CHAPTER 15

Changed beyond recognition, an honored monk returns to the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat; Ji Gong’s money is stolen by a bold ruffian

AS Ji Gong entered the library in the flower garden together with the prime minister and Dr. Li Huaiqun, the monk first saw Qin Yu, one of the household people. He was holding a box of flour paste mixed with the cinnabar. There was a brush inside the box.

The monk reached out and took the brush, saying, “Whatever the Great One wishes may be done.” Then he began writing on Qin Da’s head. Wherever the reddish brown paste adhered, the swelling immediately subsided, and the young man’s head went back to normal. At the same time, Qin Da’s illness left him completely.

The monk said, “This illness sometimes recurs. It is necessary to rest carefully. I will now prescribe some directions for you to follow, which I will write down on paper. If the illness comes back, simply read what I have written. Follow my directions and all will be well.”

The prime minister realized that this was an example of the monk’s subtle arts. He invited Ji Gong into the great hall at the front of the estate.

Li Huaiqun said, “I will not be able to accompany you, and now will take my leave. There are still several families who have invited me to cure sickness, so I should go.” The prime minister sent some people to see him out.

Ji Gong talked with the prime minister in the library. There was a true meeting of minds as they discussed a wide variety of subjects. The monk’s answers to the prime minister’s questions came gushing out like a stream.

The prime minister was so delighted he exclaimed, “Oh, that I might leap out of the red dust of this world to study and cultivate my mind in some ancient temple. I would not ask about the rise and fall of nations or whether our country was prosperous or not, but chant the sutras and respect the name of Buddha. That would be happiness indeed! Though I am a high officer in the present reign, to live in the company of a ruler every day is like living with a tiger. Granted that there may have been some reigns during which this was not so, there is now not only the danger one must face, but also the danger hanging over one’s family to fear.”

The monk asked, “Great One, where do such words come from? The Great One’s office, fixed by the three councils, is that of prime minister. You are beneath one man in the nation, but above all others. With your vital talents you assist in carrying out the emperor’s plans, examining all other officials and keeping the populace peaceful.”

“Ai ya, monk,” said the prime minister. “Say no more about the present reign. The three councils had no such reign as this in mind. As soon as the words are mentioned, I realize that in my heart I am apprehensive. There is a common saying: ‘A great office attracts danger, a great tree attracts the wind, and great power attracts scandal.’ Ever since I came into office, I have been as if in the shadow of dreadful wings. In doing the sovereign’s business, though I am prudent in all things, outside people are fond of saying all sorts of ugly things about me. How can I ever have repose and contentment such as yours, without anxieties or sorrows? There is a popular saying that expresses it well: ‘In the darkness, the general in armor crosses the frontier. At the cold fifth watch, the court official awaits the signal for the audience. In the mountain temple the sun is high, but the monk has yet to rise. He knows in his wisdom that leisure is better than fame.’” The prime minister continued, “I am thinking of asking you to be a monk in my stead, as a substitute for myself, but I do not know how you may feel about this.”

Ji Gong said, “Great One, of course, I would be willing, but a monk such as I would never dare to ask for such an honor.”

Just as he said this, a servant came in from outside to report. “The honorable young master’s illness has returned, and his head is as big as it was before.”

The monk said, “There is no need for me to go to the young master. Just tell him to open my prescription. If he carries out my directions, he will be all right by himself. If, however, he fails to follow the directions, he will get worse each time an attack comes on.”

Now after his illness had been relieved, Qin Da had remembered Wang Xing’s wife and asked his servant, “Where is my pretty lady?”

“Lost!” answered Qin Yu.

Qin Da shouted, “You worthless thing! You dared to let the pretty lady get away. That will never do!” As his temper rose, his head again swelled.

Qin Yu was sent at once from the west courtyard to notify the prime minister. Having heard what the monk said, Qin Yu came back to inform Qin Da. “Honorable young master, just now the monk said that you should look at what the prescription tells you to do. Do it and your illness will pass without further help from him.”

Qin Da said, “Bring the prescription quickly and I will look at it.” The man hurriedly brought it to him—Qin Da opened it. On the paper was written:

The illness of the body is known to the body itself.

The heart has the cure for the sickness of the heart.

When the heart is correct, the body will be at peace.

When the heart is out of control, the sickness will be out of control.

As soon as Qin Da read it, he said to himself: “Ai ya, this illness of mine is entirely brought on by myself. I abducted other men’s wives and did bad things. From now I will turn my bad behavior to good and this sickness of mine will be well.” Just as his thoughts had reached this point, his head made a sound, “Hu, hu, hu!”—and then became its normal size again.

The household quickly went to the east courtyard to report, “Prime Minister, the honorable young master was cured as soon as he read the monk’s prescription.”

