In that distant dynasty, Empress Chunyuan, she never seemed to really step into our sight. She only lives in the memories of the emperor, empress and other harem beauties, and even more in the imagination of the general public. As the old saying goes, "The rivers and lakes have no human figures, only legends flow." "However, in this complex court, we have pieced together a complete image of her through the dictation of other concubines: her beauty, like a fairy in the sky, haunts the emperor's dreams; Her talent, like a starry star, is amazing; Her wisdom and virtue have left a deep imprint on people's hearts.
However, it was such a Jade Rabbit-like Chunyuan Empress who actually made a side Fujin suffer two hours of kneeling punishment and lost her own child because of it. This kind of behavior seems to be very different from her suave image. According to the original book, this unfortunate side Fujin is a virtuous concubine. Why did Concubine Xian suffer such a punishment? It's just because of her great disrespect for Queen Chunyuan. But is the truth really that simple?
In my opinion, this seems to be deliberately done to maintain the perfect image of Empress Chunyuan. There are too many doubts in the original book. First, kneeling for two hours is obviously deliberate. In ancient times, two hours were now four hours. For a pampered concubine, this is tantamount to torture. What's more, Concubine Xian was still pregnant at the time. Second, Empress Chunyuan's statement that she didn't know about Concubine Xian's pregnancy is more like a cover. Empress Chunyuan is delicate and knows everything about the affairs of the palace, how could she not know when the concubines in the harem will be pregnant?
To sum up, I think that Empress Chunyuan knew the fact that Concubine Xian was pregnant, and deliberately punished her for kneeling for two hours, causing her to miscarry. This act is undoubtedly immoral. But does this really exist? We can only look to history for answers. In the court, the motives behind some actions are far more complex than they seem.
Queen Chunyuan is gentle and virtuous, but there is a deep scheming hidden behind it. When she designed to make Concubine Xian miscarry, her grief-stricken expression and remorseful performance seemed to be really heartbroken for what happened to Concubine Xian. She performed this drama vividly, which not only captured the emperor's heart, but also won the sympathy of everyone. At this moment, her kind image became more and more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the tragic experience of Concubine Xian became the focus of everyone's attention.
Concubine Xian's miscarriage undoubtedly sounded the alarm for those who despised Empress Chunyuan. Since Chunyuan ascended to the throne, Concubine Xian has been making things difficult for her and targeting her in various ways, and other concubines in the palace have also complained about Chunyuan. Empress Chunyuan completely dispelled the arrogance of those people with a ruthless method. In the eyes of everyone, she is no longer the Chunyuan Queen who is bullied, but shows an iron-fisted side. What happened to Concubine Xian is undoubtedly a lesson she teaches to those who despise her.
After all, don't easily provoke a seemingly harmless white lotus, because once she gets angry, she will turn into a black rose with thorns. Empress Chunyuan's means of Concubine Xian are exactly like this. She covered up her vicious scheming with a compassionate performance, which made people have to admire the cleverness of her methods.
So, we should understand that everyone has their own means and strategies, and even more so in the court. Although Empress Chunyuan's methods were ruthless, they undoubtedly allowed her to gain a firm foothold in the harem.