Eyes Charming - Chapter 9
Becoming related to Wang Anshi by marriage would transform him from an unappreciated official of the old party into a new force to be fought over by both factions. Whenever the two parties clashed, everyone would scrutinize his stance tenfold. Of course, he wouldn't switch his support to Wang Anshi because of this marriage; those with different principles cannot work together—a principle a man of integrity should uphold. However, he couldn't ignore his daughter's situation in the Wang family. He didn't want his political opposition to Wang Anshi to affect the father and son's attitude towards his daughter, nor did he want her to be caught in the middle. Therefore, he chose to leave, distancing himself from the factional infighting in the court, so that his daughter wouldn't be harmed by the underhanded battles, and perhaps he could find the peace he had longed for in his long-lost hometown.
His request for the emperor to recall Sima Guang was his last act of resistance against the radicalism of the New Party, and also his final statement to all those who were watching him, demonstrating his consistent stance.
On the day Pang Di departed to return to her ancestral home in Jiangnan, her husband Wang Pang came to see her off. Pang Di clung to her parents' sleeves, reluctant to part, tears streaming down her face. Pang Gong was naturally extremely saddened as well. Pang Di was his youngest daughter, born to his second wife. From a young age, she was exceptionally intelligent and bright, far surpassing the children born to his first wife, which is why he cherished her so much. Pang Di's elder brother was mediocre and talentless, and was now returning home with his parents. His other sisters had all married, though not to wealthy or powerful families, but their families were well-off and without complicated political backgrounds. Pang Gong was not too worried about their future lives, but his youngest daughter, Di, was the jewel in his heart that he always worried about, causing him constant anxiety and unease.
Di, meaning a reed-like grass that grows by the water, slender yet resilient, possessing tenacious vitality. Therefore, he named his daughter Di, not wishing her to live in a privileged or noble environment, but hoping she would be as resilient and tenacious as the reed, living a simple yet leisurely life. If he had had other choices, he would have preferred to marry her to a scholar of upright character, as long as he treated Di'er with sincerity; he didn't require him to have great wealth or high official rank.
But fate brought his daughter and Wang Pang together.
Wang Pang. Thinking of this, Pang Gong turned his gaze to his son-in-law.
What a spirited young man! Full of ambition and aspirations, he believed that as long as he was willing and persevered, all his ideals could be realized, and that he could use his knowledge and talent to change the chaotic world and play a role in strengthening the nation and saving the world.
Pang felt he understood him, for many years ago he too had been as spirited and ambitious. During the Qingli era of Emperor Renzong of this dynasty, he, along with Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi, Ouyang Xiu, and others, had advocated for a new legal system. That reform ended because Emperor Renzong ultimately abandoned it, thus dulling all of Pang's former vigor.
Wang Pang and his father's reforms were even more dangerous. From the outset, they chose a core issue that others considered "heretical"—financial management. This destined them to fight to the bitter end against all those old-school party members influenced by ideologies such as "valuing agriculture over commerce," "valuing officialdom over commerce," "valuing righteousness over profit," and "being ashamed to speak of profit." Moreover, their ruthless methods of "conquest" created many enemies, and any misstep could easily lead to widespread criticism and utter ruin. The young Wang Pang was the sharpest sword in the reform movement. He spoke what others dared not speak, implemented methods others dared not implement, and pursued his goals relentlessly. This young man was the greatest driving force and source of strength for his father Wang Anshi's reforms. Wang Anshi's boldness and determination largely stemmed from his son's influence; he persuaded his father to resolutely implement reforms, and he was also the one who persuaded his father to more resolutely suppress his opponents. Every day, he personally wrote memorials and compiled petitions for his father, incorporating his own will and influencing the emperor's decisions with an attitude even more resolute than his father's original intentions. In fact, sometimes Pang Gong would vaguely sense that he still admired Wang Pang, appreciating his will and talent. If political factors were set aside, he could have been a perfect match for Di'er, which was actually one of the reasons why Pang Gong was willing to marry his daughter to him.
