Qin Official

Qin Shihuang stayed in Gui County (gui) for a long time, from early April to the end of April.

He is waiting for two things here. One is the opinions of the officials on the "Western Expansion".

As expected by the emperor, in addition to Wushiluo's opposition, the three county governors, Wei, Nei Shiteng, and Meng Tian, ​​including Li Xin, all expressed their support. Even the imperial censors and Tingwei who were far away in Xianyang agreed with the strategy of strengthening the three counties of Longxi, Beidi and Shangjun, but they felt that they could reconsider the development of Hu Rong land.

In fact, the emperor's gaze also stopped in the northwest. Henan and the Hetao were also one of his goals.

But his view was opposite to that of Heifu. He believed that the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu were still strong, with tens of thousands of people who could control the strings, and their military power was no less than that of a crown and belt country. If they wanted to conquer them, they would probably have to use hundreds of thousands of troops.

However, Baiyue was weak and could not be determined by propaganda, so after he became emperor, he planned to go south first and then north.

It wasn't until Heifu presented the march diary "Southern March" that Qin Shihuang read it and gained a new understanding of the south.

Jiangnan is more vast than he imagined. It takes more than a month to walk from the north to the south of Yuzhang, and there are no roads in many places. There are dense forests everywhere. The soldiers have to cut down trees while moving forward, which is very costly. big.

It is conceivable that the environment and climate in Lingnan is worse than that in Yuzhang. This war that has not yet begun will be much more difficult than Qin Shihuang imagined.

This hesitation changed after Heifu changed his mind and thought that the march south should be slow. When he first attacked the northwest, it intensified.

No matter how arrogant Qin Shihuang was, he also knew that it was unrealistic for both sides to start a war at the same time, and they must be divided into two sides.

In addition to the desire to conquer, the southern expedition was nothing more than to obtain rhinoceros horns, elephant tusks, jade, and pearls. These treasures could satisfy his collecting habit and allow the Shaofu to make a lot of money.

By expanding to the west, we can occupy the lush pastures in Hexi, Hetao, and Henan, add three large pastures to the country, and avenge the Hu Rong's centuries-old invasion of the Central Plains.

The benefits of the latter were obviously greater than the former. The balance in the emperor's heart gradually tilted towards the west, and since Wu Zhi interpreted his dream, the balance has completely tilted towards the west!

With this in mind, Qin Shihuang put down the memorial at hand and asked the visitor to come over and ask: "Go and urge those who are painting the boat! I will see the portrait today!"

The second thing he was waiting for was a painting: a portrait of the Queen Mother of the West...

…

Qin Shihuang's imperial team not only included civil and military officials and Langwei attendants, but also horsemen, weaver girls, cooks, and craftsmen who were responsible for the clothing, food, housing, and transportation of thousands of people. Among the hundreds of workers, there were even three "painting craftsmen" who used colors. , dyes are used to paint on silk and utensils. If the emperor liked the scenery of a place, he would ask them to paint it on silk. They had already painted a lot along the way.

But the task they got today was a bit unusual: the emperor asked three painters to try painting a portrait of the Queen Mother of the West...

Painting gods can't help but the painters. The three of them come from the Chu region, which is the country with the most mature silk painting art. Chu people are romantic and imaginative. In addition to traditional silk paintings of dragons and phoenixes, painters often depict celestial phenomena and gods to express the mythical world imagined by Chu people.

One of them even painted the image of the Queen Mother of the West in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", so he used fine brushwork, using mineral pigments such as cinnabar, azurite, and stone green, to paint on fine silk cloth.

Two days later, when the painting was completed, the Queen Mother of the West appeared with a leopard tail and animal ears, fluffy hair, and exposed tiger teeth, full of wild charm. She stood alone on the top of a high mountain, roaring loudly, and the clouds and mist floated and relaxed under her feet.

The painter happily presented the silk painting to the emperor, but it was thrown back...

"Redraw!"

