In the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), Li Fengniang, the empress of Song Guangzong, broke into the Shouci Hall and made a lot of noise to force the Empress Dowager Xie to move to a remote palace. Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Xie, who was bullied by Li Fengniang in the past, did not move this time, and said with a sneer: "I'm afraid it's you who should leave this time!" ”
Soon, news came from the previous dynasty: Emperor Zhao Dian officially gave the throne to King Zhao Kuo of Jia. Li Fengniang was stunned and motionless, but saw Empress Dowager Xie say slowly: "Li, your good days are finally over." ”
This Empress Dowager Xie is rarely mentioned in the history of the Southern Song Dynasty, but in fact, she plays a pivotal role in the history of the Southern Song Dynasty, and her life experience is very worth mentioning. Today, I will talk to you about the empress dowager who was low-key in the first half of her life and flourished in the second half of her life - Empress Xie of Song Xiaozong.
Song Xiaozong Zhao Yan (alias Zhao Bocong, Zhao Jin, Zhao Wei), has canonized three queens, and Xie is his third queen. Among the three queens, Chengmu Empress Guo was Zhao Yan's original wife, who died before he ascended the throne. The second empress Xia and the third empress Xie had similar experiences, and both were once the maids of Empress Wu of Song Gaozong.
Xie was born in a poor family, and her parents died when she was a child, and she lived a lonely life. But Xie has a beautiful face, and when he was a teenager, he was elected to the palace with his beauty and became the palace maid next to the Empress Dowager Xiansheng (that is, Empress Gaozong Wu). Xie is smart and good, and Empress Dowager Wu likes her very much.
The Empress Dowager Wu is also a figure, she is a martial arts master who has saved the life of Song Gaozong several times. Empress Dowager Wu's character is resolute and upright, with clear love and hate, and Xie is deeply influenced by her. Zhao Yan, who was still the king of Pu'an County at that time, died early with Guo. Empress Dowager Wu gave him the palace maids Xia and Xie who she relied on as concubines.
Xie was given the title of Mrs. Xian'an County, and was favored by Zhao Yan for her beauty. However, Zhao Yan preferred the lively and clever Xia at that time, and the favor given to Xie was not as good as Xia's. During this period, the Xie family was very low-key because they were not very favored, and they were not outstanding among Zhao Yan's concubines.
In the thirty-second year of Shaoxing (1162), Zhao Yan succeeded to the throne. The Xie family was only named Wanrong, while the Xia family, who was given to Zhao Yan with her, was made a virtuous concubine and was made queen the following year. However, it was from this time that Xie Shi was gradually noticed by Zhao Yan and opened a new chapter in her life.
Xie has a peaceful personality and is intelligent. After becoming a concubine, she began to pay attention to the big and small things in the court. Influenced by Empress Dowager Wu, Xie has always been haunted by the murder of Yue Fei during the Song Gaozong period, believing that Yue Fei was a good general who was loyal to the monarch and patriotic, and should restore his reputation.
Before Zhao Yan ascended the throne, he was very opposed to negotiating peace with the Jin people, and was quite sympathetic to Yue Fei's experience. Xie took advantage of the opportunity to accompany him, often talking about Yue Fei's grievances in front of him, and from time to time mentioning that Qin Hui's remnants were too powerful, and they were afraid that they would threaten the imperial rule.
Zhao Yan adopted Xie's suggestion, recovered Yue Fei's official title, changed the burial according to the official rites, and at the same time appointed Zhang Jun, the leader of the main battle faction, as the Xuanfu envoy of the Jianghuai East and West Road, commanded the army to resist Jin, and expelled the Qin Hui Yu party. Zhao Yan tried to reorganize the army, restore the Central Plains, and recover the lost territory of the Central Plains. Tse actively supported his decision and often advised him.
Zhao Yan felt that Xie and himself had the same ideals, and the two had the same three views, and then began to pay attention to Xie. In the second year of Longxing (1164), Xie was promoted to the title of concubine, and her status in the palace was second only to Empress Xia, and Zhao Yan's emotional balance at this time was also more inclined to Xie.
In the third year of the Gandao (1167), the queen Xia died. The middle palace was vacant, and Zhao Yan asked Concubine Xie to take charge of the harem. But because Concubine Xie sympathized with Yue Fei and supported the main battle against Jin, it attracted the dissatisfaction of Emperor Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou put pressure on Zhao Yan to prevent him from canonizing Concubine Xie as the queen.
