Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

"How could Zhao Ji tolerate this?"

"If I were Zhao Ji, I would have committed suicide the moment the city fell!"

Zhu Di lowered his head and sighed, shaking his head, also feeling heartbroken for this period of history.

Even though he already knew the ending, every time he read about this period of history,

A surge of resentment still welled up inside him; he wished he could kill every single Jurchen.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty still had Zhu Youjian, who preserved a final shred of dignity for the dynasty.

Zhu Di simply couldn't bear to think about what would happen if Zhu Youjian were captured by Li Zicheng or the Jurchens like Zhao Ji.

What a blow it would have to the spiritual civilization of that time!

In his relief, Zhu Di remembered that...

Although no emperor of the Ming Dynasty was captured by the Jurchens, one emperor was captured by the Mongols.

Zhu Qizhen and Zhao Ji, the elder brother and not the second brother, were equally rotten.

Even Zhu Di felt that Zhu Qizhen was inferior to Zhao Ji.

At least Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) could paint and write calligraphy, but what could Zhu Qizhen (Zhu Qizhen) do?

Should we kill loyal ministers?

However, other male members of the imperial clan did not receive the same treatment as Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan.

The Jurchens gave these people land so they could farm and make a living.

[Afterwards, Zhao Ji was moved to Hanzhou, and then further to Wuguo City. From the time of the Jingkang Incident until his death in Wuguo City, Zhao Ji lived for another eight years.]

After being captured, Zhao Ji was moved from the magnificent imperial palace in Bianjing to an earthen house in Wuguo City.

Finally, Zhao Ji understood what Li Yu felt back then, and realized what it meant to have a broken country and a homeland that was unbearable to recall under the bright moonlight.

[When Zhao Ji was first captured, he must have felt remorse, but as time went by, he gradually calmed down.]

[While reading, writing, and composing poetry in the Five Kingdoms City, lamenting the suffering of all living beings, he never considered that one of the causes of this suffering, or even the main cause, was himself.]

The Jin dynasty allowed some of Zhao Ji's consorts to accompany him, and within eight years, Zhao Ji had six more sons and eight daughters, demonstrating his remarkable fertility.

As a prisoner under house arrest, Zhao Ji had virtually no freedom. Even the concubines who accompanied him could be taken by Jin nobles or even soldiers at any time.

[There is another record in this historical material: "He had five other children, who were not descendants of the foolish and wicked."]

These five children were born to one of Emperor Huizong's concubines after she was taken by the Jurchens. This would have been an immense humiliation for anyone, but Emperor Huizong could endure it.

[It is even said that when the Jin emperor married his daughter to a member of the Jin royal family, he still had to submit a memorial to express his gratitude.]

"Stop saying that!!!"

Zhao Kuangyin broke down and screamed, clutching his head in great pain.

How could the Song Dynasty have such an emperor? Under such circumstances, how could he still have time to have children?

Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Mongols for a year and did not have any children.

In eight years, Emperor Huizong fathered a total of fourteen children, averaging two children per year.

This clearly shows that Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) had absolutely no remorse whatsoever; he even had time to have children.

"How could I have such a descendant?!"

"Why doesn't he just die? Those two should just go die already!!"

Wait, something's not right.

These two don't seem to be my descendants.

Zhao Kuangyin's anger and grief subsided considerably.

I can't quite put my finger on whether I felt a sense of relief or something else.

Fortunately, these two were descendants of his younger brother, Zhao Guangyi.

During the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song,

Zhao Xu was numb at this point; he was no longer surprised by anything Zhao Ji might do.

His immediate priority is to take good care of his health, try to live longer, have more princes, and cultivate an heir.

Then we need to build up our strength and prepare for a battle with the Jurchens!

Zhao Xu simply refused to believe it. Could it be that the entire Song Dynasty, with its vast army and advanced weaponry, couldn't defeat the Jurchens?

