The past can only be sad - the wife of Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the Zhou queen.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the warlords fought in a melee and the one with the most ability was king. It was in such chaos that Yang Xingmi, a native of Luzhou (Hefei, Anhui), relied on his natural strength and indispensable good luck to become an orphan from a peasant family step by step, and in the second year of Tianfu (902 AD) At that time, he was named King of Wu by Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Dynasty. About the second year after becoming king, Yang Xingmi captured Haozhou (Fengyang) and obtained various "trophies", including of course the men and women who were sacrificed as maidservants.
While inspecting the trophies, Yang Xingmi saw at a glance that among the trembling crowd, there was a young novice monk who stood out. Not only was his clothing different from the others, but his appearance and demeanor were also very different.
The little novice monk's common surname is Li, his given name is Sheng, and his courtesy name is Zhenglun. He was originally from Xuzhou (Xuzhou, Jiangsu) and was born in the third year of Emperor Guangqi of the Tang Dynasty (887 AD). His father, Li Rong, was an honest man and a devout Buddhist. He placed all his hopes on the Buddha and regarded staying in temples and hanging out with monks as a joy in life. He was called "Li Daozhe". After the war broke out in Xuzhou, Li Daozhe didn't know where he ended up. He didn't know whether he was dead or had fled to the mountains to practice. In desperation, Li Daozhe's wife, Mrs. Liu, had to let her two daughters become nuns, and she and her son moved to Huainan to make a living. However, not long after arriving in Huainan, Liu, who had experienced many hardships, could no longer bear the pain and fell ill, and finally gave up and went west.
When his parents both died, Li Sheng was only six or seven years old, so he had no choice but to join the Buddhist temple like his two elder sisters, and became a small boy in Kaiyuan Temple in Haozhou. The monk's life in the monastery was poor, and he often had to go out to beg for alms, wandering around Haozhou and Sizhou, but he finally found a place to return to, and he could learn some literature and calligraphy. However, the war broke out again, and now he became a prisoner of the King of Wu. If not Being enlisted in the army meant becoming a boy servant in the palace. However, life's encounters are always unexpected. Li Sheng would never have thought that the military academy that arrested him had no good intentions, but actually sent him to Qingyun Road from then on.
As soon as Yang Xingmi saw Li Sheng, he felt particularly friendly for some reason. He thought he had a unique appearance and was also very smart. He just left him by his side. It didn't take long for Yang Xingmi to become more and more fond of this child and felt that he was much better than his own sons, so he simply adopted him as his adopted son.
Several sons of the Yang family were very dissatisfied with Yang Xingmi's unabashed preference. They could not tolerate this wild boy who appeared out of nowhere and tried every means to embarrass him. As time passed, Yang Xingmi also knew that if Li Sheng stayed in this home, something would happen sooner or later, so he had to make other plans for his adopted son and entrusted him to his close confidant Xu Wen.
From then on, Xu Wen had an adopted son named "Xu Zhigao".
In the second year of Tianyou (AD 905), the fifty-four-year-old King Yang Xingmi of Wu died of illness. His eldest son Yang Wo and second son Yang Longyan were successively crowned kings of Wu, while Xu Wen won a series of victories in power struggles and became the de facto powerful minister in charge of everything. In the 16th year of Tianyou (AD 917), Xu Wen forced Yang Longyan to be his puppet. Although he was still called "King of Wu" in name, he was actually a country. The prince. Since the eldest son Xu Zhixun died the year before, the adopted son Xu Zhigao, who was the second in rank and had made great contributions to the Xu family, was named Zuopushe and participated in political affairs after his adoptive father.
A year later, 24-year-old Yang Longyan died of depression. Xu Wen promoted Yang Xingmi's fourth son Yang Pu as the new puppet. The power of the Xu family and his son became even greater. Xu Zhigao was a man of virtue and etiquette, and was very popular in Wu. He also participated in almost all of his adoptive father's power games and was familiar with all the tricks. Therefore, when Xu Wen died, Xu Zhigao immediately took measures and successfully took all the authority of his adoptive father's title into his own hands, excluding Xu Wen's biological sons.
