Five generations of concubines are involved in politics, why no one stops them
During the Five Dynasties period, five regimes emerged in the northern region, among which the Later Liang and Later Zhou were ruled by the Han people, and the Later Tang, Later Jin and Later Han were established by the Shatuo people. In these regimes, the concubines participated in political activities in different ways and had varying degrees of influence on the political situation.
There are two main groups of concubines involved in political affairs: one is the empress and concubines, and the other is the emperor's mother, the empress dowager. So, how exactly did they get involved in government politics?
1. Political Activities of the Empress and Concubine (1) Political Activities of the Empress and Concubine The Empress and Concubine can participate in the decision-making and management of the state by virtue of their status as the emperor's wife and concubine, and can also directly participate in the discussion of military and political affairs and issue orders.
This type of concubine belongs to the second category of concubines, that is, concubines ordained or newly accepted during the reign of the emperor, with a total of 20 concubines, of whom 8 are involved in political activities, accounting for 40%.
Specific political activities include:
During the Five Dynasties, empresses and concubines not only played an important role in the court, but also participated directly in political affairs. They directly direct government affairs through the issuance of edicts or fatwas, and often participate in the deliberations of state affairs or direct political affairs.
According to records, 50% of the empresses and concubines participated in politics during the Five Dynasties period, indicating that their direct participation in political affairs was very common.
The threshold for concubines to participate in government decision-making is relatively low, and their words and deeds are enough to affect political affairs. For example, Concubine Zhang De, the late emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty, indirectly participated in political affairs in the form of persuasion, hoping that the late emperor would first sacrifice to the heavens and then canonize the harem, focusing on national government affairs.
Although the suburbs could not be held as scheduled because of the war with the Jin, her exhortation still had a positive impact on the political situation of the late emperor.
2. The Political Responsibilities of the Empress Dowager As the mother of the emperor, the empress dowager has a heavy responsibility for guiding the emperor to better govern the country. In times of national crisis, she had to take on the great responsibility of maintaining her husband's family and was regarded as a representative of orthodoxy by the bureaucracy.
The Empress Dowager had power as a mother, and the same applies to the Shatuo regime. Therefore, the five empress dowagers of the Five Dynasties period were directly or indirectly involved in political activities.
1. Directly participated in and commanded political affairs, including Empress Dowager Cao, the mother of Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, and Empress Dowager Li, the mother of Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty, their specific deeds are as follows: Empress Dowager Cao communicated with the feudal town through the edict, directly commanded political affairs, and became a subject of power at that time, and could even directly carry out administration beyond Zhuangzong.
A mother is the first teacher of her children, and her words and deeds have a profound impact on the growth of her children. In feudal society, the Queen Mother, as the mother of the emperor, her teaching and influence were more significant.
Because of his respect and filial piety to his mother, the emperor may favor the empress dowager in political decisions, which indirectly affects the direction of political affairs. This kind of political activity of influencing sons through mothers is not uncommon in feudal society.
Empress Dowager Cao, as the mother of Zhuangzong in the Later Tang Dynasty, not only received filial piety from Zhuangzong, but also had a significant influence in the political field, and even influenced the politics of Southern Wu.
In the cultural context of emphasizing "female disasters" at that time, why were the concubines of the five generations still able to get involved in politics?
In the big family of palace ban, the status and situation of the concubines are closely related to their family relationships, and they are related to whether they can emerge in the political field. The relationship between husband and wife and the relationship between mother and child play a vital role in this process.
1. Husband and wife relationship - an important factor for concubines to participate in politics When the queen or concubine is favored, or the husband is afraid of them, the concubine has the opportunity to participate in politics.
During the Five Dynasties period, one of these two relationships was possessed by the four queens and concubines who were subjectively involved in politics. For example, Empress Liu of the Later Tang Dynasty is a typical example.
She gave birth to Zhuangzong's heir, Jiqi, and was favored by him and canonized as empress. After that, her grace continued, and her political activities often received the tacit approval of Zhuang Zong, and even Zhuang Zong was willing to obey her command.
