Wang Anshi was universally acknowledged as a traitor, so why did Sima Guang disagree?
The Book of Filial Piety states: When a gentleman is in a superior position, he should be loyal when advancing and amend his mistakes when retreating. He should follow the good and correct the evil.
From this perspective, Wang Anshi flattered the emperor, fawning on him and aiding his evildoers. He was a heretic and a traitor, and therefore the people of the Song Dynasty unanimously denounced him as a combination of Wang Yan and Lu Qi. Song Shenzong was a warmongerer, seeking to repeat the mistakes of the Qin Emperor, Han Wudi, and Sui Yangdi. Therefore, all the wise and virtuous people disobeyed his orders, which is the so-called "follow the Tao, not the emperor."
Why did Sima Guang defy popular opinion, disregard facts, and abandon principle to glorify Wang Anshi? Since "this was Sang Hongyang's deceitful words to Emperor Wu of Han, and Sima Qian wrote them down to mock the emperor's ignorance," to call Wang Anshi treacherous was tantamount to condemning Emperor Shenzong as a tyrant, something Sima Guang could not bear. Sima Guang, despite his dissident views, was appointed Deputy Privy Councilor, a favor bestowed upon him, a privilege for which he should be deeply grateful.
The emperor then asked, "What about Wang Anshi?" Guang replied, "People say Anshi is treacherous and evil, but that's an overreaction. He's just ignorant and stubborn."
The emperor ordered the removal of Zhang Jian, the censor, and Wang Zishao from their posts as county magistrates. Jian repeatedly criticized the inconvenience of the Qingmiao system, and finally submitted a petition requesting the dismissal of the Zhizhisi and the various envoys. He also stated: "Wang Anshi is obsessed with accumulating wealth and is greedy for victory, which is unacceptable; Lü Huiqing is treacherous and treacherous, yet he remains by your side."
The emperor said, "Wang Anshih dislikes officialdom and self-indulgence; he can be considered a virtuous man." Guang replied, "Anshih is indeed a virtuous man, but his nature is ignorant and stubborn, which is his shortcoming. Furthermore, one should not trust Lü Huiqing. Huiqing is treacherous and evil, and he advised Anshi, who then carried out his plans. Therefore, the world accuses Anshi of being treacherous and evil."
The emperor ordered Lü Hui to be demoted to the position of Zhongcheng and appointed Governor of Dengzhou. Previously, Hui submitted a memorial stating, "I believe that great traitors appear loyal, great frauds appear trustworthy. Their use and rejection determine the fate of the nation. A man of talent like Shao Zhengmao, whose words are false yet firm, whose docility is unfaithful, whose memory is profound yet comprehensive, who but a great sage can remove him? I respectfully observe that Wang Anshih appears simple and unsophisticated, but inwardly he harbors cunning and deceit. He is arrogant and disrespectful to his superiors, a treacherous and harmful person. I have now briefly submitted ten memorials. I sincerely fear that Your Majesty will be pleased with his eloquence and, over time, will become dependent on him, and you will lose sight of his true intentions and falsehood, and lose the ability to distinguish between good and evil. If great traitors gain the upper hand and evil forces gather together, the wise will gradually leave, and chaos will ensue. I have observed that Anshih's deeds lack any far-sighted vision, but he is dedicated to reforming and distinguishing himself from others. He merely uses elegant words to cover up his faults, deceiving his superiors and deceiving his subjects. I am deeply concerned. He will surely lead the people of the world astray!"
Su Shi once calmly criticized Gong Liang for failing to rectify the government. Gong Liang said, "The emperor and Anshi are one and the same. This is heaven's will."
Anshi said, "The state's finances are insufficient because we don't have someone who's good at managing finances." Guang replied, "Those who are good at managing finances only collect money from the people and use up all their wealth. This leads to poverty and displacement, and the people become bandits. How can this benefit the country?" Anshi replied, "This is not the way to manage finances well. A good financial manager would not tax the people more, and the state would have more money." Guang said, "This is what Sang Hongyang said to deceive Emperor Wu of Han, and Sima Qian wrote it down to ridicule the emperor for his ignorance." Anshi argued for a long time, and the emperor said, "I agree with Sima Guang. For now, I will just say I disagree."
Sima Guang, a Hanlin scholar, was appointed Deputy Privy Councilor. On the 23rd day of the 11th month, Sima Guang said, "I previously submitted a memorial arguing against the establishment of the Three Departments Regulations Office, and also arguing that distributing the Qingmiao money was inconvenient. I have heard that the late emperor once released one million strings of cash from the treasury to support the Changping granaries throughout the country as capital for purchasing grain. The day before yesterday, the Changping granaries throughout the country totaled over 10 million strings of cash and grain. Now, without reason, all of this has been dispersed. If they want to collect grain again under the Changping system in the future, when will they be able to collect this amount? I believe that distributing the Qingmiao money is a minor harm, while undermining the Changping system is far more harmful." Ten years from now, the rich will have disappeared, the regular economy will be in tatters, the treasury will be empty, and unfortunately there will be floods and droughts covering an area of two to three thousand miles, plus the barbarians will invade the borders. At that time, if the weak among the people do not die in ditches and the strong do not gather together to become bandits, what will become of them? If Your Majesty can truly wake up and adopt my advice, abolish the three departments and recall the envoys, I will accept all my official titles and rank, but I will be fortunate enough to live the rest of my life as a citizen of peace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
