As a favored concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Yang Guifei once proposed to bathe the chubby and ugly An Lushan, but Emperor Xuanzong still applauded and cheered. What was going on? Next, the History Encyclopedia editor will bring you relevant introductions, hoping to be helpful to everyone.
In the year 744 AD, one day on An Lushan’s birthday, the emperor Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei were very happy and specially rewarded him with clothes, gold, silver, and jade. And An Lushan was also very tactful, grateful for the favor of the two, and even directly proposed to be Yang Guifei’s son when he was happy.
At this time, An Lushan was already 41 years old, fat and ugly, while Yang Guifei was only 25 years old, young and beautiful.
History happens so miraculously.
At that time, Yang Guifei readily agreed to An Lushan’s request and said that she would summon An Lushan into the palace and, according to folk customs, give her son a bath.
In fact, this custom has been passed down for a long time in the Tang Dynasty. It means that after giving birth to a new child, the mother should wash and bathe the child on the third day. The meaning is to bless the child’s healthy growth, wash away the dirt and bad luck, and seek a good omen. The folk also call this custom “washing three”.
With the tacit approval of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, An Lushan happily ran to the emperor’s harem three days after his birthday and asked his newly recognized mother to give him a bath. Yang Guifei was also sincere, she really found a big bathtub to hold An Lushan. This military governor is already very overweight, and this large basin of water is only enough for An Lushan to wash his grass, but it also requires a lot of palace maids to help.
After everyone finished their busy work, Yang Yuhuan had a sudden impulse and brought a large brocade quilt to wrap An Lushan inside, revealing his head. Then, I wanted to pick it up, but I couldn’t move it either. There was no other way, Yang Yuhuan asked the guards to bring a sedan chair and carry An Lushan back and forth to play inside. As she lifted it up, Yang Yuhuan, the godmother, shouted ‘Oh my dear Lu’er’, causing everyone to have a lot of fun.
Soon, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang learned about this matter and rushed to the harem to check. He not only did not stop it, but also clapped his hands and praised it. He immediately ordered a large reward of gold, silver, and jewelry for the two of them to congratulate the success of the ‘washing of the child’.
Zizhi Tongjian “: On Lushan’s birthday, Shangzhi Guifei bestowed clothes. Summoning Lushan into the Forbidden City, the Noble Consort wrapped Lushan in beautiful clothes. On the journey from head to toe, I bestowed gold and silver coins upon my noble consort, and bestowed great blessings upon Lushan.
Later on, An Lushan often visited the imperial harem of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to see Yang Guifei, and sometimes even did not go to see the emperor, but first met Yang Guifei. After a long time, there were rumors circulating that An Lushan had an affair with Yang Guifei. However, even though this matter reached the ears of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he still had no doubts about An Lushan.
Now it seems that the fact that Yang Guifei gave An Lushan a bath is mostly true, after all, historical records are very detailed, and even the later “gossip” has been recorded. So, why didn’t Emperor Xuanzong stop the emperor’s favored concubine from being so close to An Lushan?
This is about the relationship between An Lushan and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
An Lushan was originally a Hu person, but later remarried with his mother and lived a wandering life. After growing up, he was caught by the military governor of the Tang Dynasty, and through his own turmoil, he was not killed. Subsequently, An Lushan performed exceptionally well in the military and was skilled in being a good person. He used the gold and silver he earned to bribe the steward, so his reputation was excellent.
Later, An Lushan’s fame gradually increased, which made Emperor Xuanzong of Tang very fond of it. In addition, with the flattery and help of many people, An Lushan had become a loyal and highly capable general in the eyes of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and was soon awarded the position of military governor.
Although the position of Jiedushi varies in size, in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong specifically established the position of Pinglu Jiedushi for An Lushan to manage Youzhou and the southern Liaoning region. As a high-ranking official in the frontier, An Lushan rose rapidly and became extremely popular.
The reason why Emperor Xuanzong of Tang trusted An Lushan so much is actually related to his personality and abilities. The experience of wandering and going through life and death since childhood has given An Lushan extremely special abilities and talents. He is not only very good at pleasing Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, but also uses a bloated figure to express both humor and reality. This humorous expression is actually reflected in the incident of “Noble Consort Washing Her Child”.
Sometimes, when one person looks at another, what others say is useless. Tang Xuanzong and An Lushan belonged to this type at that time. The lofty emperor spends his days watching these ministers’ false flattery, seemingly righteous, but in fact, he may not be doing anything behind their backs. And that bloated and chubby Hu man was funny and cute, although he always made a fool of himself and didn’t understand the rules of the Central Plains, he gained the favor of Emperor Xuanzong from another perspective.
In addition, Anlu Mountain guarded the border and was responsible for important security affairs in the northeast region of the Tang Dynasty. He not only made many military achievements, but also never became arrogant or formed alliances with the current courtiers. This is also why Emperor Xuanzong of Tang trusted Anlu Mountain so much.
Of course, without the endless trust of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, An Lushan would not have gradually expanded and grown, nor would he have had the opportunity to defect, let alone let the prosperous Tang Dynasty fall into a valley and suffer a major blow to its vitality.