The three painters looked at each other. This is what their Queen Mother of the West looked like.

But the emperor had spoken, and they had to bite the bullet and reconsider. After consulting Wang Wan and other learned people, they spent another two days and finally repainted the image of the Queen Mother of the West imagined by Taoists in Liezi.

At this time, the Queen Mother of the West transformed from half human and half beast into a white-haired old woman with a white head and a childlike face. She had a bright white head, wore a feathered coat, and lived in seclusion in a cave in the fairy mountain. A "feathered man" with a human head and a bird body was at her disposal.

However, the emperor only took one look and was still dissatisfied, so the silk painting was burned directly.

"If it doesn't suit me, repaint it!"

There are only three things that can be done. If the emperor cannot be satisfied after the third time, although he will not be dragged out and chopped off directly, he will definitely be punished.

The three painters were so worried that they could only ask their boss, the Shaofu Cheng Heifu, for help. They asked Wu Zhi, the "initiator" of the whole thing, to ask him what kind of image the Queen Mother of the West should be in His Majesty's mind.

Wu Zhi had already understood. The painter asked humbly, and he slowly said: "It is said that the Queen Mother of the West is immortal and has lived from the time of the Yellow Emperor to the present. When she is always young, how can she be an old woman?"

Now the painters understood it, and together they decided to use the "Wushan Goddess" that they had painted for the King of Chu when they were in the Chu State as a template to create a beautiful goddess with eternal youth.

The silk painting completed by two and three painters was once again sent to the palace. When the scroll was hung, Qin Shihuang saw that the entire silk painting depicted the scene of Tianshan Yaochi, with the tall twelve golden figures guarding the bottom, as if While waiting for the guests, I looked up and saw that the banquet was full of flamboyant curtains, tripods, pots and stacked ear cups, which were filled with fine wine, jade wine and various fairy grass and fruits. Snakes, giant turtles, owls, and sheep-like monsters are scattered around.

In the center of the silk painting, there is a goddess in her thirties, with a short to medium figure, a graceful appearance, a peerless face, a dignified and gorgeous goddess...

She was riding on a chariot driven by six dragons, with two white cranes standing on her left and right, and above her head was the sun with a golden crow inside, which looked extremely bright.

The painters lay on the ground, anxiously waiting for the emperor's announcement, but Qin Shihuang remained speechless for a long time. He admired the scene of the Yaochi and the Queen Mother's face that the painters had recreated. After a while, he praised: "Very good!"

The painters were overjoyed and presented a poem to describe the appearance of the Queen Mother of the West:

"It has not been seen in ancient times, and has never been seen in the world. It is a magnificent and beautiful thing, which is beyond praise. When it first comes, it is as bright as the sun shining on the roof beams in the daytime; when it comes less, it is as bright as the bright moon and spreads its light. In a moment, beauty appears everywhere: It is as bright as flowers and as warm as crystal. Its grand decoration is like Luo Wanqi's great achievements, which are extremely charming and shine in all directions. As she descends into the palace, she suddenly changes her appearance, as graceful as a dragon riding on the clouds... "

Although it fits the situation very well, it is a direct plagiarism of Song Yu's "Ode to the Goddess". The painters in Chu were smart, but unexpectedly someone around Qin Shihuang had read this article and pointed it out immediately. Qin Shihuang did not blame the painter, but said:

"Why is there no one around me as talented as Song Yu who can write an "Ode to the Queen Mother of the West"?"

As soon as this statement came out, the ministers who were proficient in Ci and Fu were eager to try it, but Qin Shihuang gave up the idea.

He still didn't like Chu's Fu, which was too arrogant, too pretentious, and mixed with a lot of vocabulary unique to Chu.

Then Qin Shihuang sighed: "The Queen Mother of the West is the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. She is endowed with the wonderful creation of yin and yang in the heaven and earth. Her image is unparalleled, her beauty is infinite, and her shape is majestic. If you have not seen it with your own eyes, how can you talk about its appearance lightly? No one will see it!"

