Chapter 49 Chapter 37 Yanxi Palace and Yonghe

Yanxi Palace was first built in the 18th year of Yongle (1420) in the Ming Dynasty. It was originally named Changshou Palace, and was renamed Yanqi Palace in the 14th year of Jiajing (1535).In the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Yanxi Palace. In the front hall of Yanxi Palace, there is a plaque of Emperor Qianlong's imperial pen "Shen Zan Huiyin", "Sanzhi Cao Empress's Praise of Emphasis on Agriculture" written by Liang Shizheng on the east wall, and "Empress Cao's Emphasis on Agriculture" on the west wall.The allusion to Yanxi Palace's "Empress Cao Emphasis on Agriculture" comes from "History of the Song Dynasty Empress I" (Volume 242).The story is that: Cao Shi, Empress Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, was the daughter of Cao Bin, a general of the Northern Song Dynasty. Before and after she lived in the palace, she planted five grains, cultivated them herself, and raised silkworms and weaved cloth to show her virtue of emphasizing agriculture. She was a famous sage in ancient China. rear.The allusion of "Fan Ji Admonishing Hunting Picture" in Yonghe Palace comes from "Biography of Lie Nu Biography of Xianming" (Volume 2).The story tells that in the Spring and Autumn Period, King Zhuang of Chu was fond of hunting, and his wife Fan Ji repeatedly remonstrated, but the King of Chu refused to listen.After Fan Ji persuaded her by refusing to eat meat, the king of Chu accepted her advice and was diligent in political affairs. Three years later, she achieved supremacy.

There is a phenomenon in Yanxi Palace: there are many fires.Among the six east and west palaces, Yanxi Palace had the most fires, how many times did it happen?Some say four times.Palace secrets, negative events, neglected records, and historical truth are difficult to verify.One of them, "Qing Palace Shuwen" records: In the twenty-fifth year of Daoguang (1845), at the beginning of Hai (21-23 o'clock) on May 22, Yanxi Palace accidentally caught fire.The fire started from the east side hall, and spread to five main halls, three east side halls, three west side halls, five apse halls, three east side halls, three west side halls, and three east water rooms. There are twenty-five houses.

The fire was caused by a fire in the kitchen.At that time, the kitchen was in the east side hall in the gate of Yanxi Palace, and the stove was in the south room. After the fire broke out, the measures to extinguish the fire were ineffective, and it spread to the other two rooms, then to the main hall, and then to the apse. The entire Yanxi Palace was reduced to rubble. . This fire is not recorded in the "Records of Emperor Xuanzong of the Qing Dynasty".At that time, Emperor Daoguang was harassed by foreign enemies, internal troubles arose repeatedly, severe drought in the north, financial constraints, unable to start construction, and delays.In November of the eleventh year of Tongzhi (1872), the eunuch Zhang Lingxi passed on the decree: the Yanxi Palace project should be built according to the pattern.According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is in charge of the house, next year's direction will be hindered, it is planned to survey and estimate first, and if the direction is suitable for the next year, it will be built immediately. ("Records of the House of Internal Affairs") The Yanxi Palace was rebuilt later.

In the first year of Xuantong (1909), Empress Dowager Longyu decided to rebuild Yanxi Palace again.The reconstruction of Yanxi Palace focused on fire prevention.Mr. Feng Shui believes that: the five elements grow together, and water can overcome fire.Empress Dowager Longyu accepted the eunuch Zhang Lande's proposal to build a crystal palace on the original site of Yanxi Palace, with copper and iron as beams and columns, glass bricks as walls and floors, and built on a pool with a diameter of several feet as a whole to suppress Zhu Rong's disaster. , and was inscribed by Empress Dowager Longyu as "Lingzhaoxuan".The word "marsh" (zhao) here means pond. "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·First Moon" said: "The fish are in the swamp, and the bandits are happy." According to the "Qing Palace Ci" note: Xuantong Jiyou (the first year, 1909), built a water hall, dredged ponds around it, and cited Yuquan landscape Surround it.The window lattices in the hall are paved with gold instead of paper, and are inlaid with glass.Empress Xiaoding (Empress Dowager Longyu) inscribed a plaque on her own, saying "Lingzhaoxuan", commonly known as the Crystal Palace.

What does this Crystal Palace look like? "Qing Barnyard History" records: The palace stands in the center, with three floors and nine rooms.There is also a pavilion in each of the four corners, with a total of thirty-nine rooms. The buildings are made of copper and the walls are made of glass. Looking around the sky, those who enter it are like being in a world of glazed glass.In the interlayer of the wall, put water to store fish.The lower floor is also made of glass. Looking down, you can see the fish swimming in the pool, one by one, and the lotus algae are uneven, green and picturesque.

This Crystal Palace started from the first year of Xuantong (1909) to the third year of Xuantong (1911), and the work stopped and was not completed.During this period, the comrades-in-arms of the alliance frequently rebelled, proclaimed the unified regime, and faced internal and external difficulties.The Revolution of 1911 broke out outside the Forbidden City, but the Crystal Palace was being built inside the Forbidden City.The construction of the Crystal Palace was not completed until the winter of the third year of Xuantong (1911) due to insufficient financial resources.After Xuantong abdicated, the current situation changed and funds were in short supply, so the construction had to be stopped, leaving an "unfinished palace".There is a wooden basin in the courtyard to store water for fire prevention, and to breed goldfish. Concubine Jin is here to watch the swimming fish.

The Palace of Yanxi Palace was full of disasters: it was not only burned, but also bombed.In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), Zhang Xun supported Puyi's restoration, and part of the unfinished building on the north side of Yanxi Palace was destroyed by an aircraft bomb. In the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), the Palace Museum built a warehouse behind the palace to store ancient books. The northern neighbor of Yanxi Palace is the Yonghe Palace, where the birth mother of Emperor Yongzheng, Defei Wuya, lived.