Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 189 The Li Family (Part 1)

The Great Wilderness North Classic in the Classic of Mountains and Seas describes the conflict between Chi You and the Yellow Emperor as follows: Chi You waged war against the Yellow Emperor, who then ordered Yinglong to attack him in the wilderness of Jizhou. Yinglong stored water, and Chi You summoned the Wind God and Rain Master, unleashing a great storm. The Yellow Emperor then sent down the heavenly maiden Ba, the rain stopped, and Chi You was killed.

The Classic of the Great Wilderness, North, also mentions that Yinglong had killed Chiyou and then Kuafu, and then went to live in the south, hence the south is rainy.

Both Chi You and Kua Fu were descendants of the Jiang family emperors. It can be said that most of the great supernatural beings with names and surnames in the Great Wilderness and Sea took the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor as their ancestors.

“Using the name of a state with the surname Jiang to recruit craftsmen can indeed achieve twice the result with half the effort.”

"Since the surname Jiang is associated with such a reputation among craftsmen,"

Lu Shang's eyes were piercing, and he tapped his fingers heavily on the bamboo slips on the table, making the slips rustle. He said, "Feng Qing, I want to build a golden platform in the suburbs of Xudu."

"At that time, we will place a thousand gold pieces on it, invite craftsmen from all over the world, and announce to the whole country that all great craftsmen who come to serve will be treated with the respect due to national heroes, be granted the title of the head of all craftsmen, and be granted the privilege of opening the furnace to forge weapons. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty's plan is excellent; it is a strategy to strengthen the nation!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Boling bowed deeply to the ground and said, "Your subject requests to accept the order to supervise the construction of the Golden Terrace, and will surely ensure that on the day the terrace is completed, the world's greatest craftsmen will flock to it."

"it is good,"

Lü Shang tapped his knuckles on the bronze table, producing a clear and melodious sound, and said, "Very well, as you request, the construction of the Golden Terrace will be entrusted to you. The necessary manpower and resources can be drawn directly from the treasury."

Feng Boling said, "Your subject will do his utmost to not disappoint Your Majesty."

"I will present the construction plans for the Golden Terrace in three days, and construction will begin soon. When the terrace is completed, I will make sure that all the craftsmen in the world know that the gates of my country will be open to all craftsmen forever."

Lü Shang said softly, "Go, I await your architectural plans."

"promise,"

After responding to Bo Ling, he turned and left the main hall.

"Baili Qing, you may leave now."

After Feng Boling left, Lü Shang then spoke to Baili Mingdao, who remained alone in the palace.

Left Assistant Minister Baili Ming said in a low voice, "Your subject takes his leave."

Watching the figures of the Left Assistant and Right Assistant disappear into the distance, Lü Shang shook his head.

For some reason, when he thought of the Golden Terrace, the first thing that came to mind was not King Zhao of Yan, but the Tang Dynasty poet Li He's line, "To repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace, I will wield the Jade Dragon and die for you."

Three days later, Feng Boling indeed knelt and presented a scroll of sheepskin construction plans to the palace.

After careful examination, Lü Shang confirmed that this was indeed the specific layout of the Golden Terrace.

Once the plan was finalized, construction was about to begin. Feng Boling immediately conscripted a thousand people to build the Golden Terrace.

The Golden Terrace built by Feng Boling was located on Kangfu Hill, near Xudu.

Kangfugang is the eastern extension of the Taiyue Mountains, and contains some of the Taiyue geological features. It overlooks the main peak of Taiyue to the west and the Ru River to the east.

The platform is designed according to the "round sky and square earth" principle. The bottom layer is ten zhang wide, and three round platforms are built on top. Each layer has a circular corridor, and the top layer has a three-zhang high bronze flagpole that can hang a banner with the character "Jiang".

The platform is constructed with rammed earth as its framework and covered with bluestone slabs. Each layer of eaves is decorated with gilded bronze beasts with cloud and thunder patterns. A sacrificial furnace is set up on the top of the platform, where cypress wood can be burned to communicate with heaven and earth.

Ten days later, when the Golden Terrace was completed, it was during the Frost's Descent solar term.

At 3:45 AM, the drums thundered, and Lü Shang, dressed in a black robe and guarded by three hundred armored soldiers, ascended Kangfu Hill.

