Chapter 25 2. The spiritual lottery in the Temple of Our Lady

A feat of eradicating poppies and sowing wheat and millet was carried out with great fanfare and enthusiasm in the ancient Sanjin land.Zhang Zhidong was sitting in the Futai yamen, and he could see posts from eighteen prefectures every day.From these posts, he saw that his idea was being implemented smoothly, and he was very satisfied.On this day, Zhang Zhidong received a letter from Wang Weibao, the magistrate of Fenzhou.The report said that there was a village in Xiaoyi County under the control of the village owner, and the whole village was huddled together, desperately trying to pull out poppy seedlings.The county magistrate asked the prefect to seek help from the Green Camp stationed there.The prefect immediately asked the capital of the green camp for help.The next day, the Du Si personally brought a hundred soldiers down to Xiaoyi.In less than three days, not a single poppy seedling remained in the county, and all of them were planted with wheat and millet seeds.

Zhang Zhidong was very happy when he saw this post.It turned out that the prefect of Fenzhou Prefecture was the first official he personally promoted after he came to Shanxi.Zhang Zhidong came to Shanxi for half a year to ask questions. He first killed and then played two things related to the changes of officials. Once, Zhang Zhidong chatted with Xuezheng Wang Kezhuang, saying that he had been in Taiyuan for so long, and he couldn't find a few people to talk about learning, so he asked Wang Kezhuang to recommend him.Wang Kezhuang thought of Wu Zixian, the county magistrate of Qi County, who was born as a Jinshi, the grandson of Yuan Mei's nephew, and the son-in-law of Pan Shien, the number one scholar.With such a background, he must be full of talents and knowledge, enough to talk to the governor.It happened that Wu Zixian was working in Taiyuan during this period, so he personally accompanied him to the Governor's Yamen.

Zhang Zhidong received Wu Zixian very politely.I don't know if the county magistrate of Wu was afraid of Zhang Futai's fame and high position, or if he was really empty. Zhang Zhidong talked to him all afternoon, saying that he didn't understand gold and stone, and that he couldn't answer a few words about poetry. .It was really impossible to talk, so Zhang Zhidong told him about ghosts, but he couldn't tell a complete story.Zhang Zhidong finally couldn't bear it any longer, and reprimanded Wang Kezhuang in front of Wang Kezhuang: "To order Yuezhang to give away 100,000 volumes of books to others instead of keeping them for you shows that you can't be cultivated. I heard that you also served as an examiner for the provincial examination. How can someone like you be a co-examiner? Wouldn't he miss his future?" Then he turned to Wang Kezhuang and said, "Wang Xuetai, next year the Xiangwei must not let him get in here!"

Being ridiculed in front of Xuezheng, how could Wu Zixian not be angry, he said angrily: "How can I be a county magistrate with a dignified Jinshi background, how can I not be the same as an examiner?" , had to sneer and said: "Okay, let you do it!" After Wang Kezhuang and Wu Zixian left, the more Zhang Zhidong thought about it, the more he hated him: a reckless little county magistrate dared to quarrel with Master Futai, how can he not be punished?He remembered that the county magistrate of Guangling County had been vacant for a long time, and the county magistrate was old and ill and had already requested to become an official, so he took up his pen and wrote an order himself: Xie Zongqi, the county magistrate of Guangling County, was allowed to go home to recuperate from the vacancy and move to Qi County. Wu Zixian, the county magistrate, served as the magistrate of Guangling County.

Guangling was remote and barren, and Xie Zongqi owed 40,000 taels of silver to the treasury during his tenure.Thinking of this, Zhang Zhidong ruthlessly added a sentence to the order: Wu Zixian was required to pay off the silver taels owed by Guangling to the feudal treasury over the years. When this order came out, not only Wu Zixian, who had been demoted, shouted for injustice, but even Wang Kezhuang and many officials felt wronged for Wu, but no one dared to speak to Zhang Zhidong. Not long after that, Zhang Zhidong went to Fenyang Academy to inspect the studies, and happened to meet Yang Mei, a professor of Fenzhou Prefecture, who was living in the academy with several old scholars, making the final revisions and polishes for the Shanxi Tongzhi.Yang Mei likes to collect inscriptions the most, just like Zhang Zhidong.At lunch, Zhang Zhidong specially asked Yang Mei to sit on the same stool, and the two talked about the inscriptions while eating, with great interest.Yang Mei said that he had two inscriptions inscribed by Ouyang Xun, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, hidden in his home. .Yang Mei thought that these two words might be fake, but there was no basis, so she asked Zhang Zhidong for advice.Zhang Zhidong put down his chopsticks and thought for a long time, but couldn't think of a reason.The head of the academy sitting opposite said: Hongdong County Prime Minister Wang Wei is knowledgeable, I wrote him a letter and asked him to find evidence.After a few days, Wang Wei came to the Yamen to visit Futai in person.He told Zhang Zhidong that Zheng Xuan's annotation in "Yi Li" has the phrase "Gou Yi Zuo Gong", which is strong evidence that the two words are fake.Zhang Zhidong opened the "Yi Li" Zheng Jian and looked at it, and there really was this sentence.He patted Wang Wei on the shoulder, and said affectionately: "Brother Taiwan is a great talent. It is really wronged to be the magistrate of Hongdong County with the talent of brother Taiwan. There is a vacancy in the prefect of Fenzhou. You can go to Fenzhou to be the magistrate tomorrow!"