Zhao Yan deeply felt that this move was unfair to Xie, but Xie comforted him and said: "Children must be filial to the elderly, and don't do things that dissatisfy the elders." After that, the Xie family acted as the queen as a noble concubine and managed the harem in an orderly manner. And to Song Gaozong, she is also very filial. Even though she knew that Gaozong was dissatisfied with her, she still often went to serve in front of Gaozong's palace and took good care of Gaozong and Empress Dowager Wu.
Fortunately, Empress Dowager Wu has always liked Xie very much, and with her help, the relationship between Gaozong and Xie gradually eased. In the third year of Chunxi (1176), Emperor Zhao Gou finally let go of his prejudice against Xie and issued an order to Zhao Yan to canonize Xie as the queen. Zhao Yan was overjoyed and deliberately promulgated the edict on the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, so that people from all over the world could celebrate the new Empress Xie on the full moon day.
Originally, everything began to develop in a good direction, but I didn't expect that a rare shrew was about to appear in the harem of the Southern Song Dynasty, and after she appeared, there was no longer a moment of peace in the palace.
In the first year of Shaoxi (1190), Zhao Yan became the Emperor Taishang, and Xie became the Empress Taishang, with the honorific title ofEmpress Shoucheng. The throne was inherited by Zhao Yan's sister-in-law (the son of the original Guo family) Zhao Dan.
After Zhao Dian succeeded to the throne, he appointed Li Fengniang, the daughter of Li Dao, the daughter of the Qingyuan Army, as the queen. Although Li Fengniang is beautiful, she is quite coquettish. Zhao Dian likes Li Fengniang very much, but Li Fengniang is very ruthless, and he is also quite jealous of her, and it can even be said that he is very afraid of her.
Li Fengniang is pampered, and often plays with right and wrong in the palace, making the palace peaceful. Emperor Xiaozong Zhao Yan had to warn Li Fengniang several times, threatening her that if she did not change her ways, the title would be abolished. Li Fengniang was unconvinced, suspecting that it was the slander of Empress Dowager Wu of Gaozong and Empress Xie of Xiaozong, so she had a grudge with Empress Dowager Wu, Emperor Xiaozong and Empress Xie.
Empress Dowager Wu was born in a martial arts and has great prestige, so she doesn't take Li Fengniang in her eyes. Li Fengniang was afraid of the prestige of the Empress Dowager Wu, so she only dared to say a few words behind her back, but she never dared to be presumptuous in front of the Empress Dowager Wu. However, Queen Xie, who has a gentle temperament and has always been very low-key, is very easy to be manipulated in Li Fengniang's opinion, so she targets Queen Xie everywhere.
Later, Zhao Dian was angry with Li Fengniang, and "Shouhuang" (the title of Zhao Yan after the throne of Xiaozong) heard that his son was sick and was very worried, so he asked the imperial doctor to prepare the pill and handed it to him when Zhao Dian came to greet him. The eunuch beside Li Fengniang said that these medicines were concocted by Emperor Shouhuang, and they might be poisonous. Li Fengniang already had an opinion about Emperor Shou, so she resolutely refused to allow Zhao Dian to take those medicines. A few days later, Emperor Shou heard that Zhao Dian's illness had improved, so he wanted to summon him to the palace to speak.
Unexpectedly, Li Fengniang intercepted this will, and without telling Zhao Dan, she went to King Shou's palace alone. Emperor Shou asked her how Zhao Dan's health was, and Li Fengniang said: "The official family has always been ill, so it is better to establish King Jia to become the crown prince." "Emperor Shou thinks that Zhao Dian has just ascended the throne, so there is no need to establish a prince so early. Xie thought that Li Fengniang was arrogant and rude to Emperor Shou, so he advised Li to pay attention to the identity of the queen and have proper etiquette.
Li Fengniang made a big noise and said: "I am married to the official family, King Jia is my own birth, and his name is justified, why can't he be a prince!" In one sentence, he satirized that his father-in-law Xiaozong was not Gaozong's biological son, and ridiculed his mother-in-law, Queen Xie, for not being Xiaozong's original wife. Emperor Shou and Empress Xie were very angry, and Emperor Shouhuang even summoned the courtiers to abolish Li Fengniang's throne.
Taishi Shi Hao believed that Guangzong had just ascended the throne, and if he was abolished immediately, it might cause people to discuss, which was not conducive to the overall situation, and resolutely opposed the abolition of the queen, and Emperor Shou Zhao Yan had already abdicated as the emperor and could not get the support of the ministers, so the matter of abolishing the queen would not be resolved. This matter was told by Li Fengniang to Song Guangzong Zhao Dan, who slandered that he was afraid that Guangzong's throne would not be kept, and successfully made the relationship between Emperor Shou and Guangzong's father and son strained.
