The fourth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen, was the longest reigning emperor of the two Song Dynasties, lasting 42 years, but unfortunately, although Song Renzong had many concubines, he only gave birth to three sons in total, and he died prematurely. Therefore, in the later years of Song Renzong's life, he made his adopted son Zhao Shu the crown prince, and after the death of Song Renzong, Zhao Shu took the throne for Song Yingzong.
Zhao Shu was the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong of Song, zhao Guangyi, the grandson of Zhao Yuanfen, the brother of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, and the thirteenth son of Zhao Yunrang, the cousin of Emperor Zhao zhen of Song, and the first member of the clan in the history of the Song Dynasty who was far from the former emperor to succeed to the throne as emperor.
After Emperor Yingzong of Song succeeded to the throne, he had a fierce dispute with the ministers of the DPRK on how to posthumously honor his biological father, and had a profound impact on the later history of the Song Dynasty.
Song Yingzong's biological father Zhao Yunrang had died when Song Yingzong succeeded to the throne, and Zhao Yunrang had a title before his death, called "King of Pu'an Yi", referred to as "Pu Wang", who had served as the highest official in charge of the affairs of the royal clan and was therefore quite prestigious in the clan.
After Emperor Yingzong of Song became emperor, he issued an edict asking his subjects to discuss what title his biological father, "King Pu", should be posthumously awarded.
In ancient history, major state affairs were discussed by all ministers, especially the Song Dynasty, and this system was implemented most thoroughly. Although Song Yingzong had his own plans, he still needed the approval of his decision.
As a result, the ministers in the imperial court expressed their opinions on this, and the opinions were mainly divided into two factions.
According to the concept of normal legal system, although Song Yingzong was not the biological son of Song Renzong, he became the heir to the throne after passing on to Song Renzong, so Song Yingzong should be regarded as the "legal" son of Song Renzong.
And because Of song Renzong's relationship with Zhao Yunrang, the Prince of Pu, was a cousin, therefore, according to the orthodox concept, a group of ministers represented by Sima Guang believed that Song Yingzong should honor his biological father, King Pu, as "Emperor Uncle".
Other ministers, such as Chancellor Han Qi and Ouyang Xiu, believed that the emperor could not ignore the "blood" father-son relationship, so he should posthumously name his biological father, King Pu, as "Emperor Kao", that is, "Emperor Father".
Therefore, the so-called "Pu discussion dispute" is actually Song Yingzong's controversy about whether his father's posthumous title should be "Imperial Uncle" or "Imperial Examination".
Although the controversy was divided into two factions in the court, the attitude of Emperor Song Yingzong himself was obvious, and he wanted to posthumously name his biological father as "Imperial Examination".
On the surface, this is the emperor's own family affair, but the emperor is not an ordinary person, his words and deeds will have an important impact on the direction of the country's operation, so the essence of the "Pu discussion dispute" is: whether the emperor succeeds to the throne is based on the country or on the small family.
From the standpoint of the state, Song Yingzong should undoubtedly posthumously name his biological father as "Emperor Uncle", and from the standpoint of his personal family, It is also reasonable for Song Yingzong to posthumously name his biological father as "Imperial Examination".
However, there is an essential difference between the two choices, simply put, accepting the "emperor" is the public interest, it can also be said that the emperor's personal mood and anger should be under the system; while accepting the "imperial examination" is the self-interest, and the emperor is above the system.
In the "Dispute of the Pu Discussions", because of Song Yingzong's own selfish intentions, the ministers of the DPRK and The Chinese ministers were divided into two opposing factions, and their opinions were at odds.
At this time, Empress Dowager Cao heard the news and personally drafted an edict, severely accusing Han Qi and others of improperly calling King Pu an imperial examination. Song Yingzong had a premonition that the development of the situation would be unfavorable to him and had to decide to postpone the discussion of the matter.
After a long period of debate, Song Yingzong and Han Qi and others gradually realized that in order to win this controversy, Empress Cao's attitude was the key, and only by trying to get Empress Cao to change her attitude could she realize her wishes.
