HLnovel Chapter 289 Gao Qiu, the No. 1 Player in Cuju (ancient Chinese football)
Chapter 289 Gao Qiu, the No. 1 Player in Cuju (ancient Chinese football)
"But Zhao Ji's life for the first ten years or so was still quite comfortable. He was the eleventh son of Emperor Shenzong of Song. Although he had such a long line of offspring, he was only the third to live to adulthood."
"His birth mother, Lady Chen, was originally a palace maid. She was later promoted to the rank of Consort Yu after being reassigned. After Emperor Shenzong of Song passed away, Consort Chen volunteered to keep vigil for him. It is said that she died because she was too heartbroken."
"However, to be fair, Emperor Shenzong of Song was quite an amazing person. All his sons admired him greatly. Even Emperor Huizong initially chose to inherit his father's reforms."
"Although Zhao Ji's parents had both died at this time, Emperor Zhezong, as the elder brother, treated his younger brother very well, so his living conditions were still very comfortable."
"In terms of reading, he naturally received a very good education as a prince, and he was even taught in other areas such as calligraphy and painting."
"So by the time he was in his teens, he was already a well-rounded young man proficient in all the arts, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting!"
"Actually, if he hadn't been an official in the Song Dynasty, his artistic achievements would have been extremely high!"
"Of course, he wasn't the only emperor who chose the wrong profession. Take the carpenter emperor from the Zhu family, for example; he was incredibly skilled at woodworking!"
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: !!!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: I'm dying of laughter! I only remember their comedic antics!!!
Judy, the Grand General Who Conquers the North: ...
A Qing Dynasty official once said: "A woman fears marrying the wrong man, and a man fears choosing the wrong profession!" This saying is not without reason!
……
"Generally speaking, emperors all had some hobbies. For example, Zhu Zhanji loved crickets, Emperor Qianlong loved traveling to the south of the Yangtze River, and Emperor Xizong of Tang loved polo, etc."
"Upon arriving here, it is clear that Emperor Huizong of Song's hobbies were collecting calligraphy and paintings and other refined pursuits. This was nothing unusual; such was the atmosphere among the people of the Song Dynasty at that time."
"So how should I put it? Perhaps Zhao Ji's ascension to the throne was inevitable. At the time, his reputation seemed quite good. Who would have known he would cause such a huge mess in the future!"
"After all, the Song people of that time were not the same as the Song people after the Jingkang Incident. It was just a change of the throne, how could it possibly lead to the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty!"
"Next, we'll start talking about what happened during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song!"
"The first to appear is Gao Qiu, who has no other talents but is skilled in Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and is appreciated by Emperor Huizong of Tang."
"Well, he probably doesn't know that Gao Qiu's name became a household name in later generations thanks to 'Water Margin,' though that's only part of the reason."
Gao Qiu of the Northern Song Dynasty: ?!
Su Dongpo, the optimist of the Northern Song Dynasty: What other reasons could there be!?
Lin Ke fell silent upon seeing Su Shi's comment. What could she say? Could she simply mock Gao Qiu for retiring over a thousand years ago, implying that later generations hadn't recovered?
"Well...we'll talk about that later. Anyway, Gao Qiu was indeed very good at flattering Emperor Huizong of Song, which led to his high position, but he lacked ability and ultimately caused the country to suffer."
"There's a saying that when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. This applies quite well here. For example, Gao Qiu himself was in a high position, which was one thing, but because of him, his father became a military governor."
"And because of him, his brother, who was originally a civil official, was promoted to Minister of Revenue."
"Actually, you should all know that the position of Minister of Revenue is a very lucrative one, as it's a place that manages money and allows people to make money off it!"
"So in the end, when the matter came to light, he was found guilty of embezzlement and corruption and his home was confiscated. It's not that we didn't know how much emperors liked to use their cronies, but could they at least assess whether they had the ability to do so?"
Emperor Huizong of Song (grumbling): Is Emperor Huizong out of his mind? Why does he have to promote someone who plays football?!?
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: Hahaha, looks like he's the real ball!
A farming whiz in the Tang Dynasty: Turns out, the Minister of Revenue can make money!
The Ministers of Revenue (their bodies twitched): ...
Big-Handed Liu Zhuzhu: Just because he's good at flattering?! Isn't there some other connection?!
……
In each timeline, the Minister of Revenue received a death stare from his superior: (???)
Immediately, a jolt ran through him, and he felt an urge to pledge his loyalty. They really hadn't made any money, or maybe they had!
However, even more worrying things were yet to come. Not long after, they received an inspection notice from the top leader.
Ministers of Revenue: (o﹏o?)
