The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

Qin Shi Huang stayed in Gu County for a long time, from early April to the end of April.

He was waiting for two things here, one of which was the opinions of the ministers on "Western Expansion".

As expected by the emperor, except for Wu Shiluo's opposition, the three county governors, including Li Xin, the lieutenant, Nei Shiteng, and Meng Tian all expressed their support. Even the Imperial Censor and the Court Justice who were far away in Xianyang agreed with the strategy of strengthening the three counties of Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun, but they thought that they could think about it again for the development of the Hu Rong land.

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

But his view was opposite to Hei Fu's. He believed that Yuezhi and Xiongnu were still strong, with tens of thousands of soldiers, and their military strength was no less than that of a country with a crown and belt. If they wanted to conquer them, they would probably have to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops.

The Baiyue were weak and could be conquered by sending edicts, so after he became emperor, he planned to attack the south first and then the north.

It was not until Heifu presented his marching diary "Southern Expedition Record" that Qin Shihuang had a new understanding of the south after reading it.

Jiangnan was more vast than he had imagined. It would take more than a month to walk from the north to the south of Yuzhang, and there were no roads in many places. There were dense forests everywhere, and the soldiers had to cut trees while advancing, which was very costly.

It is conceivable that the climate and environment in Lingnan were worse than Yuzhang. This war, which had not yet begun, was much more difficult than Qin Shihuang had imagined.

This hesitation increased when Heifu changed his mind and thought that he should go south slowly and attack the northwest first.

Qin Shihuang was arrogant and conceited, but he knew that it was unrealistic to start a war on both sides at the same time, and they had to start one after the other.

The southern expedition, in addition to the desire to conquer, was nothing more than for the rhinoceros horns, elephant tusks, jade, and pearls of Yue. These treasures could satisfy his hobby of collecting and also allow the Shaofu to make a lot of money.

And the western expansion could occupy the rich grasslands of Hexi, Hetao, and Henan, add three large pastures to the country, and also avenge the century-old invasion of the Central Plains by the Hu Rong.

The latter benefit was obviously greater than the former. The balance in the emperor's heart gradually tilted towards the western expansion, and since Wu Zhi interpreted his dream for him, the balance was completely tilted to the west!

Thinking of this, Qin Shihuang put down the memorial at hand, asked the usher to come over and asked: "Go and urge those painters! I want to see the portrait today!"

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

...

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

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

The painters were not stumped by the gods of painting. The three came from Chu, the country with the most mature silk painting art. The Chu people were romantic and imaginative. In addition to traditional dragon and phoenix silk paintings, painters often depicted celestial phenomena and gods to express the mythological world imagined by the Chu people.

One of them even painted the image of the Queen Mother of the West in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". He then used fine brushwork, cinnabar, azurite, malachite and other mineral pigments to paint on the finest silk cloth.

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

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

"Repaint it!"

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

But since the emperor had spoken, they had no choice but to reconsider. After consulting with erudite scholars such as Wang Wan, they spent another two days and finally repainted the image of the Queen Mother of the West imagined by Taoists in "Liezi".

Now, the Queen Mother of the West changed from a half-human, half-beast to a white-haired old woman with a youthful face. She had white hair, wore feather clothes, lived in seclusion in a cave in the fairy mountain, and a "feathered man" with a human head and a bird body was at her disposal.

However, the emperor was still not satisfied after just one look, and the silk painting was burned directly.

"If it doesn't meet my wishes, repaint it!"

There is no such thing as three times. If the emperor is still not satisfied for the third time, although he will not be dragged out and chopped directly, he will definitely be punished.

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

Wu Zhi had already gotten the idea. When the painter asked him humbly, he slowly said, "It is said that the Queen Mother of the West is immortal and has lived from the time of Emperor Huang to the present. How can she be an old woman when she is always young?"

The painters understood and decided to use the "Goddess of Wushan" that they had painted for the King of Chu during the Chu State as a template to create a beautiful goddess with eternal youth.

