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Brief Introduction of Liu E’s Life

Liu E’s Life

Liu E, from an orphan girl performing arts, to a queen who created the first female lead in the Song Dynasty, is a very legendary figure among the empresses and concubines of all dynasties in China. At the same time, Liu E is also a promising heroine of the generation. She ended the “Tianshu” movement, ended party disputes, issued Jiaozi, built water conservancy, founded remonstrance courts, and established state schools, laying a solid foundation for the “Renzong Shengzhi” after Renzong’s pro-government.

Orphans of Shu

Liu E’s ancestral home is Taiyuan. His grandfather Liu Yanqing served as General You Xiaowei in the later Jin and Later Han periods of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. His father, Liu Tong, was the commander of Hujiedu during Song Taizu’s time and led the governor of Jiazhou (now Leshan, Sichuan). Moved to Chengdu Huayang. Not long after Liu E was born, her parents died, and the infant Liu E became an orphan and was fostered by her mother Pang’s natal family.

Liu E, who lived under the fence, became a singing girl when she grew up. Not only did she have a melodious singing voice, but she was also good at playing the 鼗 (a musical instrument similar to a rattle). Liu E married a silversmith named Gong Mei in Shu when she was very young. Gong Mei took her away from Sichuan and came to the capital—Tokyo Bianliang to make a living.

In the capital, Gong Mei planned to sell Liu E and marry someone else because of her difficult livelihood. At that time, Zhang Qi, the commander of Zhao Heng, the third son of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty (the future Song Zhenzong, then named Zhao Yuanxiu), recommended Liu E to King Han. When Zhao Heng saw Liu E, he fell in love with him very much.

Song Taizong saw that the third prince was haggard and thin, so he asked Zhao Heng’s wet nurse, who was around the prince? The nurse didn’t like Liu E at all, so she told Emperor Taizong about Liu E’s entry into the mansion. Taizong was furious when he heard that the prince was hanging out with a folk woman of humble origin and unknown origin, and Zhao Heng drove Liu E out of the palace. Soon, Zhao Heng was married again. The bride was from a famous family and was the daughter of Pan Mei, the founding hero of the Song Dynasty. Zhao Heng didn’t dare to disobey his father’s order, and couldn’t let go of Liu E, so he secretly placed Liu E in the home of Zhang Qi, the commander of the palace, and met privately from time to time. Seeing that Zhang Qi was the prince’s favorite person, he was very cautious in serving Liu E. To avoid suspicion, Zhang Qi never dared to go home to live, and chose another house outside to settle down.

Entering the court for the first time

In the third year of Song Taizong Zhidao (997), Song Taizong died, and Prince Zhao Heng inherited the Datong, that is, Song Zhenzong. After ascending the throne, Song Zhenzong brought Liu E into the palace, but the harem already had Empress Guo and other concubines, and Liu E had no status.

After entering the palace, Liu E did not compete with the queens and concubines in Zhenzong’s harem. Among the concubines in the harem, the Yang family (later concubine Yang Shu) was extremely favored, and when Zhenzong went on tour, the Yang family was also around, and the depth of favor was almost as high as that of Liu E. For the beloved concubine Yang, Liu E has been with her as a sister for the rest of her life, and they have never had a gap, advancing and retreating together in the harem.

In the first year of Song Zhenzong Jingde (1004), Liu E was named a fourth-rank beauty. After that, Liu E was successively promoted to Xiuyi and Concubine De. Liu E was an orphan girl with no parents or other family members, so Liu E recognized Gong Mei as her brother, and Gong Mei changed her surname to Liu since then.

Canonize Queen

In the fourth year of Jingde (1007), Empress Guo died. Zhenzong wanted to make Liu E the queen, but Kou Zhun, Li Di, Xiang Minzhong, Wang Dan and other important ministers all expressed their firm opposition on the grounds that “Liu E came from a humble background and cannot be the mother of a country”. Liu E’s fierce confrontation with Kou Zhun and others buried the roots.

