Chapter 80: Climbing High and Gazing Far Away
February 23
"Ahem...that was more than thirty years ago..." Xu Chong looked out the window with a profound look, as if it had been deeply hidden in his memory for thirty years.
"How about more than thirty years ago?"
"More than thirty years ago, when the previous emperor was alive, the Tian Gang had already been captured by the previous generation of Tianshi and suppressed in the treasure box under the gold bricks and stone slabs of the Yuqing Palace."
"There is such a thing?" Shen Kuo heard about it for the first time, but he was not too surprised, because it really fits the character of the late emperor. "During the time of the late emperor, there were too many such things."
"Brother Shen, you are too old-fashioned. Do you think how the late emperor could have gone to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth?" Xu Chong asked in a low voice.
"Naturally, he lived up to the will of heaven and his achievements surpassed those of the past and present."
"The greatest achievements in history? Do you dare to compete with the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor Wu who offered sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai?"
"The civil administration is naturally much better, but the military skills... have been slightly damaged..." Shen Kuo had no choice but to respond against his will.
"Haha, it is indeed a loss. A few days ago, I heard that clever kid named Huang Shang say: The way of heaven is to reduce the excess and replenish the deficiency."
"So what?"
"How can you make up for the loss of martial virtue if you have more than enough civil governance? The heavenly book and various auspicious signs are nothing more than confirmation of civil governance. Only by capturing the thirty-six evil stars can it be considered a military achievement, a perfect governance and the will of heaven. Only then can it be announced to the world and the Fengshan ceremony is held at Mount Tai. If you don't have this will of heaven, and you still hold the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, won't you be laughed at by future generations?"
"Are the 36 Heavenly Guardians really suppressed in Yuqing Palace?" Shen Kuo realized that the lies that Huailiang had helped to fabricate in an attempt to frame Di Qing actually had some basis and origin. But it was reasonable, as auspicious signs and virtuous governance were one and the same. Perhaps it was precisely because of the Chanyuan Alliance and the annual tribute that martial virtues were insufficient that the matter of proving the will of heaven had to be complicated and grand. The merits that were not achieved in the human world could only be accomplished in the netherworld.
"Tian Gang is naturally located below the Yuqing Palace." Xu Chong said proudly after taking a sip of wine. Shen Kuo didn't have much time to ask him for advice on weekdays, so now was a good time to show off.
"Why are you in Yuqing Palace?"
"Because the Heavenly Book is hung on the caisson of Yuqing Palace. And the stone slab under the Heavenly Book covers the thirty-six Heavenly Stars. Those evil stars are also not obedient, and they are usually suppressed by the Heavenly Book. Now we have driven Maitreya out of the capital, but the people still don't know. So the government asked the Nuo master to use her magical powers and magic bell to gather the seventy-two Earthly Stars and suppress them together. The disaster of Maitreya was over."
"So, the government doesn't necessarily believe in the existence of the 72 Earthly Fiends?"
Shen Kuo looked into the distance, watching the group of monks slowly disappear. The sound of the solemn instruments also gradually faded away.
"Mr. Bao said that he didn't know what the emperor was thinking and he didn't need to guess. However, in order to stabilize the situation, it would be worthwhile for the emperor to do it in a serious manner. Since the nursery rhyme mentioned that there were 72 evil spirits, it would be a good intention to capture and suppress them. Mr. Bao also said that the emperor was a little hesitant about whether to hold this ceremony, fearing that the prophecy would come true and he would be controlled by it. It was also after hearing that we raided the Maitreya Sect's lair that he decided to hold a ceremony in Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, which was considered to be the return of the destiny."
"Alas...the destiny has returned. The current disaster is actually all caused by the so-called destiny. In order to prove the destiny, the "Heavenly Book" was created. With the Heavenly Book, various auspicious signs will appear. With the auspicious signs, the Tiangang will be annihilated. For a time, the destiny has returned and the people of the world have returned. However, is there anything in the world without a price? As the saying goes, success is determined by destiny, and failure is also..."
