The army of a hundred and eighty thousand marched west, banners streaming, spirits high, and warhorses neighing along the way.
Zi Shou dozed throughout the journey. Only when he reckoned they were nearing Qiaoshan did he rouse himself and order the eunuchs attending him to watch for their arrival.
Before long, a eunuch reported:
"Your Majesty, there is a stone tablet ahead bearing the words 'Ancient Qiao Mausoleum of Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan.'"
Feigning astonishment, Zi Shou summoned Shang Rong and asked, "I have heard that the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven on a dragon. Why is there a tomb here?"
Shang Rong hurriedly replied, "Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan mined copper at Mount Shou and cast a cauldron at Mount Jing. Once the cauldron was finished, he ascended to heaven on a dragon. Unable to bear his departure, his subjects grabbed the dragon's whiskers and tore off a few pieces of the Yellow Emperor's robes. After his ascent, they buried those garments and his headdress here. This Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum on Qiaoshan is therefore Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan's Clothing Tomb. But it lies in a remote place, and the pines and cypresses on the mountain blot out the sky and sun, so few know of it. I only learned of it when Grandee Xin mentioned it while I was writing my travelogue."
After hearing this, Zi Shou looked skyward and sighed deeply. "Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan was one of the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. I admire him greatly. Now that we have come to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, how could we simply pass it by?"
With that, he swept his hand outward. "Pass on my edict! The army shall camp here for five days and pay homage to Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan!"
Shang Rong nodded. Honoring their ancestor was a good thing.
Although