Chapter 524
524 The fate of the cui family
When the servants of the cui family saw smoke coming out of Cui Hao’s courtyard, they thought that there was a fire and rushed over to save him. When they rushed into the courtyard, they saw Cui Hao standing calmly outside the study room with his hands behind his back. Looking at the fire in the study room, he ordered, ” the fire in the study room is too big. Don’t take the books out. Just don’t let the fire spread to other places!
Those annotated books in the study room would be a disaster for cui family if they were kept.
Because of Cui Hao’s great abilities, the books that he had annotated had a huge influence on the scholars. Those who had read them regarded them as treasures. Later on, some people even suggested that the books that Cui Hao had annotated should be published throughout the entire Northern Wei to replace other works, so that all scholars could learn from Cui Hao’s annotations.
Although it was suspicious that the person who proposed to publish Cui Hao’s book as the National ” standard teaching material ” was trying to flatter Cui Hao, it also showed Cui Hao’s ability.
Of course, this was also one of the reasons why the cui family was destroyed. In order to consolidate his imperial power, the Emperor of Northern Wei did not recognize anyone. How could he tolerate a han person with such a Supreme position among the scholars of Northern Wei?
The true reason was that the Xianbei royal family could not tolerate a han aristocrat clan with strong ties to the Han race becoming powerful in Northern Wei and threatening their rule.
Others might not know the root cause of the cui family’s destruction, but Xia ping ‘an was very clear about it. The reason for the cui family’s destruction was because of the writing prison created by the National history case. This was originally a fatal trap set by the northern Wei imperial family for Cui Hao. It was the imperial family who wanted to write the National history and ordered Cui Hao to write the “truth” in the records. After the history book was written, it was also the imperial family who carved it into a stone tablet and showed it to the Xianbei aristocrats. In the end, because the history book had written many terrible things about the ancestors of the Xianbei people, It was also the royal family that exposed the “National evil,” used the history books to provoke the anger of the Xianbei aristocrats, and used this as an excuse to exterminate Cui Hao.
Xia Pingan finally heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the books in the room burn to ashes.
A study room burning down was naturally not a big deal as long as no one was hurt.
The cui family of Qinghe was one of the four prestigious families of Northern Wei. Cui Hao’s seventh ancestor, Cui Lin, was an official of sikong from the CAO Wei of the Three Kingdoms. Cui Hao’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all high ranking officials. His father was even given the title of Duke of White Horse. Burning a study room for such a family was a small matter.
In the afternoon, Cui Hao’s study had been taken down. The cui family had found a new craftsman to build a new study for Cui Hao.
Just after lunch, the Grand scribe Wang Liang came to visit.
Hearing Ming Wang Liang’s intentions, Xia ping ‘an let out a sigh of relief. He secretly thought that he had lit the fire at the right time.
Lord Wang, I’m sorry. My study room caught on fire today. All the books in my room have been burned to the ground. My decades of hard work has been gone. The Ten Wings that I annotated has also been burned to ashes, ” Xia Pingan shook his head and said with a bitter face.
“Ah, why is there a fire?” Wang Liang’s face was also filled with shock and pity.
maybe I was in a hurry when I entered the palace this morning. When I left the study room, I accidentally flipped over the lampstand in the study room and didn’t find it. Alas, it’s also a misfortune. A few days ago, I divined that my house might catch fire, but I didn’t expect that it would be in my study room!
last time, Imperial physician Ling zhouzhu said that he was fortunate enough to come to your residence to see master cui’s annotation of ” ten wings “. He was shocked and suddenly enlightened. There were many unknown principles in the Book of Changes, but after he saw master cui’s annotation of ” ten wings, ” he instantly understood them. I wanted to be thick-skinned and borrow it to learn. What a pity, what a pity. I don’t know when master cui will note ” ten wings ” again.
I’ve been lacking in energy recently, and I’m feeling dizzy. I can only slowly recover my energy and note down as many books as I can remember.
……
In the next three to four months, Xia Pingan would tell others that his study room had caught on fire, and all the books that he had annotated in the past had been burned. He was sad and depressed. He basically stayed at home, adjusted his breathing, and trained his body every day. When he had free time, he would observe the disciples of the cui family to see if he could find any talents.
It couldn’t be helped. Cui Hao was good at everything. His intelligence was almost demonic, and he was also very handsome. He often compared himself to Zhang Liang, but his body was a little weak. Even the history books said that Cui Hao looked like a woman, handsome, and not strong.
