It was 1068, Year 1 of the Xining era. Emperor Zhao Xu had recently ascended the throne of the Song dynasty. The widely respected old-guard of civil officials, Ouyang Xiu, Han Qi, and Fu Bi, were in their twilight years. The unorthodox reformer Wang Anshi was full of vigor, wishing to reverse the tide of decline sweeping over the empire. The stubborn Sima Guang would rather…