In 1142 AD, Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, a Dali temple prison called "Fengbo Pavilion" became the end of Yue Fei's life.
Once upon a time, he discussed with the soldiers on this land to fight against gold, but now it has become a witness to his tragic fate. The emperor listened to the slander of the traitor Qin Hui and brutally killed Yue Fei on a "trumped-up" charge.
When the news came out, the whole country was shocked, and people mourned the death of this loyal minister.
Yue Fei's blood had not yet dried up from the stone slab of the Fengbo Pavilion, but Yue Fei's wife and children were persecuted by Qin Hui's faction, and their life and death were uncertain.
Later, it was speculated that they were exiled to the bitter cold land, and it was also rumored that they fled Lin'an and went incognito in order to save their lives.
So where are Yue Fei's wives and children, and have they also been poisoned by Qin Hui?
01 What is Yue Fei's death?
Yue Fei's death is undoubtedly the most tragic scene in the history of the Southern Song Dynasty. This loyal and brave anti-gold hero was finally framed by the emperor and traitorous ministers, and ended up in a different place.
In 1140 AD, Yue Fei led the Northern Expedition of the Yuejia Army, and defeated the Jin Army in Yuncheng and Yingchang, however, Yue Fei, who advocated the "Northern Expedition and invited the two emperors to return to the court", touched the sensitive nerves within the Southern Song Dynasty court.
As an emperor, he naturally did not want other emperors to come back to threaten his rule, and the prime minister Qin Hui had a certain degree of interest in the Jin Dynasty, he saw the risks and uncertainties that might be brought about by continuing the war, and he was bent on seeking peace and tried his best to persuade the emperor.
So Emperor Zhao Gou issued twelve golden plates in succession, ordering Yue Fei to retreat.
Faced with an important opportunity to potentially regain lost territory, such a decision was undoubtedly a huge blow to Yue Fei and Yue's army, and Yue Fei cried angrily and was forced to take a class.
After Yue Fei returned to the court, he originally expected to continue to contribute to the country's Northern Expedition, but the reality gave him a heavy blow. He was immediately relieved of his military power and appointed a civilian far from the front: the Privy Vice-Minister.
For a military general who takes the battlefield as his home and the fight against gold as his own responsibility, it is undoubtedly a huge loss and helplessness to be unable to restore the lost territory of the Central Plains and protect the peace of the people.
And every time Yue Fei tried to go on the Northern Expedition and restore the country, he was blocked by Qin Hui. As the prime minister, Qin Hui had great influence on Zhao Gou of Song Gaozong, and he advocated peace with the Jin Dynasty in order to maintain the peace and stability of the Southern Song Dynasty.
In order to ensure the stability of Zhao Gou as emperor, and to ensure that his position as prime minister is not threatened.
Qin Hui began to secretly plot to frame Yue Fei and remove this thorn in his side: he used the power and influence in his hands to create all kinds of rumors and false accusations in an attempt to put Yue Fei to death.
02 was loyal to the country, but eventually fell victim to politics.
Qin Hui took advantage of his cronies and henchmen around him to begin to spread Yue Fei's remarks about supporting the army and having bad intentions, trying to damage Yue Fei's reputation in the government and the opposition, causing suspicion and panic in public opinion, especially making the emperor wary of him.
In order to confirm his remarks, Qin Hui secretly asked his henchmen to frame Yue Fei's subordinate Zhang Xian for "attempting rebellion", first arrested Zhang Xian and imprisoned him, tortured him severely, and fabricated evidence of Yue Fei's "rebellion" out of thin air without any confession, forcing Zhang Xian to frame Yue Fei.
After creating enough "evidence", Qin Hui began his next plan - to make a statement to Zhao Gou of Song Gaozong and frame Yue Fei.
Qin Hui claimed that Yue Fei threatened the security of the entire country, and he further exaggerated, saying that Yue Fei was ambitious and had bad intentions, not only wanting to control more military power, but also falsely claiming that he had substantial evidence of rebellion, posing a threat to Zhao Go's throne.
Judging from Gaozong Zhao Gou himself, he was suspicious of military generals. As a military general, Yue Fei's outspokenness on the issue of establishing the crown prince intervened excessively in this matter, obviously exceeding the scope of his duties and violating the royal taboo, especially at that time, the only son of Zhao Gou in the navigation land was still inherited to him by others.
