The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Whenever a dynasty is in decline, there always appears a charming woman who brings disaster to the country.

For example, Daji in the late Shang Dynasty, Baosi in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, Yang Yuhuan in the Tang Dynasty, and Chen Yuanyuan in the Ming Dynasty.

They are often accused of being the cause of trouble due to being beautiful women and are reviled by later generations.

In fact, the so-called "beautiful women are the root of all trouble" is nothing more than a shameful excuse used by patriarchal rulers to shift the blame for the country's destruction onto women.

Throughout the vast history, there are countless beauties.

However, among those who can be called the most beautiful woman in the country, Zhang Lihua is undoubtedly the best.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, she was born on a straw mat, but climbed to the pinnacle of power.

She was extremely beautiful, but she was also known for her wisdom and cunning.

Her story can be regarded as a legend with ups and downs, which is breathtaking.

Chen Houzhu held her in his arms while handling state affairs and composed the erotic song "Houtinghua" just to make the beauty smile. This song is known as the sound of the country's demise.

Moreover, when the country was destroyed, Emperor Chen Houzhu embraced her and jumped into the well together. She was truly a beauty that could topple a country.

"Zhang Lihua was born into a military family and her family was poor."

"Her father and brothers weave mats to make a living."

"In 568, Zhang Lihua, then ten years old, was selected to enter the palace."

"At that time, Chen Shubao was still the crown prince, and Zhang Lihua was chosen to be an ordinary maid beside his concubine Gong."

"Soon after, Chen Shubao ran into Zhang Lihua by chance and fell in love with her at first sight."

"Call her to your side and let her sleep with you."

"Zhang Lihua was favored by the emperor and gave birth to Crown Prince Chen Shen in 575."

"In 582, Chen Shubao ascended the throne and Zhang Lihua was named imperial concubine."

"Zhang Lihua is not only extremely beautiful, but also intelligent and clever."

"She is good at observing people's words and expressions and winning people's hearts, which makes Chen Shubao love her even more."

"Since Chen Shubao met Zhang Lihua, he has been intoxicated by the beauty's gentle dreamland."

"He spent his days in debauchery, writing erotic songs and singing the song of the country's demise."

"Because he was injured by his second brother Chen Shuling, Chen Shubao was recuperating in Chengxiang Hall."

"At that time, other concubines were not allowed to enter, and only Zhang Lihua was serving beside him."

"But the queen had never been favored by Chen Shubao. She did not serve him and lived in the Qiuxian Hall."

"Faced with the stunning Zhang Lihua, Chen Shubao had no ability to resist."

"He favored Zhang Lihua alone, and ruthlessly alienated his first wife who was upright and dared to speak out."

"And he neglected the affairs of state and forgot about the country."

"The decadent music of the Southern Chen Dynasty and the seductiveness of Zhang Lihua occupied Chen Shubao's mind."

"After Chen Shubao ascended the throne, he found his residence too simple and shabby."

"So in front of the Guangzhao Palace, a large-scale construction project was started to build the Linchun, Jieqi and Wangxian Pavilions."

"The pavilion is dozens of feet high and stretches for dozens of rooms. It is tall and magnificent."

“The decoration is gorgeous and luxurious, the construction is grand, and the craftsmanship is ingenious.”

"The windows, walls, railings, and so on are all made of agarwood."

"It is decorated with gold, jade, pearls and jadeite, separated by a pearl curtain, and there is a precious bed and precious tent inside."

"The clothes and toys are rare and precious, and the utensils are magnificent, all of which have never been seen in recent times."

"You have piled up stones to form a mountain, diverted water to form a pond, and planted rare trees and famous flowers."

"Whenever the breeze blows, the fragrance can be smelled from dozens of miles away."

"Chen Shubao lived in Linchun Pavilion, Concubine Zhang lived in Jieqi Pavilion, and Concubines Gong and Kong lived in Wangxian Pavilion."

"There are also two beauties, Wang and Ji, two ladies, Zhang and Xue, Yuan Zhaoyi, He Jieyu, Jiang Xiurong and seven others."

"They were all favored by the emperor for their talents and beauty, and they were summoned in turn, and they played and had fun all day long."

"After recovering from his injury, Chen Shubao indulged in wine, women and pleasure."

