The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Every dynasty has a few celebrities who make us realize the absolute horror of power, and Xu Zhaopei is one of them.

Xu Zhaopei was born into a noble family, but her appearance was not outstanding and she was rather rude and vulgar.

This woman was so cruel, jealous, and controlling that she was truly one of the most terrifying queens in history.

Her life trajectory, from a noble woman to a murderous and terrifying queen, is truly chilling.

Her tragic end also serves as a wake-up call for us.

The corruption brought by power often changes people beyond recognition.

After Xu Zhaopei's tragic life came to an end, all her evil deeds were finally exposed one by one.

Although Xu Zhaopei's tragic end makes us sigh at the fickleness of fate, we cannot ignore the deeper reasons behind it.

All this was rooted in the feudal system and ideology of the time.

As a woman, Xu Zhaopei did not even have the right to choose her husband independently and was forced to marry a stranger.

In the absence of an emotional foundation, her inner dissatisfaction and anger were difficult to release, and she eventually became a terrifying murderer.

History is often cruel, but we should look at these figures with more tolerance and understanding.

As a product of the times, their actions, although outrageous, also reflected the various ills of the society at that time.

We should learn lessons from this, warn ourselves not to repeat the same mistakes, work hard to promote social progress and development, and prevent such tragedies from happening again.

"Xu Zhaopei is the granddaughter of Xu Xiaosi, the Grand Commandant of the Southern Qi Dynasty and Duke Wen Zhong of Zhijiang."

"In 517, Xu Zhaopei married Xiao Yi, the Prince of Xiangdong. Xiao Yi was only ten years old at the time."

"Later, Xu Zhaopei gave birth to a son and a daughter for Xiao Yi, Crown Prince Xiao Fangdeng and Princess Xiao Hanzhen."

"Perhaps their marriage was harmonious at the beginning, and they lived in harmony."

"However, as time went by, everything changed. The two went from respecting each other to hating each other."

"Words used to describe Xu Zhaopei include: no beauty, ugly and jealous, rude, fond of drinking, and often misbehaving."

"In short, he is ugly, jealous, alcoholic, and immoral."

"Xu Zhaopei was not a beauty, but she certainly wasn't ugly either."

"I can only say that she is not beautiful enough and her appearance is average."

"But she has a good family background, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to marry Xiao Yi, the King of Xiangdong."

"On the night Xu Zhaopei got married, when the car drove to Xizhou."

"Suddenly there was a strong wind, blowing sand and rocks everywhere, blowing away houses and breaking tree branches."

"Then the snow and hail fell, and the curtains turned white. Perhaps this has cast a tragic color on this marriage."

"But at that time, neither Xiao Yi nor Xu Zhaopei could have imagined how tragic their marriage would become."

"At the beginning, Xu Zhaopei still maintained the demeanor of a lady from a noble family."

"As time went on, she began to let herself go, completely losing the dignity and elegance that a royal lady should have."

"She is jealous. Xiao Yi has many concubines. She is jealous of those concubines who are not favored by Xiao Yi."

"Xu Zhaopei was able to remain calm and composed. Sometimes she would sit with them and drink and chat, calling each other sisters."

"If she found out that any of Xiao Yi's concubines was pregnant, she would kill him with a knife, which would give Xiao Yi a headache."

"She is addicted to alcohol. Throughout history, there are very few women who are addicted to alcohol."

"Xu Zhaopei was one of them, and Xu Zhaopei always got drunk."

"Every time Xu Zhaopei got drunk and Xiao Yi returned to the room, Xu Zhaopei would vomit on Xiao Yi's clothes."

"Xu Zhaopei, who is like this, naturally won't be favored by Xiao Yi. There are plenty of beautiful and obedient concubines, so Xiao Yi naturally doesn't want to have any contact with Xu Zhaopei."

Wu Zetian: Xu Zhaopei cuckolded the emperor and deliberately only put on half makeup to mock the emperor, leaving behind the idiom "banlao Xu Niang".

