1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild from Aaron Minkie. Listener discretion is advised. 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: In Chinese folklore, there exists the idea of four great beauties, 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: four women from different eras, who all had beauty of 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: mythic proportions. The first she she lived in the spring 6 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: and Autumn period, and she was said to be so 7 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: beautiful that when she went on a walk near a 8 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: pond or stream, the fish who saw her would be 9 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: so entranced by her appearance that the fish would forget 10 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: how to swim and drown beneath the water. Next, there 11 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: was Wang jau Jun in the first century b C. 12 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: The Western Han dynasty. Wang Jauxun was so beautiful that 13 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: birds would fall from the sky mid song when they saw, 14 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: forgetting how to fly. In the Three Kingdoms period, there 15 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 1: was dow Chan, whose face was so luminous and milky 16 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: that the moon itself was said to shy away in 17 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: embarrassment lest it be compared to her. Finally, there was 18 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: Yanguif in the Tongue dynasty, who they say put flowers 19 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: to shame. Of course, legend also notes that all four 20 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: beauties had one single less conventionally perfect trait in order. 21 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: Those flaws were big feet, a slipped shoulder, small ears, 22 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: and body odor. But still, in spite of their singular flaws, 23 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: the Four Beauties became objects of legends, characters in stories 24 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: that were retold for centuries in poems, operas, songs, and novels. 25 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: They were all so beautiful. The stories go that they 26 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: brought men to their knees, and empires fell with them. 27 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: That narrative is especially strong with Young Guife, the last 28 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: of the Four Beauties. They say that she's so entranced 29 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: at burr shen Zhong that he began neglecting his duties. 30 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: He became forgetful and dilettante in his role as an emperor, 31 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: and spent all of his energies instead on pleasing Young 32 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,679 Speaker 1: Guife and throwing honors onto her and her family. It 33 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: was Young Guife's fault, then, that after shen Zhong, the 34 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: Tongue dynasty would all but collapse. It was she who 35 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: ushered in an era of political upheaval, the Five Dynasties 36 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 1: and Ten Kingdoms period. The woman so beautiful that she 37 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: destroyed a kingdom is a favorite narrative in history. Think 38 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: for example, about the way people talk about a Boleyn, 39 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: the witchy enchantress who seduced King Henry the Eighth away 40 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: from the Catholic Church, or Marie Antoinette, the indulged and 41 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: opulent queen who single handedly turned the peasants against the monarchy. 42 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: Of course, these narratives conveniently overlooked that it was the 43 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: king's with the real political power. The glamor or excitement 44 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: of a queen's behind the scenes machinations make for lovely 45 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: Lady Macbeth drama, but it really does condescend to our 46 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: worst cultural instincts of boys will be boys. How can 47 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: we ever expect a king to rule when there is 48 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: a beautiful woman in his eye line. For centuries, men 49 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: have wielded the vast majority of political power, with legal 50 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: systems set up exclusively for their benefit, and yet it 51 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: is queens and lovers who bring kingdoms down. So we 52 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: say it makes me think of a quote from Alexander 53 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: Chi's excellent novel The Queen of the Night. The protagonist 54 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: narrates men often complain of the wickedness of women. Oh, 55 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: how we delight in what power we have over their hearts, 56 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: But they reign over everything else, So of course they 57 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: grudge us this should we ever come to rule over 58 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: this thing the size of their fist. I think it's 59 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: worth pointing out that all of the women I mentioned, 60 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:40,039 Speaker 1: Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, Yanguife, all four of the beauties 61 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: of Imperial China, all met violent and tragic ends. In 62 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: Yangoife's case, her lover would order her death and then 63 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: spend the rest of his life mourning her. I'm Dani Schwartz, 64 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: and this is noble blood. The woman that history most 65 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: often refers to as Yangwife was actually born Yang Yuhuan. 66 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: Yang is her family name, and Guife is the rank 67 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 1: she would be given later in life, the highest rank 68 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: for an imperial consort. But for clarity's sake, I'll refer 69 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: to her as Yangwife continuously throughout the episode, even though 70 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: she's given several different names at several different points of 71 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: her life. When she was born in seven hundred and nineteen, 72 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: it was to a high status family, but not royals. 