Chapter 275 Chapter 274 Yingzong Zhao Shu

Song Yingzong, named Shu, changed his name to Zongshi in the third year of Jingyou (1036 A.D.).In the seventh year of Jiayou (1062 A.D.), he became the crown prince and was renamed Shu.He is the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong, the thirteenth son of Wang Yunrang of Pu Anyi, and his mother is the Ren family of Xianyou County.Born in the first year of Song Mingdao (AD 1032) and died in the fourth year of Zhiping (AD 1067).36 years old. On March 29th in the eighth year of Jiayou (1063 A.D.), Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen collapsed due to illness. Empress Cao passed down Renzong's edict: Prince Zhao Shu succeeded the emperor.

In the early years of Renzong Jingyou, Empress Dowager Baoqing (Zhenzong Concubine Yang Shu) saw that Renzong was lacking in wine and sex, and his physique was weak. Fearing that he would die out, she persuaded Zhao Zhen to choose the eldest son to raise him in the palace as soon as possible as his successor.Renzong thought so, so he allowed more sons, and chose the youngest son Shisan, who was still young, to be raised in the queen's place. After entering the palace on the thirteenth day, he was given the name Zongshi, and appointed the official Zuo Jianmen to lead the deputy head of the government.In the following year, Jin became the right inner leader of the government, moved to the left Qianniuwei General, and left the leader of the army.Life in the palace is extremely superior, and the lively and clever Zongshi was cared for by Empress Renzong Cao and the beauty Miao, and he was also loved by Emperor Renzong. However, the young Zongshi often missed his biological parents, and sometimes Crying to go home.In June of the second year of Baoyuan (AD 1039), the 8-year-old Zongshi moved to General Youqianniuwei, who was allowed to leave the palace and go home to live.Although life in the palace is well-clothed and well-fed, Zongshi seems to have no special nostalgia. He happily returned to his long-missed parents.

Since then, Renzong often missed and asked Zongshi after he left the palace because of his infertility many times. In addition to granting Zongshi an official title, he also received endless rewards. Zongshi was still treated specially among the clans.In November of the fourth year of Jiayou (1059 A.D.), Zongshi's father, Yun Rang, died of illness. Ren Zong came to offer sacrifices in person, and after five days of dismissal, he presented Yun Rang as Taiwei and Zhongshu Ling, made him king of Pu, and gave him the posthumous posthumous posthumous posthumous title of Ann. Yi.After August of the sixth year of Jiayou, Sima Guang of Zhijianyuan, Lixing Chen Zhu, the censor of the palace, Lu Hui of Zhijiangzhou, and others successively wrote to Renzong, begging for the early appointment of the emperor's heir.

At this time, around the candidate for the emperor's heir, the royal family of the Song Dynasty was also engaged in intense competition.Although Zongshi was favored by Renzong, there were still many people in the clan who were qualified to inherit the emperor's heir like Zongshi.In the autumn of the seventh year of Jiayou, Zongshi stayed in the hut to keep the system. When the final funeral period expired, he still resigned and refused to resign. On August 27th, Renzong ordered Zhao Conggu, Zhao Zong'e and others, who were the main judges, to bring the prince's clothes, gold belt, silver silk, etc., and summon Zongshi to enter the palace.He also ordered that since ancient times, if Zongshi still insisted that he was sick and refused, he should also be carried in.At this point, Zong Shi didn't dare to insist on resisting anymore, so he brought his servants and several boxes of books, entered the palace with Cong Gu and Zong Er, and visited Renzong.

At the beginning of February in the eighth year of Jiayou, Renzong's old illness relapsed and became increasingly serious. He collapsed in Funing Hall on the night of March 29.Empress Renzong Cao ordered the gate of the palace to be closed and no one was allowed to enter or leave.At dawn, he sent someone to rush the ministers of the two governments into the palace, and then summoned Zhao Shu to take the throne of Renzong to tell the heir to the throne.Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu said repeatedly in horror: "I dare not do it! I dare not do it!" Turning around, he ran out of the hall.Prime Minister Han Qi and others rushed forward to persuade him to stay, dragged him back, and persuaded him with good words, untied his hat, put on his royal clothes, and then called all the officials to the front of the hall to listen to the order and ordered Wang Gui, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, to draft a draft. Legacy.In the afternoon of the same day, all the ministers and officials gathered in front of Funing Hall, and Han Qi announced the legacy of Renzong, and Zhao Shu officially ascended the throne as the emperor.It is for Yingzong.

