The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

When talking about emperors, people generally consider what this person has done in history.

All the emperors who have been recorded in great detail either had outstanding achievements or did some ridiculous things that became the topic of conversation among people.

But there was an emperor who was best known for his extraordinary love.

He was Zhu Jianshen, the Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, and he actually fell in love with Wan Zhen'er, who was seventeen years older than him.

Wan Zhen'er was able to gain the king's unwavering love for decades and was the most favored woman in the harem, which is extremely rare in history.

If it is said that there is true love in the harem filled with conspiracies and power struggles.

Then the love between Zhu Jianshen and Concubine Wan, which is rarely blessed, is indeed a love story.

In the eyes of the world, Wan Zhen'er is lucky. She has true love and stays with her until old age.

She was also tragic, her children died young and she was burdened with a bad reputation.

But no one is born to live with malice, and behind all kinds of absurd behaviors there must be unknown sadness and sorrow.

"Wan Zhen'er's father, Wan Gui, was originally a county official. He was exiled to Bazhou because of a crime committed by a relative."

"When Wan Zhen'er was young, Wan Gui wanted to have someone to rely on in the future."

"The four-year-old Wan Zhen'er was sent to the palace to serve as a maid beside Empress Dowager Sun, the biological mother of Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen of the Ming Dynasty."

"At the age of fifteen, Wan Zhen'er, who had served Empress Dowager Sun for more than ten years, had grown into a graceful young lady."

"A few years later, when Zhu Jianshen saw Wan Zhen'er for the first time, he was struck by her beauty."

"From then on, every experience in Wan Zhen'er's life was related to Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen."

"In 1449, Zhu Jianshen's father, Zhu Qizhen, was captured by the Oirat during the Battle of Tumu."

"After that, Zhu Jianshen was made the crown prince by Empress Dowager Sun. When Zhu Jianshen's uncle Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Sun dispatched the palace maid Wan Zhen'er to serve the two-year-old crown prince."

"In 1452, Zhu Qiyu deposed the five-year-old crown prince Zhu Jianshen as Prince of Yi and appointed his four-year-old only son Zhu Jianji as the crown prince."

"During this period, Zhu Jianshen experienced many ups and downs in life, but Wan Zhen'er never left him."

"In the eighth year of Jingtai, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu was seriously ill."

"At that time, Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, who had been released by the Oirat for seven years and had been under house arrest in the Southern Palace, launched the coup d'etat and successfully restored the throne."

"The ten-year-old Prince Yi Zhu Jianshen was re-appointed as the crown prince. Wan Zhen'er was 27 years old at the time."

"In the first month of 1464, Zhu Qizhen passed away, and the 17-year-old crown prince Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne."

"At the time, Wan Zhen'er was 34 years old and still favored by Zhu Jianshen. Every time Zhu Jianshen went out, Wan Zhen'er would serve him in military uniform."

"Wan Zhen'er also became arrogant because of her favor, and she was so domineering that she regarded all the concubines as competitors, fearing that others would compete for her favor."

"Before his death, Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen personally selected three empresses for Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen: Wu, Wang, and Bai."

"He also told Empress Qian and Zhu Jianshen's mother, Concubine Zhou, that he preferred Wu and asked them to conduct a strict review."

"After Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne, he once wanted to make Wan Zhen'er his empress, but letting a maid who was 17 years older than the emperor take charge of the palace was against the will of the previous emperor, so he had to give up."

"After observation, Empress Dowager Qian also believed that Wu was the better of the three, which was consistent with Zhu Qizhen's last wish."

"When Wu was crowned as queen, Wan Zhen'er was still a palace maid."

"Zhu Jianshen almost ignored the young and beautiful Empress Wu, rarely stayed in Empress Wu's palace, and continued to love the 34-year-old old maid Wan Zhen'er as usual."

"Wan Zhen'er took advantage of her favor and became arrogant, and spoke rudely to Empress Wu."

"After Queen Wu criticized Wan Zhen'er several times, she ordered her to be caned."

"When Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Jianshen, saw Wan Zhen'er being caned, he discussed with the two Empress Dowagers Qian and Zhou about deposing the Empress."

"They tortured Niu Yu, an old eunuch close to Zhu Qizhen, to extract a confession, and fabricated a lie that Empress Wu's father bribed Niu Yu to make Empress Wu the empress."

"Zhu Jianshen issued three edicts in a row to depose Empress Wu and enthrone Wang as empress."

"The sixteen-year-old Empress Wu was only empress for one month. Just because she beat an old palace maid with a stick, she spent the rest of her life in the cold palace."

