Diqin Designer

Chapter 512 Utter Humiliation (History of the Northern Song Dynasty)
"On the way back to the Jin Kingdom after being captured by the Jin people, Zhao Huan and his companions were also subjected to great humiliation. The Jin people would not be lenient with their defeated opponents."

"Many women were raped and abused by the Jurchens along the way, including the concubines of Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan. Some of them were even tortured to death by the Jurchens."

According to some informal historical records such as "Jingkang Anecdotes", on April 7, Consort Cao, a concubine of Emperor Huizong of Song, was raped by Jin soldiers while using the toilet. On April 8, when Emperor Huizong and his entourage arrived in Xiangzhou, it was raining heavily. Many palace maids went to the Jin soldiers' tents to take shelter from the rain and were raped by the Jin soldiers.

"The same was true of Zhao Ji's princesses and daughters; they were also humiliated by the Jurchens."

It's one thing for the concubines and daughters of Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan to enjoy the benefits that came with their status, but how innocent were the common people?
They didn't enjoy the privileges of imperial princesses and concubines, and instead suffered the same humiliation at the hands of the Jurchens because of the despicable deeds of these scoundrels. They couldn't share the good fortune, but they were forced to share the burdens!

Li Nian felt neither pity nor sympathy for Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, those scoundrels, including their concubines and children; he only sympathized with the common people of the Song Dynasty who suffered because of these scoundrels.

Moreover, how many concubines and princesses did those scoundrels Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan have? And how many women from the Zhao Song dynasty were abducted?

Moreover, the Jurchens would treat people differently based on their social status. They might not be too cruel to the concubines and daughters of Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan, and would even spare their lives while abusing them. However, the Jurchens probably wouldn't be so considerate of ordinary women. After all, ordinary women were not of noble status, and if they were killed, they would be killed.

Meng Tian asked, "What were Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan doing when their wives, daughters, and sisters were being humiliated?"

Li Nian said, “What can they do? Besides sighing and shedding tears, what else can they do? Before he was abdicated, Zhao Huan was favored by some ministers of the Song Dynasty. They called him ‘wise’ and thought that after he ascended the throne, he could sweep away the chaos and disorder during Zhao Ji’s reign and restore a bright and clear world to the Song Dynasty.”

To be fair, Zhao Huan was indeed somewhat better than Zhao Ji, but only to a limited extent. If the Jingkang Incident had not occurred, he might have been able to achieve a "prosperous reign" like Emperor Renzong of Song, which was praised by the Song Dynasty officials.

"Speaking of which, after Zhao Kuangyin conquered the Shu Kingdom, he forcibly took Lady Huarui, a concubine of Meng Chang, the last ruler of Shu, as his concubine. And according to some rumors, after Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he also forcibly had sex with Xiao Zhouhou, a concubine of Li Yu..."

"During the Jingkang Incident, the wives, daughters, and sisters of Zhao Huan and others were also humiliated by the Jurchens."

"In August of the second year of the Jingkang era, Zhao Ji and his son were taken to Shangjing, the capital of the Jin Dynasty. They were presented as captives to the ancestral temple by the Jin people and subjected to the 'sheep-leading ceremony.' The sheep-leading ceremony involved Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan, along with the Zhao Song empresses, imperial family members, and ministers, having their upper garments removed, being draped in sheepskins, and having ropes tied around their necks. They were led into the temple by the Jin people like sheep and made to prostrate themselves and kneel in worship at the Jin ancestral temple."

With a loud bang, the First Emperor slammed his hand on the table in front of him and angrily asked, "Having suffered such a great humiliation, why haven't Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan committed suicide yet?"

The Song dynasty was indeed capable of setting new lows; every time they felt they had reached the bottom of humiliation, they would immediately push these people to even greater heights.

Being treated like animals by the Jurchens, how could Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan tolerate it? They had no imperial integrity or royal dignity whatsoever!

Li Nian said, "Not only did they not commit suicide, but they also lived well. Zhao Ji continued to live for nine years, and Zhao Huan continued to live for thirty years."

Meng Tian also exclaimed, "How can such a shameless person still have the face to live in this world?"

These two culprits of the Jingkang Incident have the audacity to live on; they are utterly disgraced to the Song soldiers and civilians who were brutally murdered by the Jurchens because of them.

