In China's thousands of years of feudal society, male domination is the benchmark of the times, and the throne seems to be inherently reserved for brave and strong men. Until the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian, with his identity as a "female stream", drew a different color in feudal history and became the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history.
Portrait of Wu Zetian
When we praise Wu Zetian's "difference", we can't help but sigh:
After Wu Zetian opened the "female emperor", why didn't there be another female emperor in Chinese history?
Perhaps the answer is obvious, after the Wu Zetian period, society could not tolerate the rule of female emperors, and a kind of "
Women stealing power, like The Rooster Si Chen, is bound to mess up the government
" concept. In fact, in traditional patriarchy, the high-ranking officials are all men, and they do not want to be dominated by women and have prejudices. It should be known that the historians of all generations have been men, and how to describe the "truth" of history depends entirely on their words.
Therefore, can we think in this way, Chinese history is not unable to appear female emperors, nor is it that there are no female rulers with excellent political deeds, but in the history books, they may become the most unbearable and incompetent characters! Yes, what is said here is that the Song Dynasty Zhang Xianmingsu Empress Liu E, who "almost" became a new generation of empresses, the real Diaosi women counterattacked.
Portrait of Liu E
1
Liu E, the second empress of Zhao Heng of The Song Dynasty, a legendary woman who has been overlooked by history. With her life's great achievements and posthumous name, she profoundly exposed the dislike of female politicians in the feudal era and the arbitrary slander of historians.
Liu E was born different from Wu Zetian, the daughter of a founding hero and her identity background is not bad, while Liu E is a real low-level woman, favored by fate and step by step on the political stage.
Liu E was originally from Sichuan, and her parents died when she was young, and she could only be fostered in her grandmother's house. Because she had no one to rely on, she married a silversmith named Gong Mei at a young age. Later, Liu E followed her husband to the capital city of Kaifeng, because she was very good at playing the rattle, often earned money as a low-level artist in Kaifeng City, which showed that the quality of life after marriage was not high.
But soon Liu E ushered in a turning point in her fate, when Emperor Zhenzong of Song Zhao Heng was still the local Xiang King, and when he heard that the Sichuan woman was delicate and beautiful, he wanted to marry a daughter-in-law in Sichuan. Zhao Heng had a subordinate named Zhang Qi (張耆), and in order to please Zhao Heng, he inquired into Liu E's family's poverty, thought of a way to get Liu E to remarry, and entered the Xiang Palace to serve Zhao Heng.
Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng
Soon, Liu E won zhao Heng's favor and favor by virtue of her beauty and moral character. But Liu E was not complacent, she always understood that she had come in as a humble "remarried woman", and there was no lack of voices around her that attacked her humble origins.
Zhao Heng's nursing mother once complained to Song Taizong, saying that His Majesty the Crown Prince was a delicate person, did not know which tendon was wrong, and married a divorced "wild woman" to come back, and the emperor quickly managed it! As soon as Zhao Heng got the news, he was immediately frightened to hide Liu E in Zhang Qi's home, which led to Zhang Qi's guy not daring to go home for many years, and he was making floors in the workplace.
In the ninth year of Kaibao (976), Emperor Taizong of Song sailed west of Hexi, and Liu Heng officially succeeded him as emperor. Liu Heng did have great feelings for Liu E, and after the power was in his hands, he did not start chaos and eventually abandon it, but took Liu E into the palace for the first time and named her "beauty". Of course, Liu Heng's love for Liu E is not only that, he even wants to help Liu E to the position of "empress".
In the fourth year of Jingde (1007), Empress Guo died suddenly, and five years later Liu E had been promoted to "Princess De", the highest status in the harem. Therefore, Emperor Zhenzong of Song wanted to help Liu E to the position of empress, believing that her harem status and ability were enough. Unfortunately, this move was immediately opposed by the ministers, who shouted:
Zhang is dedicated to the cold and cannot be motherly.
And turned around and recommended Shen Cairen as empress.
The meaning is obvious, even if Liu E is indeed talented, but her background is too poor, not only a remarried woman, but also a poor family daughter whose parents have died, how can she make her mother yi the world. Similarly, the courtiers recommended Shen Cairen as empress only because Shen Cairen was born into a xiangmen and did not consider the so-called moral talent at all.
2
In this storm of "who to choose to be empress", Song Zhenzong and his courtiers played a game around Liu E, while Liu E, the object of public opinion, could only quietly withstand attacks and discrimination. In order to persuade his courtiers, Song Zhenzong came up with the method of "mother relying on her son to be expensive", hoping that Liu E would give birth to a son for herself, so as to break through the shackles of the feudal class.
But at this time, Liu E was over forty years old, and the probability of wanting to give birth to a dragon child for the emperor was very small, and the only way to think about it was to "borrow the belly to give birth to a child". So Liu E asked her maid Li Shi to serve the emperor, and later Li Shi became pregnant and gave birth to a dragon son, the future Song Renzong Zhao Zhen. Liu E took Zhao Zhen for herself and arranged for Yang Shufei to help raise her, and then constantly improved Li's status and treatment to make up for her guilt.
