Know all about the secrets of the harem

Chapter 7
Empress Lu and Madam Qi: The most tragic palace dispute

Anyone who has read history knows that Liu Bang's harem is full of blood.Liu Bang's original wife, Empress Lv, whose name is Pheasant and whose name is Eqian, was born in Shan County, Shandong Province, and moved to Pei County, Xuzhou.Among the many queens in China, Empress Lu is a cruel and scheming woman.Empress Lu's cruel methods are fully reflected in her main rival in love, Mrs. Qi, who tried to seize the succession to the throne for her son Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi. Her revenge was tragic and outrageous.The scourge of human beings exposed the cruelty of the struggle for the status of the harem like never before.Empress Lu's desire for power led her to the abyss of evil.It even affected the choices of later emperors on the selection of offspring and the management of the harem, making them deeply fearful of the extent to which a woman's hatred can reach while trying to prevent the extinction of the past.

Liu Bang
Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, was born in Fengyi, Pei County, Xuzhou City, and was born in an ordinary family.He was originally a farmer, but he didn't like to study or work in farming. He "doesn't care about the family's production and homework" and "good wine and sex".I idle around all day and like to make friends.Liu Bang is bold by nature and does his own way.But because of his many friends and good popularity, he later became the head of the Surabaya Pavilion.In the Qin Dynasty, Shiting was a township, and the head of the pavilion was only equivalent to the most grassroots cadres. Since Liu Bang became the head of the pavilion, he drank and had fun outside, fooled around with a woman surnamed Cao all the year round, and made her belly big. A son, named Liu Fei.After Liu Bang became the emperor, Liu Fei was established as the king of Qi, which is a later story.At this time, Liu Bang, even though he was a small local official, still couldn't marry a wife because of his bad deeds, and the good family didn't want to marry their daughter to this "rogue".

But the nobleman has his own auspicious appearance. It turned out that Shanfu (now Shanxian County, Shandong Province) had a Lu Gong with a wealthy family. Because he avoided his enemies, his family took refuge and moved to Pei County to settle down.Lu Gong and the magistrate of Peixian County are close friends.After hearing the news, the famous people in Pei County went to pay a visit to Lu Gong with gifts, hoping to gain his favor and establish a relationship with the county magistrate.Naturally, Liu Bang would not let go of such a good opportunity, but there were too many people who came to visit, so Xiao He, the county magistrate who helped Lu Gong with the banquet, said to the guests in advance: "If the congratulatory ceremony is less than a thousand dollars, the seat will be reserved." line up at the bottom of the hall."

This made Liu Bang really embarrassed. He hadn't paid off his romantic accounts, so how could he have money to send congratulations?

It is even more impossible to prepare gifts of more than a thousand dollars.However, Liu Bang knew that this was a good opportunity to stand out, and he must not miss it.If you sit under the hall, how can you attract attention?After thinking about it again and again, he simply didn't do anything, wrote a "[-] yuan for He Yi" greeting card and sent it in.

Ten thousand yuan was an astonishing amount at that time. Not to mention the county magistrate Xiao He was surprised, even Lu Gong was surprised, and hurriedly went out to greet Liu Bang, the pavilion chief.Liu Bang walked in and out of the room without changing his face, and he was in the top position, talking and laughing happily, imposing and courteous.All the guests present were overshadowed.

Lu Gong observed Liu Bang carefully, and the more he watched, the more he valued him.

After the banquet, Lu Gong said to Liu Bang sincerely: "I have always studied the method of physiognomy, and I have met many people, and none of them are ineffective. When I saw you today, I took a closer look at the facial method. It shows that you are very precious. Say, I hope your Excellency will take good care of yourself. I have a daughter with good looks and character, and I want to marry her to you as my wife, what do you think?"

Liu Bang was naturally overjoyed. He didn't expect to eat this sumptuous banquet for nothing, and to pay [-] yuan on credit, and to be so valued by Lu Gong with such status and background, to marry his beloved daughter and give generous gifts.Liu Bang was extremely grateful, and immediately agreed to the marriage.Liu Bang bid farewell to Lu Gong in a pleasant surprise, and ran home happily.