Xu Chong pretended to cough a few times to remind Shen Kuo that he was about to speak out of turn. Shen Kuo realized that he was a little drunk and talking nonsense, so he had to stop talking. However, he could not suppress the anger in his chest and continued: "You have witnessed what is happening now. The Maitreya Sect wants to subvert the world, and it is based on the destiny. If you have the destiny, they will have nursery rhymes saying that you don't have the destiny. If you have the Book of Heaven, they will have all these monsters. Now, in order to counter the opponent, you have to follow the nursery rhymes and destroy some evil, and it is inevitable that you will be controlled by them. This cycle repeats over and over again, how can you not be led by the nose?"
"Brother Shen is right. I do feel controlled by others and exhausted from running around." Xu Chong took a sip of wine.
"Now we have to organize a grand ceremony to bury the evil spirits and suppress the evil. If we tie the fate of the country to witchcraft and auspiciousness, it seems easy to take, but in fact it is frivolous. It is inevitable that it will be like what is said in "Zuo Zhuan": give them back what they have given you."
"There are only you and me here, so let's just forget about these words. Whether it's the emperor or the late emperor, it's not our place to discuss. Be careful that there may be ears on the other side of the wall." Xu Chong reminded again.
"How should the Taoist temple in Yuqing Zhaoying Palace be arranged? I have never heard of letting monks or Nuo masters go to a Taoist temple to perform such a ceremony." Shen Kuo also knew the importance of the matter and reluctantly changed the subject.
"You've asked the right question. Let me tell you..." Xu Chong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Kuo's words just now made the back of his neck cold. "Today, I followed the strict order of Mr. Bao and took my brothers to various places in the city, and went up high buildings to overlook the surroundings. I didn't see any traces of Maitreya, but only saw the grand rehearsal in front of the palace outside Tianbo Gate."
"We still need to rehearse?"
"Of course. Tonight is a grand occasion witnessed by all the people. However, the Nuo master has not returned to the city yet, so the monks and Taoist priests are rehearsing first. From what I have seen, tonight, the monks will chant scriptures and release river lanterns on the banks of the Jinshui River to welcome the fleet of the great Nuo master."
"Paper boats with bright lanterns burning in the sky do have some artistic conception, but why should we release river lanterns when it's not the Ghost Festival?"
"The imperial court wanted the common people to see the three religions defending the Way and protecting the Song Dynasty together! Don't argue, just listen to me. When the monks released river lanterns, the Taoists played fairy music and released prayer lanterns in front of the Seven Stars Terrace in front of the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, and the whole world witnessed the execution of the evil spirits. Then, when the moon was about to rise above the treetops, the great Nuo master arrived by boat. She shook the copper bell at the bow of the boat, guiding the evil spirits to follow her ashore, all the way to the Seven Stars Terrace in front of the palace gate, and then lit bonfires around to tie up the evil spirits. At this time, the Nuo master led his disciples to dance with the Yu step outside the bonfire, Zhang Zhenren danced with swords on the stage, and the monks chanted Buddha on the outside. The three religions worked together to prevent the evil spirits from escaping. In the end, the Zhenren used magic tools to collect the evil spirits and evil stars one by one, and then invited the magic tools into the palace. As for how to uncover the stone slab and how to put it into the treasure box, we can't see it."
"The Nuo master hasn't come back yet. How did you see her dance in such detail?"
"Isn't there a rehearsal of her apprentice there?"
Xu Chong looked at it very carefully, and probably had a lot of free time in the afternoon, so he actually described the general process clearly. This general rise was obviously for the world to see, to show that the disaster had subsided and the Song Dynasty had returned to peace.
"When will this grand ceremony begin?"
"Tonight is the hour of Hai. On that day, the great Nuo master left the palace at the hour of Xu. Now it is exactly the sixth day, and he came ashore at the hour of Hai, which is the right time."