73 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: They were wealthy enough to be within a royal inner 74 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: circle without being royals themselves. But it wasn't a complete 75 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: shock when at age fourteen, Yang Wife already considered beautiful 76 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: married Lie Mau, the Prince of Shu, the son of 77 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: the Emperor Sonzong and his favorite consort Consort Wu. It 78 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: was a golden period in the Tongue dynasty, with the 79 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: emperor already in middle age, having ushered in an era 80 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:18,799 Speaker 1: of creativity and art. If you listen to an earlier 81 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: podcast episode about the Empress wou z Etienne, this was 82 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: her grandson, and things were good for Sonzong. If there 83 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: were murmurs of political descent at the edges of his 84 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: kingdom after a few military losses, they were still just murmurs, 85 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: easy for the Emperor and his family to allow to 86 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: fade into the background while they enjoyed the bounty of 87 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: what their rich empire had to offer. But then Consort 88 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 1: Wu died. The Emperor, now fifty two, sunk into a 89 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: deep depression, a depression that only lasted until he laid 90 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: eyes on is beautiful now nineteen year old daughter in 91 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:07,919 Speaker 1: law Yang with a There was only one slight problem. 92 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: Of course, she was already married, and she was already 93 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: married to his son. The first hurdle was easy enough 94 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: to deal with. Yanguife was forced to become a Taoist 95 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: nun which meant that when she symbolically received the tonsure, 96 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: her marriage officially dissolved. She was temporarily given a new name, Taijan, 97 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: and for a short period of time she served as 98 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: a nun in the Imperial Palace, keeping her head down 99 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: and wearing modest clothing, living in the same palace where 100 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: she had for the past five years lived as a princess. 101 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: After whatever period seemed respectable enough to make overtures on 102 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 1: his former daughter in law, John Zong made Yanguife an 103 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: official consort, bestowing countless honors on her and her family. 104 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: Her cousins were given important imperial positions. One of her 105 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: uncles was married to one of the Emperor's daughters. The 106 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 1: Yang family moved up into a position of prominence, and 107 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: it was all thanks to the beautiful Yanguife. And this 108 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: is when she received the official title Guife, a title 109 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: that none of the emperor's other consorts had been designated, 110 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: even Consort Wu, his dead favorite, had only been Quife. 111 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: Of course, we don't know how Yanguife felt about what 112 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: happened to her. Maybe she was delighted by her new 113 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: royal status and importance. It's possible maybe she adored the Emperor, 114 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: or she could have been in love with the prince 115 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: that she had married as a teenager, the boy she 116 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: had slowly gotten to know and grown up with. Those 117 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:06,959 Speaker 1: five years of her life where she was married to 118 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: the prince are usually just fast forwarded in any history 119 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: of her. She would have seen the prince moren his 120 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: beloved mother, the mother that had been fighting for him 121 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,680 Speaker 1: to be next in line for the throne. Young Boyfe 122 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: was ready for a full life as a royal wife, 123 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 1: and then out of nowhere, she was informed that that 124 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: life was over. We don't know how she felt about that, 125 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,079 Speaker 1: Like a puppet on an assembly line. She had to 126 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: make oaths as a Taoist nun, oaths that she knew 127 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: would be meaningless eventually, and then she had to smile 128 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 1: gracefully and accept the affection of the Emperor nearly three 129 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: times her age. For Yangoife's ex husband's part, the Emperor 130 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: made sure to give him a new wife right away, 131 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: a daughter of an important general. Maybe he didn't mind 132 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: the trade. The only feelings we get in the story 133 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 1: are the feelings of the emperor, and the Emperor was 134 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: delighted that he got what he wanted. Young guife's beauty 135 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:21,719 Speaker 1: was legendary even in her own lifetime. Her figure was 136 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:26,599 Speaker 1: famously round and full, though modern day historians tend to 137 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: find very offensive ways of describing that the emperor was 138 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,599 Speaker 1: so besotted by her that he denied her nothing. The 139 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: consort's favorite fruit was leechy, but they didn't grow in 140 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: the region, not a problem. The emperor demanded that fresh 141 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: leechy fruit be brought to her As soon as the 142 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,599 Speaker 1: leechies were plucked from the trees. In southern China, a 143 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: man on horseback would begin his frantic ride towards the 144 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: capital to the north. When the rider and his horse 145 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 1: aim exhausted, another messenger would pick up there immediately and 146 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: start riding through the night. Young wife got the freshest 147 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: lee cheese that manpower and eighth century technology would allow. 