Chapter 13 4. The Yang family has a girl named Yuhuan
Yang Yuhuan, whose ancestral home was Yongle, Puzhou (now Yongji, Shanxi), was born in Shu County (now Chengdu, Sichuan) on June 1, the seventh year of Kaiyuan (719).Her great-grandfather, Yang Wang, was a well-known minister in the Sui Dynasty. He once paid homage to the son of the state to supervise wine. He was killed by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin in the early Tang Dynasty.His father, Yang Xuanyan, was a householder in Shuzhou, and was in charge of household registration, accounting, roads, business travel, marriage, and fields and houses.When Yang Yuhuan was 10 years old, his father died early, and he was adopted by his uncle Yang Xuangui, who served as a scholar in Henan Province.Her uncle dotes on her very much and regards her as her own daughter, and her uncle and nephew are very happy, and they are called "father and daughter".In the past few years living in his uncle's house, Yang Yuhuan has received a good education, especially in dancing.Although Yang Xuangui's official rank is not high, he is an official in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and has a wide range of social contacts. This provides an opportunity for Yang Yuhuan to marry a famous family in the future.
As she grows older, Yang Yuhuan becomes more and more outstanding.She was naturally beautiful and elegant in manner.In particular, she has been good at singing and dancing since she was a child, and has a very high musical talent, which adds to her charm. The reputation of "the Yang family has a daughter" gradually spread.
In July of the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan (735), Princess Xianyi, the daughter of Concubine Wu Hui, was married.Yang Yuhuan was invited to accompany Princess Xianyi at the wedding.Princess Xianyi and her younger brother Li Mao, the king of longevity, fell in love at first sight when they saw the beautiful Yang Yuhuan.After discussing with his mother Concubine Wu Hui and obtaining Xuanzong's consent, in December of that year, Yuhuan was appointed Princess Shou.The wedding was presided over by Li Linfu, the prime minister at the time, and Chen Xilie, the servant of Huangmen, and the ceremony was very grand.From then on, Yang Yuhuan stepped into the life circle of the Tang royal family and began to have emotional entanglements with Li's father and son.
One year after Yang Yuhuan married into Shouwang Mansion, she and her husband returned to Chang'an with Xuanzong and Concubine Wu Hui.The young couple are still quite young, and their days are relaxed and comfortable.Yang Yuhuan's demeanor and gentleness not only won the favor of Shou Wang in every way, but also received special care from her mother-in-law, Concubine Wu Hui.Concubine Wu Hui was the queen of the middle palace at that time. Under her protection, although the struggle between the crown princes in the palace was sharp and complicated, and even reached the point of fierceness, the longevity king Li Mao was not affected at all. in family life.
However, the good days soon ended, and Concubine Wu Hui died of a sudden illness in December of the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan (737).The following year, the loyal king Li Yu (later renamed Li Heng) was established as the prince.Losing his mother's care, not only did Shouwang Li Mao's status decline sharply, but he was also constantly worried that some people would vent their hatred for his mother, Concubine Wu Hui, on him.
In October of the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan (740), Xuanzong went to Lishan Hot Spring to avoid the cold according to the royal family's practice. Yuhuan attends Huaqing Palace.The emperor only summoned his daughter-in-law but not his son, and the Shou Wang couple knew what was about to happen.Yang Yuhuan has a simple personality and is in a miserable mood at the moment. She said to the King of Shou: "The concubine serves His Highness, and we have made an alliance to grow old together. We swear that we will never change our minds. Who would want the emperor to issue an edict to meet you? I guess, I will say goodbye to Your Highness forever. "Since ancient times, the fate of a king is hard to violate. Although King Shou couldn't accept it emotionally and psychologically, he could only swallow his anger.The husband and wife parted with tears, each with a special feeling in their hearts.No one expected that this was not just a tragic parting of a young couple, history has been rewritten since then.
Yang Yuhuan bid farewell to Queen Shou and came to Huaqing Palace with Princess Yuzhen.Yang Yuhuan has outstanding appearance and charming demeanor, "Looking back and smiling at Bai Meisheng, Liugong Fendai has no color".Xuanzong fell in love at first sight.The meeting in Lishan, for 22-year-old Yang Yuhuan and 56-year-old Xuanzong, opened a new chapter in their lives.On the night of the meeting, Emperor Xuanzong presented a fine box of gold hairpins as a token of love, and he also held a gold hairpin (a kind of jewelry name for ancient women. Shaking it, hence the name), put it on for Yang Yuhuan himself, and said happily to Gao Lishi: "I get the jade ring, as if I have found a treasure, it is the first joy in my life." The joy is beyond words.A new song was specially produced, named "Debaozi", also called "Dezi".
