Yang Jiaofeng talks about Journey to the West series of articles:
The person who made the most contribution in determining the project to obtain Buddhist scriptures from the Western Heaven was Guanyin Bodhisattva . After all, she took the initiative to go to the Eastern Land and the Tang Dynasty to find Buddhist scripture collectors.
It was also after she arrived in Datang that a series of strange things happened one after another in Chang'an City, and the source of this series of strange things came from a fortune teller named Yuan Shoucheng. It can be said that without this person, there would be no subsequent Jinghe Dragon King beheaded. If the Dragon King of Jinghe had not been beheaded, there would be no one who would ask Tang Wang Li Shimin for his life and actually succeed. Without Li Shimin's death, there would be no one-day trip to the underworld, let alone the subsequent learning experience.
So, what is the origin of this fortune teller named Yuan Shoucheng, and why is it that he is clearly doing immoral things, but it is the Dragon King of Jinghe who suffers in the end?
Issue 273 of Yang Jiaofengโs series of articles on Journey to the West: Yuan Shoucheng was obviously the one causing trouble and doing immoral things, so why did the Dragon King of Jinghe, who was protecting his descendants, lose his life?
1.
Not long after Guanyin Bodhisattva arrived in Chang'an City, strange things began to happen in Chang'an City. The first strange thing was a conversation between a woodcutter and a fisherman.
The book says that these two people are sages. The so-called sages should refer to people with high moral standards, good character, and have not done any bad things. Moreover, although these two people, one is a fisherman and the other is a woodcutter, they look like mountain people, but in fact their cultural level is not low.
The two of them were still friends. One day they went to a pub to drink together. During the middle of the drink, they carried the wine bottle to Jinghe River to spread out. The fisherman Zhang Shao said:
"Brother Li, I think the one who is fighting for fame is because Those who seize wealth will die for it; those who receive a title will sleep with a tiger in their arms; those who accept a favor will leave with a snake in their sleeves."
This sentence is quite philosophical, and it can be understood as, people want to get something. If something is lost, something will inevitably be lost. Then he began to feel proud. After all, one relies on water and the other relies on mountains. Which one is better, relying on water or relying on mountains?
For this reason, the two started a poetry conference, comparing " Butterfly Love Flower ", " Partridge Sky ", "Heaven Fairy", "Xijiang Moon", " Linjiang Fairy " one by one, and No matter who wins or loses.
In the end, the fisherman got carried away and said that he would never be in danger, but Brother Li was not sure. He might encounter a tiger when he went up the mountain to collect firewood. After hearing these words, the woodcutter Li Ding became angry at that time. Why should I be killed when I go up the mountain, but you can be safe when you go down the river?
As a result, the fisherman did not abide by his agreement with the fortune teller. He spilled the beans and told the fortune teller about his recent experiences:
"In Chang'an City, there is a fortune teller on Ximen Street. I tell him every day Give him a golden carp, and he will teach me a lesson, depending on the direction."
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However, it was such a coincidence that the conversation between the two happened to be interrupted by a Yaksha patrolling the water in the Jing River. I heard:
"This is exactly what we were talking about on the road. There are people in the grass. It turns out that there is a Yaksha patrolling the water in Jinghe River..."
This Yaksha is hiding in the grass. This also means that he has listened to these two words. People have been talking to each other for some time. However, the human beings talking on the shore have gone to sea. If he is not patrolling the water well, how can he hide here and listen to these two people chatting about the mountains?
actually can't blame him, because these two people were controlled by Yuan Shoucheng .
You must know that in a journey to the west world where gods and Buddhas are everywhere, even fortune tellers can accurately predict everything, and fishermen will not be unaware of the gods in the Jing River. However, as the beneficiary of the mysterious fortune-telling incident, he should have made a fortune silently, but instead he ran to the Jing River and shouted and sang with the woodcutter.
