A Brief Account of Zhong Xiang (Jiajing Chapter)

Zhong Xiang carries the magnificent singing and dancing of the Chu Kingdom

and also carries the lifelong attachment of Emperor Shizong Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty

On the way to Mochou Village

My companion and I got off the car and visited the museum

The first thing that caught our eyes was a tall archway

On both sides of the archway from top to bottom are peonies, phoenixes, unicorns, and pine trees. Reliefs such as Crane Yannian and Carp Jumping over the Dragon Gate

There are drums and four stone lions at the base of the pillars

The three characters "Shao Sima" on the lintel are eye-catching

The stone structure has become very mottled, but it still cannot hide the majestic momentum and exquisite carving skills

An archway and a legend

According to historical records, the Shaosima archway was built by Zeng Shengwu, the left minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. Built by visiting relatives in his hometown

Perhaps he himself did not expect that his famous memorial arch could stand for a hundred years on the land of his hometown

If it were normal, this memorial arch might not be surprising

But it was on a gray and rainy day

Behind the tall stone pillars, there was a hazy scene of water vapor and smoke rising

It was like "A Dream of Red Mansions" "The illusion of Taixu makes people want to go in and find out.

Passing through the Shaosima Archway

is an open space paved with stone bricks

Museum White The main building vaguely looks like a white jade paperweight in the distance

There are various rows of ginkgo trees on both sides of the open space

Late autumn is the time when the ginkgo leaves are at their most brilliant

In a space with only white and gray, they spread a bright yellow color in the air

It makes people feel particularly bright and dazzling

I vaguely remember”

Ginkgo is an extremely long-lived plant that can witness historical changes

It seems only appropriate that they should guide visitors to the museum

With the pace of progress

The appearance of the main building of the museum is becoming more and more clear

The simple plain rectangular body has a uniquely designed door embedded in the middle

The door is composed of six wooden boards of the same size

The door shafts with hollow carved patterns can rotate freely

making the wooden boards like slowly unfolding pages of a book

Museum The exhibition hall is not large and there are not many exhibits

Most of the cultural relics related to the Chu Kingdom have been moved to the Hubei Provincial Museum

Most of the things left there are old items from the Ming Dynasty

Among them, most of them are jewelry ornaments, including gold flower hairpins, gold earrings, cloud-shaped gold hairpins, aromatherapy stoves

It was also in the museum that I learned about the origins of Emperor Jiajing and Zhong Xiang

Zhong Xiang was once a Xingxian Zhu Houcong, the fiefdom of Wang Zhuyouji, was his second son

After the death of Zhu Youji, Zhu Houcong, who was only twelve years old, became the king of Xing

In the 16th year of Zhengde, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty quoted "Brother" on his deathbed. According to the principle of "the last brother succeeds"

his cousin Zhu Houcong was planned to inherit the throne

From then on, Zhu Houcong officially became the emperor. The following year, the throne was changed to Jiajing in Yuan Dynasty

and located in Zhongxiang The Xianling Mausoleum on Chunde Mountain in the east of the city

It is the joint tomb of Emperor Jiajing’s father, Emperor Gongruixian, Zhu Youqiu, and his mother, Empress Cixiaoxian

My companions and I were on a quiet morning

Come to this ancient tomb of pure purity

The red walls and yellow tiles of Wailuo City are magnificent and undulating among the mountains

After the new rain in the empty mountains There is smoke curling up from Waiming Pond in front of us. It is said that the water can gather dragon energy

The entrance to the cemetery is a new red gate with a dismounting stele inscribed with "Officials have been waiting to dismount here". Wei Ran stood aside

We walked through the new red gate with humility

Walking on the winding road paved with white jade slabs, we walked past the old red gate, Shengde Monument, Yuhe Bridge, and the stone statues had dragon scales. Shinto

The nine-curved river winds around the feet

The soles of the shoes hit the ground and made a slight clicking sound, as if they were knocking on the door of the Ming Dynasty

The most impressive thing along the way is probably the dozens of pairs of stone statues

After passing the Yuhe Bridge, there is a straight road

On both sides of the road are green pine trees. Right

Lifelike statues with different expressions

At first, the stone statues were in the shape of some mythical beasts

Camels, elephants, unicorns and lions

From Mobei to the Western Regions, from mythology to human auspiciousness

Demonstrating the vast territory and dreamy imagination of the Ming Dynasty

The last pairs of statues are civil servants and military generals

Their costumes are exquisite, their appearance is high-spirited and wise.

