An auspicious omen appeared at Zhang Family Ridge. A hundred-year-old peach tree was too old, and the owner prepared to cut it down, otherwise next spring and summer it would attract all the termites from the Qinling Mountains. A Taoist took a fancy to a section of the peach wood, planning to saw it off to make several century-old peach wood swords. Who could have imagined that after sawing open the branches, the pattern in the tree’s heart looked extremely bizarre. After the Taoist polished it, what appeared was clearly a painting of “Laozi Leaving Through the Pass.” The image of Laozi and the appearance of the green ox were lifelike.
This was extraordinary! This was a true divine miracle! The County Magistrate of Wannian was so excited he couldn’t speak. He personally knocked at the palace gates to report this auspicious omen to the Emperor. Upon hearing this, the Emperor was greatly pleased with his dragon countenance and dispatched important ministers to investigate. Wang Gui, half-believing and half-doubting, personally inspected it and was overjoyed—indeed, just as the county magistrate said, it truly was extremely similar. After calming down, he ordered people to scrub it with clean water to see if it was real. As a result, after scrubbing with clean water, the pattern became even more vividly red, actually revealing an ancient and simple flavor.
After burning incense and bathing, the Emperor personally traveled to Zhang Family Ridge and received the peach tree owner’s family—a household of four, an honest and simple farmer with his wife, one son and one daughter. All were rarely seen good people. In earlier years, the male head of household had even accompanied the army in distant campaigns against the Turks and established military merit. Now his leg was somewhat lame, yet he continued farming tirelessly.
Zhangsun personally consoled the farm wife. The farm wife was so frightened she knelt on the ground sweating profusely, unable to speak a complete sentence. If such a family could also fabricate things, finding honest people under heaven would be too difficult.
In great delight, His Majesty the Emperor asked the old soldier what he wanted. The old soldier scratched the back of his head, hemming and hawing for a long time before carefully asking His Majesty the Emperor if he could bestow upon him an ox.
The Wannian County Magistrate wished he could go up and kick him a few times—completely wasting such a good opportunity. But His Majesty the Emperor was even more pleased. The people’s customs were pure and simple—this was the merit of his own civilizing influence. With a grand wave of his hand, he bestowed two oxen for plowing, ten bolts of brocade, and a hundred strings of copper cash. Wei Zheng, smiling, personally conferred the Emperor’s rewards upon the old soldier. With his sharp eye, he discovered no problems in this.
His Majesty the Emperor personally viewed the old peach tree and personally inspected that pattern. Indeed, as Wang Gui said, on that section of dead wood stump as thick as a bowl, a painting of “Laozi Leaving Through the Pass” had clearly appeared. The whiskers and hair were clearly discernible, full of ancient meaning, definitely not man-made. He immediately prostrated himself in worship. Unfortunately the peach tree had died, so he ordered people to cut down the peach tree’s branches and collect them as supreme treasures in the imperial palace, with incense offerings continuous through all four seasons and eight festivals.
Ministers continuously submitted memorials—such a treasure needed to be stored at Laozi Observatory. Laozi was the ancestor of Daoism, not only the imperial family’s ancestor but also the ancestor of all the people. He needed to receive incense from all people. Li Er had no choice but to store the peach wood stump at Laozi Observatory. For a time, Chang’an’s common people swarmed there. Laozi Observatory’s gates had to remain open day and night, welcoming pilgrims from all directions.
Once this object appeared, all gods and buddhas in Chang’an paled in comparison. In a short time, no new gods or buddhas emerged. The Wannian County Magistrate was also promoted three ranks for this and swaggered off to Huainan to assume the post of Regional Inspector.
In Huang Shu’s bathhouse, Yun Ye lay naked on a bamboo bed while Huang Shu vigorously scrubbed his back. When Yun Ye’s entire body was rosy red like a steamed crab, he dove into the clear water pool. Taking warmed yellow wine from a wooden bucket floating on the water’s surface, he drank a mouthful and said softly to Huang Shu sitting opposite, “Forget about this matter. Let this method disappear from now on. Once it spreads, you’ll die without a burial place.”
“My lord, this was originally a method only deities possess. How could a crude person like me learn it? Huang Shu owes his new life to the academy. Even if my life is at stake, I won’t betray the academy.”
Yun Ye smiled. Rising and drying his body before dressing, he left the bathhouse. Great Tang had too many secrets—one more wouldn’t matter. After that wooden stump received incense offerings for thousands of years, perhaps it really would become a divine object. Who knew?
Xuanzang would enter the city tomorrow. Would there still be the grand scene of the entire city emptying out in prostrate worship? Balanced power made for interesting struggles. Otherwise, having Xuanzang alone perform a one-man show would be too boring.
The Bureau of Astronomy frantically reported to His Majesty the Emperor that they had discovered almost all the princes had extraordinary origins, especially Crown Prince Li Chengqian. Li Er reluctantly listened to the Bureau of Astronomy’s flattery of the princes, then returned to the rear palace frowning at Li Chengqian. He believed the Crown Prince’s actions truly lacked proper bearing.
Li Chengqian smiled bitterly. Li Tai stepped forward and said to his father, “Imperial Father, please don’t blame this on elder brother. I was the one who forced the Bureau of Astronomy to submit these memorials. From now on if such matters occur again, I’ll want to kill someone.”
“Isn’t being called the Literary Star Lord descended good? After all, it’s an auspicious sign for the imperial family. You causing such a ruckus—wouldn’t it invite ridicule? You really are too frivolous, too senseless.”
