Preface
In the troubled times of the Warring States Period, the sons competed for hegemony, and whether the first prince of the Warring States Period was Xinling Jun or Pingyuan Jun caused controversy among historians and researchers. However, some people believe that whether it is political skill or bearing, Xinlingjun is better than Pingyuanjun. Why is it said that the first prince of the Warring States period was Xinlingjun instead of Pingyuanjun? What kind of pattern and bearing is involved?
In this complex historical era, we will dig deep into the political differences and personal styles of Shinryungjun and Pingyuanjun, and reveal why Shinryungjun is considered the first prince of the Warring States period, and the far-reaching impact of this seemingly small evaluation on historical evaluation and understanding of the Warring States period. In this history full of wisdom and intrigue, let us travel through time and enter the court of the Warring States Period.
Empress Lu Pheasant: A strong woman who has attained the Tao and ascended to heaven
Among these women in the Han Dynasty, Lu Pheasant should be regarded as the first strong woman. She is Liu Bang's confidant and concubine, but she is not just attached to Liu Bang's aura. On the contrary, it was precisely because of the help of Lü Pheasant and the Lü clan on Liu Bang's side that Liu Bang finally defeated Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, and established the Han Dynasty.
In 206 BC, Liu Bang, the king of Han, triumphantly entered Guanzhong under the protection of many princes. It stands to reason that all this is done, and Lu Pheasant, as the mother of the crown prince Liu Ying, also successfully sat on the throne of the queen. However, she never expected that only a year later, Liu Bang met the young and beautiful Mrs. Qi in Dingtao, fell in love at first sight, and gave birth to her beloved youngest son Liu Ruyi. Liu Bang was obsessed with Mrs. Qi's beauty, disgusted with Lu Pheasant, and even wanted to depose the crown prince Liu Ying and set up Liu Ruyi as the prince.
This is like a bolt from the blue for Lu Pheasant. She understood that this was beyond the jealousy between concubines, but a political struggle over the foundation of the Han Dynasty. In order to keep his son Liu Ying's position as the crown prince, Lu Pheasant chose to join forces with Prime Minister Xiao He to eliminate the princes with different surnames around Liu Bang.
first designed to kill Han Xin, who was a master of high merit, and then used a scheme to induce Peng Yue to rebel, and finally killed them one by one. As for Yingbu and Lu Ze, although they were obedient on the surface, they could not escape the fate of death in the end. At the same time, Lu Pheasant vigorously promoted young talents from the clan to strengthen his own power.
In 180 BC, Emperor Wen of Han died, and Empress Dowager Lü finally waited for the opportunity to govern. She first ordered to firmly control the power of the palace guards, and at the same time sent troops to surround and monitor the nobles of the Liu clan to prevent them from rebelling. Then, she dealt with Liu Ying's half-brothers. She struck first and sent troops to Zhao to kill Liu Bang's favorite young son, Liu Ruyi. killed Liu You and Liu Hui one after another, and almost killed Liu Xiang, the 7-year-old king of Qi.
Lu Pheasant is resolute and ruthless, and her methods are sharp, which makes many people think that she is just a master of palace fighting. But we have to admit that it is precisely because of her that the Han Dynasty was able to consolidate its foundation and the crown prince Liu Ying was able to inherit the throne. In the 8 years since the death of Emperor Xiaohui, Empress Dowager Lu was almost in charge of the government, and she continued the Huang Lao thought of "ruling by doing nothing" in the early Han Dynasty, taking care of the people's lives, so that the country's economy could recover quickly. At the same time, she adopted a defensive strategy against the Xiongnu, in exchange for decades of stability and peace on the border. Therefore, it is unfair to simply classify her as the demon of the palace fighting woman.
Bo Ji: A female strategist who took advantage of the situation to help the prince ascend the throne
When Emperor Wen of Han died, the princes and kings were all ready to take the throne. In the end, the winner was Liu Heng, the youngest son of Emperor Wen of Han. Liu Heng was only 7 years old at the time, but thanks to the assistance of his smart and wise mother Bo Ji, he was able to stand out in the melee of various forces, and finally ascended to the throne, which was Emperor Jing of Han.
