Song of the North

Song of the North is a long historical novel by the web novelist Christmas Scarecrow, set during the Tianxi era of Emperor Zhenzong of Northern Song. Serialized on Qidian from June 2019, it runs to roughly 4.67 million characters and was completed in October 2020. The protagonist, Kou Ji, transmigrates into the Northern Song as the grand-nephew of Chancellor Kou Zhun—that is, the son of Kou Zhun's adopted son. By ordinary logic, such a "third-generation official" should have spent his days riding horses, flying hawks, and idling as a spoiled young master. Yet when he arrives in the capital Bianjing bearing a letter from his convenient father inviting him to "enjoy the good life," his retinue nearly exhausted along the way, the chancellor's household takes him for a swindler and throws him out. Only then does he discover that the family is already in chaos: his grandfather Kou Zhun is upright and blunt, has made many enemies, and is entangled in a scandal over imperial gifts lost at gambling, leaving him in a precarious position. The novel follows Kou Ji, a newcomer who "just wants to coast," as he survives, turns the tables, and rises step by step amid court intrigue and palace secrets. The book spans grand court assemblies, memorials before the emperor, disputes between legitimate and illegitimate sons, and the mystery of the elixir of immortality, moving from the chancellor's mansion and the entertainment quarters of Bianjing to the frontier armies and the power struggles with the Western Xia and Liao. The protagonist has almost no cheat beyond his era; he relies chiefly on social savvy, quick wits, and knowledge of how history will unfold, combining a sense of national destiny with streetwise cunning. With a single female lead, the novel features a large cast of historical figures including Kou Zhun, Ding Wei, Liu E, Xiang Minzhong, Fan Zhongyan, Di Qing, and Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen, and carries a light comic style built on puns. During its serialization it long ranked high on the Qidian and QQ Reading historical bestseller lists and won second prize in the 2019 Web Novel King Awards for historical fiction.