Pushing the country
As soon as Mo Yi Bi Shuang uttered these words, all four members of the Heavenly Secrets were dumbfounded. Even Rong Yue Xian, who was usually calm, almost cried out in surprise.
The bestowal of the Nine Bestowments has historically been a harbinger of a powerful minister's usurpation of the throne; Wang Mang and Cao Cao both received this honor. Sima Jinyuan has made it clear that his purpose was to abdicate the throne to Shangguan Jin.
The true Nine Bestowments consist of nine ceremonial objects symbolizing supreme authority, not the Nine-Dragon Staff before us. However, acquiring such a staff would undoubtedly take a very long time, and Sima Jinyuan must have learned of Shangguan Yanxiu's death and rushed here from Xishan. Therefore, we can only offer this Nine-Dragon Staff, reserved for emperors, as a symbol of the Nine Bestowments, and ask Shangguan Jin to accept it as a token of our trust.
After his initial shock, Shangguan Jin stopped looking at the beauty and scepter in front of him and stared straight at Sima Jinyuan, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.
He could no longer control the grief and indignation in his heart, or some other emotion he couldn't name, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Jin Yuan, you understand me so well, you know so clearly what I, Shangguan Shisan, want."
No one could have imagined that when Shangguan Jin faced his former monarch, he would not utter the words "Emperor Emeritus" or "Your Majesty," but rather the familiar "Brother Jin Yuan," a term he would only use when they had known each other since childhood.
Upon hearing this, A Qiu finally couldn't help but ask, "Were the Grand Secretary and Emperor Dezong friends since childhood? But shouldn't the Grand Secretary have been in seclusion in the Shangguan family's cemetery during his youth? How could he have had the opportunity to meet outsiders?"
Zhongli Wuyan smiled wryly and said, "Their acquaintance is another story altogether."
Before being buried in the tomb, Shangguan Jin was one of the many outstanding and intelligent young men in the Shangguan family. Before reaching adulthood, the sons of the Shangguan family all had an obligation to enter the palace as tutors to the princes and the crown prince. This was, of course, a special favor bestowed by the royal family to win over the Shangguan clan and also to allow the imperial children to be influenced by the scholarly atmosphere of the Shangguan family.
Aqiu suddenly realized and said, "Then the Grand Secretary must have been intelligent and talented from a young age, which is why he stood out among the other tutors and gained the trust and favor of Emperor Dezong, who was then the Crown Prince."
Zhongli Wuyan smiled wryly and said, "It's exactly the opposite of what you thought."
A-Qiu asked in surprise, "Huh?"
A smile appeared on Zhongli Wuyan's lips as she said, "First of all, the Grand Secretary was not a particularly clever or outwardly intelligent person in his youth. He was mature and prudent and rarely expressed his opinions. Therefore, he seemed somewhat out of place among the elegant and eloquent members of the Shangguan family."
A Qiu recalled what Shangguan Yuqi had said about her uncle's personality, and said with a hint of understanding, "I understand now. So the Grand Secretary is not the type who achieves early success, but rather the type who achieves great things later in life."
Zhongli Wuyan continued, "Secondly, Emperor Dezong was not the crown prince at that time. Among the late emperor's sons, he was the most mediocre. He was not even very fluent in speaking and was often ridiculed. At that time, he was still the Prince of Guangling."
A Qiu was speechless for a long time before finally saying in disbelief, "...So, one of them was an unpopular prince, and the other was a dull and taciturn tutor. No one wanted either of them, so they ended up as a pair."
Even though A Qiu had never witnessed the imperial family selecting a tutor, she could imagine that in such an occasion, the most attractive young men of the Shangguan family would naturally tend to choose the most promising and powerful prince. And vice versa. No prince skilled in political maneuvering and highly sought after would choose a tutor who seemed to have little future and was not valued much in the family.
After all, even Hulü Guang, who came from the Northern Qiang, knew that he had to marry Yuqi, the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, and not just any Shangguan lady.
Zhongli Wuyan said tactfully, "That's true. However, the Grand Secretary was hiding his talents, but Emperor Dezong was not. Whenever the Grand Tutor asked him to write an essay in class, he couldn't answer the questions. The Grand Secretary would often do it for him after class. Although the Grand Secretary was not particularly handsome, he could write it in a flash. As an unimportant prince, Emperor Dezong didn't have many smart people around him at the time. As a result, he regarded the Grand Secretary, who served as his tutor, as a god. He admired him to the extreme and worshipped him to the extreme."
Ah Qiu thought to himself: This Emperor Dezong seems to be not very capable, but he is good at recognizing talent. Although his choice of Shangguan Jin was a chance encounter, it was not a misjudgment.
Of course, he also saw Madam Chi of Zhonghua in that regard. And Rong Yuexian in that regard as well.
Zhongli Wuyan continued, "Especially on one or two occasions, the memorials written for him by the Grand Secretary were recited word by word by him in front of the late Emperor, which amazed all the court officials. They all said that although the Prince of Guangling was simple and unpretentious, he was sincere, honest and pure. This also shows that the Grand Secretary was very thorough in his work. He must not have written the answers according to his own style, but rather reduced the literary embellishments and replaced them with a straightforward, concise but organized statement."
In short, Shangguan Jin's writings were tailor-made for Emperor Dezong. They contained no excessive talent, and while the language was simple, they were full of insightful observations. Only seasoned officials in the court could appreciate his profound understanding, which was far superior to those literary officials who could only show off their literary talent.
Aqiu imagined the scene at that time and said with heartfelt admiration, "After these things came out, Emperor Dezong will surely rely on Lord Shangguan even more and regard him as a rare and noble person in his life."
