Supreme Sacred Ring, Carefree Tycoon!
In the 80s, a good-quality old Hainan Huanghuali round-backed armchair from the Qing Dynasty could be yours for just twenty yuan. Now, two million yuan o...
"This, could this be the Nine Cauldrons of Dayu and the Twelve Golden Men of Qin?" Yang Jing was really scared by the dozen or so objects in front of him that were as tall as a person, but then he realized that something was wrong.
"No, these are not the Nine Cauldrons of Dayu and the Twelve Golden Men of Qin. They should be imitations made by Wu Ze. The real Nine Cauldrons have long disappeared, and even Wu Ze could not find the real Nine Cauldrons." Yang Jing stared at the dozen or so big guys, and finally said with certainty.
Yang Jing had no time to pay attention to the twelve golden men on the periphery. His mind was completely attracted by the nine large tripods.
This is the legendary Nine Cauldrons. If it is authentic, it is a supreme artifact even more powerful than the Imperial Seal!
In Chinese history, the Nine Cauldrons of Yu the Great are recognized as the symbol of the nine states of China, while the Imperial Seal represents the imperial power. In other words, the Nine Cauldrons symbolize the country of China, while the Imperial Seal symbolizes the orthodoxy of China.
It is difficult to compare which one is more noble between the two, but there is no doubt that if the nine large tripods in front of us are the genuine Nine Tripods of Dayu, they are definitely top-grade items.
However, the holy ring did not react at all to the nine large tripods, which directly proved that these nine tripods were not the authentic Nine Tripods of Dayu.
It is no wonder that the Nine Cauldrons of Dayu, which symbolize the nine states of China, had been missing long before Qin Shihuang unified all of China. Later, both Qin Shihuang and the emperors of the Han Dynasty searched for a long time, but the Nine Cauldrons of Dayu were nowhere to be found. Even the size, weight, and shape of the Nine Cauldrons of Dayu were unknown. How could Wu Zetian find the authentic Nine Cauldrons of Dayu?
Even if these nine tripods are not genuine, they are still extremely beautiful. In the middle is a round tripod that is nearly as tall as a person. This round tripod is also the largest tripod. Yang Jing knew that even if it was a replica of the Nine Tripods of Dayu, the round tripod in the middle should be the Yuzhou Tripod.
There are four round tripods that are more than half a person's height in the four directions of the Yuzhou Ding, and four square tripods that are more than half a person's height in the four corners.
Yang Jing knew that the placement of the Nine Cauldrons also had its own rules. If we look at the placement of the Nine Cauldrons of Dayu, the round cauldron on the top should be the Jingzhou Cauldron. Then counting clockwise, the square cauldron on the right of the Jingzhou Cauldron should be the Liangzhou Cauldron, followed by the round Yongzhou Cauldron, the square Jizhou Cauldron, the round Yanzhou Cauldron, the square Qingzhou Cauldron, the round Xuzhou Cauldron and the square Yangzhou Cauldron.
The nine tripods are round and square, and they are placed like this. One is to represent the location of the ancient nine provinces, and the other is to imply "round and square, yin and yang are in order. Straight and slanted are in place, and the nine provinces are peaceful and prosperous."
Since Dayu made great contributions in regulating the Yellow River, Shun abdicated the throne to Dayu, and Dayu founded the first dynasty of China - the Xia Dynasty. Dayu was the founder of the Xia Dynasty.
According to legend, after Dayu founded the Xia Dynasty, he divided the country into nine states and ordered the governors of the nine states to contribute bronze to cast nine tripods to symbolize the nine states. He also engraved the famous mountains and rivers and strange objects of the nine states on the bodies of the nine tripods, with one tripod symbolizing one state. The nine tripods were concentrated in Yangcheng, the capital of the Xia Dynasty.
Since the casting of the Nine Cauldrons, these nine bronze tripods have become synonymous with China, as well as a symbol of the supreme power of the king, the unity and prosperity of the country. The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties regarded them as a national treasure symbolizing the state power.
During the Warring States Period, both Qin and Chu sent troops to the Zhou royal capital of Luoyi to ask for the tripod.
During the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, it is said that the Nine Cauldrons sank under the Si River and their whereabouts have been unknown since then. Later emperors attached great importance to the symbolism and significance of the Nine Cauldrons and recast them many times. Wu Zetian and Emperor Huizong of Song also cast the Nine Cauldrons.
The nine large tripods in front of us are obviously the nine tripods recast by Wu Zetian!
However, the nine tripods cast by Wu Zetian as recorded in history have long since disappeared, and probably not many people know that the nine tripods she recast were eventually used as burial objects by Wu Zetian.
In Chinese history, the importance of the Nine Cauldrons is unquestionable. There is even a famous idiom surrounding the Nine Cauldrons, which is "asking for the throne of the Central Plains."
The story of "asking for the throne of the Central Plains" comes from the fact that in 606 BC, King Zhuang of Chu sent troops to attack the Rong people living in Luhun, which is located in the north of Song County, Henan Province, not far from Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
The Luhun Rong were no match for them, and the Chu army won a great victory. However, King Zhuang of Chu did not stop there, but waved his hand and commanded the army to march northward, into Zhouzi's territory, and arrived at the bank of the Luo River.
King Ding of Zhou was very frightened, so he sent Wang Sunman to investigate the situation in the name of rewarding the troops. When Wang Sunman, the envoy of Zhou, arrived at the Chu camp, King Zhuang of Chu asked Wang Sunman: How big is Zhou Zi's tripod, and how heavy is it?
Wang Sunman, who was a minister of the Zhou Dynasty at that time, was a very smart man. He knew what King Zhuang of Chu meant by asking this question, so he responded very cleverly: "The importance of the tripod lies in virtue rather than the tripod itself. In the past, the Xia Dynasty was a time of virtue. It painted images of ghosts and gods from far away, asked the governors of the nine states to pay tribute with bronze vessels, cast nine tripods and cast images on them. All the images were included on them, so that the people knew about gods and monsters.
Therefore, when the common people enter rivers, lakes, mountains and forests, they will not encounter anything that is not good for them. They will not encounter ghosts and monsters, so that the upper and lower can be in harmony and receive blessings from the upper.
When Xia Jie was corrupt and chaotic, he moved the tripod to the Shang Dynasty, which lasted for 600 years. When Shang Zhou was tyrannical, the tripod was moved to the Zhou Dynasty. If one's virtue is good and bright, the tripod is heavy. If one is evil and corrupt, the tripod is light even though it is big.
The blessings bestowed by the gods on people of great virtue are limited to a certain period of time. King Cheng fixed the Nine Cauldrons in Jiahao. The result of divination was that they would be passed down for thirty generations and last for seven hundred years. This was the order of the gods. Although the virtue of the Zhou Dynasty declined, its destiny did not change. The weight of the cauldron cannot be asked.
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