Bao Zheng went out of the funeral, 21 coffins were carried out of the city gate at the same time, and the tomb robbers saw this and set up a rule not to rob the ancient tomb.
Twenty-one coffins were carried out of the city gate at the same time, leaving the tomb robbers who passed by jaw-dropping. This bizarre scene has been recorded in the history of tomb robberies and has become one of the most colorful.
So, who exactly is this legend and why is his funeral so unique? How did such a scene influence the tomb robbers who followed?
Bao Zheng, a generation of clean officials, adhered to justice, and was framed by villains, but he never changed his original intention. Born into a scholarly family, he was brilliant and studious at an early age. He was not only proficient in ancient poetry, but also inherited the medical skills of his father, and often treated the poor and sick people.
Bao Zheng passed the imperial examination and was admitted to the Jinshi with excellent results. During his tenure of office, he was known for his diligence and love for the people, fairness and selflessness, and was deeply loved by the people. He actively pursued the policy of reducing taxes, rectified the administration of officials, personally tried unjust, false and wrongly decided cases, adhered to justice, was not at the mercy of power, and gained a great reputation.
However, good people often can't escape the trap of villains. The powerful villain hid Bao Zheng's political achievements from the emperor, and even secretly framed him. Bao Zheng was demoted to the deputy envoy of the Chizhou regiment because of an unjust case.
But he did not give up because of this, always adhered to justice, and finally showed his grievances and received fair treatment.
Despite the remoteness and barrenness of Chizhou, Bao Zheng still insisted on honesty and self-discipline and worked diligently. During the day, he went deep into the countryside and mines to conduct field investigations, and at night he listened to the voices of the people and worked hard day and night.
Three years later, his outstanding political achievements won the recognition of the imperial court, and he was recalled to the capital to serve as a household attendant. In the following years, Bao Zheng always adhered to the quality of honesty and honesty, bravely exposed social evils, and successfully helped Song Renzong correct more than 10,000 unjust, false and wrongful cases.
Therefore, he won unanimous praise from the government and the opposition, and his reputation was spread far and wide, and he was known as the first Qing official in the ages.
On July 3, 1062, the 64-year-old Bao Zheng died of illness, and the bad news shocked the whole city. At the farewell ceremony, the people spontaneously gathered in front of the city gate, a total of 21 coffins, which was moving.
Tens of thousands of city residents stood solemnly and mourned this good official who had been honest and honest all his life. They sighed that if Song Renzong had not misused traitorous ministers back then, perhaps Bao Zheng would still be able to live in the world and continue to do his best for the common people in the world.
This touching scene makes people deeply feel the people's admiration and nostalgia for Bao Zheng.
When people remembered Bao Zheng's incorruptibility and exploits, 21 coffins of the same size were carried out at the city gate, which made people amazed. In the face of doubts, Bao Zheng's family explained that this was not Bao Zheng's intention, but a plan they made to protect the integrity of Bao Zheng's tomb and prevent it from being stolen.
This is an unexpected but deliberate decision, which shows the respect and protection of Bao Zheng's family.
Using ancient wisdom and ingenious strategies, Bao Zheng's cemetery was perfectly protected and his image of incorruptibility was maintained. It is said that the large amount of gold, silver and jewelry in the tomb made it easy to attract tomb robbers.
However, Bao Zheng was honest and frugal during his lifetime, and he may not have much wealth in his tomb. In order to avoid the theft of the tomb and damage Bao Zheng's image of innocence and integrity, his family specially made 21 identical "model" coffins.
On the day of the funeral, these coffins went out of the city together with the funeral goods in front of Bao Zheng's real body, which was eye-catching. This ingenious design made it impossible for tomb robbers who coveted the wealth in the tomb to distinguish between the real and the fake, and finally gave up the idea of stealing.
When people learned about this strategy, they all praised Bao Zheng's family. Their cleverness and decisiveness allowed Bao Zheng's cemetery to be well preserved and his image of incorruptibility to be maintained.
This is Bao Zheng's family, our beloved Bao Qingtian.
