In ancient times, there were not a few emperors who dreamed of eternal life, and Qin Shi Huang was one of them. Qin Shi Huang unified the great cause of the Central Plains, and contributed to the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, but he pursued immortality all his life. In order to pursue immortality, Qin Shi Huang also changed the moon to "Jiaping", because there is a folk song that says "Emperor Ruoxue's Immortal LaJiaping". Qin Shi Huang also sent people to look for immortals many times, calling himself a "real person". Many people believe that the demise of the Qin Dynasty was related to Qin Shi Huang's belief in immortality. Why was Qin Shi Huang so obsessed with immortality? What did Qin Shi Huang do for immortality?
First, hide your whereabouts and kill the warlocks
Ordinary people know that people will always die one day, but Qin Shi Huang wants to "fight" against fate. Qin Shi Huang was afraid of death, so he successively sent Lu Sheng, Han Zhong, Hou Gong, Shi Sheng and others to find immortals and seek the elixir of immortality.
But where in the world is there an elixir of immortality? These people couldn't ask for it, but they couldn't anger Qin Shi Huang, so Lu Sheng fooled Qin Shi Huang and said, "We went to ask for the elixir and couldn't find it, as if something hurt them, we thought to ourselves, is it the emperor who wants to hide his tracks, so that the ghosts can't see it, and the immortals will come." ”
This Lu Sheng told Qin Shi Huang that the place where the emperor lived could not let the courtiers know, otherwise it would hinder the gods, and the real people were inviolable to water and fire, and could live forever. Qin Shi Huang was very eager for the "real person" made up by Lu Sheng, and wanted to become a god like him, so he said: "In the future, I will be a 'real person' myself, and I will no longer call myself 'Zhen'."
So Qin Shi Huang ordered that the two hundred and seventy palaces within two hundred miles of Xianyang City be connected by sky bridges and Yongdao, and that draperies, bells and drums, and concubines be placed inside, and that all things should be arranged as before.
If anyone reveals the whereabouts of the emperor, he is sentenced to death.
"History of the First Emperor of Qin": "Lu Sheng said that the first emperor knew... Fortunately, those who have spoken and dealt with them will die of sin. ”
Once, when Qin Shi Huang came to Liangshan Palace, he saw too many chariots and horses from the mountain, and he was very unhappy, and someone in his entourage told him that he had reduced the number of carriages and horses. However, Qin Shi Huang was not only not happy, but also angry, thinking that someone had leaked his words, so he killed all the people who were accompanying him at that time. From then on, no one ever revealed the whereabouts of Qin Shi Huang again, and the group of courtiers accepted orders all at the Xianyang Palace.
In fact, the people who followed him were also happy for Qin Shi Huang, but Qin Shi Huang was only able to kill all the followers at that time for the sake of the illusory immortals, so it is no wonder that some people think that the fall of the Qin Dynasty and Qin Shi Huang's pursuit of immortality are inseparable. Even if Lu Sheng deceived Qin Shi Huang for a while, it was not the way, Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng soon realized that Qin Shi Huang was greedy for power, violent in personality, and everyone was flattered, and if they did not find the elixir, a catastrophe would be imminent, so they decided to flee qin shi huang.
When Qin Shi Huang heard that these two people had escaped, he was very angry, thinking that they had taken the money and ran away, and slandered themselves, so he sent someone to inquire and found that many people were saying that Qin Shi Huang was not. Qin Shi Huang buried these people alive in anger, a total of more than four hundred and sixty people.
"History of The First Emperor of Qin": "The First Emperor Xingliang Mountain Palace... More and more who migrates to the edge. ”
Second, Xu Fudongdu, there is no news
When Qin Shi Huang had just become emperor, he went out on a tour to Lang Evil, praised his great deeds with the princes, and carved his merits on the stone. After carving the merits, Qin Shi Huang saw that the sea was surrounded by clouds and mist, and there were mountains looming, as if he was in a fairyland, and Qin Shi Huang was fascinated. Neither Qin Shi Huang nor the ministers knew how this peculiar landscape came into being.
At this time, a warlock named Xu Fu, who grasped the heart of Qin Shi Huang's pursuit of immortality, said: "There are three immortal mountains in the sea, namely Penglai, Abbot, and Yingzhou, and there are gods and immortals living there. Qin Shi Huang was very happy and quickly sent Xu Fu to search for immortals and rare treasures.
"History of Qin Shi Huang Benji": "Having already, the Qi people Xu Shi and other books ... Go into the sea and ask for immortals."
