is the same palace change, but the fate of Concubine Liu Guifei and Concubine Rong is like a cloud. One was blessed and enjoyed his old age in peace; The other was abstained from his right and killed, revealing the dark side of the court. What is it that makes their fates joys and sorrows? Is it the temptation of power or helpless self-preservation? Or is it the trend of the times and the environment? Let's explore the reason behind the blood and tears of this palace wall.
The royal family of the Zhou Dynasty
Speaking of the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty, we have to mention Mr. Lu Xun, a literati giant in his clan. Lu Xun's original name was Zhou Shuren, his ancestral home was Huai'an, Jiangsu, and Premier Zhou Enlai was actually a family member in the same lineage. In the local area, the Zhou family can be described as a well-known family, with a long history of family education and diligent study for generations.
Zhou Enlai's father, Zhou Yineng, once won the highest "national student" degree in the late Qing Dynasty, and later worked as a master in Shaoxing for several years. Zhou Yineng was rigorous by nature, paid special attention to the education of his children and nephews, and gave his son Zhou Enlai the nickname "Da Luan" with meaning. According to legend, Luan and Feng are in the same hall, which means auspicious wishes, and I also hope that my son will have a bright future and dazzling achievements.
What is touching is that it was not until he grew up that Zhou Enlai learned that his mother was not his own, but was adopted by his uncle Zhou Yigan and his wife Chen. Out of the old rules, Zhou Yigan had no heirs, for fear that the incense would be difficult to pass on. And Zhou Yineng and his wife were merciful and moved Zhou Enlai, who had just been born, as Zhou Yigan's heir. Since then, Chen has regarded Zhou Enlai as his own child and devoted himself to raising and educating him.
is the so-called guilt, but this decision also made Zhou Enlai's life experience more twists and turns. After Zhou Yigan's death, Chen worked alone, and invited a nurse Jiang for Premier Zhou to ensure that the child was safe. So in the young Zhou Enlai's heart, there were the imprints of the three mothers of Wan, Chen and Jiang.
Stories are often unexpected. With the passage of time, the influence of Lu Xun's masterpieces has grown, and the foundation of the Zhou family has disappeared forever during the Republic of China. At that time, who would have expected that the once unknown little Zhou Enlai would not only get ahead in the torrent of revolution, but also become the founding father of New China in the future? And the descendants of the Zhou family, who were once deeply rooted, will eventually lose themselves in the long river of history.
Liu Guifei's palace change is rooted in ambition and greed
Liu Guifei was originally from Nanling and lived in poverty since she was a child. Her ancestors were originally bannermen, but her family fortune has been corrupted several times, and she is already from a poor family in her generation. Fortunately, she was born rich and made ends meet by weaving and weaving at home.
Until one day, she was selected to enter the palace during a beauty pageant in the capital, and once she was lucky to become a palace maid. Liu Guifei was still very young at the time, but the coincidence was really impressive. When Emperor Gao Que was preparing to establish a new canonization, Liu Guifei happened to take this opportunity to show off her edge, and was finally hand-picked into the harem and given the name Liu.
Since then, the Liu family has served in the harem for several years and has a son and a daughter. Although she was vigilant, for fear that she would one day be deposed by the new queen, she had always been steady and decent, and she was very popular with the emperor. Until her later years, she was even given the title of "concubine", and her status was favored by the emperor.
However, power is often like a poison that can carry people away. Although Concubine Liu Guifei has been in the palace for many years, she has been worried, but she has gradually indulged in the luxurious life of the forbidden palace and the privileges of the crown prince. She gradually became jealous, feeling that her son was a worthy candidate for the crown prince, and secretly planned a conspiracy to seize the throne in her heart.
Soon, there was news that the emperor was going to ban extravagance in the palace. Liu Guifei was furious, and began to plot with her henchmen to impeach the new emperor. She first befriended the people's chaotic party, secretly co-opted the strong of the army, and laid the root of the conspiracy. What's even more arrogant is that she also instigated her younger brother to act fearlessly, leading a mob to smash the core of the palace, intending to overthrow the new emperor's rule in one fell swoop.
Despite this, Liu Guifei was just a lust for power, and in the end she made a big mistake. She didn't have the talent to plot the big position, but the secret layout was her own family that would be infamous for thousands of years. When the rebellion was suppressed and her own brother bore the brunt of the execution, Liu Guifei knew that she had no last resort and could only bear the retribution.
During the war years, the people were struggling to make a living
At that time, it was a turbulent time of war, and the government and the opposition were in a state of flux. Foreign invasions, the country's strength is declining, and the people's lives are in dire straits. Year after year, tax exploitation has become more and more cruel, coupled with drought, flood and plague, and the common people have lived a hard life for many years.
The nomadic cavalry of the northern frontier repeatedly harassed and plundered. Taiyuan, Datong, Hejian and other places are often looted overnight. People of insight were worried about the country's inadequacy, so they called for unity to resist the enemy, but the warlords became more and more divisive, and the ministers of the DPRK and China also killed each other because of the struggle for power and profit.
