Is “An Lushan had an illicit affair with Consort Yang and scratched her breast” true?
The Old Book of Tang, Biographies of Empresses and Consorts, Part 1, only records that 'Lushan served the Consort as his mother, and at every banquet and gift, he received abundant rewards.' The official history does not record any illicit affair. However, the Sui and Tang Romance, Chapter 80, takes the liberty to write that An Lushan 'had an illicit affair with her, defiling the harem,' and fabricates episodes of Lushan scratching the Consort's breast during play, and the Consort creating a chest covering to hide it, which are purely embellishments by the novelist.
In the official history, An Lushan is cunning, favored, and secretly plotting rebellion, while the novel exaggerates his palace antics into a tale of illicit romance in the harem.
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