She was a well-known half-made-up beauty, but was not favored by the emperor. She even had an affair with a court official and hooked up with a Taoist priest.

During the Southern Liang Dynasty, Consort Xu, who was over 40 years old, had frequent affairs with court officials behind the back of Emperor Yuan of Liang.

He even traveled thousands of miles to discuss Taoism with Taoist priests in temples.

When Emperor Yuan learned about this, he burned the Taoist priest alive.

However, Xu soon hooked up with another poet.

Emperor Yuan could no longer tolerate this and thought of a way, so he summoned Xu's son.

Xu's son Xiao Fang was appointed by Emperor Yuan of Liang to lead troops to war, but this war was generally recognized as a battle of death.

Soon, Xiao Fang died on the battlefield.

Emperor Yuan of Liang, who had no other options, then forced Xu to commit suicide.

In fact, Xu was not so dissolute in his early years.

Xu Zhaopei came from a prominent family. His grandfather was a regent of the Southern Qi Dynasty and his father was a general.

Xu Zhaopei had been well-read in poetry and books since childhood, and was proficient in all arts, including chess, calligraphy and painting.

Before entering the palace, Xu Zhaopei and Zhang Bing, the son of General Zhang of the Liang Dynasty, were childhood sweethearts.

The two were childhood sweethearts and decided to spend their lives together when they were very young.

However, it is counterproductive.

Xu's father took a liking to Xiao Yi, the King of Xiangdong, and believed that he would soon become a rare talent.

His father, who was determined to marry Xu Zhaopei to Prince of Xiangdong, began to prevent Xu Zhaopei from having any contact with Zhang Bing.

He even lied that his daughter was engaged to someone else and did not want to see Zhang Bing again.

Soon, in order to make up for Zhang Bing, Xu's father hypocritically proposed marriage for him.

And under the auspices of Xu's father, he quickly helped Zhang Bing get married.

Turning around, Xu's father told his daughter that Zhang Bing was already married, and loudly denounced Zhang Bing's betrayal.

Poor Xu Zhaopei believed it to be true and cried heart-wrenchingly for several days and nights.

On the third day after Zhang Bing's marriage, the heartbroken Xu Zhaopei obeyed her father's arrangement and married Xiao Yi, King of Xiangdong.

As the saying goes, marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.

Xu Zhaopei, who had just gotten married, also wanted to live a good life with her husband.

However, her husband was like a piece of wood and had no sympathy for the smart and beautiful Xu Zhaopei.

In order to be recognized and accepted by her husband, she also tried to integrate into his circle of interests, but her husband was always lukewarm towards her.

Xu Zhaopei, feeling disheartened, began to throw away all hope.

When applying makeup, only half of the face was applied, which was called half-face makeup at the time.

They use this to vent their dissatisfaction, and even hope that their husbands will divorce them out of anger.

However, Xu Zhaopei's husband had extraordinary determination.

Even though he saw this scene, he remained calm and turned a blind eye, always acting as if he didn't care about Xu Zhaopei.

Later, Hou Jing's Rebellion broke out in Southern Liang, and the rebellion was put down.

King Xiao Yi of Xiangdong ascended the throne and became Emperor Yuan of Liang.

When the news of her husband's accession to the throne came, Xu Zhaopei deeply admired her father's foresight.

However, Xu Zhaopei could not be happy.

She and her husband had been silent for many years and were like strangers.

Even if her husband ascended the throne, she would not gain any benefits.

After Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi, ascended the throne, he was unwilling to make Xu the empress, and the position of empress remained vacant, while Xu was merely promoted from a princess to an imperial concubine.

As time went by, Xu Zhaopei, who lived deep in the harem, lost hope in life and spent her days drinking to drown her sorrows.

Once, when Xu Zhaopei was drunk, she accidentally vomited all over Emperor Yuan of Liang.