There were no records of Cui Hao’s descendants in the history books. Perhaps it was because Cui Hao was weak and had no children.
When Tuoba Si heard that Xia Pingan’s study room had been burned down, he became depressed and even personally asked the eunuchs in the palace to send over a hundred new books and some medicine to Xia Pingan, reminding him to take care of his health.
These books were not cheap in this era.
……
It would take at least a hundred days to build the foundation during cultivation. After three to four months of training, the meridians of Cui Hao’s body had been opened and his five internal organs were in harmony. He was gradually getting better. Xia Pingan’s energy was also getting more and more exuberant every day. He was no longer weak and could even draw a bow.
Among those disciples of cui clan, Cui Hao also found some talents.
Now that he was well, there were more things he could do. Xia Pingan began to inspect the cui family’s country estate.
The ancestor of the Cui Hao branch of the cui family of Qinghe was Cui Lin. Since it was a big family, it was needless to say that they were rich. The whole family had more than ten farms and ran various businesses. They were extremely rich.
After a round of inspection, Xia Pingan had a plan in his heart, and he began to plan.
Since he was Cui Hao now, he would naturally have to do his best to avoid the tragic fate of the few clans related to Cui Hao. This era was too chaotic. The Sima clan in the South was not a good bird either. The powerful clans in the North were standing in great numbers and changed their flag at any time. They might not be the king, but they had to at least ensure that Cui Hao’s bloodline could continue.
……
After coming to the realm Pearl for over four months, Xia Pingan finally entered the courtyards of the backyard of cui Manor after making some preparations.
The two maidservants at the entrance of the back residence of the cui family were shocked to see Xia Pingan coming in with a box in his hand as if they had not expected that Cui Hao would come here. As Cui Hao rarely came to the back residence, the relationship between the master and the madam was not harmonious. Although they lived in the same house, they basically avoided meeting each other. Everyone in the cui family knew that the master’s study room was burned down a few months ago. When the madam knew about it, she only sent her personal maidservant over to check on the master. After finding that the master was fine, she asked, He didn’t care anymore.
greetings, master, Zhenzhen! the servant girl in the backyard hurriedly bowed to Xia Pingan.
“Has Madam returned?” Xia ping ‘an asked the obvious. He knew that his wife had just returned from the temple today, so he had deliberately asked.
Cui Hao’s two wives were the daughters of Guo Yi from the Taiyuan tribe. They were sisters. The older Mrs. Guo passed away a few years after marrying Cui Hao. Then, the younger Mrs. Guo married into the cui family. It was a political marriage between the cui and Guo families. They were united for their own interests, so there was not much affection between them. In addition, Cui Hao was proficient in yin and yang mathematics and advocated Taoism, while the younger Mrs. Guo believed in Buddhism. The two had different beliefs, so the struggle between Buddhism and Taoism was particularly intense in this family. Cui Hao once burned the Buddhist scriptures that little madam Guo was reading to ashes and rushed them to the toilet.
Mrs. Guo was also from a rich and powerful family, so naturally, she did not give Cui Hao a good look. Although the couple maintained their marital relationship to the outside world, they had been in a Cold War for a long time.
Xia ping ‘an mumbled. There was another reason why the history books did not record that Cui Hao had an heir. It was possible that Cui Hao’s relationship with his wife was very tense.
Madam has returned and is currently in the cloud Hall, ” the servant girl said in a panic.
The Xianbei aristocrats of Northern Wei had many Buddhists, and Cui Hao’s previous worship of Dao and suppression of Buddhism had unknowingly offended many Xianbei aristocrats, causing them to hate him. This was also one of the reasons why the cui family would be destroyed in the future.
The one who really wanted to suppress Buddhism was actually the northern Wei imperial family. This was because the prosperity of Buddhism in Northern Wei had also threatened their rule.
……
Xia ping ‘an walked towards the backyard, while one of the two maidservants led the way for Xia ping’ an, and the other quickly went to report.
Cloud Hall was the place where young Madam Guo prayed to Buddha and chanted Sutras at home.
After passing through the Lotus pond along the corridor, Xia Pingan soon arrived at the cloud Hall. Standing outside the cloud Hall, Xia Pingan saw a woman with black hair and a golden hairpin in a green dress. She was in the room, chanting Sutras to the Buddha statue in the shrine.
The woman’s back was extremely beautiful, graceful, and elegant. At a glance, she had the temperament of a lady from a big family.
