Xiao Sui has been smart and clever since she was a child, and she has a spirit of not giving up until she reaches her goal, and she is no exception in some trivial things, which has won the favor of her father Xiao Siwen. Once, Xiao Sui's sisters did housework together, and the sisters ended hastily, but she continued to wipe carefully, and the furniture was neatly tidied up, Xiao Siwen often praised with approving: "This girl will become a big thing." ” [5]

Crowned queen

Portrait of Xiao Xuan

Portrait of Xiao Xuan

In February of the 19th year of the Ying calendar (969 AD), Liao Muzong took Xiao Siwen and other close ministers to go to Montenegro (now Ganggen Sumujing, Bahrain Right Banner, Inner Mongolia) to hunt. At night, the drunken Liao Muzong was assassinated by his unmistreated attendants. Xiao Siwen blocked the news and assisted Yeluxian, the second son of Liao Shizong Yeluruan, who had a close relationship with him, to ascend the throne for Liao Jingzong. Liao Jingzong Jin named Xiao Siwen as the privy envoy of the Northern Yuan, the prime minister of the Northern Mansion, Shang Shuling, and the king of Wei, and recruited his daughter into the palace. [6]

As soon as Xiao Xuan entered the palace in March, she was named a noble concubine, and two months later she was officially canonized as the queen. [6]

Assist in the governance of the country

In May of the second year of Baoning (970 AD), Liao Jingzong went to Lushan (now Fuxin, Liaoning) to hunt, and Xiao Siwen also accompanied him. Gao Xun and Nu Li conspired to send someone to assassinate Xiao Siwen. The death of his father made Xiao Xuan, who was only seventeen years old, mature rapidly. She began to use her talents to assist the frail Liao Jingzong in governing the country. [6]

With the passage of time, with the acquiescence of Liao Jingzong, all the daily affairs of the Liao State were ruled independently by Xiao Xuan. If there is any important military matter, she will convene the ministers of the Han Dynasty to discuss it, and finally make a decision based on the opinions of all parties. [6]

The decision she made, Liao Jingzong only listened to the report at most, saying that if she "knew", she would count and would not interfere in any way. With Xiao Xuan's efforts, the Liao military has become stronger and stronger, and the political and economic situation has also been on the right track. [6]

In February of the eighth year of Boryeong (976 AD), Liao Jingzong sent a message to the scholar of the History Museum, after which he recorded the words of the queen, "also known as 'I' and 'Yu'", and "set the formula", raising the status of his wife to the same level as himself. [6]

Regent of the Linchao Dynasty

Qianheng four

Xiao Xuan

Xiao Xuan (4 photos)

In September of the year (982 AD), the thirty-five-year-old Liao Jingzong died of illness in Jiaoshan Palace in Yunzhou (now Datong, Shanxi) on the way to hunting. [6] When he was dying, he left an edict that "King Longxu of Liang is the heir, and the military affairs are subject to the queen's orders", and handed over the Liao State to the twenty-nine-year-old Xiao Xuan. Facing the eldest son Yelu Longxu, who was only twelve years old, Xiao Xuan's first thought was that the lord Shaoguo was suspicious, the prince of the clan was powerful, and the situation was volatile. The new widowed empress dowager shed tears in front of the ministers Yelu Xianzhen and Han Derang and said: "The mother and widow are weak, the clan is strong, and the border defense is not appeased, what can I do?" The important ministers stepped forward to comfort and swore a heavy oath and said: "Trust the ministers, why worry!" Then, Xiao Xuan arranged for Yelu Xiuge to stay in Nanjing (now Beijing) to take charge of the southern military, strengthen the border defense, and appointed Yelu Xian, who married Xiao Sui's niece, as the privy envoy of the Northern Yuan to manage internal affairs, especially the nobles. [7]

At the same time, Xiao Xuan adopted the suggestion of Han Derang, the privy envoy of the Southern Yuan, and issued an order to the prince of the clan that "all kings should return to the throne and not meet with each other privately", so that they lost their military power and solved a major concern about seizing the throne internally. [6]

On September 24, 982 (the fourth year of Qianheng), Liao Jingzong died of illness in the Jiaoshan Palace in the west of Datong City. At this time, his twelve-year-old son Yelu Longxu inherited the throne as Liao Shengzong, and changed to Yuan Tonghe the following year. In 983 (the first year of unification), Xiao Sui was named "Emperor Chengtian Empress Dowager", and as the Empress Dowager, she was in charge of the major national affairs, so as to better assist the rule of Liao Shengzong. [6]

