Anecdote of the Fifth Queen Mother

Chapter 9 Queen Mother Hu (3)
With tears in her eyes, Empress Dowager Hu agreed to her father's two dying requests.Hu Guozhen's request, the first is to care about herself, orphans and widows are in power, and they must take care of themselves.The second is to take care of Hu Xiang.Because Hu Xiang was playful, Queen Mother Hu often criticized him severely.In fact, without Hu Guozhen's instructions, Queen Mother Hu knew it well.Although Hu Xiang is the son of his father Na Zhao Pingjun, he is his own younger brother after all. Of course he is closer than the kings, how can she restrain him!The usual strictness is nothing but strict requirements.So after Hu Guozhen's death, Empress Dowager Hu broke the hereditary rules such as descending, so that Hu Xiang was completely sealed.He made him "shangshu, supervisor, and servant of the palace, and changed his title to Duke of Dongping County".Hu Sengxi, originally the son of Hu Zhen, the uncle of the Empress Dowager Hu, was adopted as an adopted son because Hu Guozhen was childless at the beginning, and he can be regarded as the younger brother of the Empress Dowager Hu.Therefore, Empress Dowager Hu initially named him the Duke of Aide County, worshiped him as the Supervisor of Zhongshu, served as a servant, and later changed his title to Duke of Puyang County.

Empress Dowager Hu took various measures after she came to the court to listen to the government. She married the kings of the Yuan family outside, Cui Guang and other powerful officials inside, and appointed relatives of the Hu family as confidantes, and finally stabilized her ruling position.

[-]. Liwei Shuxin

After consolidating her dominant position, Queen Mother Hu did not lie in an easy chair to eat, drink and have fun, enjoying family happiness.She deeply understands that the rights and status she has obtained so far are the result of struggles after she was in charge of the government, and only by struggling can her dominant position be consolidated.Although it appears that his position is stable now, it is only maintained by power. Only by taking measures to establish prestige and trust can the power be concentrated in one hand and the ruling position truly consolidated.

Empress Dowager Hu not only emphasizes martial arts, but also does not forget martial arts.The Northern Wei Dynasty was a country established by nomadic people, so riding and archery was attached great importance to by the rulers of all dynasties.Empress Dowager Hu, this girl of the Han nationality knew that in order to stand out in civil and military affairs, she must be proficient in riding and shooting.For this reason, she often practices.After listening to the government in the court, one day suddenly came out such an edict:
The ministers in the court came from Faliu Hall of Xingxi Linyuan to practice riding and shooting with their own bows and arrows. Those who could not be punished.

As soon as the edict was issued, the ministers each took their bows and arrows and went to the Faliu Hall of Xilin Garden to gather and stand by.After all the ministers gathered together, the Empress Dowager Hu was lucky enough to be here. After listening to the "start" order from the Empress Dowager Hu, all the ministers performed in turn. Nodding her head, she thought it was okay, her martial arts would not be abandoned, and she could hope to protect the country.The Southern Dynasties can only look at the tiger and delay it. If they want to annex the Northern Dynasties, I am afraid it is just a delusion.Empress Dowager Hu watched the performance of riding and archery with great interest. All the ministers stood aside and waited for the order to return. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager Hu stood up and only listened to her order:
Enter the bow and arrow, I want to shoot myself through the pinhole!
The ministers were shocked, none of them could have imagined that the Queen Mother would practice martial arts in front of a forest of powerful ministers, let alone that she was superior to the ministers in that she would not shoot a target but shoot a pinhole.People watched with apprehension, and saw that the Empress Dowager Hu took the bow and arrow from the courtiers, set the arrow and drew the bow, and an arrow flew out of the bow of the Empress Dowager Hu with a whoosh sound, hitting the pinhole in the distance.Immediately, there was an uproar in Xilin Garden, and all the ministers were excited by the wonderful performance of Queen Mother Hu, and were amazed by Queen Mother Hu's proficient martial arts.After a while, the news that the Empress Dowager "shot herself in the pinhole" ("Wei Shu" Volume [-] "The Queen's Biography · Empress Hu") spread throughout the palace, all over the capital, and quickly spread to the whole country.After hearing this absolutely true news, the generals who led the army had no choice but to be convinced.With just one move, Queen Mother Hu established a great prestige among the generals.

