Shadow of the Tomb Raider: A Complete Record of the History of Tomb Raiders in China

Chapter 48 The Sixth Wave of Tomb Raiders: Tomb Raiders in Modern Times (7)
Chongling Mausoleum is the last imperial mausoleum in my country.Although its scale is not as large as the mausoleums of Yongzheng and Jiaqing, and there are no buildings such as large stele towers and stone statues, it not only inherits the regulations on building mausoleums in the Qing Dynasty, but also absorbs the styles of the Ding Mausoleum of Emperor Xianfeng and Hui Mausoleum of Tongzhi Emperor. Some of the essence of architectural technology still has its own characteristics.The structure of Longen Hall is made of hard copper algae and iron algae wood, known as copper beams and iron columns.In particular, the four golden pillars in the hall are decorated with gilded panlongs, which is unique to the Qing Emperor's Mausoleum.According to the needs of guards and sacrifices, the entire mausoleum has built five-hole bridges, patrol rooms, archway gates, god kitchen warehouses, three-way three-hole bridges, court rooms, class rooms, Longen Gate, Liao Furnace, side hall, Longen Hall, three Zuomen, Shiwugong, Fangcheng, Minglou, Baoding, and underground palace.In order to enhance the drainage performance, a 2-meter-wide loose water was built at the base of each palace. The Yudai River was dug in front of the Minglou and in front of the three gates, and 14 water holes were dug in the underground palace to communicate with the Longxugou.

The July 1937th Incident broke out in [-], and Japanese invaders invaded on a large scale. In the second year, Yi County was occupied, and the so-called "Tomb Guard Police" were stationed in Xiling under the coercion of the puppet regime.At that time, the Eighth Route Army led by the Communist Party of China rose up in the war of resistance and liberated the vast mountainous area west of Xiling. The mausoleum guards of the puppet Xiling Office were terrified by the God of the Eighth Route Army and fled into Yi County in a hurry.

In this way, the entire mausoleum area has become a guerrilla area for the enemy and us.Except for an elderly mausoleum guard who has served here for many years in each mausoleum, there are no armed personnel to guard the mausoleum. Walk around and come in and out at will, which created an opportunity for criminals who wanted to steal the tomb.

There is still no conclusion as to who was robbed of the Chongling Underground Palace. One said that the Chongling was stolen by people who participated in the construction project, and the other said that it was the work of a group of local gangsters.The theft of Chongling has always been an unsolved mystery, but there is another strange thing about this matter.

In a village called Huabei Village located near the Western Mausoleum of the Qing Dynasty, there lived a man named E Shichen. At the beginning of November 1938, E Shichen approached his old acquaintance Guan Youren to conspire. In the troubled times, with all the heroes everywhere, he also planned to get some guys and pull up a team to make a living, hoping to get a job as an official.

E Shichen's words tugged at Guan Youren's heart like ecstasy.He thought to himself, now that the ground in Yi County is ignored, Lao Jiang has slipped away, the Japanese can't take care of it, and the Eighth Route Army has not yet officially arrived in the mausoleum area, so it is a good opportunity to pull the team.As the saying goes: If you have a gun, you are the king of grass.Thinking of this, Guan Youren didn't wait for E Shichen to continue persuading him, and opened his mouth to get to the point: "Where can I get this guy?"

Seeing that Guan Youren agreed to be a partner so simply, E Shichen smiled, leaned closer, and tapped his feet, "I want it from the dead underground!" Guan Youren was very happy with what he said, and the two immediately looked for a few accomplices and decided to Let go of your hands and feet and work hard.The next day, the two of them separately recruited several veteran tomb robbers, eight of whom were Na Baoyu, Su Zhensheng, and Li Jiguang, and decided to rob the tomb.

Among these people, Li Jiguang has many years of experience in tomb robbery. When everyone gathered to study the tomb robbery plan, he looked confident and suggested to steal the concubine's mausoleum.E Shichen deeply agreed with this, and everyone agreed, and decided to dig the concubine's mausoleum first, but there are three concubine mausoleums in Xiling, which one should we start with?
The eight people finally concentrated on the tomb of Concubine Zhen in the garden bedroom.The reason is: Concubine Chongyuan is far away from the village, so it is not easy to be found, and it is relatively safe.Concubine Zhen was the favorite concubine of Emperor Guangxu. Although she was unhappy during her lifetime, she was buried with high standards after her death.

