bookbashuk Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Chapter 173
"Wang Xiuzhuan, what do you think we should do next?"
Yu Xingzhi's tone was more respectful than before.
Although there were rumors circulating that Wang You might become the emperor's son-in-law, it was just a rumor.
But the Emperor has just said that Wang You and the Princess should get married.
Ordinary prince consorts are not really cared about; a prince consort's status depends on how much the princess is favored by the emperor.
It's common knowledge that the Emperor dotes on women, and just now he even said he would bestow the former Prince Yong's mansion upon the Princess for temporary residence.
It is important to know that, since ancient times, the titles and residences of emperors before their ascension to the throne have held special significance.
After ascending the throne, he would generally not bestow titles or mansions upon his sons.
This could easily lead to misunderstandings.
First of all, these could not be bestowed upon the crown prince; if they were given to another son, the court officials would have reservations.
Although the eldest princess is a woman and not involved in the struggle for the throne, the emperor's actions are enough to show just how much he dotes on her.
Wang Youneng's marriage to the eldest princess will undoubtedly give him a pivotal position in the court in the future.
"Go ahead and grab him."
Wang You said, "Arrest those who have clearly participated in the rebellion against the king first, and wait for the rest. I will personally oversee the Imperial City Guard in the next few days."
"yes!"
Yu Xingzhi responded and led Wang You to the Imperial City Guard. He left a deputy commander to serve Wang You, then gathered his men, arranged the arrests, and personally led the men to make the arrests.
"What's your name?" Wang You asked.
"This humble general is Yang Yuqing!" The deputy commander who remained bowed hurriedly.
"A good name."
Wang You gave a thumbs-up and asked with a smile, "The Imperial City Guard should have a special place to store intelligence, right?"
"Yes!" Yang Yuqing nodded quickly.
"Take me to see it."
"Yes."
Yang Yuqing stepped aside and said, "This way, Lord Wang."
Yang Yuqing led Wang You to the leftmost courtyard of the Imperial City Guard.
"Lord Wang, this is where the intelligence is stored."
Yang Yuqing unlocked the door, pushed it open, and made way for her.
Wang You went inside, and a strange smell mixed with mold hit his nose.
"Is there no one specifically looking after or managing this place?" Wang You asked, frowning.
You can tell from the smell that few people usually come and go from here.
"Return to the king."
Yang Yuqing said somewhat nervously, "The Imperial City Guard has not been valued in recent years. The late emperor never reviewed the files and intelligence here, so this place is mostly locked up, and people are only arranged to clean it periodically."
"I see."
Wang You nodded. He saw that the huge room was filled with bookshelves, which contained all kinds of intelligence and files.
Furthermore, it was differentiated according to location.
The shelves marked with place names were rather empty.
Wang You casually picked up a book from a shelf marked with the Dengzhou logo, and flipped through it.
The pages of the book are yellowed, indicating that it has been quite some time.
The above records the local customs and basic information of Dengzhou, and is somewhat similar to a local gazetteer.
After looking through it for a while, Wang You closed it and put it back.
"Lord Wang."
Yang Yuqing said, "The Imperial City Guard was originally intended to be spread throughout the country, but unfortunately it was stopped by the Taizu Emperor. Therefore, these shelves that hold local intelligence and archives are basically useless."
"oh."
Wang You nodded. It seemed that the first person to take charge of the Imperial City Guard had quite the ambition.
If the Emperor Taizu hadn't stopped them, these shelves would probably be filled with information and intelligence from various places by now.
"Where are the intelligence and files on officials in Bianjing?" Wang You asked.
"Lord Wang, please come with me!"
Yang Yuqing led Wang You to the far left and pointed to several shelves, saying, "These are all about officials in the capital."
He then pointed to the boxes piled up in the corner and said, "These contain intelligence and some files on retired officials in the capital."
Wang You nodded and began rummaging through the shelves.
After much effort, he finally found what he wanted.
"Don't worry about me, go and do your work," Wang You said, waving his hand.
"Then I will wait outside," Yang Yuqing said.
Wang You nodded, and after Yang Yuqing left, he took the book and went to the side to read it.
This book contains information about Han Zhang.
It is somewhat similar to the biography of Han Zhang, and it begins by introducing some information about his great-grandfather and father.
Next comes the biographical record of Han Zhang, but there is not much record of Han Zhang's childhood.
It only says that his father died when he was four years old, and he was raised by his older brothers afterward.
As he grew up, he became independent and had lofty aspirations. He was "dignified and taciturn," disliked playing around, and was exceptionally learned.
Next comes some records of his passing the imperial examination and entering officialdom.
He was an honest and upright official, and even submitted a memorial to impeach the rampant practice of gift-giving in officialdom and the problems of officials having to bribe their way to promotion. He was highly regarded by the late emperor.
During the Song-Xia War, Han Zhang served as the Pacification Commissioner of Guanzhong and worked with Fan Daxiang to deploy the northwestern border defense line.
