Han Shizu

Chapter 2185 Renzong Chapter 2 Zhengtong Sixth Year
In the spring of the sixth year of Zhengtong (1047), Jingxi Road, Xiangzhou.

The sun was shining, the spring breeze was blowing, and hundreds of boats were racing on the Han River. Among the large and small boats traveling north and south, there was an official ship heading north that was particularly eye-catching. On the ship, many colorful flags were fluttering in the wind, among which was a flag with the word "Fan" written in a flamboyant style. This was the fleet of Fan Zhongyan, the governor of Jinghu North Road, heading north.

On the deck, Mr. Fan, who is nearly 60 years old, stands by the side of the ship, his gray hair fluttering in the breeze, constantly hitting his weathered face. On the Han River, ships come and go, and the villages and towns along the coast are densely populated. All this shows that the current Han Empire is still prosperous and full of vitality.

At least, on the surface, that was the case. But as an upper-class dignitary in the empire, Fan Zhongyan, who had traveled from the center to the local areas many times, deeply and with a strong sense of crisis, realized that the prosperity of the empire today was different from the past. It was built on more severe and cruel oppression and exploitation of billions of people.

During the reigns of Shizu, Taizong and Shizong, even though there were occasional setbacks, the overall constraints on the imperial nobles were still strong and effective, which was the fundamental reason why the empire was able to maintain a prosperous situation for a long time.

However, since the three generations of emperors gradually withdrew from the stage of history and with the succession of the orthodox emperor Liu Weizhen, this sense of self-restraint of the ruling class that has lasted for decades is gradually becoming blurred.

Although the imperial rule remained stable and the management system that had been continuously improved by several generations of emperors was still operating in an orderly manner, it could not be ignored that the ills and problems that had recurred in successive dynasties over the past thousands of years, and even within a hundred years of the founding of the Han Dynasty, had reappeared.

History is a cycle, characterized by the cycle of order and chaos. When the ruling class of the empire gradually relaxes its self-restraint, and when the greedy demands of the rulers, after being heavily increased from top to bottom, fall on the hundreds of millions of people in the empire, it is bound to produce another round of ruling pressure and contradictions.

Under such circumstances, the Han Empire was still able to maintain a strong and civilized state, and the people were still immersed in peace and prosperity. A very important reason for this was the rich legacy left by their ancestors and the fact that the people of the empire could still withstand the current level of exploitation.
The Han Empire of the orthodox era was still moving forward under the afterglow of the Jianlong heyday, but there was no doubt that this afterglow could not protect the empire forever, and the decline after the peak was inevitable.

The key lies in how to go down the slope. Some want to move forward steadily and go down slowly; some want to muddle through, take things as they come, and follow the laws of nature; and some are unwilling to slip away and intend to continue to maintain the peak foundation of the Han Empire, such as Lord Fan Xiwen, who is a representative figure.

Since entering the officialdom in the second year of Duangong, thirty-one years have passed in a blink of an eye. Fan Zhongyan has also grown from a young and talented scholar just starting out with high spirits to a loyal minister with white hair and a great reputation throughout the world.

Fan Zhongyan had a very good reputation in the Han Empire at that time, especially among the commoner bureaucrats, where he was regarded as a leader. Even the northern scholars who always despised southerners, although they often looked at him with tinted glasses, never despised his ability to govern and his loyalty.

Half of his white hair was caused by his concern for the country and the people. In the Zhengtong era, if a prime minister was to be chosen from among the commoner bureaucrats, the first person that popped up in many people's minds was probably Fan Zhongyan.

However, it is obviously not enough to have such a huge reputation by relying on personal talent and ability. Behind Fan Zhongyan, there are also a large group of people, including Jinshi, Jianlong Cabinet, Southern Ministers, Suiyang, Loujiang School, Lizheng School, and the aura of Emperor Shizong's loyal ministers, all of which together created a "number one minister of the time."

However, there were many people who supported and admired him, but there were also many people who hated and excluded him. Therefore, Fan Zhongyan's path to becoming prime minister was doomed to be difficult, especially after the departure of Emperor Shizong, his most important mentor.

