Notes of the Western Capital Volume One
Han Liu Xing
Yihuang Hong Zhanquan School
Notes of the Western Capital Volume One
Han Gao Emperor's seventh year. Xiao Xiangguo built the Weiyang Palace. Because of Longshou Mountain, the front hall was established. The Beichuang Weiyang Palace was built. The perimeter is 22 miles. 95 steps and 5 feet. The streets around are 70 miles. There are 43 platforms and halls. Thirty-two are outside. Eleven are in the back. There are thirteen palaces, six pools, one mountain, and one also in the back palace. There are ninety-five gates. Emperor Wu created Kunming Pool. He wanted to attack the Kunwu Yi people. He taught water battles. Because of this, he played on the water and raised fish above. The fish were given to the various mausoleums and temples for sacrifices. The rest were sold in the Chang'an market. The pool's perimeter is 40 miles.
Han system ancestral temple. August drink Jiǔ. Use nine fermented Tai Lao. The emperor serves the shrine with the first month of dawn to make wine. August is completed. Called Jiǔ. Also called nine fermented. Also named pure Jiǔ.
The capital is flooded. Offer sacrifices to the mountains and rivers to stop the rain. The Chancellor and Imperial Censor, with 2,000 stone of grain, pray at the temple. Follow the ritual for seeking rain.
The Heavenly Emperor's brush holder. Made with inlaid precious stones as the base. All the hairs are made from autumn rabbit whiskers. Official artisans, led by Lu Yu, crafted it with mixed precious stones as the case. Adorned with jade discs and kingfisher feathers. Each one is worth a hundred pieces of gold.
The Son of Heaven uses a jade table. In winter, he adds a layer of brocade on top of it, called a "brocade table". The brazier is made of ivory, with scattered floral patterns on the lid. In the rear palace, there are five-colored silk patterns. Ink is made from wine dregs, taking only the unfrozen part, and the inkstone is also made of jade, using only the unfrozen part. In summer, feather fans are set up, and in winter, silk fans are set up. The tables of the princes and marquises are made of bamboo or wood. In winter, they use fine mats as tablecloths to lean on them, but they are not allowed to add brocade.
During the time of Emperor Wu, the Western Regions presented a qilin fur coat. It didn't get wet when it entered water. The emperor often wore this coat to attend court sessions.
Emperor Gao's wife, Lady Qi, was skilled at playing the se and zhu. The Emperor often held Lady Qi close to his heart while she played the strings and sang. Every time, tears would fall from her eyes like a stream. Lady Qi was also good at performing the "Twirling Sleeves and Curtsying Waist" dance. She would sing songs of longing for one's hometown, such as "Leaving the Frontier Pass" and "Entering the Frontier Pass". Hundreds of palace maids learned to perform it with her. The entire harem sang in unison, their voices reaching the clouds.
Qie Ji made a ring with refined gold. When she saw her bony fingers, she disliked it and gave four each to the serving girls Ming Yu and Yao Guang.
King Zhao was young and could not yet take a wife. Concubine Qi had the former King of Zhao's mother, Queen Dowager Zhao, act as his guardian in the palace. The name of her quarters was changed to Yangde Palace, later renamed Yuzao Palace.
Emperor Hui once shared a bed with King Zhao. Empress Lü wanted to kill him but couldn't get the chance. One day, Emperor Hui went on an early hunt and King Zhao was unable to rise early. Empress Lü ordered strong men to strangle him in his bedclothes until he died. Empress Lü didn't believe it at first. She put the body in a green bag and had it carried into her presence by a small cart. Then she heavily rewarded the strong men. The strong men were official slaves from outside the East Palace Gate. Emperor Hui later found out and had them beheaded.
The rose tree in the garden is self-cultivated. Under the tree, there is a kind of grass called "Huai Feng" (also known as "Guang Feng"). The wind between them is always rustling. When the sun shines on its flowers, they have a radiant glow. Therefore, it is named "Huai Feng". People from Maoling call it "Lian Zhi Cao".
