Gyeonggi Prefecture is located on the west bank of the Tongzhou Basin of the Tongtian River. The entire Gyeonggi Prefecture is actually embedded in a corner of Tongzhou, so in Dazhen, Tongzhou is also nicknamed Zhili Prefecture.
Although the Dazhen court did not officially endorse this aspect, in fact it was similar.
On this day, in Changlefu City, Tongzhou, there were official servants coming in a hurry, whether it was at the yamen gate or the city gate, or even on the street notice walls in some prosperous areas.
The Tianyue Restaurant on ** Street is one of the most famous restaurants in the city. There are many shops around it, including but not limited to restaurants, restaurants, cloth and groceries, etc., making ** Street appear extremely prosperous. It is the center of Changle Mansion. Countless bustling streets.
It was almost dinner time, and people were coming and going around the restaurant. There were also some beggars sitting in the corner opposite the restaurant, waiting for alms from kindhearted people.
Now that the sun is hot, it is impossible for beggars to go to places such as under the ruined temple bridge to beg for food during the day. In such areas, a shadowed area in the corner has become a luxurious resting place.
It’s just that the seven or eight beggars of different ages here are willing to bear the harsh sunshine, using a few rags or broken fans and broken umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. In a small shadow in the corner, an old beggar is huddled there. Sleeping, snoring.
“Go away, go away…go away, don’t block the way!”
Several officers armed with swords strode from a distance. The two in front cleared the way, and the two behind each held a large roll of yellow cloth, and each carried a bucket.
“Go away, go away, you guys are not allowed to block the notice wall.”
The first two official servants came up, stretched out their legs and kicked the sleepy beggars a few times, pushing them away a little. They looked at the group in the corner at the other end, frowned and said Without paying much attention, he said to the two people behind him.
“Just post it here.”
The official carrying the bucket nodded and stepped forward, took a brush handle from the bucket, stirred it a few times, and then brushed it back and forth on the wall with the paste in the bucket.
Some beggars on the side looked at the bucket in the officer’s hand and swallowed frequently. They knew that the paste was actually made from rice paste and was edible.
“Okay, post it.”
The official at the back began to unfold the yellow cloth, and the two colleagues on the side quickly helped to pull the corners. Then the three of them worked together to stick the upper corner of the yellow cloth to the wall, and then stuck it little by little in the direction of the yellow cloth. Come down until the entire big yellow cloth is spread on the notice wall.
Seeing the actions of the officials, many passers-by and wealthy merchants in brighter clothes also stopped to watch from the outside.
“Hey, this notice is made of yellow cloth. This is a yellow list!”
“Yes, has something big happened in the capital?” “You will know after you read what is written.”
“It will be posted soon. Is this… a recruitment list?”
After the official posted the notice, he looked around and left without explaining much. He took his things and left. The people around him gathered around even more. Some elderly people looked at the notice and spoke word by word. Read it out.
“The Emperor declares to the world: It has been two hundred years since the founding of our country in Dazhen. Now we are in the prosperous age. Everyone in the world is submissive. The country is peaceful and the people are safe. The Emperor lives in the autumn of Yiyou year…”
The elderly man was stroking his beard while reading, and occasionally paused to sort out the following words to make himself read more smoothly.
“…I specially issue this edict to summon all the wise men in the world to participate in this grand event. During the nine days and ten meetings, we will gather together to congratulate the great chastity and congratulate the emperor!”
After the old man finished reading, the people around him took a few breaths before starting to talk.
“Is this an Immortal Convention going to be held?”
“Hey, didn’t you read what it said on the yellow list? This is the Land and Water Conference.”
“The capital is so lively right now, there’s no telling if there will really be gods there!”
“I mean, if there really are gods, then shouldn’t we go and have a look? What if the gods take a fancy to me and teach me my magic?”
“Dream on you, you are just like a pig!” “What’s wrong with being ugly? Do gods still care about your appearance?”
“The title of Master is so majestic…” “What’s the use of having such a useless title? A thousand taels of gold is the real thing!”
The people around were talking a lot, some were very excited and just wanted to hear something new, and some were already thinking about going to the capital to join in the fun. Anyway, it would definitely be more interesting than temple fairs and the like.
But for the beggars in the corner who had problems with food and clothing, this kind of event was still too far away. They were all listless, except for the old beggar who was sleeping soundly in the corner. He opened his eyes.
‘At this juncture, Emperor Dazhen is holding a water and land ceremony. Is the so-called gathering of immortal fate turned into a chaotic dance of demons? ’
But after thinking about it, the old beggar thought it would not happen, but he couldn’t sleep anymore.
“Oh~~~~”
The old beggar yawned and sat up, rubbed his eyes, pinched out the eye droppings from the corners of his eyes, flicked them in his hand a few times and then flicked them away.
“Grandpa Lu, why don’t you go to bed? You haven’t asked for anything to eat today.”
Seeing that the old beggar woke up, a little beggar who looked like an eleven or twelve-year-old boy next to him said something to him. Seeing that the old beggar was about to get up, he hurried over to help him.
“Rupert is awake?” “Rupert, please drink some water.”
“I still stutter, I just picked up two pieces of cake, they are not sour!”
As soon as the old beggar woke up, the beggars next to him all expressed their greetings and concerns. The former just took a bamboo tube and drank some water, then took a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, and then waved it to the others. waved his hand.
“Okay, okay, keep it for yourself, old beggar, I’m not hungry yet.”
After saying this, the old beggar stood up, chewed the cake in his mouth, and stretched himself comfortably. There were some people around who were still looking at the yellow list, and some people made some noise towards this group. The beggar looked sideways.
