The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 259: Discussion on the Temple (Part )

Everyone has their own demands, upper limits and bottom lines.

Driven by their demands, the monarch and his subjects try to test each other, bargain, compromise and exchange within the scope of mutual tolerance. This is politics, its art, and its filth and ugliness. Therefore, after idealists enter the political arena and see the true face, they often cannot bear the reality.

Since the Three Dynasties, the struggle between the emperor and his ministers has never stopped. In the pre-Qin, Han and Wei dynasties, the popular way was to "rule by doing nothing". However, with the refinement and specialization of state rule and the strengthening of autocracy, centralization and bureaucracy, the requirements for the emperor's ability and energy have also been increasing.

Under such background and trend, if the emperor lacked political literacy, it would be impossible for him to hold great power and still be unable to defeat the imperial court.

What is political literacy? To put it bluntly, it is a combination of IQ, EQ, face, culture, vision, personality, experience, viciousness, adaptability, memory, learning ability, etc., that is, ability.

Where is this ability manifested? For example, in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, to fight with warriors, you had to kill the talents first. In the feudal dynasty, to fight with scholars and bureaucrats, you had to be more scholarly and more bureaucratic than the scholars.

Emperor Xianzong of Tang and Emperor Qianlong are two typical emperor-style super-bureaucrats. The former's brilliant and sinister struggle proved that the rise and fall of an empire depended on the emperor's personal ability. The latter remotely controlled various wars in Beijing and could independently compare a large number of memorials from various levels to gain insight into the details of the war and various information that was missed or concealed. This is terrifying. How many people dare to perfunctorily deal with him?

Can't do it? Then you don't have the ability, you don't have the ability of the Five Dynasties Emperors. Warriors will not support a sissy, a coward, a saintly bitch. Most scholars will not be loyal to or respect a fool, and the empire will not be great under a mediocre ruler.

Another example is that most of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were used to listening to whoever won the argument in matters of ritual, music and sacrifice, which reflected their serious defects in classics and verbal attacks. It’s okay if you don’t understand these things, but don’t complain when rituals and music are broken.

If it were the Emperor, no matter how tactful he was, he would not be able to push through the discussion on the temple, because he did not understand and three or two people could defeat him in the argument.

Not to mention him, Li Er also suffered a setback. One year, he was eager to promote cultural construction and ordered 22 sages to be worshipped throughout the country. However, his order was rejected and slapped in the face - "This matter is under the jurisdiction of the ministers, and it is not their responsibility." If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. Who in the hall, please give me some advice!

But obviously, the sage is not a fool like Huang Kao and Muzong, nor is he the lame Li Er.

How could he tolerate being led by the nose in everything?
Since crossing over, in addition to practicing martial arts and military skills, she has also been studying hard on cultural and foreign languages. Even dancing and needlework have reached a level that makes the harem ashamed. Anyway, she has developed in an all-round way and strives for a high position and high ability. Nowadays, many people in the crossing world only pay attention to farming, fighting, and power politics, but ignore their overall quality, which is not beautiful. Of course, Li is happy with this. The reason is simple.

Knowledge changes destiny, and IQ classes are eternal.

Just as Zhao Baolian and other onlookers had expected, after the saint's strong statement and strict refutation, Li Xi and others were reluctant to give in. They knew that "compromise" would not work, so they picked up the files that had just reported on the two people and left in a hurry.

The next day, Li Xi asked for an audience in the Ideological and Political Hall again and presented the third version of the plan that was produced after heated (dirty words) and violent (fighting) discussions among the ministers.

"Xuanzong put an end to the chaos, corrected it with systems, promoted it with great changes, guided it with benevolence, and enforced it with justice. He abolished the previous dynasty's lucky promotions and opened the way for the people to be righteous. He burned gold and fine toys and warned against extravagance. He offered wine to the orphans and widows to help the poor. He strengthened the clans and strengthened the family ties. He made friends with ministers and led the people. He worshipped the noble men to follow the holy teachings."

