Chapter 8 Invest in eight beauties, return a queen

Zhao Heng's queen, Guo Shi, is virtuous and virtuous, in charge of the harem, and treats concubines and maids well.Empress Guo was frugal by nature and opposed extravagance, which was in stark contrast to Zhao Heng's profligate and extravagant behavior.Not only did she practice strict economy, but even when people from her clan came to visit her in the palace and dressed in slightly more flamboyant clothes, she had to strictly abstain from Xu.Her natal family often whispered in front of her that she wanted to find an official position, but she never agreed.It was precisely because of this that Zhao Heng respected her very much, and the husband and wife treated each other like a guest, and never blushed.

In the fourth year of Jingde (1007), she followed Zhao Heng to Luoyang, Xijing, to worship Zhuling. On the way, she caught wind and cold. After returning to Beijing, she fell ill.Posthumously known as Queen Zhangmu. After Empress Guo passed away, there were still several concubines in the palace. Concubine Liu De was the most favored by Zhao Heng, followed by Concubine Yang Shu. Concubine Liu De was later known as Empress Liu.Speaking of Empress Liu, she is quite legendary. Concubine Liu De was originally a flower drum girl. By chance, she became a concubine. After that, her life was closely connected with the politics of the Song Dynasty, and even had an important impact on the political situation of the Northern Song Dynasty. She is a figure that has to be said.

Liu's real name is Liu E, a native of Taiyuan, and later moved to Sichuan.His father, Liu Tong, was the envoy of the capital of Hujie and governor of Jiazhou.He went to Taiyuan with Emperor Taizong, died on the way, and the Liu family has declined since then.His mother dreamed that the moon was in her arms and became pregnant.When his father died in the army, Liu E was still a baby and was fostered at his grandmother's house. Later, his mother died of illness.In the beginning, there was still my grandfather's family to rely on, but my grandfather's family was weak and sparsely populated, and I had to worry about life day and night. For them, Liu E was also a burden in life.Because she was helpless, Liu E wanted to commit suicide several times and leave this miserable world.The taste of being poor as a teenager made this innocent girl have more desires and scheming than ordinary girls. ?

One day, Gong Mei, a traveling silversmith, set up a stall in front of Liu E's house. Liu E had nothing to do, so she watched the fun by the side. Traveling craftsmen are well-informed, they can speak human language when they see people, and they can talk nonsense when they see ghosts. No matter who they are, they can talk to each other. , Slap your ass and leave, the next time you are lucky enough to run into him, it will be an acquaintance. When silversmith Gong Mei saw Liu E, she was immediately attracted by the little girl's beauty.I thought to myself, I have traveled all over Sichuan, and I have seen countless people, but I have never seen anyone more beautiful than this little girl in front of me. According to the storyteller, she really has the face of a fish falling into a wild goose, and the face of a closed moon shameful of a flower. She is a woman that any man will arouse when he sees her.Therefore, he couldn't help but look at Liu E a few more times.Liu E was a little embarrassed by the look, and asked angrily: "You are working! Why do you keep looking at me?"

Gong Mei said: "I don't mean any ill intentions, it's just because of your noble appearance. I have seen countless people, and I have never met someone as beautiful and noble as you." Liu E thought that Gong Mei was teasing herself, and said a little desolately: "I am a very poor person. I have not eaten my last meal, and I don't even have a living. What are you talking about?" "For a beauty like you, do you still worry about having nothing to wear and nothing to eat?" Gong Mei asked rhetorically. Liu E replied, "Why are you still talking like this? Why do you have to make fun of me?"

"I'm also a poor boy, how can I laugh at you?" Gong Mei argued. "Then why do you say such things?" Seeing that the little girl in front of her spoke innocently and straightforwardly, Gong Mei suddenly had a bold idea in her mind, invest in this little beauty, take a gamble, maybe she can make a lot of money. Although Gong Mei is a small businessman, she has a unique vision. He wants to invest in this little girl, making an investment that seems hard to get a return. Gong Mei is a smart investor. He is making a crazy investment. The object of investment: beautiful women; expectation: beautiful women become imperial concubines.