Empress Dowager Hu is not only proficient in martial arts, but also has some strategies. She commanded the battle of Shouyin against Xiao Liang in the Southern Dynasty, which fully demonstrated her talent in this area.

One day, when Empress Dowager Hu was in court, someone reported that the Huaiyan Weir built by Xiao Liang in the Southern Dynasty was about to be completed.Empress Dowager Hu was shocked when she heard this, because she knew that once the Huaiyan Weir was built, it would not only stop the Northern Wei army from attacking, forcing the Northern Wei army to push down the weir, but also use Huaiyan as the base camp for the Southern Dynasty army to advance northward. .With heavy troops stationed here, they can attack quickly when they advance, making the Northern Wei Dynasty hard to defend, and they can defend when they retreat.Never sit back and watch it happen!So Empress Dowager Hu immediately issued an edict:

Pingnan General Yang Dayan and General Xiao Baokui will lead the troops to conquer Huaiyan.

Yang Dayan and Xiao Baokui obeyed the order and led the southern expedition to compete for Huaiyan.Xiao Yan, the leader of the Liang Dynasty, heard that the army of the Northern Wei Dynasty went south to compete for Huaiyan, and immediately took measures.On the one hand, more troops were added to Huaiyan to resist frontally. On the other hand, the Liang army did not want to be passively beaten. Therefore, Zhao Zuyue, the left general, was sent to attack Xixiashi in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and then entered Fushouyang, forming an outflanking trend. count.But both sides in the war were frustrated.Although Xiaoliang and Zhao Zuyue's army won the first battle and occupied Shouyang, they were defeated by Cui Liang, the governor of Dingzhou in the Northern Wei Dynasty when they marched again, and they failed to encircle them.The army attacking Huaiyan in the Northern Wei Dynasty was blocked by Huaiyan without gaining an inch.Yang Dayan only dug a canal to break the water on the weir and returned.

After calmly observing the battle situation and weighing the pros and cons, Empress Dowager Hu believed that in order to attack Huaiyan, Zhao Zuyue, who was inserted into the confidant of the Northern Wei Dynasty, must be eliminated first.So, on the one hand, she ordered Yang Dayan and Xiao Baokui to resist the enemies of Huaiyan to form a confrontation, and on the other hand, she sent Li Ping, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, to lead two thousand elite troops to Shouyang, commanding the local army to quickly capture Shouyang.Li Ping acted immediately after receiving the decree. When he was leaving, Empress Dowager Hu gave special instructions:

"Laws are the foundation of governing the army. If you personally lead the army to march south, you must follow the orders and deal with the laws. If you dare to violate the military orders, you must be punished according to the military law!"

Li Ping led the way, and the army of the pro-commands came to the front line and came to the city of Shouyang.Its deployment is: Cui Liang personally commanded the army to attack the west of Shouyang City, Li Chong commanded the water army to attack the east of Shouyang City, and Li Ping personally commanded the army to attack the main gate.When everything was ready, Li Ping ordered all the ministries to attack at the same time.With the encouragement of war drums, the soldiers of the Northern Wei Dynasty fought hard, and the Liang soldiers could not withstand the impact and surrendered one after another.Zhao Zuyue resisted stubbornly and guarded the main gate.But finally could not stand the fierce impact of the Northern Wei army, so that its entire army was wiped out and captured.

The news of Shouyang's success spread to Luoyang, the capital, and the courtiers were relieved. Empress Dowager Hu was very proud of her correct deployment and employment.Yes, this battle is inseparable from her command and deployment and the correct employment of personnel. It is precisely because of this that her prestige among civil servants and generals can be enhanced.

While empress dowager Hu established her prestige among civil servants and military generals, she also built trust in the people of the whole country, won the hearts of the people, and won the support of the people to consolidate her power.She will never forget her father's dying instructions: "Mother and son govern the world well, with the hearts of all people, and don't look at the faces of ministers."

