During the Great Song Dynasty Zhou, Taizu was subjected to Zen, and except for the death of Han Tong, he encountered almost no resistance. History says that the Later Zhou Dynasty followed the heavens and responded to people, so Ouyang Xiu recorded the history of the five dynasties, Shuliang and Shuhan, all known as "death", Shujin as "extinguished", and to the Zhou Zedashu: "Inferior to the throne, Song Xing." Therefore, to tell the "death" of the Later Zhou in history should be "abdication". The biggest difference between "abdication" and "death" is that the former avoids the destruction of life. Su Shi's opinion is quoted in the "Continuing Zhi Tong Jian Chang Edition": "To Guan Han Gaozu and Guangwu and Tang Taizong and my Taizu Emperor can be a day, the four monarchs are all those who do not love to kill." The rest kill more people, and the more chaos the world is..."
"Not fond of killing" is the important positive value of Confucianism, and even the logical starting point of all positive values, which is related to "fear of life". There is already a saying in the "Zhou Yi Da Biography" that "the great virtue of heaven and earth is called good life", and when Mencius saw King Hui of Liang, there was even more dialogue, which was an explanation of the political system of "the virtue of good life":
Mencius saw King Xiang of Liang. Out, the speaker said: "If you don't look like a man, you don't see what you fear." He asked, 'Is the world evil?' I said, 'Scheduled for one.' ''Who can do one?'' Answer: "Those who do not love to kill can do it." ''Who can do that?'' Answer: "There is nothing wrong with the world." Wang Zhifu Miaohu? When there is a drought between July and August, the seedlings are gone. When the sky is oily and rainy, the seedlings are prosperous. If so, who can protect it? There is no one who does not love to kill. If there are those who do not love to kill, then the people of the world will lead the way. If it is true, the people will return to it, and from the water, who can protect it? ’”
This is an important record of Chinese values, an important source of Zhao Kuangyin's values, and the moral measure that I value the most in writing "Zhao Kuangyin's Time". From 927 AD to 976 AD, this is the "Zhao Kuangyin time", an era in which murder is like numbness. Being able to face the bloody scenery in such a chaotic time, dissolve the ruthlessness, and cultivate a little peace is the most urgent gospel for our people. With such a starting point, the narrative of value has a settlement, why should the Central Plains be unified? Why defend the Khitan? Why deduce morality? Why did you want to remove the clan and town military power? Because life is precious, people's livelihood is difficult! To raise a righteous teacher and practice benevolent government is to liberate the people from hanging upside down!
As far as "people's livelihood" is concerned, only those who are not addicted to murder are expected to design a "subordinate" model. "Obedience" should be one of the best patterns for redistribution of zheng zhi quan li. In the traditional zheng zhì sheng tai, "subordinate", or even the best choice, deserves praise.
Hou Zhou is deducing the spirit of peace; Old Zhao is deducing peace; Zhao Pu is also deducing peace. Zhao Pu's knowledge of people and good duties, recommending Cao Bin and Pan Mei, is equivalent to the trip of a bodhisattva, after this word, I saved an unknown number of lives! Reading history so far, it is often praised, enough to "drink".
Zhao Kuangyin knew Zhao Pu's energy, and soon after practicing Zuo, he worshipped Zhao Pu as a face, and the history said that "the upper eye is like a left and right hand, no matter how big or small, and the decision is clear". The emperor regarded Zhao Puru as his right and left hand, and no matter how big or small, he had to consult him and then decide. This trust was felt even by the Gentiles. Six years after Kaibao, Taizu drove to his mansion to offer condolences and gave him a lot of rewards. At that time, Qian Li, the king of Wuyue State, had just sent an envoy to see Zhao Kuangyin, and then went to see Zhao Pu and gave Zhao Pu ten bottles of seafood, all placed under the gallery. Taizu's car arrived, and the family did not have time to move the things given by Wu Yueguo, Taizu came in to see it and asked what it was, and Zhao Pu told the truth. Taizu said: "Seafood, it must taste good, open it and take a look." "Open it and see what kind of seafood it is, all melon seeds and gold, small golden beans. When Zhao Pu saw it, he was taken aback, and quickly defended: "The minister has not opened Wu Yuelai's letter, I really don't know what is in it!" Taizu sighed with a smile: "It's okay, Ai Qing just accepts it, it's okay." Wu Yue, they think that you scholars are in charge of national affairs! Ha! ”
But this matter made Old Zhao more suspicious. In the past, Lei Deqiao sued Zhao Pu for embezzlement, but the old Zhao was not convicted, and soon someone sued Zhao Pu and purchased timber from Qin Long and other places to Jingshi for private use in his own mansion. However, it is also said that the officials were greedy and bought timber in the name of Zhao Pu and sold it in Beijing. If someone reports it, someone checks it, and it turns out that Zhao Pu is doing speculative business. This time annoyed Old Zhao, and he wanted to issue an edict to expel Zhao Pu and remove him from office. But Wang Pu said good things for Zhao Pu and reluctantly let it go.
Later, Zhao Pu had many embarrassments, the more serious of which was the shielding of corrupt officials. Therefore, Lao Zhao made a decision, chose someone else to enter the Zhongshu, decomposed Zhao Pu's quan li, and finally, simply let Zhao Pu go out of the court and go to Heyang to become a jiedu envoy and become a magistrate.
