Empress Sun
The recent new drama "Daming Fenghua" tells the story of Sun Ruowei, the heroine of the Seven Dynasties and Six Emperors of the Ming Dynasty, from "traitor" to empress and finally becoming the empress dowager to decide the government of the dynasty. Tang Wei, a movie café who has always taken the "advanced" route, starred in a TV series for the first time and also earned enough topics for this drama. The prototype of Sun Ruowei, played by Tang Wei in the play, is the famous Empress Sun of Ming Xuanzong in history. In the play, Sun Ruowei was born in Jianwen and experienced the seven dynasties of Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, Zhengtong, Jingtai and Tianshun. As for the birth of Empress Sun in history, it is unknown, but it must have experienced six dynasties, including Yongle. Empress Sun's historical exploits have been mixed, but she did influence and even determine the politics of the mid-Ming Dynasty. Detractors believe that Empress Sun fought for the golden treasure and after the abolition of the plains, she became chaotic in the palace; the praisers believe that Empress Sun (who was already the empress dowager at the time) played an active role in supporting the king, protecting Beijing, saving the community, participating in the seizure of the gate, and restoring orthodoxy. In any case, Empress Sun is indeed a legendary woman of a generation, no wonder she can attract Tang Wei to star! And the most admirable thing is that she can decide politics, but did not interfere in politics, which lafayette in the Qing Dynasty should have learned well.
Empress Sun, a native of Zouping, Shandong, and her father Sun Zhong was the chief of Yongcheng County (counting the Ming Dynasty empresses were not noble in birth, at least not much real power). Emperor Xuanzong's grandmother happened to be from Yongcheng, so Zhu Zhanji knew the Sun clan in his youth. Zhu Zhanji was impressed by Sun's beauty. The Yongle Emperor chose concubines for his grandson Zhu Zhanji, and the Sun clan also ran for the election, and empress Xu of the Yongle Emperor was very fond of the Sun clan. In the end, Yongle fifteen years of edict: Hu Shanxiang (daughter of Hu Rong of Jinyi Wei Baihu) was made the imperial concubine, and Sun Shi was a concubine. With Emperor Renzong's succession, Zhu Zhanji was promoted from emperor to crown prince, and Sun Shi was also promoted to crown princess concubine. In the first year of Hong Xi (1425), Emperor Xuanzong Succeeded Zhu Zhanji, with Hu shi as empress and Sun shi as a noble concubine.
How did Lord Di become Emperor Renzong
The status rises, and the real palace fight begins. The noble concubine is obviously not the role of the mother, and is worse than the empress, so driven by the power of the heart, the Sun clan also began to act. At that time, Xuanzong loved to have fun, and "the frame was quite lucky", while Empress Hu "often satirized" ("Record of Sin"), so Xuanzong was tired of "slightly tired of the queen" ("Sheng Chao Tong Shi Shi Shi Jie Jie"). The Sun clan completely obeyed Xuanzong and played with Xuanzong to obtain the Sacred Heart, and eventually the Sun clan took a new level of status and obtained the Golden Treasure - only one step away.
In the Ming system, the empress has the honor of the golden seal of the golden book, which is the official edict of the queen; the golden seal, also known as the golden treasure, is the jade seal of the empress. In general, the imperial concubine only has a canonized edict (golden book), and there is no special gold seal, thus reflecting the difference in status between the two sides. However, sun clan gets the sacred heart by playing with it, and the dragon yan blows the wind on the pillow side under the great joy. Sun eventually succeeded in mobilizing Xuanzong, and asked Xuanzong to personally ask his mother empress dowager Zhang Shi to give Sun a golden seal. Empress Zhang made an exception to give the golden seal due to Emperor Xuanzong's face, and Sun Was favored for a while, and the "History of Ming" recorded that "noble concubines have treasures from this beginning", creating a major precedent for the Ming Dynasty. Although nominally the Hu clan was still above the Sun clan, the Sun clan had already separated from many imperial concubines and became the second most important person in the harem after the empress (the empress dowager nominally did not care about the affairs of the empress).
Hu Shanxiang
It is not enough to have no difference in status from the Hu clan, in order to prevent the Hu clan from counterattacking backwards, the Sun clan used the wisest move - the mother is expensive. In feudal society, for the sake of the inheritance of the country, the emperor likes his son the most, and the imperial concubine can naturally be a mother and a son. At that time, Empress Hu was childless and Sun Shi was childless. Sun took aim at this and used the common routine of palace fighting dramas to make false pregnancies, and the Ming Shi records that Sun Shi "took the son of the palace as a son" and gave birth to Xuanzong's first son, later Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, before Hu Hou. Although some people suspected that Sun's son was not his own child at that time, he had to give up without evidence.
