Chapter 504 The True Imperial Seal

Received the mandate from heaven, long life and eternal prosperity?

I believe that no Chinese is unfamiliar with these eight words.

Because this represents the artifact - the imperial seal.

At this moment, in the Chongzheng Hall, everyone opened their eyes wide and was silent when they heard the news.

Only Zhao Jun looked around and saw that everyone's face was excited. He scratched his head and said, "It's fake."

These words were like a basin of cold water poured down, which made Zhao Zhen wake up quickly. He sat down with a buttocks and smiled bitterly, "Another auspicious sign."

Now the Song Dynasty is prosperous, the country has sufficient food, and the world is peaceful, which is a sign of peace and prosperity.

There has never been a lack of officials and dignitaries who flatter the emperor in ancient society.

In order to show how powerful the Song Dynasty was under Zhao Zhen's rule, local officials and dignitaries and even gentry have created auspicious signs over the years.

Of course.

Some auspicious signs are also natural landscapes.

For example, the white wolf, white deer, and white tiger tributed by Liaodong in the past few years are albino animals.

There were also Buddha clouds in the southwest, which looked like colorful clouds of Buddha in the temple from certain angles.

As for the appearance of the imperial seal, it was even more noisy.

In recent years, there have been several discoveries of the imperial seal among the people, but they were all identified as fakes, and some people deliberately forged them to please the emperor.

Therefore, although another imperial seal appeared, Zhao Jun instinctively felt that it was a fake because of the story of the wolf coming.

However, after being shocked, Fan Zhongyan said: "This time, "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Longevity and Prosperity" appeared, which is consistent with the records in history books. Is there a possibility that it is true?"

"It's hard to say. The previous "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Longevity and Health", "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Emperor Longevity", and "Haotian Mandate, Emperor Longevity" are definitely fake."

Zhao Jun thought for a while and said: "But it's hard to say that someone found clues in the "Han Jiuyi" and made another "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Longevity and Prosperity"."

"Well, it's indeed possible, Han Long It has been said before that the eight characters below the imperial seal must be "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Long Lived and Prospered", which is not something that ordinary people can find, but who knows? "

"I think we should take a look. If it is true, then wouldn't the Song Dynasty have found another national treasure?"

"What can we say about this kind of thing? Whether it is true or not, it is difficult for us to verify it. Without those instruments, we can't verify the truth or not. What Han Long said may happen, but even if there is only a one in ten thousand possibility, we have to wait and see. "

Everyone was talking about it.

Many people think that the ancients understood everything in their time, but in fact it was not the case.

For example, "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Long Lived and Prospered" is the imperial seal, which is knowledge that anyone in the future who can surf the Internet and has a little interest in history knows.

However, for more than 99% of the ancients, it is definitely a knowledge blind spot.

Because their ways of obtaining knowledge are extremely limited, they can only find it by flipping through ancient books, which takes a lot of time.

And they can't flip through ancient books whenever they want.

First of all, he had to be a scholar, which filtered out more than 99% of the ancients of the same period.

Secondly, even if they were scholars, the primary goal of most of them was still the imperial examination. They needed to read books for the imperial examination, and they had no time and energy to study other classics.

Therefore, this kind of research on ancient classics was often done by some old scholars summoned by the court.

And how difficult is it for old scholars to find corresponding knowledge from a large number of ancient books?

In addition, some ancient historians and recorders had never seen the imperial seal, and they were all hearsay, so it was inevitable that the rumors were wrong.

Therefore, the eight characters on the imperial seal have different records in different historical books, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false. There are at least seven or eight versions of various versions.

The reason why Zhao Jun was sure that it was "received the mandate from heaven, and lived a long and prosperous life" was because he was a history student.

Although he was not interested in the history of the Song Dynasty, he had learned about some other miscellaneous histories and attended some professors' open classes.

According to some authoritative professors and old experts in history, the eight characters on the imperial seal must be "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Long Lived and Prospered".

The reason is that the source of "Received the Mandate from Heaven, Long Lived and Prospered" comes from "Han Jiu Yi" written by Wei Hong, a counselor during the reign of Emperor Guangwu, and later "Three Kingdoms·Wu Shu" also recorded it this way.

From the end of the Qin Dynasty to the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial seal has a very clear vein. It can be confirmed that there is absolutely no loss or forgery in the middle.

Wei Hong's identity as a counselor was an advisor to Emperor Guangwu. He was always with the emperor and had a great chance to see the imperial seal with his own eyes, so his record is the most credible.