"The warriors of the Long March carried their swords at night, singing and marching westward to Dunhuang. They regulated water ditches and developed salt and iron, and selected Han generals to sweep the north... Their righteous hearts asked the sun and the moon, and they worked hard to become stronger... The court and the temple were all full of warp and weft. Poems and essays were all written by Wang Meng. And hundreds of schools of thought advanced together, with ambitions for great achievements... The wind of Zhenguan was temporarily covered up. At that time, the golden phoenix was shining, and all nations competed for money, and Baidu was the only one who was loyal..."

"Throughout history, China's prosperity is unmatched..."

Seeing this, the saint already knew what the following text was going to say.

Sure enough, the Doctor of Rites Yin Zhong fell to his knees and cried, "Your Majesty, this is my fault. The Great Sage Zhidao was not satisfied with the desires of the nine states, and he destroyed our Tang Dynasty. This is the greatest crime. I should have performed my duties and made fair comments, but when I think of the achievements of Kaiyuan, the Yuanhe years, and the old palace maids in the Tianbao period who always recalled the youthful deeds of the Great Sage to everyone and shed tears when they talked about them... When I think of these, I am really embarrassed. This is all because of my lack of knowledge and skills. With my knowledge and status, I cannot be fair."

"On this day, the six armies were stationed together, and Wan Zhuan Mei died before the horses... The king covered his face and could not save her... When he returned home, Li Shi was banished to the shaman, Xuan Li was dismissed, and Princess Yu Zhen was driven away... Only the Great Sage was left alone, lonely sooner or later... The punishment he received was enough."

"Qi Huan is like a beast, yet he still deserves to be called a hegemon."

"Xiao Yan was funny and ugly, but he was still Emperor Wu."

"After removing the temple name, I request that the emperors of the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Wu be given the title of Emperor Yi, Emperor Yin, or Emperor Qing, who were disrespectful and caused chaos in the country, who were incompetent and led the country astray, and who overthrew the country. In this way, the three kings and the subjects who died in the disaster will rest in peace, and it will be enough to correct the chaos and warn future generations and the people of the world."

"It is also for your Majesty's long-term consideration." Yin Zhong raised his wrinkled and spotted face and looked at the saint with tearful eyes: "Everything has a beginning, but few can have an end. Few people do not make mistakes in life. Can your Majesty guarantee that you will not make mistakes in your life?"

Li Xi and others also looked at the saint with burning eyes.

"Don't cry, we will discuss this matter last." The saint took the other memorials from Li Xi.

Li Xi explained: "The Great Sage Wenming was king for forty years, and he was in fear all day long. Later, he founded the imperial court and led the army to fight against the bandits. He was in power for seven years, and he got up early and went to bed late because of his illness, and he never had any entertainment. Later, the two capitals were first recovered, and the bandits were not suppressed. He was depressed and suffered all his life."

The saint nodded in agreement.

He was shrouded in the shadow of death for decades, and after ascending the throne, he cleaned up my ass for a few years before leaving. Overall, he lived up to the throne. However, his physical condition and the twisted personality caused by his special experience did not support him to go further in terms of time and reason.

"What is the temple name of the Great Sage of Civilization?" asked the saint.

Li Xi stroked his beard, "Previous emperors included Emperor Suzong of Han Liu Zhuang and Emperor Suzong of Wei Yuan Xu. Emperor Zhang was very thoughtful and devoted to the kingly way, and was a wise king. However, he was generous and magnanimous, but not decisive enough. He was slandered by the boudoir and spoiled by his relatives. Later, Empress Dou committed adultery with Guo Ju, and drew a knife to scare him. He died soon after. How he died is unknown..."

"During the reign of Emperor Ming, the Northern Dynasty reached its peak. However, Shao Chong succeeded to the throne, but he was not decisive enough. He led the Yaksha to cause chaos in the country, was deceived by Concubine Pan, and caused mother and son to kill each other. He also summoned Erzhu Rong and Miss Yuan to steal the throne... All these disasters and scandals laid the foundation for the Six Garrisons Rebellion, Heyin, and Xiaozhuang's disasters."

"Emperor Ming was extremely intelligent and had great potential as a great ruler. But - it's a thing of the past, so let's not talk about it!" Li Xi laughed it off and got back to the point: "Emperor Suzong pretended to be filial to his father and treated Emperor Xuanzong as a member of the family, but in fact he imprisoned him. He asked about his father's morning and evening, but in fact he abused him and allowed his servants to bully him. He killed his virtuous son and raised a demon queen and concubines... This finally shocked the people, but the flaws did not outweigh the merits, so it can be forgiven, so according to the Han and Wei stories, Suzong was enshrined in the temple."

