Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 11 Queen Mother Hu (5)
Yuancha, who has relaxed, is still committed to seizing power and governing, but he is more indulging in sensuality, drinking and swimming.Just at this time, his co-conspirator Liu Teng passed away, and Yuan Cha became even more serious, even going out every day, lingering in other cities.Empress Dowager Hu was aware of these changes in Yuan Cha, so she asked the mother and son to meet each other, and Yuan Cha was relieved and agreed.So he gave Queen Mother Hu a favorable opportunity.Once, when Emperor Xiaoming led a group of officials to pay homage to the Queen Mother Hu, she saw the Queen Mother Hu weeping and said:
"Isolate my mother and son, don't listen to me, what use can I do? Let me become a monk, and I will be extinct from the world forever, and practice Taoism in Songgao Temple. The emperor's holy lesson, in view of the situation, the person who runs this temple is for me today .”

Empress Dowager Hu complained while crying, and after she finished complaining, she picked up the scissors and inserted them into her hair. She wanted to cut her hair and become a nun.Emperor Xiaoming and his ministers turned pale with shock, only heard Emperor Xiaoming kowtow and weep when he saw this, and said in a tearful voice:
"The queen mother must not do this, the child begs the queen mother to take it back!"

"The words have been spoken, and it is difficult to take them back. Besides, I have decided to become a monk, so don't reply to his words!" Empress Dowager Hu replied sternly.

At this moment, all the officials present were moved by it. They knelt behind Emperor Xiaoming and kowtowed to persuade them, but Empress Dowager Hu still insisted on refusing, and all the officials could only weep.

"The child will stay in the Jiafu Hall today, expressing his heart-to-heart with his mother, and then we will follow each other to show respect and filial piety."

After hearing Emperor Xiaoming's words, Empress Dowager Hu stopped crying and shouting.Her goal has been achieved!On that day, Emperor Xiaoming lived in Jiafu Hall, and since then he visited his mother from time to time, and stayed in Jiafu Hall from time to time.So the mother and son began to conspire to remove the fork plan.

Not long after the noisy Jiafu Palace happened, Emperor Xiaoming gave a vivid description to Yuancha.Yuan Cha, who had relaxed his vigilance at this time, not only didn't think there was any article in it, but thought that Queen Mother Hu was really world-weary.Therefore, when Emperor Xiaoming explained to him that his mother asked to allow the mother and son to come and go to Xianyang Hall and he was deeply embarrassed, Yuan Cha actually persuaded Emperor Xiaoming to follow the Queen Mother Hu's wishes.This is exactly the plan of mother and child. Since then, the claustrophobic palace gate has finally been opened, and Empress Dowager Hu has regained her freedom.

Empress Dowager Hu made an inch of progress, and after regaining her freedom, she wanted to lead Emperor Xiaoming to travel.One day, the mother and son were traveling south to Luoshui. When they were enjoying the tour, they saw the prime minister, King Gaoyang, coming towards them.Although Gaoyang Wang Yuanyong is in the prime minister, Yuancha has the power. He has had enough of Yuancha's anger and is waiting for an opportunity to conspire with the emperor to get rid of him.When he heard that the empress mother and son were traveling south to Luoshui, he hurried over.He met the empress dowager and the emperor, and specially invited them to visit his residence.

"It's not a respect for the minister to prepare a table of thin wine. I hope the Queen Mother and the Emperor will appreciate it."

Hearing Yuan Yong's words, Empress Dowager Hu understood what the drunkard meant, so she generously agreed, and then went to the Gaoyang Palace with the emperor.The banquet was held in Yuan Yong's inner room.After the food and wine were ready, Yuan Yong ordered:
"Without me, no one is allowed to enter the inner room without permission, and all foreign guests will be blocked."

There were only three people left in the inner room, they were not interested in the food and drink, and after a few words, they turned to the topic, and they decided on a plan to get rid of the fork.

A few days later, the prime minister, Gaoyang Wang Yuanyong, and Emperor Xiaoming met with the Queen Mother Hu, and after saluting, they only heard Yuanyong say:

"I don't care about all the thieves in the world, but Yuancha. What? He always controls the forbidden brigade, and all the soldiers belong to him; Cha leads millions of people. Hu regards the younger brother of Jingxi as the governor, and he is the general of the three Qi. Yuancha has no intentions. If he has the heart, how will the Holy Dynasty resist? Even if the day does not turn back, who will see his heart? And we must not be afraid."

"Yes, if Yuan Cha is loyal to the imperial court and has no resentment, why doesn't he go here to lead the army and use other officials to assist the government?" Empress Dowager Hu also expressed her position after hearing Yuan Yong's words.

