In January of the second year of dazhongxiangfu (1009), Liu E, against the opposition of his courtiers, did not eventually become empress, but Emperor Zhenzong of Song still promoted Liu E and promoted her to Erpin Xiuyi. In the absence of an empress, Liu E became the highest-ranking woman in the harem, and she became the uncrowned king, as if she were the mother of the Great Song Dynasty.
Of course, the uncrowned king, after all, uncrowned. For that brilliant phoenix crown, Liu E still needs to continue to work hard.
In order to further sit on the throne of this empress, Liu E knew that she had to establish a great merit that would leave Manchu Wenwu speechless in order to convince them to recognize her status as empress.
So, what kind of merit is to be built?
Liu E has meritorious deeds, she has the merit of winning the concubine, the work of assisting the government, every major decision of Song Zhenzong, behind which there is the merit of Liu E, these feats, Song Zhenzong also remembers. However, as an emperor's concubine, these merits cannot be put on the table, otherwise it would be a woman's government and a chicken Sichen.
Therefore, as a woman, the greatest merit is to have a strong belly in order to have a son.
Please be sure to believe that within the imperial family, passing on the lineage is the most important thing, and if a woman cannot give birth to a boy, it is Cixi and Wu Zetian who are also in vain.
This Liu E, just white...
Liu E's stomach is very weak.
Liu E followed Song Zhenzong at the age of 15 and was pampered for more than 20 years, but during this time she never conceived, while Song Zhenzong had many children with other concubines. Therefore, there is only one explanation, Song Zhenzong has no problem, Liu E can't, she can't have children.
For women, not being able to have children is definitely a fatal injury.
Nowadays, a woman who cannot have children and is over 40 years old must have a child for her own merits, and she must also be a boy... For this task that is simply impossible to complete, how will Liu E solve it?
The only solution is this: borrow chickens and lay eggs.
Therefore, the famous "Tanuki Cat for Prince" case in the history of the Song Dynasty began.
According to the novel "Three Heroes and Five Righteousness", this well-known and well-known case of "Tanuki Cat for Prince" in the history of the Song Dynasty was like this: at that time, Song Zhenzong was in his forties, had no children, and was very anxious, just at this time, his two concubines were pregnant, one was Liu Fei and the other was Li Fei.
At once, the two of them, good things came into pairs, Song Zhenzong was very happy, and made a bet with the two concubines that if Mr. Longzi was born, I would make this child the prince and his mother the empress.
This method of competition is very reasonable, and it is also in line with the ancient primogeniture system. However, no matter how reasonable the way to play, if the other party does not follow the rules, it will be in vain.
After making an agreement with the emperor, Concubine Liu, that is, that Liu E, pinched her finger after returning to the palace, no! According to the calculation of time, Concubine Li gave birth to a child in front of me, in case she gave birth to a prince, what should I do?
Therefore, in order to ensure that she became empress, Liu E found the grand eunuch Guo Huai (harmonic, "bad enough"), and the two discussed a poison plan and found a skinned tanuki cat. If Concubine Li gave birth to a boy, she exchanged the tanuki for the prince.
Later, after giving birth in October, Concubine Li did give birth to a boy, but the midwife in the palace had already been bought by Liu E, and the midwife sneaked the prince away and threw the dead tanuki cat into the cradle.
As soon as Song Zhenzong heard that a boy had been born, he was very happy and ran over to see it. As a result, I was furious and said that this was a thing, what a freak!
In ancient China, if anyone gave birth to a freak, they usually thought that this family had done something bad, lacked morality, and was punished, so they would give birth to a freak. Therefore, Song Zhenzong was very jealous of this thing, and in a fit of rage, he ordered that this "child" be disposed of and Concubine Li beaten into the cold palace.
According to Liu E's plan, this prince who was exchanged must be killed. The person responsible for killing this child was Liu E's confidant, Kou Zhu, the palace girl.
To say that this Kou Zhu, although she is Liu E's confidant, she is not bad in heart, and belongs to the kind of good youth who can transform education. Kou Zhu looked at this child, small arms and legs, very cute, Kou Zhu liked him very much, and wanted to save this child.
The next plot is more complicated, involving more characters than "The Orphan of Zhao", and the plot is more chaotic. In a word, after several disasters, Kou Zhu finally rescued the child, and she sent the child to the Eight Sages' Palace and became the adopted son of the Eight Sages.
Besides, after Liu E's side used all the intrigue and trickery to kill Li's mother and son, it was not long before Liu E gave birth to a boy smoothly, and this boy became the crown prince, and Liu E also became the empress as she wished. However, there was a god three feet up, Liu E did too many bad things, and God punished her. The child was only six years old and died prematurely.
With the death of this child, Song Zhenzong was sad again, and he had no children again. There is no forty-year-old, it can still be regenerated, and now that Song Zhenzong is more than fifty, he has no tricks at all.