By the side of the Taiye Pond, there are all kinds of lotus flowers with seeds, which the people of Chang'an call "Diaohu". The reeds whose leaves have not yet unfolded are called "Zihe", and those that have a head are called "Lvjie". Among them, there are many young mandarin ducks and geese. They fill the pond to capacity. There are also many purple turtles and green soft-shelled turtles. By the side of the pond, there is much flat sand. On the sandy beach, egrets, herons, and plovers move about in flocks.
Mount Zhongnan has many Lythrum plants. The leaves resemble those of the water caltrop but are mixed with red and green. The stems are all purple. The fragrance is like that of basil. There are trees that grow straight up, one hundred zhang tall without branches. On top they form a canopy like an umbrella. The leaves are alternately green and red. From afar it looks like embroidered silk. In Chang'an it's called the Danqing tree. It's also said to be the Huagai tree. Also grows on Xiong'er Mountain.
The Han emperors passed down the white jade seal that Qin King Ziying had held. The High Emperor wielded the White Snake Sword. On the sword, there were seven beads and nine pieces of jade, with a mixture of five-colored glass for the scabbard. When the sword was in the room, its light shone outside as if it were being brandished. Every twelve years, it would be sharpened once. The blade always looked like frost and snow. When the scabbard was opened and the sword was drawn, there would immediately be a burst of wind and colorful lights that shot towards people.
Han Cai Nu often wore seven-hole needles on July 7th at Kai Xiong Lou. All of them were used to practice.
The Emperor Xuan was detained in the county prison. On his arm, he still wore a silk rope with a History of the Good and Virtuous, a jade pendant, and a large, eight-zhang coin-sized poisonous national treasure mirror tied to his body. According to legend, this mirror could ward off evil spirits, and whoever possessed it would be blessed by heaven. Therefore, Emperor Xuan escaped danger and was rescued. After ascending to the throne, he often held this mirror, feeling grateful and nostalgic for the dawn. He usually stored it in a box made of amber, sealed with a brocade woven from the silk of the Zhejiang region, also known as slanted-patterned brocade. When the Emperor passed away, its whereabouts became unknown.
Huò Guāng's wife left behind a large quantity of silk fabrics to Yǎn. There were twenty-four pieces of brocade with peony flowers, and twenty-five pieces of gauze with scattered flowers. The gauze was produced in the Chen Bǎo Guāng family in Jù Lù. Bǎo Guāng's wife passed on her techniques to Huò Xiǎn, who summoned her into his residence and ordered her to work. It took one hundred twenty spindles and sixty days to complete one piece of fabric, which was worth ten thousand coins. Additionally, there were a pair of walking pearls, a green gauze with one hundred tassels, one million coins, and one hundred ounces of yellow gold for building a new house. The number of slaves and servants was countless. Yǎn still complained, saying: "What great merit have I achieved for you to reward me like this?"
Ji Yin Wang Xing Ju rebelled. When he first raised his army, a strong wind came from the east. It blew directly at his banners and flags, which flew up into the sky and entered the clouds before falling into a well in the west of the city. His horses all let out mournful cries and refused to advance. His attendants, including Li Gao, advised him against it but he would not listen. In the end, he killed himself.
Wú Lù Chōng Zōng received his learning from Hóng Chéng Zǐ. When Hóng Chéng Zǐ was young, someone passed by and gave him a text stone as big as an egg of a swallow. Hóng Chéng Zǐ swallowed it and suddenly became enlightened and became a renowned scholar in the world. Later, when Hóng Chéng Zǐ fell ill, he spat out this stone to give to Chōng Zōng. Chōng Zōng also became a great scholar.
In the first year of Shi Yuan, Huang He flew down to Tai Ye Chi and sang: The yellow crane flies down to Jian Zhang. Its feathered clothes are neat and tidy as it walks hastily. Its garment is made of gold and its skirt is made of chrysanthemum. It flutters in and out of the lotus flowers and water caltrops, looking at itself with disdain, ashamed of its own humble appearance compared to your noble and auspicious beauty.
