Rui Hegui

Hengen Temple is located in the southwestern suburbs of Kyoto. It was built in the early years of the Daxu Kai Dynasty. The site was selected and inscribed by Emperor Yuan Sui himself. Now that the scale is grand and the incense is flourishing, a lantern festival will be held on the fifteenth day of every month.

What Hengen Temple reported was the Little Lantern Festival.

According to the system of this dynasty, there is a large lantern festival in the first month, which is hosted by the court's Ministry of Rites to celebrate the Shangyuan; in other months, there are small lantern festivals, which are in charge of Heng'en Temple, for people to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters, and enjoy lanterns for fun. Many hawkers who sell lanterns, novelties and food will take the opportunity to come here and gather on the road one mile away from Heng'en Temple, so it is a scene of its own.

Although the Lantern Festival has not been as grand as it used to be in recent years, it is still full of people and much more lively than usual.Therefore, when Zhao Liangyue arrived at Heng'en Temple, although it was still early, the vendors had already started to prepare.

"Young master, do you want to buy candied haws?"

A childish voice came from behind, Zhao Liangyue turned around, and saw a little girl in an old coat, holding a long grass target that didn't match his height, and smiled at him happily.

Zhao Liangyue was about to spend money to buy two, when a man came and dragged the little girl away, it should be her father, and he couldn't help lecturing: "Why is his eyesight so bad! Can he buy these for his tattered clothes?" Stuffed things? Let you sell candied haws, and sooner or later you will lose money.”

The little girl turned her head and looked at Zhao Liangyue aggrievedly. Zhao Liangyue shook her tattered Taoist robe, indicating that her father was right.

When the father and daughter were far away, Zhao Liangyue wandered around and found that the good place had been taken up by hawkers, so he tried to tell fortunes by the busy stalls, but most of them were driven away as soon as they sat down, and in the end there was only one selling Yangchun The old woman next to him didn't dislike him, and even let him get closer to her own fire, so as not to catch cold.

As usual, few people came to Zhao Liangyue for fortune-telling, so he simply came over to help the old woman, carrying water and moving things.

"Old man, you set up a stall by yourself, what about the rest of the family?" Zhao Liangyue asked casually.

The old woman froze for a moment, then sighed: "I have two sons, both of whom have gone to Ningzhou to serve as soldiers, what a pain."

"Ningzhou?" Zhao Liangyue thought for a while, and then observed the old woman's face, and found that when the old man mentioned the word Ningzhou, his face seemed to become haggard and sad in an instant, so he relieved, "Ningzhou had a flood this year, and the situation is not too bad. Well, maybe working there is really hard."

The old woman smiled wryly when she heard the words, and then she couldn't help but shed tears from her cloudy eyes, and her voice was choked up: "The Taoist priest doesn't know something, my two poor children... can't come back!"

Zhao Liangyue felt a pain in his heart when he heard the words, looked at the old woman with white hair, calmed down, and asked: "Do you have other relatives?"

"There is also a grandson who is only seven years old." The old woman kept wiping her tears with hands like dead tree bark as she spoke.

"My condolences to the old man." Zhao Liangyue said as he took out his purse and wanted to hand it to the old woman, but he waved his hand and refused.

"Daoist..."

The old woman raised her hand and wanted to go forward to catch Zhao Liangyue, but when she thought that her hands were covered with oil, she lowered her hands in a slump. She just tried her best to straighten her back and raise her gaze, and looked up at the Taoist priest wearing a bamboo hat in front of her, because she was looking at him through the white gauze. I don't have a face, but I suddenly remembered what the neighbors said in the past, generally the celestial masters who spy on the gods are so faceless, and in many cases it is hard to find for a hundred years, and it is hard to find for a thousand gold.

So, the old woman took two steps forward, her hands were trembling, and she begged Zhao Liangyue with a wry smile, "Master Dao, can you do a fortune telling for my two sons, so that my poor old mother can know whether they have conceived well? I also know that the Taoist priest is a master of Taoism, and I don’t have any rewards to pay, but...but if I ask the Taoist priest to do the math, I will be rewarded like a cow and a horse in the next life!"

As the old woman spoke, her emotions became more and more agitated, she bent over and was about to kneel down, and was supported by Zhao Liangyue.

Zhao Liangyue really wanted to tell her that the moment a person closes his eyes and dies, there is nothing left. Since ancient times, gods, ghosts and ghosts are mostly bewitching and deceiving, or their obsession is hard to get rid of.

But in the end, who can be ruthless without grass and trees?A hundred years of life, birth, old age, sickness and death, unsatisfactory things always happen, already in the despair of dying, why bother to be too sober?

