The historical truth of Xiangfei is also the prototype of the Zhu Gege film and television drama

A superb beauty from the Western Regions, she showed a unique style in the harem of the Qing Dynasty. Her mysterious origins, the strange fragrance on her body, her bizarre death, and the burial place after her death have become a mystery. Her beauty, her story, has been passed down from generation to generation. Xiangfei, a beautiful name, unveils the fog of history and explores the story behind her.

The legend of the Fragrant Concubine

Xiangfei is one of the more well-known concubines among the concubines of the Qing Palace, and there are many records of the legend of Xiangfei. Some people say that she was a princess of Huibu, with a unique appearance and a strange fragrance in her body, and was taken into captivity in the imperial palace during the Qianlong period when she quelled the Huibu and Zhuo rebellions. The Qianlong Emperor was astonished by the heavens and crowned her as a concubine, and he was very fond of her.

In order to relieve her homesickness, the Qianlong Emperor specially built the Baoyue Tower and built a street building back to Xinjiang in the palace. However, Princess Xiang cherished her homeland and was determined to keep the festival, and she carried a sharp blade with her, and did not allow the Qianlong Emperor to approach her.

When Emperor Qianlong's birth mother, Empress Xiaoshengxian, learned of this, she was afraid that Concubine Xiang would assassinate the emperor under the pretext of preserving her chastity and summon her to the palace. Taking advantage of the qianlong emperor's absence, he gave her a piece of white silk to commit suicide. When the Qianlong Emperor heard the news, the beautiful woman had died of incense, and he was so grief-stricken that he buried the concubine in the north of Taoran Pavilion, and there was a stele next to the tomb, which was engraved: "Vast and vast, vast and devastating." In the short song, The Bright Moon is missing. Lush city, there is blue blood. Sometimes it will be exhausted, and the blood will sometimes be extinguished. A wisp of incense is not broken, is it Jefiyah? Transform into a butterfly. Later generations called it "Incense Tomb".

The Hui clan of the Qing Dynasty refers to the Uyghurs who now live in the southern part of the Tianshan Mountains. Among the qianlong emperor's concubines was indeed a concubine from the Hui department, namely Concubine Rong, who was the prototype of the xiangfei in the later stories and legends.

Historians have had a fierce debate about whether Xiangfei and Rongfei are the same person, and after historical research, a consensus has been basically reached that Rongfei is Xiangfei. They were all Uyghurs from Xinjiang, all of whom believed in Islam, and all of them were "concubines, and there was only one Huibu concubine in the harem of the Qianlong Emperor, and it was certain that Concubine Rong was a concubine.

So, what kind of woman was the historical "Fragrant Concubine" Concubine Rong? Was she taken into the palace by the Qianlong Emperor? Can I have a different fragrance on my body? Did she die for offending Empress Xiaoshengxian? Where did she come from and where was she buried?

In the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong (1760), Concubine Rong entered the palace and was first enthroned as a nobleman, at this time she was 27 years old. She entered the palace at such an old age that it was doubtful that she had ever been married before, after all, this age was far beyond the common age of marriage for women at that time.

Of course, it cannot be inferred that she was married, and in the history of the Qing Dynasty, there were not many women who were married at an older age, and Ye He's old daughter Dongge was the best example. Noshi claims that Concubine Rong is the wife of Xiaohe Zhuo, but in fact, Rongfei and Xiaohe Zhuo are close relatives and it is impossible to get married.

Concubine Rong's entry into the palace was undoubtedly a political marriage, and it was one of the means by which the Qianlong Emperor strengthened his rule over various nationalities in order to win over the upper-class nobles of the Hui ministry. However, her beauty won the favor of the Qianlong Emperor.

Not much is known about her appearance at the moment. Some say she has a strange smell. According to modern medical research, body fragrance is the result of volatilization of secretions inside the human body, which is closely related to human genes and eating habits. Whether Concubine Rong has body fragrance is inferred, but it is certain that she does have a good appearance, which can be seen from "Rong".

At present, there are several portraits suspected of being Rong Fei, which are Rong Fei Rong's portraits, the second is the flag portrait, the third is the dress portrait, the fourth is the Jifu statue taken by Lady Lu of Taicang in the Rongfei Garden in Tanglin, and the fifth is! "Mighty Arc Gets the Deer" hunting statue. After expert research, the statue of Rong Is more likely to be the Tenth Daughter of the Qianlong Emperor and the Princess of Filial Piety; Although Jifu has a strong credibility, it is a pity that its whereabouts are unknown; There is no recognition of the dress image, and there is no relevant record, and it is only speculation that it is a statue of Concubine Rong; The flag costume is the most widely circulated and most accepted statue of RongFei, but historians still have different opinions on whether the characters in this painting are Rongfei.

The hunting portrait of the Qianlong Emperor bending his bow to shoot a deer, and a woman in reloading on the horse behind him leans over to deliver a arrow. The woman's appearance and costume indicate that she is a Uyghur woman.