Strive to reform maladministration

Legend has it that Xiao Sui and Han Derang had a marriage contract since childhood, and soon after the death of Liao Jingzong, Xiao Sui said to Han Derang in private: "I promised you, I wish to be harmonious with the old." and the young lord of the kingdom is your son. ” [6]

Legend has it that Xiao Hui sent someone to secretly poison Han Derang's wife, and the Holy Sect also served Han Derang as his own father. [8]

After Xiao Xuan, Han Derang was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the forbidden army and was responsible for the Jingshi Guard. After that, Han Derang entered and exited the palace tent and was in the same relationship with Xiao Xuanqing. When the two go out, they are in the same car, and when they enter, they share the account, and they do not avoid taboos when they meet foreign envoys. [6]

With Han Derang's assistance, Xiao Xuan carried out a series of drastic reforms to the institutions and customs of the Liao State, which not only further transformed the Liao State from a slave state to a feudal system, but also improved the relationship between the Khitan and Han people. According to the records of the "History of Liao: Criminal Law Chronicles", since the reform of Xiao Xuan, the Liao State "has no fortunate people, the discipline is cultivated, the officials are more dedicated, and the people are repeated, and "in the middle of the unification, Nanjing and Yi and Ping Prefectures are in prison and there is no news", and the internal affairs of Liao have presented a prosperous scene. [6]

Defeated the Song army twice

Main article: The Alliance of the Abyss

Portrait of Xiao Xuan

Portrait of Xiao Xuan

After He Lingtu, the governor of Xiongzhou (now Xiongxian County, Hebei) of the Northern Song Dynasty, and his father Yuezhou Assassin He Huaipu and others heard about the affair of the Empress Dowager Xiao, they joined forces with Wen Si to make Xue Jizhao and others successively advise Song Taizong: "Now the Khitan lord is young, and the state affairs are decided by his mother. However, his mother and Han De were unclear and unfair, and they would certainly attract the hatred of the countrymen, and the Liao State would definitely be in civil strife, and the upper and lower levels would not be in unison, so who would want to listen to the command of a woman who corrupted women's morality? It was a good time to use troops against Liao. As a result, Song Taizong launched the "Yongxi Northern Expedition" against the Liao State in March of the third year of Yongxi (the fourth year of Liao Tonghe, 986 AD). The Song army sent troops in three directions and achieved some victories. [6]

Xiao Xuan used Yelu Xiuge to resist the Song army Cao Bin on the East Road, and Yelu obliquely resisted the Song army Yang Ye all the way on the West Road, and then took Han Derang and his son Liao Shengzong to Nanjing to fight with Yelu Xiuge. [6]

In May, Xiao Xuan personally dressed in military uniform, on the one hand, he led his troops to fight Cao Bin in the front, and on the other hand, he sent Yelu Huge to outflank the back road of the Song army and block the water source and grain route. Cao Bin's troops were defeated. [6]

Xiao Xuan freed up his forces and turned to deal with the Song army on the western route, which greatly boosted the morale of the Liao army. Song Taizong hurriedly ordered the Western Route Army to retreat on all fronts. The morale of the Song army was low and they suffered defeats along the way. Yang Ye could not get strong support from the rear, and in the end, all his subordinates, including Yang Ye's son Yang Yanyu, were martyred, and Yang Ye himself was captured alive, and he was martyred on hunger strike in grief and anger. [6]

Xiao Xuan ordered Yang Ye's head to be cut off, put it in a box, and teleported to all parts of the border pass. The morale of the Liao army was greatly boosted, while the Song defenders were devastated, and they had lost confidence in the enemy before they could hold the land they had gained. The Liao State successfully regained all its territory. [6]

In the twenty-second year of the reign of Liao Shengzong (the first year of Song Zhenzong Jingde, 1004 AD), in the late autumn and leap September, Xiao Sui led Liao Shengzong Yelu Longxu and Han Derang to lead 200,000 elite troops of Liao to the south to conquer the Great Song Dynasty. The Liao army was like a bamboo, and in two months, it had been attacked to Lanzhou (now Puyang, Henan), which was only one river away from Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. [6]

