Zhao Ji was both Lü Buwei's concubine and Qin Shi Huang's biological mother.
The evaluation given to her by "Zizhi Tongjian" is two words: "absolutely beautiful", and "Shiji" called her "the empress dowager immoral". It can be seen that women who are too beautiful in history always have stories.
Before meeting Qin Shi Huang's father, Lu Buwei was already a big businessman with a rich family.
From ancient times to the present, wealthy businessmen who have become rich often have to think about career transformation. The Spring and Autumn Warring States period was an era of active merchants, and the best of them were often both business and politics.
After achieving financial freedom, Lu Buwei also decided to make buying and selling political.
one
When Lü Buwei was doing business in Handan in the State of Zhao, he met the alien, the grandson of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, who had fallen to the State of Zhao as a proton, and the son of the Prince of the State of Qin, An Guojun Huanzhu.
He saw that this grandson of the King of Qin was in a very difficult situation, and he didn't even have the usual belongings or carriages and horses to travel. At this time, a shocking plan came to mind.
A shabby hostage, a proud businessman, their encounter not only changed their lives, but also seriously affected Chinese history.
After returning home, Lu Buwei asked his father, "How many times is the benefit of ploughing the field?" ”
Father Lu thought that his son was discussing business with him, and blurted out: "Ten times." ”
Lu Buwei asked again: "How many times can the pearl jade business be profitable?" ”
Father Lu replied, "A hundredfold." ”
Lu Buwei asked again: "Then, how many times does the lord of the country win?" ”
Father Lu was shocked and said, "Innumerable! ”
What Lu Buwei wanted to do was to support the big business of the monarch.
▲ Lu Buwei stills
He believes that the stranger has the blood of the King of Qin on his body, and "strange goods can live", and if he is helped to ascend the throne of the King of Qin, his political future is limitless.
In order to fund the Inhumans, Lu Buwei invested almost most of his property. and went to the State of Qin to lobby Lady Huayang, the favorite woman of An Guojun, to adopt the stranger as an adopted son and rename the stranger Zichu.
Unable to have children, Lady Huayang had a son, and Zichu became the heir of An Guojun, which was a win-win deal and laid the groundwork for Zichu's future succession to the throne.
two
Lü Buwei held banquets in Handan many times to entertain Zichu.
During the banquet, Zichu was attracted by a graceful dancing girl, Zhao Ji, and asked Lu Buwei for this girl.
▲ Zhao Ji stills
Lu Buwei was so good that he had already scolded Zichu eight hundred times in his heart, and I scattered all my family wealth to help you, but you teased my concubine. But on the face, he happily gave Zhao Ji to Zichu.
The various opportunities in life have never been controlled by individuals, and a chance glimpse can doom this life.
The chosen Zhao Ji was also very contentious, and soon gave birth to a son for Zi Chu, who was Yingzheng.
After the Battle of Changping, the State of Qin besieged Handan, and the Zhao people felt hatred for the Qin State Proton Zi Chu and secretly planned an assassination.
In 257 BC, Zi Chu fled back to the Qin state in time with the help of Lü Buwei, but could only leave Zhao Ji and Huan Zheng in Handan. Zhao Ji's mother and son have not been heard from since then, and they have survived nine lives in Zhao Kingdom, hiding everywhere.
The situation is developing in the direction Lu Buwei expected.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin died, and his son An Guojun ascended the throne as King Xiaowen of Qin, and Zichu became the crown prince and took Zhao Ji's mother and son back to the state of Qin.
Fortunately, Zichu did not give up all the time, but chose to be a gentle and affectionate husband and father. Even though he has already married another wife and has a son, Cheng Cheng, he does not forget the wife of Zhao Ji, and after reuniting with Zhao Ji's mother and son for six years, he still takes Zhao Ji as the main room and Ying Zheng as the heir.
In 250 BC, Zichu succeeded to the throne as king and became the new owner of Xianyang Palace.
Lu Buwei's political gamble succeeded. He himself turned from a businessman to a politician and became a state of the Great Qin State.
▲ Xianyang Palace, who is in charge of ups and downs?
three
It's a pity that Zichu's throne only sat for three years, and he died young, leaving behind Zhao Ji, who is still beautiful and moving.
When Ying Zheng succeeded to the throne, he was only a 13-year-old young man, and he had to rely on Lu Buwei for state affairs. And although Lu Buwei has great power, he is still subject to Zhao Ji, who has become the Empress Dowager.
At this time, Zhao Ji was lonely and unbearable, so she aimed at her old lover Lu Buwei. Lu Buwei is not good at refusing to be the empress dowager, after all, many national policies still need Zhao Ji's support, and he can only half-push and half-rekindle his old relationship with Zhao Ji on the spot.
However, as Ying Zheng grew up day by day and his personality became more and more resolute, Lu Buwei did not dare to run to the Empress Dowager's palace for fear of arousing Ying Zheng's suspicion.
At this time, Lu Buwei, whether it was physical strength or energy, could not serve Zhao Ji well, and also made him anxious to get rid of this woman who wanted to be dissatisfied.
In order to fill the gap in Zhao Ji's feelings, Lü Buwei recommended the people of Menke 嫪毐 [read: lào ǎi] to the Empress Dowager as a lover.
