Friends who like watching costume TV dramas may have such doubts. Why do the women in the play survive all the way from the show girl who just entered the palace to the queen, then to the queen mother and then to the empress dowager, and most of the emperors died young? Do you think this is a plot deliberately created by TV series to shoot the heroine's play? No, this is true in history.
Throughout history, according to statistics, there were 493 emperors in China feudal society, and there were 206 emperors with clear age records in history books. Their average life expectancy is 39.2 years, which is a premature death for the emperor. Why did the emperor become a high-risk occupation? In addition to the political struggle between power and position, it is also related to one of their hobbies. The way for emperors to live longer.
Now there are businesses selling all kinds of health care products, under the slogan that drugs can rejuvenate and cure all diseases, and cheat the elderly. Do you think this fake business is a specialty of modern society? There were some in ancient times, but they had a name that sounded very tall-alchemist. They pursue immortality and achieve immortality all their lives, encouraging them to pursue their dreams constantly. In addition to the immortal stories left by predecessors, there are also high hopes given to them by the emperor.
The first emperor in China who pursued immortality was Qin Shihuang, the pioneer of feudal monarchy. After his death, he left a "Dan River" in his tomb, which is what we call mercury in our daily life. Most of the elixirs cultivated by ancient alchemists, especially the so-called elixir of life, contain heavy metal elements such as mercury and lead, because after taking a small amount of heavy metal ions, people will be excited, energetic, swollen, white and red, and look like rejuvenation. The "law of true fragrance" convinced emperors that even the wisest emperors could not escape.
With the lessons of Qin Shihuang, it is reasonable to say that the emperor should avoid taking Dan medicine, but the right to the throne is always fascinating. When we were young, we all dared to despise death, but in middle age, we were afraid of death, because most of what you should have at this time, especially the emperor. They are used to living above ten thousand people, know nothing about death, and hate giving up this supreme power, so they want to pursue eternal life.
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, is such a typical example. When he was young, he laughed at the ignorance of Qin Shihuang and Han Wudi. He is old and obsessed with the skills of alchemists. Finally, he died of a sudden illness because he took the medicine of monk Hu. After that, emperors' pursuit of elixir of life was like a moth to a fire. Kangxi Qianlong's Way of Longevity
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty had smallpox when he was a child. He cherished this hard-won life and resolutely resisted the temptation of Dan medicine. Not only that, his life is very regular and his diet is moderate. As he said, "the elderly should be indifferent to their diet, and they will get sick less every time they eat vegetables." In Qing Dynasty, a large number of western science and technology were introduced into China, and western medical technology was also introduced into China. Kangxi was surrounded by two foreign doctors. Because he was exposed to the high technology at that time, Kangxi trusted science and looked down on immortality. When he was in his fifties, his hair and beard gradually turned white, and some ministers advised him to take medicine for treatment. Kangxi believed that the whitening of hair and beard was a normal natural phenomenon and did not need human intervention. In this state of mind, Kangxi lived to be 69 years old, the longest among emperors.
But Kangxi's grandson, Qianlong, lived longer than him and was the oldest emperor in China. Gan Long has always worshipped his grandfather Kangxi. Many of Kangxi's behaviors before his death were regarded as the standard by him. Kangxi doesn't smoke. As a heavy smoker, Gan Long also learned Kangxi's self-discipline to quit smoking under the persuasion of others. Kangxi didn't believe in the alchemist's skill, nor did Qianlong. His grandfather and grandson both lived for a long time. Why is the longevity of Kangxi Qianlong related to the skill of the alchemist? Yongzheng is a good example. Compared with Kangxi Qianlong, Yongzheng died young. Some experts found that Yongzheng may have died of Dan medicine, but Yongzheng has been reluctant to admit that he took Dan medicine, and his son Gan Long also helped deny it, so we won't make too many comments.
Birth, old age and death, birth, old age and death are normal natural phenomena. What will go to heaven and live forever is a story made up by an alchemist for money. Otherwise, if this medicine really exists, can't you take it yourself? Kangxi Qianlong can break the superstition of predecessors about Dan medicine and face life and death calmly, which is the secret of their longevity. end