The Han emperors all used jade coffins with golden decorations. The coffin was shaped like armor and linked together with gold inlays. Emperor Wu's coffin had inlays of dragons, phoenixes, tortoises, and other auspicious creatures on the lid. People called it the "Dragon and Phoenix Jade Coffin".
Cheng Emperor set up Yunzhang, Yungui and Yunbi in Ganquan Purple Temple, which is called the Three Clouds Hall. In the Han Dynasty's Wei Ting courtyard, there were Yueying Tai, Yun Guang Dian, Jiuhua Dian, Mingluan Dian, Kaijin Ge and Linchi Guan. They are not recorded in the books, but they are all places where luxurious and elegant things reside.
The younger sister of Zhao Feiyan lived in the Zhao Yang Palace. The middle courtyard was painted with cinnabar, and the upper part of the palace was adorned with vermilion lacquer and bronze decorations. The walls were covered with yellow gold, and the floors were paved with white jade. The steps and walls were decorated with golden bands, and the railings were made of green jade. The palace was filled with the sound of golden bells and the fragrance of incense. On windy days, the banners and streamers shone brightly in the sunlight. The sound of the golden bells startled everyone around. In the center of the palace, there was a wooden screen painted with intricate designs, resembling spider silk threads. There were jade tables, jade beds, white elephant tusks, and green bear fur mats. The fur on the mats was over two feet long, and when people sat on them, they would sink into the softness, surrounded by the fragrance of incense that lingered for a hundred days. There were four jade pillows, all perfectly crafted without any flaws. The windows and doors were made of green glass, also flawless. Even the hair on one's head couldn't hide from view. The beams and pillars were carved with dragons and snakes, their scales clearly visible. Those who saw them were filled with awe. The craftsmen Ding Huan and Li Ju were renowned for their exceptional skills, and this palace was considered the best in the world. After its completion, Zhao Feiyan told her brother-in-law Fan Yan about it, but few outsiders knew of its existence, and it remained a secret that couldn't be spread.
In the Ji Cao Chi, there is a coral tree that is one zhang two chi high. One wood has three branches. On top, there are 462 branches which were presented by Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue. It is called the Beacon Fire Tree. At night, its radiant appearance is always like this.
Kunming Pool. Carved jade stone as fish. Every time there is a thunderstorm, the fish often cry out loudly. All the fins move. In the Han dynasty, they were worshipped to pray for rain. There are many proven cases.
Initial repairs to the Upper Forest Garden. The group of officials from afar each presented famous fruits and rare trees. There were also those who made beautiful names to label the ten varieties of pears: Zili pear, Qingli pear, Fangli pear, Daguli pear, Xiaoye pear, Taoye pear, Jinye pear, Wangye pear, Hanhai pear from the household of Wang Tang, the governor of Langya, and Dongwang pear. There were also seven varieties of jujubes: Ruo zhī jiǔ, Yùmén jiǔ, Táng jiǔ, Qīnghuā jiǔ, Chìxīn jiǔ, Xīwáng jiǔ, and Hánhǎi Běi jiǔ. There were four varieties of chestnuts: Hóu lìzi, Zhēn lìzi, Jǐng lìzi, and Yōuyáng lìzi. The governor of Yongchang, Cao Long, presented a peach as big as a fist. There were ten varieties of peaches: Qín táo, Jiǔ táo, Xiāng hé táo, Jīnchéng táo, Qǐ yè táo, Zǐ wén táo, Shuāng táo, Huò táo, Xīyù táo, and Hán táo. There were ten varieties of plums: Wǔ zǐ lǐ, Lǜ lǐ, Zhū lǐ, Huáng lǐ, Qīnghuā lǐ, Tóng xīn lǐ, Chē xià lǐ, Hán zhī lǐ, Jīn zhī lǐ, and Yán lǐ. There were three varieties of quinces: Bái guǒ, Zǐ guǒ, and Huā guǒ. There were four varieties of persimmons: Mán shì, Guǒ shì, Hóu shì, and Chén shì. There were three varieties of pomegranates: Qīng lùzi, Chì yè lùzi, and Wū lùzi. There were four varieties of apricots: Chì xīn xīng, Bái xīng, Qīnghuā xīng, and Shā xīng. There were seven varieties of plums: Zhū méi, Zǐ yè méi, Zǐ huā méi, Tóng xīn méi, Lì zhī méi, Yàn méi, and Hóu méi. There were two varieties of apricots: Wén xīng and Cǎo lài xīng. The governor of Dongguo, Yu Ji, presented a single branch with flowers in five colors. It was said that this was the food of the immortals.