The most haunting and tear-jerking love story in history begins here.No one would have thought that it would be an extremely tragic ending to put an end to Li Yang's love.
Like a young man whose youth has been rekindled, Xuanzong began to fall into an obsession bordering on madness.He began to plan how to give Yang Yuhuan a title.
In ancient times, ethnic minorities have always had the custom that sons accept their fathers and wives, and younger brothers accept their brothers and wives.During the war between the Western Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, the envoys of the Han Dynasty once ridiculed the custom of the Huns as incest, and the Huns justified this: "After the death of the father, son and brother, if the wife marries another, the species will be extinct. It is better to marry as your own wife, and you can save it." Caste. Therefore, although the Huns were chaotic, it was actually based on the consideration of the clan. China always talks about ethics, but relatives are getting sparser and killing each other. .After Taizong Li Shimin seized the country, he took the concubine Yang Shi (former Sui Dynasty princess) of his younger brother Qi Wang Li Yuanji as his concubine.Empress Wu Zetian, who was established by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, was originally a talented person (concubine) of Taizong Li Shimin with a low status.But Xuanzong's situation is different. Yang Yuhuan is the concubine of Shou Wang Li Mao and Xuanzong's daughter-in-law. Her original husband Shou Wang Li Mao is still alive and kicking.Xuanzong was afraid that Yang Yuhuan would be made a concubine directly, and that he would be ridiculed by the world and lose the face of the emperor.Therefore, he adopted the "curve" road to establish a concubine.In the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan (740), Yang Yuhuan wrote a letter requesting to be a female Taoist priest and a female official in the palace to pray for Xuanzong's late mother, Empress Dou.Xuanzong bestowed the title Taizhen and lived in Taizhen Palace in the palace.
Less than a year after entering the palace, Yang Yuhuan won the favor of ordinary people. Xuanzong surrounded her day and night, and her status rose so fast that even the former Concubine Wu Hui couldn't compare.At that time, everyone in the palace respectfully called her "Niangzi" (Yang Yuhuan was quite dissatisfied when he saw that Xuanzong called Concubine Mei "Aifei", but called him "Taizhen", which was neither fish nor fowl, so he was quite dissatisfied. She is a "lady", and Yang Yuhuan smiled), and treat her with the same etiquette standards as the queen.
In July of the fourth year of Tianbao (745), Xuanzong ordered the daughter of Wei Zhaoxun, the left guard Zhonglang, to be the concubine of Shou.Ever since his wife Yang Yuhuan was taken away by his father, Li Mao, the king of longevity, has been living in fear. Now that he has a new wife, it shows that his father will not do anything to him, so he is a little relieved.In the same month, Xuanzong named Yang, a female Taoist priest from Taizhen Palace, as a noble concubine in Phoenix Garden.Since the king and queen were abolished, Xuanzong has never registered a queen. The noble concubine is already the highest status in the harem, and Yang Yuhuan has become the de facto head of the Tang harem.
At this time, no one would have expected that 10 years later, there would be an Anshi Rebellion.It became an important turning point in the ups and downs of the Tang Dynasty and the change of governance and chaos. It caused the Tang Dynasty to fall from the peak of the sun to the bottom. On the body of Yang Yuhuan, who is a noble concubine.
For women, if only appearance is the only thing that matters, there will always be a day when some people will grow old and look bad. At that time, the favor of the king will be empathetic. Concubine Zhao Li is a typical example.Only outstanding talent and intelligence can make a woman have real and lasting charm.This point has been fully verified by Yang Yuhuan.