The emperor and the ministers, in the direction of national governance, there has always been a "game" in the direction of quan li, this "game" is not necessarily a struggle, but the matter involves the legality of the management procedure, therefore, it is not a trivial matter. The subordinate quan li is too large, and the empire is easy to present a pattern of "quan opposing below" with a large tail; The emperor quan li is too large, and the empire is prone to show a pattern of "quan is on top". Neither is the gospel of empire. Therefore, the best model is "junxiang fen quan", in which the monarch does the monarch's business and the subordinates do the subordinate's business, which is the vision of traditional Confucianism: the monarch and the subject - the sovereign should be like a king, and the minister should be like a courtier. In this regard, the empire has existed since the Han Dynasty, either implicit or explicit.
Zhao Pu, at the beginning of the empire, advocated the central ji quan and recovered the clan town soldier quan, which was a great insight; But he actually has a big insight that is often overlooked: advocating the central fen quan and deducing the division of labor.
Before Old Zhao considered "dividing quan" to Zhao Pu, Zhao Pu had already considered "dividing quan" to Lao Zhao.
In the second year of Qiande, in 964, Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, and Wei Renpu, the three rulers, resigned on the same day. Old Zhao immediately appointed Zhao Pu as the chancellor. But when issuing the letter of appointment, there was a procedural problem: now, there is no prime minister, which prime minister will "countersign" the signature? Under customary law, an edict is not lawful without the countersignature of the Prime Minister. Old Zhao wanted to promote Zhao Pu, and he wanted to blur this procedure, so he said to Zhao Pu: "Is it okay to be a secretary?" "I'll give you a name for the edict who appointed you, okay?
Zhao Pu replied: "This has a priest, not an imperial matter." ”
This is the position of the relevant departments of the government affairs hall, not the emperor's business, and it cannot be done.
In the end, they consulted with others, who is qualified to sign the edict on the appointment of cadres when there is no prime minister, so that its laws will take effect? Some people proposed that the current Kaifeng Yin Zhao Guangyi has the title "Tongping Zhangshi", which is equivalent to the title of Zaifu and can be signed, so Zhao Guangyi signed and Zhao Pu was the phase.
In the days that followed, Taizu and Emperor Taizong abided by the ancient system and issued edicts in strict accordance with this procedure, and in the year 319 of the Great Song Dynasty, there were eighteen emperors of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, and no emperor dared to cross this system. Among the many "ancestral laws", restricting Junquan is one of them.
This is the glory of the Great Song, and Zhao Pu, at the beginning of the empire, understood the general body, adhered to this ancient principle of order, and became the founder of the Great Song in the "Junxiang Game", which is as important as the "Reconquest Quan". The pattern of the Great Song Dynasty thus unfolded into a political civilization.
If he had wavered a little and arbitrarily blurred the matter, then because of the logical starting point signed by Taizu, it would be difficult for the future logical chain to get out of the so-called "path dependence" of fatalistic nature. Da Song may be a different face.
During the Song Shenzong Dynasty, once because of the failure of the northwest troops, Shenzong was furious, and instructed in the documents of his subordinates to behead a logistics official who was unfavorable in transportation.
The next day, Prime Minister Cai Que did something, and Shenzong asked him: "Yesterday, I gave instructions to behead the logistics director, did this matter be done?" ”
Cai Que said: "The minister is about to go up and talk about this!" The emperor wanted to kill this person, and the courtiers thought it was inappropriate. ”
Shenzong said, "Do you have any doubts about killing this person who is unfavorably transported?" ”
Cai Que said: "Since Emperor Taizong, he has not killed a single scholar. The ministers and others did not want His Majesty to start making this exception. "The ancestors became the law, and no emperor after Song Zhenzong dared to violate it.
Shenzong then pondered for a long time and said, "He is indeed guilty, so let's stab him in the face and send him to a bad place in the distance!" ”
At this time, a subordinate attendant (slightly equivalent to a government minister) Zhang Wei was on duty, and after hearing this, he said: "In this case, it is better to kill him!" ”
Shenzong asked, "What do you mean by that?" ”
Zhang Wei said: "A soldier can be killed, and it is not disgraceful!" The tattoo on the face is an insult to Shi Dafu! ”
Shenzong was angry and said in a fierce voice: "Hmph! Happy things can't be done! ”
Zhang Wei also replied unceremoniously: "It's good if you don't do it so quickly!" ”
The reason why Cai Que and Zhang Wei dared to "compete" with Shenzong was actually to seek the balance of the imperial zheng zhi order in the "game of junxiang". In the Great Song Empire, Zaifu directly rejected the unreasonable opinions of the emperor. It should be said that throughout the Great Song Dynasty, the balanced relationship between the monarchs and the emperors may be more reasonable in the successive dynasties, and the junquan cannot be alone, and the xiangquan cannot be alone. In the late Northern Song Dynasty and the late Southern Song Dynasty, the reason why they encountered social subversion and discoloration, in addition to the harsh geographical environment and encountering two strong grassland neighbors, was too heavy and could not make reasonable decisions, which was also one of the reasons.
The balance of monarchs in the Great Song Empire originated from the era of Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, and in the era of Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Pu's achievements in laying the foundation here were great and worthy of recognition.
[Excerpted from: "Zhao Kuangyin Time" (middle) Jin Gang/by Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House & Phoenix Linkage]