Chapter 4026 Please give me a posthumous title
Li Chengqian held his tea cup and was silent in thought.
Will Guanlongmen be readmitted? It's not impossible. When faced with the large-scale entry of powerful men from Shandong and Jiangnan into the DPRK, who were likely to monopolize the central power and lose the leader, he formulated a strategy of supporting Guan Long to fight against it. But at that time, he was about to ascend the throne as emperor and take charge of the imperial power. .
Now that the father is back, and Yi Chu's heart is as hard as stone, who dares to challenge him?
The Shandong aristocratic families didn't dare, nor did the Jiangnan nobles. Even if the Guanlong clan dared, with their broken strength, could they turn things around?
Yu Wenshiji slowly sipped his tea and was not in a hurry to ask the prince to express his position.
Now that Guanlong was defeated, he was charged with conspiracy, and Changsun Wuji committed suicide. Even if the Guanlong family was not liquidated by His Majesty, they were destined to lose all important positions in the court, their strength fell into the abyss, and they have been in decline ever since.
Do you honestly submit to His Majesty's majesty as a guilty minister and raise your children safely?
Or is it that after being dormant for a long time, you find an opportunity and are willing to take extraordinary risks to make a comeback?
He was still undecided, so today he just tested the prince.
At the same time, he sighed in his heart. He has always been dissatisfied with Changsun Wuji. The reason why Guan Long fell into the current situation is also caused by Changsun Wuji. But at least he is not as good as Changsun Wuji in terms of "decision to kill". , too many worries, too much hesitation...
After a long time, Li Chengqian put down the tea cup and said slowly: "Father is the guide for his son, and the king is the guide for his ministers. How can a man who is a son and a minister resist the wishes of his father? Duke Ying's words are a bit abrupt, Gu Zhi Just pretend you didn’t hear it, and just pretend you didn’t say it. Otherwise, if you spread the word, it might be misunderstood and cause trouble.”
For some reason, Yu Wenshiji breathed a sigh of relief, nodded and said, "It's the old minister who is confused. His Highness's words make sense."
After a pause, he asked again: "May I ask Your Majesty, do you have any objections to the posthumous title of Duke Zhao?"
The "Posthumous Law" was formulated in the early years of the Zhou Dynasty to standardize the system of "posthumous titles". It was widely implemented by the Zhou royal family and other countries in the Spring and Autumn Period. After entering the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shihuang believed that posthumous titles were suspected of "sons discussing fathers and ministers discussing emperors", which was disrespectful. , so it was deposed until it was reestablished after the Western Han Dynasty.
What is a "posthumous title"?
In short, it is a summary evaluation of a person's life merits and demerits in one or two words, which can be regarded as a final conclusion.
At the beginning, there were only "beautiful titles" and no "evil titles". After the Republic of the Western Zhou Dynasty, King Li of Zhou was given the posthumous title "Li" because of his bad behavior such as "defending the people more than guarding the rivers". , then there is the existence of "evil posthumous title".
The "Posthumous Law" selects some words with fixed meanings for selection when determining the posthumous title.
For example, "文" means "beautiful posthumous title". What is "文"? The classics and latitudes of heaven and earth are described in the article; the moral knowledge is described in the article; the kindness and love for the people are described in the article; the people and the courtesy are described in the article...
For example, "sorrow", what is "sorrow"? It is called mourning when one is lonely and short-lived; mourning is called when one is respectful and benevolent; mourning is called when virtue is not established; mourning is called when suffering is severe; mourning is called when execution is unjust...
As the saying goes, "The passing geese leave behind their photos and the passing people leave their names." Chinese culture attaches great importance to the life after death. Even the most evil and evil people hope to receive a positive evaluation after death. Therefore, even if many people are cruel on the inside, they are cruel on the outside. Justice and morality, do your best to restrain your own mind, and do not want to leave an eternal infamy.
Of course, human nature is sometimes something that cannot be controlled, and sometimes it backfires. I originally thought of making great achievements and prospering for a long time, but ended up with a society that fell into decline and was infamy throughout the ages, such as Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty...
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After the posthumous title was implemented, some meanings of "taboo for the venerable" gradually developed. For example, the posthumous title of the emperor was usually drawn up by the ceremonial officials and announced by the new emperor. However, if the emperor was a coward, his ministers and sons could not be allowed to do so. How to formulate an "evil posthumous title"? After all, it goes against filial piety.
So some more obscure words come in handy, such as the word "ling", which is almost exclusive to Hunjun. This word looks good, right? In fact, all the kings who have been given the title of "spirit" in history are all dim-witted people, idiots with no strings in their minds...
Therefore, generally speaking, the "evil posthumous titles" given to emperors are mostly those of the last emperor, because the "posthumous titles" are given by the monarchs of the new dynasty, but there is no concern at all about the way of ministers.
……
Yu Wenshiji was a little worried. He wanted to give Changsun Wuji a "beautiful posthumous title", but he knew that His Majesty Li Er would not allow it. It was more likely that His Majesty Li Er would give him an "evil posthumous title". That would not only affect Changsun Wuji's If all the achievements in his life are wiped out, the eldest son's family and even the entire Guanlong clan will become traitors who will be punished verbally and written, and will be infamy for thousands of years.
Li Chengqian said: "I have paid attention to this matter, but my father, even the governors of the three provinces, and the ministers and assistants have never expressed their opinions on this. After all, my father cannot bear to impose an 'evil posthumous title' on Zhao Guogong."
