At the age of 60 in Jiazi

  On the same day, March 26th, Su You was still searching for his son in the unknown mountains, while three hundred miles away in Chang'an City, someone was bored and looking for trouble. This person seemed to know in advance that the coming summer would be the hottest season in history. So he prepared early to go to Ren Shou Palace, three hundred miles west of Chang'an City, to avoid the heat.

  Perhaps at this time we should set a point for the center of the timeline; in fact, Su You will soon learn that this year is the fourth year of Renshou, 604 AD, and the age is Jiazi. And the master who went to Renshou Palace was also Yang Jian, the supreme ruler of Sui Dynasty. We can also confirm one more thing: not long after this, he will receive the posthumous title of Emperor Wen of Sui.

  Regarding the Ren Shou Palace, we can glimpse it from the great calligrapher Ouyang Xun's "Nine Successes Palace Liquan Stele Inscription". The Ren Shou Palace, which was completed four years ago, will be renamed "Jiucheng Palace" twenty-four years later. At that time, Ouyang Xun had just been appointed by the Sui Emperor as a seventh-grade Taichang scholar and was in charge of sacrificial rites.

  Regarding the theory of Jiazi, the I Ching says: "One yuan is reborn, and the year is in Jiazi." It also says that Jiazi is the master of soldiers and disasters, Jiazi is a great ominous year, and it's a big house year. However, at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban Rebels claimed: "The year is in Jiazi, and the world is greatly auspicious." And then comes another sentence: "The blue sky has died, and the yellow sky should be established."

  The emperor was overjoyed, but his joy didn't last long. A detestable voice rang out, "It's likely that the imperial carriage will not return." In modern terms, it means: "This time, I'm afraid the emperor won't be coming back after he leaves." It was a blind man who spoke, but please don't underestimate those disabled people who stay by the emperor's side, just like you should never underestimate the mysterious profession of librarian.

  Like the legendary "half fairy", he is also a Jianghu master, and has a skill that makes people sigh with admiration - reading books by touching characters with his fingers. The historical records of this skill are probably far away from bamboo slips now, even if he reads bamboo slips to recognize words, those legendary gamblers in later generations can only kneel down and sing "Conquest" in front of him.

  Of course, some of the above is just nonsense, if there's any similarity, it's purely intentional.

  According to the Guang Qingliang Biography, Shi Shen Zan, secular surname Lu, is a man of unknown origin. He was a solitary and pure person who liked to seek out sacred traces and was not deluded by worldly things. In his later years, he came to Mount Tai, paid respects to the Bodhisattva, and lived in the Huayan Temple, where he practiced meditation and chanting as his profession. The crowd admired his high virtue... This Shi Shen Zan is actually the blind Taoist master mentioned earlier, whose name in historical records is Zhang Chouyi. As for his secular surname, it was all bestowed by Yang Guang, which will be discussed later. Previously, Crown Prince Yang Yong had heard of his high virtue and invited him to come down from the mountain to assist him. Zhang Chouyi calculated with his fingers and already knew that Yang Yong would not have a good outcome, so he said to his friends: "I am forced to come, but I don't know what to do." A few years later, Yang Yong's affair failed, and he was replaced by Guang. However, Zhang Chouyi remained by the Sui emperor's side because of his love for his talent.

  Ai Cai returns to Ai Cai, suddenly hearing such an absurd statement, the master of Da Sui was also shocked, although his heart was in a dilemma due to this blind man's foresight, on the surface he still couldn't let him disrupt the morale of the army. So he decisively called over the guards and had Zhang Chouyi thrown into prison, planning to kill this arrogant person after returning from avoiding the heat.

  At this point, we can't help but be amazed at how similar history is. About 1,200 years before Zhang Qian's reckless remarks about the Mandate of Heaven, there was a story called "Jing Gong eats new wheat". The Jing Gong in question was Duke Jing of Jin, who was suffering from illness and having bad dreams. The great diviner Sang Men said, "I fear that your lordship will not be able to taste the new wheat." When June arrived and the new wheat came out, Duke Jing ordered his people to husk it and cook it into porridge. However, a palace servant named Tu Shan Jia hated Sang Men for speaking about the injustice of the Zhao family, and slandered him to Duke Jing. Duke Jing summoned Sang Men and rebuked him, saying, "The new wheat is here, yet you say I won't be able to taste it?" He then had Sang Men executed, but just as he was about to eat the porridge, he suddenly felt a stomachache and rushed to the toilet. However, his feet slipped and he fell into the toilet and drowned...

  The Emperor of Sui had never read this allusion, but after all, he was a heroic ruler. At this time, although he was furious, his words were kind before his death: "Zhang Chouyi is not an ordinary person. What he said in the past and present has always been accurate. I will not return tomorrow, and now it is indeed so. You should release him." Yang Guang nodded while calculating that blind Taoist, and with the great amnesty of the world, he kept him by his side.

  And on this day, June 4th, the same day twenty-two years later, there was also a great amnesty for all under heaven. But what people remember more is the bloody case that occurred at the Xuanwu Gate of the inner city of the capital in the early morning. Before the dawn court session, King Qin Li Shimin and the generals of the Tian Strategy Department used extremely cruel means to eliminate his brothers, Crown Prince Jiancheng and Prince Yuanji of Qi, and then forced Emperor Gaozu to abdicate and retire as Taishang Huang. ——After they washed away the blood on the Xuanwu Gate square with water, it took only half a day for the streets of the capital to return to peace. Many years later, ordinary people only remembered that this was the beginning of the Zhenguan Reign, and who would care about the bloody case?