Li Nian continued, "After being captured by the Jin people and presented as prisoners at the ancestral temple, Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan, and others were escorted by the Jin people to the Qianyuan Hall to see Emperor Wanyan Wuqimai. Then, this father and son were respectively enfeoffed as 'Duke of Hunde' and 'Marquis of Chonghun'. 'Hun' means 'dull and incompetent,' and 'de' means 'virtuous'!"

Feng Jie said, "Although the Jurchens are brutal and barbaric, the titles of duke and marquis bestowed upon Zhao Ji and his brother are quite appropriate."

This truly points directly to the essence of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan: Zhao Ji was incompetent and immoral, and Zhao Huan was no different from his father.

"In the past, after Zhao Kuangyin destroyed the Southern Tang, he enfeoffed Li Yu as the Marquis of Disobedience. If he had known that his descendants would also be enfeoffed as dukes and marquises in the same way, what would Zhao Kuangyin have thought?"

"Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were enfeoffed as Duke of Hunde and Marquis of Chonghun, and their wives and daughters, more than 300 people, were sent to the Laundry House by the Jurchens. This Laundry House was a brothel set up by the Jurchens. It generally served Jurchen officials, but ordinary Jurchens could also enter as long as they paid enough money."

Upon hearing that the concubines and princesses of Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan of Jin had been treated as prostitutes by the Jurchens, the First Emperor and others fell silent.

Meng Tian said again, "Having suffered such a great humiliation, how could Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan still have the face to live on..."

What a disgraceful dynasty! If people can continue to endure such humiliation, they're not human.

"Among them were Consort Wei, Zhao Gou's birth mother, Empress Zhu, Zhao Huan's empress, and Consort Xing, Zhao Gou's wife. Consort Wei was returned to the Southern Song Dynasty by the Jin people after the Shaoxing Peace Treaty was reached in the eleventh year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty. Empress Zhu committed suicide because she could not bear the humiliation."

Upon hearing that Empress Zhu had committed suicide, Wang Ben said, "Even the likes of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan are not as good as a woman."

Li Nian shook her head: "It's not that he's inferior, it's that he's far inferior. While Consort Wei, Consort Xing, and others were being humiliated by the Jurchens in the laundry courtyard, Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan were still in the mood to drink and compose poetry in Wuguo City. Emperor Huizong even had children in Wuguo City. It is said that during the journey to capture and after arriving in Wuguo City, Emperor Huizong had six sons and eight daughters!"

This is yet another humiliating moment, and even the First Emperor and others are at a loss for words.

It's just that it's unclear how many of these six sons and eight daughters were truly Zhao Ji's offspring, and how many were children of the Jurchens...

Given the brutality of the Jurchens, it was impossible for Emperor Huizong and Emperor Huan not to defile any of their wives and daughters who were still alive.

Moreover, these six sons and eight daughters were born on Jurchen territory. Instead of enjoying the blessings of princes and princesses, they were forced to become Jurchen maids.

"Zhao Ji died in the fifth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty at the age of fifty-four, which can be considered the end of his evil and shameful life. He was very intelligent and was not born with a mental disability, but he never used his intelligence for good. Instead, he harmed the world for his own selfish interests."

Emperor Huizong of Song was not like Sima Zhong, who was born incompetent. He was very intelligent, even more so than Zhao Huan. However, he used his intelligence to cause harm, and did not even consider what he did to be a disaster or evil.

Such a person has a far worse impact on the world; he is aware of what he has done, but he doesn't care.

"The Southern Song court bestowed upon him the posthumous title of 'Emperor Shengwen Rende Xianxiao' and the temple name 'Huizong,' but where did this guy get his benevolence and virtue?"

This scoundrel should have been given an even worse posthumous title, such as "Emperor who was utterly shameful, devoid of benevolence and virtue, and brought disaster to the country and the people." However, since the Southern Song Dynasty succeeded the Northern Song Dynasty, and Zhao Gou was the son of Zhao Ji, it was impossible for him to give his father a bad posthumous title.

"Zhao Huan lived until the 26th year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty and the first year of Zhenglong in the Jin Dynasty, about 30 years after the Jingkang Incident. The exact time is not recorded. His cause of death is said to be that he was shot to death by a hail of arrows by Emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin Dynasty."

