There are two tombs of Qu Yuan: one is located in the scenic spot of Qu Yuan's hometown in Fenghuang Mountain, Zigui County, Yichang City, Hubei Province. The other is located at the top of Miluo Mountain, 5 km east of Yudang Mountain in the north of Miluo City, Hunan Province. Because there are 12 tall tombs within a 2-kilometer radius, these tombs have stone tablets in front of them "Tomb of the Ancient Chu Sanlu Doctor" or "Tomb of Chu Sanlu Doctor", and according to legend, this place is Qu Yuan's "Twelve Doubtful Tombs".
Different from the textbook "martyrdom by body", historians have many theories about Qu Yuan's death. The reason why the various claims are so far apart may be because scholars analyze different angles.
There are many scholars who adhere to the first view, and they believe that Qu Yuan committed suicide by throwing himself into the river was an act of martyrdom.
This statement is represented by the modern historian Guo Moruo and the Qing Dynasty scholar Wang Fuzhi. They believed that Qu Yuan was a scholar of the Chu Kingdom, and the country was more important to him than life, so Qu Yuan would have the courage to "the day the country is broken, that is, when he dies".
As we all know, during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Tianzi adopted a sub-feudal system, and Tianzi was the lord of the world respected by all princes, and all princes were collateral branches related to Tianzi. As for the distance between the fiefs of the princes and the Son of Heaven, they are completely divided according to the principle of kinship and alienation. Like the Son of Heaven, the princes distributed their land to the scholars in the form of a sub-feudal system.
However, there are always exceptions to everything, and even if the Chu state is an exception among the princely states, the monarch of the Chu state is not related to Zhou Tianzi. Therefore, the monarchs of other princely states can only call themselves "gong" and "hou", but the monarch of the Chu state can live as a "king".
From this point, it can be seen that the Chu people have a very weak sense of belonging to Zhou Tianzi.
Qu Yuan had the same surname as king of Chu, so compared to Zhou Tianzi, who was thousands of miles away, Qu Yuan had a stronger sense of belonging to king Chu. Wang Fuzhi believed that the reason why Qu Yuan wrote the touching "Lamentations" was because the capital city at that time had fallen, the Chu State Zong Temple had become a ruin, the people had no fixed place to live, the King of Chu Xiang could not defeat the Qin State, and the Chu State was about to collapse.
According to this, most modern scholars who study Qu Fu believe that the reason why Qu Yuan committed suicide by throwing himself into the river was because the capital of the country was breached, and he could not bear to see the chu state perish, so he buried the country in this way.
Among these scholars, Guo Moruo is a typical example, Guo Moruo wrote in qu yuan kao: "In the year when Ying was attacked, Qu Yuan wrote a "Lamentation"... He could not see the bitterness of the destruction of the country and the death of the family and the displacement of the people, and only then did he commit suicide in grief and anger. ”
Regarding Qu Yuan's death, the second theory in the field of historiography is: Qu Yuan's death was to advise the King of Chu.
Scholars who uphold this view believe that at that time, the "party members" of the Chu state were rampant, the people were hungry, there were no loyal ministers in the court, the army did not have the strength to resist foreign enemies, and the future of the Chu state was very worrying. Qu Yuan, a scholar who was worried about the country and the people, had the heart to serve the country, but he was framed by the villains and exiled to a barren land, unable to advise the king of Chu. Qu Yuan, who had no choice but to warn the King of Chu through his own life.
There is a sentence in "Leaving sorrow" that "I will live in Peng Xian", which expresses Qu Yuan's ambition. Peng Xian was a famous scholar during the Yin Shang Dynasty, who had advised the monarch of the country, but was ignored. Peng Xian, who had no way to serve the country, finally resolutely threw himself into the water and committed suicide, and woke up the Emperor through the method of "corpse advice". Obviously, Qu Yuan believed that Peng Xian was a model, and the reason why he committed suicide by throwing himself into the river was most likely to emulate Peng Xian.
Recently, some people have put forward a new view of Qu Yuan's death, that is: "Qu Yuan did not commit suicide, but was murdered." Qu Yuan was a romantic poet who left a large number of love poems for future generations, the most famous of which is "Lady Xiang":
The emperor descended to the north, and his eyes were worried.
The autumn wind blows, and the cave is under the leaves of the wood.
Deng Bai Xue looked forward to it, and the good period xi Xi Zhang.
In the bird He Cui Xi Li, what is the xi wood.
Yuan has Zhi Xi And Lan, and Si Gongzi Xi does not dare to speak.
Looking at the desert and looking at the flowing water.
Why do elk eat in the court? What is Jiao Shui?
Chao Chi Yu Ma Xi Jiang Gao, Xi Ji Xi Xi Xi.
Wen Jia Ren Xi summoned and will pass away.
Building a room in the water, the lotus cover of the water;
Sunbi Xi Purple Altar, Sowing Fang Pepper Xi Chengtang;
Gui Dong Xi Lan Shu, Xin Yi Lin Xi Pharmacy;
Reckless li li xi as a curtain, and hui hui xi is both zhang;
Bai Yu Xi is the town, and Shu Shi Lan Xi is Fang;
Zhi Yao Xi Lotus House, Zhi Zhi Xi Du Heng.
Hebaicao Xi Shi Ting, Jianfang Xin Xi Yu Gate.
Nine ridges are colorful and greeted, and the spirit comes like a cloud.
Donate yu yuan xi jiangzhong, and leave the remains of xi li pu.
Xi DuRuo, who will be left behind;
Don't be sloppy, chat about leisurely and graceful!
After studying this work, we will find a problem, that is, Qu Yuan's attitude towards "Lady Xiang" is very humble. It should be known that Qu Yuan was a scholar and doctor of the Chu State, and there were very few people above him, so the "Lady Xiang" may have a very high status. So, who is the person with a higher status than the scholar? It is possible to be a member of the royal family.
So, what kind of information can we get through "Lady Xiang"? The appearance of "Lady Xiang" is unparalleled in the world, and she is already married as a human wife, subject to the constraints of moral etiquette. "Lady Xiang" could not meet Qu Yuan in public, and could only meet secretly in the wilderness. Since the word "Xiang" also represents the State of Chu, we have reason to suspect that "Lady Xiang" is the princess of the State of Chu, Zheng Gui.
Zheng Gui was the concubine of King Huai of Chu and Qu Yuan's lover, so Qu Yuan would be exiled. Qu originally thought that he would be able to be with Zheng Gui after the death of King Huai of Chu, but he did not expect that King Huai of Chu had already left King Chu Xiang to kill Qu Yuan after his death. So, on the banks of the Miluo River, the soldiers of the Chu State grabbed Qu Yuan and stuffed him into a bag to sink his body at the bottom of the river.
And the dragon boat races and dumplings that have been passed down to this day are not hinting at the assassination operation launched by the Chu army against Qu Yuan at that time? The people of the Chu state used dragon boat racing to allude to the chase between the Chu army and Qu Yuan on the river at that time, and used the dumplings to metaphorically describe the tragic fact that Qu Yuan was wrapped in a bag and sank the river. The rice dumpling leaves symbolize the pocket, and the rice dumpling silk symbolizes the rope, and everything points to the truth of Qu Yuan's murder.
This statement is creepy and can better meet the taste of modern people's "hunting curiosity". However, there is no tangible evidence for this statement, but only a speculation of posterity.
Resources:
[Western Han Dynasty Sima Qian's "History of Qu Yuan Jia ShengLie", "Nine Songs and Lady Xiang"]