LA PRINCESSE HEZHENG : « UN CONCENTRÉ DE BEAUTÉ EN UNE SEULE PERSONNE »

Hello. From the memory of Chingu, I welcome you. A window on traditional Chinese culture, ancient stories and their profound wisdom to offer inspiration to the young and the old. An invitation for a journey towards authenticity, kindness and tolerance. Legendary princess of the Tang Dynasty. A concentration of beauty in one person. Among the many princesses of the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the famous princess Wen Cheng, Princess He Cheng was also a particular princess. She was born noble but did not count on favoritism. On the contrary, she had many virtues. Emperor Tang Daizhong considered her as a national treasure and the famous man of the state, Tang Yan Chen Ching, even wrote an epitaph especially for her. In his article, he praised Princess He Cheng, stating that she possessed virtue, beauty, success, righteousness, kindness, piety and loyalty. She was sweet, humble and respectful. She had a broad and open mind and a concentration of beauty in one person described her perfectly. What kind of story did Princess He Cheng, who possessed many virtues, leave behind? Princess He Cheng, around 729 to 764 AD, or perhaps born in 728 AD, whose first name was unknown, was the daughter of Emperor Tang Suzong Li Heng and his empress consort Wu. She and Emperor Tang Daizhong Li Hu were brothers and sisters. When Wu was still a child, her father was an official in Shu. A Taoist priest who had predicted her future exclaimed, This girl is so noble that words cannot describe her. She will have two children, a boy who will become emperor and a girl who will become princess and will marry a man named Li Hu. As predicted, Wu's father committed a crime and Wu was brought to the imperial palace as a slave. Later, she was given as a reward to Li Heng, who was then the prince of Zhong. Wu gave birth to a boy and a girl, who were later known respectively under the name of Emperor Tang Daizhong and He Cheng. Fate indeed had a plan. When Princess He Cheng was three years old, her mother died and she was raised by Wei, one of Li Heng's wives. Since her childhood, Princess He Cheng was very intelligent and filial, and she was extremely devoted to her father and respectful and attentive to Wei, whom she treated like her own mother. That's why Li Heng loved her so much. As she grew up, she not only had an exceptional appearance like a lotus in the water, but also a lively spirit and a noble character. Princess He Cheng was also talented and versatile. She loved to read and learn, believed in Buddhism and studied Buddhist writings. In addition, she had a remarkable ability to remember what she heard and saw, whether it was the sound of metal and stone, silk and bamboo, or the art of painting. Love between husband and wife During the ninth year of the Tianbao era, 750 AD, Princess He Cheng was conferred the title of Jun Zhu, a rank inferior to that of princess, and married Liu Tan of Hedong. Liu Tan was born into an important family. Her father Liu Sen held the post of Tong Zhu, Xiren, an official in charge of organizing the court hearings, and was later promoted to secretary. Liu Tan's older brother was married to Lady Qin, the eighth sister of Yang Guifei, Imperial Concubine. Liu Tan was known for her elegance, her talent and especially for her modesty, her kindness and consideration for others. He was very fond of letters and had served as a commissioner in the prince's house and as a military officer before being chosen as Fu Ma, given title to the wife of a princess. After the marriage of Princess He Cheng and Liu Tan, they respected and loved each other, enjoying a very good relationship. They had five sons and three daughters. The epitaph of Yan Jianqing, a famous calligrapher, said, The phoenix flies together and the parasol tree depends on each other. This means that the phoenixes fly together in the sky and depend on each other on the parasol tree, which refers to the love between husband and wife. Compared to her beautiful sister, Lady Qin, who liked to wear luxurious clothes, the dressing gown of Princess He Cheng had nothing sophisticated. However, her extraordinary beauty could not be hidden. Even without the ornaments of gold and jade, it was said that the princess had always adhered to the virtues of diligence, economy and frugality at home. She sewed her own clothes for her family and her children did not wear clothes. Respect and serve sister