How legendary was the life of Empress Dowager Zheng, the birth mother of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, from a palace maid to a mother of two dynasties? Interested readers and history encyclopedia editors, let’s take a look together!
Empress Xiaoming, the mother of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, is also one of the legends among these remarried women. From the concubine of rebel Li Qi to the empress of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, from the maid of Guo Guifei to the Empress Dowager of Tang. Those who have studied the history of the Tang Dynasty cannot help but marvel at the deeds of Empress Xiaoming. From a palace maid to a mother of two dynasties, what exactly did this legendary woman experience in her life?
1、 Humble identity
Empress Xiaoming Zheng was a native of Danyang County, Runzhou, and served as the concubine of Li Qi, the military governor of Zhenhai. There is also a story about why Zheng was able to become Li Qi’s concubine.
Li Qi is the eighth generation grandson of Li Yuan and also has some royal connections, but this relative is a bit unrelated. Li Qi rose to fame in Runzhou thanks to his father Li Guozhen’s connections. The growing ambition made Li Qi dissatisfied with living only in the Runzhou area, so he intended to rebel and overthrow the new emperor.
At this time, Zheng was just an ordinary woman from an ordinary family. Someone who was good at observing her face said to Li Qi after seeing Zheng’s appearance, ‘The child Zheng will give birth to will definitely be honored as the emperor.’. Li Qi was very happy after hearing this and then ordered to take Zheng as his concubine. You should know that Li Qi was already in his sixties, old enough to be the grandfather of the Zheng family. Faced with the cruel and debauched Li Qi, the Zheng family only dared not speak out in anger.
It seems that Li Qi has overestimated himself, with ambitions but no real talent. A ‘vigorous’ rebellion was suppressed in less than a month, and Li Qi and his son Li Shi were also sentenced to death. This has caused great hardship for the Zheng family and a group of women, who were labeled as rebel family members and not allowed to enter the palace.
Zheng was punished and sent to the palace to serve as a palace maid under her archenemy Guo Guifei in the future. Guo Guifei was the first wife of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, her grandfather Guo Ziyi, and father
Guo Wen, the mother of Princess Shengping, has intricate connections with the royal family and holds an extremely prestigious status. Emperor Xianzong of Tang was afraid of his mother’s strong family power and feared that she would suppress his concubines and interfere with his private life in the future, so he never made Guo Guifei his queen.
Although Zheng was the maid of Guo Guifei, she was unwilling to settle for the status quo. Therefore, she gained the favor of Emperor Xianzong of Tang through her means and beauty, and gave birth to Emperor Xianzong’s thirteenth prince, who would later become Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. As the saying goes, a mother is valued by her son, but the Zheng family’s title cannot be found in historical records, indicating that the Zheng family and her son did not receive much attention from Emperor Xianzong of Tang.
2、 Endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens
The wind and clouds in the harem are unpredictable, and a slight carelessness can result in a complete defeat, with countless bullets and hidden arrows. How did Zheng and Li Chen, who were born lowly and not favored by the emperor, survive in this dangerous harem? If they don’t have any tricks, no one will believe them!
Pretending to be foolish and hiding one’s own radiance is undoubtedly a simple and effective method. Although Li Chen was a noble prince, he was quiet and reserved since childhood in the palace, and his qualifications were somewhat mediocre. The people in the palace even laughed at his lack of intelligence at one point. At the banquet gathering, Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wuzong even took Emperor Uncle Li Chen as their object of entertainment, forcing him to speak in front of everyone. Although ridiculed and looked down upon by others, no one thought of taking the lives of the mother and son, after all, in the eyes of everyone, Li Chen was just a “fool” image.
During the reign of Emperor Muzong, Li Chen began to dream frequently, in which he flew between heaven and earth on a dragon. Li Chen told Zheng about this matter, and Zheng felt deeply uneasy, worried that it would bring about the death of the mother and son. Therefore, he reminded Li Chen not to let a third person know about his dream.
