saw Li Shimin. To put it bluntly: If Jiancheng had listened to his own words, he would not have suffered.
Mr. Wang Fuzhi criticized Wei Zheng, believing that he first waited and watched, and when the crown prince died, he went to ask Li Shimin to see him and surrender, and it was known that he was a meritorious man:
Li Shimin felt very good. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he immediately asked Wei Zheng to send Guandong to appease him. The meaning of this is very clear: I will use old enemies such as Wei Zheng; let alone you? Rest assured!
In the years that followed, Emperor Taizong used Wei Zheng. Let him participate in the practice and listen to him talk about his mistakes every day.
Wei Zheng was not a genius strategist, but more like a moral counselor, an opposition—sometimes even seemed inhumane and quite leveraged.
Of course, they also had problems.
The year of Wei Zheng's death, 643 AD, was an important year for the Zhenguan Dynasty: the Crown Prince Chengqian incident.
After Wei Zheng's death, someone reminded Li Shimin that many of Wei Zheng's advice was written in manuscripts, and he also privately compiled a quotation of the advice, intending to pass on his good reputation to future generations!
Someone reminded me again: Your Majesty, Wei Zheng has an affair with Du Zhenglun and Hou Junji!
- Huh??
Wei Zheng had previously said that Du Zhenglun and Hou Junji's talent was enough to be prime minister.
- Du Zhenglun was the son of Prince Zuo Shu and assisted Crown Prince Chengqian.
Earlier, Li Shimin told Du Zhenglun privately that my son did not seem to be close to a good person.
When Du Zhenglun went to advise the prince, he said this, and the prince became angry with his father: You say this about me?
Li Shimin, in turn, was angry with Du Zhenglun and deposed Du Zhenglun.
- Hou Junji was one of Li Shimin's Lingyange heroes, and had an affair with Prince Chengqian, and was executed.
As I said before, Li Shimin's own temper is very fierce.
The Old Book of Tang says that the wise gods are martial and good as flow. The New Book of Tang says that he is "fierce", and of course, it is also good to be happy and meritorious to be involved in much love.
Zhu Xi believed that the people of the world were doing things "out of human desire", and Wen Tianxiang said that Emperor Taizong was "violent in blood and qi, and his heart was also proud".
This strong enthusiasm and decisive impulse allowed him to be young and promising.
Once Li Shimin felt that Wei Zheng might have an affair with Crown Prince Chengqian, he was not happy. So he pushed the monument he had given to Wei Zhengli.
This was the biggest rift between Li Shimin and Wei Zheng.
But Li Shimin is different from other hot-tempered kings in that... He has a very reflective side.
Later, after things got a little colder, Li Shimin re-erected a monument for Wei Zheng, and he had quite a posture:
After the conquest of Liaodong, Li Shimin sighed: If Wei Zheng was there, I would not have taken this trip! So the monument was re-erected. Okay again.
Finally, in the end, Li Shimin and Wei Zheng were still in the position of Ming Jun's courtiers.
It is said that in ancient times, if you seek to rule the world, it has always been the Son of Heaven and the scholar who ruled the world together, but there is no practical standard for this thing.
Mr. Huang Renyu mentioned in the "Great History of China" that there was no institutional "check and balance" during the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of Zhenguan, there was nothing to check li Shimin.
Li Shimin himself knows this truth: Since everyone wants something, who can balance the Heavenly Son, well, choose a Wei Zheng to bar to find fault for himself.
Every day, Li Shimin let Wei Zheng, a Native of Hebei, build an old party, and have moral purity, endlessly nagging himself, which is a clear and unambiguous way to tell the world:
He does not remember the old evils, allows himself to be able to do so, and is willing to listen to advice.
Even after Wei Zheng's death, once Li Shimin wanted to express his remorse and express that he knew that he could change his mistakes, he could also go and erect the overturned monument again.
He was not sure how many times he would chant "Wei Zheng this lever essence"; but Li Shimin must have known that he and even the Tang Dynasty needed to have such a person as Wei Zheng after all.
We are now saying how good the Zhenguan Dynasty is, how good it is to divide the Ten Paths, to personally select the History of Thorns, to revise the Code, and to reform the government soldiers, all of which are too big.
Only "Emperor Taizong allowed Wei Zheng to nag himself every day", clear and realistic, telling us the people of later generations:
Emperor Taizong was a temper that could be corrected by knowing mistakes, and possessed an enlightened mind that was unparalleled in history.