"Ignoring the simple customs of the Southern Chen Dynasty, they spent a huge amount of money to build pavilions."

"Not only does it waste people's time and money, but it also indulges in pleasure."

"Chen Shubao indulged in poetry and prose, and used palace ladies who were well versed in literature as female scholars."

"He often summoned guests and feasted with concubines."

"And let the concubines, female scholars and prostitutes compose new poems together and exchange them with each other."

“Then we pick out those with particularly colorful Chinese lyrics and use them as lyrics to compose new music.”

"Then select thousands of beautiful palace maids, teach them how to sing, and then divide them into groups according to the music."

Wu Zetian: Zhang Lihua was stunningly beautiful, but her beauty became her original sin.

Emperor Chen Houzhu neglected state affairs, indulged in luxury and indulged in decadent music.

He is cowardly, indecisive, and has no ambition, and is unable to extricate himself from the love between men and women.

All this is due to his personality and his experience.

Chen Shubao was born in Jiangling during the Southern Liang Dynasty.

Because of his contribution in suppressing Hou Jing's rebellion, Chen Baxian's power grew day by day.

In order to contain Chen Baxian, Emperor Yuan of Liang made all his sons, nephews and relatives live in Jiangling.

Among them were Chen Xu, his wives and concubines, and the newly born Chen Shubao.

The following year, the Western Wei invaded the south and captured Jiangling.

Chen Xu was captured by the Wei army and taken to Chang'an. The infant Chen Shubao, his mother Liu, and his younger brother Chen Shuling were held hostage.

It was not until Chen Qian ascended the throne that he sent envoys to the Northern Dynasties to bring back Chen Xu, Chen Shubao and their maternal brother.

After 10 years of hostage life, Chen Shubao was able to return to the Southern Dynasty, ending his childhood of wandering in a foreign land.

He stayed in the Northern Dynasty as a hostage for ten years, although he did not suffer in life.

However, their personal freedom is restricted and they live in fear under the surveillance of others all day long.

Therefore, Chen Shubao has been cowardly and timid since childhood.

In addition, he was separated from his father since he was young and was raised by his mother alone.

The lack of fatherly love made him overly dependent on women as an adult and he lost the ability to make independent decisions.

Since the Northern Dynasty returned to the South, Chen Xu gradually gained control of the Southern Chen Dynasty, and Chen Shubao became an important member of the royal family.

At the age of fourteen, Chen Shubao was appointed General Ningyuan, and officially began his official career.

Chen Xu deposed his nephew Chen Bochong and proclaimed himself emperor, and Chen Shubao was made crown prince.

The Prince's Eastern Palace was completed and Chen Shubao officially moved into the Eastern Palace.

The unfortunate experiences in his childhood made Chen Shubao a cowardly person.

After returning to the Southern Chen Dynasty, Chen Shubao developed bad habits of extravagance and debauchery due to his pampered life.

His father Chen Xu was very worried about whether he could shoulder the heavy responsibility in the future, so he invited great scholars to teach him Confucian classics.

However, Confucianism did not change Chen Shubao's character. Instead, it made him meet a large number of literary men who only knew how to flatter and curry favor with him.

This group of Eastern Palace literati gathered around Chen Shubao and became his subordinates.

They held literary banquets all day long, and Chen Shubao immersed himself in poetry and prose, and indulged in drinking and having fun.

Father Chen Xu was very angry about this.

But Chen Shubao, who was extremely talented in literature, would write good articles to flatter him every now and then.

In desperation, Chen Xu no longer interfered with their activities.

Although Chen Shubao was the crown prince, he almost lost his life, and the throne was not easy to come by.

His second brother, Chen Shuling, had been eyeing the throne and had long intended to usurp the throne, so he planned to assassinate Chen Shubao.

Emperor Xuan of Chen, Chen Xu, was seriously ill, and Crown Prince Chen Shubao, together with Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling and Prince of Changsha Chen Shujian, served Chen Xu.

Chen Shuling secretly ordered the officials in charge of decocting medicine to prepare sharp swords and wait for an opportunity to assassinate Chen Shubao.

After Chen Xu's death, Chen Shuling hurriedly ordered his servants to go outside to get the sword.

