Chapter 110: The Artist Delayed by the Imperial Position

"Using top‑level aesthetics to produce the worst governance… pushing the entire dynasty into the abyss…"

Zhao Kuangyin only felt a tightening pain in his chest.

"Elder brother, this child may have talent, but the way of rulership first lies in governing the state and securing the realm. No matter how fine the calligraphy and paintings, can they repel foreign foes? Can they soothe the people's hearts?" Zhao Guangyi said with anguish.

"A crossover award—perhaps the best crossover award for a fallen kingdom?"

Liu Bang crossed his legs and laughed heartily,

"That comment really hits home. But to be fair, these calligraphy and paintings do look genuinely impressive—what a pity."

Ying Zheng said indifferently, "Even if one possesses world‑shaking talent, if it cannot be applied to the righteous path, they are useless."

Liu Che sneered, "A ruler should have ambitions to expand borders and wield authority over the lands."

"Indulging in brush and ink is no different from a woman's pastime. With such a temperament, how can one defend the land? A fallen kingdom is no injustice."

Li Shimin looked at the exquisite artworks, then at the tragic scenes of a fallen nation, and sighed:

"What a waste of such talent; had he been Prince of Taiping, devoted to the arts, perhaps his name would have endured for generations."

"Yet he bears the realm on his shoulders yet commits the acts that doom the nation. The term 'misplacement' is so precise, so tragic."

Wei Zheng shouted, "Your Majesty! This is a lesson written in blood and tears. As an emperor you must apply yourself to governing the state. To treat state affairs as child's play, relying on the skill of carving insects, is to invite one's own ruin! Our great Tang must never allow such a trend."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "I despise this the most; an emperor who doesn't think about how to give the people a good life or make the country strong, but spends all day drumming up useless things."

"Can calligraphy and paintings be eaten as food? Used as soldiers? Once the nation falls, no matter how fine the art, it becomes the enemy's spoils, you fool!"

Zhu Di also shook his head, "Unable to distinguish priorities, unable to grasp authority, possessing only fame, truly a mediocre ruler."

Cao Cao commented, "Literati emperors often mismanage the state."

"Liu Biao held Jing and Xiang, loved literature, yet lacked ambition for the world and ended as a skeleton in a tomb. This Song Huizong seems even worse."

Guo Jia added, "Talent unfit for the position, virtue mismatched to the state; even with world‑shaking brilliance, it becomes a source of disaster. The Jin people would never appreciate his slender‑gold script."

【Netizen meme: "Your Majesty, the Jin are attacking!" Song Huizong: "Hold on, let me finish this character; the final stroke's flying white on the 'Wang' is especially crucial…】

"Puff—!"

This time it wasn't just Liu Bang; many monarchs and ministers across dynasties couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh my stomach!"

Liu Bang laughed so hard he fell over, "That netizen is a genius! The flying‑white on the 'Wang' character is the key? Hahaha! Did he already know he would cause a nation's fall and practice it in advance?"

Zhao Kuangyin's vision went black, and he nearly passed out.

The joke is so poisonous; it satirizes Zhao Ji's delirium, absurdity, and neglect of proper duties to the fullest.

The Jin forces have already reached the doorstep, yet they're still fussing over the flying‑white of a character? To what level of delirium does this amount!

"An unparalleled shame! An unparalleled shame!"

Zhao Kuangyin pounded his chest and stamped his feet, as if he could already see the ruined Bianjing, where a ridiculous descendant still fretted over calligraphy and paintings—just imagining that scene makes him want to vomit blood.

Ying Zheng couldn't help but shake his head; this emperor is beyond saving.

Li Shimin placed a hand on his forehead, speechless and choked.

This is no longer mere incompetence; it's… art possession, a madness of the mind.

Zhu Yuanzhang scolded, "Look at this—studying to the point of pedantry, becoming a bookworm, with a sword at one's throat yet still caring about brush strokes? Such a person as emperor—Heaven itself must be blind."

