Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 88, Section 87: Divination with Yarrow Stalks
Qin Shi stared intently at Ji Heng.

This emperor, who established an unprecedented unified empire, now looked weary and cold.

But his physique remained like that of a wild beast, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

Those remnants of the six kingdoms who committed these supernatural and ghostly acts were mistaken.

As resilient and proud as Ji Heng is, neither the presence of Mars guarding his heart nor the inscription on a meteorite will shake him in the slightest.

—It will only enrage him, and then he will order his soldiers to raise their swords and slaughter countless people.

At this moment, he was looking at the future queen of Qin, who was also someone whose lifeline was connected to Qin.

Qin Shi smiled slowly, his voice clear and melodious like a flowing spring in the deathly silent Zhangtai Palace:
"Your Majesty, King Wu established the Great Zhou Dynasty, which ruled the world for eight hundred years. Is such a glorious foundation and supreme power something that can be easily obtained simply by sitting there?"

All hardships and tribulations are merely jewels adorning the crown of a king.

Now, as the King of Qin who has established a dynasty that will last for ten thousand generations, doesn't everything you've encountered just prove your glorious reign as a king, and be recorded in the annals of history?
She knelt there, her smile gentle and her posture relaxed: "Your Majesty, if they could rival Your Majesty in both civil and military affairs, why would they need to impersonate you and perform supernatural deeds?"

"This mighty Qin Dynasty, which unified the world, was ordained by Heaven."

"Future historians should take heed of this."

A gust of wind blew, causing the curtains and jade pendants of Zhangtai Palace to flutter high. Ji Heng stared intently at Qin Shi, while the three dukes and nine ministers all bowed their heads, and the entire hall shouted:

"Your Majesty's unification of the world is ordained by Heaven!"

Ji Heng finally burst into laughter.

He looked at the Grand Historian who was still kneeling below the steps and said in a deep voice, "During my western tour, I was on the verge of death from a high fever. It was Minister Qin who presented me with a miraculous medicine from overseas, which restored my health."

"Grand Astrologer, the sign of Mars guarding the heart of the sky indicates that I have already triumphed over destiny."

The three dukes and nine ministers raised their heads, all looking at the King of Qin in shock, and then kowtowed deeply, remaining completely silent.

……

Although Ji Heng was a workaholic, the three dukes and nine ministers had worked hard all day, so as dusk approached, he finally let them go home.

"Grand Historian, please wait a moment, His Majesty requests your presence."

The old man, Yuan Xin, had a full white beard and white hair. He had served three generations of Qin rulers.

At this moment, he was thin and frail, and walked with a shaky gait. If it weren't for his strong voice when arguing with others, Ji Heng would probably have made him retire.

But now, when the old man walked to the outside of Zhangtai Palace, he was left behind by Zhou Ju.

Yuan Xin thought bitterly to himself: I might as well retire.

Having narrowly escaped death twice today, he now put on a pained expression for Zhou Ju: "I still want to go to Lanchi to personally thank Minister Qin."

Zhou Ju smiled broadly as well: "There's no need for such trouble. Qin Qing is currently staying at Zhangtai Palace. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be dining with the King."

The Grand Historian was instantly stunned.

He then lowered his head and pondered, before anxiously asking before entering the hall, "The other day I observed the stars and saw the constellation Gouchen in the Purple Palace shining brightly, as brilliant as the sun and moon. Could it be...?"

The Purple Forbidden Enclosure is the residence of the Heavenly Emperor, and historically, the affairs of the monarch's family have been observed from this direction.

The star Gouchen in the wall was chosen by the Empress.

Previously, Gouchen was dim and almost invisible, but two days ago it suddenly became bright! He was still pondering which lady in the palace was about to be crowned queen, but he never expected that it would be this noble lady!
Zhou Ju was also somewhat surprised.

Although he didn't speak, the expression on his face said it all.

Grand Astrologer Yuan Xin was immediately beaming: Antares III had always been dim, and Antares I was even more obscure. He had privately worried about the descendants of the Qin Dynasty for a long time, but he never expected that the change would occur within the Purple Palace!
Come to think of it, the king is only 36 years old, which is the prime of his life!
"Good! Great good!"