The courtier did not understand what he meant and took the wooden sword he used when attending court and gave it to Chen Shuling, who became furious.

At this time, Crown Prince Chen Shubao was crying in front of his father's coffin.

Chen Shuling took the opportunity to step forward and chop Chen Shubao with a medicine knife, hitting Chen Shubao's neck.

The people around were shocked and rushed to rescue him.

With the help of Empress Liu and his wet nurse Wu, Chen Shubao escaped.

Chen Shubao sent troops to attack Chen Shuling, who was defeated and killed, and his sons were given the death penalty.

Chen Shubao succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Hou of Chen.

"Among them, the songs 'Yu Shu Hou Ting Hua' and 'Lin Chun Yue' mostly praise the beauty of Zhang Lihua and Concubine Kong."

"This 'Yu Shu Hou Ting Hua' was originally a love song among folk songs. Chen Shubao added new lyrics and asked the palace maids to sing it. The palace of the Chen Dynasty was filled with decadent music all day long."

"Zhang Lihua is not only beautiful, but also eloquent and has a strong memory. She is both beautiful and talented."

"She is good at observing people's expressions and winning people's hearts, and she can also get along well with other concubines."

"People in the harem vied with each other to praise her merits, so Emperor Chen loved Zhang Lihua even more."

"Zhang Lihua was also proficient in sorcery, and used ghosts and gods to deceive Chen Shubao."

"In the palace, various obscene sacrifices were often held, and many witches were gathered to dance, which made Chen Shubao slack off in government affairs."

"Chen Shubao ignored the affairs of state and had to submit all officials' requests through eunuchs for approval."

"Chen Shubao often sat with Zhang Lihua on his lap, and the two of them decided important matters in the court together."

"Zhang Lihua could remember everything that the eunuchs could not remember, and wrote it down in the clauses, leaving nothing out."

"Because of participating in the investigation of affairs outside the palace, every word and every event in society."

"Zhang Lihua must have known about it first and told Chen Shubao, which made her even more favored and the most favored concubine in the harem."

"Emperor Chen was too lazy to deal with government affairs and the suffering of the people."

"He even asked the ministers to submit the reports to Zhang Lihua for review first, and she would then report to him after she had read them."

"There was a rumor at the time that the Jiangdong court didn't know Chen Shubao, but knew Zhang Lihua."

"With Chen Shubao's tacit approval, Zhang Lihua's relatives and friends began to enter the court and hold important positions."

"Officials who raised objections were either dismissed or demoted, and the court became chaotic and chaotic."

"Although Zhang Lihua was not the queen, she was the most favored concubine in the harem and became the actual mistress of the harem."

"For Zhang Lihua's sake, Emperor Chen later deposed Empress Shen's adopted son Chen Yin from the throne and made Zhang Lihua's son Chen Shen the crown prince instead."

"Empress Shen was born into a prominent family. She was the daughter of Wangcai Hou Shen Junli and the granddaughter of Chen Baxian, the founding emperor of the Chen Dynasty."

"Emperor Chen favored Zhang Lihua alone and ignored Empress Shen, rarely staying at her place."

"Once, Emperor Chen went to Empress Shen's place, sat for a while, and then prepared to leave."

"When he saw that Empress Shen did not try to persuade him to stay, he composed a doggerel."

"If you don't keep people, they will leave."

"If there is no place for us here, there will be other places for us."

"After reading it, Queen Shen immediately wrote a poem in reply."

"Who said that I don't miss you? It's embarrassing to see you."

"I know you don't want to stay, but I'm telling you to stay."

"In her poem, Empress Shen secretly complained about the ruthlessness of Emperor Chen."

"After hearing this, Emperor Chen ignored him and left in anger."

"The words of Chen Houzhu, 'If you can't stay here, there are other places that will stay', became a popular saying in later generations, and even extended to the bold saying 'If you can't stay here, there are other places that will stay'."

Su Shi: Chen Houzhu was willing to be a tyrant, and his beloved woman Zhang Lihua was stunningly beautiful, but she died because of her beauty.

The most beautiful thing about Zhang Lihua is undoubtedly her long, shiny black hair.

The hair was seven feet long, thick as lacquer, and shiny.