During his thirty-year official career, Fan Zhongyan had returned to the capital from the countryside countless times, but never had he been as hesitant and worried as he was this time.

Of course, with Fan Gong's broad mind and magnanimity, he was not anxious about personal gains and losses. What he was worried about was his family, the country, the emperor and the people. And this time when he returned to Beijing, he was destined to stir up a wave of political turmoil in the empire. He wanted to take advantage of his twilight years to be loyal to the empire, the emperor and the people, and make a final effort.
In fact, as early as the fourth year of Zhengtong, Fan Zhongyan was summoned back to the court for his contribution in governing the western frontier. He left Longyou Road where he had fought for seven years, leaving behind a good situation with stable military and political situation and all the barbarians submitted to him.

At that time, Fan Zhongyan was also full of confidence and high spirits, and he went to Beijing with the intention of achieving great things. In his heart and eyes, although the Han Empire was glorious and great, it also had many problems and contradictions, which needed to be solved by capable people. With Fan Zhongyan's status and reputation, he naturally had the courage to take on the responsibility.

That was also the first time that Fan Zhongyan was appointed as a prime minister. After returning to the court, he was appointed as Shangshu Pushe and concurrently as the Minister of Finance. Fan Zhongyan was not unfamiliar with the financial system in the empire. He had come into contact with it as early as when he served as a cabinet scholar beside Emperor Shizong, and later he was promoted to the Salt and Iron Commissioner.

Fan Zhongyan, who had presided over the Huaidong Salt Dike Project and the major reforms of the national salt administration, would not remain silent when he returned to the Finance Department. He carried out drastic reforms and rectifications, especially in the promotion of talents, accounting, and fund allocation and review matters. He made considerable efforts to rectify and correct the recurrence of corruption, theft, bribery, and embezzlement in the salt administration, which also suffered a major blow.

While offending a large number of vested interest groups, the empire's chaotic financial system was also greatly improved, and administrative efficiency was greatly improved. Unfortunately, Fan Zhongyan served as the financial envoy for only half a year, and his rectification and reform lasted only four months before he was dismissed.

Of course, those who brought down Fan Zhongyan were not just the dignitaries, bureaucrats, landlords, officials and businessmen whose interests were damaged. The fundamental reason was that this involved a new round of struggle between the nobles and the common people.

Although the political structure of the empire in the early years of Zhengtong remained rational and stable as a whole, the struggle among the upper echelons was actually quite fierce due to the emperor Liu Weizhen's lack of virtue, talent and prestige. This was especially true after the noble class, which had been suppressed by Sejong for more than ten years, launched a counterattack.

First, Du Yan, the Minister of the Chancellery in the later years of Emperor Shizong, was dismissed from his post in the second year of Zhengtong and left the capital to serve as the Governor-General in the southwest. His successor was Li Zhaoxian, the Duke of Leping County (who was the eldest son of Li Jilian and the grandson of Emperor Shizu).

At that time, in addition to Li Zhaoxian, the Minister of the Chancellery, there were also Privy Councilor Zhe Weichang, Minister of War Xiang Yuankai (grandson of Xiang Deming), Minister of Rites Feng Duan (great-grandson of Feng Dao), as well as Shi Yuansun (grandson of Shi Shouxin) and Li Guangfu (great-grandson of Li Yun) who held real power in the Council of Ministers.

These are all descendants of meritorious officials and founding fathers. Except for Feng Duan and Li Guangfu who are a little weaker, the others are top nobles of the empire, such as Li Zhaoxian and Zhe Weichang, and they also have the halo of being royal relatives.

When these people gained a lot of say in the imperial court, it also meant a major counterattack by the noble forces, and would inevitably lead to confrontation from the commoner groups that had already grown strong and deeply rooted.

It was in this context that Fan Zhongyan returned to Beijing and plunged into the vortex of political struggle. Although he was wholeheartedly thinking about doing something practical for the court and the people, some struggles were inevitable.

