Know all about the secrets of the harem

Chapter 50 Disaster for the Country
The fate of the subjugated king is sad after all.Soon, Gao Wei died in Huangquan.Feng Xiaolian was rewarded to Yuwenda, the younger brother of Emperor Wu of Zhou. Her beauty and style fascinated Yuwenda again, and Feng Xiaolian was favored again.

Once, when Feng Xiaolian was playing the piano, a string suddenly broke.This made her very sad, so she wrote such a poem: Although she is favored today, she still remembers her pity in the past.If you want to know the heart is cut off, you should look at the knee string.Perhaps, the passion given to her by Cushman is lingering.Facing the prosperous and dream-like country, she only wants to enjoy it, not to possess it, but what the owner of the country brings her is endless resentment and sadness.

Later, the emperor suspected Yu Wenda of treason and killed him.Feng Xiaolian was awarded to Li Xun again, and Li Xun was Yu Wenda's concubine's elder brother. When Yu Wenda favored Feng Xiaolian, Li Xun's younger sister was treated coldly.

The next outcome can be imagined.In order to avenge her daughter, Li Xun's mother ordered Feng Xiaolian to wear a sarong. She would spring rice, chop firewood, cook, and do laundry every day. Withstood such devastation.She knew that she had nothing to love in life, and she couldn't be tolerated by others, so she hanged herself to death in the end.

Li He, the grandson of the late Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem "Feng Xiaolian":
See Xiao Lian at Wantou, please play the pipa strings.

How much is it worth now if it is so broken.

The skirt hangs with bamboo leaves, and the temples are wet with apricot flowers.

The jade is cold and the red silk is heavy, and the concubine of Qi Palace drives the whip.

Feng Xiaolian left behind only the castigation of thousands of generations and the accusation of being a confidante, and Jiang Wenyun of the Qing Dynasty alone said otherwise: "Qi Gaowei would rather perish, and finally refused to go against Xiao Lian's wishes, just like the so-called life and death friends!"

Zhang Lihua: Empress Chen's adultery and subjugation of the country

Liyu Fanglin faces the high pavilion, the new clothes are beautiful and high quality;

Ying Hu Ningjiao did not enter at first, and greeted with a smile when she left the curtain.

The enchantress's face is like a flower with dew, and the yushu stream shines on the backyard;
The flowers bloom and fall for a short time, and the ground is full of redness and returns to silence!
This is a well-known song of subjugation - "Yushu Houting Flower", which was composed by the empress of the Southern Dynasty for Zhang Lihua, a beautiful concubine from the south of the Yangtze River.

The days described in the poem are so sweet and gentle, and the beauty's smile is so bright and gorgeous, but this is a declining era, and it is doomed that "the flowers in the backyard of Yushu will not bloom for long".The good days of Empress Chen were as short as the flowers in the back garden of Yushu. It was less than seven years (582-589). When the Sui soldiers entered Jiankang (now Nanjing), Empress Chen was captured and Zhang Lihua died tragically. In the blink of an eye, it turns into nothingness in an instant.

Chen Houzhu (553-604), that is, Chen Shubao, character Yuanxiu, small character Huangnu, the eldest son of Emperor Chen Xuan, was born in Jiangling.

After the death of Emperor Xuan, he ascended the throne after defeating his younger brother's struggle for the throne, and reigned for seven years from 582-589 AD.During his reign, he built a large palace and lived a luxurious life. He had banquets with concubines and civil servants every day, and made erotic poems.When the soldiers of the Sui Dynasty went south, they did not care about the natural danger of the Yangtze River.In the third year of Zhenming (589), a Sui soldier in Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) was captured.Later, he died of illness in Luoyang, and was posthumously named the Duke of Changcheng County.

Since the founding of the country by Emperor Wu of the Chen Dynasty, the rules and disciplines have been well prepared, the world has gradually stabilized, and the land in the south of the Yangtze River is known as rich and prosperous.The later master Chen Shubao was "born in the deep palace and grew up in the hands of women".

When he was the prince, he gathered all the beautiful women in the world among the people.

"There are many beauties in the south of the Yangtze River since ancient times." Consort Gong and Concubine Kong in the Crown Prince's womb are rare beauties, and there are countless other servants and concubines with Ana's figure and outstanding appearance.But these people are far behind Zhang Lihua.

