The First Emperor visited the south coast along the coast and came to Langye Terrace. He saw that the newly built platform was very tall and had three floors, each floor was three feet high. There was a tall and majestic sea-viewing pavilion built on it, which was magnificent and spectacular. Qin Shihuang was filled with joy after seeing it, so he went on stage to tour. From the high platform, he saw more than 30 giant ships docked on the seaside, and asked Xu Fu when he would see the gods. Xu Fu made up stories about immortals, saying that he could see them as soon as he went to sea. Coincidentally, just when people were expressing doubts, the First Emperor witnessed an unimaginable spectacle at sea.
One evening, he was sightseeing on the seaside, and his courtiers were following behind him. Suddenly, rows of uneven pavilions appeared vaguely on the sea, which looked well-proportioned and extremely spectacular. The strange thing is that there seem to be people walking in the street market, just like the bustling human market. What kind of scene it is, someone from the past described it in a poem:
The sea of clouds in the east is empty again, and the immortals appear and disappear in the clear sky. In the floating world, there are all kinds of things, but how can there be a palace with a shell and a palace containing pearls?
He knows in his heart that everything he sees is an illusion, and he dares to recognize the magical power of his ears and eyes. The water is cold and the sky and the earth are closed. It stings the fish and dragon for me.
Frost dawns in Chonglou Cuifu, and strange things startle the centenarian. What is gained in the world can only be taken by the capacity, and there is nothing in the world who can be the hero.
The setting sun disappears thousands of miles away, but the blue sea can be seen polishing bronze. The new poems and beautiful words are also in good use, and the appearance changes and disappears with the east wind.
After a short while, this magical scene flickered on and off, looming. By the time everyone looked at it carefully, it had disappeared without a trace. Everyone who saw this scene was stunned, and Qin Shihuang was even more shocked. He had never seen such a spectacular scene in his life. When he saw this scene today, he was really intoxicated, as if he was in a dream. This scene was exactly what he was expecting, so he asked impatiently: "What's going on? What's going on? Does the god know that I am going to send someone to visit them?" Some people said yes, The gods must have known His Majesty's sincerity before he showed his power. Emperor Qin was so happy that he immediately sent someone to invite Xu Fu.
Xu Fu came to Langye Terrace and saw that the emperor was very happy, so he said: "Your Majesty is so lucky. I heard that you have seen the fairyland with your own eyes. You are really destined to be a fairy! Last year, your Majesty ordered me to arrange a sea voyage, and I have already built thirty It’s a big ship, but the three thousand boys and girls haven’t been gathered yet.” Emperor Qin asked why they hadn’t been gathered yet. Xu Fu replied: "Some unruly people are very resistant and are unwilling to hand over their children!" Emperor Qin said angrily: "I want to live forever, how dare they not support me? If the head of Guizhou is unwilling to hand over their children, they will all be held accountable. !" Xu Fu added: "We also need to equip hundreds of skilled craftsmen and waiters and servants, as well as eating utensils, cattle, sheep and rice grains. In addition, gold, jewels and treasures are also indispensable. If your majesty has all these, I will set sail immediately! Emperor Qin happily asked: "Are the gods also greedy for money?" Xu Fu replied: "The gods are not greedy for money, they just want to express their feelings for your majesty." The emperor was delighted, and he immediately performed the performance, and ordered the officials to ask them Send people to various counties and counties as soon as possible to forcibly recruit boys and girls, and all those who disobey the order will be executed. During this period, the First Emperor watched the sea waves comfortably on the Langye Platform, imagining the true appearance of the three fairy mountains, and asked Li Si to carve stones on the platform to record his merits. This is "Langye Stone Carving".
Xu Fu preached about the immortals, which made all the ministers feel uneasy. One day, the emperor said to the ministers: "Last year I ordered Xu Fu to go to the sea to seek the elixir of immortality. Now the ship has been built, and we will go to sea just after all the boys and girls have been selected. This is God's care for me. !” Prime Minister Wei remained sincere and remonstrated: “Your Majesty, I heard that in the past, King Wei of Qi, King Xuan of Qi, King Yan Zhao, etc. all sent people to the sea to visit immortals, but none of them got what they wanted! What’s wrong now? How can you believe that gods must exist based on illusory things? Moreover, if you want to recruit 3,000 boys and girls from among the people, this will undoubtedly cost the lives of the people! I think you should stop seeking immortals, otherwise it will arouse public anger. !" Emperor Qin was furious when he heard this, and he accused Wei Zhuang and said: "Didn't you see the gods appearing? I want to live forever, why should I care about a mere child?"