If the adopted son is established as the crown prince at this time, if Gaozong has a biological son in the future, he will face the problem of fighting for the throne between his biological son and his adopted son, which is a great problem for Gaozong.
In addition, Yue Fei can fight well, and his prestige is extremely high. In the conquest or the management of the army, he was strict in military discipline, loved the people like a son, demanded harmonious coexistence between the army and the people, and especially he always put the well-being of the people in mind, so he won a high reputation and widespread support.
But the higher the voice, the more frightened Gaozong Zhao Gou became, especially such a general who was loved by the people was contrary to his own political ideas, such a phenomenon was a great pressure and challenge for the emperor Song Gaozong Zhao Gou at that time, and even in the society at that time, having the ability to rebel was more fearful than wanting to rebel.
In particular, Yue Fei's "Northern Expedition Proposal" and "Violent Opposition to Peace Proposal" have already made Gaozong feel guilty. So under the false accusations and provocation of Qin Hui and other traitorous ministers, in the face of "evidence", Gaozong finally decided to get rid of Yue Fei.
In 1141 AD, during the peace negotiations between Song and Jin, Yue Fei was framed and arrested and imprisoned. In prison, Yue Fei was subjected to inhuman torture, but he remained steadfast and refused to admit to trumped-up charges.
However, Emperor Zhao Gou still ordered Yue Fei to be killed. Yue Fei received the death edict, calmly, and wrote the words of this life in prison: "Every day is Zhaozhao, every day is Zhaozhao!"
03 The drastic changes in the family, can the wife and children escape the catastrophe, and where will they go after that?
After Yue Fei was framed to death by Qin Hui and others, his family did not escape the tragic fate. Under the circumstances of the emperor's jealousy and traitorous ministers' false accusations, Yue Fei's wife and daughters were also involved in a bottomless political whirlpool.
Yue Fei's first wife, Liu, married Yue Fei before he embarked on the military road.
At that time, Yue Fei and the Liu family lived a simple and happy life just like ordinary people's families. The Liu family was virtuous and virtuous, and gave birth to Yue Fei's eldest son Yue Yun and second son Yue Lei.
However, as Yue Fei resolutely decided to join the military to defend his family and the country, this originally peaceful family also began to undergo earth-shaking changes.
Yue Fei's departure from home to fight, as well as the cruelty and ruthlessness of the war, made it impossible for Yue Fei to go home to visit often, and the Liu family gradually felt the cruelty of the war and the pressure of reality in the waiting and anticipation day after day. A difficult decision was made - to remarry.
Yue Yun, as Yue Fei's eldest son, refused to frame Yue Fei's subordinate Zhang Xian, and was beheaded on the street for "treason" on the day Yue Fei was killed.
After the first wife, Liu, did not move around the Yue family frequently, did not participate in the daily affairs of the Yue family, and no longer had frequent contact with Yue Fei's relatives and friends.
This alienation, after Yue Fei's misfortune, actually became a kind of protection for her, allowing Liu to survive and finally retreat.
Yue Fei's second wife, Li Wa, showed tenacity and bravery in the difficult situation. He and Yue Fei met in the military camp, and since marrying into the Yue family, with a motherly heart, he regarded Yue Yun and Yue Lei born to the Liu family as his own.
She supported the entire Yue family, and also gave birth to three sons for Yue Fei: Yue Lin, Yue Zhen, and Yue Ai.
After Yue Fei's death, they ran around for the grievances of their father and husband, hoping to rehabilitate Zhaoxue.
However, in that era full of intrigue and power, their efforts were often suppressed by the powerful, the voice of justice was difficult to hear, and Qin Hui's suppression and persecution caused the Yue family to suffer a huge blow.
When Yue Fei was killed, the second son Yue Lei was only 16 years old, the third son Yue Lin was 12 years old, the fourth son Yue Zhen was 7 years old, and the youngest Yue Ting (formerly known as Yue Ai) was only 3 years old. At a young age, they were met with great changes in their lives.
Yue Fei's second daughter, Yue Yinhua, knows her father's loyalty and grievances. When Yue Fei was framed by Qin Hui, she swore to death and decided to avenge her father and brother.
