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In history, Cao Cao and this character have left a deep impression on people's hearts with their unique charm. Cao Cao, a generation of heroes, his political and military talents are unmatched. However, his private life has often led to speculation and doubt. Many of the wives and concubines he married were widows or other people's wives, which makes people wonder, is the hero really sad about the beauty?
Similarly, there is another emperor in history who also favored widows, and that is Guo Wei. He married four wives during his lifetime, each of whom was a widow. This is undoubtedly an amazing fact. It is not uncommon for emperors to marry widows, but it is rare for Guo Wei to marry four widows in a row. This begs the question, what prompted him to make such a choice?
At that time, feudal etiquette and religion constrained people's thoughts, but Guo Wei was different. He is not bound by the world. At that time, feudal etiquette could not restrain people's thoughts, and people paid more attention to the expression of individuality and the pursuit of emotions.
So, what is the reason why an emperor like Guo Wei can make such a unique decision to marry four widows in a row?
Guo Wei first joined the military camp and served Li Cunmao
Guo Wei was born in 904 A.D., and his father, Guo Jian, held important positions under Li Keyong, the king of the Jin Dynasty at the time. In the second year of Guo Wei's birth, his father was assassinated, which made the young Guo Wei lose his support in an instant. His mother, Wang, took him out of danger and set out on a journey to Luzhou, where he hoped to find a safe refuge.
Unfortunately, Wang's health has been poor, and due to the exhaustion of days of travel, she finally fell ill before arriving in Luzhou. At this time, fortunately, there was a nursing mother who stayed by the mother and son's side, using her meager savings to buy medicine to cure the disease and find food to fill the stomach, so that Guo Wei and his mother could continue to move forward.
Under the protection of his aunt Han, Guo Wei gradually recovered from the pain of losing his loved ones. Although Han's family was not wealthy, she still tried her best to take care of her young nephew, treating him as if he were her own son. Under the careful care of his aunt, Guo Wei thrived, not only tall and strong, but also showed extraordinary talent in Xi martial arts.
He knows that the grace of nurturing is more important than the mountain, and he cannot rely on his aunt's protection forever. When Guo Wei grew into a heroic young man, he decided to leave his hometown and devote himself to a military career to make contributions to the country. On the day he said goodbye to his aunt, he vowed to repay her years of nurturing with his efforts and achievements.
In 922 AD, Guo Wei, with his outstanding martial arts and extraordinary courage, was favored by Li Jitao, the envoy of Zelu Jiedu, and joined his army. Li Jitao greatly appreciated his talent and entrusted him with important tasks. However, the good times did not last long, and Li Jitao's power was soon destroyed by the Later Tang Dynasty. Guo Wei was forced to re-locate his allegiance, so he joined the Later Tang army and served Li Cunmao.
In the post-Tang army, Guo Wei gradually emerged with his outstanding performance and military exploits. However, the wheels of history rolled forward, and in 926 AD, the Later Tang regime collapsed in internal and external troubles, and Li Cunmao died in the war.
In the face of sudden changes, Guo Wei had to start his wandering career again.
Mr. Tsumakoshiba
According to historical records such as "Eastern Capital Affairs", Tang Zhuangzong Li Cunmiao had a concubine of the Yuchai clan, and after Li Cunmiao's death, she was forced to leave the palace and return to the people. On the way home, Chai encountered a heavy rain on the bank of the Yellow River, and in order to escape the rain, she chose a hostel to stay temporarily.
It was in this hostel that Chai met a man like no other. Although he was in rags, he was majestic and energetic, and he was obviously not an ordinary beggar. Curiously, Chai asked the innkeeper about his origin, and the boss told her, "This is Guo Qi'er." ”
Guo Que'er, later Guo Wei, was a man from a poor background. His name is as humble as his origins, but it can't hide his inner potential and talent.
Surprisingly, Chai actually fell in love with this beggar-like man. Chai called "Guo Qi'er" to him, and after some conversation, he decided that this person would become a great weapon in the future. She felt that although Guo Wei was down now, his appearance and temperament were different, and he was obviously not an ordinary person. So, she decided to marry this beggar-like man.
Chai's parents, of course, were also opposed to the marriage. They believed that their daughter had been a concubine in the palace and should never marry a beggar under any circumstances. However, Chai insisted on her choice, and she said to her parents: "This person will definitely have a bright future in the future!"
In the end, Chai's parents had to compromise. Chai divided half of the possessions he brought with him to his parents, and the other half as a dowry. Soon after, Chai and Guo Wei held a simple wedding in a hotel. Their marriage began in the midst of adversity, but it was always loving.
With Chai's help, Guo Wei began to show his talent and potential. He had distinguished himself in Liu Zhiyuan's army, serving as deputy privy envoy and other important positions. With the passage of time, Guo Wei became an important minister in the court, commanding the army and being powerful. He can have such an achievement, which is inseparable from Chai's support and help.
Chai not only financially supported Guo Wei, but also helped him break some bad Xi in life. She taught him to work hard, live frugally, and stay away from bad Xi such as gambling and alcoholism.
