Chapter 10 Chapter Three

Generally speaking, the role of women in history is very weak, especially under the light of heroes like Xuanzong.But the emotional entanglements between the emperor and the harem often become another auxiliary line on the historical stage, even the heroic emperor is no exception.Therefore, by controlling and influencing the powerful emperors, certain concubines played a "finishing" role in the development of history, and even directly determined the direction of history, even if it was inadvertent.Especially in the Tang Dynasty, women were relatively open and independent, and concubines in the palace could maintain close contact with relatives outside the palace. Under normal circumstances, their close relatives would inevitably be involved in court political struggles.

Special mention should be made here of the four women in Xuanzong's life - Empress Wang, Concubine Wu Hui, Concubine Mei, and Concubine Yang.These four women played different roles and functions around Xuanzong.Judging from the division of three types of people: Queens and Queens participated in history, but they were eventually influenced by the trend of history; Concubine Yang Guifei belonged to those who partially changed history.No matter what their original motives are, whether it is fighting for favor or love, because their husbands are the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, their influence on their husbands will definitely affect the fate of the country.

Bai Juyi's swan song through the ages made the love story between Xuanzong and Concubine Yang popular and passed down through the ages.Influenced by works of art, later generations always thought that Xuanzong was a passionate man who was very dedicated to love.In fact, this romantic emperor is a typical womanizer, not only courting Qin Muchu, but also ungrateful and merciless.The wife of the chaff, Wang, was in the same boat with Xuanzong. Although they were a couple in need, they still ended up in a very tragic end. The Wang family was born in a prominent family in Shanxi, from Xiayu, Tongzhou, and after Shennian, the governor of Liangjizhou.When Li Longji was still the king of Linzi, the Wang family was accepted as the princess of Linzi.At that time, Li Longji's family was not prominent, and under Wu Zetian's high pressure, their lives were often in danger.As soon as the Wang family entered the gate of the Li family, they couldn't help being involved in the political storm.

Li Longji and his father's family were imprisoned by Wu Zetian for a time, and they were not allowed to move freely, and they were also extremely financially struggling.Once, Li Longji celebrated his birthday, the majestic king of the Tang Dynasty, but his family was in a difficult situation, so he couldn't congratulate him.It was Wang's father, Wang Renjiao, who took off the clothes he was wearing, went to change into a bucket of noodles, and made a meal of soup cakes, so he reluctantly celebrated Li Longji's shabby birthday. Before Li Longji became emperor, Wang played the role of a virtuous housemate very well.When Li Longji planned to eradicate Webster, he deliberately told the princess Wang about the plan he had agreed with Princess Taiping.Wang couldn't help worrying about her husband. If the incident failed, not only Li Longji's life would be lost, but the whole family would also be implicated and punished.But she understood righteousness deeply, and tried her best to agree with her husband's great affairs, expressing her willingness to live and die with her husband.I just thought that my father-in-law was old and couldn't bear such troubles, so I suggested to my husband not to tell my father about this, in case of failure, so as not to implicate my father, and if my father disagrees, the news will be leaked, which is bad event.Li Longji thought so.The couple repeatedly planned and discussed some aspects of the uprising process.This is what is recorded in the "Old Tang Book": "The general raised an incident, conspired in advance, and agreed with the great cause." Wang's stronger character than ordinary women can be seen from this, and Li Longji obviously values ​​her knowledge very much. .

When Li Longji was a vassal king, in addition to his wife Wang, the mansion also had many beautiful concubines. In contrast, the ordinary-looking princess was not so favored.But Wang's wife is married, and Li Longji has always respected her very much.In addition, Li Longji was busy with politics at that time, no matter how beautiful women were, they were in a secondary position in his mind, so the wives and concubines in the palace were all in peace. After Li Longji ascended the throne as Emperor Xuanzong, the concubine Wang, who had been through adversity, was immediately canonized as the empress. The empress Wang's father, Wang Renjiaojin, was made a servant (a relatively high-ranking but not important position), and her elder brother Wang Shouyi was promoted to be the empress. Shang Cheng Feng Yu.However, this was not the beginning of the Queen's good luck.Xuanzong was romantic and lustful by nature, and the ordinary-looking king and queen must face the bad luck of fading and falling in love.