Wang Weixi descended from the sky, and was promoted from a seventh-rank magistrate to a fifth-rank magistrate in the blink of an eye. Could it be that Futai is making fun of me? "Master Zhang, do you really want me to go to Fenzhou to be the magistrate?" "Really!" Zhang Zhidong said while writing the order, and personally stamped the purple flower seal of the governor of Shanxi. Zhang Zhidong gave the order to Wang Wei: "You go to take office first, and I will ask the queen mother and the emperor for approval!" Wang Wei happily held this order in both hands, and he really became the magistrate of Fenzhou.

These are the two promotions and promotions of Zhang Zhidong not long after he came to Shanxi.In his opinion, most of the officialdom in Shanxi is virtuous and foolish, and good and bad are not distinguished. As a governor, one must not only discern talents, but also distinguish rewards and punishments.However, there was a lot of discussion in the official circles, and most of them believed that Zhang Zhidong was not assessing the prefectures and counties, but Hanlin.What the prefectures and counties want is practical ability to handle affairs, how can they decide whether to go up or down based on their knowledge?If this continues, all Shanxi officials will go to study and study. Who will handle the money and food, and who will handle the case?Some people even shook their heads and sighed: The queen mother is really confused. Sending such a nerd to Shanxi will definitely mess up Sanjin.These words reached Zhang Zhidong's ears, but he didn't take it seriously.

Seeing Wang Wei's report now, how could Zhang Zhidong be unhappy: Who says it's wrong for me to know people through knowledge?Who said that Wang Wei is just a pedant and can't be alone?What a great idea to use the power of the green battalion!How courageous to do things!It is advisable to reward Wang Wei and promote the practice of Fenzhou.Zhang Zhidong immediately issued a letter: Pulling out poppies is a top priority, and there must be no delay. If anyone resists and refuses to implement it, he can follow the example of the Fenzhou government and ask the local green camp to assist in handling it.This order!

And with the title of Admiral of Shanxi, he also sent letters with the same content to the towns and battalions stationed in the Sanjin. After the release of this letter, military officers from the green camps from all over the country came to prefectures and counties to volunteer, and many prefectures and counties also found it difficult to deal with the resistance to pulling out poppy seedlings. , and handed over this headache to the soldiers.For a while, it seemed as if a war broke out in Shanxi, and officers and soldiers of the Green Battalion in uniform and armed with knives and guns could be seen everywhere running around in the countryside.After one or two months, many poppy seedlings were pulled out, but more troubles followed one after another. Letters of complaints flew into the governor's office like snowflakes, making Zhang Zhidong feel restless and anxious.

All these troubles are caused by the soldiers.There is a saying that says good iron does not make nails, and good men do not serve as soldiers.He also said that a scholar met a soldier, and he couldn't explain why.It turned out that seventy-eight out of ten of these Qiu Ba who entered the camp to eat food were the kind of rascals, savages, lazy and unskilled hooligans.Fighting a war is a life-threatening thing, and it is also a very profitable thing, which is most suitable for this kind of person.All intelligent generals know that soldiers are easy to manage in wartime, because they are driven to work hard by their own interests, and it is difficult to manage soldiers in peacetime.These people are like fierce horses and vicious dogs, they should only be loosened, that is to say, they can only be kept in the camp under strict control for training, and cannot be released outside the camp, otherwise it will cause bad things.

It's a pity that there are very few such intelligent generals in Shanxi at present, or they know that they can't do it but want to cater to the desires of their subordinates.So a group of fierce horses and vicious dogs came out of the barracks, under the name of the government, and in the name of eradicating poppy seedlings, wantonly trampled on fertile land and fish and meat villages.They extorted money, ate and drank, tied up and beat anyone who objected, and even raped women in private houses.As a result, almost all the villages where the green battalion soldiers went there were murder cases, either by hanging or beating to death, or committing suicide due to unbearable humiliation.The villagers were in panic, as if a catastrophe was imminent.There are also two anonymous letters suing Wang Wei, saying that the village in Xiaoyi County burned more than 20 houses, killed three people, and destroyed more than 100 acres of fields because soldiers went to the countryside in Xiaoyi County. Knowing the truth, Dusi deceived him, and he deceived Futai. After seeing these complaints, especially after seeing these two anonymous letters, Zhang Zhidong realized that it was a big mistake to send soldiers to the countryside to eradicate poppies. Zhang Zhidong summoned the admiral of the Shanxi Green Camp to discuss, and