Zhang Lihua was born in a poor family. Her father and elder brother supported the family by weaving mats. Life was extremely difficult.Later, when the crown prince selected officials and maidservants, Zhang Lihua, who was only ten years old, was sent to the official residence and became Concubine Gong's maid.Although she is still young, Zhang Lihua's amazing beauty has begun to show.

One day, Chen Shubao saw Zhang Lihua at Concubine Gong's place, he was astonished, and said: "You have such a beautiful woman here, why did you hide it from me." There was a sense of reproach in the words, and Concubine Gong hurriedly explained: "The concubine thinks that His Highness will not see her before, and she may not be able to bear His Highness's favor at such a young age." Chen Shubao was right when he thought about it, it was indeed too early to favor a ten-year-old girl, so he had no choice but to put away his lust and wait. Zhang Lihua grew up.The amorous poet Chen Shubao also wrote a short poem for Zhang Lihua, and wrote it on gold flower paper and gave it to the person he loves to express his love:
For the first time, the begonias are tender with rouge, and the emeralds are luxuriant. They are too weak to support, and the golden wind is not allowed to blow hard.

When the new peach is carelessly combed, the eyebrows are lightly crescent, and the temples are drooping, wanting to protect the orchid buds.

Zhang Lihua is intelligent by nature. Under the guidance of the first-class teachers in the palace and the care of the prince Chen Shubao, she has made great progress in singing, playing, singing and dancing, poetry and poetry.

As she grows older, Zhang Lihua becomes more lithe and graceful, her manners are leisurely and elegant, and her appearance is gorgeous. Every time she looks back, the brilliance shines on her left and right.Zhang Lihua's change was a challenge to Chen Shubao's patience. He resisted the impulse in his heart and waited for the opportunity. When he couldn't bear it anymore, he hugged Zhang Lihua to his lap and stroked her body to relieve the pain of lovesickness.

At this time, Zhang Lihua's heart has already moved, and the cloud is full of love and rain, and it is full of desire to reveal, which arouses the queen's passion.Shubao wants to get involved in adultery, but Zhang Lihua half pushes it, which makes Chen Shubao lose his mind.One night, the scenery was harmonious, and the bright moonlight was like water. After drinking, he proposed to sleep with Zhang Lihua.When Zhang Lihua was exposed to the rain and dew for the first time, she cried tenderly and was extremely shy.From then on, the two love glue paint, known as the special room.

In 582, Chen Shubao's father, Emperor Xiaoxuan, died of illness.As the eldest son, Chen Shubao, was conferred the crown prince 13 years ago. He could have ascended the throne justifiably, but his younger brother Shuling took out a medicine knife hidden in his sleeve and slashed at Chen Shubao's back while he was not paying attention. At the neck, the Empress Dowager Liu Jingyan, the crown prince's nurse Wu Yu, and the fourth younger brother Chen Shujian rushed forward and hugged Chen Shuling by the waist, and Chen Shubao was saved from death.

When Chen Shubao was recuperating in Chengxiang Palace, he went to Zhuji, only Zhang Lihua, who had just been promoted to imperial concubine, accompanied him.Chen Shubao's heart was filled with the pain of losing his father and the pain of his younger brother's assassination. Thanks to Zhang Lihua's careful explanation and comfort, he slowly healed his wounds.Also because of this difficult relationship with Chen Shubao, Zhang Lihua was even more favored.

Since the founding of the country by Emperor Wu, the Chen Dynasty has not carried out large-scale palace construction. Chen Shubao believes that the palace is too simple and does not match the demeanor of the beauties.In the third year after ascending the throne, the state affairs were still undecided, and Chen Shubao had just recovered from his stab wounds, so he couldn't wait to build the three pavilions of Linchun, Jieqi and Wangxian in front of the Guangguang Hall.

