Chapter 509: Auspicious Omens, Begone

From the moment he received the notice until the Feng and Shan ceremony to be held at Mount Tai on the fifteenth of the eighth month, Heifu had only half a month. He hastily handed over administrative affairs to the Commandery Deputy and Chen Ping, took Wei Yang and a few dozen others, and rushed westward without stopping. By the tenth day of the eighth month, he finally reached Lixia City in Jibei Commandery.

Lixia is the later Jinan; the clear Ji River winds past the city's north side. It was said there were many natural springs inside and outside the city, but Heifu had passed through here twice while hurrying on his way and had no time to see the Baotu Spring, which still spouted naturally. He simply had someone ask the Usher who had arrived early to arrange the traveling palace, "Where has His Majesty reached?"

The Usher knew Heifu was a favored minister of the Emperor, one of the few specifically named to attend the Feng and Shan ceremony, so he replied, "I venture to inform the Junior Supervisor: His Majesty has reached Zou County and is performing sacrifices at Mount Yi…"

Zou County lies in Xue Commandery, the stronghold of the Confucians. Mount Yi is also called East Mountain; it is said that Confucius "ascended East Mountain and found Lu small, ascended Mount Tai and found the world small." Under the Confucian scholars' interpretation, climbing Mount Yi had thus become an appetizer before the Feng and Shan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Although the Emperor did not much like Confucian scholars, he had kept seventy Erudites for many years precisely for matters of establishing rites and ceremonies. He did not flatly reject the Confucians' proposal. Since it was a famous local mountain, he would climb it and take a look, and conveniently use that place to have the Chancellor, the Imperial Secretary, and others deliberate with the various Confucian scholars of Qi and Lu on stone inscriptions, eulogizing Qin's virtue, the rites of Feng and Shan, and the matter of offering distant sacrifices to mountains and rivers.

Hearing that he had made it in time after all, Heifu breathed a sigh of relief, but inwardly muttered:

"But I hear Mount Yi is only a little over five hundred meters high. The First Emperor, accustomed to the perilous peaks of Guanzhong, will probably find it too short!"

After a brief rest in Lixia, Heifu took his retinue and continued south. On the twelfth day of the eighth month, he arrived at the foot of Mount Tai, just as the First Emperor's eastern inspection procession also reached there.

Before he could meet the First Emperor, Heifu first ran into an acquaintance: Usher Yang Jiu, who had once been ordered by the First Emperor to go to Nanchang to elevate his rank.

Yang Jiu was now a Fifth Grand Master, responsible for arranging accommodations and travel at Mount Tai ahead of the imperial chariot — a position of considerable authority.

Yang Jiu knew well that Heifu's status was far higher than it had been back then. He respectfully bowed to Heifu and led him toward the traveling palace where the Emperor was resting. As they walked and chatted, Yang Jiu began to enumerate for Heifu the magnificence of the personnel accompanying this inspection tour…

"Besides three thousand men of the Gentleman Guard and several hundred Tiger Guard officers, those of higher rank include: Marquis Tongwu, Wang Ben; Marquis Wucheng, Wang Li; Marquis Jiancheng, Zhao Hai; Marquis Wuxin, Feng Wuze; Chancellor of the Right, Li Si; Chancellor of the Left, Wang Wan; Minister Wang Wu; Fifth Grand Master Ziying…"

Good heavens, Heifu counted — four marquises had actually come along to lend their support. Wang Li had inherited Wang Jian's title, but the Emperor had changed the supremely perfect "Wucheng" to "Wucheng." The meaning was clear: the Wang family's lost boy was still far from his grandfather's level!

Marquis Wuxin, Feng Wuze, was a great hero of the pacification of Yan and Zhao. Marquis Jiancheng, Zhao Hai, was the Governor of Beidi Commandery, an old minister from the era of King Zhao of Qin, who had accumulated merits and already reached the rank of Grand Chief. After the great victory in Beidi, relying on his logistical achievements, he had finally been added as a marquis, his rank now even higher than the Left and Right Chancellors.

