Читать книгу Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong - Guo Xiaoting - Страница 17

CHAPTER 9

Soldiers surround the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat and bring back the mad monk in fetters; Ji Gong’s games with the village headmen end with a drunken entrance into the prime minister’s estate

Smoke in the distance slowly ascends

Through mists and driving rain,

A stillness by a knowing master hand.

The unwearied eye sweeps over

Hills and streams a thousand li.

Each day we thank the painter for his gift.

THE garrison commander complied as soon as he received the order to send five hundred soldiers to surround the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat and to arrest Ji Gong, and detailed two senior officials to command the men. In addition, officials of Linan prefecture detailed eight village headmen, and officials of other prefectures appointed another eight. All of them were dispatched as if they were on a military mission.

When they all arrived at the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat, the officers and soldiers surrounded the temple. The headmen then entered and asked the master of the temple where the crazy monk had gone. The old master of the temple said that he did not know. The headmen were as hard as steel. They immediately placed the master of the temple, senior monk Yuan Kong, in irons, saying: “Monk, your bravery is no little thing. You dared to have the great managers of Prime Minister Qin’s estate beaten!”

Then the attendant who served the master of the temple came and beseeched them to show mercy and not keep the old monk in irons. But the headmen simply put fetters on the attendant. The temple receptionist who kept the record of guests also pleaded with them, and he was treated in the same manner. Altogether, including the master of the temple and the superintendent of monks, seven monks were manacled and taken away to Prime Minister Qin’s estate.

When the headmen went to report, Prime Minister Qin immediately set up court in a summerhouse in the flower garden. Up to seventy people of his household stood outside in attendance. Those who had been sent on the mission came forward and gave their report, saying that they had brought back the master of the temple and other monks. They talked a bit more, and then the prime minister ordered that the monks appear before him. The headmen relayed the order to the soldiers, who brought the monks forward. The master of the temple was given a seat within the summerhouse, while the other monks were kept waiting outside on their knees.

Inside the summerhouse, the prime minister watched from behind a bamboo curtain, where he could see them clearly, but they could not see him. The prime minister asked, “Who among you several monks is the mad Buddhist priest? Speak your name!”

Each of the monks said his own name. The master of the temple said, “I am called Yuan Kong. I am the master of the temple.”

One said, “I am Guang Liang, the superintendent of monks.”

Another said, “I am the one who keeps the record of the guests.”

While another said, “I am the master’s attendant, Sung Duan.”

And still another, “I am the head caretaker of the mausoleum.”

As Prime Minister Qin heard these statements, he said, “Then the insane monk is not among you! I sent the people to bring in the mad monk because of his having beaten my managers.”

Guang Liang said, “I beg to inform the Great One. Ji Dian, the crazy monk of our temple, was originally a disciple of our temple master, Yuan Kong. When the honorable managers came, Ji Dian used his magical arts to cause the great managers to be beaten. We had no way of preventing what happened. I beg the Great One to be compassionate toward us and find us innocent.”

When Prime Minister Qin heard this statement, he ordered some of the estate people to go with the prefectural headmen to capture the mad monk. Later, when a few of the Qiantang headmen were searching inside the temple, they came to the place where the Great Memorial Pagoda was to be torn down. There, they saw the mad monk pointing and directing the workmen as he viewed the destruction that had occurred at the Great Memorial Pagoda.

Now, when these tile workers, carpenters, and laborers had heard that there had been an official order from Prime Minister Qin to demolish the Great Memorial Pagoda and to repair the prime minister’s great multi-storied pavilion, who among them would dare to disobey? Among them, however, were some good people who thought: “It is not an easy matter to build a temple. Who knows how much work is needed and how many contributions are required for the construction of such a high edifice? It would be a great misdeed to tear this down in one day, and I do not want to do such a thing. If I used my iron tools and broke one of the better tiles, that would amount to two hundred cash. I will not do it!”

Just then Ji Gong, who was off at one side, pointed with his hand, and the workmen simply dropped to the ground from wherever they were on the arch. Even though some of them were seven or eight yards above the ground, they all landed safely on their feet. As they fell, they thought to themselves, “How fortunate that we had not begun to destroy the arch! We might have fallen to our deaths. It was very dangerous!” They stood looking at one another and saying, “This will be something to talk about for some time to come!”