In the first few years of his accession to the throne, Xuanzong was still able to respect the queen, treat each other with courtesy, and gave preferential treatment to the queen's natal family.The queen's elder brother, Wang Shouyi, was one of Xuanzong's conspirators when he overthrew Princess Taiping and her followers. He became a close relative, and named him the son-in-law captain.The queen's father, Wang Renjiao, was tired and moved to Kaifu Yitong Sansi and Guogong.However, the Wang family never received any important and powerful official positions.Xuanzong has always been very cautious in appointing his relatives (later when he met Yang Yuhuan, he completely changed).Even he treated his own brethren in the same way, holding them only in nominal and honorary positions.At the beginning of his new ascension, Xuanzong clearly did not want anyone to share his power in any way.But in his later years, he became extremely tired of government affairs, and instead was willing to hand over power to cronies, such as Li Linfu and An Lushan.

After Wang Renjiao died of illness, Emperor Xuanzong granted special preferential treatment, and wanted to build a five-foot-high tomb for his father-in-law Wang Renjiao according to the funeral specifications of his grandfather Dou Xiaozhan when he died.The ministers Song Jing and Su Ting strongly disagreed, and advised them: "The official residence is first-class, and the grave is only one foot nine feet high. The founding father of the first dynasty, the grave is only three feet high. In the past, Dou Taiwei's grave has surpassed the ritual system. , How can we repeat the same mistakes? His Majesty Wanwang abides by the court system and fulfills the virtues of the middle palace." ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume 112") Xuanzong gave up.

However, after many years of marriage, the queen has never given birth. As more and more concubines in the harem doted on concubines, she was increasingly neglected by Xuanzong.When Xuanzong was working in Luzhou in his early years, he once hired a prostitute girl named Zhao. She was flirtatious and charming, good at singing and dancing, and had a gentle and pleasant personality, which was quite favored by Xuanzong.After Xuanzong ascended the throne, the Zhao family was registered as Concubine Zhao Li.In addition, there are Huangfu Deyi, Liu Cairen, Concubine Yang, Concubine Qian, etc. in the harem. There are often very fragrant scenes: "Every spring banquet in the harem, the emperor made the concubines put bright flowers, catch pink butterflies and let them go, and the butterflies stopped. Those who are lucky" (Ming Jiang Yikui "Yaoshantang Waiji").

The emperor's passion also infected the people around him.Xuanzong once organized court ladies to sew clothes for frontier soldiers.A soldier put on this batch of clothes and found a poem in the short robe, which said: "For those who conquer the battlefield, the cold and bitterness are like sleep? The battle robes are made by hand, who will know where they will fall? The animal will add more The line is full of love and more lingering. This life is over, and we will get married again." The soldier was quite fascinated by reading it, so he reported the matter to the commander, and the commander reported it to Xuanzong.Xuanzong was so moved that he found the maid who wrote the poem and hid it in her robe, and married her to the soldier who discovered the poem.The frontier soldiers were very moved when they heard about it, and it became a good story for a while.See "Yaoshan Tangwaiji" written by Jiang Yikui, a man of the Ming Dynasty.

In the second year of Kaiyuan (714), it was rumored that the current emperor would choose folk women to fill the harem.After Xuanzong heard the news, he immediately ordered the relevant departments to prepare carts and cattle, and sent the redundant maids of the harem back home from the Chongming Gate, the side gate south of the main hall of the inner court.For this reason, Xuanzong also specially issued a decree, saying that "Princess Taiping took someone to enter the palace. Although I obeyed the matter, I couldn't refuse it." ", "If you see a bad person, you should introspect yourself, if you want to stop slander, you should cultivate yourself, and if you change it, you can damage it" (Song Wang Pu's "Tang Huiyao Volume 3").Obviously, this imperial decree is to calm public opinion, saying that it does not seek "sensuality".Xuanzong's two words, "If you see a bad person, you should introspect yourself, and if you want to stop slander, you should cultivate yourself", express his determination to suppress emotions and desires.But in fact, he loves women, and when it comes to choosing women, he is extremely unique and picky.The fact that the emperor is romantic and lustful is increasingly revealed.The harem began to be less peaceful.

Because the Queen had no children, Li Ying, the son of Concubine Zhao Li, was made the crown prince.After that, Huangfu Deyi and Liu Cairen also had their own sons.Empress Wang felt Xuanzong's coldness more and more, and her sense of crisis became stronger and stronger.At this time, the radiant Wu family appeared.As soon as she appeared, the queen and queen fell from misfortune to a desperate situation, and Concubine Zhao Li and others also fell into the ranks of misfortune from luck. The misfortune after the color faded and the love relaxed came to these unfortunate women together, and even from this The disaster hit Li Ying, the son of Concubine Zhao Li, who had already been established as the crown prince.