History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 948: The Big Melon of Southern Tang - "Hua Tang Gate" Incident

[Mystery of the "Painting Hall Gate"]

It has to be said that Comrade Zhou Zong was a winner in life. He assisted Xu Zhigao in establishing the Southern Tang and became a founding hero. He landed safely and retired gloriously during the period when the Southern Tang was at its peak (during the reign of Li Jing), and his two daughters married Li Yu one after another.

Zhou Zong's youngest daughter was also beautiful, intelligent and talented. She was 14 years younger than her sister Zhou Ehuang. When Zhou Ehuang married Li Yu, she was still a 5-year-old girl.

What bad thoughts could a 5-year-old have? Because of his sister, he often went in and out of the palace and was loved by Empress Dowager Zhong (Li Yu's mother).

As time went by, this innocent, pure and lovely little loli gradually exuded the youthful beauty of a woman, so... needless to say, brother-in-law Li Yu loved this sister-in-law even more.

The historical records are rather vague about this passage, so let us unravel it and explain it in detail:

Li Yu was suspected of having an affair with his sister-in-law. There were no paparazzi taking photos at that time, but the romantic comrade Li Yu confessed. Compared with the low-end operations of a certain Chen, Guan Xi, and a certain Li Zongrui, Li Yu had a unique way of recording - "Bodhisattva Man·Flowers are bright and the moon is dark and the mist is light":
"Flowers are bright, the moon is dark, and the mist is light. I want to go to my lover tonight. I walk barefoot on the fragrant steps, holding my golden shoes in my hand.

I saw her on the south side of the painting hall, always leaning against me and trembling. It is difficult for me to come out, so I ask you to pity me as much as you want. "

This is a poem about a secret meeting with a lover from a female perspective. It is relatively easy to understand. The general idea is that on that dark and windy night, I wore silk stockings and held my shoes in my hands to avoid making any noise. I tiptoed to the south of the painting hall and threw myself into my lover's arms, trembling with excitement. Do you know how difficult it is for me to come out once? Well, tonight I will let you completely let go of yourself, do whatever you want!

This poem is also one of Li Yu's early representative works. It is indeed full of love between men and women and obscene lyrics and songs.

When Zhou Ehuang was ill, Li Yu carefully took care of her and dated his sister-in-law. When Zhou Ehuang's condition worsened and it seemed that the treatment was about to be declared ineffective, Li Yu simply let his sister-in-law live in the palace.

One day, Zhou Ehuang, who had been bedridden for a long time, wanted to get out of bed and stretch her muscles. As soon as she lifted the curtain, she saw her sister. She was shocked and asked, "Why are you here?"

My sister blurted out, "I've been here for several days."

Compared to this silly girl, Zhou Ehuang could be considered an old driver. What didn’t she know? Then she fell to bed, angrily pulling the curtains, and died a few days later, with her face stubbornly turned inward until her death.

Therefore, historical books such as "History of Southern Tang" all record that the reason why Li Yu behaved so excessively in grief at Zhou Ehuang's funeral was to deceive people, "so the later lord was overly sad to cover up his tracks."

Here is a small episode - Li Yu's "sorrow is too much", which means that Li Yu "was so sad that he could not eat or drink, and his bones were so thin that he could only stand with the help of a cane." In fact, Li Yu was not really unable to stand, "supporting with a cane" was a funeral ritual, which expressed his extreme sadness.

In our northern part, when a funeral is held, filial sons and grandsons have to line up in order of seniority, and each person has to be supported by two cousins ​​or good friends, meaning that they are so heartbroken that they cannot walk, and need two people to support them on the left and right.

Li Yu's "standing up with a cane" is one of these funeral rituals. So the historian did not forget to add a footnote here, saying that this was "ridicule", a mockery of Li Yu. Why was it a mockery? Because "Empress Dowager Zhong was still alive", Li Yu's biological mother was still alive, and "standing up with a cane" was usually a ritual for parents' funerals. After all, he did not wear mourning clothes for Zhou Ehuang, so wasn't this a curse on his mother, Empress Dowager Zhong! This is what the historian called "Yue system".

Coincidentally, Empress Dowager Zhong died of illness in the following year (965). Li Yu also used the same "cane-supporting" ceremony, which was a great filial piety.

Back to the topic just now, Li Yu's burial of Zhou Ehuang. We may have a question in our minds: was it Li Zhongxuan's unfortunate death that caused Zhou Ehuang's illness to deteriorate rapidly and eventually lead to her death, or was it the mistress's fight with the original wife? Or was it both?
The three details of Zhou Ehuang's death, plus Li Yu's two poems, are terrifying when you think about them:
1. The record of Zhou Ehuang’s affectionate confession and instructions for her funeral arrangements is, “… three days later, she bathed and put on makeup, and held a jade in her body, and died in the west room of the Yaoguang Palace.”

