Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing empresses chose "beauty": is it difficult to describe the meaning? Or is there something wrong with the emperor's aesthetic?

During the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu called Han Evil Shan Yu to ask for peace and affection, and the palace lady Wang Yan requested to be a person of peace. Emperor Yuan was lustful, and he thought that all those who had a beautiful posture in the palace should be favored by him. Who is Wang Yan? Without attracting his attention, naturally he was not a man of outstanding appearance, and gave it to the Xiongnu Shan Yu just right, so he approved Wang Yan's request.

On the day of sending off his relatives, Emperor Yuan of Han saw Wang Yan and thought: My obedience turned out to be such a good-looking person. Unfortunately, the old boy who is cheap to call Han Evil! Emperor Yuan bid farewell to the palace maid bitterly and gave her the name "Zhaojun".

Afterwards, the more he thought about it, the more angry he became, and he blamed the painter Mao Yanshou for deliberately not painting a good portrait of the palace people, so that he lost his hand with the beautiful queen Zhaojun, and in anger, he killed Mao Yanshou.

A thousand years later, Wang Anshi wrote a poem to defend Mao Yanshou, saying that "the origin of the intention could not be painted, and Mao Yanshou was killed in vain at that time."

A portrait of Zhaojun caused the emperor to lose his beauty and the painter to lose his life. She is not favored, is there a problem with the emperor's aesthetic? No. Was it the painter who deliberately painted ugly? Wang Anshi said that the mood is difficult to describe, and it seems that the painter cannot be blamed.

The portraits of the palace people still cause these disputes, so what kind of comments will the portrait of the empress provoke? Without further ado, let's first take a look at the portraits of the empresses of the Four Dynasties of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties

Song dynasty

Empress Li: Empress Zhao Guangyi of Emperor Taizong of Song

Empress Liu: Empress Zhao Heng of Song Zhenzong, the first female protagonist of the Song Dynasty to claim the title of dynasty, later generations called her "the talent of Lü Wu, not the evil of Lü Wu".

Empress Cao: Empress Renzong of Song

Empress Gao: Empress Zhao Shu of Song Yingzong

Empress Xiang: Great-granddaughter of Xiang Minzhong, Empress Dowager Zhao of Song.

Empress Meng: The first empress of Song Zhezong, she was deposed twice and restored twice, and was twice forced to bow to the government under the critical situation of the country.

Empress Zheng: Empress Huizong of Song

Empress Zhu: Empress Zhao Huan of The Song Dynasty, after being captured by Jin Bing, she was humiliated and committed suicide by throwing herself into the water.

Empress Wu: Empress Gaozong of Song, who reigned as empress dowager for fifty-five years.

Empress Xiao: The third empress dowager of Emperor Xiaozong of Song

Empress Han: Empress Zhao Kuo of Song Ningzong

Yuan

Empress Dowager Nanbi of the Yuan Dynasty

Empress Chabi of the Yuan Dynasty

Empress Yuanrenzong

Empress Yuanwuzong Zhenge

Empress Dowager Yuanmingzong

Empress Dowager Yuanyingzong

Empress Yuanningzong

Ming dynasty

Empress Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty: Empress Xiaocigao, of the Ma clan.

Empress Zhu Di of Ming Chengzu: Empress Renxiao, of the Xu clan.

Empress Akihito: Empress Chengxiao, of the Zhang clan

Empress Zhu Zhanji of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming: Empress Xiaogongzhang, of the Sun clan

Qing Dynasty

Empress Taiji: Empress Xiaoduanwen, Borjigit Zhezhe

Empress Taiji: Empress Xiaozhuangwen, of the Borjigit clan, known as Bumubutai

Empress Shunzhi: Empress Xiaokangzhang, tong jia

Empress Kangxi Emperor: Empress Xiaogongren, wu ya clan, name Ma Zhen, the biological mother of the Yongzheng Emperor

Empress Yongzheng: Empress Xiaoshengxian, of the Niuhulu clan

Empress Qianlong: Empress Xiaoxianchun, of the Fucha clan

Empress Guangxu: Empress Longyu, of the Yehenara clan

Guo Buluo Wanrong, the last emperor Puyi Empress

The above portraits of some empresses of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Seeing this, do you think that the painter's mood is difficult to describe, or is there a problem with the emperor's aesthetic? Or there is another reason.