封禪書（下）

When the present Emperor first ascended the throne, he was especially devoted to the worship of spirits and deities.

At that time Li Shaojun presented himself to the Emperor with methods for sacrificing to the stove-god, the grain-path diet, and techniques for reversing aging. The Emperor honored him. Li Shaojun had formerly been a retainer of the Marquis of Shenze, specializing in occult methods. He told the Emperor: 'Sacrifice to the stove-god, and rare substances will be attracted. Once attracted, cinnabar can be transmuted into gold. Make this gold into eating and drinking vessels and your lifespan will increase. With increased lifespan, the immortals of Penglai in the sea can be met. After meeting them, perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices and you will never die — as the Yellow Emperor did.'

After a long time, Li Shaojun fell ill and died. The Emperor believed he had transformed and departed rather than truly dying, and sent Huang Chui and the historian Kuan Shu to study his methods. The search for Penglai and Anqi Sheng yielded nothing, but the fantastic and eccentric magicians from the coasts of Yan and Qi came in ever greater numbers to speak of divine matters.

After obtaining the precious tripod, the Emperor and his ministers and scholars deliberated on the Feng and Shan. The rites had been so rarely performed as to have been virtually discontinued, and no one knew the proper ceremonies. The assembled Confucians drew on the Shangshu, Rites of Zhou, and Royal Regulations regarding the rites of gazing sacrifice and the ox-shooting ceremony. The Emperor showed the assembled scholars the ritual vessels he had prepared for the Feng and Shan, but some said they did not match ancient precedent. Xu Yan said the Imperial Academy scholars performed the rites less well than the men of Lu; Zhou Ba compiled illustrated plans for the Feng and Shan. The Emperor dismissed Yan and Ba and entirely discharged the Confucians, making no further use of them.

In the third month, he traveled east to Goushi and ritually ascended the Central Peak, Mount Taishi. Officials at the base of the mountain heard what sounded like a voice saying 'Ten thousand years!' They asked the Emperor — he said nothing. They asked the attendants below — none spoke. The Emperor enfeoffed 300 households to maintain the temple of Mount Taishi and named the settlement Chonggao. He then ascended Mount Tai to the east. The grass and trees of Mount Tai had not yet leafed out, so he had workers carry stones up and erect them on the summit.

In the fourth month, he returned to Fenggao. Reflecting that the Confucians and magicians each described the Feng and Shan differently, with their proposals unorthodox and impractical, the Emperor went to Liangfu and ritually sacrificed to the Earth Lord. On the yimao day, he ordered his Confucian attendants in leather caps and sash-robes to shoot the ox and conduct the ceremony. The Feng was performed at the eastern base of Mount Tai, following the rites of the suburban sacrifice to the Great Unity. The altar was twelve feet wide and nine feet high, with jade tablets inscribed below — their contents were kept secret. After the ceremony, the Emperor ascended Mount Tai accompanied only by his personal attendant and the Chariot-Attender Zihou. There was a further sealed offering at the summit. All these matters were kept strictly secret. The next day, he descended by the north path. On the bingchen day, the Shan was performed at Mount Suran, northeast of Mount Tai's base, following the rites for the Earth Empress. The Emperor personally made obeisance at all, wearing yellow garments and employing full musical accompaniment throughout.

The present Emperor has established the worship of the Great Unity and the Earth Empress, personally performing the suburban sacrifice every three years. He established the Han house's Feng and Shan tradition, renewing the sealed altar every five years. Yet the magicians who kept watch and sacrificed to divine beings, and who entered the sea searching for Penglai, never produced any verification. Gongsun Qing, who watched for divine beings, could only explain away the lack of results by pointing to giant footprints. The Emperor grew increasingly weary and disgusted with the magicians' fantastical nonsense — yet he kept them in tow, hoping to encounter the genuine article. From this point on, magicians speaking of divine shrines multiplied, but their results were plain to see.

The Grand Historian remarks: I accompanied the Emperor on his tours sacrificing to the gods of Heaven and Earth, to the famous mountains and rivers, and to the Feng and Shan. I entered the Shougong Palace and attended the spirit-speech ceremonies. I thoroughly observed the intentions of the magicians and sacrificial officials. Upon returning, I arranged and assessed all those who from ancient times to the present have engaged in the worship of ghosts and spirits, setting forth both their external claims and inner realities. Those gentlemen who come after may review this record. As for the details of the ritual vessels, jade offerings, and the protocols of presentation and reception, the officials in charge possess those records.