Seventy-seven, shoot the moon on Chinese Valentine's Day
"Buddhist Zuo Taichong" Zhi Fahan is now the abbot of Dong'an Temple. Chen Caozhi returned to his hometown to pay homage to his ancestors. He went to Dong'an Temple with Ran Sheng and others to pay homage to the tomb of Zhi Daolin Pagoda. During his leisure time, he and Zhi Fahan were in the Zen Hall.
Talking about Buddhism and reminiscing about the past, Chen Caozhi first entered Jiankang five years ago and met Zhi Fahan in Huashan, Jurong, who was also visiting the Magnolia. He won over Zhi Fahan with the words "Buddha picked up flowers and Kasyapa smiled"
At that time, Lu Weirui was still waiting for Chen Caozhi’s arrival in Hengtang, and Xie Daoyun was still talking about rejecting the marriage in Wuyi Lane——
Speaking of the past, the ugly monk Zhi Fahan chuckled and said: "That day in Wuyi Lane, Yuan Zicai invited the young monk to help him talk, but Chen Tanyue helped the Xie family's wife to talk. At that time, the young monk thought it was a coincidence, but unexpectedly it was premeditated.
Haha, Chen Tanyue and the Xie family's wife join forces, unless the Buddha shows his broad tongue, no one can argue with you and your wife!"
Chen Caozhi also laughed and said: "It was really accidental and not premeditated."
Zhi Fahan said: "Twelve causes and conditions, seven feelings and eight loves. Although it is not premeditated, there are also predetermined causes."
Chen Caozhi came to Dong'an Temple today for another important matter and asked: "Isn't it hard for Han Dao people to spread Buddhism and copy scriptures?"
Zhifahan said: "Determined to spread the Dharma, I don't think it's hard."
Chen Cao said: "Although it is bitter, it should be as sweet as sugar. I have a convenient method. I wonder if Taoist Han is willing to listen to it?"
Zhi Fahan's eyes lit up and he said hurriedly: "Please speak."
Chen Caozhi led Zhi Fahan to the two tablets outside the temple. These were the two Zen verses "Bodhi is not a tree" written by Chen Caozhi on the temple wall that day, and Wang Xianzhi's "pieces of fairy clouds"
"With four big characters, Zhi Daolin invited the famous stele engraver Wu Maoxian from Tan County to carve the big characters on the wall on the stone stele, hoping to spread them forever -
Chen Caozhi asked: "Are there many believers coming here to rub the inscriptions?"
Zhi Fahan smiled and said: "There are so many people making rubbings. The young monk is afraid that the ink will be contaminated and damage the inscription, so at the beginning of the year, lay people are prohibited from making rubbings."
Chen Cao said: "My method of convenient method comes from this rubbing and inscription. The Han Taoists are determined to spread the Dharma, but it is difficult for ordinary believers to obtain a Buddhist scripture. Transmitting and copying it is not only time-consuming, but also inevitably contains errors, which makes the Buddhist teachings perverse."
, why don’t Taoists gather skilled craftsmen to carve wooden sutras into one edition with one hundred characters, that is, the Diamond Sutra requires more than fifty editions in total, and then rub and print them, so that more than a thousand sutras can be obtained.”
Zhi Fahan was stunned and surprised, and then hesitantly said: "This is indeed a convenient method, but I'm afraid it will cost too much."
Chen Cao ordered people to offer hundreds of gold, which is one hundred kilograms of gold. In the Han Dynasty, one gold was worth about ten thousand yuan. However, since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, wars have been frequent and gold has been lost. One kilogram in the Eastern Jin Dynasty is worth about three hundred and fifty yuan in later generations.
Gram is heavier than the 250 grams in the Han Dynasty, so in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, one pound of gold was worth fifteen thousand yuan, and one hundred gold was worth one and a half million yuan——
Chen Cao said: "Engraving and printing scriptures cannot be successful in a year and a half. Please Han Taoist people gather skilled craftsmen to try more. This will be an immeasurable merit."
Zhi Fahan was so happy that he recited the Buddha's name loudly: "Chen Tan Yue has opened this great field of blessings and will reap immeasurable fruits. The young monk should spread the word of Chen Tan Yue's wise and kind deeds."
Chen Caozhi hurriedly said: "With fame, comes slander. I have nothing else to ask for. I only ask Han Dao people not to claim to others that this engraving and printing method was taught by me. Please remember it."
