Tang riddles

My layman's name is An Luo, my father is a merchant who has been doing business in Suiye City for generations, and my mother is the daughter of a local Sogdian merchant in Suiye.Our family came to Suiye City from my great-great-grandfather. At that time, it was a time of war, the Central Plains was barren, and the former Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty had not yet unified the world.My great-grandfather couldn't survive, so he had to flee all the way west, and finally settled in Suiye City.Up to my grandfather, our family is of Han blood. My father was the first son in the family to marry a Sogdian, and I have half Sogdian blood.I think this may be the source of the timidity and caution in my character.

I was born in the early spring and February of the third year of Yifeng. At that time, Suiye City was closed by ice and snow. On the day I was born, my mother had dystocia due to an abnormal fetal position, and the midwife Wen who gave birth could not arrive in time due to the heavy snow.In the end, my mother tried her best to give birth to me, but she died of blood collapse.I have never seen my mother since I was a child.My father said that my eyebrows and eyes resembled hers. When I was young, I often looked at the mirror and imagined my mother's appearance.

When I was eight years old, my father was murdered in a big business and lost the last property of the family. My brothers and sisters and I had no food or clothing, and cried all day long.My father had no choice but to sell me and my sister to other people's homes as slaves in exchange for some emergency money.He and his brother just left with our money, and I haven't seen them since.

The owner of the house where my sister and I were sold treated us very badly, beating and scolding at every turn, and often had no food to eat.In order to protect me, my sister was always covered in bruises, and would rather go hungry than give me the pitifully small amount of food.Later she got sick and left me without treatment.That was the first time in my life that I faced death.

After burying my sister, I found an opportunity to escape from the master's house.I don't know where I'm going, it's just that I don't want to be here anymore.Maybe wandering around, even starving to death, is better than continuing to work as a cow and a horse in that other people's house.

Fortunately, just after I escaped, I met my master, Master Liao Ming.This is an eminent monk from Zhongyuan, in his fifties, tall and thin, with a naturally serious and fierce face, which looks very scary.But he has an extremely kind heart, and he is always gentle and amiable when speaking to me.He and Master Xuanzang are close friends who have forgotten the years. When he was young, he heard Master Xuanzang tell anecdotes about the Western Regions, and he was very yearning. After many years, he finally had the opportunity to go to the Western Regions in person.He said, if I have nowhere to go, I can worship him as a teacher, and I will have two meals a day.In order to survive, I just entered the Buddhist gate, worshiped under his sect, and bestowed a dharma title.And before me, Master has already accepted a bhikkhuni disciple. She is my senior sister, whose Dharma name is Liaozhen, and her lay name is Anyi. She is a mixed blood of Sogdian and Turkic. vagabond.She is three years older than me. The first time I met her, she was half a head taller than me, with lowered eyes, looking at me domineeringly.

I think this is the beginning of the evil fate of this life.

My senior sister is really a girl with a very extreme personality.Master later told me before his death that Liaozhen has great spirituality and also has great evil nature. It depends on whether she has become a Buddha or a demon. It is the difference between one thought.

I know very little about my senior sister's past, mostly just a few words she told me.She almost never talked about her past, but I felt that she, a child who was not yet 12 years old at the time, might have experienced a major event that would change her life.

Later, when I put the pieces together carefully, I vaguely understood her life experience.She was a child who grew up in a Turkic tribe. Her father was a warrior in a Turkic tribe, and her mother was a Sogdian woman captured by his father.According to what she said, her tribe happened to be recruited to the forefront during a certain battle with the Emperor Wu's army, and almost the entire army was wiped out.Their tribe was later annexed by other tribes. She married a certain Turkic warrior when she was ten years old, and she was broken that night. That rude, strong and powerful barbarian almost killed her. She would rather die on the bed After lying down for several days, while the man was drunk, he killed him with a knife, and then escaped with a narrow escape.She went through hardships all the way, gritted her teeth and survived, and then came to Suiye, and finally became the boss of the street children here. She can order the children under her to steal food for her every day, and she is living a contented life, but she didn’t think about it. A stinky monk, who used some kind of ecstasy, disbanded her boy scouts and beat her to the ground. She had no choice but to succumb to this monk, become a monk temporarily, and live with this monk.

