Tang Dezong's biological mother, the legendary woman Shen Zhenzhu, has disappeared. Why did the two emperors fail to find her for nearly half a century?

The specific reason is unknown. It is speculated that Shen Shi is most likely to die in the war. Another possibility is that he is tired of the life-and-death struggle in the palace, or for other reasons, he doesn't want to go back to the palace and deliberately hides.

First, the legend of Shen Zhenzhu

Shen Shi, whose name is unknown, is from Wuxing, Zhejiang Province, and was born in an official family. My father was Zheng of Dali before his death, and later he was posthumously awarded as a secretary supervisor and a teacher. At the end of Kaiyuan, she was elected as the maid of honor in the East Palace, and was given to Li Yu, the eldest son of Hengli by the then Prince Hengli. Shen Shi is kind and virtuous, and Li Yu likes her very much. In 742, Shen Shi gave birth to Shili, later Tang Dezong.

Second, An Shi Rebellion, the turning point of fate

When the Anshi Rebellion broke out in 755, An Lushan rebels advanced to Chang 'an, and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled hastily. There were Hengli, Li Yu and Shi Li in the escape team. Hengli was Shen Shi's father-in-law and the prince at that time. Although many princes, grandchildren, relatives and relatives fled Chang 'an, many people still could not escape. Shi Li's biological mother, Shen Shi, had a low status and was not captured by the rebels when she fled with Xuanzong.

After the Anshi Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled to Sichuan, and Prince Hengli ascended the throne in Lingwu, Tang Suzong. Tang Suzong directed the counterinsurgency war and appointed Li Yu, the eldest son, as the marshal of the military forces in the world. In 756, Li Yu recovered Luoyang. I met Shen Shi (Shen Zhenzhu) in Luoyang, but because of the busy counter-insurgency affairs, I didn't have time to speak my mind, and I didn't send Shen Shi back to Chang 'an, so he stayed in Luoyang for the time being. After all, this time is chaotic and the road is not safe. Li Yu wants to wait until after the war to take Shen Zhenzhu back to Chang 'an. He didn't want this parting to become a farewell.

In the second year of Gan Yuan (759), Shi Siming rebels captured Luoyang again. Since then, Shen Shi's whereabouts are unknown, as if he had left out of thin air. Three years later, in 762, Tang Jun recovered Luoyang. Li Yu searched all over Luoyang, but he didn't find Shen Zhenzhu. When Shi Siming rebels captured Luoyang, many people had fled the city, and Shen Shi probably wanted to prevent being taken hostage by the rebels, so that her husband and son were not intimidated. At this time, the Tang Dynasty was in a state of war, the people were displaced, countless people died in the war, and Shen Shi's life and death were uncertain.

Three or two generations of emperors failed to find it.

After Li Yu acceded to the throne, he regretted not withdrawing his bid. In order to show his love for her, he waited for Shen Shi's return when 17 was vacant. He also appointed Shen Shi's son Shi Li as Crown Prince. But Li Yu didn't wait for Shen Shi, only an ungrateful hypocrite came.

Li Yu never found Shen Shi in his life. Li Yu died in 779, and Shen Shi's son Shi Li succeeded him. This is Tang Dezong. In the second year of Shi's reign, his biological mother, Shen Shi, was named after him? Queen Rui Zhen? In Hanyuan Temple, the queen's royal robe was engraved with album pages, and Li bowed down and wept bitterly, and his filial piety touched the ministers.

In 805, Shen Shi's great-grandson Tang Xianzong acceded to the throne, honoring Shen Shi as the Empress Dowager Tai and the Empress Ruizhen of posthumous title. After so many years, Shen Shi's hope of survival is gone, and there is no point in looking for it. So he sent out obituary and buried Shen Shi in the cenotaph of the ancestral temple.