He Ni, be courteous to sister Kadet and treat the nephew with kindness. The 14th year of the Tianbao era, 755 AD, the Dan Lushan Rebellion, and Emperor Xuanzong, the Tang, the heir prince Li Heng, the members of the imperial family, the courtiers and ministers fled from Chang'an. On the way, Princess He Cheng met her half-sister He Ni, Princess Ningguo, a widow recently. The horse of Princess Ningguo, having been taken by refugees, she had to walk and fell ill, which made her very unhappy. Princess He Cheng asked Liu Tan of December to give her horse to Princess Ningguo and left her three children walking alone, while she stayed by her sister's side to take care of her. Feeling guilty towards her husband, Princess He Cheng accompanied Liu Tan on foot. They had to travel a hundred kilometers a day, but Princess He Cheng never complained. On the contrary, when they rested, Liu Tan went to get water and cut wood, while Princess He Cheng cooked and served Princess Ningguo. Every time she encountered a danger, Princess He Cheng let her sister go first and stayed behind herself. Thanks to the care of Princess He Cheng and Liu Tan, Princess Ningguo and the others arrived safely. After the rebellion of An Lushan, Emperor Tang Xuanzong fled to Sichuan, while Prince Li Heng went north to gather the remaining soldiers and the defeated enemies. Li Heng was then enthroned Emperor Tang Suzong and honored Xuanzong as a retired emperor. Princess He Cheng and her entourage followed Emperor Tang Xuanzong to Sichuan, where she received the title of Princess He Cheng and her husband Liu Tan was appointed Commander of the Imperial Guards, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and Minister of Ceremonies. Shortly after arriving in Sichuan, they discovered that the head of the army of Guoxianjin was already rebelled and had encircled them. Princess He Cheng and Liu Tan fought alongside the soldiers and resisted in the siege until reinforcements arrived. During the second year of Jue De, 757 AD, after the resumption of Chang'an, Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong both returned to the capital. One day, Emperor Suzong fell seriously ill and Princess He Cheng insisted on staying by his side and refused to leave. Emperor Suzong, very envious, said, your piety is admirable. He then promised the guy a lunch to reward him by offering him a manor, but Princess He Cheng refused and asked that he be given to his young sister, Princess Bao Zheng, who had received no reward. Emperor Suzong appreciated his kindness and awarded the manor to Princess Bao Zheng. Previously, the beautiful sister of Princess He Cheng, Lady Qin Guo, counted a lot on her favor with Yang Guifei and behaved very arrogantly. But Princess He Cheng never used this relationship to her advantage. Before the rebellion of Lady Niu Chen, Lady Qin Guo and her husband, Liu Cheng, were already dead. At the time of her death, Lady Qin Guo entrusted her son to Princess He Cheng and Liu Tan. And Princess He Cheng raised her nephew as if he were her own child. Express yourself for justice Under the Tang Dynasty, the court was full of military pieces and the imperial family often met to insist on it. The actors were both professionals and members of the family of convicted criminals who had been brought to the palace. One day, a military theater play was played at the palace and among the actors was a woman who was the wife of Abu Suo. Abu Suo was originally from the Huihe people and had been executed for treason. His wife was brought to the palace and forced to wear a green outfit and a false beard to play in the play, playing the role of her husband. As a former noble, how could she play in a theater play? This caused a burst of laughter in the audience. Princess He Cheng was also present in the audience, but she did not laugh. On the contrary, she advised Emperor Su Zhong that if Abu Suo was guilty of treason, his wife should not be allowed to approach the emperor. If his wife is innocent, she should not be forced to play in a theater play and be publicly humiliated and ridiculed. Emperor Su Zhong accepted his reasoning and graced the wife of Abu Suo, sending her back to the palace. Pay attention to national affairs and contribute to the wealth of the country. Although the Han Shuo rebellion was gradually repressed, the consequences of the war were obvious. The national treasure was empty and the country in ruins. The clever and competent Princess He Cheng earned a