Zeng Guofan was one of the few officials who could really make a difference in the late Qing Dynasty. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, the Xiang Army led by Zeng Guofan defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Army and took the lead in entering Nanjing, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which successfully suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement for the Qing government. It can be said that Zeng Guofan is one of the pillars of the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, Zeng Guofan won a good reputation for being honest and upright, and the emperor also valued him very much.
In his later years, Zeng Guofan's concubines were denounced as hypocrites and labeled as disloyal, mainly because of the death of Emperor Xianfeng at that time, and the whole country was in a period of great mourning. According to the regulations since ancient times, it is not allowed to bring a wife during this period. What's more, Zeng Guofan is still leading the battle in other places at this time, which will disturb the morale of the army, so the timing is not appropriate anyway. Then, the higher a person is praised and the more attention he receives, the less likely he is to make any mistakes. Therefore, Zeng Guofan's concubinage caused a great sensation, was denounced as a hypocrite, disloyal and unjust, and was given a series of notoriety, which was Zeng Guofan's shame.
However, Zeng Guofan later clarified that he had tinea disease, which was unbearable, so he hoped someone could tickle himself, but the real situation was unknown, which really damaged Zeng Guofan's reputation. If you don't know, you have to do it yourself, especially for a person in public view.