MAIR

Chapter 102

First beauty

Before the press conference of "Red Actress" was held, the recording of the next episode of "Travel with History" started first.

This issue told the story of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty was a very special dynasty in the history of China, because it was the first dynasty to show signs of a constitutional monarchy. The military power and the royal family were governed by three parties. Although the Ming Dynasty had only a short history of 30 years, it had become the focus of study of many historians.

Of course, the reason why the Ming Dynasty was very famous among the masses was that there was a very famous beauty, Rong Qi, who appeared in this dynasty.

Her story was not only widely renowned in unofficial history, but also had a place in recorded history.

It was said that she was originally just a dancer who was loved by the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and was granted the title of Madam Rong. Unfortunately, she became a concubine less than two months before the emperor died of illness. Because she was favored, she was envied by the imperial harem and dragged to be buried.

However, before the first seven days of Emperor Xian's mourning passed, the rebels revolted, washing the palace in blood. Several princes, empress dowagers, and concubines of Emperor Xian died in the rebellion. But Rong Qi who was to be buried, was asked by the empress dowager to bathe and fast, so she was locked in a poor Buddhist hall and by luck escaped with her life.

By the time the general came to rescue, there were few people still alive in the palace.

There was only one emperor's son still left in the palace and he was only an infant, who was still swaddling and drinking milk, while the concubine of the highest position was Rong Qi.

Therefore, under these circumstances, Rong Qi was released from the Buddhist hall and became the little prince's caretaker. Now she became the new emperor's adoptive mother and the new empress dowager.

The general's army, as the one who supported the puppet mother and son, controlled almost the whole court. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the loyalty of the ministers to the emperor was not high enough. Moreover, the one who was sitting on the throne was still a baby puppet, so it was even less likely to get their loyal support.

Under such circumstances, Rong Qi and the little emperor were just the meat on the chopping board. Their lives were dependent on the whims of others, so it could be said that there was hardly any possibility of survival.

However, Rong Qi not only survived, she even raised the little emperor and became the first empress dowager to participate in politics in the dynasty. She almost accomplished what everyone thought impossible.

Although there were records about her in official history, it was unclear how she did it. So people gave full play to their imagination in unconfirmed history, thinking that she deceived the most powerful general and several important ministers with her beauty, which let the royal family survive in this gap, and even extend the history of the Ming Dynasty for another 20 years.

Over time, Rong Qi was called the first beauty in ancient and modern times.

Shortly after Rong Qi's death, the short history of the Ming Dynasty ended in a fire that almost burned down the whole imperial palace.

Because most of the data were destroyed in that fire, there were very few historical materials about the Ming Dynasty in later generations. This meteor-like dynasty, like the first beauty herself, exuded a mysterious and attractive light.