Cao Cao laughed loudly, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Such fools, yet they become a nation's ruler—how laughable. If they were under my command, I'd cut them down with a single stroke, saving grain."

Guo Jia laughed, "It seems Song Huizong truly treated the empire as his own canvas, painting over it until it became a single 'Wang' character."

Liu Bei sighed, "A ruler like this—how can he govern? How can he protect the people? The fall of the state and ruin of families is inevitable."

Zhuge Liang said, "This is the ultimate reversal of priorities. A ruler should put the world's people first and the survival of the state second."

"Personal whims cannot supersede the foundation of the nation. This ruler's downfall is not Heaven's doing but self‑inflicted."

【2: Collection of the Foolish Emperor's 'Flamboyant Moves'.】

Foolish Tactics—: The four great treacherous officials of the Northern Song, the Ganyue Mountain folk.

Operation: Form the 'Northern Song Treacherous Officials F4'—the calligrapher‑opportunist Cai Jing, the eunuch‑military 'brick master' Tong Guan, the former cuju star turned Grand Commandant Gao Qiu, and the plunder specialist Zhu Mian.

The court directly turned into a social gathering of the 'Art Circle' and the 'Football Circle'.

Netizens dubbed him 'Ganyue Mountain folk' (because he exhausted the populace to build the lavish garden 'Ganyue').

The scene shows Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Gao Qiu, and Zhu Mian, each labeled thoughtfully as "Calligrapher," "Eunuch Military Brick Master," "Cuju Star," and "Plunder Specialist," surrounding Song Huizong, appearing as a harmonious ruler‑minister tableau.

Above the throne hall, it seemed to become a calligraphy‑painting appraisal exhibition and a cuju performance arena.

"Treacherous Officials F4? Art Circle? Football Circle? Social gathering?"

Zhao Kuangyin only felt a dizzying whirl of heaven and earth.

He poured wine to relinquish military power and promoted civil officials, aiming to curb warlords and solidify his rule.

But his descendants, what a mess—what kind of people did they promote?

Calligraphers, eunuchs, footballers, and plunderers of the people's wealth?

Can this still be called a court? Isn't it a theatrical troupe now?!

"Cai Jing… Tong Guan… Gao Qiu… Zhu Mian…"

Zhao Guangyi gritted his teeth, "Treacherous traitors fill the court, the virtuous retreat; how can state affairs not be ruined!"

"And that 'Ganyue Mountain folk'… he was so extravagant, draining the people to build a garden."

"Hahaha! F4, and a football star governing the nation!"

Liu Bang laughed until tears streamed from his eyes,

"The Song court is so lively, even more entertaining than opera."

"Calligraphers, eunuchs, footballers, land‑grabbing… this combo is disastrous, no wonder the nation fell!"

Ying Zheng wore a disgusted expression, "Coddling the petty, shunning the virtuous—it's the same throughout history. Such ruler‑minister pairs are a nest of snakes and rats; the state cannot endure long."

Liu Che shouted angrily, "A kickball star can become Grand Commandant, and eunuchs understand military affairs? Ridiculous!"

"Using people like this, matters of war and state are like child's play! This Song Emperor Huizong treats the ancestral legacy as his plaything."

Li Shimin shook his head repeatedly: "The nation's vital assets are privately exchanged. What is valued is not talent or virtue, but whether one can cater to one's own preferences."

"Such a court is no different from the Han Emperor Ling's court that sold offices and titles, perhaps even lower."

Zhu Yuanzhang, furious, slammed the table: "Look, this Song Emperor Huizong's confidant Zhao Gu is a treacherous sycophant—this is exactly that kind of end!"

"Why are we so harsh on corrupt officials? It's because we fear the court becoming this ghostly state; these people gathered together can do nothing good—only harm the country or flatter the emperor!"

Liu Bei sighed: "This Song Emperor Huizong is reenacting the Later Han's lesson, and intensifying it."

Zhuge Liang said: "The ruler is dim above, the ministers are chaotic below. In such a situation, even talents like Guan Zhong or Yue Yi could not reverse it. The great building is about to topple; one single log cannot support it."