Whenever she strolled in the palace, her flowing long hair swayed gently with her steps, as if a fairy from the Moon Palace had descended to the earth.

Whenever she walked around the pavilion, her graceful demeanor made her look like a fairy descending to earth.

The most fascinating thing about Zhang Lihua is her bright eyes.

Every time she looks at you, she seems to be able to capture your heart and make you intoxicated. She is not only beautiful, but also extremely smart.

Chen Shubao indulged himself in pleasure and neglected state affairs.

Zhang Lihua often sat on his lap to help him handle government affairs.

Zhang Lihua was born into a poor family. Her father and brother made a living by weaving straw mats.

The hardships of life did not wear away Zhang Lihua's beauty, but instead made her beauty more simple and fresh.

When Chen Shubao was still the crown prince, he met Zhang Lihua, who was only 10 years old, by chance.

Chen Shubao fell in love with Zhang Lihua at first sight, and her fate changed drastically from then on.

Shortly after entering the Eastern Palace, Zhang Lihua gained the favor of Chen Shubao, and soon became pregnant and gave birth to the prince.

From then on, her status in the harem rose rapidly.

After Chen Shubao ascended the throne, Zhang Lihua was conferred the title of imperial concubine.

However, Zhang Lihua is not only naturally beautiful, but also possesses extraordinary intelligence and talent.

Whenever Chen Shubao went out for fun with his concubines and guests, Zhang Lihua would always recommend the palace maids to join in.

This made everyone in the harem extremely grateful to her, and they praised her endlessly.

In order to win the favor of Zhang Lihua, Chen Shubao even built three pavilions in front of the Guangzhao Hall because he thought the palace was too simple.

These three pavilions are magnificent with carved beams and painted buildings, and are extremely luxurious.

Whenever Zhang Lihua climbed up there and looked down, it seemed as if the whole world was at her feet.

Each one is several meters high and has dozens of rooms of varying sizes.

These three pavilions are not only architectural art, but also symbols of power and love.

The fragrance of the pavilion wafts for miles, as if the whole world is immersed in this fragrance.

The morning sunlight shines on the pavilion, and the reflected light illuminates the entire backyard of the palace, as if the sun is also fascinated by this paradise on earth.

Whenever Chen Shubao invited the imperial concubines and guests to have fun and drink, he would order the concubines to recite poems and compose essays together and present them to each other.

Then they chose the most beautifully written ones as lyrics, matched them with tunes, and asked hundreds of palace maids to learn and sing them.

These palace maids were divided into several groups and took turns to perform, which became one of the entertainment activities for Chen Shubao and Chen Lihua.

The Sui army trampled through Jiankang and the Chen Dynasty's Taicheng fell.

When the Sui army broke through the capital, Chen Shubao, the former emperor, lost the courage to resist.

He hid in a dry well with his favorite concubine Zhang Lihua and Concubine Kong Guipin, trying to escape reality, but was eventually captured.

They were very willing to share weal and woe, and they jumped into the well together, and almost managed to get away with it.

After being reprimanded by Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, Chen Houzhu was allowed to retire and save his life, but Zhang Lihua's fate was completely different.

Her beauty caught the eye of Jin Prince Yang Guang, who was moved by her looks and wanted to make her his concubine.

I thought I would usher in a new destiny, but unexpectedly I encountered even greater misfortune.

A sober minister is well aware of the harm that beautiful women can cause.

He believed that Zhang Lihua's existence would only continue to mislead the country and harm the people.

In order to set an example, he insisted on beheading him in public.

Although Chen Shubao once ruled the world, Zhang Lihua possessed supreme beauty and favor.

But in the face of the torrent of history, everything is so small and powerless.

Beauty has turned into ashes, dynasties have come and gone, and former glory has turned to dust.

"Any family member in the harem who disobeys the law or violates principles will be punished."

"As long as you ask Zhang Lihua for a favor, Zhang Lihua will definitely intercede with Chen Shubao."

"When ministers disobeyed, Zhang Lihua took the opportunity to frame them."

"As a result, Zhang Lihua became extremely powerful, and many people from her family were appointed to positions within and outside the clan, and ministers and rulers were also swept away by her influence."

"Eunuchs and flatterers colluded with each other both inside and outside the court and recommended each other."

