第六十三章:楼观台
Chapter 63: Lou Guantai
After spending half a month at home with his parents, Li Changsheng bid farewell to them and rode a big black horse from southern Shaanxi to cross the Qinling Mountains. He traveled day and night and arrived at the Louguantai on December 23rd.
Louguantai, also known as the place where Laozi taught the Tao Te Ching, is located at the northern foot of Zhongnan Mountain in Shaanxi Province, fifteen kilometers southeast of Zhouzhi County. Louguantai is the birthplace of Taoist culture and is known as the "Most Blessed Place in the World" and "Immortal Capital".
Since he was deeply impressed by the Tao Te Ching of this ancient sage, Li Changsheng naturally understood the origin of Lou Guantai.
According to historical records, during the reign of King Kang of Zhou, there was a noble young man named Yin Xi who was intelligent and eager to learn, especially fond of studying astronomy and astrology. In order to facilitate the observation of stars and weather changes, he built a two-story wooden building on Zhongnan Mountain in the southern suburbs of Chang'an City. Then he spends every night on the roof of the second floor, observing the stars and carefully contemplating the phenomena he sees. So that wooden building is called "Louguantai".
King Kang of Zhou heard that Yin Xi had profound knowledge and noble character, so he invited him to serve as a minister in the court and also as a teacher for the prince. However, Yin Xi was not interested in becoming a senior official in the palace. He requested to go to a remote border town to serve as an official, so that he could stay away from the political center and concentrate on cultivation.
One day, Laozi rode a big water buffalo to this border town. He was about to leave the country and head west, searching for a sparsely populated place to live in seclusion. After seeing this world-renowned wise man, Yin Xi resigned from his position as a town official. Yin Xi asked Laozi to go inside the wooden building he built on Zhongnan Mountain and ask Laozi for knowledge. Laozi wrote the book "Tao Te Ching" and gave it to Yin Xi. There is a huge granite inside the Louguantai, where Laozi explained the Tao Te Ching to Yin Xi.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, various dynasties have successively established many temples around the Louguantai where Yin Xi lived, forming numerous palace architectural complexes. The scale of the Louguan Terrace is enormous, stretching over 300 square kilometers, and is magnificent.
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Emperor Li Yuan of the Tang Dynasty personally led thousands of officials to pay homage to Laozi at Louguantai and declared, "Laozi's surname is Li, and I am also Li. Laozi is my ancestor." Li Yuan rewarded Louguantai with countless grains and clothes, and treated it as a royal temple.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Louguantai was once again expanded, making it the largest imperial Taoist temple and Taoist holy site at that time.
On this morning, the weather was clear and sunny, with groups of tourists visiting the Louguantai in groups of three or five, seeking seclusion and beauty.
On the thirteen story ancient pagoda in the backyard of Louguantai, many tourists watch the distant scenery and overlook the ancient city of Chang'an. Other tourists were enjoying the pleasure of overlooking Chang'an on the south side. Shen Ziyu, dressed in men's clothing, wore a blue long coat and white scarf, and looked north alone. The wind at the top of the tower danced her robe, making a clattering sound. To the north is the vast mountains stretching for thousands of miles, which is the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains. In addition to the distant mountains, there is also a group of geese migrating south. Shen Ziyu silently thought, according to the time, he should have come half a month ago!
Shen Ziyu closed her eyes for a moment of contemplation, and when she opened them, she had already made up her mind. She walked down the pagoda and brought two attendants to the west courtyard of the Laojun Hall in the Louguantai. This was a living area surrounded by dozens of exquisite cottages, where the Taoists ate and slept. After asking an elderly Taoist, she placed fifty silver coins in the wooden box at the entrance of the courtyard according to his request. Then she walked into the small room on the east side and met the leader of the Taoists, the Donglai Taoist.
In the cabin, apart from a wooden bed, there are only two futons. The obese Donglai Taoist sat cross legged on a futon, but his hands were not properly placed on his chest like other Taoist meditation. Instead, he was holding a tea cup in his left hand, enjoying the fragrant green tea, and fanning himself with a fan in his right hand.
Donglai Taoist wears a unique purple Taoist hat, which looks very luxurious and expensive. He was wearing an exquisite silk robe with a Tai Chi diagram embroidered on the front, which was very bright in color. Just this shimmering silk robe wrapped around his plump body, looking quite strange.
Between the two futuns was a bronze incense burner, with sandalwood fragrant and smoky. At this moment, Donglai Taoist was supposed to meditate and close his eyes, but he put down his tea cup and had a cheerful and frivolous smile on his face, not at all like a dignified and rigorous Taoist.
This made Shen Ziyu, sitting on the futon opposite him, feel very interesting, but at the same time, she despised him in her heart. Shen Ziyu couldn't resist the feeling of wanting to laugh, as she couldn't have any respect for Donglai Taoist Priest in her heart. She felt that if she took off the Taoist hat from his head and replaced his Taoist robe with a monk's robe, it would be like a Maitreya Buddha.
Shen Ziyu was still a bit unhappy in her heart. After she entered the hut of the Donglai Taoist, she explained her intention and offered a very high stake. But it has been half an hour now, and apart from a proud smile on his face, this Taoist is just drinking tea leisurely, shaking his fan, and saying nothing.