Resign from official position to pursue a career in Taoism

Qingyuan County is short of water. In spring, the wind and sand fill the sky. In summer and autumn, the land is all red and the crops often fail. The people are suffering greatly. Zhang Quanyi sent people to investigate and led all the people in the county to build water conservancy projects, opening more than ten large canals to divert water for irrigation, and was fully committed to benefiting the people. According to the official system of the Yuan Dynasty, one could retire at the age of seventy. However, when Zhang Quanyi reached the age, he proposed to resign but failed to do so repeatedly. The reason is that he built water conservancy projects to benefit his hometown and was highly appreciated by the imperial court. Moreover, Qingyuan County was not far from the capital, and its prosperity and stability were of great benefit to the capital. However, after Emperor Shun ascended the throne, he began to work hard to govern the country, but soon fell into corruption and degeneration. Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty often issued imperial edicts to hold beauty pageants throughout the country. Qingyuan County is located at the foot of the capital city, so beauty pageants naturally took the lead. Beauty pageants were common in feudal society, and Zhang Quanyi, who was kept in the dark, naturally did not arouse any suspicion. His daughter was smart and beautiful, and of course she was chosen as well. Not long after, when he was summoned to the capital by the emperor due to his outstanding political achievements, he saw through the evil within. Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty actually ordered his ministers and many women to commit adultery collectively in the Golden Throne Hall of the imperial court. He sat high on the throne and watched for pleasure. And his own daughter was among them. In an instant, he fainted in anger. His daughter, unable to bear the humiliation, crashed into the pillar of the hall and died. Zhang Quanyi returned from the capital and fell seriously ill. He was unable to handle state affairs for three months. Due to the corruption of the imperial court, the whole country was in an uproar. Liu Futong, Han Shantong, Chen Youliang and others rose up in rebellion one after another. In order to stop the peasant uprising, the imperial court, under the guise of the military examination, captured all the highly skilled martial artists in the country. Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty issued an edict to hold a joint examination, and naturally, martial arts experts from all over the country gathered in the capital. Zhu Guorui (later renamed Zhu Yuanzhang), a scholar from Haozhou (now Fengyang, Anhui Province), along with several brothers, was on his way to the capital for the imperial examination. When they passed through Qingyuan County, Zhang Quanyi warmly received them and warned them that there was something fishy going on. Zhu Guorui and the others were well aware of this and secretly guarded against it. Sure enough, they saw through the court's treacherous scheme, left the capital, and sought refuge in Qingyuan County for a few days. When they returned to Haozhou, they raised the banner of righteousness. Not long after, Zhang Quanyi's concealment of a key royal criminal was exposed by the imperial court. Zhang Quanyi had already seen through the corruption of the Yuan Dynasty, believing that the empire was on the verge of collapse and that a change of dynasty was only a matter of time. He had lost all hope for his official career and thus had no more attachment to the imperial court. He took out the official seal, wrapped it in a yellow cloth and hung it in the main hall of the county yamen. That night, he packed his luggage and sent his wife back to her parents' home. Before parting, the couple hugged each other's heads and cried loudly. Then he walked towards the Zhenwu Temple under the moonlight. Zhang Yun 'an, the Taoist priest of Zhenwu Temple, who was already over a hundred years old, was not surprised to see Zhang Quan arrive. He smiled and nodded, saying, "Quan Yi, I knew you would come." Your worldly ties have been severed. It's time for you to cultivate immortality and practice the Tao. However, your roots in the mundane world are very deep, so your worldly ties are still entangled. The imperial court will still look for you many times in the future. Zhang Quanyi regretted not having fulfilled his parents' long-cherished wish. Zhang Yun 'an comforted him, "The vicissitudes of life are predestined." Since you have transcended the three realms and are no longer in the five elements, you