Jingji Prefecture is located on the west bank of the Tongzhou Basin of Tongtian River. The entire Jingji Prefecture is actually like an embedded in a corner of Tongzhou, so in Dazhen, Tongzhou is also jokingly called Zhili Prefecture.
Although the official court of Dazhen did not explicitly endorse this, in reality it was almost the same.
On this day, in the Changle Prefecture in Tongzhou, officials were rushing to the gate of the yamen, the city gate, and even on the street notice walls in some busy areas.
Tianyue Restaurant on Qingfeng Street is one of the most famous restaurants in the city. There are many shops around it, including but not limited to restaurants, teahouses, cloths and groceries, making Qingfeng Street extremely prosperous and one of the most prosperous streets in Changle Prefecture.
It was close to dinner time and the restaurant was bustling with people. There were also some beggars sitting in the corner opposite the restaurant waiting for alms from kind-hearted people.
It is now very hot, and it is impossible for beggars to go to places like under the bridge in the dilapidated temple to beg for food during the day. In this kind of place, the shaded area in the corner of the wall has become a luxurious resting place.
But here, seven or eight beggars of different ages were willing to endure the scorching sun, using a few pieces of rags or broken fans and umbrellas to block the sun. In a small shadow in the corner, an old beggar was curled up there and sleeping, snoring loudly.
"Go away, go away... Go away, don't block the road!"
Several officers wearing swords strode towards them from a distance. The two in front led the way, and the two behind them were one holding a large roll of yellow cloth and the other carrying a bucket.
"Go away, go away. Stop blocking the notice wall."
The two officers in front came over, stretched out their legs and kicked a few sleepy beggars lightly to drive them away a little, then looked at the group in the corner at the other end, frowned and didn't pay much attention to them, and said to the two people behind.
“Just post it here.”
The officer carrying the bucket nodded and stepped forward, took a brush handle from the bucket, stirred it a few times, and then used the paste in the bucket to brush it back and forth on the wall.
Some beggars nearby looked at the bucket in the official's hand and swallowed their saliva frequently. They knew that the paste was actually made from rice paste and was edible.
"Okay, post it."
The officer at the back began to unfold the yellow cloth, and two colleagues on the side hurriedly helped to pull the corners. Then the three of them worked together to stick the upper corner of the yellow cloth to the wall, and then pasted it down a little bit along the direction in which the yellow cloth was unfolded, until the entire yellow cloth was spread on the notice wall.
Seeing the actions of the police officers, many passers-by and wealthy merchants who were dressed more brightly also stopped to watch from the sidelines.
"Hey, this notice has a yellow cloth background. It's a yellow list!"
"Yeah, did something big happen in the capital?" "We'll know after we see what's written."
"It's almost done. This is... a recruitment notice?"
After posting the notice, the officer looked around and left with the things without further explanation. People nearby gathered around him even more. An elderly person looked at the notice and read it word for word.
"The Emperor announced to the world: Our Great Zhen Nation has been established for two hundred years. Now it is a prosperous era. The whole world is in submission. The country is peaceful and the people are safe. In the autumn of the Yiyou year, the Emperor celebrates his birthday..."
The older man stroked his beard as he read, and would occasionally pause to organize the words that followed so that he could read more smoothly.
“… I hereby issue this decree to summon all the wise men in the world to join in the great event. During the ten meetings of the Nine Heavens, all the immortals and their magic will gather together to celebrate the great event and the emperor!”
After the old man finished reading, the people around him started talking after a few breaths.
"Is this the Immortal Dao Conference going to be held?"
"Hey, didn't you see what's written on the yellow bulletin board? This is a water and land convention."
"The capital is really bustling now. Who knows, maybe some gods will come here!"
"Well, if there really are immortals, shouldn't we go and see them? What if the immortals take a liking to me and teach me some magic?"
"You're dreaming, you look like a pig!" "What's wrong with being ugly? Do gods care about appearance?"
"The title of Heavenly Master is so impressive..." "What's the point of that crappy title? One thousand taels of gold is the real deal!"
People nearby were talking about it, some were very excited, some just listened for the novelty, and some were even discussing going to the capital to join in the fun, which would definitely be much more interesting than temple fairs.
But for the beggars in the corner who were having trouble getting enough food and clothing, such a big event was still too far away. They were all listless, except for the old beggar who was sleeping soundly in the corner and opened his eyes.
'At this critical moment, the Emperor Dazhen is holding a water and land ceremony. I'm afraid that the so-called gathering of immortals will turn into a riot of demons?'
But on second thought, the old beggar felt that it was not the case, but he just couldn't sleep.
"Ah~~~~"
The old beggar yawned and sat up. He rubbed his eyes, pinched out the eye boogers from the corners of his eyes, picked them up a few times in his hands, and flicked them away.
"Grandpa Lu, why aren't you sleeping? I haven't gotten my food yet."
Seeing that the old beggar had woken up, a young beggar who looked about eleven or twelve years old said something to him. Seeing that the old beggar was about to get up, he hurried over to support him.
"Is Ruburt awake?" "Ruber, have a drink of water."
"I still have something to eat. I just picked up two pieces of cake. They're not rotten!"
When the old beggar woke up, the beggars around him all greeted him and showed concern. The old beggar just took a bamboo tube and drank a few sips of water, then took a piece of cake and put it in his mouth, then waved to the others.
"Alright, alright, keep it for yourself. I'm not hungry now, old beggar."
After saying this, the old beggar stood up, chewed the cake in his mouth, and stretched lazily. Some pedestrians around who were still looking at the yellow list also glanced sideways at the group of beggars who were making some noise.