This is actually the weakness of human nature. Many people ultimately fail because of this! For example, Xiang Yu , the famous saying "If you don't return to your hometown if you are rich, you will walk at night like fine clothes" came from this dear friend.
In addition, the fisherman drank two more drinks, and the pride of being a fisherman arose spontaneously. Moreover, he was afraid that the other party would not hear, so he almost shouted at the top of his lungs. As a water patroller, Yasha was naturally attracted to these two people when he met them. He was very proud of this guy who called himself a fisherman, so he listened for a while longer.
But you must know that the Jinghe River is also the largest river around Chang'an City. No matter how big a fisherman's boat is, even if it returns with a full load every day, it will not drain the Jinghe River's fishery resources dry. Why did this water patrolling Yaksha rush back to report to the Dragon King of the Jinghe River as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and how could he reveal something important?
"It's a disaster, it's a disaster!"
3.
This is the second insurance set by the fortune teller!
In this world, there are two things that cannot be looked at directly. One is the sun and the other is the human heart. Even though Yuan Shoucheng was a resourceful man, he was not sure whether the fisherman Zhang Shao would reveal his agreement with him.
Because he was not sure, he made a double insurance policy in order to lure the Jinghe Dragon King out, that is, Zhang Shao would give him a golden carp every day.
Of course, it is nothing unusual for us to see golden carps now. Just find any scenic spot and take a look into the pool. There are carps of all colors, and you can find them all.
In fact, if the fisherman is smarter and catches two golden carps and lets them reproduce on their own, he won't have to worry about not having any carp to hand over. Yes, in the past when eliminated the four evils of , there was a place where you could turn in mice and how much would you pay for one. Unexpectedly, in the end, the number of rats became more and more frequent, and there was no trend of decreasing at all. After further investigation, it turned out that every household began to raise rats.
However, the golden carp in Journey to the West is not an ordinary carp. Regarding this, the book also mentioned Tang Monkโs father Chen Guangrui :
โThe next morning, I saw a man carrying a golden carp in front of the store. The carp was hawking, and Guangrui was about to buy it with all the money, and he wanted to cook it with his mother..."
Some people said, that's not right. In Chen Guangrui's eyes, the golden carp is no different from ordinary carp, and he even wants to cook it. What about eating?
Of course, we later learned that this golden carp was transformed by Dragon King . Later, Chen Guangrui was resurrected entirely due to his own good deeds. So, at that time, Chen Guangrui didn't know whether golden carp was different from ordinary carp?
He knows!
4.
The key to the problem is that he spent a lot of money to buy this carp!
Because "Journey to the West" was written in the Ming Dynasty period, its currency conversion was also carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Ming Dynasty. For example, ten pennies are equal to a string of money, ten strings of money are equal to one ping of money, and ten lings of money are equal to one string of money.
The money Chen Guangrui paid was equal to one silver coin, or one thousand copper coins, or one tael of silver. He bought this golden carp for one tael of silver.
In "Journey to the West", what is the purchasing power of one tael of silver, and how much can it buy?
When he was at Wuzhuang Temple, Tang Monk asked Zhu Bajie to cook. He mentioned that he had rice in his bag and borrowed someone else's pot to cook a meal. Later, he gave him a few pennies to use as firewood.
When he was in the Flame Mountain, Sun Wukong once made a penny and bought a piece of cake to eat.
There is also the Kingdom of Women. When we crossed the Zimu River , we paid a few pennies for the boat; and there is also the true and false Monkey King . Before, Sun Wukong killed several robbers, and Tang Monk took out a few pennies to let him Zhu Bajie went to buy two pairs of plasters; when he was in the Kingdom of Zhuzi, Monk Sha said he lacked oil, salt, soy and vinegar for cooking, so Sun Wukong asked Zhu Bajie to buy them, but he only gave him a few cents:
"I have a few here. To earn money, teach Bajie to go to the street and buy it. "
At Huang Shijing , the little demon Sun Wukong turned into once reported the account to the king and mentioned:
"I bought eight pigs and seven sheep in total. For fifteen animals, pigs should be worth sixteen taels of silver, and sheep should be worth nine taels of silver."