However, there were others who were actually starting to demolish the structure. They were those who had thought from the first, “To demolish this one and reconstruct the other will be two months’ work. Then the temple will require workmen to build another memorial pagoda, and that will be another couple of months’ work. That will be almost half a year’s work altogether.” Just as they began the demolition, Ji Gong pointed at them. They fell to the ground with their legs drawn up on some three-cornered rocks and were injured. Those rascals crawled home on all fours and lost half a year’s work while they recovered.

Ji Gong was just beginning to direct the first group of tile workers, carpenters, and laborers in the work of repair when the prime minister’s headmen appeared with thunderous shouts, brandishing their weapons of tempered steel. “All right, you monk, there,” said one, “you have caused all this turmoil and you are still here busily pointing and directing things.” They then put Ji Gong in irons.

The monk raised his head and looked about at the eight headmen: Big Zhou, Wang the second, Jang the third, Li the fourth, Sun the fifth, Liu the sixth, Keng the seventh, and Ma the eighth. They all pulled at him. So Ji Gong asked, “How great a disaster did I cause?”

Headman Zhou replied, “That is difficult to tell, and why should I? When you arrive at the prime minister’s residence, you will know and be happy.”

The monk said, “If you ask me to go like that, I will not go.”

Headman Zhou said, “Are you still trying to waste our time?”

The monk simply sat down on the ground. Under his breath he said, “Amitabha, Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum.”

Headman Zhou took his sword and tried to strike the monk, but was unable to do so. He called Wang the second to come to his aid. Wang the second pulled at Ji Gong with all his might, but could not move him. Wang the second said, “All the rest of you come here and help—don’t just stand there watching!”

They all tried. Chang the third, Li the fourth, Sun the fifth, Liu the sixth, Keng the seventh, and Ma the eighth all came and tried with all their might to make him move. But the monk was like a mountain of stone.

They all said, “This is very strange!” Then they heard behind them a man laughing at them. Headman Zhou turned his head and saw two of the headmen from another prefecture. One was named Tian Laibao, the other Wan Hengshan. These two were responsible to the same officer as the others. They were stout fellows and longtime friends of Headman Zhou. When they saw that Zhou and the others were unable to move the monk, one of them laughed and said: “All you fellows can do is eat. You have no business trying to quell disturbances with the rest of the head-men. Today something happens and you are not paying attention.”

When headman Zhou heard this, he said, “First of all, you two should not be so ready with your talk. If you two want to pull the monk up and along, we are willing to let you do it.”

Tian Laibao said, “If I cannot pull the monk up, I will drop the family name of Tian.”

Wan Hengshan said, “If I am unable to get the monk up and going, I will no longer eat my meals in the six-family village. Now, if you will just step aside…”

The others stepped back. They saw the two hitch up their pants, tighten their belts, and straighten their hats and clothing. Then the two stepped forward a few paces and fell on their knees before the monk, saying, “Respected sir, please stop distressing these people. Just look at them. If you will not go, the prime minister will be angry with them. He will talk to our boss, who will have to do something. We will then all be disciplined and discharged. The old and young in our homes will go hungry. I beg you, respected sir, to show compassion.”

Hearing this, the monk smiled coldly and replied, “If you two had asked in this way before, I would have gone long ago. Headman Tian, what is your honorable name?”

When Headman Tian heard this question, he said, “You know my name is Tian. Why do you ask?”

The monk said, “Your name was not mentioned before.”

Headman Tian said, “My personal name is Laibao.”

Again the monk spoke: “Headman Wan, what is your honorable name?”

Wan Hengshan said, “Teacher, do not be annoyed with us. Have mercy, have mercy upon us. Let us go with them.”

The monk said, “Go then. Go!”

Then Tian Laibao said, “Headman Zhou, now that the worst of this business is over, I beg to leave you.”

“You can go now,” said Headman Zhou, coming over to take Tian’s place.