After Yingzong came to the throne, there were successive incidents of disagreement with Empress Renzong Cao and respect for his biological father. On the first day of April in the eighth year of Jiayou (1063 A.D.), after Yingzong ascended the throne and accepted the congratulations of all officials, he had to follow the ancient system, mourn for three years, and decided to be regent of Han Qi.All the ministers and Empress Cao strongly opposed it.Although Yingzong was unhappy, he had no choice but to give up. Yingzong's health was very poor. On the day of Renzong's burial, Yingzong's condition deteriorated and he could not perform rituals.Fortunately, Han Qi and others hugged and supported them, so they hurriedly saluted.Since then, Yingzong has been ill for a long time, so he has the right to live in the west room of the East Pavilion of Rouyi Hall and take medicine to treat his illness.Empress Dowager Cao lived alone in the small hall at the inner east gate, and decided to rule behind a curtain.

Although Empress Dowager Cao is a sensible person, she can't help hearing more and more gossip.In addition, after Yingzong's illness, his speech and actions were often abnormal, and he often disobeyed the Queen Mother. Wang Gui, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, even played Yingzong's face-to-face, begging for the Empress Dowager's right to listen to the government. .In November of the eighth year of Jiayou, Han Qi was presiding over the funeral of Renzong in Yongzhao Mausoleum. The Empress Dowager Cao sent a confidant to Han Qi. Things.After Han Qi read the letter, he burned the letter in front of the visitors, and then hurried back to the capital to meet the Queen Mother with Ouyang Xiu, the political counselor and others.Empress Dowager Cao cried bitterly in front of Han Qi's ministers, telling Yingzong's faults, saying that she could no longer tolerate it, and asked Han Qi to make a decision.Han Qi and others persuaded them with kind words and remonstrated with their interests, and the empress dowager's resentment was finally relieved.

The disharmony between the emperor and the empress made all the officials in the court anxious and uneasy, and there were many rumors circulating inside and outside the capital.Sima Guang, Lu Hui and others of Zhijian Court wrote to the Empress Dowager and Yingzong many times, opening Chen Dayi with sincere words.Later, Liu Chang, a scholar in the Imperial Academy, and others took the opportunity of teaching, using the past to describe the present, and using satire as admonishment to enlighten Yingzong.Han Qi also persuaded Yingzong with "filial piety", which made Yingzong gradually understand.

In the following year, that is, the first month of 1064, Yuan Zhiping was changed.Yingzong began to sleep in the morning and served the queen mother.In April, he personally led hundreds of officials to pray for rain in Xiangguo Temple, Tianqing Temple and Liquan Temple. All kinds of speculation and rumors inside and outside the court gradually subsided.In order to completely eliminate Yingzong's suspicion and reconcile the relationship between the two palaces, Han Qi proposed to Yingzong again that he would ask the queen mother to withdraw the curtain and return to power.Yingzong was concerned about the empress dowager's face and refused to allow it.Han Qi was determined to come forward to solve the problem for Yingzong.

On the 13th day of the first lunar month, Han Qi selected more than 10 military affairs and reported to Yingzong's ruling.Han Qi then went to see the Empress Dowager Cao, and asked the Empress Dowager to review the more than 10 matters adjudicated by Yingzong, and the Empress Dowager personally praised everything.When the performance was over, Han Qi listed some empresses who were known as sages in the past, and then changed the subject, saying: "If the empress dowager can withdraw the curtain and return to power, all the sages will not be able to do so." The day before yesterday, Zhang Shu also begged the queen mother to return to power, I wonder when the queen mother will withdraw the curtain?" Hearing Han Qi's words, the queen mother stood up suddenly involuntarily.Han Qi then loudly ordered the people on the left and right: "The Empress Dowager has ordered the curtain to be withdrawn, why don't you obey it quickly?" Immediately, the servant of Yiluan went out and pulled down the curtain, and the Empress Dowager hurried into the harem.From then on, Yingzong began to decide political affairs independently in the front and back halls every day.