  It was recorded in history books as June 1st, Jiazi day.

  At this time, Emperor Yang of Sui's general amnesty was somewhat inexplicable. He seemed to have known that his life would not last long, so he bid farewell to the civil and military officials who came to visit him one by one. Forty days later, he was posthumously honored with the title "Wen" and is historically known as Emperor Wen of Sui.

  The Confucian school's most absurd word game in feudal politics is the "posthumous title" system. After a big shot - whether an emperor, nobleman, or minister - passes away, he is given a suitable posthumous title based on his achievements during his lifetime to distinguish him from ordinary people. Commoners are not qualified to enjoy the honor of being given a posthumous title. Some intellectuals, who cannot bear it, occasionally give their respected person a posthumous title, such as Wang Tong, who was called "Wen Zhongzi" after his death many years later, but this is only considered a "private posthumous title". Posthumous titles are not always flattering; some are derogatory. It is hoped that those in power will fear being given a bad posthumous title after their death and dare not do evil. However, the result is often unexpected: even if the deceased was a scoundrel, he would be promoted three levels after his son ascended to the throne - who dares to propose a derogatory title? Liu Che is an example; Xia Hou Sheng was arrested and imprisoned for making a mild objection. Therefore, there are only posthumous titles that do not match reality, but no posthumous titles that match reality - of course, unless they are those kings who lost their country, who can only be manipulated by the victors and revolutionaries.

  He also said, "The posthumous title is the trace of one's conduct. Therefore, great deeds receive great names, and small deeds receive small names. Conduct comes from oneself, while reputation comes from others." According to the system of posthumous titles, "those who are like the texture of heaven and earth are called Wen, those who have virtues and broad knowledge are called Wen, those who study diligently and love literature are called Wen, those who are kind and benevolent to the people are called Wen, those who sympathize with the people and benefit society are called Wen, and those who grant titles and positions to the people are called Wen". The fact that Emperor Wen was able to receive a "Wen" posthumous title shows that he had great achievements during his lifetime. Throughout history, there have not been many emperors who received the posthumous title of "Wen", including Han's Emperor Wen, Wei's Emperor Wen Cao Pi, Tang's Taizong Li Shimin, and Ming's Chengzu Zhu Di... but probably only Han's Emperor Wen and Sui's Emperor Wen are the most famous. This can somewhat reflect their abilities, and this posthumous title is indeed well-deserved. However, these people almost all have one thing in common - they basically obtained the throne through illegitimate means.

  According to legend, Cao Cao had hoped to be given a "Wen" posthumous title, but was unable to get it; interestingly, Emperor Wen of Sui thought he would get a "Wu" posthumous title. This is enough to prove the correctness of the saying that it's better to live than to die, as when you're alive, you can do whatever you want, but once you're dead, others will make judgments about you and give you titles that you have no control over.

  Of course, the future is just an ideal statement. An emperor who wants to get a slightly louder posthumous title must either work hard to show off all his abilities or ensure that the next emperor is his own descendant. According to tradition, it is "the son does not speak of the father's mistakes". Under the pressure of historical wheels, historians have long lost their "left recording words, right recording facts" knife pen, and the history in the history books is only the history that the emperor wants to see. The work of historians is more for the sake of the iron rice bowl in their hands. At this time, if historians can face Dong Hu after death, I don't know what kind of shameful act they will do.

  In the same year, Chen Bogong, who had been a prisoner of war for nineteen years, died of illness. Before that, when many southern dynasty dignitaries welcomed Yang Guang into Ye City with due dignity, Emperor Chen and his two concubines were found hiding in a dry well. They were ignominiously dragged out and taken to Daxing. Emperor Wen gave them generous treatment, but Emperor Chen shamelessly asked for official positions. Yang Jian just smiled and ignored him, while Yang Guang was not as magnanimous as his father. He posthumously awarded the deceased the title of General, Magistrate of Changcheng County, and a posthumous name "Yang".

  According to the posthumous naming rules, "good inner virtue and distant courtesy is called Yang, leaving courtesy and distant masses is called Yang, reversing heaven and cruelly treating the people is called Yang, being fond of grandeur and harming governance is called Yang, having thin emotions and few righteousness is called Yang, abandoning virtues and making the country desolate is called Yang". Fourteen years later, when he was strangled to death by Yuwen Huaji, Tang Emperor Li Yuan also gave him the posthumous name "Yang". As for the other two names he received at the same time, Dou Jiande's "Min" and his grandson Yang Tong's "Ming", none of them were used. In history, we only remember that he was a cruel and ruthless tyrant who liked grandeur and violence.

  In the same year, scholar and astronomer Liu Zhuo presented to Emperor Yang Guang of Sui the latest research achievement "Huang Ji Li". Of course, the official statement should be respectful, and historical records should read: "Emperor Yang Guang received the calendar book presented by Liu Zhuo, but discarded it." In Huang Ji Li, Liu Zhuo provided a very accurate astronomical data, proposed the concept and value of Yellow Road annual difference, and corrected the errors of Zhang Chou's calendar method. Unfortunately, this did not receive attention from Emperor Yang Guang, who was then troubled by his brother Yang Yong. However, we can remember a term from Huang Ji Li - "Four舍五入" (Rounding to the nearest), which is apparently an invention in mathematical history. So, perhaps we can add some titles such as "Scientist", "Inventor" to Liu Zhuo's name card.