Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 151, Section 150: The Tomb of Pinyang
The temperature in Pinyang is slightly cooler than in Xianyang.

After nightfall, the Yan family's funeral arrangements were completed, and people from all around Pinyang gathered there.

The village elders and several post station chiefs also came to pay their respects. The Yan family was so busy with the preparations that they had no time for anything else.

Not only Yan Cong and Yan Ying knelt before the coffin, but Old Madam Yan and Consort Ning were also not at ease.

During the pilgrimage, an elder from the village couldn't help but ask, "Why is the Grand Commandant's funeral so simple?"

At this time, the clan power in the township and county was consolidated, and since Pinyang had produced such an extraordinary figure as Yan Taiwei, the elders in the township were naturally very concerned.

Now that the Grand Commandant of Yan has passed away, and it is said that the King of Qin bestowed upon him the title of "died," it is enough to prove that he was not disliked by the King.

But why were the burial and funeral arrangements so simple, and why were the children not even able to gather together?

“Previously, the Grand Commandant was away on campaign, and the King was determined to conquer the world. It was difficult to obtain the imperial edict, so the clan was not in a hurry to go to Xianyang to find out the truth.”

"But why is even the cemetery built so simply?"

At this time, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to travel. First, they had to assure the surrounding families that they would never commit any crimes, explain what they needed to do on their trip, and then explain everything to the village head before they could apply for a [talisman].

That is, a letter of introduction.

Finally, bring your personal verification document – ​​similar to an ID card.

Only with all their belongings complete could they leave the village.

Only in this way can the government maintain absolute control over the population and prevent incomplete conscription during the agricultural-war system and continuous warfare.

With a figure like the Grand Commandant in their clan, obtaining the talisman would not be difficult.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the king has a fearsome reputation, and the world was not yet at peace, so no one dares to easily cause trouble for this matter.

But now, how could that small tomb be worthy of the Grand Commandant's status?
Qin Shi was kneeling to the side, offering sacrificial fruits to the Yan general, when he heard this and fell silent.

She admitted that the fact that not all of General Yan's children returned after his death was both disrespectful and demonstrates exceptional loyalty.

Given the current funeral standards, his stay in Xianyang City for only three days, followed by a two-day burial in Pinyang, can indeed be described as simple.

However, the tomb chamber was simple...

General Yan's tomb is located in the southern suburbs of Dongxiang, and the entire tomb chamber is built in a rectangle.

It is 40 meters long from north to south, 30 meters wide from east to west, and about 9 meters high.

This height wasn't achieved by building with bricks and stones, but by first digging deep enough burial chambers, and then having hundreds of laborers use wooden hammers to tamp down the layers one by one.

Until the height was rammed to 9 meters in the open air.

All told, the total area is almost two acres.

This one tomb chamber alone would probably take laborers ten years to build.

This, however, is considered "simple and thin" nowadays...

Qin Shi came specifically to see it, and was so shocked that he was speechless.

As for the intricate carvings and layout inside the tomb, she wasn't qualified to examine them yet, but judging from their magnificent scale, they must be extremely complex.

And this is only the temporary burial method for Yan Yun.

In the future, he will be buried in the underground palace of Mount Li along with the King of Qin.

If such a simple tomb chamber is of this standard, then what a magnificent and colossal building the Lishan Underground Palace must be?

No. Qin Shi came to his senses. The tomb had been under construction for 10 years, and its specifications must have been befitting the Grand Commandant's status. After all, it was impossible for Yan Yun to have planned to be buried in the Lishan Underground Palace from the beginning.

The simplicity they referred to probably refers to the layout of the tomb chamber, as well as the livestock, servants, and other burial goods.
really.

Lady Yan gently comforted the anxious and heartbroken village elders: "The King ordered my children to guard the fortress. Autumn is approaching and the grain is about to be plentiful. I'm afraid that both the Baiyue and the Xiongnu are harboring some restless intentions."

"It is the Grand Commandant's order not to let the children return; the affairs of the state must take precedence."

"As for the simple funeral, it was also at the Grand Commandant's behest—when the Grand Commandant was seriously ill, the King visited him several times and promised that when he passed away, the Grand Commandant would be buried with him at Mount Li."

This is an extraordinary honor and a testament to his achievements.

Therefore, the burials are simpler nowadays, and the elders in the village remain silent, which is understandable.

Princess Wen, after offering sacrifices herself, followed Qin Shi and withdrew, looking somewhat sullen.

"My father's ministers and attendants are in the underground palace of Mount Li, but I will not be allowed to enter tomorrow..."

Prince Qian declared nonchalantly, "I don't want to be with my father. I want to build my own underground palace and bury all my Liubo (a type of board game) inside!"

His gold-inlaid jewels, ivory and tortoiseshell, pearl and turquoise multifaceted dice for Liubo (a board game) must all be buried with him!

There definitely aren't that many underground palaces in Lishan!
Qin Shi listened silently to the young man's thoughts on matters of life and death, and suddenly smiled as well—she seemed to know how to tell the king.

The pressure on his body suddenly eased, so he looked at the Red Maiden and said, "There's nothing for me to do tomorrow. Red Maiden, go and gather some rural women, boys and girls from the surrounding area. I'll inquire about some things."

The Red Woman nodded: "Yes."

He then asked, "Ten children, ten women, and several village elders and their families—is this feasible?"

At this time, apart from the post station, the people interacted most with the three elders, so Qin Shi was pleased with Chi Nu's arrangement.
"Very thoughtful."

Her first secretary must get a huge raise once she has a formal position.

Prince Qian looked over with renewed interest: "What should we do tomorrow?"

Qin Shi thought for a moment, realizing that it wouldn't do for the prince and princess to be completely ignorant of the people's livelihood, so he said, "If you are interested, you may come and listen to some of the ways that the people use to survive."

Of course they'd be interested!
Now that it is General Yan's funeral, they can neither play football nor invite others to gamble in a grand manner, nor can they even go hunting on horseback. Rather than wandering around aimlessly and having no fun, they might as well follow Qin Qing!
At the very least, she seems to know a lot.

Storytelling is also very interesting.

Sigh, Prince Qian thought to himself: If only I could tell stories about Madam Ma next time. Although they were interesting, he still preferred to hear stories about war.

……

To Prince Qian's disappointment, the next day, Qin Shi not only did not tell stories of battle, but even when he summoned the local people, he only asked them trivial questions.

—The nobleman of Xianyang wanted to summon some young men and women to speak with him, and this order could not be conveyed the next day.

Instead, the day before, the Red Woman had already contacted several village elders and village heads, who would go back at night to select someone reliable, articulate, whose appearance would not startle the nobleman, and whose identity was innocent.

Then there were several village elders and their families, and then the children and women worked together to clean up.

Fortunately, the weather is hot these days, and the water that has been heated during the day is barely enough for people to wash and groom themselves.

If that's not enough, the neighbors will gather more firewood to boil water, wash themselves clean, comb their hair neatly, and even have a healer prepare medicine overnight to kill insects, lice, and fleas...

Everything was neatly arranged and inspected by the maids before it was allowed to be brought before the nobleman.

Here it comes!!! After two days of crazy reading, I've got some stuff in my head! There's a book from the Central Literature Publishing House (the title is easy to censor) that's really interesting, but it's so easy to fall asleep and difficult to read.