At worst, he could cooperate with the Liao Dynasty and wipe out the Jurchens first.

As for Zhao Ji, the Song Dynasty rarely killed members of the imperial family, except during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

The only exception was the case of Zhao Shiju during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, who was accused of treason and ultimately sentenced to suicide.

But Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) was different. In the entire Song Dynasty, practically no one wanted him to live.

Zhao Xu's gaze, tinged with a hint of murderous intent, was particularly noticeable to Zhao Ji and the court officials.

Emperor Huizong collapsed to the ground, his face contorted with despair. He didn't want to die.

Even if I were placed under house arrest, reduced to a commoner, and forced to paint for the Song Dynasty for the rest of my life, that would be fine.

He really didn't want to die!

The ministers in the court, not just those from the New Party, but even some neutral parties, looked at Zhao Ji with disdain and showed him no sympathy whatsoever.

If you were the emperor, the Jurchens would take you back and even give you a salary; the treatment would be quite generous.

But what about us? By then, we'll probably have been killed by the Jurchens!

If you don't die, are we supposed to die?

History sometimes seems to have a cause-and-effect relationship; the misfortunes that Li Yu suffered when the Northern Song Dynasty destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty were doubly inflicted upon Zhao Ji.

The disasters that the Northern Song Dynasty suffered during the Jingkang Incident were, in effect, returned to the Jin Dynasty's imperial family in double measure when the Jin Dynasty fell.

Just as the Liao Dynasty oppressed the Jurchens, the Jin Dynasty later oppressed the Mongols. In the end, the Mongols rose to power, and just as the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty, the Mongols destroyed the Jin Dynasty.

Moreover, the location happens to be exactly where the Jin army received Emperors Huizong and Qinzong, as well as prisoners of the Northern Song Dynasty, a century ago.

The Mongols executed all male members of the Jin dynasty's royal family on the spot, regardless of age; not a single one was spared.

Meanwhile, the women of the Jin dynasty's royal family and concubines were sent to Karakorum, the capital of Mongolia.

The *Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government* records that "the journey to send the empresses and concubines to Karakorum was extremely arduous, even more so than during the reigns of Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong."

To some extent, we can say that the Mongols avenged the Northern Song Dynasty; karma is a cycle, and retribution is inevitable—this may be the case.

"Oh? So, does that mean our Great Song Dynasty should thank the Mongols?"

Emperor Lizong of Song, Zhao Yun, found it utterly absurd. The Mongols had ultimately destroyed the Song Dynasty; how could they claim to be avenging the Song?

What kind of talk is that?!

Zhao Yun scratched his head, feeling a slight pain.

He then raised the glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp, hoping to use the alcohol to suppress the throbbing pain.

Other emperors and ministers in the late Southern Song Dynasty shared this feeling.

They didn't believe that the Mongols were treating the Jin dynasty's royal family this way to avenge the Song dynasty.

Ultimately, wasn't it all because of the brutality of the Mongols?

When the Southern Song Dynasty is destroyed, the imperial family of the Southern Song might be treated the same way.

These people felt incredibly desolate, as if Heaven had blocked all paths for the Southern Song Dynasty.

Why was it the Song Dynasty that suffered the most?

During the reign of Emperor Shizu of Yuan,

"That's right, that's exactly what Emperor Taizong thought!"

Kublai Khan laughed heartily, his eyes lighting up.

Using this argument, the resistance of the Han people originally from the Jiangnan region against the Yuan Dynasty might actually be somewhat reduced.

The Jurchens were the common enemy of both the Mongols and the Han Chinese.

When Emperor Taizong destroyed the Jin dynasty, it seems he didn't completely wipe out the Jurchen people.

They only wiped out the royal family; some other Jurchens remained.

That won't do. We must see this through to the end; if we're going to help someone, we should see it through to the end.

Kublai Khan decided to send these Jurchens to reunite with their people.

How can this not be considered a good deed?