Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 226, Section 225: Astronomy and Calendar
Autumn is chilly, and the paulownia leaves are falling.

Everyone at Lanchi Palace was busy preparing for the relocation.

While Qin Shi was handling official business, he saw Chi Nu and Wu Zi bustling around dealing with all sorts of trivial matters reported by the servants, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of joy.

Being a queen must be wonderful.

Moving the palace only requires lifting your legs.

There's no need to argue or fight with the interior designers and workers, nor to pack your luggage until midnight and then unpack everything after moving in.

She paused her writing: "Wu Zi, moving so close to the New Year will surely keep everyone in the palace busy—tell the servants that on New Year's Eve, everyone in Lan Chi Palace will receive a reward."

The end of the year is New Year's Eve, but the Qin state doesn't use that term nowadays. Upon hearing this, Wu Zi glanced at the other servants in the palace and couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Although no one showed it on their faces, who knows how happy they would be after their shift ended!
Wu Zi thought to herself: The Queen is really popular!
Around noon, Qin Shi finally finished dealing with the palace affairs presented that day, and then gave his instructions:
"Let's go take a look at the Taoist temple."

Look at the alchemists of today, what kind of alchemical techniques they use to refine elixirs.

No sooner had the carriage been prepared than a eunuch arrived from outside the palace with a message:
"Your Majesty, the Grand Astrologer requests an audience."

Qin Shi was immediately curious: "Grand Historian?"

……

Grand Historian Yuan Xin was also filled with bitterness.

Ever since the King's Western Tour Palace visit this year, he's been spinning like a top, never stopping.

First, the night's star celestial signs were unfavorable; Mars was guarding the heart, a very ominous sign. But the king was still on his western tour and had no one to confide in, so he was filled with anxiety and could not sleep at night.

Finally, the King made his westward journey to the palace, and the ominous sign was dispelled. However, upon looking up again, a falling star appeared in the eastern region...

To be honest, at that time, the Grand Historian himself was also feeling the pressure of being dismissed.

He's too old! He really can't handle the strain anymore.

Unexpectedly, the nobleman brought back by the king during his western tour had such courage. With just a few words, he turned the king's anger into joy and made him extremely happy.

He took a breath.

After General Yan passed away, the king ordered him to survey the tomb and calculate the auspicious time, which was a long and arduous journey... How bitter!
Having barely caught her breath upon returning to Xianyang Palace, she heard the very next day that the King was going to appoint a Queen…

At this time, the Qin state placed great importance on celestial phenomena, astrology, and the calendar. As the Grand Historian, he had previously only consulted the oracle on major events.

To this day, they keep divining again and again, without ever stopping.

Having learned of the Queen's mysterious identity, the palace servants now all say that she is a celestial messenger from Kunlun.

The Grand Historian carefully considered the matter – how could the people of Qin, more than 2000 years later, not consider this a divine messenger?
Moreover, with this queen, the Purple Palace in the sky was filled with auspiciousness, and he was finally able to enjoy some leisure time.

Although he was also envious of the secret methods for obtaining the golden elixir that the Queen had mentioned, his old body couldn't be idle for too long, so he decided to have someone copy them down after the New Year.

Who knew that while he was at the Star Gazing Platform, he had just woken up in bed early in the morning when he was summoned by the King!

The Grand Historian deeply felt his fate was bitter!
So I washed up, tidied myself up, and hurried off.

At that time, the king had just come out of the martial arts arena. After washing up briefly, he sent someone to summon him to the palace and then asked:

"When will the Queen give birth to a crown prince for my Qin state?"

Grand Astrologer: ? ? ? !
Your Majesty, you've only been married for two months!

Perhaps the shock in his eyes was too obvious, for Ji Heng frowned and asked again, "The Grand Astrologer observed the stars last night, yet failed to make a prediction?"

Yuan Xin shook his head in anguish: "The emperor's fortune is magnificent. This old minister can only see what has been set in stone, but cannot easily predict the future."

"If everyone could see this..."

