In the mid-spring of February in 33 B.C., Wang Zhaojun, a 19-year-old harem woman, tragically walked from the bustling capital to the vast grassland, she will pass through the vast Gobi, cross the yellow sand, and be one of the several wives of the Xiongnu Huhan Evil Shan Yu.
Wang Zhaojun, the name of Zhaojun, the word Zhaojun, Zigui people of South County of the West Han Dynasty, and Diao Chan, Xi Shi, Yang Yuhuan and known as the four beauties of ancient China, have "the appearance of the closed moon and the shy flowers, the appearance of the sinking fish and the geese", in which the falling geese refer to Wang Zhaojun.
In the spring of 36 BC, 16-year-old Wang Zhaojun was favored by the local Taishou because of her peerless appearance, and dedicated her to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, becoming a son of the edict family in the harem of the Western Han Dynasty.
However, in just three years, Wang Zhaojun became a friendly bond between the Western Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu and went north.
The story of Zhaojun's exit from the fortress is only a few words in the "Book of Han", and the reason why Wang Zhaojun can illuminate the ages is not only because of her contribution to the country, but also because of the tragedy and desolation when she came out of the fortress.
So, why did Wang Zhaojun never see the face of heaven within three years of entering the palace? As the son of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, why did she become the object of the Xiongnu's peace and marry far away? What was Wang Zhaojun's final end?
All this has to start with the relationship between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu.
01
Shokun Deficile
The Xiongnu were an ancient nomadic people, during the Western Han Dynasty, they dominated the northern part of the country and fought against the Han Dynasty, so that the border wars were continuous, and the people were struggling to make a living.
After that, there was turmoil within the Xiongnu, first there were five singles in the dispute, melee fighting, and then there were Zhizhi Shan and Hu Han evil single in the competition for the big position, not giving in to each other, and finally Hu Han evil single in defeat.
Hu Han Evil Shan Yu knew very well that Zhi Zhi was strong, and if he fought alone, he would definitely not be his opponent. On the other hand, he was also afraid that he would be attacked from both sides by Zhizhi and the Han Dynasty, so he took the initiative to unite with the Han Dynasty.
Because, only by vassalizing to the Han Dynasty can he have the opportunity to use the power of the Han Dynasty to quell the civil strife between the Xiongnu, and he can also take this opportunity to get rid of the opponent of Zhizhi.
After some consideration, Hu Han Evil Shan Yu sent his son to Dahan as a proton to show the sincerity and determination of his alliance. After Zhi Zhishan Yu sensed Hu Han's evil Shan Yu's intentions, he also sent his son to the Han as a hostage.
But it didn't take long for Zhi Zhishan Yu to tear up the covenant, ask the Han Dynasty for his son back, and kill the envoys of the Han Dynasty. Zhi Zhishan Yu may have overestimated his own strength, or he may have underestimated the bloodiness of the subjects of the Han Dynasty.
His move undoubtedly angered the Han Dynasty and pushed himself to a dead end.
In 36 B.C., Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty sent an army to launch a fierce attack on the Zhi tribe, and the Zhi branch was seriously wounded and died, after which the Han army killed the Zhi branch.
At this point, the last political enemy of Huhan Evil Shan Yu also fell, and he no longer had any worries, and the Xiongnu was finally his world. However, he also realized that the demise of Zhizhi made the Han Dynasty no longer contained, so how should he deal with Han Evil?
After thinking hard, he wrote to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, hoping to "turn his son-in-law Han into a self-kiss", and asked the Han Dynasty for marriage, and he was willing to go to the capital to meet Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty and perform the courtesy of the monarch and ministers, and the news soon spread throughout the Han court.
However, the political turmoil and the inter-ethnic conquest did not affect the minds of local officials who wanted to slip away. In the spring of the same year, Wang Zhaojun, who was born in Chu Di Nan County, was dedicated to the palace by the local Taishou.
According to the Notes on the Book of Han:
The county and the country have not seen the daughter, and they must be ordered in the court, so they are said to be edicted.
After Wang Zhaojun entered the palace, he lived in Yeting, which was the residence of the women of the Western Han court, and there was also a special management of the court order. In the court, most of the women who have been summoned by the emperor have titles, and the women who have not been summoned by the emperor are called the sons of the edict family.
Wang Zhaojun is one of them, she is like a hibiscus, she is naturally beautiful, and talented, she is proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, she is proficient in everything, her beauty harem is unparalleled, and her talent is also a leader.
However, in the three years since she entered the palace, she has not seen the sky, and all of this is related to a painter named Mao Yanshou.
There are many women in the harem of Emperor Han Yuan, in order to avoid the trouble of selection, Emperor Han Yuan asked the painter to paint a portrait according to the appearance of the woman, and then summon luck according to the beauty and ugliness of the portrait.