Zhongli Wuyan said, "It's more than just reliance. He regards the Grand Secretary as a pillar of strength like Yi Yin, the Duke of Zhou, Jiang Shang, and Guan Zhong. He's practically obsessed, praising and extolling the Grand Secretary's talent and insight to everyone he meets. Fortunately, not many people listen to him or take his words seriously."
A-Qiu said in bewilderment, "But what he said is true! The Grand Secretary is indeed a rare and outstanding minister, a prime minister of exceptional talent!"
Zhongli Wuyan smiled bitterly and said, "But if the Grand Secretary's reputation for talent spreads, the fact that he drafted documents for Emperor Dezong will not be kept secret. Wouldn't that be a slap in his own face? What face would he have left in front of the late emperor and the court officials? Perhaps the Grand Secretary will be promoted, but the Great Huan Dynasty may not have an emperor like Emperor Dezong."
Ah Qiu was speechless. The intricate connection between cause and effect was truly astonishing.
Without Shangguan Jin's early positive image of Sima Jinyuan, perhaps during the rebellion and infighting among the princes, the regents would not have remembered this obedient and dull-witted, yet kind-hearted, Prince of Guangling, and the late emperor would not have found him to have any redeeming qualities.
But if Emperor Dezong had not existed, would the famous prime minister Shangguan Jin have left a significant mark on history?
A Qiu's question also made Zhongli Wuyan think. After a moment, she decisively replied, "No."
Ah Qiu said anxiously, "With the talent and cultivation of the Grand Secretary, wouldn't he easily stand out anywhere?"
Zhongli Wuyan said thoughtfully, "First of all, the ambition of the Grand Secretary has never been to serve in office or to enjoy wealth and honor. Otherwise, he would not have chosen the path of being a tomb keeper, a life of hardship, self-discipline, and living in anonymity."
"Secondly, even if the young Grand Secretary was talented, the court was already controlled by a group of corrupt officials. Moreover, among the Grand Secretary's peers, the Shangguan family also had many outstanding talents. Do you think the Grand Secretary's character could tolerate the corrupt and oppressive atmosphere of the officialdom for many years, until he was over fifty years old and finally became the Grand Secretary?"
Zhongli Wuyan said sharply, "What motivation would a person who neither loves power nor money have to spend many years in the court just to get promoted, instead of facing the green mountains and clear waters, the boundless world, and practicing swordsmanship and cultivating his mind?"
A Qiu was dumbfounded, completely unprepared for this turn of events.
But at the same time, images of Gu Yi, Shangguan Yuqi, Xiao Pei, Gongyi Xiu, and others appeared in her mind.
Zhongli Wuyan said, "Because of the Grand Secretary's temperament, he has always concealed his talents among the Shangguan family's children. And because of this, once his three-year term as a tutor was over, no matter how much Emperor Dezong tried to persuade him to stay, he resolutely returned to the Shangguan family cemetery to inherit the tradition of being the tomb keeper. I'm afraid that by then, he had already mentally prepared himself for never to meet Emperor Dezong again."
Upon hearing this, A Qiu immediately asked, "Then how was the Grand Secretary ultimately summoned from the cemetery?"
A slight smile appeared on Zhongli Wuyan's lips as she said, "That was after the Northern Qiang approached, and the internal and external troubles led to the Rebellion of the Seven Princes. The capable and shrewd princes of the Sima family were almost entirely wiped out in this great chaos, either killing each other or being killed by the Northern Qiang. Then the ministers remembered the Prince of Guangling and recalled his behavior in the palace back then, which seemed quite good, so they decided to support him as emperor. The only requirement for Emperor Dezong, who was then the Prince of Guangling, to ascend the throne was that the young boy who had served as his tutor back then be summoned from his tomb and appointed as his Grand Secretary."
A Qiu exclaimed in surprise, "The Grand Secretary is the head of all officials and the representative of the gentry. Even those old ministers are willing to listen to him and give up such an important position?"
Zhongli Wuyan smiled bitterly, “You don’t know the situation at the time. It was a desperate measure, a last-ditch effort. Emperor Dezong was the last remaining prince of the late emperor. If he didn’t ascend the throne, the Great Huan Dynasty would cease to exist. At that time, the situation was extremely chaotic. With the late emperor’s brothers and princes fighting for power, the emperors of Jianzhang had changed four or five times in ten years. The court could not function properly. If Shangguan Jin became the Grand Secretary, it would be best if he could clean up the mess. If he couldn’t, it wouldn’t get any worse. We could just find someone else to take the position.”
Zhongli Wuyan continued, "Moreover, no matter what, Shangguan Jin is still a member of the Shangguan family—in Jiangdong, everyone has to give the Shangguan family some face."
A Qiu said, seemingly understanding but not quite, "So the Grand Secretary was appointed to this critical mission and took on the last glorious period of the Great Huan Dynasty."
Zhongli Wuyan sighed, "Who can say otherwise? 'Shangguan Thirteen's actions brought peace to the world.' That was a folk song of the people of Jianzhang at the time. Many people regarded him as the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang and the rebirth of Marquis Liu. And he indeed lived up to Emperor Dezong's trust. During Emperor Dezong's lifetime, he led the court to unite as one, stabilize the Jianzhang army internally, and unite with the Marquis of Guannei and the Marquis of Yongding externally, winning the Battle of Crossing the Yangtze River and creating the Great Huan Restoration."
Anyone who lived through the Qian Huan era and recalls Shangguan Jin's achievements cannot help but sigh with admiration. His contributions to the lives of people in half of Jiangdong have truly benefited generations to come.
A Qiu then remembered something and asked, "You only said that the Grand Secretary was summoned by Emperor Dezong's imperial edict, but you didn't say why the Grand Secretary was willing to take up the post. Wasn't he always only interested in cultivating Taoism and regarding fame and fortune as dirt?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
