In the long river of history, there is a shocking past. The biological mother of an emperor was captured by an enemy country and reduced to slavery for 15 years. After experiencing unimaginable humiliation and suffering, she finally regained her freedom and returned to her homeland thanks to her son's efforts. However, what is puzzling is that the first thing this mother, who had just escaped from the sea of suffering, did after returning home was to order the death of a princess. Who is this princess? Why did she suffer this fate? Why did the emperor's biological mother make such a cruel decision? What kind of secret is hidden behind all this? Let's unravel this long-hidden historical mystery.
Jingkang's Change: The Disaster of the Northern Song Dynasty
Everyone knows about the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, but they don't know that there is a little-known story in it. In 1127 AD, the Northern Song Dynasty court suffered an unprecedented catastrophe, which was the famous "Jingkang Change" in history.
It was a cold winter day, and the Jin soldiers marched south, approaching the city of Bianjing. The court of the Northern Song Dynasty was suddenly in chaos, like ants on a hot pot. At that time, Song Huizong had already ceded the throne to his son Song Qinzong, and he became the emperor. But who would have thought that the father and son would be helpless in the face of Jin Bing's attack.
The horn of the golden soldiers attacking the city sounded in the sky, and the people in the city were panicked. The concubines in the palace were even more panicked, some were crying, some were praying, and some were packing up and preparing to flee for their lives. In the midst of this chaos, there was a young concubine who was particularly calm, she was the later Empress Dowager Wei, that is, the biological mother of the future Song Gaozong Zhao Gou.
At that time, Wei was just an ordinary palace maid, and because she gave birth to the prince Zhao Gou, she was named a virtuous concubine. She never imagined that her fate would take such a huge turn on this day. At the moment when the Jin soldiers broke through Bianjing, Wei was holding the young Zhao Gou, anxiously waiting for the arrangements in the palace.
Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps. I saw a eunuch running into the palace in a panic, panting and saying, "Niangniang, it's not good! The Jin soldiers have broken through the city gate and are heading towards the palace! Merriam-Webster was shocked when she heard this, but she did not lose her mind. She hurriedly ordered the palace maid beside her: "Quick! Escape from the secret passage with the little prince! "
At this critical moment, Zhao Gou was taken out of the palace by the palace maid from the secret passage. However, Webster did not have time to escape and was captured by the Jin soldiers who broke into the palace. From that moment on, her fate changed completely.
The golden soldiers rushed into the palace like wolves and arrested all the royal family. Song Huizong, Song Qinzong's father and son, as well as many concubines, princesses, and princes, all became prisoners. Webster and the other ladies were brutally escorted to the Jin soldiers' camp and began a months-long journey north.
The journey was nothing short of a nightmare for these pampered royals. They were hungry and cold, and they were humiliated. Some princesses and concubines were even humiliated and chose to commit suicide. But Webster gritted his teeth and survived with humiliation. She has only one thought in her heart: she must live, for her son Zhao Gou.
Finally, they reached the capital of the Kingdom of Jin. Merriam-Webster thought that the suffering was over, but he did not expect that the greater ordeal had just begun. The Emperor of Jin ordered that these captives be placed separately. Song Huizong and Song Qinzong were imprisoned, and the rest of the royal family were reduced to slavery.
Webster was sent to the Raccoon House and became a washerwoman. From then on, she had to get up early and work late every day to wash the dirty and smelly clothes. Her hands, which had once been as smooth as jade, soon became rough and cracked. But she never complained, because she knew that there was only hope if she was alive.
In this way, Merriam-Webster spent a long fifteen years in the Kingdom of Jin. In these fifteen years, she has experienced countless humiliations and sufferings. She was treated as an object, and was given away by the nobles of the Jin Kingdom many times. Sometimes, she even thinks of giving up, but whenever the thought comes to mind, she thinks of her son Zhao Go, the child she desperately tried to protect from being born.
She didn't know how Zhao Gou was doing now, whether she was safe, and whether she still remembered her mother. But she believes that as long as she is alive, there will always be a day when she will meet again. It is this belief that has sustained Merriam-Webster through these long and difficult fifteen years.
Merriam-Webster's tragic experience
Wei Shi went from being a virtuous concubine to becoming a female slave, and this huge identity gap made it difficult for her to adapt for a while. In the Huanyi Courtyard of the Jin Kingdom, she is no longer the noble person in the palace who is high, but a humble laundry lady. Every day before dawn, she has to get up and start the day's work.
