After Hai Lanzhu's death, Huang Taiji fell into endless grief and closed himself in the Guan Ju Palace. He did not eat or drink, and he could not sleep at night for five whole days. No matter who came to persuade him, he was like a stone sculpture, indifferent. At this time, Huang Taiji was like a seriously injured lion, and his former majesty had disappeared, leaving only the desolation of dying. The society, power and ambition that he once loved so much seemed to be eclipsed at this moment.
Huang Taiji, the invincible emperor, would fall into such a state of decadence because of a woman, it is really shocking. When I watched "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang" many years ago, I never understood where Huang Taiji's deep affection for Hai Lanzhu came from. In terms of talent, appearance, and morality, Hai Lanzhu has nothing to offer, and she once had a marriage history. However, Huang Taiji snubbed all the beauties in the harem for her, and even made his wife Zhezhe in awe.
Recently, I revisited "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", and I finally understood the real reason why Huang Taiji favored Hai Lanzhu alone. There are both love factors and other considerations. The timing of Huang Taiji's meeting with Hai Lanzhu was quite interesting, just when he had a conflict with Da Yuer. When he learned from Little Yu'er that Da Yu'er had an emotional entanglement with Dolgon, the proud Huang Taiji was dissatisfied. In his opinion, as his woman, Da Yu'er should love him wholeheartedly, even if he once had a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Dolgon, it was a betrayal for him.
Of course, there are two potential reasons why Huang Taiji reacted so strongly. First of all, he has always been jealous of Dorgon, which stems from his seizure of Dorgon's throne. Before Nurhachi's death, Huang Taiji had always thought that the throne would be passed on to him, after all, his talents, strategies and military achievements were outstanding. However, Nurhachi passed the throne to Dorgon on his deathbed, which dealt a heavy blow to Huang Taiji. In his opinion, this is his father's questioning and distrust of his abilities.
Secondly, the fact that Da Yu'er may be in love with Dolgon once again stimulated Huang Taiji's self-esteem. He has spent his life trying to prove that he is the much-expected owner of Daikin and an emperor who can lead Daikin to power. And Da Yu'er's feelings for Dolgon undoubtedly remind him of his frustration and vulnerability. This complex emotional entanglement and heart knot made Huang Taiji have a deep emotional dependence on Hai Lanzhu.
Huang Taiji was once again defeated by Dorgon, which made him feel uneasy. He is also afraid of Yu'er, because Yu'er has extraordinary strategy and insight. Yu'er has always been known as the "No. 1 Strategist of the Harem", and she often advises Huang Taiji to solve difficult problems, such as eliminating the henchman Yuan Chonghuan and successfully recruiting Hong Chengchou. Huang Taiji admired Yu'er's ingenuity and her unique insights that were different from other women.
However, when Huang Taiji learns that Yu'er may not love him, this appreciation turns into a deep defense. As his pillow person, Yu'er's heart is not on him, even on the "enemy" Dolgon, which makes the suspicious Huang Taiji have to strengthen his precautions. In order to test whether Yu'er loved him, Huang Taiji began to treat her coldly. In this way, he hopes to make Yu'er jealous and prove that she cares about him. Only when Jade loves him instead of Dorgon can he convince himself to continue to pamper her.
When Zhezhe was upset for Yu'er, Huang Taiji's first reaction was: "What, is she jealous?" However, Huang Taiji's snub did not make Yu'er succumb. Just when he was annoyed by this, Hai Lanzhu appeared.
At first, Huang Taiji had no feelings for Hai Lanzhu, and he approached her more for Qi Yu'er, making her jealous and bowing her head. He wanted to tell Yu'er that she didn't have the capital to be proud of, and that a woman who was inferior to her in all aspects and had been married could be favored by him, and she fell out of favor. He wanted to make her understand that her status, honor, and favor were all given by him, and only by relying on him could she have all this.
The reason why Huang Taiji took Hai Lanzhu was just to control the qi and the game with Yu'er at first. He said to Yu'er, "Still not admitting defeat? Well, you wait and see" is enough to prove it.
However, to Huang Taiji's surprise, he really fell in love with Hai Lanzhu. Part of the reason is that from Hai Lanzhu, he gets the satisfaction of being needed. Hai Lanzhu's ex-husband Chahar treated her very badly and often beat and scolded her. This can be seen from the fact that Hai Lanzhu gave birth to the eighth elder brother soon after marrying Huang Taiji, and has been married to Chahar for many years but has never had children. In her first marriage, she did not feel love, sex, and pampering, which is a true portrayal of her tragic experience.
These experiences made Hai Lanzhu deeply realize how important her husband's favor is to a woman, which also led to her strong dependence on Huang Taiji. She understands that her honor, status, and glory and wealth are all bestowed by Huang Taiji, so she must hold on to Huang Taiji to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
In order to capture Huang Taiji's heart, in addition to dependence, she also worked hard to do what he liked. There is such a detail in the play: Hai Lanzhu first entered the palace with Wu Keshan to save her relatives, and lived in Yu'er's Yongfu Palace. At that time, it was the time when Yu'er and Huang Taiji had a conflict, as her own sister, it was impossible for her not to ask about Yu'er, and it was impossible not to understand the hidden secrets. Therefore, she knew that Huang Taiji had a bad relationship with Yu'er, and Yu'er was unwilling to bow her head.
