Extra Chapter 1: From Popularity to Depression, A Sharp Commentary on the Five Great Aspects of the Song Dynasty...

Forum Extra Chapter 1

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Title: From Popularity to Las Vegas: A Critical Review of Song Dynasty Anecdotes

1L Original Poster

RT, the winds of unofficial history have still managed to blow into our Song Dynasty section. The poster, a long-time lurker of various history forums, content creators, and marketing accounts, possesses extensive experience in discerning unofficial history, and is therefore creating this thread to share with everyone.

2L Original Poster

Unofficial History No. 1: The Sound of the Axe and the Shadow of the Candle

Keywords: Synonyms for brotherly love and respect. Another example of Emperor Taizong's "illegitimate accession to the throne" throughout history. The longest river in the field of unofficial history of the Song Dynasty.

In terms of its realism, this unofficial history was once so convincing that it was treated as official history. What's even more infuriating is that it cannot be disproven. Furthermore, the unexpected fate of the Taizu's son adds to the credibility of this account.

From a dissemination perspective, the key point is that after Emperor Taizong of Song lost the foreign war and the Gaoliang River incident occurred, no one was willing to defend him, thus providing a broad and fertile ground for the spread of unofficial histories.

In conclusion, as a major event that influenced the course of the Song Dynasty's early imperial reign, its scale, influence, and artistic value are all undeniable. Undeniable, no further explanation needed!

2L Original Poster

Unofficial History 2: Emperor Xiling's Favor with Empress Xiao Zhou

It's tacky, no further explanation needed. I wonder which blond guy or cuckold fetishist came up with this.

In terms of authenticity, the first mention of the scandalous affair between Emperor Taizong and Empress Xiao Zhou in Southern Song Dynasty notes, and the first appearance of a painting titled "Emperor Taizong's Visit to Empress Xiao Zhou" in the Yuan Dynasty, are both from distant periods and contain many discrepancies with historical facts.

From a communication perspective, as mentioned above, Emperor Taizong's foreign wars alienated many, making people unwilling to speak up for him. A similar situation occurred with another Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he married his brother's wife, and everyone expressed understanding, "expressing an attitude of not letting family members suffer." This shows that to have a good reputation, one must possess genuine strength.

Overall assessment: Too vulgar, it's completely ruined. But compared to modern street literature, ancient street literature still has some historical research value, so let's elevate it a notch and give it an NPC (NPC-like character).

3L

The original poster and the thread starter are both fair.

4L

? ? ?

So the story of Emperor Taizong's affair with Empress Xiao Zhou of Southern Tang is just unofficial history? Oh? This is the first time I've heard of it.

5L

Surely the person upstairs doesn't actually believe that after having sex with Xiao Zhouhou, they poisoned Li Yu with some kind of drug.

6L

orz is real. I saw it in the newspaper and believed it without a doubt.

7L

Think about it carefully, and you'll see it's completely unnecessary. Besides, the Five Dynasties period before the Song Dynasty was so dark; Emperors Taizu and Taizong were just trying to rebuild a civilized social order. Even the military generals most likely to seize power were "released from their posts over a cup of wine," so why kill a disobedient marquis who posed absolutely no threat?

It would be better to be like Liu Shan, granting him a marquisate and supporting him; the more comfortable his life, the more renowned his reputation for benevolence.

8L OP

7L is right.

9L

Stop peeking and update soon, OP.

I'd like to see what you can write.

10L Original Poster

Unofficial History 3: Emperor Zhenzong of Song sent people to verify whether Liu E was a virgin.

I won't go into detail about this point; let's just comment directly. If the previous point reflected the sexual repression of a feudal and conservative era, this point reflects the feudal conservatism of a free and open era. The person who came up with this idea must have had their cerebellum wrapped up, and given that it's a modern-day fabrication, it has no historical research value whatsoever; it's completely finished.

11L

...When I first saw this thing, I felt like my cerebellum had atrophied. I don't know what kind of person wrote it, or what kind of person would believe it.

12L

I'm banging on the bowl, waiting for Susu to come. I want to see Susu!

13L

Actually, I suspect the original poster was only talking about dumplings, but was actually trying to salvage the situation by mentioning Su Su. Su Su is definitely the most prolific writer of unofficial historical accounts.

