The story of a civet cat exchanged for a prince has been widely circulated in Chinese history, with mixed truth and falsehoods. The story tells that Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, Liu E, was unable to have children, so she replaced the child born to her maid Li with a skin

The story of a civet cat exchanged for a prince has been widely circulated in Chinese history, with mixed truth and falsehoods. The story tells that Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty Imperial Concubine Liu E could not have children, so he replaced the child born by his maid Li with a skinned civet cat, took the child as his own, and then successfully became the queen. The story tells about a cruel queen Liu E. So, what was the real Liu E like in history?

The young and beautiful Liu E

Liu E was born in an ordinary village in Sichuan. Her family was poor and she lost her father when she was infancy. Later, she followed a silversmith and made a living by selling silver jewelry in Bianjing. At the age of 15, Liu E was sold into the palace of the King of Korea. The young and beautiful Liu E was chosen by the third prince of Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Heng, the King of Korea, and became the princess. Zhao Heng loved Liu E very much. However, Zhao Heng's wet nurse was worried that Liu E would charm the prince, so she drove Liu E out. It was not until Zhao Heng ascended the throne that she took Liu E back to the palace. Liu E was already 30 years old at this time.

Korean Princess Liu E

After Zhao Heng succeeded to the throne, he wanted to make Liu E the queen. But unfortunately, Liu E has not given birth to a boy or a girl since she married into the palace at the age of fifteen. The ministers firmly opposed the title of queen. Therefore, Liu E came up with the clever plan of "borrowing a child's womb". Liu E specially selected a handsome maid named Li to serve the emperor, and she received the emperor's favor. After Li gave birth to the prince, Liu E claimed that the prince was hers, and then arranged for Li to live elsewhere. This prince is Song Renzong Zhao Zhen. With the prince, Liu E successfully became the queen.

Liu E assisted in the administration

In his later years, Song Zhenzong suffered from illness, mental trance, and political chaos. Liu E accompanied Zhenzong in his work, analyzing the political situation and making suggestions for Zhenzong. Song Zhenzong relied more and more on her. If Zhenzong initially loved her because of her beauty, now he relies more on her talents. Liu E was indeed smart and capable. She gradually took control of the political power and began to deliberately cultivate her own power. As a queen, she established party members in the court and launched a coup. Kou Zhun and Li Di, who had originally opposed her title, were demoted and exiled, while treacherous and snobbish ministers such as , Ding Wei, Qian Zhunyan, etc. were promoted and re-employed. . In March 1022 AD, Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng died, Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, and Liu E became the empress dowager, listening to politics behind the curtain.

Liu E has been regent for 11 years.

Liu E is ambitious and has a dream of becoming a queen in her heart. She wants to imitate Tang Dynasty Wu Zetian and one day truly become the emperor. Once when she went to court, Liu E asked the ministers: "What do you think of Empress Wu?" Some people said: "Wu Zetian was a sinner of the Tang Dynasty, and almost overthrew the country." Others said: "Although Wu Zetian was a strong woman, but a hundred years later Not knowing who should pass the throne will only make the world a laughing stock." The ministers' answers made Liu E feel that the throne was close at hand, yet out of reach.

Empress Dowager Liu Egun will wear dragon robes and dragon crowns according to the emperor's etiquette when she presides over the ceremony at the Ancestral Temple to experience the glory of the emperor. However, it was firmly opposed by the ministers. She didn't go her own way, but compromised. On the day of the sacrifice, she wore a Gong robe with ten patterns (the Emperor's Gong robe had twelve patterns) and nine drapes on her head (the Emperor's drapes had twelve patterns), and worshiped as the Empress Dowager Song Dynasty When she was an emperor, she felt that her life seemed to have reached its peak. A month and a half later, Liu E fell ill. Soon, she finally bid farewell to this world with an incomparable nostalgia for power. When she died, she was still wearing the custom-made quasi-emperor dress she had made when offering sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple.

During the eleven years that Liu E was in charge of the government, she expelled the sycophants and reused talented Wang Zeng, Lu Yijian and others, correcting the shortcomings of the late Zhenzong's advocating Taoism, worshiping immortals, and building large-scale construction projects. A new and prosperous atmosphere appeared in the government. The people are prosperous, the society is stable, and the world is at peace. Although Liu E's "dream of empress" was shattered, it seems a bit regretful that a queen mother like her who really has real power was so close to becoming an empress like Wu Zetian, but this is also Liu E's Great wisdom.If you compare Liu E and Wu Zetian, Wu Zetian is like a warrior who fights desperately in the political arena, while Liu E is more like a counselor. She is introverted, low-key, cautious, and good at strategizing. Even if she holds real power, she can restrain herself. , weighing the pros and cons, she devoted herself to raising and educating the young master Zhao Zhen, turning enemies into friends, stabilizing the court situation, and leaving a way out for herself.