Before Sima Yi died, why did he violate etiquette and prohibit his descendants from visiting his tomb?

In June of the third year of Jiaping, that is, 251, Sima Yi, the powerful minister of Cao Wei, fell ill and died of illness in Luoyang in August of the same year at the age of seventy-three. Sima Yi's death was not hasty, so he had enough time to arrange his funeral affairs. Therefore, before his death, he "prepared the final draft" and "composed three chapters on fate." Sima Yi's arrangements for his funeral went against common sense and even prevented future generations from worshiping his tomb. So why did Sima Yi do this?

Sima Yi's will mainly contains four contents: First, the location of the mausoleum was chosen in Shouyang Mountain, "no graves, no trees." The so-called "no graves and no trees" means that the mausoleum does not need to be mounded with soil and does not plant any trees. According to the regulations at that time, "the emperor's tomb should be three feet high, with pine trees; the princes should have half a tomb with cypress trees; the officials should have eight feet high, with luan trees; the scholars four feet, with locust trees." Only common people would "not seal or tree it." "Although Sima Yi did not proclaim himself emperor, he was already a powerful minister of Cao Wei, which was obviously inconsistent with the regulations.

Secondly, when the body is buried, it should be "contained in the appropriate clothes without any visible utensils." The so-called fashionable clothes refer to the clothes that are usually worn, and the visible objects are the burial objects. According to Sima Yi's status, no one dared to raise objections even if he was buried in a yellow robe. However, Sima Yi ordered that he be buried in ordinary clothes and that no burial objects be placed with him. In ancient China, "life and death and burial" were emphasized, which was the way to fulfill filial piety. Therefore, the trend of thick burials prevailed, but Sima Yi requested a thin burial.

Third, "the last deceased shall not be buried together." This means that any wife who died behind Sima Yi must not be buried with him. Fourth, future generations are prohibited from visiting their own tombs. This stipulation is the most unreasonable. "Rituals serve the heaven above and serve the earth below. Honoring the ancestors and honoring the emperor and teachers are the three principles of rites." The worship of ancestors is an important part of "rituals" and is also an important part of Chinese culture. Thousands of years of traditional culture, but Sima Yi violated the etiquette and did not allow his descendants to worship his tomb. Why on earth is this?

I think the reason why Sima Yi's will is contrary to common sense has two main purposes, and it is also what Sima Yi was most worried about before his death. First, "no sealing, no tree", thin burial and not allowing future generations to visit the mausoleum have the same purpose, which is to hide the location of one's mausoleum and prevent it from being stolen. From the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, the trend of thick burials was prevalent. As a result, in troubled times, nine out of ten tombs were empty, so Sima Yi wanted to use this method to prevent theft.

Second, learn lessons from history. Back then, Sima Yi was deprived of power by Cao Shuang. How did he launch a coup and take control of Cao Wei's political situation? That’s right, it’s the Gaopingling Incident! At that time, Cao Shuang followed the Wei lord Cao Fang out of the city and paid a visit to Gaopingling. Sima Yi took the opportunity to launch a coup and wipe out Cao Shuang's party. Although Sima Yi was seriously ill, he was not confused, so before he died, he ordered, "No descendants or officials are allowed to visit the mausoleum."

After Sima Yi's death, both Sima Shi and Sima Zhao abided by his will and never Pass my father’s tomb. However, Sima Yi's grandson Sima Yan violated his grandfather's will and visited the tombs of Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, but "did not dare to visit the Gaoyuan Mausoleum (Sima Yi's tomb)". Although the Western Jin Dynasty ruled the world, it soon fell into chaos. Sima Yi's great-grandson Sima Rui established the Eastern Jin Dynasty in Jiankang, and the north fell under the rule of ethnic minority regimes.