Chapter 9 Four civet cats for the prince

In the Song Dynasty, there was a legend "a civet cat for the prince", which was widely spread. It said that Empress Liu E of Song Zhenzong exchanged a civet cat for the dragon species (that is, later Song Renzong) born by the maid Li, and said that the dragon species was her own. son.It is true that Liu E robbed his son, but it is a myth that he exchanged a civet cat for the prince.Having a son means a lot to Empress Liu. It can be said that she exchanged this son for the position of queen, and then for the world of Song Dynasty. Liu E is very shrewd, so she naturally understands the importance of her son to her.Whether it was sincere or false, she really played the role of a qualified mother, treating Zhao Zhen as her own, nurturing her carefully, and the relationship between mother and child is very harmonious.Because Liu E was getting old and afraid of losing her energy, she enlisted Concubine Yang Shu, who was much younger than her, to take care of Zhao Zhen together.Concubine Yang Shu is kind and generous, and is very careful with Zhao Zhen.Zhao Zhen didn't know the truth, and always thought that Liu E was his biological mother. Since he was a child, he called Liu E the "big lady" and his adoptive mother, Concubine Yang Shu, the "little lady".In the palace of Song Dynasty, the queen mother was called empress, and the queen was called saint.

Song Zhenzong loved Zhao Zhen very much, and on the Mid-Autumn Festival in the second year of Tianxi (1018), he officially issued an imperial edict to appoint the eight-year-old Zhao Zhen as the crown prince. The real mother, Li, only played the role of a surrogate in the whole incident, and was later named the Lord of Chongyang County to express her appreciation.But Song Zhenzong felt guilty about Li Shi, so he often summoned Li Shi, and Li Shi became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter.Because of this, the Li family was promoted to be a talented person, which can be regarded as a formal title.Unfortunately, Li's little princess died shortly afterwards, and Li's wish to be a mother was once again destroyed.It's hard to imagine what kind of pain Li Shi is harboring under her quiet surface. She gave birth to a son and couldn't raise him, let alone recognize each other. This kind of huge pain is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.However, Lee has been enduring the pain in silence.

But Liu E became powerful because Li's son became the queen.Because Liu E has no relatives, she asked her ex-husband Gong Mei to stay by her side to work.Gong Mei changed her name to Liu Mei, and she and Liu E were called brothers and sisters, and they have been on the rise ever since.With Liu E's support, Liu Mei gradually mastered the military power in the capital and became Liu E's most capable assistant.Who would have thought that the silversmith back then would have made his fortune by relying on his ex-wife. Liu E's intervention in politics aroused the vigilance and dissatisfaction of some ministers, including Prime Minister Kou Zhun and Hanlin scholar Li Di.After Kou Zhun regained the position of prime minister because of the scriptures from heaven, he began to focus on cultivating his cronies and cronies, such as recommending Ding Wei as a political advisor (deputy prime minister).If it is said that Kou Zhun's previous scripture to heaven was just a matter of personal morality, then the misuse of Ding Wei was the biggest mistake in his life, which seriously interfered with the government at that time.

Ding Wei is called a Jinshi in Song Taizong Dynasty.Ding said he is good at calculating, quick-witted and cunning.In order to cater to Song Zhenzong, he carried out the activities of writing to heaven, and once visited with Song Zhenzong.After the ceremony, Song Zhenzong issued an edict to bestow jade belts on the accompanying ministers.At that time, there were eight ministers accompanying him, but there were only seven jade belts in the palace treasury.However, the Shangyi Bureau has a spare jade belt for the emperor, called "Biyu", which is worth 8 million yuan.Song Zhenzong saw that the number of jade belts was insufficient, so he wanted to make up for it with Biyu.Ding Wei wanted to get this biyu very much, but his official position was lower than the other seven, so he couldn't get his turn anyway.Ding Wei deliberately said to the officials in charge: "You don't need to use the jade belt from the Shangyi Bureau. I have a small belt of my own. I will put it on for the time being to say goodbye and thank you. It will not be too late to reward you when you return to the capital." If you are very generous, you will have a real report. Song Zhenzong felt that it was reasonable, so he followed Ding Wei's method.As a result, the accompanying ministers all accepted the jade belt as a reward, but Ding said that his belt was only as wide as a finger.Song Zhenzong saw it in his eyes, felt very sorry, and immediately told the official: "Ding Zhi's jade belt is too different from that of the same officials, so quickly take one and replace it with him." Jade, so Song Zhenzong decided to reward Biyu to Ding Wei.Seeing Shen Kuo's "Mengxi Bi Tan", Ding Wei's astute deceit can be seen from this.