The status is equal, and there is the eldest son of the emperor, and it is almost a little closer to the mother's world, so the last step of the Sun clan is even more stable. Through the pillow wind, Sun Made Emperor Xuanzong completely fall to himself; through Xuanzong's persuasion, Empress Zhang also agreed to depose the empress; the courtiers were also a force to be reckoned with, and Xuanzong adopted Yang Shiqi's suggestion and tried to make Hou Hu take the initiative to abdicate, so the courtiers' opposition was also quelled. After The Official Abolition of Emperor Xuanzong in March 1428, the Sun clan became empress, and the Hu clan was deposed for no reason.2
"Daming Style" Wu Yue as Empress Zhang
This is the reason why Empress Sun is most criticized.
Regardless of whether Emperor Yingzong was born to Sun Shi or not, whether Empress Sun stole her son and seduced Emperor Xuanzong to depose him, this had nothing to do with the development of Daming, or was harmless, this was only Sun's personal conduct. The Sun clan vigorously supported Emperor Daizong's succession to the throne and extended the Ming Dynasty' state, which was the main basis for evaluating Empress Sun's merits.
Emperor Xuanzong died short-lived, and Empress Sun's son Yingzong succeeded to the throne, and Empress Sun was promoted to empress. In the fourteenth year of orthodoxy, Emperor Yingzong and Wang Zhen went on a northern expedition, but as a result, the entire army was destroyed and Emperor Yingzong was captured. He also took Emperor Yingzong south first, "in the name of sending the emperor back to Beijing, instead of sweating off and not spending Kou Bauhinia Pass", but in fact "I (also first) often told the heavens, asking the Great Yuan to unify the world" ("The End of the Ming Chronicle")
"Daming Style" Zhang Yixing as Ming Yingzong
Tens of thousands of troops also came to Beijing, "The Great Earthquake of the Beijing Division" ("General History of the Emperor and Ming"), Beijing "garrison is empty, the battalions are elite, all dispatched to follow the conscription, and the military equipment does not exist one out of ten" Emperor Yingzong's son was too young to be presided over by the state, the imperial court was scattered, and the internal capital shift faction and the surrender and compromise faction all came out, and Hanlin Xu Huan said: "The astrological signs of testing ... The Mandate of Heaven is gone, but moving south can alleviate the difficulties. (The End of the Ming Chronicle)
At this critical juncture, Empress Sun stood up. After receiving the news of the defeat at Tumu Fort, Empress Sun ordered Emperor Yingzong's eldest son Zhu Jianshen to be crown prince, and ordered the King of Qi to oversee the state: "Now the King of The Great Emperor is in charge of his affairs, and the Qunchen King is obedient to the Order." (At the end of the Ming Chronicle) Zhu Mishen was young, and his real power was in the King of Qi. With the arrival of Beijing with Emperor Yingzong first, Empress Sun knew that if there was no emperor, Beijing would eventually be unable to defend, so she made the decision that "Crown Prince Youchong, The King of Qi, should be on the throne early and take the throne" ("The End of the Ming Chronicle"), and "The Empress Dowager knew that Yu Qian could be difficult, that is, to promote the soldiers with Shilang" ("The Legacy of the History of The Victorious Dynasty"), and trusted Yu Qian to preside over the defense of Beijing.
"Daming Style" Su Ke as Yu Qian
After the defeat of Guan Tubao, Empress Sun had the opportunity to exercise her power, and she could have made Emperor Yingzong's youngest son Zhu Jianshen a puppet, listening to the government herself and seizing power in a big way, just like Cixi, but she did not. Throughout the defense of Beijing, she has always supported the orthodox bloodline of the Ming Dynasty, the King of Qi, and without the strong support of Empress Sun, the King of Qi would never have succeeded to the throne. It was also the king who succeeded to the throne as emperor, and with the strong support of Empress Sun and Emperor Jingtai, the main war faction had support, Yu Qian was able to save the survival of the people, and the Daming River and Mountains were preserved. In this regard, Empress Sun played a decisive role in the continuation of Ming politics.
Although Emperor Jingtai was in danger, he promised to return to the crown prince (Emperor Yingzong's son and crown prince Zhu Jianshen) after a hundred years. But the throne is a good thing, everyone wants it, how can it be given to outsiders. In the end, Emperor Jingtai of Daizong, who tried to turn the tide, exerted great efforts to govern, and "gradually opened up Zhongxing" (Wang Shizhen's "Collection of Yishan Tang"), also became a power maniac.
