In the first year of Chongning in the Northern Song (1102), three years had passed since Emperor Huizong, Zhao Ji, ascended the throne. Cai Jing became chancellor, and the New Policies were revived.
The Bian River, a golden waterway linking north and south and sustaining the capital of the Great Song, teemed with boats and flowing trade day and night.
Yet beneath the appearance of prosperity, the river ran silted, grain ships sank, and canal shipments were repeatedly delayed, prompting heated debate at court and among the people.