Liu Rushi: Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty's deep love for Concubine Wan made the two empresses exist in name only.

When deciding on the candidate for the empress, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty wanted to make Wan Zhen'er the empress, but it was very difficult.

First, Wan Zhen'er was the wet nurse of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

Wan Zhen'er was a maid in the palace of Ming Xianzong's grandmother. She was assigned to take care of Ming Xianzong, who was less than three years old at the time.

If Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty had made Wan Zhen'er the empress, it would have been ethically unreasonable.

Second, in the first year of Chenghua, Wan Zhen'er had no children.

If Wan Zhen'er still had hope of becoming the empress, it would only be because she would be the first to give birth to the emperor's eldest son.

In the second year of Chenghua, Wan Zhen'er did give birth to a son, but the son died a year later.

Third, the new emperor, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, had to be restrained in his actions.

It's very simple. Emperor Yingzong of Ming left behind a group of old ministers from the Tianshun period.

Many of them were important officials who had experienced the Battle of Tumu and the Coup of Duomen, and they all kept a close eye on Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty who had just come to power.

At this time, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty had not yet completely established his own ruling team, so he still had concerns in doing things.

Fourthly, Empress Dowager Zhou, the biological mother of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, did not like Wan Zhen'er.

The problem between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also exists in the royal family.

Empress Dowager Zhou was well aware of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty's emotional dependence on Wan Zhen'er, which was even mixed with a certain Oedipus complex.

As her son's biological mother, Queen Dowager Zhou was naturally jealous of this woman who had taken away her son's sense of belonging.

More importantly, Empress Dowager Zhou and Wan Zhen'er were of the same age.

This is why in the first year of Chenghua, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty followed the wishes of his predecessor Emperor Yingzong and enthroned Wu as empress.

The young and beautiful Wu was the mother of the country. She was proud of her high position and naturally did not take the middle-aged Wan Zhen'er seriously.

When Empress Wu discovered that Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty still spent whole nights with Wan Zhen'er after his wedding, she became burning with jealousy.

Finally one day, facing Queen Wu's constant provocation, Wan Zhen'er could no longer bear it and began to fight back.

It is said that the two had a big quarrel at that time, and Queen Wu even used a caning to punish Wan Zhen'er.

Queen Wu had vented her anger, but she had also finally secured the throne as queen.

Just one month after the marriage, Empress Wu was deposed by Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty and sent to the cold palace.

After this battle, everyone understood the situation in the emperor's harem, and no one would challenge Wan Zhen'er's authority again.

Even the new queen, Queen Wang, was so obedient that she dared not say a word, for fear that she would displease Wan Zhen'er one day.

"The new Queen Wang has learned from the experience of Queen Wu and will not compete with Wan Zhen'er for favor."

"From then on, no one in the harem dared to compete with Wan Zhen'er for favor."

"Wan Zhen'er became the de facto ruler of the six palaces, which prepared the conditions for her to exert influence on government affairs."

"In the second year of Chenghua, 36-year-old Wan Zhen'er gave birth to the emperor's eldest son."

"Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen was delighted and promoted Wan Zhen'er from a palace maid to a noble concubine a month later."

"In November of the same year, the baby died."

"In order to appease Concubine Wan and to allow the two to have another child as soon as possible, Zhu Jianshen favored only Wan Zhen'er, but Concubine Wan never got pregnant again."

"After the death of the eldest son, the emperor was left childless, and the whole court was worried."

"The ministers begged Zhu Jianshen to show favoritism to other concubines to ensure the continuation of his lineage."

"But the emperor ignored it on the grounds that it was his family's own business, which further encouraged Concubine Wan's arrogance and domineering behavior."

"Wan Zhen'er herself could not have children, nor would she allow other concubines in the harem to become pregnant and threaten her position. All pregnant concubines were aborted by Concubine Wan."

"A woman named Ji was favored by Zhu Jianshen and became pregnant. The maid sent by Concubine Wan to perform an abortion on Ji lied that Ji was not pregnant but had a lump in her stomach."

"Therefore, Ji lived in Anle Hall to recuperate, and gave birth to Zhu Youtang, the future Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, in the sixth year of Chenghua."

"Concubine Wan ordered the eunuch to drown the baby, but the eunuch refused to obey."

"Zhu Youtang grew up in Anle Hall until he was five or six years old, and Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen and Concubine Wan were unaware of it."

"In the eleventh year of Chenghua, Zhu Jianshen learned that Ji had given birth to a six-year-old prince, and appointed Ji as Shufei."

"A few months later, Concubine Ji Shu died of a sudden illness."