The work in the courtyard is extremely heavy. Webster and the other slave girls had to deal with a large amount of clothing, some of which were the ornate clothes of the nobles of the Jin Kingdom, and some of which were the shabby clothes of the soldiers in the barracks. No matter what kind of clothing, they must be carefully washed without the slightest sloppiness.
Webster's hands were soon soaked white and wrinkled, and his fingertips were soaked in cold water. But that's not the worst. The supervisors of the Huanyi Courtyard were extremely strict and often beat and scolded. If you are not careful, you will be whipped with a leather whip. Webster once witnessed a young slave girl being beaten to death because she accidentally broke a nobleman's clothes.
In addition to the heavy labor, Webster also had to endure the humiliation of the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom. Those rude soldiers often took the opportunity to give clothes to wantonly molest the slave girls in the Huanyi Courtyard. Although Webster is no longer young, he still retains a bit of his former charm and is often coveted by soldiers.
Once, a drunken Jin general broke into the Huanyi Courtyard and took a fancy to Webster. He forcibly dragged Webster out of the Courtyard and wanted to bring him back to the camp. Merriam-Webster struggled to resist, but was slapped so hard that she was dizzy. At this critical moment, the female officer of the Huanyi Courtyard arrived in time and told the general that Wei was a female slave who specialized in laundry for the nobles and was not allowed to take it away at will. This saved Merriam-Webster from even greater humiliation.
However, this is not the only one. In the years that followed, Merriam-Webster was given away several times. Each time, she was like an object, given away and traded at will. Sometimes it was given to a general who had made a military exploit, and sometimes it was given to a nobleman in the Jin Kingdom.
In the home of a Jin nobleman, Webster was arranged to work as a kitchen handyman. She has to get up early and work greedily at night every day, lighting the fire, washing vegetables, cutting meat, and brushing pots. Those heavy manual labor was a kind of torture for her, who had been pampered since she was a child. But she gritted her teeth and persevered.
Once, while preparing for a dinner party, Merriam-Webster accidentally broke a precious porcelain bowl. The nobleman was furious and ordered her to be hung and whipped. Webster was whipped open and passed out. When she woke up, she found herself thrown in the firewood room, and the wounds on her body had scabbed.
In this way, Merriam-Webster spent a long fifteen years in the Kingdom of Jin. In the past fifteen years, she has experienced countless changes of hands, each of which means a new environment, a new torment. Sometimes she was a washerwoman, sometimes a kitchen handyman, and sometimes even used as a slave for field labor.
During these long years, Merriam-Webster has witnessed countless tragic stories. She saw that some slave girls committed suicide because they could not bear the torture, and some fell down in the harsh labor and never got back up. There were also some young and beautiful female slaves who were favored by the nobles of the Jin Kingdom and became their playthings, and finally either went crazy or died of illness.
Webster had wanted to give up countless times, but whenever she thought of her son Zhao Gou, she rekindled her hope of living. She didn't know if Zhao Gou was okay now, and if she still remembered her mother. But she believes that as long as she is alive, there will always be a day when she will meet again.
During these fifteen years, Merriam-Webster learned how to survive in the cracks. She learned how to please her master and how to adapt in different environments. Her body was roughened by long hours of labor, but her will grew stronger and stronger.
As time went on, Merriam-Webster began to hear something about the South. She had heard that a man named Zhao Gou had founded the Southern Song Dynasty and was actively negotiating with the Jin State to ransom the captured royals. Whenever he heard such news, Merriam-Webster secretly prayed that he would one day be free.
Song Gaozong Zhao Gou's enthronement and revenge
In the fifteen years that Webster was captured, her son Zhao Gou has undergone earth-shaking changes. The young boy who cried in his mother's arms has now grown into a full-fledged monarch and established the Southern Song Dynasty.
Zhao's ascension to the throne was not all smooth sailing. After the Jingkang Revolution, he escaped by chance and fled to the south. At first, there were other members of the royal family in the imperial court vying for the throne, but Zhao Gou, with his wit and skill, finally ascended to the throne for Song Gaozong.
However, even after becoming emperor, Zhao Gou still faced great challenges. The threat of the Jin soldiers was always on the horizon, and the Southern Song court had to move its capital frequently, from Yingtianfu (present-day Nanjing) to Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou) to Jiankang (present-day Nanjing), and finally stabilized in Lin'an.
