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Wang Zhengjun, the empress of the Han Yuan Emperor, was a famous birthday star in the history of the Western Han Dynasty, living to the age of 84, and went through the new dynasties of Emperor Xuan of Han, Emperor Yuan of Han, Emperor Cheng of Han, Emperor Of Han, Emperor Ping of Han, Baby Baby, and Wang Mang. After seven emperors, he also experienced the fall of the Western Han Dynasty.
As we have already mentioned above, Wang Zhengjun experienced ups and downs before the death of emperor Ai of Han. She may not be a brilliant female politician, and her interference in politics is not recorded too much in the Book of Han, but his presence did push the Western Han Dynasty to the brink of collapse.
After the death of Emperor Han, because Wang Zhengjun was still alive, the balance of power once again fell to the Wang family.
At this time, Wang Feng, Wang Gen, Wang Yin and others who had once been in power also died one after another. Wang Zhengjun's younger brother Wang Man died early, leaving only one son, Wang Mang. Perhaps it was precisely because of the misfortune of his childhood that Wang Mang was diligent and studious from an early age, respectful and frugal, and became the most accomplished among the many sons and nephews of the Wang clan, and was reused when Emperor Hancheng was alive.
During the reign of the Han Emperor, there were forces that suppressed the Wang family, and Wang Mang was also among them. After Empress Fu's death, Emperor Ai of Han summoned Wang Mang back to Jingshi.
The Han Emperor died childless, and his power-loving grandmother Empress Fu, his birth mother Empress Ding, and stepmother Empress Feiyan of Zhao also died. Wang Zhengjun once again became the top figure of power in the Western Han Dynasty, and his excellent nephew Wang Mang became the most suitable candidate for her power transfer. Wang Zhengjun appointed Wang Mang as the Grand Sima and jointly selected the heir of the King of Zhongshan as the new master of the Western Han Dynasty, that is, the historical Han Ping Emperor. When the Hanping Emperor succeeded to the throne, he was only 9 years old and could not hold the power of the emperor, so Wang Mang naturally became a regent and was given the title of "Duke of An Han", in fact, Wang Mang had become the actual ruler of the Western Han Dynasty.
After Wang Mang became the "Duke of An Han", he married his daughter to Emperor Ping of Han and became the abbot of the Western Han Dynasty. Although Wang Zhengjun could influence the political power of the Western Han Dynasty, he was not an ambitious woman. After handing over power to her nephew, she also began to raise herself, while her nephew Wang Mang had great ambitions.
In order to let Wang Zhengjun rest assured that he would raise his life and no longer care about political affairs, Wang Mang began to curry favor with his aunt. First of all, he bribed all the maids around Wang Zhengjun and asked them to praise Wang Mang's ability at the side of his aunt. Then, knowing that Empress Wang had been very bored in the palace, she asked Empress Wang to go outside Chang'an City to relax and comfort the orphans, widows, and loyal women. Once, when a child next to Wang Zhengjun who made her happy fell ill, Wang Mang actually went to visit her personally. The so-called "great filial piety" is really called "great filial piety", and the ultimate purpose of all this is to exchange more rights in the hands of her aunt Wang Zhengjun.
The Hanping Emperor, who had never exercised his power, also died after 15 years of reign and still had no sons, which became the curse of the imperial family in the last years of the Western Han Dynasty. In order to monopolize power, Wang Mang directly chose a youngest of the Western Han imperial family, Liu Bao, who was only two years old, to be the emperor and made a "widow". Wang Mang, on the other hand, followed the precedent of the Duke of Zhou as a king, ascended to the position of emperor and took the place of his widow in handling state affairs. It's like an "acting emperor."
When Wang Zhengjun knew about it, he was opposed, but the power in his hands had long been handed over to this trusted nephew, and there was no way to stop it. It wasn't until Wang Mang established himself as a true emperor under the pretext of the Mandate of Heaven that Wang Zhengjun understood his nephew's good intentions.
Loyal to the Han Dynasty Wang Zhengjun trusted his nephew Wang Mang and gave him all the power, and eventually Wang Mang usurped Han. In fact, in the historical event of the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Zhengjun himself was inseparable. But she was also a woman who was not good at power and plots, and she was very loyal to the Han Dynasty.
When Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty and sent his son Wang Shun to ask Wang Zhengjun for the imperial jade seal, she was very angry and once said: "I am the old widow of the former emperor of the Han Dynasty, and I am about to die, and I want to be buried with this jade seal." You will never get it! Finally, in desperation, he threw the Chuanguo Jade Seal on the ground, so that he dropped a horn.
Wang Mang once demolished the temple of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and when Wang Zhengjun found out, he said sadly, I was originally the wife and concubine of the emperor of the Han Dynasty, how could I insult the temple of the emperor and set up a banquet here? Wang Mang's new dynasty changed the calendar used in the Western Han Dynasty, and every han festival, Wang Zhengjun had to drink with the people around him to spend the Han Festival.
On the fourth day of February in the fifth year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wang Zhengjun died at the age of 84 and was finally buried with her husband, Emperor Yuan of Han, in Weiling.
After the new empress dowager Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, in order to clear the relationship with the Han Dynasty, changed many systems, and even the name of her aunt Wang Zhengjun was modified, at first as "Empress Dowager Wenmu of the New Chamber", and later changed to "New Chamber Wenmu", that is, to recognize Wang Zhengjun as the mother, and she also became the "Empress Dowager of the New Dynasty".
Wang Zhengjun's life is very long, she has experienced a lot, but she also has too much helplessness, she is not a fierce and courageous woman, but she has to be pushed forward by history. Both merit and fault have become history, and who can say whether it is right or wrong.
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