The silk painting completed by two or three painters was sent to the palace again. When the scroll was hung up, Qin Shihuang saw that the whole silk painting depicted the scene of Tianshan Yaochi. The tall twelve golden men were guarding at the bottom, as if waiting for guests. Looking up, the banquet was full of ostentatious curtains, tripods, pots and stacked cups filled with fine wine and various fairy herbs and fruits. Feathered people held cups, fairies held gui, and long snakes, big turtles, owls, and sheep-like monsters were distributed around.

In the center of the painting is a dignified and gorgeous goddess who is about 30 years old, of medium build, graceful and charming appearance...

She is riding on a chariot driven by six dragons, with two white cranes standing on her left and right. Above her head is the sun with a golden crow inside, which looks extremely dazzling.

The painters lay on the ground, anxiously waiting for the emperor's decision, but Qin Shihuang remained silent for a long time, admiring the scenery of Yaochi and the appearance of the Queen Mother recreated by the painters. After a long while, he praised: "Very good!"

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

"There was no such thing in ancient times, and the world has never seen it. Her beauty is beyond praise. When she first came, she was as bright as the sun shining on the roof beams; when she came a little further, she was as bright as the bright moon. In a moment, her beauty was everywhere: bright as flowers, warm as crystal. When she was adorned, she was covered with silk and silk, and her clothes were exquisite and colorful. She walked in the hall and shone brightly. Suddenly, her face changed, and she was as graceful as a dragon flying on the clouds..."

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

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

After this, the ministers who are proficient in poetry and poetry were eager to try, but Qin Shihuang gave up the idea.

He still didn't like the Chu Fu, which was too gorgeous and too pretentious, and mixed with a lot of words that only existed in Chu.

So Qin Shi Huang sighed and said, "The Queen Mother of the West is the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. She is endowed with the wonders of the yin and yang of heaven and earth. Her image is unparalleled, her beauty is infinite, and her appearance is majestic. If you don't see it with your own eyes, how can you talk about her appearance lightly? I must see it!"

...

That night, he had someone hang the silk painting in his bedroom. Qin Shi Huang looked at it again for a long time with a candle, staring at it, and I don't know what he was thinking.

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

Since the death of Hu Hai's mother, the emperor also lost the last concubine he loved. In his eyes, there was no difference between the other concubines, the seventh son, and the eighth son. He was wary of the thousands of palace people captured from the six countries, and he didn't show any favor to any of them. He just let them grow old in the built palace of the six kings. The thunder of the imperial carriage startled him, and the sound of the imperial carriage passed by. I heard the rumble of the carriage from afar, but I didn't know where it was going...

Every time he went out, the emperor only picked the most obedient ones to accompany him. He would visit them occasionally, but it was just a routine and boring job.

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

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

That was the mysterious Queen Mother of the West!

For mysterious things and legends of heaven and earth, whether it was the fairy island of Penglai and Yingzhou talked about by the alchemists, or the giant Kuafu and the country of the Queen Mother of the West talked about by Wu Zhi, Qin Shihuang maintained an attitude of believing in them.

Because deep in his heart, he had been hinting to himself: "I am definitely not an ordinary person, but a real emperor!"

His disgust for his mother made him prefer to believe that he was sent by the black bird of heaven.

The Yin people, who were of the same origin as the Qin people, believed that "the king is the guest of the emperor". The main kings of the Shang Dynasty, such as Gaozu Taiyi, Taizong Taijia, Zhongzong Zuyi, etc., were able to ascend to heaven and get the title of "emperor" after their death.

Zhou was different. Although they called themselves the Son of Heaven, they considered themselves mortals and only shepherded the people on behalf of the gods, so they gave up the title of emperor and called themselves the king of men.

After entering the Warring States Period, the seven heroes successively became kings, and even the small Zhongshan and Song countries joined in the fun, and the mysterious color of the king disappeared. Everyone knows that even if a pig wears a crown, he is still a king, and once he loses power, the king is not even as good as the common people.

This is also the reason why Qin Shihuang must add the title of emperor to himself. He wants to bless himself with the mysterious color of the emperor of the Shang Dynasty again!

Qin Shihuang also secretly hoped that he would unify the country and bring peace to the world, surpass the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors, and be rewarded by Haotian, so that he could ascend to the Ninth Heaven after his death and continue to be the God in heaven.

Or, he could live forever and become the emperor of all ages!

