About twenty miles northwest of Yingtianfu, the capital, on the bank of the Yangtze River, there is a mountain range called Lulong Mountain. The mountain winds like a dragon, and the peaks are connected one after another, like flying geese connecting their wings. The head of the dragon is close to the Yangtze River, as if Lulong is lowering his head to drink water; the tail of the dragon slowly sinks into the ground, and there is an abrupt peak on it, shaped like a huge Suan Ni. Zhu Yuanzhang named it Lion Mountain.
When the weather is clear, you can climb to the top of the mountain and enjoy a sweeping view of the imperial capital. To the southeast is Xuanwu Lake, with misty clouds and rippling water; not far away, in the capital city, there are scattered households. Looking at the colorful walls and tiles and the smoke curling from the cooking pots, it seems like you can hear the sounds of happy people. Looking down at the bottom of the mountain, you can see the mighty Yangtze River. Boats of all sizes are passing back and forth on the river, and there are grasshoppers fishing on the sandbar in the distance. Looking straight up and looking into the distance, the thousands of rocks and ravines of Huaishan Mountain are like thousands of horses galloping outside the blue sky.
Before Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he fought against Chen Youliang at Lion Rock. He ambushed 30,000 troops on the south side of the mountain. Using the red and yellow flag as a signal, he killed more than 20,000 enemies and defeated the puppet Han army. After becoming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang first liked the scenery of climbing up here, and secondly he was proud of this crucial victory. He thought of building a tall building on this mountain on the grounds that this terrain was an important place for Jiang defense and needed to be guarded. The name was already thought out, and it was called "Yuejiang Tower". In the spring of the seventh year of Hongwu's reign, the matter was put on the agenda.
Before the building was built, he first wrote a piece of "Yuejiang Tower" by himself, and then ordered all officials in the court to write one. The best one is of course written by Song Lian, the chief scholar of Hanlin University.
Zhu Yuanzhang imagined the beautiful scenery after the high-rise building was built out of thin air. He was so excited that he described it eloquently: "blue tiles and red couplets, the eaves and teeth are brushed into the sky, and the mist enters. The red curtains are flying and the clouds are curling, and the red curtains are opening and colorful." ", what "This tower is so tall, isn't it magnificent!". Song Lian greatly complimented the emperor, saying, "Anyone who climbs the tower and reads the river should think that the emperor's virtue is as great as the sky, and it is difficult to name the emperor."
This article by Song Lian was included in "Gu Wen Guan Zhi" during the Qing Dynasty and is regarded as one of the highest standards of classical Chinese prose. It can be seen that even if you flatter the emperor in person, as long as what you say is reasonable, the moral principles of ancient literati are recognized.
"Jinling is a state of emperors. From the Six Dynasties to the Southern Tang Dynasty, all the people were on one side, unable to respond to the king's spirit of mountains and rivers. Only if we, the emperor, are here to set the tripod here, can we be worthy of it." Song Lian's words are to the point. In the early decades of the Ming Dynasty, the ancient city of Jinling was a truly unified imperial capital that flourished for a while.
Unfortunately, the country had just been founded in the seventh year of Hongwu, and the financial and material resources were limited, and large-scale construction projects were going on everywhere: the imperial palace, Zhongdu, imperial mausoleum, Xiaoling mausoleum, etc. Zhu Yuanzhang found that he had no money to build the building, so he had no choice but to shelve the Yuejiang Tower plan for now, and he never forgot it. Think about it, "The Story of Yuejiang Tower" has been written, but there are still so many chapters! But there are Wen and no buildings. Isn’t this the shabby Ming Empire
Until last year, Zhu Yuanzhang gathered together some silver, so let's build a building! After more than half a year, the foundation has been built, and the building has reached the third floor.
The day in March is warm and comfortable, the sun is shining brightly, and the fragrance of flowers, plants and trees is floating in the air. On the Yuejiang Tower construction site on the top of the Lion Mountain, about three hundred migrant workers were continuing construction. In order to speed up the construction, Zhu Yuanzhang specially transferred some prisoners to do hard work of carrying and knocking stones.
Although the river breeze was blowing on their faces, the migrant workers were still sweating profusely. Yu Xian, the supervisor of the Ministry of Works, waved the long stick in his hand, patrolled around and kept shouting: "Hurry up!"
Suddenly, the sky changed color. A large dark cloud hung on the top of the mountain, so low that it seemed that you could reach it. The strong wind began to blow, blowing the trees and flowers on the mountain topsy-turvy and making a rustling sound.
