The change of Jingkang is a sad song of the Northern Song Dynasty. A rich and prosperous empire ended, hundreds of people were displaced, and in the midst of the war, there were sad stories of how many wives and daughters were scattered. The song dynasty's clan and ministers were even more devastated. According to the court roster, the nobles of Sonada were honored, and the nobles who used to be well-bred, like pigs and sheep, were captured and taken to the northern country. Empress Zheng of Song Huizong naturally could not escape this catastrophe, but she used her wisdom and foresight to avoid the collapse of the family.
The Zheng family was originally not from a noble family, from an ordinary family. During the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, she entered the palace as a palace maid. At that time, Empress Xiang often sent her to serve The Duan King Zhao Yao, which made her an indissoluble relationship with the future emperor.
Of course, Empress Xiang did not have any good intentions, she just saw that Song Zhezong's health was not good, and she made plans for herself earlier. Zheng Shi is just a pawn of hers, which not only satisfies Zhao Yao's lustful heart, but also installs eyeliner for herself. After Zhao Tuo became emperor, Empress Xiang pushed the Boat along the water to send the Zheng clan to the Six Palaces.
When Zhao Tuo was the King of Duan, he had his own princess Wang Clan. When he became emperor, the Wang clan was the empress, and the Zheng clan naturally could not compete with it. However, the Zheng clan was very favored by Emperor Huizong of Song, and after entering the palace, he was named a concubine, and soon after he was promoted to a noble concubine, no one could match for a while.
Why did Emperor Huizong of Song love Concubine Zheng so much? In addition to beauty, Zheng Guifei's personality is an important reason. Although she is favored, she is not pampered and proud, but is respectful inside and out, which makes people inside and outside praise her. Although she had become a noble concubine, she insisted on personally sorting out the chapters for Emperor Huizong of Song, tidying up in an orderly manner, and never talking much about the government.
Because of this, after the death of Empress Wang, Zheng Guifei was promoted to empress in the first year of Zhenghe, and she also became one of the few Song Dynasty empresses who originated from the people after Liu E. Compared with the extravagance of Emperor Huizong of Song, this empress was really frugal and excessive.
Empress Wang's crown costume has been used for funerals and needs to be remade for Empress Zheng. However, at that time, the national treasury was all empty by Emperor Huizong of Song, and Empress Zheng was worried that her pomp and circumstance would increase the burden on the people, so she asked the inner government to use the original noble concubine headdress and costumes to modify them into the houguan back dress. Such a mind can only be possessed by Empress Zheng, who experienced folk suffering when she was young.
After Zheng became empress, the family naturally ascended to heaven, and his father Zheng Shenli was enfeoffed as a taishi and the king of Leping County. However, the Zheng clan restrained them, not allowing their families to participate in the affairs of the dynasty, and could only live with false titles. Avoiding foreign relations, which was already the case when she was a noble concubine. At that time, she was too spoiled, and Song Huizong was a person of temperament, and many people were bothered by this, and she ignored it. There was a person in the middle of Zheng, who claimed to be her uncle and brother, and Zheng began to admit it, and still relied on him when he was in the palace.
However, later, after Zheng became a noble concubine, he decided to alienate Zheng Zhongzhong. Zheng Guifei adopted the strategy of the eunuch Huang Jingchen, and under the pretext of using her foreign relative Bingzheng, she degraded Zheng Juzhong one after another, turning him into an attendant with no real power from the Zhongshu Sheren and zhixue academies.
Presumably, at that time, whether it was Zheng Sheng, Zheng Juzhong or other members of the family, they must have not understood Zheng Guifei, and even complained. In their view, the ascension of a man to heaven is a matter of course. It was not until after the change of Jing Kang that they understood Empress Zheng's good intentions and would sigh at Empress Zheng's foresight.
All the Song dynasty clans were taken captive to the Jin camp, except for Zhao Zhao, the King of Kang, who was recruiting troops outside, and Empress Zheng was not spared. But in the face of the Jinren commander Yan Zonghan, she did not make a ridiculous request to let herself go, but only pleaded: "My sins can be borne by myself, but my family does not ask the government, and hopes that the marshal can be gracious." The History of the Song Dynasty records this:
First, and then to Jinying, he sued Yu Muhan: "Concubines should be offended, but the concubines' families do not foresee the government, and they do not be sent away." "Sticky is rare, so the gentleman has to return."
This also shows that Empress Zheng's restraint of her family is worthy of hard words, which even the Jin people cannot refute. Unfortunately, after the empress was taken captive to the northern country, she was bullied countless times and died five years later. Later, the coffins of her and Emperor Huizong of Song were sent to the Southern Song Dynasty, and the two were buried together in the Huijiyong Tomb. Emperor Gaozong of Song also felt the virtuousness of Empress Zheng, pursued Xiansu, and searched everywhere for her family.