Yang Yuhuan was lucky. She was not only beautiful, but also very talented in dancing. She was a rare dancer among empresses of all dynasties.At the first meeting in Lishan, she performed an impromptu dance for Xuanzong on the spot. "Song of Neon Clothes and Feather Clothes" has a huge lineup and many musicians. Only 10 court ladies are required to accompany and sing at the same time. There are 18 chapters in total, divided into three parts, each with six songs.Not only are there many types of musical instruments, but the rhythm is scattered first, then slow and then fast, which places extremely high demands on dancers.However, Yang Yuhuan could comprehend the artistic conception of the song as soon as she heard it, and composed a perfect dance for this magnificent song at will.The depth of her comprehension of the music and her expressiveness are breathtaking.Xuanzong introduced her as the first confidant in his life, and even played drums to accompany her himself.At that time, Minister Zhang said that "Huaqing Palace" said: "The sky is heavy and the night is still young, and the green clouds are dancing and dancing; a jade flute fills the sky, and the moon is full and the Lishan Palace is long."
The great poet Bai Juyi wrote a poem describing Yang Yuhuan's dancing posture:
At that time, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, Empress Zhao Feiyan was famous for being good at singing and dancing. Zhao Feiyan had a light body. Emperor Cheng was worried that she would be blown away with the wind, so he made a crystal plate for her, and asked the people in the palace to hold it with their palms, and let Zhao Feiyan sing and dance on the plate. .Based on this allusion, Xuanzong joked to Yang Yuhuan: "No matter how strong the wind is, you can stand it!" It means to laugh at Yang Yuhuan's plump body.Responding to Xuanzong's joke, Yang Yuhuan said: "My dance "Neon Clothes and Feather Clothes" can surpass the ages." It can be seen that she is quite proud of her dancing skills.
By the way, women in the Tang Dynasty regarded plumpness as their beauty, and the big reason was that Yang Yuhuan, who was fat, favored the harem.
In addition to singing and dancing, Yang Yuhuan is also proficient in temperament and can play several musical instruments superbly. "Tan Binlu" records: Yang Yuhuan is good at playing the pipa.The pipa she used was picked by Zhongguan Bai Xiuzhen from the middle of Shu.Played by Yang Yuhuan's fingers, this clear-sounding pipa is as moving as the sound of a fairy from heaven.After hearing the tune, the kings, princesses, and wives all rushed to be Yang Yuhuan's disciple and learn to play the pipa from her.It can be seen that Yang Yuhuan's pipa skills are high. "Kaiyuan Wangxinji" also records that Yang Yuhuan is good at another musical instrument: chime.It is said that under her percussion, the sound of the chime is "Ling Lingran" and "Many new sounds".Even the professional chime-beating artists in Liyuan can't match her skills.
Xuanzong's love for Concubine Yang is similar to Han Emperor Liu Bang's love for Madam Qi.Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, used his good songs to describe his aspirations. According to the records in Xijing Miscellaneous Notes: "Emperor Gao and Mrs. Qi are good at building with drums and harps, and the emperor often embraces his wife while singing with strings. Dances, songs, "Into the Fortress" and "Looking for Return" were all learned by hundreds of maids. The harem sang together, and the sound reached the sky." The scene was extremely spectacular and moving.It can be seen that Madam Qi's singing voice soaring into the clouds not only conquered Liu Bang, but also conquered the entire harem.And Yang Yuhuan has a lively personality and is good at singing, dancing and vocal music. It can be said that he is very congenial with Xuanzong in all aspects.Because the emperor himself is the "Patriarch of Liyuan", and he has quite high attainments in this area.His musical talent is not only a talent, but also a result of hard work.The famous musician Li Guinian is well-known all over the world for playing the Jiegu. He said conceitedly: "I discounted fifty drum sticks for practice." Who knows that Xuanzong just smiled when he heard this: "How can you count as a drum stick?" Did you use effort? My drum stick broke three cabinets."
In his later years, Xuanzong's obsession with women has transitioned from the simple lust for women's beauty and body in his youth to the pursuit of fun.He attaches great importance to the compatibility of feelings and interests with each other.According to historical records, Yang Yuhuan "every day looks forward to accepting, moving to move forward" ("Old Tang Book, Volume 51, Xuanzong Yang Guifei Biography"), which shows that Yang Yuhuan is not only beautiful, but also good at trying to figure out Xuanzong's intentions, working hard Catering to his hobbies naturally made Xuanzong feel connected with each other.Xuanzong's special liking for Yang Yuhuan was due to the comprehensive consideration of his appearance and talent, not only the elements of cherishing the fragrance and pity for jade, but also the factors of like-mindedness.At first, Yang Yuhuan had to obey because of Xuanzong's status as emperor.As time went by, she found that this white-haired old man was more talented than her former little husband, and she began to really fall in love with Xuanzong, who not only regarded Xuanzong as the supreme emperor in the world, but also regarded him as a trustworthy best friend.The relationship between the two gradually evolved from the initial wishful thinking of Xuanzong to the mutual dependence and attachment of the two. The two hearts realized a sincere collision and communication. Song, waist dance", became the representative of the ancient love legend of emperors and empresses.
