Looking through the history of Song Dynasty recently, I found an interesting phenomenon. In the Song Dynasty, the status and happiness index of literati were beyond the reach of other dynasties. They can mount their horses, March around and brag everywhere; Kaifeng is also a city carnival like a grand festival. This was absolutely unimaginable before the Song Dynasty, that is, Meng Jiao, who wrote that "Spring Breeze Horseshoe is full of illness, and Chang 'an flowers will be seen one day", was just complacent there. This sensational social effect is just the beginning, and the economic treatment after winning the bid is mouth watering. In addition to wages and salaries, there are various miscellaneous expenses such as tea and wine, wages, vouchers (travel expenses), kitchen materials and even clothing and food for servants. In addition, there are "professional fields", ranging from 40 hectares to 100 hectares according to the grade. Even if you retire, I'll give you a name to manage Taoist temples and still get paid. Looking up and down for five thousand years, I'm afraid there is no literati in any dynasty who is not jealous. Economic rights and interests are prepared for them after middle school, and the prominence of political status can be said to be the pinnacle. The status of literati is far above that of military attache, and even the deputy envoys of the Privy Council who are in charge of the national military are all civilians. Although Yue Fei, Di Qing, etc. He also served as a deputy envoy of the Council, which is the highest office of a military commander. In addition to the above points, another point is that the happiness index of the literati in the Song Dynasty is high, that is, personal safety has been guaranteed to the maximum extent. There was almost no literary inquisition in Song Dynasty. Even Su Dongpo's Wutai poetry case was only exiled, but no one was ever killed for it. This was unimaginable in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Why were the literati in the Song Dynasty so happy? This should be inseparable from Zhao Kuangyin's respect and kindness to scholars. As the founding emperor, he knew the importance of literati in stabilizing people's hearts and governing the country. Therefore, he not only reused the literati, but also made a three-year oath in the ancestral hall, "Don't kill the literati and the people on the table", and stipulated that all emperors must read it carefully in the future. This oath with human glory was strictly followed by the emperors of the Song Dynasty and eventually became a scholar.

It is said that Zhao Kuangyin is very friendly to scholars, which we can learn from several short stories.

The story of Zhao Pu's "Half Analects of Confucius Governing the World" is widely circulated. Five years after the rebellion of Gander was put down in Sichuan, Zhao Kuangyin was very satisfied with the title of Gander. Zhao Pu quickly flatters and puts many happy events in the court on the title of "Gander". Lu Duoxun, a bachelor of Hanlin, suddenly said quietly, "It's a pity that Gander is the year number used by the pseudo-Shu state." Zhao Kuangyin sent someone to inquire, surprised: Was Gander the year before Shu or the year of national subjugation? This has caused great losses to Zhao Kuangyin people. What should we do with Zhao Pu? He didn't abandon Zhao Pu. I just recruited him to the imperial court, dipped him in black ink, and scribbled on his face, making his calligraphy dripping.

Supposedly, this can't cure Zhao Pu's crime, but it should also cure Lu Duoxun's crime, while Zhao Kuangyin closed the game in such a humorous way. And Zhao Pu? Since then, he has studied hard and served as prime minister for three times.

Once, Zhao Kuangyin shot a bird with a slingshot in the backyard. A civil servant said he had something urgent to report. He met at once. It was a trivial matter, and he was very angry. His interest disappeared, so he asked the man. That man is honest, he said. I thought it was much more important than shooting birds. Zhao Kuangyin was angry and swung the handle of the axe to hit him in the mouth. The man bent down to pick up the two front teeth that had been knocked out and held them in his arms. Zhao Kuangyin is even more angry. Why did you pick it up? Do you want to sue me? The man said, I can't sue you, but historians will write it down in the history books. Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin turned anger into joy and gave him many gold, silver, silks and satins to express his condolences.

That civil servant is persistent and dares to say and do. Can a historian really threaten Zhao Kuangyin? Obviously not. This also reflects Zhao Kuangyin's attitude towards literati from another aspect.

He once again gave a banquet in honor of his ministers. Wang Zhu, a bachelor of Hanlin, was drunk, missed his old master and made a noise in public. Ministers were so scared that they all sweated for him. Mao didn't blame him, but ordered someone to help him out to have a rest. Wang Zhu refused to go out and hid behind the screen and burst into tears. The next day, someone called for Wang Zhu to be severely punished. But Zhao Kuangyin said, "He was drunk. I was a minister with him when I was in Sejong, and I was familiar with his temper. He is a scholar, and crying to death will not be a big problem. Let him go. "

A courtier is so arrogant and unruly in front of the emperor, but Zhao Kuangyin can be so generous. In addition to his consideration of buying people's hearts, it is more important to value literati. Otherwise, it's Li Shimin, and I'm afraid the king's life will be lost.

It is precisely because of Zhao Kuangyin's strong support and reuse, as well as his practical ability, that the literati in the whole Song Dynasty have dignity and glory that other dynasties do not have.