The Fourfold Encounters of Records Grand Historian: Seeing All Beings - Schemes a Beauty/史记四见 见&#

Schemes of a Beauty focuses on two chapters of the Records of the Grand Historian: the Basic Annals of Empress Dowager Lü and the Hereditary Houses of the Empresses' and Consorts' Families.¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Empress Dowager Lü was the lawful wife of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. After Liu Bang's death, imperial authority effectively rested in her hands for a time, which is why Sima Qian accorded her an "Annals" - a status normally reserved for sovereign rulers. Though she was ruthless and headstrong, treating her political opponents with cruel severity, the realm remained stable under her rule, and the common people fared reasonably well. Her governance laid the groundwork for the subsequent reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing - a period known as the "Rule of Wen and Jing."The Hereditary Houses of the Empresses' and Consorts' Families portrays a gallery of figures from the maternal families and consort clans of several Han emperors, from the dynasty's founder to Emperor Wu. Most of these people rose from humble origins to positions of great wealth and power through fortuitous circumstances. The Han dynasty, however, was founded by commoners - a regime established by ordinary men, and thus possessed of the most legitimate claim to the realm. The fates of these figures serve as the finest testament to the vigorous and aspirational spirit of that era.Yet, as the saying goes: "Men can broaden the Way, but against destiny they are powerless." Empress Dowager Lü schemed and strategized throughout her life, laying her plans with great care, yet soon after her death, the Lü clan was wiped out. And for those empresses, consorts, and their families, their power and splendor were but a brief glory lent by fortune - a moment's honor in the hands of fate. ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Tan Musheng is a historian, writer, and Ph.D. candidate in modern Chinese history at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A former senior editor at The Economic Observer and co-founder of Interface Media, he later founded the New Asia Humanities College. His lecture series on Chinese history has garnered millions of listeners online. He is the author of The Empress's Flight West and The Witchcraft Scandal That Shook Chang'an.¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿¿¿"¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