In ancient China, where almost all men rose and fell in the officialdom, there were actually a pitifully small number of female officials. They were all gathered in the palace, accompanying the emperor. They have a special status and have a strange duality. On the one hand, they are similar to normal officials and hold certain palace positions; on the other hand, they are similar to concubines and can be possessed by the emperor at any time
Female palace officials generally have the status of concubines, as long as they are concubines. The monarch has leisure time and can have sex with them as he pleases. In the Song Dynasty, Concubine Li Chen first entered the palace and served as bed secretary. When she was making bed and folding quilts for Zhenzong, she was pushed into the silk tent. In the Ming Dynasty, Empress Dowager Ji was appointed as a female history official and was put in charge of the internal treasury. Xianzong occasionally went to inspect it. Seeing that Ji's response was fluent, she immediately staged a comedy of dragons and phoenixes.
All female officials with literary talents, Often appointed to be responsible for the education of the inner palace. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Han Lanying of the Southern Song Dynasty presented Zhongxing Fu and was called into the palace as a doctor to teach calligraphy to the palace people. Because of her profound knowledge and virtue, she was respected by everyone and was respectfully called Han Gong
Shangguan Wan'er of the Tang Dynasty was considered a heavyweight among female officials in the past dynasties. She was very talented in literature. She was also familiar with government affairs, and was highly regarded by Wu Zetian and Tang Zhongzong Li Xian successively. She was in charge of imperial documents, and most of the official affairs were decided by her
Shangguan Wan'er, who was deeply trusted by the emperor at that time, although she did not have a clear title, In fact, it belongs to a female prime minister who holds real power. Looking through Chinese history, such powerful and strong-willed women are simply rare. On the one hand, she has excellent qualifications, a sharp talent, and outstanding knowledge and literary talents; on the other hand, she plays power and controls politics, hiding an extremely lustful private life under her skirt
And other people who have climbed to the top of power. Like the characters in Feng, Shangguan Wan'er also had a miserable and humble background. Because grandpa Shangguan Yi was in the wrong political line, their whole family was convicted and killed in 664 AD! Including Shangguan Wan'er's father, many relatives lost their heads
At this time, the poor little Wan'er had just been born and had not had a few mouthfuls of milk, so she followed her mother Zheng as a servant of the court. Official slave. Although he was lucky enough to survive, his situation was extremely low. The mother worked hard and struggled to pull her little daughter back and forth
Of course, the declining official family was also very knowledgeable. The mother tried every means to let Wan'er receive a comprehensive and strict orthodox education in order to master the capital to settle down in the future. . The little girl is so smart, she knows everything right away. When she was just four or five years old, she composed beautiful poems
Wu Zetian finally gave the dilapidated Shangguan family a chance to stand up and be liberated. She had heard about Shangguan Wan'er's talents for a long time, so she summoned the poor mother and daughter into the palace. They were very satisfied with the on-site examination, so in addition to their low status as mother and daughter, they also kept Wan'er by their side to work as a personal secretary in charge of edicts
That year, Shangguan Wan'er was just fourteen years old. From then on, she entered the political arena and gradually approached the core of power of the current government.
When a newbie starts, there are always times when he is not sure. Shangguan Wan'er also needs ups and downs in the officialdom and constant experience. Because of her disobedience, Wu Zetian almost killed her. Due to her deep-rooted love of talent, Empress Wu only tattooed a black criminal symbol on the girl's pink forehead. This almost disfiguring punishment is called tattooing. Although her forehead is no longer perfect, Shangguan Wan'er is still a radiant beauty. She uses two of the most powerful things to get around in the palace: one is her brain; the other is her beauty. Talent is important, but marrying well is not as good as doing well. Shangguan Wan'er, who was sixteen years old and in her prime, fell charmingly into the arms of Crown Prince Li Xian. She knew the importance of this kind of political investment
After that, Li Xian was deposed and guarded Junzhou and Fangzhou. Shangguan Wan'er sat on the lap of Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Sansi again. She frequently gave the green light to her lover, took advantage of the emperor's secretary's convenience, spoke favorably of Wu Sansi, and even intentionally rejected the Li and Tang royal family. How could the Li family not hate this troublesome bitch! Things have turned, and Li Xian has made a comeback. In 705 AD, Tang Zhongzong Li Xian took over the imperial power from the aging Wu Zetian, and his old friend Shangguan Wan'er immediately joined him. She was canonized as Zhaorong. In fact, she was the emperor's concubine.
According to the old Tang Dynasty books, her status was second only to the queen and three concubines, and she was the second among the nine concubines.
