Preface
The story of the "Marquis of Changxin" is a famous script of court battles and power schemes in Chinese history. However, have we ever taken a moment to think about how a ruffian who was originally a ruffian and a hooligan managed to build up his power inside and outside the court, and how he ended up dead?
What did he rely on, and what ultimately caused him to stumble?
The rise of a charlatan
Chang Yu, this little-known little person, was originally a ruffian hooligan who wandered the rivers and lakes. However, the gears of fate inadvertently pulled him into the vortex of the court.
In 240 B.C., Lü Buwei, the prime minister of Qin, recruited talents, and Chang Yu's cunning and cleverness won Lü Buwei's attention and appreciation, and he was recruited into the palace as a guest. Lü Buwei was originally a businessman and was proficient in all kinds of business, so he recruited Chang Yu into his command with the intention of using this cunning villain in the future.
At the same time, Lü Buwei also had a big problem - Zhao Ji, the empress dowager of Qin. This beautiful and moving queen mother was deeply favored by the King of Qin, and the two lingered day and night, and the power leaned towards the government and the opposition. However, after the death of King Qin, Zhao Ji, as the queen mother, was unable to fill the loneliness and emptiness day after day, so Lü Buwei became the object of her pleasure.
Gradually, Lü Buwei realized that he needed a stand-in. A stand-in who can serve the Queen Mother for a long time without arousing suspicion. Finally, he found Chang Yu.
Chang Yu was sent to a prison cell and disguised as a eunuch
In 238 BC, Lü Buwei designed a frame-up and imprisoned Chang Yu. Later, Lü Buwei spent a lot of money to bribe the officials who presided over the palace punishment, and asked them to pretend to sentence Chang Yu to the palace punishment, shave off his beard, and disguise him as a eunuch.
When the Queen Mother learned that there was a "eunuch" in the cell, she immediately became interested and wanted to include him in her harem. It is in the arms of Lu Buwei. The Queen Mother immediately issued an order to send this person to serve in her own bedroom.
Chang Yu finally got her wish and entered the forbidden land of the Queen Mother. He was young and strong, skilled in sexual affairs, and once showed Lü Buwei his "wheel turning technique", which opened Lü Buwei's eyes. Now, all this can finally be dedicated to the Queen Mother to win the favor of the Queen Mother.
Chang Yu was favored and asked to be made a marquis
Sure enough, Chang Yu's methods quickly made Zhao Ji want to stop. The relationship between the two grew closer. In order to avoid people's eyes, Zhao Ji even moved out of the palace and lived in the palace in Yongcheng with Chang Yu.
The rapid improvement of her identity and status also made Chang Yu ambitious. He directly asked Zhao Ji for an official fief. In order to satisfy him, Zhao Ji had to enter the palace to put pressure on King Yingzheng of Qin. In the end, Chang Yu was named Marquis of Changxin and got Shanyang County as his fief.
A ruffian won such an honor, so that many dignitaries and nobles fell in love and became a confidant under Chang Yu. Chang Yu's power grew stronger and stronger in Qin, and he was expected to compete with Lü Buwei.
After drinking and arguing, he almost lost his life
In 237 B.C., Chang Yu, who had greatly increased his strength, began to look at no one and was brutal. Once, he got into an argument with a nobleman at a banquet, and the two men scuffled together. Chang Yu threatened the other party: "You are a despicable person, you dare to touch me, I am the false father of King Qin!"
The nobleman was frightened and bowed his head to admit his mistake. Afterwards, he was furious and found the king of Qin to denounce Chang Yu for being rude, and the king of Qin was furious when he heard the news and wanted to cure Chang Yu's crime. Chang Yu was frightened and fled to the Queen Mother's palace to seek refuge. The Queen Mother had to come forward to mediate, and the King of Qin forgave Chang Yu.
However, Chang Yu became more and more arrogant and unkind. He decided to replace the King of Qin and put himself and the Empress Dowager's children on the throne.
The rebellion failed, and his head was different
In 236 BC, Chang Yu finally couldn't bear it anymore and led his henchmen to launch a coup d'état and besiege the palace of King Qin. However, this operation was prepared by the King of Qin and was quickly dispersed. Chang Yu and others were captured, and the King of Qin ordered Che Crack to execute Chang Yu, and the two children born to him and Zhao Ji were thrown to death.
At this point, Chang Yu's proud "skills" can't save himself. The Empress Dowager Zhao Ji was forced to move to Yongdi and spend the rest of her lonely life in the Mingyang Palace. A charlatan is finally buried under his own ambitions.
So, what made Chang Yu and what ruined him?
Chang Yu's success relied on the trust and favor of the Queen Mother Zhao Ji. His methods in the room satisfied Zhao Ji's desires and became the person Zhao Ji trusted and relied on the most. It was Zhao Ji's many protections that allowed Chang Yu to rise rapidly.
And in the end, what led to his failure was his own arrogance and haste. He did not know how to advance or retreat, and tried in vain to usurp the throne with a ruffian, and finally brought about his own destruction. The most terrible thing in life is that greed makes people lose their minds and lose their sense of proportion.