Reducing labor and persuading farmers to relieve hunger were the first steps of the Empress Dowager Hu.In April of the first year of Xiping (516 A.D.), Empress Dowager Hu had just been in court for eight months. When she heard the news that the people in Yingzhou were hungry, she immediately ordered the local officials to "open warehouses for relief".In May, when she heard of the drought in some places, she issued an edict to blame herself, saying:
"The heat and drought have accumulated, and the seedlings and crops have withered. Even though the comparison is slight, it is still untouched. The late planting is not satisfied, and the hope is worrying about labor. I am responsible for it, and I think about it. The minister can be sympathetic to the prison, and observe the flood. In vain, simple and important, and listening to the situation, no one will complain, and the harmony will be increased. The civil and engineering work, all powers will be suspended, and the farmer will be encouraged to save the affairs, and the land will be vigorously. The Shujiaze is about to fall, and the year of harvest will be sure." ( "Book of Wei" Volume Nine "Su Zongji")
As soon as the Empress Dowager Hu took the stage, she took advantage of the drought to issue an edict to blame herself, and strictly forbade any civil war.Persuading farmers to work on the fields will make the people of the Northern Wei Dynasty happy.From the edict, they saw the ruler's policy of benefiting farmers and eliminating disadvantages, and they placed great expectations on the new ruler: the era of peace and prosperity of the country has come again!

Queen Mother Hu's second step is to implement her pension policy.In December of the first year of Xiping (516 A.D.), Empress Dowager Hu issued an edict to confine Luoyang, Heyin, and Cao Zaza to those who were over 518 years old, widowed, widowed, lonely, poor, unable to survive, young but chronically ill, and poor. Those who are not good will be investigated and implemented, and the list will be submitted to the imperial court for compensation at any time; in the first month of the spring of the following year, the Empress Dowager Hu sent a special ambassador to patrol the Quartet, "asking about the suffering, sympathizing with the orphans and widows"; The edict is compassionate to the people.Imperial date:
I am ignorant of fortune, the political path is not healthy, and the sufferings of the people are not to mention sympathy.People over [-] years old in Gyeonggi will be given the big county board, over [-] years old will be given the small county board, over [-] years old will be given the big county board, and those over [-] years old will be given the small county board. Those who are over [-] will be given Zhongxian board; those who are widowed, widowed and lonely and unable to survive on their own will be given five pieces of millet and two horses of silk. "("Wei Shu" Volume Nine "Su Zong Ji")
While caring for the common people, Empress Dowager Hu did not forget those soldiers who fought bloody battles for the Northern Wei Dynasty. In May of the second year of Xiping (517 AD), Empress Dowager Hu issued an edict to give special care to the soldiers and their relatives.

Those who lost their soldiers in Xiashi, Jingshan, Xinhuai, and Miancheng in Yangzhou in the battle, they will be chased to collect money, and they will return to a house for five years; if they have no wives, they will return to their family for two years.If the body is wounded three times, the reward will be one level; even if the body is damaged once but the four bodies are destroyed, the reward will also be the same. ("Wei Shu" Volume [-] "Su Zong Ji")
The edicts were issued one after another, which made those widows, old people and soldiers feel warm.This move touched the ordinary people living in China, a country that values ​​filial piety and righteousness. How could they not be grateful to the imperial court, how could they not be grateful to the Queen Mother Hu!

Winning the trust of the people in the law is the third step of the Empress Dowager Hu. The "Litigation Car" was not invented by Empress Dowager Hu. There was such a system before that, but Empress Dowager Hu was able to give full play to its role to deal with unjust cases in a timely manner and correct the disadvantages of litigation.This car has a special route: drive out from Yunlong Da Sima Gate, go around to the northwest of the palace, and then enter the palace through Qianqiu Gate.When the litigation vehicle is moving, anyone from ordinary people to civil servants and generals who have a lawsuit can vote in the litigation vehicle at any time along the way.Empress Dowager Hu paid great attention to the cases put into the litigation vehicle. She either handled them personally or submitted them to the relevant departments for quick handling.There is a case that Queen Mother Hu handled very popularly.

Yanling Faquan and others falsely accused a young man named Liu Jinghui of fabricating rumors to confuse the public and conspire against others.When the case was reported to the court, there were two opinions: the legal power and other forces advocated that the death penalty would not reassure the people.Minister Cui Zuan argued hard. He believed that the court handled the case according to the law and could not kill innocent people indiscriminately.Liu Jinghui is only nine years old, why spread rumors to confuse the public?It's purely a traitorous official's rampage, which is not enough to prove it.Killing this baby, how can the country rule the country by law, and how can the court win the trust of the people?In the case of a stalemate in the dispute between the two sides, the case was sent to the Queen Mother Hu for adjudication.After reading the file, Queen Mother Hu immediately pulled Liu Jinghui out of the death row file, and then expressed her opinion to the case-handling officials.Empress Dowager Hu said: "Why did Liu Jinghui, who is still a baby, spread rumors to confuse the public? There is no evidence and no basis, he just speculates, which is unpopular. Besides, Liu Jinghui has already been pardoned, so why put him on death row? No more crimes will be committed against him!"

