Emperor Lizong Is Seriously Awesome

"A man may be a farmhand at dawn and enter the emperor's court by dusk."

Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song went from a humble oxherd to ruler of a dynasty, all thanks to his outstanding uncle!

Quan Baozheng, a local village head in the suburbs of Shaoxing, was no more than a petty official, but he had a keen political instinct. Through a series of brilliant maneuvers, he pushed his nephew Zhao Yujue to the pinnacle of success, securing him the Southern Song throne.

The powerful minister Shi Miyuan, Empress Yang, and his mentor Yu Tianxi each helped push things along, each pursuing their own interests.

After ascending the throne, Lizong ruled for forty-one years. He sometimes bided his time, and sometimes gave his all. He strove to govern well, and witnessed turbulent times, yet in the end his great ambitions remained unfulfilled...

While alive, fortune seemed to smile on him, transforming him from a nobody into the crown prince. After his death, however, he suffered endless indignities: his skull was even made into a drinking vessel by a foreign monk...

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.