naturally have fewer troubles. From now on, just focus your mind on cultivating the Tao!" Saying that, he took off the bamboo hairpin from his head, tied up his disciple's hair and pinned it on. Then he said, "The True Martial Temple is not your place to settle down either. It's too close to the capital. The imperial court will find you soon." I have a junior disciple who serves as the abbot at Jintai Taoist Temple in Baoji. You can go there to practice." Zhang Quanyi had stayed at the Zhenwu Temple for a few days and was about to leave for the Jintai Temple. Before parting, Zhang Yun 'an gave him the Taoist name "Sanfeng". Zhang Quanyi understood his master's intention. "Sanfeng" refers to the abundance of heaven, earth and people, referring to his political achievements during his tenure as an official. It is also the unity of the Qian and Kun hexagrams in the Eight Trigrams, referring to heaven, earth and one person. Zhang Yun 'an smiled and said, "During your tenure as an official, you have brought benefits to the local area. The five grains have been bountiful, the people are healthy and happy, and the imperial court has commended you. The reputation of 'Three Abuntivities' is truly well-deserved." As for your future, my teacher has already seen that a long and prosperous life is beyond words. You can become a master of your generation, with countless disciples spread all over the world, and be called the one in heaven and earth. This is not an exaggeration. Zhang Quanyi expressed his gratitude to his master and bid farewell with tears in his eyes. He passed through the regions of Yan and Zhao, crossed the natural barrier of the Yellow River, and traversed the 800-mile-long Qin Plain, eventually arriving at the Jintai Temple in Baoji. Wang Yunhe, the abbot of Jintai Temple, styled Xuanqing, claimed to be a descendant of Wang Chongyang, the founding master of the Quanzhen Sect. He had a long white beard, an air of a Taoist immortal, and was erudite, especially well-versed in the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams. Zhang Sanfeng learned the Tao from him and benefited greatly from his teachings. When Zhang Sanfeng was a child, he became a disciple of Zhang Yun 'an and learned Jinggong. At this time, he combined Jinggong with the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams to create innovative cultivation methods. However, innovation is no easy task. Over the years, Jinggong and Bagua have never been able to blend together. One day, he was practicing this set of exercises when suddenly a Taoist dressed in dirty clothes passed by him, laughing heartily and saying, "All things are born of opportunity, and all things are accomplished by opportunity. When the opportunity is right, one can achieve twice the result with half the effort; when it is not right, one can achieve half the result with twice the effort." Zhang Sanfeng was startled to see that this Taoist had yellow hair and beard, a pointed mouth and a monmonkey's face. He was not good-looking, but the words he spoke contained profound meanings. He quickly withdrew his skills and went up to pay his respects, saying, "Please, Immortal, make it clear." The Taoist, however, crossed one arm around his chest and swung the other behind his back, then walked away as fast as he could. Zhang Sanfeng understood that there were always people better than him and the sky was brighter. It seems that those who practice Taoism cannot always stay in one place. They need to go out and travel to broaden their horizons. So, with the consent of his senior uncle Wang Yunhe, he went on a journey to visit famous teachers and broaden his horizons. He came to Zhongnan Mountain in Shaanxi Province, where the mountains are high and the forests are thick. Among the trees, there is a temple. Zhang Sanfeng closely examined the plaque at the temple entrance, which read "Fire Dragon Temple". From it, cigarettes were wafting out and celestial sounds were heard. He strode towards the Fire Dragon Temple. An old Taoist with yellow hair and beard came out to meet him. Zhang Sanfeng took a closer look and found that it was the Taoist who had mentioned the opportunity last time. It turned out that the Taoist was the Fire Dragon Immortal. He had been cultivating in this Fire Dragon Temple for over ninety years. In just three years, he was about to pass away and was very eager to take on one last disciple. He had already traveled all over the world in search of outstanding talents. Last month, I finally met Zhang Sanfeng at Jintai Temple. Seeing that he was just approaching the age of forty and had a bright future ahead, I decided to take him as my disciple. The Fire Dragon Immortal took