However, it was precisely because of his excessive will and talent that he and his father became the target of opposition to the reform movement. In the future, he would be regarded as the instigator of the problems caused by the reform. If he lost power and fell, it would inevitably ruin his daughter's lifelong happiness.
However, since things had come to this, further thought was futile. Pang Gong sighed deeply again and asked Wang Pang, "My dear son-in-law, would you be willing to hear a word from this old man?"
Wang Pang bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, Father-in-law."
Pang Gong solemnly instructed him: "My dear son-in-law, the purpose of your reforms is to enrich the people and strengthen the nation, so you must always remember this initial intention. If you hear of public grievances, you must send virtuous and trustworthy people to investigate. If it is true that the new laws harm the people's livelihood, you must persuade your father to consider amending them. You must know that any reform of the laws must conform to the interests of the majority. If the majority of people do not feel that the new laws are beneficial, then the reforms lose their meaning. You must carefully discern those who praise the new laws, and be wary of treacherous individuals who may use flattery to seek personal gain. In addition, you should remember one saying: 'Opening up channels for advice is the wise and effective strategy.'"
Wang Pang nodded and said, "I will remember what my father-in-law said."
Seeing that his expression wasn't very serious, Pang Gong sighed inwardly again.
On the other side, Madam Pang was bidding a reluctant farewell to Pang Di. Madam Pang didn't understand much about politics, nor did she care much about it. What she cared about most was her daughter's married life, and she repeatedly asked her daughter if Wang Pang treated her well. She saw that her son-in-law was handsome and refined, but his health didn't seem very strong, so she repeatedly instructed her daughter to take good care of her son-in-law's daily life and to make medicine and soup to nourish him.
Pang Di agreed to everything. Madam Pang glanced at Wang Pang again, then suddenly pulled her daughter a few steps away and whispered, "Has your affair been resolved?"
Pang Di was greatly embarrassed upon hearing this, blushing and remaining silent. Only after her mother continued to press her did she reluctantly nod.
Seeing this, Madam Pang felt relieved and got into the car to set off with her husband.
Pang Di didn't have the courage to tell her mother the truth: she and Wang Pang had never actually consummated their marriage. They shared a bed but didn't sleep in the same quilt; sometimes Wang Pang would stay up late discussing matters or writing memorials and would sleep in the study.
However, she didn't doubt the reason. What reason could there be? She believed Wang Pang loved her. He would deliberately get up very early just to pick the first evening glory to bloom for her at dawn, and he would take a long detour on his way home from court just to buy her a beautifully crafted clay figurine she had casually mentioned. At night, he would specifically instruct the servants in the kitchen to prepare a midnight snack for her while they were preparing his medicine. If he returned to his room late at night and found her asleep at the table, he would gently carry her to bed and personally undress and remove her shoes. In the morning, when the sun peeked into the room with its fresh, warm light, he would draw her eyebrows; at night, when the full moon hung over the willow branches, he would play the flute under its glow, accompanying her on her zither… He certainly loved her, so she must be happy. She believed that the reason he hadn't consummated their marriage yet was because he was waiting for her, waiting until she was certain that her body and soul were ready to receive all his love.
She felt that her mother was overthinking it.
After Pang Gong returned to his hometown, Emperor Shenzong accepted his advice and decided to summon Sima Guang back to court. Unexpectedly, Sima Guang refused, stating that his views remained unchanged and hoping the emperor would halt the reforms. He said that if the emperor refused to heed loyal advice and stop the stubborn and reckless Wang Anshi from heading down the path of destruction, then he had fulfilled his duty. The emperor summoned him again, but he still refused. Finally, he even decided to resign all his official posts and retire to the countryside, submitting a memorial to the emperor saying: "Anshi considers himself wise when he is wise, and foolish when he is foolish; right when he is right, and wrong when he is wrong. Those who sympathize with Anshi are called loyal and virtuous; those who attack Anshi are called slanderers. My talent and knowledge are indeed what Anshi considers foolish; my arguments are indeed what Anshi criticizes. What I have said today is what Your Majesty calls slander. I humbly beseech Your Majesty's grace to punish me."