148 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: She was also afforded the special privilege of being allowed 149 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: to bathe in the Hua King hot springs. Up until her, 150 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: only emperors had been allowed there. Being an imperial consort 151 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: may seem glamorous, but it was a bargain with the devil. 152 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: On one hand, you live a life of leisure in 153 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:40,559 Speaker 1: a beautiful palace, having all of your material needs cared for, 154 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,839 Speaker 1: but you're also imprisoned, unable to leave the palace or 155 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: see your family unless you get special permission. Once the 156 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: emperor you served died, you lost all of your power. 157 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: Emperor Schwanzong, especially later in his life, would have thousands 158 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: of concubines at any given period, all jocking for attention, 159 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: with the awareness that the entire course of their lives 160 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:12,839 Speaker 1: existed at the behest of a single man's whims. But 161 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: if you're the favorite, things are pretty good. There were 162 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: occasions when Young Guif and the Emperor fought. Once you 163 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:29,080 Speaker 1: said something that put the Emperor in such a rage 164 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: that he sent a consort away from the palace and 165 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: back to her family. With his favorite consort gone, the 166 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 1: Emperor moped you refused to eat. You know you overreacted. 167 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: One of the emperor's counselors, j Win said, the Emperor 168 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: just grunted back. It had only been one day, but 169 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: like a teenager after a breakup, the Emperor already wanted 170 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: her back. As a gesture of generosity and goodwill, the 171 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: Eper sent eunuchs to Young Guife's family home to deliver 172 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: her royal meals from the palace. When she saw the deliveries, 173 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: Young Guife wept. I deserved death, she moaned. The Emperor 174 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: is too good for just sending me back to my household. 175 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: I can't give him any of my gold or jade, 176 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: because it was all gifted by him. I must have 177 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: something to give him to show my remorse. And so, 178 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: while the few eunuchs watched, Young Bofe cut off a 179 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 1: lock of her hair and told one of the men 180 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: to bring it back to the emperor. As soon as 181 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,319 Speaker 1: the Emperor got it, he sent back a guard to 182 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: personally escort his consort back to the palace, and from 183 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: that point on he loved her even more than he 184 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:57,199 Speaker 1: had before. In nine hundred and forty seven, a general 185 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 1: named An Lucian visited the palace at chung'm On. Lushan 186 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:05,319 Speaker 1: was of Turkish descent, and he was one of the 187 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: Empire's top military leaders, the governor of one of its 188 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:14,080 Speaker 1: military republics, and he had earned a reputation for taking 189 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: decisive action. He was a big man in every sense 190 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: of the word, a man who took up space in 191 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: a room. When he arrived at the palace, Yang Guife 192 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: liked him right away. He said what he was thinking, 193 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: so few people in the palace seemed to do that. 194 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: The Emperor liked on Lushan too. As a sign of 195 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: respect to his consort, the Emperor had on Lushan formally 196 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: honored Young Guife as a mother. Some people misinterpret that 197 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: and say Young Guife legally adopted the adult man, but 198 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 1: that is not the case. The general just honored her 199 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: and the two became friendly people who might have been outsiders, 200 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: but through a strange twist of providence, had reached the 201 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: royal inner circle. A few years later, on Lushan returned 202 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,479 Speaker 1: to the palace where Yangue honored him for his birthday. 203 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: She presented him with the customary treasures and gifts before 204 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: she brought out her final offering, the eighth century equivalent 205 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 1: of a gag gift. Reading history is strange sometimes because 206 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: just as often as some things get lost in translation 207 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: or cultural differences, it's also important to remember that people 208 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: in these seven hundreds had a sense of humor, and 209 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: sometimes what might have been uproarious live at the Apollo 210 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 1: comedy to them might just come across as bizarre to us. 211 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: So as it happened, one of the gifts that Jangue 212 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: presented to the General on Lushan was a giant baby swaddling, 213 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: the joke being I assume that on Lushan was such 214 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: a large man that he would look very silly wearing it, 215 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: and he put it on, and turns out they were right. 