Zhao Anren, the political adviser, not only opposed Liu E as the empress, but also proposed another candidate-Shen Cairen, the granddaughter of the former prime minister Shen Lun, who was of noble birth. Zhenzong was displeased, and Wang Qinruo took the opportunity to slander, saying that Zhao Anren’s request to establish Shen was selfish, Zhenzong quickly reprimanded Zhao Anren, and the proposal to establish Shen as the empress fell through.

In the third year of Song Zhenzong’s Dazhong Xiangfu (1010), Li, who was originally Liu E’s maid, was favored by Zhenzong and gave birth to Song Zhenzong’s only prince at that time. The prince was still in his infancy, so Liu E took Zhenzong’s prince as his own son, and asked Concubine Yang Shu to raise him on his behalf. This is Song Renzong in the future.

In the fifth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1012), Liu E was canonized as queen. Yang Yi, a Hanlin scholar, saw that the officials could not prevent Liu E from being granted the title, so he angrily refused to draft an edict to confer the title of queen, so Zhenzong had to find someone else.

As the empress, Liu E not only dealt with the affairs of the palace with good reason and evidence, without any major negligence; but also after Emperor Zhenzong retired, he read the memorials from all over the world, and Liu E always accompanied him and participated in the handling of state affairs until late at night. Liu E handled political affairs with “carefulness and respect”, and was increasingly relied on and trusted by Song Zhenzong.

Tianxi Party

In the third year of Tianxi (1019) of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, Taibai appeared. After divination, it was concluded that “the heroine is prosperous”. It happened that Emperor Zhenzong was sick at this time, and Empress Liu E gradually took control of the government. Song Zhenzong felt uneasy, fearing that Liu E would endanger the Zhao family, so he revealed to his confidant Zhou Huaizheng that he intended to let the prince supervise the country. When Prime Minister Kou Zhun learned of this situation, he found an opportunity to enter the palace and discussed with Zhenzong the matter of “the prince supervising the country”.

The matter is extremely secretive, and no one, including the queen Liu E, is allowed to know. After leaving the palace, Kou Zhun immediately asked Yang Yi to secretly draft the edict of “Prince Supervising the Country” overnight. Unexpectedly, the matter still came to light. Song Zhenzong, who was vacillating, pushed all the matter to the prime minister Kou Zhun on the grounds that “there is no agreement between Zhunchu and Zhunchu”. Under the pressure of Liu E, Ding Wei and others, Kou Zhun was dismissed as prime minister. Ding Wei replaced Kou Zhun as prime minister.

Zhou Huai, who belonged to Kou Zhun’s party, was the main participant in the “Prince Supervising the Country” incident. Seeing that the plan failed, he knew that after Liu E and Ding Wei took control of the government, they would inevitably attack the members of the Kou Party, so he took the risk and planned a mutiny. Prime Minister Ding said that Kou Zhun was reinstated as prime minister, and the crown prince was allowed to ascend the throne, and Zhenzong abdicated as the Supreme Emperor. Zhou Huaizheng’s subordinates informed Ding Wei the night before the mutiny. Ding Wei went to see Cao Lili late at night to plan a response. Cao Lili went to the palace to inform Empress Liu E of the incident. Early the next morning, Zhou Huaizheng and his henchmen were arrested, and soon, Zhou Huaizheng was killed. Later, Ding Wei and others took advantage of the case of “counterfeiting heavenly scriptures” to further attack Kou Zhun and Kou Party forces. Zhu Neng, Kou Zhun’s confidant in the Yongxing Army, did not want to sit still and revolted. He was defeated and committed suicide soon after.

Liu E corrected the imperial edict, cut Kou Zhunlai’s title, moved from Zhixiangzhou (Anyang, Henan), then moved to Anzhou (Anlu, Hubei), and demoted from Anzhou to Daozhou (Dao County, Hunan). In a very short time, Kou Zhun was demoted three times in a row. Song Zhenzong didn’t know about this. One day, he asked his left and right why he hadn’t seen Kou Zhun for so many days, but none of them dared to answer.