It can be seen that the money Chen Guangrui paid can buy firewood that can cook hundreds of meals, a thousand cakes, hundreds of plasters, and half a pig!
So, not only the fishermen know Chen Guangrui also knows that the golden carp is valuable!
5.
Even if the golden carp is not a dragon, it is still related to the dragon. Even if it is not a direct blood relative of the Dragon King, it is a collateral or distant branch. In short, it is related to Yaksha. Only then would he hastily report to the Dragon King, and only then would he say that the Shui Tribe was about to be wiped out, and only then would the Jinghe Dragon King become furious:
"The Dragon King was so angry that he raised his sword in a hurry and was about to go to Chang'an City to kill this traitor. "
Even if no Yaksha comes to report, as time goes by, and the golden carps disappear one after another, some aquarium will inform the Dragon King. When the Dragon King finds out, he will still be furious.
So far, the Jinghe Dragon King has taken the bait, but in the face of What was in front of him was not one road, but multiple roads:
First, just like his initial impulse, he flew directly to Chang'an City, raised his sword and chopped down the fortune teller Yuan Shoucheng, which could not only vent his anger, but also solve the problem. The problem is solved once and for all.
The second is to plan carefully, become an ordinary person, and sneak into Chang'an City quietly. After seeing Yuan Shoucheng, he confirms the situation and finds a way to kill him without letting outsiders know.
The third one is recorded in the book. You can't kill him directly. You have to humiliate him and smash his sign so that he can't hold his head up for the rest of his life. Only in this way can he relieve his anger.
Why were the first two plans rejected? The River Dragon King vetoed it?
It's very simple. Dragon Son, Dragon Sun, Xi Chen, Crab Shi, Shao Military Advisor, Mandarin Shaoqing, Li Dazai... all jumped out to stop the Dragon King and prevent him from doing stupid things. Because the city of Chang'an is different from other places, God has been watching:
"When the king goes, there will be clouds and rain to help. The common people in Chang'an were frightened, and God will blame them." "
In fact, on the journey to the west, the Dragon Kings often followed Sun Wukong to make private rains, and they also disturbed the people, and they did not see any punishment from God?
Six,
Of course, as mentioned before, one cannot look directly at the human heart. The Dragon King of Yijing River was so hot-tempered that no one could stop him from going straight to kill Yuan Shoucheng.
On the one hand, Yuan Shoucheng could handle it, but he expected that the Dragon King of Jinghe would not do this. On the other hand, if this happened, The worst he can do is run away, but the Dragon King going to find him in such a big way will still anger Jade Emperor .
Yuan Shoucheng is quite able to control people's hearts. When the Dragon King of Jinghe turned into a scholar in white to confirm the news about Yaksha, he was like this. A slogan:
"The zodiac sign of the dragon is in conflict with the zodiac sign of the tiger. Yinchen Sihai, although it is called a joint game, the only thing I am afraid of is the Japanese criminal years old . "
In fact, this was what Yuan Shoucheng said on purpose. Some people interpreted it as giving a warning to the Dragon King of Jinghe River, but in fact it was more like giving a clue to the Dragon King of Jinghe River on purpose, which was equivalent to telling him that the person who predicts the destruction of your Shui Tribe is me. At the same time, it is also a warning to the Dragon King of Jinghe River. A provocation from the Dragon King of Jinghe River, if there was no provocation, it would be difficult to provoke the Dragon King to make a bet with him.
Sure enough, after hearing such words, the Dragon King of Jinghe River was convinced that this person was doing something immoral:
"The Dragon King heard this. Qingzhi is the place where divination is sold, step forward and separate everyone..."