Yu Xian looked up at the sky, worried that it was going to rain, and was about to call the migrant workers to cover the place with sand and gravel. Lightning flashed, a thunderbolt struck in mid-air, and heavy rain was already pouring down! "Crack!" A bolt of lightning struck Yuejiang Tower, rain fell like raindrops, and the world became dark. The migrant workers were frightened by lightning and immediately ran away!
But then, the ground began to shake, and the Lion Rock really seemed to turn into a Suan Ni, shaking its head and tail and shaking the mountain away.
It's an earthquake! Jinling, which had never experienced an earthquake before, was shaken!
The body and foundation of the Yuejiang Tower that had just been built collapsed instantly. Some migrant workers were hit and some were frightened. There was a chaotic scene on Lion Rock with the sound of wind, rain, and cries.
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In the Fengtian Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was attending court with hundreds of officials. Seeing a sudden strong wind blowing, I couldn't help but stop and look outside the hall. Faintly worried.
Zhu Yuanzhang had been having nightmares these days, seeing the sky falling apart, being attacked by water and fire, encountering wolves, tigers and leopards, and even old enemies threatening his life. He had not slept well for several nights. I feel a little scared when I go to bed every night, not knowing what I will encounter again. I couldn't tell anyone about this, so I had to force myself to support myself. I was really anxious.
Zhu Yunwen, who was standing next to him, asked with concern: "Is your Majesty okay?"
Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to speak, several eunuchs rushed in in panic: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Heavenly Dog Swallows the Sun!" Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked, stood up suddenly, and walked out of the palace door quickly. Zhu Yunwen and Baiguan also hurriedly followed behind.
A strong wind blew outside the hall, causing broken flowers, branches and leaves to dance in the air. There was darkness between heaven and earth.
Zhu Yuanzhang remembered the method that Qin Tianjian Zheng Shencai had said. He raised his hands and intertwined his fingers, and looked at the sky through the small holes in his hands. He saw that most of the sun had formed an arc, like a crescent moon. The crescent moon became smaller and smaller, and after a while, it completely turned into a big black circle, with only the outer circle showing light.
Zhu Yuanzhang watched blankly, and all the officials were also stunned.
The sounds of people beating gongs, clanging gongs and running sounds could be heard outside the palace. The shouts of "The Tengu ate the sun!" were mixed together, making it noisy and panicked.
After a while, the sun gradually revealed a curve, slowly became larger, and slowly returned to its original appearance.
Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and walked back silently, his usually upright figure a little stooped. The ground was covered with broken leaves and fallen flowers, and it was a mess. After a while, he turned around and ordered: "Call Shen Ce."
Wang Zhi agreed to arrange for the young eunuch to go quickly. As soon as he turned around, several senior eunuchs from the door, including the ceremonial supervisor and the palace supervisor, rushed over and shouted to Wang Zhi: "It's not good! Earthquake in Lion Rock! Yuejiang Tower collapsed. Got it!"
Wang Zhi was surprised: "Who said that?"
"Wu Baihu from the garrison post on Lion Mountain came to report on flying horses, but he was outside."
Wang Zhi shouted: "Bring it here quickly!"
Wu Baihu was covered in mud and rocks, his hair was disheveled, and the stains and blood on his face were a bit scary. Wang Zhi couldn't care less and hurriedly led him to the palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang was wondering why Wang Zhi didn't know how to go there. When he saw that what he brought was not the handsome Shen Ce but a low-level officer, he knew something was wrong and couldn't help frowning.
Sure enough, Wang walked behind him and said softly: "This is Wu Baihu from the Lion Rock Post. Pegasus came to report the earthquake on Lion Rock! The Yuejiang Tower collapsed!" Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed drastically, and Zhu Yunwen was shocked when he heard it.
After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Wu Baihu: "Tell me, what's going on?"
The highest superior Wu Baihu had ever seen before was Qian Hu. When he rushed to the Ministry of War just now, he said that several adults were in the hall. He hurriedly rushed here again. When he entered the Fengtian Hall, he was already standing there nervously and shaking non-stop. After listening to the emperor's question, he quickly replied: "Just now, it suddenly became dark, windy, rainy and lightning struck, and then there was an earthquake and the building collapsed. Many people were hit and many were buried. Zhang Qianhu took his brothers up. Come on, let me report." His voice was trembling, whether it was fear of the emperor or lingering fear.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked sharply: "It all collapsed? How many casualties were there?"