The prime minister said, “Very good. You slaves must take good care of the young master.” They promised to do so and left.

Just then the people of the eastern household came from the inner courtyard to report. “Madame Qin has developed a painful semicircular dragon headache.”

The prime minister said, “I understand.” Then he asked Ji Gong, “Saintly monk, can you can cure an encircling dragon headache?”

The monk replied, “Madame must have said the wrong thing in some way. If that is not the case, it is not an illness I can cure. I will go and see.”

Prime Minister Qin said, “There was nothing in particular that my wife said … but there was! Last night, just before the demons troubled us, I had a dream in which my old patron came back to visit me and urged me to improve my ways. When I awoke, I wanted to stop the people from tearing down the memorial pagoda and to release all the monks. Then my wife said that it all came from my own mind and stopped me from doing the right thing. A little while later, the demons came.”

Prime Minister Qin went with the monk to the raised building in the inner courtyard of the east section, where they heard the sound of continual coughing.

The monk said, “Do not be alarmed, lady—I am here. Everything will soon be all right.” After saying this, he made a gesture toward the center of the room. Immediately she recovered completely.

The monk asked, “Great One, does she seem well to you?”

The prime minister replied, “Very well, very well.”

The monk explained. “I scratched the offending spirit and one scratch was enough. However, even though it was driven out, it is still lurking about. Did you notice how that dog lying there barked twice? If the spirit can complete a circle, it causes death.”

The prime minister said, “If a mistaken sentence can cause an encircling dragon headache, that is very dangerous. After this, I will be more careful and prudent in my duties at court.”

Prime Minister Qin then went with Ji Gong into the library. After they had sat down, the prime minister gave a servant orders to have food and wine prepared and brought in for them. They passed the evening pleasantly. At about the third watch, they heard a great wind rising outside.

The prime minister said, “This is not good. It was at this same hour last night that the demons came to trouble us.”

Ji Gong said, “The Great One need not be anxious. I will go and exorcise this demon for you, and I will bring an end to it at the same time. Whatever happens, pay no attention.”

The monk went outside and was heard to say, “Good demon, good demon, you may devour me at the risk of your own existence.”

Inside the room, the prime minister, hearing this, was most uneasy. After waiting until it was fully light in the morning, the great one went outside to look. There he saw the monk lying motionless on the ground. The prime minister called the servants to help revive the monk and assist him inside, where they seated him in a chair.

The prime minister said, “I am going to get a change of clothing in here for you and then have you escorted back to the monastery.”

Prime Minister Qin called upon the household people to buy monk’s clothing, shoes, and stockings. They acknowledged the order and before long brought back three sets of monk’s clothes, which were all of the finest quality. One set was made of yellow silk embroidered with white clouds, the second of white silk embroidered with flowers, and the third of patterned blue silk. The three sets, complete with shoes and stockings, had cost 120 ounces of silver.

The prime minister sent the library boy with Ji Gong while he bathed and changed his clothing. After Ji Gong had washed his face and changed his clothes for the first time in a long while, he returned to the library and sat down. Prime Minister Qin paid him the silver that the monk had won from him. Then the prime minister told one of the household people to prepare the horse which he himself, the prime minister, was in the habit of riding, with all the usual trappings and attendants, so that the monk might be sent back to the monastery in honor.

The monk said, “I am sorry that our affinity was so shallow, that we met so late, and that we had to separate so soon. Today, as our hands part, we do not know in what year we may meet again.”

The prime minister said, “Whenever you wish to come, Monk, simply come. We will not be separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters. Whenever I am free from my duties, I would like to stroll about with you.”

Ji Gong said, “If I, a monk, were to come often to your door to see the Great One, where would I get the money to pay all of the gatekeepers’ fees?”

The prime minister gave directions that the gatekeepers should be called in, and in a short time over a dozen of the household people were standing outside the library door. The great one said, “Ji Gong is my officially appointed substitute and friend. Whenever he comes, even though I may be busy, do not detain him and inform me at once.”

All together they said, “Yes, yes. Your slaves hear your orders.”

Ji Gong said, “I, the monk, would like to give these men a few cash each, if the Great One pleases.”

The prime minister knew that with the thousands of ounces of silver that Ji Gong had won, he had more than enough to spare. After thinking that it would be well for the monk to build up his reputation, the prime minister said, “That is for you to judge, Monk.”

Ji Gong said, “To each of these under officials I will give one hundred cash.”

Prime Minister Qin said, “Oh, give them a few ounces more, Monk. I will add it to yours.”

Ji Gong said, “I would have given them each a hundred cash today, and tomorrow I would not have given them any. Then, when I did come, that hundred cash would have taken care of their speaking with me. If this is not to be, then when I do not come, each day will be counted as one day. For each man, during each month, three strings of cash can be added to the regular wages, and the Great One may be my substitute.”