It seems to tell visitors that the Ming Dynasty is full of talents

Stand at one end of the road and look at the statues, which are symmetrically arranged along the central axis and upright.

They are upright and upright. The guardians of the tomb are a reflection of the prosperous times during the Jiajing period when people from all over the world paid tribute

In the deepest part of the cemetery stands the tallest building in the park------Ming Tower

Ming Tower The clear round pond in front is called the Inner Ming Pond, which echoes the Outer Ming Pond

According to legend, the Inner Ming Pond, in addition to gathering dragon energy, is also responsible for extinguishing fires in the cemetery

This is Because most of the cemetery buildings are wooden structures, if water cannot be rescued immediately, the consequences will be disastrous

The small pond also reflects the designer’s originality

The east and west auxiliary halls in front of the Minglou have been decorated several times. The catastrophe has left only broken bricks and abandoned tiles, which makes people feel a little sad

Behind the Minglou is the tomb of the owner of the tomb that has not yet been mined

We have no way of knowing the prosperity inside the tomb. You can get a glimpse of its appearance from the outside

Climb up the Minglou to get a panoramic view of the mausoleum area

The nine-curved river is so smart and beautiful that it looks like two playful dragons

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And the sparkling Neimingtang is the bright orb they are fighting for

If the Minglou is compared to a dragon head, then the entire cemetery is also a vivid dragon

< p> It is said that the designer deliberately deviated the road between the old and new red gates from the central axis

In order to give the cemetery a picture of a dragon waving its tail

Surrounded by mountains on three sides it looks like A dragon chair

Surrounded by clear water, it gathers the aura of beauty between heaven and earth

The mausoleum area can really be regarded as a geomantic treasure land

If most of the imperial mausoleums The carved beams and painted buildings are solemn and solemn

Everywhere reflects the majesty of the Tianjia atmosphere

Then the Xianling Mausoleum gives people a gentle and humble feeling everywhere

Jiajing Emperor was born and raised here

Perhaps when he was young, he thought he would never leave this land

By fate's arrangement, Zhong Xiang became him after sitting on the dragon chair. The first half of his life that he always missed but could not go back

After the "Great Ceremony", Emperor Jiajing ignored the opposition of his ministers

He named his biological father Zhu Youqi as the Gongruixian Emperor and buried him in the palace. Mausoleum

After the death of his mother, Empress Jiang, Emperor Jiajing named her Empress Dowager Zhangsheng and brought her body back to Zhongxiang to be buried with her father

Xu Shi had never experienced a battle for the throne

I have never tasted the bitterness of brothers fighting against each other

Maybe it’s because my father never became an emperor during his lifetime

There is not too much interest and utilitarianism in the relationship. Between father and son

Perhaps it was because of his mother who took care of and assisted him all the way

Helping his young self to secure the throne and guide the country

Emperor Jiajing had no reservations in the mausoleum It perfectly shows the tenderness of the heart and the respect and love for the parents

The palaces and houses are not extremely luxurious but they are cleverly and beautifully designed

The roads and bridges are not wide and majestic but they are neatly and smartly laid

It seems that this is not a mausoleum used to demonstrate imperial power

but a simple and comfortable layman's palace carrying the purest filial piety of a son to his parents

Obviously The mausoleum was built from the 14th year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty to the 38th year of Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty

It took 40 years to complete

It has been completed for nearly 500 years since the Jiajing period

The water of time washes away every brick, tile, plant and tree in the cemetery

But it cannot wash away the most sincere love deep in the hearts of the people who built the cemetery

After stepping out The moment the mausoleum was unveiled, the melody of this song suddenly sounded in my ears:

The wind and rain in the past life and the dust and smoke in the future

The pavilions, palaces and palaces are all in ruins

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The prosperity is gone and the princes are sleeping forever

Time spreads for thousands of generations