And "Wu Shu" was a classic book ordered by Sun Quan. After Sun Jian got the imperial seal, he gave it to Mrs. Wu for safekeeping. Sun Quan was raised by Mrs. Wu all the time, and it is possible that he saw the imperial seal when he was a child.

In comparison, other classics are often historical materials after the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the authors themselves were not close to the emperor and had never seen the imperial seal with their own eyes, so they are naturally not as credible as Wei Hong's "Han Jiu Yi" and "Wu Shu".

Therefore, with this evidence, it is easy to determine that except for this version of the seal, the others are all fakes.

I just didn't expect that this time there was actually an imperial seal that said "received the mandate from heaven, longevity and prosperity", which is really something that people never expected.

If it is fake, then it seems that these people who have worked hard to create auspiciousness still have two brushes, and they can actually read the classics and find the most likely version among countless ancient books.

But regardless of whether it is true or not, you still have to see it to know. Zhao Zhen asked Wang Shouzhong: "Shou Zhong, where is the jade seal?"

"The Luoyang Order has sent people to Bianliang and is now waiting for the summons outside Xihua Gate."

"Go there yourself."

"yes."

Wang Shouzhong walked out backwards and closed the door.

"Luoyang. Hmm."

After Zhao Jun waited for Wang Shouzhong to leave, he mused: "Listening to what you said, there is really a slight possibility that this jade seal is real. Of course, it is only a slight possibility, and more than 99% of it is still a fake."

Fan Zhongyan asked curiously: "How do you say this? Why are you so sure that the possibility of fraud is the highest?"

"Because there are generally two theories about the Chuanguo Jade Seal in the historical circles. One is that the Jade Seal disappeared in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the other is that the Chuanguo Jade Seal disappeared in Luoyang after Emperor Li Congke self-immolated in the late Tang Dynasty."

Zhao Jun explained: "I prefer the former. After all, since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there have been multiple records of jade seals with different versions. This shows that starting from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a large number of forged jade seals have appeared in order to compete for legitimacy. For example, when the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Northern Qi Dynasty, and Southern Chen Dynasty each had one piece of jade seal, there were also three or four pieces of jade seals circulating outside, so the total number of genuine and fake jade seals was as many as seven or eight. It is very likely to be lost, otherwise the jade seal changes hands in so many countries, and it is impossible to distinguish the authenticity. "

"Then do later historians think which piece is true?"

Zhao Zhen asked hurriedly.

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "That's not clear. It's just that the academic community generally believes that the piece from the Northern Zhou Dynasty may be authentic, because this seal is consistent with the jade seal recorded in the "Han Jiu Yi". After the Sui Dynasty unified the world, the three jade seals All were acquired by the Sui Dynasty, including the Northern Zhou Dynasty, which was inherited from the jade seal obtained from Ye City in the Northern Wei Dynasty. "

"Well, if that's the case, two of the three jade seals confiscated by the Sui Dynasty were obtained by the Tang Dynasty. After that, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Li Congke burned the jade seal handed down from the Tang Dynasty to Xuanwu Tower. Since then, it is said that the national seal has disappeared."

Yan Shu added.

It's not like they don't understand these things.

But unlike Zhao Jun, he did not interpret it from a historical perspective to explore its authenticity.

"But the academic community only doubts that the Northern Zhou Dynasty piece is authentic and cannot be completely sure. After all, the way the Northern Wei Dynasty obtained the jade seal is too strange. It was found in a temple in Yecheng. This is consistent with the "Book of Jin" in which the jade seal was first in the Western Jin Dynasty and then in the West Jin Dynasty. They were violated by the former Zhao, later Zhao, Ran Min, and finally the Eastern Jin Dynasty who defrauded the jade seal from Ran Min."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "If we look at the characteristics of the jade seal, the one from the Northern Wei Dynasty is more like it. It was later acquired by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. After Yang Jian usurped the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it returned to the Sui Dynasty. But from the official histories such as "Three Kingdoms", "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" and "Book of Jin" Judging from the continuity of records, the Eastern Jin Dynasty is the orthodox one, that is, Cao Pi received the jade seal from Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and then belonged to the Western Jin, Qian Zhao, Later Zhao, Ran Min, and finally the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The jade seal is inconsistent with the "Old Yi of the Han Dynasty", which is a historical deviation. "

"Is there such a thing?"

Everyone was surprised.

Although they are all Jinshi who have read poetry and books, they may not all have read these history books. Even if they have, they have not really studied the contradictions in them in depth.