This is probably the painstaking heart behind Li Shimin's retention of Wei Zheng, respect for Wei Zheng, and listening to Wei Zheng's nagging every day.
The most interesting thing is the notation of later history.
In the Old Book of Tang, the relationship between Li Shimin and Wei Zheng is relatively simple and ideal: Wei Zheng is particularly upright, and Li Shimin always gladly accepts it, feeling that Wei Zheng is very sincere.
so-called:
Emperor Taizong took the throne, encouraged the government, and several enlisted people into the bedchamber, visiting the gains and losses. Zheng Ya has the talent of the country, and his sex is resistant and straight, and he has no bending. Emperor Taizong said this, and he did not hesitate to accept it. Zheng yi is pleased to meet the lord of his confidant, thinking of his use, and knowing everything. Emperor Taizong tasted the labor and said: "The Qing Secretary's chen, more than two hundred things before and after, if it is not the Qing's sincerity to serve the country, how can it be?" ”
From beginning to end, there was no major contradiction--until after Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong suspected that Wei Zheng was having an affair with Hou Junji, and knew that many of his advice was purposeful, so he was upset and stopped getting married.
The emphasis is still on the story of Wei Zhengjin's advice and Emperor Taizong's listening.
And the "New Book of Tang" has more gossip, more than these paragraphs:
- Li Shimin built a tall building to see the mausoleum of Empress Changsun, but wei Zheng said that he forced Emperor Taizong to demolish it.
After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong listened to the rumors and was so angry that he first pushed down the Wei Zheng Monument, and when he returned from The Expedition, he regretted it and stood up again.
Why bother to add such gossip? The praises at the end of the New Book of Tang emphasize:
"On the occasion of the monarch, it is not difficult to take care of it!" Loyalty to Zheng, and wisdom to Emperor Taizong. There are few dead, guess the line.
Probably in the New Book of Tang, Taizong is also a human being, and Taizong also has temper and feelings, and he will also make mistakes and be angry with Wei Zheng.
The emphasis is that no matter how loyal and intelligent the monarch and courtier, there will be quarrels and doubts, but the story of the noble but wrong will be changed.
As we all know, the New Book of Tang was made during the Song Dynasty. Similarly, the Song Dynasty's "Zizhi Tongjian", speaking of Taizong and Wei Zheng, has one more paragraph:
Tang Taizong was playing with a bird, watching Wei Zhenglai, hiding in his sleeve; Wei Zheng and Taizong grinded for a while; when Wei Zheng left, Taizong looked: The bird is also dead.
So, you see: originally Wei Zheng and Emperor Taizong were just a relationship of listening and accepting advice.
However, the focus of everyone's attention in later generations slowly changed from listening to advice and receiving advice to Emperor Taizong's respect, conflict, and repentance toward Wei Zheng.
It is said that in ancient times, from the scholars and doctors down to the people of Li, they all longed for someone who could restrain the upper head and let the upper head know that it was wrong and change it.
In folklore, the most famous officials are often not the officials who can be subordinates, but the Bao Zheng who can be the relatives of the emperor; the Eight Sages King, who can intimidate the Son of Heaven with a golden hammer; and the Shangfang Sword that can even be stabbed by the yellow coat... There are also various colors of qingtian: Bao Qingtian Bao Zheng, Hai Qingtian Hai Rui, Shi Qingtian Shi Shi lun...
Wakodo:, TV series are all made up!
In turn, it proves that what everyone wants is actually really simple:
"You're the boss, but it's better to have someone to take care of you; if you can listen to the opinion, just do it!"
Li Shimin understood this very well.
Therefore, when Wei Zheng resigned due to illness, Li Shimin replied:
"In the midst of the enemy, he appointed the prince to the position of a key official, and when he saw the wrong of the emperor, he did not hesitate to advise." The public does not see the gold in the mine, why is it expensive? Liangye forged as a tool, it is treasured by people, and the yuanfang compares itself to gold, with Qing as a good craftsman. Although Qing Qing is sick, he is not old, so why should he be able to do it? ”
You are an enemy, I still use you, in charge of important positions; you see my faults and go to court every time.
The gold in the mine is worthless if it is not sharpened; a good craftsman forges it to become an instrument.
I am the gold in the mine, and you are the master.
Enter me, bar me, find my stubble, polish me!
It was in the midst of this self-inflicted suffering, self-inflicted guilt, and self-tempering that the immortal Chastity Dynasty appeared.