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Back then, Wang Anshi compiled textbooks and reformed the imperial examination system to cultivate useful talents for the country. Among them were his own annotations on the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, and the Book of Rites, known as the New Interpretations. This was the subject of instruction for fifteen years during the Song Dynasty. However, Sima Guang, near the time of the imperial examination, suddenly announced the abolition of all Wang Anshi's New Interpretations and the return to the pre-Xining era.
If not for Wang Anshi, one should also consider the candidates all over the world. He suddenly did this when the exam was approaching. Putting aside his status as an important official of the court and an intellectual predecessor, Sima Guang should not be so harsh just because of his age.
He did this and achieved his goal. Wang Anshi spent the whole night awake, walking around the house, and his screen was covered with hundreds of Sima Guang's names.
Sima Guang, I never thought that 15 years later, you would become like this! Sima Guang also issued a strict order prohibiting officials from reading Wang Anshi's "Zi Shuo".
Was Wang Anshi a criminal? Why were his books banned? On the one hand, the new law was abolished, and on the other, his works were banned. How should such behavior be defined? I really don't want to insult him with words, so let's figure it out for ourselves!
Sima Guang insisted on replacing the exemption law with the military service law to show Wang Anshi that the military service law was better than the exemption law. But I changed it back, and you watched helplessly, unable to do anything about it. Is this still Sima Guang? A scoundrel!
Sima Guang achieved his goal, as Wang Anshi really died before him.
Song Dynasty Bie Lei notes: The Yuanyou Party Membership Stele was completed by the Cai family and their sons, and its meaning was initiated by Wang Anshi. Anshi once composed a poem by Cao Du to convey this sentiment: "The treacherous and unpredictable nature of the gods has been difficult to predict since ancient times. Only the Yu Ding (Ding) could discern this without suspicion." The conspiracy of demons and monsters has been going on for a long time, and the Taiqiu Shrine was destroyed long ago. This served as a metaphor for the fact that those who advocated new laws and dissenting opinions would bring disaster to the Song Dynasty. Later, his disciples and sons-in-law successively came to power and cast a precious tripod, listing the names of the Yuanyou sages, including Sima Guang and below. Anshi was compared to Yu and Ji, and Sima Guang and his companions were treated as demons and monsters. From then on, factionalism flourished, and talented people were suppressed. Ultimately, the army marched south, leaving the county in ruins. A single word could destroy a nation. This is what Anshi meant. When the Jin entered Bian, he saw the image of the tripod and sighed, "How can the Song Dynasty, with its rulers and ministers, endure such a long period of use and dismissal?" He then smashed it in anger. The Song Dynasty moved south, with Anshi as the main culprit. There is no treacherous minister in ancient times who could compare to him. Even during the Later Han and Late Tang dynasties, when the disasters he inflicted were not as severe, he is still ranked among the famous ministers. Why? Liu Wenjing wrote in his poem "Ode to Anshi": "Back then, a line of Wei gourd pierced through, until the flood destroyed the country; who planted the grass that covered Nanjing? On the Tianjin Bridge, I hear the cuckoo cry."
The argument goes: If one uses and discards things in this way, how can it last long? It was not Qin that destroyed the six kingdoms.