For the sake of the future of the country, Song Zhenzong could only inherit a child from a relative's house and become his own adopted son, allowing this adopted son to inherit the throne.
This adopted son of Emperor Zhenzong of Song was the "child" of the Eight Sages King, the child of Concubine Li, who was also his own prince.
Therefore, there is an old saying that goes well - if there is a fate, there must be, and if there is no fate, there is no demand. Liu E jumped up and down, calculated all the organs, and worked for half a day, and finally let the child of Concubine Li become the prince, and also lost one of her own children's lives.
Speaking of this Concubine Li, after being beaten into the Cold Palace, she has been pursued by Concubine Liu, and finally went into exile and begged for a living. Later, under a series of coincidences, Concubine Li met Bao Zheng, the first Qing official of the Great Song Dynasty.
In the end, Bao Zheng found out the truth, let Concubine Li recognize her son who had become emperor, and made the evil person Liu E pay the price he deserved.
At this point, the "Tanuki Cat for Prince" drama of this thrilling court struggle ended in such a form of "tragic beginning and comedy ending". The good people were rewarded, and the bad people were punished as they deserved, which can be said to be a great joy.
However, is this "Tanuki cat for prince" drama really history?
Of course not. Compared with the real history, only three of these folk stories are true, and the remaining seven are false. This "Tanuki Cat for Prince" drama is the same, and all the characters in it are mostly different from reality. In real history, Liu E, although insidious, is not so poisonous. In the same way, although the Eight Sages King is called the Sage King, this person is not so virtuous.
Since "Tanuki For Prince" is a fictional story, then in real history, there should be no such Concubine Li.
For this question, it is really wrong. In real history, there is really a person like Concubine Li. However, this Concubine Li is not a competitor of Liu E, but a tool for Liu E to borrow chickens and eggs.
Regarding the story of the feud between them, Zhengshi is very secretive about this, after all, this involves the privacy of the royal family, but also takes into account the face of the emperor. However, folk books record the story between them in its entirety. One of them, The Memoirs, is the most detailed.
Wang Cheng in the history books is a historian who is "erudite, good at poetry, strong in remembering and hearing, saying what others dare not say, remembering what others dare not remember", and the articles he recorded have always been known for their truthfulness and credibility.
When he was an official in the government, Wang Hao served as a privy council editor, and through the convenience of this official position, Wang Hao could raid all the rumors and anecdotes of the emperor and know the privacy of the royal family. Therefore, the books he wrote enjoyed a high reputation in the field of historiography.
In Wang Cheng's "Memoirs", he recorded this history as follows:
One day, Song Zhenzong came to Liu E's palace to find this beloved wife, and as a result, Liu E "happened" to be absent. While the emperor was waiting, he wanted to wash his face, so he asked someone to bring a basin of water.
The water was brought, and Song Zhenzong washed his hands while looking at the palace maid who was carrying the water. It didn't matter at first glance, he took a fancy to this woman with a white complexion, fell in love with her at first sight, and could not move anymore.
Seeing the other party, Song Zhenzong began to talk to the other party and chat a few words, and the palace lady said to Song Zhenzong:
"Last night, the slave had a dream that a barefoot fairy came down from the sky and came to me, saying, 'Let me be your son.'" After saying that, the immortal disappeared and I woke up. Your Majesty, you are very knowledgeable, can you help me to understand this dream, what does this mean? ”
Hearing this, Song Zhenzong laughed and said, "Since you have this kind of dream, then let your dream come true." After saying that, Song Zhenzong took a step forward and spoiled this palace girl.
After a night of wind, Song Zhenzong left satisfied. Soon after, the palace maid discovered that she was pregnant. After becoming pregnant in October, she gave birth to a boy. This boy was called Zhao Hui, that is, the future Zhao Zhen of Song Renzong; this palace girl was his biological mother Li Shi.
In fact, if you carefully examine the above story, you will find a lot of doubts. And these many doubts point to one person and one Liu E.
The first doubt, why is Li Gongnu so good-looking?
We can imagine what would happen to Niangniang if there stood next to a crystal clear palace girl who "delighted her in the color of her skin"? Will this palace girl be dedicated to the emperor and add a rival to himself? Or will this palace girl be expelled from the palace and eliminate a hidden danger? Obviously, any rational, intelligent woman will know what to do!
However, Liu E did the opposite, not only leaving this big beauty behind, but also creating opportunities for Li Gongnu to let the emperor take a fancy to her.
Liu E's performance, in the end, is the brain into the water? Or was it a premeditated operation? I'm afraid everyone knows the answer.
The second doubt, why did Li Gongnu give Song Zhenzong water?
