Chapter 9 From autumn to spring come two swallows, wishing to be in the nest of poplar flowers

When it comes to listening to politics behind a curtain, people habitually think of Wu Zetian or Cixi. In fact, long before them, there have been many precedents of empress dowagers listening to politics. When a man encounters power, it is difficult for a few to stay awake.Women are even more so. Women rule the country, leaving deep marks in history. Gender inequality. When looking up becomes looking down, the inner madness is unstoppable. Once the key of power opens the Pandora's box of disaster, it will stir up women ambition, desire.The dissatisfaction, turmoil, mutiny, war, and bloodshed of the men.All kinds of evils are sweeping in, the wind blows the waves, and the turbid waves are emptied. Few people can consciously hold on to themselves.It is even more difficult to maintain a clean and uncontested mind in the bloody storm.

There are very few strange women who can really control this madness, and even fewer people can pass through calmly and calmly when they reach the peak of power.Wu Zetian let the cruel officials go, but also because of her lack of self-confidence.After all, the country is not one's private affairs, so how can one's selfish desires override the national artifact? She has always been an anomaly, and this anomaly lies in the fact that she finally changed the dynasty and became the emperor in a legitimate way.Govern the country as a male emperor, forgetting gender.She did not make the country weak, on the contrary, she promoted the "Government of Zhenguan" in her hands and established the "Golden Age of Kaiyuan". But her attitude towards power is endless, greedy for power and position, and ruthless to political opponents , is no different from all those who are passionate about political power.

The reason why I mentioned Wu Zetian was because I read "Yang Baihua" in Yuefu, and I suddenly remembered that Wu Zetian, like the Queen Mother Hu in the Northern Wei Dynasty, was one of the few females who wrote love poems for their lovers and also had outstanding literary talents. politician. My heart was swaying because of Wu Meiniang's "Ruyi Niang": I saw Zhu Chengbi thinking about it, haggard and separated as Yijun, and I didn't believe that I often cried recently, and I opened the box to check the pomegranate skirt. ——In the future, the woman who will live and kill in the Daming Palace without blinking her eyelashes will write such sincere and moving love poems in the quiet night of Ganye Temple.The errors are so huge that one can't help but wonder whether the people have changed, the environment has changed, or the people have not changed, but different pursuits and ideas have emerged at different stages.

At that time, she only wanted to go back to the palace. At that time, Meiniang was busy and busy, even if she had ambition, it was just a woman's ambition, to go back to her lover and be loved by him.But later, she gradually tasted the happiness brought by power, and that happiness was better than being gentle with a man and laughing with him, and better than doting on the third bed.Greater ambitions are gradually growing stronger and breaking through the ground. At this time, Wu Mei is no longer the husband of the emperor, and the position of empress can be satisfied.She is like a mature lioness, corresponding to her rapidly maturing body and mind, her appetite for hunting has also become greater.

Queen Mother Hu, Hu Chonghua.Comparing this woman's experience and her political achievements with Empress Wu Zetian of the same generation, it can only be said to be ordinary.However, they are both women, and they have some similarities. Empress Dowager Hu's real name is Hu Chenghua, the daughter of Situ Hu Guozhen in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is said that when she was born, the house was full of red lights, which was considered strange by people at that time.She has an aunt who is a nun (professional nun, but judging from her frequent visits to the palace to enjoy the autumn breeze and to do sales promotion for her niece, this nun is very good at speculation, and her passion is no less than that of the queen in the palace) He often went to the palace to give lectures.Just tell the people in the palace that I have a niece, Xiu Wai Hui Zhong, she was born with a different phase...

Originally, gossip gossip people like to listen, not to mention a court lady who is so idle that her ears are callused, not to mention that the person who spreads gossip has a somewhat mysterious taste. The so-called red light in the room, according to old Mr. Bo Yang's words, is nothing short of nonsense. Could it be that there is a fairy who has nothing to do with a searchlight to survey the room?In the official history, the records about the birth of the emperor's concubine and the life anecdotes are very unreliable. They are often perfunctory nonsense to show that this person is different. The red light in the room is also an old formula. Rumors that the high net worth was deliberately released.