Yang Yuhuan has an easy-going personality, and she is completely free from the behavior of ordinary people who indulge in power and self-promotion.For example, she wrote a poem for Zhang Yunrong, a court lady beside her: "The fragrance of the sleeves is moving, and the red stalks are curling up in the autumn smoke. The wind is shaking on the Qingyun Ridge, and the water is just blowing by the tender willow pond." After the poem was completed, she also wrote a poem. With the score, I personally sang and danced for Yun Rong.
In the ten years since entering the palace, Yang Yuhuan has followed the rules and laws, and basically never talked about state affairs. There are few records in history books about her interfering in government affairs and relying on favor and power.Although Xuanzong was stupid and absurd in his later years, he was still vigilant against the harm of the chaos in the harem.Yang Yuhuan didn't have the slightest interest in political affairs, which instead increased Xuanzong's trust in her.Her interest is only in singing and dancing, and she is very congenial with Xuanzong, which is an important reason for her solid favor.
With her talent and character, Yang Yuhuan captivated Xuanzong, and soon reached the level of "the six palaces of pink and black have no color".From then on, Xuanzong left all the other concubines in the harem aside, and guarded Concubine Yang every day, inseparable from each other, and brought Yang Yuhuan with him at all banquets and court ceremonies.The two are deeply in love, and they are inseparable.
After Yang Yuhuan was favored, because Xuanzong was obedient to her, she began to become a little domineering and jealous.In July of the fifth year of Tianbao (746), Xuanzong led Yang Yuhuan and a group of people to visit Qujiang.Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan's second sister, Mrs. Guo Guo, had a private tryst after a banquet, and Yang Yuhuan learned of it.Yang Yuhuan went back to the palace alone in a rage, even ignoring Xuanzong's edict ordering him to accompany him to the left and right, which was a serious crime of resisting the edict.Xuanzong was furious, and immediately ordered Gao Lishi to take Yang Yuhuan back to his elder brother Yang's mansion with a bicycle.However, at noon, Xuanzong became restless and thought of all the benefits of Yang Yuhuan.At this time, the entire palace was shrouded in terrifying silence, and all the palace people stood with their hands down, for fear of stepping on a horse's hoof by accident.Soon, Xuanzong began to find fault for no reason, and people continued to be scolded and punished mercilessly by him.
Gao Lishi was good at figuring out the emperor's mind, and could always solve Xuanzong's worries and problems at critical moments.He sensed Xuanzong's state of mind at this time, and lost no time in playing to Xuanzong: "The noble concubine was in a hurry when she left the palace, and she didn't have time to bring the change of clothes and daily utensils, can you let me go out of the palace and send these things to the noble concubine? "Gao Lishi's proposal hit Xuanzong's heart, and immediately ordered someone to send clothes, wine and food to Yang Yuhuan, and there were more than one hundred carts.
At this time, Yang Yuhuan's family was crying because they were worried about a catastrophe. After seeing the reward sent by Xuanzong, they were relieved.At night, Gao Lishi asked Xuanzong to call Yang Yuhuan back to the palace, and Xuanzong immediately agreed.So Gao Lishi went out of the palace late at night and took Yang Yuhuan back to the palace.At dawn, Xuanzong, who had not slept all night, was overjoyed to see Yang Yuhuan appear in front of him.The two embraced and wept.
In the ninth year of Tianbao (750), Yang Yuhuan borrowed a flute from King Ning Li Xian because he loved the jade flute of King Ning Li Xian.This is not in line with etiquette.As a result, Xuanzong was furious when he saw the jade flute, and immediately ordered Yang Yuhuan to leave the palace.Yang Yuhuan cried and said to Zhang Taoguang, the envoy who sent her out of the palace: "Please tell the Holy Majesty that I deserve death. Except for my body, hair, and skin, I was born to my parents, and the rest are rewarded by the Holy Majesty. I only have one death to repay her." Your Majesty's kindness." Immediately, Zhang Taoguang cut off a strand of hair and handed it to Xuanzong to show his heart.Xuanzong was shocked when he heard the news, but he didn't know how to step down.Seeing that Xuanzong was in trouble, Gao Lishi immediately spoke well for Yang Yuhuan, and Xuanzong immediately ordered him to call Yang Yuhuan back to the palace.Gao Lishi once again resolved the crisis between Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan, and became an important role in the mediation and mediation between the two.