Lu Gong's family is decided by Lu Gong alone, even though his wife objected, it was useless. Besides, his wife was not in charge of the family. In this way, Lu Zhi accepted his father's arrangements for his life-long affairs without any complaints, and became Liu Bang. married wife.

Misplaced
At that time, Liu Bang's family was not rich. After he got married, he set up his own family. Liu Bang was still a knight-errant, making friends widely, and his family's livelihood depended on Lu Zhi's cooking.Before Empress Lu took control of the state power, she did have a kind and gentle side: she did not do anything harsh to Liu Bang's illegitimate son Liu Fei.In a few years, Lv Zhi changed from a charming lady to a peasant woman. She farmed the fields all year round and took care of the housework. She gave birth to a son and a daughter for Liu Bang, and lived a peaceful and loving life with Liu Bang.

Unexpectedly, it didn't take long for Liu Bang to abscond in fear of crime for indulging prisoners out of righteousness. As the saying goes: A monk can't escape the temple if he can escape.Liu Bang ran away every day, but the innocent Lu Zhi went to prison for this.

In the first year of Qin II (208 BC), after the uprising by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, Xiao He and Cao Can, the magistrates of Pei County, persuaded the county magistrate to rebel and told him that Liu Bang, who had fled, had gathered a team. So he sent Lu Zhi's brother-in-law Fan Kuai to recall Liu Bang.Unexpectedly, the county magistrate temporarily repented, so Liu Bang killed the county magistrate, and led the children of Pei County to rise up against Qin.Liu Bang was 48 years old this year, and Lu Zhi was 34 years old.

In 206 BC, Liu Bang decided to take the risk of breaking with Xiang Yu, but he did not expect to be defeated in Suishui.Among the rebellious army, Lv Zhi and a pair of sons and daughters were dispersed, and became Xiang Yu's captive together with his father-in-law Liu Taigong.

In the autumn of 203 BC, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were in a confrontation.Xiang Yu ordered Liu Taigong to be pulled out in front of the two armies, and threatened Liu Bang to fight by cooking him.Unexpectedly, Liu Bang replied: "You and I used to love brothers, and my father is your father. If you want to cook your own father, don't forget to share my share!"

If Old Liu had heard what his son said, he must have fainted on the spot.Not to mention old Liu, even Xiang Yu was dumbfounded after hearing this.He didn't expect that Liu Bang would even ignore his old father in order to fight for the world, so he accepted Xiang Bo's suggestion in desperation and negotiated a truce with Liu Bang.

After the Chu and Han families demarcated the border, Xiang Yu returned Liu Taigong and Lu Zhi to the Han army.By this time, Lu Zhi had been imprisoned in the Chu army for 29 months.

Lu Zhi was imprisoned for two years and suffered a lot. He worried about his children and husband, and was always afraid of being killed by Xiang Yu.She thought that Liu Bang could come to save her, but the words of "getting a share" completely shattered her fantasy - if she didn't want a father, what would her own wife be in Liu Bang's eyes!However, when she returned to Hanying and saw the two sons and daughters together, she felt very comforted and regained a little bond between husband and wife.

But as time went by, she soon heard about what happened to the two sons and daughters: they were separated from their mother at that time, and they met their father's car by chance.However, the cart was soon overtaken by the Chu army. Although Xia Houying pushed the cart desperately, the pursuers were still getting closer.Seeing that there were too many people in the car and the speed was slow, Liu Bang simply pushed the couple out of the car.Liu Ying's siblings cried out repeatedly, and Xia Houying immediately carried them back to the car after seeing them.Liu Bang pushed again, and Xia Houying hugged him again.After several times in a row, Liu Bang was furious and scolded: "How dare you disobey my wishes? Now that the pursuers are approaching, how can you waste time for these two children!" Saying this, he threw the two children down again .With a roar, Xia Houying jumped out of the car and rescued the two children again under his armpits. He drove the car and horse into the nearby dense forest, and finally saved their lives.

