There are two queens in Chinese history, both named Zhang Yan. The first is the second queen of the Han Dynasty (Western Han Dynasty); the second is the queen of Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Yan, whose courtesy name is Zu'e and whose nickname is Baozhu, was born in Xiangfu, Kaifeng, Henan. In the first year of Tianqi (AD 1621), she was selected into the palace during the post-election of the Ming Dynasty. She was 15 years old at the time, in her prime, with a plump body and a beautiful face. She stood out from 5,000 beautiful girls in the draft that year. , deeply loved by Emperor Tianqi. This aroused the jealousy of Apocalypse Emperor Zhu Youxiao's wet nurse Hakka (wet nurse Hakka is a famous beauty in Chinese history who caused chaos in the country. When I have time in the future, I will search for relevant information and write an article to introduce it).
Zhang Yan is a very beautiful woman. According to historical records, Zhang Yan is "slim and plump, with a face like Guanyin, eyes like autumn waves, a mouth like a cherry blossom, a nose like hanging gallbladder, and white teeth." ; Her appearance is said to be unparalleled, and she is known as "one of the five great queens of China" in Chinese history. She is also an expert in female beauty and reads history books. After the death of her biological mother, the thirteen-year-old Zhang Yan personally took care of her younger siblings. She is a very capable woman.
Zhang Yan’s career as a queen was quite miserable. She lived in an era when eunuchs could keep their word more than the emperor. After she became pregnant, Emperor Tianqi's wet nurse Keshi secretly arranged for the palace maid to plot against Zhang Yan. When the palace maid beat Zhang Yan's back, she hit her hard, which eventually caused Zhang Yanliu to give birth to a stillborn fetus, and she was never able to have children again. Although Zhang Yan's living environment in the palace was poor, she did not bow to Hakka and Wei Zhongxian. Zhang Yan once read in the palace. Emperor Tianqi asked curiously what book the queen was reading. Zhang Yan replied ""Historical Records - Zhao Gao Biography", Emperor Tianqi After reading it, he was silent. This was obviously Zhang Yan's suggestion to the emperor to stay away from eunuchs and interfere in politics. Although Wei Zhongxian hated Zhang Yan deeply, under the protection of Emperor Tianqi, Zhang Yan always had no danger.
In 1627 AD (the seventh year of Apocalypse), Emperor Apocalypse was critically ill. Wei Zhongxian wanted to use his nephew's child to pretend to be the prince to inherit the throne, so that he could continue to control the government. However, Empress Zhang sternly refused, and Zhang Yan clearly told Wei Zhongxian: If I If I agree to you, I will die sooner or later; if I don't agree to you, the worst is still death. If I agree or not, the result will be the same. If I don't agree, I can at least die with a face to meet the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty royal family. Wei Zhongxian had no choice in the end. When Emperor Tianqi was about to pass the throne to Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian did not dare to succeed because he was afraid of being killed. Empress Zhang Yan came out again, and Xiaozhi persuaded Zhu Youjian to inherit the throne with reason and emotion. . When Emperor Chongzhen first ascended the throne, Zhang Yan told Zhu Youjian not to drink or eat in the palace based on her own personal experience to avoid being plotted. Even Emperor Chongzhen's Queen Zhou was selected with Zhang Yan's help.
After Chongzhen succeeded to the throne, Zhang Yan was respected as the emperor's wife and gained the respect and recognition of the whole country at that time. On March 19, the 17th year of Chongzhen (AD 1664), Li Zicheng invaded Beijing. After hearing about Queen Zhang's virtuous reputation for a long time, she was sent back to her natal family to support her. However, Queen Zhang Yan's strong character made her unable to bear the humiliation of having her country destroyed and her family abandoned. She hanged herself that night and died on the Qing Dynasty. In the first year of Emperor Shunzhi's reign, Emperor Shunzhi ordered that the Zhang family and Ming Xizong be buried together in Deling. On March 16, the first year of Hongguang in the Southern Ming Dynasty (1645), Queen Yi'an of Ming Anzong gave the posthumous title of "Xiao Ming, Cijing Gonghui, Wen Zhenkai." Queen Tianxie Shengzhao"
Zhang Yan is definitely a veritable virtuous queen and a strong woman in ancient China. Even the history of the Ming Dynasty compiled by the Qing Dynasty praised her greatly. It can be said that in the history of the Ming Dynasty, she was highly praised. In the Qing Dynasty, Ji Xiaolan's "Collected Works of Ji Xiaolan, Volume 1, Volume 1: The Biography of Queen Ming Yi'an" said: "The government of the Ming Dynasty was far from the Han Dynasty. Tang. During the founding of the People's Republic of China and its revival, there was a history of empress Hui Bentong. If her virtue is chaste and she encounters difficulties, then Queen Yi'an will be the most special."