After becoming a powerful minister of the Wu State, Xu Zhigao first forced Yang Pu to ascend the throne of the emperor and named himself "King of Qi". Then he became famous and married his daughter to Yang Lian, the crown prince of Wu.
Finally, in October of the third year of Tianzuo (AD 937), Xu Zhigao fulfilled his adoptive father's unfulfilled wish, replaced his in-law Yang Pu, established the State of Qi, and changed the Yuan Dynasty to "Sheng Yuan". (Poor Princess Wu became "Princess Yongxing")
After Xu Zhigao proclaimed himself emperor, Xu Wen's sons tried to figure out his thoughts and wrote letters one after another, asking him to restore his surname. After some courtesy, Xu Zhigao restored his real name of "Li Sheng" and claimed to be the fourth-generation grandson of Li Ke, the son of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty. He built a temple for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and changed the country's name to Tang Dynasty. It was known as "Southern Dynasty" in history. Tang".
In order to keep his throne, Li Sheng treated the descendants of his two adoptive fathers Yang Xingmi and Xu Wen unkindly. However, as an emperor, the Southern Tang Dynasty was able to recuperate and thrive under his rule. However, one of the countries with the widest territory among the Ten Kingdoms of the Five Dynasties (including all of present-day Jiangxi, most of Jiangsu, Anhui, and a small part of Fujian) was also the richest.
Just before Li Sheng ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, that is, the "Qixi" (the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in the lunar calendar) in 937 AD, the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl held the Magpie Bridge Meeting, Li Jingtong, the eldest son of Li Sheng (Xu Zhigao) and deputy capital commander, His legitimate wife, Mrs. Zhong, gave birth to a boy in the Jinling Mansion. This was already Li Jing's sixth son, named Congjia, with the courtesy name Chongguang.
When Li Congjia was six years old (AD 943), his legendary grandfather Li Sheng passed away. His father Li Jingtong became the emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty and changed his name to Li Jing.
It is said that in his later years, Li Sheng felt dissatisfied with his eldest son and wanted to make his second son Li Jingsui the crown prince. However, Li Jingsui said that he did not dare to make a mistake, so Li Sheng had to give up his mind. Perhaps for this reason, as soon as Li Jing ascended the throne, he found his brothers and made a covenant in front of his father's coffin, vowing to pass the throne to his younger brother.
Li Jing did what he said. When he came to the throne (AD 943, the first year of Baoda in the Southern Tang Dynasty), he ordered that government affairs be handed over to his younger brother, King Jingsui of Qi, with full authority. Four years later (AD 948, the fifth year of Baoda in the Southern Tang Dynasty), he officially announced the canonization of Jing Sui as the crown prince, and his other brother Jing Da was promoted to King Qi and granted the title of Marshal. Li Jing's own eldest son Li Hongyi was promoted to King Yan and was named deputy marshal.
Some people believe that Li Sheng was unwilling to pass the throne to Li Jing because he had no ambition, a cowardly temperament, and a love of poetry. But judging from Li Jing's performance after taking the throne, perhaps the reason is just the opposite: he is too ambitious and too smart, which is why Li Sheng is afraid to rest assured. A person who is not smart enough but has a stable character may not be able to achieve great achievements as a king, but he can build up strength for the country in a harmonious manner. In comparison, if the cleverness of a smart person is not used in the right place, it is easier than ordinary people to make things worse. .