In this turbulent situation, Zhao Gou showed extraordinary political wisdom. He appointed Yue Fei and other famous generals to resist the Jin soldiers, and at the same time actively launched diplomatic negotiations with the Jin State. He knew that the Southern Song Dynasty was not strong enough to compete with the Jin State at this time, so he adopted a peace-based strategy, hoping to redeem the captured royal family members through diplomatic means, especially his father Song Huizong and brother Song Qinzong.
Zhao Gou sent several groups of envoys to the Jin State to try to negotiate with the Jin State. However, the Jin State was extremely demanding in its requirements for the Southern Song Dynasty. Not only did they demand that the Southern Song pay a large amount of gold and silver tribute every year, but they also demanded that the Southern Song recognize themselves as vassal states of the Jin State. These conditions are unacceptable to Zhao Gou.
The negotiations broke down again and again, and Zhao Gou's mood became more and more anxious. He knew that his father, brother and other members of the royal family were tortured in the Kingdom of Jin, and there was nothing he could do about it. Especially thinking of his biological mother Wei, Zhao Gou couldn't sleep at night. He has sent people to secretly inquire about Merriam-Webster's whereabouts on several occasions, but there has never been any definite news.
At this moment, a major event occurred in the DPRK. Yue Fei repeatedly made meritorious achievements in the War of Resistance against Jin, and his prestige grew, which aroused the jealousy of Qin Hui and other ministers of the Lord and faction. They slandered Zhao Goujin, saying that Yue Fei had a rebellious heart. Although Zhao Gou trusted Yue Fei a lot, under the pressure of various forces in the DPRK and China, he finally ordered Yue Fei to be recalled and executed on trumped-up charges.
Yue Fei's death disheartened many ministers of the main battle faction, and the military strength of the Southern Song Dynasty was greatly weakened. However, this instead created conditions for Zhao Gou's negotiations with Jin Guo. Seeing that the Southern Song Dynasty had given up military confrontation, Jin Guo's attitude gradually softened.
After years of difficult negotiations, Zhao Gou finally reached a peace agreement with the Jin State in the eleventh year of Shaoxing (1141). According to the terms of the peace agreement, the Southern Song Dynasty recognized the Jin State as the upper kingdom and paid an annual tribute of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 horses of silk to the Jin State. In exchange, the Jin state agreed to release the captured members of the Song imperial family.
However, just when Zhao Gou was waiting for his father, brother and biological mother to return with anticipation, bad news came. Song Huizong and Song Qinzong had long since died in captivity, and most of the other members of the royal family were no longer alive. This news was like a bolt from the blue, which made Zhao Gou grief-stricken.
Just when Zhao Gou was almost desperate, another exciting news came: his biological mother Wei was still alive and was about to be sent back to the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhao Gou was overjoyed by this news, and he immediately ordered a grand welcome ceremony in the capital to prepare for his mother, who had been absent for many years.
Finally, on a sunny day, Merriam-Webster embarked on the journey south. When her car drove into Lin'an City, the streets were crowded with people who had come to watch. People looked curiously, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Empress Dowager, who had endured fifteen years of hardship.
Zhao Gou personally came to the city gate to greet him. When he saw the woman with a plainly dressed and haggard face, he didn't recognize it as his mother for a while. Fifteen years of suffering have turned the former graceful and luxurious concubine into an old woman with vicissitudes of life.
The scene of mother and son recognizing each other is deeply moving. Zhao Gou knelt down in front of Webster, weeping bitterly. Webster silently looked at his son, the infant who was still in swaddling clothes, and now he is the king of a country. This moment seems to make up for all the suffering and longing in the past fifteen years.
However, just when everyone thought it would be a happy ending, an unexpected storm was brewing. Merriam-Webster's return not only did not bring peace to the court, but instead triggered a series of shocking events. And all this starts with Webster's first decision after returning to the palace.
Merriam-Webster's revenge
Webster's first decision after returning to the palace shocked the entire court. She demanded that Zhao Gou immediately order a thorough investigation of all officials and generals who betrayed the Song Dynasty during the Jingkang Rebellion and severely punish them. This decision plunged the originally jubilant imperial court into a panic.
Merriam-Webster's request is not unfounded. During the fifteen years of her captivity, she not only experienced the cruel rule of the Jin State, but also learned a lot about the Jingkang Revolution from various sources. She knew that the reason why the Song Dynasty had fallen to such a point was not only because of the strength of the Jin soldiers, but also because there were many traitors and rebels in the court, who either surrendered to the Jin State or fled at a critical moment, which led to the rapid collapse of the Song Dynasty.