Wu Baihu trembled even more: "Everything has collapsed, even the flat stones have collapsed. I haven't even counted the number of people. There are quite a few."
Zhu Yuanzhang fell down on the dragon chair and waved his hand to Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen understood and ordered the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry: "Master Jiang! Master Han! You two immediately take people to the Lion Mountain to have a look, and send someone to report immediately!" He then said warmly to Wu Baihu: "Thank you for your hard work. , go with Mr. Jiang!"
There was silence in Fengtian Hall.
At this time, the Qintian Supervisor Shen Zhi was led to the palace by Wang Zhi, and he prostrated on the ground: "I bow to the Holy One, long live my emperor!" His forehead was sweating profusely. He must have been in a hurry just now, and he was afraid.
Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "The taiyin invades the yang, and there is an earthquake in Lion Mountain. Did Shen Qing detect anything?"
Shen Zhi was trembling all over and sweating and replied: "Wei Chen wrote the memorial yesterday, and I planned to present it to Your Majesty today." As he said this, he presented the memorial to Wang Zhi.
Zhu Yuanzhang was a little impatient: "Since Shen Qing is here, just tell me!"
Shen Zhi still replied respectfully: "I observe the celestial phenomena in person every day. The starlight in Ziweiyuan has been dim and turbulent recently, so I'm afraid it will be hindered. I don't want anything to happen today."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked, "How many days has it been?"
Shen Hei said: "It's been five days. I dare not report falsely. I have looked at it for five days and I am sure it is correct." He said this because he was afraid that the emperor would blame him for not telling him earlier. "The comets are offensive and disrupt the government of the world; there are also meteors coming in and out, which are red and white." He carefully looked at the emperor's face and said, "I'm afraid, I'm afraid it will harm the palace."
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he was referring to himself in this palace, so he couldn't help but frown. After a while he asked: "What's the solution?"
Shen Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, could you please recall whether something happened about five days ago, or anything inappropriate? We might as well look at it from the top."
Zhu Yuanzhang murmured in his heart, looked at each other and said: "Five days ago, I brought the Buddha's parietal bone relic from Tianxi Temple into the palace and worshiped it myself."
When all the officials heard this, they were in an uproar. Zhu Yuanzhang did not make much fanfare about sending people to welcome the Buddha's relics. Except for Zhu Yunwen and some eunuch guards, most people did not know about it.
Shen Zhi was pondering but before he could speak, Huang Zicheng stood up first: "Your Majesty, this is a big mistake!"
Wang Zhi scolded: "Bold!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "Say!"
Huang Zicheng said: "Although I am not a disciple of the Buddha, I also know that the Buddha's relics are the supreme sacred objects of Buddhism, which are cultivated by precepts, concentration and wisdom. The disciples of the Buddha believe that they are the most important merits of the six paramitas and have incredible magical power. Your Majesty, however, It would be child's play to quietly welcome him into the palace." Huang Zicheng directly denounced the emperor's faults in person, which showed that he was bold and it also showed that the court at that time was relatively democratic.
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said: "I know, so I welcomed him back to the palace to worship. "The Great Wisdom" says, 'If you offer the Buddha's relics, even as much as a mustard seed, the blessings will be boundless', not to mention the Buddha's true body relics? I am here for me. The Ming Dynasty made a vow and prayed for the long-lasting protection of the Buddha. The world will be prosperous and the sea will be smooth, so why not?"
Huang Zicheng has always been fearless: "I know that your Majesty is doing this to pray for good fortune, and I am afraid that you will get even more misfortune!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious: "Shut up!" He was about to explode.
Fang Xiaoru stepped forward quickly and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down! I beg your Majesty to listen to me tell you about ancient times. It is the story of the Buddha's finger bone relic of Famen Temple outside Chang'an City and the emperors of the Tang Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes: "Yes!"
Fang Xiaoru talked about it: "There are Buddha finger bone relics in Famen Temple in Chang'an. Together with the Buddha parietal bone relics in Tianxi Temple, they are the Buddha's true body relics. They are highly respected by the Tang Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, he had heard of this. But having the parietal bone relic next to you is of course the best.
"In the fifth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin ordered the opening of the Famen Temple Tower and the underground palace. Taoism and customs were introduced in Famen Temple for the believers to pay their respects. After the ceremony, they returned to the pagoda and gave good wood from Wangyundian Temple to repair the Famen Temple Tower. , thus achieving the prosperous age of Zhenguan! This time Emperor Taizong ordered to unveil the foundation of the pagoda, it was the first revelation of Buddha's relics." Fang Xiaoru paused at this point: "The Holy One said, 'Blessings are boundless', and this is the best example."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. It was rare for Fang Xiaoru to be so discerning.