Not long after Li Jing became emperor, he began to devote himself to opening up territory. In a short time, the territory of the Southern Tang Dynasty was increased from 28 states to 35 states. However, the achievements went to his head, and he began to be greedy for success. Internally, he was intoxicated by the voices singing praises of virtues, so that he favored the charming villain. His favorite ministers Chen Jue, Feng Yanji and others did evil and harmed the people, and were called the "Five Ghosts" by the people at the time. However, Li Jing regarded these five ghosts as his own thorns, and failed to reward and punish the soldiers who worked hard in the expedition, causing anger and resentment. At the same time, the performance of this new king also made other countries increasingly worried about the direction of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Some countries that had good relations with the Southern Tang Dynasty during Li Jing's period also began to change their attitudes, and the Southern Tang Dynasty became the target of public criticism. Zhou Shizong Chai Rong even went on three personal expeditions while working hard to break up the former friendly neighbors of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
In the fifth year of Xiande of the Later Zhou Dynasty (AD 958), under the personal conquest of Zhou Shizong Chai Rong, the Southern Tang Dynasty was severely defeated. Not only did Li Jing give up a large area of ??land in the fourteen states of Jiangbei and Huainan in the Southern Tang Dynasty, but he also had to surrender to the Later Zhou Dynasty and change his title from emperor to king of the country. At such a heavy price, he gained the remaining half of the country. Just stay safe.
What was even more unbearable for Li Jing than the defeat in national affairs was the struggle for power within the royal family. Although the country's power is gradually declining, the position of the country's leader still shines with an alluring light. As he grows older, Li Jing's biological eldest son Li Hongji becomes increasingly intolerable to the fact that he must "succumb" to his uncle.
Of course, Li Hongji also has the capital to compete with his uncle, the "emperor's younger brother".
Although he is young, he has a strict temperament. He is certainly better at running the army than his uncle. He has achieved many military exploits and his reputation in the army is growing.
In March of that year, when they suffered a major defeat, the "emperor's brother" Li Jingsui, who was defeated under the wise leadership of his elder brother, could not withstand the situation on the one hand, but also placed his hope on his nephew on the other. Able to save the country's destiny, he handed over ten resignation letters to Li Jing: "The country is in danger now and we cannot help it. Please come out and support the town. King Hong of Yan hopes that his direct descendant has military merit and should be his heir. I would like to entrust him to the treasure book of his great brother." He insisted. He gave up the position of crown prince to Li Hongji. Li Jingda also advanced and retreated with Li Jingsui. He also thought that the defeated general would destroy himself and asked to resign as marshal.
Li Jing accepted the request of his two younger brothers. Li Hongji became the crown prince and participated in making decisions on government affairs. Li Jing then changed his title to King of Jin, and added General Tiance, Marshal of Jiangnan West Road, Governor of Hongzhou, Taiwei, and Shangshu Ling. Li Jingda was granted the title of Governor of Fuzhou and Runzhou.
However, Li Jing's wish for "a harmonious family and everything to prosper" was not realized, and things developed beyond his expectation. The new crown prince Li Hongji was full of suspicion of his uncle, who had been the crown prince for ten years. As soon as he became the crown prince, he revealed his mean and unkind nature and carried out a large-scale reshuffle. Even his uncle had served in the East Palace before. All the waiters must be driven away quickly.
Probably because his father Li Jing had done something like "brothers end up killing brothers", Li Hongji was also suspicious of his younger brothers, fearing that one day they would be detrimental to his children and grandchildren. Therefore, he also sent many cronies to monitor the actions of his brothers. Among all the imperial brothers, Li Congjia was the most feared by his eldest brother.
According to the natural ranking, Li Congjia is only the sixth son. However, the royal family of Li Tang Dynasty followed the old saying that "prosperity does not lead to wealth", and the death rate of their children was extremely high. By the time Li Congjia grew up, he had become the de facto second son.
