What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
Many people believe that as long as it is the right history, it must be an iron law, it must be a fact. However, for the record of the same event, different history books will have differences, so the objective truth of many long-standing historical stories has always been a topic of endless debate among historians.
Both the "History of Ming" and the "Chronicle of the Ming Dynasty" have recorded that Wan Zhen'er, the favorite concubine of the Ming Dynasty, interfered in the government affairs of the dynasty, mutilated the concubines of the harem and the imperial heirs, especially the "History of Ming" is still one of the twenty-four canonical histories of China, so is there anything wrong with its record?
The first thing to be clear is that both the Ming History and the Ming Chronicle were written by Qing officials, and it would be obvious if there were any falsifications and exaggerations. Let's first break down the Qing Dynasty's "History of Ming" and the Ming Dynasty's own official history book, "Ming Shilu".
The History of Ming and the End of the Chronicle of ming indicate that Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne at the age of 16 and Wan Guifei was 35 years old. However, the Ming Dynasty's own history books such as the Ming Shilu clearly record that Wan Zhen'er was born in 1430, and she was only 17 years older than Zhu Jianshen, who was only 34 years old when Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne in 1464. Before the History of Ming began to introduce characters, the age gap was already exaggerated.
Next, Wan Zhen'er entered the palace at the age of 4 and became a palace maid, which was deeply loved by Empress Sun. In 1432, when the two-year-old Zhu Jianshen was crown prince, Wan Zhen'er was 19 years old. From then on, although she had the opportunity to marry someone out of the palace, she also stayed by Zhu Mishen's side to serve.
This emperor of Zhu Jianshen was not easy to come by, because the party strife in the imperial court, in 1452, Zhu Jianshen, the crown prince, was deposed once. It was not until 1457, when Emperor Mingyingzong ascended the throne, that Zhu Jianshen was re-made crown prince. "The most ruthless imperial family", Zhu Jianshen has understood this truth since he was a child, and he has placed all his security on Wan Zhen'er.
Therefore, in 1464, when Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne as Emperor Xianzong of Ming, he wanted to make Wan Zhen'er empress, but the empress dowager and his courtiers stopped it and had to give up. However, after Wan Zhen'er gained favor, she wantonly provoked Empress Wu, causing Empress Wu to bear to use a staff on her. Wan Zhen'er ran to Ming Xianzong and cried, and no one could stop Ming Xianzong from deposing Empress Wu.
The newly enthroned Empress Wang had a weak personality, and with the lessons of Empress Wu's past, she swallowed Wan Zhen'er and became a puppet. This is recorded in the history books of the Ming and Qing dynasties, although there is also a little error, but the results are the same. The focus was on Wan Zhen'er's jealousy and the mutilation of the pregnant concubine and the imperial heir.
The History of Ming says that Wan Zhen'er's own children died, jealous of the other concubines to be born, and afraid that he would fall out of favor, secretly killed many heirs. In fact, Emperor Mingxianzong had 14 sons and 6 daughters, but in the early stage, there were several princes who died early, but the reason why they were all counted on wan Zhen'er's head was probably because she was favored in the harem, so that there were too few children in the early days of Emperor Mingxianzong, so the ministers also had opinions.
The "History of Ming" even says that Ji Shi (the biological mother of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming) was also killed by Wan Zhen'er, and zhang Min, the grand eunuch who was trying to protect Emperor Xiaozong of Ming at that time, was also forced to commit suicide by Wan Zhen'er, and Zhu Youfan was also mutilated by Wan Zhen'er.
However, there is no such thing as Wan Zhen'er's cruelty to Zhu Youfan in the Ming Shilu, and other Ming Dynasty history books also record that when Ji Shi was pregnant, Wan Guifei was jealous and angry. However, Emperor Mingxianzong still handled the matter properly, and after Zhu Youfan was born, Wan Zhen'er also went to congratulate the new prince and took him to the palace to raise him.
Think about it again, if Wan Guifei really did something that mutilated Ji And hurt Ming Xiaozong, even if Ming Xianzong loved her, he could let her go. So why did Emperor Ming Xiaozong take the throne but never pursue the matter? In saying that Wan Guifei interfered in the politics of the dynasty, this kind of remark also carries a bit of subjective bias.
In ancient China, no matter which era the favorite concubine, more or less there would be ministers or powerful ministers who bribed or surrendered. The favored concubines also had to rely on some strength of the imperial court to live a little better, and if it was said that they could not seek a little welfare for themselves at all, they would at most not participate in the major affairs of the state.
Historians debated the history books of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but the genealogy of the great eunuch Zhang Min's family was turned over. Among them, there is a detailed record of what Zhang Min did before his death, and the historical description format of Wan Guifei is very different from the "History of Ming", and Zhang Min finally died.
However, why did the "History of Ming" describe the affairs of Wan Guifei and Ming Xianzong so much? It is nothing more than to promote the theory of "female calamity", and it is also to wake up the emperor of the Qing Dynasty and learn lessons.
"There is no truth in history, only one truth remains." Mr. Ma Weidu, a well-known scholar in china, once said this. History does not have complete right and wrong, nor does it have the most just truth, and history books also exist to warn people to remember the lessons of their ancestors and draw lessons from the rise and fall of the countries of the former dynasties.