The emperors of past dynasties built legacies that would endure through the ages, founded empires, and advanced the course of history. Beyond the hereditary system that passed power down through generations, their exceptional emotional intelligence and intellect are qualities worthy of admiration and emulation. Taking the Great Song’s 319 years as its historical anchor, this book draws on official histories such as the History of Song and the Long Draft of the Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government, using historical fact as its foundation and imaginative techniques inspired by unofficial histories as its style. It focuses on the contests of emotional intelligence and choices of intellect made by the nine emperors of the Northern Song and the nine emperors of the Southern Song, while also portraying court power struggles, the governance of state and family, and the struggles of human nature in a series of stirring, heartrending stories that offer later generations profound lessons and lasting inspiration.