By this time they had led the monk out of the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat and had covered two li (roughly two-thirds of a mile) along the shore of the West Lake and the Su Embankment. In this area there were many wine shops. The monk stopped in front of the gate of one wine shop, sat down on the ground, and would not go on.

Headman Zhou asked, “Teacher, why don’t we go on? Do you want a drink?”

The monk replied, “Perhaps I do not want a drink, but I want to ask you something. In this sort of business you adapt yourself. If you are on a mountain, you eat what is on the mountain. If you are near water, you drink the water. If you are among yellow trees, you wear yellow clothing. If there be not many, there may be few. If it be not large, it may be small. Now, if there are friends of mine who see me being taken to the prime minister’s residence, how will you handle that? In this business I feel that you must spend a few cash on the monk. If not, I cannot calmly and peacefully go along with you.”

When Headman Zhou heard this, he thought to himself, “I have been in this business for so many years, but this is the first time that anyone involved in a court action has asked me for money.” Headman Zhou then said, “Teacher, you are a person who has left the world. What do you want to do with the money you are asking for?”

The monk replied, “I must drink wine. If I am not befuddled, I cannot go on.”

Headman Zhou said, “It is possible to drink wine. How many pots of wine does Teacher usually drink?” The monk asked for twenty pots. The wine shop sent out the wine. The monk pretended that his neck was that of a bottle and declaimed as he drank:

Restraint!

In drinking keeps the temper mild,

From lechery, brings long life.

Property thus accumulates,

And families are kept from strife.

In the twinkling of an eye, the monk had finished the wine. Headman Zhou had just the number of cash in his pocket needed to pay for the wine, not one more and not one less. As he noticed this, he said, “Teacher, if you had drunk another pot, my money would not have been enough, and if you had drunk one pot less, I would have had a few cash left over.”

The monk said, “Headman Zhou, when you got up this morning, wasn’t it your wife who gave you that money?”

“That is so,” he replied.

The monk said, “That is the money that I gave your wife last night.”

Headman Zhou said, “Teacher, do not joke. Let us go on quickly.” And he led the monk on for about two li more.

The monk said, “Headman Zhou, you change over and let someone else lead me.”

Headman Zhou asked, “What for?”

The monk replied, “You do not have enough money. Change to another man.”

Headman Zhou called upon Headman Wang to lead. As he started off with the monk he said, “Teacher, keep going.”

The monk said, “I will not go. Do you know why Headman Zhou is not leading me?” Headman Wang did not know, so Ji Gong continued: “In order to lead this monk, he had to spend some money on him.”

Headman Wang said, “What does the teacher want to do with money?”

The monk said, “Drink wine!”

Headman Wang said, “Drink then, Teacher.”

The monk said, “Give me ten pots of wine.”

“Right!” said Headman Wang. “I brought only four hundred cash, just enough. I have no more.”

Ji Gong drank the ten pots of wine. He wanted to be drunk when he reached the prime minister’s estate. Wang led the monk for another two li.

The monk then said, “Headman Wang, you, too, must change places with someone else. Another person must lead me.”

Headman Wang said, “Teacher, you are not being reasonable. When Headman Wang led you from the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat, that was two li, and then you drank wine. When you finished drinking, you again went two li. After four li you changed leaders. Then you would not go. Before you would move another step, you had to drink some wine. Now you have gone only two li. Why do you want to change leaders again?”

The monk explained, “Headman Zhou gave me twenty pots of wine. You are worth ten pots of wine.”

“I will not argue with you,” said Headman Wang. “Headman Zhang, you come and lead.”

Headman Zhang said, “Teacher, if you want to drink, just go ahead and drink. Here we are in front of the Inn of the Drunken Immortal. I have credit here—drink your fill.”

The monk said, “Give me thirty pots of wine.”

When Zhang the third heard this, he opened his mouth, sticking out his tongue in astonishment, and said: “Teacher, old man, how much wine do you drink in one day?”

The monk answered, “I really do not drink very much. In the morning when I get up, I drink two catties. After I eat breakfast, I drink another two catties. After I eat the evening meal, I drink two more catties. If I get up in the night, I do not drink.”

“Then you just go to bed after the evening meal?” asked Zhang the third.