What were the ministers hesitating about before?
All you need to do is secretly ask him to calculate whether the two princes in the palace are qualified to inherit the throne.

If he truly possessed such abilities, he should have been overjoyed and urged the King to hurry on his western tour before the King set off, for the Queen of Qin was on the way!

Ji Heng frowned deeply.

He wasn't unaware of it.

However, just as Yi Ming secretly worried, he would be thirty-seven years old after the New Year.

In such a vast state as Qin, if the ruler at this age still has no crown prince, the stability of the state is likely to be precarious.

Although his life-or-death situation during his western tour was kept strictly confidential, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be unearthed over time, and if the remnants of the six kingdoms were to cooperate in rebellion...

Crown Prince... Crown Prince!
"I understand."

He waved his hand, and the Grand Historian quickly withdrew.

But stepping down didn't mean the matter was over. The Grand Astrologer, after much deliberation, decided to visit the Orchid Pond Palace to examine the Queen's face—

What if there's something to gain?

Now that the eunuch had led him into the hall, Qin Shi, unaware of the old minister's inner turmoil, simply asked curiously:
"Why does the Grand Astrologer have the leisure to come to Lanchi Palace today?"

Yuan Xin had something to say but couldn't say it directly. Looking at the wristwatch from two thousand years in the future that peeked from the Queen's wrist, he smiled and said:
"I have heard that the Queen possesses a gnomon, as precise as a bronze sundial and water clock, accurate to the millimeter..."

"Well, over time there will be some error, so it can't be said to be perfectly accurate." Qin Shi took off his watch.

Ji Heng only glanced at the expensive watch briefly before returning it to her without showing any particular curiosity.

During the Qin Dynasty, people in Qin were not interested in such "strange and ingenious techniques" at all.

Now that the Grand Astrologer has good judgment, she is quite pleased. A maidservant stands beside her, holding a tray, and presents it to the Grand Astrologer.

The Grand Astrologer thanked him respectfully, showing no sign that this was just an excuse he had come up with on the spot. But when he held the item in his palm, he discovered that it was indeed a treasure!

Leaving aside the dazzling sapphire facets, the heavy, smooth, mirror-like unidentified metal alone exudes an aura of preciousness.

Looking at the constantly moving pointer above, with three branches—long, medium, and short—he understood immediately after a brief glance:

"The twelve hours of my Great Qin Dynasty..."

There are 12 dots on it, and the pointer is pointing to one of them. Calculating it, it is exactly the current time... Qin Shi knew that what he wanted to say was the Qin Dynasty two thousand years later, and it was still these twelve two-hour periods.

However, with so many people and so much gossip in the palace, it was inconvenient to do so, so he explained with a smile:
"These 12 two-hour periods in my hometown translate to 24 hours, with each mark representing half an hour, or one hour. A day and night is represented by the short hand completing two revolutions..."

Below this dial, there is another set of unidentified characters.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?"

Qin Shi glanced at it and then smiled, “According to the Yin-Yang Harmony Calendar, what is shown above is today—September 25th.”

The old man was overjoyed, and Qin Shi was pleased to see this as well. He then taught him how to adjust the time and switch dates.

The Grand Astrologer was engrossed in the instrument, clearly finding the small object to be a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

As he watched the unknown characters jump around one by one, he roughly matched them with dates and words in his mind, and felt quite accomplished.

However, the text jumped from regular numerical characters and suddenly changed into two other characters with complex strokes.

He couldn't help but readjust it and look at it again, puzzled.
"May I ask, Your Majesty, why are there so many characters appearing at this time?"

The simplified Chinese characters' strokes are easy to recognize; he can match them up after looking at them a couple of times. But on the third day of the ninth lunar month, extra characters will appear beside them.

Switching between left and right, there were no abnormalities on the fourth and second days of September.

Qin Shi glanced at it and smiled casually: "The twenty-four solar terms, the third day of the ninth month corresponds to the solar term Frost's Descent, so there will be a reminder from above."