In February of the first year of Qianxing (1022), the “crimes” of Kou Zhun and his party (including Kou Zhun, Zhou Huaizheng, Li Di, etc.) were announced to the world. At the same time, Kou Zhun was demoted to Leizhou (Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong), and Li Di was demoted to Hengzhou (Hengyang, Hunan) with Li Di as Kou Zhun’s crony.

Prominence system

In the first year of Song Renzong’s Qianxing (1022), Song Zhenzong died, and his posthumous edict “respect the empress as the empress dowager, and the empress dowager has the power to deal with military and state affairs.”

After the death of Emperor Zhenzong, Ding Wei, a power minister, intends to take over Liu E and take over the government. Liu E is also aware of Ding Wei’s ambition, and the conflict between the two gradually intensifies. Wang once saw that there was a gap between Liu E and Ding Wei, so he took the opportunity to admonish Liu E alone, and told Chen Ding that he was stealing power and harboring evil intentions, and the country would be in danger. Liu E was furious and determined to get rid of Ding Wei.

In June of the first year of Qianxing (1022), Liu E summoned the ministers in the Chengming Hall, and made public the evidence that Prime Minister Ding Wei deceived the top and bottom, emptied the two palaces, and colluded with the inner court eunuch Lei Yungong. Liu E wanted to kill Ding Wei, but under the persuasion of his officials, Ding Wei was finally dismissed, confiscated his family property, and demoted to Yazhou (now Hainan Island).

After Ding Wei was demoted, Liu E and Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty held the Imperial Chengming Palace every five days, with Renzong on the left and Liu E on the right. Officially began to listen to the government.

In November of the second year of Emperor Renzong’s Tiansheng (1024), Liu E wore the emperor’s dragon robe (Gunyi) and accepted the honorary title given by Song Renzong and his officials: Yingyuan Chongde Renshou Cisheng Empress Dowager.

In the seventh year of Tiansheng (1029), Liu Ezhi Cao used the crime of treason. When Liu E came to the court, Cao Li used to call himself an old hero with honor, and his power was poured inside and outside. Liu E was also a little jealous of Cao’s use. When he went to court, he called him “Servant” instead of calling him by his first name to show respect. In the seventh year of Tiansheng, someone sued Cao Rui, who used his nephew and Zhaozhou soldiers and horses to detain Cao Rui, who wore yellow clothes after drunk, and made people call him long live. Liu E wanted to take this opportunity to punish Cao Li for his crime of treason, so he personally wrote a letter to Prime Minister Wang Zeng, saying: “Cao Li’s rebellion with his nephew is clear, and he must be killed early.

If he falls into his hands, he will regret it too late. “Shangshu Zhang Shixun said: “This was done by Cao Rui alone. Cao Li is an important minister, so he should not know.” Liu E was furious, dismissed Zhang Shixun and drove him away from the capital. Prime Minister Wang Zeng has always been at odds with Cao Li, but he dare not speak out in the face of the serious crime of treason. Liu E saw that the officials were like this, so he took Cao Yong’s punishment a little lightly. Cao Li committed suicide on the way of relegation.

Empress Storm

Liu E once asked the court officials: “What kind of heroine is the Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty?” The courtier replied: “The sinner of the Tang Dynasty almost ruined the Tang Dynasty.” language……

Fang Zhonggong, the prime minister in the palace, wrote a letter asking Liu E to “Story of Empress Wu”. Liu E asked the courtiers for their opinions, but none of them dared to speak out, but the upright Lu Zongdao said: “Where will the current emperor be placed if this is done?” Liu E finally tore up the memorial that encouraged her to become emperor, threw it on the ground, and said: “I will not do this kind of thing that is sorry to the ancestors of the Great Song Dynasty!”

In November of the first year of Ming Dao (1032), Liu E decided that in February of the following year, she would go to the Ancestral Temple of the Song Dynasty to hold a sacrificial ceremony in the emperor’s attire. When the officials heard about it, there were many objections. Xue Kui, Minister of the Ministry of Rites and Minister of Rites, said: The Empress Dowager is dressed in imperial attire. When saluting in the Taimiao, does she perform the salute of a male emperor or a female concubine? Liu E was also unable to answer for a while.