immediately withdrew the Green Camp soldiers who went to the countryside to eradicate poppies, and ordered the battalions to severely punish the soldiers who took the opportunity to commit crimes, and deal with the aftermath of the victims! After this back and forth, the eradication of poppies almost came to a standstill.Just when Zhang Zhidong was in a dilemma, fortunately, the imperial court issued another decree affirming that the ban on smoking in Shanxi must not be abandoned halfway, and the poisonous plants must be completely eradicated and crops should be planted.The Shangyu was like a life-saving talisman, which revived the listless governor of Shanxi.He used this edict to severely crack down on opponents, and once again set off a vigorous upsurge in removing poisonous plants and planting crops. At the same time, he vigorously launched a large-scale action of fasting opium in the official military camps in Shanxi. An anti-smoking bureau was set up in the city of Taiyuan, which produced a large number of smoking cessation pills and distributed them free of charge to military camps at all levels of government to help addicted smokers quit smoking.Zhang Zhidong strictly issued an order: Anyone who disobeyed and dared to smoke again, no matter whether they were civil or military officials or ordinary soldiers, would be severely punished without mercy.In Taiyuan City, the gloomy and corrupt officialdom that has been formed for many years, like a ghost country, is gradually changing. At the same time as the ban on smoking, the cleaning of the accounts of the treasury is also going on intensely, but without the thunderous momentum of the smoking ban, it is progressing quietly but in an orderly manner.The outsiders didn't seem to feel anything, but Bao Geng, Wang Ding'an and others felt like they were on hot pot all day long, uneasy and anxious.A countermeasure is also being secretly implemented. Although the spring in Taiyuan came late, the north wind could not stop Miss Chun's steps. In the late spring and March, flowers were flying everywhere in Spring City. One afternoon, Bao Geng said to Zhang Zhidong: "Tomorrow is a holiday and the weather is so nice. How about I invite you to go to a nice place outside the city?" For several months, Zhang Zhidong has always been wary of Bao Geng.Regarding Bao Geng's gossip, he often heard people in the official circles talking about it.But Baogeng was very enthusiastic and hospitable to Zhang Zhidong, which forced Zhang Zhidong to be polite to him.Ma Piyao has reported to Futai twice, saying that there are obvious big loopholes in the disaster relief accounts in recent years, and Baogeng must have done a lot of tricks, but there is no solid evidence.During this period, Bao Geng really worked hard to shovel poppies and ban opium, and the results were remarkable.For a while, Zhang Zhidong was not sure who the manchurian next to him was.Before the matter was revealed, as the No. 2 official in Shanxi, Zhang Zhidong had no reason and should not alienate him.What's more, the spring is bright and the breeze is pleasant. It is really interesting to go out for an outing outside the city on a rest day.So he asked with interest: "Where is a good place to play?" "Jin Temple." Bao Geng replied with a smile. "Jinci Temple!" Zhang Zhidong responded unconsciously, raising his voice, "It's really a place of interest, but it's so old, is it still worth seeing?" "There are so many beautiful places!" Seeing Zhang Zhidong's high spirits, Baogeng felt very proud. "The Jinci Temple is so famous. Most of the officials, gentlemen and businessmen who come and go to Taiyuan Prefecture have to go to the Jinci Temple. Therefore, soon after the official came to Shanxi, he allocated a special fund to repair it, and arranged a few people to guard it there for a long time. Come, my lord. Taiyuan has been in Taiyuan for almost half a year, and I am busy with official duties day and night. I have repeatedly wanted to invite you to Jinci Temple, but it is inconvenient to ask. Now that the poppies have all been pulled out and the crops have been planted, I should rest for two days Yes. Tomorrow, Xiaguan and Dingcheng will accompany you to Jinci Temple to have a look!" "Okay, let's take a day off tomorrow!" Zhang Zhidong seemed to have made up his mind. "My lord," Bao Geng said, "Jinci Temple is far away from the city, and we can't come back in a day. We have to stay there overnight tomorrow night and return to the city the day after tomorrow." "Going for two days?" Zhang Zhidong hesitated. "You haven't had a day's rest in Shanxi yet, so you should play for two days this time." Bao Geng said with a smile, "Besides, you can also see how the crops are growing along the way. Isn't this also an investigation of people's conditions? My lord knows the past and the present." , You can also give more pointers on the restoration of the Jinci Temple, isn’t this also an office business? It is said to be Xiu Mu, but it is not Xiu Mu.” Yes, as the lord of Shanxi, which of the things I did was not related to the government affairs of Shanxi?What Baogeng said was not bad!Zhang Zhidong made a decisive decision: "Okay, let's just take two days!" Early the next morning, Baogeng and Wang Dingan set off with Zhang Zhidong.According to what Zhang Zhidong said, everyone wore casual