The fierce jealousy of women is probably what men can't stand the most. Even Huan Wen, the famous general of the northern expedition, who was described as "upholding the heroic and elegant spirit, and possessing the extraordinary talents of both literature and martial arts" in The History of Jin Dynasty, was no exception. There's no need to mention Huan Wen's military achievements; he became famous for destroying the Cheng Han regime in the west. Later, he led three northern expeditions to Central Plains, although all ended in failure, he established the prestige of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and at the same time laid the foundation for the status of Huan Wen and the entire Huan family in the southern country. This great hero who fought on the battlefield also feared his wife. But when you think about it, it's not surprising because Huan Wen's wife was not an ordinary person. She was the Princess Nankang, the daughter of Emperor Ming Di Sima Zhao of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. How could Huan Wen not be afraid of the emperor's daughter? Moreover, this Princess Nankang was not someone easy to deal with, we will talk about that later.
The identity of a son-in-law consolidated Huan Wen's position in the court, but his success was certainly not solely due to this prestigious identity. He had impressive political achievements and real combat skills in the battlefield, and his status was proportional to his war achievements. Huan Wen liked power and was good at using tactics, thinking about gaining greater promotion, and he worked hard on this aspect. However, Huan Wen was not completely a workaholic; he had his leisure life. Just like those elites who work hard during the day and then contribute more efforts at night, Huan Wen would also timely add some fresh colors to his life. This is not difficult to understand; once you have a certain status, you will require the quality of life to keep up, and all aspects should match.
In terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities, Huan Wen did not pursue luxury, one could even say he was very simple. "Wen was frugal, every banquet only served seven offerings of tea and fruits" (The History of Jin Dynasty). His interest was not in material things, so to improve his spiritual life, Huan Wen took a concubine. In the past, it was allowed for men to have multiple wives and concubines, and for a high-ranking official and general to not take a concubine would seem somewhat abnormal (in modern times, it would be a conduct issue). However, the concubine Huan Wen took was not an ordinary person, she was the sister of Li Shi, the last emperor of Cheng Han, whom Huan Wen favored when he destroyed the Cheng Han regime. Although Cheng Han was destroyed, Li Shi's royal identity remained unchanged. Thus, on one side, there was the princess of the current emperor, and on the other side, there was the sister of the last emperor of a foreign country, creating a tense historical episode.
The incident happened in Huan Wen's study. Huan Wen really liked Li Shi, so he arranged a place for her in the study, making it convenient to be close to her anytime. The study needed to be quiet, a place free from disturbance, probably a relatively free space for Huan Wen. Whether Huan Wen loved reading books or spent a lot of time in the study before, we do not know. But we can be sure that after getting Li Shi, the time he spent in the study must have been infinitely extended, whether there was something to do or not, he would still go and "flip through books", wouldn't he? From Huan Wen's actions, we can get two pieces of information: one, Li Shi must have been very beautiful; two, Huan Wen must have been afraid of his wife.
How beautiful was Li Shi? Liu Yiqing said in A New Account of Tales of the World: "Her hair trailed to the ground, her skin shone like jade", with long flowing hair and very white skin, there was no specific description of how beautiful she was, the shape of her eyebrows and eyes were unknown, but since Huan Wen favored her and hid her away, going through such great trouble, her appearance must have been excellent. It's strange how people are, though they were born from the same mother, her brother Li Shi was "seven feet nine inches tall, with a waist fourteen feet around", an oval-shaped figure, a "strange fetus" that "people at the time found unusual" (The History of Jin Dynasty), yet her sister grew into a beauty. Saying Huan Wen was afraid of his wife, it can be seen from him hiding the beauty in the study, such secrecy naturally meant he didn't want Princess Nankang to know, otherwise, taking a concubine, why not just marry her with drums and gongs!
