Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was cautious in choosing prime ministers, but he was bold in using them and rarely intervened in specific affairs. An interesting story between him and Yao Chong is often quoted, which just shows his full trust in the Prime Minister. It is said that Yao Chong once invited the emperor for Li Lang's promotion, and Tang Xuanzong "looked up at the temple", but Yao Chong repeatedly said that he just didn't talk. Yao Chong was a little scared and went out. After the strike, Gao Lishi remonstrated with the emperor, saying that although the emperor was busy, the Prime Minister should give him plastic surgery. How could he ignore it? Tang Xuanzong said that since I appointed him as Prime Minister, I just wanted him to discuss with me when something important happened. Li Lang such a small office, is it worth my trouble? Later, Gao Lishi told Yao Chong what the emperor said, and a stone in Yao Chong's heart fell to the ground. In order to give full play to the role of prime minister, Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty also took great pains in the collocation of prime ministers. Since Yao Chong, who is capable, is matched with Lu Huaishen, who is not capable but honest and virtuous. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty even bluntly told Lu Huaishen that I gave all the world events to Yao Chong, and I just used you, relying on your character and reputation. The implication is that you are not expected to do anything. Similarly, since Song Jing was put into use, Su Xiang, who is weak in ability but has a strong sense of cooperation, is also in phase. But on the whole, the prime ministers chosen by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty all have their own characteristics and strengths. He also used Zhang Shuo, Du Sian, Pei Guangting, Han Xiu, Yuwen Rong, Zhang Jiuling and other prime ministers. There is nothing worse than this. It was with the assistance of these prime ministers with their own strengths that Xuanzong pushed the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty to its peak. He used Yao Chong, Song Jing and Yu Wenrong, who were good at practical work, to rectify the bureaucracy, strictly observe the law and discipline, and strengthen the army to develop the economy. People who are good at literature, such as Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiuling, have made great efforts to cultivate and prosper culture. Of course, these are not absolute. Yao Chong and Song Jing not only have strong working ability, but also have outstanding literary talent. Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiuling not only have literary talent, but also have outstanding ability to govern the country.
Interestingly, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also attached great importance to people's temperament and demeanor when he chose the prime minister. After Tang Xuanzong appointed Song Jing as prime minister, he sent general Yang Sixu to meet him. "Old Tang Book" has a wonderful description of the meeting between Yang Sixu and Song Jing: "Jiing is far-sighted and unpredictable, but he doesn't talk to his thoughts on the way. If you think about it, you will be lucky, return to it, complain about it, and sigh for a long time, which will benefit you. " Song Jing's "staying at a respectful distance from others" and "unpredictable" "demeanor" are undoubtedly the externalization of the older generation of politicians who are not afraid of powerful personality. After Song Jing, another prime minister came into the vision of Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. He is Zhang Jiuling, a scholar who is famous for his literature. Xuanzong appreciated Zhang Jiuling's literary talent and often praised him in front of ministers. Not only the article, but also Zhang Jiuling's "demeanor" was appreciated by Xuanzong. Every time he saw Zhang Jiuling's early dynasty, it was magnificent and magnificent, which was quite different from the civil and military officials, and he admired it. He often said to his courtiers, "As long as I see nine years old, I feel refreshed and refreshed." When someone wants to recommend talents in the future, Xuanzong always asks, "How can manners compare with Zhang Jiuling?" According to historical records, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was "an extraordinary instrument, Fan Weili." Therefore, his emphasis on temperament and demeanor is somewhat appreciative of each other.
The prosperous era of Kaiyuan initiated by Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was fully demonstrated at the Grand Ceremony of Guangyuntan held in the second year of Tianbao (743). On March 26th of this year, Guangyuntan, east of Chang 'an, was filled with smoke and full of spring. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty boarded the Wangchun Building and inspected two or three hundred ships loaded with treasures and specialties from all over the country. From the material exhibition of Guangyuntan Conference and the detailed records of the national financial situation in the first year in the history books, what we see is indeed the prosperity of "Haiyan River is clear, and things enrich the people". The grain, money and silk in government warehouses are constantly increasing and inexhaustible. Du Fu's poem "Reminiscence of Time Past" vividly reflected the grand occasion at that time: "Reminiscence of Time Past, the prosperity of Kaiyuan, there are still thousands of families in the small town. Rice is fat and white, and public and private warehouses are rich. There are no wolves and tigers on the road in Kyushu, which is a good day to travel. Wan Qi, Lu Mao, driver class, male plow female mulberry. ……"
Prosperity is not only manifested in finance and economy, but also in culture. Because Tang Xuanzong himself has profound cultural accomplishment and knows the significance of cultural construction for governing the country and safeguarding the country, he not only advocates sorting out books and compiling classics, but also practices, writes books and writes poems. Up to now, there are more than 60 poems handed down by Xuanzong in Tang Dynasty. He has contacts with many famous poets, especially with the great poet Li Bai. The appearance of the so-called "Voice of Prosperity in the Tang Dynasty" in China's ancient poems is inseparable from the hobby and promotion of Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty. However, Xuanzong's love for music and dance in Tang Dynasty directly promoted the rapid development of music and dance in Tang Dynasty, making it the most prosperous art in China feudal society. He strongly advocated Yan music (pop music), personally instructed the children of Gongliyuan, personally composed music, personally conducted and personally conducted, and became a veritable "head of the song and dance troupe" of Gongliyuan. The music and dances adapted by Xuanzong include broken array music, Shangyuan music and master music. His newly created music and dances include The Sound of Yue Guang, The Moon in the Dragon Pool and Colorful Feathers, among which Colorful Feathers is the most famous. Yang Guifei often performed this kind of music and dance in the palace, which was deeply loved by Xuanzong.
However, with the prosperity, there has been an inevitable crisis in the feudal autocratic era. "Yu Yangyang came with encouragement, breaking the tune of rainbow skirt and feather coat." In the 14th year of Tianbao (755), An Lushan launched a rebellion, and the prosperous Tang Dynasty became a thing of the past. Time has passed, and when people are discussing the reasons why the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline, there are different opinions. It is correct to criticize the absolute power caused by feudal autocracy from the institutional level, but it is inevitably too general and unrealistic. Because of the soil of that era, there were no and impossible "seedlings" of "democracy". Some people think that in his later years, he was abandoned politically, improperly employed people, and used Li and other treacherous officials as his counterparts, and his power was too concentrated, which led to corruption; Reusing the Anshi Rebellion and Shi Siming is also shooting themselves in the foot. Objectively speaking, it is not too much to find the reason from Tang Xuanzong himself. However, some people always put the lavatory on Yang Guifei, repeating the old tune of "losing to women", which is inevitably chilling. Blame the decline of a dynasty on a helpless woman, thanks to your imagination!
The decline of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity is indeed a subject worthy of study, but Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and the prosperous Kaiyuan period he initiated left us precious intangible cultural heritage. The emotional tone and high-spirited spirit of the people in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, as well as their brilliant achievements in poetry, music, dance, calligraphy, painting and many other fields, are valuable assets that we should be proud of, learn from and learn from.