Bo Ji was originally the princess of Wei Wangbao, but was snatched away on the spot by Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and accepted as a concubine. Liu Bang didn't care about her, and after taking possession, he alienated her. But Bo Ji did not give up on herself or complain about this, but contacted Liu Bang through her two sisters to express her heart. The two sisters often taunted Bo Ji in front of Liu Bang, which stimulated Liu Bang's sympathy and prompted him to re-summon Bo Ji.
Bo Ji was witty and clever, and she told Liu Bang that she dreamed of the auspicious sign of the sun in her arms, which pleased Liu Bang's heart. Liu Bang happily agreed: "I will satisfy you today!" and slept with Bo Ji again that day. Soon Bo Ji conceived his belly for him and gave birth to the future Emperor Liu Qi of the Han Dynasty.
When the crown prince competed for the throne with a king with a different surname, Bo Ji wisely chose to side with the Empress Dowager Lü. She purged with Empress Dowager Lu, and finally ensured the throne of her son Liu Heng. Empress Dowager Lü originally planned to send Liu Heng to Zhao State, but Bo Ji thought it was a place of death, resolutely opposed this decision, and persuaded Liu Heng, and finally let him stay in Dai State, thus escaping the catastrophe.
Bo Ji is cautious and pragmatic, seemingly docile on the surface, but will also stand up and defend her rights at critical moments. As a mother, she used her wisdom to protect her son and make him a wise monarch.
Empress Dowager Dou: Huang Lao's female politician who wisely captured Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, his mother, Dou Ji, the Empress Dowager, was already involved in court politics and promoted the Huang Lao ideology she believed in to govern the country. This caused the dissatisfaction of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In 141 BC, after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came to power, he adopted a policy that was very different from that of Empress Dowager Dou. He vigorously opened up the frontier and implemented a strict legal system internally, which ran counter to Empress Dowager Dou's idea of ruling by inaction. Thus, a political struggle over the national policy of the Han Dynasty began.
At first, in the face of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's strong implementation of reforms, Empress Dowager Dou did not directly express her opposition, but chose to forbear. She responded to the complaints of her clansmen, saying that "it is normal for the emperor to be young, and you should indeed be restrained". This gives people the illusion that the Empress Dowager Dou has been depressed and no longer participates in politics.
In fact, Empress Dowager Dou is just accumulating strength. She secretly tried to induce Prime Minister Wei Juan to drive her cronies out of the court, and then removed him from office for Wei Wan's flattery. Then she accused Ning Cheng, a confidant of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, of perverting the law and sent him to the beheading stage. In this way, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty lost his important assistant at the same time.
Empress Dowager Dou's next action was even more clever. She pretended to go to Lishan to recuperate, but Prime Minister Zhao Yu and Imperial Doctor Wang Zang saw her going out, thinking that this was a good time, and wrote to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asking him not to report to the Empress Dowager Dou about the major affairs of the court, but to have the final say. Who knew that they were in the hands of the Empress Dowager Dou. Empress Dowager Dou immediately rushed back to the court overnight and arrested Zhao Yu and Wang Zang on charges of seeking to seize imperial power. She also placed her cronies such as Tian Wei and Zhuang Qingzhai in important positions, directly emptying the power of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
In the face of Empress Dowager Dou's many political offensives, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty could only temporarily show weakness and seek perfection, stop innovation, and let the country re-govern according to Huang Lao's thought. It was not until the death of Empress Dowager Dou that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was able to regain power and start his glorious "rule of Wenjing".
epilogue
The above is the history of the political struggle of several strong women in the Han Dynasty. I hope that through their stories, we can have a deeper understanding of the historical picture of that eventful time in the Han Dynasty. In today's society, the status of women has improved, but presumably their resolute and strong qualities back then will also inspire modern women to move forward bravely in their respective fields and create a better life.