Outside the cloud Hall, there was an even older maid. She was the personal maid that young Madam Guo had brought from the Guo family. When the maid saw Xia ping ‘an walking over, she was also quite surprised. She looked at Xia ping’ an with some vigilance and quickly went into the cloud Hall to report.
The woman, who was chanting, heard the warning from the maidservant beside her and turned around to look at Xia Pingan.
Phoenix eyes, Willow-leaf eyebrows, a tall nose, an oval face, fair skin, and a graceful temperament. She was indeed a beautiful woman.
It was embarrassing to say that this was the first time Xia Pingan had seen what his wife looked like.
Little madam Guo was also a little surprised to see Xia Pingan. She knew that Cui Hao did not like her chanting at home and was afraid that Xia Pingan would come and wreck the place and her temple again. She hurriedly asked her personal maid to pull up the curtain in front of the shrine. Her calm face suddenly turned cold and she was ready to say something ” terrifying “.
hold on! Xia Pingan stepped into the hall and stopped the maid from pulling up the curtain of the shrine. He looked up at the gilded bronze Buddha statue in the shrine. Then, under the shocked eyes of little madam Guo and the maid beside him, he came to the futon in front of the shrine, took three incense sticks, lit them, and inserted them into the incense burner. Then, he knelt in front of the Buddha statue, put his hands together, and said, ” please forgive me, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I was ignorant and destroyed the Buddhist scriptures. I have come to repent. My previous sins … This disciple is willing to publish ten thousand Buddhist sutras to be widely circulated to atone for my sins!” With that, Xia Pingan bowed three times to the Buddha statue before standing up gently. She said to little madam Guo, ” if Madam wants to pray to the Buddha and chant Scriptures in the future, you don’t have to avoid me. I’ll support you!
“Husband, what do you mean by this?” Although young Madam Guo was shocked, she still asked calmly. She really couldn’t believe that her husband had changed.
Xia ping ‘an glanced at young Madam Guo’s personal maid and gently waved her hand to let the maid leave. The maid glanced at young Madam Guo, who nodded. The maid then walked out of cloud Hall and closed the door behind her.
I’ve been a little busy these days and haven’t come to see you for a long time. I want to have a good chat with you. Please have a seat, Madam! Xia ping ‘an came to Mrs. Guo’s side and sat down on a chair. Mrs. Guo also sat down. Her heart calmed down a little, and her face relaxed a little, but she still looked at Xia ping’ an with a suspicious look.
last time, I burned Madam’s Buddhist scriptures, objected to Madam’s belief in Buddha, and even spoke ill of her. It was my fault. One of the reasons I came to cloud Hall today is to apologize to Madam! Xia Pingan stood up and bowed slightly to Mrs. Guo.
Little madam Guo also hurriedly stood up to return the greeting and said courteously, ” I didn’t know that my husband was a Daoist before, so it was inappropriate of me to chant Scriptures at home. I hope my husband doesn’t blame me!
Listening to young Madam Guo’s ‘diplomatic’ words, Xia Pingan could only smile bitterly. perhaps Madam can’t believe it for the time being, but I do sincerely apologize to you. In the past, I thought that Buddhism and Daoism were opposing forces. There was Buddha but no Daoism, and there was Daoism but no Buddha. I’ve only understood it in the past two days. Buddhism and Daoism were originally one family. Red Lotus, White Lotus, White Lotus, Green Lotus leaves, how could they be separated? it’s just that their names and realms are different. There is only one Dharma in the world. All Dharma are Buddha Dharma, and all Dharma are Dao Dharma. Buddhism seeks freedom, while Taoism seeks freedom. All Dharma is based on benevolence, so What’s the Difference? Laozi rode a Green Bull out of Hangu Pass and converted the HU to preach. The Saints of the three religions came from the world at the same time. Now that Buddhism comes from the East, there’s only a return and a return.”
Hearing Xia ping ‘an’s words and looking at her apologetic and sincere eyes, little madam Guo was really surprised. In the past, Cui Hao would never have said these words even if he was beaten to death. If anyone dared to say anything good about Buddhism, Cui Hao would immediately retort. Because of this, Cui Hao not only fell out with himself, but he also turned against his cousins, cui Yi, and the others. They were like fire and water.
The apologetic look in Xia Pingan’s eyes as he looked at Mrs. Guo was not an act. It came from the bottom of his heart. Because of Cui Hao, Mrs. Guo had been buried with him. Even the entire Guo family had been killed. If Cui Hao could not change his fate, the Guo family of Taiyuan would have to find such a son-in-law to marry. This was equivalent to burying the fate of their entire family.