Since he had the idea of ​​investing, he told Liu E that he had a way to make Liu E rich and powerful in the future, with endless food and clothing. Liu E thought Gong Mei was lying and didn't want to talk to him anymore. "What I said is true." Gong Mei said seriously, "As long as you can listen to me, endure the humiliation for a while, and suffer a little, I guarantee that you will enjoy the glory and wealth in the future." Seeing that Gong Mei didn't look like she was joking, Liu E was also moved. She thought in her heart that one has to be able to bend before one can stretch, and one has to endure hardships to be a master.If you can really live a good life, it is nothing to suffer and suffer for a while.But she didn't know how Gong Mei brought her glory and wealth, so she asked half-truthfully, "Tell me, how can I get glory and wealth?"

Gong Mei knew that Liu E was moved, so she told Liu E his plan. He asked Liu E to learn the tambourine drum with him, and then went to the capital to travel the world together. With her beauty and the skills he taught her, if she could If she is appreciated by any prince or grandson, she may be able to ascend to the sky in one step, and the glory and wealth will be entwined with her. Liu E lowered her head and thought about it. She felt that she was already destitute, staying in this poor mountain valley, and would never have a bright future. If she went out to venture out, maybe she would have good luck.It's just that Yizhou is far away from the capital city, thousands of mountains and rivers, and I am a weak woman, penniless, how can I get there?

Gong Mei seemed to see through Liu E's mind, and said that as long as she was willing, she didn't have to worry about the rest, and he could find a way.Liu E said: "I am not related to you, so why do you want to help me?" "Although I am a silversmith, I am quite good at physiognomy." Gong Mei said, "You have the appearance of a concubine, and you will definitely become rich and powerful in the future." "I'm a pauper now." Liu E still said uneasy, "There is nothing to repay you." "I'm not rich, and I don't want you to repay me immediately." Gong Mei said seriously, "As long as you have a bright future, don't forget me. When I have difficulties, just help me a little bit. "

Liu E was originally a weak woman who lived in a remote countryside and had problems with three meals a day. She couldn't even imagine such a rich life.Hearing that Gong Mei said it seriously, it didn't look like a joke, so she proposed to become brother and sister with Gong Mei. When she has a bright future in the future, she must not forget Gong Mei's great kindness. Of course Gong Mei couldn't wish for it, and the two really burned incense and worshiped each other, and became brothers and sisters with different surnames.Then, the two went together to the capital together.

