Zhuge Liang (191 - 234), courtesy name Kongming, alias Mr. Wolong, was from Yangdu County, Langya District (now Nghi Nam County, Shandong Province). He was an outstanding politician , military strategist, and diplomat during the Three Kingdoms period.
Zhuge Liang.
According to history books, Zhuge Liang was not only a talented and intelligent man, but also had a handsome appearance, holding a feather fan, wearing a turban, and a fluttering white dress. However, he accepted to marry an ugly woman who was listed as one of the "Five Ugliest Women in China" - the five most talented but ugliest women in Chinese history.
Zhuge Liang was considered a laughing stock in the eyes of the world because of this marriage. People at that time often said: "Don't learn from Kong Ming's way of choosing a wife/ You will only get an ugly A Cheng girl."
However, was Zhuge Liang's wife really so ugly that even "ghosts and demons despise her"? To this day, the truth about Zhuge Liang's wife's beauty is still controversial.
According to Sohu, Zhuge Liang's wife was named Huang Yueying, from Baishui County, now Honghu, Hubei Province. She was the daughter of the famous scholar Huang Chengyan. Legend has it that Huang was a woman with dark skin, a rough appearance, and even several large moles on her face.
In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, La Quan Trung wrote: "Zhuge Zhan, son of Marquis Wu (also known as Zhuge Liang), courtesy name Si Yuan. His mother, Mrs. Huang, was the daughter of Huang Cheng Yan. The mother was ugly, but had extraordinary talents: she knew astronomy above, geography below, and read all kinds of books. When Marquis Wu was in Nanyang, he knew that Mrs. Huang was virtuous and virtuous, so he asked her to be his wife" (rough translation).
Zhuge Liang married an ugly wife who was listed as one of the "Five Smelliest People in China".
There is a legend that the "ugly" label of Hoang Thi originated from Hoang Thua Ngan's attempt to test Gia Cat Luong's affection. It is said that, as a studious person, he heard that in Ngoa Long Cuong there was a mandarin named Hoang, whose house contained many precious books, so Gia Cat Luong moved here and built a thatched hut nearby to find an opportunity to meet.
The Huang family had a daughter named Huang Yueying, who was famous throughout the region as a talented woman. Therefore, Zhuge Liang really wanted to meet and make friends with her. But the Huang family's grandmaster tried his best to prevent it. He revealed that his daughter was ugly and very unsightly, and then advised Zhuge Liang to find a girl with a more suitable appearance.
In the book Xiangyang Ji, it is recorded that Huang Chengyan told Zhuge Liang: "I heard that you are looking for a wife. I have an ugly daughter with yellow hair and dark skin, but her talent can match yours. Liang agreed and immediately Yan brought his daughter to him."
Faced with that situation, Zhuge Liang was not discouraged. He still wanted to use his talent and education to convince the Royal Court to arrange a marriage between him and his daughter.
According to an expert revealed in the Global Times, Hoang Nguyet Anh was not only intelligent but also had a beautiful appearance. The story of Hoang Thua Ngan spreading the news that his daughter was ugly and uncouth was only to test Gia Cat Luong's perseverance and steadfastness. Some books say that her beauty was "distorted" largely due to the name A Suu (Suu in Chinese means ugly) that Hoang Vien Ngoai gave her.
There is also another story, Zhuge Liang knew she was not beautiful but admired her talent and virtue so he was determined to pursue her. He went straight to the house of the Royal Grand Duke to propose. To test her future husband, Hoang Nguyet Anh asked a series of questions to make Zhuge Liang show off his intelligence and virtue.
Zhuge Liang and his wife on Chinese television.
With his intelligence and profound knowledge, to win the heart of this talented woman, Zhuge Liang devoted all his efforts and talents, and finally convinced the young lady of the Hoang family.
Although Nguyet Anh's beauty is still controversial, everyone agrees that she was an exceptionally talented woman.
The love story of Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying has been recorded and retold many times, in which the story of the feather fan shows the sophistication and intelligence of Lady Zhuge Liang.
The first time Zhuge Liang came to propose, Huang Yueying gave him a feather fan as a keepsake, and explained the reason: " Just now I saw you and your father discussing world affairs, your ambition and greatness are truly great. However, I discovered that when you talked about Cao Cao and Sun Quan, your eyebrows showed worry and anxiety. I gave you this fan so you could cover your face at times like these."
Hoang Nguyet Anh's intention was to not want Zhuge Liang to reveal his true emotions and fail in his plans. The feather fan would help the strategist hide his true emotions and thoughts from his opponent. This proved that Zhuge Liang was right in choosing her as his lifelong companion. The feather fan had become an inseparable part of Zhuge Liang's life. He considered it a treasure and always cherished it.
The feather fan was Zhuge Liang's inseparable item.
After getting married, Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying lived together in harmony. Huang Yueying was described as “able to manage both domestic and external affairs”. Not only did she manage household affairs, she also greatly supported Zhuge Liang’s military career.
Hoang Nguyet Anh was well-versed in military books, knew astronomy and geography, and was as resourceful as Zhuge Liang. There are many anecdotes that confirm that the idea of "Wooden oxen and mechanical horses" (using wooden oxen and mechanical horses to transport food) belonged to this lady. This is also the reason why, although Zhuge Liang's wife was "ugly", she was still respected by the world.
Official history records that the marriage of Khong Minh and Nguyet Anh was very happy. Later, they had two sons, Gia Cat Chiem and Gia Cat Can.
Le Chi
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