Before the morning frost had dried, the bluestone slabs of the platform were covered with a thin layer of white frost flowers, and the three-zhang bronze flagpole at the top had already been erected, with the large banner with the character 'Jiang' slowly unfurled on it.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lü Shang ascended the steps. With each step he took onto the platform, a master of ceremonies struck a bronze clapper, the sound shattering the morning mist.

At the same time, the cypress wood in the sacrificial furnace on the top of the platform was burning brightly, and the blue smoke carrying the fragrance of pine resin rose straight into the sky.

Lü Shang accepted the jade tablet handed to him by a palace attendant, bowed solemnly before the sacrificial altar, and inserted three sticks of incense into the censer. "Xu Bo Shang dares to proclaim this to all the artisans of the nine provinces,"

He unfolded the bamboo slips, and the vermilion seal script was exceptionally striking in the morning light.

Standing on the newly built golden platform, Lü Shang proclaimed to the entire land.

His voice was like a booming bell; when the words fell, even the morning mist seemed to thin out a bit from the metallic sound.

Three hundred armored soldiers simultaneously drew their swords and struck their armor; the sound of their armor clashing was like thunder rolling across the hills.

The more than a thousand craftsmen and laborers gathered below the stage all bowed their heads and prostrated themselves on the ground, while Feng Boling stared intently at the top of the stage.

"I am willing to serve my lord to the death!"

Finally, a craftsman from somewhere shouted out first, and a response from over a thousand people arose, causing the cypress wood in the sacrificial furnace on the top of the platform to burst into a few sparks of red flame.

Lu Shang placed the jade tablet on the sacrificial altar, turned to look at the people below, and the frost cast a cold, hard shadow on his brow bone, but could not hide the burning light in his eyes.

He suddenly reached out and grasped the shouts from the mountainside as if to hold them in his palm, and said loudly, "I have built this platform for the sake of strengthening the country. No matter what your background or origin, as long as you can make my country strong, I, Xu Boshang, will share the country with you."

"May the nation live ten thousand years! May the nation live ten thousand years!" The crowd below shouted in unison, their voices like a tidal wave.

Lu Shang stood atop the platform, letting the frost-covered wind whip his robes around, listening to the roar of the crowd below like a raging tide crashing against the shore, his eyes burning with an even brighter light.

He suddenly raised his hand and placed it on the hilt of the sword at his waist. The bronze scabbard gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the morning light, and his fingertips caressed the cloud patterns on the guard.

"May the nation live ten thousand years!"

Lu Shang's heart stirred, and his voice, carried by the morning mist, spread across the fields. The armor of the three hundred soldiers gleamed like silver scales in the frost.

Lü Shang strode to the edge of the platform and announced, "Issue my decree: all the craftsmen who participated in the construction of this platform today shall be given a bolt of silk and their monthly salary shall be increased by three shi of grain!"

The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder until the ceremony ended.

The announcement of the establishment of the Golden Terrace by the State of Xu spread from Kangfugang to the surrounding areas, first and foremost affecting the Ji clan states surrounding Xu, and even stirring up quite a storm within those states.

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"Golden Terrace,"

Li Tan's hand, holding the bronze hammer, suddenly stopped in mid-air. Molten iron splashed from the edge of the crucible onto the bluestone, bursting into tiny sparks of reddish gold.

The news brought by the traveling merchants still echoed in his ears: the declaration of the King of Xu to build the Golden Terrace and offer a thousand gold pieces to recruit master craftsmen. It was like a heavy hammer blow to the empty workshop.

The master craftsman surnamed Jiang, who was huddled in an old kiln on the southern slope of the Taihang Mountains, was staring at the dancing flames in the furnace, seemingly deep in thought.

Li Tan's bronze hammer hung in mid-air, and the sparks from the molten iron made his eyes feel slightly hot.

In the simple workshop, the pottery molds were covered with a thin layer of dust, and unfinished halberd blanks were piled up in the corner.

"The surname is Jiang,"

He swallowed hard, his fingertips tracing the Taiyue Mountain pattern on the hammer handle.

The earth fire of the Taiyue Mountains once danced in his palm, but now, even the pine resin in the old kiln's furnace has to be used sparingly when quenching swords.

"Recruit a master craftsman and bestow upon him the title of head of all artisans,"

He murmured the merchant's words to himself, then suddenly grabbed the earthenware jar at his feet and poured all the copper ore powder inside into the furnace.

Sparks crackled and exploded, revealing the wrinkles on his forehead.

(End of this chapter)