Dreaming back to 1949, the great powers were there to deceive us

In Bao'an County, Hu Zhenhua was in a very good mood. Over the past half month, there had been an endless stream of businessmen coming to invest, and the small fishing village had already taken on the outline of a modern city.

Especially in the past two days, the number of people coming to Bao'an to invest has increased significantly. The arrests of countless Chinese business owners in Hong Kong have caused a growing panic among businessmen, and no one knows if they will be next.

Funds are like water in a pool. They will not increase or decrease out of thin air. They will only flow from one pool to another.

Now, a large amount of funds are flowing into the Bao'an County capital pool and starting to settle.

Hu Zhenhua’s only regret is that he cannot appear in public.

On the one hand it was because of the 'injury', on the other hand he became a famous 'rat'.

As long as you go out, you will definitely be recognized.

In the evening, Hu Zhenhua felt restless and decided to go to Taiyi Zhenhai Taoist Temple to see if he could touch the bull's nose.

It's numerous fun to fight the destiny!

Fighting with the earth is endless fun!

Fighting with the bull is endless fun!

Of course, you can only go after putting on makeup.

The outline of the Taoist temple has already been established. In order to ensure that it will stand for a hundred years, the main structure of all buildings is made of reinforced concrete.

There are strong Taoist elements here, and the main building is engraved with Taoist classics and various murals.

If you have children, they can also learn a few words.

The Taoist temple is completely open to the public, with only a memorial archway in the south to remind everyone that it is the main entrance.

As Hu Zhenhua stepped into the Taoist temple, his eyes were attracted by a pool of water.

The bottom of the pool is covered with pebbles, black on one side and white on the other, which interact to form a Tai Chi diagram.

The water in the pool is fresh water brought from somewhere and flows gently.

These are nothing. What attracted Lao Hu was the screen wall behind the Tai Chi pond, which was painted with Taoist pictures of all living beings. One of the portraits was that of Ox Nose. He was holding a whisk, chanting spells, and making hand gestures, while trying to catch a golden rat.

What Lao Hu could not tolerate the most was that the facial features of the spirit rat were very similar to his.

The rat's tail extended to the edge of the Tai Chi diagram in the pool.

The screen wall is called the Picture of All Beings, and the pool is called the Human World.

What is sentient beings?

To a certain extent, Taoism believes that everyone can achieve enlightenment.

Therefore, although the portraits on the screen wall are of Taoist sages, they are all common faces, including men and women, old people and children, and everyone can find his or her own reflection in them.

This is the common people! People can achieve sublimation through their own efforts.

Taoist philosophy holds that the Tao exists within all things and that everyone has the potential to connect with it. As long as people can let go of excessive desires and distractions and live with a peaceful and natural mindset, through self-cultivation, inner enlightenment, and a deep understanding of the Tao, they can approach the Tao and even achieve unity with it.

What is the human world?

The world is full of fireworks, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, which can be summed up in one word: money!

Therefore, this pool is also called the Merit Pool.

Hu Zhenhua looked at it for a long time and thought that it was definitely the work of that Ox Nose, because there was no screen wall or pool in the original design.

After some inquiries, it turned out to be true.

One day, the young Taoist priest Zhang Cong met a Taoist elder. After the two sides discussed Taoism, the screen wall and the merit pool were built.

Hu Zhenhua could imagine the scene: the old Taoist priest with a big nose spitting at the young Taoist priest: Cong, the people need the pool of merit to seek peace of mind!

Zhang Cong was just a teenager, how could he possibly win a debate against the cunning Taiyi?

Although it was getting dark, there was an endless stream of people coming here to pray for blessings. Some even threw money into the merit pool, some with a few dollars and some with a copper coin.

A thick layer of coins has gathered at the bottom of the Merit Pool.

Next to the Merit Pool, there is a huge glass money box. The glass is very thick, about ten centimeters.

Every once in a while, the Taoist temple will open the merit box in public, count the money, and announce the purpose of the donations and the temple's expenses.

The temple economy should be taken from the people and used for the people.

Hu Zhenhua was watching intently when he suddenly heard an old lady mumbling to herself.

"Longbeard bless you!"

As she said this, she threw a coin into the eye of the yin-yang fish in the Tai Chi diagram in the pool.

"Longbeard bless you!"

"Longbeard bless you!"

Many people around, like the old lady, threw money at the Yin-Yang fish eyes.

The corners of Hu Zhenhua's mouth twitched. The old Taoist priest with an ox nose awarded him the title of Taoist priest with long beard. The long beard brings blessings, which means he is blessing them.

Lao Hu comforted himself in his heart,

"Keep calm! Keep calm! Keep calm!"

He pinched his chin and thought for a while, and decided to draw Taiyi on the mural in a more vulgar manner, which was more in line with the image of Niu Bizi.

However, this can only be done secretly at night.

Hu Zhenhua continued to walk inside.

The core of the Taoist temple is the Tiandi Xuanhuang Pagoda, but it is still under construction.

The young Taoist priest Zhang Cong sat cross-legged under a big tree, praying for the people passing by and answering their questions.