Some people say that the Dragon King of Jinghe did not listen to the warning, or did not understand Yuan Shoucheng's words. He is not stupid, how could he not understand. It is precisely because Only after he understood it did he arouse his fighting spirit and ask Yuan Shoucheng:
"Please tell me what is going on in the sky. "
In fact, there is no need for the Dragon King of Jinghe to make a bet with Yuan Shoucheng. He only needs to be sure that the other party is the fortune teller who harmed the Shui tribe. Even if he goes to heaven to file a complaint in the future, it will be justified:
"If there is such a person, it will not be too late to punish Rong Jia. . "
7.
If there really is such a person, it will not be too late to punish him. One word of punishment shows that Yuan Shoucheng is in the wrong.
However, he is still accurate in calculating people's hearts. The Jinghe Dragon King is actually very smart. , he knew what he was good at, so he asked about the rain.
On the one hand, no one knows more about rain than the Jinghe Dragon King. On the other hand, we also need to see if this fortune teller is really capable and whether it is worth fighting with him.
Unexpectedly, when Yuan Shoucheng opened his mouth, he said:
"Tomorrow there will be clouds at 10:00, thunder at 10:00, rain at noon, and not enough rain at noon. A total of three feet, three inches and forty-eight points of water will be obtained."
What I didn't expect even more was that, Jing When the River Dragon King heard what Yuan Shoucheng said, he laughed. Why did he laugh?
Because in the eyes of the Jinghe Dragon King, Yuan Shoucheng's hexagram is bound to lose. After all, he has the qualifications to rain. Not only does he think so, but his water tribe members also think so:
"The king is the general manager of the Eight Rivers. Siyu, the Great Dragon God, only the king knows it, so how dare he say such nonsense? That person who sells divination must have lost, he must have lost!"
In fact, this is only one aspect; There is also a big problem with Yu's points, which is why he was very proud when he returned:
"But he is a talkative gentleman."
Why?
Because of this kind of rain, let alone Chang'an City, even if you look at the entire world of Journey to the West, it is a once-in-a-century or once-in-a-thousand-year situation.
There was a severe drought in the Wuji Kingdom for three years. When the rivers dried up, the king asked for rain in many places, but he only asked for three feet. Of course, in the end, the lion spirit asked for two inches more.
"I only hope that three feet of rain is enough. He said that a long drought cannot moisten the water, and two more inches of rain fell."
8.
Also in Fengxian County , there was also a severe drought for three years, and the rivers dried up. In this case, the Jade Emperor relieved his anger and sent people to rain, but the result was:
"It rained three feet and forty-two hours in one day, and the gods only gradually took it back."
It rained more than three feet. After the rain, the rivers were full and even the wells were filled with water, which shows how heavy the rain was.
However, Yuan Shoucheng's prediction in Chang'an City was a big problem. Not only was the rainfall greater than in Fengxian County and Wuji Kingdom, but the time was also very limited, and it had to rain within an hour.
If the rain in Wuji Kingdom and Fengxian County was heavy rain, then the rain in Chang'an City was an extremely heavy rain, and it happened once in a hundred years or once in a thousand years. After all, three feet and three inches is equivalent to more than 1,100 millimeters in current measurement units. This kind of rainfall exceeds the annual rainfall in the entire Yangtze River Basin. Moreover, it rained within an hour. It is difficult to find an idiom to describe it.
This is the reason why the Dragon King of Jinghe must make a bet with Yuan Shoucheng after hearing what he said. Is there any suspense about this bet?
Such an incredible thing happened because of the Jade Emperor's personal decree. Could it be that Yuan Shoucheng could really reach the sky?
Many people understand that Yuan Shoucheng is not actually a human being. He is the transformation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jade Emperor, , or other gods and Buddhas. Anyway, he will not be a mortal. It's just that these conclusions are all inferred, and there is no favorable evidence in the book. What is in the book clearly explains Yuan Shoucheng's origin:
"It turned out to be the uncle of Mr. Taizheng, the emperor of the imperial court at that time. Yuan Tiangang , Yuan Shoucheng is the same. "
And Yuan Tiangang was one of the authors of the unparalleled prophetic book "Tuibei Tu". At this time, he was serving as the Chief of Qintian Supervisor in the Tang Dynasty.
