Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"Wang Duzhi wanted to use his own future to tell ambitious people across the land that there were still sparks of reform within the court. Such magnanimity and courage are truly admirable!"

Qi Heng said seriously, "But is it certain that someone will be able to make it happen in the future? Or, if you don't personally participate, can you be content and at ease?"

Wang Anshi remained silent for a long time, his composure tinged with a hint of resentment, before saying, "I'm not young anymore, and I may not be able to wait for a good opportunity. This may be the only role I can play!"

Wang Anshi was pessimistic about whether the court would implement reforms in the future.

He knew very well that, given the Emperor's current age, he would definitely seek stability during his reign.

But the little prince is only two or three years old, while he is almost forty. This age is not old, but it is not young either.

Even if the young prince were to ascend the throne in the future, it's uncertain whether he would live to see that day.

He wanted to take advantage of his good health to do something for future reforms.

"I don't think so!"

Qi Heng shook his head and said, "Wang Duzhi is only a sixth-rank official now. Even if the emperor really intends to reform, he may not use you. Even if he does, your foundation is shallow, and it will still be difficult for you to achieve results."

Rather than doing that, it's better to keep your body useful and cultivate more like-minded people, so that you'll have a better chance when opportunities come in the future!

Wang Anshi advocated reforms, and although his thinking seemed unconventional, strictly speaking, he was still deeply influenced by Confucianism and had not broken free from that framework.

Qi Heng recalled that Wang Anshi resigned from his official post after his petition for reforms failed.

It's hard to say whether the specific reason for his resignation was disillusionment or targeting by the conservatives.

Although he was later employed, his official position was not high.

It wasn't until Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne and conceived the idea of ​​reform that Wang Anshi's reforms were implemented, which provided him with significant support.

At that time, Wang Anshi was directly promoted to the position of prime minister and, with the support of Emperor Shenzong, seized power.

In this situation, Wang Anshi had no one he could truly trust.

Power is not something that can be directly controlled simply by holding a certain position.

Both are prime ministers, but some can wield immense power, while others are merely figureheads.

Even emperors had puppet emperors.

Wang Anshi rose through the ranks too quickly, and coupled with his strong-willed nature, he didn't have many like-minded people in the court.

When Prime Minister Fan was presiding over the new laws, many high-ranking officials in the court participated in and supported them.

Even after the new law failed, some people who had not participated in its implementation pleaded for its leniency.

But what did Wang Anshi have?

Without the support of Emperor Shenzong, let alone reforms, he wouldn't even be able to hold onto his position as prime minister.

Although he did receive support from some officials after he presided over the reform.

But those people were only supporting the reforms because of Emperor Shenzong's resolute attitude. They were not supporting the reforms, but rather trying to curry favor with Emperor Shenzong and gain greater benefits from them.

In other words, apart from Wang Anshi and Emperor Shenzong, almost none of the other officials who supported Wang Anshi's reforms were truly sincere.

How can anything be accomplished in this way?

Upon hearing this, Wang Anshi frowned and said, "Wouldn't that constitute forming cliques?"

He wasn't so pedantic as to consider any contact or association with like-minded people as forming a clique.

But he understood what Qi Heng was saying. He was simply telling Qi Heng to wait for the right opportunity and, in the meantime, promote some people who were interested in reforming the laws.

What's the difference between this and forming cliques?

"Then let's not promote anyone else. Wang Duzhi should just do his job well and improve your new legal system in his spare time."

Qi Heng said, "I've heard Zizhan mention some of Wang Duzhi's ideas, and personally, I think they're not only immature, but even overly idealistic!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Anshi showed a hint of annoyance and said, "Young Master Qi said my ideas are too idealistic. What are your thoughts on this?"

He was very proud of the new law he had formulated, believing that as long as it was implemented, it would surely solve the current problems of the imperial court!

"I don't have any brilliant ideas, but I know perfectly well that Wang Duzhi's idea is simply unworkable!"

Qi Heng looked at Wang Anshi and asked, "Wang, the Minister of Revenue, must have learned from the failure of Fan Zhongyan's New Policies, so you want to start from the people, right?"

What impressed him most about Wang Anshi's reforms was the phrase "the people are not taxed more, yet the country has enough to eat."

The reforms of Wang Anshi and the new laws of Fan Zhongyan were fundamentally different.

Fan Da Xiang Gong's new laws involved changes to the court's official system, military, and expenditures.

The core issue is the problem of excessive bureaucracy, including streamlining the imperial examination system and restricting hereditary privileges for officials with excessive bureaucracy.

Even though the new law failed, some related policies were retained.

For example, officials granted hereditary privileges had a promotion evaluation period of four years, while officials who passed the imperial examinations had a period of three years.

There are also examinations required for officials granted hereditary titles, and the number of such titles granted is also determined.

Prior to this, there was no need for any assessment to grant official titles to one's sons. As long as an official was qualified to grant titles to his sons, the person granted the title could become an official even if he was illiterate, as long as he was not an idiot.

Master Fan strengthened this aspect. Although it was much easier than the imperial examination, it still eliminated those good-for-nothing playboys.

Similar measures have been taken regarding the military.

This is also why the new law encountered great resistance and failed quickly.

Wang Anshi saw the resistance involved, learned from his mistakes, and focused his reforms on raising funds.

His target was not the powerful and wealthy, but the local gentry and rich households.

That's why there's the saying, "The people are not taxed more, yet the country's resources are sufficient."

Strictly speaking, the problem of redundancy can also be understood as a lack of money.

As long as the imperial court has money, these problems will naturally be solved.

The Fangtian Equal Tax Law, formulated by Wang Anshi, divided the land into different grades, with higher-yielding fertile land paying more tax, and vice versa.

The wealthy local families controlled the best fertile land, while ordinary people mostly owned relatively barren land.

This way, wealthy households can pay more taxes, while ordinary people can pay less.

The Green Sprouts Act was similar; the imperial court lent money to the people at very low interest rates, which not only prevented the people from being exploited but also generated revenue for the imperial court.

However, officials themselves are also wealthy, and once people have money, they will use it to exchange for power. Methods such as bribery, alliances, and marriage will create connections between these wealthy individuals and officials.

Because the reforms did not touch the core interests of the officials, and because Emperor Shenzong's attitude was resolute, the officials, although they opposed the reforms, did not resist them as much as they had during the implementation of the new laws.

However, due to the involvement of wealthy households and officials, local officials could not earnestly implement the imperial court's policies.

This resulted in Wang Anshi's reforms, which, despite their seemingly excellent nature, ultimately caused immense suffering to the people.

Wang Anshi's reforms ultimately failed, but they did bring certain benefits to the court during the reform period, alleviating the court's financial difficulties.

This is why Wang Anshi's reforms were able to continue for so long, and some people even believe that in the later stages, it was actually Emperor Shenzong who wanted to implement the reforms.

Wang Anshi was probably aware of the chaos among the people, but at that time, Emperor Shenzong saw the potential profits and was unwilling to stop, leaving Wang Anshi with no choice.

Of course, this is just speculation, but the fact that Wang Anshi's reforms failed is undeniable.