No matter what the real situation is, Hu Chonghua successfully got the attention of Emperor Yuanke, was summoned into the palace, and canonized as Chenghua Shifu. For an ordinary woman, getting married is often the destination of a lifetime, but for those women who are destined to enter the palace, getting married (marrying the emperor) is only the beginning of their life.At that time, the harem of the Northern Wei Dynasty was turbulent. Emperor Xuanwu's first empress, Yu Shi, had a noble background and a docile personality. She was poisoned to death by Gao Shi, who entered the palace later.

Regarding Hu's entry into the palace, Empress Gao didn't take it too seriously. First, Hu's rank in the palace was not high, so it was difficult to pose any threat to the stable empress.The situation is similar to that of Wu Meiniang back then.There is not much difference between having one more Hu Chonghua and one more court lady; there is another, and the most important reason, that the Northern Wei Dynasty implemented the policy of "keeping the calf and leaving the mother". .This cruel regulation originated from our wise and cruel emperor Liu Che. At that time, Liu Che was old and wanted to raise his youngest son Liu Fuling, but he was worried that the emperor's young queen mother would take power, so he ordered the death of Mrs. Guyi who was still young.This barbaric policy was implemented only occasionally in the Han Dynasty, but it was implemented as a ancestral system in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Before Hu Chonghua, eight empresses died for it.Therefore, Empress Gao had her own calculations. It would be best if Hu Chonghua could not bear children.Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xiaowen of the previous dynasty are examples, so she is determined.Why refuse to have one more Hu Chonghua to help her share the risk?

In the predicament that the concubines and concubines in the harem were unwilling to bear a son for the emperor, and the emperor's heir was about to die, Hu Chonghua performed differently and was very touching. She was pregnant by Lin Xing, and she bravely made a wish, God, please let me have a son Son, as long as the emperor's heirs continue, what does it matter if I die? When she was not contaminated with power, she was a clever and innocent girl. Fortunately, she was born with a hero and magnanimity. She never cared about her children's personal feelings. "She is a soft-hearted person, but when she holds the magic wand of power and cannot let it go, her fortitude, courage, agility, and sophistication all become fatal things.

This man Liu Che is too ruthless when he is ruthless, and too affectionate when he is passionate.He has a principle: no matter who or what happens once his political interests are touched, he can kill his relatives without any recognition.If Hu Chonghua had met Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he would have turned into a ray of glamorous soul in the mausoleum just like Mrs. Gouyi, and there was nowhere to speak of desolation in the bright moon tower.Hu Chonghua was lucky to meet Yuan Ke, the eighth emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He believed in Buddhism and was kind-hearted. More importantly, he couldn't bear such a beautiful and brave woman to leave him.Sometimes, a woman's bravery is also very touching.Hu Chonghua's spirit of sacrifice at that time must have touched the lonely and fearful emperor, so he made Hu Chonghua's son Yuanxu the crown prince and at the same time abolished the rule that the son should kill his mother.It is difficult to say whether this is done because of love or because of gratitude.In any case, this cruel system that has been in place for more than a hundred years has finally come to an end.However, Hu Chonghua's later deeds comically proved that the system of the ancestors actually had a reason for existence.The eyes of the twilight king see the opportunity.A stable political situation can save countless lives.