“I jump into the wine jar and soak myself,” said the monk. “If I do not soak myself, I cannot satisfy my habitual thirst.”

He then drank the thirty pints given him by Zhang the third. There was a pause in the conversation after all this explanation, and the eight headmen also had a drink.

When they arrived at the gate of Prime Minister Qin’s residence, the servants, who thought that the prime minister should be given a little time until his anger had cooled, detained them.

Headman Zhou announced, “We are here, we are here!” and led Ji Gong into the residence. He looked around at the awe-inspiring surroundings.

Along the winding corridors were cases

Made to contain the great man’s curios.

Within were pairs of hollow white jade vessels

Carved in the shape of Chinese unicorns.

Beside the door of the great hall, a man-made grotto,

Crafted of curious stones from distant places,

Enclosed beneath the vault of its most spacious cavern

A chair with wheels, a chair of great antiquity,

Encrusted everywhere with precious coral.

In such a chair an emperor might ride

Or a noble’s mother pushed by her filial son behind,

For it was clearly made for ceremony.

Embowering, but not concealing it, there was

A standing screen of pierced and sculptured lacquer

In color and brightness like the wings of kingfishers.

Closely crowded everywhere among the fine embroideries

Gleamed treasures from ancient ruined dynasties,

Like jewels spread out upon the richest tapestry,

Gifts from the palace of the emperor

Proclaiming Chin to be that reign’s prime minister.

Headman Zhou led Ji Gong into the interior. There, Headman Zhou would make his report, and there the lohan would exercise the arts of Buddha and make manifest their powers.

As Ji Gong was led further into the residence by Headman Zhou, he saw that the old master of the temple, together with the superintendent, the attendant, and some others were standing along the veranda. When the monk arrived in front of the summerhouse, he did not kneel as the others had. Prime Minister Qin looked out at him through the bamboo blind and now realized that he was only a poor, ragged Buddhist priest.

Prime Minister Qin slapped the table before him loudly as he spoke. “You have a lot of gall for a crazy monk! I sent my household people to the temple to borrow some large timbers in a friendly way, not acting as if they were carrying out official duties. But you dared to use your demonic arts and beat my managers. Tell me the truth!”

The monk then wanted to explain how the managers had wanted to tear down the Great Memorial Pagoda, and how he had told them not to, and how the fight had started—but of these things he did not speak. Instead the monk said, “Oh great man, you still ask me! You hold the office of prime minister established by the three great councils, an office in which one should promote goodness, perform virtuous deeds, and bring about general prosperity. Now, without reason, you tear down and destroy buildings on Buddhist land—the more I think of it, the more my anger as a monk rises. Let the great man have me thrown down and given forty strokes of the bamboo and then ask again!”

When Prime Minister Qin heard these words, he broke into a rage and said, “What a brave, crazy priest! How do you dare to criticize a great minister? Come! You two from the left and right there, seize this crazy monk and throw him to the ground. Give him a good forty strokes for me.”

Now these bamboo clubs used in punishments at the home of the prime minister were more terrible than those used anywhere else, because the hollow parts of the bamboo were filled with water. No matter how strong a man might be, forty strokes would break skin and bones. When Ji Gong heard the order given to beat him and the two men were about to begin, he pulled himself loose from their grasp. He leapt between the old temple master and the superintendent of the monks and stood among the other monks.

Three of the household people came over and thrust out their arms to grasp Ji Gong and throw him down upon the ground saying, “Very good, monk! You think you can hide from us and that will be the end of it.”

One held his head down and one held his feet. The monk’s head was to the west. The man with the bamboo stood at the south so that the prime minister could witness the punishment. The man raised the bamboo and administered forty strokes. The monk said not a word. After the three had finished, they stepped aside.

When the prime minister looked, he shouted, “You dog heads! I told you to beat the crazy monk! Why did you beat the superintendent?”

The three looked and felt a bit odd. Just now they had been sure that they were holding the mad monk. How could he have changed into Superintendent Guang Liang?

Guang Liang was now able to say, “Ai ya! You have killed me!” Up to this moment his mouth had been covered and he had been unable to speak during the forty blows. There was broken skin, wounded flesh, and much blood!