The First Emperor was in Xianyang. One year passed in the blink of an eye, and the lingering fear of Bolangsha gradually disappeared. But the First Emperor was very diligent in handling government affairs. He often got up early and went to bed late. He truly managed everything in his daily life. He was indeed a good emperor. But as time went by, he felt his body was a little overwhelmed and wanted to go out for a walk. But when he thought about it carefully, it was very inconvenient to mobilize an army. In order not to disturb others, he quietly brought a few followers out of the palace incognito.
On this day, he wandered around Xianyang City to his heart's content, observing the lives of the people, and returned to the palace very late. On the way back to the palace, the First Emperor saw a group of children in a circle on the roadside. They were dancing and singing. The lyrics were:
Mao Chucheng attained Taoism and became an immortal, riding a flying dragon to heaven; he often came to Chicheng to descend to earth, and he lived forever regardless of heaven and earth; if the emperor also learned from immortals, there would be peace in the world; if the emperor also learned from immortals, there would be peace in the world Year.
When Emperor Qin heard this song, he thought that this song told me to follow Mao Chucheng to learn the magic of immortality, and the world would be peaceful and prosperous. Who is this Mao Chucheng? Why have I never heard of it? Just ask people on the roadside. Someone told him: "I heard that there was a man named Mao Ying in Taiyuan who liked Taoism very much. People called him Zhenren. His great-grandfather was named Meng, with the courtesy name Chucheng. He once practiced in Huashan. I heard that he later became a Taoist. Immortal! This song was handed down by Mao Meng and was widely circulated in Xianyang. The children all found it very easy to hear, so they sang it." After hearing this, Emperor Qin felt very happy and started to move happily. The thought of seeking immortality. When he returned to the palace, he changed the twelfth lunar month to the Jiaping lunar month according to the meaning of the lyrics. This was the beginning of the First Emperor's comprehensive pursuit of immortality.
The First Emperor sent people to Taiyuan to look for Mao Ying. Half a month later, I visited Mao Ying and came to Xianyang together. Emperor Qin asked about Mao Meng. Mao Ying's answer was indeed the same as what the people said. Mao Ying also said: "It is said that the Yellow Emperor asked Guangchengzi in Kongtong Mountain. After the Yellow Emperor heard about the Tao, he rode a dragon and ascended to heaven. Your Majesty, you have merited the three emperors and the five emperors. If you respect the gods and study the Tao religiously, The first emperor will definitely become an immortal if he hears this!" Hearing this, the First Emperor was overjoyed and wanted to worship Mao Ying as his teacher and learn Taoist skills.
When Prime Minister Wang Wan heard about this, he felt that it was very unreliable, so he advised the emperor: "You can't listen to what Mao Ying said. Ballads have happened in all dynasties. Maybe someone made it up deliberately. . I also heard that many people have sought immortality and learned Taoism since ancient times, but no one has ever really become an immortal?" However, the First Emperor believed Mao Ying's words deeply, and in the end he did not listen to the prime minister's advice and worshiped Mao Ying. As the 'immortal master'. From then on, the First Emperor began to study Taoism religiously, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to becoming an immortal emperor.
After the First Emperor made up his mind to study Taoism and seek immortality, one day he asked Mao Ying what was the best way to practice Taoism. Mao Ying replied: "Cultivation is a secret and sacred thing. It requires ascetics to abandon all selfish desires and distractions in the world and practice in a black cave in the mountains where no one will disturb them. Over time, they will realize the Tao. Your Majesty, you are the king of a country. , how can you give up glory, wealth and all kinds of desires?" The First Emperor thought for a while and said: "I don't want to go to the dark cave in the mountains to practice Taoism, nor do I want to abandon the wealth in the world. Do you think how can I have both? ?" Mao Ying thought for a while and then said awkwardly: "This matter is really difficult to handle, but I have a way. I wonder if your majesty would be willing to do as I say?" The First Emperor smiled and said : "If you have any good ideas, feel free to tell me and let me hear it?"