My senior sister is stubborn and unruly, like the strongest wild horse in Ningyuan (that is, Dawan), she never obeys anyone.She is naturally unruly and arrogant, always feels that she is superior to others, and also likes to boss others around to do things for her.I have to say that she has such an ability, and she is indeed quite smart.At least for a stupid person like me, it's out of reach.

She is also quite cunning, not so rebellious as a monolithic one, she knows the principle of being able to bend and stretch, and also knows that showing different appearances in front of different people can make her live better.She is obedient and obedient to the master, but she has another face to me. I think she is very happy about the arrival of my junior sister, because she finally has another target to bully.

But I always feel that she is kind in nature, and even though she has an unpleasant temper, she will still show care for me inadvertently.She is very generous in some aspects, for example, she never protects food, and if she has something to eat, she will definitely give it to me.I think she is a person who worships chivalry, and she values ​​the "little brother" who is under her command. Although she has a bad attitude and is not forgiving in many cases, there is no shortage of things that should be given.

She learned wrestling, riding and archery and knife skills from her father in the tribe, and she has some knowledge of kung fu, so she has the ability to recruit those homeless beggars on the streets of Suiye.But compared to our master, those are just three-legged kung fu.Master Liao Ming, who was born in Shaolin, learned Dharma Palm and Arhat Stick. Later, due to changes in his perception of Buddhism, he no longer recognized the teachings of Shaolin Zen, so he formed the Shaolin Bronze Man Formation. Since then, he has formed a family of his own and traveled around the world. He is a hidden martial arts master.My senior sister and I worshiped under him, so we also started practicing kung fu with him.My master, who also treats people, is a top-notch Boundary master, so we can travel and practice medicine while traveling, and we can also ensure that we have no worries about food and clothing.

Those years were really happy. My senior sister and I fought and fought every day, grew up under the discipline and care of Master, traveled all over the world, and felt like a bird flying freely, unrestrained.Although the senior sister always said something like "I will be a teacher and return to vulgarity someday", but she never saw that she had any plans to leave.I actually like Senior Sister very much, and I also envy her temperament that is not afraid of anything that day. I remember that when Senior Sister was 20 years old, I specially carved a walnut for her as a birthday gift. Senior Sister kept it with me as a treasure. This has always warmed my heart.

We spent eight years traveling all over the Western Regions, and then we left the Western Regions and went to the land of Bashu.There, the trajectory of our lives takes its first turn.

I remember that it was a certain day in May, and my master and senior sister and I came to a small mountain village called Luanting Township near the mountains in Shuzhou.It is very quiet here, the mountain road is difficult and dangerous, and there are very few pedestrians.We knocked on the door of a family in the village. The people here are very simple and welcome us very much.So we lived here temporarily, and Master said that he wanted to go to the mountains to collect herbs these days, and some precious herbs were only found in the mountains of Sichuan.

So the next day, we followed the son of this family into the mountain.This guide is a good hunter in the mountains and is very familiar with the surrounding mountains.Our herb picking went well, and the guide was very talkative, telling us a lot of local legends.It is said that their place used to be a place where the protoss lived in seclusion. The protoss were all flying people with wings on their backs and wings. It seems to prove the authenticity of this legend.My senior sister and I were laughing and laughing, we only listened to the story and didn't take it seriously.

When we climbed to the top of a mountain, we saw a large misty area in the middle of the mountain depression in the distance. It was silent and there were no birds, which seemed very unusual.

