In our view today, Wan Guifei has almost no merit. Even the ministers of the DPRK at that time, including Empress Zhou, the mother of Emperor Mingxianzong Zhu Jianshen, also liked Princess Wan Guifei so much that they could not understand it.
(Wan Guifei stills)
Why didn't we at that time and today not understand that Zhu Jianshen liked Wan Guifei?
First, Wan Guifei was 17 years older than Zhu Jianshen.
From ancient times to the present, we can understand old men and young wives, but it is difficult to understand old wives and young husbands. Why? Because men's feelings for women often put appearance first. Women grow old fast, and the emperor has many concubines, and a typical personality is to like the new and dislike the old. From ancient times to the present, after the queen concubine woman is 30 years old, it is difficult to get the favor of the emperor.
However, when Zhu Jianshen became emperor, Wan Guifei was already 34 years old, and Zhu Jianshen had always favored her. And in Zhu Jianshen's eyes, age is never an issue. He can be said to be the exclusive favorite of Wan Guifei, and when Wan Guifei died at the age of 58, Zhu Jianshen said sadly that Wan Guifei was gone, and he also felt that there was no point in living. How can such a situation be understood?
Second, Wan Guifei continued to plot to kill Zhu Jianshen's son.
Wan Guifei gave birth to a son for Zhu Mishen, but died before he reached the age of one year. Since then, Wan Guifei has never given birth again. Despite Zhu Mishen's continued pampering of her, she was unable to give birth.
Wan Guifei did not have a son, and of course she was very worried that other concubines would have sons. Because everyone knows that "mother is more expensive than child", and Wan Guifei's age is not dominant, so, incompetence, she wants to prevent Zhu Mishen's other concubines from having children. According to historical records, as long as Wan Guifei saw which concubine was pregnant, she would try to kill the child and prevent the concubine from giving birth.
(Zhu Mishen stills)
Since Wan Guifei was so cruel, why did Zhu Jianshen still like her so much?
However, if we think from another position and consider the problem from Zhu Jianshen's point of view, what we see should be a different situation.
First, color.
Earlier we said that Wan Guifei was old and old. But in fact, when Zhu Mishen entered adolescence, the Wan Guifei he saw was just about 30 years old, and she just exuded the charm of a mature woman. And such a Wan Guifei, compared with those other concubine women who had just opened cardamom, Wan Guifei was absolutely radiant. Her attraction to Zhu Jianshen is definitely very big.
At the same time, it is obvious that Wan Guifei knows how to maintain. Although she is very old, due to good maintenance, the change of age does not reflect much difference in her body. Think of some of the current film and television actresses, can do "frozen age", I believe that as a "noble concubine", Wan Guifei can also do this.
Second, Ann.
Everyone is talking about Zhu Mi's deep "Oedipus complex". In fact, the so-called "Oedipus complex" is fundamentally a need for "security". Of the five levels of human needs, the need for "security" is the most basic.
Zhu Jianshen has been insecure since he was deeply affected by the power struggle between his father Zhu Qizhen and his uncle Zhu Qiyu since he was a child. Because he would worry at any time that one day he would be killed by Zhu Qiyu. At the same time, his mother, Zhou Shi, did not actually raise her, and he completely lacked a sense of security that could only be obtained from his mother. Instead of his mother raising him, it was actually Wan Guifei. Therefore, he gained a great sense of security from Wan Guifei.
And the reliance on this "sense of security" existed until he became emperor. Because Zhu Jianshen actually could not find a sense of security among the imperial court ministers, Zhu Jianshen relied on Wan Guifei for his life.
(Empress Zhou still)
Third, pity.
Zhu Jianshen was full of compassion for Wan Guifei, and this pity came from three aspects. First, his mother, Empress Zhou, refused to make Wan Guifei empress; second, Empress Wu bullied her and beat her up; third, Wan Guifei gave birth to a son, but died prematurely.
Compassion for women can find great confidence in men. Zhu Jianshen's original personality was weak and unconfident, and this encounter of Wan Guifei made Zhu Jianshen feel that he was full of self-confidence and strength at once.
Although Wan Guifei had harmed Zhu Jianshen's other children, in fact, there were not many. This is somewhat exaggerated in the history books. Zhu Jianshen had more than ten children in his lifetime, and if Wan Guifei really couldn't tolerate Zhu Jianshen's children, then where did these children come from?
Fourth, lean on.
Zhu Jianshen also had the side of relying on Wan Guifei. This kind of dependence was most evident after he became emperor. Zhu Jianshen was the one who started the Ming Dynasty emperor's failure to go to the dynasty, and later influenced the Jiajing Emperor and the Wanli Emperor.
Zhu Jianshen did not go to the court for many years and did not come out to see the chancellor, but during the entire Chenghua period, nothing major actually happened, and the country was not in chaos. In fact, in addition to the role of the minister of the DPRK, the effective management of the harem by Wan Guifei was also very important. It was precisely because Wan Guifei relied on her own authority to manage the harem in an orderly manner, so Zhu Jianshen could be a stable and idle emperor.
When Wan Guifei died, Zhu Jianshen said that Wan Guifei was gone, and he also felt that it was not interesting to live, in addition to his love for Wan Guifei, there was also the performance that he felt that the harem lacked the management of Wan Guifei and that he was helpless.
In short, Zhu Jianshen's feelings for Wan Guifei were multi-layered and complex. It is also this multi-layered and complex, so Zhu Jianshen and Wan Guifei have experienced such a human legend.
(References: History of the Ming Dynasty, Records of the Ming Dynasty, etc.)