On the second night when they went to Zhenfei's tomb, they saw about a battalion of soldiers rushing towards Chongling. The next morning, they saw traces left by tomb robbers on the way out of Chongling: silk cloth and other trivial things.The Chongling Mausoleum was stolen, and who those teams were is still an unsolved mystery.

Although the mystery of the theft of Chongling has not yet been solved, the person who stole the tomb of Emperor Guangxu's favorite concubine Zhenfei has already been executed on the spot.Back then, Concubine Zhen was poisoned by Empress Dowager Cixi because she supported Emperor Guangxu's reform.Who would have guessed that less than half a year had passed since Emperor Guangxu's Chongling Mausoleum was stolen, and the tomb of Concubine Zhen also had a nightmare, and the two were really connected by fate.

Concubine Zhen is called by the title she once received.She is the noble concubine of Emperor Keshun (1876~1900) Tatala, Manchurian inlaid red flag, side concubine of Emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, and also the most favored concubine of Emperor Guangxu. She was born on the third day of February in the second year of Guangxu (1870) , the daughter of Changxu, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites.Concubine Zhen and Concubine Guangxu On the fifth day of October in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888), the Empress Dowager Cixi selected her younger brother, Yehenala, the daughter of Guixiang, the deputy governor, as the empress of Emperor Guangxu. Concubine Shi Jin is 15 years old and Concubine Zhen is 13 years old.In the 20th year of Guangxu, the two were promoted to concubines at the same time.Concubine Zhen's grandfather was Yutai, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. Her father, Chang Xu, served as the right servant of the household department. Her uncle, Chang Shan, was a general in Guangzhou.When Concubine Zhen was 10 years old, Changshan resigned as General of Guangzhou, and she and her sister returned north to Beijing.

In 1889, Concubine Zhen's two sisters were elected to the palace. Concubine Zhen was only 13 years old when she entered the palace.Every time Guangxu retreated from the court, Concubine Zhen accompanied her all day long, trying to conform to the emperor's favor.Sometimes he dresses up as a man, with black hair, long braids hanging down the back, three-eyed feathers on his head, long robes and jackets, ribbons around his waist, and boots on his feet, just like a beautiful boy.In this way, we eat, drink, play and have fun with Guangxu.She also "understands the history of the book, interprets the poems and paintings", and is able to support Guangxu in taking power and implementing the New Deal when the great powers invaded China and the country is declining.When Guangxu was suppressed politically and monitored in action, he naturally regarded Concubine Zhen as a confidant and loved him in every possible way.

Empress Dowager Cixi's understanding and attitude towards Concubine Zhen went through a process of transformation from liking to jealousy, disgust, and hatred, and finally she was murdered.According to records: "When Concubine Zhen first entered the palace, she was very fond of Cixi and taught to write with both hands. Later Cixi bestowed characters such as blessing, longevity, dragon, and tiger on the ministers, and all concubines wrote them for her. The green is better than the blue, and Cixi gradually Jealousy, jealousy leads to evil, and dissatisfaction when things happen." ("Humanities Monthly" Volume [-]) Concubine Zhen "Every time Cixi reads the memorials and peeps from the side, I can know its outline and predict how the Queen Mother will answer. According to my peers, under Yi's decree, I was very unhappy. After being known by the Queen Mother, I was surprised that her talent had surpassed her own, and I was especially jealous" ("Cixi Soft Things").Concubine Zhen likes to take pictures, she often dresses up and shows her face, and listens to the internal supervisor to shoot.Empress Dowager Cixi reprimanded her for "what a concubine should not do".For her to play men's clothing, Cixi thinks it is bohemian and rebellious.As for Concubine Zhen's support for Guangxu's reform and reform, she was naturally hated by Empress Dowager Cixi. Therefore, while Empress Dowager Cixi imprisoned Guangxu in Yingtai, Nanhai, she also imprisoned Concubine Zhen in the No.

Regarding the death of Concubine Zhen, most historians agree that Cixi instructed her trusted eunuch Cui Yugui to push her into the well, but the details are not very clear. About this point, three books have described it in detail.

