Monk champion Li Wenzheng

During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a poor Xiushi surnamed Li Wenzheng in Shaanzhou, and his wife Zhao's name was Suyue, and the couple were very affectionate. Li Wenzheng studied hard in the cold window, hoping that one day the Toad Palace would win the crown. Zhao Suyue is hardworking and virtuous, spinning and weaving cloth day and night for her husband to study, saving money and frugality. This year coincided with the opening of the examination room in Beijing, Zhao Suyue sold the hairpin ring jewelry that she accompanied when she got married, and used the silver money she usually accumulated as a coil to send her husband to Beijing for the examination.
　　Unexpectedly, it was the traitor Yan Song who served as the chief examiner at that time, and although Li Wenzheng was in the examination room, he was removed from Yan Song because he had no money to give gifts and bribes. After Li Wenzheng fell off the list, his mood was extremely heavy, thinking of his virtuous wife who worked day and night to gain fame for herself, and worked hard, and now all the hard work and sweat have been wasted, what kind of face do you have to go home to see your wife? What's more, the water is far away and the mountains are long and penniless. Li Wenzheng, who was exhausted, decided to live this life, and in order not to cause trouble to the shopkeeper, he quietly went out of the capital alone to the eastern suburbs and hanged himself from a willow tree.
　　It was also Li Wenzheng's fate that should not be extinguished, and at this time, it happened that Elder Dongming, the abbot of Yongfu Temple in Baiyun Mountain, was passing by here and rescued Li Wenzheng, who was still breathing. Elder Dong Ming asked, "What is the scholar's surname, and where is his hometown?" Why is it so suicidal? ”
　　Li Wenzheng knelt down in front of Elder Dongming, told his story one by one, and then pleaded: "Since the old Zen master saved Xiaosheng's life, Xiaosheng has also lost his thoughts, so I implore the old Zen master to take Xiaosheng under his door!" ”
　　Elder Dong Ming sighed: "Today's encounter is the fate of you and me, seeing that you are so sincere, the old man accepts you." ”
　　After Li Wenzheng followed Elder Dongming to Yongfu Temple in Baiyun Mountain, Jingdong, the old Zen master ordained Li Wenzheng and took the Dharma name Fazheng. Since then, Fa Zheng has devoted himself to the Buddha, reciting scriptures and copying scriptures every day. In addition to teaching Buddhism, Elder Dong Ming often talked with him about the past and the present, and the master and apprentice were like close friends.
　　This Yongfu Temple has a history of 100 years, and the temple is dilapidated and needs to be repaired urgently. So he asked the disciples to raise funds for repair, and the disciples followed the teacher's orders, each holding a bowl and going to their own things, and Fa Zheng was of course among them.
　　Five years have passed in a blink of an eye, and the wealth raised by the disciples is enough for the temple repair. Elder Dongming invited Seiko craftsmen to spend two years to renovate the mountain gate, the Daxiong Treasure Palace, the side hall of the two compartments, the scripture hall, and the bell and drum tower, and recast a large bronze bell to replace the original old bell with missing ears and teeth.
　　After the renovation was completed, Elder Dong Ming presided over a grand ceremony. The first thing to do in the celebration is to strike the bell and play Buddhist music. Unexpectedly, the newly cast bell did not ring several times. The monks and foundry craftsmen looked at each other in amazement.
　　Elder Dongming clasped his hands together, recited the Buddha name of "Amitabha", and then said to the monks: "The bell does not ring, because there is still a good fate of the benefactor, and the disciples still need to work hard again to recruit again. ”
　　So, the monks went down the mountain for the second time. After Fa Zheng descended the mountain, he walked alone through the streets and alleys, begging for alms along the village with a bowl in hand. On this day, Fa Zheng came to a village, and while walking with his head down, he suddenly heard the sound of the bowl in his hand, and a copper plate fell into the bowl. Fa Zheng looked up and saw that it was a woman in a thorn hairpin cloth skirt. The woman looked at Fa Zheng with stunned eyes, and suddenly burst into tears and said, "Official, I can find you!" ”
　　Fa Zheng was stunned for a moment - it turned out that this female benefactor was actually his wife Zhao Suyue! Fa Zheng's heart trembled, and he suddenly thought of Master's words: Could it be that the big bell that Master said does not ring because there is still a benefactor, and "good karma is not over", it should be on Su Yue's body? Just now, Zhao Suyue threw the copper plate into the bowl, and the sound was extremely loud, didn't it respond to what the master said, "Sound is enough"? Both things happened to me, could it be that the Buddha deliberately arranged them...... Zhao Suyue saw that Fa Zheng was silent, tears welled up in her eyes like a spring, and she cried while pouring out the pain of parting. Her husband went to Beijing to take the exam for several years and did not return and there was no news, Zhao Suyue was restless day and night, and later left home to find her husband. It is inconceivable for a woman who has never left home to leave her home and look for a needle in a haystack for her husband. Zhao Suyue had less and less money on her body, and finally had to beg along the road, so she searched for five or six years without finding any trace of her husband. On this day, she met a kind sister-in-law, who not only gave her a full meal, but also gave her a copper plate when she left. Zhao Suyue was holding the copper plate, and she was meeting this monk, she wanted to give the copper plate to the monk to form a good fate in order to ask the Buddha to bless her husband, but she didn't expect that this monk was her husband Li Wenzheng, who she had been looking for for five or six years.
