How did Yang Guifei die: Yang Guifei was born and died from 719 to 756 AD. There is no real name in the official history. There is a nickname of Yuhuan, so basically everyone in the world calls her Yang Yuhuan. Born in Ruxiang, Guozhou (now Lingbao, Sanmenxia, ??Henan), her ancestral home is Yongji, Shanxi, and she is the daughter of Yang Xuanyan. Yang Guifei was the most beautiful woman in the Tang Dynasty and one of the four beauties in ancient China. "The appearance of the shy flower when the moon is closed, the appearance of the fish sinking into the sky and the geese falling", among which the "shy flower" is Yang Guifei. Next, let me discuss how Yang Guifei died.

Historical records record that Concubine Yang hanged herself at the foot of Mawei slope. Of course, she was also forced to hang herself under the imperial edict of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty under the military remonstrance. There are also unofficial histories saying that Concubine Yang went to Japan (Japan) and did not die.

In June of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (AD 756), Luoyang fell and Tongguan fell. Emperor Xuanzong of the prosperous Tang Dynasty fled the capital Chang'an in a hurry, and his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan died in Maweiyi. This very eye-catching scene has aroused the admiration of many literati. However, literati's poems and historians' accounts are not the same. There are still many doubts about Yang Guifei's final fate. It can be said that there are different opinions and no consensus.

Some people say that Yang Yuhuan may have died in the Buddhist hall. "Old Tang Book? Biography of Concubine Yang" records: After the Forbidden Army general Chen Xuanli and others killed Yang Guozhong and his son, he believed that "the thieves are still there" and requested to kill Concubine Yang again to avoid future troubles. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty had no choice but to say goodbye to his imperial concubine and "hanged himself in the Buddhist chamber." "Zizhi Tongjian? Tang Ji" records: Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered the eunuch Gao Lishi to take Concubine Yang to the Buddhist hall and hang her to death. "Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty" records: Gao Lishi hanged Concubine Yang to death under the pear tree in the Buddhist hall. Chen Hong's "The Song of Everlasting Regret" records: Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty knew that Yang Guifei was bound to die, but he couldn't bear to see her death, so he had people take her away. She "went about in a hurry and died under the ruler". "Yang Taizhen Gaiden" written by Yue Shi records: When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty bid farewell to Concubine Yang, she "begged for her face and paid homage to the Buddha." Gao Lishi then hanged the imperial concubine under the pear tree in front of the Buddhist hall. Mr. Chen Yinke pointed out in the "Yuanbai Poems and Notes": "What can be noted is that the music history said that the concubine hanged and died under the pear tree, which may be influenced by the Xiangshan (Bai Juyi) sentence "A pear blossom brings rain in spring." Guo'er is ridiculous." Yue Shi's statement comes from "Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty", while Li Zhao's statement is probably influenced by "Song of Everlasting Sorrow".

Concubine Yang may also die in the rebellion. This theory is mainly found in some descriptions in Tang poetry. In the second year of Zhide (757 AD), Du Fu composed a poem "Ai Jiangtou" in Chang'an, which was occupied by Anlu Mountain. There is a line in it, "Where are the bright eyes and white teeth now? The blood-stained soul cannot return", implying that Concubine Yang is not He was hanged to death in Mawei Station, because there would be no blood in hanging. Li Yi's Qijue "Guo Mawei" and Qilu "Guo Mawei Two Poems" include poems such as "I asked you to wash the lotus blood" and "Taizhen's blood stained the horse's hooves", which also reflects that Concubine Yang was killed by the rebel army. , the scene of death by weapons. Du Mu's "Thirty Rhymes of Huaqing Palace" has "the blood of Mawei is shouting, and Yulin's spears are scattered"; Zhang You's "Huaqing Palace and Shesheren" has "the concubine's beauty is buried in blood"; Wen Tingyun's "Mawei Station" has "unexamined returns" Poems such as "The smoke is extinguished, and the green grass is filled with sorrow". They also believe that Concubine Yang's blood spattered Mawei Station and she was not hanged to death.

There are other possibilities for Concubine Yang’s death. For example, some people say that she died by swallowing gold. This statement is only found in the poem "Ma Wei Xing" used by Liu Yuxi. Liu's poem once wrote: "The windy road in the green field, the yellow dust and the majestic horses, the Yang noble people on the roadside, the tomb is three or four feet high. When I asked the children in the house, they all said that it was lucky that the military lords killed the tyrants, and the emperor gave up. Enchantress. The nobles are holding the emperor's clothes, turning their beautiful eyes. The wind and the sun are like the sky. The nobles are drinking gold dust, and they are wearing apricot pills all their lives. "From this poem. It seems that Concubine Yang died by swallowing gold. Mr. Chen Yinke was quite curious about this statement and made a textual research in "Yuanbai Poems and Notes". Chen suspected that Liu's poem "nobles drink gold chips" was derived from "Li'erzhong", so it was different from other theories. However, Chen did not rule out that Concubine Yang might have swallowed gold before she was hanged to death, so this theory was spread in "Li'erzhong".

