During the preceding Tang dynasty, the civil service examinations did not yet produce the high number of officials as they would during the Song dynasty;Ebrey (1999), pp. 145–146. a hereditary aristocracy remained dependent on the court for attaining rank and holding office.Bol (2001), 132. Song rulers, particularly Emperor Huizong, encountered a great deal of political opposition despite attempts to attain the ideals of the sage kings of antiquity. The inability of the sovereign to monopolize political authority was linked to the rise of a new class of gentry and scholar-official who filled the bureaucracy.See Bol (2001), pp. 103–134 for detailed analysis.