Kou Zhun, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, insisted on asking Song Zhenzong to drive the expedition in person to boost morale. When Song Zhenzong's car appeared on the front line of Lanzhou, the soldiers chanted "Long live" for an endless time, and the sound shook for dozens of miles, everyone hated the enemy, and everyone regarded death as home, and soon gathered hundreds of thousands of reinforcements to confront the Liao army. [6] This was naturally a great blow to Xiao Xuan's plan to conquer the south. Soon another blow followed - Xiao Tzurin, a famous general of the Liao State, was killed by a crossbow shot by the Song army while inspecting the terrain. The Liao army lost its generals before the battle, and its morale was greatly affected. Xiao Xuan judged the situation and weighed it with Han Derang's persuasion, and decided to negotiate peace before the battle. [6]

The Liao and Song dynasties reached an alliance between the Song and Liao dynasties, and the Song and Liao dynasties called Zhao Heng a brother and Zhao Heng called the empress dowager an uncle, maintained the old border between the Song and Liao, and provided 300,000 gold silks to the Liao every year. The two sides ended years of endless war and entered into a relative peace that lasted for more than 100 years. [6]

In the same year, Liao Shengzong once again added the honorific title to his mother, so that Xiao Xuan's honorific title was added from the "Empress Dowager of Chengtian" in the first year of Tonghe, the "Empress Dowager of Ruide Shenluo Yingyun Qihua Chengtian" in the 24th year of Tonghe, and the "Ruide Shenluo Yingyun Qihua Fadao Renhong Shengwu Kaitong Chengtian Empress Dowager". [6]

pass away

In November of 1009 (the 27th year of the reign of Tonghe), Xiao Xuan held the Khitan traditional "Chai Book Ceremony" for Yelu Longxu, returned the imperial power to Yelu Longxu, ended her more than 40 years as a regent during the reign of Liao Jingzong and Liao Shengzong, and went to Nanjing to enjoy the New Year. [9] Unfortunately, on the way south, Xiao Xuan fell ill. On December 11 of the same year, she died in the palace at the age of 57. [9]

Family member edits

Xiao Sui is from the young father Fang family of the Bali clan of the Khitan secret group, and his father Xiao Siwen is the elder of the four dynasties (Liao Taizong, Liao Shizong, Liao Muzong, Liao Jingzong), and he is also assisted by Jingzong, which can be said to be powerful for a while. The prestige of Empress Dowager Xiao spread far away in the Han land. [10]

Xiao Sui's father is Xiao Siwen, the prime minister of the Northern Mansion of the Liao Dynasty and the concubine, and his mother is the eldest princess of Yan and the sister of Liao Muzong. Xiao Sui has two sisters, and the age gap between the three sisters is quite large. The eldest sister Ilean married Yelu Xiyin, the king of Song, and was named the princess of Song, and after the rebellion of the king of Song, she was implicated by her husband and was deposed, called Mrs. The second sister and Han married the king of Qi, Yelu'an, and was named the princess of Qi.

In 969 (the first year of Boryeong), she was canonized as empress. In the same year or the following year, he gave birth to Jingzong's eldest daughter Yelu Guanyinnu, in 971 (the third year of Baoning), he gave birth to Jingzong's eldest son Yelu Longxu, that is, Liao Shengzong, and gave birth to two sons and two daughters, of which two sons were Yelu Longqing and Yelu Longyou, and the two daughters were Yelu longevity and Yelu longevity, as detailed in the "Liao History" "Prince Table" and "Princess Table". In addition, according to the "Continuation of Capital and Governance Tongjian", Brother Yelu Zheng, who died early, may be the fourth son born to Xiao Xuan. [11-12]

Anecdotal allusion editing

It is rumored that Han Derang and the Empress Dowager Seito had one

Xiao Xuan

Xiao Xuan

The so-called "fortunate to have the sun" is a special relationship. Xiao Xuan was a young man who promised to marry Han Derang, and before he could get married, he was selected as a concubine by Jingzong. "Imperial Facts Volume" records that Xiao Xuan once said: "I often promise to marry a son, and I wish to be harmonious with the old, then the young lord will be the country, and you will also be the son." From here, it can only be shown that Empress Dowager Xiao has the intention to make friends with Han Derang, and does not say that she has become a relative to Han Derang. Some people also questioned this matter, and the suspicion was that there was a large gap in age and status between the two at the beginning. Some people also believe that this matter is a slander by the Song people against Xiao Xuan.