clothes and rode horses instead of sedan chairs.Zhang Zhidong only took Dagen with him, Baogeng and Wang Ding'an each took a servant, and followed behind the horse.The three of them are all literati, and they rarely ride horses.Wang Ding'an found three strong and tame horses with thick and soft saddles. Although there were some bumps along the way, they didn't feel too tired. The branches on the side of the road have sprouted green shoots, and there are large patches of green wheat seedlings on the flat land on both sides. The farmers are busy weeding and fertilizing, and sometimes they see cattle and sheep appearing in the distance.Looking at all this, Zhang Zhidong felt relieved.He was even more relieved that he hadn't seen a poppy field after tens of miles.He is sure that the opium poppies in Shanxi Province have all been eradicated because of his strong government decree and effective measures.He is proud of his achievements in half a year. He knew that Ji Ningdao beside him was a famous talent, so he turned his face and said, "Wang Guan, I just remembered a poem by Tang Xian, which is quite similar to how I feel now." "Which poem do you think of, my lord?" Seeing Zhang Zhidong talking about poetry with him, Wang Ding'an's spirit was immediately lifted up. "Jia Dao's "Lu Ci Shuofang"." Zhang Zhidong read out on horseback with a drawn-out tone, "Bingzhou, a guest house, has already experienced ten frosts, and I return to my heart to recall Xianyang day and night. I crossed the mulberry and dry water for no reason, but looked at Bingzhou. It's my hometown." "Bingzhou is the ancient name of Taiyuan." Wang Ding'an held the rein with his right hand, and touched the few sparse beards on his pointed chin with his left hand, with an air of connoisseur. "This is a very popular poem about Taiyuan." "However, many people in the previous generation got the meaning of this poem wrong." Zhang Zhidong's words caught the attention of Bao Geng and Wang Ding'an, and they listened attentively to his next words. "They all said that when Jia Dao lived in Bingzhou, he missed Xianyang day and night. When he crossed the Sanggan River to the west to Shuofang, he looked back and saw only Bingzhou City in his eyes, and Xianyang was even more distant in his heart. When Jia Dao wrote this poem , his heart was full of the desolation of the years of exile. In fact, this was completely wrong. Jia Dao lived in Bingzhou and missed Xianyang, which is good. However, he did not expect that he had lived in Bingzhou for a long time, and unconsciously regarded Bingzhou as his hometown. This feeling is not obvious at ordinary times, but once crossing the Sanggan River and looking back at Bingzhou, it will appear clearly. Jia Dao’s poem reflects his nostalgia for Bingzhou. I am having this kind of Jia Dao’s This kind of mood. I have been in Taiyuan for less than half a year, and I left the city for the first time today. When I look back, I also feel that Taiyuan is my hometown.” "Your Excellency is absolutely right!" Wang Ding'an answered immediately, "Zhi Dao completely agrees with your high opinion. This poem is about the poet's nostalgia for Bingzhou, not the desolation of Julu. There are many good poems in the previous generation , have been misinterpreted by future generations who do not understand poetry. This song "Lvci Shuofang" is an example." Bao Geng also complimented: "I don't know poetry, but I am moved by your lord's desire to take Taiyuan as his hometown. Shanxi has a Futai like your lord, which is a blessing for ten million elders." "Bao Weng's words are serious!" Zhang Zhidong said humbly, but he really liked this sentence in his heart. Wang Ding'an said: "I want to say something boldly, but I don't know if it's appropriate or not?" Bao Geng was afraid that Wang Ding'an would say something that he didn't know how to say, which would spoil Zhang Zhidong's enthusiasm and ruin the rare harmonious atmosphere, so he hurriedly said: "Ding Cheng, today I am going out with you for an outing. If you have anything to say, please return." Let's talk about the city!" Zhang Zhidong has never been used to being tolerant, and it is good for Wang Ding'an not to say "bold" and "appropriate or inappropriate", but when he mentioned these words, he was so provocative that he had to listen, so he urged: "Wang Guan, what do you have to say?" You just say, today we are on an outing, there is no distinction between superiors and inferiors. Now we are talking about poetry, we are poetry friends. After drinking, we are wine friends." "My lord, be generous!" Wang Ding'an began to shake his book bag, "It has always been said that this poem "Lvci Shuofang" was written by Jia Dao, and only the "Yu Lan Ji" selected by Linghu Chu listed this poem in the first place. Liu Zao's name." "Liu Zao?" Zhang Zhidong asked back. "Yes, Liu Zao." Wang Ding'an said with certainty, "Liu Zao was from Dezong's time, and his reputation was far less than that of Jia Dao. Few of his poems have been handed down. Only five of his poems are recorded in "Complete Tang Poems." Seeing that Zhang Zhidong was listening attentively, Wang Dingan continued to speak. "I believe in Linghu Chu, because he is Jia Dao's predecessor and has contacts with Jia Dao. He also appreciates Jia Dao's poetic talent. He will never list Jia Dao's poems under Liu