"For a long time after the death of the eldest prince born to Concubine Wan, several concubines became pregnant due to Zhu Jianshen's accidental favor, but were all forced to have abortions by Concubine Wan."

"After Ji's death, Wan Zhen'er wanted to get rid of Zhu Youtang, who had been appointed crown prince."

"At that time, Zhu Youtang lived with Queen Mother Zhou, and she didn't allow him to eat the food given by Concubine Wan, which saved his life."

"Wan Zhen'er was furious because of the little prince's unintentional remark 'I'm afraid the food is poisonous', and she believed that the prince would definitely harm her when he grew up."

"After Zhu Youtang became the crown prince, Wan Zhen'er relaxed her control over his special favor and allowed Emperor Xianzong to visit other concubines in the harem."

"After that, the number of princes in the harem gradually increased, and they were able to compete with Zhu Youtang's power as the crown prince."

"Wan Zhen'er began to persuade Emperor Xianzong to appoint Prince Xing as the crown prince, and at the same time instructed the eunuchs to find every opportunity to agree with her proposal."

"Ming Xianzong listened to Concubine Wan and his favorite ministers and really began to prepare for a change of crown prince."

"He summoned the eunuch Huai En to draft the decree, but Huai En resolutely resisted and refused to obey until his death."

"In a rage, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty dismissed Huai'en from his position as the head of the Imperial Household Department and demoted him to Fengyang to guard the coffin. He also continued to plot to depose Zhu Youtang from the position of crown prince."

Chen Yuanyuan: Wan Zhen'er was 17 years older than the emperor, but she was able to enjoy the emperor's favor all her life, which is really enviable.

There is a reason why Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty favored Wan Zhen'er so much.

First, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty was grateful and repaying favors.

Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty was made the crown prince at the age of two. Wan Zhen'er always stayed by his side, raising and taking care of him, and gave him the care and love that she would give to him as a family member.

Therefore, in the young mind of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, Wan Zhen'er was not a maid, but a relative.

After the Battle of Tumu, Emperor Yingzong of Ming was captured and Emperor Xianzong was deposed as King of Yi, left alone and helpless.

At this time, Wan Zhen'er still stayed with Xianzong and accompanied him through the darkest moment of his life.

As the saying goes, the imperial family is the most ruthless, but at this time Wan Zhen'er treated Xianzong sincerely.

In addition to caring for his daily life, it also gave Xianzong great spiritual comfort.

Perhaps, it was at this time that Xianzong developed different feelings for Wan Zhen'er.

Later, Yingzong ascended the throne again and Xianzong was restored as the crown prince. Xianzong and Wan Zhen'er fell in love with each other.

Perhaps at this moment, the two of them had promised to spend their lives together.

After Xianzong ascended the throne, he wanted to make Wan Zhen'er the empress, despite the opposition of his biological mother, Empress Dowager Zhou.

In the end, because Wan Zhen'er was of humble origin and did not conform to the ancestral system and etiquette, Wu was made queen.

In addition, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong, taxes on the people were greatly reduced.

Especially in disaster-stricken areas, taxes can be exempted.

All these show that Xianzong was grateful and a person who knew how to repay favors.

Second, Wan Zhen'er treated Xianzong sincerely and was familiar with his hobbies.

Wan Zhen'er was indeed vicious and cruel.

But in the harem soaked in blood and tears, there was a man of humble birth and without any family power.

If you don't use some tricks, how can you survive?

Besides, Wan Zhen'er was just trying to win favor and to avoid being crushed to death by others.

Wan Zhen'er was sincere to Emperor Xianzong, and she wanted to use various methods to keep him.

The reason why Emperor Xianzong favored Wan Zhen'er was not because of her appearance.

Instead, Wan Zhen'er served Xianzong wholeheartedly, such as giving him massages, and these methods greatly pleased Xianzong.

Third, Xianzong could find physical and mental safety with Wan Zhen'er.

Xianzong experienced many ups and downs in his life, and was well aware of the intrigues and scheming in the court.

The Battle of Tumu brought great trauma to the young mind of Emperor Xianzong.

In this vast world, Concubine Wan is the only safe haven for Emperor Xianzong.

Here, Xianzong could tear off his disguise, let down his guard, empty his mind, sleep peacefully, and even have a sweet dream.

"At this time, there were many strong earthquakes in the Taishan area."

"Zhu Jianshen asked someone to divine, and the diviner said it would be in the East Palace."

"Zhu Jianshen immediately ordered that no further discussion of the issue of deposing and enthroning the crown prince be allowed, and at the same time sent officials to offer sacrifices to Mount Tai to express his regret."