As a result, these painters developed a way to make money, the palace people who gave money painted more beautifully, and those who didn't give money painted ugly, and the painter Mao Yanshou naturally did not let go of this great opportunity to make money.
One day, Wang Zhaojun was playing the pipa in the room, only listening to the report of the maid outside, and the court painter Mao Yanshou asked to see him. Wang Zhaojun only said that the painter had come to paint a portrait of himself, so he hurriedly welcomed him into the house.
After Mao Yanshou entered the house, after saluting respectfully, he carefully looked at Wang Zhaojun's appearance, and saw that she had red lips and white teeth, and her eyebrows were affectionate, she was a rare beauty, so she had a plan in her heart.
When Wang Zhaojun saw him looking at himself, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, put down the pipa in his hand and said, "The painter should quickly paint a portrait of me!"
When Mao Yanshou heard this, he showed an embarrassed expression and asked, "Is it just like that?"
Seeing his hesitation, Wang Zhaojun couldn't help asking, "What does the painter want?"
Mao Yanshou stretched his brows at this time, and said flatteringly: "The family is as beautiful as a flower, and it may not look good to draw it in ordinary colors, but it is necessary to use a better color?"
Wang Zhaojun didn't understand what Mao Yanshou meant for a while, and said confidently: "Painter, I don't need any good colors, I am naturally beautiful, and I don't need icing on the cake." ”
Mao Yanshou further reminded: "You don't know, I always have to polish the pen before I can paint. ”
After hearing this, Wang Zhaojun was confused, and asked again: "Then you can moisten it, do you want me to help you moisten your pen." ”
At this point, Mao Yanshou stopped going around in circles, and said bluntly: "In my place, the pen has to be moistened with gold." ”
Wang Zhaojun suddenly realized when she heard this, she glanced at Mao Yanshou, and said sharply: "I don't have gold, do you paint for Your Majesty, if you want gold, or go and ask Your Majesty for it!"
Mao Yanshou saw that Wang Zhaojun had a tough attitude, and he was no longer polite, and threatened: "Since you don't know the current affairs, don't blame me for being ruthless." ”
So, when Mao Yanshou was painting a portrait of Wang Zhaojun, he lit a black mole under the corner of her eye. In ancient times, such a black mole was called a wounded man's tears, which was not good for the king and the country, so Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty never summoned Wang Zhaojun.
It can be seen that Mao Yanshou's revenge methods were extremely ruthless for a little profit, and he sent Wang Zhaojun into the cold palace without much effort.
Ma Zhiyuan of the Yuan Dynasty once described this paragraph in "Autumn in the Han Palace":
I asked the edict if he had nothing else to say, but why didn't he add this color?
However, Wang Zhaojun at this time did not know that her fate had been rewritten by Mao Yanshou. If there is no turn of fate, she may be like many women, living alone in the Han Palace, longing for the favor of the emperor.
Three years have passed, Wang Zhaojun is looking forward to the king's happiness every day, but what she is looking forward to is boundless loneliness, she always weeps secretly, lamenting her fate, she can't see the emperor, and she can't go back to her hometown, how sad.
On this day, Wang Zhaojun played the pipa in the room again, secretly sad.
Seeing Mao Yanshou break into her inner room without notification, she couldn't help but be furious, she asked sharply, "Mao Yanshou, who allowed you to come in?"
Mao Yanshou was not afraid of her, but asked with a smile: "Family, you haven't been summoned by Your Majesty for three years, and you are used to worshipping high and low in this palace, look at it, who else wants to show you the door?"
Mao Yanshou's words stung Wang Zhaojun, but she did not show weakness, and reprimanded: "Mao Yanshou, you are so bold, no matter how you say that I am also Your Majesty's woman, you dare to trespass into the inner room of the concubine, and when I see Your Majesty, I will definitely punish you!"
As soon as Wang Zhaojun said this, Mao Yanshou seemed to hear a big joke, and he asked, "Are you willing to let me draw another picture of a beauty for you now?"
Wang Zhaojun sternly refused: "My gold will never give you such a filthy person, you die of this heart!"
Mao Yanshou couldn't help but be a little impressed by Wang Zhaojun, he said with a smile: "The family is so ambitious, but you don't want to see Your Majesty in this life, do you know why you haven't been summoned for three years?
Hearing this, Wang Zhaojun still didn't understand anything, it must be that the villain in front of her made a move in her painting, and she immediately drove Mao Yanshou out. Mao Yanshou was not angry, and left laughing.
After Mao Yanshou left, Wang Zhaojun felt the helplessness of being in the harem again, she lamented her fate, the picture was naïve, Rong Hua sat on the wrong person, Jun En can no longer be, where is the fate of the concubine?