At the beginning, Ding Wei attached himself to powerful ministers such as Wang Qinruo, who were called the "Five Ghosts" at the time.Wang Qinruo was the one who slandered Kou Zhun's dismissal after the Chanyuan alliance.The strange thing is that although Ding Wei is attached to Wang Qinruo, Kou Zhun appreciates his talent very much.At the beginning of Song Zhenzong's accession to the throne, Kou Zhun strongly recommended Ding Wei.At that time, the prime minister Li Hang (Kou Zhun Tongke Jinshi) despised Ding Wei's character very much, and said: "Looking at Ding Wei's character, can it be possible to make him superior to others?" Kou Zhun was sharp, and immediately responded: " Can a talent like Ding Wei be able to make him inferior to others for a long time?" Li Hang said: "You will always think of my words in the future." But Kou Zhun never took it seriously.

After Ding Wei became the deputy prime minister, he began to be cautious and very humble to Kou Zhun.Once at a Zhongshu Provincial banquet, Kou Zhun was stained with vegetable soup on his beard after drinking heavily.When Ding Wei saw it, he immediately got up and wiped Kou Zhun's beard.Kou Zhun not only didn't appreciate it, but was very annoyed. He taunted Ding Wei on the spot and said, "You are now participating in politics and an important minister of the country. How can you wipe the beard of the chief?" Take revenge on Kou Zhun. This incident also shows Kou Zhun's character, he thinks highly of himself, has a tough temper, and speaks harshly, which often makes it difficult for people to step down.This needless quickness of tongue made him many enemies throughout his life.For example, Cao Yong, who signed the Chanyuan Alliance, later served as a privy envoy and took charge of military aircraft.Kou Zhun looked down on Cao Yong, thinking that he had neither character nor talent.Whenever the two had disagreements, Kou Zhun always reprimanded Cao Yong loudly, saying: "You are a martial artist, how can you know the general idea?"The two joined forces to fight against Kou Zhun, which led to endless party disputes.

With the deterioration of Song Zhenzong's physical condition, Liu E became more and more powerful and became the de facto ruler of the Song Empire. had a decisive impact.In order to consolidate her position, Liu E also began to win over her own forces, mainly led by Qian Weiyan, an Imperial scholar, and Ding Wei, the deputy prime minister: because Liu Mei married Qian Weiyan's sister, and Ding Wei was Qian Weiyan's in law. But before, Liu E's clan ran amok and robbed the salt wells of the people in Shu, and was reported.Song Zhenzong thought about Liu E and wanted to leave it alone.But Kou Zhun was stern and selfless and insisted on punishment according to law, which offended Liu E.It's just that Liu E forbears and doesn't say anything.

In June of the fourth year of Tianxi (1020), Song Zhenzong suffered from wind paralysis, and most of the political affairs were presided over by Empress Liu E. Qian Weiyan and Ding Wei immediately became powerful.Kou Zhun and Li Di were deeply worried about this. Song Zhenzong thought he could not afford to be ill, and wanted to pass the throne to Prince Zhao Zhen.The eunuch Zhou Huaizheng secretly told Kou Zhun about Song Zhenzong's thoughts.One day, Kou Zhun asked Song Zhenzong to exclude others and said: "The crown prince is admired by all people. May your majesty consider the successor, pass on the throne to the crown prince, and select upright ministers to assist him. Ding Wei, Qian Qian Wei Yan is a treacherous person, you must not let them assist the young master." Song Zhenzong nodded in agreement.Kou Zhun immediately ordered Yang Yi, a Hanlin scholar, to draft a watch, and the prince would participate in politics and supervise state affairs, and planned to replace Ding Wei with Yang Yi to assist the government.

This is quite a major contingency action.Knowing that the matter was a secret, Yang Yi wrote the manuscript himself overnight.However, the fault lies with Kou Zhun himself.Kou Zhun was "extravagant in sex and drinking in comedy", but he leaked the secret after getting drunk, and Ding Wei knew about it.Ding Wei questioned Li Di and said: "The official family (referring to Song Zhenzong) will soon recover, let's see how you deal with this matter?" Li Di replied: "It is an ancient system for the prince to participate in politics and supervise the country. Why not can it?"

Ding Wei immediately reported the matter to Liu E.Liu E immediately framed Kou Zhun in front of Song Zhenzong to threaten the prince, preparing to seize the power of the court.According to historical records, at this time Song Zhenzong could no longer remember the previous conversation with Kou Zhun, so he dismissed Kou Zhun as prime minister.Obviously, this is a cover for Song Zhenzong, but to cover up the fact that Song Zhenzong is afraid of Liu E.Liu E came to Xingshi to inquire about the crime. Song Zhenzong was afraid of his wife, so he could only say that he had never said this.In fact, in the late Song Zhenzong period, Liu E had firmly grasped the power of the court, and Song Zhenzong was powerless, just like the situation of Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian back then.