"So..." The saint stroked his chin.

It turns out that my understanding was correct. This is a flat number that implies criticism.

There are two conditions for granting the title. Serious family discord. Lack of judgment. That is, many mistakes should not be made and can be avoided with one's ability. For example, Li Shimin always lost battles. Is this something he could do? Similarly, Suzong had many criticisms, which were not his level.

But character determines success or failure.

Under the long-term threats from Li Longji, his spirit had changed greatly, and two of his wives were killed. How could such a father and son have a good ending in the traditional Li Tang Dynasty?

As for Li Xi's saying that the flaws do not outweigh the merits...

What? Li Shimin was politically correct, but Li Longji and Li Heng deserved death? Or, family affection is just a metaphor in front of power. The higher the class, the more fake it is. Just say it and post it on the wall to teach the people a lesson.

Therefore, when discussing the removal of temples, filial piety is never the decisive factor.

Based on Li Heng's merits and demerits, his temple name was taken away, but his posthumous titles of "Civilizing Great Sage" and "Emperor Xuan" remained unchanged.

Daizong didn’t say that.

"Daizong was in the middle of all world affairs, and he knew everything. Removing the three great traitors was like killing pigs and sheep, and everyone was disgusted and submissive... What was difficult for an English ruler was accomplished by Daizong, and he was able to protect the country and himself."

This is the discussion of the Song Dynasty people.

"Emperor Daizong grew up in a chaotic society, and was experienced in military service. He understood the hypocrisy of human nature and the hardships of farming... None of the wise rulers of ancient times could match him."

This is the summary of the historians of the Five Dynasties.

After his death, the court also referred to the combination of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Xiaowu given by Liu Che. Because they wanted to avoid Li Shimin, they called him Dai.

Therefore, Daizong did not move.

"Emperor Dezong first took charge of all affairs and worked hard to govern. He was eager to think about politics..." The saint smiled and tapped the memorial on his palm: "Emperor Dezong..."

During the first few years when this old fellow came to power, he was like a time traveler and his performance was highly commendable.

But he, like Zhaozong, was incompetent. -- "In the autumn of mourning, he took the advice of vulgar people lightly. As a result, the five thieves usurped the throne and the two Zhus took advantage of the situation. Once the reputation of virtue was lost, the emperor was in trouble and sighed. "

The country is going to be destroyed! The Tang Dynasty is going to be destroyed in my hands, wuwuwuwuwu... I hate it so much!

The whole mess wasn't settled until he knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Little Si Zi, you grew up in the deep palace, are ignorant of state affairs, and are easily addicted to bad habits..."

"Heaven's punishment from above, but I do not understand; people's resentment from below, but I do not know."

"I have disgraced my ancestors and let down the people."

...basically wrote down all the insults and humiliating words that I could think of.

Finally, he assured the generals: "I will make a long-term plan and issue new orders. I will be vigilant from morning till night and remember my past mistakes." I know I was wrong, don't worry, I will definitely repent. I have remembered the lesson this time.

This edict of blaming oneself not only calmed the anger of the local governors, but also extinguished Li Shi's remaining ambition.

Tired, let's destroy it! After that, he was submissive and did nothing except making money. However, in the following ten years of operation, he made great achievements in military strength, financial resources, and diplomacy, laying a solid foundation for the revival of Yuanhe.

Therefore, he was given the titles Dezong and Emperor Xiaowen.

"Emperor Wen will have a hard time in his lifetime." The sage sighed.

Only when you shoulder this responsibility, you will know how annoying it is. But understanding is understanding. This old guy is not qualified to be given a temple name, and his subsequent diligence is a way to make up for his mistakes. The posthumous title of Emperor Xiaowen is also not acceptable.

Emperor Wen of Han Liu Heng, Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Ming Zhu Di, Emperor Wen of Qing Huang Taiji... Apart from posthumous titles, the threshold for Emperor Wen is still very high.

