Liu Ao's most greedy emperor actually built two imperial mausoleums for himself!
Han Gaozu was the eldest son of Han Gaozu and Empress Xiao, and was the twelfth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. Liu Ao, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, had high hopes from his grandfather Liu Xun since he was a child.
Liu Ao’s name was given by Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, and “riding” means a thousand-mile horse. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty hoped that his grandson could become the horse of the Liu royal family and create a more glorious Western Han Dynasty.
However, it is regrettable that the "dragon species" with high hopes eventually developed into "turtle eggs". Liu Ao destroyed the Han Dynasty. As the emperor, he was famous for doting on the Zhao sisters; because he took ten Hercules pills at one time and died under Zhao Hede's bed skirt, he became famous, so he became a real tofu in the scumbag.
Moreover, when it comes to how to destroy the great mountains and rivers in his hands, Liu Ao is the best. In order to continue to enjoy happiness after death, he used the power of the whole country to build two tombs for himself.
Since Emperor Liu Bang of the Western Han Dynasty, the trend of lavish burials began. After all, the emperors who were born to die believed that there was an underground world waiting for them to enjoy, so death was as good as life. Said: "One year after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came to the throne, he built his mausoleum. Two-thirds of the world's tribute was paid, one for the ancestral hall, one for the guests, and the other for the mountain mausoleum." According to this statement, the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty usually began to build their own mausoleums in the second year after they ascended the throne. Shouling. Usually, it is grand in scale and extremely luxurious. It took one-third of the world's tribute to bring all the power and wealth they had during their lifetimes to the underground world.
In 31 BC, Liu Ao, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, began to build his Shouling Mausoleum, Yanling, in Xianyang Garden on the north bank of the Wei River. Ten years later, Yanling had cost hundreds of millions, but Liu Ao discovered that Yanling was too close to Qin Gong's mausoleum, and the tall walls of Qin Gong's mausoleum had a great impact on the architectural layout of Yanling. Therefore, Liu Ao decided to build a larger and more majestic Shouling Mausoleum, Changling, in the east of Chang'an City on the south bank of the Wei River.
The construction of the mausoleum is not like that of ordinary people. It cannot die and the ashes can be stored on a shelf. The mausoleum is a national project, and countless manpower, material resources, and financial resources are consumed to build an imperial mausoleum. But Liu Ao, the prodigal son, needed to build two more.
In order to build Changling, the Western Han government used tens of thousands of workers and apprentices. Liu Ao moved 5,000 wealthy households to Changling City to serve the tomb. In order to encourage his courtiers to move to Changling City, he even divided cemeteries and mansions for the generals and princes in the court. However, Changling Mausoleum is located on a low terrain, so the height of the mausoleum must be raised first when building the mausoleum. This led to a sharp increase in construction costs. Historical records say: "Borrow the soil from Dongshan and keep Gujia." Only five years after the construction of Changling, in the Western Han Dynasty, "the world was ruined and the people stopped working", and opposition from the government and the opposition arose.
Liu Ao had no choice but to stop building Changling and Yanling was rebuilt. Despite the suspension of construction and repairs, the two constructions of Yanling took a total of 19 years, making it extremely luxurious. This emperor who indulged in sensuality all day long spent a lot of time building his own mausoleum so that he could enjoy more glory and wealth after his death. Today, more than two thousand years later, we can still see a huge 30-meter-high mound in Yanling.
However, Liu Ao, who loved sisters Zhao and Zhao Hede so much during his lifetime, even killed his own son for them, never imagined that after his death, the two sisters would have no chance to be with him. Share grief after death.
Today, there are many large and small graves in Yanling Cemetery. The only one who is certain is Empress Xu, who was deposed and executed. According to historical records, Hou Xu was buried in "West Mu Stable in Yanling" after his death. Now there is an ancient tomb about 18 meters high two miles south of Yanling, which is consistent with the location recorded in historical books.
As the queen of Zhao, she was honored as the queen mother after her death. In the end, he was investigated for the crime of "killing the prince" and was dismissed as a civil servant. He moved to Yanling to guard Liu Ao's mausoleum, and finally committed suicide. According to the burial customs for concubines of the Han Dynasty, Zhao should be buried in Yanling, but she did not enjoy the funeral of a queen. Therefore, until now, archaeologists are still unable to determine which tomb in Yanling belongs to Zhao Yanfei.
As for Liu Ao’s favorite, Zhao Hede, it’s even worse. Liu Ao died in bed, and when she was forced to commit suicide, all the Zhao people were exiled to the desolate Liaoxi County. Therefore, she might not even be qualified to be buried in Yanling.