Taking a step back, even if Kou Zhun's move is successful, the prince Zhao Zhen ascends the throne, and the queen Liu E, as the mother of the prince, can still participate in politics.From this we can see why Liu E must snatch Li's son. After Kou Zhun dismissed as prime minister, Li Di and Ding Wei became prime ministers.Not to mention that Kou Zhun was demoted to Prince Taifu, Song Zhenzong also chose the smallest place "Lai", and made Kou Zhun the Duke of Lai.This was Song Zhenzong's anger at Kou Zhun's lax tone, which led to the failure of the matter.This subtle detail can somewhat explain that Song Zhenzong was dissatisfied with Empress Liu's power, but he was born with a cowardly character and was unable to change.A strong queen combined with a weak emperor, the result can only be the queen meddling in politics.If the queen lives longer than the emperor, it is even more inevitable to listen to politics behind the curtain. Kou Zhun's faction lost, causing the situation to take a turn for the worse.Eunuch Zhou Huaizheng has always been attached to Kou Zhun, and he feels a deep crisis.At that time, the imperial court advocated Taoism. Zhou Huaizheng took the opportunity to entrust the gods to make talismans, plundered the treasury money, said that the country was at fault, and criticized the court ministers, which aroused people's resentment.Many ministers in the court reported on Zhou Huaizheng.Because Zhou Huaizheng has always been obedient to him, Kou Zhun also needs a cronies in the palace, so he never pursued it. After Kou Zhun was dismissed as prime minister, Zhou Huaizheng was terrified day and night, and decided to take the risk. He sent his younger brother Zhou Huaisu to summon the guest provincial envoy (the official who received foreign envoys) Yang Chongxun, and the inner palace successor Yang Huaiji, etc., to prepare for a coup. Kou Zhun was the prime minister, and Song Zhenzong was made the Supreme Emperor, and Empress Liu was dismissed from the pre-government, and the throne was passed on to Prince Zhao Zhen.As a result, Yang Chongxun told Ding Wei about this matter.Ding Wei knew that the matter was urgent, so he immediately changed into plain clothes, took a vehicle for women, and consulted with Cao Yong overnight to discuss countermeasures. The next day, Ding Wei reported the matter to Song Zhenzong and Empress Liu E.Song Zhenzong ordered Zhou Huaizheng to be interrogated, and Zhou Huaizheng confessed.Under Song Zhenzong's rage, he even wanted to severely punish Prince Zhao Zhen.The emperor was furious, and none of the officials dared to speak.Only Prime Minister Li Di played calmly: "How many sons does Your Majesty have? You actually want to deal with it like this." Song Zhenzong came to his senses and stopped pursuing the prince. Thanks to Li Di's mediation, the case was not too involved, and only Zhou Huaizheng was killed.Dan Dingwei took the opportunity to persecute Kou Zhun and demoted him again and again, first to Taichangqing and Zhixiangzhou, then to Anzhou, then to Daozhou Sima, and finally to the remote Leizhou (now Guangdong) Haikangjing) to join the army as a Sihu is equivalent to being dispatched there to serve as an army.On the day Kou Zhun left the capital, the ministers were afraid of Ding Wei, so they did not dare to see him off. Only Wang Shu bid Kou Zhun farewell with "the righteousness of a friend". Kou Zhun was demoted, it is said that Ding Wei and Liu E colluded and did it behind Song Zhenzong's back.According to the "Song History Kou Zhun Biography", Song Zhenzong never knew that Kou Zhun was demoted from the court. He hadn't seen Kou Zhun for a while, and he felt very strange and asked about what happened.Only then did the officials know that the edict of Kou Zhun's demotion was not what Song Zhenzong meant, but they dared not tell Song Zhenzong the truth.Before Song Zhenzong died, he also said that only Kou Zhun and Li Di were important ministers who could entrust state affairs. After Kou Zhun was demoted, Ding Wei was worried that Li Di and Kou Zhun would be good friends and would help Kou Zhun regain his prime minister, so he colluded with Liu E and deposed Li Di as prime minister.What was especially insidious was that Ding Wei planned to put Kou Zhun and Li Di to death, so he racked his brains to come up with a poisonous plan. He asked the eunuch who was going to deliver the imperial decree to Kou Zhun and Li Di to hang a kit with a sword in front of the horse, so that People mistakenly think that it looks like a decree to grant death.Li Di was upright and was immediately fooled. As soon as he saw the eunuch, he mistakenly thought that the emperor ordered him to die, and asked for suicide.Fortunately, being hugged by his son saved his life in vain.The eunuch came to look for Kou Zhun in the same way, and everyone was terrified when they saw the eunuch's murderous look.Only Kou Zhun remained calm and said: "If the imperial court orders the ministers to die, the ministers must see the imperial decree for themselves." Ding Wei's plot did not succeed.However, the weak power of her natal family always made Empress Liu feel unhappy.Some good people speculated on Liu Hou's mind and spread the inside story. As a result, thousands of people surnamed Liu thought they were from Liu Hou's family.Empress Liu was overjoyed, and all