The prime minister said, “So be it. And now, monk, I will say goodbye.” Prime Minister Qin sent twenty men as an escort for Ji Gong, saying to them, “Convey my official orders. Those at every Buddhist temple must kneel in receiving him as a guest and kneel in bidding him farewell, for he is none other than my official substitute, whom I have sent back in honor to his temple.”

The household people all promised to obey. Outside, the horse had been made ready. The monk took his leave from Prime Minister Qin, left the residence, and mounted the horse. The household people whipped up the horse and led it off. Ahead walked others carrying placards, manacles, staves, gongs, flags, umbrellas, and fans to drive back those who might hinder Ji Gong’s passage. On the streets they saw crowds of noisy people all wanting to see the monk whom the prime minister had named as his substitute. When the monk on his horse reached the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat, bells were rung and drums beaten to call the monks together.

The monk first called the superintendent of the temple to come forward saying, “Take the silver I have behind me and weigh out twenty piles of fifty ounces each. Then weigh out one hundred piles of ten ounces each.” The superintendent did so.

Ji Gong said, “All estate managers who brought me here, you are to carry out my official orders!”

The estate managers said, “Yes! Though we do not yet know what orders the saintly monk is about to give, we will obey.”

Ji Gong said, “You monks of this temple, listen carefully. I, Ji Gong, am none other than the monk appointed to serve as the honorable Prime Minister Qin’s substitute. Today I have returned to the temple in honor. This saintly monk wishes to join with the rest of you monks in advancing money to buy drinks. Those who have money and will not share will forthwith be taken to the yamen to be punished.”

The people from the prime minister’s household listened carefully. The monks heard his words and thought, “We will give nothing.”

Again Ji Gong spoke. “All estate managers, come closer. Once more carry out my orders. By and by I will not have any money, and I will come to ask these monks to advance me a little. Furthermore, if there is no one in the rooms and I steal a little something, they must not talk about it and they may not look at me and say that I steal. If they disobey, push the temple gate open and destroy them at once.”

At this, the estate managers all began to laugh and could only make indistinct replies in agreement. Hearing all this, the monks thought to themselves: “He has turned the temple upside down.” They felt great displeasure in their hearts. Although they dared to feel angry, they dared not put their anger into words.

Ji Gong then distributed the silver: fifty ounces to each of the estate managers and ten ounces to each of the hundred men who had walked ahead of him to clear the way. Each of them knew no bounds to his joy, and finally each went his separate way from the temple.

The monk took off his new clothing and put on his ragged monk’s gown as usual. Then, taking the new clothing that he had wrapped in the square of cloth that had contained his old things, he strolled away from the monastery.

As he was about to pass through the Qiantang gate, he saw a pawnshop just outside the gate. The monk went in, put the bundle on the counter, and pressed his arms down firmly upon it, as if he thought that someone might try to take his bundle away from him.

When the proprietor looked up, he saw a poor monk dressed all in rags who had brought with him a number of garments, all quite new. He also noticed that the monk had looked out through the bamboo blind to the east and west, as if there might be someone following him, and that he seemed a little frightened. The proprietor of the pawnshop asked sharply, “Monk, how did you get these clothes of yours? Now tell the truth!”

Ji Gong replied, “Proprietor, just see how much they can be pawned for, and I will pawn them for that much. If not, wrap them up and I will take them somewhere else to pawn.”

The second proprietor came up beside his partner and said to him, “You should never fail to open your eyes. You did not recognize him. Is this not the honorable great teacher who came out of the city through the gate just now riding a horse, and who is the prime minister’s substitute as a monk?” Then he turned to Ji Gong and asked, “For how much money does the honorable great teacher wish to pawn the garments?”

Ji Gong answered, “Let me pawn them for 150 strings of cash.”

The second proprietor inquired, “Does the monk wish silver or paper notes?”

The monk replied, “I would like cash—and please keep the pawn ticket with your records.”

The proprietor called a man to take the money to the door. Ji Gong then called out, “Who will come to carry money?”

A great, sturdy, ruffian-like fellow came up and said, “Monk, I will carry your money.”

Ji Gong said, “You are a scoundrel. I do not want you to carry it.” The monk then called to several poor people, one to carry three strings, another to carry two strings, and so on, dividing the money among a large crowd until there were only five strings left. Ji Gong then said, “Call that big fellow to carry them.” The sturdy fellow picked up the five strings and immediately ran off. The monk did not run after him.

The other people queried, “Monk, where shall we carry the money?”

The monk replied, “Where you wish,” and the people scattered. The monk then started walking along the alley into which the sturdy fellow had fled.