University of Virginia Library

The nature of Wang Mang's position and power

During the reign of Emperor P'ing, Wang Mang was not the legal ruler
of the state, but merely its most important minister. He was the Commander-in-chief
and Intendant of Affairs of the Masters of Writing, who
could be dismissed at will by the actual regent, the Grand Empress
Dowager nee Wang. By this time, the Commander-in-chief concerned
himself little with the army; this official had become the dominating
minister in the civil government. He made appointments in the bureaucracy,
cited officials for promotion or demotion, proposed governmental
policies, and acted as chief consultant to the ruler. The other ministers
had become for the most part virtual executive officers to the Commander-in-chief.
The latter's authority over the other ministers was exercised by
memorializing the throne that they be ordered to execute certain policies,
and then advising the throne to consent to the proposal. Since the
rejection of an important official's advice in an important matter meant
that this official must resign or be dismissed, a great official was consequently
often reluctant to offer advice, and, when asked to do so, often
allowed less important members of the court to propose the policy he
favored. At the same time, this custom made the throne very reluctant
to refuse an important minister's advice, since the throne might find it
difficult to discover another person who would be as suitable as the dismissed
minister. Thus a minister could sometimes compel the throne to
accept an unwelcome policy. On the other hand, under an aggressive
ruler, ministers could frequently be dismissed and sometimes punished for
offering suggestions that were unpleasant to the throne. Thus Wang
Mang could wield the imperial power, even though he was not actually
the regent.

The Grand Empress Dowager nee Wang had no taste for ruling; she
was a quiet old lady, who upheld the best traditions of Chinese wifely
virtue, being loyal to her husband and her relatives, complaisant to her
husband's relatives, going her own quiet way without interfering with
others. She had originally supported Wang Mang in 8 B.C. because her
brother, Wang Ken, had recommended him as Commander-in-chief.
But she was not altogether blind to his faults, and did not trust him completely.

Since she was a woman, she was immured in her palace, and
Wang Mang saw to it that only those favorable to him had access to her.
Thus she was brought around to accede to his plans.