After the old beggar finished stretching his body, he waved to the young beggar who had asked him the first question.
"You'er, shall we go to the capital for a stroll?"
The little beggar stood up holding a broken ceramic bowl and looked at the yellow list over there. He wondered in his heart whether Grandpa Lu had heard the person reading the yellow list while he was sleeping, and his answer was rather conflicted.
"The capital city... is so far away..."
"Hey, just tell me if you want to go or not?"
The old beggar put his hand into the hole in his clothes, scratched his itch under his armpit, squinted with one eye closed, and asked the young beggar with a smile on his face.
"Yes! It's the most lively and magnificent place in the world, of course I want to go!"
"Haha...then let's go!"
The old beggar patted the young beggar on the back and half pushed him forward.
The young beggar walked a few steps in a daze and then looked back. The beggars behind him were all watching him and the old beggar go away. He suddenly realized that he was about to set off with Grandpa Lu.
It was also at this moment that the beggars behind began to call out and say goodbye.
"Take care, Rube!" "Be careful on the road, Xiaoyou!"
"Uncle Lu, please keep an eye on Xiao You!"
The old beggar smiled, looked back, waved his hand, muttered a few "take care" and continued to lead Xiaoyou towards the front of the street.
The beggars looked at their backs and finally sat back down, waiting for the leftovers and other alms from this afternoon.
"Grandpa Lu, what will happen to Uncle Zhang and the others if we leave?"
The old beggar seemed to have many fleas all over his body. He scratched himself in front and behind with one hand. When he heard what the young beggar said, he muttered to himself for a while.
"They don't rely on us for their livelihood. They are better at begging than you. Besides, some of them have broken legs and hands, and they don't have abscesses on their bodies. It's not difficult for them to do some decent work. Don't worry about it."
Regardless of whether they are talented monks or Taoists in the mortal world, or some spirits and demons, or even swindlers and charlatans, there are quite a few like the old beggar who rush to Gyeonggi Province after knowing about the water and land ceremony.
Even if there were no evil spirits coming, just imagining a group of charlatans and charlatans gathering in Kyoto to "join in the celebration" could, to some extent, be considered a "dance of demons in disorder."
Although Tongzhou is adjacent to Jingji Prefecture, Changle Prefecture and Jingji Prefecture are separated by two prefectures after all. The old beggar and the young beggar would beg for food while on the road after waking up. When they were tired, they would find a place that could shelter them from the wind and rain and fall asleep. Anyway, the weather was hot and they wouldn't be cold.
Even though he was traveling at such a fast pace, his pace was not considered slow. In just a month or so, he had already walked from Changle Prefecture to Jinggi Prefecture on foot.
Early in the morning of that day, two beggars, one old and one young, lined up in a long queue outside the city gate waiting to enter the city. Because they had slept next to the city gate last night, when they got up this morning and the city gate was not open yet, the two beggars were at the front of the queue.
A farmer carrying a load in the queue behind him couldn't help but move two body lengths away from him, because not only did the two beggars smell strong, but the old one would scratch from time to time, and he was afraid that he had lice.
The old beggar yawned and looked back and forth at the line several times. He saw that the line was getting longer and longer. Sometimes when he saw some guys dressed as "experts" in the line, he couldn't help but sneer.
"Woo... cluck cluck cluck..."
"The gates are open!"
As the soldiers in the city opened the city gates, the passage to Gyeonggi Prefecture appeared before the eyes of those who wanted to enter the city.
Originally, beggars were not allowed to enter the city gate, but in the eyes of the little beggar, although the old beggar was unkempt and dirty, he pretended to be very imposing when facing the questioning of the gatekeepers.
The words "I have come here by imperial decree to attend the water and land ceremony" were spoken with full of energy, and he did not shy away from the soldiers' direct gaze, which made the soldiers let him go after much hesitation.
The capital city was indeed very lively. It was incomparable to Changle Prefecture in the past, let alone on days like today, which made the little beggar dazzled.
But even so, after walking around the city, the two beggars still did their old job and prepared to sit down in a suitable place to beg for food.
"Hey! This place is nice. I can smell the aroma of food on both sides and see people walking in all directions."
The old beggar took the young beggar and walked happily to the corner opposite a teahouse. There were several restaurants around. The two sat down and the young beggar put the broken bowl in front of them.
Seeing the old beggar about to take a nap again, the young beggar looked left and right, observing his surroundings curiously.
"The capital city is really big and lively, there are hardly any beggars!"
Turning his eyes around, he saw a person sitting at the table in front of the teahouse opposite, holding a teacup and looking at him calmly. That person was like a special magnet, immediately attracting all the attention of the little beggar.
The little beggar was only about four or five meters away from the man across a not very wide street, and his eyesight was good enough to see his appearance clearly. He looked like a learned and elegant gentleman, but although his eyes were half open, upon closer inspection he could see that they were pale.
"Grandpa Lu, there seems to be a blind man watching us over there in the teahouse..."
"Hey, silly boy, what do you mean by blind people watching us? Aren't you surprised by what you said?"
“But I really feel that way…”
The old beggar scratched his itch, sat up and glanced in the direction of the young beggar. He was stunned by the glance, and after turning his head to take a closer look, he couldn't take his eyes off him.
Serene and calm, without any ripples in the eyes, there is no divine light revealed, but the body is integrated into nature. A feeling of freshness arises spontaneously when looking at it, in the eyes and in the heart.
The old beggar glanced at the young beggar beside him and muttered in a daze.
"You'er...this is not an ordinary blind man!"