In the feudal officialdom system, "clever words" is a kind of character that is severely despised, because Confucius once said: "Those who speak well rarely have a heart of benevolence and righteousness".
In ancient society, it was generally believed that "clever words" were equated with "unkindness and injustice", so accusing a person of "making a fool of himself" was equivalent to scolding him as "unkind and unjust", which was considered a very serious discourse.
Therefore, if someone is reprimanded for "clever words", then he may be seen as a "vain person" or even considered not human. In such a situation, the person accused of "clever words" may feel very frustrated or even lose confidence.
Therefore, in ancient societies, people were very cautious about the issue of "clever words".
In "Yongzheng Dynasty", Zhang Tingyu is the right-hand man of Emperor Yongzheng. As early as when Yinzhen was still the fourth elder brother, Zhang Tingyu silently supported him, and supported him without hesitation on the night of his succession.
Later, Emperor Yongzheng wanted to kill his younger brother Zhang Tinglu to establish his prestige, and Zhang Tingyu did not hesitate to write to support. It can be said that Zhang Tingyu played a key role in the process of the Yongzheng Emperor gaining a foothold in the political crisis.
However, the crisis of trust between their monarchs and ministers also put them in trouble, and even Emperor Yongzheng rebuked Zhang Tingyu with words like "clever words". So, what exactly is the contradiction between them?
Today, let's take a look at it. We all know that Emperor Yongzheng was an ambitious monarch, and he participated in the "Nine Sons to Seize the Throne", not for pleasure, but to realize his reform ideals.
Therefore, after he took the throne, he began the vigorous "Yongzheng New Deal".
An important reform in Yongzheng's new policy is to allow the proletarian and jobless banner people to support themselves. After the Qing Dynasty sat down in the country, in order to seize the military power, the Aixin Jueluo clan imitated Song Taizu's "cup of wine to release military power" and raised the Manchu soldiers bravely.
Although the benefits of these policies outweighed the disadvantages at first, because it was an agrarian society, the total amount of national tax revenue was limited, and the number of bannermen who had nothing to do all day was increasing, resulting in an increasingly tight finance, and the number of bannermen who needed the support of the imperial court was increasing.
In order to solve the country's financial difficulties, Emperor Yongzheng adopted a policy reform, which changed the original monthly distribution of money and grain to the banner people, so that they could grow and be self-sufficient.
This policy not only saves the state spending, but also allows the flag bearers to reap tangible benefits. However, this reform caused dissatisfaction among some banner people. They are accustomed to receiving money and food with nothing to do, but now they have to work hard and find it very difficult.
When discussing this reform, some Manchu ministers strongly opposed this policy on the grounds that it "violated the ancestral system." Despite their opposition, Emperor Yongzheng insisted on pushing forward with the reform, hoping to bring greater benefits to the country.
When the thirteenth elder brother who Emperor Yongzheng relied on the most was absent from the meeting due to illness, Zhang Tingyu became his only support. Although Yongzheng repeatedly sought Zhang Tingyu's support, Zhang Tingyu chose to remain silent because of his Han status and his unwillingness to offend others.
This made Yongzheng feel very angry, and even denounced Zhang Tingyu as "clever words". But we can understand that because "adversity sees the truth", when the leader needs you, you are thinking about personal gains and losses, and who do you scold if you don't scold you?
Fortunately, though, Emperor Yongzheng quickly realized his gaffe and spoke to Zhang Tingyu alone after the meeting. Zhang Tingyu, in his capacity as a power strategist, skillfully put forward two suggestions, successfully breaking the argument that "letting the banner people cultivate violates the ancestral system".