9.
So Yuan Tiangang and Yuan Shoucheng, what are their abilities? How can they predict the Jade Emperor's will?
In the entire Journey to the West, there is no detailed explanation of the art of divination, whether in heaven or in any place. Except for Yuan Shoucheng, no other expert has been found to have used this skill.
And the only god who has anything to do with this is the Bodhi Patriarch . When he taught martial arts to Sun Wukong, he once mentioned the word "shu" of a Taoist three hundred and sixty side spells:
" In the sect of art, those who ask immortal Fuluan to ask for divination can know the principles of pursuing good fortune and avoiding misfortune."
There is also a description on Yuan Shoucheng's hexagram stall:
"There are Wang Wei paintings on both sides, and the shape of a ghost valley hangs high on the seat... He can know the sky and geography, and he is good at knowing the expressions of ghosts... He knows the evil and determines the good, and he can predict the death. born. When you start talking about the wind and rain, you will be shocked when you start writing. The signboard has the name of the book and the name of Mr. Yuan Shoucheng. "
The statue of Guiguzi enshrined by Yuan Shoucheng proves that he should have studied under Guiguzi. And Guiguzi was a figure who dominated during the Warring States period. His books have always been studied by military strategists, politicians and diplomats. It has become a secret treasure book for merchants.
In fact, the reason why Wu Chengen wrote this is to highlight that Yuan Shoucheng is a professional fortune teller. In addition to Guiguzi, Wang Wei also knows Zen Buddhism and is known as "Poetic Buddha". Painter and poet. However, Wang Wei was from the Tang Xuanzong period, and this was still the Tang Taizong period. Could it be that the author made a mistake?
Of course, this problem can be attributed to the fact that the author wrote about Zhenguan Thirteen times several times. Year, it is indeed wrong. But if I have to explain it, I, Yang Jiaofeng, can force it back.
Because all this can be attributed to Lingshan Buddhists are doing something wrong! , there is a description of Lingshan Elysium in the book:
"...It is called the first in the West, the gate of Wuxiang Dharma King...Flowers bloom every day, fruits are always ripe...Eternal destruction, no growth, no increase or decrease, haze The mist comes and goes, the cold and heat never invade, and the years are not remembered... There is no spring and autumn in the vast world. "
In Lingshan, there is no concept of time. The fruits are ripening all the time, and the spring and autumn are changing all the time.
In fact, it is not just here. In the lion and camel kingdom , Tathagata Buddha once sent Manjusri and Samantabhadra. When Bodhisattva went to subdue the three demons, he said this:
"Seven days on the mountain, thousands of years in the world!" "
In fact, it's not just here. When Tathagata Buddha once praised his spiritual mountain paradise, he once said:
"I don't know the age in this place! "
It can be seen from this that Yuan Shoucheng's bet with the Dragon King of Jinghe is indeed related to Lingshan Buddha!
But even if he is related to Buddha, how can he reach heaven? Could it be that the Jade Emperor was also bribed by Buddha?
It's really not the case!
The Jade Emperor is usually too busy. There are so many countries, and each country has Qin Tian Jian , or a department similar to Qin Tian Jian. They usually do nothing else but pray for rain to protect themselves. The country is in good weather.
This can be seen from Che Chi State . At that time, the powerful immortal asked for rain. Sun Wukong went to heaven to ask Deng Tianjun, and Deng Tianjun replied: "That Taoist Five Thunder Methods is a real. He sent documents and burned them, alerting the Jade Emperor, who issued an edict and went to the Tianzun's house in response to the sound of thunder in Jiutian. We are here to help the thunder and lightning rain. "
Eleven,
In other words, for the Jade Emperor, as long as someone is praying for rain below, he will most likely get the information and directly give the following instructions and follow the instructions step by step.