This was also the Emperor's deliberate doing: those with real power had ordinary ranks, while those without real power had exalted ranks, achieving a subtle balance. Even Li Xin, for his merit in destroying the Yuezhi, had only been promoted to Grand Chief and could not directly be enfeoffed as a marquis.

However, as Heifu listened further and heard that Ziying — the son of the First Emperor's nephew, Lord Chang'an Chengjiao, who had betrayed the state in earlier years — had come, but Prince Fusu had not, he secretly wondered.

"What has that blunt, honest boy done this time to anger his father?"

Yang Jiu knew Heifu had worked with Prince Fusu. Seeing him hesitate to speak, he understood what he wanted to ask and sighed:

"His Majesty originally intended to bring the Eldest Prince, but the Eldest Prince did not approve of the Feng and Shan!"

"The Prince submitted a memorial to His Majesty, saying: 'Suppose there is a man who has been ill for ten years. After treatment, he is about to recover, but he is still so thin that only skin and bones remain. Yet now, he is asked to carry a dan of rice and walk a hundred li a day — he certainly cannot do it. Your Majesty has also said that the chaos of the feudal lords lasted five hundred and fifty years! Your Majesty, as the good physician of the realm, raised troops to punish the violent and chaotic; the kings all submitted to their punishments, and the realm is greatly settled. Although the people's hardships have been alleviated, their wealth and energy have all been used to aid the court in attacking the Xiongnu and Yuezhi and are not yet fully replenished. At this time, when the people are hungry, cold, and exhausted, to announce completion to Heaven and Earth? Your son believes this is inappropriate. It would be better to cease military garrisons, let the people rest and recuperate for ten years, and then perform the Feng and Shan — it would not be too late…'"

Heifu clicked his tongue. This Fusu truly was a blood son; things others dared not say, he dared to remonstrate directly on every single one!

What Fusu said was not wrong. What is Feng and Shan? Feng means building an earthen altar atop Mount Tai to sacrifice to Heaven, to report the achievements of Heaven. Shan means sacrificing to the Lord of the Earth at Mount Liangfu beside Mount Tai, to report the achievements of Earth.

Thus, Feng and Shan is sacrificing to Heaven and Earth, telling Heaven and Earth of one's accomplishments. The Confucians had always said that Feng and Shan existed since antiquity; ancient sovereigns like Wu Huai, Fu Xi, Shen Nong, the Flame Emperor, the Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun, Yu, and others all held Feng and Shan ceremonies — only after the Three Dynasties had no one done it.

Heifu was not particularly learned and had no idea whether this was true or false, but the First Emperor clearly believed it. After unifying the six states, the Emperor had wanted to tour east for the Feng and Shan as early as three years ago, but it had been delayed until now because of the northwest campaigns. Now the Xiongnu and Yuezhi were both shattered, the great achievement was complete, and he was just about to proudly show off his grand merits to Heaven and Earth. The ministers and Confucians all praised and flattered him — only his eldest son poured a basin of ice water over him. Could the First Emperor be pleased?

The consequences, naturally, needed no guessing. The First Emperor was angered and no longer wished to bring his eldest son. He punished him by confining him to his mansion to copy legal statutes, then took his ministers and officials and embarked on this state-funded tour since the founding of the empire.

After hearing this, Heifu felt as if he had a toothache. Fusu's words did hit the mark on current ills, but he was too rigid and upright, speaking without any tact. He truly deserved to be out of the Emperor's favor.

At this point, Yang Jiu skipped over the topic and began talking about a strange event that had occurred a few days earlier when the Emperor was sacrificing at Mount Yi in Zou County.

"When His Majesty was performing the sacrifice on the mountain, the accompanying officials at the foot of the mountain heard what seemed like voices shouting 'Long life!' from the mountain. The officials were all astonished. When His Majesty descended and they reported this to him, none of the accompanying marquises and Confucian scholars knew what it was. Only the fangshi Lu Ao memorialized, saying it was probably an auspicious omen brought about by His Majesty's perfected virtue…"

The Emperor was overjoyed upon hearing this. He exempted three hundred local households from taxes, using their tax revenue to fund the Mount Yi sacrifices, and named the small town where they lived "Chongyi."

