One day in 613 AD, a huge wedding ceremony was held in the prosperous city of Chang'an, and the second son of the Tang Dynasty married the younger daughter of the eldest grandson.
The noisy gongs and drums are jubilant, the firecrackers soaring into the sky are brilliant, and the palatial palanquin on one side carries a woman's beautiful yearning for marriage and love and enters a new life.
However, no one ever expected that the ruyi scale rod not only provoked a marriage that the world envied, but also a legend of the empire.
Empress Eldest Sun married Li Shimin at the age of 13, and after the age of 25, she died at the age of 36, and she accompanied Li Shimin from an ordinary person to a general, from the royal palace to the world, leaving a magnificent history for future generations at the time of the Sui and Tang dynasties.
The country is picturesque, and the beauty is delicate. For Emperor Taizong of Tang, Empress Eldest Sun was a beloved wife, a confidant, and a soul mate.
Because of political power and other factors, from ancient times to the present, it is rare for the emperors and queens to have real feelings.
However, Tang Taizong and Empress Eldest Sun were a clear stream in the imperial couple, they supported each other, achieved each other's achievements, and worked together to create a good story of the empress dowager.
There are phoenixes coming to yi, happy marriage
Empress Eldest Sun was born into a famous family, and the Eldest Sun family was regarded as a royal family at that time, and over the centuries, there were many people who could produce, and the history books recorded that she "passed on the door to the bell, and the family was born in the mountains and rivers".
Empress Changsun's father, Changsun Sheng, was a well-known general during the Sui Wendi period, and was quite accomplished in military diplomacy, and when he started the war, it was "Lu Fei of the horse, and the bow was like a thunderbolt string", and once had the reputation of killing two birds with one stone, threatening the Turks.
As the youngest daughter in the family, Empress Eldest Sun was well-loved since she was a child, and she was familiar with poetry and books, and at the same time, her family was also very concerned about her marriage.
As early as when Empress Eldest Sun was young, the elders were in charge, and Li Yuan, who was still the Duke of Tang at the time, set up in-laws, but unfortunately, not long after the marriage contract was made, Empress Eldest Sun's father died.
After the death of their father, the 8-year-old Empress Eldest Sun and her elder brother Changsun Wuji were expelled from the house by their half-brother, and in desperation, they had to run to their uncle's house, fortunately, Uncle Gao Shilian took good care of this pair of brothers and sisters who were suffering and raised them wholeheartedly.
The young eldest grandson Wuji and Li Shimin had a very good friendship, and Gao Shilian saw that Li Shimin was dignified and talked about it, and he knew about the marriage contract of the eldest grandson when she was young, so he was bent on promoting this matter.
Therefore, when empress eldest grandson was 13 years old, she and 16-year-old Li Shimin were happily married.
The combination of the two people is not only in line with the door, but also in line with the tradition of the parents' fate at that time, and what is more rare is that in the cardamom age, the age of the beginning of the love sinus, I met someone who is worthy of accompanying each other and delivering a lifetime, which cannot but be said to be a kind of luck.
After the marriage, the eldest grandson of the empress returned to the province, and someone saw a large horse outside her room, up to two zhang, and her uncle Gao Shilian asked someone to divinate, and the divinator said:
"The dragon is the guaxiang of qian, the horse is the guaxiang of Kun, and the woman is in the honorable position, and the guaxiang who is in the position of zhongzheng shows that this woman is indescribably precious."
The vision of heaven, the uncertain prophet, the life of the eldest grandson empress is destined to be extraordinary.
They are full of foam and deep affection
There is a Proverb in the West: Sweet Life is not just eating sugar, but more often it is growing sugar cane.
This sentence describes the marriage of Tang Taizong and Empress Changsun, which is most appropriate.
Soon after the marriage, Li Shimin's mother fell ill and died, and in the same year, Empress Changsun's uncle Gao Shilian was demoted and exiled, and both of them were emotionally shocked, and the newlywed Yan'er's young couple comforted and inspired each other in adversity, and the two hearts got closer and closer.
In the company of the next 23 years, they fought with each other and gave each other the most powerful support in the dangerous reef of life.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, after Li Yuan raised an army, Li Shimin followed his father to fight, and Empress Eldest Sun took care of the rear and did not let him have worries about the future.