216 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: It was hilarious. Everyone laughed until the Emperor walked in, 217 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: as confused as anyone might be upon coming across the 218 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: scene of your favorite consort and one of your top 219 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: generals wearing what was basically a large diaper. One of 220 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: Yanguifs ladies broke the silence by laughing hysterically. Young boy 221 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: Fay just gave birth three days ago. She said, look 222 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: at how big the baby has gotten. There was a pause, 223 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: and then the Emperor laughed. The entire scene became silliness again, 224 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: the type of meaningless tomfoolery that happened sometimes among people 225 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: with too much free time and unlimited money. But On 226 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: Lushan's relationship with the rest of the Young family wasn't 227 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,479 Speaker 1: nearly as care free. When Yanguife was thrust into her 228 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 1: position as favorite consort, one of her cousins, a man 229 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 1: named Young guas Hong, was made a chancellor. Over the 230 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 1: years that she was a favorite consort, yanguife protected her 231 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: cousin from going into battles, working behind the scenes, using 232 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: her influence and the king's ear to keep her cousin safe. 233 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: And so while his colleagues fell off one by one, 234 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: Young guas Hong just rose in the rank subtly until 235 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: through no real accomplishments of his own, he was one 236 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: of the most powerful men in the empire. And Young 237 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 1: GUIs Hoong did not like An Lushan. Their grievances with 238 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 1: each other. There were nothing more than petty sniping to 239 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: begin with, but the grudge was there, and the grudge grew. 240 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 1: On Lushan didn't like a pampered, nepotistic nobody with so 241 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: much power, and Yang guas Hong didn't like this upstart 242 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 1: military man who didn't reign in his staff properly. Young 243 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:27,159 Speaker 1: guas Hong would lash out at On Lushan, flaunting his 244 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: power by arresting various staffers at on Lushan's mansion and 245 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: executing them. That wasn't the reason On Lushan launched a 246 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: rebellion against the emperor in seven hundred and fifty five, 247 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:46,639 Speaker 1: but it didn't help. Young Guashan represented everything that On 248 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 1: Lushan had come to resent about the emperor, a man 249 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:53,720 Speaker 1: who made it very clear that he would rather lounge 250 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: in his palace of worldly pleasures and spend time with 251 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: his consort and do anything that even looked like ruling. 252 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: He was spoiled, and he promoted family members to high 253 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,400 Speaker 1: positions instead of people who were actually worthy. A few 254 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: embarrassing military defeats meant that he had lost the respect 255 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:18,239 Speaker 1: of his army, and the Emperor didn't even pretend as 256 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: though he wanted to earn it back. The time for 257 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:26,360 Speaker 1: the Tongue dynasty was passed, and On Lushan would make 258 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: sure that China knew it. So in seven hundred and 259 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: fifty five, On Lushan launched a rebellion against a bur Schwanzong, 260 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,440 Speaker 1: and it was so successful early on that the imperial 261 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: household was forced to flee the capital and moved to 262 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: the Mawai district for their own safety. Maybe I should 263 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 1: step down, the emperor thought out loud. I've ruled for 264 00:19:55,040 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: long enough. Clearly I'm unpopular. Maybe my son should become emperor, said. 265 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: When young guas Hong heard that the emperor was considering 266 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:08,800 Speaker 1: stepping down, he panicked, It's not like the rebellion was 267 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: his fault. But it's not like it was not his 268 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 1: fault either. He did do that thing of executing all 269 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: the staff members working at a Lushan's house. Jan guas 270 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,399 Speaker 1: Hangs political position was all thanks to the goodwill of 271 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: the emperor, and if the Emperor stepped down, all of 272 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 1: that good will immediately disappeared. Please, cousin, Young Guashng begged 273 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 1: Young Gefe, please put in a good word with the emperor, 274 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: tell him not to step down. Not yet, Young Guife 275 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 1: sighed and agreed. She spoke to the emperor behind closed doors, 276 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: and whatever she said worked. The Emperor decided to continue 277 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: to rule as he put the rebellion to bed, but 278 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,680 Speaker 1: that was proving more difficult than it first appeared. An 279 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: Lushan had the support of large military factions, and the 280 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 1: emperor was heavily in debt. The battle over the capital 281 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,639 Speaker 1: was becoming long and drawn out. The emperor's own soldiers 282 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 1: were becoming disheartened. Back in my way, the emperor's guards 283 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:28,480 Speaker 1: were growing disgruntled. They were underfed and overworked, and annoyed 284 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:32,360 Speaker 1: that they were protecting young wife and her family when 285 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 1: everyone knew they were the ones