Chapter 179

【Fourth place on the Beauty List: Yang Yuhuan (Tang Dynasty)】

Over the sky of Chang'an, peony shadows bloomed in layers, and the atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty rushed toward them.

On the Heavenly Screen, the Rainbow Feather Garment Dance fluttered, and the sound of music and night banquets was endless.

The 23rd year of Kaiyuan, Chang'an.

The camera zoomed in to the Prince of Shou's mansion.

Seventeen-year-old Yang Yuhuan, dressed in the gorgeous robes of a princess, was playing chess with Li Mao, the Prince of Shou.

Her plump face glowed softly in the candlelight, and when her fingers picked up a chess piece, the jade bracelet on her wrist clinked lightly.

Li Mao looked at her, his eyes full of tenderness,

"Yuhuan, Father Emperor rewarded me with two bolts of Shu brocade today, saying it was a new tribute from Lingnan."

Yang Yuhuan looked up and smiled, a smile that made the whole room shine: "Your Highness should keep it for court robes."

"No, I'll make clothes for you."

Li Mao held her hand, "Only you are worthy of it."

【The scene is warm, and the spring scenery outside the window is just right. This is the last peaceful time in Yang Yuhuan's life】

【Five years later, the tragic news of Consort Wu Huifei's death reached the palace. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, sat alone in Xingqing Palace, with mountains of memorials before him, but he couldn't lift his vermilion brush】

Gao Lishi stood by with his hands hanging down, carefully: "Dajia (the Tang dynasty's term for the emperor), you haven't eaten for three days."

Xuanzong waved his hand, his eyes empty: "I am tired."

【At this time, a palace attendant whispered: "The Prince of Shou's consort has a natural beauty, she should be recruited into the harem." A ripple flashed in Xuanzong's eyes】

【The Heavenly Screen scene is divided into two:

On one side is Yang Yuhuan in the Prince of Shou's mansion, unaware, playing the zither for her own amusement;

On the other side is Xuanzong in the palace, tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night】

"To avoid ethical controversy, Xuanzong ordered Yang Yuhuan to become a Taoist nun, with the Taoist name 'Taizhen'."

【When Yang Yuhuan knelt to receive the imperial decree, the zither string in her hand snapped with a "zheng" sound.

She looked up at the eunuch delivering the decree, her eyes filled with tears, but finally she kowtowed: "Your concubine... accepts the decree."】

【Inside the Taizhen Temple, green lamps and ancient Buddhas. Yang Yuhuan took off her gorgeous clothes and put on Taoist robes, but she couldn't hide her natural beauty.

Xuanzong often came under the pretext of discussing the Dao, and the two played the zither, discussed poetry, and enjoyed dancing in the temple】

【The Heavenly Screen deliberately magnified this detail: every time Xuanzong left, Yang Yuhuan would stand in front of the temple gate to see him off, her Taoist robes blown by the wind, her eyes filled with complex emotions—fear, helplessness, and perhaps a trace of longing for power】

"For five years, everyone in the palace called Yang Taizhen 'Niangzi,' and her etiquette was equal to that of an empress."

"In the fourth year of Tianbao, Xuanzong officially conferred the title of Noble Consort upon twenty-seven-year-old Yang Yuhuan."

【The conferment ceremony was extremely luxurious. Yang Yuhuan wore the Noble Consort's ceremonial robes, a golden dangling hairpin on her head, and walked slowly from the Danfeng Gate to the Hanyuan Hall. The officials knelt and bowed, the people looked up, and she became the most dazzling woman in the Great Tang】

【Unofficial history anecdote one: The legend of shaming flowers】

【The scene switches to the Imperial Garden. Not long after Yang Yuhuan entered the palace, she was walking in the garden when her finger accidentally touched a sensitive plant. The leaves closed immediately, and the accompanying palace maids exclaimed: "Even the flowers and plants feel ashamed when they see the Empress!"】

【The Heavenly Screen playfully inserts the ridicule of later generations—】

Notes from the Song Dynasty flashed: "Some say, Consort Yang's body was plump, her footsteps shook the ground, the grass was startled and closed, it was not shame."

(Some say Consort Yang was plump, her walking shook the ground, the grass was startled and closed, it was not shyness)

Ming Dynasty joke: "If she could really shame flowers, the Imperial Garden would be devoid of grass!"