The reason why Chen Cao gave up opening a printing bookstore in Chenjiawu was because the popularization of books would first harm the interests of the nobles and would shake the foundation of the nine-level Zhongzheng system. This was even more intolerable to the wealthy families than Huan Wen's usurpation of the throne. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, popularization of books
The social foundation of books has not yet been formed, and rash radicalization will not benefit the country, but can bring disaster. Although Chen Caozhi had the intention to promote innovation, he could only do it step by step. Historically, the emergence of woodblock printing technology was first used to print Buddhist scriptures.
He now allowed the engraving and sealing technique to be spread in the name of Zhi Fahan three hundred years in advance. Since Buddhist scriptures can be printed, of course there will be people who will print Confucian and metaphysical books. At that time, the books were spreading and the people's wisdom was gradually opening up, which could not be stopped by the gentry class.
Well, Chen Caozhi now belongs to the gentry class and should have safeguarded the interests of this class. However, he has a consciousness that transcends his own class and understands the general trend. The power of the common landowners is gradually increasing. It is better to block it than to block it.
The elites of the common people also have a path to officialdom, and they must do their best to avoid violent social unrest——
Zhi Fahan listened to Chen Caozhi's words seriously and thought that Chen Caozhi did not want to be too famous. This is also the true meaning of Laozi who is not the first in the world. He immediately promised not to use Chen Cao's name to carry out this engraving and printing of scriptures.
——
After leaving the mountain road of Donglin Temple, Chen Caozhi breathed a sigh of relief. Passing the engraving technique to Zhi Fahan relieved him. In fact, he knew very little about engraving and printing, only a few words. But as long as he has this kind of creativity,
With enough financial and material support, Zhi Fahan and his craftsmen will definitely be able to successfully print China's first book.
…
Chen Shang has not returned to Qian Tang for three years. His father has been in poor health this year, so he asked Emperor Sima Yu for leave this time and took his wife, children, and his sixteenth brother back to his hometown to visit relatives.
Traveling in the scorching heat of midsummer is very hard, and he is even more worried about his daughters and young children suffering from heatstroke in the scorching sun. Fortunately, he has nearly three months of vacation, so Chen Caozhi is not in a hurry. He sets off at 4:00 every day, rests at 4:00, and returns again in the evening.
The journey only lasted three to forty miles a day. If there were beautiful places along the way, he would spend a day there. Chen Caozhi traveled to and from Jiankang, Qiantang and Tang Dynasties many times, but this time he was the most leisurely and comfortable——
When they arrived in Quacheng, Chen Caozhi stayed at the Wanshan Inn. At dusk, Lu Weirui stood under the window and looked at the Jiuqu River behind the inn. That day, she was ordered by her uncle Lu Shi to return to Wu County. Chen Caozhi heard the news
After that, she chased her in the rain all night. In the early morning, she played the recorder under the alder tree by the Jiuqu River, which woke her up from her sleep. She was so happy that she immediately quietly went downstairs to go boating on the Jiuqu River with Chen Caozhi. The joy is still vivid in her mind.
Her heart felt hot, now that Chen Caozhi had become her husband, and he had another wife and two concubines, he could no longer treat her as wholeheartedly as before. Sometimes when he thought about it, he felt a little resentful, but now she was a mother, a woman.
After becoming a mother, her thoughts will be different. The pure and sincere love has gradually evolved into a warm and long-lasting family relationship. Her husband is her lover and her relative——
"Mother, I want to see, I want to see -" Xiao Bozhen was pulling his mother's skirt from behind, and his body was jumping. He also wanted to look at the scenery outside the window, but suddenly he felt light and was lifted up in the air.
He stood up, turned his little head to look, and said happily: "It's daddy."
Chen Caozhi held Xiao Bozhen in his arms, and looked out the window side by side with Lu Weirui at the river. The setting sun was shining, the running water was broken into gold, the evening breeze was blowing on the trees, and the heat was gradually disappearing——
The love of the past is not a fleeting thing, it will never come back. The person who deserves to be cherished is still with you.
