Among the many dynasties of the feudal era, the Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly the most influential. Its influence is unrivaled in many overseas countries to this day.
One place you can see in these countries with a unique charm is Chinatown. Chinatown is where Chinese people live in cities in other countries, and it can be said that the formation of Chinatown is the inevitable result of Chinese seeking survival abroad.
Since Chinatown is a place where Chinese live abroad, why not just call it "Chinatown"? That's because the name "Chinatown" has a rich historical background behind it.
In Nalan Xingde's "Lushui Pavilion Miscellaneous Knowledge", he once mentioned that in Japan, people began to visit and settle during the Tang Dynasty, and the locals called their settlement "Datang Street", and until today, this area has expanded to ten miles long.
In other words, during the Tang Dynasty, Japan already had "Tang Street", and the residents of China at that time were also known as "Tang people". Over time, "Tang Street" gradually evolved into "Chinatown".
Therefore, the appearance of this name is closely related to the international influence of the Tang Dynasty at that time, and even after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, overseas countries still used "Tang" to refer to China.
This prosperous and influential Tang Dynasty can be said to be the only one of the many feudal dynasties, and the person who made the Tang Dynasty unique was Li Shimin, the son of the founding emperor Li Yuan.
Li Shimin, a figure whose name shines brightly in history. His exploits are enough to shine in the annals of history, and under his rule in the Tang Dynasty, the martial arts of cultural governance reached unprecedented heights.
However, Li Shimin is also an ordinary person, and his private life is full of the pursuit of beauty. In his youth, he had met the princess of the Sui Dynasty, although he had molested her, but the result was not satisfactory, and the princess glared at him angrily: "Even if all the men in the world die, I will not marry you." ”
However, the gears of fate have made the lives of these two people closely linked, what kind of story happened between them? History is always full of surprises that the fates of the Sui and Qin dynasties were so similar.
Although both dynasties were leaders in ending the war, their fates were the same. From a macro historical perspective, both the Sui and Qin dynasties ushered in a great era, and their ruling systems were inherited by successive dynasties and had far-reaching influences.
However, their lifespan is so short, like a shooting star in the night sky. From a microscopic point of view, the founders of the Sui and Qin dynasties were both known as wise and martial, but they both made major mistakes in the matter of heirs, which led to the decline of their dynasties.
Yang Guang, the second monarch of the Sui Dynasty, was keen to show his power, regardless of the people's livelihood and suffering, and excessively oppressed the people, which became the key reason for the fall of the Sui Dynasty. Governing the country is not blindly tough, but needs to be relaxed, excessive squeezing will only lead to the collapse of the country, just like pulling a bow and shooting an arrow, if it exceeds the capacity of the bowstring, no matter how good the bow can not exert its power.
However, for the nobles at that time, Yang Guang's tyranny was exactly what they wanted, which gave them the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. Li Yuan, one of the Eight Pillars, was an ambitious politician.
He is obedient to Yang Guang on the surface, but in fact he is secretly actively running his own territory, waiting for an opportunity for change.
In order to stabilize his position, Li Yuan decided to marry. He took a fancy to Yang Guang's favored daughter Yang, and called her Yang Ji'er in the wild history, but the specific name is not important, what matters is her identity.
So, Li Yuan decided to take advantage of this opportunity, and he handed over this task to his second son, Li Shimin. Under Li Yuan's careful planning, Li Shimin and Yang met unexpectedly in the wild.
Li Shimin is in the prime of his youth and is full of interest in beautiful women, which also continues Li Yuan's preference. Hearing his father's arrangement, he agreed without hesitation. Li Shimin believes that if he can marry the princess, his life will rise to a new height.
However, he did not foresee that many years later, he would become emperor.
Li Shimin deliberately set up a hunting trap on the way of the Yang family, and after seeing the princess's carriage, he threw the prey in his hand on the road, putting the princess's carriage in danger.
When Yang stopped, he immediately ran up to ask for his prey, but was sneered at by the princess. Not to be outdone, Li Shimin retorted that if the princess's voice was as beautiful as a person, he would marry her.
When Yang heard this, he felt insulted. After all, marriage is a big deal and can't be treated casually, not to mention that she is a daughter, and she can't let this hairy boy take advantage.
So, Yang jumped out of the carriage angrily and said to Li Shimin: "Even if all the men in the world die, I am not willing to marry you." ”
The separation between the two is full of contradictions and dissatisfaction, but it is this glance that makes the hearts of the two surge with inexplicable excitement, and love quietly comes in the argument of the lip gun. However, fate always makes people experience setbacks, and the fall of the Sui Dynasty directly changed the fate of the two.
Yang never thought that she would become one of Li Shimin's four concubines and was very favored. In 617 AD, Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, raised troops in Jinyang, and after capturing Chang'an, he established the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui as emperor.
At this time, Yang Guang, who was far away in Jiangdu, suddenly became the emperor. In this year, Yang Guang was hanged by the minister Yu Wenhua, and the Yang clan was purged on a large scale. Soon after, Li Yuan usurped the throne as emperor and named the country Tang.
Yang, the princess of the fallen country after the fall of the Sui Dynasty, was in a bleak situation. However, that all changed after Li Shimin brought her home. The two met for the first time, although there was irony, but at this moment, they only had each other in their eyes, and this fate made people sigh at the wonder of love.
Li Shimin loves the Yang family deeply, and the two have two sons together, Li Ke and Li Su, who are Li Shimin's own flesh and blood. After Li Shimin became emperor, the Yang family also received the official title of "concubine", according to the Tang Dynasty system, she was second only to the queen in this position, and her status was respected.
Some people may question that the Li family father and son have a deep grudge with the Yang family, however, the power of love is great, and it can surpass everything. The Yang family did not stay away from Li Shimin because of these grievances, but chose to stay with him and gave birth to their child.
This deep affection is touching and moving.
Perhaps the Yang family should not be responsible for Yang Guang's death, after all, he died at the hands of Yu Wenhua, not Li Yuan. In addition, Li Shimin is indeed very good to Yang. In the end, as a weak woman, Yang was powerless to resist the impact of fate.
Let's put the past behind us and enjoy life with the flow, no matter what the past was, at least the present life is stable. However, there is no clear record in history about Concubine Yang's later traces, and even the time and place of her death have become unsolved mysteries.