Emperor Yuan was furious and turned away.

Just like that, the only bit of affection between husband and wife disappeared without a trace at this moment.

After this incident, Xu Zhaopei, who was already middle-aged, became more open-minded.

Since the emperor doesn't like her, there is no need for her to try to please him. She has to find her own happiness in life.

Once, at a banquet, Xu Zhaopei met a courtier who looked very similar to Zhang Bing, his name was Ji Jiang.

So, the bold Xu Zhaopei took the initiative to wait for Ji Jiang in the corridor and kept him in the harem for pleasure.

Later, the two maintained this relationship for a long time.

From then on, Xu Zhaopei was no longer on the wrong path.

There was even one time when Xu Zhaopei traveled thousands of miles to Yaoguang Temple to have an affair with Taoist Zhiyuan.

After Emperor Yuan learned about this, he had Taoist Zhiyuan burned to death, and made Xu Zhaopei stop and watch the whole process.

Watching her beloved die tragically, Xu Zhaopei went completely crazy and began to hate all favored women.

If she found out that a palace maid was pregnant, she would even kill her with a knife.

Soon, Xu Zhaopei returned to her old ways.

She fell in love with a poet named He Hui and wrote a love letter to him.

Afterwards, the two exchanged love poems frequently.

When Emperor Yuan of Liang, who was under great pressure, learned about this, he could no longer tolerate it. He then forced Xu Zhaopei's son to death and soon ordered Xu Zhaopei to be executed.

Even after Xu Zhaopei's death, he was unwilling to bury her and instead sent his wife's body back to Xu Zhaopei's parents' home.

It's a pity that such a beautiful woman gave up on herself because of the failure of her marriage and went down a path of no return, ultimately hurting others and herself.

This famous half-made-up beauty was infatuated all her life but did not have a good ending.

The story of how she ended up as an old woman is really heartbreaking.

As the saying goes, one thought can lead to heaven or hell. Let go of your attachments and be kind to yourself.

"In fact, later on, Xiao Yi only entered Xu Zhaopei's room once every two or three years."

"And Xu Zhaopei no longer liked Xiao Yi, and she even gradually began to hate him because of his favoritism towards his concubine."

"Xiao Yi was blind in one eye, so whenever Xu Zhaopei heard that Xiao Yi was coming to her room, she would put on half of her makeup and wait for Xiao Yi."

"The so-called half-face makeup means only applying makeup on half of the face, to humiliate Xiao Yi for being blind with one eye."

"Every time Xiao Yi found out, he left in anger, and became even less willing to see Xu Zhaopei."

"It's really rare for a couple to do this."

"Of course, this is not the most outrageous thing Xu Zhaopei did."

"Her worst offense was her misconduct and lack of discipline."

"Xiao Yi had many concubines, and Xu Zhaopei was not to be outdone. She had an affair with Zhiyuan Taoist from Yaoguang Temple in Jingzhou."

"Later, I heard that a man named He Hui was very good-looking, so I invited him to Puxian Nunnery for a date."

"The two wrote poems to each other on the white horn pillow, which was very unscrupulous." "If we say that Xu Zhaopei was the most unscrupulous, it was her affair with Ji Jiang, an attendant of Xiao Yi, which gave rise to the idiom "Ban Lao Xu Niang."

"Xiao Yi's dislike for Xu Zhaopei reached its peak."

"But for various reasons, Xu Zhaopei is still his principal wife."

"But perhaps because he hated the whole family, Xiao Yi disliked Xu Zhaopei, and by extension, he also disliked Xiao Fangdeng, the son of Xu Zhaopei."

"Fortunately, Xiao Fangdeng is very capable, especially after he returned to Jiangling from Jiankang."

"Xiao Yi found that this son was very capable, so he told Xu Zhaopei that if he had another son like him, he would have nothing to worry about!"

"In the end, Xu Zhaopei just turned around and left with tears in her eyes without saying anything, which made Xiao Yi very angry."