After these two separations, the relationship between Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan became stronger. Yang Yuhuan "the more you meet, the more you will get into the harem" ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume 215").
In the tenth year of Tianbao (751), on the night of the Qiqiao Festival on July 7th, the night was getting darker. Xuanzong and Concubine Yang went to the Changsheng Hall of Huaqing Palace to enjoy the moon. , which has the meaning of surpassing feudal etiquette and returning to true love in the world.This is what Bai Juyi said in his poem: "I wish to be a lovebird in the sky, and a branch in the earth." After swearing, the two of them bowed three times to the starry sky with great reverence.The romantic love story of the old man and the young woman, because of their bleak ending, later won the general sympathy of the people and has been circulated among the people for a long time.
Because of their supreme power and status, the love life between ancient emperors and concubines has never been separated from a luxurious and extravagant background.After Yang Yuhuan was canonized as a noble concubine, Xuanzong worked hard to please her.Yang Yuhuan likes to dress up. At that time, there were more than 700 craftsmen in the palace who weaved brocade for her, and hundreds of people carved utensils and accessories.Yang Yuhuan's daily life is also extremely extravagant. He cooks thousands of kinds of food for one meal, and the cost is equivalent to the property of 10 medium-sized families.Whenever Yang Yuhuan traveled on horseback, Xuanzong's favorite minister Gao Litu personally held the bridle and whip, and flattering officials along the way offered rare treasures one after another.Lingnan Jiedu envoy Zhang Jiuzhang and Guangling Changshi Wang Yi were successively promoted to rank because of their many and exquisite tributes.As a result, officials big and small competed to pay tribute to delicacies and rare jewels, and it became a fashion to curry favor with Yang Yuhuan.
In the sixth year of Tianbao (747), Xuanzong ordered a large-scale construction in Lishan, adding warm soup as a pool, building pavilions, winding paths and secluded forests, building Luocheng, and setting up a hundred divisions.Princes and aristocrats followed suit one after another, buying land and building houses around Lishan. The Lishan Palace actually became another political center, and even some important court celebrations were held here.Datang's extravagance became more and more popular.When Xuanzong first came to the throne, it was this extravagance that he hated.
Xuanzong was increasingly indulged in sensuality and neglected state affairs, which led to a rapid decline in the politics of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.Objectively speaking, Yang Yuhuan's pampering and pursuit of luxury pleasure accelerated the process of the Tang Empire from prosperity to decline.This is the reason why later historians and writers often regard Yang Yuhuan as one of the chief culprits of the Anshi Rebellion.
Due to the supreme power of the ancient emperors, their married life has its particularity, which is determined by the feudal political structure.There is a Chinese saying, "One person attains the Tao, and the chicken and dog ascend to heaven."The feudal patriarchal system has always had the practice of pushing favors in the family.Once a certain concubine is favored, her family members can easily enjoy various privileges bestowed by the emperor through nepotism, and easily enter the core power circle, thus forming a huge power of foreign relatives, ranging from interfering in government affairs to endangering the entire country.The phenomenon of dictatorship by foreign relatives is not uncommon in history. For example, Huo Guang's dictatorship in the Western Han Dynasty was so powerful that even Emperor Xuan (the queen was Huo Guang's daughter) felt "thorns on his back".Although there are many painful lessons, the kings of the past dynasties were rarely able to stop its breeding and spread, so that foreign relatives and eunuchs became the two major cancers of China's feudal political system.
