Why is it said that the remains of Xiao Meiniang’s ancient tomb unearthed in Yangzhou subvert our understanding?

Xiao Meiniang, also known as Queen Xiao, was the queen of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. She was the daughter of Emperor Liang Ming of the Western Liang Dynasty. She was born in Jiangling (now Jingzhou City, Hubei Province), the capital of the Later Liang Dynasty, on February 19, the 20th year of Tianbao. Her beauty is amazing, and she can still be remembered by Li Shimin when she was over fifty. As for how beautiful she is, from her life experience, we can roughly understand her charming charm.

According to rumors, when Xiao was young, an expert had a fortune telling for her and said that he was the destiny of his mother Yi Tianxia. When she was thirteen years old, she became the concubine of Yang Guang, who was still the king of Jin at the time. Later, when Yang Guang ascended the throne as emperor, she naturally became Yang Guang's queen. Later, Yang Guang's great success inspired a people's uprising, and Yang Guang was also killed by the rebels. After Yang Guang's death, Empress Xiao first fell into the hands of the rebel leader Yu Wenhuaji, and then was taken away by Dou Jiande, the leader of the peasant uprising army. Later, Yang Guang's sister Princess Yicheng welcomed Empress Xiao to the Turks, and she returned a few years later. Arrived in the Central Plains. At this time, the current emperor was Li Shimin, and Queen Xiao, who was nearly fifty years old, entered the harem of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and became a Zhaorong. Empress Xiao died peacefully in the Tang Palace when she was 67 years old. After her death, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty buried Empress Xiao in the mausoleum of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty with the following rites, and gave her the posthumous title of Empress Min.

In March 2013, two brick-chambered tombs were discovered in a real estate construction project in Caozhuang, Situ Village, Xihu Town, Yangzhou City. The epitaphs clearly read "Epitaph of Emperor Yangdi Sui" and other words. . After archaeological excavation and demonstration, it was confirmed to be the final burial place of Sui Yang Emperor Yang Guang and Empress Xiao. Not only were a large number of funerary objects unearthed from the tomb, but also two male teeth and female human bone remains were discovered. The human skeletal remains in the tomb were identified by physical anthropology experts from Nanjing University as the remains of a woman about 56 years old and about 1.5 meters tall. Based on the shape of the tomb, the high-grade funerary objects unearthed in the tomb, the identification of human bone remains, and combined with documentary records, it was determined that the owner of the tomb was Empress Xiao, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty.

According to many historical records, the Xiao family has a beautiful appearance, a slender figure, and a noble temperament. She has always been called "Xiao Meiniang". However, according to the archaeological excavation of Queen Xiao's tomb, Queen Xiao was only 1.5 meters tall. , according to today's standards, no matter how beautiful her appearance is, she is not considered a beauty. This is completely different from the beautiful appearance and slender figure of Empress Xiao recorded in historical records. It really subverts people's perception.

Then why did Queen Xiao get Yang Guang’s special favor? Empress Xiao is the great-granddaughter of Xiao Tong, Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty, and the daughter of Xiao Ming Emperor Xiao Kui. Her mother is Empress Zhang, which shows that she was born into a noble family. To a certain extent, she represented Yang Guang's attitude towards Jiangnan. If the Sui Dynasty wanted to consolidate its rule, it had to eliminate the barriers between the north and the south and gain the support of the southern nobles. Queen Xiao represented Yang Guang's friendly attitude towards Jiangnan. . The Jiangnan family, with the Lanling Xiao family as the core, laid a foundation for Yang Guang to seize the throne in the future. In addition, Empress Xiao gave birth to three sons and two daughters for Yang Guang. She had many children, so she received Yang Guang's favor.