As for his mother, the description in Qing Ping Le is different from history. In Qing Ping Le, he said that he knew that Queen Liu was not his biological mother, but when her mother was alive. It is recorded in the History of Song Dynasty that I didn't know until my mother died.
Li Chenfei was honored as the Empress Dowager until the emperor realized that he was a descendant of Chen Fei. -"History of Song Dynasty, Volume 10"
The so-called exchange of civet cats for princes is naturally made up by later generations.
From the age of 12 to the age of 54, Song Renzong was emperor for 42 years, and his reign was relatively long in ancient times.
His power is divided into two parts:
First, Empress Dowager Liu came to power.
After Song Zhenzong's death, Song Renzong was still young, and Liu E was naturally involved in politics. During Liu's reign, it was just an ornament. Empress dowager Liu belongs to Wu Zetian. She even put on clothes representing the son of heaven, but in the end she didn't step out of Wu Zetian's step, otherwise Song Renzong's fate might be rewritten.
Second, mind your own business.
1, take advice
On the whole, Song Renzong can listen to suggestions.
For example, when he was just in power, Lv Yijian proposed to him: be honest, block evil ways, ban goods and bribes, distinguish between men and women, avoid school, strike hard and save money.
Bao Qingtian's opposition to the appointment of his father, Yao Zhang and Zuo Wei can also be seen in Qingpingle. The saliva sprayed on his face, and he could continue to listen with his hands.
Finally, I followed their advice and didn't appoint Zhang Yaozuo.
2. Want to change?
At that time, the financial burden of the Northern Song Dynasty was very heavy. Fan Zhongyan wrote: Be clear, suppress luck, pay attention to it, choose officials, open fields, cultivate agriculture and mulberry, repair military equipment, reduce corvee, be sincere and give orders. These ten suggestions have opened up the "countries that celebrate the calendar" in history.
It was initiated by Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi and Ouyang Xiu.
I don't trust ministers in my heart.
Although Song Renzong can remonstrate, they sincerely guard against governors, but whoever has too much power and too many cronies will be suppressed.
When Lv Yijian was in power, he used Wang Zeng and his contradiction to strike the two together, and Lv Yijian was expelled from Beijing.
"Pro-government in Li Qing" was initiated by him personally, but it was also ended by him personally. Because he found that these people formed cronies, which might pose a threat to the imperial power. So he started with Yan Shu, and then dismissed Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi and Ouyang Xiu.
Of course, using the opposition.
Step 4 be tolerant of others
Generally speaking, Song Renzong's opponents are lenient and won't kill people. As long as they hand over power, they will be re-enabled after a period of time when they feel no threat. There are many descriptions of this in Qingpingle.
For example, when Yan Shu was demoted to Beijing, he said he would go back to Beijing for medical treatment, so Song Renzong left him in Beijing and asked him to give a lecture every five days and treat him like a prime minister.
Conclusion:
On the whole, Song Renzong was a good emperor. During his reign, famous ministers came forth in large numbers, and the country was relatively stable, despite the Song and Xia wars and agricultural uprisings. Song Renzong's personal accomplishment is also quite high, with good calligraphy and good musical accomplishment. However, the ability to innovate is insufficient, and it can only be said that the situation is good and it is a master of persistence. If the perfect score is 100, he can get 75 points.
This is my view of Song Renzong for reference only.