Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 146 King Jingsheng, Duke Anhan

"Master Xu is too pedantic. How can there be any breakthrough without trying?" Wang Mang still wanted to continue fighting. This was related to his own success or failure. If he could not win over the Confucian scholars, he would not be able to make any progress in the court!
It is not easy to make the Confucians, who have been cautious for two hundred years, place their bets with confidence.

"There is no point in discussing this matter, Sima Wang. Xu will never agree to it. I don't think that respecting Confucianism alone is superior to combining Confucianism and Legalism!"

"This is the iron rule left by Saint Master Xu Gong. How can we, as his students, violate it without permission? It is unreasonable and even more illegal! And you still say that you have other intentions?"

Xu Hua did not give him face and started to fight back. He would never agree to the other party's promotion of Confucian scholars. How would this put the countless Legalist students behind him? He could not miss the big watermelon behind him just because of this little sesame seed.

Moreover, this was the national policy decided during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu! How could it be changed at will if it was a national policy?

The people have become accustomed to the Legalist governance model, and an abrupt replacement will certainly not have any good results. Since ancient times, neglecting the essentials and pursuing the trivial has always been the way to chaos.

However, Wang Mang's idea was not pure. He wanted to take the opportunity to tie Confucianism to his chariot.

His administration would greatly increase the proportion of Confucian scholars, but what if he fell and someone else took over? That would be completely different, and they would abolish all the strategies left by these political enemies.

So in order to ensure that his things were not lost, he could only support the Wang family.

The technique is quite clever. No one wants to lose something they already have.

"My intention is of course for the future of our Han Dynasty! Why would Xu Situ doubt a loyal minister?"

At this moment, the Queen Mother finally couldn't bear it anymore and waved her hand, and the eunuch next to her immediately yelled.

The ministers who were arguing with each other in the air finally quieted down.

At present, the Empress Dowager who is ruling from behind the scenes still has absolute authority. The one who really benefits from the dispute between Prince Xu and Prince Xu is the Empress Dowager! The two check and balance each other, and the status of the referee is particularly high.

Historically, Wang Mang was able to force his aunt to hand over the imperial seal and usurp the Han Dynasty and establish himself as the emperor because he had been in power in the court for many years and had long since turned the court into his own one-man show.

The path to usurping power was quite clear, from small to large, step by step, from Duke Anhan to Prime Minister, then to the fake emperor, and finally becoming the emperor. It could be said to be the smoothest ascension process in all dynasties, with almost no blood and killing.

It can even be said that he was the popular choice to become emperor, which was also due to the superstition of the Han Dynasty people. Wang Mang could use various auspicious signs to show that he was the chosen one by heaven, and thus gain support.

"Quiet, let me think about this for a while. Let's put it aside for now. What Xu Situ said makes sense. The laws of our ancestors cannot be changed easily because the consequences are simply unimaginable."

"You are too abrupt, Lord."

Wang Zhengjun rarely supported Xu Hua this time. She also believed that the combination of Confucianism and Legalism promoted by Xu Gong was the way for the Han Dynasty to survive!
Over-emphasis on Confucianism will only lead to an imbalance in the country.

Wang Mang saw this and said, "It is my fault that I was not trustworthy enough."

"Retreat from the court."

"Your Highness, I respectfully send off the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."

The large-scale court meeting held every half month ended.

This time the plot to recall Xu Zhong back to Chang'an also failed. It still failed to weaken the local influence of the Xu family, and they still benefited from it.

Not worth the candle.

Of course, there are benefits as well. He initially gained control of the government and forced the veteran prime minister to make concessions. As long as he could do it this time, there would be a second time, and he would be able to overthrow him one day.

It was not too difficult to defeat him in the court, with the little emperor in hand and the righteous support of the empress dowager, and then he could successfully win over another assistant minister, Grand Marshal Kong Guang.

There was no one in the entire Han Dynasty who could match him, and with the addition of his foreign relatives and the chief minister, he was even more powerful.

But unfortunately, the Xu family's current foundation is not in the imperial court, but in the local forces that have been rooted all over the world for many years! Especially in the three states of You, Jing and Liang, there is no need to use coercion or inducement.

Especially in Yongliang, the independence of the Zhenjun Military Governor's Office was beyond imagination. It was the only institution that could appoint local governors to two thousand stone positions without going through the court. Even Xu Zhong's Chariot and Cavalry General's Office could not do that.

Although the position of military advisor has great power, he does not receive salary from the court. In essence, he is the general's own staff, has a bureaucratic nature, and is allocated funds from the state and county treasuries.

Next, Xu Zhong remained in Jingzhou, manipulating military and political power by virtue of the result of pacifying the Changsha bandits.

In contrast, a regent minister was unable to interfere in the affairs of Chang'an and was in name only. The title of General of Cavalry was more like an honorary position that indicated status.

Gradually, General Wei Wang Shun gradually replaced his position, with Xu Zhong's intention to let go and Grand Marshal Wang Mang's strong recommendation.

The Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun issued an edict in the name of the emperor, promoting General Wei Wang Shun to the rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry to temporarily replace Xu Zhong as regent, but his position was below that of Grand Marshal Kong Guang.

After all, his qualifications were still far from enough, and the fact that he was able to replace Xu Zhong as the regent this time was due to his status as a relative of the emperor.

From then on, Chang'an completely became a one-man show by the Wang family, and the Xu family's original numerical advantage disappeared. The chief regent was Wang Mang, and Wang Shun also had a regent status, plus Kong Guang, with whom he had an ambiguous relationship.

Huge advantage.

Under relentless pressure, Xu Zhong gradually lost power. In the second year of Yuanshi, at the instruction of the Empress Dowager, the Han Emperor posthumously conferred the title of Baocheng Xuanni Gong on Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, and the title of Baocheng Hou on Confucius' descendants, which became a title that would remain unchanged for generations like Jinghou. The four-level title system of the Zhou Dynasty was officially implemented.

Originally, the Han Dynasty adopted the twenty-rank nobility system of the Former Qin Dynasty, but it was gradually abolished under the promotion of Wang Mang.

This was also Wang Mang's way of showing goodwill to Confucianism. Xu Gong was the common ancestor of Confucianism and Legalism, and had no representativeness or direction. But Confucius was different. What's more, Kong Guang was a descendant of Confucius and a direct beneficiary.

About three months after Confucius was conferred the title, public opinion arose again, and countless great Legalists and Confucianists publicly wrote articles to denounce the Empress Dowager and the Grand Marshal for not knowing the order of things, defying the ancient sages, and committing treason, and they frequently criticized them.

Even if Wang Mang was the chief doctor of Confucianism, he would not be able to bear it, because most Confucian scholars now still respect the saints more, and think that what he did was very unkind and ungrateful.

Amid the boiling public resentment, the imperial court honored the first Jinghou Xu Zhen as Jingxuan King, and the third Jinghou, also known as the so-called sage Xu Gong, as Jingwen King, in an attempt to satisfy the Confucian scholars and legalists.

But in the end, these people didn't buy it at all and criticized even more harshly, basically meaning that they were dissatisfied with Xu Gong's title.

It is an insult to the demeanor of my mentor. I feel that Xu Gong has not only benefited the present generation, but has also influenced the Confucian and Legalist schools for generations to come and promoted the development of the world.

Totally deserving of higher praise.

Wang Zhengjun was forced to issue another decree in the name of the emperor two months later, re-honoring Xu Gong as King Jingsheng and moving him to the front row of the Taimiao, standing beside Emperor Gaodi together with King Xuan Xu Zhen. In the Wenwu Temple held in the Imperial Academy, he was even ranked ahead of Zhou Gong and Xu Zhen!

With such a huge compliment, all the students and doctors were finally satisfied and wrote various articles and songs in praise. The general meaning of these articles was "Your Majesty is wise" and "The Queen Mother is intelligent." They quoted classics from various angles to prove the correctness of this decision.

Xu Gong now perfectly replaced Confucius in the future and became the one who was deified. With the Xu family in power and the flourishing of the Imperial Academy, the status of this saintly teacher could hardly be lowered. This was the first time Wang Mang suffered a setback since his return as king. He had tried more than once to shake Xu Gong's absolute position in the academic world.

This is the foundation of the Xu family's prosperity for a hundred years. If this problem is not solved, they will always be an invincible cockroach. Honoring Confucius is also intended to let him replace Xu Gong.

Unfortunately, I was thinking too much. In this era, there were countless crazy fans of the Saint Master, and countless great Confucian scholars and wise men were extremely obsessed with him. Wang Mang was, after all, just a representative of Confucianism. How could he shake the position of the founder?
I'm afraid it will take at least a hundred years to bring Xu Gong down from the altar.

These are the founders of the two schools. The power of the Legalists is now similar to that of the Confucians, and it will be difficult to surpass them in a short period of time.

Even if Xu Hua was successfully persuaded in the first year of Yuanshi, it would be useless because the local magicians would be the first to jump out and oppose.

They are all competing with the Qiang people for jobs, so it would be weird for them to remain indifferent. With this kind of resistance, reform will be very difficult. At least it will have to wait until Wang Mang defeats the opponent, the Xu family, and completes internal unification.

Weiyang Palace.

The young emperor Liu Jizi, who had just celebrated his tenth birthday...or rather, his new name Liu Xin, sat at the top, while the Empress Dowager sat behind a long curtain, controlling the government.

"Report to the Queen Mother, the seat of the Holy Master has been moved to the left side of the Gaodi Temple, and the corresponding title has been issued."

The new Taichang bowed and stepped out. Xu Zhen had been marginalized by the Wang family, and the entire Xu family began to decline.

"Well... remember, don't neglect the two sages, King Xuan and King Sheng. They are both the heroes who founded the Han Dynasty."