He has a stunt, which the "Records of History" calls "walking with its Yin Guan Tong wheel", and is really a fighter among men.
▲ "Walk with its Yin Guan Tong Wheel", that is
Obviously, there is no one who is more suitable for the hedonistic Zhao Ji than Concubine.
He knew that this time when he entered the palace, he would enjoy endless glory and wealth, and he would soar into the sky. What's more, what he wants to serve is not the old woman, but the stunning Empress Dowager.
The appearance of Concubine Yi simply made Zhao Ji want to stop, and soon forgot about the bad old man Lu Buwei.
In order to be able to live with Concubine Yi without being disturbed, she used the name of divination to point out that her palace was evil, and took the opportunity to move out of the palace and arrived in Yongdi (today's Fengxiang County, Baoji City).
This is really the height of the heavenly emperor far away, and it can be regarded as a double stay.
At this time, Ying Zheng was bent on how to unify the world, while his mother was addicted to pleasure, and even gave birth to two sons with Qiu Yi during this period. And Ying Zheng didn't know that he liked to be an older brother.
Zhao Ji was very happy, and he continued to receive various rich rewards, and was also named the Marquis of Changxin.
To say more, this title is not low, when Qin Shi Huang sent the general Wang Yi to destroy Chu, he had an army of 600,000, which was equivalent to all the soldiers and horses that the Qin State could mobilize at that time, for fear of the First Emperor's jealousy, Wang Chong specially asked for a seal, saying that "our army has made great achievements, but unfortunately it has not yet been crowned marquis."
Rao was so, and Qin Shi Huang also made him the Marquis of Wucheng when Wang Yi destroyed Chu and then marched south to Baiyue.
That concubine, just because he was the male favorite of the Empress Dowager, could be a Marquis of Che with a fief (the highest rank of the twentieth rank).
And Zhao Ji, conquered by Concubine in bed, Sheng Sheng turned himself into his vassal, what national interests, what mother-son affection, can be abandoned as a.
shop
At this time, Qiu Yi Spring Breeze was proud, and unexpectedly named Taiyuan County as the "Kingdom of Concubine", and there were thousands of servants in the family, and even thousands of doormen, and his disobedience also began to appear.
Zhao Ji, who was deeply in love, was deeply seduced by his concubine and even allowed him to participate in political affairs. Since then, the concubine has gained momentum, but has also become more and more arrogant and rampant.
One day, Concubine drank with the noble ministers, and as a result, after a few glasses of wine, several people drank and made a big quarrel.
In a hurry, Concubine shocked the four seats with a sentence: "I am the false father of King Qin!" What are you, you dare to confront me!"
There are two consequences caused by this sentence, the first is that it reached the ears of Ying Zheng, and the second is that after waking up from alcohol, he broke out in a cold sweat.
It was also through this incident that someone revealed to Huan Zheng that Concubine was not actually a eunuch, and gave birth to two sons with Empress Dowager Zhao. At this time, Ying Zheng seemed to smell the risk. If she murdered herself, wouldn't she be able to let her children succeed to the throne?
▲ Terracotta Army
When she heard the wind, she decided to take the lead in attacking, and actually stole Zhao Ji's jade seal and officially rebelled.
In 238 BC, the 22-year-old King of Qin went to the Yongcheng Ancestral Temple to perform the crowning ceremony and stayed at the Xiaonian Palace. He led a group of rabble to riot and attempted to murder Ying Zheng, but was quickly pacified by Ying Zheng, who had long been aware of it.
Huan Zheng sentenced Zhao Ji to death, exterminated his three ethnic groups, sent his mother Zhao Ji to house arrest in the Qianyang Palace, and killed (put them in a sack and fell alive) the two young sons born to Zhao Ji and Zhao Ji on the spot.
As for Zhao Ji, after being driven out of Xianyang, he was invited back by Huan Zheng and was able to enjoy his old age in peace.
And the forbidden love between Zhao Ji and Concubine became the last straw that crushed Lu Buwei.
After a thorough investigation of the case of Concubine, Lu Buwei's scandalous affairs such as fornicating with the Empress Dowager and offering Concubine were naturally exposed one by one. In the second year of the rebellion, the general Lü Buwei was formally deposed and ordered him to retire to the Henan fief and go into hiding.
Later, Lü Buwei moved his family to Shu. When Lü Buwei received the edict, he was disheartened, knowing that Ying Zheng would never let him go, so he committed suicide.
epilogue
Zhao Ji's greatest achievement in life is giving birth to Ying Zheng.
As the first woman in Chinese history to be nicknamed "Empress Dowager", she once endured humiliation and burden, and eventually lost her reputation, but her life became the laughing stock of future generations.
And Lü Buwei entered politics as a businessman, and through various means, assisted Zichu to take the throne, and earned maximum profits with the thinking of a businessman. After his discovery, he not only became the number one minister, but even manipulated the national affairs of the Qin State to a certain extent.
A successful businessman, successful in politics, is the success of politics, allows him to reach the pinnacle of life, enjoy the glory, power and status that successful businessmen do not enjoy.
It was still politics that made him feel infinite horror, and finally had to resolutely cut off his life.
So, in general, did Lu Buwei's strange business become or fail?