After the peace treaty between Song and Xia, the emperor had the intention to implement reforms and summoned Grand Chancellor Fan, Grand Chancellor Fu, and Han Zhang to the capital to preside over the formulation of new laws.
That year, a severe drought struck southern Shaanxi, leading to a large number of disaster victims joining a rebellion.
Han Zhang volunteered to go to Shaanxi to provide disaster relief and reassure the people. Considering the severe situation in southern Shaanxi, the late emperor appointed him as the Pacification Commissioner and sent him to southern Shaanxi to be in charge of disaster relief and reassurance.
After arriving in southern Shaanxi, Han Zhang carried out disaster relief and quelled the rebellion. He returned to the capital the following year after completely stabilizing the situation in southern Shaanxi.
When he returned to the capital, the reformists there were facing a difficult situation.
Interestingly, Han Zhang did not submit a memorial strongly supporting the new laws. Instead, he presented four strategies for attacking and defending the northwest border, arguing that "we should take peace as an expedient measure and war as the practical task. I request that we repair armor and strengthen our troops, build and repair the capital, and secretly devise a grand plan for the campaign."
There are no further records of his extensive involvement in the new laws. It wasn't until the following year, when Fan Da Xiang Gong and others were demoted, that Han Zhang repeatedly sought an audience with the late emperor to plead for leniency for Fan Da Xiang Gong and the others.
After several unsuccessful attempts, he requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital and left Bianjing.
Then comes Han Zhang's resume of his local government service, in which he achieved remarkable political achievements. Until a few years ago, he was transferred back to Bianjing, first serving as the Minister of the Three Departments, then as the Privy Councilor, and finally as the Grand Chancellor.
After reading it, Wang You closed the book and murmured, "Just as I expected—"
Logically speaking, Han Zhang's qualifications were inferior to Fu Bi's, and he and Fu Bi were transferred back to Bianjing around the same time.
However, in terms of his official career after returning to the capital, Han Zhang had a smoother path than Fu Bi.
Although the reason was not stated, his resume suggests that it was largely related to his failure to participate in the new law.
Back then, the emperor asked Han Zhang to work with Fan Da Xiangong, Fu Xiangong, and others to formulate new laws, but Han Zhang soon volunteered to go and provide disaster relief and peace to the people.
By the time he returned to the capital, opposition to the new laws in the court had become very strong.
There is no record of Han Zhang supporting the new laws during this period, but after Fan Da Xiangong and others were demoted, he spoke out for them and even volunteered to be transferred to a post outside the capital.
There are two major contradictions here.
Firstly, Han Zhang volunteered to provide disaster relief and reassurance to the people back then. It should be noted that when the emperor appointed Fan Da Xiang Gong and others to oversee the new laws, there were not many people available. At that time, it was impossible for the emperor to ask Han Zhang to do any disaster relief or reassurance work, thereby weakening the power of the new laws.
Han Zhang volunteered, and given the dire situation at the time, with no one else willing to take the lead, the emperor had no choice but to agree to let him go.
But does Han Zhang really need that much time to quell the rebellion?
More precisely, did Han Zhang really need to stay in southern Shaanxi for that long?
He could have easily resolved the most difficult issues, left the rest to local officials, and returned to the capital as soon as possible.
But he did not, instead delaying as much as possible, staying in southern Shaanxi for more than a year before returning to the capital.
Even if he is not in the capital, news about the new law will reach him.
Shouldn't we at least write a letter of support?
However, he did not submit a letter of support while he was in southern Shaanxi, nor did he do so after returning to Beijing.
Even until the failure of the new laws the following year, when Fan Da Xiang Gong and others were demoted, there were no records of him or the new laws.
On the contrary, he only spoke out for Fan Da Xiangong and others after they were demoted.
Wang You thought it was very likely that Han Zhang, after being chosen by the late emperor, realized that the new laws could not succeed.
However, he could not directly deny the new law, partly because it was advocated by the late emperor, and if he opposed the late emperor's decision as soon as he entered the central government, it would be very detrimental to his future.
Secondly, the problems accumulated within the imperial court were indeed real and very serious.
As a central minister, there's no reason he couldn't see this.
The late emperor proposed to formulate new laws to solve the problem of accumulation, but this was only an attempt.
If Han Zhang were to object, he would have to come up with another solution.
Otherwise, if he only refutes without offering any solutions, what would the late emperor think of him?
He couldn't stop the new law, nor could he avoid participating; he could only try to leave Beijing.
At that time, a drought occurred in southern Shaanxi, which triggered a rebellion. No one was willing to take on this hot potato, but he volunteered, showing an attitude of sharing the burden of the late emperor.
At this time, the late emperor naturally could not force others to go.
When Han Zhang arrived at his destination, he kept delaying until he could no longer delay before returning to the capital.
At that time, there was too much opposition to the new law, and it was clear that he couldn't hold on any longer, so he was even less likely to get involved.
Wang You even suspected that he had communicated with Fan Da Xiangong and others in private.
He said the new law was on the verge of failure, and his involvement now wouldn't change anything; not participating meant he could wait for the right opportunity.