Shen Kuo watched the sun set outside, probably at 5 p.m., with more than an hour to go. He suddenly became interested and wanted to watch the grand meeting of the three religions that was intended to put an end to the Maitreya sect. Anyway, he hadn't gone downstairs all day, so there was something exciting to watch in the evening.
He told Xu Chong about it, and Xu Chong wanted to see it too, but due to his duty, he could not go to the Jinshui River to see it, so he could only find another high place to see it. Shen Kuo asked Xu Chong which high gate building he went to to see it so clearly. Xu Chong was a little embarrassed and refused to say. Shen Kuo asked again and again. Xu Chong said that it was not a tall wine shop, and it was too low there to see the Yuqing Palace outside the city over the city wall. He climbed up a fire watchtower outside the Suanzao Gate in the northwest of the city and watched it while fishing.
Every block in the city has a fire watchtower, which is used to observe fire conditions. These fire watchtowers are either high or low, depending on the height of the houses in the block. If the houses are all low, the fire watchtower is also low, and vice versa. It just so happens that there is a Dongyue Temple outside the Suanzao Gate in the northwest of the outer city. There is a fire watchtower on the high slope of the temple . It is extremely tall, taller than any restaurant in the city, and only a few feet shorter than the Kaibao Tower. From there, you can see the general situation north of the Suzaku Gate, so Xu Chong chose to overlook the surroundings from there in the afternoon, which saved him from running around, which was considered lazy.
This place really suits Shen Kuo's taste. Ever since the monk muttered the two sentences: "It is cold at high places, and the air outside the sky is weak," he wanted to find an appropriate occasion to experience this loneliness and coldness. He wanted to use such an occasion to dispel his depression. Generally, the atmosphere in restaurants is too vulgar, and the pagoda was closed, so he couldn't find such a place. Unexpectedly, Xu Chong found such a place when he was free on duty. When Shen Kuo mentioned that he wanted to go, Xu Chong said that the Fire Watch Tower was not like a restaurant. Usually, only one person sat there, and it would be very cramped if two people went up there. Moreover, there was no shelter on all sides, and sitting there would only be exposed to the wind. This suited Shen Kuo's taste even more. He just wanted to be woken up by the cold wind.
Xu Chong saw that he could not persuade Shen Kuo, so he could only let him do what he wanted, thinking that he would give up after being left alone in a tower with only a thatched roof for a while. These scholars were probably like this.
So the two of them packed up the remaining wine and meat and took them with them. Xu Chong also reminded them to bring some thick clothes with them, and they went downstairs together to the high place outside the Suanzao Gate. With the help of alcohol, the two of them ran all the way to the northwest on the streets of Bianjing. Tonight, there were some people on the street, all rushing towards the west gate. The city gates were not closed tonight, just to let everyone go out of the city together, to join in the celebration, and to witness the collapse of the Maitreya conspiracy together.
Of course, more people just hide at home, and do not easily believe that Maitreyaism has been eliminated. They just wait for time to test it.
The two of them went all the way to Suanzao Gate. The gate was wide open. There were many defenders on the city wall. Everyone was ready to deal with the worst situation at any time. Shen Kuo looked up and saw a huge arrow vector extending from the battlement. He knew that it was a crossbow deployed on it, and there were officers walking around. Since the crossbow supervised by the Privy Council appeared in Baifan Tower, every crossbow on the top of the city wall is now guarded by a special person. Not to mention that there are words on the crossbow, even the five-foot-long arrows are engraved with marks. If they are lost, the guards will be held responsible and punished.
After the two left the city, they arrived at the Dong Yue Temple. From a distance, they saw a tall tower on the high slope behind the temple. There were many palaces, temples and monasteries nearby. To the east was the Jingling Palace, to the west was the Yuqing Palace, and to the north was the lower courtyard of the Xiangguo Temple outside the city. It was obvious that this fire watchtower was used to monitor fires in various places.