Zao's name and give them to Tang Dezong. Look. What's more, Jia Dao is from Fanyang, and he lived in Bingzhou for a short time, and he has never been to Shuofang, so it is impossible for him to write such a poem." "It makes sense, it makes sense!" Zhang Zhidong nodded repeatedly, and praised loudly, "Wang Guan, everyone says you are a great talent, and you really deserve your reputation!" Wang Ding'an was both grateful and moved by Zhang Zhidong's attitude. He said in a rare sincere tone: "My lord's measure is really beyond the reach of ordinary people." Zhang Zhidong said: "In matters of learning, one is one, and the other is two. Whoever has reason should be convinced." Zhang Zhidong really admired Wang Ding'an's skills in Tang poetry, and he also won Zhang Zhidong's favor for a while, and the conversation became more interesting.So the two talked about Jia Dao and his "deliberation" anecdote.Jia Dao talked about Meng Jiao again, comparing the unique poetic style of Jiao Han and Dao Shou.Then Jia Meng talked about their admirer Han Yu. Wang Ding'an said: "If Jia Dao and Meng Jiao hadn't been appreciated and praised by Han Yu, they would not have achieved future achievements and poetic titles. In the past, poor and lowly scholars had to rely on the support of high-ranking and powerful people to show their faces. Your Excellency Ranked in the frontiers, famous all over the world, how many handsome children of the Three Jin Dynasty are looking up to the rain and dew of your lord!" Wang Ding'an's impromptu compliment touched Zhang Zhidong's heart.In his early years, as a poor scholar, Zhang Zhidong dreamed countless times that he would meet a powerful person who knew him well, so that his talent would be known as a public official, and he would go up to the ninth level.After middle age, Zhang Zhidong, as a courtier studying politics, had hoped countless times that he could hold real power, reward and promote those who had fallen into the lower classes with real talents and learning, so that Maxima could stand out.Unfortunately, more than forty years have passed, when he was a scholar, he did not meet Han Wengong, and when he was an official, he did not have the authority of Han Jingzhou.A past event that I can't let go of for a long time came to my mind again.On the ancient road on the outskirts of Bingzhou where the warm wind was blowing, in the harmonious atmosphere of talking about Tang poetry, Zhang Zhidong unconsciously regarded Wang Ding'an as a friend, and sincerely narrated the past with him. "There is a man in Hejian, Zhili, who is good at poetry and painting. His name is Cui Cilong. He has lived in the capital for more than ten years, and he always wants to meet someone who can appreciate him and help him so that he can stand out and not let him down. Decades of hard work and hard work. But the crown is full of capital, and no one has a crush on Cui Cilong. By chance, I got to know him, and the two talked for a long time. He showed me his poetry album , is indeed very accomplished. We became friends. After that, he often came to my house, and I knew he wanted me to help out. But at that time I was just a poor Hanlin, with no power, power or government, so I couldn’t accommodate him. Others I was unable to close the yamen, so I had to give him a little silver from time to time. Cui Cilong finally couldn't live in the capital, so he packed up his bed and went back to his hometown. Before leaving, he came to my house to say goodbye. I was very sorry and told him, wait a minute Look, maybe there will be a chance. He said, I have waited for more than ten years but have not had a chance. I am disappointed. I can only die of old age in this life. I can't give him a chance right away, and of course it is inconvenient to keep him, so I wrote Give him a poem to commemorate our friendship." "Poor!" What happened to Cui Cilong touched Wang Ding'an's true love for literati. "My lord's poem, can you read it to Zhidao?" "Yes." Zhang Zhidong groaned in a drawn-out tone, "Haoran went to the country to wrap up the twin vines, and bid farewell to the south of the city to cut the night lights. The short sword resigned from the Jieshi Hall, and the tired donkey worshiped the king's tomb alone. Half combed the white hair with the year Short, new designs are increasing day by day. I am ashamed that I have no strength to retreat, and I don’t teach Dongye to fly together.” "I am ashamed that I have no strength to retreat. I don't teach Dongye to fly together." Wang Ding'an repeated the last two lines of Zhang Zhidong's poem, and said with emotion, "My lord's friendship is not only moved by Cui Cilong, but also by his professionalism. I was moved by it." Bao Geng said: "Your Excellency has this strength now, call that Cui Cilong to Shanxi!" Zhang Zhidong said sadly: "Cui Cilong passed away within half a year after returning to his hometown." "It's a pity!" The servant of the Fantai Mansion following behind the horse sighed inadvertently. Everyone stopped talking and continued walking in the southwest direction in silence.After having lunch at a hotel on the side of the road, we continued on our way. "My lord, the Jinci Temple is here." Baogeng reined in the reins and pointed to the front. When Zhang Zhidong looked up, a building complex with more than a hundred houses appeared in