In February of the second year of Mingdao (1033), despite fierce opposition from the ministers, Liu E still wore the emperor’s uniform again, and worshiped Song Taizu and other emperors of the Song Dynasty in the Song Dynasty Taimiao. As a compromise to the officials and scholar-bureaucrats, the twelve chapter patterns of the emperor’s uniform were subtracted from the Zongyi and Zao chapters, which symbolize loyalty, filial piety and cleanliness. At the same time, the male emperor’s sword was not worn.

The famous prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, Fubi Shangshu Song Renzong, recalled this past event and said: “On that day, Empress Zhang Xianmingsu (that is, Liu E) came to the court, and her majesty (that is, Song Renzong) was controlled by others, and the imperial power was weak. But in the end, Empress Zhang Xianmingsu was not like Tang Dynasty. The attempt to usurp the throne on behalf of Wu Zetian was all thanks to the rescue of loyal ministers, so Empress Zhang Xian Mingsu had to restrain her desire. Your Majesty’s ability to preserve the throne is really thanks to these loyal ministers.”

Legend of Song Ting

In March of the second year of Mingdao (1033), Liu E fell ill and ordered amnesty for the whole world. The people who had been demoted to death since Liu E came to the court in the first year of Qianxing, including Kou Zhun, Cao Li, and other Liu E’s political opponents, were restored to their old official positions. Ding Wei was moved inward from the remote place where he was demoted. In March of the second year of Mingdao, during the Sino-Japanese War of Jiawu, Liu E collapsed and died.

Song Renzong summoned his ministers in the Hall of Imperial Instruments and cried, “What is the meaning of the Empress Dowager dragging her clothes several times before she died?” Xue Kui, a political adviser, said: “The Empress Dowager did not want the late emperor to see her wearing the clothes of the emperor. “Renzong woke up and ordered Liu E to be changed into a rear suit, and then encoffined.

After Liu E’s death, the eighth prince Zhao Yuanyan (one of the prototypes of the “eight virtuous kings” in later art works) who had been pretending to be insane for more than ten years and pretended to be insane for more than ten years, said to Renzong: “Liu Empress is not Your Majesty’s biological mother, Your Majesty’s biological mother is Concubine Li Chen. The death of Concubine Li is unknown, and I am afraid she was killed by someone.” The empress dowager Yang also told Renzong: “Your Majesty’s real mother is indeed Concubine Li Chen.

She is no longer alive.” Only then did Song Renzong realize that the Liu family was not his biological mother, and that his biological mother, Concubine Li, could not recognize him until she died. The successive blows made Emperor Renzong terribly hurt, unable to go to court for a few days, and issued an edict to blame himself. Song Renzong sent troops to surround the mansion of Liu’s relatives, and sent people to Hongfuyuan where Concubine Li’s coffin was located to check.

It turned out that Concubine Li Chen was buried with a later ceremony, and under the protection of mercury, her complexion was lifelike. After hearing the news, Renzong sighed: “How can you believe what people say!” Afterwards, Renzong burned incense in front of Liu E’s coffin to worship, crying and said: “From now on, the aunt will be innocent all her life!” E is the eldest empress, Concubine Yang Shu is the younger empress)”

In October of the second year of Mingdao (1033), Song Renzong led his officials to bury Liu E in the Yongding Mausoleum of Song Zhenzong, and was given the posthumous title of “Zhangxian Mingsu” Queen. In the old system, the posthumous title of the empress was originally two characters. Starting from Liu E, the posthumous title of the empress who was proclaimed in the dynasty was four characters.

After Liu E’s death, Song Renzong’s life experience became known to the world. “Renzong recognized his mother” became a major event that caused a sensation in the government and the public. Song Renzong had to decree: neither the court nor the people should make any unreasonable comments on the past events of the Empress Dowager (namely Liu E) when she was in court.

After the Song Dynasty, the grievances and entanglements between Liu E, Concubine Li Chen, and Song Renzong were quickly turned into art. The spread has made this legendary historical event enduring and well-known for hundreds of years under the continuous interpretation of literature and drama.