When the Tang Dynasty was first established, the world was not completely submissive, and Li Shimin, who was already the king of Qin, in the name of his father, conquered the four sides, successively pacified Xue Ju's father and son, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong, and destroyed the four kingdoms in three wars, and his prestige and power even surpassed that of the crown prince Li Jiancheng, but his merits were not rewarded, and the lord was shocked.
Li Shimin's great merits soon aroused the suspicion of his brother Li Jiancheng, so people in the former dynasty and the harem often said bad things about Li Shimin in front of Li Yuan, and empress dowager Changsun took the initiative to take responsibility after seeing this situation.
She often went in and out of the palace, serving her father-in-law Li Yuan wholeheartedly, and also intended to win over the harem concubines, ease the contradictions between Li Shimin and the palace, and make up for the gap between Li Shimin and her father.
The history books record that "After filial piety to Gao Zu, obedient concubines, in order to save internal assistance", under the operation of Empress Changsun, Li Yuan did not listen to rumors and punishEd Li Shimin, which bought time for Li Shimin to fight back later.
In addition to the palace, in the former dynasty, there was also the figure of empress dowager, Li Shimin set up a literary museum in Chang'an, and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi were the best of the eighteen scholars.
At that time, the eldest grandson of the Princess of Qin loved to read, often participated, and was familiar with the team of the Qin King's Palace. On his deathbed, he repeatedly instructed Tang Taizong to abandon his previous suspicions and reuse Fang Xuanling.
In the later well-known Xuanwumen Incident, the figure of Empress Eldest Sun became clearer. Both the old and new Tang Dynasties have recorded, "And the difficult work, Emperor Taizong was at Xuanwu Gate, and Fang led the soldiers into the palace to teach armor, and the latter relatives comforted him, and he was grateful."
At the critical moment of life and death, Empress Eldest Sun rushed to the front line, personally comforted the soldiers, boosted the morale of the army, and fought side by side with Li Shimin.
From the age of 18 when Li Shimin started with his father, the king of Qin at the age of 19, the conquest of the four sides from the age of 20 to the age of 24, and the ascension to the throne at the age of 28, along the way, the sword and light sword shadow, bloody wind and rain, everywhere can see the figure of the eldest grandson empress. She had been standing behind Tang Taizong silently supporting him and assisting him.
After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he had a serious illness. Empress Eldest Sun was around him, taking good care of him, and even preparing poison, and Li Shimin "if there is no secret, he will not be born alone."
This kind of suffering, life and death, different from love, and even beyond family affection, but can take root in the deepest part of the heart and grow into a part of each other.
Achieve each other and grow together
Thirteen days after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he crowned The Eldest Sun as empress.
After becoming emperor, Li Shimin worked hard to create a prosperous world, which can be called a generation of heroes. After becoming the mother of a country, Empress Eldest Sun restrained herself, understood the great righteousness, and set an example for the women of the world, which can be called the first sage queen in the ages.
Emperor Taizong of Tang was busy with the affairs of the former dynasty, and Empress Eldest Sun devoted herself to taking care of the harem.
She never fought for the wind and jealousy, and regarded the harem concubines as sisters. When the concubine fell ill, she personally visited her, and sent valuable medicinal materials, and also took the initiative to raise the children of the deceased concubine, as if she were her own.
Under her management, Tang Taizong's harem was peaceful and calm.
Emperor Taizong of Tang greatly trusted Empress Changsun, and she was sometimes consulted on some important military and state affairs, but Empress Changsun scrupulously abided by her duties as empress and never commented on her.
She said: "Muji Sichen, this is only the case when the family encounters a desperate road. Now that I am thriving, how can such a thing happen? ”
Empress Eldest Sun never participated in politics, but she would advise Tang Taizong in an appropriate manner. Wei Zheng, who had a straight personality, often violated Yan Zhizong's advice, which embarrassed Tang Taizong, and once after Tang Taizong returned to the palace, he angrily said to Empress Changsun:
"I must find an opportunity to kill that countryman!"
After the empress dowager inquired about the situation, she changed into a solemn and solemn imperial dress and congratulated Emperor Taizong of Tang, saying:
"I have heard that when the monarch is enlightened, his subordinates are upright, and now Wei Zheng is upright and dares to speak out because of His Majesty's enlightenment, how can I not congratulate him?"
When Tang Taizong heard this, he laughed and turned his anger into joy, and then paid more attention to Wei Zheng, and compared Wei Zheng to a mirror of his own clothes, which became a good story in history.
Empress Eldest Sun was most praised for being the most powerful woman in the harem, and she never reused to promote her mother's family. Familiar with the history books, she is well aware of the harm of foreign relations' monopoly.
