King of Qin Personally Bestows Beautiful Maids, Han Princess Among Them?

Front hall of Zhangtai Palace.

Under the guidance of the ritual official, Zhao Cheng first performed a kowtow to King Zheng of Qin, followed by a second kowtow to the Stone Drum of Duke Xiang of Qin, which symbolized the state, and finally a kowtow to the ancestral tablets in the Ancestral Temple.

With each kowtow, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court chanted: "Noble in rank, virtuous in conduct; the army is mighty, the people are submissive."

"Distribute the tally!"

King Zheng of Qin used the Sword of the Son of Heaven to pry open the clay seal of a bronze box, then held the tally aloft with both hands to his brow.

This Da Liangzao peerage seal was made of gold inlaid with jade, seven inches and two fen in length, and two inches and five fen in width, adopting the number seven from Qin regulations to symbolize military authority.

The body of the tally was cast in red gold, with a double-lined tiger pattern engraved on the front; the head faced the royal court, while the tail pointed toward the recipient.

Where the tiger's claws met, the three characters for "Da Liangzao" were cast in bird-worm seal script, and the recipient's name, "Zhao Cheng," and the year of investiture, "16th Year of King Zheng of Qin," were chiseled into the tail end.

The reverse side was covered in armor-link cloud patterns, symbolizing the glory of military merit earned through wearing heavy armor and wielding sharp weapons.

The tally was split in two; Zhao Cheng held the left half, while the right half was sealed on the spot in a royal golden chest, the seal stamped with cinnabar clay from the official seal of the throne.

Zhao Cheng knelt on one knee, receiving the tally in the manner