Жан Чунь - Глава 8
Wang Pang waved his hand and laughed, "This is an ancient zither from the Jin Dynasty, so it's naturally very valuable, but it wasn't bought."
Pang Di asked curiously, "Where did that come from?"
Wang Pang said, "This originally belonged to a good friend's beloved wife. They were deeply in love, but alas, fate was cruel; this year, she suddenly drowned. My friend was heartbroken. A few days ago, I went to visit him and found him sorting through his wife's belongings. Upon seeing this zither, he was overcome with grief and wanted to burn it as a tribute to his wife. I quickly stopped him and tricked him into giving the zither to me. It just so happened to be her birthday, so I had our vows engraved on it and presented it to her."
"Bah! Your crooked words engraved on it are a desecration of this zither," Pang Di retorted angrily.
Wang Pang smiled and said, "Yes! Yes! If I had known this would be the case, I should have asked my wife to compose one herself!"
After they finished laughing, Wang Pang said, "This zither and my jade flute are a perfect match. If we were to play together, the music would be exquisite and harmonious. Why don't we play a duet?"
Pang Di nodded in agreement.
Wang Pang took out his flute and played it leisurely in the moonlight streaming through the window. The melody was the same "Drunken Makeup Song" he had recited at the banquet. After listening to a section, Pang Di responded by playing his zither in harmony, and in his heart sang along: "We wish to grow old together, we vow to grow old together, to stay together forever in this world..."
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Retirement
That autumn, Pang Di's father, Scholar Pang, submitted his resignation to Emperor Shenzong. Shortly after, the disheartened Ouyang Xiu resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown to live a peaceful and idyllic life in the countryside.
He had already thought of this day when he decided to marry his daughter to Wang Anshi's son.
The final catalyst that prompted him to resign was Sima Guang, the person he admired most in his life. He didn't admire many people, but he was completely captivated by Sima Guang's talent, integrity, and virtue.
Sima Guang, despite holding a high position in the imperial court, remained humble and unassuming, refusing flattery and bribes. He lived a simple life, incorruptible, and possessed a magnanimous spirit. In his youth, his wife, unable to conceive, pressured him to take a concubine, but he refused, insisting on not sharing a bed with her. One day, his wife deliberately went out, sending the concubine to his study to serve him. Upon seeing her, he angrily rebuked her: "What are you doing here when your wife isn't here? Get out!" Perhaps Heaven was moved by his unwavering loyalty, for several years later, he finally had a son.
Although he did not fight for profit, he insisted on fighting for reason.
When Wang Anshi was summoned back to the capital from a minor local official position and promoted to a high rank, he had done a lot of work for him and said many good things about him. He understood Wang Anshi's concern for the country and its people and his ambition to strengthen the country and enrich its people. Moreover, Wang Anshi's talent, knowledge and willingness to live a simple life were very similar to his own. He felt that they were kindred spirits and could become good friends.
Indeed, they admired and respected each other, but they gradually discovered that their political views, their strategies for governing the country, and their ideals were worlds apart. Moreover, they were both equally stubborn and inflexible, sticking to their positions once they were made up, refusing to change their stance or even make the slightest concession. Therefore, politically, they became irreconcilable adversaries.
Their first clash over the reforms occurred after the implementation of the Green Sprouts Law. The Green Sprouts Law was promulgated in September of the second year of Emperor Shenzong's reign (1073), and the court dispatched forty-one special envoys to various provinces to supervise its implementation. The envoys quickly discovered that this seemingly reasonable law presented significant difficulties in implementation. The problem was that the poorest farmers, who desperately needed loans, simply couldn't provide the required collateral, while the wealthy, who could afford it, didn't actually need the loans. Some envoys devised a compromise: the government funds would be distributed proportionally according to the people's wealth, from richest to poorest. The wealthy neighbors of the poor households were required to act as guarantors to ensure repayment. Those who were destitute and unwilling to seek guarantors were also required to take out loans proportionally, thus provoking resentment among some of the poor. After the envoys returned to the capital, some truthfully stated that the poor were unwilling to take out loans, while others concealed the fact that loans were being forced upon them, claiming that the farmers who received the government funds were "overjoyed and wept." After learning the truth, an imperial censor impeached the special envoy who had successfully granted loans, accusing him of forcing the people to lend money, which greatly violated the court's original intentions. Wang Anshi, however, personally went to the Censorate and addressed the censors, saying, "What are you trying to do? You impeach the officials who implemented the new policies, yet you remain silent about those who failed in their duties."