Emperor Taizong of Tang wanted to appoint Changsun Wuji as chancellor, and Changsun Wuji was fully qualified by virtue of his own merits, but Empress Changsun resolutely opposed it, saying: "Concubines are in the Purple Palace, and their honor is extreme, and they do not want their private relatives to be more powerful in the dynasty." Han Zhilu and Huo can be a commandments. ”
After repeatedly persuading Tang Taizong to be ineffective, she turned to privately persuade her brother to make him resolutely resign, and in the end, Tang Taizong had no choice but to make the eldest grandson unscrupulous. Because Empress Eldest Sun was so wise and wise, Emperor Taizong's dynasty, the whole officialdom was clean and upright.
Not only that, Empress Changsun also kept persuading Tang Taizong to implement benevolent government, Taizong's beloved horse died, and became angry with the horse breeders, Empress Changsun told the story of Qi Jinggong killing people because of birds, and Tang Taizong naturally understood and pardoned the horse breeders.
It can be said that Tang Taizong was able to create the "rule of Zhenguan", and empress dowager Changsun was indispensable.
Tang Taizong had a deep affection for Empress Changsun, and in addition to the experience of the two people in the same boat, he also benefited from the wisdom of Empress Changsun's cleverness.
In her career, she has a vision that is higher than that of ordinary women, and she attaches great importance to national affairs everywhere.
In life, she is like a gentle flower of interpretation, speaking like a spring breeze, always able to extinguish the anger in Tang Taizong's heart in an appropriate way.
The Ming Emperor of the Prosperous World and the Empress of the Ages have reflected each other and flowed through the ages.
The love is not long-lived, and the incense soul dissipates
In 634, Empress Changsun accompanied Emperor Taizong of Tang to a summer vacation at Jiucheng Palace when she became seriously ill.
The crown prince asked for amnesty for the blessing of his mother, and Tang Taizong immediately agreed, but the eldest grandson empress firmly opposed it, and the amnesty was a major state affair, and she believed that she should not mess with the state law because of her alone.
After his illness worsened, Li Shimin personally went to Shibi Temple to pay homage to zen masters, and then issued an edict to repair 392 ancient temples in the world and pray for the blessing of Empress Changsun.
How nai, the heavens did not go according to people's wishes, the eldest grandson empress still failed to resist the disease, only 36 years old, she died of incense.
Empress Eldest Sun was always frugal during her lifetime, and it was recorded in the Old Book of Tang and the Biography of The Empress Dowager that Empress Eldest Sun was "particularly frugal in nature, and whatever she served was only given." ”
She only requires enough clothing and jewelry she wears and the carriage and horse appliances she uses.
At the time of her death, she left a last word, everything after that was simple, as long as it was buried because of the mountain, no grave was built, no coffin was used, and the utensils needed were made of wood and tiles.
But this time, Tang Taizong did not follow her wishes, he built the Zhaoling Tomb, which was majestic and magnificent, and also built a layer view in the palace in order to overlook the Zhaoling Tomb.
After empress dowager's death, Emperor Taizong of Tang personally wrote the inscription and extensively printed the book "Female Rules" compiled by Empress Changsun, which later became the code of conduct for people in the harem.
Xiang's soul had passed away, and Tang Taizong could only express his respect and remembrance for Empress Eldest Sun in this way.
After the extreme prosperity, it was particularly lonely, and the eldest grandson empress had a short life, but she lived to become the eternal white moonlight in Tang Taizong's heart.
After that, Tang Taizong never made an empress again, and perhaps in his heart, only the eldest grandson was his only wife.
The history books comment that Empress Changsun is "a kun thick load, and virtue has no boundaries", she is not only the premier Empress of the Tang Dynasty, but also a model for the empresses of previous generations.
From the age of 13 to li Shimin, when she was alive, she was his beloved wife, and after her death, she also took away all the thoughts of Tang Taizong for the rest of his life.
Their marriage, both the love and love of ordinary couples, but also the supreme glory of the great treasure, both like the water flow of the year of each other, but also the yin and yang between the endless love, admirable, amazing.
From the young couple to the virtuous emperor, from the waste to the rule of Zhenguan, the flexible and strong back of the two people appears in the shadowy history of the past, unique throughout the ages.
Author | Draw the screen and look forward to meeting a better version of yourself in writing
Image | Stills from "Tang Brick"