For Liu E, this trip to the capital is to get out of the backcountry and go to the capital to try his luck. For Gong Mei, it is the beginning of an investment. The investment project: beauty. On the way to the capital, Gong Mei taught Liu E a skill-playing the drum. The drum is a small drum with flexible small ears on both sides. It has a handle. ".It was originally a prop used by small vendors to attract customers, and it became a kind of rap art when it was accompanied by drums and songs. It turned out that Gong Mei was originally a drum player when she was young, but later changed to a silversmith.His drum words and drum skills are all improved on the basis of tradition, and have a unique flavor, which is particularly novel and unique.Liu E is born beautiful, extremely intelligent, coupled with his ingenuity and dexterity, he can easily master the percussion method of the tambourine drum, and the tunes he teaches can be mastered as soon as he learns them.Sometimes, she felt that the intonations taught by Gong Mei were not perfect, and she had to modify them by herself, so her percussion method and the tunes she sang were better than blue. Along the way, the two sold and sang while walking, and later bought a small gong. Whenever there was a performance, Gong Mei beat the gong, and Liu E sang on the drum, creating a kind of flower drum opera in which men and women performed together.This was a new thing at the time. The two traveled and sang all the way across the county, which attracted many audiences and even caused a sensation in many places. Not only the problem of food and accommodation was solved, but also a little surplus , the two were extremely happy. The two arrived in the capital and found an inn in the most prosperous area to stay.The next day, I found an empty venue in the downtown area, played drums and gongs, and set up street stalls to sell and sing. The skill of beating drums is a new thing in the capital, and no one has ever played it like this before.The characteristic of the capital is that there are many people, and there are a lot of idlers. Idlers like to watch new things and join in the fun.They suddenly saw a stunning beauty, beating a novel drum and singing a beautiful tune, and they immediately surrounded her.Seeing that there were many people around, Liu E performed with extra effort. The rhythmic sound of drums, singing like silver bells, coupled with her slender figure, and even coquettish performances made the onlookers mesmerized. During the day, there was a sensation in Bianliang City.People rushed to watch, and Liu E's fame grew, and the two made a lot of money. Zhao Heng was only fourteen years old at this time, and he was named King Xiang, but he had not yet been registered as a prince.He has long heard that there are beauties in Sichuan, and he wants to find a Sichuan girl to be his concubine.I heard that there is a Sichuan girl who sings the drum opera in the capital. She has the face of sinking fish and wild goose, and the appearance of a moon and flowers. Not only is she beautiful, but she can also sing beautifully.He took a few attendants and went to see Liu E's performance in micro clothes. ? Although Liu E is not very old, he is quite sophisticated. When he saw a young man with an extraordinary bearing, he squeezed in with a few followers to watch him. Take some time to wink at this young master. It was also when Zhao Heng first fell in love. When he first saw Liu E's beautiful face, he was already dazzled by her beauty. In addition, Liu E deliberately raised his eyebrows and whispered secretly, which aroused his interest even more. , Fever all over, wishing to rush forward to hug this beauty in his arms, and kiss him fiercely, but in front of the public, he couldn't control his temper.When he returned to the mansion, he immediately ordered someone to call the woman who played the drum into the mansion of Prince Xiang. Asked about Liu E's life experience, she said that her surname was Liu, her first name was E, and she was from Taiyuan, Shanxi. She later lived in Yizhou, and her ancestral name was Yanqing.His father's name was Tong, and he served as the commander of Hujiedu in the Taizong Dynasty. He accompanied Taizong to Taiyuan and died of illness halfway.Her mother also died of illness soon after, and she was brought up by her grandmother's family.After his uncle's family passed away one after another, he traveled around with his cousin Gong Mei to make a living by selling and singing.Not long ago, I came to the capital to discuss life.When it comes to sadness, there are tears in his eyes, and a sad expression, which makes people feel more and more pitiful. The more Zhao Heng looked at it, the more he fell in love with it, and the more he fell in love with it, the more he watched it. He immediately decided to keep Liu E in Prince Xiang's mansion as a maid. The purpose of Liu E and Gong Mei's coming to Beijing was to devote himself to the princes and grandchildren, and to seek prosperity and wealth. Not long after entering Beijing, they had this fortuitous encounter. The first step of Gong Mei's investment project has been successful.Liu E also got his wish and entered the family of rich officials and eunuchs. Gong Mei's investment can be paid off, and he is waiting. Zhao Heng was greedy for Liu E's beauty, so he brought her into the palace.After Liu E entered the Prince Xiang's Mansion, she was a maid in name, but actually enjoyed far more treatment than a maid. The purpose of