Complete Notes on the Song Dynasty - (Second Edition) (Volume 10)

Author: Zhu Yian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Tiger Hill, the former residence of Prince Jin Wenxun. Wenxun once served as the Interior Minister of Wu, so both he and his brother Ming chose to reside in Wu. Tradition holds that their residence was located in Rihua Lane within the city, now the site of Jingde Temple. Tiger Hill was their outer residence. Wenxun and Ming originally had separate eastern and western residences in front of the hill, which were later donated to the temple and named Eastern and Western Temples. Today, the temple stands atop the hill, overlooking Jianchi. The elders believe that by the end of the Huichang era, the temple inscriptions did not include the character "" (wèi), while the yellow-cloth-bound inscriptions lacked the character "" (sì). Today, based on the Xu (Xu-copied) version, the temple has been restored, and the land returned to the people. Even the current farmers can point out the former location. In the early Da Zhong era, the original inscriptions did not include the character "" (chū), which has now been added according to the yellow-cloth-bound version. When the temple was rebuilt, it was moved to a higher location, which explains why the original inscriptions lacked the character "" (Ming), which has now been corrected based on the yellow-cloth-bound version. The temple's western side also had a small courtyard called Western Hermitage, though it now exists only in name. My great-grandfather's former residence was adjacent to Jingde Temple. During the invasion by the Tartars, Jingde Temple was destroyed, but Tiger Hill miraculously survived. Its scenic beauty remains a treasure of Wu.
Xu Fu, known as the Incorruptible Scholar of Jianzhou, was a native of Jianzhou. He initially passed the imperial examinations but later abandoned his studies after learning the I Ching from a hermit and combining it with the Six-Heavenly-Way and the Twelve-Animal Cycle. Believing that divination would bring him no fortune, he gave up the examinations. When Fan Wenzheng served as governor of Suzhou, he once suspected that foreign tribes might rise in rebellion and asked Xu Fu to predict. Xu Fu foretold that troops would be sent west, starting in a certain year and month and reaching their peak in another, causing chaos in the land. Fan Wenzheng thus intensified his discussions on border affairs, and all his predictions proved accurate when the Yuan Wu rebelled. Emperor Renzong heard of this and summoned Xu Fu, asking him about military matters. Xu Fu replied, "This year is marked by minor faults, with the yang position lost and not properly aligned. Only by strengthening the ruler's virtue can one rectify this." He was appointed as Da Li Ping Shi (Grand Censor) but declined the position, receiving an official title and returning home. His former residence was on Wansong Ridge in Hangzhou. At the time, Lin Hejing was still alive, and Hangzhou was known as the land of the two scholars. After Hejing's death, Xu Fu finally received a posthumous title. Another contemporary of Xu Fu was Guo Jing, who also practiced divination but was overly talkative about military matters and lacked refinement, which hindered his recognition.
In Taoist lore, there are the "Three Corps" (Sān Shī), also known as the "Three Peng," believed to be three insects within the human body that record one's faults. On the day of Gengshen (), they are said to enter a person's dreams and report these faults to the heavens. Thus, practitioners of Taoism avoid sleeping on Gengshen days, a practice called "guarding Gengshen," or take medicine to kill the Three Corps. The folly of petty men can reach such extremes. If one follows Taoist teachings, it is to accumulate merits and virtues for spiritual advancement, not to avoid faults and resent their being recorded. Yet some go to the lengths of not sleeping to guard against them or taking medicine to kill them. How can one have no intention of committing faults yet hope to deceive the heavens by concealing them, thereby becoming a divine captive? The heavens watch over all, accepting the Three Corps' secret reports as slander. Their absurdity is clear. Yet no practicing Taoist fails to believe this. Liu Zihou, known as the "Stiff-Necked," also wrote a "Rebuke to the Corpse Insects."
In the late Tang Dynasty, the original inscriptions had the character "" (Tang) added before "" (shàng), which has now been corrected based on the Xu and Huang-copied versions. There was a Taoist named Cheng Zixiao, who one day attended a gathering at the Zhongnan Taiji Temple to guard Gengshen. Cheng Zixiao laughed and said, "What use are the two corpse insects? My master uses them to scare the wicked." He then composed a poem to share with the others:
"I do not guard Gengshen nor doubt,
My heart forever clings to the Tao.
The Jade Emperor already knows my deeds,
Let the Three Peng speak all they please."
He threw his brush and snored like thunder. Though the poem was simple, none of his followers ever dared to call it a bad omen. Who would say Liu Zihou was inferior to this scholar?
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