"Thinking of what Xu Zhaopei had done, Xiao Yi was furious and directly posted all of Xu Zhaopei's misdeeds on a notice."

"Xiao Fangdeng was very frightened when he saw this. It happened that Xiao Yi was preparing to attack Hou Jing, but the governor of Xiangzhou, Xiao Yu, refused to provide food and horses."

Princess Taiping: When Xu Zhaopei married Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi was not the emperor, but only the King of Xiangdong.

From a king to an emperor, the status of a woman who can stay by his side is very high.

But this princess pushed herself into a desperate situation and eventually ended up committing suicide by jumping into a well.

Although Xu Zhaopei was Liang Yi's wife, she was never favored, which also laid the groundwork for her later fate.

There are many reasons why Xu Zhaopei fell out of favor, and many people simply think it was because of Xu Zhaopei's appearance.

After all, emperors like beautiful women, and ugly women have few chances to be favored.

But Xu Zhaopei was not favored, not only because she was not beautiful.

Her character was also the main reason why she fell out of favor and was eventually forced to commit suicide.

Because she did not have a good appearance, Xu Zhaopei was never favored.

When King Liang Yi of Xiangdong was willing to marry the ugly woman Xu Zhaopei, it was out of consideration for his own political future.

The Xu family was a large family in Liang State. Her grandfather Xu Xiaosi was the Grand Marshal of Southern Qi, and her father Xu Gun was the Palace Attendant and General Xinwu.

The Xu family was very powerful, which was what Liang Yi, the King of Xiangdong at the time, saw in it, and it was also the reason why he was willing to marry the plain-looking Xu Zhaopei as his wife.

Not to mention a woman of average appearance, even if there is a stunningly beautiful woman, the initial love will be lost over time and a gap will develop.

What's more, Xu Zhaopei not only had mediocre qualifications, but also had many shortcomings that Emperor Yuan of Liang, Liang Yi, could not tolerate.

Xu Zhaopei was not only ugly, but also a heavy drinker and often got drunk.

She was also very jealous, and if she found out her concubine was pregnant, she would kill her with a knife.

A woman like this, if she didn't have the support of her family, would probably not live long.

Since ancient times, there have been very few women who can truly get love.

For most women, once they enter the palace, it is like being trapped in a deep ocean. Some of them may not be seen again for thirty-six years.

Perhaps it was because she was ugly that Emperor Yuan of Liang was not interested in her, or perhaps it was a political marriage that made Emperor Yuan of Liang disgusted with Xu Zhaopei.

In short, Emperor Yuan of Liang rarely visited his wife.

For most women, even the emperor often does not come to her.

It would be a great pleasure for him to come occasionally, and she would definitely dress up nicely to welcome the emperor's arrival.

If you are lucky enough to get pregnant, it would be great to have the honor of being a mother and having a child.

But Concubine Xu didn't think so when she learned that Emperor Yuan of Liang was coming.

She only put on makeup on half of her face and waited for Emperor Liang Yuan halfway. Of course, this was not because she was anxious to see Emperor Liang Yuan that she put on makeup on half of her face.

It was because Emperor Yuan of Liang was blind in one eye, and she deliberately only painted half of her face to insult him.

When Emperor Yuan of Liang saw that she had half of her face made up, he naturally knew her intention and turned around and went back angrily.

Of course, rudeness did not make Emperor Yuan of Liang force her to commit suicide. What really led to Concubine Xu's death was that her dirty behavior was discovered by Emperor Yuan of Liang.

Not to mention that the emperor could not tolerate such behavior, even ordinary people would find it difficult to accept such a thing.

Perhaps because she had not been favored by Emperor Yuan of Liang for a long time, Concubine Xu turned her attention to other people.

In order to satisfy her own selfish desires, Xu Zhaopei first had an affair with a monk from Yaoguang Temple, and later had an affair with Ji Jijiang, an attendant of Emperor Yuan of Liang.