However, the good times did not last long, and Chai died of illness. Her death was a huge blow to Guo Wei. In order to commemorate Chai's support and help to him, Guo Wei posthumously crowned her as the queen after being called the emperor, nicknamed "Shengmu", and has never been a queen again.
And the love story between them is also talked about, and sure enough, a successful man will have a woman who helps him behind him.
Assisted the Later Han Dynasty and was suspected of raising troops to establish the country
Shi Jingjiao led the Khitans into the Central Plains, destroyed the Later Tang Dynasty, and established the Later Jin Dynasty. At this turning point in history, Liu Zhiyuan was appointed as the envoy of the Hedong Festival, and his fate changed dramatically.
Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself emperor in Shanxi and established the Later Han Dynasty, which was a new beginning. When Liu Zhiyuan died, the young young emperor ascended the throne, that is, Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty. Guo Wei and Su Fengji were appointed ministers of Gu Ming, and their mission was to defend the nascent dynasty.
Due to the rebellion in various places, the Khitans also invaded the south at this time, Guo Wei was ordered to lead the army to conquer everywhere and defend the stormy Later Han world.
However, Emperor Yin of Han was uneasy about Guo Wei's power, and his favored ministers were secretly plotting to eradicate Guo Wei and other old dynasty forces.
At this critical moment, Li Hongyi betrayed Emperor Yin of Han and informed Guo Wei of the news. Guo Wei is faced with a difficult choice, and he must take action or he will be in great trouble. Therefore, he decided to use the tactics of the strategists, forged an edict, and declared that the emperor had ordered him to kill the generals.
This decision aroused the excitement of the soldiers, and the soldiers elected Guo Wei as the leader and raised an army to fight. Their goal is to "clear the monarch's side". However, Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty realized that Guo Wei had really rebelled, and he ordered the killing of Guo Wei's family members in the capital, not even sparing even the infant children. "The History of the New Five Dynasties" contains: "Infants and children are not exempt. ”
Among the family members who were ordered to kill Guo Wei in the capital by Emperor Yin of the Han Dynasty were his third wife, Zhang, who was born in a family of eunuchs, and his father Zhang Tongzhi served as an advisor to Wang Rong and a secretary of the Ministry of Inspection. However, with the death of Wang Rong, the Zhang family was in decline.
In a rebellion in the army, the general Wu Congjian met the young and lovely Zhang, because she was helpless, Wu Congjian took her back to his hometown Taiyuan, and promised her to his son.
The good times did not last long, and Zhang's husband unfortunately died early, and she began to live a widowhood. At this time, Guo Wei happened to be in Taiyuan, and his second main house, Yang, had died, so he married Zhang.
With Guo Wei's rise and wealth, Zhang was also named the Lady of Wu State. The happy days didn't last long. In November of the third year of Qianyou (950), Liu Chengyou, the Yin Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, was suspicious of Guo Wei and ordered all the family members of Guo Wei who were detained in Tokyo to be executed, and Zhang and other family members were not spared. After Guo Wei became the emperor, in order to commemorate the Zhang family, he posthumously named her a concubine.
Guo Wei led a large army into the capital, and Liu Chengyou, the Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, was killed. Some subordinates suggested that Guo Wei slaughter the Liu clan in revenge for the blood feud, but Guo Wei refused. He entered the palace to meet the Empress Dowager Li and asked her to listen to the government.
At this turning point in history, Guo Wei did not choose to usurp the throne. This is not because he does not have such ambitions, but because Liu Zhiyuan prepared in advance. Although Liu Zhiyuan appointed Guo Wei as the minister of Gu Ming, he did not fully trust him.
As early as when he attacked Bianliang, he left his brother Liu Chong in Taiyuan to prevent chaos in the capital. In addition, Liu Zhiyuan also has his adopted son Liu Yun who guards in Xuzhou and another brother Liu Xin in Xuzhou. These people all possess strong military strength, enough to pose a threat to Guo Wei.
Therefore, Guo Wei took retreat as advance and proposed to support Liu Yun as emperor. Although Empress Dowager Li had some doubts, she saw that Guo Wei had no intention of rebelling immediately, so she agreed to his proposal. Liu Yun is Liu Chong's biological son, and it is also Liu Chong's hope that he can become the emperor. Therefore, they agreed with Guo Wei's proposal.
However, Empress Dowager Li was still too naïve. Although Guo Wei left the capital, he did not give up his ambitions. He planted his henchmen in the capital before leaving, and deliberately made his army's march extremely slow.
When they finally arrived in Lanzhou, the soldiers "took the initiative" to mutiny and "forced" Guo Wei to wear a yellow robe. Although Guo Wei initially rejected their request, he finally accepted it in the face of numerous soldiers and his own ambitions. As a result, Guo Wei, who was "forced" to usurp the throne, returned to Bianliang and seized the state government.
And what about Liu Yun, who was waiting to become the emperor? Before he could enter the capital, Guo Wei had already entered the capital and forced the empress dowager to depose Liu Yun. Then Guo Wei ordered Liu Yun to be imprisoned.
