On the first day of June in 157 BC, before the death of The Han Emperor Liu Hengbang at the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an, he left a will, which was written like this.
Stills from the TV series "Beauty in the Heart"
He said, I have heard that since all things under the heavens have life, they must die. Death is the nature of heaven and earth, the destination of all things, and there is nothing to be sad about. In this world, people are so happy to live and hate death that funerals become a gross luxury waste. In order to bury thickly, people often ruin their families, because the time of mourning is too long, and the quality of life of the whole family is harmed. I very much disapprove of such an approach, for me, I lack both grace and no substantial help to the people, but after I died, I told the people to wear mourning clothes for a long time, and experienced the torment of severe cold and heat, so that the father and son were in sorrow, the elders were in pain, their dietary laws were destroyed, and even other ghosts and gods could not be sacrificed.
He said, I am extremely fortunate to be given the task of protecting the Zongmiao Temple, I have a small body, I have been in the position of the monarch of the world, I have been grateful to God, the blessings of the gods and the country, the peace in the territory, the lack of large-scale wars, I am not very smart, so I often worry about my actions. Tarnishing the grand kindness of the first emperor, he was also afraid of living too long. In case something goes wrong, if you can't start and end well, now you can finally enjoy the heavenly years and follow the spirit of the emperor in heaven, everything is so beautiful, as you wish, what is there to regret and sad?
After Emperor Wendi of Han wrote his life feelings and attitude towards the funeral in this will. Regarding the order he issued, it was written that when I ordered the promulgation of the will to the officials and people of the world, the Guan people wept and made sacrifices, limiting it to three days, and after three days all took off their robes, and did not prohibit the people from marrying their daughters-in-law and daughters, and did not prohibit the people from sacrificing, drinking wine and eating meat. The length of the hemp scarf tied on the head and the hemp rope tied on the feet should not exceed three inches. Do not send special convoys and troops when you come out of the funeral. Do not specially organize people to cry in the palace, but should go to the palace to cry those relatives and officials, in the morning and evening in groups of 15 people. It is forbidden for anyone to go to the altar to weep without permission, and after burial, it is necessary to wear a nine-month mourning dress for 15 days according to the liturgical regulations. Those who should wear mourning clothes for five months should be changed to 14 days, and those who should wear mourning clothes for three months should be changed to three days, and those not clearly stated in this edict shall be handled in accordance with the methods already clearly stipulated, and announced to the world, so that all the people will know my wishes.
The Baling Mountains and Rivers where the tomb is located still maintain its original appearance and are not changed. All my concubines were sent back to their respective maiden homes, which was the last will of Emperor Liu Heng of Han.
When Emperor Wen of Han died, he was 46 years old. In the book Zizhi Tongjian, it is described that during the 23-year reign of Emperor Wen, the palace garden, the car skills and costumes were not increased, and there were those that had to be built, but at the same time they hurt the people's strength, and it was better to make him abandon it than disturb the people. Emperor Wen once planned to build a terrace for his own enjoyment, asked the designer to estimate a price, heard that he needed 100 pounds of gold, and immediately terminated his idea, saying that 100 pounds of gold is the asset of 10 middle-income families, and now I inherit the palace that the emperor already has, and I am very worried that I am not worthy, so I no longer need to build any new terrace.
In terms of clothing, even their favorite ladies, such as Mrs. Shen, also require that the length of their clothes should not be dragged to the ground, and there is never an embroidery or other decoration on the bed tent, and they set an example for the world with simple and frugal behavior.
The tombs of the bully are all pottery products, and it is not allowed to use gold, silver, copper and tin. Built along the form of mountains and rivers, the spirit cave is no longer specially raised.
The world is peaceful, the family is rich, everyone is rich, and the book comments that few emperors in later generations can compare with Emperor Wen of Han.
#Han Dynasty# #资治通鉴 #
#汉文帝 #