Emperor Yuan of Liang's attendant, Ji Jijiang, was not only tall and strong, but also very handsome. Concubine Xu was deeply attracted to him when she saw him.

During the time of having an affair with Ji Jijiang, Concubine Xu could be said to have used all her tricks and spent a wonderful time with the young and strong Ji Jijiang.

As the saying goes, there is no wall that is impenetrable. The scandal of Concubine Xu, the monk of Yaoguang Temple, and Emperor Yuan of Liang's entourage was eventually discovered by Emperor Yuan of Liang.

As an emperor, he certainly could not bear such a great humiliation, and the only way left for Concubine Xu was death.

Under the pressure of Emperor Yuan of Liang, Concubine Xu committed suicide by jumping into a well.

After her death, Concubine Xu not only did not receive the emperor's forgiveness, but her scandal was also made public to the world, letting the world know the true face of this woman.

In order to punish Xu Zhaopei, her funeral was handled in a hasty manner like that of ordinary people, and her son was not even allowed to wear mourning for her.

Perhaps Xu Zhaopei's death was her own fault, but her story also taught many people a lesson.

In this world, many people are just playing around, and there are not many people who truly treat you with their heart.

Emperor Yuan of Liang married the ugly woman Xu Zhaopei under political pressure. The monk and follower of Yaoguang Temple, Ji Jiang, was forced to commit himself to Xu Zhaopei under power. Everyone was the protagonist of this tragedy.

Many people say that Concubine Xu died at the hands of Emperor Yuan of Liang. In fact, this is just an appearance. What really led Concubine Xu to a dead end was her selfish desires and the natural laws and ethics of feudal society.

If Concubine Xu knew how to respect Emperor Yuan of Liang and control her own desires after becoming a wife, perhaps the ending would be different.

"Xiao Fangdeng volunteered to go and attack the brave and warlike Xiao Yu, and Xiao Yi agreed."

"Xiao Fangdeng went there with the intention of dying. Before he left, he said this to those close to him."

"If I do this, I will die. If I die for a good cause, what regrets do I have?"

"I didn't expect that his words would come true, and Xiao Yi's army was defeated and drowned."

"The death of Xiao Fangdeng worsened the conflict between Xiao Yi and Xu Zhaopei. At this time, Xiao Yi had already decided to kill Xu Zhaopei."

"Not long after, Xiao Yi's favorite concubine Wang suddenly died."

"Xiao Yi believed that Xu Zhaopei had poisoned Wang, so he forced Xu Zhaopei to commit suicide."

"Xu Zhaopei knew that Xiao Yi really couldn't tolerate her anymore, so she chose to commit suicide by jumping into a well."

"After Xu Zhaopei died, Xiao Yi still felt unsatisfied."

"He returned Xu Zhaopei's body to the Xu family, indicating that he wanted to divorce her."

"Later, Xu Zhaopei was buried as a commoner in the Wuguan Temple in Jiangling. Xiao Yi did not allow his sons to wear mourning clothes for Xu Zhaopei."

"This couple's marriage lasted for 32 years, but instead of developing any family affection, they became enemies."

"It is said that things in the world are unpredictable, but that is all."

"In 549, not only Xiao Yi's wife Xu Zhaopei and son Xiao Fangdeng died, but also Xiao Yi's father, Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, starved to death in Taicheng."

"With a large army in hand, Xiao Yi began to fight for the throne. He successively defeated his nephew Xiao Yu and his brother Xiao Lun, forcing Xiao Zha to defect to the Western Wei. He also ordered Wang Sengbian to attack Hou Jing."

"At that time, Xiao Yi's younger brother Xiao Ji also wanted to send troops to attack Hou Jing, but was stopped by Xiao Yi."

"Xiao Yi asked Xiao Yi to guard Shu and not move, with the intention of separatism."