The breeding of foreign relatives also happened to Tang Xuanzong without exception.With the help of the emperor's grace, Concubine Yang's brothers and sisters became stronger politically and economically.His late father Yang Xuanyan was posthumously given the titles of Taiwei and Qi Guogong; his late mother Li was the wife of Liangguo; The princess got married and became the prince's son-in-law.Since then, the Yang family has been prosperous and honored and favored like no other.Even Yang Yuhuan's three elder sisters were also titled wives. The eldest sister was Mrs. Han, the second sister was Mrs. Guo, and the third sister was Mrs. Qin.Xuanzong affectionately called them "Auntie" to express his closeness.The three wives also enjoy a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan from the state, which is nominally the cost of buying makeup for them.Mrs. Guo Guo often went to meet the emperor without putting on powder, showing that she was a natural beauty.Du Fu wrote a poem for this, saying: "Mrs. Guo Guo owes her lord's favor and rides a horse into the palace gate in Pingming. But she dislikes the color of makeup and powder, so she sweeps the crescent eyebrows lightly to the Supreme." Later Xuanzong gave Ye Mingzhu to Mrs. Guo Guo and Qiye Crown to Mrs. Qin , Yang Guozhong locks the tent, these are peerless treasures.Whenever Xuanzong received rare jade wares from all over the world, he would never forget to give a copy to the wife of the Three Kingdoms and the Yang brothers, "five families are like one".In the capital city of Chang'an, the residences of the five Yang brothers and sisters are connected together, and the decoration is luxurious and exquisite, which can match the imperial palace.The five families of the Yang family competed for ostentation, and it cost tens of millions of dollars to build a house. Once one family's palace was outstanding, the other families demolished the old and built new ones, resulting in "civil engineering" working day and night.
Among the five families, Mrs. Guo Guo is the most favored, the most powerful, and extremely domineering.Once, she fell in love with the homestead of Minister Wei Si, so she led her apprentices into Wei's house and asked, "I heard that your house is going to be sold, how much are you going to sell it for?" The Wei family replied that they had no intention of selling the house.Regardless of whether she sold it or not, Mrs. Guo Guo immediately ordered the craftsmen to demolish the house and rebuild a new house, and only allocated 10 mu of vacant land to the Wei family as compensation.After the middle hall was built, she deliberately withheld wages and ordered people to catch ants and lizards and put them in the house, declaring that if one was lost, she would not be paid wages.
In order to show off their power, the brothers and sisters of the Yang family would scramble to get ahead of all the officials every time they went to court.Xuanzong and Yang Yuhuan visited Huaqing Palace in winter, and five Yang brothers and sisters walked together. On the road, each family formed a team, dressed in the same color, and the carriages and horses were all dressed up. Looking from a distance, it looks like "the glow of a hundred flowers".Sisters Yang Yuhuan's pearls, emeralds, jewelry, tinsel hairpins and other objects are colorful and countless on the way down.See "Old Tang Book Volume 51 Biography of Xuanzong Yang Guifei".
The Yang family also relied on imperial power to oppress the officials and the people, even the princess was ignored.In the first lunar month of the tenth year of Tianbao (751), the Lantern Festival was full of people in the capital, and it was extremely lively.Surrounded by his slaves, Wu Yang went out to watch the lanterns, rampaging all the way, and the common people looked at him sideways.Coincidentally, Princess Guangping (Xuanzong's daughter) and her son-in-law also came out to enjoy the lanterns, and the two sides refused to give in to each other because of the competition for the road.Yang's slaves relied on their master Shiwei to beat the whip wildly and startled the princess off her horse.The son-in-law Cheng Changyi went forward to help the princess, but was also beaten several times.Princess Guangping was insulted and complained to her father Xuanzong.Xuanzong first ordered the killing of Yang's family slaves with sticks, and then dismissed Cheng Changyi from his official position. On the surface, he beat both sides 50 times, but in fact he was obviously biased towards Yang.The arrogance of the Yang family can be seen.
At that time, there was a ballad in Chang'an City that said: "Don't be happy when you give birth to a boy and don't be sad when you give birth to a daughter. You now see a girl as the lintel." , power over the world.The Yang family had entrusted them with requests, and the governments at all levels, such as the provinces and counties in Taiwan, followed them as if they had received an imperial edict.Rare treasures from all directions, servants and camel horses are transported to Yang's house like flowing water every day.
However, although the five brothers and sisters of the Yang family were prosperous and powerful, their direct influence on the politics of the Tang court was not too great.Most of Xuanzong's favor to them was limited to sensuality and entertainment at palace banquets.The person who had a major impact on the government and directly caused the Tang Dynasty to turn from prosperity to decline was actually Yang Guozhong, a distant brother of Yang Yuhuan.In the eleventh year of Tianbao (752), the ignorant Yang Guozhong replaced Li Linfu as prime minister, which surprised everyone.This of course contains Xuanzong's intention to please Concubine Yang.
