Chapter 280: Restarting the Temple Name and Posthumous Title System
The influence of Lu Zhi's regency on the political situation in the court was enormous. The most taboo thing for a country is to have two political centers.
Previously, Liu Ying succeeded to the throne in Changle Palace, but he issued orders from the Empress Dowager's Weiyang Palace. The ministers did not know who was the master of the empire, so the situation became complicated and countless evil intentions arose.
With Lu Zhi taking the throne as the regent empress dowager, the situation in the whole world became clear. The master of the empire was the empress dowager, and all matters needed to be reported to her. The emperor was still young and needed to continue learning how to govern the country and identify and employ people.
Weiyang Palace.
Not only Luo Xin was here, but also important officials such as Xiao He and Zhang Liang gathered here to discuss the country's strategic direction after the Queen Mother took over as regent.
An old fox like Xiao He, as he grew older, expressed fewer opinions on current affairs and tried not to offend anyone if possible.
When he served as prime minister together with Luo Yi before, he did not fight or compete, but just did his job well.
Now that Empress Lu is close to Marquis Dong'e, the reason why he can still serve as prime minister is because of his high prestige and old age. He is there to support Luo Xin, so Xiao He has put himself in the right position.
After Zhang Liang met Luo Ling, a peerless figure who basically suppressed him in terms of wisdom, he no longer cared about many political matters and focused his main energy on cultivating immortals. For him, as long as he could preserve the wealth of his family, it was enough.
With all the ministers present, it was naturally impossible for Lu Zhi to sit next to Luo Xin. She sat at the very top, and Liu Ying sat next to her. His little face was a little pale. When he was still a baby in swaddling clothes, he had experienced too many bumps, which made him a little weak, but fortunately he was not a sickly person.
However, Luo Xin had prepared for the future. Although Liu Ying was still young, he had already begun to pay attention to the candidate for the queen for Liu Ying. After Liu Ying was crowned, he began to arrange a marriage for him so that he could have children as soon as possible to calm Lu Zhi's heart.
Lü Zhi said, "My lords, the late emperor passed away and explained his merits and demerits to the King. That is not something we can touch upon, but the deeds of the world need to be publicized. Since ancient times, wise rulers and virtuous ministers have wanted to leave their names in history, which shows the importance of reputation both during life and after death.
The late emperor has great merits. How should we praise him? Lord Liu, you are extremely wise. Lord Zhao once praised you as the best among the Han officials. Please tell us first.”
Zhang Liang was named, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Why not order all the counties to write poems and songs about the late emperor's deeds? This will surely help spread the late emperor's deeds."
This is indeed a solution, and it is quite extraordinary to be able to come up with such a method that is acceptable to both scholars and common people in such a short time.
Lü Zhi looked at Luo Xin again and asked softly, "Does the Marquis of Dong'a have any ideas?"
"Liu Hou's idea is very good. It can spread the benevolence of the late emperor among the common people."
He first affirmed Zhang Liang's idea, and then said: "When the late emperor was alive, he named my elder brother Zhao Gong, and avoided the word Zhao, and even avoided the posthumous title. For example, Qin Zhaoxiang Wang, Yan Zhaowang, etc., were changed to Cheng in the classics, and were called Qin Chengxiang Wang, Yan Chengwang, etc.
The posthumous title is a very important thing, and this was approved by the late emperor.
During the Zhou Dynasty, when the emperor passed away, the princes were given posthumous titles to judge their merits and demerits.
When it came to Emperor Qin Shi Huang, he believed that this was a minister criticizing the monarch and a son criticizing his father, so he abolished the posthumous title. How ridiculous this was.
Without the posthumous title, would he no longer be called a tyrant?
Without the posthumous title, would he no longer be called a tyrant?
The Zhou Dynasty lasted for a thousand years, and there had never been any problem with the posthumous titles that had been repeatedly confirmed by the princes.
King Li almost destroyed the Zhou state, so he was given the posthumous title of Li.
Could it be that Duke Wen and many of his ministers were dissatisfied with him?
The historical records state, "When Li was given the posthumous title, the people of Zhou were delighted and sang songs about him for ten days."
When King Li received this bad posthumous title, the families of those who had died tragically because of him were all delighted.
If a king like King Li could still receive offerings of blood and food and get high praise, where could those loyal ministers and generals who died tragically at the hands of tyrants go to tell about their grievances?
I believe that the posthumous title system should be reactivated. Not only the emperor, but also important officials of the court, such as the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, and Marquis, should be included in this evaluation system.
The king's posthumous title must be reported to heaven.
The posthumous titles of dukes, ministers, and princes were determined first. Every other year, the names of the deceased officials and the posthumous titles drafted by the court were engraved on bamboo slips, and when the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven, they were announced together.
Posthumous title!
People like Xiao He and Zhang Liang looked at Luo Xin with some excitement. They never expected that Luo Xin would actually bring up this matter, and more importantly, he would extend the posthumous title to important officials like them.
The posthumous title of Bang Zhou was first selected by King Su, who then gave them explanations. In the beginning, it was not used posthumously. Starting from Duke Wen, it completely became a posthumous judgment.