But that's to be expected, given how many outrageous things Su Su has done. Normal people simply can't understand the intricacies involved, so they have to rely on their imaginations to fill in the gaps.

14L

Is it coming? Is it coming?

15L Original Poster

Come on, come on!

Unofficial History 4: Emperor Shizong of Song, Zhao Su, was a time traveler.

Keywords: A Guide to Time Travel for Wang Mang (with a Thin Veil). The most anticipated clash between historians and physicists. Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you'll be fearless no matter which dynasty you travel to.

Clearly, this is a modern, at least post-relevant, unofficial history. In a sense, it carries a subtle, flattering message to modern people: "King Sejong was so powerful because he received the education of our time."

But the most remarkable thing about this unofficial history is that it fills in the gaps that previous generations couldn't understand. For example, why did Emperor Shizong change the Song Dynasty's trend of prioritizing liberal arts students and lead the way in immersing himself in mathematics, physics, and chemistry? Why did a technological boom occur within ten years, doubling productivity? It can even explain why he knew about the civil war in Western Xia and sent the captured crown prince back to Western Xia to be raised as a gu (a type of insecticide).

Since we've mentioned King Sejong, I was originally going to give him a "good" rating, but given that this unofficial history somewhat downplays his abilities, I'll lower it by one level and give him a top-tier rating.

16L

I was surprised that anyone actually believed this. I thought everyone was just having fun.

17L

You know what, this market for unofficial historical accounts is really huge. I tried to clarify things before, but I got flamed back at everyone. Believing this is less reliable than believing I was Qin Shi Huang.

18L

Didn't you know? There are actually people in the anonymous forum analyzing whether he might be the reincarnation of Qin Shi Huang...

19L

ah? ? ?

Am I illiterate?

Which post is it? Please direct me.

20L

You can find it by searching next door. The funniest piece of evidence I've ever seen is that "Song Dynasty notes say that Emperor Shizong was very averse to the word 'Han,' so he was probably a Qin person in his previous life."

21L

Why did you laugh?

Whose notes are these?

22L

Su Shi's...

Zizhan was Emperor Shizong's closest minister; they were classmates and fellow students. His notes were cited by mainstream historians as an unofficial "Annotations on the Biography of Emperor Shizong," and are considered highly credible.

The notes detail how they met and their early influence with King Sejong at the Imperial Academy and in the court. All current dramas about King Sejong's reign, especially those focusing on his childhood, are based on these notes.

The plot has a very childish, overpowered protagonist style, but the problem is, it's almost certainly true.

23L

So, was Emperor Shizong really so averse to the word "Han"? Why?

PS: It's definitely not because he's from Qin.

24L

Since you're both from the Qin Dynasty and time travelers from the modern era, why not combine the two to the extreme: first travel from the Qin Dynasty to the present, then back to your Song Dynasty. Two lifetimes of wisdom and action will create a wise ruler, how about that?

25L

It's getting wilder and wilder...

26L

The main reason I dislike this unofficial history is that it denies Emperor Shizong's own strengths. If you take any modern person with a full higher education and send them back to the Song Dynasty, could they achieve what Emperor Shizong did?

A top scholar at age four? Unifying the Sixteen Prefectures of Western Xia at age nine? Presiding over the mathematics and science examinations at age twenty-one? Could this be achieved by an ordinary person?

Don't think that being a great ruler who restores the dynasty is easy. Besides, Emperor Shizong wasn't just a ruler of the Song Dynasty, but also a restorer of the entire ancient Chinese history. He fixed all the problems caused by the An Lushan Rebellion; his achievements speak for themselves.

27L

I didn't say that King Sejong's achievements were entirely because he was a modern person. Just kidding, please don't have sensitive skin if you're upstairs.

28L OP

Alright, alright, let's stop arguing in the thread and have a rational discussion. I'm going to continue writing the next piece of unofficial history.

29L

expect.

30L

expect.

31L

Is that coming?

32L

33L Original Poster

Why does it feel like everyone already knows what I'm going to write? It's making me nervous. What if my jealousy isn't what you're all thinking?

Never mind, I'll just write it!