After retiring, he stayed at home and devoted himself to compiling a history of China that later had a profound influence, "Zizhi Tongjian's History of the Five Dynasties and Northern Dynasties".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wang Sun
Since Pang Gong left the capital, Pang Di was often saddened by the thought of his parents. Fortunately, Wang Pang was by his side, offering gentle comfort or finding ways to amuse him, always managing to cheer him up. The two got along well, and time passed by unnoticed. Autumn turned to winter, and the weather gradually grew colder.
During this period, the reforms were gradually underway, and various laws were fully implemented. Opposition was not as intense as before. Therefore, Wang Anshi and his son gradually turned some of their energy to military strategy and worked with the emperor to recover the scattered lands of the Tibetan tribes in the Hehuang region.
One day, the Imperial Son-in-Law, Wang Shen, suddenly sent someone to the Prime Minister's residence, saying that the Imperial Son-in-Law and the Princess of Shu invited Wang Pang to the residence for a gathering, as they had important matters to discuss.
Princess Shu was Emperor Zhao Xu's elder sister and the eldest daughter of Empress Dowager Gao. She was gentle, dignified, and well-mannered. After marrying her husband, Prince Wang Shen, she and her husband treated each other with respect. She was skilled in managing the household and was praised by all for her virtue.
Wang Shen did not have a deep relationship with Wang Anshi and his son. However, he had been very close to Su Shi before Su Shi left the capital. He not only admired Su Shi's poetry and prose, but also publicly expressed his appreciation for Su Shi's theory of "extreme heat and cold". Although he did not take any firm actions against the reform, he did not share the same views as Wang Anshi and his son. Therefore, Wang Pang was a little surprised when Su Shi suddenly invited him. However, he could not refuse, so he changed his clothes and went by sedan chair.
Upon entering the Prince Consort's residence, one sees several people playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) in the front courtyard. Among them is a man wearing gold-embroidered phoenix boots with his back to him. At that time, light snow was falling from the sky, but he was only wearing a light purple embroidered brocade robe, with the front tied at his waist. He was agile and nimble, and his figure stood out among the bulky crowd around him. He snatched the ball from his opponent's feet, and it seemed glued to him, allowing him to manipulate it at will. He played various tricks, such as "White Ape Offering Fruit," "Golden Threads Entangling Wrists," "Erlang Carrying the Mountain," and "Mandarin Ducks," before finally kicking the ball high into the air with his toes. He then took a large step forward, spread his arms, leaned forward, turned his head to look at the sky, straightened his right leg, and raised his right foot backward. As the ball fell, he kicked it up again with the sole of his foot. Then he turned and stood up straight, catching the falling ball steadily in his hands. The long ribbon on his head and the two strands of hair hanging down on either side swirled and brushed against his handsome face with its sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, finally settling down with the flowing robes.
Wang Pang couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim, "What a brilliant 'Backward Kick to the Purple-Gold Crown'!"
The young man who played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) smiled slightly upon seeing Wang Pang, his expression remaining calm.
Wang Pang suddenly felt a little downcast, thinking that he had always been proud of his outstanding talent, but this man had a vitality that he lacked.
However, this feeling was fleeting. He walked straight towards the young master, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, it has been several days since I last saw you. Your ball skills have improved by leaps and bounds."
Zhao Hao, the Prince of Qi, was the second younger brother of Emperor Zhao Xu mentioned earlier. At the beginning of Zhao Xu's reign, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Chang, and later he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Qi.
He was intelligent and studious from a young age, excelling in both literature and martial arts, and was greatly favored by Empress Dowager Cao and Empress Dowager Gao. Raised by the two empress dowagers, he was extremely filial to them and never went against their wishes. Therefore, he also opposed Wang Anshi's reforms. However, what was rare was that he and Wang Pang met by chance and became close friends with each other, despite their differing political views.