It’s okay to say that he is not the second son, but Li Congjia’s appearance is also different from ordinary people - one of his eyes has a "double pupil", that is, there are two pupils in one eye socket - this appearance It's puzzling. If it wasn't for Empress Zhong's embryonic development failure during her pregnancy, it might be that the prince had dark spots in his eyes. However, this kind of appearance has always been talked about in history books. Therefore, it is said that Emperor Shun Yao Chonghua had a "double pupil". Xiang Yu and Wang Mang heard that they also had this abnormality. Although the latter two were not as lucky as Emperor Shun as emperors, they had undoubtedly occupied the position above ten thousand people. Li Congjia's marriage made Li Hongji full of anger, and the officials and people of the Southern Tang Dynasty talked a lot: This prince with half the eyes of Emperor Shun actually married a wife whose maiden name was Ehuang, and became the son-in-law of Situ Zhoujing, a veteran official of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
Of course Li Congjia knows what the world is talking about, and he also knows what his eldest brother is doing. He was in awe of the eldest brother of the prince, and tried his best to restrain himself. He did not get involved in any political affairs, and was obsessed with poetry, calligraphy and painting. In the end, he simply imitated the style of his great-grandfather and mingled among the pagoda temples, chanting sutras every day. He practiced Zen, received the Three Returns and Five Precepts, and called himself a "lay Buddhist". Put on a posture of "wealth and honor are like floating clouds to me". (His layman has many names, including White Lotus layman, Lianfeng layman, Zhongshan hermit, Zhongfeng hermit, Zhongyin, etc...)
Since his younger brother was so knowledgeable, Li Hongji couldn't find it for a while. Something went wrong. This prince is a good fighter when it comes to fighting, but he can't settle down when he's not working. He does everything he can to exert power, stir up trouble, and put on airs. He's only been in office for half a year, but he already pissed me off. Li Jing reprimanded Li Hongji more than once, but never saw the son showing any sign of repentance. Li Jing was already feeling sulky after being punished by Hou Zhou. Seeing his son messing around like this, he became so angry that he finally couldn't help but take matters into his own hands and started practicing family magic on Li Hongji with a stick. While beating him, he kept scolding him. Li Hongji didn't listen to a word of what I said to him that he hoped his son would become a dragon, but he could hear all of his scoldings. What he couldn't tolerate in particular was one of Li Jing's sentences: "I will summon Jing Sui again!"
Li Jing's words may have been subconscious, or they may have been just said out of anger. But to Li Hongji's ears, the consequences were terrible.
Li Hongji immediately regarded his uncle who took the initiative to give up the throne as his biggest enemy (where was the emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty?), and his suspicion immediately evolved into full murderous intention. As soon as Li Jing left the prince's east palace, Li Hongji began planning a murder.
Li Hongji soon found out that the son of Yuan Congfan, the envoy of Zhaoqing Palace, had offended Li Jingsui and was almost killed by Li Jingsui. Therefore, Yuan Congfan not only had a feud with Li Jingsui, but there was no possibility of letting go of this feud. At this time, Yuan Congfan was following Li Jingsui, serving as the "Capital of Hongzhou" under the Grand Governor of Hongzhou. After Li Hongji found out the truth, he immediately took action and handed over the task of eradicating political opponents to Yuan Congfan.
Li Jingsui, like his brother Li Jing, is keen on playing ball games. He never tires of playing regardless of the weather. This was still the case after arriving in Hongzhou (now Nanchang). Finally one day, he was so thirsty after playing that he took a drink from Zhang Congfan and drank it all in one gulp - the drink quickly took effect, and Li Jingsui died suddenly that night. Even though the person is dead, the terrible effects of the poison continue: the body begins to decay before the funeral can take place. This strange situation certainly caused everyone to panic, but Li Jing, who was in Jinling, was kept in the dark. Without any doubt, he held a grand funeral for his younger brother, posthumously calling him "Emperor Wencheng's Taidi".
The funeral was held in August when the sweet-scented osmanthus was fragrant. At this time, only one month had passed since Li Hongji was beaten and scolded. Li Jingsui changed from an energetic star to a terrifying rotting corpse in the coffin.
The moment he learned about his uncle's death, even if Li Hongji was a little scared, he was probably more happy. But just one month later, his own life came to an abrupt end.
How did Li Hongji die? The history books only mention the word "violent death", but the actual facts are unclear. That leaves endless room for conjecture. Those who believe in the "Sage of the Emperor" can think that it is Li Jing's great enlightenment that punished his son; those who like martial arts can think that it is a righteous servant who avenges Li Jingsui; those who are keen on fantasy can think that it is the revenge of an innocent soul...