"Bribery was open, rewards and punishments were erratic, and the court's laws and regulations were in chaos."

"Indulge in wine, women, erotic music, and indulge in pleasure."

"With no regard for government affairs and a chaotic system of discipline, the fate of the Southern Chen Dynasty has come to an end."

"In 589, that is, the second year after Chen Shubao appointed Chen Shen as the crown prince."

"The Sui army broke through Taicheng and headed straight for Jiankang, the capital of the Southern Chen Dynasty."

"Emperor Chen, who usually indulged himself in pleasure and did whatever he wanted, hid in the attic and cried loudly out of fear."

"The capital was soon captured, Yuan Xian, the Minister of State, said to Emperor Chen."

"As a king, Your Majesty should dress neatly and go to the main hall to face the Sui army."

"This way, even if you die, you can still die with dignity."

"The cowardly Chen Shubao actually rushed to hide in the well with Zhang Lihua and Concubine Kong in an attempt to hide from the Sui army."

"Soon, Sui Dynasty soldiers discovered them."

"The Sui army peered into the well and shouted loudly, and Chen Shubao and others were so frightened that they dared not speak."

"The Sui army threatened to add insult to injury, and then we heard someone begging for mercy from the bottom of the well."

"So the Sui army threw down ropes to pull people up, and they felt very heavy and were very surprised."

"After struggling to pull them up, I saw Chen Shubao, Concubine Zhang, and Concubine Kong lying on a rope together."

"Zhang Lihua's stunning beauty attracted the attention of Jin Prince Yang Guang, who planned to take her as his concubine."

"Under the advice of his attendants, Yang Guang had no choice but to order Zhang Lihua to be executed."

"The Southern Chen Dynasty was destroyed, and Chen Shubao became the king of a fallen country. Yang Guang sent him to Chang'an overnight."

"Chen Shubao was placed under house arrest by Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, in Chang'an, and he sighed all day long."

"When Yang Jian asked the reason, Chen Shubao replied that as long as Zhang Lihua was there, it didn't matter even if the country was destroyed."

"Because of her stunning beauty, Zhang Lihua became the cause of the country's downfall, but in fact it was Chen Shubao who caused the downfall."

"The woman he loved was beheaded, but Chen Shubao lived another 16 years in the Sui Dynasty."

"Chen Shubao grew up in the palace and did not know the hardships of farming."

"He indulged in luxury, poetry, and wine and sex."

"The people trusted the villains, neglected the affairs of state, and the people at all levels deceived and deceived each other."

"It led to disorder of discipline and alienation from the people."

"When the crisis came, a great king hid in a well with his concubine, hoping to survive."

"Even ordinary people would be laughed at for such a cowardly act."

"Zhang Lihua is just a girl from an ordinary family. She has no concept of the country."

"All she wanted was to live a good life, to be rich and powerful, and to be favored by Chen Shubao."

"She also had no power to decide or change anything, so she tried to please Chen Shubao in every way and helped her relatives and friends to high positions."

"It is too harsh to put the blame for the country's demise on her."

Li Qingzhao: The most beautiful woman in the Six Dynasties. The emperor always let Zhang Lihua sit on his lap when he went to court. Unexpectedly, she was eventually killed because she was too beautiful.

When Zhang Lihua first entered the palace, although she was young, she had already grown into a very outstanding girl.

At that time, Zhang Lihua was just a little maid beside Concubine Gong.

Although the maid's clothes were very simple, they still could not conceal Zhang Lihua's beauty.

So, when Chen Shubao saw her for the first time, he fell in love with her at first sight.

From then on, Chen Shubao almost stopped favoring other concubines and spent every day with Zhang Lihua.

Moreover, he never attended court all day and ignored all court affairs.

In order to win the heart of the beauty, Chen Shubao built three attics.

Each attic is extremely magnificent, and the attics are connected to each other.

Chen Shubao spent every day in this attic, living a life of extreme luxury and debauchery.

In order to have better fun, Chen Shubao also invited female scholars and concubines to compose poems together.

Pick out some great poems and set them to music.

They also invited many singing and dancing girls to choreograph and practice in advance, and after the practice, they started to play and compose music.