The tomb robbers vowed never to invade the Bao cemetery, although the soldiers continued to search for their whereabouts. Although only one of the 21 "fictitious" coffins was eventually buried with the real body, they succeeded in achieving their intent to deter and confuse the tomb robbers.
When Bao Zheng's hearse slowly passed by the people and tomb robbers, these ordinary and immoral gangsters also came to see him off, and vowed not to steal Bao Zheng's tomb again, in order to express their admiration for this incorruptible **.
Bao Da was responsible for honesty and benevolence during his lifetime, and we don't need to steal his tomb, we will only cause trouble for ourselves. One of the tomb robbers said, and the others nodded.
Since then, there has been an unwritten rule for tomb robbers, and no one dares to commit crimes against Bao Zheng's cemetery.
Although Bao Gong was highly respected among the people, when the Jin soldiers invaded the Central Plains 100 years after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, they tried to take revenge and humiliate the Qing official who had exposed the misgovernance of the Jin dynasty.
However, Jin Bing did not find Bao Gong's grave because the Bao family was very clever and they did not leave obvious clues. In the end, Jin Bing only found the tomb of Bao Zheng's wife and returned empty-handed, and the whereabouts of the 20 mold coffins were unknown.
The original funeral coffin was distributed by the Bao family to the poor family and used as firewood, mending doors and windows. These poor families did not shy away from coffins, but believed that it could bring good luck, so these "precious" mold coffins became a tool for them to get rid of poverty and become rich, and one of them was even bought by the rich to make dressers.
Bao Zheng's tomb, after thousands of years, has not been disturbed by greedy tomb robbers and iron-blooded soldiers, and sleeps quietly on the earth. It has a simple and low-key attitude, just like the owner before his death, waiting for the years to pass.
Not only the descendants of the Bao family, but also the righteous soul left by Bao Qingtian is also guarding this tomb, which is eternal. Although the final fate of the 20 coffins is unknown, we can be sure that they symbolize the poor people's perseverance in hope and their dedication to fulfilling their wishes.
And the tomb of Bao Gong is praised and guarded by the people for hundreds of years, and it is as solid as a rock. Because Bao Qingtian has been active in serving the people all his life, fair and honest, his name and his spirit will always be engraved in people's hearts and illuminate all directions.
The tomb was stolen, questioning humanity. People miss righteousness, but people's hearts are unpredictable, and there are always some despicable people in the moral pyramid who challenge the bottom line. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, a "scientific archaeology" boom swept across the country, and some literati, scholars and tomb robbers took the opportunity to excavate ancient tombs.
In a village in Henan, the archaeological team found a quaint tomb, whose owner turned out to be Bao Zheng! The discovery immediately caused a national sensation, and the diggers, wielding their shovels, imagined that they would find a large number of treasures.
However, when they cleared the earth from the tomb, they were greeted with emptiness. The originally beautifully decorated coffin was gone, and only a solitary sarcophagus leaned against a corner, in which lay weathered white bones.
The leader of the archaeological team complained dissatisfiedly, because a rich tomb did not fit the description of a particular specialist, and ordered to rush to fill in the site. This led to a wave of scolding from the literati, questioning whether the gravediggers had lost their humanity.
However, the world also began to regret that even Bao Gong's tomb was stolen. However, right next to the sarcophagus, a well-preserved epitaph was found, which recorded in detail the life and deeds of Bao Zheng.
This provides valuable historical data for the study of Bao Zheng's life achievements. Only then did people understand why Bao Zheng's tomb had been repeatedly stolen and excavated for thousands of years, but his deeds were still vividly remembered - it turned out that when he died, his family had already hidden the epitaph in a corner of the tomb, and continued the glorious years of this Qing official with words and spirit.
Although the times change and the years pass, the powerful and famous will eventually be forgotten, but only the righteous and righteous will forever be recorded in the annals of history. Whenever we face social turmoil and the invasion of darkness, we need to be like Bao Gong, stick to justice and keep moving forward.
Only in this way can we leave the best hymn to the first Qing official in the memory of the future!