Lu Zhi's contribution to the Chu-Han War was that she served as Liu Bang's hostage for more than two years.This is a major sacrifice made by Lu Zhi for Liu Bang, and it is also the political capital for Empress Lu to take charge of the government after Liu Bang's death.What happened to her children made Lu Zhi shed tears, and what made her even more desperate was the appearance of Qi Yi.But how can the hero Liu Bang leave the beauty?Of course, Lu's Pheasant is well aware of this.When she escaped death and fell into the enemy's territory, Liu Bang enjoyed gentleness without any scruples in the army. He was accompanied by beautiful women every day and pink every night, so the strong Lu Zhi felt jealous and hated those who Liu Bang liked. Women hold a grudge.Liu Bang had many women besides Lu Zhi, but among the many concubines, Liu Bang loved Mrs. Qi the most.

Qi Yi is from Dingtao, Shandong, and Liu Bang met her during the scuffle between Chu and Han.Qi Yi is very charming, good at singing and dancing, young and beautiful, when Liu Bang saw her, he forgot about the 40-year-old woman Lu Zhi.After Lu Zhi returned from the Chu army, his attitude towards this wife was even more dispensable, although he made Lu Zhi his queen, Liu Ying his prince, and Lu Fei's daughter Liu Le as Princess Lu Yuan. Married to Zhang Ao, the son of Zhang Er, the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty Zhao Wang, as the queen.But when he went out to fight, he always took Qi Yi with him, and left Lu Zhi in Chang'an City to stay behind.Qi Yi is also very clear about Liu Bang's thoughts. If she was just jealous out of jealousy at the beginning, then when she gave birth to Liu Bang's son Liu Ruyi, and Liu Bang became emperor in 202 BC, she started Plotting to seize the heir.She wanted Liu Bang to make Liu Ruyi the prince, so that she could be the empress dowager and order the world.

Lu Pheasant spent most of his life in the bloody wind, and his temperament has been tempered to "resoluteness". In addition to his old age and fading, in Liu Bang's eyes, he can't compare with Qi Yi's softness and loveliness.Qi Yi also knew very well that the emperor was good at this, so she always put on a wronged look and cried to Liu Bang day and night.Presumably it wasn't that Lu Zhi gave him a face, or that he was afraid of the queen's revenge in the future.Based on Liu Bang's understanding of Lu Zhi, he absolutely believed these words.Therefore, Liu Bang finally succumbed in the beauty's tears, and decided to help Qi Yi's mother and son, and make Liu Ruyi the prince.

In Chinese tradition, the eldest son inheritance system is implemented, which is the most basic principle of the patriarchal system, that is, the throne and property must be inherited by the eldest son, who is the eldest son born to the first wife (lawful wife).When Liu Bang proposed to change Liu Ruyi as the prince in the court, it caused an uproar.Zhang Liang, Zhou Chang, Shusuntong and other ministers in the court and China firmly opposed the abolition of the elders and the establishment of the younger.

Among them, Zhou Chang, the censor, was the most opposed. When Liu Bang asked Zhou Chang about abolishing the crown prince, he was very annoyed. Zhou Chang stuttered and stuttered. Although Your Majesty wants to abolish the crown prince, I will not obey the imperial edict for a long time."

At this scene, Liu Bang couldn't help laughing, and the discussion about abolishing the crown prince ended here.

Zhou Chang was Liu Bang's old subordinate when he was the head of the pavilion in Surabaya, and he followed Liu Bang to join the army.His elder brother Zhou Ke was also a martyr who was killed by Xiang Yu to defend Xingyang.These are all the founding heroes, and Lu Zhi is his first wife, and he has suffered a lot with him, and his influence among the elders is much higher than that of Mrs. Qi.Although Liu Bang is rough on etiquette, he is a man of strategy and understanding of importance.

But this is only temporary, and there is no turning back. Since Mrs. Qi has already started to seize the heir, they can only fight to the end.Of course Lu Zhi knew what this meant. She came from the bloody wind and was very scheming and strategic. She asked her brother Lu Ze to hijack Zhang Liang and force Zhang Liang to offer advice.