At the same time, the two most important ministers under the Shangshu Ling, the Minister of Personnel and the Commissioner of Finance, one was Lu Yijian and the other was Fan Zhongyan, both of whom were from commoner families. They formed a very strong pincer effect on Li Zhaoxian, one on the left and one on the right.

Therefore, in order to break this restriction, Li Zhaoxian instigated a political attack from behind the scenes, and the target he chose was Fan Zhongyan. Lü Yijian was a man of great foresight and political skills, otherwise it would have been difficult for him to quickly return to Beijing to serve as prime minister after the new emperor ascended the throne, and further, to serve as the Minister of Personnel.

In comparison, Fan Zhongyan was much easier to deal with. Although he had no personal flaws, in the eyes of those who were interested, the way he did things was full of loopholes and he was easy to attack.

Such political activities were not because Fan Zhongyan really had any faults, but because those in power needed him, and there were plenty of people who could provide enough shortcomings and handles. After a trend became established, the weak Emperor Liu Weizhen had to send Fan Zhongyan away even though he was reluctant. He really could not withstand the pressure from nobles such as Li Zhaoxian, or he was unwilling to confront them head-on.

Therefore, Fan Zhongyan was stripped of his position as prime minister and appointed as the governor of Hubei Province on the grounds of "Your Highness's mistake" (according to the official interpretation, it was probably because his words were too harsh and insulted the dignity of the emperor during the process of admonishing the emperor). That year, Fan Zhongyan was 56 years old.

Now, Fan Zhongyan is 58 years old. With his hair turning white, he is still busy with government affairs and concerned about the king. He also has another opportunity to make a comeback.

Two years later, the situation in the court was very different. The biggest change was that Shangshu Ling Li Zhaoxian died of illness. The court lost another leader, and the struggle among the upper echelons became fierce again. After a struggle aimed at seizing the highest power, the final candidate surfaced: Fan Zhongyan.

Li Zhaoxian died suddenly, and his funeral arrangements were not made. Taking advantage of this gap, the commoner clan group that had been dormant in the court for a long time launched a full-scale counterattack.

Moreover, he also received support from some noble classes, such as Feng Duan, Li Kaiyuan (nephew of Empress Li, and in terms of seniority, Emperor Liu Weizhen had to call him cousin), as well as the silent promotion of the Xiao family.

Jianlong - During the Zhengtong era, there was a saying in the court about the "Three Xiaos", Xiao Jing, Xiao Gong and Xiao Hui. These three people had status and qualifications, but they were always silently despised in the circle of power and nobility, and it was still the same reason: they were of Khitan ethnicity.

Therefore, when traditional nobles such as Li Zhaoxian were in power, the Xiao family was quietly dormant, secretly seeking opportunities to overthrow them. Li Zhaoxian's sudden death was obviously the best opportunity.

Of course, the one who really played a decisive role was Emperor Liu Weizhen. This was also a rare opportunity for him. With Liu Weizhen's temperament and the education he received since childhood, he was obviously closer to those commoner bureaucrats than his royal relatives and the old officials of the Eastern Palace.

On the other hand, he was indeed obedient. Before Emperor Shizong passed away, he gave him many instructions and gave him many suggestions on the appointment of talents. Among them, the one that impressed him the most was: If you want to do something, you can appoint Fan Zhongyan as prime minister.
Obviously, Emperor Liu Weizhen, who was already 31 years old, also wanted to make some achievements seven years after he ascended the throne. Therefore, after taking into account suggestions from many parties and with the recommendation of his ministers, he finally issued an edict to summon Fan Zhongyan back to Beijing.

Liu Weizhen also specially sent eunuchs from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the south. In addition to announcing the imperial edict, they also delivered a handwritten letter from Liu Weizhen, which was full of words of grace and expectation, enough to make Fan Zhongyan burst into tears of gratitude.

After the imperial edict was issued from the central government, the struggle among the top court officials stopped, at least for a short period of time. Everyone's eyes could not help but turn to the south, looking at the water and land routes.

The reason is that the Shangshu Ling of the Zhengtong era had the most power and authority in the empire.
　This chapter is a promotion for the new book Labo. Please click on it. Thanks.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)