Cai Jing can be said to be the "winner" of the court disputes in the Northern Song Dynasty in recent 20 years. Unlike Sima Guang, who only seeks loyalty and morality, and unlike Wang Anshi, who lowered the dignity of a literati and abandoned everything for honor and belief. After all, he only covets the stability of reality and pursues pleasure, which seems to have already seen through the world of mortals. All the tactics and means in the old square are just to keep what they have, which reflects the saying that life is too short to eat, drink and be merry. In the final analysis, it is selfish. He framed Zhong Liang for his own wealth, murdered his own life for money, and did whatever it took to enjoy life.
The same is true of Yan Song in the Ming Dynasty and Cai Jing in the Song Dynasty, not to mention two talented people who are powerful enough to be envied by countless people. If they are willing to show their talents in officialdom, it must be praised by future generations and will be remembered forever. Unfortunately, they are not on the right track.
However, it is undeniable that Cai Jing's calligraphy ranks among the four great masters of Su, Huang, Mi and Cai in the Northern Song Dynasty, but it is not inferior at all. At first, he studied calligraphy with his cousin, the famous calligrapher Cai Xiang, and then he followed Xu Jihai. Before long, he got bored and went to Shen Chuanshi instead. After a period of time, he felt that people's writing was not good, so he changed to Ou Yangxun, and eventually became a school of his own.
Unfortunately, his life ended in tragedy. Although he had a lot of money with him when he was exiled, the people were so disgusted with the traitor that they didn't want to sell him food. It actually led to the end of the money and eventually starved to death on the road. When there is no coffin after death, it is wrapped in straw mats and left in slums, and there is no money for burial. Countless people lamented that he deserved it. Obviously, he was a swift horse, but he had to eat in the stable and then die.