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On December 25, 1687, the twenty-sixth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Empress Xiaozhuang completed her life journey and died at the age of 75. However, what is surprising is that she has not been buried 37 years after her death, which undoubtedly caused speculation in the society at that time and the academic circles today, what caused the Kangxi Emperor to delay burying Empress Xiaozhuang?
Empress Xiaozhuang He Xuren also
Empress Xiaozhuang – The first empress dowager of the Qing Dynasty. Her identity is not only the side fujin of the Emperor Taiji, a woman in the inner courtyard of the deep palace, nor is it just the grandmother of Kangxi. Empress Xiaozhuang did not have too high a status during the emperor Taiji's lifetime, she married huang taiji at the age of 13, and was later named Princess Zhuang, ranking last in the harem, but this did not affect Princess Zhuang's glittering political talent.
When the Qing army first entered the customs, the Qing army was faced with the problem of difficulty in entering the customs, and various forces within the imperial family defected, and it was Empress Xiaozhuang who maintained the unity and stability within the imperial family; The Emperor Taiji did not establish a reserve before his death, so after the death of the Emperor Taiji, the Qing Dynasty's politics as a new regime was in turmoil, and finally under the mediation of many forces, coupled with the fortitude and determination of Empress Xiaozhuang, her 6-year-old son Fu Lin ascended the throne, that is, the later Shunzhi Emperor.
Since then, the trajectory of Empress Xiaozhuang's life has gradually changed. Later, she assisted the young Kangxi Emperor, and it has to be said that Empress Xiaozhuang made a great contribution to the development of the Qing Dynasty.
Empress Xiaozhuang and the Kangxi Emperor
Why was the Kangxi Emperor not buried immediately after Empress Xiaozhuang's death? To understand this, we must first know the position of Empress Xiaozhuang in Kangxi's heart.
The Kangxi Emperor, like his father, the Shunzhi Emperor, ascended the throne at an early age. The Kangxi Emperor ascended the throne at the age of eight, but he had a more special situation than the Shunzhi Emperor— he lost his father at the age of eight and his mother at the age of ten. When the Kangxi Emperor was younger, in order to avoid the infection of smallpox, he was sent to a mansion on the east side of North Long Street Road outside the Forbidden City to be raised, and after returning to the palace, he was greeted with the tragic news of the continuous death of his parents. However, under the care of his grandmother Empress Xiaozhuang, the Kangxi Emperor felt the long-lost love and warmth, and Empress Xiaozhuang not only filled the gap in his soul, but also became an irreplaceable presence in Kangxi's life.
Under the foresight of Empress Xiaozhuang, a far-sighted politician, she subtly taught kangxi a lot of political ideas while taking care of the Kangxi Emperor, and taught Kangxi from an early age with the requirements of a leader.
She would strictly require Kangxi's diet, living, words and deeds, and strictly implement the ancient precept of "standing and sitting". Empress Xiaozhuang paid more attention to kangxi's character and the cultivation of interest, and the young Kangxi once said that when he grew up, he must emulate his father and rule the country diligently. Kangxi's lofty ideals from an early age were inseparable from his grandmother's teachings.
Due to Empress Xiaozhuang's words and deeds, Kangxi developed a strong interest in reading and learning from an early age, and developed a rigorous attitude of learning. The good habits and qualities cultivated by Kangxi in his youth, along with his life, played a huge role in the 61 years of governance.
The Kangxi Emperor was able to achieve pro-government at the age of 14, which was inseparable from the help of Empress Xiaozhuang. At that time, the situation of the four auxiliary ministers joining forces with the auxiliary government did not last long, the contradictions and struggles between the courtiers became more and more open and fierce, and the phenomenon of unauthorized dictatorship even appeared in Aobai.
Over the next three years, Aobai's tyranny and political ambitions were gradually exposed, threatening imperial power. Empress Xiaozhuang, with her many years of political experience and superhuman wisdom, helped each other and fully supported Kangxi, and finally eliminated Aobai and other foolish ministers, completely regained political power, and began the pro-government stage.
After the political power was regained, Kangxi quelled the San Francisco Rebellion, recovered Taiwan, expelled the Russian invaders, and so on. Whenever he talked about these merits, Kangxi would think of his grandmother, Empress Xiaozhuang, who said that without her grandmother's nurturing and careful teaching, it would be impossible to achieve his current achievements.
Therefore, after empress Xiaozhuang's death, on the one hand, he really did not want his grandmother, and on the other hand, according to Empress Xiaozhuang's arrangements for her posthumous affairs, the Kangxi Emperor had not found a place that met Empress Xiaozhuang's requirements, and had been delayed.
Empress Xiaozhuang's request for posthumous affairs
After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, Empress Xiaozhuang was the last empress dowager to be buried after her death. Empress Xiaozhuang died in 1687 and was buried in 1725, which means that after the death of the Kangxi Emperor, Empress Xiaozhuang was not buried. According to Confucian ethics and the requirements of ancient society, Empress Xiaozhuang should carry the coffin back to Shengjing after her death and bury it with Emperor Taiji, but at that time Shengjing was too far away from Beijing, and it was really expensive to spend manpower, money and material resources on the road, Empress Xiaozhuang did not want to work too hard after her death, the important thing was that she did not want to be too far away from her children and grandchildren, and asked to find a place in Beijing to bury, not to go to Shengjing.
"Emperor Taizong's mausoleum has been enshrined for a long time, and I must not move lightly for me, and I do not want your father and son in my heart, so I will choose a place to bury me near your father's tomb." The Kangxi Emperor did not want empress Xiaozhuang's cemetery to be too arbitrary, but according to the rules and regulations of the Qing Dynasty at that time, it was difficult to find a boundary that met the requirements, so he flexibly demolished the five halls of the Cining Palace where Empress Xiaozhuang lived before her death, and then changed the place as it was, and the location was chosen outside the red wall of the Shunzhi Mausoleum. But this matter was delayed again and again, and it was not settled until The death of Kangxi.
Later, Yongzheng ascended the throne, followed the instructions of his great-grandmother and father, and directly converted the Cining Palace into a mausoleum. In this way, it meets the requirements of Empress Xiaozhuang's life, and her descendants can often visit and pay tribute to her.
Write at the end
It is precisely because of this history that we see the Zhaoxi Tombs now. Although Empress Xiaozhuang was not buried in time, the final site selection was also a dream come true. This woman, who had devoted her life's efforts to the rule of the Qing Dynasty, finally had a final belonging under the arrangement of her great-grandson.
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References: Empress Xiaozhuang: The Woman Behind the Aid to the Emperors of the Qing Dynasty Author: Wang Yu Title: Legal System Expo
Empress Xiaozhuang and the Kangxi Emperor author: Chen Yiyun Title: Archives Spring and Autumn