At that time, there were not many people who knew about this matter, and Song Zhenzong naturally acquiesced to Liu E's operation in this way, and only in this way could he become an empress in a straightforward manner. In 1012, Emperor Zhenzong of Song ruled out public opinion and made the 43-year-old Liu E empress herself, known in history as "Empress Zhang Xianmingsu". Later, the life of Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong was exposed, and the rumor of "tanuki cat for prince" was spread in the folk, and Liu E's historical image was vigorously attacked and blackened.
Song Renzong Zhao Zhen
Even after becoming empress, Liu E was still very inferior, because the courtiers never gave up attacking her humble origins. Liu E had sought out officials surnamed Liu and wanted to borrow their family trees to see if they were related to their ancestors, but the officials said "Don't dare!" But the heart is full of "disdain".
The scholars and doctors were even more discriminatory against Liu E, but they could not change the fact that she became empress, so they took up the banner of "spiritual victory". You Liu E was born so lowly, led by such an empress, we scholars and masters feel ashamed, in order not to let future generations know this, can only shape Liu E as the queen of the gate, so that she is worthy of the "Empress of the Great Song".
3
The prejudice of origin is solved, but what awaits Liu E is another challenge - gender bias, since you are a woman, you cannot have the power to involve politics. The History of Song once recorded:
After the sex of the vigilance, know the history of books, hear about the affairs of the imperial court, can remember its end. Zhenzong withdrew from the dynasty, read the world's seals, as many as the middle of the night, and then all foreheard. The palace asked about things, and The truth was true.
”
That is to say, Liu E, a woman, is very smart, has a good memory, and can often give an example. Song Zhenzong would communicate with her every day when he approved the recital, and Liu E could give the corresponding example to help her husband sort out things, becoming Song Zhenzong's most important "Xiannei Helper". It is precisely because it is helpful to Song Zhenzong's career that Liu E has been exposed to more political business and cultivated and improved her ability to get involved in politics in the future.
In 1020, Emperor Zhenzong of Song fell seriously ill, and the important affairs of the imperial court were directly entrusted to Liu E. This is actually very similar to Wu Zetian's politics, both of which are very strong in their own political ability, and they just happened to encounter the emperor's illness, so they naturally went from the harem to the government. Of course, the opposition to Liu E's involvement in politics was huge, and the courtiers all advocated letting the crown prince supervise the country, fearing that Empress Liu would gain real political power.
However, everything changed after 1022, when Song Zhenzong died suddenly, and the 12-year-old Zhao Zhen succeeded to the throne, and the former emperor's will emphasized that "military and state affairs and power should be punished by the empress dowager". It can be said that Song Heng's relationship with Liu E is really deep, so that before he dies, he has to pave the way for Liu E's future, afraid that she will be bullied by the group of courtiers in the future.
Under the "favor" of her husband, Liu E justifiably ascended to the position of "empress dowager", and began to listen to the government for 11 years. Speaking of "hanging the curtain and listening to the government", many people will think of the future Empress Dowager Cixi, and feel that this form is the control of women over the imperial power. But in fact, during the period when Liu E was involved in politics, Song Renzong was still young and did not know anything about political government and opposition, and it was very necessary for the empress dowager to control the situation in the government and pave the way for his future administration.
During Liu E's reign, she adopted the method of "wanting to capture the old and indulging", removing the two major powers, Kou Zhun and Ding Zhi, laying the foundation for Song Renzong's future stable position as ruler. It should be known that whether it is a loyal minister Kou Zhun or a traitorous minister, they all just want to achieve the purpose of their power ambitions by controlling those in power. Unexpectedly, both of them were defeated by the "Ichisuke Female Stream" who had always looked down on them.
In addition, in order to stabilize the rule of the Song Dynasty, Liu E also promoted talented people in a timely manner, reorganized the cabinet, selected new people to enter the center of the imperial court, and consolidated the decision-making level with herself as the core. Even Sima Guang, a veteran historian, once praised Liu E:
Zhang Xianming, empress dowager, protected the imperial cause, disciplined the four sides, advanced the virtuous and retired from adultery, and calmed the Chinese and foreign countries, and indeed made great contributions to the Zhao family.
4
But after 11 years of listening to the government, did Liu E not arouse the idea of "Wu Zetian Second" in her heart? The answer, of course, is yes! At that time, Liu E was the empress dowager, but the etiquette treatment she enjoyed was almost the same as that of the emperor. Therefore, she inevitably had some expectations of being an "empress" in her heart, so she tempted the famous courtier Lu Zongdao:
What do you say about this woman Wu Zetian?
Lu Zongdao responded bluntly:
The sinners of the Tang Dynasty almost endangered the Sheji River!