front of him.The three got off their horses, Baogeng and Wang Dingan protected Zhang Zhidong and walked forward.Dagen and the other two servants led their horses to follow. Zhang Zhidong said: "In the past, I read "Shui Jing Zhu" and knew that there was Tang Shuyu Temple at the source of Jinshui River. Form the current Jinci situation. Bao Weng, please tell me what are the main halls and pavilions in this Jinci." Bao Geng said: "I can't say this, Ding Cheng has done research on this, let him tell your lord!" "I can't say everything. Let me talk about a few places first. Let's take a look later." Wang Ding'an touched his chin and said, "King Wu originally conferred Shuyu in the Tang Dynasty, so Li Daoyuan called it Tang Shuyu Temple. Later The son of Shuyu changed the name of the country to Jin because the Jin water flowed into the Tang Dynasty, and Tang Shuyu Temple was also called Jin Temple. The name of Jin Temple has been passed down in this way. For more than two thousand years, Jin Temple has continued to expand, and the main buildings built by later generations are: Tang Stele . "There are so many temples and halls, what do we think?" Zhang Zhidong said with a smile. Wang Ding'an replied: "For most of the temple buildings, you only need to take a look at them. The three wonders of Jinci Temple are the ones you must see." "Three unique skills!" Zhang Zhidong asked, "Which three unique skills?" Wang Ding'an broke his fingers and said, "One must be Nanlaoquan, Shanliquan and Yuzhaoquan, the sources of Jinshui." "There are springs everywhere, but where is the spring in Jinci Temple?" Zhang Zhidong interrupted Wang Ding'an. "The spring of Jinci lies in the temperature of the water." Wang Ding'an replied, "These three springs are hot springs, and the water is warm all year round, as if heated by firewood. There are green and green water in the ditch all the year round. Big-leaf grass, even though all the leaves are withered in the cold winter months, the big-leaf grass in this ditch is still green and lovely. Warm water and green leaves, this is the first wonder of Jinci." "In this way, it's really amazing." Zhang Zhidong said with a smile on his face, "I'll try it with my own hands later, and see it with my own eyes." Bao Geng pointed to the front and said, "The hot spring is in front." "Okay, let's go take a look." As Zhang Zhidong said, he couldn't help speeding up his pace.After walking several tens of feet, there is a not very big ancient palace in front of you.Wang Ding'an told Zhang Zhidong that this is the Hall of Dedication.This is a place for displaying sacrificial offerings, which was built in the Jin Dynasty.Passing through the dedication hall, there is a ditch more than two feet wide.Wang Ding'an said excitedly: "My lord, this is Yuzhao Spring, one of the three springs at the source of Jinshui." Baogeng also said happily: "This is the first of the three wonders of the Jinci Temple." Zhang Zhidong saw that the running water in the ditch was crystal clear and spotless.When I looked closely, there were indeed many broad-leaved grasses growing at the bottom of the canal.These grass leaves are shiny green, like thin pieces of emeralds immersed in the water, so cute.He remembered Li Bai's poem about Jinci Temple: "The flowing water of Jinci Temple is like jasper, and the Aobo, dragon scales, sand and grass are green." It is true, it is a real scene.He put his hand into the water, it was really warm, and he said happily: "Yes, it is indeed a hot spring." "My lord, let's cross the bridge to the other side to see the Temple of Our Lady." Bao Geng suggested with a smile on his face.Seeing Futai's childlike behavior of testing the water with his hands just now, he is very satisfied with today's arrangement. Bao Geng, Wang Ding'an and others surrounded Zhang Zhidong and walked towards the stone bridge across the Yuzhao Spring. "My lord, take a closer look. Is there any difference between this bridge and the usual bridges?" As soon as he stepped on the bridge, Wang Ding'an reminded Zhang Zhidong with great interest. After Zhang Zhidong took a closer look at the bridge under his feet, he found that there were quite a few unique places. This stone bridge built in the Northern Song Dynasty is supported by thirty-four stone pillars, which are erected on a lotus-shaped stone foundation.The stone pillars are connected with stone squares, and a bucket arch is placed on the stone pillar, and the bridge deck is laid on the bucket arch.The East-West part of the bridge connects the Hall of Dedication and the Hall of Our Lady, and the north and south wings slope down to the bank of the canal.Looking down from above, the bridge is a cross-shaped bridge.This is extremely rare among the countless large and small bridges in China. Zhang Zhidong patted the clean and smooth white jade railings, stroked a pair of iron lions with a brave and lifelike look at the head of the bridge, and said with emotion: "No one has dared to imitate such a feat of ingenuity for more than a thousand years, let alone surpass it." , it's really not easy." While talking, the three of them stepped over the flying beams and came to the center of the Jinci Temple to build the Notre Dame Hall. During the reign of Tiansheng in the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Renzong granted Tang Shuyu