This set of procedures lasted for a thousand years, and only the princes and lords could obtain it. If you were not a prince, even the regent who was in charge of the affairs of a big country could not get it.
Among the dozen or so people in the hall, all of them, who were not heroes in the founding of the country and who did not hold the title of marquis, could be given a posthumous title.
The most important thing is that these people all believe that their achievements are definitely worthy of a high posthumous title.
Lü Zhi had known about this for a long time, so she acted excited and said, "What the Marquis of Dong'e said is indeed correct.
In this world, only dictators do not allow criticism, because their faults and sins are so many that even all the water in the East China Sea cannot wash them away.
The late emperor had great merits and virtues, and he should be given the highest posthumous title. I have heard that kings, emperors, Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang were all posthumous titles.
The late emperor was the first emperor to have a posthumous title, and he deserved an unprecedented posthumous title. The late emperor's virtues covered all things and his merits were great, so he was posthumously named "Gao" and was called the Gao Emperor. "
So this is what you two have discussed, then let me say it first, Zhang Liang secretly complained in his heart, and then he heard Lu Zhi asked: "Dong'e Hou's method is good, it can be implemented, do you have any suggestions?"
Luo Xin leisurely took out a piece of cloth from his wide robe sleeve and said in a clear voice: "Empress Dowager, this is what my fifth brother asked me to bring when he knew that the late emperor had passed away and that I was going to Chang'an.
My fifth brother is familiar with all the laws and regulations of the Three Dynasties and has read thousands of books. He is a great talent who can understand laws and regulations. He read ancient books and found that the Shang Dynasty had a set of temple names to praise the ancient sage kings.
Luo had the clearest knowledge of the history before the Zhou Dynasty, especially after the burning of books by Emperor Qin Shihuang, his status as an academic leader became increasingly prominent.
For example, the temple name, perhaps there are a few in the other hundred families who know it a little bit, but definitely not as well as the Luo family. Lü Zhi asked curiously, "What is the temple name?"
"The ancestors have merits and the clan has virtues, so the temple name is based on the ancestors or clans as a kind of praise for the ancestors. The biggest difference between it and the posthumous name is that the posthumous name can be praise or criticism, while the temple name is purely a praise for the ancestors' achievements."
People nowadays still have to save face. After all, Bang Zhou did not hesitate to give the emperor an evil posthumous title. Upon hearing this, Lü Zhi frowned and said, "If we just praise him blindly, how can we warn future generations?"
yes.
Everyone in the hall had the same idea: how can the good be highlighted without the bad?
Just like the posthumous titles, without Jie, Zhou, You and Li, how could the greatness of Wen, Wu, Kang and Zhao be highlighted?
Of course, the posthumous title Zhao is no longer used now, but the principle remains.
Luo Xin smiled and said, "The temple name follows the principle that the ancestors have merits and the ancestors have virtues. Ancestors without merits will not be devalued, but they will not be given a temple name."
That makes sense.
Not having a temple name is a kind of derogation. Everyone has a temple name, but you don't. That means you are not as good as other emperors.
By considering both aspects comprehensively, we can basically judge a king's achievements, but the prerequisite is that his subjects must have integrity.
Officials in this era are naturally morally upright in this regard. No one wants to ruin his reputation in history just to praise a dead king.
But what Luo proposed is not that simple, and he would not rely on people's moral integrity.
Regardless of whether it is a temple name or a posthumous name, the most important thing is actually to inform heaven.
A warning to God?
Su Wang is the Heaven. If any mediocre king dares to shamelessly give himself a temple name, his temple will be demolished on the spot.
If the posthumous title given to the heaven was too outrageous, whether it was deliberately elevated or derogatory, a small bolt of lightning would burn the bamboo slips with the name engraved on them into ashes on the spot.
God is angry, and I want to ask you if you are afraid?
This system can operate steadily at least as long as the family foundation is still strong. It is a deterrent to those kings and ministers who are concerned about their reputation.
The Mohist ideas of Heaven's Will and Knowing Ghosts had a huge influence on Luoshi. Man acts and Heaven watches, which is the foundation of this set of policies.
This clearly states that the Luo family may not be able to stop treacherous people from wreaking havoc on the country every time.
But if you want a good reputation, that is impossible. You will definitely be infamous for eternity.
Now everyone understood that the temple name was like an additional title, and this arrangement was very appropriate.
"The late emperor had great achievements in establishing the country, so naturally his descendants cannot catch up to him. It seems that this should be the temple name of the ancestor."
Luo Xin nodded and said, "Yes, the most honorable temple name is Taizu, which can only be used by the saintly king who founded the dynasty. The late emperor should be called Taizu. From now on, all the classics will call him Taizu Gaohuangdi."
Emperor Taizu Gao!
Everyone muttered this title softly, and felt their scalps tingling. This feeling of carrying history and merits made people unable to stop.
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The great cities of Chang'an and Luoyang were not built in one day, and great civilization and splendid culture could not be achieved overnight. The re-establishment of the temple name and posthumous name system is another contribution of the Han Dynasty, which is of great significance to historical research. The changes in temple names and posthumous names can even reveal the changes in the dynasty's ideology. - "The Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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