Did German soldiers who sat on the Dragon Throne during the invasion of China die of an alleged curse and sudden illness?

Since ancient times, everyone has dreamed of becoming an emperor. 

The emperor is the supreme ruler in the feudal society. The Dragon Throne represents the highest imperial power, and anyone who sits on the throne without authorization will be punished severely, up to the ninth generation of their family.

Therefore, only the emperor is allowed to sit on the Dragon Throne since ancient times. However, during modern times when China suffered invasions, there were soldiers who went to sit on the Dragon Throne. What happened to those who sat on the Dragon Throne in the end?

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, cultural relic expert Zhu Jiakin found the Dragon Throne and restored it before returning it to its original place in the Forbidden City. 

Although he had the opportunity to sit on the throne during the restoration process, he never dared to do so. Zhu Jiakin believed that unexpected things would happen if an ordinary person sat on the Dragon Throne. 

This is not an unfounded claim, as Li Zicheng, who sat on the throne, eventually met an unknown fate after losing the war. In modern times, during the German invasion of China, a German soldier sat on the Dragon Throne, but soon after returning to Germany, he fell seriously ill and died, with the authorities revealing no details about his illness. 

This inevitably led people to believe that he had fallen under the curse of the Dragon Throne.

After Waldersee led the invasion of China, he visited the Forbidden City in Beijing. Upon seeing the majestic Dragon Throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he couldn't resist the temptation to sit on it and even twisted around on it while accompanying journalists took photos of him.

After the invasion of China, the Japanese emperor invited Waldersee to visit Japan, which suggests that Waldersee was still in good health. However, upon returning to Germany, Waldersee suddenly retired and passed away four years later. 

The German government claimed that he died of an illness, but they were very secretive about the details, leaving his retirement and death somewhat of a mystery.

So it triggered people's speculation about Waldersee, saying that he died because he was cursed for sitting on the dragon chair, and eventually died after suffering from the torment of the curse.