"In the first year of the Jin Dynasty's Zhenglong era, Emperor Wanyan Liang of Jin was on the throne. He was cruel and licentious. He arranged for Emperor Tianzuo of Liao, Yelü Yanxi, to play polo against Zhao Huan. During the match, Wanyan Liang first ordered his men to shoot Yelü Yanxi. Zhao Huan was so frightened that he fell off his horse and was also shot by Wanyan Liang's men. His body was then trampled by Wanyan Liang's men."

"In these accounts, Yelü Yanxi was killed by Wanyan Liang on the same day as Zhao Huan." "Five years after Zhao Huan's death, the news of his death was not learned by the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhao Gou and the officials of the Southern Song Dynasty bestowed upon him the posthumous title of 'Emperor Gongwen Shunde Renxiao' and the temple name of 'Emperor Qinzong'."

"Although Zhao Huan was incompetent, cowardly, and lacked his own opinions, he was still better than Zhao Ji. If it were not a turbulent time, but a time of peace, Zhao Huan might have been a ruler who maintained the status quo, and might have been praised as a benevolent ruler by the scholars and officials of the Song Dynasty, just like Zhao Zhen!"

Although Emperors Huizong and Qinzong are dead, the shame they left behind still exists; even in death, the shame remains.

After hearing the fates of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, the First Emperor and others felt that it was too lenient for those two scoundrels.

These two scoundrels had many opportunities to prevent the Jingkang Incident; if they had chosen the right choices just one or two more times, they wouldn't have ended up like this.

It's a pity for Bianjing City, a pity for the people of the Song Dynasty, all of whom suffered destruction and harm because of these scoundrels. These scoundrels should be sent to the laundry house.

"Bianjing was once the first city of the Song Dynasty and the most prosperous city of that era. It had many delicacies and various song and dance performances. At night, due to the late curfew, it was brightly lit and extremely prosperous. A Song Dynasty writer once wrote that 'the night market lasted until the third watch and reopened at the fifth watch. Places for entertainment and revelry were open all night long.'"

"Zhang Zeduan's 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' also depicts the bustling scene of Bianjing City, with teahouses, taverns, inns, butcher shops, temples, and a constant stream of pedestrians and carriages. Even at that time, there was takeout service."

“‘Takeout’ means that customers order food and the restaurant sends someone to deliver it to a designated location at an agreed time.”

"Although Bianjing was a city nurtured by the entire nation during the Song Dynasty, it was indeed prosperous. However, during the Jingkang Incident, this city suffered humiliation along with the Song Dynasty, and its prosperity was swept away by the wind and rain."

"Many people in later generations admire the prosperity of Bianjing and praise the wealth of the Song Dynasty, claiming that its wealth was unparalleled in the world. However, they do not like to see that behind the prosperity of Bianjing, other parts of the Song Dynasty were being exploited. Although the Song Dynasty had a lot of money, the people were not rich, and the money was not used for the people."

If you want to go back to the Song Dynasty and enjoy its prosperity, you'd better pray that you're born into an official family and pass the imperial examinations. Otherwise, the prosperity of our Song Dynasty has little to do with an ordinary person.

The wealth of the Song Dynasty was the wealth of the imperial court and Bianjing (Kaifeng), but it was never the wealth of the common people or the entire world!

The policy of the Song Dynasty was to "strengthen the central government and weaken the local governments" and "focus on the central government while weakening the local governments."

"As for Zhao Gou, when his father Zhao Ji and his other brothers were all captured by the Jurchens, he had gone to Xiangzhou earlier, which allowed him to avoid being besieged by the Jurchens in Bianjing."

"It is quite strange that Zhao Gou would avoid the Jurchens. When the Jurchens marched south for the second time, Zhao Huan and others decided to send him again because he had been an envoy to the Jurchen camp before."

"But this time, after Zhao Gou arrived in Cizhou, he was advised by the prefect Zong Ze, 'Prince Su has gone and will not return. Now the enemy cavalry is pressing, and it will be of no use for Your Majesty to go. It would be better to stay.' Prince Su was Zhao Shu, who was sent to the Jin camp as a hostage when the Jin people first attacked the Song Dynasty. He was not returned by the Jin people, but was instead captured and taken back to the north."