These are all things done by historians or academics who specialize in this field. For example, Ji Xiaolan in the Qing Dynasty wrote the Sikuquanshu.

Therefore, they were also very surprised after learning about the deviations in the official history.

Zhao Jun continued: "So why do I say that the possibility of a real jade seal is very slim? Because there is a high probability that the real jade seal disappeared at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, all fake jade seals were carved by themselves. There are five or six jade seals that appear in historical materials alone. So many, and even if one of the three jade seals confiscated by Yang Jian is authentic, and one piece is lost in the Tang Dynasty, what if the missing piece is the real one, even if the one found in Luoyang this time is what Li Congke got from the Tang Dynasty? What if the one he took out of the two pieces was fake?”

Everyone looked at each other and could only nod slightly for a while, no longer having any hope that the jade seal that suddenly appeared was true or false.

Because as Zhao Jun said.

From the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, seven to eight hundred years have passed. In the meantime, the number of jade seals recorded in official history has been transferred to various countries more than ten times.

Various genuine and fake jade seals appeared in the chaotic era of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, causing the jade seal of the country to fall into a huge mystery.

Exactly which part is true and which part is false is unknown to this day and age.

The only clue is the three seals of the Sui Dynasty.

These three seals have clear records and origins, and are essentially different from other jade seals that are fake at first sight.

Among them, the first jade seal is the national jade seal recorded in the official history. It was obtained by Cao Pi from Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. It was later transferred to the Western Jin, Qian Zhao, Later Zhao, Ran Min, Eastern Jin, Xiao, Qi, Liang, Chen and other countries.

When the Sui Dynasty destroyed Chen, it was captured by Yang Jian, but the inscription on it was "accepting the order of heaven, the emperor will live long and prosperous", which is inconsistent with "accepting the order of heaven, the emperor will live long and prosperous".

The second one is also an official historical record. It was obtained from a temple in Yecheng by the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is engraved with "Ordered by Heaven, and you will live forever", which is consistent with the content of the real jade seal, but its origin is unknown, and the record is not as detailed as the first one. .

The third seal is still recorded in official history, and it comes from the first imperial seal.

At the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Huan Xuan usurped the Jin Dynasty and obtained the first imperial seal. He was attacked by Liu Yu, a general of the Northern Army, and forced Emperor An of Jin to flee westward. He fled back to Jiangling after his defeat and was defeated by the Western Army.

The remnants of Huan Xuan fled to the Later Qin Dynasty, and Yao Xing of the Later Qin Dynasty claimed that these people brought the imperial seal of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the Later Qin Dynasty. Emperor An of Jin also fled back to Jiankang, and Liu Yu claimed that the emperor brought the imperial seal of the Eastern Jin Dynasty back.

Later, Liu Yu broke Chang'an and destroyed the Later Qin Dynasty, and obtained the imperial seal that the Later Qin Dynasty said. However, according to the identification of academic personnel of Liu Song, it was found that this jade seal was positive text, which was different from the negative text recorded, and it was obviously a fake.

So the real jade seal is between the first and the second, and the second one is most likely.

According to records, the final destination of these three jade seals fell into the hands of Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian.

The first one was transferred to the Chen State in the Southern Dynasty and was obtained by Emperor Wen of Sui after destroying Chen.

The second seal was first in the hands of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and then it split and fell into the hands of the Western Wei Dynasty. The Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Western Wei Dynasty, and Yang Jian usurped the Northern Zhou Dynasty. In the end, it naturally belonged to Yang Jian.

The third seal was very dramatic. Liu Yu destroyed the Later Qin Dynasty and obtained the third seal, so the Eastern Jin Dynasty had the first and third imperial seals at the same time.

After the Eastern Jin Dynasty was destroyed, the two seals were circulated among Liu Song, Southern Qi, and Southern Liang.

During the Hou Jing Rebellion, Hou Jing obtained the third seal owned by the Southern Liang Dynasty at that time. After Hou Jing died, his men fled with the seal and were obtained by Xin Shu, a general of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and finally fell into the hands of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

Therefore, in the pattern of the Southern and Northern Dynasties at that time, the Northern Qi Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the north, as well as the Chen State in the south that usurped the Southern Liang Dynasty, each had one.

And they all claimed that what they had was real.

Until the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty and obtained the third seal, Yang Jian usurped the Northern Zhou Dynasty, obtained the second and third seals, and then destroyed the Southern Chen Dynasty. Since then, the three seals belonged to the Sui Dynasty.

This is also the most likely time for the imperial seal to exist.