The senior sister was very curious, and asked the guide where it was, and why such a big fog was all concentrated there.The guide's complexion changed when he heard the words, and he remained silent.Under the constant questioning by my senior sister and me, he reluctantly explained:

"It's a demon cave. If you go in, you won't be able to get out. It will be swallowed by the mist, and there will be no bones left."

I was afraid, but my senior sister didn't take it seriously.She whispered to me that there must be some treasure in it, and the locals deliberately made up a scary story to keep people away from it.I persuaded her not to go, but she got excited instead, and told me very conceitedly that in the evening, she would go to the foggy area to dig for treasure, and then share the gold with me.

I was worried, but the senior sister was very interested.At night, while Master was sleeping soundly, she actually dragged me to dig treasures before night.I was terrified in my heart, and I didn't want to go anyway. Later, she lost her temper, left me, and left by herself.I was very scared, but I didn't dare to tell Master, so I endured it all night until early in the morning, Master got up to practice, and my senior sister hadn't come back yet, so I had no choice but to tell Master the whole story.

Master was taken aback, Senior Sister Dao was too courageous, so she quickly asked the village to organize people to go look for Senior Sister.Everyone rushed into the mountains and forests, and searched for three or four hours in a row until the sun was westward. Finally, we found our senior sister on the edge of the fog. She was sitting blankly on the bank of a quiet lake beside the fog. Beside, as if lost in thought.Fortunately, there is no serious problem, it was a false alarm.

After the master confirmed that she was fine, he severely criticized her. She has practiced for several years and is still impure. She is a monk who is greedy for money, and has no regard for her own safety. She has made a big mistake.So he punished her to stand on her head and not allow her to eat.The senior sister who was always unconvinced in the past seemed to be a different person this time. She did not contradict Master, but silently accepted Master's punishment.

This incident became a small episode of our entry into Shu, and after that, the senior sister returned to her former temperament. We didn't stay in Shu for a long time, and left soon, continuing to travel north.

Many interesting things happened here, and many dangers were experienced.I still remember the first time Master took us to pay homage to Shaolin. We entered Songshan Mountain and played in the mountains and forests. My senior sister stumbled and rolled down the hillside, and accidentally found a hidden cave in Taishi Mountain.Fortunately, there were no bears in that cave. Master said that there were bears in this cave many years ago, but someone entered by mistake, killed the bear, and made another tunnel to escape. Strange gourd-shaped caves, one of which has a zenith.Master took us to meditate in the cave, and said that this place was once the place where Bodhidharma practiced. It is spiritual, and practicing here can get twice the result with half the effort.The senior sister quickly lost her patience, and we left Songshan that day.

In the first year of Chang'an, we traveled in the south of the Yangtze River. I was already twenty-three in that year, and my senior sister was getting closer and closer to her 15th birthday. Before I knew it, we had been together for nearly [-] years.The master is nearly seventy years old, due to excessive practice in the early years, his legs were left with chronic diseases, and he could no longer walk. Our journey became slower and slower, and finally stopped near Jiankang City.Master was seriously ill, and my senior sister and I sought medical treatment everywhere, but there was no sign of improvement.All the money I had on my body was spent, and I was worrying about what to do, but the senior sister left a sentence "I'm going to raise money" and disappeared.

What I didn't expect was that she really raised a large sum of money soon after. I asked her where the money came from, and she said that she got it from a good-hearted person. Pink, bright eyes.She said that this person's surname was Shen Mingyu, and he was the most wealthy businessman in Jiankang City, the youngest and most promising head of a family, and he was the one who generously gave her a large sum of money.

Master learned that he was determined not to accept it, and insisted that the senior sister return the money.The senior sister was very upset, and finally threw the money to me, asking me to heal the master, but she disappeared again.After that, the time she came back became less and less, and she didn't tell me what she was busy with. I went to look for her, but there was no news of her.

I had to write down all the expenses and rely on this money to tide me over for the time being.Take good care of Master every day, and hope he can get better soon.However, there is an end to life, and Master will not be able to survive this year after all.In the twelfth lunar month of that year, Master died in Tongtai Temple in Jiankang City at the age of 68.

