After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

Emperors from all time periods, especially those before Emperor Renzong of Song, were astonished that there could be such a benevolent emperor.

The minister was spitting at him while grabbing his clothes, but he didn't get angry?

When Zhao Kuangyin heard the list of emperors of the Song Dynasty being compiled, he assumed they were all like some kind of divine physician or chess master, and he couldn't help but frown. Only now did he gradually relax.

What a benevolent ruler! With so many famous ministers and capable generals, it must have been a magnificent and prosperous era. But why do the comments from later generations always seem to have a hint of sarcasm to him? Why is it called "Great Song" instead of "Great Song Dynasty"?

"Renzong? He was too benevolent and cowardly. He was clearly from the Song Dynasty, yet he was called 'Song.' Could it be that this Emperor Renzong was also too lenient towards foreign enemies?" Li Shimin was somewhat puzzled.

“Father, the celestial curtain says that the Liao emperors of the same era mourned for him. It seems that this Emperor Renzong must have been admired by his enemies as well,” Li Tai said.

Li Chengqian, however, had a different opinion: "The negative evaluations given by later generations should also be related to the word 'gift,' and should be as Father Emperor said: benevolent but cowardly."

"Let's see what the comments on the screen say first." Li Shimin didn't draw a conclusion immediately, but looked at the screen again.

Zhu Qinggu continued, "Many famous ministers of the Song Dynasty took the imperial examinations during the reign of Emperor Renzong, and then gradually became famous, eventually leaving a lasting legacy."

"For example, Su Shi, Feng Menglong's idol, and Su Shi's younger brother Su Che, literary giants Wang Anshi, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, Zeng Gong, etc., did not pass the imperial examination in this dynasty, but also began to make a name for themselves in this dynasty, such as Yan Shu, Fan Zhongyan, Di Qing, Zhong Shiheng, etc., who were either famous ministers or famous generals."

"Of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties who became famous in later generations, apart from Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan of the Tang dynasty, the other six—Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong, Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe—all came from the reign of Emperor Renzong."

"Leaving aside the issue of excessive spending and weak character, the main policy of exporting foreign resources was always to endure for the time being and keep things calm. He cared deeply for the scholar-officials and was kind and loving to those around him, which is why so many talents emerged during his reign. His cultural achievements in Chinese history were extremely high. Li Zhi, a Ming Dynasty writer, believed that during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, "great talents emerged in great numbers, which was a rare occurrence in a thousand years."

[Song, tell me, I both love and hate him; I'm angry at his lack of ambition and saddened by his misfortune.]

[Are you talking about a big delivery? Okay, I'm off then.]

[It's mainly because these great figures appear in Chinese and history textbooks, so I have a biased view of them. But if you remove the mystique and look at these famous ministers again, Sima Guang returned the land that his soldiers had worked so hard to conquer. I'm like, ???]

[Wang Anshi was the same; his reforms were too radical and detached from reality, causing widespread anxiety.]

[Those scholar-officials are all like locusts; if you change it, it's like trying to steal their cake and money. Who would be willing to do that?]

We were just talking about famous ministers and generals, and I wonder how many people were happy to be among them. Before, some people envied Bao Zheng for his reputation for speaking frankly and honestly. Now, those who have been mentioned are feeling quite pleased with themselves.

But when I heard the sarcastic remarks that followed, I realized something was wrong, especially the statement that "scholars and officials are all locusts," which was like stabbing me in the lungs and setting off a firework warehouse.

Many people cursed at the sky.

"What do you descendants know? The Western Xia was barren and cold, and it took advantage of our misfortune. Leaving these places behind is nothing but a pointless waste."

"Without scholar-officials, how can the emperor govern the country? Treating scholars well is a tradition that has existed since ancient times!"

"The Green Seedling Loan has caused endless harm, and some people are even using the new law to profit from it. In his efforts to reform, hasn't Wang Anshi just made the people resentful?"

……

"Spineless? Indeed, spineless! That's why there was the Jingkang Incident and the emperor fled south!" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "That's why we must set things right, expel the Tartars, and restore China. If I find out which of my descendants is spineless, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

As he said this, he looked at Zhu Di with a deep gaze.

Zhu Di felt a chill run down his spine and quickly hid behind Zhu Biao. Then Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhu Shuang and Zhu Wang with a sinister look and said, "You two better not let us catch you doing anything wrong."

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Wang immediately perked up and quickly said, "No, no, Father, I promise it's not true."

……

"The Song Dynasty had its good and bad points, just like every dynasty. It all depends on whether the good points are worth mentioning... Since we're on the topic of the Song Dynasty, let's lighten the mood and talk about the nicknames of Song Dynasty literati."

For example, Sima Guang's nickname was Sima Niu!

"This nickname comes from Su Shi. When discussing the issue of the corvée labor system, Su Shi believed that the system had both advantages and disadvantages and did not necessarily need to be completely abolished. However, Sima Guang insisted on its complete abolition. Su Shi felt that Sima Guang was very stubborn. After court, he stormed home and paced back and forth for several steps, angrily saying, 'Sima Niu! Sima Niu!'"

"This means that Sima Guang was as stubborn as an ox and did not know how to be flexible."

[Haha, I can picture it right now! It'll make our Su Da so angry his mustache practically stand on end.]

[That's really impressive; most famous people are a bit stubborn.]

[If it weren't for the Zizhi Tongjian protecting him, just for the fact that he sent soil to completely negate Wang Anshi's reforms, I really would have cursed him. Aren't soldiers' lives valuable?]

[They even said that because the land they seized during the Western Xia coup was immoral, they had to return it. It's infuriating! Giving it all away is merciful, but it doesn't seem like they've tamed those wolves from Liao and Western Xia.]

In the imperial court, many people, upon hearing Sima Guang's nickname, suppressed a laugh but still secretly glanced at him.

Sima Guang remained fearless, even when judged in this way by later generations.

But no one can remain completely unmoved by emotions.

Why are people so fixated on these harsh and cold places? Moreover, with the magnanimity of a great nation, why would it need to take advantage of a weakness?

At this time, Su Shi was no longer in the court. Looking at the sky, he couldn't help but think of the 'Sima Niu' he had mentioned before. He was really angry back then, but now it was much better. There was scenery to see everywhere, and he didn't have to suffer any more anger.

Zhu Qinggu's original plan was somewhat disrupted, mainly because the number of online viewers had suddenly increased, so he decided to continue talking about the literati of the Song Dynasty.

"Besides Sima Niu, there was another stubborn prime minister—Wang Anshi."

"Wang Anshi's stubborn and obstinate personality is one of the reasons why he was called the 'Stubborn Prime Minister.' He was unconcerned about details in life, did whatever he wanted, and didn't care about other people's opinions. It was precisely because of this kind of personality that he was able to fearlessly promote reforms and say the famous line, 'Changes in the heavens are not to be feared, ancestral laws are not to be followed blindly, and public opinion is not to be heeded!'"