After Yuan Ke's death, Prince Yuanxu came to the throne as Emperor Xiaoming, and Hu Chonghua was promoted from a noble concubine to Empress Dowager.The emperor was young, so it was natural for the Empress Dowager Hu to listen to the government behind the curtain and become the actual ruler of the empire.She also said that I called my decree an edict, but the Northern Wei Dynasty was a Xianbei nation. Although it had been Sinicized, it was not so critical. If it were a Han Confucian, it would have kowtowed and rolled, crying bitterly. Confucian scholars just like to shout when they have nothing to do. If they really meet a strong lady like Wu Zetian, they will admit it after thinking about it and biting their gums when they go home. At the beginning of the Empress Dowager Hu's administration, she was quite a politician and thoughtful. She once ordered the manufacture of a "litigation car", with seats inside and curtains hanging outside, and regularly visited prosperous areas such as Yunlongmen and Qianqiumen. Accepting lawsuits by officials and civilians and redressing grievances is immediately adjudicated or handed over to a department for proper handling, which has won praise from the ruling and opposition parties.The filial and honest scholars recommended by Fanzhou County are appointed by her after examining her character and knowledge, which is generally considered to be very fair.It's a pity that she became more and more shameless later. In the words of old Mr. Bo Yang, "Since Empress Hu came to power, except for building Buddhist temples and statues, almost all her energy was spent on harming the empire. (The sixth century) The twenties were in full swing. Most of the riots were provoked by her, or triggered by her." Sigh, a woman like Wu Zetian is amazingly talented and unparalleled in the world.Empress Dowager Hu has top-notch IQ and courage in harem struggles, but once the power of the entire empire is handed over to her for too long, she will be powerless and confused.It is not she who controls power but power that controls her.Moreover, this woman is too easily troubled by lust, and even conspired with her lover to kill her own son, she really can't tell the priority. She also has male favourites, and the openness of the Northern and Southern Dynasties is unimaginable for future generations, and the successor is Datang. The wind of openness has left future generations dumbfounded, but in the troubled times of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, wars were raging and people's hearts fluctuated, and the collapse of ritual and music brought about swaying thoughts. Opening up always carries the meaning of lewdness and indulgence, and sometimes conflicts with the original ethics. Datang It is physically and mentally strong. The people of the Tang Dynasty are not weaker than others regardless of body and mind. They are open and bright, even if they are favored by men. Empress Dowager Hu has a lot of lonely faces in Chungui. She is not the kind of person who devotes herself to power and forgets her gender. The needs of women are more practical and urgent to her in her middle age.What is even more unexpected is that as the queen mother, she lost her love, so you saw a sad and lingering Northern Dynasty folk song was born.Empress Dowager Hu expresses her inner nostalgia and expectations with the floating willow flowers in late spring, which are hard to find. She uses puns and ingenious ideas. Unlike ordinary folk songs of the Northern Dynasties, which are rough and straightforward, this poem is very reserved and full of emotion. In February and March in Yangchun, the willows will make flowers together; the spring breeze enters the boudoir overnight, and the willow flowers float down to the south house; Menghun is used to being unrestrained, and crosses Xieqiao on Yanghua. This is a sentence in Xiaoshan Ci. The poor Xiaoyan had such a beautiful dream as a continuation of his emotions. I don’t know if Queen Mother Hu has ever done this. What about your dream? The "Yang Hua" that Hu Hou sang and remembered was indeed a real person. He was Yang Baihua, the son of Yang Dayan, the famous general of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Duke of Qiu Chi.Empress Dowager Hu was interested in him, and was recruited into the palace to have an affair with him, but Yang Baihua was the son of a famous general, and due to the empress dowager's power, it was enough to socialize twice between the bed and the bed, but it was impossible for him to be a male favourite. , coupled with the fact that the little emperor was growing up day by day, the Empress Dowager Hu was restless.When Yang Baihua thought about it, it would be quite unwise to tie his future, wealth and life to a woman's skirt.For a woman like Queen Mother Hu, if I can't provoke her, can I still hide?So soon he led his troops to the Liang Dynasty in the south.Facts have proved that his move is wise.Empress Dowager Hu was later killed by the power minister Zhu Errong, and she was thrown into the Yellow River and drowned together with the newly established little emperor.If Yang Baihua followed Queen Mother Hu, death would definitely be inevitable. The key point is that after death, the family would still be humiliated. Yang Baihua was the first (possibly) general to flee to another country in order to escape the fate of being the head of the face, and she had to change her name to Yang Hua, which is also a great anecdote in history. It was just right.The Empress Dowager Hu wrote a song for her runaway lover with affection, which has been passed down through the ages. While it is amazing, it also reveals a woman's desire and persistence for feelings. However, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as stealing, and it is better not to be able to steal than to be able to steal.I'm still glad that Yanghua fell to the Southern Dynasty in time and got a clear name.If he stays in Empress Dowager Hu's lair, it will be his fate to be destroyed by wind and rain.Men still have to be calm and thoughtful.Without Yang Hua's resolute departure, there would be one less sung Yuefu today, and this period of history would have less room for fun. (Note: This article is said to be the only surviving work of Empress Dowager Hu. ("Liang Shu · Wang Shenhui Biography") records its events, but it is classified as Anonymous's work, or Hu's original work has been lost. This article is entrusted by posterity. ) Bibliography and content: "Southern History"