For the emperors of ancient China, love was a luxury, not that they did not have women, but there were too many women, three palaces, six courts, seventy-two concubines, and women were completely subordinate to orders, so it was rare to talk about the two words love. It's rare, but it's not nothing. For example, the love between Liu Xiu, the Emperor of Han Guangwu, and his empress Yin Lihua.
According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, the seventh generation of Guan Xiu, the name of xiang Guan Zhong, was passed down to the world for his medical skills, and later moved from the State of Qi to the State of Chu, and was named Yin Dafu, and later took "Yin" as his surname. Yin Lihua is a descendant of Guan Xiu. Although she was born in Nanyang Xinye, she is also a famous queen. Yin Lihua is not only very beautiful, but also talented, and is a beautiful woman with both talents and appearances.
Liu Xiuben was a descendant of the Western Han Dynasty and the ninth grandson of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. But Liu Xiu was not a direct descendant of Liu Bang. Especially in the late Western Han Dynasty, the descendants of the Liu royal family were all over the world. The Book of Han and the Chronicle of the Ping Emperor once recorded: "Zong Muzi, since the Han Dynasty, there are more than 100,000 people." Therefore, by the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the status of this branch of the Liu clan to which Liu Xiu belonged was far less glorious than that of the early Western Han Dynasty, and their status in Nanyang was very low, and there was no difference between them and the commoners.
Liu Xiu has two older brothers, two older sisters and one younger sister. Liu Xiu's older brothers and sisters always regarded themselves as members of the clan and looked down on their subordinates. Liu Xiu, on the other hand, was very approachable and very friendly to his servants, and in his leisure time, Liu Xiu often worked hard himself and never despised the working people. Many times, Liu Xiu's brother laughed at his lack of success. He said that he did not have the nobility of the Liu royal family, but Liu Xiu did not think so, and still acted according to his own wishes.
In the first year of the new initial era (8 years), Wang Mang usurped power to establish his own new dynasty, which was an absolute shame and humiliation to the Liu family, and at the same time, Wang Mang squeezed and suppressed the Liu family in order to stabilize his own power. Liu Xiu's family also suffered. At this time, Liu Xiu's father had died, and he and his two brothers lived in the house of his uncle Liu Liang. Liu Xiu was a young man with great ambitions, and although the situation was not stable, he decided to go to Chang'an to study.
So, how did Liu Xiu know Yin Lihua?
When Liu Xiu was 20 years old, his sister Liu Yuan married Deng Chen. Liu Xiu lived in his sister's house after returning from study in Chang'an, and because of their like-mindedness, Liu Xiu and his brother-in-law became very good friends.
Once, Liu Xiu followed Deng Chen to visit the Yin family, and happened to meet Yin Lihua who was enjoying the flowers in the courtyard. The first time they met, Liu Xiu was attracted by Yin Lihua's flower appearance and moon appearance. So he made a wish in his heart: he must marry Yin Lihua.
Liu Xiu's brother-in-law could see at a glance that Liu Xiu admired Yin Lihua, but with Liu Xiu's current status, it was impossible to marry the precious daughter of the Yin family. Therefore, he constantly encouraged Liu Xiu to take the opportunity to develop a future, so as to get a beautiful love. Liu Xiu listened to his brother-in-law's advice, and he decided to find his place in this chaotic world. Therefore, he formed a rebel army to resist the cruel rule of Wang Mang.
In June of the first year of the Han Dynasty (23), Liu Xiu, who had won many battles, fought many battles. His prestige grew higher and higher, and he finally fulfilled his wish for many years to marry Yin Lihua in Wancheng. At that time, Liu Xiu was 29 years old and Yin Lihua was 19 years old.
However, just as the two were newly married to Yan'er, Liu Xiu's brother was killed by the leader of the rebel army, Emperor Gengshi. At this moment, Liu Xiu also knew that he was precarious and could only bear the burden of humiliation. Three months later, in order to save Yin Lihua's life, Liu Xiu ignored Yin Lihua's objections and sent Yin Lihua back to Xinye's house.
Two years later, Liu Xiu went through several twists and turns and brought his own forces and troops around Hebei. However, during this period, in order to consolidate his strength, Liu Xiu reluctantly accepted the marriage of Liu Yang, the King of Zhending, and married Liu Yang's niece Guo Shengtong.
In the third year of the Han Dynasty (25 years), Liu Xiu was proclaimed emperor in Baixiang, Hebei Province, and the capital was Luoyang, which was known as the Eastern Han Dynasty. Liu Xiu became the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and after fixing the capital, Liu Xiu immediately sent someone to Xinye to greet Yin Lihua. One is his favorite wife with hair, and the other is the wife who is helpless to consolidate his power, and at this time Guo Shengtong has given birth to Liu Xiu's eldest son Liu Qiang, and who to set up is very difficult for Liu Xiu, and can only postpone it.
However, at this moment, Guo Shengtong's uncle Liu Yang plotted against the defendant Fa, Liu Xiu killed Liu Yang's three brothers, and collected Liu Yang's 100,000 troops, and Guo Shengtong completely broke off his hope of becoming empress. Liu Xiu wanted to take this opportunity to set up Yin Lihua after. However, Yin Lihua refused the empress's throne because she had never had children and did not want to hurt Guo Shengtong's son Liu Qiang, and Yin Lihua was so tolerant and benevolent that she took the initiative to let Xian, which not only solved Liu Xiu's difficulties, but also won a virtuous reputation.
In the second year of Jianwu (26), Liu Qiang was made crown prince, and Guo Shengtong unexpectedly became the first empress of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Yin Lihua gave up her identity as empress, but did not lose Liu Xiu's love. Liu Xiu was very fond of Yin Lihua. Even every time I go out to fight, I don't forget to take Yin Lihua with me. Two years later, Yin Lihua finally gave birth to a son for Liu Xiu, who was the later Hanming Emperor Liu Zhuang.
However, Liu Xiu's preference for Yin Lihua was intolerable to Guo Shengtong. Liu Xiu also advocated force because of his eldest son Liu Qiang. Often scolding him, Guo Shengtong felt that the mother and son were very wronged. Can't stand it. Guo Shengtong made a big fuss in front of Liu Xiu, and also scolded Yin Lihua. Yin Lihua felt aggrieved. Asking to go back to her mother's house for a while, Liu Xiu has since snubbed Empress Guo. In the seventeenth year of Jianwu (41 years), because Guo Shengtong repeatedly made a big fuss in the harem, Liu Xiu decided to depose Guo Shengtong, and Li Xiande's Yin Lihua was empress. Yin Lihua did not want to hurt Empress Guo, and she pleaded with Liu Xiu. Let Liu Xiu deal with Guo Shengtong with a generous and benevolent attitude. Soon, Liu Qiang took the initiative to resign from the position of crown prince, and Liu Zhuang, the eldest son of Yin Lihua, was promoted to crown prince. Although Guo Shengtong and Liu Qiang were deposed, Liu Xiu and Yin Lihua did not embarrass their mother and son. In Chinese history, the fate of the deposed empress and the deposed prince was either seclusion or death. The two of them were exceptions.
In February of the second year of Yongping (59), Liu Xiu died of illness in Luoyang at the age of 62. The first month of the seventh year of Yongping (64 years). Yin Lihua also died and was buried with Liu Xiu in yuanling (present-day Mengjin, Henan).
The relationship between Liu Xiu and Yin Lihua is the most beautiful and touching in the history of the ancient court. It is a pity that an emperor like him, a royal love story like him and Yin Lihua, who has sworn an oath and kept together all his life, is rare in China's thousands of years of history.