One day in September of the sixth year of the unification of peace, Xiao Xuan went against the previous practice of entertaining the emperor's relatives and ministers in the palace, feasted the ministers in Han Derang's tent, and rewarded everyone generously, and "ordered the ministers to divide their friends and land to enjoy themselves". [6] This banquet was considered by later generations to be a wedding banquet held by Empress Dowager Xiao and Han De, so there were rumors that Han Derang had married Empress Dowager Xiao.

History records that Han De did not shy away from constantly going in and out of Xiao Xuan's tent, going out to hunt and deal with government affairs, and the two ate together and sat side by side. When Song Liaoyuan negotiated peace, the Song Dynasty sent Cao Yu to go, "using the mother of the captives (referring to the Empress Dowager Chengtian) in the army, and the general Han Derang sat on the camel cart, sat under the car, fed food, and discussed peace together." "Chengyi Lu" cloud: "Where the captives stop, the officials and subordinates are all subordinate, and there is no building in the city, but they live outside the city on the car tent." ”

Regardless of whether the marriage is true or not, Xiao Xuan's love and respect for Han Derang are obvious to all. Zhuozhou (Zhuozhou, Hebei) assassinated Yelu Hugu, just because he was not angry with Han Derang and the "Queen Mother of Chengtian" had an intimate relationship, and he was disrespectful to Han Derang in his words. As a result, in front of the public, Han Derang actually killed Yelu Hugu alive. Another time, "The Empress Dowager" Xiao Xuan watched a polo match. When Han Derang appeared, the Khitan nobleman Huli Room accidentally knocked Han Derang off his horse. "The Empress Dowager of Chengtian" Xiao Xuan was furious when she saw this, and immediately beheaded Hu Limu.

In December of the twenty-second year of Tonghe (998 AD), Xiao Xuan cancelled the titles of Yelu Longxu and Han Derang as monarchs and ministers: he gave the Han Han Han Derang the Khitan royal family the surname "Yelu", gave the name "Longyun", and named "King of Jin", which belonged to "Ji's father's room". From then on, the little emperor Shengzong Yelu Longxu no longer called Han Derang's courtiers, but changed his name to "uncle". Just like the emperors and regent empress dowagers of the Liao State, Han Derang also has a private "Huluduo" (palace tent), a subordinate city, and a 10,000-person guard, enjoying the preferential treatment of the "Emperor Taishang" of the Liao State. Since Han Derang had no son, Xiao Xuan, the "Empress Dowager of Chengtian", stipulated that each generation of the royal family should contribute a prince as a descendant of Han Derang. [6]

Historical Evaluation Editor

Because of his iron-fisted political methods and controversial murder of political opponents, the evaluation of Xiao Xuan has been polarized in history.

The evaluation of the Yuan version of "History of Liao" is very simple, the book says: "After the Ming Dynasty rules the way, the good will follow, so the ministers are loyal to them." The Song people's "Khitan National Chronicles" had personal attacks, and Ye Longli accused in "The Biography of Empress Xiao of Jingzong": "(Empress Xiao) is good and graceful and undisciplined. "Acquired forbearance, vicious and murderous, witty, good at controlling left and right, ministers have more lethal power. ” [13]

Tomb edit

According to the "History of Liao", the joint tomb of Jingzong and Empress Dowager Xiao of Liao State is at the foot of Yiwulu Mountain in Beizhen, Jinzhou, and is called Qianling. According to the geographical location recorded in the "History of Liao", Qianling should be near Longgang Village. The epitaph of the accompanying tomb has been excavated near the ancient tomb, "Buried in the temple of the ancestors attached to the Qianling Tomb", "Buried in the Qianling Tomb attached to the filial piety of the emperor's younger brother (Yelu Longqing)'s Qi Shunye!", and below the tomb, that is, in the village, there are two high raised tombs, which have been confirmed to be the two grandsons of the Empress Dowager Xiao. According to the ancestral system of the Liao State, the tombs of the descendants should be below the tombs of the elders, and according to this rule, the cemetery of Liao Jingzong should be at the top of Longgang Mountain. It is said that Jin Taizu hated the Liao people after the Song Dynasty destroyed the Liao, and the tombs of the Liao royal family were all excavated, and the gold and silver artifacts in the tombs were looted and destroyed, and the Xianling and Qianling were no exception. [14]