vrcanaries Chapter 59 Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang are arguing!
Chapter 59 Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang are arguing!
Lin Ke: "So what does Li Heng think about this?"
"Does he miss his wife and his birth mother?"
"None of this is recorded in history, at least not openly. Or perhaps he himself knew how suspicious and cold-blooded his father was, his three older brothers serving as a cautionary tale. Furthermore, Li Longji no longer favored him much, only feeling guilty."
A young man from a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: What a miserable child!
"On the other hand, after Yang Yuhuan entered the palace, she received Li Longji's very high-profile favor, and she held the position of Consort and enjoyed the treatment of an Empress."
According to the Old Book of Tang, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, went on excursions, his concubine, Guifei, would accompany him everywhere, never leaving his side for a moment.
"There were as many as seven hundred people in the palace weaving brocade and embroidering for Yang Guifei, not to mention the treasures and rare objects offered by local officials who wanted to curry favor and get promoted."
"A concubine's smile can lead to an official's promotion and the rise of a family; it's truly ironic."
A poor scholar from the Tang Dynasty: ...Enough said, let's go join the army!
"As a result, the Yang family rose to prominence. Not only did Yang Yuhuan's cousin, Yang Guozhong, become the prime minister of a country, but Yang Yuhuan's sisters were also granted the titles of Lady of Han, Lady of Guo, and Lady of Qin, and each received thousands of strings of cash annually for cosmetics."
"The Yang siblings wielded immense power, even surpassing that of the imperial family. What's even more outrageous is that the marriages of the imperial relatives required the assistance of Lady Han and Lady Guo as matchmakers, and these two ladies would first offer a thousand strings of cash as bribes before making their requests (Old Book of Tang)."
"Every October, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang would go to the Qingchi Hot Spring at Lishan Palace, and the Yang family would follow him in a grand procession, quite a show of power."
"During the Tianbao era, the Yang family married two princesses and two county princesses. Their rapid rise to power was exemplary among aristocratic families."
"When a family rises to prominence suddenly, it often becomes arrogant and domineering."
"Once, when the Yang family went out for a night stroll, they passed by the West Market Gate. Princess Guangping and her husband happened to be riding by as well, and neither family would give way to the other."
A bystander from Wanchao: Oh ho, they're arguing!?
"The servants of the Yang family are used to being arrogant and domineering because of the Yang family. They'll lash out with a whip regardless of whether you're a princess or a prince. Even the prince consort who tried to block it got whipped."
"Afterwards, the Yang family left, and the weeping princess went to the palace to complain to Emperor Xuanzong. Unexpectedly, the Yang family was unharmed, but her husband lost his official position."
"Not long ago, Princess Jianping and Princess Xincheng also had conflicts with the Yang family. What was the outcome of that?"
"Alas, without a doubt, Emperor Xuanzong now values his wife more than his children. He has taken back all the imperial belongings bestowed upon the princess and dismissed Princess Xincheng's husband from his post."
A bystander commented: Good grief, they're only hurting the prince consort.
"Looking at it this way, it's clear that Emperor Xuanzong's heart had already turned to Huaqing Pool, while the Yang family managed to escape unscathed despite offending three princesses in a row."
"But before the An Lushan Rebellion, Yang Guifei actually faced two crises."
"In July of the fifth year of the Tianbao era, the Imperial Concubine displeased Emperor Xuanzong and was sent back to the Yang residence. There are no records of the specifics, only that she was sent there in the morning, and by the afternoon she was so preoccupied with her that she couldn't eat."
At this moment, the understanding Gao Lishi offered a way out: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine returned without taking anything with her. How can the Yang residence compare to the palace? Let's send some of this to the Imperial Concubine!"
"This delivery alone involved over a hundred truckloads, carrying not only cold food but also hot meals."
"The Yang family on the other side was in complete chaos. They were terrified when they saw the Imperial Concubine had been returned, after all, their power rested on the favored Yang Yuhuan. Almost everyone was urging Yang Yuhuan to apologize to the Emperor."
"By noon, the Yang family was relieved to see that the Emperor had sent something. They were still keeping their hopes on the Imperial Concubine, weren't they?"
"Sure enough, that very night, Li Longji brought Yang Yuhuan back to the palace, and thereafter, Yang Guifei's favor with the emperor only grew stronger."
"The second crisis occurred in the ninth year of the Tianbao era. This time, Li Longji was very angry, and even Gao Lishi dared not advise him. At this time, the most anxious people were not Yang Yuhuan herself, but the Yang family."
"Once Yang Yuhuan fell out of favor, the Yang family had offended quite a few people, and they would definitely be finished. So Yang Guozhong hurriedly found a minister and asked him to go to the palace to plead for her. Obviously, this plea had an effect, and Li Longji sent someone to deliver food to her."
How did Yang Yuhuan respond? The Old Book of Tang records it like this: "I have disobeyed Your Majesty and deserve to die. Now I want to repay Your Majesty, but everything I have is a gift from Your Majesty. Only my body and hair are given to me by my parents. Please send the messenger with this lock of hair to present to Your Majesty."
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: ...I know this well!
"When Emperor Xuanzong saw this, he exclaimed, 'Oh dear, they're going to use a knife!' So he immediately ordered Gao Lishi to bring the imperial concubine back."
"These two conflicts ended with Yang Yuhuan returning to her parents' home for a few days. Then came the fifteenth year of Tianbao, when the An Lushan Rebellion broke out. Li Longji and his entourage fled in panic and arrived at Mawei Slope. The soldiers in the army were exhausted, hungry and angry."