When it comes to Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, most people are familiar with him. The folk tale "The Cat Who Switched the Crown Prince" involves his mother, and it was Emperor Renzong who had spittle from the famous official Bao Zheng land on his face. Weighty figures such as Su Dongpo, Su Xun, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, and Fan Zhongyan—all towering intellectual giants—were either renowned ministers during his reign or rose to prominence on the historical stage during his era. Among China's major inventions, two that propelled the entire world into modernity—the movable type printing and the compass (south-pointing needle)—also emerged during Emperor Renzong's time.
Though Emperor Renzong was the Son of Heaven, he lived extremely frugally. At family banquets, he often wore clothes that had been washed repeatedly, and his bedding was usually made of coarse silk. According to Chen Shidao's "Hou Shan Tan Cong" from the Song Dynasty, once during early autumn, an official presented clams to the emperor. Renzong asked, "Where did these come from? How much do they cost?" The reply was that each clam cost 1,000 coins, and there were 28 in total. Emperor Renzong became visibly displeased and said, "I have repeatedly warned you all not to be extravagant. Now, just by picking up my chopsticks, 28,000 coins will be spent. I cannot eat this!"
As the supreme ruler of a feudal society, emperors were accustomed to being self-centered, and few ever considered the welfare of others. Yet Emperor Renzong stands out as a rare exception. According to the "Dong Xuan Bi Lu," once when Emperor Renzong was taking a walk, he kept looking back over his shoulder. His attendants had no idea what the emperor was doing. After returning to the palace, he said to his concubines, "I'm terribly thirsty—quick, bring me some hot water." Surprised, a concubine asked, "Why didn't you have the attendants serve you water outside instead of enduring thirst?" The emperor replied, "I kept looking back but didn't see them preparing the flask. If I had asked, someone would certainly have been punished. So I bore the thirst and waited until I returned to drink." Such a considerate emperor is probably unmatched in history.
Emperor Renzong was open-minded and tolerant. When Su Zhe, younger brother of Su Shi, took the imperial examination, he boldly wrote in his exam paper: "On my journey, I heard people say that in the palace, there are thousands of beauties, and the emperor spends his days singing, dancing, drinking, and indulging in luxury. He neither cares about the people's suffering nor consults his ministers on governing the state." In reality, Su Zhe's words were mere hearsay, entirely inconsistent with the facts. The examiners planned to punish him, but when Emperor Renzong heard of it, he said, "I established the imperial examination precisely to welcome outspoken individuals. A mere student like Su Zhe dares to speak so frankly—he should be specially awarded a degree." Thus, Su Zhe actually passed the exam. Had this happened during the "Kang-Qian Prosperity" of the Qing Dynasty, he would certainly have been executed along with his entire family.
To suppress dissent, many emperors were obsessed with literary inquisitions, leading countless scholars to be unjustly executed or even wiped out along with their families. Emperor Renzong, however, never engaged in any such persecution. His reign was remarkably open-minded, and freedom of speech flourished. For instance, the contemporary Neo-Confucian scholar Cheng Yi once boldly declared, "I wish to co-govern the empire with the emperor." In the Qing Dynasty, such words would have led to the execution of three generations of his family, but under Emperor Renzong, nothing happened. According to Zhu Bian's "Qu Wu Jiu Wen," a scholar in Chengdu once wrote: "Seal the Jianmen Pass, burn the plank roads—Chengdu shall be a separate realm." Someone reported this scholar to the court for treason. But to everyone's surprise, Emperor Renzong casually remarked, "This old fellow merely wants an official post. Since he couldn't get one, he vented his frustration by writing rebellious poetry. If he wants a post, just give him one." Thus, the scholar became a military advisor to a ten-thousand household commandery.
Emperor Renzong was compassionate toward his own people and often showed benevolence toward foreigners. Once, an envoy returning from the north reported that Goryeo's tribute gifts were decreasing and suggested military action. Emperor Renzong responded, "This is merely the fault of the Goryeo king. Launching an attack now may not kill the king, but it would certainly slaughter countless civilians." Thus, no military action was taken.
Wei Tai's "Dong Xuan Bi Lu" records a small anecdote: One morning, Emperor Renzong told his close officials, "Last night, I was hungry and couldn't sleep—I really wanted to eat roasted mutton." A courtier asked, "Why didn't Your Majesty issue an order to have roasted mutton prepared?" The emperor replied, "I've heard that whenever the palace makes a request, outsiders assume it's an official policy. I fear that if I ask, people will start killing sheep every night to prepare roasted mutton for me, resulting in excessive slaughter." Upon hearing this, those around him shouted "Long live the emperor!"—a cheer undoubtedly coming from the heart.
According to Shi De'ao's "Bei Chuang Zhi Lu," one night Emperor Renzong heard lively music, singing, and laughter from outside the palace. Puzzled, he asked a palace servant, "Where is this music coming from?" The servant replied, "That's from a tavern in the commoners' quarter. Your Majesty, listen—how joyful the people outside are, unlike our palace, which is so cold and desolate." Emperor Renzong responded, "Do you know why? Precisely because our palace is so quiet and restrained, the people outside can be so joyful. If our palace were as lively as the outside world, then the common people would be cold and desolate." The happiness of the common people outweighed that of the imperial palace—this was Emperor Renzong. Truly, in terms of "putting the people first" and "loving the people as one's own children," Emperor Renzong was unquestionably deserving.
In 1063, after reigning for 41 years, Emperor Renzong passed away. Upon hearing the news, citizens spontaneously closed their shops in mourning. The smoke from burning paper money filled the skies over Luoyang, darkening the sun and sky. An official named Zhou Changru, traveling to what is now Sichuan, saw women drawing water from mountain streams, all wearing paper-made mourning caps to grieve the emperor's passing.
In Chinese history, few rulers with supreme power have exercised it as cautiously as Emperor Renzong. Though he was neither ruthless nor authoritarian, under his rule, the Song Dynasty enjoyed peace, prosperity, and economic flourishing. The world's earliest paper currency—the "Jiaozi"—emerged during his reign. As someone once said, "Though Emperor Renzong may be incapable of many things, he certainly knows how to be an emperor."