What Did Lü Zhi Go Through in Her Life?

People who lived after Emperor Taizu of Song knew what the candle shadows and axe sounds meant.

Even if they did not, they understood when they saw the three thousand sworn warriors and the words "father's murder."

["Seriously, if Zhu Yuanzhang read this book, he'd probably have everyone in the Prince of Yan's household burned alive as sky lanterns. The Record of the Jingnan Campaign in Heaven's Name is folk literature, but its descriptions echo those in the Veritable Records of the Ming, an official document from the same period. It's hard to believe the book had nothing to do with Zhu Di. For all we know, Zhu Di himself had someone make it up."]

Zhu Yuanzhang: I want nothing more than to kill that unfilial son right now!

Not only had Zhu Di usurped the throne, he had also dragged Zhu Yuanzhang's beloved eldest son, Zhu Biao, through the mud, arousing Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous intent.

Zhu Yuanzhang still had his reason. He knew Zhu Di was his own son and could not actually kill him.

If Zhu Di had been Zhu Yuanzhang's son-in-law or nephew rather than his son, there would have been no need for rebellion. Slandering Zhu Biao alone would have been enough to get him killed several times over.

["Like the Record of Great Righteousness Resolving Confusion put out later by Yongzheng, who was also a fourth son, he thought publishing a book could resolve the question of his legitimacy. Yongzheng was too direct, though. After writing it, he promoted it through official channels, exposing all his own family's dirty laundry at once. It was practically an official smear campaign."]

Yongzheng: If you're talking about Zhu Di, stick to Zhu Di. Leave me out of it.

"History is written by the victors. That's absolutely true!"

"This Zhu Di usurped the throne and became emperor, so it's only natural that he rewrote history. It's no surprise he slandered his own elder brother to legitimize his claim to the throne, either."

"Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. He only needed to write the official history as he saw fit, so that future generations of his descendants would know his claim to the throne was legitimate and that he had inherited it in the proper order. Folk literature turns into unofficial history as it's passed around. Letting the common people see it would only make the imperial family a laughingstock."

["As for Zhu Di's Record of the Jingnan Campaign in Heaven's Name, it didn't take such a high-profile approach as Yongzheng's book. But whether we look at the Veritable Records of the Ming or cheap popular literature, we can be certain that Zhu Di and Zhu Biao were not particularly close. More likely, their relationship was characterized by helplessness and fear."]

["Remember, Zhu Yuanzhang left almost everything good he had to Zhu Biao. All his other sons became working stiffs. Zhu the Fourth was capable and ambitious too, yet his father never even looked at him properly. His state of mind was bound to collapse."]

["Then, once he finally turned his fortunes around, it wouldn't be so strange for that helplessness to turn into black ink and be sprayed at the brother who was born before him."]

The short video ended.

Zhu Di of Emperor Taizu of Ming's plane watched, trembling with fear.

The good-tempered crown prince Zhu Biao had lost every bit of his good temper thanks to his dear younger brother Zhu Di.

The plane of Emperor Chengzu of Ming.

Emperor Chengzu of Ming, Zhu Di, watched the sky screen with his sons and grandson.

Zhu Di looked embarrassed and furious.

Zhu Di's three sons and his dear sagely grandson knew their father—or grandfather—was furious, so they dared not approach and tug the tiger's whiskers.

[Zhu Di was really ambitious. He must have started making plans while Zhu Biao was still alive!]

[You're overthinking it. If Zhu Biao hadn't died, Zhu Di wouldn't have dared rebel at all, because there would have been no need for generals like Lan Yu to die. Of course, Zhu Biao would definitely have reduced the princes' power after taking the throne, but at most he would have stripped them of military command and then raised their allowances.]

[Would Zhu Di have succeeded if Zhu Yunwen hadn't been so stupid?]

[Zhu Biao and Zhu Di didn't have the same mother, did they?]

[Some say they had the same father but different mothers. After Zhu Di usurped the throne, he changed the record of his birth mother to Empress Ma, making Zhu Biao and Zhu Di full brothers.]

[History is written by the victors!]