“Husband, why did you change so much?” Young Madam Guo asked curiously.
Madam, I’ve been going out to relax recently. Just two days ago, I was out playing and taking a walk in the forest to rest when I suddenly saw a monk from the Western regions sitting under a tree. The monk looked tall and ancient. When he saw me, he didn’t say anything and suddenly began to recite a Buddhist sutra. Madam, you know my temper. I’ve never liked Buddhist sutras. When I heard the monk reciting the sutras, I turned around and wanted to leave. Suddenly, I heard that the Buddhist scriptures of that monk were extremely similar to the teachings of Confucius in the Analects of Confucius. I was very surprised at that time and my mind went blank. I couldn’t help but stay where I was and wait for the monk to finish reciting the Buddhist scriptures.”
Little madam Guo’s brows furrowed slightly. She was very familiar with many of the Buddhist scriptures translated by the Wei Kingdom, but she did not know which one Xia Pingan was talking about. what words made my husband feel that the Buddhist scriptures and what Confucius said were the same? ”
“One should not give what one does not desire to others. This is a saying from the Analects of Confucius. I often use this saying to teach the disciples of my clan. Madam should know this!”
“Hmm, not bad!”
I didn’t expect that the Buddha would say almost the same words as Confucius, ” Xia Pingan said with a shocked expression.
“Oh, really? what words?”
“The kind man said that the Bodhisattvas are not what he wants and do not add to anything. If the Bodhisattvas guarded this spell, they would be able to resist all the restrictions of the Buddha. Why? Self-respecting life should not kill, self-respecting wealth should not steal, self-protecting wife should not invade him, all these actions were named the same law. If there was a kind man who respected the words of the Buddha, he would always remember this spell. Why? There was no love, joy, and suffering for all living things. Everything that was done was for peace and happiness. Even Bodhisattva prayed for the three Bodhi Bodhi to obtain happiness for himself. A kind man is righteous. I will say this: “If it’s not what you want, you can’t add it to anything.” This is a spell that all the Bodhisattvas should protect!”
“Madam, it’s not just this!” Xia ping ‘an was also invigorated and immediately began to speak, ” there are also Scriptures in the Buddhist scriptures that describe men with good mannerisms. As you have asked, what is a law, such as the feeling of appearance? All kind men were like Rulai Jue. Why? The Buddha felt nothing. A good man, all fa Wu Sheng is the Buddha’s perception, all fa Wu mie is the Buddha’s perception, all Fa Li is the Buddha’s perception, all Fa Li is the Buddha’s perception, all fa Wu Shi is the Buddha’s perception. For a good man, the nature of all karma was the Tathagata’s perception. All laws were born from karma. The law of karma was like lightning was the Tathagata’s perception. All karma was the Tathagata’s perception. Looking down on a good man was the Tathagata’s perception. One aspect was the Tathagata’s perception. What is the cloud? The so-called laws do not come nor go, neither cause nor fate, neither birth nor death, neither take nor give, neither increase nor decrease. A good man’s nature was indescribable and could not be argued with just words.
Xia ping ‘an recited a paragraph of Buddhist scriptures and said with a face full of emotion, ” Madam, listen, the Buddha’s teaching to the Bodhisattvas is’ do not add to things that are not what one is content with’. Isn’t this the same as Kong Zi’s teaching to the Confucians,’do not do unto others what one does not want to do unto others’? that day in the forest, I heard this sentence and felt my mind tremble. It was as if I suddenly understood and realized that I had misunderstood Buddhism in the past.
it’s not what you want to do to yourself, it’s what you don’t want to do to others. little madam Guo’s spirit was lifted. it’s just as my husband said. The teachings of the Buddha are exactly the same as the teachings of Confucius,’do not do unto others what you don’t want to do unto others’ ”
“Madam, it’s not just this!” Xia ping ‘an was also invigorated and immediately began to speak, ” there are also Scriptures in the Buddhist scriptures that describe men with good mannerisms. As you have asked, what is a law, such as the feeling of appearance? All kind men were like Rulai Jue. Why? The Buddha felt nothing. A good man, all fa Wu Sheng is the Buddha’s perception, all fa Wu mie is the Buddha’s perception, all Fa Li is the Buddha’s perception, all Fa Li is the Buddha’s perception, all fa Wu Shi is the Buddha’s perception. For a good man, the nature of all karma was the Tathagata’s perception. All laws were born from karma. The law of karma was like lightning was the Tathagata’s perception. All karma was the Tathagata’s perception. Looking down on a good man was the Tathagata’s perception. One aspect was the Tathagata’s perception. What is the cloud? The so-called laws do not come nor go, neither cause nor fate, neither birth nor death, neither take nor give, neither increase nor decrease. A good man’s nature was indescribable and could not be argued with just words. Such a spell is like the appearance of the senses.”