Unofficial History 5: Emperor Renzong of Song's abdication to his son was a conspiracy planned by Emperor Shizong for a long time, a scheme to secretly seize the throne!

Keyword: I wanted to laugh when I typed this.

This anecdote is quite old, appearing in Ming Dynasty notes. It says, "'I know the affairs of Yao and Shun,' how could Cao Zihuan be the only one?" implying that Emperor Shizong's ascension to the throne was illegitimate. Later, in the early days of the internet, it was widely circulated by online marketing accounts, and even a certain "serious historical drama" quoted it, resulting in a lengthy and scathing critique from history enthusiasts, forcing the production team to apologize.

There are still conspiracy theorists who accept this claim, but it's basically on par with the Lizard Man and 5G causing global warming.

Rating: It's all over. There are still many people who believe it; it's the absolute worst of the worst.

So, are you all satisfied with this dish of vinegar?

34L

I knew it!

35L

Conspiracy theories may be late, but they've arrived! _(:з」∠)_

36L

Who are these people who believe this? They're spreading rumors and slander about a perfectly good father-son relationship.

37L

He's a person with a dark side.

I've seen the reasons given by proponents of this conspiracy theory: King Sejong was such a capable, resourceful, and charismatic ruler, a great emperor of all time, that he couldn't possibly be as weak as an ordinary person.

38L

...What did ordinary people do to deserve this?

And the person who said that should be graduating from junior high school is probably someone who adds "already corrupted" to their ID or WeChat profile.

39L

23333 The comment upstairs is so accurate!

Anyone who believes this long-standing rumor must have failed their compulsory education. Anyone who has taken a junior high school history class knows that during the time Emperor Shizong invented the steam engine, he was too busy to manage state affairs and had to summon Emperor Renzong to help him.

At first, the courtiers panicked, thinking something had happened, but then they went back to doing what they were doing.

Is this how a usurper should treat a retired emperor? Is this the attitude ministers should have towards the former emperor?

40L

Every time I see this, I can't help but marvel at how amazing it is to be able to create a steam engine by hand.

Especially considering that the previous invention was the flying shuttle, it's like humans were still building houses with stones in the Stone Age, while King Sejong alone could build skyscrapers with reinforced concrete.

41L

If he hadn't become emperor and had focused on being an inventor, he certainly would have achieved much more, and might even have climbed the technological ladder even higher.

42L

no!

Who will fill in the gaps for me regarding the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, Western Xia, and the Jurchen tribes?!

43L

Oh right, I forgot about that.

44L

King Sejong himself even wrote an article admonishing his descendants: "Don't blindly imitate my inventions just because you admire them, lest you neglect the affairs of the state." Wasn't that incredibly prescient?

45L

@Li Longji @Li Yu @Tianqi

46L

Yes, thankfully there was this admonitory document, which ultimately led to the dismissal of that incompetent Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji). Otherwise, who knows what the Song Dynasty would have become? At that time, the Jurchens were already showing faint signs of unrest.

47L

Just as the Jurchen tribe was about to launch an attack south, they swallowed a large mouthful of gunpowder and obediently retreated.

48L

He even left the formula for high-explosive gunpowder balls to future generations, making them think that Sejong, who used it when he couldn't win, was a god.

49L

Family, God is with us!

50L

This further demonstrates that King Sejong was truly a good person. Even though he had already invented powerful gunpowder balls, he worried that his descendants would become arrogant and obsessed with war, so he simply sealed the formula away. Only a hundred years later did later generations realize that their ancestor had left such a secret.

51L

It truly is the embodiment of God.

I feel that "benevolent ruler", "wise ruler" and "enlightened ruler" are not enough to express the divine nature of this person; only "divine ruler" can.

52L

But! King Sejong himself was a hypermaterialist!

53L

On the other hand, how could Emperor Shizong have foreseen that nomadic tribes in the north would cause trouble? During his reign, both the Liao and Jurchen tribes were thoroughly subdued.

And he probably had no idea that there was another lurking predator waiting in the wings! But he predicted it!

54L

Okay, I'm starting to believe that old story again.

55L

I've said it before: King Sejong was a time traveler, but you just wouldn't believe me!

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Author's Note: Next chapter preview: Who was the greatest minister of the Northern Song Dynasty? [Dog head with rose in hand]