“Twelve towers” of Li Yu in summary
The Tower of United Reflection
Once there lived in friendship two scientists – Tu and Guan. And they married sisters. True, very different characters: Guan had the most stringent rules, and Tu thoughtless, even unchecked. And they brought up their wives in accordance with their own views. At first, both families lived together, and then quarreled. We divided the estate into a tall wall, even across the pond the dam was erected.
Even before the quarrel in the Tu’s family, a son was born, named Zhensheng, Preciously Born, and in the Guanya family a girl named Yujiu-an – Beautiful Jasper. Children were similar to each other – not to distinguish. Mothers brought them to each other sisters.
The children were growing up already separated, but from the conversations of the elders they knew each other and dreamed of seeing each other. The young man even dared to visit his aunt, but he was not shown his sister – the customs of Guy were strict.
The young man was more brave, he solicited the meeting. The girl from modesty opposed. A friend of the Tu’s family, a certain Lee, tried to match the lovers, but was strongly refused. Parents sympathized with his son, tried to find him another bride. They remembered that Lee himself had an adopted daughter. They compared the horoscopes of young people – they coincided with extraordinary accuracy. Have arranged an engagement. The girl Li was happy, but the girl Guan, having learned about the future wedding of her lover, began to wither from day to day.
The youth in his frivolity could not decide and dreamed of each of the girls. Then Li had a triple marriage plan. He dedicated his friend Tu to him, and Guyan’s consent was deceived. The day of the ceremony was appointed. Guan, who did not suspect anything, saw that there was no groom next to his daughter, but was afraid to break the ceremonial. When everything was clarified, he became angry, but he was persuaded that
The young people healed together. Especially for them a pavilion was built on the pond, called the “Tower of the United Reflection,” and the wall, of course, was torn down.
Tower of the conquered reward
During the Ming Dynasty, there lived a certain Qian Xiaojing who traded in fish. With his wife, nee Bian, he had no consent. It’s true, for this sky and did not give them offspring. But when the couple matched the forty, they had a difference in just one hour were born daughters. Maidens grew up to be real beauties, for nothing that commoners.
It was time to give them away. Accustomed to mutually contradict each other, the parents decided to make each in their own way. The wife took the matchmakers in secret from her husband, and he himself conducted the marriage negotiations. It got to the point that two marriage processions met at the gate of their house one day. Hardly managed to keep the decency. True, when the husband’s grooms appeared later after the bride, Mrs. Bian made a real battle. The husband persuaded his future relatives to sue, and he volunteered to be a witness.
At that time, all affairs were supervised by a young inspector in criminal matters. He listened to both sides, but he could not decide who was right. He summoned the girls to ask their opinions, but they only blushed embarrassed. Then he called the suitors and was crushed by their ugliness. I realized that such muzhlans can not be to the heart of beauties.
And he thought about this: to arrange among the young people the districts of competition, something like examinations. Who will excel, will receive, if single, wife, and if already married – a deer as a reward. And the girls put as long as the tower, called “The Tower of the Conquered Reward.” The ads were posted, and the applicants began to flock from all sides. Finally announced the winners. Two were married, two were single. True, one of the bachelors was not interested in brides at all, and the second one was completely absent.
The inspector called on the winner and announced his decision. Then he asked where the second winner. It turned out that the winners were twin brothers, and one passed the exams for himself and for the named brother. Conscious of this name Yuan Shijun refused to marry, he insisted that he brings some miscarriages for his maidens, and therefore gathered in monks. But the inspector did not back down. He ordered the girls to be brought and announced that Yuan as a winner receives two brides at once.
Yuan obeyed the will of the ruler. He lived happily and reached high posts. The young ruler also succeeded. True they say: “Only a hero can recognize a hero.”
Tower of Three Accords
During the Ming dynasty, a rich man named Tan lived in the Chengdu area. He only did that he bought up new land – he thought it was stupid to spend money on another: guests would eat food, build a fire, and someone would ask for a dress. He had a son, the same scandal as his father. I wasted excesses. I just wanted to build a big beautiful house, but greed prevented me.
