In history, there are many emperor concubines of noble origins, and there are also concubines of humble origins. The one I want to talk about today, she is not only from a humble origin, but also of unusual blood, and is of African origin. Her name was Li Lingrong, and she was a concubine of Emperor Wen of Jin.
The Book of Jin records that when Sima Yu, the emperor of Jin Jianwen, was the King of Huiji, he had five sons, three of whom died tragically. Later, Sima Daosheng was deposed, and Sima Yu, the prince of Linchuan, died.
In 361 A.D., in the fifth year of Dong's ascension to Ping, all of Sima Yu's concubines were "all sterile for ten years." That is to say, during this decade, Sima Yu's concubines did not give birth to a single son for him. At this time, Sima Yu was already forty-two years old, and his body was not as good as before.
There are three filial pieties, and no queen is greater. Sima Yu tried everything he could to add another heir to the Sima family, but he failed. Just when he was about to despair, someone recommended him a xiangshi. It is said that this gentleman is extremely deep, and if you look at a woman, you can see what kind of child this woman can give birth to. Sima Yu did not believe it at first, but there was no other way but to use a dead horse as a living horse doctor.
Xiang Shi traveled all over the palace and saw all the concubines of Sima Yu, but he was stunned that he could not pick out one that could be born. Some people began to sigh: "Zhu Ji has been pregnant for ten years, and the prince has made the good people look at them, but not others!" ”
A huge royal palace, can not find a woman who can bear a son for herself? Sima Yu was not satisfied, and he ordered all the women in the palace to be gathered together and lined up, so that Xiangshi could continue to search.
In the palace, whether it was a woman who did rough work or a woman who cooked, they were all gathered together and let the xiangshi see them one by one. Kung Fu pays off, and this time Xiang shi really found one.
This woman is Li Lingrong. At this time, she was still a palace maid who did rough work. Unlike other women, she had dark skin, a strong body, and curly hair that she recognized at a glance from the crowd.
Someone in the palace told Sima Yu, "This woman is Kunlun Nu. ”
What is KunlunNu?
The Book of Tang records in the 147th Chronicle of the Southern Barbarians: "From the south of Linyi, all of them had curly hair and black bodies, and their common name was Kunlun. According to this statement, Kunlun Nu should come from south of LinYi. South of Lam-eup, it includes present-day India, the Middle East, and Africa. In such a comparison, Li Lingrong is very much in line with the characteristics of Africans.
Fang Xuanling and other "Books of Jin" also said that Li Lingrong was "long in shape and black in color, and everyone in the palace called Kunlun".
Xiang Shi found himself a Kunlun nu as a concubine, and Sima Yu was naturally uncomfortable in his heart, but he had to harden his scalp and "summon the attendant to sleep."
After Li Lingrong went to bed, she said that she had a strange dream, dreaming of a scene of "two dragons pillowing their knees, and the sun and moon entering their arms". Sima Yu was very happy to hear this, and thought it was auspicious.
Sure enough, soon after, Li Lingrong was pregnant with Liujia. Within a few years, she gave birth to two sons and a daughter for Sima Yu, and her position in the palace suddenly became noble.
371 AD. At the age of 51, Sima Yu ascended the throne for Emperor Jianwen and made Li Lingrong a concubine. Two years later, Sima Yu died, and Sima Yao, the son of Li Lingrong, succeeded to the throne. Li Lingrong became the empress dowager.
After Sima Yao's death, his son Sima Dezong succeeded to the throne and honored Li Lingrong as "Empress Dowager".
In this way, Li Lingrong, who came from a humble origin and came from a foreign land, gradually became the empress dowager from a "Kunlun Nu", which can be described as a legend in the ancient harem.