GBP Chapter 375 The Handsome King
Chapter 375 The Handsome King
[He is a handsome king, and also the founder of gigolos. Historical trivia and historical figures]
As long as you look good, you can live a life of luxury? If you please the rich woman, you can get a high position? Is he the ancestor of living a life of luxury? He is one generation lower than the rich woman Wang Ji, but he conquered her with his beauty. "A girl three years older than you will get gold bricks; a girl thirty years older than you will get the kingdom."
The rich woman pursues the innocent, and the little boy offers gold and status. Sure enough, "appearance is justice" is the eternal truth? He is one of the four most handsome emperors in China - Duke Wen of Song.
The story of Duke Wen of Song and Wang Ji can be described as "a domineering woman in a domineering position falling in love with me", but in fact, Duke Wen of Song not only had a beautiful face, but he was also very powerful and was deeply loved by the people. With both talent and beauty, it is no wonder that Wang Ji loved him to death.
Duke Wen of Song, whose given name was Bao, was also known as Prince Bao. He was the 24th king of the State of Song during the Spring and Autumn Period. He was the son of Duke Xiang of Song and the brother of Duke Zhao of Song. In that era when the primogeniture was emphasized, Prince Bao was not originally qualified to inherit the throne, but beauty was the primary productive force.
"Zuo Zhuan" described him as "beautiful and gorgeous". This beauty not only made him stand out among the nobles of Song State, but also attracted the attention of many people, including his grandmother, Wang Ji, the wife of Duke Xiang of Song.
Wang Ji was the sister of King Xiang of Zhou. After Duke Xiang of Song died, she became a widow. In her long widowhood, Wang Ji may have felt lonely and lonely. When she saw the young and handsome Prince Bao, she couldn't help but feel a strange emotion in her heart.
This kind of emotion was undoubtedly contrary to common sense under the social ethics of the time, but Wang Ji was unable to suppress her feelings.
The record in Zuo Zhuan·Duke Wen 16th Year is quite vivid: "Prince Bao was handsome and charming. The prime minister's wife tried to inform him but failed, so he stayed with the army." Duke Zhao was unjust, and the people worshipped Prince Bao, and treated Lady Yin as a pushover.
The way she pursued Duke Wen of Song was bold and avant-garde in the Spring and Autumn Period. As the sister of the Zhou emperor, she could have waited for the princes of various countries to come and ask for marriage, but she chose to take the initiative. According to historical records, she once publicly expressed her admiration: "She is beautiful but no one loves her, and she is favored by a rich widow." Duke Wen of Song was really lucky.
In order to get close to Prince Bao, Wang Ji began to use her status and wealth to help Prince Bao show his favor to the people. At that time, Song was suffering from famine, so Wang Ji sold a large amount of property and donated money to the victims in the name of Prince Bao.
She also helped Prince Bao to make friends with the nobles and ministers of Song State and accumulated connections for him in politics. With the help of Wang Ji, Prince Bao's reputation grew, and his reputation for benevolence spread throughout the streets and alleys of Song State.
However, Prince Bao's feelings towards Wang Ji are very complicated. On the one hand, he is grateful for everything Wang Ji has done for him; on the other hand, he feels helpless and confused about Wang Ji's identity and age.
Under the social ethics of the time, the relationship between him and Wang Ji was not allowed. Therefore, Prince Bao always kept a certain distance from Wang Ji.
He was unwilling to accept Wang Ji's feelings, but also unwilling to offend her. Song Wengong finally declined on the grounds that "propriety cannot be exceeded", which not only showed his respect for traditional etiquette, but also reflected his caution as a politician.
As time went by, Prince Bao's status in Song State became higher and higher, and his power became stronger and stronger.
At this time, Song Zhaogong lost the support of the people because of his unrighteousness, and his behavior caused dissatisfaction among the nobles and ministers of Song. Under such circumstances, Wang Ji decided to help Prince Bao seize the throne.
She used her influence to spread rumors among the nobles and ministers of Song that Duke Zhao of Song wanted to kill Prince Bao. These rumors caused panic among the nobles and ministers of Song, and they all stood on the side of Prince Bao.
One has to sigh that Wang Ji is really a master of public relations. In general, Wang Ji's method was to first express her love, then exert pressure through political means, and use the remaining influence of the Zhou royal family to provide support for Duke Wen of Song.
