In "White Eyebrows" and its derivative works, the eight princes of Zhao and Song are the main line of the story. These eight princes are: Zhao Tingmei, King of Qin, Zhao Jue, King of Xiangyang, Zhao Yitong, King of Tianshun, and Yu He, a martial saint incarnated by Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son of Taizu, Zhao Defang, the eighth king, Zhao Ji, the king of Jin, Zhao Yuanhao, the king of Western Xia, and Huang Lun, the king of Tiande.
In "Little Wuyi", according to the imperial succession mechanism of "The Covenant of Jinkui", Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin passed the throne to his second brother Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi, however, Song Taizong should have passed the throne to his third brother Qin King Zhao Tingmei. However, because of Prime Minister Zhao Pu's advances, Song Taizong changed the mechanism of succession to the throne, causing Zhao Tingmei to commit suicide. Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty named his third prince Zhao Heng as the crown prince, and Zhao Tingmei's son Zhao Jue as the king of Xiangyang.
Zhao Jue, the king of Xiangyang, always believed that the throne should belong to his family, so he colluded with martial arts masters to build Chongxiao Tower, intending to launch a rebellion to regain the lost throne. However, with the help of the Three Heroes and Five Righteous and Little Five Righteousness, Yan Chasan successfully cracked the Chongxiaolou Copper Net Array, arrested Zhao Jue, and quelled this potential rebellion. However, this also led to the sacrifice of the heroic brocade rat Bai Yutang. Zhao Jue and his son Zhao Yitong fled to Western Xia, took refuge in Zhao Yuanhao, the king of Western Xia, and remotely commanded the martial arts forces of the Great Song Dynasty, and supported Huang Lun, the king of Tiande, to create chaos for the Great Song Dynasty.
Under the attack of Western Xia, the Great Song army fought unfavorably on the frontal battlefield. Song Renzong appointed Yan Chasan as a messenger to go to Datong Mansion in Shanxi to exterminate the rebellious forces of Huanglun, the king of Tiande. This action caused a conflict between the upper three gates and the lotus gate. In "Dragon and Tiger Wind and Cloud Meeting", Zhao Jue, the king of Xiangyang, died in Western Xia, and his son Zhao Yitong proclaimed himself the king of Tianshun, and he still did not forget the hatred of losing his position.
The eighth king, Zhao Defang, was the second prince of Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, and he was named the eighth king because he lost the throne. He experienced the Taizong and Zhenzong dynasties, and became the adoptive father of Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong because of the case of the tanuki changing the prince. He has the power of supervising the regency of the country and has a close relationship with the officials of the Kaifeng Prefecture.
The family members of Zhang Xiaoxi, who is a jade-faced Xiaorulai, are all subordinates of Zhao Jue, the king of Xiangyang. Because Bai Yutang killed many members of the Zhang family in Xiangyang, Zhang Xiaoxi framed Bai Yunrui, the son of Bai Yutang, in order to take revenge. In order to find out the truth, the eight kings, accompanied by Fang Shu'an, went to the Daxiangguo Temple to visit, but were kidnapped by the ** of the Lotus Temple, which triggered the eight kings. This contest caused a bitter hatred between the Shangsanmen and the Lotus Sect, which led to the martial arts catastrophe and high-level melee in the Three Churches, the Three Immortal Islands, and the Bixia Palace.
According to the TV series "White Eyebrows", the martial saint Yu He is actually Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son of Emperor Taizu. He was forced to death by his second uncle Song Taizong, but was finally rescued by his master and became a martial arts saint. In the commentary, Zhao Ji, the king of Jin, was the younger brother of Song Renzong; But in the TV series, he is the son of the martial saint Yu He (Zhao Dezhao). After Bai Yunrui was framed by Concubine Mei, Zhao Defang interrogated Bai Yunrui at night. And the yellow-robed monk washed the Eight Kings Mansion with human blood. In this chaos, Lu Zhen, Han Tianjin, and Ai Hu in Xiao Wuyi, as well as Lu Shijie, Liu Jinjie, and Liu Yujie in Xiao Qijie were all killed. Even the white-eyed hero Xu Liang was attacked and knocked unconscious. If it weren't for the timely arrival of Bai Chun, the king of laughter, Xu Liang would not have escaped his doom. Kaifeng Mansion then arrested the yellow-robed monk. During the search of the Jin Palace, they discovered Zhao Ji's collusion with Wulin.
It can be said that if there were no princes like the Great Song Dynasty, who were not fighting and not doing their jobs, the martial arts would be much calmer.