The story of Li Longji and Yang Guifei actually has different angles to examine. Li Longji is not a stupid person, and Yang Guifei is also a beautiful woman. Although it was rumored that fat was beautiful in the Tang Dynasty at that time, Yang Guifei's plump figure did not meet the aesthetic standards of the time. However, the pickiness of the Son of Heaven's choice of concubines has become a topic of interest at the time.
In fact, Li Longji is not stupid, and Yang Guifei is by no means lacking in charm. Although her appearance is plump, Li Bai described her in the poem as "a jade ring as light as a flying swallow", which shows that her beauty is breathtaking. The Son of Heaven chooses a concubine, how can he allow a thin and light man to be a concubine?
However, similar episodes have happened in history. Under the rule of Cixi in the late Qing Dynasty, the Son of Guangxu had two concubines, one ugly and one beautiful. Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen, the former looks mediocre, but the latter has a charming face, sinking fish and geese. Their fates vary entirely depending on their appearance, and they become the focus of discussion at the time.
Empress Yulong, the main chamber of the Guangxu Emperor, is Cixi's niece and has a special status, but Cixi still needs to expand her power in the harem. The Empress Dowager Cixi's request was that the concubine must be ugly. Why did Cixi choose ugly concubines?It turned out that Cixi needed to control the Guangxu Emperor in order to maintain her dominance. Therefore, when she chooses a concubine, she focuses on mastery rather than beauty.
In this **, Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen became the two concubines that the Empress Dowager Cixi paid attention to. Despite Concubine Zhen's outstanding appearance, under the intervention of Cixi, she was bullied and her life was not satisfactory. Even more unfortunate, during the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, Guangxu and Cixi fled to Xi'an, taking only Concubine Jin with them, while Concubine Zhen was abandoned.
Concubine Zhen's fate was even more unfortunate, she was secretly executed by Cixi, and even her bones could not be buried. In contrast, Concubine Jin survived the war safely and was even invited to the puppet Manchukuo Imperial Palace. She cared for Concubine Zhen and pursued to find and bury her ashes.
However, good people live short. Concubine Jin died in the puppet state of Manchukuo, and her grave was later discovered by tomb robbers. All this is the ruthlessness of history, and it is also part of the power of the Empress Dowager Cixi.