large sum of money thanks to business during the Han Shuo rebellion. But it was not for her personal life, but to defend the country. She therefore gave almost everything to the national treasure. For example, to help the Tang army resist the invasion of the Tugus, she donated millions during the repair of the imperial tomb and the restoration of the palace. In the first year of Bao Ying in 770, Emperor Tang Xuan Zhong and Emperor Tang Su Zhong died one after the other and Emperor Tang Daizong ascended the throne. After the accession to the throne of Emperor Tang Daizong, Princess He Cheng explained to him several times the suffering of the people as well as the fate of the country. Emperor Tang Daizong listened to them. One day, Emperor Tang Daizong considered giving a reward to Princess He Cheng on the pretext that her family was not rich, but she refused. Emperor Tang Daizong had great confidence in his capable sister and often discussed with her military and political affairs. During the second year of Guangde, in 764, the Tugus invaded the country. After learning this news, Princess He Cheng, who had just given birth to her son less than a month old, insisted on going to the palace to discuss the border defense plan with Emperor Daizong, despite the concerns and strong opposition of her husband, Yu Tan. She said, My brother's affairs are my affairs. Don't you have a brother? She analyzed the pros and cons and proposed a plan that Emperor Tang Daizong willingly accepted. Back home, she did not feel satisfied and went back to the palace. In the middle of the summer, the return trips made Princess He Cheng sick, who was not yet fully recovered. Although Emperor Tang Daizong was sent by imperial doctors to treat her, she died a few days later, at the age of 36, on June 25, 764. Strange events before the north At the announcement of her sister's death, Emperor Daizong was overwhelmed with grief and said, My sister was the treasure that the heavens gave to our country. I rejoiced at the idea to enjoy our blessings together in the future, but who would have thought that she would leave so suddenly? How could heaven be so cruel and how could I bear it? He suspended the court for three days as a sign of mourning and charged the famous calligrapher Yan Qianqing to write an epitaph for his sister's grave. On August 19, he buried Princess He Cheng in the Tongren Yuan of Yifeng, in the Shanhan Jurisdiction. Liu Tan, who maintained a close relationship with the princess, was also deeply sad and cried before he could see her, wishing to follow his beloved wife. Their children also cried for their mother. When the news of the princess's death spread to the court and the people, everyone cried. Princess He Cheng, who was a fervent Buddhist of her time, said to Liu Tan, Life and death are a natural cycle, but it is a matter of sequence. If I die before you, please wrap me in Buddhist clothes and bury me in a temple. Remember my words and cherish my memory. If you die before me, I will often go to your grave to pay homage to you. Many strange events occurred before and after the death of Princess He Cheng. Her horse died when it was on the brink of death. The ox that pulled its saddle fell to its knees and shed tears, refusing to eat for three days. And some of its servants who had died seemed to reappear. In the epitaph of Yan Qing, we see a noble, elegant, beautiful, sweet, wise and responsible princess who radiated warmth and kindness to her entourage, whether as a wife, mother, daughter or sister. She left a precious page in the history of the Tang dynasty and became a legend. Yan Qing himself stated that he had never seen a princess like He Cheng during all these years reading historical books since his youth. The writer Liu Kun, author of Directives for Women under the Ming dynasty, also praised Princess He Cheng, stating that his good deeds were too numerous to be enumerated. Four years after the death of Princess He Cheng in 768, Liu Tan died in his turn and was posthumously named Chang Shu Chuo Poche. Their son-in-law Liu Cheng became a junior supervisor in the imperial workshops. Their second son Liu Yun became the tutor of Prince Yong. Their third son Liu Gao married Princess Yue Qing, the daughter of Emperor Tang Daizong. And their fourth son Liu Yu married Princess Yue Du, the fourth daughter of Emperor Tang Daizong. From the memory of Jingo, thank you for listening to this podcast. It was a pleasure to meet you for other stories.