So, who in the Tang Dynasty Who has the ability to pray for rain?
Everyone must know that it is Yuan Tiangang, who is the person in the Qin Tianjian of the Tang Dynasty who is responsible for praying for rain. On the one hand, the Dragon King of Jinghe is really responsible for the rain. Giving rain, on the other hand, also shows that even if he forgets for a moment, there are experts like Yuan Tiangang who remind the Jade Emperor that it is time to rain.
Of course, some people say that Yuan Shoucheng may also ask for rain, but this book does not say that. It was only mentioned that he could do divination.
But even so, if the Dragon King of Jinghe could find his way back, he would not be beheaded. Moreover, there were many Dragon Kings who rained secretly on the way to seek the scriptures. Why were others fine? Was he killed?
On the one hand, the Dragon King's private rain was mainly authorized by Monkey King Sun Wukong. He was responsible. As long as it did not violate the regulations, the Dragon King also had some power and could do it.But if the Jade Emperor specifically made a decree and refused to give in, they would not be able to do so, such as Fengxian County.
Secondly, the Dragon King of Jinghe was too bold. After all, the rain was not his fault alone, but was caused by many gods. He could have deducted a little time, as long as he could win the bet, but he was an hour late, forcing the gods to wait for a long time, and also deducted the amount of rain.
People are very busy to begin with. It rains all over the world, but I have to wait here for two hours. Can you not be angry? What if the Jade Emperor asks after returning, why it took so long to come back? How will they answer?
Again, no one reported the other Dragon King's secrets, but Yuan Shoucheng was keeping an eye on the Jinghe Dragon King, ready to report him at any time. If the people did not complain, the officials would not investigate. If the people did, the officials would have to investigate.
12,
As for where Yuan Shoucheng went later, there is actually an explanation in the book!
When he made a bet with the Dragon King at the beginning, he said that if he loses, then the Dragon King of Jinghe:
"I will destroy your appearance, tear your sign to pieces, and drive you out of Chang'an immediately. You are not allowed to confuse the public here!" "
As a fortune teller, reputation is very important. As long as the calculation is wrong, the sign will be ruined. If you want to rely on this to make a living in the future, it is probably impossible.
Therefore, judging from the results of the bet, Yuan Shoucheng did lose. If he lost, he would be willing to admit defeat, close the stall and leave Chang'an City, and his whereabouts are unknown since then.
As for his sin of leaking secrets, doing all the evil things, and killing the Dragon King, he actually also talked about this crime. After all, he is a fortune teller, everything is a matter of days, and he has already calculated it:
"I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid! I am not guilty of death, but you are guilty of death!"
In other words, Yuan Shoucheng admitted that he was guilty, but his crime did not lead to death, and the punishment he received would not lead to death.
However, there is a question that everyone has thought about. Did the Jade Emperor really issue an imperial edict to kill the Jinghe Dragon King?
Not necessarily!
In the original work of "Journey to the West", there are only three mentions that the Jade Emperor will issue an order to kill the Dragon King of Jinghe River. One is from the mouth of Yuan Shoucheng, the second is from the mouth of Wei Zheng, and the third is from the mouth of Li Shimin:
"I had a strange dream at night. I dreamed that a man came to visit me, claiming to be the Dragon King of Jinghe River. It violated the laws of heaven and should be punished." He was beheaded by Cao Guan Wei Zheng, and he begged me to save him. I have promised. "
However, later, when Tang King Li Shimin came to the underworld to confront the Jinghe Dragon King for no apparent reason, the Dragon King disappeared, saying that he had reincarnated early. Why? The Dragon King has been asking for an explanation, but when the opportunity comes, he slips away?
Maybe we have all been deceived!
Of course, due to space reasons, we will talk about the secret behind this next time!
My name is Yang Jiaofeng. Watch Journey to the West from a different perspective. You will find different fun. If you like it, please follow it!