Just when Wang Zhaojun was lamenting his fate, the Xiongnu leader Hu Han Xie Shan Yu received an edict from Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, allowing him to go to Chang'an to worship and agree to make peace with the Xiongnu.
However, the kindness of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty made Hu Han Xie Shan Yu see his benevolent and cowardly side, and he had a trace of respect for Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty.
The problem between the Xiongnu and the Central Plains was as early as the Warring States Period, when the northern borders of the three kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, and Yan were often harassed by Xiongnu cavalry, and the countries were unable to cope with the war, so the Great Wall was built on their respective borders as a defense.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, he further connected and repaired the Great Wall that originally belonged to the Three Kingdoms and built the Great Wall of China today.
Later, the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the internal turmoil in the imperial court continued, resulting in financial poverty, the people were not able to make a living, the Xiongnu took the opportunity to raise troops to attack, Han Gaozu Liu Bang led the troops to attack, but was besieged by 400,000 troops in Pingcheng.
Since then, the strength of the Xiongnu seems to have become the unified cognition of the Han emperors. In order to ease relations with the Xiongnu, Liu Bang chose to compromise and adopted political means of making peace with the Xiongnu.
According to the records of the Book of Han and the Zizhi Tongjian, in the fifty years after Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, a total of seven princesses and clan daughters married far away to Saibei.
In the first month of 33 B.C., Hu Han Xie Shan Yu took his political purpose, crossed the desert, and went all the way south to the capital Chang'an, where he immediately entered the palace to meet Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty.
In the face of the respectful visit of Hu Han Xie Shan Yu, Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty was very useful, and the two also talked happily. However, when Hu Han Xie Shan Yu proposed to marry a princess, Emperor Han Yuan refused his request, and he was unwilling to call Han Ye Shan Yu to be his son-in-law.
In the face of Emperor Han Yuan's refusal, Hu Han Xie Shan Yu was stunned on the spot, he didn't understand what Emperor Han Yuan was planning, and when he was about to attack, Emperor Han Yuan said: "I want to choose a son from the harem to marry you." ”
Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty's words made Hu Han Evil Shan confused, and Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty immediately explained: "In this way, my Han and the Xiongnu are no longer the two generations of Weng and son-in-law, but an equal sibling relationship, and the Han and the Xiongnu are in harmony, which is an oath about brothers, which is your respect." ”
Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty's words made Hu Han Yeshan excited for a while, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, in order to repay your great kindness, I am willing to swear that from now on I will guard the border for the Han Dynasty and protect the peace of the border of thousands of miles in the north of the Han Dynasty." ”
Seeing this, Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty did not immediately agree, but said: "Border defense is a long-term strategy, don't rush to this, I only hope that there will be no more wars on the border from now on." ”
In this way, from the forced peace of Gaozu to the fierce battle of Emperor Wu, and then to the gentle pacification of Emperor Xuan. No one expected that the political contradictions with the Xiongnu for more than a hundred years would be resolved in the hands of the cowardly Emperor Han Yuan.
After that, the edict of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty to choose a wife for Hu Han Shan Yu in his harem was passed to the hands of the court order, which was a major matter related to the friendship between the two clans, and it must not be sloppy in the selection of candidates.
However, the harem women all know that this time they are married, although they are married to the leader of the Huns, and their status is noble, but in the final analysis, they are going to the Huns to be hostages. When the time comes, you must stay away from your homeland, go to Mobei, and live in a harsh environment for a lifetime.
More importantly, the Huns are civilized, and the women who are close to each other must accept the interracial customs of the brother's dead wife and his sister-in-law, and the father's dead wife and his little wife.
No one was willing to kiss, which put the court order into a two-year situation, and at this time, Wang Zhaojun, the son of the Zhaoye court's family, took the initiative to find him and recommended himself to go to the court.
It turned out that one day, Wang Zhaojun was practicing calligraphy in the room, only to hear a palace maid whispering outside the window, talking about the Huns and relatives this time. When she learned that Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty was going to choose a woman and a relative in the harem, she fell into a long thought.
She understands that she is just a small harem girl, and she may want to change her fate for the rest of her life, and the chance of such a situation is very small, and she is unwilling to surrender to such a fate, and this unwillingness makes her give birth to the idea of being close to the Huns.
Wang Zhaojun was originally from Chu and lived in the countryside, she was used to the life of idle clouds and wild cranes, and she did not want to be trapped in the deep palace. She wants to breathe freely and run passionately in the sun, but this is a harem, a place where you live and die.
She wants to escape, even if she never returns to her homeland for the rest of her life, but her future has more possibilities. Besides, she had to make one person pay, so she took the initiative to find the court order.
When Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty learned that there were women in the harem who were willing to take the initiative and pro-Xiongnu, he was very happy. So, he held a grand banquet to invite Hu Han Xie Shan Yu, and summoned Wang Zhaojun at the banquet.