In August of the first year of Zhiping, Sima Guang and Lu Huo of Zhijian Court took the lead in impeaching Ren Shouzhong, a servant who was deeply favored by the Queen Mother, to separate the two palaces and steal the treasure without authorization. He was a great thief of the country and a giant beetle of the people.After that, Sima Guang listed his top ten crimes, begging to be beheaded in the city, and clearly declaring it to all directions.Yingzong adopted what Guang and Jiao said, and it was a crime of wanting to be responsible and loyal.Before the demotion could be discussed, Prime Minister Han Qi was afraid that the night would be full of dreams, so he signed an empty decree in the political affairs hall together with Ouyang Xiu, Zhao Gai and other ruling ministers to depose Ren Shouzhong and send him to Qizhou (now Qichun, Hubei).He also dismissed the rest of the party, Shi Zhaoxi, and others, and demoted them into exile.After that, Sima Guang and others went to Shushu to persuade Yingzong Enyu to empress dowager.Yingzong then took the opportunity of inquiring about the living conditions of the Empress Dowager. Since Chen was ill, he was in a state of confusion and offended Cigong, asking for forgiveness.Since then, the grievances between the two palaces have gradually melted away. One wave just leveled off, and another wave rose again.After Yingzong came to the throne, Han Qi and others proposed to honor Yingzong's biological parents, but the matter was shelved only because Yingzong was ill and the two palaces were not in harmony.In May of the first year of Zhiping, Han Qi brought up the old story again.In April of the following year, Emperor Yingzong immediately ordered the ritual officials and ministers to discuss the worship ceremony to hear about it. On the 21st day of the first lunar month in the third year of Zhiping (1066 A.D.), there was a sudden rumor in the outer court that Yingzong's biological father, King Pu, had agreed to become emperor.Yingzong then issued an edict, saying that he would obey the imperial edict of the Empress Dowager, but at the same time humbly accept no honor titles. He only called King Pu and his wives as relatives, and ordered that the tombs of King Pu and his wives should be used as a garden, that is, a temple should be erected in the garden to worship the shrine.He ordered his brother Zongpu to be the Duke of Pu, and he entrusted him with offering sacrifices to King Pu.Therefore, the ceremony of respecting King Pu is determined. In the dispute about respecting King Pu, the courtiers refused to give in to each other, and many people were convicted.Yingzong did not hesitate to sacrifice Taiwan's admonishing officials to protect Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu and other ministers who supported his respected father, which showed great trust and reuse for Han and Ou people.For this reason, Han, Ou and others were more grateful for the map, and did their duty to assist Yingzong. Among the ministers, Han Qi has the highest prestige.In the Renzong Dynasty, he and Fan Zhongyan were called "Han Fan" because they jointly fought against Xixia and reformed together.In Renzong's later years, he and Fu Bi were in charge of the shufu, making major decisions to secure the country. He was named a virtuous minister, and was also called "Han Fu".After Yingzong ascended the throne, Fu Bi was specially appointed as a privy envoy.He is like Zeng Gongliang, the prime minister, who is good at laws and regulations; Ouyang Xiu, who is a political adviser, is good at literature;Although Yingzong had been ill for a long time and ignored the court, and had been at odds with the Empress Dowager Cao for a long time, relying on the assistance of the above-mentioned ministers, the government was able to stabilize.After he recovered from his illness, he was ambitious and tried his best to rule the world and change Yuan Zhiping. In May of the first year of Zhiping (AD 1064), Emperor Yingzong asked the ministers for their opinions on administration, and asked: "Since the previous dynasty, there have been many evils, how can we remedy them?" Fu Bi suggested taking prudent steps in view of the lessons learned from the failure of Renzong's Qingli reform. , gradually changed, and Yingzong accepted it. In the intercalary May of the first year of Zhiping, Zhao Shuqi used Tang Jie, who had won a direct voice in the Renzong Dynasty because of his courage to remonstrate and did not avoid the powerful, as the imperial