Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong

Chapter 61: Strong Han, Flourishing Tang, Weak Song

Perhaps the influence of the Tang Dynasty's love for fathers and filial piety on the Song Dynasty was too profound.

At least since the time of Emperor Taizong of Song, this prince was just a tool to greet the emperor and serve him meals.

Although he held an official position in the imperial court, it was only an honorary position, so he had no control over anything.

Normally, I just stay at home and read some books.

and……

Compared with the enthronement of kings in the Tang Dynasty, the number of officials in the palace has also been reduced a lot.

There are even many who only have an official title, but no one holds the position.

This is not really a family rule passed down from generation to generation.

only……

For an emperor who is afraid of death, doing so will undoubtedly be more conducive to the concentration of imperial power.

If there is one thing that you can do to eliminate all possibilities and risks, will you do it?
The officials of the Song Dynasty obviously chose to do something about this issue.

Don't tell me yet!

After hearing Zhang Fangping's advice, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but hesitate.

He arrived at Madam Miao's courtyard at that time, and then began to struggle silently.

in fact……

What Zhang Fangping said also makes sense.

Don’t even mention that Zui Xinglai is just a duke. Even if he is a prince, he cannot lead troops.

After all, aren’t there many examples of loving fathers and filial sons in the Tang Dynasty?

and……

The most serious problem is that Zui Xinglai is not yet the crown prince.

You said that if you had a prince in the future, how would you keep him safe?

Even if you let him go before you die, exile him or demote him, the next official will have to find him and kill him.

And in order to resist, he would inevitably lead his troops to rebel.

Then the problem is coming.

after……

Will there be another prince who can serve as the crown prince?
Looking through history books, we can see that there were many cases where someone was made crown prince at first, and then later the emperor was dissatisfied with the crown prince and killed him.

The biggest problem nowadays is...

He did have few offspring, but that didn't mean he would never have any in the future.

and……

It is hard to guarantee at that time whether he will suddenly stop liking Zui Xinglai and want to set up another one.

In order to solve this problem, Zhao Zhen directly handed this difficult problem to Zhao Xin.

Of course! You can't ask it so bluntly.

Two systems were proposed. One was that the crown prince and all other princes could not supervise the country, lead troops, or even become officials with real power. They could only hold a nominal position and receive a salary. They could only stay at home and read books every day, and from time to time ask the emperor how he was eating and whether he had an appetite. The second was that, just like in the Han and Tang dynasties, the crown prince and the princes had great power. For example, the crown prince had six officials in the Eastern Palace, and when the emperor went on tour, he could supervise the country. The princes could also recruit people from the royal palace, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of people. Of course, these thousands of people must include all kinds of people.

then……

Based on these two systems, Zhao Xin was given a policy essay question, asking him which one is better.

Zhao Zhen asked casually, "Which of these two systems do you think is better?"

When Zhao Xin first heard him ask this, he didn't think about himself. He just talked about the matter at hand, lying on the bed reading a book, and said, "I think these two systems can be said to have their own advantages and disadvantages!"

This made Zhao Zhen feel a little surprised.

After all, he definitely looked at Zhao Xin with a biased eye.

Knowing that Zui Xinglai was so smart, he believed that he could not have been unaware of what he was talking about. Then, Zui Xinglai kept defending the system that benefited him.

But Zhao Xin didn't.

That's why he was surprised.

He also supported the table on the bed with one hand, then moved closer to Zhao Xin and asked Zhao Xin: "What are the advantages and disadvantages?"

Zhao Xin said without even looking up: "The first scenario is that the emperor is at ease and his power will never be threatened. The princes are also well behaved and it is unlikely that they will kill each other."

Zhao Zhen then asked, "So what I really mean is that you support the first option?"

Zhao Xin said: "I didn't say I support the first method. This first method is indeed a good solution to the problem of killing each other for power throughout the dynasties. But... this is not conducive to the training of the princes. After a long time, won't they be sidelined by powerful officials?"

"If we do this, it will lead to a problem. A prince who has done nothing before is supported by many ministers to succeed to the throne. When he faces these ministers in court in the future, how can he have the confidence to govern the country?"

"This will lead to the weakening of the imperial power and the decline of the monarchy. Even... in the end, if the emperor has few children or even no descendants, then anyone can be placed in the position and the country will be able to run. This will damage the interests of the emperor's family."

"The disadvantage is that he was too patriotic and gave all the power to his ministers, and then made his descendants into puppets of his ministers."

"Of course, it's not like he can manipulate them at will. After all, the ministers are not united. Through the struggle among the ministers, the emperor has a chance to regain power."

"This first system is only okay. When combined with the use of civil officials to control military power, the country is basically stable and the royal succession is orderly. However, it is also subject to the same problems as literati."

"For example... I don't like fighting, I don't like expanding outward, I just want to guard my original territory, do business with others, and make a lot of money myself."

"Therefore, if the first system is used, the civil officials will be in the upper hand, and the country will have little desire to expand. They can only defend the territory until the country perishes."

Zhao Xin spoke easily and Zhao Zhen also listened easily.

He even threw aside the fact that Zhao Xin was only four years old.

He asked directly: "What if it is the second one?"

Zhao Xin said, "As for the second one... look at the Han and Tang dynasties, isn't there an answer? When they were strong, they were very strong, able to defeat all the barbarians, and when they were weak, they were also very weak. However, no matter how weak the Tang Dynasty was, it was able to take away Tubo, Huihe, and Nanzhao in the end. It can be said that it is worthy of the name 'Tang Dynasty'."

Zhao Zhen then asked: "Which one do you think is better?"

Zhao Xin replied: "Dad, is there any way to govern a country in this world that can be used all the time? We need to see what the biggest problem we encounter is, and then choose one of them to use."

"For example, in the first case, if the country has no hostile external threats, then this method is undoubtedly the best."

"But what if there is an external threat? Then of course we have to choose the second option."

"The first kind is used to get beaten, while the second kind is used to beat others. If our Song Dynasty continues to use the first kind, then thousands of years later, future generations will definitely judge it as the strong Han, the prosperous Tang, and the weak Song."

The word "weak Song" hit Zhao Zhen's heart hard.

I don’t know why this is happening?
(End of this chapter)