comers were not rejected, and all of them were rewarded generously.People surnamed Liu in the capital have all become rich and powerful. That Liu Mei, who was first her husband and then her elder brother, was rich and wealthy, needless to say, all those who were related to Liu Mei were all on the same path and made great achievements.Liu Mei's son-in-law, Ma Jiliang, was born in a tea merchant and was ignorant, so he became an official only under the shade of his father-in-law.Not only that, but Liu E wanted Ma Jiliang to be the official historian.The historian needed to take an exam, and Liu E knew that Ma Jiliang was so weak, so he assigned the chief examiner Yan Shu and others to answer the paper for Ma Jiliang on the spot.This is the ancient anecdote of the examiner ghostwriting the student's answer sheet.Later, Ma Jiliang not only entered the history museum, but also became a direct bachelor of Longtu Pavilion. At that time, the fact that Prince Zhao Zhen was not the biological son of Empress Liu was widely known. Although the prince himself did not know it, there were many people who wanted to use this to drive a wedge between Liu E and the prince.Throughout the ages, there have been countless biological parents who killed their parents and children for the imperial power, not to mention that Liu E was always just a foster mother.The courtiers were very worried about the prince's situation.Deputy Prime Minister Wang Zeng said through Liu E's in-law Qian Weiyan: "The prince is young, and he cannot grow and gain a foothold without the help of the queen; and if the queen does not rely on the name of the prince, the hearts of the people will not be attached. Now the future of the prince is uncertain, and the powerful ministers have ghosts. If the empress shows special kindness to the prince at this time, the prince will be safe; only when the prince is safe can the empress and the Liu family be able to rely on and be safe." Liu E deeply believed.Besides, she has raised the prince for many years and treated her as her own child. Even the daily diet must be taken care of by herself, and she has long had a deep mother-child relationship.In this way, some people with ulterior motives have nothing to take advantage of. In February of the first year of Qianxing (1022), Song Zhenzong's condition deteriorated sharply. A few days later, he died in Yanqing Hall in Da Nei at the age of fifty-five.The prince Zhao Zhen came to the throne for Song Renzong. At that time, there were rumors that Song Zhenzong was worried about the young prince and planned to entrust the prince to his eighth younger brother Jing Wang Zhao Yuanyan (the prototype of the eight sage kings in opera).It is said that before Song Zhenzong died, he once signaled to the ministers in front of the sick bed, first pointed to his chest with his finger, then stretched out five fingers, and then stretched out three fingers.At that time, the officials didn't know what it meant. Later, some people boldly guessed that Song Zhenzong meant to let his eighth younger brother Zhao Yuanyan be regent and assist the prince Zhao Zhen.After Liu E knew about this, he immediately sent someone to explain to the officials: "The official said that it only means that the illness can be relieved in three or five days, and there is no other intention." As an obstacle to Chang'e's power, he immediately closed the door to thank the guests and no longer participated in the affairs of the DPRK and China. This kind of rumor should be a manifestation of dissatisfaction with Liu E's interference in politics, but it is not true.When Song Zhenzong was dying, the young prince was most worried. Ding Wei and others assured Song Zhenzong that they would do their best to assist the prince, and Song Zhenzong felt a little relieved.In Song Zhenzong's later years, Liu E was very powerful and basically controlled the government. Song Zhenzong should be well aware of this, so he left a will, respecting the empress Liu E as the empress dowager, and Concubine Yang Shu as the empress dowager. Liu E has full power to punish.In fact, this is the only way to preserve the prince Zhao Zhen after entrusting the prince Zhao Zhen to Liu E, so that Liu E can control the highest power in the Song Dynasty.Song Zhenzong worked hard for the prince to ascend the throne smoothly.From then on, the Song Dynasty began the 12-year era of Empress Dowager Liu listening to the government behind a curtain, known in history as "Zhang Xian hanging behind the curtain". According to the Song system, the emperor visited Yu Chuigong Hall every day, and had to meet civil and military officials in the main office of Wende Hall, which was called "Chang Shen"; he met officials in Chongde Hall or Chuigong Hall once every five days, called "Chang Shen". daily life".Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, there has never been an empress dowager in court, and there are no rules to follow. This posed a problem for the ministers: how to arrange the situation?Wang Zeng suggested to imitate the old example of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Hou and the emperor once ruled for five days, Liu Hou sat on the left, the young emperor sat on the right, and went to the Chengming Hall to listen to the government behind the curtain.Ding Wei wanted to do everything he could, and prevented other important ministers from knowing the important government orders. He secretly asked Empress Liu through the eunuch Lei Yungong to issue an edict directly: "The emperor goes to court on the first and fifteenth day of each month; major events are called by the empress dowager. The prime ministers discussed and dealt with it together; Lei Yungong played the role of the empress dowager in daily military affairs, and the empress dowager signed the handling opinions." In this way, the emperor and the empress dowager were not connected, and all power was controlled by the eunuch Lei Yungong.Wang Zeng was very anxious about such an arrangement, but there was nothing he could do. Not long after the curtain was drawn, Liu E discovered that Ding Wei had colluded with Lei Yungong, often cheating, and even wanted to hold her hostage, so naturally she was very dissatisfied. The opportunity came quickly.Lei Yungong moved the crypt of Song Zhenzong's mausoleum without Liu Hou's approval. It happened that the location he moved was a spring, which was the "jedi" in Feng Shui.This matter was exposed by Wang Zeng.Wang Zeng killed two birds with one stone, and also incidentally brought Ding Wei, saying that Ding Wei intended to protect Lei Yungong, and the two "had evil intentions and wanted to put the royal family in a desperate situation."Ding Wei was shocked when he heard the news, and hurried to the place where Liu E was listening to politics behind a curtain to defend himself.Just as he was talking, the servant rolled up the curtain and said, "Who is Mr. Xiang talking to? The queen mother has already left." Obviously, no matter whether Ding Wei is wrong or not, Liu E has decided to take advantage of this Chance got rid of Ding Wei's group, so he didn't even bother to listen to the defense.Soon, Lei Yungong was killed, and Ding Wei was dismissed and relegated. I don't know whether it was intentional or a coincidence, Ding Wei was demoted to Yazhou (now Hainan), and he had to pass through Leizhou where Kou Zhun was demoted.After hearing that Ding Wei was coming, Kou Zhun's servant planned to avenge Kou Zhun.Kou Zhun locked these servants in the room and let them gamble, and sent someone to bring a steamed sheep to Ding Wei.Kou Zhun didn't release the servants until Ding Wei left. The weather in Leizhou was harsh and life was difficult, and Kou Zhun's health quickly collapsed.In the first year of Renzong Tiansheng (1023), Kou Zhun died of illness at the age of sixty-two.At this time, not long after Song Renzong came to the throne, he changed Kou Zhun to Sima of Hengzhou (now Hengyang, Hunan).However, when the imperial decree arrived, Kou Zhun was already dead. After Kou Zhun's death, because the family had no money left, his wife Song Shi (the youngest sister of Empress Kaibao of Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty) went to the palace to give a performance, and asked the court to allocate funds to transport Kou Zhun's coffin from Leizhou back to his hometown for burial.As a result, the appropriation allocated by the imperial court was only enough to transport the coffin to Luoyang, the residence of the Song family, but not at all to transport it back to Kou Zhun’s hometown Xiagui (Weinan, Shaanxi).At that time, all the political power was in the hands of Liu E. This was obviously done by Liu E on purpose, which showed that she still did not forget that Grand Duke Kou Zhun selflessly punished Liu's clan's enmity.It was not until eleven years after Kou Zhun's death that Liu E died of illness, and Song Renzong was able to take charge of the government, that he decreed that Kou Zhun should be buried in his homeland. .Song Renzong also ordered Sun Yan, a Hanlin scholar, to write a Shinto stele for Kou Zhun, and personally inscribed the word "Jing Zhong" as the forehead of the stele, and stood it in front of Kou Zhun's tomb.It was an unparalleled honor at the time for the emperor to inscribe the monument himself, and it finally affirmed Kou Zhun's ups and downs in his life. As mentioned earlier, Liu E vigorously promotes her relatives, but she strictly prevents courtiers from forming cliques for personal gain. For this reason, she thought of a brilliant idea.After Song Zhenzong was buried, Empress Liu said emotionally to the left and right ministers: "The country is in great trouble, and thanks to the concerted efforts of all the princes, we can have today. Now that the funeral of Emperor Daxing is over, you can write down the names of your descendants and relatives. Write it to me, and I will use all of my tweets to accept the emperor's favor." The ministers believed it and reported the names of all the relatives they could think of.Liu E listed these names into a chart and posted them on the wall of the bedroom. Whenever the ministers recommended officials, she had to check the chart on the wall first. Only those who were not on the list could get the chance of promotion.Liu E used this method to avoid cronyism among ministers and form a strong personal force. What is rare is that Liu E buried the noisy "Book of Heaven" as a funeral object in Song Zhenzong's Yongding Mausoleum (now southwest of Junxian County, Henan Province), and finally ended more than ten years of "Tales about the Book of Heaven" and stopped Song Zhenzong In his later