東漢中後期直諫之風的興起：兼論永建時期（126-131）皇帝與儒家官僚的共治

The Rise of Direct Remonstration in the Mid-to-Late Eastern Han Dynasty: A Study of Joint Governance between the Emperor and Confucian Bureaucrats during the Yongjian Period (126-131)

本文嘗試論證東漢直諫之風的興起，最早可追溯至安帝（r. 106-125）親政後所引發的抗議運動。入至永建時期（126-131），太后臨朝之局未出現，加上戚宦勢力急遽衰退，儒家官僚遂乘朝廷出現短暫權力真空之機，開創與順帝（r. 125-144）共治之政治格局，並在朝廷積極推動直諫之風。入至陽嘉時期（132-135），順帝開始重用戚宦輔政，君臣共治之局逐漸消失，儒家官僚的直諫亦改為針對順帝用佞而發，諫言內容開始帶有明顯的貶天子意識，這不單導致君臣關係漸趨緊張，更埋下桓帝（r. 146-168）時期儒家官僚集體「汙穢朝廷」的種子。另一方面，儒家官僚秉持以直諫為忠貞的信念，並以此作為區分官員清濁的界線，這表示士人的群體自覺早於永建時期已開始萌芽。因此，順帝永建、陽嘉時期實為東漢政治文化發生巨變的重要時期。

This article argues that the rise of direct remonstration in the Eastern Han dynasty began with the protest movements following Emperor An’s安帝(r. 106-125) assumption of personal rule. By the Yongjian永建period (126-131), as the empress dowager did not assume control and eunuch power rapidly declined, Confucian bureaucrats took advantage of the temporary power vacuum to establish a joint governance with Emperor Shun順帝(r. 125-144), actively promoting direct remonstration.
However, during the Yangjia陽嘉period (132-135), as Emperor Shun increasingly relied on eunuchs and consorts, the joint governance structure weakened. Confucian officials’remonstrations shifted to criticizing Shun’s favoritism towards sycophants, increasingly diminishing the emperor’s authority, which led to rising tensions and set the stage for later collective condemnation during Emperor Huan’s桓帝reign (146-168).
Confucian bureaucrats viewed direct remonstration as a sign of loyalty, as a way to distinguish between virtuous and corrupt officials. This indicates that the self-awareness and collective identity of Confucian scholar-officials had already started to emerge as early as the Yongjian era. Thus, the Yongjian and Yangjia eras under Emperor Shun represent a critical period of transformation in the political culture of the Eastern Han dynasty.