The last and most practical thing is to use the resources at his disposal to help Duke Wen of Song implement policies that benefit the people. This not only shows his sincerity, but also his political wisdom. This pursuit method seems quite brilliant even today. Now, everything is ready, except for an east wind.
In 611 BC, Duke Zhao of Song was going to Mengzhu for hunting. When Wang Ji learned about it, she sent someone to tell Prince Bao. Prince Bao replied, "How can I serve the future monarch if I am his subject and yet I evade his orders?"
So, Prince Bao followed Duke Zhao of Song to Mengzhu. When they arrived at Mengzhu, Wang Ji sent people into the palace and killed Duke Zhao of Song, and supported Prince Bao as the king, who was Duke Wen of Song.
But when Duke Wen of Song first ascended the throne, he was faced with a State of Song that had been severely damaged by tyranny. The challenges and difficulties he faced were naturally self-evident.
On the one hand, he needed to consolidate his ruling position and stabilize the political situation in Song; on the other hand, he needed to deal with the pressure from the vassal states such as Jin. Under such circumstances, Duke Wen of Song began to show his political talent and wisdom. Internally, he treated people with respect and recruited talents. He also focused on developing the economy, implemented benevolent policies, and reduced taxes and levies, which quickly won the hearts of the people.
Externally, he maneuvered between the big countries such as Chu and tried to gain living space for Song. With the efforts of Duke Wen of Song, Song gradually became prosperous and powerful. His rule was also recognized and supported by the people of Song.
In 589 BC, Duke Wen of Song died, ending his 22-year reign. His death marked the end of an era for the State of Song and also brought new challenges and opportunities for its future development.
After Duke Wen of Song died, he was posthumously named "Wen", which means "wise and wise, with great moral character and broad knowledge", fully affirming his achievements in governing the country.
So, were Duke Wen of Song and Wang Ji together? What do you think? Don't say anything else, if he talked to you, he would chat with you. Ah?
[In the early Ming Dynasty, the guardian of the southwest of China, the legendary life of a heroine, historical trivia and historical figures]
He was praised by Zhu Yuanzhang as "one man is better than 14 soldiers". He was born in a Yi ethnic family, but he made great contributions to the unification of the southwest by the Ming Dynasty. At the age of 23, she married the Guizhou Xuanwei Envoy due to the tradition of political marriage. After her husband died at the age of , she became regent. She opened up the Wumeng cliffs and opened roads to connect the isolated southwest with the Central Plains.
She is the "Lady Shexiang" in the Phoenix Legend song. Maybe you don't know her, but you must have heard "Wumeng Mountain connected to other mountains, Xiangshui Beach sprinkled with moonlight". However, the real Lady Shexiang is more admirable than in the song.
Madam Shexiang was an outstanding female politician in the history of the Yi nationality. She lived in the turbulent times of the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. She was born in Xuanfusi, Yongning, Sichuan, and was the daughter of a Yi chieftain family in Xuyong, Sichuan. She was extremely intelligent since childhood and was deeply influenced by the traditional culture of the Yi nationality.
As the daughter of the chief of the Chele tribe of the Yi nationality, She Xiang showed extraordinary political talent in her youth. She was proficient in Chinese and Yi language, and was familiar with Yi customary law and the rules and regulations of the Central Plains. This unique cultural background laid a solid foundation for her to govern the Shuixi region in the future.
At the age of 14, She Xiang married Ai Cui, the envoy of Guizhou. This political marriage united two powerful Yi tribes. After marriage, She Xiang was not limited to the traditional female role, but actively participated in government affairs and gradually became an important assistant to her husband.
She pays special attention to people's livelihood and often goes deep into the countryside to understand people's needs. This people-friendly style has earned her great prestige among the Shuixi Yi people.
In 1381, Ai Cui passed away, and She Xiang faced a major turning point in his life. According to the Yi tradition of "the mother is the regent when the son is young", She Xiang, who was only 23 years old, succeeded to the post of envoy to Guizhou and became the supreme ruler of Shuixi region.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty was just established. The situation in the southwest was complicated. The remnants of the Yuan Dynasty were still active, and the local chieftains had their own thoughts. The young She Xiang stabilized the situation with amazing courage. She judged the situation and went to Nanjing in 1382 to meet Zhu Yuanzhang in person to express her intention to surrender. This pilgrimage was of great historical significance. She Xiang not only brought specialties from Shuixi, Yongning and other places as tribute, but also brought the recognition of the new regime by the ethnic minorities in the southwest.