The foundation of the Zhu Ming dynasty has long been shaken, and internal and external troubles are full of crises. The frontier was contested, and the hinterland of the Central Plains was also warlords fighting from time to time. There were a few soldiers and horses who resolutely attacked the Beijing Division, and the imperial city almost fell. The Son of Heaven fled with hatred and had to hide in the deep palace, and even all the treasures of the treasury fled.
The situation was at a stalemate, and people's sentiments were quite volatile. In the autumn of this year, the snow in the north is particularly fierce, and the heavy snow is misty and continuous. The smell of dead things permeated the capital, which was terrifying. In fact, it was just the frozen corpses of the people among the ruins.
Although the families of the powerful were protected from the flames of war within the high walls, there were still few material reserves left, and it may be difficult to survive until the spring of the next year. Everyone up and down the palace was silent, and even the chirping of birds was completely extinct. No one knows what to do now.
At this critical moment, a spy suddenly reported a group of fleeing civilians with their families. The fugitives looked miserable, unclothed, and had yellow and thin muscles. They were first besieged in a clearing outside the city, on guard.
Concubine Rong was forced to act in self-defense
Concubine Rong is twenty-eight years old, she was originally the daughter of a guard official, and her family background is actually not prominent. She can get ahead because of her stunning looks and extraordinary resourcefulness. When she was young, she was elected to the harem and was initially just a palace maid at the end of the year.
Later, the emperor fell in love with her for no reason, so he gave her the beautiful name of "Rong". Since then, the Rong family's status in the palace has risen, and the palace where they live has expanded a lot, becoming one of the most favored concubines of the noble concubine.
It's a pity that the emperor is getting older, and his body has not recovered, and the war has been chaotic, which has made the government increasingly abandoned. Concubine Rong knew that the emperor's death was only a matter of time, and her position would be in jeopardy. And the princes have a lot of discord, once the new emperor succeeds to the throne, she is not able to control the overall situation at all.
So at that time, she secretly befriended the wealthy families in Beijing, and tried her best to find a way out for herself. During this period, he was plotted several times and was almost imprisoned. Fortunately, she is very scheming and can always turn things around and resolve the crisis.
In this context, one day, Concubine Rong's sister Rong Feiyan was attacked and humiliated. An armed group led by King Yong took advantage of the darkness of the Lantern Festival to forcibly kidnap Rong Feiyan and abandon her on the streets the next day.
As soon as the news spread, everyone in the palace was shocked. Concubine Rong was sad and indignant, and begged several times to no avail, but the emperor ignored it. With nothing else to do, she finally decided to rebel. At that time, she and King Yong had been secretly communicating for a long time, so she took this opportunity to join forces.
The two first conspired to win over their cronies and nobles, secretly crossed Chen Cang, and then deliberately caused a riot and attacked the palace. If there is a slight leak of this matter, it will be regarded as a major crime of killing the king, so the two of them are very cautious.
The power fighting wave in the palace is bizarre
This has always been the case with Game of Thrones, and palace intrigue is even more bloody. Just when King Yong and Concubine Rong were plotting a rebellion, a spy suddenly reported that Liu Guifei also secretly colluded with a different party and intended to seize power. For a while, the two sides could not distinguish who was really plotting rebellion and who was false, so they could only tighten their vigilance and take precautions against each other.
During this period, the old emperor died unexpectedly. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he was determined to eliminate the traitors and first to eradicate dissidents. The spies soon discovered the traces of the conspiracy of the Liu Guifei brothers. The new emperor ordered martial law in the whole city and quietly took down all the Liu family.
In the middle of the night that night, the Royal Guards suddenly surrounded Liu Guifei's palace. Guifei's younger brother Liu led a group of rebels to resist desperately, and finally lost the siege and martyred heroically.
The new emperor then ordered Liu Guifei to be demoted to a capital crime, and she was embarrassed by the heinous crime of attempting to kill the king. Liu Guifei tearfully admitted her mistake and burst into tears. She wanted to apologize with death, but she was left in the palace by the new emperor and humiliated.
At the same time, the spies also gradually grasped the whole picture of the conspiracy of Concubine Rong and King Yong. The new emperor weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to release Concubine Rong. He believes that Concubine Rong is the widow of the late emperor after all, and she has always assisted and made meritorious contributions, and her crimes can be forgiven.
Therefore, the new emperor did not hesitate to lie and falsely, claiming that Concubine Rong had no intention of rebelling, but was framed. In order to consolidate his rule, he also specially summoned Concubine Rong into the palace, praised him, and gave him many rewards and graces.
end
Although Concubine Rong was spared from being killed, she could only live in the palace for the rest of her life and had no right to participate in court politics. She wanted to have more power, but the unpredictable situation had to deign to make this arrangement. The new emperor made this series of decisions, although there were selfish motives, but it was more out of consideration for maintaining the stability of the world.