The Tang Dynasty's superstition of killing sacrifices
This article is written by Ni Fangliu
In the Tang Dynasty, the use of living people was forbidden in sacrifice.
However, from time to time, rumors spread that people were going to sacrifice gods, which once affected the stability of society. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, there were such rumors.
This is recorded in the history books -
(Portrait of Emperor Taizong of Tang)
Old Book of Tang, Emperor Taizong's Book of Benji: In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643 AD), in the autumn of July, Gengchen, the capital city said: "Shang sent Fengfu to take people's hearts and livers, in order to worship the tengu." "Hand over horror. The messengers were sent to proclaim the edicts everywhere, and the rest of the month was over.
Old Book of Tang and Emperor Xuanzong's Book of Benji: In the third year of Tianbao (744 AD), in the leap month of February, the Jingshi falsely said that the officials sent to hunt people's livers to sacrifice the tengu. People are afraid of each other, especially in Qixian County, and they send envoys to be safe.
When Li Shimin and Li Longji were emperors, the Tang Dynasty was in its prime, and at this time there were rumors that the emperor sent fir to arrest people and kill people's livers to sacrifice the heavens, which shows that the phenomenon of using people to sacrifice at that time was not broken.
(Portrait of Tang Xuanzong)
The rumors that came out were directly related to the abnormal celestial phenomena that occurred at that time.
In June of the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643 CE), Li Shimin sent people to rebury the Sui Gong Emperor Yang You, who was killed by Li Yuan, after which Li Shi replaced Yang Shi to establish the Tang Dynasty. Yang You was only 15 years old when he died, and why did he bury Yang You at this time? It was the month when a special celestial phenomenon occurred.
First there was a solar eclipse, followed by a leap moon, and superstition believed that it was a violation of heavenly anger, and the emperors of the previous dynasty were unjust. In fact, this is a rather natural astronomical phenomenon in modern times.
(Sui Gong Emperor Yang Youling)
When a solar eclipse occurs, the ancients believed that it was eaten by the so-called "tengu", and there is still a saying in the folk.
The tengu loves the liver, and the sacrifice of the human liver is naturally the highest level. In the early ancient period, when encountering the phenomenon of solar eclipse and lunar eclipse, it was indeed useful for human liver sacrifices to the tengu.
There is also a reason for the recurrence of tianbao's three-year rumors, that month is a leap month, and it just happens that another lunar eclipse has occurred.
(Lunar eclipse)
This kind of gossip that the royal family wants to kill people and sacrifice the gods appeared several times in the Tang Dynasty. The social panic caused by such rumors is quite serious, such as after the rumors appeared during the Zhenguan years, in order to protect their lives from being violated, the people rushed to allocate weapons to prevent being abducted and killed by officials.
In fact, such social rumors are not out of thin air, because even the emperor once sacrificed a human head.
The Old Book of Tang records that Wei Xuanzhen, the elder brother-in-law of Empress Dowager Wei of Tang, was exiled to Qinzhou to die after Emperor Zhongzong was deposed by Emperor Wu Zetian as the Queen of Luling, and Wei's wife and four sons, namely Emperor Zhongzong's mother-in-law Cui Shi and four brothers-in-law, were killed by the Qinzhou chieftain Ning Chengji because they were forced to marry Cui Nu, that is, Emperor Zhongzong's sister-in-law, and Cui Shi did not agree to this misfortune.
After Wu Zetian's death, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang became emperor again, and after welcoming back the coffins of Wei Xuanzhen and his wife, he "also sent Zhou Renlu, the governor of Guangzhou, to lead an army to behead ning cheng's brothers and sacrifice them to the Cui clan." ”
(Tang Zhongzong stills)
In the imperial sacrifices of the Tang Dynasty, it was not uncommon to kill the living to pay homage to the dead.
The tomb of Concubine Hua, favored by Tang Xuanzong, was stolen and humiliated by the tomb robbers, and the tomb robbers were caught and killed. This matter can be found in Tang Ren Zaifu's notebook "Guangyi Zhi", in order to let the reader understand the whole experience, it is all copied below ——
At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Concubine Hua had a favor, born Toqing Wang Chun, and was buried in Chang'an. By the year 28, there were thieves who wanted to send a concubine tomb, so they built a large tomb in more than 100 steps at the mound, and if they were to be buried. It is hidden in the tunnel that leads to the mound. The coffin is cut, the concubine's face is alive, and the limbs can be flexed and extended. Thieves and others act arbitrarily and insult, still cut off their wrists to take the golden judder, and remove their tongues at the same time, fearing that they will dream. His corpse was erected on his side, and a candle was placed in the shade, and the treasures in his possession were innumerable, and they were all placed in the false tomb. But in the city, in a soft car with an empty coffin, at dusk, in the tomb, take all the things and put them in the soul car and the funeral car, and return home. Before his burial, Princess Qingwang Mengfei was naked and wept bitterly, saying: "Stealing my tomb, adding insults, lonely souls, how can it be said." However, I will serve his defeat at Chunming Monya. "I went away because I was prepared to say it." Wang Suzhi was filial and suddenly burst into tears. Ming Dan entered the game, and Emperor Nai summoned Jing Zhaoyin and WanNian Ling to find a way to prepare for thieves. and the thieves returned to the gate, and wanted to enter the Chunming Gate, and the doorman stopped it. It is a search car, all treasures. Collect all the bandits, torture and loot, arrest dozens of people, all of whom are noble relatives and children who have no prosecutors. Wang Nai asked his five commanders to take revenge on him, Emperor Xuzhi. They all explore the five internal organs, cook and sacrifice them. The rest were killed outside the Jingzhao Gate. The noble concubine was reburied, and Wang Xin was buried for three years.
(Tomb of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang)
This text is basically understood by everyone, so I will not translate it.
The behavior of grave robbers is immoral, and the perverted humiliation of corpses is even more heinous. And Li Chun, the king of Qing, was also fierce enough to dig out the heart and liver of the tomb robbers and fry them in a hot oil pot to pay tribute to the insulted mother.
Although "Guangyizhi" is a novel in nature and does not record the real historical features, the social customs and beliefs of the time revealed are still credible.
(Tang Tomb)