Fang Xiaoru continued: "In the fifth year of Xianqing, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi taught the Buddha's relics for the second time, and issued an edict to welcome the relics to Dongdu for grand worship. This was the first time that the Buddha's relics were welcomed. However, the Buddha's relics were everywhere in Dongdu. During this period, not only did all the power in the world return to the military, the descendants of the Li family were greatly ostracized, but Emperor Gaozong also suffered from severe wind vertigo for no apparent reason. In the second year of Longshuo, the relics of the Buddha were still sent back to the underground palace under the pagoda of Famen Temple."
Fang Xiaoru paused for a moment when he said this. Seeing that the emperor frowned but listened attentively, he continued: "Empress Wu proclaimed herself the emperor as a woman and claimed to be King Chakravartin and came to the next world as a Buddha. In the fourth year of Chang'an, the Buddha's relics were brought to the palace for worship. As a result, the next year, the first year of Shenlong, Empress Wu passed away. At that time, the Buddha's relics were still in the palace of Luoyang, the eastern capital!"
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his whole body was shaken.
"In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, Suzong Li Heng fled the Anshi Rebellion in Fengxiang County and visited Famen Temple in person. Fu Kong, a great scholar, used Buddhist magic to stabilize the relics. In the second year of Zhide, he regained the two capitals and Suzong was able to return. Chang'an. However, in the second year of the Yuan Dynasty, he ordered the Buddha's relics to be brought to the palace for worship, and was sent back to Famen Temple more than sixty days later. Suzong's illness became increasingly serious, and he died in the third year of the Yuan Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.
Fang Xiaoru continued: "In the sixth year of Zhenyuan, Dezong Li Shi welcomed the Buddha's relics again, and buried them in the same place as usual within a month. In the fourteenth year of Yuanhe, Xianzong Li Chun also welcomed him, and Han Yu, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, earnestly criticized and remonstrated, but was demoted to Chaozhou. , and as a result, Xianzong collapsed on the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month of the following year."
Han Yu's article "Admonition to Welcome the Buddha's Bone Table" is very famous, and Zhu Yuanzhang had heard of it. The sudden death of Tang Xianzong was considered to be related to the Buddha's relics in the Tang Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang certainly knew about it.
Fang Xiaoru cleared his throat again: "On April 8, the fourteenth year of Xiantong, Yizong Li Miao welcomed the Buddha's relics into the palace. He ignored the advice of the officials and kept the relics in the capital. As a result, Emperor Yizong died on July 19! Comments at the time He said: 'The Buddha's bones have just entered the door, and the dragon has wept in the wilderness.' Emperor Xizong came to the throne, and in December he ordered the Buddha's relics to be returned to the foot of the Famen Temple. After that, there was no such thing as a reception of the relics."
After Fang Xiaoru finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "Although the relics are different, the principles are the same. The six visits were huge and expensive, but Taizong gave the sermon at the original place, and got the protection of the Buddha. Think twice before asking for help!" But he didn't dare to say it clearly. This emperor who was punished by heaven for being a favor was in danger of his life.
If Zhu Yuanzhang had heard this a few days ago, he would definitely have disapproved of it. But in the past few days, there have been strange phenomena, heavy rain, thunder and lightning, temples and towers collapsed, and even solar eclipses and earthquakes happened in one day, I couldn't help but believe it in my heart.
The emperor pondered for a long time and said: "But the Tianxi Temple has been in disrepair for a long time and will need to be repaired sooner or later. I want to build another relic temple, such as at Niushou Mountain, and worship it devoutly. Wouldn't it be more respectful to the Buddha?"
At this time, even Chang Xinghou stood up: "Your Majesty! I don't understand literature and history, and I don't understand how to enshrine the Buddha's relics. But on the day of Niushoushan, Yue Wumu fought against the Jin soldiers on the mountain, and the murderous and resentful atmosphere is probably even stronger to this day. Moreover, There are tombs like the Second Tombs of the Southern Tang Dynasty, so we must not ignore them!"
The ministers couldn't help but feel a little funny when they saw one of his military generals talking about "murderous hatred", but they didn't know that they only cared about it when it concerned themselves. Why were civil servants afraid of murderous retribution? Geng Bingwen fought for many years and killed countless enemies. He often thought about this in the middle of the night when no one was around, especially as he got older and became more frightened.
