Death of Yang Guifei

Yang Guifei, one of the most beloved consorts of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, died when she fled the country following the rebellion of An Lushan. Here is a historical description of her last day. On the second day of evacuation, the emperor, accompanied by his imperial guards, arrived on the slopes of Mawei. The guards threatened that they would not move an inch unless the emperor executed the lady who brought catastrophe to the dynasty. With his hands tied, he chose to say goodbye to her.

Gao Lishi, a eunuch, took her to a Buddhist shrine to strangle her. She was killed at the age of 38. Emotionally stirred at the thought of her death on the hills, the poet harshly criticizes the emperor for being blinded by her beauty and driving his country into a disaster without his knowing. He laments that the ruler would not have caused such a disastrous situation nor evacuated the country if the femme fatale had not tempted him. In this serial poetry, the second piece is loaded with poignant satire, writing that even four decades of his leadership do not make him a better person than a plebeian surnamed Lu protecting his wife, Mochou.

On the other hand, there are a plethora of poets admiring Yang Guifei and feeling sorry about the tragic end to her relationship with the emperor. One of the most impressive pieces is “The Everlasting Regret” by Bai Juyi where the author admires and relates to their love story with as many as 840 letters dedicated. He describes the lady captivating the ruler so deeply that he gave her everything that would have otherwise been shared with the other 3,000 attractive consorts. “The day will come when the sky and the land reach their ends even after living long. However, their resentful sorrow will be everlasting afterward,” he sings wishing that they had been together.