When it comes to famous and accomplished emperors in Chinese history, there are probably many different answers. Some people say that Qin Shi Huang unified the six countries, some people say that the Tang Ming Emperor was prosperous in the Kaiyuan era, some people mentioned the prosperous era of Kangqian, and some people mentioned Genghis Khan, from the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, and so on. If it comes to a famous female emperor, there is probably only one answer.
From the sixty old man to the ten-year-old child, everyone probably knows the only orthodox female emperor and outstanding female politician in China - Wu Zetian. She has strategized and governed the country, and the "wordless monument" left in front of the tomb after her death is even more unknown.
In fact, Wu Zetian was once the head of a country. Although she was buried with Emperor Gaozong after her death, there will not be only one wordless monument in the mausoleum that is worth talking about. In addition to the wordless stele, few people know that there are 61 headless stone figures in front of Wu Zetian's tomb. Where the heads of these stone men have gone has always been an unsolved mystery, and there are many opinions.
The answer to this question was finally solved by two farmers in Liangshan, Qian County, Shaanxi 20 years later. What's going on here? What are stone men used for? Let's take a look together.
Wu Zetian's historical achievements
When it comes to Wu Zetian, what is your first impression? Is it Wu Shu, who is the sun and the moon in the sky and is majestic and martial, or Wu Zetian, who strangles children and is ruthless? Or is it a lady who spoils the sixth palace and is entangled with the emperor? Do you really know enough about Wu Zetian?
Wu Zetian's native family cannot be described as not a prominent family, and her mother's surname is surnamed. Does the surname Yang remind you of the national surname of the Sui Dynasty, the previous dynasty of the Tang Dynasty? The name of the Sui Emperor was Yang Guang, and Wu Zetian's mother, Yang, was born into the royal family of the Sui Dynasty.
Wu Zetian's father was the founder of the later Tang Dynasty, the Samurai Gong. Unlike the tragic end of Liu Bowen's bird in the Ming Dynasty, Wu Zetian's father ended up in the highest position. The General History of China once pointed out sharply that Wu Zetian's family was originally a landlord bureaucrat of the Yu ethnic group, and after the Tang Dynasty, he was promoted to the rank of Shi bureaucracy.
How did such a young lady from an official family get involved with the emperor? Everyone knows that many emperors in ancient times had a proclivity for collecting beauty. Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin came to Luoyang Palace on this day, and overheard everyone's praise for Wu Zetian, who was only fourteen years old at the time: there was "tolerance and beauty".
Rong Zhimei is actually from the fourteenth gate of "The World Speaks New Language", reflecting the aesthetic preferences and tastes of the famous men of Wei and Jin at that time for people's appearance and behavior. Among them, there are a total of thirty-nine of them, and the famous men mentioned include Ji Kang, who is as solemn as Matsushita, and Sima Yu, who is like the king of the court, Sima Yu, and so on, all of them are extraordinary.
Wu Zetian was praised as "beauty and beauty", you can imagine how high the evaluation is. This evaluation immediately attracted the attention of Emperor Taizong of Tang, and out of thirst for beauty, he canonized Wu Zetian as a talented person and included it in the harem, becoming a well-known Wu Meiniang for posterity. However, Wu Zetian did not receive attention immediately after entering the palace.
Su Xun's "Treatise on the Six Kingdoms" mentions that the women in the palace of the Qin Dynasty at that time "stood far-sighted, but looked at luck", they were dressed up, pavilions and graceful postures, and looked at the direction of the emperor from afar every day, hoping to be pampered.
The result? It is "there are those who do not see, thirty-six years", the history of the Qin Dynasty is not thirty-six years, this is exactly thirty-six years from the time the first emperor did not establish Daqin, and he ascended the throne as the great king of the Qin state until his death.
These concubines of the Qin Dynasty did not receive the favor of the emperor throughout their lives, and similarly, Bai Juyi's "Shangyang White-Haired Man" also expressed similar emotions. Although Wu Zetian was not as miserable as these women, she was indeed not favored during the next twelve years of Li Shimin's reign.
The turning point of events came when Li Shimin was seriously ill in his later years, and Wu Zetian happened to meet Li Zhi, the then crown prince and later Emperor Gaozong of Tang. Li Zhi has a strong Oedipus complex, and Wu Zetian also wants to be favored by the emperor, and the two soon fall in love.
Not long after, in 649, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin died, and according to the ancestral system, Wu Zetian became a nun as Li Shimin's concubine. Fortunately, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi still remembered her, and during this period, the two had been secretly communicating and breaking the silk connection.
Wu Zetian did not have been a nun for a long time, less than a year before and after. In the spring and summer of 650, Li Zhi went to the temple where Wu Zetian lived after becoming a nun to hold a sacrifice, and the two met again and exchanged heartfelt feelings. Wu Zetian was also included in the harem in 651 after the expiration of Li Zhi's filial piety and was given the title of Zhaoyi.