Chair Tung, Wutong, Jingtong. 10 Linmei trees. 10 Loquat trees. 10 Orange trees. 10 Anshi trees. 10 White Silver trees. 10 Yellow Silver trees. 640 Huai trees. 10 Thousand-year-old Longsheng trees. 10 Ten-thousand-year-old Longsheng trees. 10 Fulaomu trees. 10 Shougonghuai trees. 20 Jinming trees. 10 Yaofeng trees. 10 Mingfeng trees. 7 Liuli trees. 10 Chilian trees. 10 Lilou trees. 10 Baiyu trees, Du trees, Gui trees, Shu trees, Qi trees. 4 Nanmu trees. 7 Tong trees. 10 Jie trees. 4 Xie trees. 4 Feng trees. Yu then went to the Linling commander Yu Yuan and obtained over 2,000 kinds of plants from the courtiers' submissions. Neighbor Shi Qiong came to me asking for a loan. I abandoned them all. Now I list what I remember on the right page.
Chang'an clever craftsman Ding Huan's work. Made a common Pu lamp. Seven dragons and five phoenixes. Mixed with the strange lotus and water lily. Also made a fragrant sachet for bedding, also known as a fragrant sachet in the quilt. Originated from Fang Feng's style. The method was later lost. Until Ding Huan remade it, using a mechanism to rotate and move around the four sides, while the sachet body remained flat. Can be placed on the bed quilt, hence the name. Also made a nine-layer Bo Shan fragrant sachet. Carved with strange birds and beasts. Exhausting all spiritual and supernatural things, all naturally moving.
Also known as seven-wheel fan. Seven large wheels with a diameter of one zhang are connected in series. One person operates it, and the whole hall is cool and refreshing.
Zhao Feiyan became the empress. Her younger sister, who was in the Zhao Yang Palace, left a letter for Feiyan that said: "Today is a grand and auspicious day. My esteemed elder sister has received the imperial edict. I respectfully offer thirty-five pieces of silk to express my joyful heart."
Golden Huajin purple gauze hat, golden Huajin purple silk fabric woven into the upper garment, five-color patterned sash, Mandarin duck jacket, Mandarin duck quilt, golden embroidered trousers, seven-treasured shoes, five-color jade ring, same-heart seven-treasured hairpin, yellow gold step shake, reunion round pendant, amber pillow, turtle-patterned pillow, coral buckle, horse hoof agate, cloud mother fan, peacock fan, emerald feather fan, nine-glory fan, five-bright fan, cloud mother screen, crystal screen, five-layer golden treasure incense burner, return wind fan, coconut leaf seat, same-heart plum branch, Li Qingmu fragrance, water fragrance, fragrant snail shell, Dan shell from Hainan Island, one name true male musk fragrance, seven-branch censer
Zhaoyi's body was light and her waist was weak. She was good at walking, advancing and retreating. Her younger sister, Zhao Yi, couldn't keep up with her. However, Zhao Yi had fragile bones and rich flesh. She was especially skilled in smiling and speaking. The two sisters were as beautiful as red jade and were considered the best of their time. Both enjoyed the emperor's favor in the harem.
Western Capital Miscellany Volume One End