Sima Guang then joined forces with Han Qi, who was stationed in Daming Prefecture and held the official position of Hebei Pacification Commissioner, to report to the emperor how the Green Sprouts Loans were being distributed. Han Qi stated in his memorial that the poorest people received a share of the loan, while wealthy families demanded even more. The so-called Green Sprouts Loans were also allocated to urban residents, as well as to landlords and those who used lending to seize land from the poor—the very people the Green Sprouts Law aimed to eliminate. It was also noted that for every loan taken out, interest of one and a half percent had to be paid after only a few months. No matter how the court argued that the loans were not for profit, the people refused to believe it. Han Qi pointed out that even if forced lending was prevented and voluntary lending was promoted, it would be of no practical use, because the wealthy were unwilling to lend, and the poor were willing to lend but without collateral, ultimately requiring guarantors to repay the debts. He requested the court to halt the new law, recall the special envoy, and restore the existing Ever-Normal Granary system. It even goes further, pointing out that exploiting the people's wealth to fill the national treasury and support the emperor's military campaigns is not a viable way to enrich the country.
When the emperor saw these memorials, he hesitated. Wang Anshi insisted on refuting them, saying that this was the most practical way to enrich the country at present. Although the Green Sprouts Act was intended to benefit farmers, if urban residents also needed it, they could also be loaned money and interest could be charged. Both parties would benefit, so why not do it?
Emperor Shenzong, wanting to ascertain the truth, dispatched two eunuchs to investigate the situation in other regions. Both eunuchs were astute and knew that Wang Anshi was determined to implement reforms; reporting the truth would surely bring trouble upon themselves. Therefore, they reported back that the Green Sprouts Law was very popular and that there was no forced sales. This dispelled the emperor's doubts, and the Green Sprouts Law continued to be implemented.
During this time, the emperor asked Sima Guang for his opinion on Wang Anshi. He replied, "The people's criticism of Wang Anshi as hypocritical may be an exaggeration, but he is indeed impractical and stubborn." At that time, he held the official position of Hanlin Academician, which was equivalent to the emperor's advisor and remonstrating official. He would speak out against anything unreasonable, and Wang Anshi's reforms were precisely what he considered the most unreasonable thing.
In fact, two other incidents had already exacerbated his conflict with Wang Anshi.
On the 21st day of the third month of the first year of the Xining era, the Dali Temple submitted a case of "murder with injury" that was being debated between the Ministry of Justice and Dengzhou and was difficult to resolve. Emperor Shenzong then ordered Hanlin Academicians Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and others to discuss the case.
In Dengzhou, Shandong, a beautiful young woman was forced to marry an ugly man she disliked during her mother's mourning period. Grief-stricken and enraged, she took advantage of her husband's sleep while they were harvesting millet at night and attacked him with a sickle. Although she slashed him more than ten times, he did not die and was rescued by those who heard the commotion. The prefectural government learned of this and immediately arrested the woman, subjecting her to severe interrogation. She confessed to intentionally killing her husband. Therefore, Xu Zun, the prefect of Dengzhou, reduced her sentence by two degrees for "surrendering to commit assault" and reported this to the court. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review reviewed the case and determined that the woman should be sentenced to death by hanging. The members of the Hanlin Academy expressed their opinions: one faction felt the woman's intent to kill her husband was morally reprehensible and should be severely punished; the other faction believed the circumstances were excusable and should be treated leniently. The representatives of these two factions were Sima Guang and Wang Anshi, respectively.
Although Sima Guang also felt that it was tragic and lamentable for a beautiful woman to marry an ugly man, and that she would surely suffer a lifetime of misery if she continued to live like this, he could understand the woman's motives. However, he believed that the law was unforgiving, and that if she were pardoned, there would be rampant theft and murder in the future, and innocent people would suffer. Therefore, he strongly advocated that virgin prisoners be hanged.
Wang Anshi insisted that the root cause of the case was the mismatch between the man and woman in marriage. The weak woman, suffering unbearable pain, injured someone, which was a protest against the arranged marriage. She was undoubtedly a strong and resolute woman, worthy of admiration. Moreover, her confession was a voluntary surrender, and she should be given a reduced sentence, thus saving her life.
The two factions were deadlocked and asked the emperor to make a decision.
Emperor Shenzong, being a man who cherished women, immediately smiled and said, "Master Jiefu's insightful remarks are very much to my liking."
The case ended in Wang Anshi's victory, but its significance went far beyond the scope of ordinary punishment. It represented the emperor's inclination, indicating his complete trust in Wang Anshi and his approval of his political principles. He felt that Wang Anshi's courage to oppose the opinions of traditional Confucian scholars and senior officials, represented by Sima Guang, and to insist on his own views and confront them, showed that Wang Anshi was the key figure and force he needed to carry out the reforms to the end.
There was another dispute concerning "financial management".
On the 14th day of the eighth month of the first year of the Xining era, high-ranking officials of the court held a meeting in the Yanhe Hall. The emperor issued an edict to discuss relief measures for the disaster in Hebei, in order to alleviate concerns about insufficient national funds. Wang Gui, a Hanlin Academician, proposed that the ministers of the Eastern and Western Offices should not accept the rewards for this year's suburban sacrifices, and the saved silver could be used for disaster relief. Sima Guang, who had always felt that the emperor's rewards to the imperial family and court officials were excessive, immediately echoed Wang Gui's proposal and suggested that the saved rewards for the ministers of the two offices would only amount to 20,000 taels, insufficient for disaster relief. He argued that the reduction in rewards should begin with the officials around the emperor; civil officials of the two offices, military officials, and imperial family officials of the rank of prefect should all have their rewards halved. All the saved rewards should be used for disaster relief.
