Emperor Qin Shi Huang mother was lost in pillow
Lady Zhao ji transformed herself as Queen Mother,she was lost in 枕边风
Life
begins at thirty, and by forty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s mother Zhao ji had lost her husband in 246 BC. At that time, she was only in her thirties.
How did she navigate the rest of her life, and did her personal decisions potentially influence state matters?
In 247 BC, 13-year-old Ying Zheng, later known as Emperor Qin Shi Huang, inherited the throne from his late father.
His mother, formerly Lady Zhao ji, transformed herself as Queen Dowager Zhao and took charge of the state affairs as the state supervisor 监国. Despite her elevated status, she continued to be referred to as "Zhao ji" in historical records.
Lü Buwei served as the Chancellor and was honored with the title “Father of the State=仲父”,仲" means "the second," and it refers to the father's brother. "父" is "father," so obviously, "仲父" carries the authority of a second father.
There is a saying in China, “when men and women work together, they are not tired.”
=男女干活不累!Zhao ji and Lü Buwei, this old pair of lovers, found their past affection rekindled due to their work relationship.
However, Lü Buwei, being a long term version political animal 政治动物, had two major concerns.
Firstly, his ambition and aspirations were focused on power and career, so he needed to maintain a squeaky-clean public image and avoid Qin Shi Huang catching wind of his romantic connection with the queen mother.
Second, there’s a Chinese idiom that says, ‘Life begins at thirty, and by forty, one is as wild as a wolf and as strong as a tiger.’ 三十如狼,四十如虎.
Zhao Ji was in her prime, full of energy, power and desire, so Lü Buwei had to consider his own well-being.
Thus, the current top priority was finding someone new to take care of Zhao ji.
Lü
Buwei faced no challenge in this assignment.
As an experienced talent headhunter, he came across a robust performer at the market and initially brought him into his own talents team,disguising him as an internal retainer, and allowing him to make frequent appearances at their household banquets.
This performer, Lao Ai, mentioned by Sima Qian司马迁 in "Records of the Grand Historian《史记》" was dubbed the " 大阴人 Great Yin Man," subtly suggesting his bedroom skills!
The news of Lao Ai’s abilities reached Zhao ji’s ears, and she eagerly sought to meet him.
Interestingly, both Zhao Ji and Lao Ai hailed from the same hometown, providing them with an additional reason to appoint Lao Ai to serve Zhao Ji closely.
During that time, men in the Qin palace were classified into guards, servants, and eunuchs.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Lü Buwei arranged for Lao Ai to undergo a simulated castration as a routine process, while in reality, Lao Ai’s manhood remained intact. Then, after shaving off his beard, he was officially appointed as a eunuch and presented to Queen Dowager Zhao ji, becoming her intimate attendant with access to her chambers.
In Chinese history, such attractive men admitted to the palace were literally termed “handsome man with dark hair 面首”,with "面首" translating to "handsome man with dark hair." "面" refers to the face, "首" refers to dark hair, symbolizing good health, particularly related to manhood.
During the era of Empress Wu Zetian武则天 in Tang Dynasty唐朝, two brothers serving as favored attendants 面首, manipulated information in the palace, nearly overturned the government. This story will be explored in future chapters of Tang.
The issue with these favored attendants was how they used their good looks to benefit themselves, often meddling in state affairs by whispering into the ruler’s ear—a practice vividly described as "pillow talk.",the equivalent Chinese term is 吹枕边风,literally and vividly described the act as“blowing the wind next to the pillow”.
Lao Ai transformed himself from being an unknown to becoming someone of significance by seducing the Queen Mother Zhao ji, displaying greed and ambition in the process. He even fathered two sons with Zhao Ji and gained complete control over her body, mind, and even her soul.
In 254 BC, Zhao Ji elevated Lao Ai to a higher position, granting him the title "Chang Xin Hou长信侯" which was nearly equivalent to that of a prime minister.
This job promotion expanded Lao Ai's social network, attracting more capable men to join his network of talents. He even manipulated Zhao Ji to empower him further, leveraging their shared parenthood of two sons.
At the same time, Zhao Ji empowered Lao Ai to leverage his new network to challenge the influence of Cheng Jiao成蛟, considering Emperor Qin Shi Huang had this half-brother.
To be continued 待续 🌺