Zhao Ji is a person of mediocre ability in governing the country, but a very talented person in the field of art. Succession as Emperor
Zhao Ji ranked eleventh among the brothers, so it was not him who succeeded Song Shenzong to the throne after his death, but Zhao Xu, the sixth prince who was the eldest among the remaining princes. Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu, who ascended the throne at a young age, reigned for fifteen years and died of illness at the age of twenty-five. After Zhezong died of illness, since he had no children to inherit the throne, he could only choose the successor to the throne from his brothers. At that time, the court wanted to support Zhe Zong's younger brother as the new emperor, but was opposed by Empress Shenzong, the Empress Dowager Xiang. Empress Dowager Xiang believed that since she had no children, the princes of Shenzong were all concubines, so they should be selected in order of eldest and youngest.
Although Shenzong had many children, most of them died young, so Zhao Ji, who was the eleventh after Zhezong died of illness, became the eldest one. Zhao Ji, who was born into the royal family, lived a pampered life since he was a child, so he developed a very frivolous personality over time. Therefore, this proposal to the Queen Mother was also opposed by the courtiers. The reason for the objection given by Zhang Dun, who was the prime minister, was that "frivolous people cannot rule the world." But the arm could not twist the thigh after all. In the end, under the insistence of the Empress Dowager Xiang and some ruling courtiers, Zhao Ji, who acted frivolously, was elected as the new emperor, namely Song Huizong. Corrupt Rule
After Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty came to the throne, he relied on his support to the Queen Mother and took the opportunity to intervene in the government affairs. The conservative Empress Dowager Xiang relied on her power to suppress the Prime Minister Zhang Dun, the ruling Cai Bian and other court officials who supported the reform, and promoted conservative officials such as Han Zhongyan. Huizong of the Song Dynasty dismissed Zhang Dun as prime minister because he hated Zhang Dun for opposing his ascension to the throne, and later promoted Cai Jing to prime minister. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty valued Cai Jing very much. At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty still implemented a dual system of left and right ministers, and Cai Jing served as prime minister alone for many years. Cai Jing, who was in a high position and powerful, went out of his way to eradicate dissidents in the court and sold his official positions to win titles. It can be said that he did all kinds of evil. In addition, Cai Jing and his accomplices also went around plundering people's wealth, causing many people to live in dire straits.
As the king of a country, Song Huizong not only failed to restrain this, but he also acted very recklessly. Because he loved "Hua Shi Gang", he sent people and money to purchase goods from the south; because he believed in Taoism, he built Taoist temples on a large scale; because he was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, he neglected government affairs. The irresponsibility of the king and the evil deeds of the traitorous ministers caused the politics of the Northern Song Dynasty to deteriorate rapidly and social conflicts became more and more serious. As the situation intensified, peasant uprisings broke out one after another. Artistic attainments
Although Song Huizong had no talent for governing the country, he had considerable artistic talent. In terms of calligraphy, Song Huizong invented the very famous "thin gold style". In terms of painting, his flower and bird paintings are outstanding representatives of "courtyard" paintings. Because of his love for art, the Northern Song Dynasty experienced rapid development in the two fields of calligraphy and painting during his reign.