Hai Lanzhu knows that what Huang Taiji needs is not a smart woman with a strong personality, but a woman who can give him tenderness and sincerity. That's where she excels. Since marrying Huang Taiji, in order to consolidate her favor, she has been working hard to do what she likes. She will play tricks with Huang Taiji, be coquettish, be jealous, and pretend to be weak, and will also ask Huang Taiji to accompany her at all times and not to go to other palaces. And the kind of unreasonable domineering appearance in front of Zhezhe and Yu'er, she has never shown it in front of Huang Taiji, which shows that she knows Huang Taiji's preferences very well.
Of course, it is undeniable that Hai Lanzhu has feelings for Huang Taiji, but this affection is more due to the favor given to her by Huang Taiji. In short, what she loves is Huang Taiji's power and status. However, Huang Taiji does not think so. He was very satisfied with Hai Lanzhu's favor, because it brought him an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. This satisfaction is mainly due to Hai Lanzhu's dependence and affection for him. Women are sensible and independent in their relationships and are often not valued by men. There are several reasons behind this phenomenon.
First of all, women who are too sensible tend not to play sexually easily, which will make men feel less weak and dependent, thus reducing their sense of existence and worth. Secondly, due to their independence, women are able to handle many things on their own, which deprives men of some room to play in relationships. In the long run, a man may subconsciously think that the woman does not need him, does not value him, and may even feel that she does not need his love at all.
When a man meets a woman who depends on him and needs him, he often has a strong sense of satisfaction and protection. This emotional experience is invaluable to men. Just like the relationship between Huang Taiji and Hai Lanzhu, Hai Lanzhu's dependence and trust made Huang Taiji experience an unprecedented sense of achievement. This is an emotional experience that other women, such as Yu'er and Zhezhe, cannot give.
In addition, there is another important reason why Huang Taiji loves Hailanzhu deeply. Hai Lanzhu is a woman he chooses by himself, without any interference from external pressure. In contrast, most of Huang Taiji's other concubines were married for the purpose of political marriage or tribal surrender, not out of sincerity.
To sum up, women need to be moderately dependent and show weakness in their emotional relationships, which not only allows men to experience their sense of presence and worth, but also deepens their emotional connection with each other. At the same time, women should also understand that true love is based on mutual respect and trust. Hai Lanzhu is a unique existence for Huang Taiji. Among the many harem beauties, none of them are truly loved by Huang Taiji himself, and they are more or less involved in some purpose or interest. However, Hai Lanzhu is an exception. Although Huang Taiji initially fell in love with her partly because of Yu'er, marrying Hai Lanzhu did not involve any exchange of interests or the compulsion of external factors. In Hai Lanzhu, Huang Taiji shows a love that is not restricted by any restrictions, does not consider any interests, and chooses completely according to his mood, preferences and wishes.
Unlike other women, Hai Lanzhu's preciousness lies in her sincerity. She was not as afraid of Huang Taiji as other women, forced to marry him, or plotting for his position of power. It is precisely because there is no interest involved that Huang Taiji is convinced that Hai Lanzhu only regards him as a man who can fall in love with his heart, not an emperor. Even though Hai Lanzhu is not outstanding in terms of virtue and appearance, and even has been married, Huang Taiji is still willing to give her all the love and care.
After revisiting "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", I understood what Hai Lanzhu's death meant to Huang Taiji. By the time she died, Dorgon was so fledgling that the Emperor couldn't get rid of him easily. In order to entrap Dorgon for his own use, Huang Taiji had to retreat to the next best. Hai Lanzhu's death made Huang Taiji feel painful, and he even ignored the government because of this, showing an emotional tendency to go with her. After all, Huang Taiji was an ambitious man who had turned Dajin into Daqing.
All in all, many years ago, when I was in "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", I didn't understand why Huang Taiji ignored the government for the sake of Hai Lanzhu. Now after rewatching the plot, I understand the importance of Hai Lanzhu to Huang Taiji. Her death not only deprived Huang Taiji of a woman he loved deeply, but also meant that he lost control of the government and hope for the future. This may be the real reason why Huang Taiji neglected the government for the sake of a woman he loved. "As an emperor, my Emperor Taiji has also experienced a sad day. In the midst of a deep sense of crisis and powerlessness, Hai Lanzhu's sudden death made me feel more impermanence in life. I realized that even with all the power in the world, there were still many things that I couldn't control. Whether it is the departure of the powerful ministers of the DPRK or the beloved, I feel my insignificance and powerlessness.
Hai Lanzhu's passing took away not only herself, but also my youth, dreams and fighting spirit. Before I knew it, I had lost so much. She left me and took away my true happiness. The pain of this loss is so unforgettable.
As a man who once dominated the world, in the face of his aging and powerlessness, the gap and sadness are indescribable. Not long after Hai Lanzhu's departure, I also closed my tired eyes.
Looking back on "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", perhaps Hai Lanzhu is the happiest woman in the play. She had what many people could only dream of: true love, status, glory and wealth. But she is also unlucky, in the worldly desire and flattery, she lost herself, and even poisoned her own sister, and finally reaped the consequences.
I don't envy her, and I don't feel sorry for her. In life, fate may have been predestined, but everyone has the right to choose how to face their fate. "