In history, there were two ministers with the same name and surname named Wang Gui, one of whom was the Tang Dynasty’s Wang Gui who dared to speak frankly; One of them is Wang Gui, a famous Song Dynasty official with the nickname of “San Zhi Xiang Gong”. This article is about Wang Gui.
Although the two have the same name, they are completely different in terms of personality and achievements. Although Wang Gui of the Song Dynasty had mediocre political achievements, he served as prime minister for sixteen years and assisted the four emperors, Emperor Renzong, Emperor Yingzong, Emperor Shenzong, and Emperor Zhezong. He progressed step by step and was praised by Ouyang Xiu as a “true scholar. Interested readers and history encyclopedia editors, let’s take a look together!
The good luck brought by the “Four Phase Hairpin Flower”
This flower in the Four Phase Hairpin is a type of peony called Golden Wrapped Waist. The petals of this peony are red both up and down, with a circle of golden stamens in the middle, called “Golden Waist” or “Golden Belt Surrounding”. This flower is like a prime minister dressed in red official attire with a golden waist belt. According to folklore, any official who can see this flower will definitely become a prime minister.
In the fifth year of the Qingli reign, Han Qi, who was still serving as the governor of Yangzhou, saw the “Golden Waist” in the mansion open, and happened to have four flowers. He invited Wang Gui, Wang Anshi, and Chen Shengzhi, who were in Yangzhou, to visit and experience the auspicious omen. Several people put flower hairpins on their heads, each with extraordinary aura. In the following years, Xiangzhao proved to be effective, and all four hairdressers served as assistants.
Young prodigy Wang Gui
Being invited by Han Qi to visit “Golden Waist Wrapping” actually shows that Wang Gui is talented and capable. He was able to be admired and valued by these emperors because he can write articles.
Wang Gui was able to recite and write poetry from a young age, with exceptional talent. His elder brother Wang Qi, after reading Wang Gui’s poems, praised him for his “heroic ambition”.
Wang Gui’s articles have their own characteristics. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, all kinds of classics and strategies in the court were written by Wang Gui, which became a trend at that time, and people often imitated Wang Gui’s writing style.
His articles and poems love to use luxurious and gorgeous words, such as precious words like “gold” and “jade”. His brother Wang Qi called this kind of poetry “the most precious treasure”.
In ancient times, some high-ranking officials liked to add some cold and melancholic words to their poetry, believing that Wang Gui’s style was somewhat vulgar. Poets who used golden pearls and jade to write poetry must have never seen the world before, so they used words of wealth and prosperity to show that they were very wealthy.
At this point, someone said, what kind of poetry would this noble person create if they had to use the word ‘rich and powerful’? Wang Gui pondered day and night at home and came up with a pair of words: “The shins have turned into red tortoiseshell, and the eyes have turned into blue glass.” The listener exclaimed in amazement.
During a Mid Autumn Festival, Emperor Renzong of Song invited Wang Gui to drink and write a poem. Wang Gui praised Renzong’s “admiration for the excellence of the Holy Learning” with witty words, which made Renzong very happy.
It was already three watch days, and Emperor Renzong of Song refused to disperse the meeting in his enthusiasm. He even brought his own imperial pen and asked Wang Gui to write poems for each palace concubine one by one. Wang Gui wrote poems based on the characteristics of each palace concubine on handkerchiefs and fans. Wang Gui composed each poem in one go, and each one was lifelike, which was highly appreciated by Emperor Renzong.
The ‘conservatives’ in the court
In literature, Wang Gui did have real learning and practical talents. He knew that the officialdom was like a battlefield, and being able to write articles could win the favor of the emperor. In order to survive in the officialdom, Wang Gui always insisted on a cautious and careful style.
Emperor Renzong valued Wang Gui’s literary talent and appointed him as a Hanlin scholar. The Imperial Secretariat instructed Wang Gui to draft a decree for the establishment of a prince. However, Wang Gui knew not to act hastily on such a major matter until he personally heard Renzong’s words the next day before daring to draft the decree.
Although Wang Gui is serious in handling affairs, this personality makes him stick to conventions in the court and has no breakthrough achievements. At that time, he was jokingly referred to as the “Three Commandments Chancellor”: he only knew how to “take imperial edicts”. The emperor’s advice was always dependent, and the next step was to “receive imperial edicts” and return home as “already received imperial edicts”. He never makes mistakes, but that’s also the reason why he was able to hold the throne for sixteen years.
At that time, Wang Anshi, Han Qi, and others among the Four Ministers’ Hairpins were all alienated by Emperor Shenzong. Only by not acting as Wang Gui did Emperor Shenzong gain his trust. Wang Gui’s actions led many ministers to accuse him of not caring about the country and being a mediocre minister. But in feudal dynasties, only by being wise and obedient can one sit firmly.