From a fifth-grade talent to a second-grade Zhaoyi, Wu Zetian was not satisfied. She strangled the princess and blamed Empress Wang, so Empress Wang fell out of favor, and Wu Zetian won the battle for favor.
Later, after the famous "deposed king Liwu" incident, Li Zhi attacked the Guanlong clique, which interfered with centralized power and contained the imperial power at that time, and strengthened the emperor's autocratic rule. At the same time, some elders who contained the absolute monarchy, such as Changsun Wuji and others, were cut off from their officials, and Wu Zetian was established as empress.
After becoming empress, Wu Zetian's ambitions were gradually revealed. After all, Li Zhi is an emperor, and even if he has a strong relationship with Wu Zetian, he will not allow anyone to contain his power. Fortunately, Wu Zetian prosecuted himself in time and moved Li Zhi with his true feelings. This was followed by the famous "obedience to the government" incident in history, and Wu Zetian finally began to rightfully interfere in the imperial power and control the affairs of the imperial court.
In his later years, Li Zhi's physical condition deteriorated day by day. So Wu Zetian seized the opportunity and began to take power with Li Zhi's acquiescence. Finally, in December 683, Li Zhi died of illness. At that time, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Li Xian was young, and Wu Zetian was still participating in politics as empress dowager.
In February 684, Wu Zetian finally got her wish, and her ambitions were revealed. In the autumn of 690, the first year of the early Zai Dynasty, Wu Zetian officially proclaimed himself emperor, established Wu Zhou, and became a generation of empresses.
In the early days of Wu Zetian's reign, he made great efforts to promote talents. She rectified the rule of officials and opened up a system of trial officials, allowing officials to test their talents before they formally joined, and only those who met the requirements could become officials. She also pioneered the famous "palace examination", which greatly improved the imperial examination system, which was only invented at that time, and was passed down by successive dynasties.
Many of the later generations of famous ministers, such as Lou Shide, Song Jing, and Yao Chong, were promoted during Wu Zetian's reign. She promoted the practice of light dispensation and maintained long-term social stability with strong rule, and was known as a "legacy of chastity".
It is regrettable that Wu Zetian was desolate in his later years, and he was fortunate enough to be the second zhang, which led to the sidelining of power. The two Zhang brothers stirred up trouble in the imperial court, framed Zhongliang, and disrupted the imperial government. In 705, the Shenlong coup d'état, Wu Zetian was forced to abdicate the throne and live in seclusion, ending her career as empress, and died soon after.
Wu Zetian's Tomb: The Mystery of the Qianling Stone Statue
We all know that tombstones are generally erected in front of the tomb, and inscribed on them to record the name, origin, and deeds of the deceased. As we all know, Wu Zetian was buried in the Qianling Mausoleum after her death, but in front of her tomb was a wordless stele, known as the "Nine Dragon Stele".
There have always been different opinions about the purpose of this wordless monument. One of the more widely recognized theories is that Wu Zetian handed over the right to deny her merits to those who followed her. Whether it is meritorious or wrong is all evaluated by posterity, how generous and confident.
The controversy over Wu Zetian's mausoleum goes far beyond this wordless stele, as well as the 61 headless stone figures standing outside her mausoleum, Shinto. Known as the "Statue of King Bin", these stone figures come to life, with 32 on the west side and 29 on the east side.
These stone figures are carved using the original carving technique, and the technique is superb and very expressive. Strangely, each of these 61 stone figures has no head. What is the reason for this?
In this regard, some people speculate that this is the same intention as the wordless monument, deliberately carved like this? This speculation was quickly disproved that wordless tablets and stone figures were two different burial utensils with completely different uses. And the fracture surface of the stone man's head is not flat, it does not look deliberate.
Some people speculate that this is whether the head of the stone man was damaged due to the war? This speculation was also quickly disproved for a very simple reason. If it was due to the war, then the stone man's head would not have all disappeared, at least there would be a remnant.
In addition, the image of these stone figures holding watboards and hanging jade bags from their waists is very complete. If the war really affected here, then the stone man's body should not be mostly so complete, at most only one or two people could be left.
There is also a speculation that the missing head of the stone man is due to tomb robbery. In fact, this speculation is not without traces, and the Qianling Tomb where the two emperors are buried is indeed full of disasters throughout the ages. There were 17 documented tomb robberies alone, and behind the text may be countless visits by tomb thieves.
These stone figures are solid, and the current remaining height is between 150cm and 180cm, and it will only be higher if you add the original head. How easy is it for tomb thieves to take away these stone people? So the unwilling tomb robber knocked off the stone man's head and took it away, which sounded reasonable.
The famous Qianling tombs in history must be stolen by Huang Chao and Sun Lianzhong. According to the Qianzhou Manuscript, there is a place on the west side of the Qianling Tomb called Huangchaogou. The reason why the name is used is because this is what the Yellow Nest passed through when it robbed the Qianling Tomb.
