Preface
The heroine's relatives, can they really bring long-term peace and stability to the country?
If those in power can restrain their selfishness and govern in an impartial manner, will they not have a stable will of the people and a peaceful state and the people? However, if the heroine's relatives are in charge of power, are they doomed to harm the loyal and good, cause chaos to the government, and fail to make the country stable for a long time?
We have to admit that history is often full of astonishing reversals and ironies. During the reign of Empress Lu, the political struggle above the court was cruel, and the blood of the Liu clan was like a river, while the people under the court lived a peaceful life of smelling chickens and dogs, sleeping and eating. How, then, can we understand this seemingly contradictory situation?
In fact, this reflects the ambivalence of Empress Lü as a ruler. On the one hand, she expanded her power and eliminated dissidents, and on the other hand, she also cared about the suffering of the people and made the world peaceful. This kind of specious wisdom is also the unique intelligence and wisdom of women.
Divide the mother's brother
When the bad news of Emperor Hui's death came, Zhang Pijiang was the first to get the news. He immediately went to inform Chen Ping: "The Lord has unfortunately died!" This sudden change caught the ministers off guard. Chen Ping's face was solemn, and his heart was full of thoughts. Zhang Pijiang calmly analyzed the situation and proposed countermeasures to win the trust of the Queen Mother, and Chen Ping thought so. So Chen Ping led his ministers to the Empress Dowager and pleaded for the canonization of the princes of the Lu clan and the control of the Praetorian Guard.
Empress Dowager Lu was relieved when she heard this, and cried loudly, and the ministers also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Empress Dowager was in charge of the dynasty, and the 8-year-old emperor Liu Hong was a puppet. Empress Dowager Lu was worried in her heart, she needed to cultivate her own power and consolidate the throne. So she started by chasing the deceased eldest brother Lu Ze, and the ministers had no objections. Empress Dowager Lü's confidence increased greatly, and she made another confidant of the Lu family as a marquis, and seeing that the ministers did not object, she began to gradually install the Lu family's forces.
She also gave some benefits to the Liu family, and married the prince of the Liu family and the woman of the Lu family, the purpose was to win the hearts of the people and let everyone have meat to eat. The plan matured day by day, and she gradually had the momentum of fearlessness, and began to wave a large pen to feudal Lu princes. A situation of dictatorship of foreign relatives has quietly taken shape. Empress Lü was meticulous, and her two contradictory sides were fully reflected in this period: to win over the people and stabilize the hearts of the people, and to eliminate dissidents and consolidate the royal power.
The kings surnamed Liu exchanged blood
However, at this time, the 8-year-old little emperor Liu Hong received a secret report that his biological mother was killed by the Empress Dowager Lu. He was still an ignorant child, and it was difficult for him to understand the complicated game of the court for a while. He was emotional and accused Empress Dowager Lu of her behavior in the court. His questioning seemed innocent to the ministers, but it deeply stung the Empress Dowager Lu.
Empress Dowager Lu was furious, her face was pale and her tears were dotted. The little emperor not only exposed her cruelty, but more importantly, his questioning shook all her efforts to win people's hearts. She decided to get rid of this threat, and in a fit of rage, she imprisoned the little emperor in the deep palace. Soon after, he was brutally murdered.
Empress Dowager Lu is now more and more suspicious and cruel to the royal family surnamed Liu. She first used the concubines of Liu You, the king of Zhao, to sue and put Liu You under house arrest until death. When the solar eclipse appeared, Empress Dowager Lu felt faintly uneasy, and thought of the power in her hands, so she went her own way. She changed the throne to weaken the Liu clan and installed the Lu clan as her successor. Liu Hui and Lu's wife did not get along and hanged themselves, Liu Jian's father and son were deposed, and Empress Dowager Lu's methods became more and more cruel and decisive.
None of the ministers in the court dared to speak, and the princes surnamed Liu could only swallow their anger. The newly promoted Zhao King Liu Hui was unwilling to accept this absurd reseal, he had a bad fate, and his wife killed his favorite concubine, and finally hanged himself in despair. Empress Dowager Lu still went her own way and continued to shrink the Liu family's power.
Empress Dowager Lu was in chaos, but she made the country and the people peaceful
However, behind this brutal and bloody political struggle, the world miraculously maintained stability and peace. Under the rule of Empress Dowager Lu, the use of punishment across the country plummeted, and the crime rate dropped significantly. The people lived a life where chickens and dogs smelled each other, and they could work with peace of mind and worry about food and clothing. Thousands of acres of green crops in the suburbs are swaying in the wind, and the private economy is thriving. It can be said that this is a peaceful era in which the people are rich and the country is strong, stable and peaceful.
As a ruler, Empress Dowager Lu is well versed in the art of power, and she knows that the fundamental national policy lies in the people's livelihood. She understood that her power needed the support of the people, so on the one hand, she strengthened the royal power and treated hostile forces cruelly, and on the other hand, she always thought about the people, so that they could live and work in peace and contentment. She was harsh and cruel, but she was also generous and kind, and she was arbitrary, but she was also far-sighted. Under her rule, the Han Dynasty presented a complex state: brutality and peace coexisted, contradictory and wonderful.
Multi-faceted personality, difficult to generalize
History often doesn't choose someone for nothing. Everyone is multifaceted, and the choices they make make shape their destiny. The comments on Empress Lu as a special historical figure have always been different, and it is difficult to reach a conclusion.
As a woman, Empress Lu had outstanding ability, and she controlled the state politics of the Han Dynasty for several years, enabling the people to live and work in peace and contentment in the troubled times, laying the foundation for the peace of later generations; As a woman who pioneered the dictatorship of her relatives, she can still skillfully strategize in the situation of power disparity, isn't it also remarkable?
Then, according to what criteria should we judge the merits and demerits of historical figures? How are the means and results of Empress Lü's administration different from those of the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty? Isn't it true that the peaceful scene of being able to finally achieve a prosperous people and a strong country is exactly what is expected behind the power struggle?
Therefore, the evaluation of Empress Lu should also be more three-dimensional and comprehensive. Her actions are cruel, wise and wise, which deserve to be examined and interpreted by future generations, and it is difficult to generalize. The era of her relatives is the stage that this turbulent and prosperous Western Han Empire needs to go through. Just as history does not choose someone in vain, Empress Lu's reign reflects the needs of that special period.
epilogue
History is both fair and ironic. It was the dictatorship of Empress Lu's relatives that brought turmoil in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, and it was also the radical means of purging dissidents and Liu's forces that were rejected by future generations. However, it was precisely at the same time that she was in turmoil that the people were able to enjoy peace for a long time, which accumulated the driving force for the later rule of Wenjing.
It can be said that as the founding queen, Empress Lü's merits, benevolence and cruelty coexist, and her historical significance is far beyond our imagination. Perhaps, just like the contradictory character of her relatives' dictatorship, this seemingly paradoxical state is exactly what this eventful Western Han Empire needs.
Therefore, it is difficult for future generations to conclude about this outstanding and complex woman. She is like a mirror in which everyone can find their own answers. And her unique political skills and wisdom will always shine in the river of history.