This night must be the most splendid night in Wang Zhaojun's life.
I saw her with green silk tied into a gorgeous bun, beautiful and graceful, good makeup and dress, holding the pipa in her arms, and shining brightly. After sitting down, the jade hand lightly picked the silver strings, and the music poured out, listening to it gracefully, like a heavenly sound.
Emperor Han Yuan looked at the beautiful girl in front of him, both amazed and regretful, but he couldn't take back what he said.
In order to vent the anger in his heart, he immediately asked Mao Yanshou for his guilt. But Mao Yanshou quibbled in every way: "The minister thinks that the beauty in the palace can mess with the country, and the minister wants the beauty in the palace to move to Hu Ting, and it is the minister who makes the country chaotic, and it will move to Hu Ye instead of the Han Dynasty." ”
However, Emperor Han Yuan, who missed the beauty, no longer wanted to listen to such clever words, and directly beheaded Mao Yanshou. In February of 33 BC, Hu Han Yeshan Yu bid farewell to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty with the newlywed Wang Zhaojun and embarked on a return journey to Mobei.
This year, Wang Zhaojun was only 19 years old, she looked back at the Han Palace behind her, the lonely three years have passed, and her marriage with Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty has been cut off, even if she is unwilling, she must also pursue the sunset of the long river outside the Saiwai.
The carriage went farther and farther, the hustle and bustle of Chang'an, and the splendor of Nanjun had become more and more blurred, and when the convoy slowly walked to Hanguan, Wang Zhaojun understood that when she took this step, the homeland behind her would never go back.
In the yellow sand, she was dressed in a red daze, and her bare hand gently flicked the pipa in her arms, and her singing voice came out slowly.
Autumn wood is green, its leaves are yellow, there are birds in the mountains, and they are gathered in the bud mulberry.
Raising hairy feathers, describing the light, having to travel to the clouds, upstream of the curved room.
Leaving the palace is empty, the body is destroyed, the ambition is not sinking, and it is not allowed to be bowed.
Although I have to be wronged, I have a lot of anxiety, I am alone, and I come and go as usual.
The swallow of Pianpiao, far away in Xiqiang, the high mountains are ethereal, and the river is turbulent.
Father and mother, long and long, whining and mourning!
The sound of the piano is poignant and moving, and Wang Zhaojun, who is dressed in red, is independent, so that the geese flying south forget to swing their wings and land on the flat sand one after another, which has the reputation of "falling geese".
In the first year of Jingning, Wang Zhaojun followed Hu Han Evil Shan Yu to the Xiongnu, and in order to show respect, Hu Han Evil Shan Yu respected her as Ning Hu Yan. After that, Wang Zhaojun and Huhan Yeshan Yu lived together for three years, gave birth to a son, named Yitu Zhiyanshi, and was named the king of the right day.
In 31 B.C., when Hu Han Xie Shan Yu died, Wang Zhaojun wrote to the Han Dynasty, requesting to return to the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty replied that he was from Hu Customs.
These three words once again decided the fate of Wang Zhaojun.
After that, Wang Zhaojun had to follow the Xiongnu's succession marriage system, and remarried the eldest son of Huhan Xie Shan Yu, Fu Zhu Ti Shan Yu, and the two lived together for 11 years and had two daughters.
However, Fuzhu Ti Shan Yu also unfortunately died, and Wang Zhaojun was forced to marry a new Shan Yu again. The border war was endless, Wang Zhaojun knew that there was no time to return to the Han Dynasty, and he became depressed and sick, and finally died in despair in the yellow sand.
02
At last
Before leaving, Wang Zhaojun wrote a letter to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, she said, close the door of the Han Yue, dream of a male concubine, life and death, the jade door is indefinite, and the knock is not true.
Perhaps, from the moment she left her homeland, this 19-year-old girl was ready, and she knew that her future life was no longer arranged by herself. However, in the face of such a bumpy life and the grief of not being able to have a family, it probably exceeded her expectations.
She also said to Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, if one day, you can climb Yanzhi Mountain in Mobei and look in my direction from afar, you will let the concubines around you wash all the lead, because I have done something for you that only a warrior can do.
Wang Zhaojun used his own unique way to sacrifice himself to maintain the safety of the country. She will be left alone, that is the fate she cannot fight, it is her blood and tears in the flying yellow sand.
Wang Anshi once wrote for her:
The poor green mound is gone, and there are still mourning strings left to this day.
Du Fu also wrote for her:
For thousands of years, the pipa has been used as nonsense, and it is clear that the resentment is in the song.
For thousands of years, countless literati and writers have written poems and praised her, but they still can't hide her outstanding demeanor full of pathos.
She surrendered herself to the state, but her country gave her a merciless fate. The year she died in despair, she was only thirty-three years old!