There is no wall that doesn't let the wind through. No matter how hidden and private the study was, he would still need service personnel to change the kettle and hand over hot towels! So unfortunately, this matter was eventually discovered by Princess Nankang. This is unacceptable! You dare to secretly keep a mistress, Huan Wen! So she summoned more than a dozen maidservants and slaves, armed with weapons and rushed to the study, "with dozens of maidservants wielding knives attacking" (A New Account of Tales of the World). We can imagine, more than a dozen women dressed in red and green, their faces painted, holding daggers and kitchen knives and other dangerous weapons, shouting and emboldening each other to create an atmosphere, the scene was both explosive and hilarious. Can you see that Princess Nankang was not someone to be trifled with? Actually, if anyone encountered such a situation, having a slightly excessive reaction would be normal. Anyone would feel pressured. But Princess Nankang was different, after all, she had status, received higher education, belonged to the coffee-drinking level, she couldn't equate herself with commoners, fighting like rural hooligans would be undignified. It can be seen that this princess had a fiery temper.
This incident was clearly recorded in A New Account of Tales of the World. A New Account of Tales of the World is a collection of notes recording the words and deeds of figures from the Wei and Jin periods. Although it is a novel, it is very different from the scripts of the Song Dynasty and the novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has high historical value and has always been admired by historians, so the authenticity of this event is credible. When Princess Nankang rushed in, Li Shi was combing her hair. Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and a group of ferocious people rushed in. Any other person would have lost their composure. But Li Shi was not afraid at all, saying, "With the destruction of my country and family, I had no intention of coming here. If I am killed today, it is my wish." With the destruction of her country and family, she originally did not want to live. Do you think I cherish being in this ghostly place? Your arrival is just right, I don't find living meaningful anyway. Li Shi "did not show any fear," without a trace of fear. It cannot be said that her composure was particularly high, but since she had the determination to die, she appeared very calm. If you're not afraid of death, what else is there to be afraid of! This actually confused Princess Nankang, wow, this person is formidable, not to be trifled with, thus "the princess felt ashamed and retreated" (A New Account of Tales of the World), leading her entourage away.
Why did Princess Nankang retreat? Was she really scared off? According to reason, the emperor's daughter was experienced, and at that moment filled with righteous indignation, full of murderous thoughts, she shouldn't have given up so easily, which left room for speculation among later generations. Later, Yu Tongzhi in The Jealousy Record gave further descriptions, saying that Princess Nankang saw Li Shi's "composed and upright demeanor, and her touching words, thus threw down the knife," saying, "Ah Zi, I pity you, let alone the old slave," seeing you makes me feel sorry and like you dearly, let alone that old slave. It was made clear enough: Princess Nankang was conquered by Li Shi's beauty.
The old slave referred to Huan Wen. Princess Nankang was a princess, no matter how high Huan Wen's rank was, he was still a servant of the Sima family. However, this might be a term of endearment used by Princess Nankang towards Huan Wen, similar to how elderly rural women call their husbands "old dead man," not actually hoping for them to die quickly. In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Mei Chaofeng calls her beloved Chen Xuanfeng "old thief," which is the same. The ending was somewhat like the conclusion of a comedy movie, Princess Nankang "treated her kindly," turning from rival in love to good sisters. In my view, there was much fabrication in this account. Appreciation is one thing, but two rivals in love cannot possibly become one person. Even if she feels pity now, seeing Huan Wen frequently visiting her in the future, how could she not feel pressured? Such records are probably the author's kind-hearted wishful thinking.
However, it is possible that Princess Nankang was captivated by Li Shi's beauty. Human nature is inherently good, Princess Nankang not killing Li Shi was a concrete manifestation of human kindness. Everyone has compassion, regardless of how vicious a person may be, they will consciously protect beautiful things while wanting to possess them. Calmness increases a person's charm index, Li Shi's composure made the smoke-filled air in the room solidify, making her even more pitiable and cherished. Princess Nankang did not want to destroy this beauty, theoretically, this is still possible.