years, he advocated Taoist religious activities.During the reign of Empress Liu, rich merchants in Chengdu also printed Jiaozi, which is the earliest banknote in the world. Let's talk about the ending of Song Renzong's biological mother Li.After Song Zhenzong's death, Liu E granted the Li family Shun Rong, who guarded Song Zhenzong's Yongding Mausoleum.In this way, Mrs. Li was completely kicked out of the capital, and never had the chance to meet her own son again. Liu E also sent people to search for Li Yonghe, Li's long-lost younger brother, who became a minor official in the court. He wanted to win over Li and take Li Yonghe as a hostage. In the tenth year after Song Renzong came to the throne, Li was seriously ill, and was not allowed to become a concubine Chen until he was dying.As soon as Mrs. Li died, Liu E finally got rid of a heartache.She didn't want to say anything, and planned to bury Mrs. Li with the funeral of ordinary palace people.After the prime minister Lu Yijian heard about it, he entered the memorial in front of Liu E and Song Renzong and said: "I heard that a concubine of the late emperor passed away not long ago?" Liu E suddenly changed color and immediately pulled Song Renzong into the harem, and then went alone Summoned Lu Yijian, he was very unhappy and said: "A court lady died of illness, is it necessary for the prime minister to intervene?" Lu Yijian said: "As a prime minister, I should intervene in everything." Liu E was furious: "Do you want to drive us apart? Mother and son?" Lu Yijian played calmly: "If the Empress Dowager does not want to preserve the Liu family, I dare not say more. If you still remember the Liu family, then the funeral should be generous." Liu E was very clever and immediately understood this. Because of the deep meaning in the words, an order was made to bury Mrs. Li generously. Lu Yijian went to Luo Chongxun, the servant who was in charge of arranging the funeral, and said: "The concubine Chen will be buried and the coffin will be filled with mercury. Don't say that I, Lu Yijian, didn't remind you in the future."He didn't dare to make decisions privately, so he only got Liu E to listen to Lu Yijian's words one by one.Luo Chongxun originally thought that Liu E would be furious, but Liu E lowered his head and thought for a while, then ordered to follow Lu Yijian's suggestion, and even buried Li in empress clothes.Both Li's parents were also granted posthumous titles, and his younger brother Li Yonghe was promoted again.Due to the careful monitoring of the matter, Song Renzong didn't know about it, so Liu E's hanging heart was relieved. As she got older, Liu E became more and more enthusiastic about power.Song Renzong was already in his early twenties, and Liu E still refused to return to power.When the ministers saw that the emperor had been married for many years and could not govern alone, they wrote letters one after another, asking the queen mother to return to power.Liu E either pretended to be deaf and dumb, or dismissed the person who wrote the letter from the court. Not only that, but Liu E also wants to emulate Wu Zetian's addiction to being a female emperor.One day, she suddenly asked Lu Zongdao, a political adviser (deputy prime minister), "What kind of person is Wu Zetian?" Fish head participating in politics" (Lu character is a fish head).After hearing Liu E's words, Lu Zongdao immediately understood the meaning behind the words, and replied decisively: "Wu Zetian is a sinner of the Tang Dynasty! She almost endangered the society of the Tang Dynasty!" I can't go down. Zhong Gongzuo, a small official who was good at worshiping, asked Liu E to follow the method of Wu Zetian's ancestral temple and build seven ancestral temples for Liu's family.Lu Zongdao reminded: "If Liu's Temple is built, what will the future emperor do?" Liu E thought repeatedly, and finally felt that Wu Zetian's history would not repeat itself, so he gave up the idea of ​​being an emperor.Cheng Lin, the envoy of the third division, wanted to flatter Liu E by presenting a "Picture of Empress Wu Facing the Court" to curry favor with Liu E.Liu E resolutely threw the book on the ground in public, and said to everyone: "I will never do such a thing that I am sorry to my ancestors!" But in February of the second year of Mingdao (1033), the Song court was going to hold a grand ceremony for offering sacrifices to the Taimiao. Liu E couldn't restrain his strong desire to wear the emperor's crown to sacrifice to the Taimiao.All the ministers dissuaded her, and Xue Kui, the deputy prime minister, even said something very ugly: "If the queen mother wears the emperor's clothes, what face does she have to enter the Taimiao to meet her ancestors?" But Liu E didn't listen. During the holidays, I want to wear the crown of the emperor once before my death. Soon after the sacrificial ceremony, Liu E suddenly contracted a cold disease and became so seriously ill that he was bedridden.Song Renzong called famous doctors from all over the world to Beijing for diagnosis and treatment, but it was always ineffective.Liu E died over a month ago and was buried in the northwest of Yongding Mausoleum at the age of sixty-four.This woman, who almost followed Wu Zetian's footsteps and was only one step away from the throne of the empress, finally ended her bizarre and