Abstract: The imperial edicts issued for outright advise were relatively common political phenomenon in the Chinese imperial era, which were more than other Dynasties in the Song. In theory, they could help the emperors to know the true situation in the folk, and also could show the scene that the emperor and the scholar co-ruled of the country. But in the imperial autocratic system, many of this kind of the imperial edicts only became a mere formality; in the Song Dynasty, they had two main political functions: The first one was to show the enlightened figure of the emperor to his subjects, and the second function were providing convenience for the party contest between the new and old party in the late Northern Song Dynasty: to create public opinion for policy adjustment by the imperial edicts, or by sorting the advice to support own party and attack the others. Although the positive role of this kind of imperial edicts in the Song Dynasty was very limited, but adapted to the need for the emperor to shape the enlightened figure, adapted to the psychological needs of the affected people by the influence of the interaction between heaven and man, and also adapted to the needs of the literati and officialdom to participate in politics, especially the need of the party contest. The imperial edicts for outright advice became a common political and cultural phenomenon under the authoritarian system of the Song Dynasty.

Key words: The emperor of the Song Dynasty, imperial edicts for outright advice, function, effect.