Wei Zhuang did not flinch and still advised: "Your Majesty, it is small to go to sea to seek immortality, but three thousand children are big! Who parent can bear to give up his heart and soul to the sea? If you have to go to sea, you can do it, but you can't Take these children away? If they cannot come back, how will you explain it to the people? Have you ever thought about how many people's families will be tragically separated from each other? Your Majesty, think twice!" Emperor Qin asked the Prime Minister again and again. When San Di tried to persuade him, he became furious and said, "You are disloyal to me if you dare to stop me from seeking immortality! You should have been punished with a serious crime, but I miss you because of your old age." Emperor Qin paused and then said calmly. "Prime Minister, you take off the crown and go back to your hometown!" After hearing this, Wei Zhuang was filled with grief and anger. He took off the crown from his head with trembling hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am old and can no longer do anything. I'm sorry for your worries. I'm extremely grateful to Your Majesty for not punishing me today. I'm really grateful for the great favor of the Emperor. But before I left, what I wanted to say was: Since Your Majesty took charge of the country and created great achievements, you have the qualities that none of the previous kings have. With your majesty’s talents and talents, now is a great opportunity to benefit the people, but if you go against the wishes of the people, the country will be in danger and the country will not be protected!"
Wei Zhuang spoke with anger and high spirits, but Emperor Qin suppressed his anger and glared at Wei Zhuang. At this time, the ministers were all worried about the old prime minister. Wei Zhuang continued fearlessly: "Your Majesty, you must not listen to the bluffs of charlatans like Xu Fu or the fallacies of magic elixirs! Three thousand children are the flesh and blood of the people. If they are taken away by force, That is unkind and unjust!" Emperor Qin couldn't bear it anymore when he heard this, and suddenly scolded with a gloomy face: "You say that I am unkind and unjust, do you think I am a fatuous king?" Wei Zhuang was not afraid, and still said eloquently: "Your Majesty, if you don't know right from wrong, you are stupid, and if you don't detect loyalty and traitor, you are mediocre!" Emperor Qin was furious, slapped the case and stood up, shouting: "Old thief, you are rebelling! Where are your hands?" The civil and military ministers were shocked, and they all knelt down in large groups, and they all interceded for Wei Zhuang, and he was spared the death penalty. Emperor Qin then ordered his left and right officials to blast the prime minister out. Wei Zhuang said sadly: "No, I'll leave!" Then he stood up, bowed deeply to his colleagues who begged for mercy, then turned and walked out. All the officials felt infinite regret as they looked at the Prime Minister's thin and stumbling steps. This is exactly what happened after his loyal advice was dismissed, and Emperor Qin decided to seek immortality.
Later, notices were posted everywhere in Shandong, on the coast of the sea, and under the Langye stage, and Xu Fu stepped up his efforts to recruit boys and girls. The notice reads:
His Majesty, the founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty, ordered Xu Fu, a Qi man, to go to the sea to seek immortality. The emperor recruited three thousand boys and girls, and the people from all over Shandong were ordered to send their children to be selected, aged between five and fifteen years old. Boys were given one hundred coins. Fifty bucks for girls. A family that donates two children will be rewarded with another hundred coins. If anyone causes trouble for no reason or refuses to sacrifice his son, the whole family will be killed.
The First Emperor's act of seeking immortality brought great disaster to the people of Shandong. The government sent people to select children from house to house, and people's wailing could be heard in all towns, villages, and roads. The officials who recruited children and the Qin soldiers who shouted at each other used leather whips to beat those who were a little negligent. There are tragic scenes of wives and children separated and families destroyed everywhere. This is exactly:
The rivers are all overturned, and the hills and mountains are collapsed. The sky also sheds tears, and the grass and trees are also filled with sadness. You can bear to look at the big carts and pay your life money casually, but who knows that it is evil to have children, but it is better to raise calves. To raise calves, you have to plow the fields, and to have children, you will be able to chase the waves! I don’t see you, but beside Langxie, there are frequent orders to hang up the cloud sails. The blue sea and blue sky are filled with boundless hatred. When and when will we return from this?