His routine is exactly the same as Taiyi Zhenren's. He first lets the people draw lots, and then he gives the answers.

Zhang Cong also used Lü Zu's oracle. Based on this, Lao Hu could conclude that he was definitely related to Taiyi.

As Hu Zhenhua approached, he happened to hear a pilgrim sitting cross-legged on a cushion asking,

"Master, Mr. Zhou has invested in Bao'an. I wonder what the future holds for him?"

Zhang Cong didn't even think about it and answered decisively,

"Good luck!"

"Why?"

"From a secular perspective, Bao'an boasts a stable government and harmonious people, creating an excellent investment environment. As long as you operate diligently, you'll definitely be able to make a profit. From a Taoist perspective, the completion of the Taiyi Zhenhai Taoist Temple has blocked the evil aura from the sea. Furthermore, the spiritual veins here are already open, circulating the celestial sphere, bringing in a wealth of wealth. Investing here will boost your luck and yield twice the result with half the effort."

Zhou was overjoyed when he heard this.

"Wulian Tianzun, thank you for your help. I am willing to donate some money for the Taoist temple."

Zhang Cong called out his name and laughed,

"The donations from the lay Buddhists will be used to repair bridges and roads, benefiting the local area. This is a good deed and a way to accumulate virtue."

After receiving the donation, Zhang Cong gave the other party a sachet, saying that it would bless the other party's career to be successful.

Hu Zhenhua looked at him with a smile. The little Taoist priest was becoming more and more like a charlatan.

Taoism is different from other religions in one respect: it advocates self-cultivation. Simply put, it is better to rely on oneself than on others.

As stated in Laozi, "He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened. He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty," it emphasizes the importance of self-cognition and self-transcendence.

This idea is somewhat anti-human.

The reason why ordinary people believe in gods is because they think they cannot solve their real-life troubles and want to ask gods for help.

That’s why we have prayers like “Buddha bless you” and “God bless you”.

This is a kind of mental laziness.

When you go to a Taoist temple, the Taoist priest tells you: Go ahead, you can definitely solve the problem through your own efforts.

It’s okay once, but if it happens twice or three times, will people still believe it?

Therefore, most Taoist temples in the world are overgrown with weeds.

The young Taoist priest Zhang Cong has begun to absorb the "essence" of other religions and follow human nature.

It can be expected that Taiyi Zhenhai Taoist Temple will flourish.

So, Zhou donated a large sum of money.

The economic base determines the superstructure, and this is no exception in religion.

Hu Zhenhua listened for a while and then turned to visit other places.

He strolled around as if he were visiting a park.

When it was time for dinner and the number of pilgrims gradually decreased, Hu Zhenhua hurried to the screen wall and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, prepared to start modifying the image of Taiyi Zhenren.

He had just finished revising half of it when he heard an old lady's angry roar from a distance.

"You evil creature, how dare you make trouble in the holy land of Taoism? I will beat you to death!"

Hu Zhenhua was startled. He rolled his eyes and explained,

"Grandma, I'm the painter invited by the Taoist temple to color the portrait of the Immortal Master."

The old lady rushed up to him with great speed and was about to hit Lao Hu on the head with her cane, cursing,

"You evildoer, you still want to get away with it. When the screen wall was completed, an immortal said that evildoers would come and cause trouble, and told us to watch over it carefully! Now it has come true, watch me!"

Hu Zhenhua: &%…

While he was distracted, Lao Hu was suddenly hit on the arm by a cane, and he grimaced in pain.

After the old lady succeeded in her attack, she was so excited that she shouted,

"Hurry up, someone is destroying the Taoist temple!"

Hu Zhenhua's face turned green and he ran away.

Upon hearing this, the people around picked up their weapons and rushed over here from all directions.

Seeing that he couldn't escape, Hu Zhenhua threw his coat at the corner, messed up his hair, smeared mud on his face, picked up a shovel by the wall, rushed out, and shouted,

"Where is the monster? Kill him!"

His trick really worked. The confused crowd immediately started searching everywhere, looking as if they were ready to dig three feet into the ground.

Hu Zhenhua took the opportunity to blend into the crowd and slipped away quietly.

When he came to check again the next day, the portrait of Taiyi Zhenren had returned to its original state, with an extra line of small words next to it: The devil is one foot high, but the Tao is ten feet high!

Hu Zhenhua gritted his teeth, but could do nothing.

The people spontaneously formed patrols to look for suspicious people.

When Lao Hu saw Zhang Cong again, the latter was spitting at the people.

"Please rest assured, those few evildoers were suppressed by Zhang yesterday. Please rest assured."

Some ignorant people were overjoyed and immediately echoed,

"The Taoist temple is the foundation of us ordinary people, and we cannot afford to lose it."

"That's right. Ever since the Taoist temple was built, everyone's life has gotten better. I don't know who the hell dared to come and cause trouble! If I find out, I'll definitely incite him!"

Hu Zhenhua: &%…

He cursed in his heart,

"Alright, Niubizi, you've actually learned the ways of the Chaoyang masses. Let's wait and see!"

……