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She is the earliest internet celebrity in history who understood how to create hype. Not only did she successfully promote herself as the most beautiful woman of the Western Han Dynasty, but even years after her death, she haunted Emperor Wu of Han's dreams, leading him to use the sorcery he despised to summon her soul just to see her once more.
The phrase "In the north, there is a beauty, unparalleled and independent" was born from her and became the best advertisement for her, turning into a classic line praising beauty in later generations.
She is the only woman buried alongside Emperor Wu of Han after her death—Empress Dowager Xiaowu, also known as Lady Li.
So how did she promote herself? How did she make the cold-hearted Emperor Wu of Han obsessed with her for a lifetime?
Some say Chen Ajiao was foolish; she died in her own love. Wei Zifu was virtuous; she died from Liu Che's indifference. Lady Gouyi was innocent; she died from Liu Che's suspicion.
But Lady Li was clever; she died before Liu Che grew tired of her.
The term "Stunning Beauty" that everyone is familiar with actually originates from Lady Li.
Lady Li's appearance was quite serendipitous, as it was triggered by Emperor Wu of Han hearing a popular song at a banquet, and the creator of that song was his brother, Li Yannian.
Li Yannian was a court musician; in modern terms, he would be considered a famous musician who could play instruments, compose music, and sing well—a creative artist.
In today's world, someone like him would be a superstar adored by fans. However, in a feudal dynasty, individuals engaged in artistic work were referred to as "chang," holding a very low status and looked down upon by society.
Li Yannian had been sentenced to castration for committing a crime in his youth. Once a man received such punishment, it was difficult for him to live in society. Thus, he arranged to enter the palace but ended up assigned to take care of dogs.
This left the ambitious Li Yannian quite pessimistic, but he refused to accept this fate and decided to place his bets on his intelligent and beautiful sister who could sing and dance.
At this time, although Emperor Wu of Han had countless beauties around him, Wei Zifu had grown old and lost favor, and the Wang Consort had passed away, leaving him lacking a suitable companion.
Princess Pingyang noticed her brother Martial Emperor's sorrow and continuously sought an appropriate target to help alleviate his loneliness. This provided a rare opportunity for Lady Li's emergence.
Princess Pingyang and Li Yannian conspired to create a perfect marketing strategy.
During a court banquet, Li Yannian sang "Beautiful Lady's Song" for Emperor Wu of Han: "In the north, there is a beautiful lady, unparalleled and independent. With a single glance, she can topple a city; with another glance, she can topple a nation. Do you not know that a beauty who can topple cities and nations is hard to come by?"
After listening, Emperor Wu of Han couldn't help but exclaim: Is there really such a Stunning Beauty in this world?
Once Emperor Wu of Han asked this question, Princess Pingyang, the "supporting role," immediately followed up.
She said, "Your Majesty, there is indeed one. Li Yannian's sister is such a Stunning Beauty. Would you like to meet her?"
Princess Pingyang truly knew how to present beautiful women to the emperor. Wei Zifu was introduced to Emperor Wu of Han by her, and now she was promoting Lady Li. She certainly had a knack for winning over Emperor Wu of Han.
It is likely that Emperor Wu of Han trusted Princess Pingyang's recommendations for beautiful women, so he agreed to meet Lady Li.
This meeting was remarkable; Lady Li was indeed stunningly beautiful and an excellent dancer, perfectly aligning with the emperor's taste. She was immediately summoned to the palace and granted the title of Lady.
From then on, there was another extraordinary and independent Lady Li in the Han court. However, this seemingly coincidental encounter was the result of careful planning and clever arrangements.
Yet, in this scheme, the most crucial element was still Lady Li's beauty. Without her captivating appearance, even the most perfect promotion would ultimately fail.
So just how beautiful was Lady Li? What could make the experienced Emperor Wu of Han fall in love at first sight? While we cannot know for certain today, we can imagine through a story.
According to "Western Capital Miscellany," there was an occasion when Emperor Wu of Han visited Lady Li and suddenly felt an itch on his head. He casually took off the jade hairpin from Lady Li's head to scratch it.
Unexpectedly, once the hairpin was removed, Lady Li's long black hair cascaded down naturally. Her snow-white skin and flower-like beauty combined with her flowing hair created an enchanting sight.
The other concubines in the palace were envious upon learning this and believed they had discovered the secret to gaining favor. They all began to adorn themselves with jade hairpins in hopes of catching the emperor's attention.
As a result, the price of jade in Chang'an City quickly soared, and from then on, jade hairpins were referred to as "Jade Hairpin."
Later poets often used "Jade Hairpin" to depict beautiful women.
Liu Yuxi wrote in his poem "Harmony with Le Tian's Spring Poem": "The new makeup suits the red tower below, deeply locking away the spring light and a courtyard of sorrow. Walking to the middle courtyard, counting the flowers, a dragonfly flies up to the Jade Hairpin."
After entering the palace, Lady Li garnered immense favor and bore a son for Emperor Wu of Han, named Prince Ai of Changyi Liu Bo.