"Of course, no matter whether it is Xiao Yi or Xiao Ji, neither of them really wants to just rule one side."

"So in 552, Xiao Ji proclaimed himself emperor in Chengdu."

"And Xiao Yi also proclaimed himself emperor in Jiangling after Hou Jing's death, but the war between the two did not end there."

"In the second year, that is, in 553, Xiao Ji was killed by Fan Meng, and Xiao Yi became the only emperor of Southern Liang."

"But he didn't stay on as emperor for long. The Western Wei army captured Jiangling and the 47-year-old Emperor Yuan of Liang was killed."

Shangguan Wan'er: The shocking princess Xu Zhaopei and Xiao Yi, truly a pair of resentful lovers.

Xu Niangbanlao is generally used to describe middle-aged women who appear a little old but still have charm. As the saying goes, time never defeats beauty.

Such a woman's youthful charm has been fermented by time.

The whole person is full of maturity and charm, with a unique beauty.

However, the protagonist of this idiom has a negative image in history.

The Xu Niang in "Xu Niang in her middle age" refers to Xu Zhaopei, the wife of Emperor Xiao Yi of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties.

She was the granddaughter of the Grand Marshal of Southern Qi, a descendant of a wealthy family, and married Xiao Yi.

But she kept cheating on him and made Xiao Yi a cuckold.

In the end, she was forced to commit suicide by jumping into a well, and even her body was sent back to her parents' home by Xiao Yi with disgust.

The marriage between Xu Zhaopei and Xiao Yi was a standard political marriage.

This was a common phenomenon during the Northern and Southern Dynasties when the aristocratic clan system was in place.

Xu Zhaopei was not only ugly, but also had no manners and no moral integrity.

Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi, was not only ugly, but also lost one eye due to an illness in his childhood, becoming a one-eyed man.

It is estimated that neither of these two people looks down on the other. Xiao Yi doesn't like her and only enters her room once every two or three years.

And this Xu Zhaopei is not an easy person to deal with either.

Whenever Xiao Yi came to her room, she would only put makeup on half of her face.

The meaning is to satirize Xiao Yi for being a one-eyed man with only one eye, so he can only wear makeup on half of his face.

This really hit Xiao Yi in the face, and he was so angry that he turned around and left.

Although Xu Zhaopei was so disgusted with Xiao Yi, her family was powerful.

Xiao Yi is still young and has to rely on her mother's family's influence, so he dares not speak out even though he is angry.

With Xu Zhaopei in such a state, Xiao Yi didn't dare to look for him anymore, as there were many other women waiting for his favor.

But what's outrageous is that while Xiao Yi was looking for other women, she was also looking for other men, and even targeting monks.

She first found Zhiyuan, a romantic monk in Yaoguang Temple in Jingzhou, and then, seeing that Ji Jijiang, a subordinate of Xiao Yi, was handsome, she hooked up with him.

Xu Zhaopei cuckolded the future emperor and did something that no woman in the world would dare to do.

Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, was trapped in Hou Jing's rebellion and starved to death in Taicheng.

Xiao Yi took the opportunity to send troops to attack and destroy his nephew, King of Hedong Xiao Yu, and his brother, King of Shaoling Xiao Lun, and repel the attack of King of Yueyang Xiao Zhao.

Afterwards, he ordered Wang Sengbian to lead his army eastward to eliminate Hou Jing.

At this time, Xiao Yi had grown strong and held the throne, so he no longer had to worry about the power of Xu Zhaopei's family.

He issued an edict pointing out Xu Zhaopei's various crimes and forced her to commit suicide.

Xu Zhaopei, who was left with nowhere to go, committed suicide by jumping into a well, and Xiao Yi was filled with hatred.

He also ordered her body to be returned to her parents' home and all her dirty deeds were publicized.

Xu Niang is still charming even in her middle age. These eight short words are enough to fill one with beautiful imaginations.

But in real history, it is often ugly and unromantic. (End of this chapter)