In addition, Zhuang Zong was also afraid of guilt, and Empress Liu's strong intervention in political affairs forced him to compromise. For example, when discussing the use of Inner Treasury property to reward the army, Zhuang Zong had to abandon the idea due to Empress Liu's opposition.
2) Mother-Child Relationship - Filial piety to the mother is a key factor in the Empress Dowager's participation in politics, although the Empress Dowager's participation in politics as a mother is supported by cultural traditions, due to the low degree of dependence on the emperor's personal feelings, so a good mother-child relationship plays a crucial role in the Empress Dowager's participation in politics.
On the contrary, if the emperor lacks sufficient filial piety to his mother, even if the empress dowager has the power to express opinions on political affairs under cultural traditions, it is often difficult to obtain the emperor's approval, and even lead to power conflicts with the emperor.
Although Concubine Liu showed political talent during Li Keyong's reign, after Zhuang Zong took power, she lost her position as queen mother and political participation, because she and Zhuang Zong were only mother and son in name, not a sincere relationship.
This shows that the mother-child relationship has an important impact on the status of the empress dowager (concubine) and the ability to participate in political power.
1. The Support of Diverse Political Forces (1) As important members of the bureaucracy, the ministers were the backbone of the ruling class and were crucial to the emperor's governance, and their attitudes had an important impact on the concubines' participation in politics.
* During the Five Dynasties period, the powerful ministers who supported the concubine's participation in politics can be divided into three types: prime ministers and privy envoys, privy envoys, and other people with real power and status.
1. Privy envoys originated in the Tang Dynasty, and were originally held by eunuchs, whose main responsibilities were to be responsible for confidential documents and as a communication channel between the emperor and the prime minister. However, after Zhu Wen established the Liang dynasty, he gave the privy envoy new functions, including "providing advice and advice", and appointed Zhu Wen's confidant Jing Xiang to this position.
In the post-Tang Dynasty, Guo Chongtao was given the position of prime minister and privy envoy, and his power spread almost throughout the country. This situation also existed in the Later Han Dynasty, when the prime minister and privy envoy had the dual identity of the emperor's confidant and the leader, and had a very close relationship with the concubine's participation in political affairs.
Although the Empress Dowager's participation in politics was culturally legitimate, she still needed the support of her ministers in order to exert greater influence in her political power.
During the Five Dynasties, although most of the privy envoys were served by scholars, they were still regarded as close attendants of the emperor. For example, Jing Xiang called himself an "old slave of the Zhu family", and Zhao Feng also called An Chongzhu a "retainer" of Mingzong.
This shows that in the eyes of the people of the time, the relationship between the privy envoy and the emperor was closer and more private. It is recorded that "privy councillors who enjoy the favor of the monarch often have more power than the prime minister in the adjudication of the great affairs of the state".
This is because, when the monarch is unable to handle government affairs himself, the privy envoy, as an information agency of the inner court, can more easily access the monarch and control the political situation.
3. When the ministers oppose the concubine's participation in politics, the emperor's will cannot easily change the political situation of the country, especially in the period of cultural and educational development and national stability. For example, Tang Gaozong tried to make Empress Wu "regent", but he gave up due to the opposition of Hao Chujun, the Chinese scholar.
Zhuang Zong also wanted to make Mrs. Liu the empress, but due to the opposition of the ministers, he could not do so, and it was not until Guo Chongtao's support was realized. It can be seen from this that even if the empress and concubines had the support of the emperor, without the permission of the ministers, their participation in power could not go from dark to light.
In the process of the concubine's participation in politics, the cooperation between the eunuch and the concubine played an important role in promoting. For example, the Xuanhui envoy established during the Tang Dynasty was one of the internal envoys served by the eunuchs, who was responsible for the internal affairs of the court.