Liu E's coming to Beijing is to find a prince and grandson to live a life of glory and wealth.Entering Prince Xiang's mansion, and King Xiang Zhao Heng, one is affectionate, one is intentional, one is affectionate, pity the fragrance and cherish jade, and the other is moving the pole close to the rudder, throwing himself into his arms.It's really Luo Gao Jie Pei, who was lucky to meet Chen Si, the goddess Xingyun, and the Lord of Chu by chance.The two fell in love with each other like glue, fell into the land of tenderness, and melted into a friendship. Mrs. Thailand, Zhao Heng's wet nurse, was very dissatisfied with Liu E, who had an unknown background and a humble background, and asked Zhao Heng to expel Liu E from the Prince Xiang Mansion.Zhao Heng was just a teenager, and when he met a talented and beautiful woman like Liu E, he fell in love with him, so how could he give up so easily.Seeing that Zhao Heng was disobedient, the nurse told Emperor Taizong about it. Taizong was furious when he heard that his son was addicted to female sex at a young age, and ordered Zhao Heng to expel Liu E from the Prince Xiang's mansion immediately. The wet nurse can ignore what the nurse says, but the emperor's order is hard to disobey. In desperation, Zhao Heng had no choice but to send Liu E out of the palace. On the surface, he sent her back to her hometown in Sichuan, but secretly sent her to Zhang Qi, a trusted aide. Originally named Zhang Min)'s home.Zhang Qi quietly arranged for his family to take good care of Liu E. In order to avoid suspicion, he himself slept in Prince Xiang's mansion every day. After Zhao Heng sent Liu E away, he was ordered by Taizong to marry the eighth daughter of the famous general Pan Mei as his wife, and Pan became his first official wife.Although Zhao Heng was married to the Pan family, whenever he had the opportunity, he sneaked into Zhang Qi's house to have a private meeting with Liu E, and Zhang Qi's house became a place for him to hide his beauty. Although Liu E's situation is not so justifiable, ordinary women may be tired of this kind of sneaky life, but Liu E is not an ordinary woman. At this time, she did not blame others or herself, but took this opportunity to visit Zhang Qi's house. Group books, read history classics, study piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Seeing that Liu E was so considerate, Zhao Heng looked at her differently, and fell in love with this woman from the bottom of his heart.Liu E is the first woman Zhao Heng really fell in love with, and this love will last forever. Investor Gong Mei is waiting, he is waiting for the final return on investment, Liu E is waiting, she wants to wait for the day when she will come out.Resource sharing is long-term, and waiting is long. The two waited for fifteen years. Fifteen years later, Emperor Taizong passed away, and Zhao Heng ascended the throne as the third emperor of the Song Dynasty.After Zhao Heng became emperor, he immediately sent someone to take Liu E into the palace. Liu E finally pushed through the dark clouds to see the sun and the sun again. After Liu E entered the palace, she was immediately named a beauty, and was soon promoted to a concubine of virtue.According to the Song Palace system, the women below the queen mainly include concubines and concubines.There are four grades of concubines: noble concubine, Shu concubine, de concubine, and virtuous concubine, and the ranks of concubines are as high as seventeen ranks, and below that there are first ranks of Jieyu, first rank of beauties, and first ranks of talents and nobles.At that time, Zhao Heng's first wife Pan was dead, and his second wife Guo was named queen. Liu E is alert by nature, clever and changeable, very attentive to Empress Guo, and gets along well with other concubines, which can be regarded as exquisite in all aspects.Because she is very good at handling interpersonal relationships, no concubine in the palace dislikes her, including the maids, no one does not call her virtuous. Not long after, Liu E entered the throne to repair the instrument, and soon, he was canonized as a concubine, and his status continued to rise. After Concubine Liu De was favored, she called Gong Mei her brother, ordered him to change her surname to Liu, and then asked Zhao Heng for an official position.This smart investor really paid off. After the death of Empress Guo, there were still several concubines in the palace. The most favored one was Concubine Liu De, followed by Concubine Yang Shu. At this time, Zhao Heng had no heirs. Although the deceased Queen Guo had three sons, all of them were short-lived, and none of them survived. Concubine Yang Shu also gave birth to two sons, both of whom died successively.Concubine Liu De really wanted to have a son so she could ask Zhao Heng to succeed her as queen.Reluctantly, her belly was not up to date, and she tried her best, but she did not conceive a dragon seed.At this time, Concubine Liu De was already a thirty-seven-year-old woman.It seems that she is a hen that does not lay eggs, and she is destined not to have a son. Zhao Heng was eager to see his son, so he selected Shen Shi, the granddaughter of the former Prime Minister Shen Yilun, to enter the palace as a talented person.At this time, Shen Shi was only fourteen years old, and she was from a famous family. This woman's entry into the palace brought a huge threat to Concubine Liu De's status in the palace.The officials in the court have always been in favor of