The love story between Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan is well-known and has been passed down through the ages. Today, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction.
The prosperity and development of the Tang Dynasty have amazed countless descendants. We want to go back to the Tang Dynasty and see what it was like to celebrate from all directions. We wear Tang costumes and walk on the streets to see the style of the Tang Dynasty. We see a group of foreigners marveling at the profoundness of Tang culture. We also want to see if there are many well-rounded women on the streets. We want to know to what extent the political clarity of the Tang Dynasty was.
We marvel at the love story between Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, Li Longji, and Yang Guifei, Yang Yuhuan. In history, Li Longji favored Yang Yuhuan even at the cost of giving up politics, ignoring political affairs and not attending early court. She was so beautiful that an emperor who had seen countless beauties could be mesmerized by her.
Yang Yuhuan was born into a family of officials, and her father was also a high-ranking official in the court. Yang Yuhuan received a good education from a young age, cultivating a different demeanor from ordinary girls. She is skilled in poetry, songs, and dance. It is precisely because Yang Yuhuan was specially trained from a young age for her excellence that she gained a certain degree of fame in Chang’an city. Her involvement with the royal family happened during a princess’s wedding banquet.
At that time, Princess Xianyi held her wedding in Luoyang, and Yang Yuhuan was also invited to attend. Yang Yuhuan was very beautiful and had an outstanding temperament, standing out among a group of women. Princess Xianyi’s younger brother, Shouwang Mao, was satisfied with Yang Yuhuan and fell in love with her at first sight. Li Mao pleaded with his mother, Empress Wu Huifei, hoping that she could help him apply to his father, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, for marriage.
The relationship between Empress Wu Huifei and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was very good. As soon as Empress Wu Huifei spoke, Emperor Xuanzong immediately agreed, but before that, Emperor Xuanzong had never met Yang Yuhuan. Yang Yuhuan and Shouwang Li Mao lived a very happy life after being granted marriage. Yang Yuhuan was knowledgeable, rational, good at poetry, songs, and dancing, which made Shouwang Li Mao very fond.
Yang Yuhuan became Li Mao’s wife in this way, and the two became husband and wife for five years. Unfortunately, Li Mao, the Prince of Longevity, reluctantly gave Yang Yuhuan his beloved love to his father. After the death of Empress Wu Huifei, whom Emperor Xuanzong favored, Emperor Xuanzong was greatly affected and neglected court affairs. Gao Lishi, who was close to the emperor, tried his best to find a beautiful woman for him, hoping to win the joy of the dragon face.
After a thorough search, Gao Lishi and his group were unable to find anyone who could please the emperor. Later, someone mentioned that Yang Yuhuan, the wife of Prince Shou Li Mao, had a smooth skin and outstanding appearance, which might make the emperor happy. Thus, Yang Yuhuan was sent like an object. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang first ordered Yang Yuhuan to enter the temple to pray for Empress Dowager Dou and leave the Shouwang Mansion. Later, he remarried a Shouwang consort.
Five years later, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang connected Yang Yuhuan from the temple to the palace, and the plot unfolded much like the story of Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang. In short, Yang Yuhuan stripped off her identity as Princess Shou and became Emperor Xuanzong’s beloved concubine, and the king did not court early thereafter.
Yang Yuhuan seems to have also become a sin because of her beauty. She was handed over to her father-in-law by her husband, and she did not have the freedom to choose and make choices for her own destiny. Yang Yuhuan, who had a difficult fate, was admitted to the imperial palace and received infinite favor from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Emperor Xuanzong stayed with her every day, causing other women in the harem to lose their luster.
The portrait of Yang Yuhuan has not been preserved by later generations, and we have no way of verifying how beautiful Yang Yuhuan is. However, based on the description of her poetry by the world and the love of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Yang Yuhuan is very beautiful. Yang Yuhuan is not a very thin woman, and some speculate that she should not exceed 70 kilograms.
Due to Emperor Xuanzong’s favoritism towards Yang Yuhuan, the rulers’ likes and dislikes influenced the public’s aesthetics, and during the Tang Dynasty, there was a wave of beauty based on obesity. Many young women followed Yang Guifei’s example and no longer slimmed down for the sake of worldly beauty.
Although Yang Yuhuan is a bit overweight, she is not the kind of super fat woman. Otherwise, if she is even more robust than Tang Xuanzong, Tang Xuanzong would not have the sense of cherishing and protecting Yang Yuhuan. Perhaps it was because Yang Yuhuan had gained some weight and her face was covered in wrinkles and had nowhere to grow. Due to spending a long time in the temple, she did not have the habit of using rouge and powder, and her skin was very good, to the point where later generations would think of Yang Yuhuan when it comes to skin gel.
Yang Yuhuan will also take on the role of a “furnace” because as the emperor, Emperor Xuanzong wore a dragon robe throughout the year to show his majesty. The dragon robe was very thin, so Yang Yuhuan used her body as a heater for Emperor Xuanzong, reducing his feeling of coldness.
Yang Yuhuan is very beautiful, and as a concubine, she has a balanced approach. She never interferes with political affairs and simply serves Emperor Xuanzong well, being a delicate flower in the harem. This may be one of the reasons why the emperor has always favored her.
Tang Xuanzong remained immersed in the gentle countryside and did not inquire about court affairs, which led to the rebellion of local military governors instigated by An Lushan and others, resulting in a situation of regional separatism. Later, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, and Tang Xuanzong stabbed Yang Guifei to death in order to protect himself. Therefore, Yang Guifei died in the Mawei Slope Incident, and a generation of virtuous people died in the wilderness.