Zhao Liangyue helped the old woman to sit down, took a stick from the side and put it in front of her, said: "If you touch one, it will be the way that destiny will show you."

The old woman lowered her head and looked at the dozens of wooden sticks with only the tails exposed in front of her. She stared at them, her hair sticking to her face as the wind blew her hair, she remained motionless and did not reach out her hand for a long time.

In her eyes, each lottery hides a different destiny. Whether it is good or bad, high or poor, or good or bad, it is God's rule for the afterlife of his poor children. She wants to know if they are doing well, and then She was afraid of having a bad life, but she was helpless.

The old woman was running nose and tears again, took out a handkerchief and kept wiping it, Zhao Liangyue sat opposite and didn't rush.

After a long while, the old woman hadn't made a decision yet, but someone came to eat noodles, and no one responded after shouting a few times. Zhao Liangyue reminded the old woman, and then the old woman got up in a hurry, accidentally bumped into the table, and the stick fell down. It slipped in front of Zhao Liangyue, Zhao Liangyue picked it up and put it in his hands, the old woman's heart trembled.

Zhao Liangyue said: "Wait for me to release the sign, you can make noodles for the guests first."

The old woman nodded and turned away absent-mindedly.

The customer is a peddler who sells umbrellas. He often sees the old woman when setting up the stall, so he is familiar with him. Looking at Zhao Liangyue, who looks like a poor Taoist priest, he leans over to the old woman and whispers: "Are you looking for that charlatan to tell your fortune?"

The old woman frowned and said: "Don't talk about the Taoist priest like this."

The peddler said: "Your son has already left, you can save money to live with your grandson, those fates are hard to deal with, and there is nothing you can do if you know it, just tell me that if you meet a fortune-teller twice in the past three days, you will go up and get it How much sweat money, can I exchange for a little peace of mind?"

The old woman said angrily, "What do you know!"

The peddler could only sigh, didn't speak any more, quickly finished his noodles, paid the bill, and went to his stall.

The old woman poured a cup of hot tea for Zhao Liangyue, and hurriedly asked: "Daoist, can you see anything?"

Zhao Liangyue tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and said slowly: "Yin and Yang are mysterious, and all things are born together. This check is not accidental, but deliberate."

The old woman hurriedly asked: "What did God say?"

Zhao Liangyue shook his head, and said: "It's not what God said, but your two sons have not yet been reincarnated, and their souls are wandering alone."

"What!" The old woman burst into tears again, "The priest, what should I do, what should I do, what should I do to make them have a good home?"

"Don't be anxious, they just haven't left yet, and there is still nostalgia in this world." Zhao Liangyue sighed, "There are still things that I can't let go, so I refuse to leave."

"It must be because I can't let go of the dog!" The old woman explained, "It is my grandson, the eldest son was still a baby when he left, and now he is only one year old, and his father is dead. I can't bear it... How can this life be so hard, God doesn't even look at it!"

Zhao Liangyue sensed that something was wrong, and asked: "There was no war or violence in Ningzhou, how could such a thing happen?"

The old woman was stunned, and then her face showed panic, her lips trembled a few times, she clearly wanted to say something, but she didn't speak in the end.

Zhao Liangyue knew that something serious might happen in Ningzhou, and the old woman should have been warned, so he didn't dare to speak out, and Zhao Liangyue didn't ask any more, but just pinched his fingers and said: "Lonely souls stay in this world, long-cherished wishes are hard to get rid of, if you want to There is only one way for your two sons to be reincarnated."

The old woman regained some clarity and asked, "What can the Taoist priest do?"

"This method cannot be borrowed from others or other things. Only by doing it yourself can you succeed."

"I do it myself?"

"Yes." Zhao Liangyue flicked his fingers in a serious manner, looking at the stick again and again, "What they can't let go of is the old mother, wife and young children. The three of them have nothing to worry about, and they can leave with peace of mind."

The light in the old woman's eyes disappeared suddenly, her eyes were like two dark holes, she cried in despair: "Son, you go away, we have no more lives!"

Zhao Liangyue tried to call out to the old woman, but she didn't want to respond anymore, she just cried and shouted, and sometimes laughed, quite crazy, people passing by just avoided, and some children were scared to cry .

Zhao Liangyue couldn't bear to look any longer, and turned to look at the white air rising from the steamer next to him. It wasn't until the old woman's mood stabilized a little that Zhao Liangyue said softly: "There is no unparalleled road. In fact, the two of you have formed a good relationship for you."