The master sat down, and the senior sister finally rushed back to prepare for the master's funeral.After the master's relic was put into the pagoda of Tongtai Temple, the senior sister suddenly told me that the master had already sat down, and she had no intention of Buddhism, but followed the master all the time to repay her kindness.Now, at the end of her fate, she wants to return to the common life.

I was taken aback and asked why, but she told me that she fell in love with someone and would no longer be a nun.I tried to persuade her, but she didn't listen, and finally left cruelly.I know that she really has no heart for Buddhism, she has practiced for many years, but her observance of precepts is not even as good as that of a young novice novice, and she can't memorize even a single Buddhist scripture taught by her master.Buddhism doesn't force you to stay, if that's the case, my fate with her teacher and sister will come to an end here.Although I feel melancholy in my heart, I still hope that she can be healthy and happy in the world of mortals, and truly find happiness.

However, thinking of the words Master said to me before he died, I feel chills in my heart.It is impossible for the senior sister to enter the Buddha again, I hope she can uphold the good thoughts in her heart and not become a demon.

I stayed in Jiankang and practiced in Nanhai Temple, the largest bhikkhuni Buddhist temple in Jiankang at that time, and I have not wandered since.I really didn’t hear from my sister since then, until ten years later, I suddenly received a letter from my sister, and she invited me to attend the Chang’an Water and Land Ceremony next year.At that time, I was already the abbot of Nanhai Temple. I was very happy to receive the invitation from my senior sister, and I was gratified that she still had good thoughts in her heart and did not give up Buddhism.Master's hard work in teaching and training for many years was finally not in vain.I replied to the letter as the abbot of the Nanhai Temple and handed over the ultimatum. Since then, I have gained the title of "Nanhai Divine Nun" in the Central Plains and Guanzhong area, probably because of this.

However, what I didn't expect was that this trip to Chang'an has become a nightmare of my life.

The author has something to say: I have accumulated some questions recently, and I will respond to them in a unified way.

1. A friend asked me who is Akashi's biological mother.Chishi's mother's name is Qin Lian, the daughter of Dali Temple Minister Qin Zhen.Qin Zhen is Chishi's grandfather.It is recommended to look back at the last chapter of "The Chapter of Qingyun", which has clear instructions.And this chapter is quite crucial. After I missed it, I couldn't figure out many joints.

2. A friend raised a question about the relationship between Chishi and Lotus Maid, saying that Lotus Maid could not use her talents to help Chishi. Although the two were married, they did not feel that they were inseparable from each other and complemented each other.This is correct, because there is indeed a problem between them. Chishi's overprotection makes it difficult for the maidservant to fight side by side with her.And the lotus maid has never understood some of Chishi's deepest secrets, and there is a gap between the two.This time, the death of a master actually cast a shadow on the relationship between the two. All kinds of things will continue to accumulate and finally explode at a certain point in time.To be more specific, I don't want to spoil it, so I'd better watch it patiently.This answer should be used as a vaccination for everyone.

3. Why did Akashi hesitate when Anayi attacked a master?

Because she had doubts about Master Yi at that time, she was not sure if Master Yi was with Anna Yi, if they were, then Anna Yi's attack on Yi might be a trap, if she shot rashly , would fall into a trap and put herself in danger, so she hesitated for a moment.

In fact, this doubt can be seen from Chishi, Lotus Maid and Qin Nu's ensemble performance of "Guangling San" to criticize a master. This piece is a hint of their thoughts.

Dawan (a sound of yuan), the name of an ancient Central Asian country, is located at the western foot of the Pamirs.Prosperous with agriculture and animal husbandry, specialty sweat horses.The Dawan area was called Ningyuan in the Tang Dynasty.

Tongtai Temple, now Jiming Temple in Nanjing, was the first temple in the Southern Dynasties at that time.