2. The record of the death of the youngest son, Li Zhongxuan, "At that time, Empress Zhaohui was already very ill. Upon hearing that Zhongxuan had passed away, she became even more grief-stricken and died within a few days."

3. The record of catching his sister being a mistress, "Afterwards, he occasionally saw her... He was so angry that he refused to show his face to others until his death."

Before her death, Zhou Ehuang was extremely angry and lay facing the wall, never looking outward until her death. Combined with the fact that she made a passionate confession to Li Yu three days before her death, we can make a reasonable inference that the third event must have happened after the first event, and the second event was the trigger for the first event. So we can sort out a timeline, which is "3, 1, 2".

This time point may seem insignificant, but it is actually very critical, because it contains two poems, which is an important clue in this case that is easily overlooked. There is also another important doubt:
According to records, Li Yu initially concealed the bad news from Zhou Ehuang because he was worried that the news of Li Zhongxuan's death would aggravate Zhou Ehuang's illness. However, Li Yu, a master of poetry, wrote a poem in his grief:

"The eternal remembrance is hard to dispel, and I feel so alone and sad.

The rain in late autumn makes it lonely, and worries lead to more illnesses.

The thoughts before the wind are choking me, and flowers appear in my blurry eyes.

The Lord of Emptiness should think of me, for the poor boy is lost at home. "

Since Li Yu tried every means to conceal the news of Li Zhongxuan's death from Zhou Ehuang, how did Zhou Ehuang know about it? Let's look at this record:
"He recited it several times, and those around him burst into tears."

It is said that Li Yu repeatedly chanted this poem to mourn his son's death, which moved the palace maids and eunuchs around him to tears. Think carefully, think carefully, how do you think Zhou Ehuang knew this?
Li Zhongxuan died in October, and Zhou Ehuang died of illness in November. It seems that Li Yu really took great pains to keep it secret.

The second important clue is the poem "Bodhisattva Man: Flowers are bright, the moon is dark and the mist is shrouded in light fog" and the "Huatangmen" incident mentioned above.

An important point of doubt is the condition of Emperor Zhou Ehuang. Especially during the period of Li Zhongxuan's death, the historical records give contradictory statements:
In Ma Ling's version of "History of Southern Tang Dynasty: Biography of Queen Zhaohui", it is said that when Zhou Ehuang was ill, she heard that Li Zhongxuan had died, "she wailed and fell down, and her condition became seriously ill." The pain of losing her son worsened her condition, but it is then recorded that "although the queen was ill, she was in good spirits." It means that although she was seriously ill, she was in good spirits and looked good. So she made a passionate confession to Li Yu, and a few days later, she accidentally discovered this palace scandal, and died of illness within a day or two.

Lu You's version of "History of Southern Tang" also records that "the queen was ill and had recovered, but she was still not in a mess." It also means that the disease was under effective control and there were signs of improvement. Then she confessed - exposed the scandal - and died with hatred.

However, in Lu You's version of Li Zhongxuan's biography, it says "At that time Zhaohui was already seriously ill, and when she heard that Zhongxuan had passed away... she died within a few days"; and in Ma Ling's version of Li Zhongxuan's biography, it also says "Mother Zhaohui was ill first, and when she heard that Zhongxuan had died, her grief increased, and she eventually died."

The "Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms" also follows this contradictory statement, with the same formula and familiar flavor. In the biography of Zhou Ehuang, it is implied that it was the court scandal that caused her immediate death, while in the biography of Li Zhongxuan, it is vaguely said that it was Li Zhongxuan's premature death that caused her death.

Three time points, two poems, one doubt... an astonishing "truth" is about to be revealed. We can even be bolder and make Li Yu completely evil:
During Zhou Ehuang's illness, Li Yu had an affair with his sister-in-law, hoping that Zhou Ehuang would die peacefully so as to make room for her. Unexpectedly, Zhou Ehuang's condition improved. In order to help her die peacefully, Li Yu "accidentally" leaked the bad news of Li Zhongxuan's death. However, Zhou Ehuang tenaciously withstood this blow. So Li Yu let Zhou Ehuang uncover the palace scandal, and perhaps also let the "Huatangmen" incident be exposed. A series of nuclear-level blows finally crushed Zhou Ehuang's spirit and caused her to die quickly.

It was a beautiful love story, but the truth was so cruel. Zhou Ehuang cried and told me that fairy tales were all lies.

(End of this chapter)