"The saying goes that around the time of Frost's Descent, there's no need to worry about planting wheat—but nowadays, not many people in my Qin state are planting wheat, so we should just listen to this custom and proverb."

The Grand Historian fell silent.

After a moment, he respectfully placed the watch back on the tray beside him, and then asked:

"This old minister dares to ask, I am quite interested in this treasure. I wonder if you would allow me some time to study it?"

"What's so difficult about this?"

This is exactly what Qin Shi was waiting for.

Ji Heng was right; the gnomon was not without a substitute in the Qin state.

As someone in a superior position, she wouldn't even need to check the time herself unless she was used to it, as her subordinates would report to her at all times.

The Grand Astrologer took the item back and dismantled it, and she felt it was worth it.

Seeing the other person happily and excitedly carrying the box and quickly leaving the palace, as if their entire trip was solely for this wristwatch, Qin Shi couldn't help but chuckle.

"Won't the Grand Astrologer remember his unfinished business this afternoon and come to see me again?"

The Red Woman, however, smiled to herself.
"The Queen once spoke to the watch about the adjustment of the seasons and the calendar. Now she has handed the watch to the Grand Astrologer. Is she intentionally asking him to study it?"

Qin Shi glanced at her.

Astronomy and the calendar are matters of royal legitimacy, and it was not appropriate for her to directly discuss this with Ji Heng before she had several suggestions regarding the people's livelihood.

But what if the Grand Astrologer, who is in charge of astronomy and calendar, takes the initiative to notice?

Frost's Descent...

She also has a planting song based on the 24 solar terms. Although there are many things to plant that the Qin state doesn't have yet, the Han dynasty had the 24 solar terms, the Taichu calendar, and the Silk Road, so the Qin state will have them sooner or later.

For a nation, astronomical calendars are used to correct agricultural seasons.

For farmers, this allows them, who often lack cultural knowledge, to better grasp the timing of the seasons and increase production and income.

Your Excellency the Grand Historian, you must take the initiative!

After all, she was really not used to celebrating the New Year on the first day of the tenth lunar month.

Then, subconsciously raising her wrist, she found it empty and chuckled:

"Let's go, let's go take a look at the Dao Palace."

……

As expected, the Grand Historian only realized halfway through the journey that he had not had time to observe the king's appearance.

If the crown prince asks about it another day, he can't just use today's words to brush it off, can he?

but……

He hesitated, looking at the vast blue sky, then at the box he held in his arms, thinking about the strange characters on it and the twenty-four solar terms the queen had mentioned...

The third day of the ninth lunar month is the day of Frost's Descent.

According to agricultural records, Frost's Descent does indeed fall around this time!

With such precision, could this Yin-Yang harmonious calendar be even more in tune with the seasons than the current Zhuanxu calendar?
However, the Qin state's current legislation on solar terms is nothing more than the two solstices and two equinoxes, and the four seasons.

Spring Equinox, Autumn Equinox, Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice.

The beginning of spring, the beginning of summer, the beginning of autumn, and the beginning of winter.

Experienced farmers can roughly estimate the planting and harvesting times based on these eight celestial events.

However, this requires years of experience and constant monitoring of soil moisture. Without guidance and instruction, mistakes are easily made.

In this era of low productivity, any error in the timing of farming could delay the entire year's harvest.

The more he thought about it, the more tempted he became, and at that moment, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken and regretful.

Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry to ask about the Crown Prince?

Having spent every day with the Queen, had he never even seen such treasures?

The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war—but also sowing and harvesting!
　Here it comes! The Qin state currently uses the Zhuanxu calendar, which was changed to the Taichu calendar during the Han dynasty. The current lunar calendar, also known as the Yin calendar, is actually called the Yin-Yang Harmony Calendar.

　　In our rural area, birthdays are still celebrated according to the lunar calendar, so I was quite surprised to learn that my classmates celebrated their birthdays according to the solar calendar when I was much older.

　　This is due to differences in regional customs.

　　(End of this chapter)