Portrait of Empress Yuanyou Meng
Among the concubines of ancient China, there were both people like Wu Zetian, who had extraordinary intelligence and ability to govern the country, and who were fierce and scheming, and who combined praise and criticism, as well as some women who could judge the hour and size up the situation, have extraordinary insights, and have great political ability.
Empress Yuanyou Meng at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty was such a legendary figure.
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Empress Meng was the first empress of Zhao Xu, the seventh emperor of the Song Dynasty.
In her lifetime, she experienced two times of being deposed, two times restored, and twice forced to bow to the government, which is indeed strange and rare in history.
Zhao Xu was the son of Emperor Shenzong of Song, who was only 10 years old when he ascended the throne, and was presided over by his grandmother and empress dowager Gao Zhengyi.
Empress Gao was strong and decisive, and was praised by posterity as a female middle Yao Shun.
Choosing an empress for her grandson, she has her own unique insights, not choosing the daughter of a rich foreign relative, thinking that these girls who are accustomed to a good life are too spoiled to be easy to understand.
She once said to Zhao Xu: Choosing a queen with internal help is not a small matter.
After Zhao Xu grew up, Empress Gao repeatedly discussed with the ministers of the court about the selection of him.
To this end, more than a hundred girls from ordinary official eunuch families were specially selected to enter the palace, and after training and observation, the daughter of the 20-year-old Meng family was selected as the empress of Zhao Xu of Song Zhezong.
Empress Meng came from a low-level bureaucratic family.
Her grandfather Meng Yuan served as a defensive envoy to Meizhou and a military attaché from Wupin.
A few months later, Empress Gao issued an edict: "Meng women can perform women's ceremonies within, and it is advisable to be in the middle of the palace." ”
The Meng clan was officially made empress.
However, Zhao Xu was not willing to accept the marriage arranged for him by his grandmother, nor did he like this empress who was 4 years older than himself, and he favored Liu Qingjing, a beautiful-looking concubine.
Seated statue of Song Zhezong
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The following year, Empress Gao died.
Empress Meng gradually lost power.
Liu Jieyu, who was deeply liked by Song Zhezong, was originally at odds with Empress Meng and had always coveted the position of the main palace.
Liu Jieyu relied on the emperor's favor, and not only blatantly competed for favors and jealousy, did not look at the empress in the eyes, but also set up a trick to frame Empress Meng.
At this time, it coincided with the illness of Empress Meng's daughter Princess Fuqing, and many attempts for treatment had no effect, and soon she died of death.
Empress Meng was devastated, and her adoptive mother and others prayed for her in the harem.
When Liu Jieyu learned of this, she colluded with the internal servants and falsely accused Zhezong that the empress was practicing witchcraft in the palace and cursing Zhezong.
Since ancient times, successive emperors have hated the art of witchcraft.
When Song Zhezong heard this, he was furious and ordered a strict investigation.
Many palace ladies and eunuchs around Empress Meng were tortured and tortured into confession.
Emperor Zhezong deposed Meng Shi as empress dowager and sent her to Yaohua Palace (the place where the deposed concubines were placed in the harem) to become a female Taoist priest, that is, to enter the Cold Palace.
This year Empress Meng, 24 years old.
Empress Meng's demotion can actually be regarded as the result of the party struggle in the imperial court.
During the Song Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty formed two old and new factions represented by Wang Anshi and Sima Guang, and fought fiercely with each other.
Empress Gao supported the old party, while Song Zhezong favored the new party, and after he took over the government, he reappointed the new party figure Zhang Huan.
Zhang Huan and Empress Gao had long been at odds with Empress Gao in terms of political views, and she naturally wanted to get rid of Empress Meng, who was created by Empress Gao.
So he and Liu Jieyu and his gang colluded with each other, which eventually led to the deposing of Empress Meng.
Just when Empress Meng was in yaohua palace with the lone lamp candle to play the glowing yin, Liu Jieyu was promoted to the throne as a concubine.
