The Song Dynasty was an important period in Chinese history, which saw prosperity in many areas and experienced many major challenges. In this era, there was an emperor named Zhao Heng, who was the sixth son of Song Taizong and the honorific title of Song Zhenzong.
During his reign, he implemented a series of political, military, diplomatic and other reform measures, which restored and improved the national strength of the Song Dynasty, and was known as the Emperor of the Ages.
However, Song Zhenzong's life was not smooth, and his love and family were also full of legends and twists and turns. His favorite wife, Liu E, came from a humble background, and they fell in love for fifteen years before becoming husband and wife, and their relationship was unswerving, but the question of the throne and heirs troubled them a lot.
To solve this problem, Liu E made a surprising decision: she offered a nun to Song Zhenzong, hoping that she would give birth to a son for him. This nun's name is Li, and she became a nun because of family changes, but she was brought into the palace by Liu E.
She had a relationship with Song Zhenzong, and soon after, she really became pregnant and gave birth to a son. This son inherited his father's intellect and his mother's benevolence and became a preeminent monarch.
How the hell did this story happen?What impact did it have on the history of the Song Dynasty?
Liu E, a girl from an ordinary family, although she does not have a prominent background and status, she has a kind and intelligent heart. Since she was a child, she has loved to read and write, and has a strong interest in poetry and painting.
She is beautiful and moving, but she has never met that special person. Until that day, she met a handsome and dashing young man on the street, that was Zhao Heng. Zhao Heng is the sixth son of Song Taizong and the title of King Xiang.
From an early age, he showed outstanding talent and bearing, and was deeply loved and respected by his father and brothers. He fell in love with Liu E at first sight, ignoring the gap in identity and the ** of society, falling in love with her and making a private decision for life.
They often met secretly at the home of a close confidant to share their thoughts and feelings. However, their love was not accepted by the world, especially Song Taizong.
Song Taizong thought that Liu E was from a humble background and was not suitable to be his daughter-in-law, let alone become a future empress.
He tried to interfere in their love many times, hoping to find a suitable wife for Zhao Heng. However, Zhao Heng always insisted on his choice, he was unwilling to betray Liu E, nor did he want to go against his heart.
They went through ups and downs, and finally after the death of Song Taizong, they were recognized and supported by the Empress Dowager Song and officially became husband and wife. They were a pair of virtuous monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty, and they are also a good story in history.
Li was born into a wealthy family with noble blood and upbringing. But her father was given death for violating Song Taizong's taboo. In order to protect her and herself, her mother had to send Li to a monastery to become a nun.
Although she was unwilling, she had no choice but to accept this fate. However, Lee's fortunes took a turn under Liu E's change. Liu E is a woman with great ambitions and deep feelings, she loves Zhao Heng deeply, but knows his responsibilities and predicaments as an emperor.
She knew that Zhao Heng needed a son to inherit the throne and bloodline, but she couldn't realize this wish herself. In order not to disappoint and suffer him, and not to lose his love and trust, she decided to sacrifice a nun and let her give birth to a son for Zhao Heng.
By chance, Liu E met Li in the monastery and was attracted by her beauty and temperament. Liu E thought that the Li family was the most suitable candidate for Zhao Heng, so she used her power and means to bring the Li family into the palace and let her be responsible for bathing Zhao Heng.
Li Shi did not know Liu E's true intentions, and was afraid of refusing her orders, so he could only follow Liu E's instructions and enter Zhao Heng's dormitory. When Zhao Heng saw Li, he was also moved by her beauty and temperament, and had an intimate relationship with her that night.
Li didn't have the slightest emotional tie for Zhao Heng, she just accepted his favor in a helpless situation. She didn't think about becoming his concubine or side chamber, let alone fighting for power in the court.
All she wanted was to return to the monastery and live a peaceful life of her own. However, what she didn't expect was that the contact with Zhao Heng that night actually made her pregnant.
After Li became pregnant, she decided to secretly give birth to the child and send her away, but her little secret was discovered by Liu E. Liu E was very happy, thinking that this was a gift from God, and decided to treat the child as her own and become Zhao Heng's prince.
She begged Li not to tell Zhao Heng the true identity of the child, nor to have any contact with the child, although Li was unwilling, he could only agree. Under Liu E's arrangement, Li successfully gave birth to a boy, who was later Song Renzong Zhao Zhen.
Liu E held him in her arms and loved and cherished him very much. She said to Zhao Heng that this is their son and their heart. Zhao Heng was also very happy and moved, he thought that this was the son that Liu E gave birth to for him, and it was the crystallization of their love.
He named the child Zhao Zhen, which means blessing and peace, and made him the crown prince, preparing for him to inherit his throne.
Zhao Zhen was raised by Liu E since she was a child, and she was close and respectful. He was also full of respect and obedience to Zhao Heng, and knew nothing about his identity and biological mother, only that he was the emperor's son, the crown prince, and the future monarch.
He studied diligently and looked forward to becoming a man of talent and virtue. Zhao Zhen was born with extraordinary wisdom and benevolence, and often consulted with his father on state affairs and put forward useful suggestions and reforms. He was respected and loved in the court, and enjoyed praise and support among the people.
After the death of Song Zhenzong, Liu E, as the empress, was respected as the empress dowager and assisted Zhao Zhen in governing state affairs. She maintained her loyalty to Zhao Heng and her maternal love for Zhao Zhen, without any ambitions and selfish desires, supported reform politically, resisted foreign enemies militarily, promoted friendly exchanges diplomatically, developed education and literature and art culturally, reduced taxes on people's livelihood, and provided relief to disaster victims.
After her death, Zhao Zhen held a grand funeral, gave her the nickname of "Gongyi", and was buried with Zhao Heng in Yongzhao Mausoleum. As Zhao Zhen's biological mother, Li lived a lonely and lonely life in the palace, without relatives and friends to rely on.
Her maternal love for Zhao Zhen is deep but unable to express it, so she can only silently pay attention to his growth and achievements, and pray for him. In middle age, no one knows about her death, and the cemetery is forgotten.
But her son Zhao Zhen inherited his father's ambition and carried forward his mother's virtues and became an outstanding monarch. He has made achievements in politics, military, diplomacy, culture, and people's livelihood, and is known as the Emperor of the Ages, and the people respect him as the ancestor of Renzong.
In his later years, he gave the throne to his son Zhao Ji, that is, Song Shenzong.
This story vividly demonstrates Liu E's courage and resourcefulness in a patriarchal society. Although she came from a humble background, with her talent and beauty, she won Zhao Heng's true love and became his most trusted and relied on partner.
She loved Zhao Heng deeply, but she was able to put aside her personal desires and jealousy, and made a selfless and courageous decision for the sake of his throne and heirs: to dedicate the Li family to Zhao Heng and regard the son born to the Li family as her own.
Although she is the queen, she has no ambitions and selfish desires, wholeheartedly assists Zhao Heng in handling state affairs, and also does her best to cultivate Zhao Zhen to become a talented and virtuous monarch. With her actions and sacrifices, she proved her loyalty and maternal love to Zhao Heng and Zhao Zhen, as well as her contribution and influence to the Song Dynasty.