　　Zhao Suyue was full of joy and sorrow, and she didn't care that her husband in front of her was already a monk, so she grabbed Fa Zheng's hand and cried and said: "Official, you and I have been separated for many years, and we have been blessed by the Buddha to meet here by coincidence, let's go home." Fa Zheng hurriedly withdrew his hand and took two steps back, choked up and said, "Su Yue, I'm sorry for you...... However, since I have entered the empty door, I don't want to return to the vulgar, you better go back and find a good family to live in peace......" Zhao Suyue was angry and painful when she heard this, and said in a trembling voice: "You are so ruthless and unrighteous, ignoring my suffering over the years? If you refuse to go home, I will follow you, and I will follow you wherever you go! Fa Zheng frowned but had nothing to do, just like that, a monk reluctantly took a woman back to Baiyun Mountain.
　　When Elder Dongming saw that Fa Zheng was returning with a woman, he asked, "Why did you bring a female bodhisattva when you were ordered to go down the mountain to turn your fate?" Fa Zheng had no choice but to truthfully explain the reason to the master, and Elder Dongming smiled and said: "In this case, the female donor should not be slow to come, but the female benefactor of my temple Buddhist rules should also understand." Please go to the village outside the temple for a few days, and wait for the bronze bell to be cast. After that, he ordered Zhao Suyue to go to the house of the monk under the mountain.
　　The next day, Elder Dong Ming sent his apprentices to invite a casting craftsman to recast the bronze bell. After several days of careful molding, the copper is cremated. After the copper melted, Elder Dong Ming personally threw the copper plate that Fa Zheng had brought back into the copper water. Strange to say, after the copper plate fell into the copper water, it immediately rose with a dazzling red light. Elder Dong Ming was overjoyed, waved his hand, and said, "Casting!" ”
　　The bell was successfully cast at one time.
　　The big bell was hung on the bell tower, and Elder Dong Ming personally struck the bell three times, "Knock-knock-knock-" The sound was deep, long, and long, and could be heard ten miles away.
　　After the large bronze bell was successfully cast, Elder Dongming ordered Zhao Suyue to be taken to the temple. The elder said to Fa Zheng: "Fa Zheng, now that your Buddha fate is full, your wife is so virtuous, and her loyalty can be seen from heaven. You can return to your hometown and reunite with your husband and wife, and there will be good results in the future. ”
　　Fa Zheng knelt in front of the master with tears in his eyes: "Master's kindness cannot be repaid, please accept the apprentice!" ”
　　At the time of parting, Elder Dongming gave Li Wenzheng and his wife 50 taels of silver for the purpose of settling down. After Li Wenzheng and his wife Zhao Suyue returned to their hometown of Shaanzhou, they renovated their dilapidated houses and settled down.
　　Li Wenzheng originally wanted to live a life of male farming and female weaving with his wife in peace, but Zhao Suyue insisted that Li Wenzheng re-study his studies and go to Beijing in the future to seek fame. Due to the setback of the previous imperial examination and the cleansing of Buddhism for several years, Li Wenzheng has regarded fame and fortune as a floating cloud. Zhao Suyue thinks that her husband is extraordinary, and he will definitely become famous one day, and he cannot be buried. Under the persuasion of his wife, Li Wenzheng also felt that he should not live up to his wife's hard work, so he began to devote himself to studying again. In a flash, three years have passed, and it is the year of Dabi. Zhao Suyue packed her bags for her husband and sent him to the capital on an auspicious day. At this time, the traitor Yan Song had fallen, and the discipline in the examination room was strictly enforced. The list was opened more than a month after the big exam, and Li Wenzheng took the top spot!
　　On the Golden Palace, when the emperor Yubi Qin nodded his name to the champion, a minister came out and played: "Long live, check Li Wenzheng's own department is still a lay monk, and there is no precedent for the first monk from ancient times to the present, and I hope to consider it" Emperor Jiajing said: "The country selects talents regardless ......of their background, and Taizu also entered the temple as a monk at the beginning, why can't Li Wenzheng, who was born as a monk, be the champion?" ”
　　When the ministers heard this, they all said that the emperor was worthy of the saint of heaven, and the fortunes of the country would inevitably prosper.
　　Because Li Wen is a layman, the world calls him "the monk champion". Later, Li Wenzheng served as the prefect and governor, and was an upright official with considerable political achievements.