Xia ping ‘an recited another passage from the Scripture. my wife, look at this Scripture. Isn’t it the same as what I said about the great Dao being invisible, the Dao being different from the Dao name being different from the Dao name? when I heard the Scripture recited by the monk from the Western regions, I was suddenly enlightened and finally understood the principle that Buddhism and Daoism were one family. I also finally realized how narrow-minded I was in the past. I was too obsessed with the difference between the sects and the names, and I didn’t understand the true meaning behind the three religions. I’m truly ashamed!”
Little madam Guo gently stroked her beautiful face and muttered to herself twice. She was also surprised. husband, I’ve read many translated Buddhist scriptures from the Wei Kingdom, but none of them have the same Scriptures as what you just said. I don’t know which Buddhist scripture these Scriptures come from!
Xia Pingan said, ” of course you don’t know now. This Buddhist scripture was only translated during the Tang Dynasty.
I was shocked and asked the Western monk what Buddhist sutra it was. The monk answered with a smile. This Buddhist sutra had not been spread to Wei country yet. I was the first person in Wei country who was lucky enough to hear this Buddhist sutra. The name of this Buddhist sutra was ” Mahayana li character “: Scripture of puguang!
As a devout Buddhist believer, little madam Guo became anxious when she heard that the Buddhist sutra had not yet been spread to Wei Kingdom. She immediately asked, ” just by hearing the few sentences that husband said, I felt that this Sutra was extremely exquisite and I’ve never heard of it before. I wonder if husband still remembers the other parts of the Buddhist sutra? ”
Madam, you know I have a good memory. It’s strange that I memorized the entire Sutra after I heard the Western monk recite it. However, the Western monk disappeared for some reason. I came to see you today to give this Sutra to you and share it with you!
As Xia Pingan spoke, he opened the wooden box that he had brought and took out a thin book that was beautifully bound from the box. He handed it to Mrs. Guo.
Little madam Guo flipped open the Buddhist scripture, and after only two glances at the Scriptures, she immediately fell in love with it, her eyes shining.
However, in the blink of an eye, little madam Guo also noticed the abnormality of this Buddhist sutra. This Buddhist sutra was not copied, but printed, and it was printed very exquisitely. The words of the Sutra were arranged neatly and the shape of the words was beautiful. It looked pleasing to the eye. Very few Buddhist sutras that could be seen on the market could be printed so exquisitely.
“Husband, why is this Buddhist scripture so exquisite?”
Xia ping ‘an smiled and finally revealed the second reason why he had come to see Mrs. Guo. ahem, this is the second reason why I came to see you today. I have a business here that I would like to hand over to the Guo family and let them handle it. If this business is successful, all the scholars in the world will be able to see such beautiful books, and the price will be even cheaper. The Guo family will become the world’s largest book merchant and earn thousands of gold every day!
“Ah, what kind of business is it? it’s so powerful!” Young Madam Guo was not a woman from an ordinary family. As a woman of the Guo family, she naturally knew how much benefits the Guo family would bring to the whole family once they became the world’s largest calligraphy Chamber of Commerce. In the Wei Kingdom, it was not a shameful thing for a wealthy family to do business. As long as they could make money, there were many people who would do it. Seeing that the pawnshop in the temple could make money, even the royal family wanted to open a pawnshop, which was called the Royal pawnshop. Compared to opening a pawnshop, being a calligraphy merchant was much better.
Madam, this is the business. Xia Pingan opened a wooden board at the bottom of his box and saw that under the wooden board, there were wooden movable seals. The seals were arranged together to form an article.
“Why are these words one by one? they can even move Lao Ai.”
Xia ping ‘an casually switched the two words, ” Madam is smart. With one look, you should know the profoundness of this.
With Xia Pingan’s explanation, Mrs. Guo immediately understood the secret of movable type printing. Her eyes sparkled, and the way she looked at Xia Pingan was completely different.
such a business is unique in the world. Whoever controls it will have great benefits. Husband, are you really willing to let the country run it? ”
“Madam and I are family. My branch of cui family is also integrated with Guo family. Madam doesn’t need to worry about that. Madam, please go back to Guo family when you have time. I will also write a letter to father-in-law so that he knows how to deal with Qianqian.”