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

So he expanded the mausoleum in Mount Li and built a magnificent underground palace regardless of everything. He also built a large-scale project in Guanzhong, wanting to regard the Wei River as the Milky Way and the Xianyang Palace as the Purple Star as the Purple Star, as the Taoist said, to create a heaven on earth.

When the auspicious signs appeared in Longxi, he immediately cast twelve golden men and placed them at the door of the palace.

All of this seemed to be a huge ceremony to attract the attention of Haotian.

But deep down, the emperor knew that it was useless to do so. No gods descended on Guanzhong, and his body did not suddenly become younger. It was even more out of reach for him to ascend to heaven.

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

It was not until Wu Zhi presented a more interesting and fascinating legend to the emperor that his eyes moved away from the misty East China Sea and looked back at the West, which was not far from Qin.

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

But there were only "immortals" with no reputation and no specific names in the East China Sea, but there was the fascinating Queen Mother of the West in the West!

Qin Shihuang believed that the Queen Mother of the West was real, and that she had the art of immortality and her face would not age, so he sent twelve golden men to invite him.

The emperor decided to accept this invitation!

But he did not intend to take a group of people to a remote place like King Mu of Zhou did, which was an irresponsible act of abandoning the world.

Qin Shihuang was a person who could balance hobbies and government affairs. He would never leave his territory!

This westward inspection was originally Qin Shihuang's journey to trace his roots.

After unifying the world and fulfilling his long-cherished wish, he had a brief moment of confusion.

The emperor had lost his former motivation, and even sent troops to garrison Jiangnan and conquer Baiyue in the south, which was also a habitual goal for himself.

So he wanted to come to Qinian Palace, to the small town where his ancestors lived: to find his original self, to find the ambition that rose in his heart when the rebels of Lao Ai attacked the city and the smoke of war was burning! Find what generations of Qin people have been striving for and struggling to find.

And now, Qin Shihuang has found it.

The ambition that was once lost is burning in his eyes again!

Ask someone to hang a map of Longxi County next to the silk painting of the Queen Mother of the West. Qin Shihuang placed his hand on Didao and Lintao, the westernmost part of his territory, crossed the Great Wall and slowly headed west, passing through the Qiang and Yuezhi, and arrived at a blank area. Finally, he placed his hand on a location that might be Kunlun and Tianshan, and nodded heavily!

"Attack!"

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

Even if they are thousands of miles apart, it doesn't matter. Along the way, those who follow Qin will prosper, and those who go against Qin will perish!

What should we do after conquering the six countries in the east? Then turn around and head west, and incorporate all known and unknown lands into the territory of the empire!

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

He will follow the newly built highway with a huge team, cross the quicksand, cross the grassland, play the sheng and xiao all the way, go to the snowy Kunlun and Tianshan Mountains, attend the Yaochi Banquet, and see with his own eyes whether the Queen Mother of the West has a peerless face and holds the secret of immortality.

Then, he will repay her and ask her to return with him. The emperor and the Queen Mother will ride in the same car, return to Xianyang, and drive through the repaired Guanzhong Palace and the paradise on earth, and be worshipped by hundreds of millions of people.

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

Qin Shihuang had countless women in his life, but no queen. Even after he became emperor, no matter how the ministers hinted, he did not make any woman the queen.

Because they are not worthy!

How can ordinary women match 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 was the "Emperor's daughter", that is, the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. In fact, she was a sister to Qin Shihuang, the "Son of Heaven".

But so what? Qin Shihuang didn't care about this detail, and didn't even care about the legend that the Queen Mother of the West and King Mu of Zhou had a story.

"King Mu of Zhou was a mediocre ruler. What virtue and ability did he have to travel with the Queen Mother of the West in the sky?"

So although he was said to live a hundred years, he still died.

But he was different. He wanted to be immortal and rule from one generation to the next!

The emperor looked at the beautiful and dignified Queen Mother of the West in the silk painting, whose eyebrows made people dare not violate and play with her. What he felt in his heart was not admiration, but a pure desire to conquer!

Even if she was a goddess, she had to bow to him, and even if she was an immortal, she had to submit to the emperor!

He said proudly in a tone that did not allow rebuttal or questioning:

"I will make you the queen!"