After the old beggar finished stretching, he waved to the little beggar who first asked him.
“You’er, let’s go to the capital for a walk?”
The little beggar stood up with a broken ceramic bowl and looked at the yellow list over there. He wondered if Grandpa Lu heard the person reading the yellow list when he was sleeping, and the answer he gave was more tangled.
“The capital is so far away…”
“Hey, just tell me if you want to go?”
The old beggar put his hand into the hole in his clothes, scratched the itch under his armpit, closed one eye and squinted the other, and asked the little beggar with a smile.
“Yes! Of course I want to go to the most lively and magnificent place in the world!”
“Haha… then go ahead!”
The old beggar reached out and patted the little beggar on the back, then half-pushed him forward.
The little beggar walked a few steps blankly and then looked back. The beggars behind him were watching him and the old beggar go away. Suddenly he realized that he was setting off with Grandpa Lu?
It was also at this moment that the beggars behind started calling out to say goodbye.
“Take care, Rubeus!” “Be careful on the way!”
“Uncle Lu, look at Xiaoyou!”
The old beggar looked back with a smile, waved his hand, and casually muttered a few “take care, take care” before continuing to lead Xiao You towards the front of the street.
The beggars looked at their backs, and finally sat back down, waiting for leftovers and other alms from this afternoon.
“Grandpa Lu, what will Uncle Zhang and the others do when we leave?”
The old beggar seemed to have a lot of fleas all over his body. He scratched the front with one hand and scratched the back with one hand. Hearing what the little beggar said, he muttered for a while.
“They are not being fed by us. They are better beggars than you. Besides, some of them have lost their legs and hands now, and there are no abscesses on their bodies. It is not difficult to do some serious work. Don’t worry about it.”
Whether they are monks and Taoists in the mortal world, or some charming demons, or liars, there are not a few people like the old beggar who know about the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and rush to Gyeonggi Province.
Even if there are not some evil spirits coming, just thinking about the image of liars and magicians gathering in Kyoto to “participate in a grand event”, to a certain extent, it can be regarded as a “dance of demons”.
Although Tongzhou is next to Gyeonggi Prefecture, Changle Prefecture and Gyeonggi Prefecture are separated by two prefectures after all. The old beggar and the young beggar woke up and begged for food while walking on the road. When they were tired, they found a place where they could shelter from the wind and rain. Just sleep, the weather is too hot to freeze now anyway.
The journey in such a hurry was not too slow. It only took a few months to walk from Changle Prefecture to Gyeonggi Prefecture on two legs.
Early in the morning that day, two beggars, one old and one young, lined up outside the city gate waiting to enter the city. Because they slept next to the city gate last night, they woke up to the city gate this morning. Before it opened, two beggars were at the front of the queue.
A farmer in line behind who was carrying a load couldn’t help but stay two feet away from him, because not only did the two beggars smell strong, but the old one would scratch it from time to time, fearing that there were lice on his body.
The old beggar yawned and looked back and forth at the team several times. Seeing that the team was getting longer and longer, sometimes he couldn’t help but see some guys in the team who looked like “masters”. He laughed out loud.
“Woo, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak…”
“The city gate is open!”
As the soldiers in the city opened the city gate, the passage of Gyeonggi Mansion was revealed in front of those who wanted to enter the city.
Originally, beggars were not allowed in at the gate of the city, but in the eyes of the little beggar, although the old beggar was unkempt and slovenly, he still pretended to be very imposing when he was questioned by the gatekeepers.
The sentence “I came here to participate in the Water and Land Dharma Ceremony according to the imperial edict.” He said it with full force, and he did not dodge the direct gaze of the soldiers, which made the soldiers let him go after much hesitation.
The capital is indeed very lively. In the past, it was not comparable to Changle Mansion. What’s more, in days like these, the little beggar was dazzled.
But even so, after walking around the city, the two beggars still went back to their old profession and prepared to sit down in a suitable place to beg for food. Find Shuyuanｗｗ． zhaａoshuyuan.com
“Hey! It’s nice here. You can smell the aroma of vegetables on both sides and see pedestrians from all sides.”
The old beggar pulled the little beggar and happily walked to the corner opposite a teahouse. There were several restaurants around. The two sat down and the little beggar took advantage of the situation and put the broken bowl in front of him.
Seeing that the old beggar was about to take a nap again, the little beggar looked around curiously.
‘The capital is really big and lively, and there are not many beggars! ’
As I turned my eyes around, I saw a person sitting on the table at the entrance of the teahouse opposite. He was holding a teacup and looking at me calmly. That person was like a special magnet, which immediately attracted the little beggar. full attention.
Apart from a not-so-wide street, only four or five feet away, the little beggar’s eyesight could clearly see the appearance of this man. He looked like a learned and gentle gentleman, but even though his eyes were half-open, he could see clearly Now if you look closely, you can see that it is actually pale.
“Grandpa Lu, there seems to be a blind man watching us over there at the teahouse…”
“Hey, silly boy, why are you blind looking at us? You can’t blame yourself for that!”
“But I really feel this way…”
The old beggar scratched his itch, sat up and glanced in the direction of the little beggar’s line of sight. He was stunned for a moment at this glance, and after turning his head to take a closer look, he couldn’t look away.
Tranquil and calm, with clear eyes and no waves, the powerless light of Dharma and God is revealed, but the body is blended into nature. A refreshing feeling arises spontaneously, both in the eyes and in the heart.
The old beggar glanced at the little beggar beside him and murmured in a daze.
“You’er…this is no ordinary blind man!”