Others believe that Concubine Yang did not die in Maweiyi, but lived among the people.

Mr. Yu Pingbo made textual research on Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and Chen Hong's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" in "Miscellaneous Works on Poetry, Ci and Music". He believes that the original meaning of Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and Chen Hong's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" have other merits. If "Eternal Regret" is the title of the chapter, it is enough to write it to Mawei. Why bother to assume that the Linqiong Taoist priest and the Jade Concubine are too real later? Because of his position, Mr. Yu believes that Concubine Yang did not die in Maweiyi. At that time, the six armies mutinied, the imperial concubine was robbed, and Chai Dian was appointed to the throne. The poem clearly stated that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty "could not save her." Therefore, the death edict recorded in official history would never have existed at that time. Chen Hong's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" said "the messenger led her away", which means that Concubine Yang was led by the messenger to hide in a far away place. Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Regret" said that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty wanted to rebury Yang Guifei after returning to Luang. The result was that "the dirt was in the mud under Mawei slope, and the jade face could not be seen at the place where she died." Not even the bones could be found, which further confirmed that the imperial concubine did not die. Maweiyi. It is worth noting that when Chen Hong wrote "The Song of Everlasting Regret", he specifically pointed out for fear that future generations would not know it: "The ones known to the world are in "Xuanzong Benji"." And those "unheard of in the world" are recorded in "Xuanzong Benji" today. "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", which clearly implies that Concubine Yang is not dead.

There is a bizarre saying that Concubine Yang traveled to America. Taiwanese scholar Wei Juxian claimed in the book "The Chinese Discovered America" ??that he found out that Yang Guifei did not die in Mawei Station, but was taken to distant America.

There is also a theory that Concubine Yang fled to Japan. Japanese folk and academic circles have this view: At that time, it was a maid who was hanged to death in Mawei Station. Chen Xuanli, the general of the Forbidden Army, cherished the beauty of the imperial concubine and could not bear to kill her, so he conspired with Gao Lishi to kill her with his maid. Yang Guifei was escorted by Chen Xuanli's cronies and fled south. She sailed to the vicinity of present-day Shanghai and sailed to the sea. She drifted to Kutsu, Kutani Town, Japan, and stayed in Japan for the rest of her life.

It can be seen from the above that with the passage of time, the legend about Yang Guifei's death has become more and more vivid. Of course, it has become further and further away from the historical facts. In fact, Concubine Yang will undoubtedly die in Maweiyi. "The Gao Lishi Gaiden" believes that Concubine Yang's death was due to "sitting together for a while". In other words, the soldiers of the Sixth Army hated Yang Guozhong and implicated Concubine Yang in it. This is Gao Litu's point of view. Because "Wai Zhuan" was compiled based on his dictation, judging from the situation of the Maweiyi Incident, Yang Guifei must die. After the hanging, the body was transported from the Buddhist hall to the post station and placed in the courtyard. Tang Xuanzong also summoned Chen Xuanli and other soldiers to come in for inspection. Yang Guifei did indeed die in Maweiyi. The old and new historical records such as "Tang Shu" and "Tongjian" clearly record her death. The same is true for "The Deeds of Lushan" and so on.

Folk legend has it that Concubine Yang came back from the dead, which reflects people's sympathy and memory for her. The officers and soldiers of the "Sixth Army" demanded that Concubine Yang be executed on the grounds that "the root of the disaster is still there". If people continue to insist on this view, then Concubine Yang will be regarded as a bad woman like Bao Si or Daji. Apart from being scolded by the world, there will be no praise. Even if she is a stunning beauty in the world or a representative of female beauty in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, she will not generate pity and forgiveness in people's subconscious mind. The whole problem is: Concubine Yang is not actually the source of the Anshi Rebellion. Gao Lishi once said that "the imperial concubine is innocent." Although this is not one-sided, there is no doubt that the imperial concubine is not the culprit. After the storms of the Anshi Rebellion, people began to reflect, summarize the historical experience of the Tianbao Rebellion, and finally realized the truth of history. Folklore has its own fair judgment, and praise and criticism of historical figures are often relatively objective. The death of Concubine Yang was both self-inflicted and a victim. Therefore, people imagined that Concubine Yang, who was indeed dead, could be resurrected and commemorated her endlessly.