But what Chen Shubao is most concerned about is the happy life of him and his beauties. Chen Shubao lives in Linchun Pavilion, Zhang Lihua lives in Jieqi Pavilion, and Gong and Kong two noble concubines live in Wangxian Pavilion. Chen Shubao travels between the three pavilions, and finds what he wants from both sides.There are also Wang and Ji Ermei, Zhang and Xue Ershuyuan, Yuan Zhaoyi, He Jieyu, Jiang Xiurong and other seven people.Zhang Lihua used to do her makeup on the pavilion, sometimes sitting alone in the pavilion, sometimes leaning on the railing to look into the distance, people who saw it would think that the fairy came to the world, giving people a feeling of longing and unattainability.Chen Shubao enjoys all the beauties in the world, so how can he care about state affairs?
Zhang Lihua has picturesque eyebrows and seven feet long hair that can be seen. When she was doing her makeup on the Jieqi Pavilion and leaning on the railing to look into the distance, everyone who saw it thought she was a fairy descending from the earth.After becoming a noble concubine, her demeanor gradually matured. Chen Shubao doted on the noble concubine Zhang Lihua.Therefore, an extremely absurd scene appeared in the court hall of the Chen Dynasty. Chen Shubao probably held Zhang Lihua on his lap when he went to court, "discussing state affairs together."What's even more rare is that Zhang Lihua is still very smart, eloquent, discerning by appearance, and has a particularly good memory.

At that time, the eunuchs Cai Tuo'er and Li Shandu preliminarily handled the opening performances of all the officials before sending them in. Sometimes Cai and Li even forgot the content, but Zhang Lihua was able to give answers one by one without missing anything.Zhang Lihua was only in charge of internal affairs at first, and later began to interfere in foreign affairs.

Chen Shubao obeyed Zhang Lihua's advice, so the eunuchs and servants colluded with Zhang Lihua inside and outside.The family members of the later officials broke the law. As long as they pleaded with Zhang Lihua, she would forgive them all.If the princes and ministers don't obey the internal order, as long as she says a word, they will be reprimanded by their superiors.Later, Zhang Lihua gave birth to a son who became a prince for Chen Shubao, and her status in Chen Shubao's mind was further improved, consolidated and strengthened.Zhang Lihua became more and more courageous, citing her family relatives, committing crimes, selling officials and nobles, and bribing public officials, all of which were covered up by Chen Shubao's banner.

Chen Shubao has a talent for writing and is good at composing poems, so Zhang Lihua vigorously organized the poetry and song meeting. Chen Shubao hugged his favorite eight concubines from left to right and sat in the main seat.All kinds of poems were published at these banquets, and the lines between the lines were filled with the smell of alcohol.Those gorgeous and gorgeous words, sweet and sour, can't escape the stereotype of a wine woman.In this way, Chen Guojun and his ministers sang to their heart's content, from evening to dawn, as a rule, the whole court really enjoyed singing and dancing, and the future is bright.The song "Flowers in the Backyard of Yushu" is Chen Shubao's work of this period, and the lines are full of boasting and admiration for Zhang Lihua.

In addition to singing and dancing, Zhang Lihua also lured the emperor to pray to gods and ghosts. "Southern History" said: "(Zhang Lihua) used the art of dispelling evil spirits, false ghosts to confuse the queen master. Place prostitutes in the palace, and gather witches to encourage them." As long as the emperor believes in witches and gods, noble concubines and empresses can Control his thoughts and actions.Zhang Lihua is like a liaison officer between the courtiers and the emperor, "If there is a word or a deed in the world, the imperial concubine must know it clearly. Because of this, she becomes more and more favored, and she is the best in the court".Over time, the imperial power was emptied.The small imperial court in Jiangdong did not know that there was Empress Chen, but it knew that there was Zhang Lihua.This kind of extravagant life has gradually weakened the national strength.

Just when the Chen Dynasty was singing and dancing and enjoying themselves, Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, was ready to go south to destroy Chen after he unified the north.In 588 A.D., Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, sent more than 51 people, with Jin Wang Yang Guang as the marching commander, starting from the sea in the east, starting from Bashu in the west, spanning thousands of miles, and divided into the Eighth Route Army to attack Jiangnan, pointing directly at the Chen Dynasty The capital was built and healthy.