Zhu Yuanzhang had been having nightmares all night long. Hearing Geng Bingwen say this touched his heart and made him think for a moment.
Fang Xiaoru interjected: "I just said that Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty offered Buddha's relics in the Eastern Capital. Empress Wu did not hesitate to destroy the Qianyuan Hall in Luoyang Palace and built a 'Ming Hall' to worship the Buddha's relics, but it did not change her misery. The ending. Even though I am not a disciple of Buddha, I still know how the Buddha could care about these earthly treasures."
Duke Xu Huizu of Wei came forward and said: "I heard that the place where the Buddha's relics are located is where the Buddha's true body is! The Buddha's parietal bone relics have been stable in the Shenggan Relic Pagoda for hundreds of years, just like the Buddha has lived here for many years. Ordinary people still think so. If you think about your family, how much more can you say that the Buddha's "Ruru is immovable" and "He is patient and immovable"?"
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but get angry when he heard Xu Huizu's random interpretation of Buddhist scriptures. But it is true that people and Buddha are of the same mind, and there is some truth in Buddha not wanting to move.
The Minister of Rites Zheng Jin bowed and said: "Your Majesty! Niushou Mountain is located in the Ningzhen Hills. Although the scenery is beautiful, it is far away from the Zifu in Jinling. Now Buddhism is not only promoted in the Ming Dynasty, but also in Korea, Japan, Annan, Ceylon and other countries. Prosperous. The Buddha's parietal bone relic is such a supreme sacred object and is revered by all countries. It is more appropriate to place it at its original site in Jinling City." This is the idea of the Ministry of Rites from a diplomatic perspective.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already made up his mind and turned to Shen Zhi and asked, "What does Shen Qing say?"
Supervisor Shen bowed and said: "When the Buddha's relics were in Tianxi Temple, the stars in Ziweixingyuan were bright. I looked at the capital, and the auspicious light overflowed and swirled upwards. But in recent days, not only the stars in Ziweixingyuan were dim, but the city was also filled with black air. And it continues to spread. Today's Lion Rock is probably just the beginning, and I am worried that if this continues, it may be detrimental to the country."
Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "What does Shen Qing think is appropriate?"
Shen Jianzheng respectfully replied: "From what I can see, even if the Shenggan relic pagoda in Tianxi Temple is repaired or rebuilt, the auspicious atmosphere of the original site for hundreds of years will not change. You may wish to hold it out during the construction, or temporarily enshrine it elsewhere or elsewhere. There are now believers in the temple and the people will take it back as soon as the work is completed. In the Song Dynasty, temples were built and pagodas were built, and the Asoka Pagoda of Changgan Temple was transformed into the Shenggan Relic Pagoda of Tianxi Temple. This is how it was done."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, and finally turned his head and asked Zhu Yunwen, "What do you think of Yunwen?"
Zhu Yunwen bowed and solemnly said: "Your Majesty! What you all have said is very reasonable. Taking history as a guide, it is better for the Buddha's parietal bone relics to be enshrined in their original location." After thinking for a while, he added: "If you want to enlighten me, you might as well follow the example of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. It is most appropriate to start the project every ten years and open the original site."
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a long time, and finally said: "Okay! Then I will enshrine the Buddha's relics in the Tianxi Temple tower! Yunwen will go there in person tomorrow."
Zhu Yunwen was overjoyed: "I obey the decree!" All officials praised him for his good deeds.
The next day, the emperor's grandson specially fasted and bathed, and led the ministers and eunuchs to respectfully return the Buddha's top bone relics to Tianxi Temple and re-enshrine them in the underground palace under the Shenggan Pagoda. On that day, not only Tianxi Temple, but also the entire Jinling City sky was filled with auspicious clouds and shimmering light. The Buddha's true body has lived in Tianxi Temple for hundreds of years.
Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang had to give up the construction of Yuejiang Tower again. It was not until 2001 that the Nanjing government built the majestic Yuejiang Tower today, ending the more than 600-year history of "having records but not building".
Zhu Yuanzhang issued an imperial edict, admitting that solar eclipses, earthquakes and other strange phenomena were caused by him moving Buddha relics, and he regretted it endlessly. He also talked about the reason why he stopped building the Yuejiang Tower: "Afraid is the reason why we stopped working." He directly said that he was the reason for this. Fear.
If Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was like this, why might people today have more respect for the Buddha