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This is a history of the Song Dynasty written by professional scholars for the public from the "emperor's perspective". The book outlines the rise and fall of the Zhao and Song Dynasties over more than 300 years by telling the real lives of eighteen emperors in the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties. The author carefully selects the most dramatic and decisive events in each emperor's life, and uses the shortest possible length to explain all the major trends of the Zhao and Song Dynasties: How did the national policy of "advocating culture and restraining military force" come about? How could he hold up the "Zhizhi Era" represented by Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi with one hand, and systematically kill generals such as Di Qing and Yue Fei with the other hand, so that the Song Dynasty was labeled as a "weak Song"? In the author's writing, these eighteen emperors have different personalities and are flesh and blood: they are not only the emperor, but also sons, husbands and fathers. Their character and destiny determine the character and destiny of the dynasty. After reading the whole book, you will understand: the Song Dynasty's civil and martial arts, prosperity and fragility, openness and dilemma, are all written in the life history of these 18 people; and the secret of why Chinese civilization is "the most advanced in Zhao and Song Dynasty" is also hidden in these living people.