"The Taishan earthquake shattered the dream of Concubine Wan and others to change the crown prince, and also secured Zhu Youtang's position as the crown prince."

"During the Chenghua period, Wan Zhen'er relied on the favor of Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen to make friends with court officials and indulge eunuchs."

"At one point, whether an official was employed or not was entirely dependent on Concubine Wan's will."

"Therefore, Wang Zhi and other eunuchs tried to curry favor with Concubine Wan in order to gain important positions."

"Concubine Wan used these eunuchs, who were favored by her, as her minions and did everything she could to interfere in government affairs and violate etiquette."

"The eunuchs colluded with court officials, bought and sold official positions, amassed wealth, abused their power, and persecuted officials, all with the instruction of Concubine Wan."

"Concubine Wan was favored by the emperor until she gave birth to the emperor's eldest son. In the second year of Chenghua, she was promoted to Concubine. In the twelfth year of Chenghua, she was promoted to Imperial Concubine."

"Concubine Wan Gui's father, Wan Gui, was promoted to the commander of the Imperial Guards, and his three brothers, Wan Xi, Wantong, and Wanda, were also promoted."

"Concubine Wan's three brothers are arrogant and extravagant."

"My father was an official in his early years, so he was relatively restrained and cautious. When he saw his sons overstepping their bounds and wasting money, he would advise and admonish them."

"But because they had Concubine Wan's support, the three ignored their old father's advice and got away with it, with Wan Tong being the worst offender."

"On the one hand, Concubine Wan condoned the illegal behavior of the Wan brothers."

"On the other hand, whenever there were officials in the court who impeached the Wan brothers, Zhu Jianshen would severely punish the impeachers, allowing the Wan brothers to continue to amass wealth without fear."

"According to records, the eunuchs bribed Wan Tong with money, and carts loaded with money kept coming."

"In order to curry favor with Concubine Wan, the cabinet minister Wan An recognized Wan Tong as his uncle because they had the same surname."

"Another cabinet minister, Liu Ji, married Wan Xi. Although he was impeached many times, he remained safe thanks to the protection of Concubine Wan."

"A number of treacherous officials also relied on Wan Xi's connections to get promoted, and the government and the people were miserable."

"After Wan Guifei's father died, Zhu Jianshen buried him deeply, and the Wan brothers were promoted one after another."

"In the 23rd year of Chenghua, Wan Zhen'er died suddenly."

"Zhu Jianshen was so sad that he did not attend court for seven days. This seven-day absence was the longest period of absence for a concubine since the founding of the Ming Dynasty."

"In addition, Wan Zhen'er was neither the empress nor the biological mother of the crown prince, but she was given a six-character posthumous title. This is also the first time since the founding of the Ming Dynasty that a concubine has been given a six-character posthumous title."

"A few months later, Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen of the Ming Dynasty passed away."

Cao Xueqin: The vicious image of Wan Zhen'er in history books is not true, but a deliberate vilification in order to vilify Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

The thing that Wan Zhen'er was most criticized for by later generations was the death of her son.

He began to torture other pregnant women in the harem and forced them to have abortions.

Historical records say that Wan Zhen'er did this, firstly to consolidate the emperor's favor, and secondly to allow herself to give birth to another eldest son.

This matter was nothing more than a deliberate frame-up of Wan Zhen'er.

There is no mention of Wan Zhen'er persecuting pregnant concubines in the "Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty".

However, in the "History of Ming Dynasty" compiled by the Qing Dynasty, it was stated with certainty that Wan Zhen'er used despicable means to perform countless abortions.

You should know that "The Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty" was compiled during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty.

The Hongzhi Emperor is the Ming Xiaozong Zhu Youtang in the "History of Ming Dynasty" who grew up in the palace eating at hundreds of people's homes, hid for five or six years before he was recognized by the Ming Xianzong, and even his mother Ji was forced to death by Wan Zhen'er.

If this is true, imagine how Zhu Youtang would describe Wan Zhen'er when he became emperor and compiled the Veritable Records for his father, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Youtang ascended the throne, that is, in the early years of Hongzhi, the censor requested to strip Concubine Wan of her posthumous title.

Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youtang said that this went against the wishes of the previous emperor and rejected the request.

Just imagine if Concubine Wan was so vicious and killed the emperor's offspring, how could Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty give birth to 14 sons in his lifetime.

If Concubine Wan was so vicious, how could Zhu Youtang grow up safely under her care after entering the palace and later become emperor?

In the "Ming Shilu", there is no record of Concubine Wan poisoning concubines.