the title of King of Fendong, and built a large-scale palace for his mother Yijiang, named the Hall of Notre Dame.The front of the hall is near the fish marsh, and the rear is near the dangerous peak, which is spectacular.It was renovated for the first time during the Chongning period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. Since then, although the Yuan and Ming dynasties have repaired it many times, it still retains the shape and structure of the Song Dynasty.The hall is seven rooms wide and six rooms deep, with double eaves resting on the top of the mountain, green glazed tiles trimming the edges, and a variety of animals running on the vertical ridges. When you come to the front of the hall, you are faced with eight large wooden pillars carved with flying dragons.Zhang Zhidong was concentrating on admiring the majestic flying dragons, but Wang Ding'an pointed to an ancient tree on the left side of the main hall, and said to Zhang Zhidong, "Look, my lord, that is Zhou Bai, the second among the three wonders of the Jinci Temple." , it is said that it was left in the era of King Xuan of Zhou, and it has a history of more than 2,600 years." Zhang Zhidong walked towards the cypress tree with great interest.This cypress tree is almost at the same level as the eaves, with staggered branches on the top and drooping scales and leaves, full of vitality.The trunk is as thick as a person's arms, the bark is dry and cracked, brown and green, standing upright like an iron pillar.Although there is a bowl-sized hole in the root, the roots are still deeply embedded in the hard black soil.This is indeed an ancient cypress!It has personally experienced the ups and downs of many dynasties, the ups and downs of the world, and the heroes and heroes who once lived with it in the same world, have been smashed, and the wind has passed, and then they have been submerged by the loess one by one and turned into decay; and it is still proud. Standing in the universe, sending and ushering spring, summer, autumn and winter, continuing the endless potential in the sun, rain, wind, frost, ice and snow.What a tenacious life this is!How short and insignificant a human life should be in front of it!The governor of Shanxi, who has always been bold and pretentious, stood in front of this thousand-year-old cypress, feeling awed and inferior. Wang Ding'an said: "According to the local people, this Zhou Bai tree still sprouts every year and bears seeds every year." Zhang Zhidong raised his head, looked at Gu Bai's tall and majestic figure with his head held high above the sky, and felt infinite respect in his heart. Bao Geng asked Wang Ding'an: "I remember you said that there was another ancient tree, why didn't you see it?" Wang Ding'an replied: "That is a locust tree in the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty. It is also more than a thousand years old. It is a must in the Jinci Temple together with Zhou Bai. It is in the Guandi Temple. We will go to see it later. Now we Entering the Notre Dame Hall, there is the third of the three unique statues of the Song Dynasty." After finishing speaking, he led Zhang Zhidong and Baogeng into the Hall of Notre Dame. There is a huge wooden shrine in the middle of the hall, and the shrine is enshrined in the hall's main holy mother, Yijiang.Yi Jiangduan sat on a big chair, wearing a phoenix crown and a python robe, with a dignified demeanor.The two long red phoenixes greet the endless stream of worshipers with smiles in their eyes.On the left and right sides of the Virgin, there are still a group of eunuchs, female officials and maids.All of them have different postures and bright colors, just like a group of attendants in costumes, chatting with the Virgin Mary. Wang Ding'an introduced like a tour guide: "Including the Virgin, there are 43 statues here, all of which were shaped during the construction of the temple during the reign of Tiansheng in the Song Dynasty. At that time, a group of highly skilled technicians were specially mobilized from Tokyo to Taiyuan. The foreman The most famous craftsman is Lu Lian who rebuilt Daxiangguo Temple. It is said that he is the 50th generation grandson of Lu Ban. These statues were painted with various oil paints at that time, and they were repainted every 30 to 40 years. The paint we are looking at now , probably only for three or five years." Zhang Zhidong slowly paces in front of painted sculptures from the Song Dynasty.He has a great interest in ancient carving art, and also has a high appreciation.With his profound cultivation, he could see that the group of statues in front of him were indeed not ordinary objects, and they were indeed fine sculptures of the Song Dynasty. After admiring it carefully for a long time, he stopped in front of the two small statues on the left and the right beside the main god.These two small statues portray two children, a boy and a girl. People are used to calling them golden boys and jade girls.Zhang Zhidong found that the statues of these two villains were somewhat different from the others, and the proportions of their figures seemed a little uncoordinated, with a slightly bloated feeling.The look in the eyes is not enough, a little dull. He said to Ji Ningdao who was beside him: "These two small statues are probably not from the Song Dynasty, maybe they