Therefore, one day, two edicts suddenly appeared, basically agreeing with the claims of Song Yingzong and Ouyang Xiu, one of which was also the edict of Empress Cao.
Empress Cao's transformation puzzled the courtiers, but the ministers soon discovered that both edicts were drafted by Ouyang Xiu, and that Empress Cao's copy was only signed by the empress.
Originally, Empress Cao had been at odds with her adopted son Song Yingzong, and this time, despite the etiquette of the imperial court and the opposition of her courtiers, she agreed to honor Song Yingzong's biological father as the emperor, which was indeed puzzling, so there were many rumors.
Some people say that this key edict was mistakenly signed by Empress Cao after drinking the day before, and the next day, Empress Cao woke up drunk and knew the contents of the edict, but it was too late to regret it. Another legend says that Empress Cao's edict was issued by the ministers Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu, and others to befriend the eunuchs around the empress dowager, and finally persuaded Empress Cao.
In any case, Song Yingzong's posthumous edict to crown his biological father King Pu as the "Imperial Examination" was issued, but what Song Yingzong and Ouyang Xiu and others did not expect was that there was a huge backlash in the imperial court.
In accordance with Ouyang Xiu's opinion, Emperor Yingzong of Song demoted all three imperial historians, Lü Jie, Fan Chunren, and Lü Dafang, who were opposed with all their strength, from the capital division.
As a result, all the hundred officials headed by Sima Guang requested the same demotion, which was equivalent to the collective resignation of the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Government. Moreover, even Wang Hunter, Cai Kang, and others, who were originally aides of the Pu Dynasty, also stood up against it.
Song Yingzong racked his brains for the sake of his father's death, and finally calmed down the dispute that lasted for eighteen months through various soft and hard means.
The "Pu discussion dispute" is not a simple dispute over etiquette. Sima Guang and other ministers insisted that King Pu could only be called emperor, hoping that Song Yingzong would use this to win the hearts of the people of the world and maintain unity within the ruling clique.
The problems considered by Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu, and other powerful zai officials were more realistic, they knew that Song Renzong was dead, and Empress Cao was powerless, and they wanted to wholeheartedly support Song Yingzong, because Song Yingzong was already a realistic representative of imperial power.
On the surface, this controversy is only a matter of the title of the emperor's biological father, and although Song Yingzong eventually won, he left two major hidden dangers in the Song Dynasty:
First, the phenomenon of the emperor's emphasis on the small family over the country has not been stopped; second, the emperor's selfishness led to the division of the imperial court ministers, which intensified the "party struggle" in the Song Dynasty.
As far as the specific impact of the "Pu discussion dispute" is concerned, before that, most of the ministers of the DPRK and The Central Government adopted the practice of not taking a specific position on the issue of the succession of the emperor, hoping to use the system to restrain the emperor.
For example, Song Taizong once asked Kou Zhun who should be appointed as the crown prince, and Kou Zhun refused to say who to appoint; Song Renzong once asked Bao Zheng and Han Qi who should be appointed as the crown prince, and the two of them did not say the specific name of the person, but only advised Song Renzong to establish the prince early.
The practice of Kou Zhun, Bao Zheng, Han Qi, and others not making specific statements is reflected in this
"No matter who is the emperor, there is justice if there is a constraint"
principles.
After the "PuYi Controversy", because the emperor's personal wishes were imposed on the public, the restraining effect in the extreme way of collective resignation also failed to have an effect.
After that, the role of the ministers of the Song Dynasty in restraining the imperial power was greatly weakened, and the "party struggle" of the Song Dynasty intensified, and the political situation fluctuated.
After the death of Song Zhezong, when it came to establishing the new emperor's candidate, the ministers no longer had the principles and self-confidence they had before the "Pu Discussion Dispute", and only a more far-sighted minister, Zhang Wei, could not stop shouting:
"The king is frivolous, and cannot rule the world"
However, without the support of other ministers, he finally had to accept the reality that Duan Wang became the new emperor, and Duan Wang was the king of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong of Song.
This article is referenced from: Beyond Interest Groups: An Unprecedented Brutal Dissection of the Song Dynasty