There is a village on the coast of the sea, and there lives a family. The old man is nearly sixty years old, and his wife is over fifty. Their son died in the war with Qin, and their daughter-in-law ran away from home, leaving only a six-year-old grandson. The old couple regarded this as their lifeblood, and they really didn't know whether to carry it in their mouths or in their arms. Unexpectedly, misfortune fell from the sky. One day, officials from the Qin State suddenly broke into the house and said they would take away the child. When the two elders heard this, it was like a wake-up call. The elder was so shocked that he could not speak for a long time. When the officials wanted to take away the child, the old woman tried her best to snatch him away. The old man hugged the official's leg and wouldn't let go. The officers and soldiers took the child away. The old man was so angry that he rushed over to fight the official. The official kicked the old man down. When the old woman saw this, she stepped forward like crazy and grabbed the officials' clothes, scolding them for being evil. The officials kidnapped the old couple and took them away. The two old men were taken to a big tree at the entrance of the village by officials and hanged in public. The villagers were frightened and never dared to disobey the order again. For a time, the whole village was immersed in grief.
The three thousand boys and girls were quickly collected, and the officers and soldiers took them all to the Langye platform. After Xu Fu called his name, he built a platform for worshiping immortals on the seashore. On this day, the First Emperor led hundreds of officials to the audience to watch Xu Fu go to sea. The Immortal Sacrifice Platform is divided into four floors, and a black flag more than two feet high is erected on the top, with the eight characters "Pray for Immortality for You, God's Blessing" written on it; the second floor is surrounded by four divine turtles. and various sacrifices; four boys and four girls were seated around the third level; sixty-four oil lamps were placed around the fourth level. Xu Fu first went up to the altar to worship the immortals, mumbling something mysterious. At this time, all the alchemists, Qin soldiers rowing boats, skilled craftsmen, and the crying children were all sitting under the stage, facing the sea, waiting for Xu Fu's arrangements. Xu Fu's followers had already lit incense on the stage, and they worshiped the sea.
Xu Fu prayed loudly on the immortal platform: "Our great First Emperor used force to eliminate the riots, and used virtue to rehabilitate the guilty, so the world surrendered and people felt at ease. In order to repay the emperor's great kindness, we also want to reward him. Because of his great achievements in unifying the world, today I am leading three thousand boys and girls to go east to the sea to visit the immortals. I want to find the elixir of immortality for our great Majesty the First Emperor, and ask him to take it so that he can be healthy forever and live forever! "Xu Fu has been practicing and preparing for a year, and his voice is already hoarse from exhaustion. Although he is speaking loudly, his dry voice is distorted and depressed under the influence of the sea breeze, and people cannot hear clearly. What exactly did he say next.
After Xu Fu finished his prayer, he ordered all the people to board the ship. The scene was very grand. When the emperor saw the scene in front of him, he called Xu Fu to him and said to him very excitedly: "Xu Aiqing went to sea to get the elixir for me. You are really loyal. If you can get the elixir back, I am willing to take it with you." , enjoy the wealth and honor of the world forever!" Xu Fu said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, even if there are many difficulties and dangers, I will still complete my mission and fulfill my filial piety to you." After saying this, he bid farewell to the First Emperor, boarded the ship and left.
There were more than a hundred people on each boat, as well as plenty of food and fresh water, as well as dozens of carts of gold, jewels and treasures given to Xu Fu by the emperor. In this way, thirty tall and majestic giant ships were filled with innocent and lovely children who did not know where to go. They slowly left the land and sailed towards the sea. As the boat got further and further away from the shore, the children looked back at their relatives with confusion on their faces. The fleet was vast, and the giant bows engraved with beasts broke through the huge waves and galloped towards the sea. In a short time, the fleet disappeared on the vast sea, but the cries of the children continued to be heard in the sea breeze. Those relatives on the shore who were bidding farewell were still praying with all their hearts: God, please bless them for their safe return!
The First Emperor lived in Langye Terrace for a while and never saw the fantastic scene on the sea again. People today know that what they saw is called a mirage, but how could the ancients two thousand years ago know the principle behind the appearance of mirages? After staying for a while, the First Emperor had no choice but to return home. He drove out of Langye County and drove inland. He then crossed the Yellow River from Baimajin and returned to Xianyang via Shangdang County, ending his tour.
