Do you really know the story of Empress Dowager Guo? Today, the history encyclopedia editor brings you a brand new interpretation~
During the Later Reign, Empress Dowager Guo held the title of “Empress Dowager of the Seven Dynasties” and was honored as the fifth empress dowager of the Tang Dynasty. She performed the rites of her descendants and was blessed with longevity and nobility. This refers to Empress Dowager Guo of the Tang Dynasty, who went through seven dynasties and served as the fifth empress dowager, making her the most prestigious person in the Tang Dynasty. The emperor changed one after another, but only the Guo family remained steadfast and settled in the harem.
Guo Shi, she was able to laugh and watch the ups and downs of the Tang Dynasty amidst the turbulent changes in the court, always maintaining her dignity. She possessed power but never coveted it, making her a remarkable woman in the glory of the Tang Dynasty.
Guo was born into an extremely noble family. As the legitimate daughter of a princess and powerful minister, she was destined to live a noble life from the moment she was born. In the city of Chang’an at that time, Guo’s status in the noble women’s circle was not inferior to that of a princess, and there were few young masters in the capital who could match her status;
This means that wealth and prosperity are within reach for the Guo family, and she does not need to rely on hard work and competition like Wu Zetian to gain control of her power; Whenever Guo moves her finger, someone will deliver what she wants to her hands.
After her husband Li Chun succeeded to the throne, Guo was supposed to become the empress; However, due to the identity of the Guo family, Emperor Xianzong of Tang was afraid that the Guo family would hinder his efforts to recruit the imperial harem, and he would rather leave the throne vacant than establish one. The emperor and empress dowager have many personal loves, and after the prosperity of the royal family, they are concerned about their position and cannot be favored, so it is the time to worship the empress dowager. But for Guo, it doesn’t matter whether she is the empress or not. As Li Chun’s cousin, who in this palace can be more prestigious than her?
She doesn’t care about power because she is the representative of power. Therefore, when her grandson Tang Jingzong Li Zhan ascended the throne, there were officials who urged the Guo family to go to court and listen to politics behind the scenes, but the Guo family refused. For her, imitating the authoritarian rule of Empress Wu Zetian was not tempting at all, but rather a burden. Accustomed to the hustle and bustle, she did not want to be tainted by any power. She only needed to be responsible for enjoying it. “Later angrily said,” I follow the evil of the Wu family? Although the Crown Prince is young now, he can still choose to rely on virtue as a supplement. How can I deal with foreign affairs
Later on, despite changes in government, the Guo family remained extremely prestigious in the imperial harem. No matter which emperor ascended the throne, she was an insurmountable presence in the palace. All emperors showed great respect to the Guo family and dared not show any negligence.
Some people spend their entire lives pursuing power. For example, Wu Zetian; Some people are born with power itself, such as Empress Dowager Guo.
Guo was able to maintain a stable position in the imperial harem, and no one could shake her identity. It was not only her own status that helped her survive, but also her unique wisdom in dealing with the world during the Tang Dynasty when eunuchs began to control the government. She never got involved in politics. Besides not being greedy, she also understood that once she got involved in power, it might make her even more glorious. However, when the emperor’s wings were fully developed, Wu Zetian’s final fate in her later years would be her ultimate destination.
Guo is not just a straw bag with status, on the contrary, she is very intelligent; You should know that to earn the respect of all emperors, identity is not the greatest reliance, wisdom is; Only those who have both identity and wisdom can receive genuine respect from others.
After the grandson of the Guo family, Tang Jingzong Li Zhan, was killed by eunuchs, Li Wucheng became a puppet of the eunuchs; However, before Li Wu’s buttocks were heated up, he was once again harmed by eunuchs. At this point, the court order was already unstable and people were in a state of panic. Only the Guo family stepped forward to turn the tide and welcomed Li Ang to the throne. Although historical records did not describe how the Guo family welcomed Tang Wenzong’s accession under the obstruction of eunuchs, the intelligence of the Guo family could be vaguely seen in this matter. Later, King Jiang was summoned to inherit the throne as Emperor Wenzong.
And another thing that can prove Guo’s intelligence is Tang Wuzong’s questioning of politics. Guo, who never participated in politics, saw Emperor Wu of Tang’s determination to revive the royal family and become a wise ruler under the question of “How can one become a prosperous emperor. Without any thought, she answered Tang Wuzong’s question and said, “Admonitions to the Grand Preceptor are carefully reviewed and reviewed, and can be used for moderation. If there is anything that cannot be done, it can be consulted with the prime minister. Do not refuse to speak frankly, do not accept biased opinions, and take loyalty and righteousness as the core. This is the prosperity of the emperor
Guo’s frankness greatly benefited Emperor Wu of Tang, Li Yan. Li Yan had known that his grandmother was intelligent, but he did not realize that her intelligence was so great. Starting from Li Yan’s questioning of politics, the Tang Dynasty’s political system also experienced a brief period of stability, demonstrating the intelligence of the Guo family. Guo’s Lament
Guo Shi, as the daughter of Princess Shengping, the granddaughter of powerful minister Guo Ziyi, the cousin of Tang Shunzong Li Song, and the cousin of her husband Tang Xianzong Li Chun, has an unparalleled status that ordinary people cannot match. She went through the Six Dynasties but never got involved in politics, indifferent yet intelligent. She should have continued to enjoy the glory and laugh at the Tang Dynasty, but unfortunately Guo fell into the hands of her maid’s son Li Chen.
Tang Xuanzong Li Chen was an “old Confucian scholar” who loved Confucian classics. He showed filial piety to his mother Zheng and respected the late Tang Xianzong Li Chun, but he alone did not respect his legitimate mother Guo. Guo, who had been honored for a lifetime, could not have suffered such humiliation. He jumped directly from the bell tower and ended his life.
Zheng was the maid of Guo and gave birth to Li Chen, who was favored by Emperor Xianzong of Tang. After the death of Emperor Wuzong Li Yan, Li Chen colluded with eunuchs to ascend to the throne. But for Li Chen, never being associated with his legitimate mother Guo was a disgrace to his mother’s past (Zheng was his maid). He did not want to respect Guo and even neglected her etiquette. After Guo’s death, Li Chen also exiled the courtiers who spoke for Guo for a period of time.
For the Guo family, the emperor of this seventh dynasty was just a illegitimate son who enjoyed equal status with his mother, which was already a humiliation; In addition, with Li Chen’s negligence, how could Guo endure this huge psychological gap; She has been respected since childhood, and even her husband dare not neglect her. How can she tolerate the explicit and implicit exclusion of a maid and a illegitimate son.
Apart from her identity, Guo was already intelligent. She had long understood that Li Chen’s vision was not enough. Although she was talented in governing the country, she was hypocritical and good at disguising herself. She lamented the destruction of her appearance, received her colleagues, made decisions on common affairs, and only then did people see her hidden virtues. Now that Li Chen has gained power, he will definitely suffer more humiliation in the future. It’s better to jump in and at least restore his dignity.
Guo, who went through seven dynasties, was intelligent and good at protecting himself. Despite going through seven dynasties, he remained noble and dignified, making him a legend of the Tang Dynasty.
