Creepy in the tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi: b.uried full of treasures, lost because of a stonemason?

Empress Dowager Cixi brought countless treasures down to the mausoleum, and to ensure the safety of these treasures, she ordered 80 craftsmen, who directly built the entrance to the mausoleum, to be locked up with her in the mausoleum.

During the late Qing Dynasty, the Empress Dowager Cixi, known for her c.ruelty and cunning, took control of the imperial court, turned the emperor into a puppet, and manipulated the entire country herself. During her reign, she paid no attention to politics and indulged in the flattery of corrupt officials and eunuchs. In order to maintain her wealth, she did not hesitate to sign unequal treaties, causing misery and resentment among the people everywhere.

Even after her d.eath, Empress Dowager Cixi's greed did not diminish. She brought countless treasures to the mausoleum, and to ensure the safety of these treasures, she ordered 80 craftsmen, who were directly involved in building the mausoleum's entrance, to be locked up with her in the mausoleum. However, among them, one stonemason was lucky enough to escape and later became Cixi's gravedigger.

When building the mausoleum, Empress Dowager Cixi feared that future generations would be greedy and encroach on her treasures. Therefore, she ordered all the craftsmen who worked on the entrance to follow her to the grave. In order to complete a discreet entrance, she recruited 80 of the best craftsmen, promising them a large sum of m.oney. However, these craftsmen all knew that they would probably never receive that m.oney, but for the sake of their families, they accepted their fate.

Among these craftsmen, there was a young stonemason who had just gotten married. He did not want to participate in the construction of the tomb and just wanted to return home to his wife. However, he was still chosen to be part of the team that built the final entrance to the tomb.

One day, because he was in a bad mood, he was accidentally crushed by a large rock. The supervising officials thought he was dead, so they ordered his body to be taken out without making a fuss. Fortunately, the stonemason survived, returned home and lived a secluded life, not getting involved in anything outside.

Years later, his peace was shattered when Sun Dianying, a general during the war, led his troops to the area. Hearing about the treasure of Cixi, Sun Dianying decided to search for it. Since the tomb was built in a very secretive manner, no one knew the exact location, so he asked the villagers and heard about the stonemason who had participated in the construction of the tomb.

When he met and asked about the tomb, the stonemason did not hide anything and told him everything. Sun Dianying was surprised to learn that this stonemason not only participated in the construction but was also one of the most important people in completing the tomb.

Under the guidance of the stonemason, Sun Dianying and his army easily found the entrance to the tomb and took all the treasures inside. In the e.nd, Empress Dowager Cixi, despite her careful planning throughout her life, could not avoid having her grave dug up by a small stonemason whom she had ordered locked in the tomb.

There are various theories about the stonemason's fate. Some say that Sun Dianying kept his promise and spared his family, who then emigrated with him to avoid reprisals. Others say that he was k.illed by Sun Dianying shortly afterwards.

In addition, when she was alive, Empress Dowager Cixi maintained many strange lifestyles, which later generations are still looking for answers to. For example, she only ate 20 eggs, but the chef had to prepare 500.

However, according to historical records, Empress Dowager Cixi held the key power of the Qing Dynasty for 47 years. During this time, the empress dowager was also famous for her lavish lifestyle. Not only did she wear lavish clothes and have many splendid jewelry and gems, Empress Dowager Cixi also had very high demands on the quality of life, especially in terms of food and drink.

According to historical records, in order to keep others from knowing her favorite dishes and fearing that they would be poisoned, Empress Dowager Cixi only ate no more than three bites of each dish, and did not eat any of them. In particular, there was a strange incident mentioned in "The Imperial Palace's Secret Records". That was, the Shou Shan Room was assigned to prepare 500 eggs every day for Empress Dowager Cixi.

In fact, Empress Dowager Cixi only needed about 20 eggs a day. During meals, the empress dowager would only eat one or two eggs. So why did the empress dowager prepare 500 eggs in her private kitchen?

During the Qing Dynasty, food in the palaces was also rationed based on one's rank. Of course, with the power of Empress Dowager Cixi, it was not unusual for her to receive the privilege of having 500 eggs a day.

According to the book "The Royal Court Records", the chefs were tasked with preparing 500 eggs, but only 20 were prepared for the Empress Dowager Cixi. The remaining 480 eggs were pocketed by servants of different ranks. In order to get everyone a share, these people declared the number of eggs they needed to buy as high as 500, and of course they all hid this from the Empress Dowager Cixi. Afterwards, they sold the extra eggs and divided the m.oney among themselves.

Although Empress Dowager Cixi knew about this kind of thing, she never asked about it. This was because the Empress Dowager only cared about the quality and luxury of the meals. Therefore, even if the servants below her were a little sneaky or corrupt, Empress Dowager Cixi did not care too much. For this powerful Empress Dowager, as long as these people could serve well, there would be no problem.

In fact, embezzlement of 480 eggs was a very common thing in the late Qing Dynasty. Accordingly, not only eggs, but also other foods were also in the same situation. Corruption within the Qing government was widespread and serious, while people's lives became increasingly difficult.

Strangely, ancient concubines' h.ands were always "sticky" with "fake nails", what was the purpose? An Nhi16:37:51 26/06/2024Nail rings are also known as fake nails or protective rings. It has been around for a long time, since the Warring States period. The ancient Chinese believed that hair and nails were born from parents, so avoid cutting them and just let them grow naturally!