The old woman was finally willing to raise her head, and looked at Zhao Liangyue: "If the Taoist priest can keep my daughter-in-law and grandson alive, I will give up my old lady's life and life!"

"There is no need for this." Zhao Liangyue looked at the old woman, looked around, took out a jade token from his sleeve and secretly stuffed it into the old woman, saying, "Don't make it public, they asked me to bring it to you, take it to the south of the city The sickness workshop is the way to survive."

"The sick room?"

It's not that the old woman doesn't know about the medical aid workshop, it's just that under the rule of the dynasty, only widows and lonely people from official background can enter. Can she really enter as a lowly commoner?

Zhao Liangyue nodded solemnly, and said: "This jade tablet is a secret, you can take it to the medical aid workshop."

Then the old woman had a real smile on her face, holding the jade tablet in both hands, she was about to kneel down to Zhao Liangyue, and was supported by Zhao Liangyue.

Zhao Liangyue said: "It's not my credit, but your two sons are thinking about them. They are good children. You should take good care of yourself, your daughter-in-law and grandchildren for them."

The old woman nodded again and again, Zhao Liangyue took out a finger-long bamboo flute and blew a few times, after a while, Youbai came to this side, turned over and fell from the wall.

"I was eating candied haws just now." Youbai complained, and then seeing the tearful old woman beside her, she immediately stopped smiling and hurriedly asked what happened.

"This strong man, please send this old man to the sickness workshop." Zhao Liangyue cupped his hands towards Youbai, and then said to the old woman, "I will guard your stall, so you can go at ease."

Youbai nodded, thinking that his young master was quite devoted to playing the fortune teller, suddenly his expression froze, and when he realized something, he came over to Zhao Liangyue and whispered: "Young master, there seems to be someone following you nearby, I can't walk at this time Bar."

Zhao Liangyue shook his head: "It's okay, let's go."

Youbai refused to move.

Zhao Liangyue had no choice but to explain: "The people in the dark haven't made any moves, so they probably didn't come here for my life."

Only then did Youbai take the thankful old woman to the south of the city.

Looking at the back of Youbai helping the old woman to leave, Zhao Liangyue recalled the old incident of the plague in Maozhou five years ago.

At that time, famine and plague were rampant in Xuanshan, Maozhou, and the Zhao family moved westward to seek refuge.

On the way to the west, he and Youbai were unfortunately infected with the plague, and their lives were hanging by a thread. The master wanted to burn them to death. It was an old man who met them and rescued them. Some difficulties encountered in the westward migration.

But they received this great kindness, and before they knew the old man's name, they became murderous because Mrs. Zhao liked his talent and wanted to use it for himself but was rejected.

But a year later, the Zhao family still found the old man and locked him in a side courtyard as Zhao's staff until his death.

That is, in that courtyard, I worshiped the old man as my teacher and became his only student. Under his teaching, I saw another belief, which was completely different from what I had seen in the past. An ambitious plan to live and work in peace and contentment.

At that time, he was thinking, the teacher's talent and foresight are absolutely incomparable, what kind of peerless situation should he have in the past, and how many people followed and respected him?

Zhao Liangyue used to always feel that being his student was a helpless choice after he had nowhere to go. He was not a direct son or grandson, but if there was a better choice, it would not be him.

Until a year ago, when the teacher was dying, he helped the teacher into the sky full of snow, looking at a yard full of red plum trees full of buds, the teacher suddenly asked him:

"Do you regret being the old man's student?"

"...Why did the teacher say that? It is the teacher who showed the students another way to live, and this life is not in vain."

"Actually, the old man can accept you as a student, which is considered the last generous gift from the heavens to pity me for my remaining life."

Zhao Liangyue was taken aback when he heard this, because the teacher has always been strict with him and rarely praised him. In order to satisfy the teacher, except for the time of painting and doing chores for the master, he was studying hard. Think hard, sleepless for three days.But even if this is the case, it is still rarely recognized by teachers.

"I'm surprised that the old man praised you?" The teacher stroked his beard and smiled, "If I'm not satisfied with you, how can I tell you everything?"

Zhao Liangyue knelt down upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "It's the students who didn't understand the teacher's good intentions!"

"You and I don't have to be like this between teachers and students." The teacher raised his hand tremblingly, and helped him up, "Since the Zhao family has collapsed, the direct line has long since lost its roots, and now the main family is a side branch that occupies the magpie's nest. It’s okay for you to enter the master’s house to occupy a place.”

"What do you mean, teacher?"

"I've been planning for the Zhao family for three years. Before I die, I will ask for something for you. How could they not give it?"

Zhao Liangyue frowned when he heard this, and said: "How can they be so talkative, I'm afraid the teacher promised them some benefits."