Coupled with the fact that the Song Dynasty was more ideologically harsh than the Tang Dynasty, and the status of women was significantly lower than that of the previous dynasty, Liu E knew that she was more bound than Wu Zetian, and the original warm emotions were instantly extinguished. However, it is not that Liu E cannot break through the shackles, but that she herself is not willing, which is closely related to her poor birth and a simple and deep compassion.
The history books record that Liu E once met a poor weaving woman when she was out, and her heart was full of emotions. She told the people around her that no matter how industrious the peasant women were, they still could not avoid poverty, so shouldn't the state pay attention to it? Since then, under the orders of the empress dowager, the imperial court has abolished a variety of miscellaneous taxes, which has effectively reduced the living burden of the people.
Liu E,"Kaifeng Province"
The establishment of royal power is sacrifice and bloodshed, and Liu E's nature determines that she will not go down this road, she has always hoped that through her own power, in a "peaceful" way to improve the status of women, so that women can also participate in politics on the same level as men. This was also reflected in her will, liu e had emphasized that Yang Taifei (who had raised Zhao Zhen) should be the empress dowager, and to make decisions on state affairs with the emperor.
This is Liu E's lifelong wish, she believes that only when women and men participate in politics together can politics be more harmonious and the whole country more prosperous. However, Liu E's last wish was broken in the face of powerful male scholars, and they asked Song Renzong to delete the "Empress Dowager and the Emperor jointly decide on military affairs" in the will, and still follow the old rule of male monopoly.
5
What is even more infuriating is that in the history we are familiar with, Liu E is not only described as a vicious and cunning bad woman in the "Tanuki Cat for Prince", but her political achievements have also been eliminated, becoming the worst of the 5 empresses involved in politics in the Northern Song Dynasty. The historians seemed to be sarcastic to Liu E, and their evaluation of her was only:
There are the talents of Lü and Wu, and there is no evil of Lü and Wu.
It seems to be a good review, in fact, it means that Liu E's woman is very terrible, if she is more vicious, she will definitely become another Lü Yan or Wu Zetian. The Northern Song Dynasty's most inactive Empress Dowager Gao, because she catered to the ideas of Sima Guang and other conservative parties, was praised by the history books as "Female Yao Shun". The reason is very simple, if the female rulers of feudal society are more powerless and obedient, the more they conform to the concept of male scholars and doctors, and the more they can leave a good reputation in the historical records.
Liu E (played by Gan Tingting)
But today, we must understand the historical truth and know Liu E's true historical merits in order to give her a real "name and leave a history". During Liu E's regency, she ended the absurd Tianshu politics of the former emperor Song Zhenzong and pulled the imperial court back to the right track; at the same time, she severely punished corrupt officials, banned nepotism, and issued jiaozi with unique insight, which became the world's earliest circulating paper money; finally she emphasized the equal status of husband and wife, demanded the improvement of women's social status, and realized true feminism.
Of course, as the empress dowager involved in politics, Liu E was indeed only involved in politics, and did not monopolize imperial power. The young Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong, during the period when Liu E was listening to the government, he was still able to actively participate in decision-making, and he was able to learn the skills of governance and the art of knowing people, laying a solid foundation for becoming a generation of Ming emperors of the Song Dynasty in the future.
Before Emperor Renzong of Song was alive, he once commented on Liu E: "When the empress dowager is in the dynasty, the courtiers are evil and righteous, and they all know it silently!" ”。 This means that when Liu E bowed to the government, the courtiers who were loyal and who were traitors, Song Renzong already had a number in mind, and all this was inseparable from the cultivation of Empress Liu.
Liu E has been pursuing the improvement of women's status all her life, expecting women to have more opportunities to participate in politics in feudal society and pursue historical merits like men. In the later period when she was listening to the government, Liu E specially had people compile the "New Compilation of the Imperial Empress Dowager Ritual System", which recorded the institutional policies implemented during the period of listening to the government, so that future concubines could share the political power with reference.
Liu E's "Words of the Great Song Palace"
Of course, the more useful this document is for women, the more it is shaken by patriarchy, and it is naturally regarded as a "cult" by scholars and doctors, and it will be burned as soon as Liu E dies. Because Liu E is a woman, her own involvement in politics has shaken the male power structure, how can the male power holders let her instigate other women to awaken!
Looking back at history, women involved in politics, even if they have excellent political achievements, distinctive personalities or beautiful appearances, they are mostly demonized in traditional historical records, and even praised as "sinners of the fall of dynasties". Mr. Lu Xun once criticized the patriarchal society:
I thought that in the patriarchal society, women would not have such a great power, and the responsibility for the rise and fall should be borne by men. But male authors have always pushed the great sin of defeat on women, which is really a worthless and unproductive man.
Just like the concept that Dai Ji led to the demise of the Shang Dynasty, he advocated the idea of "women's calamity to the country" and tried to cover up the failure of the dynastic rulers with the fragility of women. Whether it is Yang Guifei, who has fallen victim to politics, or Liu E and Wu Zetian, who hold real power, whether they succeed or fail, they cannot escape the violence of history against them, just because they are women.