"To die with one's will fulfilled, to be in chaos without losing is called Ling, to regret past mistakes is called Si. To rush to make weapons, to fight and kill repeatedly, to be unsuccessful with force is called Zhuang. Which one is more appropriate, Emperor Ling, Emperor Si, or Emperor Zhuang?" The sage narrowed his eyes and stared at the memorial: "I can't decide."

"Why not combine them and think of Emperor Xiaozhuang?" said Li Chao, the Junior Minister of Rites.

"I'm afraid it's inappropriate." The saint questioned: "Empress He of Emperor Ling of Han was posthumously named Empress Lingsi, and both men and women have the same title. Is it possible..."

"No." Su Rong said eloquently: "When Emperor Wu died, the harem had been vacant for a long time because A Jiao and Wei Zifu were deposed. Huo Guang then posthumously named Lady Li Empress Xiaowu and placed her in the same temple with Emperor Wu. When Wang Fahui died, she was posthumously named Empress Xiaowu Ding. When Sima Yao died, he was also posthumously named Emperor Xiaowu. Husband and wife shared the same name, temple and tomb. There are many examples. Your Majesty, don't worry. The posthumous name law does not distinguish between men and women."

"Good." The sage readily accepted the advice: "Although Emperor Zhuang was criticized for being incompetent and militaristic, he also had great ambitions and unfulfilled ambitions, which is in line with the life of our ancestor. It is also a common posthumous title... Let's call him Emperor Lingsi Xiaozhuang!"

It did not completely deny Li Shi's muddle-headed life.

These four words can somewhat compensate for the disaster he brought to the country.

Next is Shunzong.

If you think about it carefully, Li Song's performance during his twenty years as a crown prince and during the Jianzhong Rebellion was quite outstanding.

But his reign was too short, and apart from the failed "Hundred Days Reform", there was little to be said for his achievements.

The imperial court stripped him of his temple name and moved the "Shun" in his temple name to his posthumous title, calling him Emperor Shun.

The saint looked down.

The heavyweights are here!
He kept reading and forgot to eat. "Taizong started the business like this, Xuanzong governed the country like this. After reading the history of our country, I know that I am a million times inferior to them!"

He had a keen eye and was not confused by others. He took Pei Du as a county magistrate and taught him: "Everything is easy to say, but difficult to do. Ministers at home and abroad who dare not do anything should not speak, and should not talk empty words. And you prime ministers, you attack this and criticize that all day long..."

He would listen to any evil words - "In the future, if something is not right, I will give you ten pieces of advice on every matter, and not just one or two."

If you think anything I do is bad, you must contradict me ten times.

He killed Yang Huilin, the fierce commander of Xia Sui, pacified Liu Pi, and captured the Zhenhai Army. He conquered Chengde, settled Weizhou, took Yiwu, destroyed Cai Pingqi, and moved thirty-six commanders to the town. The world was rebellious and no one dared to speak.

He created laws and regulations, and established many precedents and brilliant culture. Jia Dan, Li Jifu, Du You, Cheng Yi, Pei Du, Quan Deyu, Zheng Yuqing, Wei Guanzhi, Li Jiang, Li Fan, Wu Yuanheng... a large number of talents of the time emerged under his rule.

He is a god who illuminates the world, a beloved scholar, a legend in heroic epics, and he fights for the glory and future of the empire.

He is the heir in times of crisis, the second-generation founder of the glorious Shengtang, and the finale of the story.

"If you want to destroy Sheng Tang, step over my dead body."

he is the one--

"The Great Sage" described by historians of the Five Dynasties.

Li Ao, Du Rangneng's grandfather and the patent holder of "Clouds in the Sky and Water in the Bottle", said, "Since ancient times, there has been no king who can match the revival of the country."

The only one who, after his death, was memorialized by Li Yijian, the governor of Henan Province, and others: "The late emperor suppressed the rebels and had many military achievements, and he should be given the temple name of Zu. Your Majesty should make the final decision, and do not trust the dirty scholar."

He is the Great Saint of Literature and Martial Arts, the Wise and Holy Emperor of Literature and Martial Arts, the Holy Emperor of Yuanhe, Shuntian, Yingdao, and the Third Son of Heaven, Li Chun.