After giving birth to crown prince Zhao Mao, she became an empress as she wished.
However, the good times did not last long, and soon Zhao Mao actually fell ill and died.
The following year, song Zhezong, who was only 24 years old, also died of illness.
Portrait of Emperor Huizong of Song
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Emperor Zhezong of Song died young, and had to be succeeded to the throne by his younger brother Duan wang Zhao Tuo, also known as Emperor Huizong of Song.
After Emperor Huizong ascended the throne, Xiazhao restored Meng's status as Empress Yuanyou, a decision that was supported by both the government and the public.
For Liu Qingjing, Emperor Huizong honored her as Empress Yuanfu, and after a year, she was honored as empress dowager.
The two empresses should have been at peace, but Liu Qingjing was very unwilling to see Empress Meng reinstate, and deliberately conspired with the internal servant Hao Sui again to try to depose Empress Meng.
Hao Sui then conspired with the traitor Cai Jing to have people write to Emperor Huizong of Song, saying that "uncle has no courtesy of returning to his sister-in-law", which is contrary to the traditional rules of etiquette and will produce gossip that is not conducive to the imperial family, demanding that Emperor Huizong of Song depose Empress Meng again.
Helplessly, Emperor Huizong of Song had no choice but to heed the instigation of these people and issue an edict of abolition.
Less than two years after Empress Meng left Yaohua Palace, she went back to become a Daogu again, and this stay lasted for 24 years.
And that aggressive Liu Qingjing's fate is also sad.
She still did not keep her duties, because interfering in the government aroused the dissatisfaction of the courtiers, and Emperor Huizong demanded that her throne be revoked.
Liu Qingjing felt the anger of the crowd and hanged herself at the age of 35.
In 1126, the Yaohua Palace suddenly caught fire, and the Meng clan moved to Yanning Palace.
Soon after another fire broke out in Yanning Palace, Meng Shi escaped from death and lived in a house in front of the Xiangguo Temple.
Unexpectedly, this change made her blessed by misfortune and escaped a catastrophe.
Portrait of Emperor Qinzong of Song
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In 1125, the Jin army attacked the Song Dynasty from the east and west.
The Jin soldiers of the Eastern Road captured Yanjing, crossed the Yellow River, and marched south to Fenjing (Kaifeng).
Emperor Huizong of Song saw that the situation was in danger, and the throne was given to the crown prince Zhao Huan, that is, Song Qinzong.
In the first month of the first year of Jing Kang (1126), the Jin Army besieged the capital city.
Emperor Qinzong of Song consulted with his ministers and planned to restore Meng Shi to the throne again and honor her as Empress Yuanyou, but before the edict could be issued, the capital was breached by Jin soldiers.
Song Qinzong personally went to the Jinbing camp to negotiate peace, and was immediately detained and detained by the Jin army.
The following year, more than 3,000 people, including Emperor Huizong of Song, the father and son of Emperor Qinzong of Song, as well as the imperial family of the Zhao clan, concubines and concubines of the harem, guiqing, and courtiers, were escorted north to the Jin Kingdom.
All those who had a title in the six palaces were abducted by the Jin army and insulted by the Inhumane Jin people.
Empress Meng was deposed and did not live in the palace, so she was spared death.
After jing kang's disaster, the Jin dynasty made Zhang Bangchang, a minister of the Song Dynasty, the emperor of "pseudo-Chu".
Zhang Bangchang claimed that the establishment of the Great Chu State was only a temporary measure, and he was not a betrayal of the Great Song.
After the Jin army retreated, Zhang Bangchang welcomed Empress Meng into Yanfu Palace, honored her as empress dowager, and asked her to bow the curtain to listen to the government.
Empress Meng, a female Daoist who has experienced two dethrant establishments and nearly 30 years of desolation, entered the center of power when the situation was turbulent and the country was in crisis.
