Chapter 89: a fond dream

The two had to follow the Donglai Taoist to see the Lishan Laomu Hall, Wang Lingguan Hall, and Sanqing Hall along the way. Although these temples are ancient and dignified, there is nothing special about them. Because other Taoist temples also have the same temple. Shen Ziyu and Li Changsheng were not surprised either.

When Li Changsheng walked out of the Sanqing Hall, he saw an old Taoist looking at him in the far square. He felt a bit familiar, but he forgot where he had seen this old Taoist before. The old Taoist was tall, with wide shoulders and long legs, but his hair was snow-white, and the skin on his face was red and smooth. He is smiling, making people feel warm and amiable. The gray Taoist robe he was wearing was tattered.

Donglai Taoist and the two of them arrived at the back of the Weituo Hall, and they saw a huge watercolor painting on the wall. Upon closer inspection, the picture is not the usual fairy sprinkling petals in the sky, nor is it a portrait of the God of Wealth or Marriage, but rather a story about A Fond Dream.

Donglai Taoist immediately disregarded the two people's surprised looks, Pointing to the mural, he enthusiastically explained, "In the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Chun Yufen who was particularly fond of drinking alcohol and had a cheerful and generous personality. Outside the south wall of his yard was an ancient locust tree, which grew with lush branches and leaves. One day, Chun Yufen and his friends were drinking under the locust tree, and he got very drunk. He was helped into the house by two friends and lay down to rest. His two friends sat outside washing their feet.

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Amidst the haziness, Chunyufen saw two officials dressed in purple walk in and invited him to visit Huai'an State. So he followed the two officials out of the door and got into their carriage. The carriage galloped rapidly, and half a day later it ran into a huge cave. After running in the cave for an hour, the carriage left the cave. Suddenly, he saw a clear sky and a fiery red sun. Under the sunshine, the mountains, rivers, wilderness, and villages were all in front of him, as if he had come to a new world.

Chun Yufen followed two officials into the palace and met the king of Huai'an. The king had a friendly conversation with him, showing great appreciation for his abilities. Shortly after, the king appointed him as the "Duke of Nanke" and married the princess to him. Chun Yufen quickly became a nobleman of that country, possessing great power. He served as the Prime Minister of Huai'an for thirty years, and his political achievements were outstanding. So the people are very supportive of him, and the king also highly values him.

At this time, he had five sons and two daughters, and his life was very happy. Unexpectedly, the nearby Raksha Kingdom suddenly invaded the Huai'an Kingdom, and the king appointed him as the commander-in-chief. He took his army to the border to defend the country. Due to his lack of military knowledge and unprepared for war, he was defeated by the army of the Raksha Kingdom and fled. After he fled back, he found that his wife had passed away and the king no longer trusted him. He also dismissed his official position, placed him under house arrest for a period of time, and sent him back to his hometown.

At this point, Chunyu Fen woke up with a start. He discovered that it turned out to be a dream. He saw the sun still shining on the earth in the sky at this moment, the leftover wine he had drunk before going to bed was still on the table, and his two friends were still washing their feet in the yard.