Don't think this question is silly. In "Dream of the Red Chamber", there is such a scene. Once, Bao Yu returned to Yihong Courtyard and was anxious to wash his hands and face, but there was no big mane in the house, and only a small mane could help.
Bao Yu had never seen this little girl, and after washing, he chatted with her. The two were talking happily, but the big girl Qingwen came over with great momentum and slapped the little girl fiercely. She wants to let the little girl know that not everyone is qualified to give Bao Yu tea water, and people must abide by the rules!
A small Jia mansion, the hierarchy is so strict, the emperor's harem can only be more strict and even more severe. It can be seen that without Liu E's permission, a small palace girl that the emperor did not know at all was not qualified to bring water to the emperor, and Li Gongnu did not even dare to appear in front of Song Zhenzong.
Therefore, the emperor's meeting with Li Shi was entirely the result of Liu E's deliberate actions.
The third doubt, why does Li Gongnu chat like this?
Speaking, but it is an art, and not everyone knows how to chat with the emperor. The "History of Song" records that Li Shi was "solemn and taciturn" and was not a particularly talkative person. And the Li family was born poor, because there was no money to support his brother, he sold himself into the palace, so the Li family had never seen anything in the world, did not talk much, and would not use dreams to hook up with the emperor.
You know, this dream that Li Shi said is extraordinary, this is a different dream of the "Heavenly Dragon Species"! It was this dream that suddenly aroused the interest of the emperor, and Song Zhenzong was excited, and a move was done.
It can be seen that if there is no high-ranking person behind Li's back, with her INTELLIGENCE, she can't think of this story at all. Li Shi chatted with the emperor, at most - my hometown lives in this tun, I am a native of this tun ...
Who is the tall man behind this, do not say self-evident.
In summary, all of this is the result of Liu E's deliberate arrangement.
From the very beginning, Liu E set up a bureau for Song Zhenzong. She found a white-skinned, youthful palace girl, taught her a story of a strange dream, and asked her to seduce the emperor... After the spring supper, according to the original plan, Li Gongnu successfully became pregnant.
Even the best date to conceive is calculated! Such an IQ, such a layout, Liu E's means, do not accept it.
Here is a question, giving birth to a dragon child, you can completely benefit yourself, why should Li Shi listen to Liu E's words and obediently give the child to others?
One word: trading.
The deal here is not one of those ugly shady scenes, but an action that flashes the brilliance of humanity. In this transaction, we will be surprised to find that Liu E is not only a woman who is proficient in strategy, she is also a gentleman who abides by her faith. Words must be believed, deeds must be fruitful, and Liu E will never renege on her words when she says them.
The deal that Liu E made with Li shi was that you helped me have a son, and I helped you find a younger brother. According to historical records, Li Shi was originally an official eunuch, and his father was a county commander, although the official position was not high, but it was more than enough to support the family. However, when Li was 8 years old, after his mother gave birth to his younger brother Li Yonghe, he died in childbirth. The following year, his grief-stricken father also died.
With the death of her parents, Li Became a lonely orphan, and she could only take her brother to live in the family of the clan. Later, Li Shi was really unable to support her brother, and at the age of 13, she sold herself into the palace as a palace maid, handing over the money to the clan to take care of her younger brother.
Unexpectedly, a few years later, when Li Shi had the opportunity to leave the palace, he was surprised to find that the clan member who entrusted him with the care of his brother had already escaped with money. Now my brother has heard nothing, his whereabouts are long gone, and he doesn't know whether he is alive or dead.
Therefore, finding this younger brother became Li's only goal and the only motivation for her to live.
After learning about this, Liu E found Li Shi and completed a deal with her, you help me have a baby, I will help you find your brother. Therefore, Li Shi would obediently obey Liu E's words and successfully seduce the emperor.
To tell the truth, looking for people in the vast sea of people is undoubtedly a needle in a haystack. Moreover, when Li Shi entered the palace, her younger brother Li Yonghe was 5 years old, and after so many years, Li Yonghe had already changed his appearance, even if he appeared in front of his sister now, Li Yonghe could not recognize it.
Such a reality makes the search for Li Yonghe an impossible task, even Li Shi himself, does not hold out much hope. If Liu E chooses to perfunctory Li and deceive Li, she can also deceive her for a lifetime.
However, at this point, we saw a completely different Liu E, who not only sent someone to look for it, but also really found it!
Before Li Shi entered the palace, she once gave her brother a sachet, and she repeatedly told her brother Li Yonghe that no matter what situation he encountered in the future, he could not throw away this sachet. This sachet is what they will recognize in the future.
After being abandoned by his people, Li Yonghe lived on the streets and begged, and he was later taken in by a small merchant who sold incense candles. For the next few years, he worked as a buddy in a candle shop. Of course, no matter how hard life is, Li Yonghe did not throw away this sachet, he has always hung on his body.