Wang Anshi objected again, saying that the amount of the reward was too small, and that not rewarding the state would harm the national image. Moreover, insufficient national funds were not the urgent matter for the court. The urgent matter was to find a financial minister who could "ensure sufficient national funds without increasing taxes".
Sima Guang refuted this, saying, "The wealth and goods produced by Heaven and Earth are limited to this number; if they are not in the hands of the people, they are in the hands of the government. 'The state's revenue is sufficient without increasing taxes' is nothing more than a scheme to secretly seize the people's wealth, and its harm is greater than increasing taxes. This was a statement by Sang Hongyang that deceived Emperor Wu of Han, and the Grand Historian Sima Qian used it to ridicule Emperor Wu's ignorance. How can this argument be considered true?"
Wang Anshi scoffed at Sima Guang's words, considering them "pedantic and outdated."
The emperor still believed Wang Anshi was right. Sima Guang, however, saw in this the prospect of his own downfall.
When Han Qi petitioned for the abolition of the Green Sprouts Act, Wang Anshi used a strategy of feigned retreat, requesting sick leave and not attending court. During this period, Emperor Shenzong intended to appoint Sima Guang as Vice Privy Councilor. Sima Guang declined the position and submitted nine memorials, stating that his official rank was irrelevant; what mattered was whether the emperor would abolish the new policies. The emperor replied, "I once appointed you as Privy Councilor, in charge of military affairs. Why have you repeatedly refused the appointment and continued to discuss matters unrelated to military matters?"
Sima Guang replied, "However, I have not yet assumed this military post. As long as I remain in the Secretariat, I will remind Your Majesty to pay attention to such matters."
Upon hearing this, Wang Anshi became even more wary of Sima Guang, and finally, in September of the third year of the Xining era, he persuaded the emperor to dismiss Sima Guang and send him to Shaanxi as an official in a remote region.
After his departure, the emperor often remembered his merits. Whenever Wang Anshi's radical policies caused controversy and he himself expressed some dissatisfaction, he couldn't help but tell the old party officials that if Sima Guang were still in court, he wouldn't have made any major mistakes. The old party officials understood from his words that he intended to reinstate Sima Guang, so they began to rally their forces, hoping to jointly advise the emperor to recall Sima Guang. At this time, Han Qi and Fu Bi had both been transferred to provincial posts, and Ouyang Xiu was no longer involved in politics and was about to resign and return to his hometown. There was almost no one in the court capable of handling major affairs and opposing Wang Anshi. Therefore, the old party hoped for Sima Guang's reinstatement, believing that only he could reverse the old party's disadvantage and suppress the new party's arrogance.
They turned their attention to Pang Gong, hoping he would step forward and advise the emperor to recall Sima Guang.
Pang Gong knew that he had been caught in the vortex of this struggle.
The old party officials were well aware that he and Wang Anshi were related by marriage, but precisely because of this, if even he stood up to ask the emperor to appoint Sima Guang, it would seem even more like a move that was in line with popular opinion and popular sentiment. If someone who was related to Wang Anshi by marriage disregarded Wang's position and asked to appoint his father-in-law's enemy, it would show that Wang Anshi's character and conduct were indeed problematic, leading to widespread alienation.
Wang Anshi was also watching him closely, wondering if he would disregard his daughter's feelings and openly oppose his in-laws.
Pang Gong sighed sadly. After decades of ups and downs in his official career, having avoided countless storms, he had finally reached the end of his life.
He resigned from his official post, but before submitting his resignation, he submitted a memorial to the emperor, earnestly requesting that the emperor recall Sima Guang.
He was well aware of Wang Anshi's personality. Wang would not allow anyone to oppose the reforms or raise objections. Anyone who disagreed with the reforms was called the "conventional" faction, while his own party was called the "adaptive" faction. He vigorously promoted the "adaptive" faction and drastically suppressed the "conventional" faction, even resorting to "punishment" tactics, which led to the opposition accusing him of trying to "silence the people."
Pang Gong greatly admired Wang Anshi's integrity and incorruptibility, but he despised Wang's practice of suppressing speech. A conservative member of the Old Party, he didn't believe that laws forcibly implemented despite public opposition would last, nor did he believe that a government that used oppressive measures to stifle dissent could survive long. However, he wouldn't explicitly express these views. He understood the emperor's urgent need for effective governance and saw the emperor's almost worshipful deference to Wang Anshi. Therefore, he had previously chosen a seemingly foolish but actually wise approach, using gentleness to soften rigidity in dealing with the aggressive New Party, finding a balance that neither betrayed his principles nor risked personal harm. However, from the moment he decided to marry his daughter to Wang Pang, he realized he would inevitably lose this fulcrum of balance.