Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 109, Section 108: The Dragon Appears in the Field
Faced with Ji Heng's expectations, Qin Shi could only shake his head this time:
"Your Majesty, immortality is extremely rare; I have never heard of it in my entire life."

Ji Heng's expression remained unchanged, but Qin Shi seemed to be able to sense his low spirits.

The ancient emperors' pursuit of immortality...

But she also knew that the root of this pursuit came from the subtle influence of the knowledge environment, which was no wonder Ji Heng was like this.

Although the Qin state governed according to Legalism, rulers throughout history had naturally been familiar with various schools of thought. Ji Heng was no exception.

The story of Xuanyuan asking the question is recorded in the Zhuangzi, which is now highly regarded by some.

The story goes that after the Yellow Emperor had been emperor for nineteen years, he went to ask the Taoist immortal Guang Chengzi how to govern his country and its people. Guang Chengzi rebuked him, saying that governing oneself is more important than governing the country.

In addition, the traditions passed down through generations of families, nations, and deities, the many inexplicable phenomena, and the utmost sincerity and faith required in worshipping Heaven... all these factors have led to the current concept of "seeking longevity" in line with the times.

It wasn't just the Yellow Emperor, but also kings.

This even includes everyone who doesn't worry about having enough to eat or wear.

The game of Liubo, played by Prince Qian, was not only popular, but it is also used as a burial item today because people believe that:

Liubo is a game where immortals arrange life and death, communicating with the laws of heaven, and capable of reversing time and space.
Even the engraved patterns on the gambling table are models of the universe—

Nowadays, there is no such thing as a model, but everyone believes that this is the way of heaven and earth.

Even a gambling game is linked to the life and death of immortals and gods, which shows the subtle influence of the current environment on the pursuit of immortality.

Thus, Ji Heng's pursuit of immortality was not because he was easily deceived, but rather a product of the times—

That's how it is, that's how it should be.

Even though Qin Shi grew up in an era that opposed feudal superstition and where everything had a scientific explanation, she herself didn't actually believe in gods, sacrifices, fortune telling, or the like...

However, that doesn't stop someone from saying they saw a dragon in the sky, and she insists on clicking to take a closer look.

This is a belief passed down through generations, rooted in blood, flesh, and soul.

She is a descendant of the dragon.

In ancient times, Fuxi observed the stars and drew the Eight Trigrams, and King Wen of Zhou evolved them into the Sixty-Four Hexagrams.

When the constellation Horn, resembling a dragon's head, rises from the eastern horizon after sunset, this is the Qian hexagram, representing the initial emergence of Yang energy.

Also known as "The Dragon Appears in the Field".

It is also the second day of the second lunar month, a day traditionally known as "Dragon Raises Its Head".

From this day forward, a new crop cycle began, one that determined people's hunger and satiety.

The monarch, holding the balance and wielding the celestial sphere, possesses the power to promulgate astronomical and calendar laws, and is naturally the "Son of Heaven."

The emperor ruled over his people, and in ancient times, the common people naturally dared not claim any connection to dragons. However, on this land of Yan and Huang, as long as the seven constellations of the east continued to rise as usual, they, bathed in this starlight, could still call themselves—

Descendants of the Dragon.

In this great nation with thousands of years of history, no one calls themselves the Son of Heaven anymore, but being a descendant of the dragon remains a symbol of identity for everyone.

She grew up in an era of information overload, yet she still held onto a certain belief and aspiration. So what right does she have to mock Ji Heng for pursuing immortality?
But at this moment, she could not change the deep-rooted belief in immortality instilled in her by this era, nor could she shake Ji Heng's resolute heart.

At this moment, all we can do is try to integrate their ideas, and sigh with regret.
"Your Majesty, the only fairness that Heaven has granted to all of us is death."

When he said this, Ji Heng's eyebrows did not move, and his expression was cold and sarcastic. It was clear that as the ruler of a country, he did not believe that he would not be favored by the Heavenly Dao.

So-called "fairness" is only for royalty and common people.