legendary life. When Liu E was dying, she was speechless, but she still pulled her own clothes with her hands, as if she had asked her to.Song Renzong couldn't help being skeptical when he saw it, but he didn't know the reason.Xue Kui, who participated in politics, said: "The queen mother must have worn Yanmian, so it is inconvenient to see the late emperor underground." Song Renzong suddenly realized, so he changed Liu E into a queen's costume for burial. Zhao Zhen, the prince who was exchanged for the civet cat in the legend, has been on the throne for twelve years, but it is only at this time that he becomes the real emperor.Song Renzong's mood at this time should be quite complicated: on the one hand, Empress Liu raised him and had always been very affectionate to him; It is the emperor in name only. This kind of psychological pressure is self-evident, and he is more in awe than grateful to Empress Liu. Until this time, Song Renzong still didn't know that Liu E was not his biological mother.Before Liu E was alive, others were afraid of Empress Liu, and no one dared to speak.Liu E is dead, who would dare to easily expose this shocking case? At this time, a person who had been suppressed by Empress Liu for many years stepped forward, and he was Zhao Yuanyan.Regarding Zhao Yuanyan, it should be said that the rumors that Empress Liu tabooed him must be true. Conversely, he must also hate Liu E's monopoly.When Liu E was alive, he was powerless to compete with him, but when Empress Liu died, he immediately ran to tell Song Renzong the truth about his biological mother. At that time, Liu E left a will, asking Song Renzong to treat Concubine Yang (Concubine Yang Shu) kindly, respect Concubine Yang as empress dowager, and discuss military and state affairs with the emperor, which meant that Concubine Yang would continue to listen to politics behind the curtain.It is completely unreasonable for Liu E to leave such a will. The only explanation can only be that she really has a deep relationship with Concubine Yang's sisters. When Liu E was still listening to the government behind the curtain, there were many ministers who wrote to ask to return the government to Song Renzong, and even many ministers were demoted because of this, and Fan Zhongyan was one of them.Now that Liu E is dead, he has even appointed a successor to listen to the government behind the curtain. This undoubtedly met with stronger opposition from the ministers.Cai Qi, the censor Zhongcheng, said: "The emperor has grown up, understands the situation in the world, and understands the principles of governing the country. Now he should be in charge of the government alone. How can the female queen continue to be in power?" Cai Qi's words were more tactful. Shi Pangji just kept on doing nothing, closed the door, set a fire and burned Liu E's set of decorations listening to the government behind the curtain. Of course Song Renzong wanted to be in charge of the government independently, so he went down the slope, only planning to confer Concubine Yang as Empress Dowager Yang, and no longer mentioned the matter of listening to politics behind the curtain.It just so happened that the eighth king (the name for the prince in the Song Dynasty) Zhao Yuanyan came to the capital at this time and objected in public: "The queen mother is the name of the emperor's mother. The queen mother Liu is already reluctant. Do you want to establish the queen mother Yang?" As soon as this remark came out, the audience was shocked, Prime Minister Lu Yijian and others all looked at each other in blank dismay.Everyone knew what was going on, but they were surprised that Zhao Yuanyan had exposed it in public.Only Song Renzong didn't know why, so he was at a loss. Zhao Yuanyan continued: "There is nothing like filial piety in governing the world. Your Majesty has been in the imperial court for more than ten years, but you don't even know who your own mother is. However, this is also the fault of us courtiers who did not do our duty." Song Renzong was taken aback, and quickly Ask why.Zhao Yuanyan said: "Your Majesty was born to Concubine Li Chen, and Empress Liu and Yang are just surrogates." Song Renzong was shocked and said, "Why didn't uncle say it earlier?" Zhao Yuanyan said: "The first emperor is in Japan, and Empress Liu has already used things. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, the four evildoers are in power, concealed from the inside and outside, and Empress Liu keeps secret. The court is not allowed to leak this matter. I have long thought about it. It is not a pity, and I am afraid that it will hinder the emperor's bow and concubine Chen. For ten years, the minister has been hiding his obscurity and did not pay attention to the court. He is just trying to clarify this matter today, and he has the same concept as the minister. Poor Concubine Chen was born to Your Majesty, and she will not complain for the rest of her life. Even if she died that day, some people said that Empress Liu secretly murdered her, and her death was extremely suspicious." The first half of Zhao Yuanyan's words are true, but the second half is full of suspicions. Hidden killing intent.It can be seen that he has been suppressed by Empress Liu for many years, and he has long held a bad breath in his chest. If Song Renzong was hit by five