Zhang Sanfeng as his disciple and bestowed upon him the Taoist title "Xuanxuan", teaching him the "Tao Te Ching" and enabling him to understand the mysteries of the universe. Zhang Sanfeng had read Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" countless times, but when the Fire Dragon Immortal recited it, he gained a new understanding. The Fire Dragon Immortal said, "If people respect the way of heaven and honor the Way of earth, then the Way of Heaven will enjoy favorable weather and abundant harvests, and the Way of Earth will have a bountiful harvest of five grains." If human beings undermine the way of heaven and the way of earth is ruined, then the way of heaven will suffer from endless wind and rain, and the way of earth will not grow any grass or trees. This is called the unity of heaven and man, and mutual cause and effect. Zhang Sanfeng nodded: "Disciple understands." Nowadays, humanity has deteriorated, wars have raged year after year, and wars never cease. The lives of the people have suffered greatly, and the people are living in misery. This has led to the wrath of heaven and the resentment of people, and disasters have occurred one after another. The Fire Dragon Immortal said with deep emotion, "Heroes emerge in times of chaos. There will always be people who step forward to restore human morality and ensure the harmonious coexistence of heaven, earth and humanity." Zhang Sanfeng asked, "Master, who is the hero of today?" The Fire Dragon Immortal said, "Those who follow the will of heaven and win the hearts of the people are heroes." Zhang Sanfeng no longer asked. He kept "the will of Heaven and the will of the people" in mind and was determined to travel around the world, visit heroes all over the world and help them. Zhang Sanfeng studied Taoism in Zhongnan Mountain for four years. After leaving, he traveled around the world. He witnessed the government deteriorating day by day and the people living in misery. He returned to Qingyuan County, where he had served as the county magistrate for many years, and witnessed even more intense public discontent. He thought of the Lady of the Red Dust who was staying at his parents' home and quietly went to check on her. Unexpectedly, his father-in-law's home in the mundane world had long been in ruins, with walls and walls already broken. The villagers nearby told him that just a few days after Zhang Quanyi resigned from his post and left, the government found out his wife's residence, sent troops to surround the courtyard, killed all twenty members of his father-in-law's family, and set fire to the house. It was only because his wife had become a monk at the Zhenwu Temple the day before that she was spared. Thinking of the great disaster he had brought to his father-in-law's family, Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but shed tears in his eyes. He went to the Zhenwu Temple to see his wife, who had already become a monk, for the last time and then returned to the Jintai Temple in Baoji to continue his spiritual practice. Not long after, Wang Yunhe, the abbot of Jintai Temple, passed away. Before his death, he left a last will asking Zhang Sanfeng to take his place. Less than two years after Zhang Sanfeng took charge of Jintai Temple, an unexpected incident occurred. Wang Yunhe had a disciple named Sun Jingde who had long coveted the position of the host. Unexpectedly, it was obtained by Zhang Sanfeng, who came from outside. In his rage, he heard that Zhang Sanfeng was originally the magistrate of Qingyuan County and a wanted criminal by the imperial court. So he informed the local authorities of the secret. When Sun Jingde's whistleblowing reached Zhang Sanfeng's ears, he felt in a dilemma. If we leave, it will bring a very bad reputation to Jintai Temple. Let's not go. The authorities' arrest has only made the reputation of Jintai Temple even worse. One's own life and death are minor matters, but the reputation of Jintai Temple is of great significance. He suddenly had a brilliant idea and pretended to be transformed the next day, thus saving the Taoist temple from a disaster. Later, a yellow sheet was left behind, on which were several verses: "There is death in life, and life in death;" There is intoxication in wakefulness and awakening in intoxication. There is right within right and wrong within right. There is straightness within curvature and curvature within straightness. Zhang Sanfeng smiled and ordered everyone in charge, "Post this gatha on the main hall. Whoever understands its meaning can be the abbot." Having said that, he burst into laughter and went off in a crazy way. (Note: All rights reserved. Reproduction or publication is prohibited.)