Whether it was Huang Chao or Sun Lianzhong, the tomb robbery was unsuccessful. The local village name then gave Qianling a veil of mystery, saying that it was sheltered by "aunt fairy spirit", and the aunt referred to Wu Zetian. Of course, the tomb robbery is ultimately disgraceful, and the specific facts behind it are no longer available.
None of the tomb robbers succeeded in entering the Qianling Tomb, and the tomb robbery failed. And if there is really an unknown "master" who has successfully sneaked into the Qianling Tomb, then the rare treasures in it should be far more valuable than the head of the stone man, so why bother to take away 61 stones? The saying that "tomb robbery caused the head of the stone man to be missing" is self-defeating.
Since it was not intentional, nor was it destroyed by war, nor was it visited by stolen tomb thieves, where did the heads of these 61 stone men go? In 1971, two farmers in Shaanxi gave an answer.
On this day, two farmers in Guapoling Village, Qian County, were working in the fields. Suddenly, one of the peasants' hoe was digging through the land when it came across something extremely hard and made a sonorous sound. The presence of stones in the ground will affect the growth of crops and is not conducive to turning the soil and loosening the soil, so the two immediately worked together to dig out the stones.
Who knew that after the two dug out the stone, they found that this was not an ordinary large stone, but a carved stone human head. Friends who are familiar with Shaanxi know that this place was the administrative center in ancient times, and ancient tombs are everywhere. So the two farmers immediately reported the situation to the local cultural relics bureau.
After the expert came to the scene, he examined the stone head and found that the stone head was consistent with the material of the stone statue in front of the Qianling Tomb, and immediately decided to take it to the Qianling Tomb for comparison. Finally, a stone statue that coincided with the fractured face of the stone man's head was found at the back of the 32 stone statues west of the stone people, and he was excited to find that this was the head of the long-lost statue of King Bin.
Experts randomly speculate that there must be other heads near the location where the villagers found the head of the statue of King Bin. So they immediately organized excavations, and sure enough, several scattered stone heads were found nearby. The question that has plagued experts for decades, the whereabouts of the head of the Bing Wang statue, has finally been solved by two farmers.
Speculation about the identity of the stone statue
The location of the heads of the stone people has been determined, and now there is another question: why do these heads appear in these stone people, what is the identity of the stone people? What is the use of being erected in front of the tomb?
To understand why these heads appeared in Qian County, we should first know a background knowledge, that is, the Guanzhong earthquake that occurred in 1556 AD, during the Jiajing period. According to the "History of Ming", one of the twenty-four histories, "In December of the thirty-fourth year, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan were earthquaked at the same time. ”
The unprecedented earthquake killed more than 800,000 people, affected more than a dozen provinces, and even caused the Yellow River to flow backwards and crack into ditches. According to current experts and scholars, the magnitude of the earthquake that occurred at that time was about 8.3, which can be listed as the strongest earthquake in the history of the mainland.
Everyone has learned "Stone Beast in the River", the power of nature. At present, the widely believed view in the academic community is that the head of the stone man fell off because of the Guanzhong earthquake. These heads then move with a series of crustal movements such as landslides, fissures, landslides, uplifts, and subsidences, and finally appear where the two farmers found it.
Now that you know why the heads of these Bing Wang statues appear in Gu Po Ling on the front line, who are these Bing Wang statues carved?
Looking at these statues, it is not difficult to see that they are all wearing round necks and tight sleeves on the left side. In the Tang Dynasty, the left and right sides of clothing were an important symbol to distinguish the Hu and Han people. In other words, these kings may have been ethnic minorities at the time.
Unearthed stone heads support this view. The facial contours of these stone heads do not look like those of the Central Plains, and their hairstyles also have the characteristics of ethnic minorities. Based on this, experts speculate that these statues of King Bing were all ethnic minorities during the Tang Dynasty. Together with the wat plates and jade bags of these stone statues, it shows that they have a high status and are by no means idle.
At first, some people thought that these were some ethnic minority envoys who had come to attend the funeral of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Li Zhi, and the carving date should be the period of Emperor Gaozong. After research and determination, experts determined that the stone people were all from Wu Zetian's time, and this claim was quickly rejected.
Subsequently, some experts pointed out that these stone people were likely to be vassals of the Tang Dynasty at that time, which is actually close to the correct answer. Finally, it is more scientifically recognized that these stone people were envoys of ethnic minorities served during the reigns of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian.
The stone statues of these 61 vassals were erected in the tomb, which not only demonstrated the close and friendly relationship between the Tang Dynasty and ethnic minorities, but also demonstrated the Tang Dynasty's openness and broad mind.
summary
At this point, all the mysteries about the 61 stone figures have been solved. Here, we see the mind and magnanimity of the Great Tang Dynasty, and also feel the might and domineering of a generation of empresses.