She was full of enthusiasm and justice, and begged everywhere, however, the reality was cruel, Yue Yinhua appealed to the officials at all levels, but was met with endless indifference and humiliation, some of those officials were afraid of Qin Hui's power, and some ignored Yue Fei's loyalty, and refused to accept her appeal.
If the world can't give her justice, then she would rather die than suffer this endless humiliation. So Yue Yinhua jumped into the ancient well and was only 13 years old.
Nowadays, whenever people mention Yue Fei's family, they will always think of the Yue Yinhua who avenged his father and brother and finally fell into the well and died.
The others were not spared, and under the persecution of Qin Hui, Yue Fei's wife Li Wa and these children were deprived of their former dignity and comfort, and were forced to embark on the road of exile.
Yue Fei's wife, Li Wa, and her children slept in the open along the way, suffering from hunger and cold, the environment was harsh, and the living conditions were extremely poor, and even basic living needs could hardly be met.
When they arrived in the penal colony, they lived in simple huts, ate coarse food, and toiled daily in exchange for a meager ration.
On cold winter nights, they can only curl up in thin quilts to keep warm, and in the face of hot summer days, they can only endure mosquito bites and unbearable heat.
Their lives were full of depression and helplessness, and they spent a long and torturous time, and he could not move around at will, let alone mention his father and brother.
Their hearts were full of longing for their father and hatred for Qin Hui. He couldn't accept that his father, Yue Fei, was framed as a traitor, and he couldn't bear that he and his family were exiled to a remote place.
Fortunately, under the pressure of endless longing and reality, Li Wa, a strong mother, tried to stay calm and provide the children with the care and comfort she could as much as she could.
04 Unjust case Zhaoxue.
In June 1162, Zhao Gou of Song Gaozong ceded the imperial throne to Song Xiaozong. Only a month after he came to power, he immediately issued an edict to rehabilitate Yue Fei: Song Xiaozong was also very smart, and Zhaoxue, who was personally wronged by Yue Fei, was also a defender of justice and fairness in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Under the impetus of Song Xiaozong, Yue Fei was officially rehabilitated, his charges were revoked, and his reputation was restored. At the same time, his family was released from detention and regained their freedom, and Yue Fei's family ended this painful period of exile.
At that time, after the death of Yun Yue Fei, there was a jailer named Kui Shun, who could not bear to see this heroic general end so bleakly, and did not want to let Yue Fei's soul of loyalty dissipate in the world, he risked his life, avoided the eyes and ears of the guards, carefully carried Yue Fei's body out of Dali Temple, and then placed Yue Fei's body in a safe place.
Song Xiaozong ordered a temple to be built in Yue Fei's hometown for the people to commemorate, and all the property that Yue Fei had been copied and inspected during his lifetime was also returned. It is also recorded in the "History of the Song Dynasty and the Book of Filial Piety":
(On the first day of July in the autumn of the 32nd year of Shaoxing), the edict reinstated Yue Fei Yuanguan and changed the burial with ceremonies. - History of the Song Dynasty, Benji, Volume 33
The eldest son Yue Yun was rehabilitated together and was buried under the Qixia Mountains in Hangzhou, Yue Yun's loyalty and brave spirit are undoubtedly the best inheritance of Yue Fei's spirit. His wife, Li Wa, received the reward and respect she deserved, and the children were able to return to their hometown and develop their own lives.
Yue Fei's wife, Li, was restored to the titles of Mrs. Zhengde and Mrs. Qin of Jin, and could enjoy her old age in peace, and finally died in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, at the age of 74.
The second son, Yue Lei, was named Zhongxunlang and was later promoted to a scholar of the Hanlin Academy;
The third son, Yue Lin, was appointed as the right undertaker, served in many official positions, and finally became a squire in the military department, and died of illness in Guangzhou;
The fourth son, Yue Zhen, was named the head of the household department and held various positions.
The fifth son, Yue Ting, was named the doctor of Chaosan.
Yue Fei's children did not sink because of exile and the hardships of life, but persevered in the predicament and were finally rehabilitated. Their tenacity and perseverance are the embodiment of Yue Fei's spirit.
Epilogue:
Yue Fei, the once commanding and heroic anti-gold general, although he passed away in the long river of history, his spirit of bravery and loyalty is like an inextinguishable flame, which has been praised through the ages and will always burn in people's hearts.