In 238 BC, King Xiang of Qin, the king of Qin, died, and Ying Zheng, who was only 13 years old, succeeded him as the king of Qin. Zhao Ji, the mother of the young son of heaven, has since become the queen mother of a country and has been in the harem. There are not many records of this queen mother in the history books, but there is only a man related to her, who asked Sima Qian to describe in detail in the "Historical Records", he is Chang Yu.
Chang Yu was originally just an unknown market gangster in Chang'an City, but was selected by Lü Buwei and became a fake eunuch next to the Queen Mother. This man from a humble background was deeply favored by the Queen Mother, and even had an affair with the Queen Mother and gave birth to two sons. So, what is so special about Chang Yu that makes Zhao Ji, who is the queen mother, so obsessed?
According to Sima Qian's "Historical Records: The Biography of Lü Buwei": "Lü Buwei begged the great yin people to serve the queen mother and indulge in lewdness." Lü Buwei found this gifted concubine and sent him to the palace to serve the queen mother, and since then he has started a life of extravagance.
After Chang Yu entered the palace, he quickly captured Zhao Ji's heart with his unique means. He is not only handsome and talkative, but also has a good eloquence, and can always speak to Zhao Ji's heart. Coupled with Lu Buwei's deliberate arrangement, he had ample opportunities to face Zhao Ji day and night, smiling and smiling.
What's more, Chang Yu is extremely talented, and his skills in that area are extraordinary. Whenever there is a dead of night, Chang Yu will happily show Zhao Ji his excellence. Zhao Ji suffered from the confinement of the palace, and once she was teased, she couldn't hold it anymore and fell in love with him.
Gradually, this man occupied Zhao Ji's entire body and mind. She made an exception for him to return to her hometown Yongcheng and live with him like husband and wife; She bore him two sons and wanted them to take the throne of Yingzheng; She sought the position of marquis for him, making him a veritable minister.
Under the care of Zhao Ji, Chang Yu's power is growing and indispensable. "Historical Records" wrote: "Chang Yu used yin to flatter, and went in and out of the bedroom with the Queen Mother day and night, and the Queen Mother loved her very much." With her insidious and treacherous methods, Chang Yu messed with the Queen Mother day and night, and won the Supreme favor of the Queen Mother. Sima Qian's use of the word "absolute love" shows how much the Queen Mother is infatuated with Chang Yu.
During this period, the intimate interaction between the two can be described as extreme. According to the record of "Hanshu Yu Xing Biography", Chang Yu often played in front of Zhao Ji and used various tricks to please Zhao Ji; Zhao Ji combed his hair and shaved his face with his own hands. All kinds of absurd acts are staged in the deep palace.
Liu Xiang, a great Confucian in the Western Han Dynasty, commented on this in "The Biography of the Daughters": "Qin Ji was fortunate to have two sons, and he thought he was the heir privately, and he was in danger of being in danger." Zhao Ji doted on Chang Yu, and even wanted their son to replace Yingzheng's throne, almost endangering the country of Qin. It can be seen that the Queen Mother's obsession with Chang Yu has reached the point of madness.
Sima Qian believes that Zhao Ji's fascination with Chang Yu is not unrelated to Chang Yu's physiological advantages. In the "Records of the Historians", it is written: "Chang Yu is in charge of the reverse, so that the person who receives the confession can be retained." This sentence uses a seemingly serious word "let it be reversed", but it actually alludes to Chang Yu's huge size, which makes the Queen Mother want to stop in sexual affairs.
Su Shi, a famous writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, further explained Sima Qian's views in the book "Commentary on Historical Records". He said, "If the husband is an emperor, if he is desolate, how can this be unkind? The art of covering the concubine is above ordinary people, so the queen mother is obscene and finally dies. In Su Shi's view, Chang Yu had extraordinary skills in the room, which made the queen mother, who should be majestic and dignified, sink into the sea, and even led to the destruction of the Qin State.