One is from Jin Yi's "Talks of Palace Ladies", the author claims to be Cui Yugui's description:

"When I arrived at the Yihexuan, the old lady was already sitting there. I went in and asked for an order, saying that Miss Zhen had arrived. I took a look, and there was not a single maid in the Yihexuan, only the empty ones. The old lady sat there alone, I was very strange.

Little Master Zhen went forward and kowtowed, saying auspiciousness, and when it was over, she knelt on the ground and listened to the instruction with her head bowed.At this time, the room was so quiet that a needle could be heard clearly.

The old queen said bluntly: "The foreigners are coming into the city."It is a mess outside, no one can be sure what will happen, if you are insulted, you will lose the face of the royal family, and you will be sorry to your ancestors, you should understand. ' Said very firmly.The old queen raised her chin, she didn't even look at Concubine Zhen, and waited quietly for a reply.

Concubine Zhen froze for a moment and said, "I understand, I never shamed my ancestors." Concubine Zhen was tragically killed by Cui Yugui and Li Lianying. The queen mother said: "You are young and easy to cause trouble!"We have to avoid it, it is inconvenient to take you away. Concubine Zhen said: "You can avoid it for a while, and you can keep the emperor in charge of the capital to maintain the overall situation." '

Just these few words poked the heart of the old lady, the old lady immediately turned her face, and said loudly: "You are dying, how dare you talk nonsense." '

Concubine Zhen said, "I don't deserve to die!" '

The old queen said: "Whether you are guilty or not, you must die!" '

Concubine Zhen said: "I want to see the emperor."The emperor did not let me die! '

The queen mother said: "The emperor can't save you."Throw her down the well.Come here! '

Just like that, Wang Dehuan and I pulled and pushed, pushing Concubine Zhen into the well inside Zhenshun Gate.Concubine Zhen clamored to see the emperor from beginning to end!Finally, he shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, I will repay my favor in the next life!" '"

Tang Guanqing, an old palace supervisor, said in the "Zhenfei Special Issue" of the Palace Museum Weekly: "Wen Zhenfei has arrived, please be safe, and wish the ancestors good luck. Later, he said: 'Is it still a word now? Yihe Fist troubles, foreigners come to Beijing, what should I do?" After the voice gradually faded, murmuring was indistinguishable, and suddenly he heard a loud voice saying: "Let's jump into the well!" "Regardless of the charges, are we going to be left to be poisoned by foreigners? You go down first, and I will go down too!" The concubine kowtowed and begged, and after hearing this, she called Yugui (that is, Cui Yugui), and Gui said to her concubine: "Please obey the order, my lord." Let's go!" The concubine said: "Why are you persecuting me?" Gui said: "The master will go down, and I will go down!" Let's go!' Then there was the sound of twisting and twisting, and then there was a thumping sound, thinking that Concubine Zhen has fallen into the well!"

The third paragraph of information comes from the description of an eunuch in "Late Qing Court Life Experience":

"I heard that many people have written about the murder of Concubine Zhen. One of our colleagues named Wang Xiang saw Concubine Zhen thrown into the well with his own eyes. The following is what Wang Xiang said to me a few years ago :
Wang Xiang was only in his twenties at that time. He clearly remembered that on the [-]th day of the seventh month of the Gengzi Year, the palace was in a mess.At this moment, she personally led Concubine Jin, the chief eunuch Cui Yugui, and Wang Dehuan to Ningshou Palace, and brought Concubine Zhen out of Sansuo (the place where Concubine Zhen was imprisoned).Concubine Zhen and Cixi's last meeting Concubine Zhen did not know how much torture she had suffered here.She was brought up to the Empress Dowager, and we saw her through the crack of the door, trembling and haggard.

Wang Xiang didn't hear what the Empress Dowager Xi said to her.Later, the eunuchs present said that the Empress Dowager Xi told her that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were about to leave Beijing, and originally wanted to take her away, but in the turbulent years, if something happened and lost the dignity of the royal family, it would be right. Can't live with her ancestors anymore, let her commit suicide quickly.I also heard from the eunuchs that Concubine Zhen told the Empress Dowager Xi that the emperor should stay in Beijing, but before Concubine Zhen could explain the truth, the Empress Dowager Xi sneered and preempted her by saying, "You are dying in front of your eyes, so what nonsense are you talking about. "

Whether these legends are true or not, Wang Xiang said he cannot judge.At that time, Wang Xiang only saw Concubine Zhen kneeling in front of the Empress Dowager Xi from the crack of the door, begging her to live, and kept calling out, "Papa Huang, Papa Huang, forgive this slave! Don't do anything wrong again!..." The Empress Dowager Xi shouted angrily: "You die!"

