Since Ancient Times, Emperors Have Suspected Their Loyal Ministers: The Rulers and Their Generals Throughout History

One year after Yue Fei's death, a poem appeared: “Since ancient times, loyal ministers have been suspected by their emperors. Loyal in every way, yet denied even a whole corpse.” After the fall of the Song dynasty, debate over this case erupted. Wen Zhengming's poem “Man Jiang Hong” contains these lines: “Could he not grieve as the Central Plains shrank? Could he not mourn the disgrace of Huizong and Qinzong? But once Huizong and Qinzong returned, what place was left for him? For a thousand years, people have claimed the Southern Song was wrong to retreat south, yet at the time they feared the Central Plains would be reclaimed. How laughable to think a petty Qin Hui could have done it alone: he merely gave the emperor what he wanted.”