The original intention of the "posthumous title" is to summarize a person's merits and demerits. However, Changsun Wuji made great achievements and committed treason at the same time. How to determine this "posthumous title"? Moreover, His Majesty Li Er is a nostalgic person after all, and with the dignity of Queen Wende, he cannot bear to deny Changsun Wuji's life with an "evil posthumous title", completely stepping into the mud and being reviled forever.
Yu Wenshiji breathed a long sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty is so kind that if you don't have a posthumous title, you won't have one. It's much better than giving an 'evil posthumous title'."
Once His Majesty bestows the "evil posthumous title" on Changsun Wuji, it means that the mutiny is not over yet. Although Changsun Wuji will not be held accountable for various reasons, this debt will be recorded on the Changsun family and the entire Guanlong clan, and will be settled slowly. .
His Majesty's refusal to comment means that the matter ends here...
Li Chengqian talked to Yu Wenshiji for a while, and then stood up to say goodbye: "It is inconvenient for me to stay here for a long time. I hope Duke Ying will take care of Duke Zhao's funeral."
Yu Wenshi nodded and said: "This is the responsibility of the old minister, please rest assured, Your Highness."
He stood up and left the wing, and together with a group of Guan Longxungui and the descendants of the eldest grandson family, sent the crown prince's gift out of the gate of Dayun Temple.
Watching the prince's car slowly leaving in the heavy rain, Linghu Defen asked quietly: "How should the prince reply?"
Yu Wenshi said: "Who will give a positive answer to this kind of thing? It's just that there is such a statement here, and everyone keeps it in mind. Only when the situation really develops to a certain stage, the demands and interests of both parties can be resolved It will be mentioned again if it is consistent.”
Linghu Defen sighed.
He felt more and more that it was a huge mistake for him to enter the officialdom. Not only did these people have quick minds, but they were all thick-faced and sinister. He would only suffer a loss when dealing with them, otherwise he would not have been cheated by Changsun Wuji in the first place. He instigated a confrontation with Fang Jun and ended up losing his face.
It is better to study at home honestly, write books and teach the children, and have the opportunity to participate in the revision of books and gain a wave of prestige...
As a result, today's defeat was overwhelming, and even the children of the Linghu family would be greatly affected in their future career as officials.
*****
Not long after the prince left Dayun Temple, the news was sent to His Majesty Li Er's desk.
His Majesty Li Er has never been an emperor who wants to be in control, and he is willing to give his ministers enough trust, but if he really wants to control everything about his ministers, it will be easy...
Seeing Li Junxian put the secret letter on the desk, His Majesty Li Er did not open it to read it, but asked: "What did they talk about?"
Li Junxian shook his head and said: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Duke Ying retreated to the left and right, so we don't know what they talked about, but it lasted nearly an hour."
His Majesty Li Er tapped his fingers lightly on the table, thinking a little in his mind, and pointed at the secret letter: "Take it and burn it. Don't let this matter be spread."
"Here."
Li Junxian took back the secret letter and put it in his arms. When he saw that His Majesty Li Er had closed his eyes in meditation and gave no further instructions, he bowed and exited.
After a while, Wang De entered: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Song Dynasty wishes to see you."
His Majesty Li Er opened his eyes, thought for a while, and said: "Xuan."
"Here."
Wang De exited, and Xiao Yu stepped inside. After the greeting, His Majesty Li Er stood up from behind the desk and walked out to the window, waving to Xiao Yu: "Come sit here and have a cup of tea."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The two of them knelt on the mat in front of the window and served fragrant tea inside.
His Majesty Li Er picked up the teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Why are you here now?"
Xiao Yu got straight to the point: "The Duke of Zhao passed away, and the old minister came to ask His Majesty to grant him a posthumous title and seal the coffin."
His Majesty Li Er narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Xiao Yu deeply, and said nothing for a while.
According to the "Posthumous Law", after the death of a high-status minister, the Ministry of Rites drafts a posthumous title, reports it to the emperor for ruling, and then announces it to the world. But if the emperor has high prestige and has strong control over the affairs of the court, the posthumous title will completely depend on the emperor's attitude.
For example, when Wei Zheng passed away, the Ministry of Rites drafted a "Wen Zhen" title after considering his merits and reported it to His Majesty Li Er. Although His Majesty Li Er was unwilling to bestow such a beautiful posthumous title on him, he still approved it after careful consideration. If His Majesty Li Er had rejected this posthumous title at that time, the Ministry of Rites would never have dared to say anything rebellious such as "This is against the ancestral system."
What kind of posthumous title will Changsun Wuji get? This is something that the courtiers are thinking about at the moment. However, His Majesty Li Er seems to have forgotten this matter. He is obviously neither willing to give Changsun Wuji a good posthumous title nor to give him a good posthumous title. Not wanting to offend people by giving an evil posthumous title, the emperor and his ministers tacitly agreed not to mention the matter, but now it was mentioned by Xiao Yu in person, making it inevitable for His Majesty Li Er to avoid it.
After leaning for a while, His Majesty Li Er asked: "Does the Duke of Song Dynasty have a posthumous title planned?"
Xiao Yu said slowly: "Maybe it's called 'You', or it's called 'Shang'."
Those who are blocked and blocked are called secluded, those who insist on going their own way and are stubborn and arrogant; those who show merit and bring peace to the people are called business, and those who have meritorious deeds are clear.
Two posthumous titles, one beautiful and one evil.
His Majesty Li Er then squinted his eyes and looked at Xiao Yu, "I deliberately did not mention the posthumous title of Changsun Wuji, but you insist on mentioning it. Just mention it, and you have to come up with two at once for me to choose one." Do you want to create a problem for me, or do you want to test my feelings about Guanlongmen Valve?
(End of chapter)