Today, the History Encyclopedia editor has prepared for you: Yang Guifei and Tang Dynasty. Interested friends, come and take a look!
”There is a daughter in the Yang family who has just grown up and is being raised in a secluded place. ”Natural beauty is hard to give up, once chosen by the king’s side. Spring nights are bitter, short days rise high, and from then on, the king does not court early
Bai Juyi’s “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” tells the story of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei. Speaking of which, the two of them were also together for eleven years. However, strangely enough, even though Tang Xuanzong doted on Yang Guifei with three thousand, why didn’t Yang Guifei give birth to a child for Tang Xuanzong? What exactly went wrong with this?
Let’s first take a look at the timeline of the two people together. In December 737, Empress Wu Huifei, the most beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, passed away. Emperor Xuanzong was overwhelmed with grief, unable to think about food and tea, and had no intention of attending court. Watching Tang Xuanzong like this, the people serving around him came up with a solution, which was to have someone replace Empress Wu Huifei’s position in Tang Xuanzong’s heart. Therefore, some people told Tang Xuanzong that Yang Yuhuan was naturally beautiful and should serve the emperor.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang issued an order to summon Yang Yuhuan into the palace. This time, it was a historic visit because Emperor Xuanzong fell in love with Yang Yuhuan as soon as he saw her, but he could not immediately accept her as his concubine.
Because Yang Yuhuan was the daughter-in-law of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and the queen of Prince Shou Li Mao.
Shouwang Li Mao was the son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Empress Wu Huifei, which is interesting. Empress Wu Huifei lived in the palace for many years and may not have expected that the emperor, who doted on her, would actually take a liking to her son’s wife.
Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan met at the wedding of his sister Princess Xianyang in July 734. Li Mao fell in love with Yang Yuhuan at first sight and asked his mother, Empress Wu Huifei, to make decisions for him. Empress Wu Huifei then went to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who issued an edict to make Yang Yuhuan Li Mao’s consort. Although Yang Yuhuan was his daughter-in-law, Emperor Xuanzong was still the emperor and did not have much contact with Yang Yuhuan, nor did he care too much about her.
Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan lived together for three years. In December 737, Empress Wu Huifei passed away, and Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan had not yet recovered from the pain of their mother’s death. In the spring of 738, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned Yang Yuhuan to the palace.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fell in love with Yang Yuhuan at first sight, but to obtain her, he had to think carefully. Therefore, he first asked Yang Yuhuan to return to Princess Shou, but since then, he often summoned Yang Yuhuan and kept hitting Li Mao. The relationship between Li Mao and Yang Yuhuan began to crack, and even though Yang Yuhuan lived in the Shouwang Mansion, their relationship was no longer the same as before.
In October of 740 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang issued an imperial decree: “Yang, the consort of Prince Shou Mao, was renowned for her virtue and served as a concubine and vassal state. Although she lived in honor and status, she was constantly refined. On the occasion of the Empress Dowager’s death, she always cherished the pursuit of blessings and sought to fulfill her noble aspirations. With the style of the Dunhong Dao, she sincerely requests to be appointed as a female Taoist
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is truly a person who has experienced great ups and downs, with a high rank. This move was made in the name of praying for his mother, Empress Dowager Dou, and keeping Yang Yuhuan in the palace. Of course, since they are Taoists, there are still taboos between the two and they will not go too far.
Yang Yuhuan worked as a Taoist for almost five years until July 745, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang granted the daughter of Wei Zhaoxun to Prince Shou as his consort, citing that Princess Shou had been vacant for several years. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was both a ruler and a father, and Li Mao naturally could not refuse or refuse. However, in the second month, Emperor Xuanzong ordered Yang Yuhuan to become the Noble Consort, and from then on, the two of them lived together in pairs, truly together.
From August 745 to June 756, there was a period of 11 years in which Emperor Xuanzong of Tang doted on Yang Guifei and left behind many stories, which have always been an indispensable legend in the writings of literati and scholars.
But Tang Xuanzong’s favor towards Yang Guifei, indulgence towards the Yang family, and favoritism towards Yang Guozhong still made the court chaotic. Therefore, during the An Lushan Rebellion, Tang Xuanzong fled to Shu and when he reached Mawei Slope, soldiers mutinied and forced Tang Xuanzong to execute Yang Guifei, and all the Yang family members who followed him were also killed.
Yang Guifei disappeared without a child after following Tang Xuanzong for 11 years. So, why didn’t Yang Yuhuan give birth to a child for Tang Xuanzong? Normally, being favored for such a long time would not prevent her from conceiving, but she did not give birth, which is interesting. I will try to analyze the reasons behind this.
One reason is due to Emperor Xuanzong himself. According to historical records, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had 30 sons and 29 daughters in his lifetime, a number that was considered outstanding among ancient emperors. However, judging from the birth time of his children, his youngest son Li Fan was crowned as the King of Bian in 735, which means he was born before 735.
And his 28th daughter, Princess Xinping, whose first husband passed away before 751, while his 29th daughter, Princess Shou’an, should have been born around 740.
That is to say, from around 740 AD onwards, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang no longer had children born. By the time he was officially with Yang Yuhuan, he could no longer bear children. This is understandable, as Emperor Xuanzong was born in 685 and was already sixty years old by 745. At this age, the romantic and affectionate Emperor Xuanzong had lost his ability to bear children.
He not only couldn’t let Yang Guifei get pregnant, but also couldn’t let other concubines get pregnant. Although he doted on Yang Guifei very much, he didn’t really spoil her alone for ten years.
The second reason is due to Yang Yuhuan. Yang Yuhuan herself may not be able to conceive at all. If Tang Xuanzong was too old and his fertility was not good, but Li Mao was still young at that time, and the two had been deeply in love for three years. Normally, Yang Yuhuan’s belly should not have been unresponsive all the time, but she just didn’t. Later, Li Mao left several sons with other wives and concubines, so it was Yang Yuhuan, not Li Mao, who had the problem.
Of course, not having children for three years does not necessarily indicate a problem, and later Yang Yuhuan’s 11 year relationship with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang also indicates a problem. It cannot be ruled out that Tang Xuanzong’s fertility may have declined, but if he is still capable, it means that Yang Guifei really cannot conceive.
The saying goes that beauty fades while love relaxes. In ancient times, many concubines fought hard to maintain their beauty, eating this and that, and eating that and that, they couldn’t get pregnant. In fact, many of them may not understand what they sacrificed for beauty. But Yang Guifei may not be unfamiliar with it.
Yang Guifei probably never intended to give birth to a child for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. After all, when she became Emperor Xuanzong’s concubine, he was already sixty years old. Even if she became pregnant and gave birth, this child may not bring her any benefits. After all, Emperor Xuanzong is getting older, and it is unlikely that he will be able to wait for this child to grow up, let alone make this child the crown prince and inherit the throne in the future.
So instead of getting pregnant and having children, it’s better to always maintain beauty, keep Emperor Xuanzong’s favor, and not worry about pregnancy. Emperor Xuanzong spends time with other concubines. So, whether it was passive or proactive, Yang Guifei never became pregnant or had children throughout her life.
