Everyone knows that when Liu Bang was still a city scoundrel, Lü Yan, who was only a good girl, married him, all because of his father's own opinion. Although his father's choice turned out to be correct, Lü Yan was very miserable in the first half of his life, because he suffered many betrayals by his husband. He followed her husband on the Eastern Expedition and the Western War for many years, and finally became an empress.
Lü Hou's life experience explains that after a man succeeds, it is easy to abandon the wife of the chaff, even the emperor. The historian said bluntly and unceremoniously, "Madame Qi was made into an adult, and she deserved it." Regardless of the experts and Lü Hou, the reasons given are the same, "the blame is self-inflicted."
But at this time, she found that Liu Bang's heart was no longer in her.
When Liu Bang was alive, Lady Qi favored the harem, was young and beautiful, and was good at dancing, and soon gave birth to Liu Ruyi, who was Liu Bang's real favorite concubine. The favored Lady Qi began to be dissatisfied with the status quo.
In the "History of Empress Lü Benji", it is recorded that "Filial piety is benevolent and weak, and GaoZuzu thinks that he is not like me, and often wants to abolish the prince, and he sets up Qi Jizi Ruyi, Ruyi class me." Qi Jixing, often from the Upper Kanto, wept day and night, wanting to establish his son as the crown prince. ”
The son is precious by his mother, and Liu Ruyi is deeply liked by his father by virtue of his mother's favor. Lady Qi looked at it in her eyes and was happy in her heart, and she began to often encourage Liu Bang to change Liu Ruyi to the crown prince, and Liu Bang was even moved.
The "Chronicle of Empress Lü" records that "and staying with Hou Ce, the crown prince must not be abolished", Lü Yan, at the suggestion of the courtier Zhang Liang, asked Shangshan Sihao to assist his son, and Liu Bang saw that these four highly respected scholars were under Liu Ying's command, so he dismissed the idea of re-establishing the prince. Liu Ying successfully retained the position of crown prince until he ascended the throne as Emperor Hui of Han and Lü Yan became the empress dowager.
Emperor Hui ascended the throne at a young age, his temperament was relatively weak, and the power of the state was basically controlled by his mother Lü Yan. Lü Yan had long held a grudge against Lady Qi, who had a beautiful face, and was eager to peel her skin, cramp her tendons, and suck her blood. Therefore, Lü Yan took advantage of Emperor Hui's departure from the palace to kill Lady Qi's son Liu Ruyi the Prince of Zhao, and then used cruel means to persecute Lady Qi and maim her.
Lü Yan asked his subordinates to cut off Lady Qi's hands and feet, and gouge out Lady Qi's eyes and imprison her in a large jar. Not only that, she also injected copper water into Lady Qi's ears, and used poison to poison Lady Qi's throat, which was so bloody that it was unbearable to see, and a generation of emperors with the face of the city became human.
According to the "Records of History", "After staying for a few days, he summoned Emperor Xiaohui to look at people. The emperor looked at it and asked, knowing that his wife was crying, and because of illness, he could not get up for more than a year. ”
How could the weak Emperor Hui of Han withstand such a stimulus? When he recognized the "monster" in front of him as Mrs. Qi, whom he knew, he was immediately frightened and fell ill, and since then his health has deteriorated, and he died at the age of 24.
This was probably the thing that Lü Yan regretted the most, and he killed his son in order to vent his anger. Liu Bang was afraid in her heart that she was no longer a person to rely on, so what she had worked so hard for was definitely her son Emperor Hui of Han, and the death of her son was devastating to her, but it could not be recovered.