flstandardbreds Chapter 290 Zeng Bu Zeng Gong
Chapter 290 Zeng Bu Zeng Gong
In another timeline, Emperor Zhezong listened attentively to these words, eager to see what had led to the downfall of the Northern Song Dynasty!
He was utterly fed up with the factional strife in the court. Not only did they attack each other, but they also had to destroy their rivals!
But then, as if remembering something, a sigh escaped his lips.
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
"At this moment, the contest between Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan was getting heated, which annoyed Emperor Huizong. After all, it was never going to end. Since the reign of Emperor Shenzong, it seemed that the two factions had been fighting back and forth."
Emperor Huizong of Song: These people are really pushing their luck! They're never going to stop!
"And the old men in the court also realized that Emperor Shenzong's son loved to follow his policies, so not long after, Han Zhongyan was dismissed from his post as prime minister, and it was at this time that Emperor Huizong officially began to give Cai Jing important responsibilities."
"Even when Emperor Huizong met Cai Jing, he said that his father, Emperor Shenzong, and his brother, Emperor Zhezong, both worked for the New Laws, and now he wanted to inherit their work. He asked Cai Jing what advice he had."
Cai Jing (inner monologue: My chance has come!): I'll do anything for Your Majesty!!!
The first few emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty: They're doomed!
"Therefore, although Emperor Huizong had previously appointed members of the old faction, he was actually inclined towards the new laws."
"The old party ministers saw through Emperor Huizong's intentions in appointing Cai Jing. Emperor Huizong himself knew that he, Zhao Ji, could not possibly play the game of restraining the emperor's desires and adhering to the old laws with those old men!"
"After all, Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) had previously mentioned his personality; he loved artistic activities like calligraphy and painting, and he also enjoyed traveling."
"How could someone with such a temperament possibly like the constraints imposed by those ministers? What talk of an emperor restraining his own desires?"
"So, in 1102 AD, Emperor Huizong changed the reign title to Chongning, marking a significant event in Song Dynasty history—the Xining Reforms."
"When Zhao Ji chose this name, he meant that he wanted to inherit his father Emperor Shenzong's reforms."
A farming expert in the Ming Dynasty: Both of Emperor Shenzong's sons implemented new laws!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Perhaps influenced by what he saw and heard?
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: It's really annoying that a bunch of old men are nagging in my ear!
Zeng Bu of the Northern Song Dynasty (who felt offended): ...
"After that, only Zeng Bu remained in the court. Times had changed, and the powerful Cai Jing chose to launch a decisive attack on Zeng Bu!"
"How should I put it, Zeng Bu used to switch back and forth between the New Party and the Old Party in order to fight for power, so people from both factions will not allow Zeng Bu to join either faction."
Both the new and old parties: Reject a triple vote ( ′???`)
"If the emperor trusted and valued him, these things would be secondary, but unexpectedly, the emperor's position was filled so quickly in the Northern Song Dynasty, so in the end, it all fell apart!?"
"However, Cai Jing's rise to power was inevitable. Whether it was Han Zhongyan, Zeng Bu, or the old party, none of them could stop Emperor Huizong's determination."
"By the way, let me also mention Zeng Bu's older brother, Zeng Gong, one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, but compared to the others, his presence is not particularly strong."
"However, in the imperial examination of the second year of Jiayou, in addition to Zeng Bu and Zeng Gong passing the imperial examination, their brothers Zeng Mou and Zeng Fu also passed the imperial examination, as did their two brothers-in-law. It was quite a sensation at the time."
"Moreover, Zeng Gong lost his father and eldest brother in his youth, but he still took on the heavy burden of the family, raising his four younger brothers and nine younger sisters single-handedly."
"Of course, there were many others besides him, so the imperial examination in the second year of Jiayou was called the Millennium Dragon and Tiger List. The political environment at that time was far less bad than it is now."
"It is said that there were 400,000 people taking the imperial examination that year, but only 388 were finally admitted."
A certain romantic and talented scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Are all those people who became famous in later generations on this list?!?
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty exclaimed: "Zeng Gong had so many younger brothers and sisters! And he still passed the imperial examination under such circumstances?!"
An old farmer from the Ming Dynasty: My God! So many people actually participated?
A scholar-official from the Han Dynasty: Is this what the imperial examination system is all about?!
Upon hearing this, Yang Jian from another timeline was shocked by the number, which was not limited to the distinction between aristocratic families and powerful clans.
Perhaps the true meaning of holding the imperial examinations lies in enabling all poor scholars to participate!
But then it declined and turned into things like the eight-legged essay!
……
The live broadcast continues.
Lin Ke continued, "Speaking of which, after Cai Jing took power, he became the sole prime minister. Although he was already over fifty years old at this time, it did not prevent him from wielding great power."
"As was customary in the Northern Song Dynasty, the new party had to attack the old party as soon as it came to power. So, shortly after Cai Jing became prime minister, a stele was erected at Duanli Gate, which was located directly south of the palace. It was called the Yuanyou Party Register Stele."
"The names on this stele are all from ministers during the Yuanyou and Yuanfu periods, such as Su Shi, Sima Guang, Lü Dafang, Su Zhe, etc., who were all marked as members of the Yuanyou faction."
"Even Zhang Dun, who had always firmly stated his position, was included, along with other members of the New Party, and even their descendants were not allowed to hold official positions in the capital."
"It is said that this list was personally finalized by Emperor Huizong of Song. Although the stele was later recarved, the names on it can still be identified after a thousand years."
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Good heavens, this factionalism and suppression is so blatant!!!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "Emperor Huizong of Song must have agreed! He might even have provided the list!"
A Qin Dynasty official said: "He wrote it himself; he's just showing off how great his calligraphy is!"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: Damn it, I'm impressed...? %... (swearing)
……
"As for whether this monument can effectively exclude or humiliate political enemies, I think it's unlikely. After all, people have eyes. Rather than excluding the old party, it's more accurate to say it's excluding his own political enemies."
"The list on it was distributed to all parts of the country after the monument was erected, so that the people of all prefectures, counties and districts would remember this group of traitors."
“For example, Huang Tingjian was labeled a traitor when he was fifty years old. He was stripped of his official position and exiled to Yizhou. But he did not complain. Instead, he opened a school in Yizhou, gave lectures, and diagnosed the poor, etc.”
"However, his good fortune didn't last long. He stayed in Yizhou for seventeen months, and although he integrated into the local community and even gave himself the name 'Old Man of Bagui'."
"But he still didn't live to see the day of his exoneration. If he had known what happened later, he would probably have been furious."
"Qin Guan was in a similar situation. He passed away earlier than Huang Tingjian. It's a pity that these people devoted half their lives or even their entire lives to the court, but ended up having such a bad life in their later years or after their death."
"By the way, the four great calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty are Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai. One theory is that Cai was Cai Jing, but because his reputation didn't improve later, he was replaced by Cai Xiang."
"Cai Jing was highly valued by Emperor Huizong, perhaps because of his calligraphy, after all, Emperor Huizong was very skilled in calligraphy and painting."
Huang Tingjian of the Northern Song Dynasty: Bah! Traitorous minister!
Qin Guan of the Northern Song Dynasty (grumbling): ...
The optimist Su Dongpo: What a treacherous minister! How utterly outrageous!!!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "With so many people being sent out to different regions, wasn't Emperor Huizong of Song worried about having no one to rely on?"
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: This statement makes a lot of sense, after all, Emperor Huizong of Song was a master of the arts!
A Han Dynasty official: It was indeed pandering to their preferences, which is normal!
……