Mrs. Li, the first posthumous queen in history, was the beloved concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che. How beautiful is Mrs. Li? "A charming country" and "a peerless beauty" are two idioms used to describe her. However, the so-called "peerless beauty who captivated the country and the city" may not be convincing, because the person who evaluated her was Mrs. Li's brother Li Yannian.
Li Yannian was a famous musician in the Western Han Dynasty. Her "Beauty Song" was so widely circulated that Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, became obsessed with the beauty after hearing it. It can be said that "Beauty Song" was the stepping stone for Mrs. Li to enter the palace and gain the exclusive favor of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
There is a saying in "Beauty Song":
There is a beautiful woman in the north, peerless and independent.
Look at the Qingren city, then look at the Qingren country.
Would you rather not know about Qingcheng and Qingguo? Beautiful women are hard to come by.
Therefore, Mrs. Li may be indeed beautiful, but she may not really have the appearance to captivate a city or a country. With the help of her brother Li Yannian's "Beauty Song", and the recommendation of Emperor Wu of Han's sister Princess Pingyang, and Mrs. Li herself was also proficient in rhythm and dance, under the influence of many factors, she successfully opened the door to Emperor Wu's heart and won his favor.
Then why is Mrs. Li not among the four beauties? First of all, there are many versions of the four beauties in ancient times. The most familiar version to us now is "Xi Shi, Diao Chan, Wang Zhaojun, and Yang Guifei".
The four beauties are only selected by the people, and they are not just about beauty, but they all participate in the politics of their times to varying degrees, and are inseparable from the rise and fall of the country and the politics of the empire. Xi Shi rebelled against the Wu Palace and helped King Gou Jian of Yue regain his kingdom; Diao Chan plotted against Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu; Zhaojun went to Han and Hungary to make peace between the two countries for half a century; and Concubine Yang was a witness to the decline of the Tang Dynasty.
In contrast, Mrs. Li has very little connection with politics. If she relies solely on her beauty, there are too many women who have bewitched the country and the city in history. Therefore, Mrs. Li was not selected as one of the four beauties. It's a natural thing.