Mao Ying said: "It is said that there is a large ravine with a radius of tens of thousands of miles in the East China Sea, called Guixu. Guixu is really unfathomable. There are three fairy mountains in it, named Fangzhang, Yingzhou, and Penglai. Each mountain has several numbers. Ten feet high, the distance between mountains is also very far. Especially Penglai Mountain, there are splendid buildings everywhere. There are clouds and mist on the mountain and below, and there are strange flowers and fruits all over the mountain, and they also exude a fragrant smell. There are towering Zhicheng palaces everywhere on the mountain. The walkways and steps are also carved with gold and silver. All the palaces are made of gold, and the railings are made of white jade. They are filled with viburnums and exotic herbs. Those blooming flowers are also pearls. Jade is generally beautiful and dazzling. If you eat one of those exotic flowers and fruits, you will live forever. And the gods live in the mountains, and they have all the food and clothing they need. They just pick some when they have nothing to do every day. Taste pearl fruits and beautiful jade flowers. The gods may chase birds and animals for fun, or gather together to study music, chess, calligraphy and painting. They have no idea what worries and worries are. On weekdays, the gods also like to wear pure white clothes. When they are interested , I just ride the auspicious clouds and fly across the sea, as free as a bird, or fly to Penglai to visit friends, or fly to the abbot to visit relatives, it’s really coming and going, it’s endless fun!”
When Emperor Qin heard Mao Ying's explanation, he was so happy that he said happily: "Mortals living in such a place can live a long life, let alone gods?" Mao Ying said again: "Why don't your Majesty build such a huge palace in Xianyang?" If you live in your residence, I will pray for you all day long, and Mao Chu's achievements will definitely come down to earth. At that time, I will have a way to ask him to enlighten you and become an immortal!" The First Emperor happily said to Mao Ying: "I will do it now. Sanxian Mountain is built in Xianyang, so of course it must be grand in scale." Mao Ying added: "It's a pity that there is no sea!" Emperor Qin said confidently: "What's so difficult about this? Build Sanxian Mountain in a large pool, and then pour it into Isn't the Wei River the sea in your imagination?" Mao Ying was very surprised and said: "If Your Majesty can complete this huge project, it will be a rare wonder in the world! This can also show your sincerity in seeking immortality. The immortal knows I will definitely be extremely happy." Mao Ying was extremely happy when she saw that the First Emperor agreed to build such a huge project in Xianyang, because he thought: In the next few years, he will definitely be famous and prosperous.
The First Emperor then issued a clear edict: to choose a suitable place east of Xianyang to build a large artificial pool and build Sanxian Mountain. This project was fully supervised and supervised by Mao Ying. He also named the pool 'Lanchi' and the palace 'Lanchi Palace'. Building such a huge project requires a lot of manpower, material and financial resources. Emperor Qin ordered to recruit craftsmen and civilians from all over Shandong and excavate large rocks in Beishan. The people were extremely disappointed when they heard that the emperor wanted to build Orchid Pond for themselves.
In Bolangsha, some people hated the First Emperor because Emperor Qin killed many people. At this time, I heard that the emperor wanted to recruit migrant workers to build Orchid Lake. There were five people who hated the First Emperor, and they bravely joined the ranks of migrant workers. However, these five people did not like to engage in construction, but were looking for opportunities in Xianyang to assassinate the First Emperor.
In order to build the Orchid Pond, the First Emperor asked people across the country to report their own acres of land and yield per mu, in order to collect taxes and increase the expenditure on building the Orchid Pond. It turns out that after Shang Yang's reform, the Qin State, in order to reward wealthy farmers, exempted them from corvee service and encouraged the people to freely cultivate land without limiting the amount. In this way, the Qin State legally recognized and protected farmers' ownership of land. In this way, farmers had fixed land, and Guanzhong's economy developed rapidly. After Qin unified the six countries, it has been pursuing this policy. Now that the government engages in taxation, the country's revenue will naturally increase. Qin then recruited 100,000 craftsmen and gathered in Xianyang. Whether in the scorching summer or the cold winter, the craftsmen worked hard under the whipping of the Qin army.
Three years later, Lanchi and Lanchi Palace were finally completed. When the emperor heard that the Orchid Pond was built, he led all the civil and military officials, beauties from the six countries, and princes and grandsons to come and watch it. In order to build momentum, Mao Ying arranged a large number of service personnel to greet them with grand etiquette. The First Emperor went to Lanchi Palace first and was extremely happy to see the spectacular palace. Mao Ying explained to him the construction of Lanchi. Then he led the emperor and his entourage out of the palace to enjoy the orchid pond.