This matter was somewhat dubious and not credible. With fangshi mixed up in it, Heifu immediately sensed trouble and thought to himself:

"If the First Emperor does this, it will probably set a terrible precedent. When the superior has a liking, the inferiors will go to excess. This is practically encouraging the ministers to use their imaginations and present all sorts of absurd auspicious omens to build momentum for the Feng and Shan!"

…

Heifu was able to witness the Feng and Shan, but he only knew the surface of these ancient rites. He knew what he knew and admitted what he didn't. So before coming, he had humbly sought supplementary lessons from Fu Qiubo, the "County Thrice Venerable" of Jimo.

Fu Qiubo told him that the ancient rites of Feng and Shan were unknown. The most recent instance was when Duke Huan of Qi, after becoming the first hegemon of the Spring and Autumn period following the Kuiqiu Covenant, wanted to perform the Feng and Shan. Guan Zhong disapproved. He first laid out cases of Feng and Shan since antiquity, then pointed out that only a ruler who had "received the Mandate" could perform it, hoping to dissuade Duke Huan.

But Duke Huan believed that he had campaigned north against the Mountain Rong, west against Da Xia, and south to Shaoling; he had convened the feudal lords nine times and rectified the realm — his achievements were extraordinary, hardly inferior even to the Three Dynasties. This was naturally the embodiment of "the Mandate is with me," and so he persisted.

Seeing this, Guan Zhong had to change tactics. Using the absence of miraculous auspicious omens like the paired-wing bird, the paired-eye fish, the phoenix, and the qilin as a reason, he again tried to dissuade him. In the end, Duke Huan heeded Guan Zhong's advice and did not perform the Feng and Shan…

Now it was the same. The First Emperor's Feng and Shan had everything ready and lacked only auspicious omens to lend it support.

The Emperor's fondness for auspicious omens was something the ministers tacitly understood. When the First Emperor first unified the realm and became emperor, Lu Ao and Hou Sheng had lobbied him with the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Virtues, saying: "The Yellow Emperor obtained the Earth Virtue; a yellow dragon and earthworm appeared. The Xia dynasty obtained the Wood Virtue; a green dragon alighted in the suburbs, and plants grew lush. The Yin dynasty obtained the Metal Virtue; silver overflowed from the mountains. The Zhou dynasty obtained the Fire Virtue; there was the omen of the red crow. This is the cycle of the Five Virtues from beginning to end."

"Now that the Qin dynasty has replaced the Zhou, according to the theory of the Five Virtues, the Water Virtue has overcome the Fire Virtue. In that year, when Duke Wen of Qin went out hunting, he once obtained a black dragon — this is the auspicious omen of the Water Virtue!"

This was endorsing the legitimacy of the empire. The First Emperor deeply agreed. He renamed the Yellow River "Virtue Water," made winter's tenth month the start of each year, honored the color black, took six as the standard number, honored the Da Lü pitch in music, and honored laws and decrees in governance…

This was the influence of the Five Virtues cycle and the Black Dragon omen on the First Emperor's administration.

Just as Heifu expected, when they passed through the layers of defenses formed by the Gentleman Guard and entered the traveling palace, officials from various counties in Jibei and Xue Commanderies were vying to present auspicious omens to the Emperor!

The Governor of Xue Commandery reported that when the Emperor first entered Xue Commandery, a farmer near Lu City had hunted and caught a one-horned beast; its fur and appearance resembled a pao, that is, a roe deer. The Governor of Xue believed this was the qilin that Confucius had encountered just before his death.

The Governor of Linzi Commandery, meanwhile, played other tricks, saying that recently on the mountains outside Linzi City, hunters often heard strange bird calls. When local fangshi were consulted, they said it sounded very much like a phoenix's cry, and someone had even picked up the phoenix's brilliant feathers.

The qilin and the phoenix, the five numinous creatures, are the auspicious omens of a true king. These two matters were considered supremely auspicious.

The Governor of Jibei Commandery, unable to find a one-horned roe deer or phoenix feathers, simply presented a six-eared stalk of grain found who-knows-where, saying it was truly a blessing brought by the transformative power of Heaven and Earth and the influence of a kingly aura.

