A hot topic among history enthusiasts today is whether the deaths of the founding Ming Dynasty Crown Princess Chang and the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiongying, were related to the Lü family. Judging from historical results, the Lü family did indeed benefit greatly afterwards, which makes people suspicious.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had spent half his life in the military and was decisive in killing people, had little control over his harem. Zhu Yuanzhang had absolute trust in his sons and daughters-in-law, believing that they could handle household affairs on their own.
However, this laissez-faire attitude may have been the root of the tragedy. While the deaths of Chang and Zhu Xiongying offer no definitive evidence linking them to the Lü family, the subsequent power transitions offer cause for reflection. Lü's rise to power appears to have been no accident, but rather a contingent part of a palace struggle.
Zhu Yuanzhang took no precautions regarding the affairs of the Eastern Palace where Zhu Biao was then staying. As a result, his daughter-in-law and eldest grandson both died inexplicably. Ultimately, he was cursed by scholars for his ruthlessness, which led to the destruction of his family and earned him the nickname "tyrant."
However, Lu, who was originally just a concubine, ascended to the throne of empress step by step. Her tactics were so clever that one cannot help but admire her. However, in this process, was there no support from the court officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang?
Every move by the Lü family was meticulously planned, using tactics like bribing palace maids and eunuchs, manipulating imperial physicians, and even orchestrating accidents. Clearly, powerful forces were behind this. The Jiangsu and Zhejiang courtiers exploited the harem's infighting to indirectly manipulate government. Their tactics, while subtle, were remarkably effective. Zhu Yuanzhang's tragedy exemplifies the harem's uncontrolled power.
Even in the long course of history, we can see that many emperors caused unrest in their government due to disputes and unrest in the harem.
During these periods, many inexplicable events occurred within the imperial palace, such as the emperor or princes mysteriously drowning in the palace. Because the harem was not actually under the emperor's full control, what happened there was often difficult to verify, and thus the empress or empress dowager could often act arbitrarily and without restraint.
Under such circumstances, the imperial power was effectively hollowed out. If the emperor didn't heed the advice of his ministers, these powerful ministers could rally forces within the harem to coerce or even secretly harm the emperor, ultimately leading to his dethronement. This is why so many so-called "evil queens" have appeared throughout Blue Star's history.
Because once the harem is under control, the lifeline of the imperial family is effectively controlled, which can greatly influence the direction and decision-making of the government. The power struggle in the harem is often directly related to the stability and future of the country.
If we delve deeper into the conspiracy theory, the Tang Dynasty's Crown Prince Li Chengqian was actually intricately linked to the harem's strife. It's well known that Li Chengqian was the most favored son of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. However, due to the power struggle in the harem, he was eventually deposed. This is enough to illustrate the profound impact of harem instability on imperial power.
There are many doubts about Li Chengqian's rebellion. First, why was Li Chengqian's teacher a veteran of three dynasties? Li Gang had taught Yang Yong, the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, and Li Jiancheng, the crown prince of Li Yuan. This experience raises questions about his role and position.
Just imagine that Li Shimin had killed two of Li Gang’s former students, but now he still let Li Gang teach his own children. How could there not be trouble?
In ancient times, the relationship between master and apprentice was extremely important. If Li Gang was truly an upright person, then he would have no doubt resented Li Shimin's actions. However, if Li Gang was not an upright person, then Li Shimin dared to let such a person teach his children, which was undoubtedly a risk equivalent to inviting a wolf into the house.
From an ordinary person's perspective, such an approach is extremely dangerous, but Li Shimin dared to do so. One cannot help but admire his courage and insight. He is indeed worthy of being the greatest emperor in history.
In the existing historical records, we can clearly see that Li Gang's attitude towards Li Chengqian was quite strict, even to the point of being harsh.
This kind of education was not really conducive to Li Chengqian's growth. Instead, it suppressed Li Chengqian in many aspects, causing him to gradually lose his confidence and fighting spirit. This approach made Li Chengqian appear increasingly incompetent in front of Li Shimin, which in turn made Li Shimin increasingly disappointed in Li Chengqian and even began to feel disgusted with him.
Meanwhile, Li Tai was favored by everyone. Academically and in other areas, he far surpassed Li Chengqian. His teachers praised him as an outstanding student, and the other concubines in the palace lauded him highly. Because Li Shimin lacked control over the harem, he often made judgments based on the opinions of others.
Finally, under Li Tai's coquettishness and pleading, Li Shimin even transferred Li Chengqian's Wude Hall to Li Tai. Li Chengqian's fall from favor was in stark contrast to Li Tai's rise to power. Li Chengqian fell from being a perfect prince to the point where he had to resort to rebellion to regain his rightful position.
In this situation, if there were no help and secret manipulation from various forces in the harem, would Li Chengqian really have come to this point?
Li Chengqian's fall from his horse is a puzzling mystery. The fact that a prince could actually fall from his horse is a mystery in itself. Who would normally give a prince a horse that wasn't fully tamed? Was this person truly fearless? Was there some hidden conspiracy behind this?
In addition, even though medical technology was relatively backward in ancient times, why did a prince fail to receive timely and effective treatment after being injured and instead became disabled? These are a series of doubts worthy of in-depth exploration.
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