I decided to consult my father. That for the sake of his son came up with this. In the same lane he noticed a garden, the owner of which was building a house. The father was sure that after completing the house, he would want to sell it, because by that time he would have done a lot of debts, and creditors would beat him.
And the house was built by a certain Yu Hao, a man of good order, who did not chase after glory, who devoted his time to poetry and guilt. A few years later, as Tang had foreseen, Yu completely became impoverished – the construction was eating up a lot of money. I had to sell a new house to him. Tanya’s father and son pretended that they were not interested in buying, scolded buildings and gardens to bring down the price. They offered a fifth of his true value for the house. Yu Hao agreed with a reluctant heart, but put one condition: for himself he leaves a high tower, enclosing it with a wall with a separate entrance. The younger Tan tried to argue, but his father persuaded him to yield. He realized that sooner or later, Yu will sell the tower. The tower was beautiful. On each of the three floors the owner arranged everything to his own taste. The new owners were soon disfigured by the perestroika, and the tower still struck with its perfection. Then the rich thought to take it away at all costs. Yue could not persuade him. We started a lawsuit. But, fortunately, the judge quickly understood their sneaky plan, chastised the Tanov and drove them away.
In distant lands, Yu had a twin brother, a man as rich as he was generous and indifferent to money. He came to visit and was very upset with the sale of the house and garden and neighbor’s tricks. He offered money to buy back the estate, but Yu refused. A friend was going to leave and before telling him that he had dreamed of a white mouse in his dream – a true sign of the treasure. He cursed not to sell the tower.
And the Tanis now waited for the death of their neighbor, but he, contrary to their expectations, was strong and even in sixty years gave birth to an heir son. The rich fell victim. However, in time, an intermediary appeared to them. It turned out that Yu, with the birth of his son, had a heavy gripe and was ready to sell the tower. His friends discouraged him, but he insisted on his own, and he settled in a tiny house under a thatched roof.
Soon, Yu went into another world, leaving a widow with a young son. Those lived only on money left over from the sale of the tower. At the age of seventeen, Yu’s son passed exams and reached high posts, but suddenly applied for resignation and went home. On the way, a woman gave him a petition. It turned out that she was a relative of the Tans, whose family had long been haunted by misfortunes. The elders died, the descendants went bankrupt, and recently her husband was arrested on the slander: someone wrote a denunciation that in the tower they were sheltering stolen wealth. They made a search, found ingots of silver. The woman assumed that since the once estate belonged to the Yu family, the silver could have belonged to them. However, a young man who remembered the constant poverty, this assumption seemed ridiculous. But he promised to talk with the district chief.
At home, the old mother, upon learning of the incident, told him about the dream that the late father’s twin-brother had once dreamed of. To his son it all seemed like a fairy tale. Soon the chief of the county came to him. The old woman told him a long story. It turned out that a twin brother was still alive and in his time was very sad when he heard of the sale of the tower. The commander understood everything at once.
At that time the servant reported the guest. It was that same friend, now a deep old man. He fully confirmed the guess of the head of the county: he kept the silver in the tower in secret, even the numbers of ingots were preserved in his memory. The head decided to let Tan go free, gave him the money and took the deed to the estate and tower. Thus came the reward for Yu’s good deeds and for the bad deeds of Tan’s father and son.
The Tower of Summer Delight
During the Yuan Dynasty, an official named Zhan lived alone. Two of his sons followed in the footsteps of his father and served in the capital, and he drank wine and composed poems. And in later years, his daughter was born, named Xianxian – the Prelestress. She was really good-looking, but not a coquette, not a hoodie.
The father was still worried, as if her soul had not woken up before the time spring desires, and came up with an occupation for her. Among the Chelyadins, he selected ten girls and told their daughters to teach them. She tackled the matter with zeal.
It was a hot summer. Escaping from the heat, Xianxian moved to the shore of the pond in “Summer Summer Breeze”. One day, tired, she dozed off, and her students decided to swim. One of them offered to swim naked. They all cheerfully agreed. When, when she woke up, the mistress saw such disgrace, she became very angry and punished the instigator. Has got to the others. My father liked the severity of his daughter.
