Tong Thai To Trieu Khuong Lead was the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. After his death, Tong Thai To was buried in Vinh Xuong Tomb. Some anecdotes say that someone broke into this prince’s tomb but encountered an extremely terrifying “curse”.
The tombs of a number of Chinese emperors, including Tong Thai To Trieu Khuong Lead, are said to have a mysterious curse that protects the body and the artifacts buried with it. As the founder of the Song Dynasty, Tong Thai To Trieu Khuong Lead (927 – 976) ruled the country for 17 years. Unlike many Chinese emperors, during his reign, Tong Thai To did not order people to build a mausoleum for burial when he died. Therefore, when Tong Thai To died in 976, Vinh Xuong mausoleum began to be built. Accordingly, it was not until 7 months later that Tong Thai To’s body was placed and buried in Vinh Xuong Tomb. Many treasures such as shield jade, sword, royal robe… were buried along with Tong Thai To’s body.
Tong Thai To Trieu Khuong Lead.
Around the tomb of Tong Thai To, there are no fences or traps to protect this prince’s resting place. Instead, many conifers and flowers are planted around the tomb of Tong Thai To Trieu Khuong Lead.
Folk legends circulated about the terrifying curse related to Tong Thai To’s tomb that made grave robbers extremely scared, unable to steal any burial items in the ancient tomb. Anecdotes say that, at the end of the Kim dynasty years, a notorious tomb robber surnamed Chu once snuck into Tong Thai To’s tomb to steal antiques but received a “bitter ending”.
Specifically, a grave robber surnamed Chu used to live next to a neighbor’s house who used to take care of Vinh Xuong’s mausoleum. Therefore, he heard that Tong Thai To was buried with a very precious jade belt when inlaid with 49 nightingale pearls, 49 diamonds and 49 pieces of jade. Hearing that, the grave robber surnamed Chu became greedy, so he decided to break into the Vinh Xuong mausoleum to steal the belt. Accordingly, he easily entered the tomb because he did not encounter any guards and did not face pitfalls like other emperors’ tombs.
Many treasures such as shield jade, sword, royal robe… were buried along with Tong Thai To’s body. (Illustration).
When opening the coffin lid, the grave robber surnamed Chu could not help but be horrified to see Tong Thai To’s body intact as if he was fast asleep. He saw the precious jade belt worn on Tong Thai To’s belt, so he used a rope to pull the dead emperor’s body up to easily get the treasure. The surname Chu was able to remove the jade belt on Tong Thai To’s body after a black liquid suddenly spewed out from the emperor’s mouth. After getting it, he was scared and rushed out of the tomb.
When he got home, the surname Chu went to wash his face many times but could not get rid of the black discharge. Accordingly, this name has a face as if it has a layer of black paint for life.