The story of Chang Yu is a typical example. It is not difficult to learn from this: don't take anyone lightly, and don't look at everything because you have a momentary goal. True achievement requires rationality, resilience and perseverance. This is the true meaning of life.
Lü Buwei's network of doormen
In fact, the reason why Chang Yu was able to rise rapidly was inseparable from Lü Buwei, the behind-the-scenes man who helped him enter the court.
Lü Buwei was the prime minister of the Qin state, he was born in a family of merchants, and he had a deep understanding of personal connections and interest ties. He recruited a wide range of customers and built a large network of people. These customers included officials, merchants, and ruffians.
Chang Yu is a cunning and resourceful Jianghu man under Lü Buwei. Lü Buwei had insight into his talents, took him under his command, and then sent him to the palace and became the queen mother's male favorite. This move not only satisfied the desire of the Queen Mother, but also made Chang Yu a slender man controlled by Lü Buwei in the palace.
These disciples all completed various tasks under the command of Lü Buwei. Some are responsible for spying on political opponents and gathering intelligence; Some came forward to bribe and bribe; Some sow discord and create contradictions... They are like Lü Buwei's invisible net, firmly controlling everyone in the court.
So we can see that in this big net, Chang Yu is actually just a line. All his achievements are based on Lü Buwei's support. Once Lü Buwei gave up on him, he would never recover.
The Queen Mother Zhao Ji's longing and loneliness
So, what attracted Zhao Ji to be so fond of Chang Yu? The most important of these is the need of human nature - longing and loneliness.
After the death of King Qin, the young Empress Dowager Zhao Ji fell from the admiration of thousands of people into the cold palace walls overnight. This woman, who once led fashion and extravagance, can now only face the empty palace and the thoughts that have nowhere to tell.
As the historian Sima Qian said, "the queen mother is not more than lewd". Zhao Ji urgently needs an object that can be pampered to fill the emptiness in her heart. And the Chang Yu sent by Lü Buwei just seized this opportunity.
Chang Yu is young and handsome, and his martial arts are outstanding, especially the "Wheel Technique" makes Zhao Ji want to stop. For Zhao Ji, Chang Yu is the perfect tool to kill loneliness. So, she doted on Chang Yu very much, just to firmly grasp this happiness in her hands.
It is precisely because she knows Zhao Ji's inner needs that Chang Yu will gain favor so quickly. He is like a sponge, absorbing Zhao Ji's loneliness and longing. This also became the biggest capital for his rise in the court.
It is not difficult for us to understand that every ordinary person is fragile inside. Even the Queen Mother, who sits on top of 10,000 people, will be on the verge of collapse once she lacks companionship. So she clings to the man who makes her happy, never thinking about the consequences. It is this irrational emotional dependence that ultimately leads to one's own failure.
The fragility of human nature often becomes a turning point in history. It brought down the most powerful dynasties and the most magnificent causes. This is another warning we get in Chang Yu's story.
Chang Yu's arrogance and rush
If entering the palace to bring happiness to Zhao Ji is the reason for Chang Yu's success, then his arrogance and eagerness are undoubtedly the fatal wounds that led to his final downfall.
A ruffian who was originally a ruffian entered the palace by chance, won the favor of the queen mother, and was quickly promoted to the powerful Changxin Marquis. This dramatic change of identity undoubtedly gave Chang Yu the illusion that he was the one in charge of the country.
As a result, the domineering and cruelty in the character swelled rapidly. He openly insulted his guests, believing that he was entitled to call the king a "false father". Once drunk, he had a big fight with the minister, and he had to suppress the king of Qin in the name of the queen mother.
Chang Yu's arrogance obviously angered the King of Qin. For a while, he seemed to rely on the Queen Mother to save his life. However, this crisis did not make Chang Yu sober up and reflect. He still goes his own way and regards himself as the pride of the sky.
In the end, Chang Yu, who didn't know the depths, decided to take the throne directly. He planned to kill the King of Qin and support himself and the Queen Mother's children. However, this idea is undoubtedly wishful thinking. How could a declining magnate erect a scepter in the Great Qin Dynasty?
As Sima Qian said, Chang Yu was "in a hurry". His ambitions and actions went beyond the position of a ruffian and rogue, and he eventually brought about his own destruction. This proves once again that arrogance and eagerness for quick success are the dead end of history. It makes people lose their rationality and end up reaping the consequences.
epilogue
Chang Yu's life is typical of willfulness. He could have lived in peace and enjoyed the grace of the Queen Mother. However, he was insatiable and wanted to become the new King of Qin. This kind of arrogance and self-indulgence will eventually destroy a person.
The path of life is full of temptations. But we must remain rational and judgmental. Don't get carried away by the smugness. We can't try to achieve our dreams by shortcuts. Only by going through the whole process in a down-to-earth manner is the true meaning of life.
Chang Yu also stood at the pinnacle of life. Yet he didn't look inside and lost his way. This led to his untimely death, which became infamous through the ages. Let us learn the lessons and not repeat the mistakes of the past. Create your own life with wisdom and perseverance.