Through the handling of the Shenjuche case and the handling of the Liu Jinghui case, the Empress Dowager Hu has indeed won the trust of the people and won the hearts of the people, which is a useful attempt for her to win the hearts of the people.

In the first two or three years of being in charge of the court, Queen Mother Hu did a lot of useful things. Although her central purpose was to consolidate power and status, she did have a certain prestige among civil servants, military generals and the people of the whole country.

[-]. Being abolished in confinement

After her ruling position was stabilized and her prestige was established by her bureaucrats and common people, Empress Dowager Hu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and she was a little smug.At this time, she regarded the newly stabilized Northern Wei Dynasty as a world of peace through singing and dancing.For the young widow, power was an aspect that filled the void.But it is not the main aspect after all.Empress Dowager Hu relieved, her burst of irrepressible desire drove her to seek family happiness.

There have been some small but noticeable changes in Empress Dowager Hu's life recently.The young Empress Dowager was uncharacteristically "very embellished".At that time, Yuan Shun, the servant of the Huangmen, felt a little uncomfortable, so he remonstrated in public: "The "Li" says that a woman's husband died, and she claimed to be a survivor. If it is overly embellished, how can it be shown to future generations?"

Jing Yuanshun's admonition in public really gave Empress Dowager Hu some embarrassment.She glared at Yuan Shun fiercely, but didn't say a word.After going out to return to the palace, Empress Dowager Hu specially summoned Yuan Shun, and angrily asked:

"Would you like to be humiliated by a thousand miles away!"

Yuan Shun was really upright, he didn't shrink back under the empress dowager Hu's despotic power, but replied rather humorously.

"Your majesty is dressed in splendid clothes, and is not afraid of the laughter of the world. How can you be ashamed of your words?"
Although Yuan Shun and other people remonstrated with Queen Mother Hu, Queen Mother Hu ignored it.She has a difficult heart in her heart, how can she tell Yuan Shunyan?Empress Dowager Hu felt a little injustice: If I were also a male ruler, I am afraid that no one would object to accepting the three palaces and six concubines, but just because I am a woman, I would be criticized by citing "Zhou Rituals" for even some decorations. But I just want to do what I want.Decorating is just the beginning, and finding fragrant herbs is the goal.So, Queen Mother Hu really did what she thought.After many searches, Qinghe Wang Yuanyi was first selected by Queen Mother Hu.

Wang Yuanyi of Qinghe is really a handsome man.Let us listen to the praise of people at that time.

"King Qinghe has been smart and capable since he was a child, and he is also beautiful." This is the comment of ordinary people.

"Here, the wind is majestic outside, and the yellow is moist inside. If it is a holiday year, it will be more south than Ernan." ("Wei Shu" Volume 22 "Qinghe King Biography") This is the comment of Pengcheng Wang Yuanxie.

From this comment, it can be seen that it was not accidental that Empress Dowager Hu first chose Yuan Yi.In order to make Yuan Yi submit, Queen Mother Hu also spent some effort. She used the power in her hand to entrust Yuan Yi with important tasks and gave him special preferential treatment in the ban.In this way, isn't it normal for rulers and powerful ministers to have frequent contacts in the name of work?Since then, Empress Dowager Hu has always called Yuan Yi frequently to discuss matters big or small, and sometimes came to the door to discuss together for "work".Is Yuan Yi a fool?But how dare he flirt with his sister-in-law in disregard of etiquette, it's embarrassing to hear about it.Therefore, he just dealt with the Empress Dowager Hu in vain, causing the Empress Dowager Hu to fail to fulfill her wish.

If you really don't give up until you reach the Yellow River, Empress Dowager Hu can't succeed with one trick, so she will use another trick.One night, she ordered her confidants to go to Qinghe Palace to deliver an edict: Call Qinghe King into the palace to discuss matters!
After Qinghe Wang Yuanyi knelt down to receive the edict, he hurried into the palace to discuss matters.When he was panting and standing in front of the queen mother, the queen mother waved her hand, and the messenger retreated.There were only two of them left in the house: a man and a woman.

