Complete Song Dynasty Notes - (Second Edition) (V)

Author: Zhu Yian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
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Ong Gong once said: "[When I was young, a monk told me: 'If your ears are white beyond your face, you will be renowned throughout the world; if your lips do not touch your teeth, you will be free from slander. His words were quite strange.' If your ears are white beyond your face, that is something everyone can see. As for your lips not touching your teeth, I dare not ask you about it, but I wonder why. In Meizhou, there was a family that raised several hundred fish in a deep pool to make a living. The pool was surrounded by houses on all sides, and they raised fish there for over thirty years. One day, when the sky was clear and there was no thunder, a loud noise like thunder and rain suddenly erupted from the pool, and all the fish leaped up like horns and disappeared without a trace. The old saying goes: 'If there are no turtles guarding the pool, the dragon will come and take the fish.' I believe the dragon must have come because of the thunder and rain. I suspect that these fish have been in this enclosure for over thirty years, always eager to leap, with their spirits undiminished. Over time, they naturally reached their destination. During the Lantern Festival in Chang'an, it was said that it was a tradition to light lanterns along the Han Temple and the Great One from dusk till dawn. Emperor Jianwen of the Liang Dynasty wrote a 'Rhapsody on Lanterns,' and Emperor Minghuang of the Chen Dynasty wrote a poem titled 'Distant Ode to Mountain Lanterns.' In the Tianchi era of Emperor Minghuang of the Tang Dynasty, lanterns were set up in the eastern capital; during the Kaicheng era of Emperor Wenzong, lanterns were used to welcome the Empress Dowager. Thus, before the Tang Dynasty, lanterns were not set up every year. According to the Tang calendar, in the second year of the Piyi era, March, an edict was issued: '[This decree shall be implemented as a permanent model].' The paper was white, and there were many insects that had eaten it. From then on, the Ministry of Personnel issued decrees to various departments and counties using yellow paper. Xu Jian of the Tang Dynasty wrote 'Records for Beginners,' and Liu Ziyi of Zhongshan loved the book and said: '[It is not just for beginners; it can truly be a lifelong record.' When Lü Mengzheng was preparing for the imperial examination, he rented a room at Jilong Temple and entered Luoyang along the river. He locked himself in his room and left, traveling from winter to spring before returning. When he opened the door, he saw that a cluster of locust trees had grown in front of his bed, three feet tall, thick and bushy. That year, he passed the exam and became prime minister ten years later. The Tang imperial treasury had green wine cups with patterns like tangled silk, thin as paper. When wine was poured into them, they gently emitted steam like boiling water, and they were called '[Self-Warming Cups].' The Kingdom of Quanzhou sent in a pillow that was the color of horse brain. When used, it made one dream of the Ten Continents, the Three Islands, the Four Seas, and the Five Lakes. Emperor Minghuang named it '[Pillow for Traveling to Immortal Lands].' Li Bai, when young, dreamed that flowers grew from the tip of his pen, and later, his talent was abundant and he became renowned throughout the world. When new scholars passed the imperial examination, they sent home a golden paper notice, calling it '[My Belief]'—a sign of their success. During Emperor Wenzong's reign, this custom was abolished. In the palace during the Cold Food Festival, people would compete in swinging for fun, and Emperor Minghuang called it '[Half-Angelic Play]' because it was said to bring joy like the warmth of spring. Song Jing loved the people and cared for them, and people called him '[Spring with Feet]' because where he went, it was as if spring had arrived. Li Bai's conversations were always poetic and rhythmic, like beautiful flowers and lush algae, sparkling in his teeth. People called him '[Floral Discourse]' because of his eloquence. In the capital, men and women would ride in carriages and horses in the suburbs on the 15th day of the first lunar month, holding spring exploration banquets. During the Tang Dynasty, when Emperor Minghuang appointed ministers, he first wrote their names in eight-character script and covered them with a golden jar. A scholar named Lü Linfu, who claimed to be a descendant of Guan Zhong, later transformed into a pen. Guo Ziyi returned from Tongzhou and was ordered to host a banquet at his home, with each guest contributing three hundred coins. In the courtyard, there were two magpies that nested in a rose tree behind the hall. Whenever scholars gathered for a meal, the magpies would flutter around. If they made noise, it meant there would be an important decree or summons, so they were called '[Divine Magpies]'—hence the poem by Chao Hanlin: 'I heard the divine magpie's heart was joyful.' And he wrote a poem: '[The divine magpie first nested in the jade tree]'—referring to this. P336-337