It is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Chu Yuan respected Confucianism and Taoism and recruited talents. People all over the world heard the news and went to serve him one after another.
There was a wise man named Zuo Botao in Jishi Mountain of Western Qiang. His parents died of illness in his early years. Botao studied hard and was quite talented. Hearing that King Chu Yuan was thirsty for talents, he went straight to Chu Kingdom.
When we walked to Yongdi that day, it was winter, the wind and snow were blowing, and it was extremely cold. Zuo Botao saw that it was getting late, and there happened to be a thatched hut in the bamboo forest on the roadside, so he knocked on the door and stayed.
A man opened the door of the house. Zuo Botao introduced himself politely and offered to stay overnight. The man readily agreed and invited him into the house to dry his clothes while he prepared wine and food. The two drank and chatted.
The man calls himself Sheep Jiao Ai . His parents died when he was young, and he lives here to study alone.
The two of them had sympathy for each other and had similar spirits. They chatted all night, but they were still not satisfied, so they became brothers of the opposite sex. Zuo Botao was five years older than Yang Jiaoai, and Jiaoai worshiped Botao as his brother.
The heavy rain continued the next day, and Yang Jiao'ai continued to keep Zuo Botao at home and entertained his brother as much as he could.
Three days later, the rain stopped, and Bo Tao prepared to leave. Before leaving, he said, "My dear brother is full of knowledge. It would be a pity if he ends up in the forest."
Yangjiao sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to become an official, but no one recommends me." "
Bo Tao said with a smile: "Now the King of Chu is looking for talents. Since I have the intention of becoming an official, why don't you go and serve the King of Chu with your brother?"
Yang Jiao Ai was so happy that he immediately packed his bags and abandoned the hut. The two brothers headed towards Chu Di together.
After two days of walking, it started raining heavily again. The two of them had to stay in an inn temporarily, but they soon ran out of money, so they took turns carrying a bag of dry food and headed forward in the rain.
After walking for a few more days, the rain stopped, but it started to snow heavily. The two of them braved the wind and snow. A woodcutter on the road told them that there was no human habitation for more than a hundred miles ahead, only barren mountains and wilderness, with wolves and tigers hordes, so they must not leave.
But the brothers were not afraid at all and continued to move forward for their ideals. The next day, I slept in an ancient tomb. My clothes were thin, the wind was bone-chilling, and the snow was falling harder and harder.
Zuo Botao saw this and said: "Brother Xian, we don't have much dry food, and there is no one in front of us. Moreover, the weather is cold and our clothes are thin. If we two go together, we will definitely not be able to get out. Why don't I give you the dry food and clothes?" "After you go out, you will be favored by the King of Chu. Come back and bury me when the time comes."
Yang Jiao'ai firmly refused and helped Zuo Botao continue to move forward. After walking a few steps, the wind and snow became heavier and heavier, and the two of them had to go again. Go back to the tomb and sit down to rest. Zuo Botao took off all his clothes and asked Yang Jiao'ai to put them on before going on the road, leaving him to die.
Yang Jiao'ai cried loudly: "Brother, let's go away wearing my clothes. I would rather stay and wait for death."
After saying this, he was about to take off his clothes. Zuo Botao hurriedly stopped him and said, "Brother, you are in better health than me and more knowledgeable than me." I'm sorry, don't refuse. If you delay any longer, we will all die here."
Jiao Ai said sadly: I don't want to be such an unjust person, letting my brother die of cold and hunger, while my brother lives in vain and only gets fame. . "
Zuo Botao stood up and was about to jump off the cliff, and said angrily: "Brother, if you dare to mother-in-law again, I will kill myself on the spot for my brother's sake. "
Yang Jiao'ai hugged Zuo Botao and cried bitterly. For a moment, he saw that Zuo Botao had frozen and was just pointing the way forward.
Yang Jiao'ai reluctantly bid farewell to Zuo Botao and cried loudly: "What if I go here? If you perform a great deed, you will definitely come back and bury your brother with dignity! "
After paying homage, he put on his clothes, carried dry food on his back, and walked away while crying. Then he arrived at the Chu Kingdom smoothly. The King of Chu tested his knowledge and asked him how to make the country rich and strengthen its army.
Yang Jiao Ai offered ten strategies for governing the country. King Chu Yuan Overjoyed, he immediately worshiped him as a senior official and gave him a hundred taels of gold and a hundred pieces of colorful satin.
Yangjiao Ai then took leave to bury Zuo Botao. When the King of Chu heard about Zuo Botao's deeds, he was deeply moved, so he gave the deceased Zuo Botao a gift as well. The middle doctor gave generous burial funds and ordered people to follow Yang Jiao'ai to bury Zuo Botao.
Yang Jiao'ai arrived at the ancient tomb and buried Zuo Botao generously. Afterwards, everyone knelt down to pay homage and everyone cried.
That night, Yang Jiao Ai was sighing under the lamp. Suddenly, there was a rustling wind, and a figure was crying sadly. When Jiao Ai saw it, it turned out to be Bo Tao. He couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Brother, what's the matter with the arrival of Yin Ling?"
"Brother Meng Xian was buried well." , Thank you very much. But the cemetery is close to Jing Ke’s tomb . This person comes to scold me every night with his sword. If I don’t move the tomb, he will throw my body into the wilderness. Please move me to another place.” Tao cried.
Yang Jiao Ai was about to ask more questions when he suddenly woke up and saw that it was Nan Ke Yimeng. The next day, I asked the people and learned that the ancient tomb was the tomb of Jing Ke, so I believed Bo Tao's words in the dream.
Then he led the soldiers to Jing Ke's grave and cursed: "A common man from Yan State, if you dare to bully my brother Bo Tao again, I will dig your grave so that you have no place to hide."
At night, Bo Tao came to cry again. He said: "My dear brother, Jing Ke has too many men and is bullying others too much. You can burn the straw men with weapons and colorful clothes in front of my tomb. With their help, I will not be bullied."
No. The next day, the sheep's horns were burnt to Zuo Botao for many straw men according to his words. That night there was a heavy storm and the sound of swords and soldiers. After a while, Zuo Botao came running towards him and sighed: "Brother, please move me away. Jing Ke is too vicious. I can't fight him!"
The next day, Yang Jiao Ai jumped in front of Jing Ke's grave and cursed. He wanted to dig graves and burn temples, but was stopped by nearby villagers.
Yang Jiao'ai thought for a while and said to his followers: "My brother was bullied by Jing Ke's strong soul. I can't help him in life. Only by dying can I help my brother defeat the strong soul. After I die, you can bury me next to my brother's grave. ."
drew his sword and committed suicide! The entourage could not stop him, so he had to be buried next to Bo Tao's tomb.
At the second watch of the night, suddenly there was a heavy storm, thunder and lightning, and the sound of killing could be heard for dozens of miles. The next day, people found Jing Ke's bones scattered on the ground, and the temple was burned to the ground.
His entourage reported this matter to the King of Chu. The King of Chu could not help but admire the two people's loyalty, so he ordered people to build a temple in front of their tombs, named them Shangdafu, and decreed that the forehead of the temple be called "The Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness", and a stele was erected to record their lives. His deeds are still popular today.
