In the second year of the Qingli era, the Song and Xia states were at war, canal transport had ground to a halt, and the people were suffering. In Guide Township, Leize County, Puzhou, on the eastern route of the capital region, Chen Yang, son of a village scribe, rose from humble beginnings. With brush and ink as his path and hard work as his vessel, he embarked on the long road of the imperial examinations. He passed the county, prefectural, and provincial qualifying exams, then endured the provincial and palace examinations. Amid factional strife, he stayed true to himself; amid waves of reform, he found his direction. He discussed statecraft with Fan Zhongyan, exchanged verse with Ouyang Xiu, and helped Emperor Renzong govern. From a village scholar, he rose to become a great chancellor, devoting his life to preserving half a century of peace for the Northern Song and leaving an honorable name in history.
