Chapter 332: A 2-meter Jade Pillar! A 2-meter Golden
Rope! The Sacred Ground of Emperor Wu of Han? (3)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Could it be for worship rituals?” one of them asked.
“But if it’s for rituals, there must be an altar!” another added.
“If it were for an emperor, it would be called Fengshan!” someone else chimed in.
Luo Feng spoke up, “I am not quite sure which deity was being worshipped. Whether it was for worship rituals or Fengshan, I do not know! But there are traces of rituals being conducted here! Although the jade column we just saw did not reveal much, things became much simpler once this silver rope appeared. This object is called a Jin Ni Yin Sheng! It is made of silver on the outside and gold on the inside. Of course, aside from these, there should be documents here. It appears to be for Fengshan use. Ordinary rituals would not be so complicated. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 28, in the Book of Fengshan, it is written: ‘Upon Mount Tai, an altar of earth was built for worshipping Heaven and repaying Heaven’s merit; thus it was called Feng. Upon the smaller mountains beneath Mount Tai, land was cleared for repaying Earth’s merit; thus it was called Shan. Shan means divine. The White Tiger Compendium says: “Some say that Feng means sealing with gold mud and silver rope, or stone mud and gold rope, as a symbol of imperial authority.”‘
Luo Feng quickly cut open the Jin Ni Yin Sheng and indeed found documents. It was a piece of silk cloth, wrapped in gold.
“Wow! Where did you get that knife, Luo Feng?” one of them asked.
“I was just thinking, does cutting gold and silver feel like cutting tofu?” another joked.
“It’s quite normal; both silver and gold are quite soft!” someone else pointed out.
“But they’re still metals!” another insisted.
“So, there really are documents in there?” someone inquired. “Who conducted the Fengshan ritual here?”
“If it’s from the Han Dynasty, could it be Emperor Wu of Han?”
“Emperors usually conduct Fengshan on Mount Tai; there are no records of Fengshan on Mount Taibai!”
Luo Feng did not pay any more attention to the silver rope, instead continuing towards the next treasure marker. Indeed, during the Han Dynasty, only
Emperor Wu of Han had conducted a Fengshan ritual, and it was on Mount Tai. Another Eastern Han emperor who had done so was Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu.
In ancient times, Mount Tai was the first choice for Fengshan rituals, as it was the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains. Moreover, not just any emperor could conduct a Fengshan ritual; they had to have accomplished something significant.
Emperor Wu of Han, needless to say, established the spirit of the Han Dynasty, expanding its territory. As for Emperor Guangwu, at the very least, he managed to save the dynasty, restoring the Han to the Liu family.
Both were remarkable figures. After all, following Qin Shi Huang’s Fengshan on Mount Tai, later emperors naturally imitated him.
If these objects were not for Fengshan, they must have been for a ritual. But if it were a ritual, it would be an incredibly grand one.
Luo Feng examined the location of the treasure marker and quickly formed a mental map. Five mountains surrounded the area, where dragon energy converged. There should be jade columns and silver ropes in the five directions.
“There should be a jade column here too!” Luo Feng said, as he dug for about ten minutes near the treasure marker. Sure enough, he found a cylindrical object.
[ Ding! Han Dynasty Jade! Valued at 100 million! ]
Was it more valuable than the previous one? Luo Feng quickly excavated it.
An hour passed, and another two-meter- long jade column was unearthed. Astonishingly, it was carved with a dragon coiled around the column. The craftsmanship was truly exceptional, lifelike and detailed.
Left: Azure Dragon? Right: White Tiger?
“Heh, if that’s the case, there should be two more jade columns, most likely representing the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise!” someone deduced.
“The jade columns are placed in the four cardinal directions – east, west, south, and north – and they represent the four great mythical beasts of ancient times!” Luo Feng analyzed as he headed towards the next treasure marker.
Upon finding the location, he discovered another jade column, and another silver rope.
“Wow! Ancient people’s intentions are being thoroughly understood by Luo Feng! Is this the charm of a master of fengshui?” someone marveled.
“Yeah, he’s so good at flirting. Even the previously aloof Lady Su seems to have
started admiring Luo Feng!” another teased.
“Are those two really going to become a couple?”
“Qin Rubing has been a fan for a long time though…”
“Wait, isn’t it a group of four? There’s also Li Shishi!”
It was almost midnight, but Luo Feng continued digging with everyone. At the last jade column location, they found a carving of the Black Tortoise.
“Four symbols integrated into the Five Elements!” someone exclaimed.
“With the discovery of these four jade columns, I believe there’s a fifth one!” another person speculated.
“And the fifth one might be the Yinglong, the leader of the four mythical beasts!”
“This is the foremost of the four mythical beasts!”
After examining the area, Luo Feng had a new analysis to share….
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