A confidant had told Yuancha what the prime minister and the queen mother had said, and Yuan was very afraid.In order to show that he had no intention of turning back, he immediately kowtowed to the queen mother and the emperor without his crown, asking for the post of leading general.Empress Dowager Hu couldn't get what she wanted, so she immediately agreed to Yuan Cha's request for resignation.The plan of the three of them to seize the military power of Yuancha succeeded.

Although Yuancha was relieved of his military power, he still had the positions of General Hushi, the Third Division of Yitong, Shangshuling, Shizhong, and Leader.What's more, after his military power was relieved, his fellow party member Hou Gang took over, and he still indulged in drinking and sex.Then, Empress Dowager Hu and Emperor Xiaoming cut off his left and right arms, transferred Hou Gang to be the governor of Jizhou, and transferred Jia Can to go to Jeju.

On the day of Xinmao in April of the first year of Xiaochang (525 A.D.), Empress Dowager Hu suddenly announced that she would be relieved of Yuancha's position as servant, and then she was removed from her name as a citizen, and she came back to the court as regent.An imperial edict was issued announcing the crime of Yuancha and citing Chen's gains and losses.Imperial date:
With my ignorance, I have inherited the heavenly calendar for a long time. I am as confused as I am wading through the sea, and I don’t know what to do.At the end of the tortoise, powerful ministers ordered without authorization, Yuan Cha and Liu Tengyin influenced each other, so the empress dowager was separated from the harem, Taifu and Qinghe king innocently killed, Xiangzhou assassin and Zhongshan king Xiheng were wiped out, and the right guard General Xi Kangsheng still sees Zhu Jian.From then on, there is no fear, all kinds of invasions and demands, and whatever is taken away.Without the heart of a king, it takes a long time to accumulate habits; the traces of disobedience are obvious.Covering the eyes and ears, focusing on the handle of life and death, the world will be unhealthy, and there will be many bases in the suburbs.This can be tolerated, what can't be cherished!Although he has been pardoned many times, but he has not been tolerated in the law, it is still appropriate to make a rectification and thank the government and the public.If you leave, you can chase down the title.The crime of fork is sincerely compatible with Huizhou, but Zongzhi's uncle, with a special full loan, can be removed from the name of the people. "("Wei Shu" Volume Nine "Su Zong Ji")
After arduous struggle, Empress Dowager Hu finally made a comeback and realized her wish to listen to the government again.

Seven, precarious

After many twists and turns, Queen Mother Hu finally came to court.Immediately after the court, the opposition forces were suppressed.The two brothers Yuancha and Yuanzhuo were sentenced to death on charges of treason. Jia Can, Hou Gang and other Yuancha accomplices were either dismissed from office for the people, or given a mansion to death. Empress Dowager Hu finally consolidated her dominance.However, since then, Empress Dowager Hu has often failed in power.As a result, the Northern Wei Dynasty was in a precarious and turbulent state.

The Empress Dowager Hu, who came back to the court to listen to the government, has entered the age of forty, but her heart of indulgence has not diminished.Qinghe Wang Yuanyi was originally the favored person of Queen Mother Hu, but he has died at the hands of Yuancha, so someone else must replace him.When Empress Dowager Hu was looking for a newcomer, Zheng Yan broke into her life again.

Zheng Yan and Queen Mother Hu are not friends for the first time, they can be said to meet old friends in a new land.It turns out that Zheng Yan used to be Hu Guozhen's enlisted in the army, and because of his work, he often went to and from Hu's house, and had a close relationship with a young and beautiful girl from the Hu family. Although he was not deeply in love, he was still ambiguous.In the feudal era when men and women were incompatible with each other, they could only whisper and whisper, but failed to speak to others.When they fell in love silently, unexpectedly, an imperial edict from Emperor Xuanwu was sent to the Hu family, and Zheng Yan's beloved became Emperor Xuanwu's wife Chenghua, and he was very favored.Zheng Yan complained in secret, his remorse and grief could only be deeply buried in his heart, and he just foolishly married a wife and had children under the order of his parents and the words of the matchmaker.But he still misses Hu Chenghua in his heart, and his only hope is to take one more look and be satisfied.I don't know whether it was Zheng Yan's curse or God's punishment, but the 33-year-old Emperor Xuanwu left his concubine and left alone.Zheng Yan revived, but Empress Dowager Hu, who was already in power at this time, was busy attacking her political opponents and consolidating her rule, so she didn't even remember him.When the news of Empress Dowager Hu's confinement came, Zheng Yan complained about it, and sometimes Jing didn't think about eating or drinking.He really didn't expect the queen mother to be extraordinary, to make a comeback, and to listen to the government again.Driven by the desire for sensuality, Empress Dowager Hu really thought of her old friend Zheng Yan, so when the edict was passed, Zheng Yan was called into the palace, the two met and looked at each other for a long time, that has become a thing of the past The old scene reappears unconsciously.This time, they no longer have the childishness of the teenagers, so they quickly seek their own happiness.

