Master Archaeologist

Chapter 180 The Truth Buried Under History
Following Chen Han's unclear speech, the other four members of the archaeological team all gathered around.

"This is Zhao Xuan?"

The four people frowned around the jade seal that Chen Han held up.

The jade seal in Chen Han's hand is very simple in shape.

Square, covered with a bucket button, a small hole across it, printed in seal script, inscribed with the word "Zhao Yu", with side bars and vertical borders.

Among Qin and Han seals, it is the most typical and common one.

It can be called mediocre.

If the material is changed from jade to copper, there is no violation at all, and it is no different from the seal used by low-level nobles.

However, just because the printing style is ordinary doesn't mean that this seal is ordinary.

The appearance of the word "Zhao Zhen" can be said to have overturned history.

This jade seal appeared in the tomb of the Nanyue king, in the inner coffin of the owner of the tomb.

It was placed on the inner thigh of the owner of the tomb.

And engraved with a private name!

Obviously, this seal can only be the private seal of the owner of the tomb.

It is different from the extra prince seal.

The prince's seal is a public seal. The previous prince was the father of the owner of the tomb, and the owner of the tomb was also named a prince. In terms of law, this prince's seal can be inherited.

It has been a matter of course since ancient times for a son to inherit his father's business.

However, private name seals are different.

As a private seal, this seal can only be used by the owner of the tomb, and will be buried in the tomb after death.

This is also to avoid the risk of the seal being used indiscriminately after the owner of the seal dies.

In the Qin and Han Dynasties, those who could own a seal must have official positions and official positions.

At the very least, he is a big landlord with a family and a business.

Each seal has its important function, either for official seals, or for transfer orders between tenants and businessmen in private businesses.

As long as the seal is stamped, it means that the owner of the seal is responsible for this matter.

If it is an official business, after the owner of the seal stamps the seal, once something happens to the official business, the owner of the seal will be the first to bear the brunt of the responsibility, ranging from loss of office to severe beheading.

Private seals generally deal with private matters, such as family property, family business, and family caravan.

If the order is issued and sealed, the financial and material resources of the family can be mobilized.

Therefore, seals were very important to people in the Qin and Han Dynasties.

It should be carried with you when you are alive, and it should be taken underground after death to avoid being used by others.

This is why the seal was so small at that time.

In the Shang Dynasty, bronze tripods weighing hundreds of catties could be made. Couldn’t the craftsmanship of the Qin and Han Dynasties make seals the size of a palm?
Of course it did!
However, in the Qin and Han Dynasties, small seals were still made, because they were easy to carry!

It is possible that Zhao Hu's father's prince seal may appear in Zhao Hu's tomb.

But his father's private seal is absolutely impossible to appear in his tomb, only in his father's tomb.

Because there is no record of Zhao Hu's father's name in historical materials, so I don't know his father's name now.

But this "Zhao Zhen" is definitely not the name of Zhao Hu's father.

Appeared in Zhao Hu's tomb, and in the inner coffin, there is only one possibility, this seal is Zhao Hu's private seal.

"Is there a seal with the word "眜" on the sealing clay unearthed from the Xier Chamber?"

Professor Li said softly: "It seems that Tai Shigong has misremembered another person's name."

Before, they had vowed that, as a prince and king who existed at the same time as Sima Qian, Zhao Hu's name would not be misremembered by Sima Qian.

This kind of mistake is too low-level and does not conform to Sima Qian's rigorous philosophy of writing history.

But unexpectedly, archeology made a big joke for everyone.

"Perhaps, Zhao Hu and Zhao Sui are both the names of this Nanyue King Wen, two names from one person?" Chen Han said with some uncertainty.

There are still cases of one person and two persons.

Especially when it comes to kings.

Avoiding the taboo of the monarch began with Qin Shihuang.

In order to avoid the taboo of the name Chu, Prince Zhuangxiang of Qin, he changed Chu to Jing.

However, in Qin Dynasty, this was still a superficial taboo.

It was not until the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty that this taboo of avoiding the monarch gradually became a system.

For example, after Liu Bang ascended the throne, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, "bang" was the country. The meaning of the country, such as "Qin Bang" and "Song Bang", were very common.

On the contrary, the word "country" appears less frequently.

But after the Western Han Dynasty, the word state was no longer used. "Banguo" only had the country, and all the princes were vassal states, which completely determined the meaning and function of the word "guo".

The same was true for Liu Che afterwards. After ascending the throne, Chehou, who was originally the most senior of the [-]th rank, was changed to Liehou.

The later Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xun, was more modest. Considering that his original name was "Sick Ji", it was a very common name among the people, and it would be too troublesome for the people to avoid it.

So he took the initiative to change his name from Liu Bingji to Liu Xun.

Thinking of this, Chen Han said with more certainty:

"It is possible that Zhao Hu was the name of the Nanyue King Wen before he succeeded to the throne, because the word "Hu" was also very common and used in the Western Han Dynasty, and it was difficult for the people to avoid it, so he took the initiative to change his name to "眜", it is reasonable to think so."

Logically speaking, as the Nanyue Kingdom was a vassal state that accepted the leadership and entrustment of the Western Han Central Committee, the name of the monarch did not need to be taboo by the people.

Only the Son of Heaven can let the people avoid taboos.

But the old Zhao family has always been one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes.

On the surface, he accepted the canonization of the Central Committee of the Western Han Dynasty, but in fact he did not listen to the tune or the announcement, and still regarded himself as the son of heaven and the emperor in the country.

Then, Zhao Hu should be concerned about "avoiding the monarch's taboo".

The word Hu was too popular in the Han Dynasty.

Not only is it often used in daily life, but it is also frequently used as a person's name.

It would be too troublesome to change or create a new word to replace the word "Hu" if the entire Nanyue Kingdom does not use the word "Hu".

It was very simple for him to change his name.

"The word 眜, even in the Han Dynasty, was a very unpopular word."

"Only a few allusions use this word."

"If it is used as a taboo name, it will be easy for the people of South Vietnam to avoid this word, and it will hardly affect daily life."

Chen Han murmured.

His explanation is very similar to the thoughts of Professor Li and Director Fu.

After a short period of suspicion, they both also felt that there was a high probability that the Nanyue King Wen had changed his name because he avoided taboos of the monarch.

As for why Sima Qian recorded "Zhao Hu" instead of "Zhao Zhen" in the history books, the reason is also very simple.

Zhao Hu was the original name of King Wen of Nanyue.

Zhao Zhen changed it only after he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.

There are no two suns in the sky, and no two masters in the earth.

Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, was in his prime!
As the official historian of the Western Han Dynasty, can Sima Qian recognize Zhao Hu as the "Southern Yue Emperor"?

Since the legitimacy of his "emperor" is not recognized.

Of course, Sima Qian would not admit that Zhao Hu changed his name to make people avoid it because he wanted to be emperor.

Only the Son of Heaven can let the people hide his name!
And the emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, from the beginning to the end, has only the seed of the old Liu family!
Naturally, the name "Zhao Zhen", at least in the Han Dynasty, was absolutely not recognized.

Zhao Hu can only be called Zhao Hu from the beginning to the end!

His "Zhao Zhen" name, of course, is only used by himself.

Although I don't know if there is an official historian in South Vietnam.

Even if there was, after the Nanyue Kingdom was destroyed, this "false history of South Vietnam" would never remain, and would only be completely destroyed.

This also led to the fact that the name "Zhao Zhen" never appeared in any historical records.

Only in the tomb where Zhao Hu is buried can one get a glimpse of the truth buried under history.

(End of this chapter)