Yang Guozhong was originally just a sinful rogue gambler, but because of the nepotism of Concubine Yang, he was able to rise to the top. After taking charge of the state affairs, he engaged in corruption. In just a few years, the Tang Dynasty government fell into great chaos, the court lost popular support, and its prestige plummeted. , the ministers of the DPRK and China are separated from Germany.Especially on the issue of dealing with An Lushan, Yang Guozhong not only could not effectively control, but fueled the flames, and finally intensified the conflict to the point where it was out of control.It can be said that Yang Guozhong single-handedly contributed to the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion.
"Anlu Mountain is autocratic in the three ways, and has different ambitions. It will last ten years. It will be treated more generously. If you want to lose Yanjia, and then cause chaos. Meeting Yang Guozhong and Lushan are not happy. He has repeatedly said that Lushan will turn against him, and he will not listen. "Guo Zhongshu is motivated by things, and he wants to turn back quickly to win the trust of the superior. Lushan is determined to turn back quickly." ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume 217 Tang Ji Thirty-three") Sima Guang believes that, An Lushan was grateful for Xuanzong's kindness, and originally wanted to wait for Xuanzong's death before taking action. However, due to Yang Guozhong's troubles, the contradictions became increasingly acute, which eventually accelerated the outbreak of the Tianbao Rebellion.
And all of this, in the final analysis, must be traced to Yang Yuhuan.Later generations of historians pointed out: "In the season of Tianbao, the country is full of luck, the nobles are bestowed with affection, and the rewards are bestowed with favor, and the discipline begins to break." ("New Tang Book Volume 157 Lu Zhi Biography") from a personal perspective As far as he is concerned, Yang Yuhuan did not directly participate in politics.But for a historical figure, an individual cannot be separated from the group, nor can he be separated from class and society.As the concubine of Xuanzong's harem, Yang Yuhuan was bound to have a huge influence on the groups around her and the class she represented.It can be said that the political situation in Xuanzong's later period was entirely caused by Yang Yuhuan's special favor.There are two main points of Yang Yuhuan's influence on the politics of the Tang Dynasty: one is that she occupied all of Xuanzong's energy;Yang Yuhuan's domestic favorite and Yang Guozhong's foreign favorite require the two parties to make the most of each other and rely on each other.However, Yang Guozhong is a great mediocrity. After taking advantage of Yang Yuhuan's nepotism, he not only did not make efforts to control the political abuses of the "chaos in the world" during the Tianbao period, but instead harmed the people, intensified various social contradictions, and contributed to The Tianbao Rebellion broke out.
Of course, Yang Yuhuan's personal responsibility is accidental, but more of it is the inevitable result of the emperor's dictatorship and the system of relatives.The complexity of historical inevitability and contingency is fully reflected in Yang Yuhuan's personal relationship with the Tang Dynasty.
For Xuanzong himself, he naturally has an inescapable responsibility. "For a long time in office, he gradually indulged in extravagant desires and neglected political affairs." Extravagant desires and indolent administration gradually pushed Xuanzong to a dead end. "Born in sorrow, died in peace", looking at his life, Xuanzong can be said to be the best footnote of this famous saying.Since ancient times, it is rare for an emperor's family to have true feelings, so ancient emperors often called themselves "widows", which means lonely family, which means that the emperor must spend his whole life in loneliness.When a generation of emperors deliberately pursues the ideal love and is willing to give up everything for it, the mountains and rivers will definitely be shaken by it.
Beauty is not a sin, but beauty is often a cause.It was precisely because of Xuanzong's love for Yang Yuhuan that the power of the country fell to the side, and Yuyang was agitated.From then on, the Great Tang Empire took a sharp turn for the worse, its ups and downs changed, and it quickly went into decline.It can be said that Yang Yuhuan's gentle hometown directly led to the drastic changes in the Anshi Rebellion in 755 AD.This upheaval became a turning point for the Tang Dynasty from its peak to its decline, and thus also for the fate of the Tang Empire.Since then, China has begun a long-term decline.Afterwards, although there was a short-term prosperity of martial arts or expansion of territory, it was incomparable with the heyday of Tang Dynasty.And Xuanzong's feelings for Concubine Yang that caused misfortune and disaster have become the most representative tragic theme in Chinese literature, and countless poems, novels and dramas compete to interpret it.
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