Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 185, Section 184: The Sacrifice of Tai Lao
The night at Xianyang Palace ended at dawn.

Then came the Imperial Clan Head and the Imperial Attendant, who worked tirelessly through the night.

The two were sitting opposite each other, taking a short nap on the couch, when they were suddenly jolted awake.

The first thing he did upon waking was to hurriedly stand up from his seat and rush outside to ask, "Is the food ready?"

The servants hurriedly replied, "It's ready, it's been ready for a long time. It was already being prepared before the Queen was even officially appointed."

The so-called "Tai Lao" refers to the three sacrificial animals—pig, ox, and sheep—offered by the emperor.

These three types of sacrifices not only require selecting those with pure fur and perfect physiques in advance, but also require keeping them in prison beforehand.

During the sacrifice, the ox was placed in the center, with sheep and pigs arranged on both sides, placed in a large cauldron and displayed in the center of the altar.

The wine and food vessels were arranged according to ritual, and sacrificial offerings such as grains, fruits and vegetables were placed around them.

Only in this way can the "Tai Lao" (a high-ranking sacrificial offering) be performed according to the standards for the

After looking around the ancestral temple, the two let out a long sigh, both of them at the same time.

As I said before: hasty.

It was too rushed.

Even the sacrifice at the Temple of the Supreme God had them in a state of utter chaos. If it weren't for the fact that it was August and the autumn sacrifice was about to be held without the Queen's sacrifice, they probably wouldn't have been able to prepare the sacrifice perfectly.

The Imperial Clan Head and the Imperial Attendant, having calmed their minds and focused their attention, silently lit another incense stick and asked simultaneously:
"Are all the dancers for the Eight-Row Dance present?"

"It's all ready, everything's prepared."

The Imperial Clan Headmaster (宗正奉常) is responsible for preparing sacrificial rites, which requires burning incense, praying, bathing, and calming the mind.

The one who walks back and forth in the Imperial Temple now, being bossed around like a headless chicken, is the Minister of the Imperial Household.

He was so busy he barely had time to breathe, his face was pale, but a flush of excitement rose on his cheeks:
"The emperor's standard was 64 people in eight rows and eight columns, with an additional 16 people prepared in case of unforeseen circumstances."

"Chime bells and chime stones, drums, zithers, sheng, yu, dizi, jiaozi, qin, zheng... all are complete!"

"Lord Zongzheng and Lord Fengchang, please rest assured, this is a great joy for our Qin Kingdom. We will do our utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust."

We can't afford it! We only have one life.

The Minister of the Imperial Household wiped the sweat from his forehead.

But then Zongzheng asked, "It is currently August, autumn, and there is also the ancestral temple sacrifice for the King's investiture of the Queen. Although the sacrifice is currently being held at the Ji Temple, we must not be careless about the sacrifice in Yongcheng."

"Yes!" the Minister of the Imperial Household quickly replied, "The Prime Minister has already departed overnight to preside over the sacrificial ceremony in Yongcheng."

"Three junior officials from the Imperial Household Department will also go to ensure that the sacrificial ceremony of our Qin Dynasty's former king is carried out without any mishap."

All the Qin kings throughout history have resided in Yongcheng.

Now, this king wants to correspond with the Milky Way in the sky in Xianyang, using the Wei River as the Milky Way, the four constellations and important palaces, so he has set up an ancestral temple between the Wei River and the Xianyang Palace.

It is called the Temple of the Supreme.

With such important matters settled, Zongzheng breathed a sigh of relief.

They exchanged a glance, neither wanting to sleep anymore, and could only ask each other again:

"Has the Queen's military seal been handed over?"

That has naturally been explained.

Their Queen of Qin could command five divisions of troops, each with 2000 men. The Queen's private army could be stationed in various locations throughout Qin and could be dispatched at will.

However, because the palace in Xianyang was guarded by a general, the queen's personal guards were mostly kept in small numbers—about 500 men.

With this song assisting the Queen in managing the six palaces, things became harmonious.

The two checked each other's work to ensure that nothing went wrong.

……

At this moment, Qin Shi, who had been woken up early in the morning and had finished washing and dressing, sat in the carriage and couldn't help but cover his mouth and yawn softly.