Zhao Gou was embarrassed by his mother's request. On the one hand, he understands his mother's anger and revenge; On the other hand, he also understands that if the events of the year are really thoroughly investigated, I am afraid that many important ministers in the current court will be implicated, which may lead to turmoil in the court.
However, Merriam-Webster's attitude was unusually resolute. She openly denounced those who betrayed the Song Dynasty in the court, calling them "sinners of the ages" and must be duly punished. Her vehement rhetoric and tough attitude upset many ministers.
At Merriam-Webster's insistence, Zhao eventually ordered the establishment of a special investigation team to investigate treason during the Jingkang Revolution. This decision caused a huge shock in the DPRK and China. Many officials began to feel uneasy, fearing that they or their friends and relatives would be implicated.
The investigation was soon launched. The first to be investigated were the generals who were responsible for guarding Bianjing City. Merriam-Webster provided a lot of inside information she had heard in the Kingdom of Jin, and this information provided important clues to the investigation. Soon, several of the generals of the year were confirmed to have escaped during the siege of the Jin soldiers, and they were immediately arrested and sentenced to death.
Next, the scope of the investigation was expanded to include the civilian community. Webster pointed out that many officials surrendered immediately after the Jin soldiers entered the city, and some even took the initiative to serve the Jin state. Some of these people have passed away, while others are still holding important positions in the DPRK. Based on Merriam-Webster's indications, the investigation team began to verify them one by one.
As the investigation deepened, the atmosphere in the DPRK and China became more and more tense. Every day, new officials are summoned for questioning, and some are even secretly arrested at night. For a time, everyone was in danger, and all the plants and trees were soldiers.
Some ministers began to secretly oppose the investigation. They believed that fifteen years had passed since the incident, and that revisiting the old matter would only affect the unity of the imperial court and would not be conducive to resisting the threat of the Jin State. But Merriam-Webster ignored these voices, and she insisted that the investigation be carried out to the end.
In this large-scale liquidation, there is one person who has attracted special attention, and that is Qin Hui. As the prime minister of the current dynasty, Qin Hui was captured by the Jin State after the Jingkang Rebellion, and later returned to the Southern Song Dynasty as an official. Webster suspected that Qin Hui might have had improper collusion with the Jin State during his captivity, and demanded that he be strictly investigated.
Qin Hui's case became the focus of this investigation. As one of the most powerful people in the court, Qin Hui naturally had many supporters. They vigorously defended Qin Hui, saying that Qin Hui was forced to surrender, and later returned to the Southern Song Dynasty and remained loyal and made great contributions to the Southern Song Dynasty.
However, Wei Shi produced some evidence that he had heard in the Jin Kingdom, pointing out that Qin Hui had taken the initiative to offer advice to the Jin State during his captivity, suggesting how the Jin State would attack the Southern Song Dynasty. This accusation was like a bombshell, which shocked the entire court.
Qin Hui strenuously denied the allegations, saying they were slander. He begged Zhao Gou to be aware of everything and not to listen to slander. Zhao Gou was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he was reluctant to believe that his most trusted minister would behave like this; On the other hand, he could not ignore his mother's accusations.
Just when the imperial court was in chaos because of the Qin Hui case, another unexpected incident occurred. A veteran who claimed to be a witness to the Jingkang Revolution suddenly appeared, claiming to have some important evidence. The appearance of this veteran has made the already complicated situation even more confusing.
This veteran's name is Wang Tiezhu, and he claims to be a small soldier in the forbidden army back then. He claimed that on the night of the siege of the city, he witnessed the secret meeting of some ministers with the envoys of the Jin state. During that secret meeting, the ministers presented the Jin state with a map of the defense of Bianjing and promised to open the gates of the city when the Jin soldiers attacked.
Wang's testimony caused an uproar. If what he said is true, then the actions of these ministers are undoubtedly treason. However, since many years have passed since the incident, it is difficult to find other witnesses to corroborate Wang's claims.
Webster insisted on a thorough investigation into the matter, while some ministers in the court believed that Wang Tiezhu might have been deliberately arranged to disrupt the court. The two sides quarreled, and the court fell into deeper chaos.
That's when another unexpected turn of events took place. A man claiming to be the general of the Jin State suddenly appeared and brought with him an astonishing document. The content of this document will completely change the direction of this investigation, and it will also change the political landscape of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Merriam-Webster's later life
The documents brought by the self-proclaimed general of the Jin State revealed an astonishing fact: it was not only some ministers who participated in the Jingkang Rebellion, but also some members of the Song Dynasty's imperial family. This news was like a bombshell, completely shocking the entire imperial court.
