Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 128, Section 127: Borrowing Jade to Connect with the Mysterious World
Yan Yun, the supreme general of the Qin state, had fourteen children in his lifetime.

Four of them died young, two died of illness in their youth, and three died fighting for their country.

A woman died in childbirth while getting married.

In the end, only the two sons and two daughters remained.

The eldest son, Yan Lang, was thirty-seven years old. He was strong and capable, calm and loyal, so he was sent to the border early on to replace Yan Yun in guarding the Xiongnu territory. He was not allowed to return to Xianyang without being summoned.

Yan Ying and Yan Xuan are twin sisters, both exceptionally intelligent and brave, and their teamwork is unparalleled. Because there are often female tribes in the Baiyue region, they were left behind to guard the area during the previous southern expedition against Baiyue, preparing for the next campaign.

The youngest son, Yan Cong, was only fourteen years old and not yet an adult. He was more impulsive than his older siblings, so Yan Yun ordered him to stay in Xianyang City. In his spare time, he only led a small group of soldiers to suppress bandits and did not dare to entrust him with important matters.

Now, Yan Yun has this request on his deathbed. First, he is worried about his son's future. Second, he is also reminding Ji Heng that the Queen of Qin can command troops. For the sake of the king, the commander of the troops must be trusted by both of them.

Although Yan Cong was young and impulsive, he possessed immense strength, a simple mind, and unparalleled loyalty.

Yan Yun trusted his children as much as he trusted Ji Heng.

As Qin Shi stepped into the hall, he heard his arrangement and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

For later historical records, Yanyun is just a name.

For the survivors of the six former states, Yan and Yun were their mortal enemies.

For Ji Heng, this was the general he trusted most, and also the teacher who shaped his brave and strong character throughout his youth.

This was the military god of the Qin Dynasty, but now, the hero has grown old.

Yan Yun looked at her, her spirits slightly lifted, and even smiled slightly: "Qin Qing."

He whispered, "What I have accomplished with all my heart and soul is Your Majesty."

"I hope that in the future, with your assistance, Your Majesty will still be able to act with impunity, and for thousands of generations, you will be the sage ruler of our Great Qin."

Qin Shi's eyes were slightly red, but he couldn't help but smile:

"General, King Heng of Qin has achieved the great feat of unifying the country with your assistance, and he is already a sage ruler in the annals of history."

"Thousands of years later, when young children open their books, they will recite the name of the first emperor of the Central Kingdom, King Heng of Qin."

"I also remember the general who personally trained such an emperor—the Qin military god, Yan Yun."

At that moment, Ji Heng felt his hand suddenly tighten!
Yan Yun's grip was exceptionally strong, and then, using this strength, he burst into loud laughter:

"Good! Good! Good! With this life, Yan Yun has no regrets!"

After that brief moment of exhilaration, his eyes gradually dimmed, and even his voice became weak:
"Your Majesty, in this old minister's life, I have finally lived up to the expectations of my great Qin Dynasty and Your Majesty."

A sharp pain and an indescribable soreness surged upwards from my chest.

Ji Heng had long since accepted the fate of others, but at this moment, he still couldn't help but grip the thin, cold hand tightly in return.

His palms were covered with rough, hard calluses and cracked skin, the result of countless hours of hard work and bloodshed on the Qin Dynasty's territory, drawing bows and wielding reins.

He opened his mouth, his hoarse voice low and deep, as if a dark tornado was approaching from the sky:
"The Yan army has never failed the Qin and me. Their kindness is profound and their military achievements are outstanding. I will never forget them."

Yan Yun's eyes were already unfocused, and at this moment, the corners of her lips were slightly upturned as she weakly murmured, "Heng'er... your master must first enter the Kingdom of Death, and then conquer the vast land for you..."

His palms were so cold that even when Ji Heng squeezed them tightly, he could no longer feel the blood surging beneath.

The hall was eerily quiet.

