Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty who founded the Southern Song Dynasty, was the tenth emperor of the Song Dynasty. He was also the first emperor in ancient China to truly "abdicate" the throne to his son. He also broke the old rule that the throne was inherited by Taizong Zhao Guangyi's line. Xiaozong succeeded to the throne as the seventh grandson of Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, which greatly stabilized the political situation of the Southern Song Dynasty.
So, why did the imperial court change the unconventional naming practice of the Zhao and Song dynasties when naming the founding emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty? Among the seven alternative temple names of Da Zong and Gaozong, where is the most common "Gaozong"? Let us review this dispute over temple names together.
1. What are the details of the temple names of ancient emperors?
"Song History·Li Zhijiu" points out that the purpose of pursuing honorary titles in temples dedicated to worshiping deceased emperors is to "respect their original lineage to serve their masters". "Original intention", it can be seen that under the feudal patriarchal etiquette system, the temple name is a noble political courtesy to safeguard the family's rule over the world, and the coffin is used to determine the emperor's merits.
There are already records such as "Taizong", "Zhongzong", "Wuding...established his temple as Gaozong" in "Historical Records·Yin Benji", but the temple names that started in the Shang Dynasty actually continued until The temple name system began to be formed only after Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty, and the emperors before Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty only had the actual name of "temple name", but did not have the name of "temple name".
Common temple names are generally divided into two categories: "ancestor" and "ancestor". They follow the principle of "ancestors have merit and clan has virtues". Those who have made pioneering achievements are called "ancestors" and those who have the virtue of maintaining success. It's called "Zong". The four most basic temple names are "Tai, Gao, Shi, and Zhong". "Tai" lays the foundation of the country, "Gao" has outstanding achievements, "Shi" offers sacrifices from generation to generation, and "Zhong" is the name for the revival of the dynasty, so there will be no There is a "Central Ancestor".
In terms of objective needs, the so-called "Seven Temples of the Son of Heaven" means that the emperor's ancestral temple has only seven shrines in the main hall enshrined in the middle room. Therefore, in addition to positioning them according to the order of the ancestors, special pursuit must be The honorable name is the temple name. The monarchs who contributed the most, such as "Taizu" and "Taizong" have the privilege of "eternal immortality", and when future generations have monarchs who have made great contributions to the throne, the one with the furthest blood relationship from the current monarch among the seven gods will be replaced. Moved to the apse.
2. What are the controversies over the temple name of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty?
From the above analysis, it can be seen that "Shizu" can be concluded that although he was not the founder of the dynasty, he was an emperor who connected the previous and continued the country, such as Liu Xiu, the founder of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, when the 81-year-old Zhao Gou passed away, the first temple name that was brought up for discussion was "Shizu". However, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, only Taizu Zhao Kuangyin has had the temple name of his ancestor, and the Southern Song Dynasty, with only half of the country remaining, is actually difficult to compare with the glory of the Northern Song Dynasty. In addition, the temple name of Zhao Gou's father, Zhao Ji, was Huizong, so it was unreasonable for his son to use the temple name of "Ancestor" instead.
Then it was time for the scholars and officials with the most say in the Song Dynasty to show their talents, and they successively proposed five temple names: "Shengzong, Yaozong, Guangzong, Yizong, and Dazong". The civil service group during the Song Dynasty was the mainstay of the country. They paid special attention to choosing the most appropriate words to highly summarize their life deeds when drafting temple names for the late emperors. Therefore, many emperors of the Song Dynasty had temple names that were unprecedented in the past, such as "Zhenzong" and "Zhenzong". "Huizong" is even a unique temple name in history, while "Renzong", "Yingzong", "Shenzong" and "Xiaozong" were used by the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
Song Zhenzong
But these five temple names cannot satisfy everyone. First of all, the "Shengzong" that "calls good people Fu Jian is called Saint, and treats guests with courtesy is called Saint" sounds majestic and beautiful, but it is often used in posthumous titles. It has already defeated the Song army in the Northern Expedition and forced Song Zhenzong to sign the Tanyuan Alliance. Yelu Longxu, the Liao Shengzong, took the lead.