In 821, Li Chen, who was only eleven years old, was conferred the title of King of Light, and Zheng Shi also became the Empress Dowager. Such a prestigious position did not improve the lives of the mother and son. Walking on thin ice and being cautious in words and actions remained their daily lives until more than twenty years ago in 846, when everything began to improve.
3、 After enduring hardships, happiness comes
In 846, Emperor Wu passed away due to illness. In order to better control the court, eunuch Ma Yuanzhi strongly recommended Li Chen as the emperor, and Li Chen also ascended the throne smoothly with Ma Yuanzhi’s support. Li Chen was also officially renamed Li Chen by Li Yi, known as Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in history.
When Li Chen proclaimed himself emperor, his mother’s consort naturally rose from the position of empress dowager to that of empress dowager. As the saying goes, ‘some families are happy, while others are worried.’ Naturally, it was Empress Dowager Guo who was worried. I think so. A lowly palace maid who used to be in her own palace has transformed into a master of the same level as herself. The key is that her background is still so humble. Who should be held responsible for this.
It’s not just that Empress Dowager Guo doesn’t like Empress Dowager Zheng, but Empress Dowager Zheng also feels uncomfortable when she looks at Empress Dowager Guo. Empress Dowager Guo enjoyed all the glory and glory, and her children and grandchildren proclaimed themselves emperors one after another, which can be said to be a brilliant achievement. As a woman who is also an emperor, she has to live a life of fear and anxiety, and her son has been bullied by his nephew one after another. Now that everyone is on equal footing, this debt must be calculated back.
Although both of them are esteemed as empresses and Empress Guo’s maternal family is also very strong, it cannot be denied that the current emperor is the son of Empress Zheng. Empress Dowager Zheng wept to Emperor Xuanzong about her tragic experiences in the imperial harem. In addition, Emperor Xuanzong was already a famous filial son, so she asked Empress Dowager Zheng to move into the Daming Palace and treated Empress Dowager Guo coldly. Furthermore, Empress Dowager Guo felt that Emperor Xuanzong’s accession to the throne deprived her descendants of the opportunity to claim the throne, and she also harbored resentment towards her mother and son.
Under the disgust of wanting to see two things, the contradiction completely erupted. Empress Dowager Guo was dissatisfied with Emperor Xuanzong and planned to commit suicide by jumping off a building, but was stopped by palace officials. This incident further fueled Emperor Xuanzong’s dissatisfaction with Empress Dowager Guo. In addition, palace maids and eunuchs spread rumors about Emperor Xuanzong’s lack of filial piety, which greatly angered Emperor Xuanzong and his mother. That night, Empress Dowager Guo died suddenly, and the cause of death became a mystery.
4、 The Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager Guo was originally the wife of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, and after her death, she was supposed to be promoted to the Xianzong Temple. However, Emperor Xuanzong privately believed that only his mother’s consort could be enshrined in the temple. Despite the advice of the officials, Emperor Xuanzong remained unmoved. In 859, Emperor Xuanzong passed away due to poisoning caused by taking elixirs, and Li Cong succeeded the throne as the new monarch.
Li Ji ascended to the throne, and as Empress Dowager Zheng was Li Ji’s grandmother, her position as the Empress Dowager did not run away! The second empress dowager in the history of the Tang Dynasty was already 75 years old. Although she held the position of empress dowager, the pain of losing her son also made her feel deeply distressed. In 865, the Empress Dowager passed away and was buried in the garden next to Emperor Xianzong’s Jingling. Thus, the story of this legendary woman comes to an end.
The life of Empress Dowager Zheng can be described as experiencing tremendous ups and downs. From a concubine to a palace maid, to the Empress Dowager and even the Empress Dowager, she rose to the highest position of women through her own luck and means. After 26 years of walking on thin ice, she watched her son ascend to the throne, which may have been an unparalleled pride in her life. But in her later years, she suffered the pain of losing her son, and the white haired person gave away the black haired person, which made people feel so sad.
26 years of darkness have been exchanged for 19 years of glory and wealth, perhaps only I know if it’s worth it! But for the transformation of a palace maid to the Empress Dowager, undoubtedly, she is the true winner in life!
