Chapter 548: Clouds from all over the world
Looking at the somewhat surprised emperor in front of him, Wang Mang's face was full of respect. The image of a saint who had always been respectful and polite in front of the people of the world was displayed in front of the emperor.
The reason for this is that Wang Mang realized that the world ultimately belongs to the emperor.
The status of the empress dowager is indeed higher than that of the emperor, but most of the power of the country is still in the hands of the emperor. The emperor is born with power bestowed by God, while the power of the empress dowager comes from the human ethics such as filial piety.
Facing an adult emperor, except for someone like Empress Dowager Lu, even the Empress Dowager could hardly shake his power. The time when the Empress Dowager had the greatest power was usually when the emperor was still young.
In ancient times like the Qin and Han dynasties, there was no complete system of bureaucratic promotion and demotion. The kings mainly relied on clan relatives, relatives by marriage, and close ministers to rule. This was a remnant of aristocratic politics. The characteristics of aristocrats were that they were born noble, possessed undisputed power, and could make close ministers prominent at will.
Therefore, it is common to see people holding high positions at a young age in history books. The Luo family took this path. The only difference is that because of the thousand years of nurturing and high prestige, people overlook this point.
Wang Mang also relied on his family background to enter the official career. He did not think there was anything wrong with this. As long as his heart was bright, what did it matter how he achieved it?
…
"You have changed a little, Lord."
Wang Mang walked in the corridor of the imperial palace, watching the sunlight from the sky shining down and leaving a large number of dark shadows in the corridor, with only half of the light shining on him.
Recalling what the emperor said, Wang Mang suddenly chuckled. Has there been a big change?
It is indeed much bigger than before. People will not seek change unless they encounter failure.
It was like breaking the shackles of the soul. After figuring out some things, the whole person was completely sublimated. This is how Wang Mang feels now.
I am no longer the person I once was, but the court remains the same.
…
"The world is in a state of desolation right now. I have heard that when the world is in a state of desolation, a sage king and wise ministers are needed to prosper.
Wang Mang was a man of virtue. He was respectful and filial to his elders, kind and gentle to the poor and weak, and sincere and righteous in making friends.
I have heard that when there are wise men in the court who serve as role models, officials all over the world will follow and learn from them.
I now appoint Wang Mang as the chief academic officer of the Imperial Academy, the Minister of Rites, the Chief of the Treasury, the Palace Attendant, and grant him the title of Marquis of Changren.
May the Han Dynasty live forever, and inform all the counties and states in the world so that the people will know my intentions. "
Wang Mang certainly did not return to Chang'an to be idle. All he got were positions that either had real power or were prestigious.
He was directly appointed as one of the Nine Ministers, and then obtained the status of Shizhong, a close minister of the emperor. The position of Jijiu of the Imperial Academy allowed him to unite the scholars. The position of Chief of the Treasury was also a noble and prestigious position. In this era when books were extremely important and knowledge was extremely precious, it was a noble position second only to Jijiu of the Imperial Academy.
Because of his relationship with the Empress Dowager, he was able to enter and leave the palace relatively smoothly, and quickly became one of the most popular political figures in Chang'an City.
The most crucial thing is the signal it reflects. It is clear that Wang Mang is a reformist. Although Wang Mang has become much quieter after coming back this time, no one thinks that he will change his ambitions.
The emperor's appointment of Wang Mang represented that the situation in the country had further deteriorated, and the reform faction's influence on the government and the world had become even stronger, forcing the emperor to make concessions.
The reformists, who had been hit hard by the deaths of two consecutive emperors, finally returned to the center stage under the push of the general trend.
Such a wonderful start made countless people who wanted Wang Mang to return to Chang'an feel happy. The wise man they called for had returned to Chang'an. How far was the reform?
"Go visit Lord Giant!"
"Let the great king know that there are countless people waiting for him in the world."
"Let the powerful people in Chang'an and the rest of the world know that someone has never given up."
"We are the ones who will realize what the saints have written and save the world from ruin."
This was the slogan shouted by the scholars, and some radicals even said directly: "The country is exhausted to such an extent, the people are suffering to the point of unbearable hardship, but the emperor is unwilling to reform the system.
In ancient times, Yao, Shun and Yu all abdicated the throne to wise men who could govern the world.
The world is now in a state of depression and everyone knows that the system needs to be reformed, but the emperor does not do so. Isn't this going against the will of heaven?
This probably means that the Mandate of Heaven of the Han Dynasty is about to decline!"
This is not the first time that such words have appeared. Such voices have been heard as early as the reign of Emperor Li. With the continuous occurrence of natural disasters and man-made disasters, such voices have become more and more frequent.
These scholars may not understand what the dynastic cycle is, but they can still see that if the Han Dynasty continues like this, it will probably be over.
I don’t know how many people came to visit Wang Mang with gifts. Faced with countless exquisite gifts, even the mansion could not hold them all, Wang Mang showed no expression.