were made up by later generations." Wang Ding'an was looking at it, but a series of hearty laughter came from behind the shrine.Amidst the laughter came an old man with a bit of fairy air, and said to Zhang Zhidong: "This guest officer has good eyesight. The golden boys and jade girls are indeed not from the Song Dynasty, but from the Yuan Dynasty. Yes. It is shaped according to the appearance of the Mongols, so it is different from the Song sculpture. I have been in the Notre Dame Hall for more than forty years, and I have never seen a tourist who has not been identified by myself. This guest officer, you Really good eyesight!" The old man who said compliments was so good-looking that he immediately won Zhang Zhidong's favor.He smiled and said, "The old man is over the top. You said you have been in Notre Dame Hall for forty years, what are you doing here?" The old man replied: "I am a native of Pingyang Prefecture. I have been obsessed with ancient artifacts since I was a child. My family was poor and had no resources to buy antiques, so I came to Jinci Temple alone. I would rather sweep the floor and carry water for the priests in the Temple of Notre Dame. I just want to live in Jinci Temple. I am satisfied with these ancient utensils for many years. The Taoist Xianghuo of the Notre Dame Hall saw that I was sincere, so he kept me. I helped him work every day, and he also rewarded me with three vegetarian meals. Later, the Taoist Xianghuo passed away. I managed the Notre Dame Temple instead of him, and decades passed in a flash." Zhang Zhidong himself has a fondness for antiques, but he can't do it if he is asked to give up his fame and family for the sake of antiques.He couldn't help admiring this yet another Wu Qiuyi in front of him. After swimming for an hour, Baogeng was tired and thirsty. He said to the old man, "Bring us some tea, and bring us two stools to sit on!" "Okay, okay!" The old man said enthusiastically, "If you don't mind, please come and sit in my shabby room in the apse. I have boiled tea and will heat it on the fire." "Okay!" Bao Geng said hastily, "Then you lead the way!" The three followed the old man to a small room in the apse.The small room is simply furnished and kept clean.As soon as he was seated, the old man brought three bowls of hot tea.After being thirsty for a long time, I suddenly drank the fragrant tea made from hot spring water, as if drinking fine nectar, and my fatigue was reduced by half immediately. Wang Ding'an said to the old man: "I have heard for a long time that the signatures in the Hall of the Holy Mother of the Jinci Temple are very spiritual. Old man, are you doing this?" The old man smiled and said: "People outside say that, but it's just for fun, it's not true. I haven't drawn lots for many years." Bao Geng hurriedly said: "Take out the lottery holder, let's shake it, and have fun!" The old man smiled and didn't move. Wang Ding'an said: "Old man, we are not in vain, we will give you money." After that, he took out three coins from his sleeve pocket and handed it over.The old man smiled happily, and stretched out his hand to continue. Wang Ding'an said again: "You old man, it's too greedy to collect three silver coins for a few lottery rolls. How about this, the silver is still for you, and you have to cook us a dinner." The old man said cheerfully: "Okay, okay, I will give you the best dinner." The old man turned his face to the window and shouted: "Little Shuanzi, go to Li Xiaozi's house at the gate and tell us that he will send us a table of good food and dishes later, and the money will not be short of him!" "Understood!" A slightly childish voice came from outside. "I'll get the lottery and the lottery." 老头子起身走到床后，从一只旧木箱里拿出一个黑黄色的半尺来高的竹筒，竹筒里竖着几十支细长竹签；接着又拿出一本有些破损的簿册来。老头子双手捧着竹筒和簿册来到三个客人的面前，笑笑地说：“请摇签吧，只是莫太当真了。摇了好签，大家一同快乐快乐；若签不好，千万莫在意。” 王定安接过竹筒，讨好地对张之洞说：“您请先摇。” 张之洞说：“我要看这签灵不灵，你和葆翁先摇，灵的话我再摇。” “也好，我就先摇吧！” 王定安半眯着眼，将手中的竹筒上下晃动起来，嘴巴也跟着在动，好像在念什么祷文似的。一会儿，从竹筒里蹦出一支细竹签来，老头子弯腰拾起，递给王定安。众人看那签上写着“第八十九号”几个字。 老头子打开簿册，在第八十九号下出现两句诗：“山川云雾里，游子几时回？” 张之洞说：“这不是王勃的诗吗？” 王定安看了这两句诗后，大为激动起来：“死老头子，你这两句签文真是灵极了。” 说完，又转脸对葆庚说：“葆翁你说说看，这圣母殿的签怎么就这样灵验？” 葆庚笑着对张之洞说：“他昨天刚收到湖北来的家信，他哥哥劝他不要久在外做事，早点回家为好。” 张之洞的兴致也被吊了起来，说：“看来这签是灵的了！” 老头子咧开嘴大笑。 王定安说：“我也是累了，早有退隐林泉之志。等忙过这阵子后，我就回家，一辈子再不出来了。” "I'll try it too!" 葆庚从王定安手里拿过竹筒，摇了几摇，也摇出根竹签来，看那上面写着“第十五号”。众人看签簿上“第十五号”下也写着两句诗：“洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶。” “唉，圣母娘娘，你真是知我心的大慈大悲活菩萨！”葆庚把竹筒放到桌子上，无限感慨地说，“我虽然不大读诗，但王昌龄的这首诗我还是读过的，这两句诗真是说到我的心坎里了。我葆某拼死拼活为山西做事，偏就有人烂嘴烂舌说我的坏话。今天你们二位都在这里，日后要替我作证，我的清白，圣母娘娘都看到了。” 王定安忙说：“葆翁，神明在上，您是清白无辜的，放宽心好了！” 张之洞心里想：这签真有意思，是值得信还是不值得信呢？若说不信，王定安的已作了应验；若说信，难道葆庚就真的清白无辜？ 正在这样想时，老头子已把竹筒递了过来：“您这位老爷也摇一支，凑凑兴吧！” 张之洞想：摇摇也好，看看我会摇出个什么签文出来。 张之洞学他们的样也摇出一支来，那上面写着“第一百二十七号”。老头子翻开簿册，“第一百二十七号”下写了这样几句词：“云中谁寄锦书来，雁字回时，月满西楼。” 张之洞笑着说：“李清照的这几句词对我来说就不灵验了。我连眷属都没有，哪来的云中锦书！” 老头子笑眯眯地说：“客官有所不知，这签文有多层含意。对有眷属的人来说，指的自然是情书；对未成家或没有眷属的人来说，这指的便是近期内当有大喜讯来。” 葆庚赶紧接话：“这签文是灵的。早两天，我有一个朋友正托我为他的女儿找婆家。这女孩仗着人长得漂亮，心高得不得了，媒人踏破门槛，她一个也不同意。现在二十二三岁了，还没个人家，父母急得不行，要我帮他留意。” “你说的是谁家？”还没等张之洞说话，王定安便关心地问。 “是祁老二的四闺女。”葆庚答。 “噢，祁家的女儿？”王定安的两只小眼睛里顿时明亮起来，他对着张之洞说，“您可能没听说过，太原城里有句话，叫做祁家四朵花，压倒百万家。已出嫁的三个女儿我都见过，果真是一个个貌若天仙，据说四闺女又比三个姐姐更漂亮。这可是天大的喜讯，签上的这几句词好比圣母娘娘在做媒，切莫错过了这个机会。” 或许是“压倒百万家”这句话撩起了兴致，也或许是圣母殿签文带来了情趣，丧妻半年的张之洞突然想到，是应该找一个女人了。他快乐地答道：“行啊，我倒要看看祁家的四闺女到底怎么个美法！” “好，好！”葆庚击掌欢笑。“这事包到我身上，明天回城后我就来安排。” 正说着，李矮子家送来一桌丰盛的酒饭。老头子点燃蜡烛，大家围坐一桌，在圣母娘娘的身旁，兴致勃勃地喝酒吃饭。