At first, after hearing the news, Empress Chen was a little skeptical. He said: "The dragons and tigers in Jinling are here, and the king's spirit is here. Qi soldiers came three times, and Zhou divisions came twice. They were not destroyed. What can the Sui army do?" ?” Still reciting poems and composing Fu with Concubine Zhang and others, singing and drinking happily.After hearing that the Sui army had crossed the Yangtze River and was approaching the capital Jiankang, they panicked and hurriedly summoned a group of ministers to discuss a plan to retreat.The Empress asked repeatedly: "Yours, who is willing to fight for me?" He asked several times, but no one answered.When he was anxious, the old general Xiao Moha replied: "I am willing to lead the three armies to defend against the enemy!" At that time, there were 10 soldiers in Jiankang City. Go out of the city and fight against the enemy.

Yang Guang, King of Jin, set out from Liuhe, Yang Jun, King of Qin, went downriver from Xiangyang, Yang Su, Duke of He of Qing Dynasty, swore from Yong'an, Liu Siren, governor of Jingzhou, marched east from Jiangling, Wang Shiji, governor of Qizhou, sent troops from Qichun, governor of Luzhou Han Capturing the tiger rushed forward from Lujiang, and other Wuzhou governor He Ruobi and Qingzhou governor Yan Rong also rushed to join forces from Lujiang and Donghai respectively.The army broke through Jiankang.Among them, Han Qinhu personally led [-] elite soldiers to cross Caishiji from Hengjiang night, and then He Ruobi attacked Jingkou, forming a two-prong attack.In the end, Sui Dynasty general Han Qinhu led [-] elite cavalry, and Ren Zhongzhi led them to Suzaku Gate.

Originally, Han Qinhu thought that he would capture the emperor in the palace and make a first-class contribution, but what he didn't expect was that the palace was empty and there was no one.It is not a good thing that he did not see Empress Chen. Although Empress Chen is incompetent, an ambitious person can use him to revolt and bring instability to the regime. Han Qinhu immediately sent people to search.

In front of the Jingyang Hall, the queen officials and beauties lined up waiting to be dealt with, but Zhang Lihua and Concubine Kong Guifei were missing, and Han Qinhu almost overturned the official garden.In the end, there was only a dry well in the back garden. A group of soldiers yelled at the mouth of the well, but there was no sound in the well. Some of the soldiers suggested throwing a big stone into the well. At this time, there was a voice begging for mercy.So a basket was tied with a thick rope to hang down the well, and everyone pulled it together, feeling very heavy. Everyone began to think that the emperor's dragon body was really extraordinary. , hugging each other tightly and sitting in the basket.The soldiers burst out laughing at the sight.It is said that when the three were brought up, Zhang Lihua's rouge rubbed against the mouth of the well, and later generations called this well "Rouge Well".

In fact, if Empress Chen had been able to take precautions early, the Sui army might not have been able to cross the Yangtze River easily; if the 10 soldiers defending the city could work together, how could the Sui army have surrendered without fighting; When it was broken, Chen Houzhu was able to show his courage, climb high, and maybe he could also clean up the army's morale, regroup, and fight off Han Qinhu's mere 500 troops.However, Chen Houzhu is just a romantic figure in rouge and gouache. When he really comes into close contact with the enemy, he is simply a coward. Get rid of the laughing stock.

During the reign of Empress Chen, he enjoyed all the splendor and wealth in the world. When the country was ruined and his family was destroyed, it is reasonable to say that he should die as a martyr. Otherwise, what face would he have in this world?Zhang Lihua, Concubine Kong Gui and others should also die for both loyalty and love, leaving a touch of poignancy for the Southern Dynasty. However, they all shamefully insisted on waiting for the enemy to decide their fate, so that they were passive.Later generations felt this, and wrote poems to satirize:

Capturing tigers, spears and spears fills the six palaces, spring flowers have no trees, no autumn wind;
Seeing the passionate place in a hurry, the same point willingly goes to the well.

After Han Qinhu captured the three of them, he did not make things difficult for Empress Chen. When He Ruobi entered the city, he heard that Han Qinhu had captured Empress Chen. , You will return to your fate, and you will have nothing to fear!" Empress Chen expressed his thanks again and again, and at the same time, he was panicked.

At this time, armies and horses from all walks of life have successively attacked and plundered the states and counties of Chen State. Yang Guangsu, the king of Jin Dynasty, admired Zhang Lihua's beauty, and privately told Gao Ying: "When you enter Jiankang, you will find Zhang Lihua, and don't harm her life." Zhang Lihua came to see him, and he said:

"The old prince destroyed Zhou and tried to kill Da with a mask. How can such a demon concubine be kept?" So Zhang Lihua was killed beside Qingxi.From then on, Yang Guang only hated Gao Ying, and he buried the idea of ​​killing Gao Gao later.