"It's just a small favor. If you are not restricted by your family background in the future, they will be at a loss no matter what."

"Teacher..." Zhao Liangyue was so choked up that he couldn't speak, and he didn't know how to describe his feelings. He was just a lowly son of a collateral lineage of the Zhao family, but no one cared about life and death. shelter.

Suddenly the wind was blowing, Zhao Liangyue wanted to help the teacher into the house, but the teacher waved his hand.

"I won't go in." The teacher raised his finger to the stone pavilion in the yard and said, "Go there, the red plums are about to bloom."

Zhao Liangyue understood, helped the teacher to sit in Shiting, and said: "Teacher wait for me, I'll get you a hand stove."

The teacher nodded at him, and looked directly at the budding plum blossoms in the courtyard.

When Zhao Liangyue rushed back with the stove, the teacher had already closed his eyes forever.

Flying snow and biting wind poured into the stone pavilion from all sides. In the freezing weather, the old man with white beard and hair was sitting facing the north, but he was smiling.

Zhao Liangyue remembered that his teacher once told him that his native place was in Kyoto.

If love is unavoidable, how can you live outside and die in a foreign country?

The next day, the red plums came late, and the courtyard was in full bloom.

"Mr. has been in a daze for a long time."

The familiar voice pulled Zhao Liangyue back from his memories, Zhao Liangyue noticed that the corners of his eyes were moist, but he didn't intend to raise his hand to wipe them in front of others.

The person who came was the man in purple robe from that day. Today he changed into apricot-colored clothes. Although the color is simple and elegant, it is covered with patterns of blessings embroidered with gold thread. The local rich men in the countryside are no different.

I don't know how he got here.

Zhao Liangyue asked with a headache: "Young Master, what's your business here today?"

The man smiled, asked his attendant to wipe the stool next to him and dragged it over, then sat down by himself, and waved his hand to let the attendant back away.

"Of course I came here to attract customers for Mr. according to the agreement." The man slowly stretched out his hand to tidy up the lottery holder that had just been knocked down, "I can't do it without me. Look at Mr.'s fortune-telling and deliveries just now. How can you do business here?"

Zhao Liangyue asked straightforwardly: "What is the meaning of the young master?"

"Oh, of course it's a repayment. How can I be ungrateful for the gift of water, sir?"

You are still ungrateful.Zhao Liangyue sighed.

Seeing that Zhao Liangyue didn't speak, the man still had a smile on his face, handed the arranged sticks to Zhao Liangyue, and said: "The one that is so rare in this stick should be the one Mr. Cai used to tell the old woman's fortune-telling just now."

Zhao Liangyue stroked the lottery in his hand with his fingers, but said nothing.

"It's a big culprit."

Hearing this, Zhao Liangyue didn't know where the anger came from, but he still controlled his emotions and said, "It's good luck, it seems that you don't know what my lottery holder is."

"The lottery is made according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and the rules and regulations of the Book of Changes. How can Mr.'s be different from others'?"

Zhao Liangyue insisted: "It's auspicious."

The visitor sighed softly, shook his head and said, "It's really a big disaster, but it's just that when I met Mr., I turned the bad luck into good luck."

Zhao Liangyue didn't want to discuss this issue anymore, so he asked: "Since the young master is here to tell the fortune, why don't I do the calculation for the young master?"

The man raised his brows and said: "Then sir, wouldn't he take the opportunity to bully me? For example, if I can't get a wife, or if I'm destined to have a bad career, or if I'll die alone in the future?"

Zhao Liangyue, who was guessed, licked his molars, regretting letting Youbai go away just now.

"But even so, sir must have a solution." The man moved closer and said, "If sir can give me something, I will definitely put it in front of the hall and offer incense every day."

Zhao Liangyue really didn't know how to deal with such scoundrels, so he could only ask casually: "I don't know your name?"

"Oh, sir, you finally remembered to ask me. If you don't ask me again, I can't help but be cheeky and report myself."

Zhao Liangyue: "..."

"My name..." The man suddenly moved closer and raised his hand to lift Zhao Liangyue's white veil, but Zhao Liangyue dodged it.

Zhao Liangyue reprimanded: "Although the young master is of a noble status, it's not that he doesn't look down on his subordinates and wants to tease him like this!"

"Okay, okay, I was wrong!" The man quickly apologized—although he didn't look apologetic.

"Please go back." Zhao Liangyue directly issued an order to evict the guest, "Besides, the young master's fate is precious, so it's not something I can spy on."

"Okay, okay, I'll go, so as not to upset you, but I still have to keep my name."