Emperor Tongzhi

Author: Zhao Hui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-07-01
Features: Sheng, though he did not achieve much on the historical stage, was given the honored title of "Tongzhi" (Tongzhi Rejuvenation). Yet he was also tragic—blessed with the right timing but lacking the right people, he aspired to study the classics and revitalize the Great Qing Dynasty, restore the glory of his ancestors, but the times would not allow, nor would his mother permit it. In his political despair, he turned to self-abandonment, indulging in life, and demeaning himself. What he could not find in the noble palace, he sought fragments in the red-light district: "Why must the bones return to their homeland? Life finds no green hills but in every place." Since his father had passed away, what was the point of transporting the coffin to the capital? It would be better to temporarily choose a place nearby for burial and make plans later." Huizheng's wife thought for a moment and agreed. "This makes sense. The journey to the capital is long, and it would be difficult for a mother and child to carry a coffin. Besides, our family has long been depleted of wealth. Even if we bring the coffin back to the capital, how could we give our husband a proper burial? Both my family and my husband's family were once prominent officials, though now reduced to poverty, our family's reputation still stands, and my husband had many connections. Even a simple funeral requires some dignity. But with our current circumstances, even if we exhausted all our resources, we could not give him a dignified burial. It's better to bury him here. Why worry so much when one is in dire straits?" Huizheng's wife agreed with Ruilin's view and asked Master Kongyun to find a suitable place in this wilderness to bury her husband.
Master Kongyun thought for a moment and said, "This mountain is called Fenghuang Mountain, shaped like a phoenix spreading its wings." As he spoke, he pointed with his finger, showing the crowd where the phoenix's head, body, and tail were. Following his directions, they looked around and indeed saw the mountain resemble a giant phoenix spreading its wings. Master Kongyun then added, "Our temple is called Fenghuang Temple, situated on the phoenix's neck. According to local lore, there is a fascinating story associated with this temple."
"What story? Master, please share it with us so we may hear it," Ruilin asked with a smile. Master Kongyun nodded. "It is said that long ago, the phoenix on Fenghuang Mountain often spewed fire, causing great harm to the local people—either destroying their crops or bringing years of disaster and plague. The people suffered greatly. One year, a traveling Taoist passed by this area and wandered around Fenghuang Mountain for several days. In the end, he told the villagers that there was a fire phoenix in the mountain that would spew fire every three years, and whenever it did, the surrounding area would face calamity. The villagers asked the Taoist for a way to subdue the fire phoenix. He agreed and spent seven days and nights exploring the mountain. Eventually, he discovered a method to tame the fire phoenix—suggesting that the villagers build a temple here and face its doors toward the phoenix's beak. This temple was then called Fenghuang Temple."
Looking from the temple doors toward the southeast, they indeed saw that the doors faced the phoenix's beak, and everyone was amazed. They asked, "After the Fenghuang Temple was built, did the mountain still spew fire?" Master Kongyun shook his head. "Strangely enough, ever since the temple was built, the fire phoenix has never spewed fire again, not even to this day."
After a while, Master Kongyun added, "Before leaving, the traveling Taoist told the villagers, 'The saying goes: The phoenix never alights on a place without treasure.' Since this mountain is called Fenghuang Mountain and has a fire phoenix, there must be a Feng Shui treasure spot here, and that spot must be where the fire phoenix is tamed." Ruilin listened and was slightly taken aback. "According to your words, the Feng Shui treasure spot must be in your Fenghuang Temple," he said.
Master Kongyun shook his head. "At first, the local people also believed so. They invited many Feng Shui masters to verify, and all agreed that the Feng Shui was not in our temple. I have been meditating here for decades and have contemplated every corner of the temple. The Feng Shui is certainly not here."