What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
The Five Confucian Constants are "Benevolence, Righteousness, Wisdom and Faith", and "Benevolence" comes first. "Renxue" was first proposed by Confucius, who once said: Those who can practice the five in the world are benevolent, and these "five" are gong, leniency, faith, sensitivity, and benefit. Mencius proposed "benevolent government" on the basis of Confucius's "renxue", and since then, the Confucian idea of "renzheng" has become the idea of rulers in all dynasties.
However, it is easier said than done, there are many emperors in ancient times, but there are very few who can be called "Ren", and the emperors who are called "Renzong" are even fewer, and today we want to introduce the first emperor in Chinese history to take "Ren" as the title - the fourth emperor of the Song Dynasty, Song Renzong Zhao Zhen. After Emperor Renzong of Song, there were also some emperors who were called "Renzong", such as Yuan Renzong, Liao Renzong, Xia Renzong, Ming Renzong, and Qing Renzong, but compared to Song Renzong, these people did not deserve the title of "Renzong" at all. Why? Let's talk about Song Renzong in detail.
Zhao Zhen, the sixth son of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, became emperor at the age of 13 and reigned for 41 years, the longest reigning emperor of the Song Dynasty. After his administration, the whole country presented a thriving scene, and the reign of Song Renzong reached the peak state of the Song Dynasty, known as "Renzong Shengzhi", even surpassing the Tang Dynasty's "Zhenguan Rule" and "Kaiyuan Shengshi", the peak of the socio-economic culture of China's feudal dynasty.
In terms of population, during the reign of Song Renzong for 41 years, the country's population increased by 3.79 million households, and the number of households that grew alone was the total number of households during the Zhenguan period of Tang Taizong; economically speaking, Song Renzong issued the world's earliest paper money during his reign- Guan Jiaozi, and the national tax increased to more than 36.8 million taels, which was 4 times the maximum currency revenue of the Tang Dynasty; culturally speaking, the Song Dynasty culture during the Song Renzong period reached the most prosperous period, and talents emerged, such as Kou Zhun, Yan Shu, Wang Anshi, Bao Zheng, Fu Bi, Di Qing, and Ouyang Xiu Wang Anshi, as well as "Sansu", Shen Kuo, Mi Fu and others, the famous Tang and Song Dynasties, except for Han and Liu of the Tang Dynasty, the remaining 6 people were all active during the Song Renzong period. In short, during the Song Renzong period, the politics were clear, the economy was developed, the culture was prosperous, the people were rich, and the country was safe and secure, And Bao Zheng once said: "Since the fall of the three generations, across the Tang Dynasty (the rule of Zhenguan and the reign of Kaiyuan Shengshi) across the Han Dynasty, there has not been the prosperity of the present (Renzong Shengshi)", Zeng Gong said proudly: "Since the birth of the people, those who can ji Dengzi have not been as prosperous as the Great Song Dynasty." The Song people proudly called the Song Dynasty "the extreme of Taiping".
The Dongpo Poetry commented on Renzong Shengzhi as follows: "When the Song Dynasty was in its heyday, Renzong Tianzi was the emperor of the imperial pole. The kings of this generation, Gong Ren MingSheng, The Four Seas Yongxi, the Eight Wilds and Tranquility, the Shi Nong Leye, and the Wen Wu Zhongliang. The truth is: Shengming has the Way Tang Yu World, the Sun and Moon Selfless Heaven and Earth Spring. ”
Song Renzong was a "courteous and frugal and benevolent person", with a warm temperament, did not like luxury, and had a very good temper, Bao Zheng had repeatedly committed direct advice, and the spit stars were splashed on Song Renzong's face, and Song Renzong wiped his face with his sleeve while accepting his advice. In addition, Song Renzong was in a high position but considered for his subordinates, once Song Renzong led people to hang out in the garden, on the way he was hungry and thirsty, and found that none of his men had brought water, but he did not say it, because he did not want the person responsible for pouring tea and water to be punished. In addition, Song Renzong was very frugal, one night late at night to approve the recital, suddenly hungry want to drink a bowl of sheep soup, but think of their own want to drink sheep soup, the kitchen will have to kill a sheep, will cause waste... Such an emperor was only one person in ancient times, Zhao Zhen, Emperor Renzong of Song!
In 1063, Song Renzong died, and the history books record his death: "The beijing division went to the market and cried for several days, although the beggars and children all burned paper money and cried before the Ouchi", so it can be seen that after the death of Song Renzong, the people of the Song Dynasty were all grief-stricken, and even beggars and children wept bitterly. Not only in the territory of the Song Dynasty, the news reached the Liao Kingdom, "the people of the Yan Realm cried from near and far", and the liao monarch at that time, Liao Daozong Yelü Hongji, said very sadly: "Forty-two years do not know the soldiers to reform the army", he said that he wanted to build a crown tomb for Song Renzong. Gai Coffin concluded that Song Renzong had a title of "Renzong", the so-called "for the king, stop at Ren", which is the highest evaluation of an emperor, Song Renzong is the most famous emperor in ancient China!