Liu Yun's father, Liu Chong, heard that Guo Wei was going to usurp the throne, and thought that my Later Han could not be destroyed, so he proclaimed himself emperor according to the twelve states of Hedong, established the Northern Han Dynasty, and united the Liao State against the Later Zhou. Guo Wei saw that Liu Chong's reaction was so excessive, and he was worried that Liu Yun was a threat, so he killed him.
As for Liu Zhiyuan's other younger brother Liu Xin, because his troops were too small to stop Guo Wei, when Guo Wei's army attacked Xuzhou, he hanged himself.
Without Liu Xin, kill Liu Yun, regardless of Liu Chong, Guo Wei finally had no worries, he was officially proclaimed emperor on the first day of the first month of Guangshun (951), and the country was named Da Zhou, known as Hou Zhou in history.
The Yang family and the Dong family are fellow villagers, and they are all married to Guo Wei
Guo Wei's second wife was Yang. When Yang was young, she was selected as a concubine in the palace of Wang Rong, who was the envoy of Zhenzhou Jiedu, because of her beauty, but later Wang Rong was killed by the rebels, and Yang went into exile and married a commoner named Shi Guangfu.
Shi Guangfu also died soon after. At this time, Guo Wei's wife Chai had also died, and Guo Wei heard about Yang's beauty and virtuousness, so he proposed to her. Yang was reluctant at first, but after Yang's brother Yang Tingzhang's best matchmaking, he agreed to marry Guo Wei.
After Yang married Guo Wei, he managed the family well and handled housework handy. She died in the last years of the Later Jin Dynasty. After Guo Wei became emperor, he posthumously crowned Yang as a concubine. Although she and Guo Wei were not married for a long time, her virtuous and talented influence on Guo Wei was far-reaching.
Dong is Guo Wei's fourth wife. Dong is from Changshan, and his father is a minor official under Wang Rong, the envoy of Zhenzhou Jiedu. In the Zhenzhou Rebellion, Dong was separated from his family and was led home by a tooth general in Luzhou. Because his wife couldn't have children, he was like a daughter to Dong, so he specially invited a teacher to teach her.
When Dong was thirteen years old, her brother Dong Yu found her, and a few years later she married Liu Jinchao, a villager and later Jin official. However, when the Later Jin Dynasty fell, Liu Jinchao was exiled and died, and the Dong family lived in Luoyang from then on.
Dong and Guo Wei's second wife, Yang, were fellow villagers, and the two had known each other earlier, and Yang often mentioned Dong's virtuous virtues to Guo Wei. When Guo Wei was guarding Luoyang, he remembered Yang's words, so he sent someone to find Dong and marry her. Since then, Dong has become Guo Wei's virtuous helper, helping him with household chores and giving him advice.
After Guo Wei became emperor, because there was no main room, Dong was canonized as Concubine De and became the head of the harem. Her ingenuity and virtuousness were praised by the harem and the court. However, in the summer of the third year of Guangshun (953), Dong unfortunately contracted an illness and eventually died.
Dong can be called Guo Wei's virtuous helper, and then Zhou under Guo Wei's governance, in a short period of time, presented a prosperous scene of a rich country and a strong people. After Dong's death, Guo Wei never remarried, and in 954 AD, he also died of illness, and the latter Zhou was handed over to his nephew Chai Rong.
Guo Wei successively married four main families, namely Chai, Yang, Zhang and Dong. All four women were widows when they married Guo Wei, and Yang was widowed twice. This phenomenon was extremely rare in ancient societies. In-depth analysis shows that this is not only related to Guo Wei's personal experience, but also a reflection of the atmosphere of the times.
Guo Wei was born in Yaoshan, Xingzhou, from a poor family. There is also a saying in "History of the Old Five Dynasties" that Guo Wei was originally surnamed Chang, and he remarried to the Guo family with his mother when he was a child, so he also had the surname Guo. If this is true, then Guo Wei's mother is also a widow. She took the young Guo Wei and remarried Guo Jian, the assassin of Shunzhou in the Later Jin Dynasty.
This experience may have had a profound impact on Guo Wei's concept of marriage. In his opinion, his mother can marry Thorn Shi as a widow, so he can marry an emperor's concubine like Chai's family, a royal concubine like Yang's, and an official concubine like Zhang's family, although he is a widow, it is already a good choice.
In fact, in the context of the times, marrying a widow or remarried woman was not as shameful as we think. On the contrary, the concept of chastity during the Tang Dynasty was far weaker than that of later generations. Remarriage is a ceremonial and socially acceptable act. In such an atmosphere, Guo Wei married four widows in a row, although the "handwriting" is a little bigger, but it can be regarded as a reason.
In addition, the social atmosphere during the Tang Dynasty also affected women's status and choices. During this period, women had a certain degree of autonomy and status in the family and society. Some women can even inherit property and serve as family leaders. Therefore, for those widowed women, remarriage is not a dishonorable thing, but a way for them to pursue happiness and survival.
To sum up, the phenomenon of Guo Wei marrying four widows as the main family is not only related to his personal experience, but also reflects the social atmosphere and values of the Tang Dynasty. During this period, women's concept of chastity was weaker, and remarriage and remarriage were common. Therefore, Guo Wei's marriage choice also conformed to the trend of society at that time.
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