1. Gatekeeper of the Forbidden City
5 o'clock is the time when the Forbidden City closes its doors to clear out visitors. It is said that that hour is the most dark time in the Forbidden City. Many tourists feel that even in the sultry summer, the Forbidden City at 5 o'clock will make people feel cold. That's because, after 5 o'clock, the guests in the earthly world will leave, and those who are about to appear are those who used to keep vigil in the Forbidden City. The children of the janitors of the Forbidden City are all in poor health. The old people say that it is because the yin energy of that person is strong, which affects the next generation! Therefore, there are no janitors in the Forbidden City anymore.
2. Zhenfei Well in the Forbidden City
In the thirteenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1887), Emperor Guangxu had no choice but to "select" Empress Longyu and Concubine Jin, under the intimidation of Empress Dowager Cixi. After Concubine Zhen, he was always estranged from Empress Longyu, the niece of the Empress Dowager Cixi, but gradually fell in love with Concubine Zhen, who was kind, intelligent and clever. Because Concubine Zhen politically sympathized with and supported Emperor Guangxu's reform actions, while she was favored by Emperor Guangxu, she was also extremely hated by the Queen Mother of the West.
In the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu (1898), Empress Dowager Cixi used a conspiracy to cause the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, and once again took over the power. After that, Empress Dowager Cixi confined Concubine Zhen in a small courtyard behind Jingqi Pavilion because she didn't like Concubine Zhen.
The cold palace where Concubine Zhen was confined was in a small courtyard in the garden at the southeast corner of the palace. It was completely isolated from outsiders. All her eating, drinking and defecation were under the supervision of eunuchs. Concubine Zhen was losing weight day by day. Her sister Jin Concubine sometimes secretly sends some clothes or a few words, which makes Concubine Zhen feel a little warm.
When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing in 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi took Emperor Guangxu, who had also been under solitary house arrest, and fled to Xi'an. Before leaving, she did not forget to murder Concubine Zhen. She ordered the second manager to release Concubine Zhen from the small courtyard behind Jingqi Pavilion, and ordered Concubine Zhen to throw herself into a well on the grounds that "Concubine Zhen is young and foreigners will not be insulted when they enter the city."
3. Xuanyuan Mirror in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City
There is a two-meter-high square platform on the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. On the platform is the golden throne where the emperor sits, with six tall mirrors on both sides. Panlong golden pillar. Right above the Jinluan throne is carved an exquisite and vivid dragon, with a large upside-down copper ball hanging in the dragon's mouth - this is the legendary Xuanyuan Mirror. According to legend, it was cast by the Yellow Emperor in ancient times and represents the legitimacy of the throne.
The magic is that it is said that when a fake emperor sits on the Jinluan throne, the Xuanyuan Mirror will automatically activate its mechanism, and hundreds of kilograms of copper balls will fall down, smashing the fake emperor into flesh. mud! Therefore, no one dared to sit on the emperor's throne, fearing that the Xuanyuan Mirror would reveal that he was a fake and activate the mechanism.
4. The Phantom of the Palace
One night in 1983, a person walked through the wall near the Treasure Hall of the Forbidden City and suddenly noticed a group of people holding palace lanterns in the distance. He thought that in this era, everyone used flashlights, and who still used palace lanterns, so he wanted to go up and take a look, but no matter how hard he chased, he couldn't catch up with the group of people wearing palace lanterns, but looking from a distance, they were indeed wearing Qing Dynasty clothes. The palace maids in cheongsam and palace lanterns wearing flat veils walked neatly.
5. Yin and Yang Road in the Forbidden City
The Sixth Western Palace in the Forbidden City is where the emperor’s concubines lived. It is located on the left side of the central axis and corresponds to the Sixth Eastern Palace. The Sixth Palace in the West mainly includes Chuxiu Palace, Yikun Palace, Yongshou Palace, Xianfu Palace, Changchun Palace and Taiji Palace. The palace road between the West Sixth Palace, Fengxian Hall, North Fifth Palace and Ningshou Palace is habitually called the East Tongzi Road. It is said that the eunuchs and maids in the palace can only be carried out of the palace through this road after death. , so many supernatural events happened here, so this road is also called the Yin and Yang Road.
So what is Onmyodo? To put it simply, at night when the moon is shining in the sky, on the ground with tall towers and long corridors, there will be two interfaces, one yin and one yang (actually, part of it is the moonlight, and the other part of the moonlight is blocked by the wall, forming a wall. shadow). According to legend, the yang side is where palace people walk, and the yin side is where demons and ghosts walk.