The long river of history is running endlessly. Sometimes it seems to be moving forward silently, but there is always a moment of truth that is influenced by the decisions and actions of some characters.
While for the most part, history is shaped by the combined efforts of countless people, it is undeniable that some people have such an impact that their every move can turn back the wheel of history by hundreds of years.
In the long history of China, there are three women who have been called "the great sinners of history" because of their personal actions, and their names have left a disgraceful chapter in the history books.
3. Feng Xiaolian
Feng Xiaolian was originally a maid beside Empress Mu of Northern Qi. Empress Mu was very favored by Cushman and Wake at first, but later she was bored by Cushman and was no longer favored.
Feng Xiaoling gave advice to Empress Mu and said that she was willing to use her body as bait to charm Gao Wei and make him not spoil other concubines.
And Cushman & Wakefield, as expected, was completely fascinated when he saw her, and later named her a concubine. Feng Xiaolian used his wisdom and beauty to capture the emperor's heart, but also made the country's government affairs snubbed.
But her ambitions extend far beyond the confines of the harem. She used the emperor's favor to intervene in political affairs, and even influenced the formulation of large and small policies to a certain extent.
Gao Wei indulged in wind and snow and ignored state affairs, which made the Northern Qi gradually lose its defensive ability under the invasion of foreign enemies. Finally, under the pressure of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty fell, and Feng Xiaolian's name also became a warning.
Feng Xiaolian's story is often used to illustrate the dangers of harem politics. As a result, the national power of the Northern Qi declined, and it was eventually wiped out by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The demise of Northern Qi was also partly related to her actions.
Second, Jia Nanfeng
However, if Jia Nanfeng is mentioned, Feng Xiaolian's behavior is not surprising. Although Jia Nanfeng is a little unattractive, she was born in a noble family and was born in an aristocratic family.
The family's position in the court is very important, and her father Jia Chong is the founder of the Western Jin Dynasty. Therefore, few people dare to provoke Jia Nanfeng, even the royal family has to be a little jealous.
I don't know where he came from, and Jia Nanfeng's methods are also very cruel and ruthless. This Empress of Emperor Sima Zhen of Jin Hui controlled the government with her absolute authority and brutal methods. Jia Nanfeng took advantage of her husband's stupidity and weakness to actually become the ruler of the court.
Jia Nanfeng was not interested in her husband Sima Zhen and did not care about him. However, in the face of other women who were close to Sima Zhen, Jia Nanfeng did not let go of any of them. Once a child is conceived, it is a corpse with two lives.
After that, Jia Nanfeng used Sima Wei to get rid of Sima Liang, the queen and other forces behind him. It didn't take long for the idea to hit the crown prince Sima Shu, triggering a chaotic "Eight Kings Rebellion".
This dispute severely weakened the centralized power of the Jin dynasty, sparked a series of civil wars, and accelerated the fragmentation and decline of the Jin dynasty. This not only led to the demise of the Jin Dynasty, but also plunged China into centuries of war and division.
1. Empress Dowager Cixi
Of course, when it comes to women who have influenced history, we have to mention the Empress Dowager Cixi. Her name has almost become synonymous with the national shame of the late Qing Dynasty.
Her reign was a dark period in Chinese history that we would not look back on. In the face of external aggression and internal corruption, Cixi not only failed to take effective measures, but also exacerbated social contradictions and turmoil with her arbitrary behavior.
During her reign, a series of major historical events occurred, such as the First Sino-Japanese War and the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance, which also caused the Qing Dynasty's national strength to decline sharply.
She was in charge of the court for a long time, and in the face of the invaders only asked for land reparations, she was weak and incompetent, and implemented feudal autocratic rule internally, suppressed the Westernization Movement and the Wuxu Reform, and was bent on maintaining her power.
Her obsession with power and her pursuit of pleasure also caused her to vacillate between reformers and conservatives, which not only hastened the demise of the Qing Empire, but also sent more ordinary people into the abyss. Her lust and ambition set China's historical society back hundreds of years.
The above three have undoubtedly left a deep impression on Chinese history. Their stories teach us that history is not always positive or progressive.
Sometimes, a person's choices and actions can set back the development of a nation or even civilization by hundreds of years.
Feng Xiaolian, Jia Nanfeng, Cixi, and other women and men not mentioned here are names that always remind us that individual ambition and stupidity are enough to be the force that destroys a country. And history has always taken the trouble to show us this.