The two men dismounted and entered the Yue Temple. They first burned a stick of incense to the Emperor of Dongyue in the main hall, and then were led to the back by the temple keeper. The fire tower stood there alone, without an escalator, only a straight up and down ladder outside.
Shen Kuo was in front, and Xu Chong was behind. The two climbed up one after the other. As expected, it was very small, with only a bamboo chair and rotten wooden railings on all sides. It was OK for one person to sit there and turn around, but with two people on it, they didn't know who would sit on the chair, so they could only sit cross-legged on the ground together.
After going up, I found that it was indeed narrow. It was impossible for two people to sit opposite each other, raise their cups to look at the moon and the mountains, so they could only stand side by side. After only being up for a moment, I felt a little dissatisfied. However, looking around, there were dots of fire everywhere, torches like forests on the top of the city, pairs of imperial guards walking back and forth, and some people checking bows and crossbows, as if they were facing a great enemy.
In front of the Cangwang Temple in the west, there were several sedan chairs parked at the gate. I think it was the daughters of wealthy families who came out for an outing. They didn't want to go to the crowded Yuqing Palace by the Jinshui River, so they just looked at it from a high place. However, they didn't expect that there was a higher place here, which they occupied. Looking at the lower courtyard of the Daxiangguo Temple in the east, there was a vegetable garden inside. The east wall of the garden was dilapidated. A few ruffians took advantage of the night to climb over the wall and steal baskets of vegetables.
The interesting and real drama of the world was unfolding before his eyes, which made him feel nostalgic. If Xiao Ping was here, they could have crowded together to watch from a high place. She was a woman with a clear mind and was probably not fond of high pavilions, but she liked this rotten and crumbling Fire Watch Tower.
Xu Chong did not have as many thoughts as Shen Kuo. He only looked at the rituals at the gate of Yuqing Palace in the distance. At this moment, the waning moon was already in the sky, and the monks by the river had already started to release river lanterns. From afar, the Jinshui River was dotted with twinkling stars, like the Milky Way spreading across the earth.
"Brother Shen, look over there. They are releasing river lanterns. Although it's not Buddha's birthday, it's still spectacular."
"The custom of river lanterns did not originate from Buddha's birthday. Our ancestors had the custom of lighting lanterns during the Shangsi Festival to ward off evil spirits. If we calculate the date, it is almost the same as the Shangsi Festival, which is quite appropriate."
"Look, the Nuo Master fleet is coming."
Shen Kuo's eyesight was not as good as Xu Chong's. He looked far ahead and saw a bright light, as if a fleet was approaching, but he could not see it clearly. On both sides of the river, which was as bright as the Milky Way, the people were all applauding with joy.
"I wonder where Xiao Ping is now?" he thought. If she took the Grand Canal, she would be about a hundred miles away from the northwest Caomen, right? He couldn't help but think of Xiao Ping sitting on a lonely boat, waiting to play the zither, with a handsome man standing beside her, but that person was not him.
His thoughts continued to fly, and his eyes followed the waterway in front of him, and he saw the intersection of the Wuzhang River and the Jinshui River out of the city. He couldn't help but change his mind. He had been thinking that after the Maitreya Sect burned the long dragon kite that could ride the wind, they took away the object that might continue to cause trouble, and they must have other plans. He originally thought that something that was several feet square could only be taken through the canal in a hurry. In that case, they would have to go out of the North Cao Gate along the Wuzhang River and then enter the Bian River. Shipping in the Wuzhang River can only enter through the southeast Cao Gate and exit through the north Cao Gate. Ships on the river cannot reverse, so if they exit the North Cao Gate, they can only choose to leave Bianjing. Now that he thinks about it, as long as he turns the river at the intersection of the two rivers, he can also enter the Jinshui River again and enter the city from the west Cao Gate. If we take into account the Maitreya Sect's persistent way of action, this possibility does not seem to be ruled out.