Some of the people present stood there like wooden chickens with tears in their eyes.Probably no one can bear to start.Guangxu and Concubine Jin were also tearful.

The Queen Mother was afraid that time would be delayed for a long time, so she shouted one after another, hurry up and do it.Cui Yugui stepped forward, pulled Concubine Zhen over, and threw her into the well.

Before Concubine Zhen was in danger, Wang Xiang heard her call "Li Anda, Li Anda!" Anda is a respectful title for eunuchs.This is Concubine Zhen calling Li Lianying, begging him to save her.

This is how the Queen Mother cruelly killed Concubine Zhen.After Concubine Zhen fell into the well, Li Lianying and Feng Yugui cleaned up the mess by the well. Although the details of these three passages are quite different, they are very consistent in the reason why Cixi executed Concubine Zhen. This should be the truth about Concubine Zhen's death.

In November 1901, the Qing government and the Eight-Power Allied Forces made peace. Cixi and others returned to Beijing from Xi'an. Cixi saw that the well into which Concubine Zhen was thrown was still the same, so she ordered Zhenfei's family to salvage the body of Concubine Zhen.Concubine Zhen's body had been soaked in the well for more than a year and a half. The mouth of the well was so small that it couldn't be fished out no matter what.Empress Dowager Cixi was furious and wanted to question the whole family. Concubine Zhen's younger brother Zhi was so frightened that she hurriedly set up an incense table, burned incense and kowtowed, begging her sister to show grace and save the family's lives. It took a lot of effort to salvage the body. It's too horrible to look at.With tears in her eyes, Zhi straightened her sister's crooked leg and put it in the coffin. Cixi ordered people to bury the concubine Zhen, declaring to the outside world that the concubine Zhen committed suicide by throwing herself into a well in order to avoid being insulted by foreigners. The noble concubine tried to hide from the world in the name of "martyrdom of chastity".

Why did Cixi kill Concubine Zhen and pursue her title?It is said that Cixi had nightmares repeatedly during her escape. She dreamed that Concubine Zhen was wet and bloodstained, and came to claim her life with tears in her eyes, which frightened her. to bother you.

After Concubine Zhen died, where was she buried in the western suburbs?Various descriptions differ. "Drafts of Qing History" said: "Buried outside Xizhimen"; "Anecdotes of the Xunqing Royal Family" said "buried in Enjizhuang outside Xizhimen"; The cemetery of the court ladies in the south"; "Chongling Chuanxinlu" says "shallow burial in Tiancun, West Beijing".Enjizhuang is located in the west of Balizhuang, Haidian District, outside Fuchengmen, and it can also be said to be "outside Xizhimen".Is Concubine Zhen buried in Enjizhuang, Haidian District, or Tiancun?According to the investigation, there is indeed an "Old Man's Tomb" in Enjizhuang, that is, the eunuch cemetery, and even the tomb of the great eunuch Li Lianying is not far from here, but no palace maid cemetery was found to the south of the old man's tomb.In Tian Village, West Sanli of Enjizhuang, there is a place where the coffins of concubines rest.According to "Poems and Books" records: "In the third year of Qianlong, Prince Duanhui died, and the coffin was parked in Tiancun, west of the city." According to "Yangguangzhai Conglu" records: During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, "the concubine died of illness, and the golden coffin They all stopped at the auspicious place. Five days later, they will be transferred to Tiancun." From this point of view, it is true that "the concubine Zhen was buried lightly in Tiancun".

In 1914, Empress Longyu passed away and was buried together with Emperor Dezongjing (namely Guangxu) in Chongling Mausoleum in Jinlongyu, Xiling; at the same time, Concubine Zhen was buried in Chongfei Garden from Tiancun, Haidian District.In this way, Concubine Zhen was buried under Yongning Mountain forever.

(End of this chapter)