censor Zhongcheng to show his openness to accept advice.In July of the second year of Zhiping, Fu Bi resigned due to illness, and Yingzong appointed Wen Yanbo, a minister of the previous dynasty, as a privy envoy.At the same time, new figures such as Wang Anshi were employed. While Yingzong was striving for grand plans and committed to the peace of the world, Xixia stepped up its invasion of the Song Dynasty, so that Yingzong had to seek national defense and resist the invasion. Regarding the invasion of Xixia, Yingzong first sent envoys to question him, and later adopted Han Qi's suggestion to assassinate people from Shaanxi to guard the border with 150,000 volunteers.He also appointed Gao Mian, the former general of Huanqing Road recommended by Ouyang Xiu, as the magistrate of Hezhong Prefecture to take on the responsibility of protecting the summer.From then on, Yingzong thought he could sit back and relax.Since then, Xixia has continued to launch small-scale invasions, and the western frontier ministers have asked the court to increase troops and deploy counterattacks.Yingzong believed that there were already a lot of frontier soldiers, and he still didn't worry about border troubles. In September of the third year of Zhiping, Xia launched another large-scale invasion of the Song Dynasty.Liang Zuo personally led an army to the east, besieged Dashun City (now northeast of Huachi, Gansu), invaded Rouyuan Village (now Huachi, Gansu), burned the border villages, plundered wantonly, and retreated with a large amount of food and livestock. Foreign insults have not been eliminated, and internal worries have followed.Since the Renzong Dynasty, internal and external conformity, laziness and corrupt officials have become commonplace, gradually forming a situation of redundant officials.Although Yingzong wanted to correct the long-standing abuses, he did not take practical and effective measures.On the contrary, high-ranking officials and noble relatives reported their favors, and the day never stopped, and there was a situation where three people competed for one official.In addition to resisting Xixia, increasing the number of troops, and increasing the annual expenditure, the situation of redundant troops since the Renzong Dynasty has not changed, but has become more and more serious.Yingzong was also angry at the extravagance and corruption of the royal relatives at that time, and wanted to punish him, but under the opposition of the noble and powerful forces, he did nothing. External difficulties and internal worries made Yingzong unable to cope. In October of the third year of Zhiping, his old illness relapsed, and he became bedridden and became increasingly heavy.Since Yingzong's illness, the emperor's eldest son, Zhao Xu, has been favored by Han Qi and other ministers as his successor, but Zhao Hao and Zhao Junye are also strong contenders for the throne.One day, Prime Minister Han Qi visited Yingzong. When he left, Zhao Xu sent Han Qi to wait outside the door, and asked Han Qi what to do with worry.Han Qi asked Zhao Xu in a low voice: "May the king serve the emperor wholeheartedly, and never leave his side." Zhao Xu suddenly realized, and nodded in agreement. By December of the third year of Zhiping, Yingzong's illness became more serious.From the day he became ill, he lost the ability to speak, and he wrote down all important military and political matters on paper with a pen.On November 21st, Han Qi led his ministers into the daily life, and saw Yingzong's face was haggard. Establish the crown prince early to reassure everyone." Before Yingzong could say anything, Han Qi had already handed over the pen and paper.Yingzong nodded helplessly.Han Qi said again: "Since His Majesty's holy will has been decided, please issue an edict as soon as possible to set up the crown prince." Yingzong then wrote "Establish the king as the crown prince" with trembling hands. On the first day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Zhiping, Han Qi led his officials into the palace to congratulate him, and then went to the Funing Hall to congratulate him.But Yingzong did not show up, and the officials only danced and congratulated the majestic emperor's throne, and then withdrew one by one. On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Yingzong died.In August of that year, he was buried in Yonghou Mausoleum (now in Gongxian County, Henan Province). His posthumous title was "Xianwen Suwu Xuanxiao Emperor", and his temple name was "Yingzong".