All he was thinking about was the future. His main enemies, who were also the culprits who had driven him out of Chang'an, were basically conservatives, powerful people who were unwilling to see the Han Dynasty reformed.
Half of these powerful people are unwilling to have their interests affected, but the other half are not simply unwilling to do so because their interests are damaged, but because they are trying to stop eating with the bathwater.
Deep down in their hearts, they also want reform. After all, most people can see that the world is crumbling.
In particular, the frequent natural disasters completely shook the economic foundation of Guanzhong, which reminded people of the time of King You of Zhou, when the three rivers dried up and the vassal states in Guanzhong even had to migrate as a whole because the land was no longer suitable for survival.
Now the imperial court has no ability to provide relief to the victims, no ability to handle these affairs, and even cannot afford the military expenses for the border areas. If the semi-feudal system had not been implemented in the border areas, the Hu people would have come to Chang'an for a visit.
Listening to the congratulations, Wang Mang responded one by one. Everyone praised him. Although he reached a high position, he did not have the slightest arrogance. He was truly worthy of being a great monarch!
Only Wang Mang knew that he needed higher reputation and stronger strength. One of the Nine Ministers was not enough. He needed three dukes. No, he needed to be ranked above all the dukes and princes.
There is no need to think about the position of Prime Minister, as this position has always been the private domain of the Luo family.
But there is a position that can serve as an alternative, Grand Marshal and General, and that’s enough.
The Grand Marshal and the Grand General are two official positions. Before, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, the Grand Marshal was an additional title for the Grand General.
During the regency of Empress Gao, the Han Dynasty established the political rules of emphasizing internal affairs over external affairs, holding military power in the hands of the emperor, and elevating the power of the prime minister. Therefore, among the three officials, the prime minister was the first, the general was the second, and the chief censor was the lowest. It can be said that even the general and the chief censor combined were not as good as the prime minister, because four of the nine ministers were subordinates of the prime minister, and two were under the jurisdiction of the prime minister.
However, in order to elevate the status of the general, Emperor Xiaowu created the position of Grand Marshal, who was the supreme commander of the army and was on the same level as the prime minister.
A simple Grand Marshal has no real power, but has a very high status, just like the previous Grand Marshal, who is a high-ranking decoration.
A simple general has great power, but his position is below that of the prime minister.
Only when the Grand Marshal and the General appear together, power reaches its peak.
Huo Guang took control of state affairs as the Grand Marshal, General and Minister of Regents, which was Wang Mang's goal.
So far, all those who want to become Grand Marshal and General have, without exception, to be relatives of the emperor.
The highest position among the clan members was Prime Minister Liu Zizheng, but he never had access to military power. Only the external relatives took turns to hold the highest power.
After entering Chang'an City, Wang Mang still maintained his own style, in addition to doing some of his job.
The most common thing to do is to go to the Imperial College, listen to the opinions of the scholars, see their views on the current world, and cultivate one's own backbone among them.
“Nowadays, disasters are happening frequently all over the world. Doesn’t this mean that God has become disgusted with the rule of the Han Dynasty?
Isn't it that the Han Dynasty's perverse actions have gradually angered God?
I have heard that the emperor is in charge of shepherding the people on behalf of God, and if he fails to do so he will be punished by God. Perhaps this is the case now.
The people are no longer willing to hope for salvation from the royal family, but are instead swarming in droves. Doesn't this mean they are completely disappointed with the emperor?
What is His Majesty the Emperor waiting for?
Are we waiting for the surging rebel army to rush into Chang'an?"
"My Lord, the world right now is like a dark night sky, without a single ray of light.
You are a wise man known throughout the world. Duke Zhaozhongyi died in Heluo, and the Luo family has not come out. Only you can save this dull and irreversible world.
We solemnly request you to make the world prosperous again."
As his understanding deepened, Wang Mang became more and more confident. This was the general trend of the world, and who could stop it?
Follow the will of heaven, who can be better than yourself?
“The world is in a state of decay today because of the loss of morality. People’s hearts are gradually becoming corrupt, and the powerful and wealthy are busy expanding their power and annexing land.
The emperor was living a life of drunkenness and debauchery in Changle Palace, leaving only the common people struggling.
Having lost the land on which they depend for their survival, even today, when the ancient times are long gone, there are still people of the Han Dynasty being enslaved.
well.
Isn't it the most important issue to restore the moral integrity of the people?"
This is Wang Mang's worldview. His thoughts are from the inside out. They are typical Confucian ideas of self-cultivation, family management, governance of the country and peace in the world. He believes that if one is not upright, one cannot serve as a role model. If officials are not upright, how can they expect the people to follow?
He always firmly believed that as long as he could rise to a high position through morality, he would be able to create a trend throughout the world, just like the Luo State.
The king is wise, the ministers are polite, and the people are virtuous!
————
After the narration of this chapter, we can answer the question at the beginning of this chapter. The era chose Wang Mang because he was indeed outstanding. In that era, he was a rare flower. - "Biography of Wang Mang"
(End of this chapter)
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