When Fenjing fell, Zhao Zhao, the King of Kang, was spared jing kang because he went out to recruit troops.
After Empress Meng listened to the government, she learned that Zhao Zhuo was in Jeju, and immediately secretly sent someone with a letter to persuade him to become emperor and inform the world.
The 21-year-old Zhao Shuo ascended the throne in Shangqiu, Henan, as the founding emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Song.
Zhang Bangchang's puppet regime of Dachu came to an end, and Empress Meng stopped bowing to the government and changed her name to Empress Longyou.
Jin Guo learned of Zhao Zhao's ascension to the throne and attacked south again.
At the beginning, Zhao Used Li Gang, who was strongly advocating the resistance to Jin, as prime minister.
Soon, he and a group of traitorous favored ministers drove away Li Gang, abandoned the Central Plains, and fled from Shangqiu to Yangzhou.
Portrait of Emperor Gaozong of Song
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The Court of the Southern Song Dynasty was only born for one year, and the Jin soldiers rushed south again.
Zhao hurriedly crossed the river and fled through Zhenjiang to Hangzhou.
In the process of fleeing, there was also a "Miao Liu Change" within the Southern Song Dynasty.
Taking advantage of the soldiers' dissatisfaction with the government, the generals Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan launched a mutiny, secretly murdered the general Wang Yuan and more than a hundred eunuchs who had been trusted by Emperor Gaozong of Song, and forced Emperor Gaozong of Song to abdicate and be succeeded by the 3-year-old crown prince Zhao Xu.
The rebels were also soft and hard, coercing Empress Meng to bow to the government.
Empress Meng, who was once again pushed to the cusp of the storm, was very calm and composed at this time, and decided to go directly out of the city to appease the rebels.
The ministers considered the move too dangerous and feared that the rebels would hold the Empress hostage.
Empress Meng, however, came to the rebels without fear.
On the one hand, he agreed to let Emperor Gaozong of Song abdicate and "qu jia comfort" Miao Fu and others.
On the one hand, he sent someone to rescue Liang Hongyu, han Shizhong's wife, who was detained in the army by Miao and Liu, and summoned her to learn more about the rebels.
Then secretly ordered her to go to Jiaxing to find Han Shizhong and quickly send troops to serve the king.
Soon, Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi, and Zhang Jun led the Qin Wang army from Pingjiang Province, advancing on land and water, attacking Linping north of Hangzhou in one fell swoop, and then capturing the Small Weir Dam of Wulin Gate.
The rebellion of Miao Fu and others was quickly put down.
Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan were captured in Fujian on their escape, escorted to Jiankang and executed.
In April of that year, Emperor Gaozong of Song was restored to the throne, and Empress Meng immediately withdrew her curtain and returned to power.
In this incident, Empress Meng was not in danger, did not panic, and showed extraordinary wisdom and courage, just as she was able to control the overall situation in a clever and rational manner when dealing with Zhang Bangchang's pseudo-Chu regime, stabilizing the situation in the newly established Southern Song Dynasty.
Empress Meng listened to the government twice, a total of less than two months, but it had a great impact on the history of the Southern Song Dynasty.
In the years that followed, the Southern Song court was in turmoil, and Empress Meng remained in exile in Zhejiang and Jiangxi.
It was not until the Battle of Huang Tiandang by Han Shizhong that the Southern Song Dynasty gradually stabilized and formed a confrontation with the Jin State.
Emperor Gaozong of Song immediately sent someone to Ganzhou to pick up Empress Meng.
It is said that Emperor Gaozong of Song was very filial to his aunt.
When Empress Meng was ill, Emperor Gaozong of Song stayed around all night, untied his clothes all night, and cared for him.
In 1131, Empress Meng died at the age of 58.
As a concubine who has experienced a turbulent and chaotic world, it is not easy to be able to die.
She left a legendary story in Chinese history that she did not let her eyebrows be shaved.