"But Zhao Gou did not heed Zong Ze's advice. It is unknown whether he truly ignored it or pretended not to. In any case, after that, Wang Yun, the deputy envoy sent to accompany Zhao Gou to the Jin people, was killed by the people of Cizhou."

“Wang Yun was the Minister of Justice of the Song Dynasty. His death was such a big event that Zhao Gou could no longer continue his mission to the Jin people. He had to report the situation to the court and ask Zhao Huan and others to make a decision. So, at the invitation of the prefect of Xiangzhou, Zhao Gou retreated to Xiangzhou.”

It's unclear whether Wanyan Gou was just lucky or if this was part of his scheme.

"This allowed Zhao Gou to escape the Jingkang Incident without having to go on a diplomatic mission to the Jin. When the Jingkang Incident occurred, Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were both captured by the Jin, and Zhao Gou, who was away, suddenly became the most likely successor to the throne of the Song Dynasty!"

Although from Li Nian's words, the First Emperor and others roughly knew that Zhao Gou was definitely a representative of the Song Dynasty that had broken the bottom line, Meng Tian was still curious: "When this fellow saw his father, brother, wife and daughter being captured by the Jurchens, he did not try to rescue them, but instead took the opportunity to plot to become emperor?"

Li Nian laughed and said, "There was certainly nominal rescue, but in practice, Zhao Gou, like his father and brothers, feared the Jin people as much as he feared tigers and wolves. How could he dare to actually rescue them?"

"He organized some troops outside, but did not go to rescue Bianjing. Zong Ze advised that the army be sent to Chanyuan to cut off the Jin people's retreat, but Zhao Gou hesitated and did not dare to fight the Jin army at all."

Meng Tian said, "Another cowardly rat. Why does the Song Dynasty produce so many weaklings? His father, brothers, wife, and daughters are still in Bianjing. If Bianjing falls, they will be humiliated by the Jurchens. Can he just stand by and watch?"

Li Nian smiled and replied, "Perhaps it's because their ancestor was Zhao Guangyi."

This is an insult to Zhao Er. No matter how despicable Zhao Er was, he didn't stoop to sitting at the same table as those three scoundrels, Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan, and Zhao Gou.

Although Zhao Er could drift fast with his donkey cart, he was still brave enough to fight and had his own opinions.

"Zhao Gou not only did not march towards Bianjing, but instead fled backwards, taking in various Song armies and righteous armies along the way, including Han Shizhong and Liu Guangshi, two of the 'Four Generals of the Restoration'."

Meng Tian immediately understood what Zhao Gou had done. His face twitched a few times. These emperors of the Song Dynasty were all damned dogs, good for nothing but good at causing trouble.

Meng Tian said, "Therefore, if Zhao Gou had not intercepted these Song soldiers and rebels on the way, they might have been able to lift the siege of Bianjing and prevent the Jingkang Incident from happening."

Li Nian nodded: "That's possible. Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi and others are no ordinary people. If they lead troops to Bianjing, they may not be able to defeat the Jin army, but they should be able to lift the siege of Bianjing."

It wasn't just Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan who orchestrated the Jingkang Incident within Bianjing City; Zhao Gou was also pushing for it outside the city. It can be said that father, son, and brothers worked together.

"Zhao Gou held a large army, but he did not advance. He also prevented Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi and others from advancing. Even when Bianjing fell and the people of Bianjing were harmed by the Jin people, and their fathers, brothers, wives and daughters were humiliated by the Jin people, he did not waver in the slightest. On the contrary, he felt that the north was no longer safe and wanted to escape to the south of the Yangtze River. However, the army disagreed and he could not go."

Zhao Gou was no less selfish and self-serving than Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan.

Even if he had no feelings for Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, his mother, wife, and daughters were still in Bianjing. How could that bastard Zhao Gou sit idly by and watch them fall into the hands of the Jurchens?

Zhao Gou may have thought at the time: as long as my father and brothers are captured, the throne will be mine. As for my mother, concubines, wife and daughters, they are just necessary sacrifices for the throne.

And what, you want me to be a goldsmith?

The Jurchens were so strong, there was absolutely no way we could defeat them!

(End of this chapter)