"Daming Style" Li Xinliang as Emperor Zhu Qiyu
After Emperor Yingzong returned to Luang, he was imprisoned by Emperor Daizong in the Southern Palace. There are detailed records about Emperor Daizong's treatment of Yingzong's "History of Ming" and "Compilation of Wanliye" after huiluan, such as: When Emperor Daizong returned to Beijing, Emperor Daizong's reception ceremony was extremely harsh, and the "Ying ying li bo" ("Ming History") was so thin that it caused blatant dissatisfaction among the courtiers. Yingzong was even more miserable in the Nangong! The gate of the Nangong was locked with lead; the Jinyi guards guarded day and night; food could only be delivered from small holes, and there was not enough to eat, and even asked Empress Qian of Yingzong to "trade in needle embroidery, or the mother's family to make a small advance for jade food" ("Wan Liye Was Compiled"),In order to isolate all news from the Nangong and the outside world and prevent rumors from spreading, Emperor Daizong also razed the area around the Nangong to the ground. Emperor Daizong also killed all the eunuchs who met privately with Emperor Yingzong, and such a prisoner lived for seven years with Emperor Yingzong.
Daizong and Yingzong
Emperor Daizong's madness was also reflected in his desire to get rid of the crown prince Zhu Jianshen and replace him with his own son Zhu Jianji. In the third year of Jingtai, Emperor Jingtai officially deposed the crown prince Zhu Jianshen, but did not dare to kill him, but this act of shaking the foundation of the country was extremely unpopular. Because there was an appointment first, before the defense of Beijing, it was agreed that Emperor Daizong would return to the Ying sect after a hundred years, and now his speech did not count, and the group of ministers was in an uproar. Perhaps there was real retribution, and Emperor Daizong's son Zhu Jianji died only one year after becoming crown prince, and the Ying clan ushered in the opportunity for restoration. However, Emperor Daizong refused to restore the Ying sect and killed Yushi Zhongtong, who supported Zhu Jianshen.
After the death of Emperor Daizong's son Zhu Jianji, the Eastern Palace was vacant, and Emperor Daizong's health was deteriorating day by day, and the courtiers began to speculate politically again. In the end, Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang pressed the treasure on the imprisoned Emperor Taishang. On the evening of July 16, 1988, Shi Heng and others launched a change to seize the door and ushered in the restoration of Emperor Yingzong.
Regarding the role played by Empress Sun after the seizure of the gate, when Emperor Shizong was critically ill, Emperor Yingzong was imprisoned, and Daming Jiangshan was facing a masterless turmoil, if it continued to develop, the courtiers might be divided into several factions, fighting with each other, or even mutiny, and foreign forces invaded again, which would eventually be a catastrophe for Daming Jiangshan. At this critical juncture, it was the old empress dowager Sun who could dominate the imperial court.
Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji
Was Empress Sun completely unaware of the seizure of the gate? No, Empress Sun's attitude toward the seizure of the door was clear, and Shi Heng and others "first secretly white empress dowager, Xu Zhi" (Ming History). The reason is that, on the one hand, Yingzong, as the child of Empress Sun, naturally protects the short. However, Empress Sun did not make any action during the seven years of Yingzong's imprisonment, which proved that Empress Sun was by no means a person who sought her own selfish interests, and would never cause turmoil in the world for her own advantages and disadvantages, and she only played a decisive role when Emperor Daizong was without a queen and was critically ill. On the other hand, The Daizong was too excessive, ungrateful, and reneged on the previous covenant. If it were not for Daizong's excessive pursuit of power, Daizong would still be able to gain a good reputation for a good beginning and a good end, Gu Yingtaiyun: "A gentleman is called the end of the king, stealing the country from the same side, robbing the door, and being called to the truth." (The End of the Chronicle of the Ming Dynasty).
In this way, Empress Sun used her political wisdom to let the Ming Dynasty survive another disaster at another critical juncture of the Ming Dynasty.
Sun Ruowei
In history, Empress Sun did not have the experience of Sun Ruowei's surprise and ups and downs. Although Empress Sun had the flaws of the thief's abolition, it was harmless, and she still played a positive role in the politics of the Ming Dynasty, which is what history should study. Now that the TV series is being broadcast, whether Sun Ruowei has also left a positive impact on the politics of the Ming Dynasty, let's take it slowly.
1. Zha Jizuo, Records of Sin, Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House, 1986
2. Mao Qiling, "The Collected Remains of the History of Tong of the Victorious Dynasty, Volume II", a collection of Qing Kangxi carved West River in the Beijing Library Branch
3. Gu Yingtai, "The End of the Ming Chronicle", Zhonghua Bookstore, 1977
4. Chen Jian, "General History of Huangming", Zhonghua Bookstore, 2008
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Purple Orange)
This article is the original work of Wenshi Science Popularization Self-media Haoran Wenshi, and unauthorized reprinting is prohibited!
The pictures used in this article are from the Internet except for special instructions, if there is any infringement, please contact the author to delete, thank you!
We will provide you with wonderful historical articles every day, and we kindly ask all readers and friends to pay attention to our account! Your likes, retweets, comments, this is the best support for us!