Later, one day, Li Yonghe suffered from dysentery, vomiting up and down diarrhea, and was too sick to work. The black-hearted boss saw that Li Yonghe could not be used, and continued to keep it and could only waste grain, so he drove Li Yonghe out.
Seeing that Li Yonghe was about to die soon, at this moment, his nobleman appeared. A eunuch, on the orders of his mother-in-law, came out with a drawing of a sachet and came out to look for Li Yonghe, only to see him.
Looking at the sachets on Li Yonghe's body, the eunuch's eyes were straight, and he really stepped on the iron shoes and found no place to find them, and it took no effort at all. Brothers, still stunned about what to do, hurry to save people, but can not let this "god of wealth" swallow!
The eunuch took Li Yonghe to his home to recuperate, hired a famous doctor to take care of him, and ate well, drank well, and entertained. After Li Yonghe recovered from his illness, the eunuch asked him about the sachet, and Li Yonghe told him all about how he separated from his sister and how his sister told him not to lose the sachet.
When the eunuch heard it, you were there. The eunuch immediately took Li Yonghe into the palace and went to find Liu E, Li Shi and others, and asked for a reward.
In order not to recognize the wrong person, Liu E, who was very cautious on the side, asked in detail about Li Yonghe's milk name, the surname of her parents, the name of the person who abandoned her own people, what her sister said when she entered the palace, and the family trivia when she was a child, and so on. For these questions, Li Yonghe's answers are like a flow, completely correct.
The question and answer is not over, Li Shi can't hold back the tears of excitement, she hugged her brother and cried, and the two brothers and sisters finally recognized each other.
Liu E, who was beside her, was also touched, and she immediately told Song Zhenzong about this matter. After Song Zhenzong listened, he was first shocked, and then he was overjoyed, and he immediately appointed Li Yonghe as a palace guard, and he could meet his sister at any time.
After Emperor Renzong of Song took the throne, he added the official position of the uncle of the state and granted the corresponding mansion, and Li Yonghe went out of the palace to live, and the glory and wealth died.
It can be seen that because he wholeheartedly helped Li Shi to find his younger brother, Li Shi was grateful to Dade and Zhi En Tu Bao, and has always obeyed Liu E's orders, handed over his child to Liu E, and regarded himself as an adoptive mother all his life. Throughout his life, he also kept this secret for Liu E.
Of course, in this big drama of "borrowing chickens and laying eggs", it is not difficult for Liu E to find a substitute for Li Shi. The difficult thing is how to persuade Song Zhenzong to act with himself, this is the key.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of historical data, how Liu E persuaded Song Zhenzong is unknown, we can only know the result of persuasion.
According to historical records, after Li Shi became pregnant, Song Zhenzong hid her secretly, and Liu E carried a pillow and "swaggered" in the palace every day.
Ten months later, on April 14, 1010, in the third year of the reign of Emperor Zhongxiangfu, The Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture entered the palace and reported to the emperor on government affairs. However, as soon as Zhou Qi began to report, Song Zhenzong interrupted: "Zhou Aiqing, there is a big happy event today, you don't want to report to work!" ”
Zhou Began to panic, and then the brain began to quickly recall, what day is today? What is the happy event of the imperial court? Is it the Book of Heaven again, or is something wrong with the enemy country?
In the face of this dazed And unknown Zhou Qi, Song Zhenzong walked into the inner temple, grabbed a handful of gold coins, and then walked over to Zhou Qi, stuffed the gold coins into his hands, and said happily: "Today there is finally a prince!" You are the first to know about this matter, and I want to share it with you! ”
The state-owned crown prince and the family has descendants, so happy events are naturally more important than the reporting work. Zhou Qi immediately said a bunch of good things, and then left the palace and went to Zhongshu Province to report this good news.
Hearing that the emperor had a crown prince, Wang Dan, Wang Qinruo, and others immediately entered the palace and went to Song Zhenzong to congratulate him, while Zhao Anren and others were confused. These people do not believe that a woman who has never been able to procreate, and who is now forty years old, can still give birth! What a strange talk that has never been seen before! However, although they were very skeptical about Liu E's pregnancy, they could not find evidence to refute it.
Because Liu E's "borrowing chickens and laying eggs" has always been a top secret of the state, and in the entire Song Zhenzong dynasty, only a few Zaizhi knew this secret, but none of them dared to mention it.
It wasn't until after Liu E's death and Emperor Renzong's pro-government, from the mouth of the big-mouthed Eight Sages King, that Zhao Zhen didn't know about this matter. And the emperor's biological mother is not Liu E, but the secret of the Li clan, which is known to the world.
In the fourth year of dazhongxiangfu (1011), Liu E was crowned as a zhengyi pinde concubine for her meritorious birth of a child. At this time, she was only one step away from the queen's throne.