Qin Shi paused, then added:

"As the years pass and time turns, if Your Majesty becomes an emperor for all ages, who knows if death is not another rebirth?"

The use of liubo (a board game) as burial objects by Qin and Han nobles reflects their belief that their tombs possessed the power to alter life and death, stemming from their inherent faith in achieving immortality after leaving their physical bodies. Since she couldn't stop the King of Qin's pursuit of immortality, she decided to postpone everything until after his death—Your Majesty! Live first, become a great emperor for all time. We'll talk about immortality after we're dead.

Surprisingly, Ji Heng was able to accept it.

That's exactly how he is right now.

Even when Qin Shi mentioned death, he remained unfazed, only regaining his spirits and saying, "I feel the same way!"

"What a pity," he sighed sincerely. "It's a pity that human sacrifice is not sincere to Heaven..."

He didn't continue, but Qin Shi's brow twitched.

She quickly changed the subject: "In that case, let's hurry up and go see this mediocre sorcerer, Mao Sheng."

……

Meanwhile, the unskilled sorcerer Mao Sheng was gathering the firewood in his hands with a gloomy expression.

His fellow disciples all said that the King of Qin was a divine immortal and asked questions with great sincerity. They had also received rewards many times before.

Therefore, upon hearing that he had made progress in his alchemy skills in Shangjun, he hurriedly recommended him to come.

But who knew that this king was capricious and unpredictable? Upon meeting him, he had barely laid the groundwork before he hadn't even had a chance to demonstrate the miraculous methods that could make the people of an entire prefecture and county kneel and kowtow before him!
He was then directly exiled to this cold and desolate Dao Palace.

It is said that the alchemist used it before, and even his own personal page was not allowed to enter the hall. It was said that serving the gods required personal sincerity, so he had to do things like chopping wood and carrying water himself.

Their daily meals consisted of nothing more than grains, beans, and pickled scallions, without a trace of meat! These Taoists have never abstained from meat!

But the attendant argued vehemently, saying that to serve Heaven, one naturally needs to bathe, burn incense, and change clothes in a calm and peaceful state. He also said that the human body is impure, and the flesh is impure, therefore one needs to eat more grains and vegetables to cleanse oneself…

hateful!

This is clearly an excuse used by alchemists when they fail to refine elixirs or when the results are unsatisfactory!

Moreover, the day before yesterday, after repeated urging from his servants, he finally obtained a pill.

He had initially been tempted, thinking that the king's words were just said in anger, but he never expected that someone was actually watching him and making him take it himself...

Doesn't he know what those pills are made of?!

Cinnabar, realgar, alum, azurite, magnetite.

The Five Elements and Five Colors Elixir of the Five Virtues was originally his specialty. Although it could not remove the poison, it could invigorate people's spirits. Your Majesty will know once you take it!
But now that he, a mere mortal, has been fed on, he first becomes excited, unable to sleep day and night, and his whole body feels hot.

Then he couldn't help but go crazy again, wanting to be more unrestrained, but the entire Taoist palace was firmly guarded by soldiers, and he couldn't even fly out at night.

Then, I don't know if it was because I lay on the cold bluestone slab all night or what, but I started having diarrhea again...

Now a eunuch came to announce the king's arrival, but when he looked at his face in the bronze mirror, it was already pale and bluish.

How could he resemble a deity, or an enlightened being?

Just as he was feeling anxious and bewildered, he heard a woman say:
"Looking at this Mao Sheng's face, he looks like a vengeful ghost."

Mao Sheng suddenly turned his head—

who? !

Who spoke his mind?
[Regarding Liubo (a board game) and the Qin and Han dynasty's concept of seeking immortality, we will discuss these topics in more detail at the Grand General's funeral. Some of the information is sourced from the following:]

Professor Feng Shi's open class on astronomy and calendar systems.

Teacher Chen Suzhen
[A Bilibili content creator who talks about history, "Chatting About History." The sentence marked with an asterisk (*) is his original quote.]

During the Qin Dynasty, Taoists did not abstain from meat, including the five pungent vegetables.

(I was organizing a lot of materials, so I wrote slowly and that caused the delay.)