The old man, holding up the corner of his robe, stepped over the threshold and rushed into Zhangtai Palace without needing Zhou Ju's introduction.

"Your Majesty, where is Consort Lanchi?"

Once the old man is no longer being questioned, he becomes very lively.

Ji Heng remained unfazed. The woman was simply changing her clothes and washing up; what was there to ask?

He asked in a deep voice, "I wish to establish a queen. I wonder if the Grand Astrologer has gained any insights from observing the stars?"

"Ah!" Yuan Xin stroked his beard with a smile: "We must wait until nightfall to observe the stars. I did see the Gouchen star in the Ziwei Enclosure bright a couple of days ago, but it wasn't very clear. Why don't we perform a divination using yarrow stalks?"

He casually pulled out a roll of yarrow tied with red string from his sleeve: "Your Majesty, would you like to consult the yarrow stalks?"

Although it is customary for someone to record the divination and someone to interpret it, it is not impossible for him to do it alone now.

Ji Heng indeed frowned deeply.

Grand Historian Yuan Xin has served three emperors and is genuinely fearful in court, yet he is also genuinely lively now.

Ji Heng often found this contradictory personality puzzling.

However, he still nodded: "In that case, let's cast a divination to see."

The Grand Historian responded with a smile, then sat down at the table, his expression suddenly turning serious and his brows furrowed.

He was upright and dignified, truly possessing an air of otherworldly elegance.

He quietly untied the red string, then gathered the neat roll of yarrow stalks, counting them carefully every day, and now he focused on counting them again.

Just then, Qin Shi entered and, seeing this scene, became very curious and quickly came closer.

The Grand Historian finished counting the fifty yarrow stalks and looked up to see Qin Shi kneeling to one side with great interest, watching his movements intently.

This noble lady has thick, dark eyebrows, a resolute character, a bright and clear forehead, and a broad mind.

Her eyes were naturally bright and kind.

good! OK!

A thought struck him, and he handed over the fifty neatly arranged yarrow stalks in his hand:
"When using yarrow stalks for divination, one should first remove one stalk and not use it; this is the essence of Taiji."

"Qin Qing, can you help me?"

Qin Shi was intrigued, and after glancing at the composed Ji Heng, he immediately said, "What's so difficult about that?"

Having said that, he directly pulled one out and placed it on the table.

The Grand Historian smiled slightly: "The remaining 49 strands can be divided in two at will, to the left or right, and that will become heaven and earth."

He separated his hands, each grabbing a handful of yarrow and placing them on the table.

The two yarrow stalks were placed unequally, one on the left and one on the right. He then took one from the right side, held it between his left little finger and ring finger, and smiled, saying, "This is [Human]."

Ji Heng was somewhat impatient: If you're going to use divination sticks, just do it quickly. Why bother with all this fuss?

Seeing that Qin Shi was still in high spirits, he hesitated for a moment and then went to look at the memorial.

Such tolerance made Zhou Ju click his tongue in admiration, making him feel even more that he had a unique perspective.

Qin Shi was unaware of this.

Even if someone doesn't believe in fortune telling, it's hard not to be curious about it.

Now that the Grand Historian of the current dynasty is personally teaching us, wouldn't it be a pity to miss out?
She's really focused!
Seeing this, the Grand Astrologer took out another roll of yarrow stalks from his sleeve and handed it over: "If you are interested, Minister Qin, you may as well try to calculate it yourself."

It seems easy, and it seems quite interesting.

Qin Shi paused, then turned to look at Ji Heng: "Does Your Majesty have anything you wish to divine?"

Ji Heng paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Since you are so interested, then predict the future of my Great Qin."

It's here! April was tough; I managed to get perfect attendance, it wasn't easy at all!
[Still loudly begging for monthly votes!!!]

[Divination by yarrow stalks: shī cǎo zhān shì.]

[Ziwei Enclosure: yuan2]

[Yuan Xin: yuan2xin1]

This method of divination is a bit complicated, but very interesting. Leaving aside the possibility of a change of fortune (which is too complex for me to understand), you can try it yourself.

In the movie "Investiture of the Gods," King Wen of Zhou used this method of calculation.