The gorgeous tunes in this song are not elegant words, but are used to praise the beauty of Zhang Lihua and other concubines.

In this way, they lived a life of drunkenness, luxury and decadence for a long time.

All state affairs were neglected, and many ministers came to dissuade him but to no avail, and the situation became increasingly chaotic both inside and outside the Chen State.

The trouble caused by Chen Shubao and Zhang Lihua only stayed in the harem, but later this vulgarity gradually spread to the court.

Relying on her ability to read Chen Shubao's expressions and her own eloquence, Zhang Lihua actually extended her hand to the court.

When attending court, Chen Shubao often let Zhang Lihua sit on his lap.

Chen Shubao asked the eunuchs around him to make statements regarding the officials' reports.

In addition, Zhang Lihua often visited places outside the palace.

Zhang Lihua noticed any disturbance outside and informed Chen Shubao.

This made Chen Shubao's dependence on and love for her even stronger. For a time, she was the most favored woman in the nine palaces, and no one could rival her.

At this time, Chen Shubao's trust in Zhang Lihua reached its peak, which undoubtedly gave Zhang Lihua great power.

Whether in the harem or the front court, anyone who flatters her can be well protected under her protection.

If someone did not obey her, she would instigate the ministers to frame that person.

All of a sudden, both the former court and the harem realized the situation and flattered Zhang Lihua.

As the saying goes, when one person is favored, the whole family benefits.

During the period when Zhang Lihua was favored, her clansmen, both inside and outside the clan, were given official titles and honors, and she enjoyed great glory.

What Zhang Lihua and Chen Shubao did undoubtedly trampled upon the laws both inside and outside the country.

Whether it was the concubines in the harem or the ministers in the court, they all had deep doubts about the laws, as if Zhang Lihua was the real law.

For a time, corruption and extravagance permeated the country both internally and externally, causing the Chen Dynasty's national strength to decline day by day.

At this time, Chen Shubao and Zhang Lihua were still unaware of the impending danger and were just reveling every day.

The Sui Kingdom on the sidelines was growing stronger and stronger, and began to target the increasingly weak Sui Dynasty.

Zhang Lihua put the people in dire straits for her own selfish desires.

He played with the ministers and the country in the palm of his hand.

As the ruler of a country, Chen Shubao was obsessed with beauty and love affairs. He spent his days having fun and ignored the affairs of state.

This is undoubtedly a huge mistake, and ordinary people can just ignore it.

They are not only concerned about their own survival, but also the life and death of many ordinary people.

They squandered the taxes paid by the people to satisfy their own selfish desires.

Chen Shubao even deposed the former crown prince Chen Yin and made Chen Shen the crown prince in order to win the favor of Zhang Lihua.

The absurdity has become more and more outrageous, and the lives of the people have been completely disregarded.

Under the absurd rule of Emperor Chen Houzhu, the Chen Dynasty's national strength gradually weakened.

The Sui Dynasty observed that the Chen Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse, so it seized the opportunity and sent troops to attack the Chen Dynasty and captured the Chen Dynasty's Taicheng.

Chen Shubao and Zhang Lihua, who only knew how to drink and have fun every day, would never think of raising an army to resist.

Even if they launched a rebellion, the Chen Dynasty's long-abandoned military forces would find it difficult to fight against the powerful Sui Dynasty.

So when the two of them saw the Sui soldiers coming, they hurriedly hid in the well and dared not make a sound.

However, they were discovered by Sui soldiers, who pulled the three out of the well and quickly reported to Yang Guang.

Yang Guang rushed over upon hearing the news, wanting to see what this concubine who brought disaster to the country and the people looked like.

Who would have thought that after meeting Zhang Lihua, Yang Guang was also fascinated by her and even wanted to make her his concubine.

When the Chief Clerk Gao Jiong saw this situation, he hurriedly stopped Yang Guang. He was able to clearly see that Zhang Lihua was a beauty who brought disaster.

He quickly took Yang Lihua to Qingxi and killed her, ending Zhang Lihua's life of harming the country and the people.

Beauty is a gift from God to women, but Zhang Lihua used it as a means to fight for power.

Ignoring the development of the country and the suffering of the people, and only focusing on one's own selfish desires, he ultimately hurts others and himself. (End of this chapter)