flstandardbreds Chapter 109 Cai Bian
Chapter 109 Cai Bian
Northern Song Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong
Upon hearing this, Emperor Shenzong of Song felt dizzy and weak in the legs, collapsing to the ground instantly. The eunuchs attending him exclaimed in alarm and quickly helped their emperor up.
Emperor Shenzong was in deep despair, his face filled with grief, as if his world had turned gray.
His children died young one after another. He managed to survive a few, but this child died before reaching the age of thirty!
Not even a single child was left behind! Heaven is unjust! Heaven is so unjust!
No, I must go find Xu'er and cut off this disease at its source! After figuring this out, Zhao Xu immediately ordered someone to find the imperial physician to examine Zhao Xu's body.
But he forgot that Zhao Xu had been given a potion from the mall by him, so he would not die as young as recorded in history!
However, Zhao Xu's mind was now preoccupied with the news that his son would die young, and he had long since put the matter out of his mind.
……
The other side of the live stream room.
After saying that, Lin Ke turned to another matter.
"Speaking of which, for some reason, many children died young in the Song Dynasty. Later generations speculated that it was due to some kind of hereditary disease. As mentioned before, Song Dynasty palaces were often decorated with cinnabar and other substances, so it is possible that excessive amounts of these substances caused the difficulty in having children."
"However, there were two lineages of Song Dynasty emperors: one was the lineage of the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin, and the other was the lineage of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi. According to historical records, the survival rate of male descendants in Zhao Kuangyin's lineage was higher than that in Emperor Taizong's lineage. This means that the descendants of Emperor Taizu may have been physically stronger than those of Emperor Taizong."
"In addition, the mental strain of court infighting and even some mental illnesses contributed to the fact that the Song Dynasty emperors had few offspring. If possible, one could try practicing martial arts to improve physical fitness, such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade or the Five Animal Frolics created by Hua Tuo."
"I can put the videos of Baduanjin and Wuqinxi exercises on the small screen, and people can watch them if they need to."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: Damn it, Zhao Guangyi...! %.../ (swearing profusely)
Liu Zhuzhu, the Great Han: This is great, I want to practice it!
General Judy: Emperor Wu of Han didn't need to take care of his health; he lived to seventy in history! If you ask me, it was Qin Shi Huang who needed to, since he died before he even reached fifty!
First Emperor (who was inexplicably struck by an arrow):.......
Big-Handed Liu Zhuzhu: Are you doing this on purpose?!
Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty: ...
Lin Ke's lips twitched as she watched the lively live stream, but she continued:
"While factional strife played a part in the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, an imbalance among factions in the court can easily lead to collapse, plunging the entire dynasty into chaos. If you're lucky, you might have a capable monarch; if you're unlucky, just thank goodness!"
"There are historical examples of this. For instance, Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, lived in the deep palace for a long time and was not the first in line to the throne. He originally wanted to be a prince, but unexpectedly, his brother died young and had no children. This difficult task was dumped on his head."
"Why is being an emperor such a difficult job? Because it was during the late Ming Dynasty, when droughts, locust plagues, and plagues were rampant, along with uprisings. Just ask yourself, how do you expect someone who has never studied the art of imperial power to handle such an unfortunate situation?"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Damn, is there no one else besides him? ??
Judy, the Grand General Who Conquers the North: Could he have done something to hasten the dynasty's demise like Emperor Huizong of Song?
Emperor Huizong of Northern Song: It seems that the late Ming Dynasty was quite similar to our Great Song Dynasty!
Zhu Houzhao, the number one brat of the Ming Dynasty: Hmph, our Ming Dynasty can't compare to you. You just want to shift the blame and become the retired emperor! If I were you, I would rather die in battle than be a prisoner!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: @Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty Zhao Ji, what a disgraceful thing, you still dare to comment!
......
During the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty
When Zhao Ji saw Zhu Houzhao's comments, he was furious. He slammed the small screen on the table. The servants around him dared not look up, for fear that if the emperor got angry, they would lose their lives!
The more Zhao Ji thought about it, the angrier he became. What had he done wrong? None of this had happened! Besides, in terms of age, he was old enough to be the ancestor of the Ming emperor!
What an unfilial grandson!
In another timeline, Zhu Houzhao sneezed several times. Luckily, he didn't know what Zhao Ji was thinking, otherwise he would have cursed, "I'm your ancestor, you big-faced thing!"
……
Lin Ke continued, "Back then, the Donglin Party constantly denounced the eunuch faction as evil, yet this emperor, completely inept at political maneuvering, still believed them and executed the eunuch faction. And what was the eunuch faction anyway? Wasn't it just something established to serve the emperor? Now, having cut off one of their own hands, they still think they've done the right thing."
"In the end, when Emperor Chongzhen needed money for military supplies, he still had to kneel on the ground and beg them. As a result, not only ordinary ministers, but even his own father-in-law was only willing to contribute a very small amount. So, is it a good thing for one power to dominate the court?"
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: Damn it, do you even understand the concept of checks and balances?!
Judy, the Grand General Who Conquers the North: Damn it, you actually believed those civil officials, what were you thinking!?
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Even if you haven't studied it much, you should still know that, and you don't have anyone you can use, so you're no different from a puppet!
……
Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty
As soon as Lin Ke spoke, Emperor Chongzhen and the civil officials present turned pale.
What kind of woman from later generations knows anything about political struggles!
How could those eunuchs be good people! They were ridding the people of a scourge!
On the other hand, Emperor Chongzhen was even more incredulous. He trusted these civil officials so much, how could they betray him!
Or is this woman completely unaware of the truth and just spouting nonsense?
Lin Ke: Holy crap, is this how you use the term "suspicious" to describe me???
……
Unaware of Chongzhen's thoughts, Lin Ke continued, "Back to the Song Dynasty, we've already talked about Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu, the three leaders of the New Party. Now let's talk about Cai Bian."
"His biggest difference is that he was not only Wang Anshi's son-in-law, but also the younger brother of the notorious traitor Cai Jing. But what's strange is that he had a very good reputation, and was known for his integrity and incorruptibility."
"As his influence in the court grew, more and more officials began to curry favor with him, including his brother Cai Jing."
"But even someone with such a renowned reputation shows no mercy when it comes to seeking revenge."
Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty: ...
A Ming Dynasty soldier: Is this person doing this for Old Wang?
"As mentioned earlier, Cai Bian used the 'Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong' to impeach the group of people who were originally compiling it, especially those who smeared Emperor Shenzong, such as Liu Zhi and Su Shi, who were all demoted."
"During this period, the Song-Xia War was restarted, and those who were not firm in their stance or who opposed it were all wiped out."
"In terms of finances, Wu Juhou was promoted, and Lü Jiawen was once a person who was highly valued by Emperor Shenzong."
"However, Wu Juhou and Jian Zhoufu can both be described as cruel officials, the kind of people that the common people want to get rid of as soon as possible."
“Especially after the Yuan You ministers came to power, these cruel officials were demoted and therefore harbored particular hatred towards the Yuan You ministers.”
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: What grievances do they have!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: Hmph! If it were our Ming Dynasty, we would have slaughtered them if they dared to do that!
A spoiled brat from the Tang Dynasty: So why promote them?!
……