Danqianlu: Song people's comments were unfair and unclear. During the Hongzhi reign, Zhou Degong of Yuhang described Wang Anshi as the greatest villain of all time, adding, "Emperor Shenzong's confusion is a combination of Hu Hai, Huan Ling, and Wang Anshi's treachery is a combination of Mang Cao, Yi Wen, and Wang Anshi." This statement is the most fair and clear. I once said that the suppression of Wang Anshi's position as prime minister was largely similar to Shang Yang's. Wang Yang's promotion was due to the eunuch Jing Jian, while Wang Anshi's accession to the throne was due to the eunuch Lan Yuanzhen. Shang Yang established a ban on slander, while Wang Anshi established patrols. Wang Yang vigorously opposed the proposals of Gan Long and Du Zhi, while Wang Anshi vigorously criticized those who advocated new laws. The fall of the Qin Dynasty was due to Shang Yang, and the fall of the Song Dynasty was due to Anshi. Wang Anshi once wrote in a poem, "No one today can blame Shang Yang; he could make his orders carried out." This reveals his true nature: first treacherous and then treacherous, but the principle is the same. Zhu Xi considered Anshi a renowned minister, ranking him alongside Sima Gong. If so, Shang Yang should also be on par with Mencius. Cheng Zi claimed, "The implementation of the new law was provoked by us." This is also incorrect. For example, if a drunkard attacks someone, the sober will rally to rescue him. But if they fail to stop the drunkard and instead blame the sober for rescuing him, how can they possibly do that? As the proverb goes, "If there's no winter melon to be eaten, grab a gourd and grind it." While the phrase may be vulgar, it bears resemblance to the truth. Once this statement was made, it laid the groundwork for subsequent mediation. Lu Xiangshan's inscription on Wang Anshi's ancestral hall, in which he fulfilled his ancestral wish, held that throughout the Song dynasty, Anshi and his son were enshrined in the Confucius Temple, yet no one publicly voiced their opinion. Only Emperor Lizong, on his own, saw fit to depose them. Such arguments have a profound impact. Anshi's misfortunes for the country, had he lived under Confucius, he would have been punished as Shao Zhengmao. Yet, upon his death, he was publicly honored in the temple, while private shrines were held in the prefectures and counties. This reflects the unfair and unclear opinions of the Song people, which have led the world into confusion and delusion. Wang Anshi implemented new laws and appointed villains, which were criticized by the wise of the time and all demoted. His brothers Anli and Anguo, as well as his nephews Suo, styled Yuanjun and Yu, styled Yuanlong, all disagreed with his actions. This is the ultimate lack of support, yet Anshi did not reflect on himself. During the Yuanyou period, Anguo was demoted and died, and Suo and Yu were also exiled to distant places. Is this what is meant by "being blinded by the law," or by not loving those whom one loves? Furthermore, the foolishness, stupidity, and weakness of a ruler are not enough to destroy a country; those who do are necessarily stubborn and discerning. Just as an unworthy son is not enough to ruin a family, those who do are necessarily frivolous and undisciplined. Among ministers, a truly villainous person is not enough to disrupt a country; those who do are necessarily hypocrites. A true villain's name is not evil, and his evil deeds are limited. A hypocrite, however, steals the name of evil and his evil deeds are endless. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty's fall was not due to Emperor Xizong, but to Emperor Dezong; the Song Dynasty's chaos was not due to Jing Bian, but to Wang Anshi. Someone asks, "How can you forgive a true villain?" I say, "Have you not read Bai Juyi's poems? The harm of a fox impersonating a woman is minor, captivating the eyes for a day or a night. The harm of a woman impersonating a fox is profound, captivating the heart day and night. How could Yuetian forgive a fox?" Wang Anshi's misfortunes were so severe that after his death he was enshrined in the Confucius Temple, along with his son, Pang, because his villain clique was so strong. Yang Guishan tried hard to discredit him, but was unable to defeat him. Even after the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong, despite his virtue, still deceived him, believing him to be a true sage. In the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Lizong, Wei Fanzhi, a commoner in Jianning, requested that Anshi and his son be removed from the shrine, but his request was ignored. It was not until the first year of the reign of Emperor Lizong of Chunyou that he was finally deposed. This is how easily villains and their cliques can deceive the world. There is a shrine to Anshi in Fuzhou, and Lu Xiangshan wrote an inscription for him. I said, "The shrine doesn't need to be built, and the inscription doesn't need to be written. What contributions does Anshi have that are worthy of being included in the rites of worship?"
A careful examination of Anshi's crimes has left such a legacy for future generations. During the Song Dynasty's migration south, Anshi was the most responsible, a traitor unmatched by any other treacherous minister in history. While the factional turmoil of the late Han and Tang dynasties wasn't as severe, he was a eunuch and slave, publicly executed for his crimes, making him a traitorous minister clearly recorded in Chinese history. Anshi used his writings to aid his treacherous activities, and his accomplices led to numerous crimes, leading to confusion in later generations about his right and wrong.
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