And the magistrates of Boyang and Zou County even brought forth things like a goose laying twin eggs or a willow tree producing catkins in the eighth month — anything slightly unusual was presented as an auspicious omen.

Heifu could not help but sigh. Five years — merely five years. The Qin officials who, during the conquest of Qi and Chu, were all frugal, respectful, sincere, and loyal, had, after a few years steeped in the dazzling world east of the Passes, turned into a bunch of sycophants.

Although he too would offer insincere flattery, he had not yet reached such a shameless degree.

It seemed it was not just Jiaodong; this was the prevailing atmosphere permeating the empire from top to bottom!

For a moment, all sorts of bizarre auspicious omens vied in grotesque display, turning the entire traveling palace into a foul mess. The marquises and officials who had come from Xianyang, with the precedent of Prince Fusu's remonstration against the Feng and Shan angering the Emperor, all tacitly understood. Not a single clever person stepped forward to expose these shoddy "auspicious omens."

Heifu thus passed through the palace courtyard, filled with bird calls and beast roars like a zoo and exhibition hall, and after more than half a year, met the First Emperor of Qin again.

The Emperor remained high and aloof, robed and crowned in his chariot, but his face, veiled by the jade tassels of his crown, showed neither joy nor anger. He seemed weary of these auspicious omens vying to be presented before him, yet obliged to play along with the charade.

Seeing Heifu enter the hall and prostrate himself before him, the Emperor merely said flatly:

"The Governor of Jiaodong has arrived? Xue Commandery has captured a qilin, Linzi has produced a phoenix's cry, Jibei has produced six-eared grain. What auspicious omen does your Jiaodong have?"

At these words, apart from the First Emperor, Wang Ben, Wang Li, Li Si, Zhao Gao, and even the fangshi Lu Ao and Hou Sheng all turned to look at Heifu. They wanted to know how this high frontier official, whom the Emperor never tired of praising, saying "Heifu has never disappointed me," would answer.

Heifu bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, your minister is incapable. Jiaodong has produced no natural auspicious omen!"

"If I must speak of things different from past years, it is only that under the management of the Agriculturalists, new high-yield vegetables have been grown, and grain production has slightly increased due to the promotion of composting and fertilizer soaking!"

After Heifu finished speaking, Zhao Gao lowered his eyes, but inwardly chuckled darkly.

The fangshi Lu Ao, upon hearing this, showed a trace of doubt in his eyes.

"No auspicious omens? We know that…" The First Emperor's voice came through, yet no one could tell whether he was gratified or displeased.

But at that moment, Heifu raised his head and said loudly:

"However, Jiaodong does have an auspicious omen — of the people!"

At these words, the whole hall was astonished; even the commandery governors to the left and right, who had only felt at ease after presenting their own omens, stared at Heifu in surprise.

The First Emperor also looked at Heifu again, and saw him smile:

"Word has it that Your Majesty is arriving. In Yeyi in Jiaodong, over ten thousand newly land-granted left-lane commoners, hired farmhands, and hired laborers — these lowly folk who from ancient times until now have never been ruled by Great Qin, nor ever felt gratitude toward anyone — have actually been singing Your Majesty's praises and wishing you long life of ten thousand years! They say Your Majesty is like the sun: when the sun shines on Jiaodong, when it shines on them, it drives away the harsh winter, giving them fields and homes, clothes and coarse cloth, so the black-haired people are at peace and prosperity endures!"

"Your servant has also heard: Heaven sees through our people's eyes, Heaven hears through our people's ears! When the people cry 'ten thousand years,' does Heaven not also cry 'ten thousand years'?"

Heifu bowed again with clasped hands: "This — this is Jiaodong's sole auspicious omen!"

PS: "In the Warring States period, when the King of Qin saw Lin Xiangru presenting the jade, when Tian Dan feigned surrender to Yan, when Feng Xuan burned Lord Mengchang's debt tallies — those around and the people all cried 'ten thousand years.' For in the Seven States era, whenever the masses rejoiced for their lord, they all cried 'ten thousand years.' From Qin and Han onward, when ministers and subjects had audience with their sovereign, paying homage for grace and offering congratulations, it gradually became customary."

(End of chapter)