setting up Shen Cairen as the new queen, but Zhao Heng has not expressed his opinion for a long time. Obviously, he still has Concubine Liu De in his heart. Concubine Liu De is a very scheming woman. When Empress Guo was alive, she had no unreasonable thoughts. When Empress Guo was gone, she was really moved by the position of the middle palace.But she knew that her belly was too weak to bear children, and if she had a son, she would have the capital to compete for the queen.After a lot of thinking and thinking, I finally came up with a way to emulate flowers and trees, that is, to give birth to a child by borrowing the abdomen. Concubine Liu De first used her maid Li's beauty to impress Zhao Heng, and asked Li maid to be Zhao Heng's bedroom.The responsibility of the bedroom secretary is to make Zhao Heng's bed and fold the quilt. Of course, as long as Zhao Heng is happy, she can sleep with the master on that bed at any time. Concubine Liu De's purpose was very clear. If she couldn't have a son, she asked Maid Li to give birth to her. After she conceived a dragon seed and gave birth to a son, she would take it and keep it as her own son.This is her overall plan to have a baby in the womb. Mrs. Li is from Hangzhou.His father, Li Rende, was in charge of the Zuoban Hall when he was King Wuyue, and his mother died early.After Wu Yue surrendered to the Song court, Li Rende fell ill and died on the way to Bianliang.The stepmother remarried with her son, leaving Mrs. Li alone, unable to make a living, so she had to cut off her hair and become a nun, begging for a meal in the nunnery. Once, when Concubine Liu De went to a nunnery to worship Buddha, she saw Li's beautiful appearance and calm demeanor, and she was expected to be a lady, so she started talking with her.Li seems to have met a confidant, and talked about her life experience to Concubine Liu De.Concubine Liu De suddenly felt pity for each other, and took Li out of the nunnery and accepted her as her maid.Li Shiwen is quiet and taciturn, which won Liu E's trust. Li is young, beautiful, and gentle and understanding. Zhao Heng quickly fell in love with this new bedroom secretary. Without Li Shier's initiative to ask, Zhao Heng was lucky enough to be with her, and changed from a bedroom secretary to a bedroom servant. Once, when Li Shi was traveling with Zhao Heng, who was pregnant, she accidentally knocked off the jade hairpin on her head, and the jade hairpin fell to the ground.Zhao Heng secretly prayed: If the jade hairpin is intact, it will give birth to a boy.Take the jade hairpin from the left and right, and it is as good as ever.Although this is a legend, it not only reflects Zhao Heng's eagerness to seek a son from the side, but also a true portrayal of Zhao Heng's desperation to ask the gods to descend a son. On April 14th in the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1010), Mrs. Li conceived in October and gave birth, and she was indeed a son. Zhao Heng was overjoyed when he got a son in his middle age, so he named the newborn baby to benefit; and promoted Li Shi'er as a talented person.This benefited, and later changed his name to Zhao Zhen, which was Song Renzong. Concubine Liu De didn't keep this child by Li Cairen's side, but took it for her own. This is the plan she imagined.After Concubine Liu De carried Li Cai's son over, she told Concubine Yang Shu that the two of them would raise the child together, and Concubine Yang Shu was easy-going and readily agreed.In order to prevent the truth from leaking out, Concubine Liu De sternly warned the maids and eunuchs in the palace to say that the child was born by her, and whoever leaked the truth would be at their own risk. What are the consequences that Concubine Liu De said, these palace people are very clear, there is no other way to go except death.From then on, Zhao Yiyi's life experience became a first-class secret in the palace, and no one dared to mention it. Thinking of the serious consequences, who would dare to take his own life as a joke? Li Cairen has always been a gentle man. Although he was unhappy seeing his son being taken away by Concubine Liu De, he was frightened by Concubine Liu De's power and did not dare to express any dissatisfaction. Otherwise, not only would he bring disaster to himself, but he might also suffer would endanger the safety of the son. Zhao Heng dotes on Concubine Liu De and acquiesced in her adopting Li Cairen's son. From then on, Concubine Liu De and Concubine Yang Shu took care of Zhao Yiyi's daily life. Zhao Yiyi called Concubine Liu De the eldest concubine and concubine Yang Shu the young concubine. Concubine Liu De finally got her wish. She couldn't bear a son, but she became the biological mother of Prince Zhao Yiyi in a grandiose manner. Concubine Liu De took advantage of her sex and favored the harem, which was caused by selfish desires. Fortunately, Concubine Liu De did not do evil despite her scheming. It seems a little inhumane to take the son of the birth as her own, but she dared not deceive Zhao Heng, and did not harm Li Shier, but she just used this to grab the queen's position and covet honor and favor. Although it is a bit cunning, it is not serious evil. Later generations despised Liu E's behavior and interpreted this story as an unbelievable "civet cat for the prince". Huai, causing Emperor Renzong Hanyao to admit his mother.These are all pretentious and absurd stories, all fabricated by literati. Although the description is funny, it distorts history.