The Thirteen Tombs
Where Do the Emperors and Empresses Go
When They Die? In the Underground "For-
bidden City" They Gather.
Changling
The Prince of Yan Builds Up a Big Army; A
War Breaks Out Between Uncle and Nephew.
The Ruthless One Wins in a Fratricidal
Strife; Many Are the Innocents Killed by
Sword and Arrow.
Disturbances Arise on the Northern Frontier;
A Tomb Is Built Before Moving the Capital.
Sailing to the Western Ocean to Show Power
and Good Will; No Traces of the Missing
Emperor Jianwen Can Be Found.
The Emperor Leads Punitive Expeditions;
He Dies of Illness at Yumuchuan.
Concubines Are Cruelly Buried with the
Dead Emperor; The Eastern and Western
Wells Are in Ruins
Xianling
The Crown Prince Is Insecure in His
Position; Challenge Comes from His Two
Brothers.
Empress and Concubines Are Long at Odds;
A Cup of Wine Heightens the Suspicion,
Jingling
The Grandfather Goes on an Expedition; He
Places His Hope on His Eldest Grandson.
Emperor Xuande Indulges in Cricket Fight;
The Hobby Becomes Widespread.
Lady Sun Supersedes the Empress; Empress
Hu Is Converted to Buddhism.
Yuling
The Child Emperor Is Assisted by Three
Teachers; He Is Taken Prisoner by the
Mongols at Tumu.
Zhu Qizhen Is Honored in the Desert Area;
The Father Emperor Becomes a Prisoner in
South Palace.
The Emperor Is Enthroned Again; Thousands
of People Are Promoted.
Zhu Qizhen Shows Kindness in His Last
Words; Imperial Concubine Zhou Fights for
Place in the Tomb.
Jingtailing
Absence of the Emperor Disgraces the Court;
Zhu Qjyu Takes the Throne in the Crisis.
A New Emperor Sits in the Throne;Empress
Wang Suffers for Her Outspokenness.
Maoling
The Crown Prince Is Slighted and Deposed;
The Emperor Learns Social Morals from
Operas.
Imperial Concubine Wan Is Doted on as Never
Before; Zhu Jianshen Deposes the Empress
on a Flimsy Excuse.
Ji Shu Hides Herself Outside the Palace; The
Son Sees His Father for the First Time at
Six.
Tailing
The Young Emperor Is on Guard Against
Palace Plot; Imposters of the Emperor's
Relatives Are Shown Up,
The Emperor Worships Buddha and Makes
Pills of Immortality; He is Hoodwinked by
Eunuchs Who Take Away His Money.
Kangling
The New Emperor Visits Brothels in
Disguise; The Leopard House Is Built for
Sensual Pleasure.
The Emperor Womanizes Noisily at Xuanfu
And Fights a Mock Battle Like Children at
Play.
The Emperor Tours Mountains and Rivers
with Pleasure; The Boat with the Disguised
Fisherman in It Capsizes,
Yongling
Court Officials Are Dismissed in a Great
Debate; The Emperor Gathers Followers and
Confers Title on His Father.
A Tomb Patterned on Changling Is Built; It
Exhausts the People and Drains the
Treasury.
The Emperor Is Misled by Heretical Taoist
Priests; He Dies in Pursuit of Immortality.
The Emperor Is a Suspicious and Peevish
Man; He Is Nearly Strangled by Angry Pal-
ace Maids.
Zhaoling
Superstitious Belief Separates Father and Son;
The Prince Lives Away from the Palace for
13 Years,
Two Girls Come from Two Different Families;
They Later Become Two Empress Dowagers.
A Virtuous Official Encourages Thrifty
Spending; Approved by Empress Dowager,
an Old Tomb Is Put to Use.
Dingling
The Young Man Is Concerned About Things
After Death; He Acts in Total Disregard of
Ancestral Traditions.
The Emperor's Favor Leads to Sorrow and
Grievances; Lady Zheng Fails to Realize Her
Fond Dream.
Marrying Off the Emperor's Daughter Is an
Important Event; The Future Son-in-Law Is
Selected from Behind a Curtain.
Dingling Is Excavated After Three Diggings;
What Happened in History 400 Years Ago?
The Emperor's Inner Palace Has Many Halls
and Chambers; The Underground Palace
Boasts Beamless Buildings.
Notes on the Artifacts Unearthed
All the Land Under the Sky Belongs to the
Emperor; There Is Gold Everywhere in the
Imperial Palace,
The Emperor Represents All the Admirable
Virtues; His Rights and Wrongs Are Judged
by Later People,
The Mother IS Honored Because of Her Son;
The Baby's Clothes Are Pitiable Mementoes.
Magic Herbs and Elixirs of Life Are Offered
to the Emperor; Court Physicians Swallow
Medicine Before the Emperor.
Oingling
A Strange Incident Occurs in the Palace;
Scapegoats Are Put to Death.
The Emperor Is Overcome by Sorrow and
Weariness; A "Red Pill" Sends Him to the
Other World.
Deling
The Emperor Leaves State and Family Affairs
to Others; With Manual Dexterity, He Be-
comes a Skilled Carpenter.
A Fight for "Companion" Breaks Out in the
Palace; The Emperor Passes Judgment on a
Strange Case.
The Emperor Puts Up Notices to Choose a
Wife; The Unhappy Empress Zhang Is
Victimized.
Siling
Purging the Eunuchs, the Emperor Tries to
Revive the Dynasty; Acting Too Hastily, He
Fails to Employ the Right People.
The Insurgent Army Lays Siege to the Capital;
The Emperor Is Deserted by the People and
Officials.
The Emperor's Three Sons Attend His
Funeral; The Last Emperor Is Buried in a
Concubine's Tomb.