As for why he stood up after Fan Da Xiangong and others were demoted, the reason is quite simple.
In order to completely extinguish the late emperor's desire for reform, all those involved in the reform, including the conservatives, will be eliminated.
Whether Han Zhang participated or not is not important; Han Zhang was among those initially chosen by the late emperor to draft the new laws.
Moreover, Han Zhang held a high position and great power at the time, which inevitably made him a target of the conservatives.
At that time, Han Zhang either had to stand up and denounce the new laws, siding with the conservatives, or he would be demoted and banished from the capital, just like Fan Da Xiang Gong and others, due to the conservatives' targeting of him.
Neither outcome is Han Zhang's ideal choice.
If he were to stand up against the new law, it would be a betrayal of his promise, since in the eyes of many, he supports the new law.
Trust and righteousness are of great importance to civil officials.
If he were to betray the new laws, not only would the conservatives look down on him, but the late emperor would also not employ him in the future.
So he stood up and spoke on behalf of Fan Da Xiangong and others. The late emperor would certainly not agree, so he could take the opportunity to request a transfer to a post outside the capital.
Although both being sent to a post outside the capital and being demoted involve leaving the capital, leaving voluntarily and leaving involuntarily are two different concepts.
Han Zhang could have stayed, but he gave up high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, and requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital.
Such a noble act will surely earn the praise of many.
Even the late emperor would value him even more.
Indeed, this was the case; Han Zhangbi, Prime Minister Fu, and others had to return to the capital first.
His career path became smoother afterward, and he successively served as the Minister of the Three Departments and the Privy Councilor, eventually becoming the Grand Chancellor.
He sat in all three positions in the highest government departments.
Besides the official's high regard for him, it's also possible that the conservatives felt he wasn't deeply involved in the new laws.
Fu Bi was clearly more senior than him, but he failed to become the Grand Chancellor, which was also related to the opposition from the conservatives.
Wang You had always felt that there was something wrong with Han Zhang.
Looking at his life, he was able to make the right choice in every crucial decision.
Moreover, they give people different feelings in many things.
Wang You clearly remembers that in the original drama, Han Zhang took the lead in petitioning for the establishment of an heir, but many officials were demoted as a result, while he was unharmed.
Later, after Zhao Zongquan ascended the throne, he sided with Zhao Zongquan in the matter of posthumously honoring his biological father.
Of course, Zhao Zongquan did not really want to posthumously honor his biological father. The so-called posthumous honor was actually just to force the officials to take sides.
Ultimately, it all boils down to seizing power.
Initially, allowing the Empress Dowager to rule from behind the curtain was a choice made out of necessity.
After all, Zhao Zongquan had no foundation in the court. If he hadn't asked the Empress Dowager to rule from behind the curtain to stabilize the situation for him, he would probably have become a puppet as soon as he ascended the throne.
But he's an adult after all, and once the situation stabilizes, he'll naturally want power.
Then, since the Empress Dowager showed no intention of giving it to him, he had no choice but to find a way to seize power.
However, the Empress Dowager's decision to rule from behind the curtain was something he himself requested, and it was approved by all the officials, which was entirely in accordance with etiquette.
Normal methods definitely won't work.
Zhao Zongquan orchestrated the posthumous conferment of honors on his biological father to force officials to take sides.
In fact, Zhao Zongquan never intended to posthumously confer any title, or rather, he dared not.
Later, the Empress Dowager sent a general directly, saying, "You wanted to posthumously confer titles on your parents, so why not posthumously confer the titles of Emperor and Empress on your biological parents?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zongquan was terrified and dared not accept it at all.
Because this concerns etiquette and law.
He respectfully referred to his biological father as "Royal Father," but that was merely a title.
If one could posthumously confer the title of emperor upon one's biological father, then things would be different.
This is tantamount to denying that he was adopted by the late emperor to inherit the throne.
You must understand, that was the legal basis for his succession to the throne.
If he actually does that, he will be in an illegitimate position.
Even if other emperors did not ascend the throne righteously, they would still rectify the situation through proper etiquette and laws.
For example, after Li Shimin killed his brother and imprisoned his father, he first forced Li Yuan to appoint him as the crown prince, and then abdicated the throne to him.
Zhu Di went even further, directly abolishing Zhu Yunwen's imperial title and reign title, extending his father's life by four years, and claiming that he inherited the throne from Zhu Yuanzhang.
There was no way for him to legitimize his claim to the throne from Zhu Yunwen.
After all, his pretext was to "purge the court of corrupt officials." With Zhu Yunwen missing, he still had his brothers and sons, each of whom had a greater right to succession than him.
If someone who gained power illegitimately behaves like this, then how can someone who gained power legitimately deny the legitimacy of the law? Isn't that just stupid?
However, regardless of the circumstances, his respectful address of his biological father as "Royal Father" is not in accordance with etiquette.
In ancient times, adopted children had to respectfully address their stepfather as "father," and had no relation to their biological father.
Even if the biological father is alive, there is no need to observe mourning if he later passes away.