Below, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you the fate of the concubines in Zhu Yuanzhang’s harem after his death. Interested friends can continue to read below
Zhu Yuanzhang believed that after death, he would enter another world. In this world, he was an emperor, but in another world, he did not want to be alone. Therefore, he wanted those who had served him to be buried with him, and he could still enjoy the treatment of an emperor after death.
2、 In order to maintain the stability of the Ming Dynasty and prevent the harem from interfering in politics after one’s death.
Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally suspicious because there was a situation in which the Li Tang Dynasty was ruled by Wu Zetian. He was worried that after his death, the Ming Dynasty would be usurped by women in the imperial harem. Therefore, he demanded that all women in the imperial harem be buried to prevent political instability caused by women in the harem.
So how miserable were the concubines who sacrificed themselves for him? “Emperor Taizu buried 46 concubines with him in Xiaoling, and only a dozen palace attendants died among them.
Since it is an established fact that Zhu Yuanzhang restored the system of human sacrifice, let’s talk about how miserable the concubines who sacrificed for him were. This starts with the method of execution. There is a lot of controversy about the method of execution, but currently, the following two statements are recognized.
One is to inject mercury, the main purpose of which is to ensure that their bodies do not decay and their appearance remains unchanged for thousands of years after being buried. This method sounds very beautiful, but it is actually a very cruel method.
Firstly, eunuchs or palace maids would add sleeping pills to the food of these buried concubines. After waiting for the medication to take effect and being in a coma, a small hole was made in their heads, followed by the injection of mercury into their bodies. Mercury is highly toxic, and at the same time, these young concubines can’t sleep, indicating their cruelty.