In the late Tang Dynasty, the Xuanhui envoy entered the center of power, and together with the two privy councillors and the two lieutenants, he became the head of the Northern Ya Divisions. By the Five Dynasties, Xuanhui envoys were usually served by scholars, but in the post-Tang Mingzong period, eunuchs such as Meng Hanqiong were also appointed as Xuanhui envoys.
In the court, eunuchs, as a group serving the emperor, were responsible for all kinds of trivial matters. Those who were favored by the emperor and who were always at the emperor's side could have an influence on politics because of their proximity to the center of power.
Similarly, concubines were directly served by eunuchs, who sometimes assigned eunuchs to do things for them, so eunuchs could be strong supporters of concubines' participation in politics.
At the end of the reign of Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, the political situation became increasingly complex. Although King Congrong of Qin was recognized as the crown prince, not many people took the initiative to associate with him because of his unpopularity.
However, there were some political forces that secretly supported him, such as Kang Yicheng, the commander of the guards and the pro-army Ma Bujun, who made his son serve the king of Qin and tried his best to show a respectful and obedient attitude, hoping to protect himself and his family.
Empress Feng had a special treatment in the Later Jin Dynasty, that is, men could serve in her palace. Among them, Li Yanbi is a man who was appointed as the capital of the empress's palace, and this position is responsible for military aircraft planning and military general deployment, which shows that Empress Feng has a certain amount of military power, and can directly send Li Yanbi who obeys her orders, providing strong support for her participation in politics.
Courtiers and eunuchs played a key role in the running of the empire, and their attitudes had a significant impact on the concubines' participation in politics. Whether the concubines can move from behind the scenes to the forefront, and whether their political activities can be turned into light, largely depends on the attitude of the courtiers and eunuchs.
In addition, the convenient positions of court ladies and other political groups could also be a support force for concubines to participate in politics.
During the Five Dynasties period, the blending of Hu and Han cultures made Confucian culture occupy a mainstream position in society, but Hu culture also deeply influenced the living habits of Hu people such as Shatuo and Han people.
In this cultural context, the participation of concubines in politics has not only the possibility of being realized under the Confucian culture, but also the new opportunities brought by the Hu culture.
In the Shatuo Three Dynasties, although they were heavily influenced by Hu customs, Confucian culture remained the dominant cultural tradition. As the scholar put it: "In the process of the parallel integration of 'Huhua' and 'Sinicization', there is a deeper culture that has always played a leading role, that is, the traditional culture represented by Confucianism." ”
Therefore, the participation of the concubines of the Shatuo regime in politics can also find support from Confucian culture. It can be said that Confucian culture played a crucial role in the three dynasties of Shatuo, shaping the particularity of the concubine's power position and role connotation.
2) Hu culture breaks the shackles that bind women During the Five Dynasties, as the Shatuo people settled in the Central Plains and lived with the Han people, the Hu culture had a profound impact on society.
At this time, the Hu people were not completely sinicized, and still retained many Hu traditional customs, and these Hu cultures also influenced and changed the face of Han culture in some aspects.
For example, in the concept of marriage, the prevalence of women's remarriage and the dilution of women's observance have significantly improved the status of women.
Although the dominant cultural tradition strongly discouraged the intervention of concubines in political affairs, concubines were still able to participate in political activities frequently during the Five Dynasties period. This is mainly because of the harem environment in which they live, and the quality of the relationship between mother and son and husband and wife has an important impact on whether they can participate in politics.
In addition, the identity and status of the concubine also had a close connection with the ministers of the previous dynasty and the eunuchs and palace officials in the court. When the concubines stand on the same side or have common interests with these political forces, their assistance in participating in politics will be greatly enhanced.
Although Confucian culture once became an obstacle for concubines to participate in politics, it also provided the possibility for their legitimate participation in politics and provided conditions for five generations of concubines to participate in politics. At the same time, the Hu culture also created a favorable environment for the concubines to participate in politics.
The Five Dynasties Dynasty originated from the Tang Dynasty feudal towns, and the tradition of feudal women participating in military affairs in the military government was continued within the dynasty, which was also an important reason for the frequent participation of the five generations of concubines.