In Chinese history, there is a woman who is known as "the first leftover woman in the Tang Dynasty". Her name is Yang Peony, she was born in the last years of the Sui Dynasty, the niece and granddaughter of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, and the daughter of Yang Da, the founder of the Tang Dynasty. She was smart, beautiful, and talented since she was a child, but she never married until she was 44 years old. Two years later, she gave birth to an emperor through the ages - Wu Zetian. Her life has been full of ups and downs, both honor and disgrace, and even in her 80s, there are many scandals. What kind of person is she? Let's find out.
Yang Peony's father, Yang Da, was a general of the Sui Dynasty, who once led the army to conquer Goryeo and made great achievements for the Sui Dynasty. Yang Peony was also born in a wealthy family and enjoyed a superior life. She has received a good education since she was a child, not only proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also dabbling in poetry, literature and history, and prefers to study Buddhism. She has an independent mind and does not want to be arranged by her parents to marry, but pursues free love. Her parents were also very open-minded, respected her choice, and did not force her to marry early.
Although Yang Peony is beautiful and moving, not many people dare to ask for marriage. On the one hand, because her identity is too noble, many people feel that they are not worthy of her; On the other hand, because her talent is too outstanding, many people feel that they are not as good as her. In ancient times, men had many machismo ideas, and they liked women who were good wives and mothers, rather than women who were equal to them or even overpowered. Therefore, although Yang Peony has many suitors, none of them can really touch her heart.
Yang Peony remained single for decades until the Tang Dynasty was established after the fall of the Sui Dynasty. Tang Gaozu Li Yuan is Yang Peony's cousin, and he is very kind to Yang Peony. He knew that Yang Peony was 44 years old and had not yet married, so he wanted to find a good home for her. He remembered his old friend, Samurai Tong. Originally a carpenter-turned-merchant, Wu Shi Tong later rebelled with Li Yuan and funded his establishment of the Tang Dynasty. As a result, Samurai Tong was awarded the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry and the Duke of Yingguo, and became an important minister of the court. Samurai's wife had long since died, and he never remarried. Li Yuan felt that Wu Shi Tong and Yang Peony were a match made in heaven, so he decreed that they would be married to husband and wife.
Yang Peony didn't want to get married, but her father had died and her family was gradually declining, and she realized that she couldn't go on like this, so she agreed to the emperor's will. After she married Samurai Tong, she found that he was a gentle, considerate, and knowledgeable man, and he loved her very much. Their relationship was very good, and two years later, Yang Peony gave birth to a daughter at the age of 46. This daughter is the later Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian inherited his mother's beauty and talent from an early age, she was smart, had a strong learning ability, and also had a strong interest in politics. Under her mother's tutelage, she grew up to be an independent-minded and ambitious woman. She was elected to the palace at the age of 14 and became a talented person of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Later, she went through the Li Zhi and Li Xian dynasties, and finally established herself as the emperor and became the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history.
Yang Peony witnessed the rise of her daughter and shared the glory of her daughter. She was named Lady of Rongguo, Lady of Wei, and Empress Dowager, and lived in the palace with her daughter. She lived to be 91 years old, one of the longest-lived royal families of the Tang Dynasty. She still had a lot of scandals in her later years, such as having an affair with Wu Zetian's favorite minister Zhang Yizhi, such as having an affair with Wu Zetian's youngest son Li Hong, and so on. Whether these rumors are true or not is impossible to verify, but it can be seen that Yang Peony is a woman who is unwilling to be lonely and dares to pursue her own happiness.
Yang Peony is a legendary woman who broke many shackles and prejudices in ancient society, she is not willing to be arranged by others to arrange her own destiny, but to live according to her own wishes. Although she only got married at the age of 44, she did not lose her charm and value because of this. She gave birth to an emperor through the ages and became a mother through the ages. She has had ups and downs in her life, both honor and disgrace, but she has always maintained her style and bearing. She is a role model for women to admire and learn from.