The beauty Zhang Lihua had passed away, for which Yang Guang regretted for a long time.Because he wanted to fight for the succession to the throne, he had to put on a lot of pretense, and acted like a corporal, respectful and benevolent, so he showed frugality and was not sensual.He ascended the throne and became Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. He abused women one after another, even murdering his brother and treacherous wife, but none of them could satisfy his longing for Zhang Lihua.In the end, he did not hesitate to dig canals, went to Jiangdu three times, and wasted money. In the final analysis, it was the longing for the characters and beauties in the south of the Yangtze River.

Du Mu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was in the Qinhuai River at night. He heard the women on the shore singing "The Flowers in the Backyard of the Yushu" by Chen Houzhu under the moonlight. Wrote this song "Qinhuai Night Mooring":
The smoky, cold water, moon cage and sand, mooring the Qinhuai River at night, near the restaurant: The merchant woman does not know the hatred of subjugation, and she still sings flowers in the backyard across the river.

Although the Southern Dynasties fell, Zhang Lihua's love affairs still arouse people's imagination.The Qinhuai River in the shadow of oars and lamps, how much wind blows away with the wind...

Empress Liu: Corruption of wealth and detriment to the country eventually led to her death

Liu Yuniang (? -926), Empress Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty.In 924 AD, she was established as a queen, with the posthumous title of "Queen of God and King".A native of Cheng'an, Weizhou (now Cheng'an, Hebei).Father Liu old man, a doctor in the rivers and lakes.She beat her biological father to hide her background.In order to rule the government, he killed Zhongliang.She colluded with actors and officials to collect money and people.Later, he was caught by the new emperor Li Siyuan and ordered to commit suicide.

A blessing in disguise, Zhuang Zong favored

Empress Liu of Zhuangzong Li Cunxu of the Later Tang Dynasty was originally from Cheng'an, Weizhou (now Northeast, Hebei). She was born in a poor family of ordinary people.When Li Ke led his troops to attack Weizhou, he occupied Cheng'an.Empress Liu was only five or six years old at the time. In order to escape the war, her father took her to a foreign country to make a living temporarily, and came back after the war subsided.Before he could escape, the village was plundered by Li Keyong's troops. The concubine Cao was used as a small maid.It was a disaster to be robbed this time, but in the future Liu's marriage to Li Cunxu and becoming a queen can be considered extremely rich.But in the end, Mrs. Liu not only lost her rich life because of her greed and stinginess, but also lost her life, and was given to commit suicide. This is a later story.Mrs. Cao saw that Mrs. Liu was very affectionate, so she comforted her with kind words. At the beginning, Mrs. Liu was still thinking about her father who had unfortunately separated. The life of the palace.

Mrs. Cao asked her to teach her how to play the sheng, and she accepted it very quickly. Then she was taught to sing and dance.

This Mrs. Cao is Li Cunxu's biological mother. She has a humble temperament and can tell right from wrong. Her husband, Li Keyong, has a violent temper and is extremely strict with his subordinates. He punishes his subordinates severely for the slightest mistake. Therefore, no one dares to intercede, except Mrs. Cao who calmly advises her. help each other.Because Li Keyong's mother often taught him to be kind to the extraordinary Mrs. Cao, and he also respected Mrs. Cao's virtuous character, whenever Mrs. Cao dissuaded him, his anger subsided and he forgave the left and right.After Li Cunxu was born, he was outstanding in appearance and looked like a hero. Li Keyong was overjoyed and respected Mrs. Cao even more.Mrs. Cao was not arrogant because of this, she still treated Li Keyong respectfully and was diligent in the affairs of the house, so she won the respect of the waiters around her.

Mrs. Cao is not only virtuous, but also strategic.After Li Keyong's death, Li Kening and others conspired to usurp the throne and harm her son Li Cunxu, so she asked her loyal minister Zhang Chengye to tell her the inside story.Zhang Chengye executed Li Kening and others, stabilizing Li Cunxu's position.

(End of this chapter)