Wang Zhengjun nodded. She was also obedient because of the fanatical fans. Even though she was the Empress Dowager, she did not dare to be negligent for fear of being pointed at and scolded again.

Conferring the title of Duke upon Confucius was already a huge pressure.

There is nothing wrong with Confucius praising Cheng Gong, but the problem is that he put himself above Xu Gong! This is absolutely unacceptable and is politically incorrect in the Han Dynasty.

Apart from the emperor, the only person who could be above Xu Gong was his father Xu Zhen. No one else was worthy.

Jiang Shang and Zhou Gong can only be listed together in name, but in fact, the ranking of Wenwu Temple is higher than that of Jiang Shang!

Later, the Temple of King Wucheng was successfully replaced by the Temple of King Jingsheng. The Temple of Wen is also the first of the Four Saints, not just the Temple of Confucius. Its status is unrivaled.

Perhaps even Xu Gong himself had never thought that a small action could make a military general like him praised to the sky. He had almost no deep attainments in Confucianism or law.

He is also the only great Confucian scholar and Legalist who has few works handed down.

"On behalf of my ancestors, I would like to thank the Queen Mother and Your Majesty." Xu Hua expressed his gratitude politely.

Wang Zhengjun said calmly: "It's as it should be. The two former kings have made great contributions to our Han Dynasty. It is only natural that they should be respected. Wouldn't it be disheartening to the people of the world to do so?"

"The reason Emperor Gaodi didn't make King Xuan a king was mainly because he was concerned about the influence of kings with different surnames. The White Horse Alliance stipulated that anyone who became king except for the surname Liu would be attacked by all the people in the world."

"But after all, it belongs to our ancestors, so it is not within the scope of the White Horse Alliance. However, this title cannot be passed down. Rules are rules and cannot be violated."

This title of a king with a different surname is still quite valuable. Although Empress Dowager Lü's brother Lü Ze was posthumously named king, he is still considered a family member of the emperor.

Therefore, only two people in the Xu family were posthumously named kings, and the others were dukes. The Xu family was also the only duke, and would not be affected by the Enfeoffment Order, which was a special case.

Xu Hua naturally became King Jing.

At this time, Wang Mang's confidants Zhen Feng, Zhen Han, Wang Shun and others looked at each other.

Wang Shun stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have something I must say for a moment."

"speak."

"I think that Grand Marshal Wang Mang has made the same great contribution to stabilizing the ancestral temple as King Xuan did in the past, and he should enjoy the same reward."

Wang Zhengjun nodded and said, "Of course I agree."

"Your Majesty, this is not possible." Wang Mang himself stood up and pretended to do so.

It means that his contribution was jointly agreed upon by the four assistants, and if there is to be a reward, it should not be just himself, at least Xu Hua should not be left out.

"I implore the Queen Mother to grant Grand Marshal Anhan the title of Duke, to show the court's respect for me!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal..."

All the ministers quickly agreed, but Wang Mang was very angry and said, "No, no, no." It seemed like he was saying, "You are really making me suffer."

Of course, this was definitely instructed by Wang Mang himself. Promoting the Kong family directly led to the expansion of the influence of the Xu family. Xu Zhen and Xu Gong were posthumously named kings, and the Xu family directly became dukes!
How could he not feel panicked when his power reached a new level?

Therefore, we must at least get back to the starting line of unification, and the Duke of Anhan will be crucial. At the same time, he must also push for the positions of the Four Auxiliary Officials to continue to rise!
After all, Kong Guang and Wang Shun are now his people. As the strength of one increases while the other decreases, Xu Hua is still weakened.

"The Queen Mother, the Grand Marshal, can definitely let go of the title of Duke of Anhan! Please don't speculate, Grand Marshal. Although you can't compare with King Xuan, you are still a person who can be ranked on the same level as General Huo Guang!"

Someone advised.

Xu Zhen was praised as the best person before Emperor Wu, while Xu Gong was praised as the best person after Emperor Wu. The doctoral students cleverly separated the two and avoided the embarrassment of conflict between father and son.

"What do you think, Duke Jing?" Wang Zhengjun observed Xu Hua's intention.

"The Queen Mother, the Prime Minister cannot interfere in the matter of conferring titles. The Queen Mother will make the decision." Xu Hua chose not to express his opinion because he knew that Wang Mang was determined to get the title of Duke of Anhan!
Now the power comparison in Chang'an has been completely reversed. As Kong Guang has completely turned to the Wang family because of his ancestor's title to nobility, Wang Mang almost has the final say in the court.

"Well... that's good." Wang Zhengjun nodded: "Sir Wang, don't refuse anymore, you really deserve the title of Duke of Anhan!"

“Everyone in the world is convinced.”

"This...I obey your order." Wang Mang accepted the enthronement "helplessly".

But he also rejected the Duke's fief of 28,000 households, because Xu Hua refused the extra fief, which retained the part as Marquis Jing, which meant that his status became more noble.

(End of this chapter)