Meanwhile, in the house of Zhan came the matchmakers, who offered a boy from the Qu family to the grooms. He sent rich gifts and asked Mr. Zhang to take him as a student. The old man agreed to this, but answered evasively about his marriage. The young man did not intend to retreat.
His determination came to Xianxian and she could not not like it. And then she found out that he had succeeded in the exams. She began to think of him all the time. But Qu did not return to his native land. The girl even worried: did his father evade his evasiveness? She fell ill from anxiety and fell asleep from her face.
Soon the young man returned home and immediately sent a matchmaker to learn about Xianxian’s health, although the girl did not tell anyone about her illness. The matchmaker assured her that the boy was always aware of everything, and in confirmation told the story of the ill-fated bathing. The girl did not believe her ears. She even more wanted to marry Qu.
His omniscience was connected with the fact that he somehow bought a magical thing from a junkeeper, bringing the most distant objects closer to his eyes. In this All-Seeing Eye, he also saw the bathing scene, and the dull look of Xianxian itself. Once he even saw what verses she wrote, and sent with the matchmaker continuation. The girl was shocked. She believed that Qu was a celestial, and from that time on she thought about her husband – a simple mortal could not,
Father did not give an answer, he waited for the results of the capital’s tests. Qu also succeeded there, took second place, hurried to send matchmakers to the Xianxiang brothers. But they also did not give a decisive answer, explaining that two of their fellow countrymen who had successfully passed the exams had previously been wooing their sister. Qu had to go home with nothing. The brothers also wrote a letter to their father, advising him to resort to fortune-telling.
The old man obeyed the advice. Although the girl was sure that Qu was omnipotent, divination was not in his favor. Xianxian tried to persuade her father herself, she referred to the opinion of the late mother, who, appearing to her in a dream, told him to marry Qu. Everything is useless. Then Qu came up with a plan and told him Xianxian. She again went to her father and stated that she could repeat the text of the spell he had burned, addressed to his mother. And she uttered it without hesitation from beginning to end. The old man trembled with fear. He believed that the marriage of his daughter and Qu was decided in heaven. Immediately urged the matchmaker and ordered to arrange a wedding.
And the fact was that Qu managed, with the help of the All-Seeing Eye, to read and memorize the text of the spell, which Xian-hsien transmitted. After the wedding, he confessed everything to his wife, but she was not disappointed. The All-Seeing Eye was placed in the “Tower of Summer Delight,” and the spouses often resorted to him for advice. They lived in love and harmony, although Qu sometimes allowed himself to secretly from his wife to have fun with her former students.
The Tower of Return to Truth
In the time of the Ming dynasty, there lived an amazing rascal. Nobody knew his real name and where he comes from. Few people saw him. But the glory of him was, as they say, all over the world. There someone was robbed, here – fooled; Today it is operating in the south, tomorrow – in the north. The authorities got off their feet, but they could not catch him. Sometimes, they grabbed him, only evidence against him was not. All because the swindler has extremely cleverly changed the guise: the deceived never managed to recognize him. This lasted almost three decades, and then he voluntarily settled in one place, showed his true appearance and often edified about the past life – so: some funny stories have come down to our days. The name of the fraudster was Bay Quitzhong. His father was plundering, but his son decided to go on a different track: he cunning preferred ruffian robbery. Father doubted his son’s abilities. Once, standing on the roof, he demanded that he make him descend to the ground, then, they say, he will believe in his ability. The son said that he could not do it, but he could persuade his father to rise on the roof. The father agreed and got off the roof – his son outdid him in cunning. Parents highly appreciated the dexterity of their offspring. We decided to test it in a more serious matter.
He went out the gate and returned in three hours. The porters brought a box of food and utensils behind him, got a few coins and left. It turned out that the cunning man took part in someone else’s wedding ceremony. All sniffed, realized that soon the feast would move from the bride’s house to the groom’s house, pretended to be the groom’s servant and volunteered to accompany the food and utensils. Then, under some pretext, he sent the porters, hired new ones, and told them to take everything to the parents’ house. Nobody could understand where the wedding food and dishes went.