However, Judging from the subsequent situation, it is more likely that Li Hongji was cleared of the family by the angry and resentful Li Jing after the scandal broke out.
After Li Hongji's death, Li Jing named his sixth son, Li Congjia, the de facto second son, as King of Wu and moved into the Prince's East Palace. What Li Congjia actually got was the status of acting prince, and he only needed to formally issue the appointment letter. This is of course an open secret. However, Zhong Mo, a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, felt that the king's plan was too unreliable, so he found an opportunity to advise Li Jing, saying that Li Congjia was young and carefree, and was not the material for big things at all, and he should never leave the country to him. To govern, if you want to establish a prince, you must establish a discipline for the Duke Li Congshan. Unexpectedly, Li Jing was immediately furious - the reason why Li Jing was like this may be because he had learned the lessons of Li Hongji and no longer dared to easily change the fixed system of establishing heirs and elders. He also hoped that Li Congjia would be gentle and gentle. Temperament can not only avoid causing greater fratricide, but also ensure that you have a good death.
As a result, Zhong Mo was not only demoted to the position of Imperial Prince, but also had the opposite effect: Li Congjia was immediately officially established as the Crown Prince!
Li Congjia was twenty-three years old when he was established as the prince of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He did not stay in this position for long. Li Jing, who was afraid of another war in the following weeks, planned to move the capital from Jinling to Nandu (Nanchang), so he left his son in Jinling to supervise the country and left with all the civil and military officials. However, Li Jing, who came to Nandu, was seriously unaccustomed to the new environment and was ashamed to admit that he had made a big mistake. He could only grit his teeth and endure in Nandu. As a result, he was depressed to death in a short time.
After Li Jing died in Nandu, 25-year-old Li Congjia succeeded to the throne in Jinling on July 29 (the second year of Jianlong in the Northern Song Dynasty) and changed his name to Li Yu. He was known as the later master of the Southern Tang Dynasty in history.
Li Hongji, who was living in the netherworld, probably would never have imagined that all his fighting would be to clear the way to the throne for the brother he disliked the most. Of course, no one knows what becoming the leader of the country at this time will mean in the end.
The new leader of the country, Li Yu, was a talented man who was recognized as "a man of extraordinary talent and proficiency in calligraphy and painting, far beyond the ordinary and beyond the unexpected." However, Li Yu was not just a talented man, fate made him a The king of a kingdom. This is his job. Li Yu in history books always seems to be indifferent to political affairs and extremely mediocre, but some scattered fragments make people vaguely aware of another side of this talented man.
Li Yu knew very well what he was facing. As soon as he ascended the throne, he immediately sent envoy Feng Yanlu to the Song Dynasty to present a large tribute to Song Emperor Zhao Kuangyin in exchange for the Song Dynasty's recognition of his inheritance of his father's throne.
Tribute is tribute. In fact, Li Yu was not willing to admit his status as a vassal state of Song Dynasty. In his palace, he still wears yellow robes, and all regulations still follow the imperial standards. He even wrote to Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin requesting that his father be restored to the title of emperor and built a mausoleum. All this shows his true psychology. Of course, he actually knew very well that the strength of his country and even himself, the head of the family, was far from enough to compete with the Song Dynasty, so whenever the Song envoys came, he had to take off his dragon clothes and put on a purple robe. What Li Yu did was not just to change his clothes to express his pleasure, but also to do more things that made the Song Dynasty uneasy about Li Yu, thinking that "although he showed fear on the outside and cultivated the courtesy of vassals, on the inside he was actually repairing his armor." Recruit troops and prepare for war. Many years later, Song Zhenzong once asked Pan Shenxiu, an old minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, whether Li Yu was really a coward and incompetent. Pan Shenxiu replied: "If he is really such an incompetent and ignorant person, how could he have defended the country for more than ten years?"