…
On the third day of July, Chen Caozhi and his party of more than 400 people arrived at Jinling. They rested at Gu's Manor for two days. On the sixth day of the seventh month, they arrived at the east bank of Taihu Lake and took three large ships to cross Taihu Lake——
On the seventh night of the seventh lunar month, the big ship was sailing slowly on the calm lake. A crescent moon hung in the center of the sky, and the stars were shining brightly in the vast sky. The wind came from the lake, and the autumn coolness came first. The Chen family's female family members were busy worshiping Tiansun Empress at the stern of the ship.
Chen Caozhi, Chen Shang, and Ran Sheng looked on with smiles. The charming Run'er came over and saluted and said: "Three uncles, this is my daughter's family praying for skill. No men are allowed to listen, otherwise the Queen will not bless her."
Chen Caozhi and Chen Shang laughed loudly, and Chen Shang laughed and asked, "Run'er is praying to the Heavenly Sun Empress for marriage?"
Run'er said coquettishly: "Third uncle, you can't tell me what you are praying for in advance!" He added: "Fortunately, I didn't ask for that."
Chen Shang and Chen Caozhi smiled and walked away to the port side, but Ran Sheng's heart was heavy. Just now, Run'er called three uncles, but he was included in them. He was Run'er's uncle. How could he confess to Run'er?
!
Ran Sheng looked at the sinking lake and thought to himself: "Wouldn't it have been better if my brother had not allowed me to join the Chen clan?" He shook his head and thought: "I was young at the time and did not expect what would happen today, and I could neither
I have the ancestral surname, and the Chen family has done me a great favor, so I can only use the surname Chen. It would be unfilial to take his surname again. There are genealogies for each surname. You can't take any surname you want, and only the Chen family of Qiantang can do it.
Willing to cover up for me."
Ran Sheng lingered for a long time, and suddenly went to the cabin to get his five-stone bow. He turned sideways and looked west, drew the bow and shot at the moon. The bowstring made a "clang" sound, and the arrow shot straight towards the crescent moon in the sky——
Huang Xiaotong behind him exclaimed: "General Xiaosheng is going to shoot down the moon!"
Ran Sheng's eyesight was very good. Even at night, he could clearly see the arrow rising dozens of feet into the air and then falling in an arc. It fell into the water silently and without any ripples.
…
Xie Daoyun has not begged for cleverness from the Heavenly Sun Empress for many years. She has been praying to the Heavenly Sun Empress since last year. At that time, Xiao Feiyu was still in her belly, praying for a safe delivery. This year, she prayed for Xiao Feiyu to grow up safely. After begging for cleverness, she offered melons and fruits as sacrifices.
Distribute the food to your servants and boat people to eat——
The next day, he landed by boat and continued to travel by land and carriage. It started to rain in the afternoon. Xie Daoyun waved from the window and the carriage stopped. Chen Caozhi got on Xie Daoyun's carriage and saw Xiao Feiyu hugging him.
In the arms of the wind, she fell asleep sweetly, and the thin prickly heat on her forehead faded away, and she said: "After this autumn rain, the weather will be cooler. Xiao Feiyu is afraid of the heat -"
Xie Daoyun looked at Chen Caozhi with a smile and asked, "When will Mr. Chen return to Jizhou?"
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "I always rushed back before the year. What's wrong? A Yuan still wants to go back to Jizhou to be my assistant? I really need your help too."
Xie Daoyun glanced sideways at Xiao Feiyu lovingly and said, "The next year or so, when Xiao Feiyu has weaned her breasts and grown up, I can get away from her."
Just as he was talking, Xiao Feiyu woke up, clicked her mouth a few times, and started crying. She was hungry——
"Ah, madam, little Feiyu is about to breastfeed." Yinfeng quickly handed little Feiyu to Xie Daoyun.
Xie Daoyun glanced at Chen Cao, blushed, hesitated, and just whimpered and patted Xiao Feiyu, refusing to undress.
Yin Feng smiled gracefully and asked the driver to stop. She got out and went with Liu Xu and the others.
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "Hurry up and breastfeed, Feiyu is crying so sadly."
Xie Daoyun stretched out his slender index finger on his right hand, tapped Chen Caozhi, glanced sideways, and then turned slightly to feed Xiao Feiyu——
Well, it was really interesting to see the talented woman lift her clothes and breastfeed. Chen Caozhi sighed: "Ah Yuan is thin, I was worried that your milk would not be enough for Xiaofei, so I was thinking of finding another wet nurse, but I didn't expect that your milk would be strong enough."