In order to give Zheng Yan the right to enter and exit the palace, Empress Dowager Hu specially appointed him as an admonishing doctor, Zhongshu Sheren and Changshi Dianyu.In this way, Zheng Yan became a frequent visitor to the palace, and served the Queen Mother almost every night.

After gaining Zheng Yan, Empress Dowager Hu became more youthful.I don't know if it's Zheng Yan who can't meet her needs, or the desire to find a new love, or a combination of both?Not long after Zheng Yan served, Empress Dowager Hu took Xu He and Li Shengui as her own.In this way, three beautiful men served a beautiful woman.The in and out of the palace is very eye-catching.

Empress Dowager Hu's reckless and reckless behavior caused many troubles.The clan princes were very dissatisfied with the three favored by the Queen Mother Hu, and the three favored people acted recklessly, which played a role in fueling the flames.Therefore, the clan princes and the queen mother were at odds with each other, and conflicts occurred from time to time.

Let's say that one day, Yuan Shun was transferred from a servant to a general protecting the army and Tai Changqing. Although it was equivalent to being squeezed out of the palace, he thanked Queen Mother Hu as usual.So when Empress Dowager Hu was traveling with Chengyang King Yuan Hui and his favorite minister Xu He in the West Garden, Yuan Shun also came to offer his resignation.When he saw Yuan Hui and Xu He on both sides of the Empress Dowager, he was angry from the heart, and he pointed to Xu He and said ironically:
"This person is the Zaihuo of Wei. If the Kingdom of Wei is not destroyed, this person will not die."

Xu He also knew what was interesting, he didn't listen to Yuan Shun's words, he just turned around and walked away.Yuan Shun still couldn't understand his hatred, so he raised his voice and scolded Xu He angrily.

"You little man with a knife and a pen, you can only be a small official in a few cases. Who asked you to be a minion and corrupt my Yuanshi Yilun!"

Yuan Shun angrily scolded Empress Xu He, but seeing that Empress Dowager Hu didn't say a word, he got up and left in a huff.

From Yuanshun's trip, we can see the attitude of the clan princes.Not to mention the clan princes, even Empress Dowager Hu's own son, Emperor Xiaoming, was dissatisfied with it.

As time went on, Emperor Xiaoming's age also increased accordingly. In his childhood and youth, Emperor Xiaoming didn't understand the matter of his mother's indulgence, so he turned a blind eye to it.But after entering adulthood, with the increase of knowledge, he became more and more dissatisfied with the behavior of the queen mother. Moreover, if the palace rules were broken, he was afraid of repeating them, and it would be a mess.Moreover, I have already learned the classics well, so I can preside over the government myself.However, the queen mother insisted on not returning to politics.Therefore, the dissatisfaction is palpable, and he is also secretly recruiting troops to cultivate his own power.All this shows that Emperor Xiaoming has become the centrifugal force of Queen Mother Hu.

In order not to follow the fate of the tortoise in the last years, Empress Dowager Hu stepped up her defenses against Emperor Xiaoming, "So she was a feathered party inside to keep her eyes and ears out. The Empress Dowager often used things to harm the relatives of Emperor Suzong (the temple name of Emperor Xiaoming)." ("Wei Shu" Volume [-] "The Queen's Biography · Queen Mother Hu")
Taoist Mi Duo was a person whom Emperor Xiaoming saw as a close confidant, the two often met, talked seamlessly, and were like brothers.Later, Emperor Xiaoming simply summoned him into the palace and placed him on the left and right, and he was inseparable; Gu Hui and Shao Da were also trusted by Emperor Xiaoming, and they were not used to what the Queen Mother did; He is the political enemy of Empress Dowager Hu and the confidant of Emperor Xiaoming.

Empress Dowager Hu hated Mi Duo, Gu Hui, and Shao Da to the bone, and it was hard to get rid of the hatred in her heart.So she devised a plan to kill three birds with one stone.On March [-]rd, Taoist Mi Duo was assassinated in an alley in the south of the city.When the news was reported to the palace, Emperor Xiaoming wept for it, and Empress Dowager Hu sighed for it. She immediately sent people to hunt down the assassins to avenge Taoist Miduo.Emperor Xiaoming was grateful for his mother's righteous report at first, but after beheading the murderers Guhui and Shaoda, he suddenly realized: it turned out that this was all a series of tricks set up by his mother.

(End of this chapter)