Zhu Yuanzhang greatly appreciated this young female politician, bestowed her the title of "Lady Shunde", and granted the Shuixi region the right to maintain autonomy. This political decision avoided the disaster that the Ming army's armed expedition might bring to the Yi people, and won an opportunity for peaceful development for the Shuixi region.
After returning to Shuixi, She Xiang faced severe challenges in internal governance. At that time, Guizhou's transportation was blocked and communication between ethnic groups was difficult, which seriously restricted economic development. With a forward-looking vision, She Xiang presided over the construction of a road system connecting Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. This road network, known as the "Nine Post Stations of Longchang", started from Guiyang in the east and reached Bijie in the west. It was more than 400 miles long and had 9 post stations.
During the construction process, She Xiang personally participated in route surveys, coordinated labor from various ethnic groups, and resolved land disputes. After the road was completed, it not only promoted trade in the southwest region, but also strengthened cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups, laying a transportation foundation for the Ming Dynasty to manage the southwest.
At the same time, She Xiang vigorously promoted advanced farming techniques from the Central Plains, introduced rice seeds and farm tools, and improved farming methods, which significantly improved the agricultural production level in Shuixi. She also encouraged the development of handicrafts, especially traditional Yi textiles and silverware. These measures effectively improved the lives of local people.
In the field of education and culture, She Xiang's contribution is particularly outstanding. She deeply understands the importance of cultural identity to national unity, and actively promotes the spread of Han culture while maintaining the traditional culture of the Yi nationality.
She Xiang founded a number of Yi-Han bilingual schools in Shuixi, and hired Han Confucian scholars and Yi scholars to teach together, teaching both Confucian classics and Yi writing and history and culture.
This enlightened cultural policy cultivated a large number of chieftain children who were proficient in bilingual languages, and reserved talents for Guizhou's reform of the chieftain system during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
She Xiang also organized the translation of a large number of Chinese classics, introduced the legal system and ethical concepts of the Central Plains dynasty into the Yi society, and promoted the integration of Yi customary law and Ming Dynasty law. Under his promotion, Shuixi region formed a unique situation of multicultural coexistence. The traditional culture of the Yi people, such as songs and dances, costumes, festivals, etc., has been well protected and developed.
In dealing with ethnic relations, She Xiang demonstrated great political wisdom. At that time, there were many ethnic groups living in Guizhou, including the Miao, Buyi, and Gelao, and ethnic conflicts occurred from time to time. She Xiang adhered to the governance concept of harmony and built an alliance system among the chieftains of various ethnic groups through marriage and enfeoffment.
She paid special attention to mediating disputes between the Yi and Miao peoples and established the "Yilang System", in which the heads of each ethnic group discussed and resolved disputes together. This inclusive governance model effectively maintained regional stability and made Shuixi a model for governance in southwestern ethnic minority areas during the Ming Dynasty.
In 1384 AD, facing the deliberate provocation of Governor Ma Ye, She Xiang responded calmly, stopped her subordinates' impulse to resist with force, and chose to go to Beijing to file a complaint.
She made an impassioned speech in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, exposing Ma Ye's crime of trying to intensify ethnic conflicts, and finally punished the official who discriminated against ethnic minorities. This incident fully demonstrated She Xiang's political courage and persistent pursuit of peace.
In her later years, Madam Shexiang still cared about the development of Shuixi. She carefully cultivated her son Angui's ability to take over the government and passed on her many years of governance experience to him. During the power transfer process, Shexiang showed a rare political vision, gradually giving up power but not interfering in politics, ensuring a smooth transition of Shuixi's political power.
After retiring behind the scenes, She Xiang focused on the inheritance of national culture, organized the compilation of Yi genealogy, and sorted out Yi epics, making important contributions to the preservation of Yi history and culture.
In 1396, Lady Shexiang died of illness at the age of 37. The Ming government sent envoys to pay tribute to her and posthumously named her "Lady Shunde of the Great Ming Dynasty".
People of all ethnic groups in Guizhou spontaneously mourned this outstanding leader. After She Xiang's death, her son An Gui and his successors continued to implement her policies, which kept the Shuixi region prosperous and stable for nearly a hundred years.