“Imperial Father, saying today’s achievements are thanks to ancestral blessings is naturally proper. But saying I’m some star lord descended is nonsense. My flesh and bones were given by Imperial Father and Mother. My learning came from teachers’ instruction plus my own hard study. In the path of learning, where are there shortcuts? The Bureau of Astronomy calling what I learned through hard work as heaven-sent is an insult to me. Moreover, doing this has not half a benefit to Great Tang’s foundation. If I don’t let them make fools of themselves once, I cannot vent my heart’s fury.”
Li Er also smiled bitterly. A good matter was forcibly turned into a joke by Li Tai. Now whoever mentioned the Literary Star Lord would certainly invite everyone’s mockery, including Li Tai himself.
The academy wasn’t idle either. Sun Simiao’s “Thousand Gold Prescriptions” was taken apart and, according to different prescriptions, printed into countless single pages. The academy’s lower grade students specifically spent their rest days each carrying a large stack to distribute everywhere. Chang’an people had never seen such good fortune. One by one they scrambled to grab the single pages. Whether literate or not, everyone wanted to obtain a prescription from Immortal Sun, so they’d have something to boast about—their family possessed a great work by Immortal Sun.
Yun Ye didn’t plan to let all of Chang’an know how to treat illness, but the hygiene knowledge taught above was of paramount importance: drinking boiled water, washing hands before meals and after using the toilet, garbage disposal, disease prevention—even simple protective measures against plague epidemics. Wannian County didn’t get the divine wood, but treated Master Sun’s suggestions as key points to implement. The county magistrate personally went to the streets, assigned tasks, cleaned dark ditches, and ordered people to fill in many stagnant water ponds. Master Sun said mosquitoes and flies bred from these stagnant water ponds and were the source of all diseases.
Xuanzang still entered the capital. Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial went thirty li to welcome him. Xiao Yu, as Xuanzang’s main sponsor, naturally went personally. Li Xiaogong also brought Li Huairen along. How could such excitement lack Yun Ye? He and Dan Ying, each with a Yun family young master perched on their necks, came to Vermillion Bird Gate. Choosing a good spot, they waited to see what crowds called the holy monk’s grand arrival.
There were many people, but still far from reaching the degree of “ten thousand households emptying” recorded in history books. Watching from afar as Xuanzang riding a white horse emerged from the city gate tunnel, Yun Ye almost couldn’t recognize that this emaciated monk was the dashing Xuanzang of earlier years. Riding on the horse with a dignified countenance, although black as coal, from his bones emanated an air of compassion for heaven and pity for humanity. The bright red kasaya draped over him, Daoxin led the horse in front, four white-bearded and long-browed old monks behind continuously chanting scriptures. Flower-clothed boys continuously scattered petals from baskets—all chrysanthemums, carpeting the ground golden yellow.
Who knew how many golden chrysanthemums the monks destroyed? In any case, from the distant end of the road all the way to the city gate, they formed a golden yellow path. Xuanzang dismounted. Naturally someone knelt to serve as a mounting stone. Xuanzang stepped on this person’s back to dismount and actually bestowed a blessing by touching his crown. Yun Ye watched with his own eyes as that dismounting stone convulsed with happiness and fainted.
“Pig, pig, Daddy, pig!” Yun Baoer on Yun Ye’s neck pulled his father’s hair to make him look at the pig. Yun Ye looked over strangely—could there really be a pig demon appearing?
Damn it, there really was! Where did Xuanzang find these three attendants? The first wore a peacock golden crown. Although dark and thin like a monkey, wearing a kasaya and golden crown, he still had somewhat the appearance of an eminent monk. The latter two were unbearable to look at. One had a belly as large as a drum, short limbs, dark face, thick lips turned outward, nostrils pointing skyward. Yun Baoer had really found the most appropriate word to describe this bhikkhu monk. The last one shouldered a huge burden, was built large and sturdy, his body hair curled all over, his exposed chest full of dark curly hair. Yun Ye strongly suspected this person hadn’t fully evolved. But seeing him carrying the heavy burden yet walking with unusual lightness, he nudged Dan Ying and asked, “Could this guy be an absolute master?”
Dan Ying’s expression was grave. He said quietly to Yun Ye, “Never mind the one carrying the burden—that one wearing the golden crown is definitely a master with steel bones and iron frame. Don’t look at how thin and small he is, but among the three he’s the strongest master.”
“You’re not going to tell me that fatty who looks like a pig is also a master, are you?” According to legend, the three servants who returned with Tang Monk all had extraordinary skills. Could this fatty really have Zhu Bajie’s abilities?
“No. That fatty is just a servant, doesn’t know martial arts. How could there be so many masters under heaven? Just don’t know how high that golden-crowned one’s martial arts really are.”
“Want to try? Don’t be anxious—there’ll be opportunities. If Xuanzang’s itinerary in Chang’an doesn’t include the academy, I’d despise him. You should know our academy now is no ordinary institution. If he wants to propagate dharma in Chang’an, he can’t avoid the academy. Besides, Xuanzang still owes me an agreement. He’ll come.” Having seen the strange people, Yun Ye naturally had no interest in watching those fanatic believers worship Xuanzang. Taking Dan Ying back to the restaurant, he prepared to eat a meal then go home.
The food had just arrived when someone opened the screen surrounding the dining table. Daoxin, who had just been leading the horse below, walked in and saluted, saying, “Marquis Yun, your old friend has returned from ten thousand li away. Why hide in darkness and not meet?”
“Great Master Daoxin, today’s grand assembly belongs to Xuanzang, belongs to Buddhism. Yun Ye is a worldly person—at this moment, naturally it’s not convenient to meet. When the prosperity fades and Xuanzang returns to the quietude of green lamp and ancient Buddha, I’ll naturally pay a visit and properly listen to exotic customs.”