"Great!" The lazy saint sat up from the bed and said, "My role model is the Great Sage. If it weren't for Yuanhe's superstition of cultivating immortals and worshipping Buddha in his later years, he would have been very lazy and his reputation would have been damaged. I would have liked to raise my temple name a bit... What a pity! The imperial city is not to be expected, so why bother pursuing the art of ascension. Is immortality... so attractive?"

Li Xi was heartbroken: "The Great Sage is still confused. Your Majesty must maintain the state and strive to become a fierce emperor, a holy emperor, or even the ancestor. When Li Yijian and others asked to make the Great Sage the ancestor, the court did discuss it. Unfortunately, the Great Sage was bright but dim, and was unable to finish the work, so he was forced to give up."

“Hahaha.” The saint felt greedy after hearing this.

The ancestor is enshrined in the temple, and it will remain there for hundreds of generations, and its reputation will last forever... It is indeed very fragrant.

But without achievements that are enough to convince people and surpass Li Shimin, it is impossible for you to be the successor of the emperor. There is no hope of this at present.

Unless after the unification of the country, the lost territory can be recovered, the territory can be expanded, a brilliant culture, economy and politics can be created, the issue of succession can be properly handled, the family can be managed well to ensure that no major troubles occur, and the personality and hobbies can be kept from being distorted or abnormal...

Forget it, I can only barely catch up with Daizong, I should think about how to get a decent temple name. Don't let my descendants remove my title. As long as the merits are enough, who dares to remove it? I can remove Li Heng and others, but Li Shimin and Li Chun dare not mention it, isn't it because these ancestors don't match the title?
"Don't move, Emperor Xianzong. After the other emperors move, rearrange the order of seniority and the shrine for Emperor Xianzong. Empress Guo will still be his consort. My mother, Empress Zheng, was posthumously honored by Emperor Xuanzong. It is not appropriate for her to be his consort. She should be worshipped in a separate temple." After saying this and taking a sip of tea, the saint continued to review.

The rest is easy.

Mu, Jing, Wen and Wu were not his lineage and had no achievements, so their temple names were all taken away.

Muzong indulged in pleasure and had no idea how to govern the country, which made the country a mess. The court followed the example of Emperor Xuan of Han and Emperor Yuan of Han, father and son, and changed his posthumous title to Emperor Yuan.

Jingzong had no major evils except for entertaining people. His death was funny and tragic, so his posthumous title was changed to Emperor Ai.

Emperor Wenzong was virtuous but had no achievements, so his posthumous title was changed to Emperor Ping.

Wuzong was an exception. He had achievements, but they were not enough, and his reign was short. He was not from the lineage, so there was no way to correct the order of ancestry, so his posthumous title was changed to Emperor Xiaoming.

Xuanzong was not as great as he boasted, and he could not be called the Little Taizong, but he was not that bad either. His posthumous title was changed to Emperor Xiaojing.

Emperor Yizong was labeled the "Confused Emperor" by his filial son, and it can be said that he was nailed to the pillar of shame.

Emperor Xizong changed his posthumous title to Emperor Min.

The Huang Chao incident and other incidents were the direct result of Emperor Yizong's actions, and the two sons were held responsible. The elder brother was a child who ascended the throne and was controlled by people like Tian Lingzi, so he had no idea how to govern the country. When he grew up, his words and deeds were not considered to be a leader who promoted rebellion, but it was also true that he was addicted to games and restrained himself too late.

When the country is in sorrow, it is called minion; when the country encounters hardship, it is called minion; when the country is in continuous worry and disaster is about to happen, it is called minion; making the people sad is called minion.

Give him the title of Emperor Min, um, that's appropriate.

Finally, there is the posthumous title of Xuanzong and the temple arrangement of all the emperors whose temple names were taken away.

These deposed and reformed saints were a testament to the new dynasty's determination to crack down on unhealthy tendencies and restore order.

"Okay, come back in the afternoon. I'm tired." The saint waved his hand, stood up, turned around and floated away.

　You can give your opinions. After all, I designed it, and it is just my personal opinion based on my understanding. You can agree, refute, question and give modification plans with reason and evidence.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)