Why didn’t even Cixi dare to touch the ancestral grave of the Cao family in Wuqing, and the railway had to be detoured?
In the hearts of the Chinese, ancestral graves have always been a sacred and inviolable place that determines the feng shui of the entire family and the fate of their children and grandchildren. In order to ensure that the family's ancestral graves can have peace and protect their descendants from generation to generation, countless families have tried their best to By all means. But how many family ancestral graves have been preserved since ancient times? When the imperial court wants to acquire land, you have no choice but to move, because it is difficult for one person to change the national plan. But in Chinese history, there is a tomb that is even more impressive than the imperial mausoleum. Not only did the emperor dare not touch it, but the country also built railways. You have to take a detour obediently. Which ancestral tomb is so awesome? That is the ancestral tomb of Cao family in Wuqing!
Speaking of the owner of this kind of ancestral tomb, there is still some background in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The owner of the tomb is Cao Chuan, a famous local family in Wuqing. The Cao family has been officials for generations since the Ming Dynasty. The first, second, third and fourth generations all served as Ronglu doctors in the Ming Dynasty, while the fifth, sixth and seventh generations were all reviewers of the Hanlin Academy in the Qing Dynasty. This official was not a big one. , but it was able to make Cixi give in three points, and Guangxu didn't dare to offend him. The main reason is that Cao Chuan, the sixth generation ancestor of the Cao family, had a very good relationship with Kangxi. Kangxi basically stayed at Cao Chuan's home for a few days every year. Kangxi even asked Cao Chuan's son to study with the prince.
The Cao family was so close to the emperor. Logically speaking, they should have been ostracized by the rulers after the change of dynasties. However, in the Qing Dynasty, a man named Cao Chuan who was very good at flattering appeared in the Cao family. The sixth generation ancestor of the emperor, because he was good at flattering, easily climbed to the top of Emperor Kangxi. Historical records record that Emperor Kangxi would stay at Cao Chuan's house every time he went on tour incognito. Cao Chuan treated Cao Chuan warmly every time, and he went there more often.
At that time, there were many floods in the Haihe River system in Tianjin. Emperor Kangxi drove Wu Qing to inspect the water conditions many times. Cao Chuan, with his outstanding talent and excellent flattering skills, won Kangxi's favor when he took over. From then on, every time Kangxi went on tour, he would be picked up by the Cao family. Over time, Kangxi had great trust in the Cao family. He not only arranged for the Cao family's children to accompany the princes in the palace, but also took great care of the Cao family in other aspects. So Kangxi simply inscribed a few words on the Cao family. Cao Chuan was more straightforward and immediately had a plaque made and hung in his courtyard. It is precisely because of this plaque that the Cao family's ancestral tomb has been kept safe for several years.
Then during the Guangxu period, the imperial court understood the importance of technology and began to build a railway. The construction route of this railway was from Beijing to Shanhaiguan, so it was also called the Jingshan Railway. But unfortunately, a short section of this railway line happens to pass through the ancestral graves of the Cao family. Logically speaking, who dares to disobey the national land acquisition? The first thing ordinary people think about is to find another Feng Shui treasure land, and then move it. Just move the grave. But when they arrived at the Cao family, they didn't think so. The first thing they thought about was that the ancestral tombs could not be moved. It was because of the good Feng Shui of the ancestral tombs that they could protect the Cao family's prosperity and wealth for hundreds of years. If they moved, they would definitely suffer disaster.
After the Cao family returned home, they brought a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry to the palace to meet Cixi. They told Cixi that the plaque with Emperor Kangxi's imperial inscription was hung in the cemetery and could not be moved. When Cixi heard this, she realized that this was right. Kangxi was the most accomplished emperor in the Qing Dynasty. How could he move his golden plaque hanging there? So Cixi quickly ordered Guangxu to issue an order to divert the railway, and Cao's tomb was not allowed to be moved. Guangxu was originally afraid of Cixi, so he could only obey Cixi's instructions and order the railway to be diverted. It turns out that it’s not the ancestral graves that are great, but the calligraphy alone.
This ancestral tomb remained stable during the feudal period. Unfortunately, later, a group of young people completely dug up the tomb and confiscated all the contents inside. The tombstone was used as a chopping board for fried dough sticks. The Cao family’s soul is in heaven. They would definitely be angry to death. The grave that even Cixi and Guangxu didn't dare to touch was dug by these stupid young people. The thousand acres of Cao family's ancestral graves that no one dared to touch during the Ming and Qing Dynasties are now gone.