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The influence of Confucianism

During this period, the influence of Confucianism continued unabated.
The high officials continued to be Confucians. Learned men were recommended
for the highest posts. There came indeed to be two parties in
the imperial court: the Fu and Ting clans, who defended their positions
and sought wealth and influence, and the Confucians (to whom Wang
Mang belonged), who comprised the bulk of the bureaucracy and stood
for a strict construction of court proprieties and for moral ideals. In
spite of this division, Confucian influence continued to be strong, for the
imperial maternal relatives owed their influence to the Confucian teaching
of favoring one's relatives, hence, even when they dismissed the Confucians
from high office, they continued to cultivate Confucianism and favor
those Confucians who would accord with them. There was no thought,
on the part of any important personage, of changing from Confucianism
to any other philosophy.

K'ung Kuang, a lineal descendant of Confucius and one of the great

scholars of the empire, was installed as Lieutenant Chancellor on the day
Emperor Ch'eng died; he was dismissed in two years, because he opposed
the raising of the Empress Dowager nee Fu's title. Three years later, he
was recalled to court when she died, and was soon reappointed to his old
post. He had meanwhile learned to be more pliable to the Emperor's
wishes, lending his consent to the condemnation of Wang Chia1a and
treating Tung Hsien2a deferentially. A very learned Confucian who was
at the same time a lineal descendant of Confucius could not be neglected,
for such a person would be an ornament to any Chinese court. The post
of Commander-in-chief, which actually dominated the government, was,
however, except for brief intervals, kept in the hands of imperial relatives
or of the imperial favorite, Tung Hsien2a. Through his concurrent
position as Intendant of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing, the Commander-in-chief
controlled the most important source of imperial information.
Under Emperor Ai, this control was not as important as previously,
for the Empress Dowager nee Fu and Tung Hsien2a both had direct access
of the imperial person. Thus Confucian influence, while important, was
partly checked by the imperial maternal relatives and favorite.

Confucian influence also showed itself in certain reforms. The practise
of mourning for a parent to the third year was revived (cf. App. I). An
attempt was made to restrict the amount of land and slaves one person
could own (11: 2b, 3a). This edict was however tabled because the imperial
maternal relatives and favorite found it inconvenient. At the
same time certain imperial ateliers were abolished and a few other
humanitarian laws were enacted (11: 3a, b). A new ruler was expected
to show his devotion to Confucian principles in his government, and reforms
such as these were enacted because Confucians urged them. The
Wang clan, not to be outdone, distributed its private fields to the poor
people (11: 4a); but this does not mean that they gave up the estates from
which their income as marquises was derived—their estates were government,
not private fields. Their generosity was probably limited to their
lands near the capital, rents from which (at least part of which were paid
in grain) would be more convenient for a court official than income from
distant estates in the provinces. Wang Mang may have foreseen that
he would eventually be exiled from the court; this generous gift aided
greatly in inducing people to urge the recall of Wang Mang, four years
later.