The history books record that Concubine Rong accompanied the emperor on hunting many occasions, so the woman in the painting is most likely Concubine Rong. The portrait of Concubine Rong has a white face, thin eyebrows, and slightly high cheekbones, which is a typical Uyghur beauty image.

The Qianlong Emperor was more gracious to Concubine Rong, and considering that Concubine Rong was from Xinjiang, did not speak the language, and had the same eating habits as the empress dowager in the palace, he specially placed her in baoyuelou on the edge of the official city.

When Concubine Rong ascended the stairs, she could see the mosque and the Huizi camp outside the city to relieve her homesickness. The Qianlong Emperor not only allowed Concubine Rong to retain her faith, but also equipped her with a Hui cook in order to take care of her eating habits.

In the twenty-seventh year of Qianlong (1762), Concubine Rong was enfeoffed as Rong Concubine from the nobles. The next day, her brother Tur was made the Duke of Fuguo by Jin, showing the Qianlong Emperor's love and importance for Concubine Rong's family.

Rongfei's status in the palace was gradually improved, qianlong thirty-three years (1768), she was given the title of Rongfei, before that, she wore her own national costume in the palace, so on the eve of the concubine, she made a crown dress for her.

Princess Rong had accompanied the Qianlong Emperor to Rehe Seven Times, riding herself to participate in archery and hunting, and she was more and more loved by the emperor, and she also accompanied the Qianlong Emperor on two eastern tours and one southern tour. Concubine Rong's family was also rewarded by the palace people from time to time.

On April 19, 1788, the fifty-third year of Qianlong, Concubine Rong died of illness at the age of 55. Before dying, she gave the treasures she had accumulated in the palace to the concubines, princesses and family members of the harem.

Princess Rong's death was a normal death, and it is pure nonsense to say that she was killed by Empress Xiaoshengxian, the birth mother of the Qianlong Emperor. Empress XiaoShengxian died in the forty-second year of Qianlong (1777), 11 years before Concubine Rong, so how could a long-dead person give death to a living person?

Concubine Rong's death

Where was Concubine Rong buried after her death? In traditional folklore, there are three places that are considered to be the burial places of Concubine Rong, namely Taoranting North in Beijing, Kashgar in Xinjiang, and Qing Dongling in Zunhua, Hebei.

The Xiangfei Tomb in the north of Taoranting in Beijing is linked to the legend of wild history and is purely a product of nothing. Because the inscription on this tombstone is desolate and beautiful, the owner of the tomb should be a woman, and there may have been a story of enmity during her lifetime. Therefore, some people associated the owner of the tomb with Concubine Rong, and gave birth to various legends of fragrant concubines and butterflies.

The Tomb of Xiangfei in Xinjiang, located in Shanghan Village on the eastern outskirts of Kashgar City, is a family cemetery, which was built in the thirteenth year of Ming Chongzhen (1640) by Rongfei's maternal grandfather Ah BoHoga to bury his father, the famous Islamic Aden YusuFu Hoga. People used to call it Hezhuo Tomb. Legend has it that after Princess Rong's death, the Qianlong Emperor sent a funeral procession of 6,666 people to send Rongfei's body back to her hometown, and the coffin was not allowed to land on the way.

When the coffin arrived in Kashgar, there were only six people left in the funeral procession. At first, this family cemetery was not called "Xiangfei Tomb", but later it was slowly said that Xiangfei was buried here, but no one can point out which cemetery is Xiangfei's.

As the fame of Xiangfei grew, the "Xiangfei Tomb" became louder and louder, and the specific location of the Xiangfei Tomb was clarified. What's more, the palanquin that is said to have transported The remains of Concubine Rong was displayed to prove that Concubine Rong was buried here. In fact, according to the literature, the sedan was used to transport the body of a man who died in Beijing in the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856), and had nothing to do with Concubine Rong.

So where is Concubine Rong buried? In fact, the historical records are very clear, and she was buried in the Garden of the Qianlong Emperor YuLing in Zunhua. In October 1979, the Qing Dongling Cultural Relics Depository carried out a comprehensive renovation of the Yuling Concubine Garden Bed, because of natural damage and tomb robbery, the Rongfei Underground Palace has been partially destroyed, and the Cultural Relics Depository has carried out emergency excavation.

While cleaning up the Rongfei Underground Palace, archaeologists found that Rongfei's rafters had Arabic scriptures written on it. Generally speaking, after the death of the emperor's concubine, the four sides of the rafter are engraved or written in Tibetan or Sanskrit mantras. Princess Rong spoke Arabic, which shows the Qianlong Emperor's respect for Princess Rong's Belief in Islam. It was also found that Concubine Rong's coffin had rafters. According to the burial system of the Qing Dynasty, whether it is an emperor, an empress, or a concubine, the coffins are both inside and outside, the inside is a coffin, and the outside is a rafter. Judging from the various traces at the scene, the inner coffin was not stolen, but when Concubine Rong was buried, the inner coffin was not used at all. As for why Princess Rong only uses a coffin and does not use a coffin, it may be related to her religious beliefs, but the specific situation has yet to be further studied and examined by experts and scholars.