, I fed Xiao Feiyu until she became white and fat. You really can’t tell a person by his appearance.”
Xie Daoyun chuckled and changed the subject: "Mr. Chen, then Li Jingshu wants Huan Xuan to marry my family Fang Yu. I'm afraid it will cause a lot of trouble."
Chen Cao said: "It's just an empty promise. We'll see whether we want this marriage or not. Will we regret it later?" Remembering Wang Xun's incident, he told Xie Daoyun.
Xie Daoyun said: "Wang Yuanlin is very talented, but too arrogant. But most children from famous families are like this. Didn't Liu Shangzhi and others say that Youdu and I are arrogant before?"
Chen Cao smiled and said: "Wang Yuanlin is very attentive to Run'er, but she doesn't have the opportunity to have a long-term relationship like you and me. I don't know if we can be together? And Xiao Sheng, I'm afraid she has no chance to be with Run'er.
Already."
Xie Daoyun thought about the past of knowing and falling in love with Chen Caozhi, and smiled and said: "How can one hear the clarinet music under the Gongsun tree in Jinghe River all the time in the world." He added: "Xiao Sheng has no choice but to find another good match.
.”
Chen Caozhi sighed softly and then said: "Three years ago, I, Anshi and Zu Yangong talked about the three surnames jointly going to Xin'an and Shaowu to open up wasteland. We talked about it again the day before yesterday. It should be implemented next year. I
The fifty thousand gold brought back from Yecheng has three uses. One is to recruit manpower and form private soldiers to go south to open up wasteland; the other is to use for water conservancy and navigation. I want to open up the water channel from Qiantang to Jingkou, which will facilitate irrigation.
, ships on the Yangtze River can also go directly to Qiantang; the third is to build a seaport on the east coast of Mingsheng Lake and build giant boats to connect to the sea. This is also a plan for the family's future, and it is like a cunning rabbit with three caves."
Xie Daoyun said: "Okay, I will try my best to help Chen Lang do these three important things."
…
On July 18th, Chen Cao and his party of more than 400 people rushed back to Chenjiawu, Qiantang. Chen Zongzhi, who was studying in Wu County, had returned to Qiantang in early July. Chen Caozhi saw that the seventeen-year-old Zongzhi had grown up and stood tall.
, his demeanor is excellent, and when asked about his Confucian and Mystical classics, his answers are fluent. Zongzhi has been studying for several years, and his temperament has gradually become more cheerful, not as rigid as when he was a child——
On the 23rd, the Chen clan held a grand ancestor worship ceremony at the Chen Family Temple in Yuhuang Mountain. Chen Caozhi took his wife and children to worship in front of his parents' graves. Chen's mother Li's dowry maid Yinggu has now
He was nearly sixty years old and his eyes were dim. When he saw Chen Caozhi, he was so happy that he wiped away tears——
The old patriarch Chen Xian had gray hair and his body was very old. He was very happy to see his eldest son Chen Shang and his sixteenth nephew Chen Caozhi come back with their wives and children. On July 29th, the old patriarch Chen Xian passed away with a smile on his face. Chen Shang, Chen Cao
Although these people are sad, they are not very sad. The old patriarch Chen Xianshou is over 70 years old. He has seen the prosperity of the family with his own eyes and has no regrets in his life.
Chen Xian's funeral was extremely grand. The solemnity mainly refers to the large number of people paying homage to him. The wealthy people from Kuaiji, Wujun, Xin'an, and Dongyang counties all sent people to pay their respects to the funeral. Tens of thousands of people came to pay homage to him from far and near. In the past, Yuan Shao was mourning.
My mother was buried in Runan, and there were 30,000 people buried there, including the fourth and third generations of the Yuan family, while the Chen family of Qiantang was just a newly emerging family——
According to Chen Xian's will, he was buried sparingly, with no stone coffin, no gold or jade, and a simple tree seal.
Chen Shang was required to observe mourning for three years according to the system. As his nephew, Chen Caozhi also had to observe the rites of great merit and the period of mourning was five months.
Emperor Sima Yu, who was far away in Jiankang, heard that Chen Caozhi was going to mourn his uncle for five months. He couldn't help but became very anxious. He immediately issued an edict to summon Chen Caozhi back to Jiankang on August 20th.