However, it seems that beautiful women throughout history have often faced misfortune. Shortly after giving birth, Lady Li fell gravely ill.
Upon learning this, Emperor Wu of Han felt heartbroken and went to visit her, but Lady Li was unwilling to let him see her in her sickly state.
At this moment, we see what makes Lady Li unique; she possessed not only beauty but also a clear mind.
However, emperors can be quite stubborn. The more she tried to hide herself, the more Emperor Wu of Han wanted to see her. Yet each time, Lady Li covered her face.
Emperor Wu of Han urgently asked for the reason. Lady Li sorrowfully replied, "I have been bedridden for so long that I no longer possess my former beauty. I cannot bear to see you again; my death is inconsequential. I hope you will take good care of my son and brothers."
Emperor Wu of Han said, "I know you are critically ill, which is why I came to see you."
Lady Li declined, saying, "My appearance has become so ugly that I cannot meet Your Majesty again. Please forgive me."
The Martial Emperor urged, "Madam, if you let me see you, I will grant you a fortune and promote your brothers."
Lady Li sadly replied, "Whether or not they are granted titles depends on you, Your Majesty. What does it matter whether I show my face again?"
The Martial Emperor insisted on seeing her. She lifted the quilt with her hand. Lady Li turned her face inward and wept quietly despite the Martial Emperor calling for her repeatedly.
The Martial Emperor felt displeased and, in a fit of anger, waved his sleeve and left.
After Emperor Wu of Han departed, those around her believed she was foolish for not taking the opportunity to ask for something while she was gravely ill.
However, Lady Li explained, "You do not understand the reason I did not meet the Emperor. It is precisely because I am concerned for my brothers. I come from humble beginnings, and the only reason he cherishes me is due to my appearance. Generally, when one relies on beauty to win affection, as beauty fades, love diminishes; when love diminishes, so does favor. Today, as I lie dying, if he sees that I look different from before, he will surely feel disgusted and fear abandoning me. How could he care for my brothers after my death? It is better for me to remain beautiful in his heart forever; perhaps he will hold onto some fond memories, which may also ensure my family's well-being."
These words spoken by someone on the brink of death were truly heart-wrenching.
Lady Li clearly recognized that the wealth and status behind her were merely illusions that could vanish in an instant. Unlike Consort Chen, who had a prominent family background, or Wei Zifu, who had valiant brothers and nephews, her only reliance for her family's safety was the Emperor's fleeting affection.
Yet this also demonstrated that Lady Li was undoubtedly a very clever woman; she successfully made Emperor Wu of Han unable to forget her by exploiting human curiosity and feelings of regret.
Often, people do not care about what they have but rather about what they cannot obtain. The more unattainable a feeling is, the more one desires it; the more one cannot have it, the more one longs for it.
Lady Li's beauty may not surpass that of Chen Ajiao, and her temperament and abilities were certainly inferior to those of Wei Zifu.
But just as she anticipated, after her death, Emperor Wu of Han could not forget her. He ordered artists to paint her likeness from life and hang it in Guanquan Palace. He even commanded sorcerers to perform rituals to summon her soul in hopes of seeing her once more.
Coincidentally, there was a sorcerer named Shaoweng who claimed to possess the ability to summon souls and reunite them with their loved ones. The Martial Emperor immediately asked him to summon Lady Li's spirit.
Shaoweng took clothing that Lady Li had worn during her lifetime and had a clean room prepared.
He chose one evening to light candles and set up curtains, inviting the Martial Emperor to sit behind another curtain. Once he entered the curtain, he began sprinkling water and chanting spells.
After quite some time, the Martial Emperor vaguely saw a slender woman slowly approaching, resembling Lady Li.
The woman sat quietly in the curtain for a while before slowly walking back and forth. The more the Martial Emperor looked at her, the more he realized she resembled Lady Li, becoming entranced in his gaze.
After watching for a while, he wanted to enter the curtain and meet Lady Li, but was stopped by Shaoweng's voice.
Looking again, there was no one inside. A wave of sorrow surged in his heart, and he immediately composed a short poem: "Is it right or wrong? Standing and gazing, why does she arrive so slowly?"
Later generations derived the idiom "arriving slowly" from this line.
After Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, passed away, as an emperor, he did not have an empress to be buried with him.
Chen Ajiao had died, but she was a deposed empress and thus unqualified. At this time, Wei Zifu had also died, but due to the Witchcraft Catastrophe and her suicide, she was also unqualified.
Although Lady Gouyi was the mother of the next emperor, she was not an empress.
In the end, among the recommendations of the ministers, they chose the young and early deceased Lady Li, who had no achievements, to be buried with Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.
I think this may be the best arrangement.
Lady Li's life was magnificent yet as brief as a butterfly; she touched the wise emperor with her sincere emotions and secured her place through her intelligence.
Despite her tragic fate, Lady Li left her own story in history with her wisdom and stunning beauty.
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