[Zhu Di altered history.]

[Official unofficial history.]

[The Veritable Records of the Ming is unofficial history?]

[Some of it is even worse than unofficial history!]

[Zhu Di had to make things up to make his claim to the throne legitimate.]

[It's hard to imagine what the fourth son will go through when he goes down there.]

[His father and eldest brother will take turns thrashing him.]

Emperor Chengzu of Ming, Zhu Di: Stop talking! Stop talking!

[Just look at the posthumous title Zhu Di gave Zhu Biao.]

[Crown Prince Yiwen.]

[Zhu Yunwen had already posthumously named Zhu Biao emperor, but after Zhu Di came to power, he changed it back to crown prince.]

[If he hadn't changed it back to crown prince, the fourth son would have been a usurper. The victor becomes king, the defeated an outlaw. Zhu the Fourth spent his whole life proving that he had inherited the throne in the proper order.]

[Zhu Di even wiped out Zhu Biao's descendants.]

Zhu Biao: My line was wiped out?

Zhu Yuanzhang's other sons: Zhu the Fourth—Fourth Brother—was really something! He rebelled and usurped the throne, altered history to slander Eldest Brother, and even wiped out his descendants.

Emperor Chengzu of Ming, Zhu Di: I didn't! I didn't wipe out Eldest Brother's descendants! People of later generations are slandering me!

Zhu Di did not know the term "online harassment," as it was used in later generations.

If he had, he would surely have said, "I am being harassed online by people of later generations."

[What did Lü Zhi go through in her life? #Great Han #Lü Zhi]

"Lü Zhi? Empress Lü!"

"What's worth watching about her life?!"

"How will people of later generations judge Empress Lü?"

Even Lü Zhi herself wanted to know how people of later generations would judge her.

Liu Bang, beside her, wanted to know too.

["What did Lü Zhi go through in her life?"]

["When Liu Bang was penniless, Lü Zhi washed his rice and clothes for him."]

Lü Zhi looked at Liu Bang.

Liu Bang looked away.

["When Liu Bang took to the hills as a bandit, Lü Zhi was imprisoned because of him and abused until she wished she were dead."]

["When Liu Bang was made king in Hanzhong, Lü Zhi was trapped in Fengyi."]

["Liu Bang moved his capital to Yueyang, full of vigor and bearing himself with grandeur, while Lü Zhi was a hostage in the Chu camp."]

["Xiang Yu used Lü Zhi to threaten Liu Bang, demanding that he come out of the city and fight to the death."]

["Liu Bang shouted, 'She's just the wife who shared my hardships. Kill her if you want.'"]

["After finally returning to the palace in Yueyang under her elder brother's escort, Lü Zhi, his lawful wife, was actually made by Liu Bang to pay her respects to his concubine, Lady Qi. Lü Zhi held back her anger and finally saw her son and daughter. Only then did she learn that Liu Bang had repeatedly kicked his own flesh and blood off the carriage during his flight."]

["At that moment, Lü Zhi's heart died, and she resolutely set out on the path of political scheming."]

[I really don't understand how someone like Liu Bang became Emperor Gaozu of Han.]

[Heroes don't make the times; the times make heroes.]

[I think that without Xiao He, Han Xin and the others, Liu Bang could never have become Emperor Gaozu of Han. The history books all say he was a local ruffian who was just very good at winning people over.]

[He was ruthless and thick-skinned enough.]

[Even a pig can fly if it catches the right wind.]

[There are plenty of capable people without virtue.]

The video and comments gave countless people throughout the dynasties another chance to "get to know" Liu Bang.

[I understand her cruelty to Lady Qi a little now.]

[If she had fallen into Lady Qi's hands, Lady Qi might have been even more ruthless than her.]

[Lady Qi wasn't a good person either. She was going to harm Lü Zhi's child—how could Lü Zhi stand for that? Once you know the whole story, it doesn't seem excessive at all.]

[If you haven't suffered what someone else has, don't urge them to be kind.]

[There are two more lines after that: If you had suffered what I have, you might not be as kind as I am.]