"Ming Shilu" is a chronological history book compiled by successive dynasties of the Ming Dynasty. If Concubine Wan was really so vicious, it would be impossible that there is no record of her at all.

Besides, if it was really Concubine Wan who killed Zhu Youtang’s biological mother Ji, then Zhu Youtang would not have concealed it for her.

There was also Empress Dowager Zhou, the biological mother of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty and the grandmother of Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youtang, who lived until the 17th year of the Hongzhi reign.

The status of the biological mother of the Ming Dynasty emperor in the inner palace was almost sacred and unshakable.

If Wan Zhen'er really forced concubines to have abortions repeatedly in the harem of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, Empress Dowager Zhou would have deposed Wan Zhen'er long ago.

The court officials of the Ming Dynasty dared to meddle in everything. During the Wanli period, the court officials meddled in the affairs of the emperor's harem to such an extent that they even dared to directly criticize the emperor for having too frequent sexual intercourse.

Even the private affairs between the emperor and his concubines were known to the court officials, who dared to point fingers at the emperor and teach him a lesson.

Wan Zhen'er forced the concubine to have an abortion, which was such a serious matter that the court officials during the Chenghua period were already furious.

In the early years of Chenghua, Xianzong's fertility rate was indeed not high.

It was not until he recognized Zhu Youtang that Xianzong began to have children.

It is precisely because of this that many people use this to prove that Wan Zhen'er murdered the imperial heir.

In fact, Zhu Youtang was made crown prince in the eleventh year of Chenghua.

In the eleventh year of Chenghua, Wan Zhen'er was already 46 years old.

According to the medical technology at the time and Wan Zhen'er's age, it was no longer possible for her to get pregnant.

The fact that Xianzong appointed Zhu Youtang as the crown prince showed that the emperor had tacitly acknowledged the fact that Wan Zhen'er had no children.

Because according to Emperor Xianzong's idea, Queen Wang had no children.

Wan Zhen'er gave birth to a son, and her status as a mother increased because of her son.

In addition, as she is already an imperial concubine, she can directly challenge the position of queen.

Then Wan Zhen'er's son would become the legitimate son and have the right of inheritance.

When this idea could no longer be realized, the energy that Xianzong had originally focused on Wan Zhen'er began to be dispersed to other concubines, which led to the subsequent surge in the birth of the emperor's offspring.

In addition, Yingzong abolished the Ming Dynasty's system of burying concubines alive with their parents, which was mainly aimed at concubines who did not give birth to children.

For the monarchs of feudal dynasties, having children was actually a political task.

The prosperity of offspring, in a sense, represents the prosperity of the country.

Therefore, the system of burying concubines alive with the dead in the Ming Dynasty can be understood as an incentive policy for the harem in disguise.

That is to say, the concubines were required to try hard to get close to the emperor, and to conceive and give birth to children, so as to avoid the fate of being buried alive in the future.

Yingzong abolished this rule, thus relieving the concubines of the pressure of having children.

Everyone in the harem during the Chenghua period saw the deep love between Emperor Xianzong and Wan Zhen'er and could not easily interfere.

In addition, with the previous example of Queen Wu, many concubines, based on the principle that less is better, were slack in their efforts to get close to the emperor.

In the "History of Ming Dynasty", the vicious Wan Zhen'er had an abortion in the harem, which is obviously nonsense.

Before Zhu Youtang was born, Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen had a son named Zhu Youji.

Zhu Youji was born to the virtuous concubine Bai and was made the crown prince, but unfortunately died young.

The truth is, after Wan Zhen'er learned that Zhu Youtang was born, she did not let the eunuchs kill Zhu Youtang.

Instead, while sending gifts to Zhu Youtang and his son, he also asked for an auspicious day to be chosen so that Ji could move into the Yongshou Palace and be on the same level as Wan Zhen'er.

The chief minister of the cabinet at that time once wrote in a memorial that Zhu Youtang was brought into Zhaode Palace at the beginning and handed over to Wan Zhen'er to raise.

The purpose of smearing Wan Zhen'er in "History of Ming Dynasty" is to make Xiang Zhuang dance with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong. To put it bluntly, it is the Qing court's attempt to vilify Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen.

During the reign of Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen, heavy blows were launched against the Mongolian and Jurchen tribes.

Especially the bloody massacre of the Jurchen tribes in Liaodong made Nurhaci's ancestors lose their temper.

In this case, the Qing Dynasty would definitely not have anything good to say about Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen.

So to sum up, the story of Wan Zhen'er killing the emperor's offspring is completely false and was deliberately smeared by the Qing court. (End of this chapter)