Several years have passed. The young swindler became famous. There was no man he could not cheat. the experienced one was holding a shop in Hangzhou, so he found himself: he bought a bar of gold from the stranger, in time another unknown person declared that the ingot was false, and volunteered to expose the swindler together with the merchant, but the merchant had to make a noise as the goodwill disappeared. It turned out that he – and this, of course, was the rascal Bay himself – and replaced the real ingot with a fake one.
Another time, Bay, along with his friends, saw a flotilla of boats on the river. Local officials met the new ruler from the capital. Since no one knew the ruler in person, Bay easily betrayed himself for him, deceived lures from officials a lot of money and was such. There were many such feats.
But among the peasants he was famous for his generosity. One day they even hired the stout fellows to catch Bay and bring them to visit. And it happened, but the swindler managed to change his appearance, and the singers decided that they just caught a similar person. Particularly upset was one girl, who was called Su Inyan. She dreamed with Bay’s help to abandon the unworthy craft and go into nuns. Her tears moved the unrecognized swindler, and he decided to help the unhappy. I bought it from a merry house, I found a building suitable for a chapel, with two yards: in one half of the house I had a girlfriend settled, in the other I decided to settle myself. In the garden he hid the looted treasures, just at the foot of the three towers. One of them was decorated with a board with the inscription: “The Tower of Return and Stop,” but suddenly a miracle happened: the inscription itself changed, and now it was written on the tower: “The Tower of Return to Truth.” Since that time, Bay has thrown a scam and, like Su Inyan, has rejected worldly vanity.
True, for prayer he needed a two-story structure, so he decided to resort to his craft for the last time. He disappeared for half a year with his assistants, predicting that there will always be kindnesses who want to build a chapel. And it is true that an official and merchant appeared to Su Yingyang in time, expressing their readiness to pay for the construction of such a house. Soon after, Bay returned.
When Su was surprised by his insight, he opened to her fraudulent tricks, with which he forced to shell out the official and merchant. But this was the last time Bay resorted to his unworthy craft.
Tower of the collection of refinements
During the Ming dynasty lived two friends, Jin Zhongyu and Liu Minshu. They tried to become scientists, but did not show much zeal and decided to start trading. They also had a third friend, Quan Jusu, an unusually handsome person. They bought three shops, put them together in one and started trading books, incense, flowers and antiquities. Behind their shop stood the “Tower of the Collection of Grace”.
I traded my friends honestly, they knew the things in subjects: they read rare books, kindled wonderful incenses, knew how to play musical instruments, understood paintings. Things were going great, the shop was very popular with connoisseurs.
Two older friends were married, and the younger did not have time to get married and lived at the shop.
At that time, the court academician was a certain Yan Shifen, the son of the first minister Yan Sun, he heard about the bench of friends, but a fine young man interested him more than antiquities or incense, for he was not a stranger to a known vice. He went to the bench, but his friends, having learned about his inclination, decided to hide the young Quan. Yan collected things for a thousand gold and returned to the palace. For purchases, he promised to pay later. How many friends did not visit for money, all for nothing. Finally, the manager, Jan, opened their eyes to them: the grandee will not return the money until he sees Quan. He had to go to the palace. However, Yan’s hopes were not justified: despite his youth, Quan showed extraordinary firmness and did not yield to his harassment.
At that time, the cunning eunuch Sha Yucheng served at court. One day Yan Shifan came to visit him and saw that he scolded the servants for negligence. I decided to recommend that young Quan. And the plan for two villains was born: to lure the young man to the eunuch and to castigate. The eunuch knew that he was sick and death was not far off. After his death, the young man must pass into the hands of Jan.
