History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 946 Death of Li Yu
【Death of Li Yu】

Regarding Comrade Li Yu's departure, the History of Song Dynasty gives a clear account:
"(Taipingxingguo) year 3 July, died at the age of 42."

Clear but not clear, the time of death is rather vague, and the cause of death is even more unclear. Of course, the "History of Song" is reluctant to say more, after all, the biggest suspect is Song Taizong.

According to other historical records, Emperor Taizong of Song poisoned Li Yu to death with a poison called "Qianji Medicine".

The main ingredient of this medicine is strychnine, which can damage the central nervous system, causing muscle atrophy and cramps, accompanied by severe abdominal pain. Therefore, the poisoned person often bends over and hunches his back, and eventually his head and feet are pressed together, and he dies in pain. It is said that even after death, the body will still twitch and look hideous and horrible. Because the head and feet of the deceased "look like a machine being pulled", it is called "machine pulling medicine".

Why did Emperor Taizong of Song use such cruel means to brutally kill Li Yu?

There are two main clues:
First, Li Yu was an incorrigible separatist.

In the war to recapture Southern Tang, Li Yu held unrealistic fantasies and was stubborn. When the city was broken, he burned countless treasured artworks and books. The war not only brought direct casualties to the people on both sides of the strait, but also dealt a heavy blow to the national economy, and also caused countless cultural treasures to be destroyed. All of this had to be borne by the war criminal-Li Yu.

After Li Yu was captured and taken to Bianzhou, he was named "Weiming Hou" by Emperor Taizu of Song, which was obviously an insulting and critical title. Let's take a look at the titles of other kings who lost their country, such as Meng Chang of Later Shu - "Duke of Qin", and Liu Xian of Southern Han, who also resisted stubbornly - "Enshe Hou". Looking at this "Weiming Hou", it is enough to see Emperor Taizu of Song's disgust for Li Yu.

Since arriving in Bianzhou, Li Yu has never stopped missing his homeland, and he shed tears all day long. He expressed his feelings in poetry, such as the popular "I can't bear to look back at my homeland in the moonlight"

"Don't lean on the railing alone, the mountains and rivers are endless"

“There’s a special feeling in my heart”

"Life is full of regrets, and the water flows eastward"

"Forty years of my homeland, three thousand miles of mountains and rivers... Once I became a captive, my waist became thin and my hair turned gray"

"How much hatred was in my dream last night"

"The dream of returning to my homeland... the past is gone"...

Hate, dream, sorrow, homeland... These are common words in Li Yu's poems. Li Yu made no secret of his nostalgia for his homeland and his hatred for the loss of his country.

Hate is a dislike of reality;
Dreams are an escape from reality;

Sadness is the desire for the past that cannot be obtained;
Missing the homeland is a complete denial of reality... Because we are not politicians, and Li Yu is not a politician in our eyes, but a poet. But Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi are politicians, and Li Yu is also a politician in their eyes. We appreciate Li Yu from an artistic perspective, while the Zhao brothers interrogate Li Yu from a political perspective.

Looking at Liu Chan from afar, he was content with his country and did not miss it; looking at Liu Cong from near, he was willing to be the leader of all the surrendered kings. They gave up the delusion of splitting the country and recognized the general trend of the reunification of the motherland. That is why these two kings of the fallen country were able to have a good end.

Second, there is a sword hanging over your head when it comes to sex.

Li Yu's wife, Xiao Zhou Hou, was a beautiful and talented woman who suited the Zhao brothers' tastes very well. Thus, there was a saying that Emperor Taizong of Song "forced her to have sex with him".

According to unofficial historical records, Xiao Zhouhou was captured and taken north with Li Yu, and was named "Lady of Zheng State". As usual, she went to the palace to express her gratitude, and was then warmly retained... She was released a few days later. After returning home, Xiao Zhouhou cried and cursed Li Yu for being a coward. Later, Xiao Zhouhou was summoned to the palace to attend parties many times, and this happened every time.

"When he came in, he would not come out for several days. When he came out, he would cry loudly and curse the emperor. His voices were heard outside, and the emperor would often avoid him in various ways."

What exactly happened in those few days?
The historians said, "Guess."

As a result, later generations made up their own imaginations, and the painting style inevitably became vulgar and popular. For example, in the Ming Dynasty, there was a record of "Xi Ling Xing Xiao Zhou Hou Tu". This picture is a famous erotic picture, and the details are indescribable. Simply put, the content of the picture is that Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty had sex with Xiao Zhou Hou.

People in the Ming Dynasty said that this picture was made by people in the Song Dynasty, and they firmly believed that it was a real image leaked by hackers who hacked into the private computer of Emperor Taizong of Song. Therefore, the saying that Emperor Taizong of Song violated Xiao Zhouhou many times and ordered painters to sketch and record it on the spot spread to the world.

After carefully viewing this disgusting and vulgar colored picture, the literati of the Ming Dynasty were extremely indignant and said that it was no wonder that the Song Dynasty suffered the "Jing Kang Shame". It was retribution! It was what they deserved!

The rumor that Emperor Taizong of Song poisoned Li Yu because he coveted Concubine Zhou spread and was regarded as the truth by countless later generations.

Some people even came up with indirect evidence to support this theory, which was Meng Chang of the Later Shu Dynasty. Meng Chang also had a wife who was both talented and beautiful, Lady Huarui, but Meng Chang died suddenly just seven days after entering Bian. So people believed that the Zhao brothers must have coveted Lady Huarui and poisoned Meng Chang, and they must have coveted Xiao Zhouhou and poisoned Li Yu.

This saying has been passed down since the Ming Dynasty. Although it is widely circulated, this saying is actually "false at first glance".

People in the Ming Dynasty said that the painting "Xi Ling Forced to Enjoy Xiao Zhou Hou" was created by people in the Song Dynasty, but in fact it was created by people in the Yuan Dynasty. In other words, it was a spoof and photoshop of Emperor Taizong of Song by people in the Yuan Dynasty, and it was a very clumsy one, not even using AI face-changing technology, because Zhao Guangyi in history was a pretty boy, while the Zhao Guangyi in this painting was "dark-faced and fat", an ugly, greasy, black, fat and wretched uncle, which was a far cry from Emperor Taizong himself.

The Yuan Dynasty people made fun of the Song Dynasty emperor, and the political intention behind this is self-evident. The Ming Dynasty people were fooled by the Mongols and cursed the Han regime.

(End of this chapter)