Zhang Liang came up with an idea out of trouble: if he could find a way to get Shangshan Sihao, who didn't buy into the emperor's account, to assist the prince, the emperor would definitely retreat in spite of the difficulties.Lu Zhi immediately accepted Zhang Liang's suggestion, and humbly invited Shangshan Sihao as Liu Ying's guest.

In the 11th year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (196 BC), Wang Yingbu of Huainan rebelled.Liu Bang, who was ill, wanted Prince Liu Ying to lead the army to suppress the rebellion.Upon hearing the news, Shangshan Sihao immediately warned Lu Ze: "The prince has never experienced war, and Yingbo was once Xiang Yu's old subordinate, and he has been on the battlefield for a long time. As a prince, he should win. If he loses, he will definitely be killed." Obsolete."

Lu Zhi was terrified when he heard this, and immediately went to persuade Liu Bang to change his mind: the prince is young, how can he command his old subordinates, the generals may not be convinced, if this delays the battle, will it not endanger the country?Although the emperor is ill, please bear with it, plan and support the army, and the generals will obey orders.

Although Liu Bang was displeased, the matter was of great importance, so he personally led the army.

In the second year, Yingbo's rebellion subsided, and Liu Bang's old illness was aggravated by arrow injuries. Knowing that his time was short, he brought up the matter of abolishing the crown prince again.The court ministers still firmly opposed it, but it was obviously useless.In this critical situation, at a banquet, Liu Bang inadvertently discovered that behind the prince Liu Ying, there was Shangshan Sihao who had never accepted him.Liu Bang was shocked. It seems that the prince is really full-fledged now. If the prince is forcibly abolished, it may cause trouble.From then on, Liu Bang never mentioned the abolition of the crown prince.

When Mrs. Qi heard about it, she burst into tears immediately. Liu Bang said helplessly: "Dance a Chu dance for me, and I will sing a Chu song for you."The lyrics say: Honghu flies high, flying thousands of miles.The wings are complete, cross the four seas.Crossing the four seas, what can I do.Even if there are bows and arrows, what use is there for the soaring swan?
From a commoner to a king, Liu Bang did whatever he wanted all his life, and finally he was unable to protect his wife and children in his twilight years.He knew Lu Zhi very well, and after going through too many bloody storms, he has become a ruthless and cunning political figure.And Mrs. Qi's fight with her is like hitting a stone with an egg, and she is overestimated.What Liu Bang, who is full of worries, can do now is to try his best to preserve the lives of Qi Yi's mother and son after his death.At this time, Minister Zhao Yao suggested to him: Let Lv Zhi and Liu Ying's benefactor Zhou Chang serve Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi as his prime minister, and Lv Zhi will definitely give him this face.Liu Bang then secretly summoned Zhou Chang, and solemnly entrusted Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi to him to take good care of him.Therefore, Zhou Chang shouldered the important task entrusted by the emperor to Zhao Wang and took office.

Seeing that the prince's status was preserved, Empress Lu began to think frantically to improve her prestige. For this reason, she planned to kill Han Xin, who had made great contributions to the Han Dynasty.Han Xin always had the intention of rebellion, and Liu Bang also wanted to get rid of him, but he had made too much credit, and he had an agreement with himself "not to kill when he sees the sky, not to kill when he sees the ground, and not to kill when he sees iron objects", and he was afraid of hurting other meritorious soldiers. My heart is hesitating.Empress Lu took Liu Bang to go out, and planned a plan to kill Han Xin with Xiao He, tricked Han Xin into a bell room in the palace, hung him in the air with a cloth bag, stabbed him to death with a sharp bamboo tool, and killed him all. There is no sky and no iron.