In addition to the advantages of her body, Chang Yu's cunning and changeable personality is also an important reason why Zhao Ji fell for her. He is good at greeting and scheming, and often blows the wind in Zhao Ji's ears, sowing discord and satisfying the Queen Mother's desire for power. Obscurity and ambition are intertwined, which makes Zhao Ji's crazy infatuation with Chang Yu.
This obsession got out of control and eventually led to catastrophe. The two sons born to Zhao Ji for Chang Yu have become eternal hidden dangers in the hearts of King Yingzheng of Qin. In 235 BC, Chang Yu was drunk and openly declared that he was Yingzheng's "royal father", and Yingzheng finally decided to eradicate this big trouble.
The angry King of Qin ordered the arrest of Chang Yu, and personally led the army into Xianyang, where he found evidence of the empress dowager and Chang Yu's fornication. Chang Yu and his henchmen were executed by Che Split, and their two illegitimate sons were also killed. At this point, this crazy tyrant chaos has finally come to an end.
From beginning to end, Sima Qian's description of Chang Yu and Zhao Ji can be described as nuanced, and he even wrote down the secret details of their fornication without difficulty. Sima Qian's bold and outspoken statement reflects his respect for historical truth on the one hand, and his strong disdain for such absurd things.
Sima Qian's vivid reproduction of this historical fact undoubtedly left a profound enlightenment for later generations: the interweaving of power and lust often gave birth to madness and tyranny. Zhao Ji, as the mother of a country, should be matched with virtue and lead by example, but she indulged in wanton desires, encouraging her favored ministers to be arrogant and arrogant, and reckless. Her morbid infatuation with Chang Yu stems from the double fall of spirit and body. This kind of loss eventually made her lose herself and almost ruined a dynasty.
Throughout history, there are many heroines like Zhao Ji. For example, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty indulged in the gentle township of Yang Guifei, and Song Huizong was obsessed with the bright colors of Master Li. They fell in love, lost their minds, and left the country behind. As the so-called "Gone with the Wind, Heroes Tomb", beauty misleads the country, and it has existed since ancient times.
Compared with Zhao Ji in the Warring States Period, Empress Lu in the Western Han Dynasty is a counterexample. Sima Qian recorded in "Historical Records: Empress Dowager Lü Benji" that although Empress Lü came from a humble background, she fulfilled the responsibility of a mother who was a person in the world. In the face of threats from kings and heroes with different surnames, she decisively changed the law and purged the rule of officials, so that the Han Dynasty could tide over the difficulties and lay the foundation for the rule of Wenjing.
On the other hand, Zhao Ji, although she was also from a prominent background, was incompetent and incompetent, drunk and dreamed of death. Her mad fascination with Chang Yu reflects the pathos and horror of a ruler driven by desire. Sima Qian's detailed account of Chang Yu's pets also shows his strong disdain for this kind of behavior.
Standing at the commanding heights of the great cause of the millennium and the rise and fall of the ages, Zhao Ji and Chang Yu are just a wave in the long river of history, but the rise and fall of this wave is enough to trigger thinking about the spiritual value of the entire era. Personal immorality will eventually touch the foundations of the empire, and the raging lust will surely break the of power.
Sima Qian's bold disclosure of the private relationship between the two is a reminder for future generations to learn the profound lessons of this history: behind a prosperous era, moral support is needed; The cornerstone of a strong country is inseparable from the pillar of moderation. Only by abandoning fornication and advocating honesty can the Qin Dynasty continue to overcome difficulties on the stage of history, and only by restraining human nature with etiquette and righteousness can Yingzheng complete the last piece of the puzzle of the empire.
Needless to say, the story of Zhao Ji and Chang Yu brings the world more of a negative textbook-style warning. Through Sima Qian's writings, we can see how the flood of desire corrupts a prosperous world, and how the tide of fornication washes away a dynasty. This history, which can be called "color tribulation", is destined to become a stain on the Qin Dynasty, and a mirror for the kings of the ages.
Thousands of years later, we relive the story of Chang Yu and Zhao Ji, and we feel a little more wise. Desire may be able to influence a while, but only virtue can determine the future. After all, the selfish desires of individuals cannot defeat the future of the nation; The passion of the individual is destined to be impressed by the great righteousness.