In 1127 A.D., Kaifeng City fell under the iron hooves of the Jin army, and the torrent of history swept more than 3,000 people to the north of Song Huizong, Song Qinzong, Zheng and Zhu, as well as harem clans and ministers. At this moment, a tragic page in history - "Jingkang Change" was unveiled.
Those who were once immersed in wealth and glory are now living in humiliation. Especially those once noble women, who were ruthlessly deprived of their dignity under the ** of the Jin people. However, there was one woman who defended her dignity at the cost of her life, which made the emperors of the Jin Dynasty have a heartfelt respect for her. So, who exactly is this resilient woman?
She is the empress of Zhao Huan, the last emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhu Lian. Since the first year of Chongning (1102), Zhu Lian was born in a prominent family in Xiangfu County, Kaifeng Prefecture. Zhu Lian's father, Zhu Bocai, was named the envoy of the Wukang Army Festival due to fate, and after his death, he was posthumously named the king of Enping County.
The reason for this is that Zhu Bocai's half-sister is the concubine of Song Shenzong and the biological mother of Song Zhezong. Although he was not the same father and mother, this blood relationship still brought great blessings to Zhu Bocai, making him occupy a place in the imperial court.
In the sixth year of Zhenghe, Zhao Ji of Song Huizong selected Zhu Lian, who was both talented and good-looking, as the crown princess for the crown prince Zhao Huan. The two tied the knot in June of that year. In a flash, the Zhu family gave birth to a prince in October of the following year, Zhao Huan's dragon species. The birth of this imperial grandson made Zhao Ji of Song Huizong rejoice, and he immediately canonized this young prince as the major of the inspection school, the envoy of the Changde Army, and the prince of Chongguo. The arrival of Zhao Chen undoubtedly consolidated the position of the crown prince Zhao Huan and added unshakable weight to it.
In addition, Zhu Lian also has a sister who is like a sister, and she is also married to Zhao Kai, the third son of Song Huizong. This Prince Zhao Kai was talented and won the favor of Song Huizong, and even put Zhao Huan's crown prince in jeopardy for a time. However, Zhao Huan finally sat on the throne in the tide of history, which is undoubtedly due to the Jin Dynasty in the north. Of course, such an outcome comes at a great cost. Under the strong pressure of the Jin army, Song Huizong had no choice but to abdicate, so Zhao Huan was able to ascend the throne smoothly. As Zhao Huan's wife, Zhu Lian was canonized as the queen, and her glory and brilliance were like peach blossoms in spring, bright and dazzling.
In the first month of the first year of Jingkang (1126), the iron hooves of the Jin army surged across the Yellow River and pointed directly at the prosperous city of Kaifeng. However, under the resolute command of the national hero Li Gang, the Northern Song army was like an impregnable mountain, steadily holding back the frenzy of the Jin army. It was an exciting battle for the defense of Tokyo, in which the Northern Song army and people united and finally repelled the ferocious Jin army. At that moment, the joy of victory overflowed the entire Kaifeng City, and Li Gang's prestige became even louder.
However, the good times were short-lived. A few months later, like a cunning wolf, the Jin army made a comeback. At this time, Li Gang was defeated in the political struggle and reluctantly left his post. The people in Kaifeng City were panicked, and their original firm beliefs began to waver. To make matters worse, the outer city of Kaifeng was breached by the Jin army, and Song Qinzong was cornered. He was filled with grief and indignation, and in order to save the lives of the people in the city, he finally chose to go to the golden camp in humiliation and surrender. At this moment, the weight of history was ruthlessly pressed on the shoulders of this monarch, and his tears and helplessness were intertwined, telling the loneliness and sadness of a dynasty.
In the long course of history, Song Qinzong was imprisoned by the Jin army. Those gold people were extremely greedy and demanded a large amount of gold and silver from the Northern Song Dynasty. Despite the best efforts of the imperial court, it could only scrape together 160,000 taels of gold, 2 million taels of silver, and 1 million pieces of clothing and satin. However, this wealth is far from what the Jin people expected. As a result, the greedy Jin people began to loot in Kaifeng City, and even the clans of the Northern Song Dynasty were not spared.
Under the close surveillance of the Jin army, Song Huizong, Song Qinzong, harem beauties, princesses, princesses, and clan ministers were forced to embark on the road to the north. Along the way, they have gone through a lot of hardships, and the pain and helplessness in their hearts are indescribable. And those members of the royal family who were once prominent have gradually lost their former glory in a foreign land.
In that era, countless women suffered endless ** under the iron hooves of the Jin Army. Among them, even the noble princess and concubines of Song Huizong were not spared, they were brutally tortured and even lost their lives. And those women who survived were sent to the Huanyi Courtyard and lived a life that was worse than death.
In this catastrophe, Zhu Lian, as the queen, although she was in danger, she always adhered to her dignity. She witnessed the devastation of the women, and her heart was filled with pain and anger. As a queen, she is well aware of the heavy responsibility on her shoulders, and she chooses to fight to the death.
Zhu Lian initially tried to hang herself, but fate didn't seem to want her to leave easily. After being discovered, she chose to throw herself into the water again, and this time she never returned. She was only twenty-seven years old.
The Emperor of the Jin Dynasty heard her story and was moved by her chastity. He praised her for "being clean and clean, and getting chastity", and posthumously named her the chaste lady of Jingkang County. Compared with those two emperors of Huiqin who were greedy for life and afraid of death, Empress Zhu undoubtedly became the most virtuous person in the royal family.