宋神宗之死The Death of Emperor Shenzong of Song

On the jiawu day of the third month of the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Emperor Shenzong of Song died at the age of 37. He is known for employing Wang Anshi to carry out the Xifeng reforms, and after his death all the policies he had put in place were overturned. After Shenzong's death, the political situation of the late Northern Song and the Southern Song swung back and forth many times, and the Veritable Records of Shenzong were revised again and again. As a result, there are many different versions, from different sources and different standpoints, of the events surrounding Shenzong's death and Zhezong's accession. Through brief introductions to the background and the people involved, and by reading the relevant accounts together, we will look at how people of different standpoints described these events, judge how credible each account is, and try to reconstruct what really happened. Key points of controversy: * Did the chief councillor Wang Gui support Zhezong's accession? * Did the second councillor Cai Que deserve credit for securing Zhezong's enthronement? * Did Empress Xuanren intend for her second son, the Prince of Yong, to take the throne? * Did the second councillor Cai Que intend to support the Prince of Yong's accession?