The specific thing Wan'er is responsible for is the Cabinet Secretary-General. With political backing, she still felt unstable, so she bet on Li Xianda's wife, Queen Wei
The most ingenious method was to introduce a lover: soon, the thin-skinned and tender Wu Sansi Following Wan'er's lead, she crawled into the Queen's warm and gorgeous bed. In this regard, Li Xian, who has tracheitis and is cowardly by nature, always turns a blind eye and closes one eye. His principle is: as long as his wife is happy. Li Xian, Empress Wei, Wan'er, and Wu Sansi often stayed behind closed doors and fooled around in the emperor's bed
This period was the peak stage of Shangguan Wan'er's popularity. Under her initiative, literature flourished all over the world, and various poetry contests were held in full swing like the selection of Super Girl today. The palace was even more lively. The emperors, queens and princes took the lead in setting an example. Wan'er, who was so talented in literature, naturally became the center of attention. She unswervingly supported the meeting. Not only did she compose poems on behalf of the emperor and empress, but she also served as a referee and rewarded those with outstanding literary talents.
As women became popular figures, speculators flocked to join her. Promoting an administrative official is a piece of cake for Wan'er. Then again, after all, she is a healthy woman with all kinds of emotions. Looking at her life, her only flaw is her private life
So, Wan'er secretly bought a private house and hooked up with some suave playboys outside the palace. take. The New Book of Tang said: Evil men and filthy husbands are vying for their disciples, and they are flirting with each other to death. What's more, Wan'er also seeks political benefits for these guys. Many people step on her gentle shoulders and become officials.
Her most famous lover is Cui_. The young man is good-looking, and they were only in their mid-twenties when they first met. At that time, Wan'er was no longer a young girl who had just fallen in love. She was so beautiful that she aged easily. In the blink of an eye, she was over forty.
According to age, the MILF is almost as old as Cui_'s mother. Aunt and aunt. In order to repay Wan'er's favor, Cui_ shamelessly introduced his three brothers: Cui Li, Cui Ye, and Cui Di. They are all talented and lustful, so they naturally become Wan'er's sweethearts in bed. Soon, Cui_ was promoted to an official and made a fortune
Wu Meicun, a famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty, once lamented: Should my wife be involved in the big plans? In fact, this is the opposite of the saying that beauty is a disaster, both emphasizing the role of women in political issues. Men and women are not fundamentally different when it comes to power. When a person reaches a prominent position where a nation is prospered with a word or a nation is ruined with a word, any gender will play a role in changing the course of history. Although it was just a once-in-a-lifetime chance
Shangguan Wan'er's troubles were finally over. Her nemesis is political newcomer Li Longji. After all, he has made too many enemies, and all his pleadings are of no use. In the fourth year of Jinglong, that is, one night in the summer of 710 AD, a palace coup manipulated by Li Longji broke out. There was a flash of sword light in the night, and Shangguan Wan'er screamed and fell into a pool of blood. That year, she was just forty-seven years old
In ancient times, women were regarded as a nuisance and were not allowed to participate in politics under normal circumstances. But when the monarch ignores this principle, he will lift restrictions on them and even grant them important tasks and positions
The highest-ranking female official in Chinese history was probably Lu Daji of the Northern Qi Dynasty. He is what people often call the prime minister, with great power. Seeing that Huang Hua, the palace maid, was lucky enough to be the queen of the queen, she considered her as her adopted daughter and strongly recommended her as Mrs. Hongde. Huang Hua soon gave birth to a prince, giving the childless queen an heir. In order to protect her official career, Lu Daji made a huge political gamble and used false accusations to force Queen Hu to step down, and then helped Huanghua's mother and son become queen and prince respectively
In fact, female officials are generally not allowed to appear in public, but Talented people may be allowed to break this rule. In the mid-Tang Dynasty, the five sisters Song Ruoxin, Song Ruozhao, Song Ruolun, Song Ruoxian, and Song Ruoxun were famous for their talents and learning. They were summoned to the Imperial Palace by Dezong and given official positions. Dezong loved poetry, and every time he sang with his poets, he would call five people to come and have fun. Dezong treated them with great dignity and did not treat them as concubines. They were always called bachelors. Among them, Ruozhao of the Song Dynasty served as an official for three dynasties, and everyone called him sir, and concubines, princes, and princesses all used the teacher's etiquette when they met.
They come and go as soon as they are called. The female official system is a very deformed system. It is not A tool of the state, but a plaything in the hands of the emperor.