As soon as Han Xin died, Empress Lu's prestige suddenly rose, which gave her her own ambition to participate in the government and became more unscrupulous.Seeing that her son Liu Ying was kind-hearted and cowardly, she was afraid that those kings with different surnames would not be wronged and become ministers, so she wanted to try to get rid of Liu Bang one by one while Liu Bang was still there.She killed Liang Wang Pengyue, chopped him into meat sauce and distributed it to the princes everywhere as a warning.

Liu Ruyi poisoned

In the spring of 195 AD, under the illusion of peace he created, Liu Bang passed away at the age of 71.This year, Liu Ying was 16 years old, that is, the emperor, as Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty.When Liu Ying ascended the throne, she respected her mother, Lv Zhi, as the queen mother. Because Liu Ying was still young and weak in nature, Queen Lu ruled on major affairs in the court.Empress Lu naturally took control of the court and the power in the palace.She was originally eager to kill a large number of meritorious soldiers and make everyone submit to herself.Later, if someone dissuaded her, she would suffer catastrophe, so she first extended her claws to the post-officials. She resented her husband's Xingji and was jealous of them.The treatment of Mrs. Qi and Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi is even more miserable.

One day, Mrs. Qi was dragged into Yongxiang by people sent by Lu Zhi, and put in a women's prison.Madam Qi is like a slave. She has to pound a certain amount of rice all day long, and she will not be given food if she fails to pound the amount.The delicate and weak Mrs. Qi has been tortured, she can only wash her face with tears all day long, and endure time hard.Sorrow, pain, resentment, and loneliness attack Madam Qi alternately. At this time, her son Liu Ruyi is the only hope to support her to live, hoping that her son can save herself from the fire and water.So Mrs. Qi made a song and sang it non-stop every day: "The son is the king, the mother is the captive, pounding thin curtains all day long, and often die together! It is three thousand miles apart, who will tell you!"

Madam Qi is so innocent at this time, she doesn't know that Lu Zhi is in power and cruel, and Liu Ruyi is young and ignorant at this time, this is purely her beautiful fantasy, but she doesn't know that doing so will not only ruin herself, but also offend her son Come to kill yourself. "In the past, Hengbomu is now a fountain of tears."

Soon the song reached Lu Zhi's ears, and she was furious. Although Zhao Wang Ruyi is young and ignorant now, once she grows up, she is likely to attack herself and her son Liu Ying.What if Zhao Wang Ruyi grows up and uses the royal power in his hand to avenge his mother and make trouble?Therefore, Empress Lu made a prompt decision and sent her confidants to the fiefdom of King Zhao to deliver an edict to summon King Zhao Ruyi into the palace.

The envoys went to Zhao Wang's fiefdom according to the secret decree of Empress Lu, and conveyed the holy intention.Although Zhao Wang Ruyi was the king of the country at this time, he was actually young and had little knowledge, and he relied on Prime Minister Zhou Chang's advice for everything.At that time, Liu Bang had solemnly asked Zhou Chang for his orphans, so when Empress Lu recruited King Zhao, Zhou Chang declined politely three times, and Zhou Chang turned back three envoys one by one.But Empress Lu is extremely smart, how can such a thing be difficult for her?She made a small plan to solve the problem by taking a drastic drudgery.

Empress Lu first sent an envoy to summon Zhou Chang to Beijing, Zhou Chang had no choice but to go on the road according to the order, and before leaving, he asked King Zhao not to leave the fief lightly.However, just as Zhou Chang was on his way, the second envoy went to Zhao's mansion and summoned Zhao Wang to Beijing.King Zhao lost the protection of Zhou Chang, so he had to bow his head to obey orders and came to Chang'an.

Empress Lu is cruel and ruthless, but Prince Liu Ying is very kind.Liu Ying is very friendly to her younger brother Ruyi. When she heard that her mother had summoned Ruyi to Beijing, she knew that Ruyi was in danger and had to be rescued immediately.The benevolent Hui Emperor Liu Ying immediately went out of office. Before Zhao Wang Ruyi arrived, he personally took Ruyi to the palace and protected the half brother.Emperor Hui was inseparable from him all day long, eating and sleeping together, which made it difficult for Lu Zhi to attack.

(End of this chapter)