……
Studio.
"The reason why Gao Qiu was so highly regarded by Emperor Huizong was probably because he had already joined his ranks before Emperor Huizong ascended the throne, thus gaining merit for his role in the rise of the new emperor."
"Interestingly, it is said that Gao Qiu was once a minor official under Su Shi. In the early years of Emperor Huizong of Song, the Su family's doctrines were restricted. Of course, there were other doctrines as well, but Gao Qiu still recommended a member of the Su family to Emperor Huizong."
"Back then, Wang Anshi's Jinggong New Learning was highly regarded. I wonder if Wang Anshi would be happy to know this!"
"Perhaps for this reason, Old Wang was condemned in the Southern Song Dynasty as a culprit responsible for the downfall of the Northern Song Dynasty."
Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty: ...
A spoiled young man from the Ming Dynasty: Actually, the success of reform depends on how people use it. Emperor Zhezong didn't implement the new laws, but he didn't cause any problems!
A farming expert in the Tang Dynasty: In the days when Cuju (ancient Chinese football) was mentioned, one could rise to a high-ranking official position and even bring along one's whole family!
An official from the Qing Dynasty: I imagine Old Wang probably isn't too happy!
……
"Before we talk about the next minister, let's first review the situation in the early years of Emperor Huizong's reign. At this time, Emperor Huizong, who had just ascended the throne, did not have much power yet; it was mainly in the hands of the regent Empress Dowager Xiang and Zeng Bu."
"As for Zhang Dun, his situation is not much better. At least Zeng Bu, Empress Dowager Xiang, and Emperor Huizong of Song want to bring him down."
"Empress Dowager Xiang once said that it was all because of Emperor Zhezong who spoiled this old man so much!"
A farming expert from the Tang Dynasty: Hahaha, spoiling the old man so much! I laughed so hard!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "It's a pity that Emperor Zhezong has passed away, and he can no longer protect Zhang Dun."
……
"Interestingly, their actions against Zhang Dun are recorded in Zeng Bu's 'Records of Zeng Gong,' where he is portrayed as mature and steady, while Zhang Dun is depicted as impulsive and stubborn."
"But that's understandable. After all, it's a book written by Zeng Bu himself. He probably wanted to present a more positive image, hahaha. But both Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu are written into the 'Biographies of Traitorous Officials' in the History of Song. These two are inextricably linked, hahaha!"
Zhang Dun of the Northern Song Dynasty: ...
Zeng Bu of the Northern Song Dynasty: ...
"It's also worth mentioning that the History of Song, compiled under the supervision of Tuotuo, the prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty, is the longest of the Twenty-Four Histories. Although the name Tuotuo is a bit funny, he was still very capable."
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "I feel like Zhang Dun isn't the only victim, hahaha!"
A skilled farmer in the Tang Dynasty: Hahaha, showing off, he's writing a novel!
……
"However, the worst thing is that the classic scene of the late Northern Song Dynasty—factional struggle—is about to begin again, and the ministers who were demoted by Emperor Zhezong in the past have returned to the court."
"This time, the old party came on strong, and Cai Bian, Wang Anshi's good son-in-law, and others in the new party were unable to resist them. A group of them were sent away."
"But it's okay, Cai Jing, Xiao Cai's brother, will avenge you!!!"
"In fact, at this point, those in the court should understand that the back-and-forth fighting is just repeating the same mistakes. Constantly settling scores with political enemies will only result in mutual destruction in the end."
"But back then, the old party was too busy suppressing the new party. By the way, why didn't they bring Su Shi back back then?!"
The optimist Su Dongpo: ...
"Before Emperor Huizong fully seized power, a major fire broke out in the palace. The investigation revealed that it was caused by a palace servant of Empress Dowager Xiang, but Zhao Ji (Emperor Huizong) treated the incident with kindness."
"His good reputation spread quickly, and even the officials of the Northern Song Dynasty considered him a benevolent ruler, much like Emperor Renzong, the ideal emperor for civil officials at that time. Therefore, before Zhao Ji caused any major disasters, his reputation was quite good."
"However, in reality, his actions may have been merely a means to reclaim power, thus bringing with him the great traitor Cai Jing to the stage of history."
A son of a military general in the Ming Dynasty: Emperor Renzong of Song was truly benevolent, but considering what Emperor Huizong of Song did later, it's hard to see how benevolent he was!
Emperor Zhao Zhen, the greatest benevolent ruler in history: Thank you for your kind assessment!
A scholar-official from the Han Dynasty: Where can an emperor find such a tolerant person!
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: Looks like he's a micro-management master too!
……