Empress Dowager Hu sat there peacefully, smiling and not saying a word, only the fragrant smell rushed into King Qinghe's nose from time to time.After Yuan Yi entered the room, he immediately saw the Empress Dowager Hu who was sitting with heavy make-up. When the messenger left, the Empress Dowager smiled and said nothing. He immediately realized why the Empress Dowager summoned him at night. Best description?That's right, even if he leaves the palace now, he still can't tell what is going on when a young man meets a young and beautiful widow alone at night.Just give it a half push and a half.Therefore, Yuan Yi raised his head, looked at the Empress Dowager with his eyes: Today, the Empress Dowager is well-groomed.Her well-proportioned figure, wrapped in the tight-fitting satin dress, looks slimmer, especially the high and protruding breasts, which set off her beauty. Although there are a few wrinkles on her white face, But after the empress dowager's careful dressing, it is not very clear, and the face covered with light red makeup and red lips also looks very beautiful.Especially her affectionate eyes are silently conveying her inner voice.Unconsciously, under the dominance of a special force, Yuan Yi also became ecstatic.Empress Dowager Hu's keen eyes are capturing every mood of Yuan Yi.The change of instant question made Queen Mother Hu make up her mind.Seeing her beckoning to Yuan Yi, Yuan Yi moved slowly, one step, two steps, three steps... Then the candlelight in the Empress Dowager Hu's bedroom went out.

After Yuan Yi and Empress Dowager Hu shared the same pillow and had fun, going in and out of the palace was considered routine.At first people thought it was uncles and sisters-in-law discussing state affairs, but later people became suspicious.Why does this uncle and sister-in-law often "discuss state affairs" at night?As a result, it was whispered in the palace as a secret, and later became a topic of people's tea and dinner in Kyoto, but people did not expect that this was the fuse of the palace coup.

Yuan Cha was originally the brother-in-law of Queen Mother Hu.Before the Empress Dowager Hu came to the court to listen to the government, she was only Yuanwailang, and she was granted the title of Tongzhi Sanqi Minister by virtue of the Queen Mother's relatives. Soon, she was moved to Sanqi Changshi, and Guanglu Shaoqing was transferred to Guangluqing. In order to stabilize her position, the Queen Mother Hu again Yuancha was appointed as a servant and a leading general, so that he was "under the door and also the general ban".

From a low-ranking Yuanwailang to an important minister in charge of military and political power, and "deeply trusted by the Empress Dowager Hu", Yuancha also "relying on arrogance and arrogance with unlimited ambitions". ("Wei Shu" Volume [-] "Jingzhao King Fu Yuancha Biography") Qinghe Wang Yuanyi, who was the Taifu at that time, was very dissatisfied with Yuancha who ignored him every day, so he attacked Yuancha , and ruled by law.Yuan Cha is already very arrogant at this time, how can he be angry with others, besides, who is Yuan Yi?It's nothing more than stealing a sister-in-law.It is also worthy to control me!Therefore, Yuan Cha decided to squeeze Yuan Yi out of the court and sweep away obstacles to his advancement.Ke Zu, this Yuan Yi is not easy to mess with. He is not only a prince who assists the government with his virtuous person and participates in the decision-making, but also is the favor of the Queen Mother Hu, who is in power. I am afraid that he will not be able to do it without a perfect plan. He frowned for several days , finally figured it out.

One day, Yuancha invited Tong Zhilang Song Wei to the secret room and treated him courteously.This Tong Zhilang was really flattered to see the court officials treat each other like this.Yuan You first entertained him warmly and chatted about other things, and when he saw Song Weilu's gratitude, he immediately confessed his plan in full.

"I want to borrow a word from you today, I hope you will be generous!"

"Please tell me, my lord, I will do my best, and it is my wish to be able to serve you." Song Wei saw that Yuan Cha wanted to ask for something important, so he immediately agreed.

"When you enter the palace tomorrow, I hope you will report a conspiracy to the queen mother and the emperor. That is, Han Wenshu, the captain of Siran, intends to conspire to rebel and establish Yuanyi." Yuan Cha issued a false accusation order to Song Wei.

"Follow the order", Song Wei said, and withdrew from the Yuancha Mansion.

(End of this chapter)