As for the "Yao Zong" which means "Yi Shan Chuan Saint Yao", although it is consistent with the fact that Zhao Gou gave way to Zhao Yu, the inheritance of the Zhao family is different from the Zen position of the ancient Yao Emperor. Essential difference. In addition, the enemy Jin Dynasty, which forced the Southern Song Dynasty to retreat, had a clan general named "Wanyan Zongyao", which was not suitable for the hatred between the country and the family.
The next temple name that was put on the agenda was "Guangzong", but it was not adopted because "Ju Shang Neng Qian said Guang" did not sound loud enough. In addition, Zhao Gou is a descendant of Taizong Zhao Guangyi, so the temple name should also avoid the taboo of his ancestor's name.
The remaining "Yizong" and "Dazong" are at first glance the ministers' proposal of "seeking medical treatment in case of emergency" after the proposed temple names of the former emperors were rejected one after another.
Taizu Zhao Kuangyin is also known as "Yizu". For example, in "Xuzizhi Tongjian Changbian", there is a record that "Yizu passed down Taizong with artifacts". This is derived from the title of ancient emperors with outstanding literary virtues and talents in "Shangshu". It is often used as a title in later generations. Another name for the temple name of the founding emperor.
Although Zhao Gou's versatility is indeed similar to that of his father, and his calligraphy skills are particularly good, and he is excellent in both running script and cursive script, it is not an achievement worthy of bragging for the emperor. Furthermore, "Yizong" is just another name, so using "Yizong" as the official temple name would be even less dignified.
The overly rhetorical "Zitian Fa Yao Yue Da" and "Dazong" were overwhelmingly dismissed almost as soon as they were proposed. Previously, only Sun Quan, the founder of the Sun Wu Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, had the posthumous title of "Great Emperor". Why did Zhao Gou achieve this? Moreover, "大" in classical Chinese is a pseudonym for "Tai" and "Tai". How could "Dazong of the Song Dynasty" enter the Ancestral Temple to be evenly matched with "Taizong of the Song Dynasty"?
Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty
3. The most suitable coffin-closing temple name - "Gaozong of the Song Dynasty"
Six alternative temple names were rejected one after another. The Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies in charge of etiquette and All the officials of Taichang Temple were anxious. After endless discussions, they finally played a "safety card" - Gaozong. As mentioned above, the four most basic temple names originating from the Shang Dynasty are "Tai, Gao, Shi, Zhong". Zhao Jian established the Southern Song Dynasty and continued the Song Dynasty with "Gong Gao", which happened to be in Shangqiu, the old capital of the Shang Dynasty. After ascending the throne, Taizu Zhao Kuangyin named the country "Song" from Songzhou (now Shangqiu, Henan) in the land of Longxing.
What’s even more coincidental is that the temple name of Wu Ding, the Shang king of the Zhongxing Shang Dynasty, is “Gaozong”. There is simply no temple name more suitable for Zhao Gou than this! So Xiaozong finally agreed to give Zhao Gou the temple title "Gaozong" and the posthumous title "Holy God Wu Wen Xian Xiao Emperor".
Song Gaozong
IV. Remaining remarks
To sum up, the dispute over the temple title between Song Gaozong and Zhao Gou actually originated from the life of the founding emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty. Controversial, the complexity of his personal experience is far beyond the reach of other Zhao and Song emperors. After the Jingkang Incident that destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou settled in the south of the Yangtze River and established the Southern Song Dynasty court. He "secured peace and endured shame, hid his grudges and relatives, and his death was inevitably criticized in the next life" ("History of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong Jiu"). He didn't make many achievements in college, and he gave way to his adopted son to enjoy his old age at the age of fifty-five.
Therefore, although Zhao Gou was the founding emperor, he did not have the outstanding achievements of the founding emperor. As a result, the coffin after his death was judged to be high or low. Even the literati and officials of the Song Dynasty who were best at talking about words were only The most common "Gaozong" can be assigned as the temple name. In fact, this is a bit like when people attend important occasions. For the sake of safety, they often choose the most classic and basic clothing and try not to make any mistakes to avoid being inappropriately dressed.