After Xu Fu left, Qin Shi Huang was anxious in his heart, waiting and waiting, and finally Xu Fu finally returned. Qin Shi Huang was busy asking Xu Fuxian what the immortals had said. Xu Fu said, "I went to see the immortals in the sea, and the immortals asked me, 'Are you an envoy of the Emperor of Xitu?' I replied, 'Yes.'" The immortals asked me again what I was looking for, and I replied that I was looking for elixirs that would prolong life. But the immortals hated that the gifts I had prepared were too thin to take away the elixirs, and then he took me to Penglai Mountain, and I saw the palace built with Ganoderma lucidum grass, and the body of the messenger was like a bronze body, shaped like a dragon, and the brilliance emitted could illuminate the sky. ”
Qin Shi Huang asked busily, "What gifts do you need?" Xu Fu said: "You need the skills of boys and girls from good families and hundreds of workers to get the elixir." Qin Shi Huang was overjoyed, and hastily sent three thousand virgin boys and girls, grain seeds, and various craftsmen to follow Xu Fu and present them to the gods. Xu Fu led these people to the Immortal Mountain, where they found a vast plain and lake on the other side of the sea, where they established themselves as kings and did not return. Qin Shi Huang was still waiting for Xu Fu to get the elixir, but he never waited, and he had to return as if he had lost it.
"History of Huainan Hengshan Column Biography": "Xu Fu also went into the sea to ask for gods and foreign objects... Xu Fude had a broad plain, and the king did not come. ”
Third, why Qin Shi Huang pursued immortality
When Qin Shi Huang had just unified the world, he once said: "Become the first emperor." The future generations are counted, and the second and third generations are infinitely passed on to all the worlds", that is to say, Qin Shi Huang still knew that he would die one day, and when the time came, he would pass the throne to his descendants and pass it on until after the ten thousand worlds. But why was Qin Shi Huang able to face the fact that he would die calmly at that time, and then pursue eternal life later?
1. Qin Shi Huang wanted to always run his own great cause.
Qin Shi Huang was a very conceited person, he not only thought that he had done a great job to the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, but also carved inscriptions on the stone tablets every time he cruised to a place, hoping to carve the merits on the stones to carry forward his great cause. For such a great cause, Qin Shi Huang also very much wanted to continue to operate on his own, rather than letting his descendants pass on to the world, hoping that he and the Qin State could stand together in the world.
Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng also said that Qin Shi Huang was a person who coveted power, so Qin Shi Huang was also obsessed with pursuing immortality based on the psychology of not wanting to give up his hard-earned rights and status. In this way, Qin Shi Huang can always be a great emperor and enjoy unique rights all the time.
2. Qin Shi Huang wanted a new goal.
For Qin Shi Huang, he was the first emperor in Chinese history, with power, status, and money, and he would do whatever he wanted, and his ministers flattered him and the people feared him.
After the unification of the Six Kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang unified the writing, currency, weights and measures, formulated laws, opened up territory, unified thinking, and laid the political system pattern of China for more than two thousand years, which had a far-reaching impact on future generations.
Moreover, Qin Shi Huang, an emperor like Qin Shi Huang, is destined to be famous for future generations, so after completing so many feats, Qin Shi Huang lost his goal and lost his motivation, so he had to find a new goal for himself, and this goal was immortality. Therefore, in his old age, Qin Shi Huang became more and more superstitious about the way of immortality, and it was precisely because he had everything that he began to pursue something more difficult.
3. The Confusion of the Alchemist.
For the sake of their own glory and wealth, some alchemists would use immortality to confuse Qin Shi Huang and make Qin Shi Huang believe in these things, so that Qin Shi Huang would trust himself.
For example, Lu Sheng once deceived Qin Shi Huang that the immortals would not get wet when they entered the water, and they would not burn near the fire, and they could ride the clouds and drive the fog and live with the heavens and the earth. Xu Fu also told Qin Shi Huang that the gods and immortals had a lot of wealth, and they built a palace with precious Ganoderma lucidum grass, and their bodies would glow. Although Qin Shi Huang was a king, he was also a man, and hearing about these descriptions of gods and gods inevitably had a yearning for the gods.
And now that our science and technology and medical treatment are developed, people's life expectancy is longer, and any illness can be treated, but ancient medicine is not developed, even if Qin Shi Huang is the emperor, he cannot change the length of life, and what disease may not be cured. Therefore, when a mortal is not as happy as a god, Qin Shi Huang naturally yearns for immortality.
Now when we look at the "Immortal Mountain" on the sea, we will know that this is a mirage, just a scientific phenomenon, but how did the ancients explain this phenomenon more than two thousand years ago? It can only be considered to be the Immortal Mountain, and at that time people were more superstitious, Qin Shi Huang originally believed in the theory of ghosts and gods, and when he saw the mirage, he would believe even more, so he would obsess and pursue immortality.
summary
Birth, old age, illness and death are natural laws that human beings cannot change, but Qin Shi Huang did not see through these things. In order to live forever, Qin Shi Huang also did a lot of absurd things, and the Great Qin Empire actually had many hidden dangers during the Qin Shi Huang period.
After Xu Fudongdu never returned, the people missed their families, and some people already wanted to rebel. Therefore, Qin Shi Huang's pursuit of immortality is a reason for the demise of the Qin state that cannot be ignored. Of course, Qin Shi Huang was not able to live forever in the end, and he went to drive the crane immortal.
Reference: Chronicle of History