The Regency of Empress Dowager Gao and the Yuanyou Restoration
When Emperor Shenzong died at the age of thirty-eight, he was succeeded by his sixth son, Zhao Yong (or Zhao Chong, later renamed Zhao Xu), who was only eight years old. Known posthumously as Emperor Zhezong, the young emperor ruled under the regency of his grandmother, Empress Dowager Gao. Having long opposed the reforms of Shenzong, Gao immediately moved to dismantle the New Policies upon assuming power. She recalled the aged Sima Guang, then in his seventies, from retirement in Luoyang to serve as Chancellor. Sima, who had spent his exile compiling the monumental chronicle Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance), became the figurehead of the conservative faction. Alongside him returned other elderly statesmen, including the octogenarian Wen Yanbo, filling the court with white-bearded traditionalists.
Sima Guang and Empress Dowager Gao were united in their desire to abolish the reforms. Despite objections from reformists like Zhang Dun, who argued that changing the late emperor’s policies so soon violated filial piety, Gao cleverly reframed the abolition as fulfilling Shenzong’s original intent to benefit the people, which had been corrupted by poor implementation. This period, known as the Yuanyou Restoration (named after Zhezong’s first era name), saw the systematic repeal of the New Laws. Prominent reformers such as Lü Huiqing, Zhang Dun, and Cai Que were expelled from court and branded as traitors. In Jiangning, Wang Anshi, heartbroken by the destruction of his life’s work, fell ill and died shortly after hearing the news. Sima Guang, recalling their former friendship, persuaded the Empress to posthumously honor Wang, but Sima himself died only months later.
The Fragmentation of the Conservatives and the Young Emperor’s Resentment
With Sima Guang’s death, the conservative coalition fractured into petty factions based on regional origins: the Luofaction led by Cheng Yi, the Shufaction led by Su Shi, and the Shuofaction led by Liu Zhi. These groups engaged in vicious infighting, more concerned with seizing power than governing, annoying even Empress Dowager Gao, who exiled several leaders yet failed to restore order.
Meanwhile, a deep rift formed between the Empress Dowager and her grandson, Emperor Zhezong. As the emperor matured, he resented being ignored by the conservative ministers who addressed only his grandmother. He silently endured their dismissal of his father’s legacy. On her deathbed, Gao tearfully warned Zhezong never to revive the New Policies. The young emperor nodded outwardly but harbored a firm resolve to reverse her course.
The Shaosheng Restoration and the Revenge of the Reformers
Upon Empress Dowager Gao’s death, Emperor Zhezong immediately asserted his authority, adopting the era name Shaosheng (“Continuing the Sage”) to signal his commitment to “Shaoshu” (continuing the work of his father). He recalled the exiled reformers, with Zhang Dun returning to power. The conservatives were now purged, branded as traitors, and stripped of honors. In a fit of vengeance, Zhang Dun urged the emperor to posthumously punish Sima Guang by exhuming his body; while Zhezong refused the desecration, he ordered Sima’s titles revoked and his stele destroyed. However, the reformers focused more on retribution than on effectively implementing the laws, and the young emperor’s health deteriorated rapidly. In 1100, Zhezong died childless at the age of twenty-three.
The Rise of Song Huizong and the Opportunists
The succession crisis following Zhezong’s death led to a pivotal decision. Empress Dowager Xiang (Shenzong’s empress) presided over the selection. Chancellor Zhang Dun recommended Zhao Si (Zhezong’s full brother) or the elder Zhao Bi, but Xiang favored Zhao Ji, the Prince of Duan. Zhang Dun openly objected, warning that Zhao Ji was too frivolous to rule. Ignoring him, and likely influenced by Zhao Ji’s prior bribes to her courtiers, Xiang installed the eighteen-year-old as Emperor Huizong.
Initially, Huizong deferred to Xiang, who, like her predecessors Gao and Cao, opposed the New Policies. She briefly restored the old laws and recalled the conservatives. However, after Xiang’s death within a year, Huizong took full control. Flattered by advisors who urged him to continue his father and brother’s legacy, he reinstated the New Policies. Yet, Huizong held grudges against both factions: he despised the conservatives for their rigidity and resented the reformers, particularly Zhang Dun, for opposing his accession.
The Blacklist of Traitors and the Ruin of the Nation
This political vacuum allowed unprincipled opportunists to rise. Figures like Yang Wei, nicknamed “Yang the Triple-Changer” for switching sides repeatedly, thrived. The most notorious was Cai Jing, a talented but ruthless scholar who had oscillated between supporting and denouncing the reforms depending on who was in power. Once praised by Sima Guang for his efficiency, Cai Jing later allied with the eunuch Tong Guan to secure Huizong’s favor, eventually becoming Chancellor.
In 1102, Huizong and Cai Jing erected the infamous Stele of Partisan Prohibitions outside the Duanli Gate of the palace. Inscribed with the names of 120 “traitors” from the Yuanyou era – including Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo, Su Shi, and Su Zhe – the stele marked them as members of a “Sinister Faction.” Even former reformers like Zhang Dun were later purged for perceived disloyalty. Officials were categorized, punished, exiled, or barred from office. The New Policies, once a vision for national strengthening, had degenerated into a tool for persecution and corruption.
From the regency of Gao to the reigns of Zhezong and Huizong, the pendulum of power swung violently between factions. The constant upheaval exhausted the populace, distorted the original intent of the reforms, and dragged countless scholars into ruin. The era ended not with renewal, but with a cynical manipulation of power by an emperor and a minister who would ultimately lead the Northern Song toward catastrophe.
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