Seeing Wang Pang bow, Zhao Hao quickly helped him up with both hands, saying, "Brother Yuanze, you flatter me. Didn't we agree before that we would address each other as brothers in private? Why are you being so polite now?"
Wang Pang smiled and pointed to the crowd around him, saying, "If I were to address Your Highness as 'brother' in front of everyone, people would say I'm impolite, arrogant, and disrespectful."
At this moment, the prince consort Wang Shen came out to greet him and bowed to Wang Pang, saying, "I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner, please forgive me, young master. The princess has been waiting inside for a long time, please come in and discuss matters."
The three entered the hall one after another, where they saw Princess Shu sitting alone, her brows furrowed, her eyes brimming with tears, and her eyes red and swollen, clearly indicating that she had just been crying.
After Wang Pang was seated and they exchanged pleasantries, the princess asked with concern, "Does Your Highness know that the Emperor intends to send my younger brother Hao to the Hehuang region to assist Wang Shao in recruiting and repelling the Western Barbarians?"
Wang Pang immediately understood why the princess and her husband had invited him here.
As early as the first year of the Xining era, shortly after Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne, Wang Shao, the military commander of Jianchang, seeing the new emperor's ambition and aspirations for conquering the world, recorded his insights gained from years of research on border affairs and presented the emperor with "Three Strategies for Pacifying the Barbarians." The gist of his strategy was: the Western Xia, which now seriously threatened the Central Plains, could be conquered. To conquer Western Xia, it was necessary to first recover the Hehuang region (referring to the area along the Yellow River and Huangshui Rivers; since the late Tang Dynasty, this term was often used to refer to the Western Rong, specifically the scattered settlements of various Tibetan tribes). To recover the Hehuang region, the various border tribes should first be pacified. From Wuwei southward to Tao, He, Lan, and Shan, these were all former Han territories, with land available for cultivation and people available for labor. Now, the Qiang tribes were fragmented and divided, presenting an opportunity to pacify and eventually annex them. Militarily, this would be like severing the right arm of Western Xia, leaving it without any connection.
Emperor Shenzong was greatly impressed upon seeing it and later summoned Wang Anshi, then a Hanlin Academician, to discuss the feasibility of implementation. Wang Anshi strongly agreed, and Emperor Shenzong appointed Wang Shao as the head of the Qin-Feng Circuit Pacification Commissioner's Office, responsible for official documents. In the third year of the Xining era, Wang Anshi again requested the emperor to appoint Wang Shao to be in charge of all matters concerning the recruitment of Tibetan tribes, the establishment of the Market Exchange Office, and the recruitment of people for land reclamation in the western part of Qin Prefecture (present-day Tianshui, Gansu), delegating authority to him and hoping that he could accomplish the important task of subduing the various Tibetan tribes.
However, this move was opposed by the old party members Wen Yanbo and Feng Jing, who argued that "recruiting them would be of no use" and that "the Western tribes are too weak to be subdued." Wang Anshi refuted these arguments one by one, saying, "It will not trouble the army or cost money, and it can stabilize production and prevent them from being subdued by the Westerners and becoming a border threat. How can it be of no use?" Later, Mu Zheng, a chieftain of a tribe who had been appointed as the governor of Hezhou, objected to the court's recruitment of the tribes. Wen Yanbo, Feng Jing, and others immediately submitted a memorial stating that if recruitment continued, it would be necessary to raise an army to subdue Mu Zheng. Wang Anshi responded with conviction, saying, "Given the vastness of the country, if it is necessary to raise an army, it is unavoidable." He continued to offer these direct remonstrances to the emperor, eliminating his various concerns. The emperor continued to rely heavily on Wang Shao, transferred his superior Guo Kui, who had been hindering his actions, and fully supported his plan to recruit the various Western tribes. In addition, he secretly ordered Wang Shao to make preparations in case Mu Zheng raised an army to resist.
However, no one expected that Emperor Shenzong would suddenly order his second brother to go to the western border to assist Wang Shao in building Weiyuan Fort, and to be ready to fight against the various Western tribes that refused to be recruited.