The documents detail the secret contacts between some members of the royal family and the Jin Kingdom, including even some people whom Webster once trusted so much. This discovery plunged Merriam-Webster into extreme pain and confusion. She began to question her own judgment and the meaning of this revenge.
Faced with this situation, Zhao Gou decided to suspend the investigation. He believed that continuing the investigation would only plunge the imperial court into greater chaos. At the same time, he is concerned that the investigations may affect the mother's physical and mental health.
Merriam-Webster wasn't happy with her son's decision, but she also realized that things had far exceeded her expectations. She began to gradually withdraw from politics and devote more time to reflection and meditation.
In the days that followed, Merriam-Webster's life changed a lot. She was no longer as eager for revenge as she had when she first returned to the palace, but began to focus on some more macro issues. She began to study history, trying to find the roots of the decline of the Song dynasty.
Merriam-Webster often invited scholars to the palace to discuss history and politics. She gained a deeper understanding of the rise and fall of the Song dynasty and began to realize that simply punishing a few individuals would not solve the fundamental problem. She began to think about how to systematically prevent tragedies like the Jingkang Revolution from happening again.
At Merriam-Webster's suggestion, Zhao began to implement a series of reforms. He strengthened border defense, reformed the military system, and also paid attention to the selection and training of civilian officials. Although these reforms did not produce immediate results, they laid the foundation for the long-term peace and stability of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Over time, Merriam-Webster gradually let go of his attachment to the past. She began to pay attention to people's livelihood issues, and often sent people to visit the people secretly to understand the people's suffering. She has also been active in disaster relief and relief work, winning the love of the people.
In terms of culture, Merriam-Webster also made an important contribution. She strongly supported the development of literature and art, and often invited famous literati and scholars to give lectures in the palace. At her initiative, a large library was established in the palace, which housed a large collection of precious classics.
Merriam-Webster also has a special focus on women's education. She believes that women should have the opportunity to receive education, not only to better assist their husbands, but also to train more talents for the country. Under her promotion, the imperial court began to attach importance to women's education, and even set up special women's schools in some places.
In his later years, Merriam-Webster often recalled his life. From an ordinary palace maid, to a concubine, to the queen mother, she has experienced the ups and downs of life. Although the fifteen years of captivity were painful, they also gave her a deeper understanding of life.
Merriam-Webster began writing his own memoirs. In this work, she not only records her own experiences, but also makes a deep reflection on the history of the Song Dynasty. This memoir later became an important source for the study of the history of the Song Dynasty.
In Merriam-Webster's later years, relations between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin Kingdom gradually eased. While the two countries are still in a state of hostility, large-scale wars have rarely occurred. Merriam-Webster was pleased with this, believing that peace was the blessing of the people.
Merriam-Webster's later years were relatively quiet. She no longer interferes in court politics, but she is still Zhao Go's most important advisor. Whenever he encounters a major decision, Zhao Gou will consult his mother's opinion.
On Merriam-Webster's 80th birthday, Zhao Gou held a grand celebration. Congratulatory gifts were sent from officials from all over the country, and various celebrations were organized spontaneously by the people. On this day, Wei stood on the high place of the palace, looking down on the prosperous Lin'an City, full of emotion.
When Merriam-Webster was eighty-one years old, she suddenly fell ill. Zhao immediately summoned the best doctors in the country to come for treatment, but Webster's condition still did not improve. In the last moments of his life, Webster called Zhao Gou to his bed and said a lot to him. No one knows exactly what they talked about, but since then, Zhao's style of statecraft has clearly changed.
After Merriam-Webster's death, the whole country was immersed in grief. Zhao Gou ordered the whole country to mourn and personally presided over the grand funeral. Webster was buried on a hill outside Hangzhou, in a location overlooking the West Lake.
Webster's life has experienced the whole process of the Song Dynasty from prosperity to decline. Her experience is not only a portrayal of personal destiny, but also a microcosm of the times. Her wisdom and tenacity brought a trace of stability to the turbulent Southern Song Dynasty, and also left valuable historical lessons for future generations.
Years after Merriam-Webster's death, people still often talk about the legendary Queen Mother. Her story was compiled into a drama and widely circulated among the people. Every year during the Qingming Festival, many people spontaneously go to Merriam-Webster's cemetery to pay their respects to this legendary woman.