In 976, Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, died at the age of 50. In Zhao Kuangyin's will, he passed on his throne to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, a practice that many modern people do not understand. Because Zhao Kuangyin, who was only 50 years old at the time, was physically strong, how could he have a will and testament? After becoming emperor, Zhao Guangyi's overly despicable behavior towards the emperor's sister-in-law and imperial nephew also made people wonder, is there really an "axe candle shadow", and Zhao Guangyi is a usurper of the throne?
Let's first understand Zhao Guangyi's imperial concubine, Empress Kaibao of the Great Song Dynasty, the Song clan. When Zhao Kuangyin died, his third empress, Song Shi, was only 24 years old, and was a famous beauty of the Great Song Dynasty at that time. Empress Song was only 17 years old when she married Zhao Kuangyin, her mother was a princess of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Later Han Dynasty, and her father was a general of the Left Guard, and she herself was even more talented.
In 968, the position of empress of the Great Song Dynasty had been vacant for 5 years, and this year Zhao Kuangyin finally had the idea of establishing a new empress. At that time, the famous and prestigious families recommended their daughters to enter the palace, perhaps it was really fate, Zhao Kuangyin picked the Song clan at a glance among thousands of women, and later this 17-year-old girl became the empress of the Great Song Dynasty.
Song and Zhao Kuangyin have a difference of 25 years in age, but this has not affected the harmonious life of the two, and the love between the old husband and young wife is sweet. Unfortunately, this relationship was very short, and after 8 years, her husband died suddenly, but the little uncle ascended the throne. Song Shi, who was supposed to be the empress dowager, was instead given a "Kaibao Empress", and even his residence was moved to the Eastern Palace.
After Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he was strictly guarded against his nephews, and he was also very strict with his imperial sister-in-law. After Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, his younger brother Zhao Tingmei was demoted and died mysteriously at the age of 38. The eldest son of his elder brother Zhao Kuangyin was forced to commit suicide at the age of 30, and Zhao Defang (the Eight Sages king in the commentary) died of illness at the age of 23, and behind all this seems to have the figure of Emperor Zhao Guangyi.
In 995, the 43-year-old Empress Song died in the Eastern Palace, where she had been imprisoned for 20 years. Emperor Zhao Guangyi's handling of her posthumous affairs allowed the ministers and the people to see Zhao Guangyi's human face and beast heart, and also understood how sinister and narrow the temperament of this noble monarch was.
According to the etiquette of the Song Dynasty, the Song clan, as the imperial concubine of Zhao Guangyi, and the empress of the previous emperor, should enjoy the minimum empress etiquette. Zhao Guangyi, who was made a younger brother according to the ceremony, was supposed to wear filial piety for the imperial concubine and arrange a solemn funeral. However, Zhao Guangyi not only did not accept the mourning himself, but also did not allow the ministers to cry and mourn.
Zhao Guangyi also did not arrange for the funeral of the imperial concubine, he actually just parked the coffin to his sister, and later could not withstand the criticism of the ministers, and decided to put the coffin of the imperial concubine in a monastery. All this is unseemly, as the former emperor and empress, the Song clan should be buried with the former emperor Zhao Kuangyin.
Zhao Guangyi did not know where such a great hatred for the imperial concubine came from, and the coffin of Empress Song was placed in the temple by him for two years, and he did not allow the Song tablet to enter the Taimiao Temple. It was not until 997 AD that the remains of Empress Song had to be buried near the tomb of Song Taizu, and the husband and wife were still not allowed to be buried together.
There have been many people who have speculated why Zhao Guangyi hated his imperial sister-in-law so much, and the most likely answer to the truth is that The Song family, as Zhao Kuangyin's pillow person, knows the fact of passing the throne, and Zhao Kuangyin never wanted to pass the throne to his brother, so Zhao Guangyi is a usurper of the throne! This is also the reason why Zhao Guangyi wanted to imprison his sister-in-law for 20 years, because he was afraid that the truth would be revealed.