Among the Zhaoling Mausoleum, one of the ten mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty, there is a funerary tomb that is very mysterious. At first, experts had to carry out an emergency excavation of the tomb due to natural environmental damage. After excavation, it was discovered that the regulations of this tomb exceeded that of Empress Zhangsun. Who dared to make such an overstep? Secondly, although a large number of exquisite gold, jade, etc. were unearthed in the tombs, the most mysterious thing was the murals in the tomb, in which the heads of the maids were damaged. Why are they "shameless"? There must be an unknown secret hidden in this.

The funerary tomb that was urgently excavated is actually the tomb of the Xincheng Princess. It has a rectangular bucket shape on the outside, which is a high-standard burial form. Princess Xincheng was the twenty-first daughter of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and the youngest daughter born to Empress Zhangsun. She first married Zhangsun Quan and later married Wei Zhengju. The Princess of Xincheng should have been extremely favored during her lifetime. After her parents passed away, her brother Li Zhi, Tang Gaozong, should also have a lot of preference for her.

The tragic princess who was loved but couldn't be loved

The tomb of the Xincheng Princess is of such a high standard, but why was the face of the maid in the funeral murals damaged by humans? This may have to be found in the princess's tragic life experience.

According to historical records, the Xincheng Princess was originally betrothed to Wei Zheng's son. After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty suspected that he had formed a cliques in the court and even pushed it to his tombstone. The marriage of the Xincheng Princess was also broken by Taizong. Later, the princess was betrothed to Zhangsun Quan.

In the fourth year of Xianqing of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhangsun Wuji was falsely accused of rebellion, and his son-in-law Zhangsun Quan was also implicated. He finally died in exile.

The princess of Xincheng could not let go of the ten-year relationship between husband and wife and washed her face with tears all day long. At this time, her brother Li Zhi also felt sorry for her and betrothed the princess to Wei Zhengju. But the second marriage did not bring happiness to the princess. A few years after marriage, the princess died suddenly. According to the "New Tang Book" records, the princess encountered cold violence after remarrying, and the son-in-law was "rude" to the princess. Tang Gaozong was very angry about this matter, and not long after the princess died, he ordered Wei Zhengju to be executed. Also out of guilt, Gaozong buried the Princess of Xincheng in accordance with the empress's etiquette.

Tang Gaozong's gentleness and cruelty

After the death of Princess Xincheng, Gaozong not only killed the son-in-law, but even took his anger out on the maids who served the princess. It is believed that the maid who took care of the princess failed to fulfill her responsibilities, which caused the princess's violent death. To this end, in order to vent his anger, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty ordered the faces of all the maids in the murals buried with him. The eyes of some maids were damaged, and some had their entire faces removed.

But even so, it can still be seen that the figures in these murals are evenly proportioned and graceful, reflecting the superb painting skills of the Tang Dynasty. The maids in the mural have hair combed with a single knife or double knife bun, red lips and pink cheeks, and are dignified and beautiful. Most of them wear white jackets with low necks and tight sleeves, half-arm jackets, orange and black silk drapes on their shoulders, and colorful striped long dresses on their lower bodies. Some maids stand with fans, some seem to be whispering to each other, echoing each other in different postures, which is of high appreciation value.