In June of that year, a wizard named Jin from Fenyin was offering sacrifices to the people at the Hou Tu Temple of Wei Yu. He saw a spot on the ground shaped like a curved hook, so he dug up the soil with his hands and found a tripod. This tripod was very different from ordinary tripods. It had patterns carved on it but no words. The wizard felt strange and reported the matter to the local officials. The local officials reported the incident to Sheng, the governor of Hedong, who then reported it to the court. The emperor sent messengers to check how the wizard Jin got the tripod and confirmed that it was not a fraud. Then he performed a sacrifice according to the etiquette and took the tripod back to Ganquan Palace. The emperor and the tripod traveled together and prepared to present it to the Emperor of Heaven. When they reached Zhongshan, they found that the sky was filled with clouds and covered with yellow clouds. At this time, a deer ran over, and the emperor shot it to death with an arrow and used it to offer sacrifice to the clouds. When they arrived in Chang'an, the officials and ministers all thought that the tripod should be honored. The emperor said, "The Yellow River has been flooding recently, and the harvest has been poor for several years. That's why I went on a tour to various counties to offer sacrifices to Hou Tu (Earth) and pray for a good harvest. This year, the harvest is abundant, but no sacrifices have been held to pay tribute to the earth god. How could this tripod appear?" The relevant officials said: "It is said that a long time ago, Emperor Taihao once made a sacred tripod to show the unification of the world and let all things in heaven and earth return to the sacred tripod. Huangdi made three tripods in total, representing heaven, earth, and man. Xia Yu collected copper from all over the country and made nine tripods, all of which were used to cook livestock for offering sacrifices to gods and ghosts. Whenever there was the Shengzhu Sage Emperor, the tripod would appear. The tripod was passed down from the Xia Dynasty to the Shang Dynasty. In the last years of the Zhou Dynasty, morality was corrupted and the altar used by the State of Song to worship the earth god was destroyed. As a result, the tripod was lost and disappeared. The Zhou Song said: ‘From the hall to the steps, go back and forth, sheep and cattle are ready, the big and small tripods have been checked, don't make noise, don't be proud, be healthy, live long, and have many blessings and fortunes.' Now the tripod has been brought to Ganquan Palace. Its appearance is extremely brilliant and its changes are magical and agile, which indicates that the Han Dynasty will surely receive endless good fortune. This is exactly the auspicious sign that when you arrived at Zhongshan, yellow and white auspicious clouds covered the sky and the auspicious beasts of deer welcomed you below. The big bow and four arrows under the altar that you obtained are all the rewards you got for offering sacrifices to the ancestors near and far in the Taimiao. Only those who receive the Mandate of Heaven and become emperors can understand the will of Heaven and conform to Heaven's virtue. Therefore, the tripod should be offered to the ancestors and kept in the palace of the Emperor of Heaven, which is consistent with the various auspicious omens before. "The emperor issued an edict saying: "Yes."
其夏六月中，汾阴巫锦为民祠魏脽后土营旁，见地如钩状，掊视得鼎。鼎大异于众鼎，文镂毋款识，怪之，言吏。吏告河东太守胜，胜以闻。天子使使验问巫锦得鼎无奸诈，乃以礼祠，迎鼎至甘泉，从行，上荐之。至中山，晏温，有黄云盖焉。有麃过，上自射之，因以祭云。至长安，公卿大夫皆议请尊宝鼎。天子曰：“间者河溢，岁数不登，故巡祭后土，祈为百姓育谷。今年丰庑未有报，鼎曷为出哉？”有司皆曰：“闻昔大帝兴神鼎一，一者一统，天地万物所系终也。黄帝作宝鼎三，象天地人也。禹收九牧之金，铸九鼎，皆尝鬺烹上帝鬼神。遭圣则兴，迁于夏商。周德衰，宋之社亡，鼎乃沦伏而不见。颂云‘自堂徂基，自羊徂牛；鼐鼎及鼒，不虞不骜，胡考之休’。今鼎至甘泉，光润龙变，承休无疆。合兹中山，有黄白云降盖，若兽为符，路弓乘矢，集获坛下，报祠大飨。惟受命而帝者心知其意而合德焉。鼎宜见于祖祢，藏于帝廷，以合明应。”制曰：“可。”
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