After that, Zhao Dian was very suspicious of Shouhuang, and gradually developed to Shouhuang Illness, and Zhao Dian did not pay attention to it. Li Fengniang was afraid that the relationship between Zhao Dan's father and son would ease, so she tried every means to sow discord, so that the relationship between Zhao Dan and his father became more and more indifferent, and there was no possibility of recovery.
Later, Zhao Dian simply stopped greeting Emperor Shou, and even Emperor Shouhuang's birthday and various festivals were dragged out. The courtiers wrote letters to advise, and Zhao Dian went to the palace of the Emperor Shou on the sixth day after the Changzhi Festival in a certain year.
In September of this year, it was the birthday of Emperor Shou, and the ministers invited Zhao Dian to go to Chonghua Palace to congratulate Emperor Shou on his birthday. Originally, Zhao Dian had been persuaded and was about to drive, but Li Fengniang suddenly came out to stop him, saying that the weather was cold, and the official family should drink some wine before leaving.
The ceremonial officer Chen Fuliang hurriedly dissuaded him, and Li Fengniang scolded. Chen Fuliang had no choice but to cry and retreat, and was chased out by Li Fengniang's attendants and asked why he was crying? Chen Fuliang said: "If the son does not listen to the father, he will cry and follow, and this sentence has been recorded in the Book of Rites." The minister is the son, the king is the father, how can he not cry if he does not obey? Li Fengniang was even more annoyed when she heard this, and even issued an order that she would never see Emperor Shou again.
In the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), Emperor Shouhuang fell ill, and Zhao Dian did not go to ask for more than three months, but had a banquet with Li Fengniang all day long. In May of this year, Emperor Shou was seriously ill and wanted to see Zhao Dian before he died. Prime Minister Liuzheng advised Zhao Dan, but Zhao Dian brushed his sleeves and left. When Emperor Shou heard this, he helplessly shed tears.
Xie originally thought that as long as he and Emperor Shou tolerated Li Fengniang a little, they would be able to live a better life. Unexpectedly, Li Fengniang intensified, ignoring the family affection of the elders, and actually made the relationship between Emperor Shou and his biological son like fire and water. Xie was very sad and angry, and wanted to contact the ministers of the court to seek justice for Emperor Shou. However, Emperor Shou took care of the royal face in the end, and he didn't want to embarrass Zhao Dian too much, so he stopped the Xie family.
But Xie did not intend to let go of Zhao Dian and his wife, so he found the Empress Dowager Wu and told him everything. Empress Dowager Wu and Xie agreed that only by letting Guangzong Zhao Dan take the throne and elevate Li Fengniang's power can the court and harem restore the harmony of the past. As a result, the Xie family began to secretly contact Guangzong's son Jiawang Zhao Kuo and the ministers who opposed Li Fengniang in the court, planning to remove Guangzong from the throne.
In June of the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), Emperor Shou collapsed in Chonghua Palace. The ministers asked Guangzong Zhao Dian to preside over the burial of the first emperor, and he reluctantly agreed, but he turned around and ran to the imperial garden with Li Fengniang to have a banquet, and then he couldn't even find his shadow. The ministers were dumbfounded and very helpless.
At this moment, the Xie family invited the highly respected Empress Dowager Wu to come out to preside over the funeral of Emperor Shouhuang, and at the same time arranged for King Jiawang Zhao Kuan to officiate. Subsequently, the Xie family, together with the prime minister Liuzheng and Zhao Ruyu, Han Yanxuan and others, forced Zhao Dian to take the throne and supported Zhao Kuan, the king of Jia, as the emperor. And in the troubled harem, Li Fengniang, who is invincible, is respected as the queen on the surface, but in fact she has been stripped of power.
In the second year of Qingyuan (1196), Zhao Kuo of Song Ningzong honored Xie ShiShoucheng Huici Empress Dowager. In June of the sixth year of Qingyuan (1200), Li Fengniang died of illness. In August of the same year, Zhao Kuo honored the Empress Dowager as the Empress Dowager, and the title of "Honorable Honor".Shoucheng Huiji Empress Dowager
In the third year of Kaixi (1207), Xie died and died in the Shouci PalaceEmpress Chengsu", and Song Xiaozong was buried in Yongfu Mausoleum.
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