…

That night, someone hung the silk painting in his palace. Qin Shihuang held the candle and looked at it for a long time. He couldn't take his eyes away and didn't know what he was thinking.

When even the chamberlain came to ask if he wanted to invite the accompanying concubines to sleep with him tonight, he waved his hand impatiently.

Since the death of Hu Hai's mother, the emperor has also lost the last concubine he loved. The other concubines, seventh son, and eighth son are all the same in his eyes, but the thousands of palace people kidnapped from the six countries are all in his heart. They were wary, and no one paid attention to them. They just let them grow old in the built six palaces. The royal chariot is suddenly startled by the thunder, the palace carriages are passing by, and the winding wheels are heard in the distance, and I don't know where they are...

Every time he travels, the emperor only chooses the most well-behaved people to accompany him. Occasionally, he will be lucky enough to do so, but it is just like a routine business and not very interesting.

To Qin Shihuang, they were no more interesting than the slips and memorials piled on the desk.

But since Wu Zhi interpreted his dream, Qin Shihuang discovered that he had developed a strong interest in a woman again!

That is the mysterious Queen Mother of the West!

Regarding mysterious things and legends between heaven and man, whether it was the Penglai Yingzhou Fairy Island mentioned by the alchemist, or the Kuafu Giant and the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West mentioned by Wu Zhi, Qin Shihuang maintained an attitude of rather believing in it.

Because deep down in his heart, he has been hinting to himself: "I am no ordinary human, but the real emperor!"

His disgust for his mother made him rather believe that he was the descendant of a mysterious bird of destiny.

The Yin people, who have the same origin as the Qin people, believe that "the king is the guest of the emperor". The main ancestors of the Shang Dynasty, such as Gaozu Taiyi, Taizong Taijia, Zhongzong Zuyi, etc., can ascend to heaven and obtain the title of "emperor" after their death.

It was different in Zhou Dynasty. Although he claimed to be the emperor, he already considered himself a mortal and just a herdsman on behalf of heaven, so he gave up the title of emperor and became a human king.

After entering the Warring States Period, seven heroes proclaimed themselves kings one after another, and even the small states of Zhongshan and Song Dynasty came to join in the fun, and the mystery of the king disappeared. Everyone knows that even if a pig wears a crown, he is still a king, but once he loses his power, the king is inferior to the common people.

This is also the reason why Qin Shihuang must give himself the title of emperor. He wants to re-bless his body with the mysterious color of the emperor of the Yin and Shang Dynasties!

Qin Shihuang also vaguely hoped that if he could unify the sea and unite the world, he would be more successful than the three emperors and surpass the five emperors in virtue, so that he could be rewarded by Haotian, so that he could ascend to the nine heavens after his death and continue to be the bright god in heaven.

Or, you can live forever and be the emperor for eternity!

But Qin Shihuang, who was nearly forty years old, could already feel the aging of his body and felt that he was unable to achieve his goals.

That's why he desperately expanded the mausoleum in Lishan Mountain and built a magnificent underground palace. He also built a large-scale construction project in Guanzhong, hoping to use the Wei River as the Milky Way and Xianyang Palace as the Ziwei Star to create a heaven on earth, as the alchemists said.

When auspiciousness appeared in Longxi, he immediately cast twelve golden figures and placed them at the entrance of the palace.

All of this seemed like a huge ritual, trying to attract Haotian's attention.

But deep down in his heart, the emperor knew clearly: There was no use in doing so, it was just in vain. No god came to Guanzhong, his body did not suddenly become young, and his transformation into immortality was even further out of reach.

So he hired alchemists, or refined elixirs, and made plans to send people overseas to seek immortality.

It wasn't until Wu Zhi placed a more interesting and fascinating legend in front of the emperor that he moved his eyes away from the misty East China Sea and looked back to the west, which was not far from Qin.