【Official history and unofficial history intertwined: The Lychee Legend】

【The Heavenly Screen scene turns to a post road with galloping horses. The postmen changed horses but not people, traveling day and night, galloping from Lingnan to Chang'an. In the specially made bamboo tubes on the horses' backs were lychees with ice cubes】

"A rider in the red dust, the concubine smiles, no one knows it is lychees coming."

The Heavenly Screen recited Du Mu's poem,

【The camera zoomed in on the lychees—each one bright red, still carrying the morning dew of Lingnan】

【However, the scene changed to dead horses by the post road, exhausted postmen, and the taxes increased by the prefectures and counties along the way to prepare for the post stations】

【The Heavenly Screen provided data: From the fifth year of Tianbao to the fourteenth year, 37 post stations were added for transporting lychees, over a thousand horses were worked to death, and the cost to the national treasury was equivalent to one-tenth of that year's military expenditure】

【Emperors of various dynasties reacted differently—】

Qin Shi Huang frowned: "Laboring the people and wasting money to this extent for the appetite of one woman? Absurd!"

Emperor Wu of Han sneered: "I also built the Jianzhang Palace for Wei Zifu, but I never delayed state affairs."

Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, shook his head and sighed: "How wise Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was in his early years, yet he became so muddled in his later years."

【Prosperity of the family and corruption of the government】

【In the Heavenly Screen scene, the Yang family rose to power.

Lady Guoguo entered the palace with a plain face, confident that "powder and rouge stain the color";

Lady Hanguo and Lady Qinguo competed in wealth, one dress worth a thousand strings of cash;

And Yang Guozhong was even more powerful in the court】

【Special shot: Yang Guozhong's mansion.

He was receiving officials from various places, accepting bribes without avoiding anyone.

An official offered South Sea pearls, and Yang Guozhong threw them to his concubine: "Reward for you."】

"Yang Guozhong held more than forty official posts, formed cliques for personal gain, and excluded those who disagreed with him."

"He had a feud with An Lushan and repeatedly told Xuanzong that An Lushan would surely rebel, which instead accelerated the arrival of the rebellion."

【The Heavenly Screen played a detail:

One day at the morning court, Xuanzong was late because he had been drinking with Yang Guifei until late the night before.

The officials waited in the court for two hours, and Yang Guozhong actually said:

"His Majesty and the Noble Consort are studying the new arrangement of the Rainbow Feather Garment Dance, this is an elegant matter, you all just wait."】

【Although Li Linfu was already dead, his policy of employing Hu generals and allowing the vassal towns to grow large had already buried the seeds of disaster.

And Yang Guozhong continued to implement this policy, and even intensified it.】

【The An Lushan Rebellion broke out】

【In November of the fourteenth year of Tianbao, Fanyang. An Lushan, under the name of "crusading against Yang Guozhong," raised an army of 150,000 and headed south, straight for Chang'an】

【When the alarm reached the palace, Xuanzong was bathing with Yang Guifei in the Huaqing Pool. The report was delivered, the wine cup in Xuanzong's hand fell, the hot spring mist permeated, and his expression could not be seen】

Yang Guifei got up from the pool and put on a gauze robe: "Sanlang, what's wrong?"

Xuanzong forced himself to be calm: "Nothing, a small matter at the border."

【But his trembling hands betrayed everything.】

【The Incident at Mawei Slope】

【The Heavenly Screen rendered this scene extremely meticulously—】

June 14th, the fifteenth year of Tianbao, Mawei Slope. The Forbidden Army was exhausted, food supplies were cut off, and resentment had reached its peak.

Longwu General Chen Xuanli found Crown Prince Li Heng,

"The soldiers believe the root of the disaster is Yang Guozhong; if he is not removed, there may be a change."

Li Heng was silent for a long time: "It is up to the General to handle it."

【The mutiny began. The Forbidden Army first surrounded and killed Yang Guozhong, hacking him to death with chaotic swords, and his head was picked up on the tip of a spear for a parade. Then they surrounded Xuanzong's temporary palace.】

In the scene, Xuanzong walked out of the temporary palace tremblingly, facing the angry soldiers.

Chen Xuanli knelt on the ground: "Guozhong has been executed, the Noble Consort should not be served, I hope Your Majesty will cut off your love and enforce the law!"

Gao Lishi whispered: "Dajia, the soldiers have already killed Guozhong, and the Noble Consort is by Your Majesty's side, how can she be safe? I hope Your Majesty will think about it."

【Inside the temporary palace, Yang Guifei already knew the ending.】

【She tidied her makeup in front of the bronze mirror, inserted her favorite golden dangling hairpin, and put on the pomegranate skirt that Xuanzong loved most.】