who basically started this 286 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: whole mess. Angry soldiers who supported the emperor went to 287 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: Young guas Hong's home and killed him, along with two 288 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: of Young Gwiffe's sisters, and then they came for the 289 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: consort herself. It was General Chen of the Imperial Guards 290 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: who are pro the emperor, and said that if the 291 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 1: military was going to continue to support the emperor, they 292 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: needed blood. They wanted Young Guife. Nobody thought she was 293 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 1: guilty of treason. She wasn't actually a criminal, hadn't committed 294 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: any crimes. It wasn't punishment for doing anything wrong. She 295 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 1: was a blood sacrifice. The Emperor at first refused outright 296 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: in disgust, but then he saw the steely look in 297 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:37,439 Speaker 1: his general's eyes, and he realized that they weren't going 298 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: to be willing to back down. The soldiers stationed in 299 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: his palace to protect him suddenly looked like an invasion. 300 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:50,920 Speaker 1: This was the fate of his kingdom at stake, and 301 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 1: so he gave a nod, and he instructed the Young 302 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: Gife be brought to a nearby Buddhist trine and kill 303 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 1: soldiers strangled her there, and her body was brought back 304 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: before General Chen, who gave the orders for the soldiers 305 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 1: to disperse. Young was buried at Maui without a coffin, 306 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: but the emperor did give orders for her to be 307 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 1: buried with bags of fragrance wrapped in purple blankets. The 308 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: rebellion ended eventually one of the emperor's sons retook the capital. 309 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,280 Speaker 1: Shuanzong made it back to the palace, but Young was 310 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: still dead. As he and his party were leaving ma Way, 311 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: he asked to bring young face body back with them 312 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 1: to give her a proper burial, but his advisers all 313 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:54,120 Speaker 1: told him that that would be impossible. It was still 314 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: a sore subject amongst his supporters, Honoring her in any 315 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 1: public way could lead to mutiny. By the time the 316 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: Emperor was back in his palace with his power secure 317 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,000 Speaker 1: enough to send for her body, it was too late. 318 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: The eunuchs the Emperor sent to disinenter the body of 319 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: his favorite consort returned with word that her body had decomposed. 320 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,679 Speaker 1: All they could bring back instead were the purple bags 321 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: of fragrance. The emperor held them to his face and 322 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:32,919 Speaker 1: he wept. He had given the order to kill her, 323 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 1: but he had no choice. He had no choice, right, 324 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: he had no choice. That's the story of Young Guife, 325 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear 326 00:24:52,080 --> 00:25:02,920 Speaker 1: a little bit more about her legacy. The tragic story 327 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:06,399 Speaker 1: of Young Guefe, the favorite consort who was killed to 328 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: save off mutiny, became a favorite of Chinese literature and art. 329 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: Most famously, it inspired the epic poem Song of Everlasting 330 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 1: Sorrow from the year eight hundred and nine. Her story 331 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: also made it to Japan, where elements of it went 332 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:29,400 Speaker 1: on to inspire the Japanese classic novel The Tale of Genji, 333 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: sometimes considered the world's first novel and certainly the first 334 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: published novel written by a woman. There are rumors, similar 335 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: perhaps to stories of Anastasia escaping Bolshevik Bayonets, that Yanguefe 336 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,359 Speaker 1: was actually never killed, that instead she was able to 337 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: sneak away with the help of a guard and make 338 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 1: her way to Japan. It seems that when someone is 339 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: young and beautiful, it's romantic to imagine that their story 340 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:07,679 Speaker 1: has a happy or at least mysterious ending. The countless 341 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 1: sculptures and paintings of Young Wife exist, they say, there's 342 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 1: also a physical reminder of her existence, a carved outline 343 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: of her hand on a stone at the palace in Changnan. 344 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: Now she on, but unfortunately I've never been there to 345 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: verify for myself, and the only source I could find 346 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 1: saying that the outline of the hand actually belonged to 347 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: the legendary Young fe comes from Rip Please believe it 348 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 1: or not, So it's up to you believe it or not. 349 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is a production of I Heart Radio and 350 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: Grim and Mild from Aaron Minky. The show was written 351 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: and hosted by Danis Schwartz and produced by Aaron Manky, 352 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 1: Matt Frederick, Alex Williams, and Trevor Young. Noble Blood is 353 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 1: on social media at Noble Blood Tales and you can 354 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:08,880 Speaker 1: learn more about the show over at Noble blood Tales 355 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: dot com. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 356 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 357 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.