Wu Zhi listed new options for him: there are rumors of immortality in the East China Sea, and there are also rumors in the west.

But in the East China Sea there are only "immortals" who are not very famous and whose specific names cannot be named, but in the west there is the fascinating Queen Mother of the West!

Qin Shihuang believed that the Queen Mother of the West was real and believed that she had the power of immortality and her appearance would never grow old. He sent twelve golden men to invite him.

With this invitation, the emperor decided what to do next!

But he did not intend to lead a group of people to a remote area like King Mu of Zhou. That would be an irresponsible move to abandon the world.

Qin Shihuang was a man who could balance his hobbies and government affairs. He would never leave his territory for even half a step!

This westward inspection was originally a journey to trace the origins of Qin Shihuang.

After unifying the world and fulfilling his long-cherished wish, he felt briefly confused.

The emperor lost the motivation he once had. Even when he sent troops to guard the south of the Yangtze River and conquer Baiyue in the south, he habitually found a target for himself.

So he wanted to come to Qinian Palace, to the small city where his ancestors lived: to find his original self, to find the ambition rising in his heart when the Lao'ai rebels attacked the city and the beacon smoke was burning! Find something that generations of Qin people have worked hard and struggled to find.

And now, Qin Shihuang has found it.

The once lost ambition was burning in his eyes again!

Let someone hang a map of Longxi County next to the silk painting of Queen Mother of the West. Qin Shihuang placed his hands on Didao and Lintao, the westernmost areas of his territory, crossed the Great Wall and slowly moved westward, passing by the Qiang and Yueshi, arriving at a blank area, and finally placed his hands on the locations that might be Kunlun and Tianshan, and placed them heavily. one time!

"Fight it!"

Qin Shihuang planned to do these two things together: expanding the territory to the west and looking for the motherland of the Western Queen.

Even if we are thousands of miles apart, it doesn't matter. Along the way, those who obey the Qin Dynasty will prosper, and those who oppose the Qin Dynasty will perish!

What should I do after conquering the six countries in the Eastern Crown? Then turn around and face the west, incorporating all known and unknown lands into the empire's territory!

After the road is opened and the kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West is found, Qin Shihuang will patrol the west again.

He will lead a huge team along the newly built galloping road, wading through the quicksand and crossing the grassland, playing the sheng and xiao all the way to Kunlun and Tianshan Mountains in the ice and snow, to attend the banquet in the Yaochi, and see with his own eyes whether the Queen Mother of the West has a peerless appearance. He holds the secret of immortality.

Then, he wanted to repay her with Li and ask her to return with him. The emperor and the Queen Mother drove together in the car, returned to Xianyang, and drove to the restored Guanzhong Palace and the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, where they were worshiped by hundreds of millions of people.

Let everyone know that their emperor is a god just like the Queen Mother of the West!

Qin Shihuang had countless women in his life, but no queen. Even after he became emperor, no one was appointed queen, no matter what the officials suggested.

Because they don't deserve it!

How can a mortal woman compare with the emperor?

And looking at the world, the only one who is worthy of him is the Queen Mother of the West!

According to legend, she is the "emperor's daughter", that is, the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. In total, she is a sister and brother to Qin Shihuang, the "Emperor".

But so what? Qin Shihuang didn't care about these details, and he didn't even care about the legendary story between the Queen Mother of the West and King Mu of Zhou.

"How could King Mu of Zhou, a mediocre master, be able to swim in the sky with the Queen Mother of the West?"

Therefore, although he was said to live a long life, he still died.

But I am different. I want to live forever and rule from one life to all eternity!

The emperor looked at the beautiful and dignified Queen Mother of the West on the silk painting, with a look that made people dare not violate her, but in his heart was not admiration, but a pure desire to conquer!

Even a goddess must bow to herself, and even an immortal must submit to the emperor!

He said proudly in a tone that did not allow for refutation and questioning:

"I will make you my queen!"