However, the reality at the time was that having the intention to bring back heaven does not mean that he has the power to do so. Li Yu was a talented man with a delicate and keen mind, but like his brother Li Hongji, he was somewhat suspicious and suspicious, and he always used it in the wrong place. As time went by, the youthful vigour when he first came to the throne was gradually worn away by the facts, and Li Yu became more and more aware that he and his country would one day be swallowed up by powerful neighbors, so he might as well be happy while he still had the opportunity. So the ministers persuaded him to cheer up, but he turned a deaf ear and even sent those who advised him to jail. The king, who was already good at this, gradually became less interested in political affairs and spent more and more energy on pleasure.
The main person who accompanied Li Yu to enjoy himself in Jinling City without caring about worldly affairs was Li Yu's wife Zhou Ehuang.
The main person who accompanied Li Yu to have fun in Jinling City without caring about worldly affairs was Li Yu's wife Zhou Ehuang.
Emperor Zhou E was born in 936 AD, one year older than Li Yu. Her real name is no longer known, and "Ehuang" is actually just her given name. She was born into a noble family of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Her father, Zhou Zong, had already followed Xu Zhigao, the future great ancestor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, when he was the governor. He was an out-and-out hero. Emperor Zhou E was nineteen years old when she married Li Yu. This marriage was personally arranged by Li Jing, Emperor Yuanzong of the Southern Tang Dynasty. According to records, Li Jing greatly admired her pipa after hearing her playing, and specially gave her the "Shaocao Pipa" that he used. It can be seen that Li Jing is very satisfied with this personally selected daughter-in-law.
Emperor Zhou E was extremely talented. He was "well versed in calligraphy and history, good at music and rhythm, and was especially good at pipa" and "played chess and played extremely well." It can be said that the husband sings and the wife follows, and the two of them stay together every day, feasting, singing and dancing. It is said that after a snow-viewing banquet, Zhou Hou, who was half drunk, raised a glass and invited Li Yu to dance. Li Yu joked: "If you want me to dance, you must compose a new song for me." Zhou Hou immediately raised his pen at the table and poured out his words. It was composed in a short time, and it was indeed beautiful and moving. Li Yu kept his promise and danced with his wife's new song. Hence the name "Invitation to Drunk Dance". In addition to this song, Zhou Hou also composed a song "Hate Coming Late" for Li Yu. Li Yu also voted for Li, and wrote many touching poems specifically for Zhou Hou, such as "A Dendrobium Pearl", "Huanxi Sha", "Jade House Spring", "Midnight Song" and so on. Both Zhou Hou's music and Li Yu's lyrics are full of charming and beautiful scenery, fully demonstrating the love between the two. All national affairs and dangers were forgotten in the murmur.
If measured by the requirements of the position of "Queen", Emperor Zhou E was not only not a virtuous queen, but also a charming king.
There is no trace that she ever advised her husband to be diligent in political affairs, but there are countless anecdotes from official history telling the world that her life was extremely luxurious. Legend has it that she was happy to be surrounded by incense and mist, so Li Yu appointed a class of incense maids specifically for her. The incense utensils she used were all made of gold, silver and jade, and there were dozens of named utensils among them. How the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty lived outside the palace was beyond her concern. But strictly speaking, Li Yu, the husband of Emperor Zhou E, also had a temperament that was more like a genius than a king. They are really an almost perfect pairing of talent and beauty. Li Jing, who has a scholarly temperament, could only think of this when she tied the red thread for the two children. She never expected that fate would push this young couple who were only suitable to be "rich and idle people" behind God. Location.
Almost all the talented people in the world have the same problem. The talented woman in their minds must be a person with "both talent and appearance". Of course Li Yu is not immune to this. And Emperor Zhou E was not only a talented woman, but also an extremely beautiful woman. History books solemnly called her "a national beauty" and a peerless beauty. What's more important is that this peerless beauty is also well versed in the art of beautifying the face and beautifying the body. She has created original makeup looks such as "high bun, slender dress" and "upturned sideburns" to fully show off her peerless beauty and graceful figure. Everyone thought it was a fairy descending to earth, and women inside and outside the palace imitated her. Of course, Li Yu was fascinated, and Emperor Zhou E had the favor of a special house.