Both were working day and night, but Ji Heng sat there upright and energetic, even having the energy to hold a scroll of books.

Even though Qin Shi felt that he was full of energy after recovering from his illness, he couldn't help but admire him sincerely at this moment.

It is said that there are highly energetic people in the world who have multi-threaded thinking.

Such people can not only handle multiple events efficiently at the same time, but also maintain sustained focus and respond quickly.

They also possess high mental strength. While others need seven or eight hours of sleep to maintain their energy for a day's activities, they may only need two to four hours.

They even need to work at a high intensity continuously to release more energy.

Historically, it is said that Empress Wu was like this.

And isn't this person right now the same?

The Qin Dynasty was truly breathtaking.

But she was so tired that she could barely keep going.

Anyone who toils day and night, has to deal with the tireless Ji Heng, and is then dragged out of bed at 3 a.m. to do her hair and makeup, would be exhausted.

She couldn't understand why, with such boundless energy, the king only had a handful of concubines and few children. In reality, he wasn't just all bark and no bite!

But having fewer concubines was a good thing, so she only sighed about it and that was it.

However, she was already feeling weak, and the rumbling of the carriage made her feel even more dizzy.

So she glanced at Ji Heng and spoke softly:
"Your Majesty, I'm sleepy."

Ji Heng didn't even look up: "Your Majesty doesn't need to sit there. You can take a nap on the couch to the side."

That's outrageous!

The king is so diligent, while I am fast asleep; it is rather impolite of me to compare the two.

However, it is unacceptable to compromise oneself in order to uphold this etiquette.

Qin Shi smiled slightly, then moved his body slightly closer to Ji Heng.

Ji Heng paused, turning his head to look at her, only to see Qin Shi pull his free left hand over and place it beside her ear, then gently rest it on his lap:
"May I borrow Your Majesty's hand for a moment..."

Ji Heng frowned.

He really wanted to say: What kind of behavior is this?

Or perhaps, why bother?
However, when he lowered his eyelashes again, he saw that Qin Shi had already closed his eyes and his expression had suddenly become quiet.

He paused, then stopped speaking, but continued reading while still holding the bamboo slip in his right hand.

In the corner, Chi Nu Wu Zi, who had just been about to step forward to serve, lowered her head again upon seeing this.

The Queen—she certainly has guts!

It takes an hour and a half for a carriage to travel slowly from Xianyang Palace to the Temple of the Supreme.

Qin Shi drifted off to sleep, with Ji Heng's warm palms supporting his cheeks and his exceptionally strong and taut legs beneath him.

Although lying prone all the way made my body quite stiff, I must say that the quality of my sleep was quite good.

As they approached the temple, the Red Maiden mustered her courage and quietly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty..."

Ji Heng put down the book and was about to move his shoulders when he noticed Qin Shi's slender fingers touching his wrist.

He paused, then picked up his teacup and slowly sipped it, before speaking in a low voice.

"Serve the Queen in her bathing and grooming."

As he spoke, he slightly raised his left hand, his warm palm cupping her head and neck, and gently lifted her up.

Chi Nu quickly breathed a sigh of relief, and then together with Wu Zi helped Qin Shi sit up. Seeing that she was awake, she hurriedly served her a cup of warm tea.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived at the Temple of the Supreme Lord."

Qin Shi blinked, feeling he hadn't slept enough, but he looked at Ji Heng again and smiled:
"Your Majesty has worked hard."

　It's terrifying when inspiration disappears in an instant.

　　Thankfully, it was found again.

　　Since there are no records of Qin Dynasty sacrifices, the sacrifices of the emperors in the Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were referenced.

　　The Eight-Row Dance was performed according to the standards for the emperor, while the feudal lords had six rows of dancers, and the high officials had four... The rites did not extend to the high officials, and the common people were not qualified to perform sacrifices or observe the Zhou rites.

　　The story behind the Eight-Row Dance: "This is intolerable!"

　　The Eight-Row Dance is a World Heritage Site, but it is still performed in South Korea today, and is danced during Confucian ceremonies.

　　(End of this chapter)