Why couldn't Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Xuan of Han be buried in the ancestral mausoleums after their deaths?
The Western Han Dynasty was the first heyday of my country's feudal era, and this is how the name "Han Nation" came about. During the Western Han Dynasty, various regulations and systems of the feudal era were formed, consolidated and improved, including the funeral system.
In 200 BC, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, finally selected Xianyang to the west of Chang'an as the royal cemetery, and subsequent generations were buried here.
When every emperor of the Western Han Dynasty built the Chang'an Palace, he also spent a lot of money and financial resources to build his own mausoleum. There were eleven emperors in the Western Han Dynasty, and they all started to build cemeteries just one year later. Since the financial funds consumed reached one-third of the national tax revenue.
Nine emperors of the Western Han Dynasty were buried in the royal cemetery of the Western Han Dynasty. The order of distribution from east to west is Yangling, Changling of Han emperor Liu Bang, Anling, Yiling, Weiling, Kangling, Yanling, Pingling of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, and Maoling.
However, there were two emperors in the Western Han Dynasty. The tombs of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, namely Ba Ling and Du Ling, were not among the ancestral mausoleums. Many people wonder why these two emperors did not Are your grandfathers buried together?
Emperor Liu Heng of Han Dynasty was the fourth son of Han Emperor Liu Bang and the half-brother of Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty Liu Ying. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was relatively diligent throughout his life. After taking power, he created a famous and prosperous era in history, which was the rule of Wen and Jing. It is really puzzling that the emperor who achieved such great achievements was not buried in the ancestral grave of his father Liu Bang, nor did he receive the proper mourning ceremony.
All of this also starts with the life experience of Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty. After Qi King Liu Xiang joined forces with Chen Ping and Zhou Bo to eliminate the power of the Lu Group, the weak and cautious acting king Liu Heng succeeded to the throne. When Emperor Liu Heng of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, he did not build the imperial mausoleum on Xianyang Plain, but chose Bailu Yuan on the bank of the Ba River. This was influenced by the "Zhaomu System" of the Han Dynasty's funeral system. Specifically, when the dynasty is buried, the father should be placed on the left as Zhao, and the son should be placed on the right as Mu.
At that time, Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty Liu Ying's Anling was chosen to be on the right side of Liu Bang. Liu Ying had already occupied the position of Mu. It would be inconsistent with etiquette for Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty to choose his tomb on the right side, so he placed it there. The site of his mausoleum is under the Phoenix Mouth in Bailuyuan.
Han Xuan Emperor Liu Xun was the tenth emperor during the Western Han Dynasty and was also a famous virtuous emperor in history. However, after Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty passed away, he was not buried in the ancestral mausoleum in Xianyang. Some people think that because Liu Xun was the grandson of Liu Zhi, the crown prince of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in his later years, he may have hated Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and was naturally unwilling to be buried in the ancestral mausoleum.
However, according to expert research, it is not that simple. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty still followed the funeral system of the Han Dynasty. The situation of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty was similar to that of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, but not exactly the same. Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty Liu Xun was the grandson of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty Liu Fuling. According to etiquette, he should be buried in the Zhao position. The succession to the throne of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty was a kind of inheritance from another generation, which conflicted with Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty when he was still on the throne. Therefore, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty could not be buried in the ancestral mausoleum.