The direct effect of "the favorite of the special house" is that Emperor Zhou E has been giving birth to children for Li Yu without interruption, and has given birth to three sons in a row. Seeing that his heirs are prosperous and his children are all handsome and elegant, Li Yu's love for his wife is growing even more.
Among the three sons, the youngest son Zhongxuan was the most beloved by Emperor Zhou E. Originally, as a queen, the work of raising children was the responsibility of the maidservants, but Emperor Zhou E loved Zhongxuan so much that she had to take care of everything about this child's food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and raised him personally.
Just like all the people in the world who are intoxicated with love and family relationships, Li Yu and Zhou Ehuang never thought that their marriage in the world was actually very short-lived.
Legend has it that the end of this marriage was foreshadowed.
During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous song "Neon Clothes and Feather Clothes". Since the chaos of the Tang Dynasty, no one in the world has been able to restore its melodious sound. Li Yu knew that his wife loved music, so he tried his best to finally get the score of this great piece. However, this great piece has undergone many variations during its circulation, and the score itself is not complete enough, and even professional musicians cannot figure it out. After knowing it, Emperor Zhou E studied it carefully and made a series of additions, deletions and adjustments. Finally, this great song was reproduced and won a lot of admiration. However, Xu Xuan, a member of the Zhongshu family, was surprised after listening to it. He discussed privately with the musician Cao Sheng: "The lingering sound of the French music should have ended slowly, but now it ends so hastily? Please change the old score to this, I'm afraid it's not a good sign."
Sure enough, not long after, news came out from the palace that Queen Zhou fell ill.
The sick Emperor Zhou E moved the four-year-old Zhongxuan from his palace to another palace. This was originally the mother's good intention to prevent her child from being affected by her illness, but she never expected that Zhongxuan would suddenly become seriously ill as soon as he moved out of the Queen's Palace, and he would die within a few days.
Hearing that his beloved son had died in infancy, the sick Emperor Zhou E almost fainted. The heart of a mother is the same whether she is a queen or a common woman. However, most poor women who have suffered the same pain of losing a child can still face it with strength. However, Emperor Zhou E, who had a smooth life, could not bear it no matter what. Her condition deteriorated rapidly.
According to folklore, the deterioration of Zhou Ehuang's condition also dealt another heavy blow: she learned about the affair between her younger sister, Xiao Zhou, and her husband. Little Zhou was a full fourteen years younger than her sister, and was still only fifteen years old at this time. Li Yu had always been doting on Emperor Zhou E and turned a blind eye to the concubines in the harem. For some reason, he was attracted to this sister-in-law. Taking advantage of Emperor Zhou E's illness, he brought her into the palace and the two became romantically involved. Unexpectedly, although the little Zhou family was outstanding in talent and appearance, she was young and ignorant. Not only was her trace discovered by Emperor Zhou E, but she also told Emperor Zhou E that she had been in the palace for several days.
Emperor Zhou E was greatly stimulated, and within a few days his beloved son died again. The two sides attacked him, and finally passed away.
Compared with this romantic version of the plot, another argument is more practical: the reason why Xiao Zhou entered the palace and stayed away for several days when his sister's condition became serious was not Li Yu's fault alone, but It is a masterpiece created by the government of the country. It is intended to prevent the eldest daughter from being sick and there will be no other "fill-in-the-blank" people around the romantic son-in-law. It also avoids the "dangerous situation" of the eldest daughter changing her surname if she confesses it. . Li Yu's biological mother, the Empress Dowager Zhong, would never want her son to lose his mind for his wife, and of course she was willing to facilitate this matter. Li Yu was romantic and passionate, and traces of women other than Emperor Zhou E could often be seen in his early poems and poems. Is it possible that Emperor Zhou E didn't know why she reacted "evilly" and "no longer cares" at this time? It's not because of jealousy, but because I deeply feel that my parents and family already treat me as a dying person.
Regardless of the reason, in short, after learning about Zhongxuan's death, Emperor Zhou E quickly became critically ill.