The Most Powerful Young Master of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 25: Political Misconduct

As for Ma Jinsi and his group, their charges were not particularly serious—merely mass brawling. However, Sima felt sympathy for the beggars but none for thugs like Ma Jinsi; he sentenced them to exile for three hundred li, with permission to return home only after one year. As Old Sima put it, there was no evidence that Ma Jinsi and his group were rescuing anyone; they had gone there to stir up trouble and fight. Ma Jinsi and his group could not explain how they had learned of the “child abduction.” After all, some sources of information and certain rules were not meant to see the light of day. They had known about this for quite some time, but if they spoke up now, in Sima’s eyes, it would be considered “failure to report known information”—a crime nearly as serious as that of the Beggars’ Guild elders. Fortunately, however, Wang Anshi had heard from Old Liao that those thugs hadn’t been causing much trouble lately. Moreover, since they had rescued a child during the incident and exposed the Beggars’ Guild’s insidious nature, Wang Anshi deemed Ma Jinsi and his companions deserving of credit. Consequently, he issued a deputy magistrate’s order: overturning the verdict handed down by Prefect Sima Guang against Ma Jinsi and his associates in the fifth year of the Huangyou era. The revised verdict was: “For disorderly conduct involving brawling and fighting, twenty strokes of the cane.” It is true that the Prefect is not the superior of the Deputy Prefect; generally, each is responsible for a specific area of administration. The Prefect oversees general governance, while the Deputy Prefect is primarily responsible for judicial matters; in exceptional circumstances, the Deputy Prefect may also veto the Prefect’s decisions. The position of Deputy Magistrate was optional; many regions in the Song Dynasty did not have one. However, when a Deputy Magistrate was appointed to a region, it sent a clear signal: the Prefect was not performing well and had lost the court’s trust, though the situation had not yet reached the point of dismissal or reassignment. Consequently, for political reasons, the court would dispatch a trusted individual to serve as Deputy Magistrate. As a result, Ma Jinsi and his associates were severely reprimanded but managed to escape serious punishment, thereby establishing their “reputation for protection” for the first time. However, Sima Guang had also formally broken with Wang Anshi. After Wang Anshi had the sentences of Ma Jinsi and others commuted, Sima Guang suspected that the Wang family was engaging in favoritism and corruption, and was in the process of compiling incriminating evidence and leads against Wang Bang. Yet Wang Anshi remained oblivious, unaware that the most despicable person of all was his own beloved son, Wang Bang… That evening, the “Great Demon King” was furiously writing by the dim light of a lamp. When the study door swung open, the little brat walked in. Wang Anshi put aside his worried expression, set down his brush, and said, “Bing’er, why aren’t you asleep at this hour? Do you need something from your father?” Wang Bang chuckled, “Dad, you’re not sleeping this late—you must be sitting here because something big is going on, right?” Wang Anshi felt a headache coming on. He waved his hand and said, “Go on, go on—go play wherever you like. I really can’t stand these rhetorical questions of yours. I wonder who taught you that.” Wang Bang’s eyes darted about as he said, “Dad, I’m not trying to be a know-it-all. It’s just that you’re always so busy and never pay attention to me. I’m just a kid and don’t know any better—I just want to find a chance to talk to you and feel like I matter.” This made Wang Anshi feel quite embarrassed. Twisting his mustache, he said, “All right, I’ll concede you have a point this time. Fine, your request doesn’t sound unreasonable. Of course, a child is allowed to be a little spoiled, and it’s no big deal if you say something wrong. Go ahead, go ahead—I’ll give you a quarter of an hour.” “I want two quarters of an hour,” Wang Bang said, holding up two fingers and mimicking Wang Xiaoya’s usual cute mannerisms. The doting dad was taken in. He stood up, gave him a light slap on the back of the head, then picked him up and cradled him in his arms, laughing, “You mischievous little rascal. Actually, you don’t need to imitate Erya—you’re your own person, and I love your style just the way you are.” “Dad, what are you writing?” Wang Bang nuzzled against his chest, chewing on his finger. Wang Anshi sighed and said, “Sima Guang has lost his mind. I’ve long said that while he’s capable in scholarship, he’s bound to cause trouble in government sooner or later. If he keeps running Shuzhou like this, nothing will ever get done. In short, it’s either him or me. I’m starting with the people’s livelihood and the economy, writing an honest letter to Chancellor Zhang Fangping—we must sort this out once and for all. Either he leaves, or I’m out.” Wang Bang immediately jumped to his feet and said, “We can’t write to Chancellor Zhang at a time like this.” Wang Anshi replied, “The situation in Shuzhou cannot be delayed. Di Qing is about to arrive at the front lines to make deployments. To a certain extent, my Huaixi region counts as a secondary front. If the war takes an unexpected turn, Huaixi must operate efficiently, and I do not trust Sima Guang to have the ability to coordinate all this at this critical juncture. Therefore, I still lean toward: it’s either me or him.” Wang Bang shook his head and said, “Father, don’t try to impeach him now. Sima Guang is strict with himself, abides by the law, and is a model official. He is also a disciple of Chancellor Pang Ji. Our Emperor lacks decisiveness—he can’t even handle corrupt officials efficiently. Do you really expect our benevolent and virtuous Emperor to take action against an upright man like Sima Guang? Given that you and Zhang Fangping have incurred so much enmity, and countless officials are waiting to see you fail, I can say with certainty right now: if you proceed this way, Zhang Fangping and you are bound to fail.” Wang Anshi took a deep breath and began to ponder. “At the same time, you must write a letter to Di Qing,” Wang Bang added. “I know nothing of military affairs and have no desire to interfere with him,” Wang Anshi replied, taken aback. “Understanding military affairs won’t do any good,” Wang Bang said. “This time, Di Qing is bound to commit a serious political error.” Wang An asked in astonishment, “Where did you get that idea, Bang’er?” Wang Bang replied, “Di Qing has a temper as fiery as a blaze. When the Emperor appointed him, a whole host of people opposed and looked down on him, even calling him a petty man. This only caused Di Qing to bottle up his resentment even deeper within his heart. By the time he set out for the front lines, Di Qing had already lost all trust in those civil officials. So he urgently issued orders to the Chen Shu commanders, instructing them to ‘do nothing wrong, prioritize defense, and retreat if victory is impossible.’ Is that not true?” Wang Anshi twirled his mustache and said, “That’s right, it did happen. At the time, Di Qing’s words were quite fierce and unrestrained; he said that until he arrived at the front lines, he would forbid any military unit from engaging in a decisive battle with Nong Zhigao.”