Ji Heng closed his eyes, and Qin Shi could see that his hand, which was tightly gripping Yan Yun's, was trembling slightly before he suddenly let go.

He gently placed the old man's hand back on the other man's knee, and then stood up.

The tall figure flickered in the dim candlelight of the hall, like a grieving eagle trembling atop a high cliff.

But this pain could not affect his soul.

At that moment, he gave the order: "General Yan Yun has passed away." Zhou Ju bowed and said: "Yes, sir."

The Book of Rites states: "When the emperor dies, it is called 'collapse'; when a feudal lord dies, it is called 'demise'; when a high official dies, it is called 'death'; when a scholar dies, it is called 'no salary'; and when a commoner dies, it is called 'death'."

When the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers pass away, the term "卒" (zu) should be used.

After unifying the world, the King neither established kingdoms nor granted fiefdoms to kings or lords. Now, his own words of death signify the supreme honor of the Supreme General.

Qin Shi looked out of the palace and, accompanied by the messenger's loud shouts, the sound of weeping, like autumn rain, gradually gathered around him.

Ji Heng stood outside the palace, like a silent and desolate monument.

Behind him, servants bustled about, while his two remaining wives and concubines, under the care of their daughters-in-law and grandchildren, personally bathed and dressed Yan Yun.

Amidst the cacophony of voices and cries, Yan Yun was dressed in the prepared burial clothes and carefully carried to the spirit bed in the main room.

His grandchildren are still young, and of his former wives and concubines, only two remain, both of whom are now old.

Although the king had sent people to invite his elder brother and sister to the frontier, Yan Yun insisted that they should not leave lightly.

Now, young Yan Cong has already taken on important responsibilities for the family.

After respectfully bowing to Ji Heng, he personally held Yan Yun's clothes in the courtyard and then loudly called out his name—

"Father! Yan Yun! Father—"

"Soul, come back——"

The boy's voice was not yet as powerful and resonant as that of an adult man, but it carried a deep sense of reluctance and sorrow, heart-wrenching and endless pain.

Qin Shi stood beside Ji Heng, watching the people around him come and go, almost in awe as he looked at the funeral arrangements before him, which seemed to have a connection to later generations, yet were quite different.

Even though centuries of war and chaos have led to the burning of books and the destruction of their contents by later generations, the etiquette and culture that are deeply intertwined with daily life continue to resonate in people's hearts.

The shouts in the courtyard gradually subsided.

Yan Cong, holding the clothes in his hands, bowed to Ji Heng: "Your Majesty..."

He choked with emotion, swallowed hard, and then, with reddened eyes, said, "Your Majesty, I dare to beg you to commiserate for my father!"

Ji Heng nodded, then reached out and took off the garment.

He turned and stepped back into the main room, gently covering Yan Yun's neatly cleaned body with it.

At the same time, Yan Yun's equally aged wife tremblingly reached out and placed a small jade cicada into his mouth.

She murmured:

"I hope that in the future, my husband may use the jade to communicate with the underworld, like a cicada shedding its shell, and through the method of corpse liberation, enter the land of the dead and gain eternal life."

The image of a cicada hiding its wings is a testament to such aspirations.

Ji Heng gently covered herself with the clothes.

The moment he let go, it was as if a lost soul was drawn into his clothes by the shouts of his loved ones, and then, upon touching his body, it flowed quietly from his fingertips and returned to his body.

Behind him, young Yan Cong finally couldn't hold back and knelt down, then burst into tears.

I'm begging for a monthly pass!
[Corpse dissolution means transcending the physical body and ascending to immortality.]

As mentioned earlier, the orthodox education received by scholars during the Qin and Han dynasties was inseparable from the idea of ​​achieving immortality through corpse liberation. This is also reflected in various materials unearthed from tombs later in the period.

In ancient times, the cicada symbolized not only purity and nobility, but also transformation and rebirth.

People believe that there is another world after death, and that shedding one's original body is like a cicada shedding its shell, gaining a new life in that other world.

This was the prevailing ideology at the time.