thunderbolts, he asked Prime Minister Lu Yijian for confirmation in half-belief. After getting the confirmation, he immediately howled and burst into grief. .Because Zhao Yuanyan implied that the Li family was murdered by Liu E, Song Renzong also sent troops to surround the house of Liu's natal family, and planned to severely punish the Liu family once the evidence was conclusive. When Song Renzong rushed to Hongfuyuan where Li's coffin was placed in a bullock cart, the coffin had already been opened, and Li, who was protected by mercury, was lying peacefully in the coffin, wearing a queen's costume, with a lifelike appearance.Seeing it with his own eyes, Song Renzong sighed and said: "How can people believe what they say?" Then he ordered the removal of the soldiers who surrounded Liu's house, burned incense and prayed in front of Liu E's portrait, and said: "From now on, the life of the aunt will be clear." The implication is that the previous rumors are not credible, and Empress Dowager Liu is innocent. It can be said that the preservation of the Liu family is entirely due to the foresight of Prime Minister Lu Yijian.If Liu E insisted on going her own way that day and insisted on burying Li according to palace etiquette, what happened to her and the fate of the Liu family would be unimaginable. Although he knew that Liu E was not his biological mother, Song Renzong still had deep affection for her for many years of nurturing.It is worth emphasizing that during the 12 years that Liu E had been in power, Song Renzong could not be in power and had been living in the shadow of Liu E. However, Song Renzong did not have any intention of revenge against Liu E after that. The policies implemented by Liu E during his lifetime, No major changes either.Compared with the later Song Zhezong's treatment of his grandmother, Empress Dowager Gao, who was in charge of politics behind the curtain, Song Renzong was really a rare kind-hearted emperor. Most of the officials who had been relegated by Liu E were recalled to return to court, and everyone complained to Song Renzong about Liu E's improper actions back then.Only Fan Zhongyan said to Song Renzong: "The Empress Dowager was entrusted by the late emperor to assist Your Majesty for more than ten years. Now she should cover up her small mistakes to preserve her great virtue." Song Renzong replied: "I can't bear to listen to people talking about big things Madam's bad words." So he issued an imperial edict admonishing to decorate the inside and outside of the court, not to talk about Liu E's affairs when he was listening to politics behind the curtain. After Liu E's death, the Liu family was still respected by Song Renzong.Liu Mei's youngest son, Liu Congguang, served as the defense envoy of Chuzhou at the age of seventeen. Song Renzong also made the decision for him to marry Zhao Yuanyan's daughter as his wife.I don't know how Zhao Yuanyan, who has always hated Liu E, feels.Thinking about it, he would definitely not be willing, but the emperor was a matchmaker, but there was nothing he could do.Or maybe this itself was Zhao Yuanyan's wish. He saw that Song Renzong favored the Liu family as before, so he might as well form an in-law for solid favor.In any case, the true image of the Eight Great Kings is far from the upright and righteous "Eight Wise Kings" in operas. Of course, Song Renzong treated the Li family of his biological mother's natal family even more favorably. He worshiped his uncle Li Yonghe as the envoy of the Zhangxin Army and the inspector of the school, and married his favorite eldest daughter, Princess Fukang, to Li Yonghe. His son Li Wei.Li Wei looks mediocre and has no talent, Princess Fukang is very dissatisfied.Princess Fukang likes Liang Huai, the capital prisoner, and the relationship between the two is quite ambiguous.Once, Princess Fukang and Liang Huai, the capital supervisor, were talking in the room. Li Wei's mother was eavesdropping outside the window, but was discovered by Princess Fukang.Princess Fukang was so furious that she ordered her maid to beat her mother-in-law.Li Wei has always been honest, but he couldn't tolerate his mother being beaten by his wife. The couple had a big fight because of this. Princess Fukang went back to the palace in the middle of the night in a rage, and cried to Song Renzong, which led to a series of cases.Wang Tao, the admonisher, believed that it was a taboo to open the palace gate at night, and the guards who guarded the palace gate that night should be punished.The censor also impeached the ministers of the princess' mansion for being careless, in fact implying that the governor Liang Huai had an affair with Princess Fukang.After making a fuss, Song Renzong punished Liang Huaiyi and others from the capital prison.Princess Fukang has stayed in the palace since then and never went back.Li Wei also had no chance to meet his wife again, but he didn't dare to marry another, so one can imagine the depression in his heart.Princess Fukang died of illness in the third year of Xining (1070). She was only 33 years old, obviously suffering from depression.At that time, Song Shenzong was in power, and he angered Li Wei, thinking that Li Wei was "serving the Lord without merit", and demoted him to Chenzhou.For Li Wei, it is very unfortunate to marry Princess Fukang as his wife.