"The Law of the Ancestors", the patron saint of the Song Dynasty, it helped the Song Dynasty successfully avoid the ups and downs of the five dynasties, surpass the misfortunes of the five dynasties, and finally continue the glory for more than 300 years.
In the entire history of the Song Dynasty, there were almost no rebellions of military generals, no division of feudal towns, no dictatorship of eunuchs, and no usurpation of powerful ministers, which effectively prevented internal turmoil and can be said to have achieved its ultimate goal, because"The Law of the Ancestors"In itself, the main goal is to prevent malpractice and prevent internal troubles.
In ancient Chinese society, the scholar group relied on the "law of the ancestors" to find a legal and reasonable way to restrain the behavior of the monarch. Under the monarchy** system, the monarch's personal likes and dislikes largely determine the direction of the government, so there is a lack of effective ways to restrain the monarch's behavior.
However, the scholars and doctors of the Song Dynasty relied on the "law of the ancestors" and the "ancestors" to successfully restrain the emperor and ensure the effective operation of national politics.
In Chinese society, "respecting ancestors and ancestors" is the core of the ritual system, and it is also the basic starting point of the Confucian concept of order and ethics. The principles and practices of ancestor worship had a profound impact on ancient Chinese politics.
Under the patriarchal system, the ancestors of the emperor were endowed with supreme authority by combining blood worship and state worship, and their family law was also considered to be the law of the state, which played an important guiding role in the current monarch.
Even though the ancestors died physically, they were still spiritually immortal.
The current dynasty borrowed from the shortcomings of the five dynasties of feudal towns and deprived them of their powers, causing the prefectures and counties to become increasingly poor and weak, and finally being invaded by foreign tribes in the Jingkang Rebellion. ”
Zhu Xi's ideas of separation of powers and checks and balances led to low administrative efficiency and prominent problems of redundancies, and his emphasis on the "law of the ancestors" made the political atmosphere of the Song Dynasty conservative and difficult to change.
While guarding against malpractice and ensuring political stability, this kind of ideology advocates too much emphasis on maintenance and restraint, and resists large-scale change. This kind of thinking was particularly evident in the "Wang Anshi Reform" during the Song Dynasty, where Wang Anshi's slogan of "Ancestors Are Not Enough" aroused widespread disgust, especially Sima Guang.
Wang Anshi is not blindly opposed"The Law of the Ancestors", but believes that it should keep pace with the times and adapt it to social changes. He advocated that the systems and regulations created by his ancestors should be reformed to solve the current problems.
Although Song Shenzong was committed to changing the law, he always respected it"The Law of the Ancestors", and hopes that the change of law can carry forward the cause of the ancestors. In the process of changing the law, he adhered to the principle of checks and balances of power, and retained some people who opposed the change to prevent being deceived by the courtiers of any faction.