After the fall of the Sui Dynasty, one of the three jade seals was lost, and the Tang Dynasty got the other two.

As for which two pieces, there is no record in history books, and people in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms did not have the ability to investigate.

Therefore, if the Tang Dynasty happened to get the two fake ones, it would be hard to say whether it lost the real one.

In addition, even if the one lost at the end of the Sui Dynasty was fake, the Tang Dynasty got one real and one fake, and when it was passed to Li Congke of the Later Tang Dynasty at the end of the Tang Dynasty, another one was lost.

Maybe the one Li Congke took was fake, and the real one had disappeared at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

So now the jade seal is confusing.

After all, in order to ensure that the jade seal that appears now is real, we must first ensure that one of the three jade seals is real.

Then we must ensure that the one lost at the end of the Sui Dynasty is fake, and then ensure that the one lost at the end of the Tang Dynasty is fake.

Finally, we must ensure that the real jade seal is the one that Li Congke buried under the ruins when he burned himself in Xuanwu Tower.

And it was dug out by the railway workers by coincidence.

At this point, any normal person would know that the possibility was very small.

Therefore, the excitement of the crowd at the beginning was completely dispelled.

"Then, besides these eight characters and the missing corner, what other characteristics does the real jade seal have?"

Zhao Zhen asked unwillingly.

The missing corner is recorded in both "Han Jiu Yi" and "Wu Shu", which shows that the authenticity is very high.

Although everyone did not study the historical books in detail, they still knew this obvious feature.

Zhao Jun thought for a while and said: "In addition, there may be "Tianming Shishi" on the side and "Da Wei received Han Chuan Guo Xi" on the shoulder."

"Dong Dong Dong Dong."

At this time, the knock on the door outside rang again.

Zhao Zhen said, "Come in."

Wang Shouzhong pushed the door open, walked in front of the crowd, raised his hands flat, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty."

Everyone saw that he was holding a tray in his hand, on which was a dark stone with a slightly swollen edge.

"Put it here."

"Yes."

Wang Shouzhong put the tray on the desk, then left tactfully and closed the door again.

Everyone gathered around at once.

Zhao Jun saw that the stone was indeed black, about the size of a palm, with not only gray and black residue on it, but also dried soil.

It was obviously dug out from the soil. The Luoyang Cultural Relics Bureau did not dare to do the cleaning work, but only took the words carved under the jade seal for identification. As for the authenticity, it is hard to say.

However, the carving on it is still very exquisite. Even if it is black, it can be seen that it is the New York Five Dragons, but one of the dragon horns is missing a piece and there is no gold inlay.

"Take a look."

Zhao Zhen hurriedly picked up the jade seal and handed it to Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun frowned.

After the seal was unearthed, it was not even cleaned. It was like the bottom of a pot, and black ash could be rubbed out.

It looked like a fake.

"Do you have water? Let's wash it."

"Can this kind of thing be washed easily?"

"Yes, what if it gets damaged?"

"Be more cautious."

Zhao Jun just proposed to wash it, and the others objected.

After all, this might be the imperial seal.

Zhao Jun smiled and said, "This thing is made of jade, Lantian jade. The Queen Mother only broke a corner if she hit it. It's not easy to wash it."

"Then wash it."

Everyone thought the same.

Then Zhao Zhen asked Wang Shouzhong to fetch a basin of water and a towel.

After Wang Shouzhong left, Zhao Jun put the jade seal in a basin and wiped it with a towel. There was a thick layer of ash, and it had been buried in the soil for who knows how many years, so it had to be wiped hard to clean it.

Fortunately, the jade material is not as difficult to wipe off as the whitewashed wall, and the Hetian jade has the characteristics of smoothness and warmth, so it can be washed quickly.

However, perhaps because of its age, it is still stained with a layer of gray, and it is far from the fine texture and warm touch of the best Hetian jade.

But after washing, its original appearance was exposed, and it was seen that the jade seal was four inches in size, white and green all over, and the five dragons on it were clearly visible, but the surrounding area was slightly swollen and cracked.

And on its right shoulder, there were indeed a few big characters written "Wei Shou Han Chuan Guo Xi".

Only on the left side there was no "Tianming Shishi".

For a moment, everyone was disappointed. Zhao Zhen said dejectedly: "Although it is made very realistically and the features are obvious, I didn't expect it to be a fake."

"No!"

Zhao Jun held the jade seal in front of his eyes and looked at it carefully. Suddenly, he said softly: "It."

"It seems to be real."