Eunuch Sha sent for Quan. It seems that the dwarf trees that were bought at one time in his shop need to be pruned. The young man appeared. The eunuch gave him a sleepy potion and froze. It was necessary for the unfortunate to leave friends-brothers and to settle in the house of the eunuch. Soon, after questioning someone, he guessed that Yan Shifan was guilty of his misfortune, and decided to take revenge. After a while the eunuch died, and Quan went to serve his worst enemy.
Day after day he wrote down the evil words that the prince and his father pronounced against the emperor, remembered all their misdeeds. This family did not harm him alone. Many of them presented revelatory reports to the Tsar. Finally, Yanei was exiled.
Through one court lady, the emperor learned about the misfortune of Quan Zhusu. He summoned a young man to his house and interrogated me with an addiction. Here and other officials poured oil on the fire. The villain was taken to the capital and chopped off. Quan managed to get his skull and adjust it under a urine vessel. This is revenge for mockery.
The Tower of the Undressed Clouds
During the Ming dynasty, a certain young man named Pei Jidao lived in Linyang. Himself, he was good, talented and extremely smart. Weave for him the girl Wei, but then the parents preferred the daughter of the rich man Feng, a rare ugly creature, and a character of the infamous. Pei never appeared in public with her together, afraid of ridicule of friends.
Once during a summer holiday on Lake Sikho a terrible whirlwind struck. Frightened women jumped from boats, water and rain washed away their faces with powder and blush. Gathered on the holiday, the young people decided to take the opportunity and find out who the women of the city are beautiful, and who is ugly. Among the youth was Pei. When his wife appeared in the crowd of women, her ugliness caused universal ridicule. But the two beauties amazed everyone with their charm. In one of them, Pei found out his first betrothed, the girl Wei. The second was her servant Nanhong.
Soon, Pai’s wife died, and he again became a bridegroom. Again sent the matchmakers to the Wei family, but they angrily rejected the offer. It was very insulting to prefer Pei once to a rich bride. The young man could not find a place for himself.
Near the house of Veyev lived a certain milf Yu, who had become a preceptor of every woman’s craft. She learned needlework and the girl Wei with the maid. To her help and decided to resort to Psy. He gave her rich gifts, told about his sorrows. But mother Yu, even though she talked with the girl herself, Wei, also did not succeed. In the heart of the girl was not extinguished resentment.
Then Pei fell to his mother in front of Yu, and begged her to arrange a wedding for him, at least with the servant Nanhong. This scene from the top of the Tower of Scattered Clouds was just this very servant and watched. She only thought that Pei was praying for her mistress. When she learned from Mother Yu, what she was talking about, softened and promised if she would be taken to her wife, and persuaded her mistress.
The maid’s plan was complex and required patience. First, she persuaded the parents of the girl Wei to turn to the fortune-teller. Of course, Pei had to pre-cure this fortuneteller as it should. When he arrived at the house, he convinced the parents of the bride that the future bridegroom should be from the number of widowers, and in addition, it is absolutely necessary that he take his second wife. Here it was not difficult to hint at Pey as a possible candidate for husbands. Parents decided to shove the fortuneteller, among others, and his horoscope. Of course, he chose his wizard.
Seeing that the matter was almost matched, the cunning Nenghun demanded from Pye a paper confirming his intentions and marrying her. He signed.
Soon they played a wedding. Nenghun and his mistress moved to a new house. On the wedding night, Pei pretended that he had a terrible dream, which he still interpreted as a hint of the need to take a second wife. Wei, fearing that he could not get along with his new wife, persuaded her maid to marry Pye. They also played a second wedding. After the appointed number of moons, both wives were given up by sons. The other women, Pei never took to the house.
Tower of ten wedding cups
In the times of the Ming Dynasty, there lived in the Wenzhou area a certain farmer named Vinny Duren, an unlearned man, even stupid. True, he knew how to write hieroglyphs in a hint. It was said that immortal gods drive it with a brush, and the locals often visited the Dumb to find out their future. And always his written predictions were justified.
At the same time there lived a certain youth named Yao Jian, famous for his remarkable talents. Father hoped to marry him on some noble beauty. I found him a girl from the Tu family. The case quickly matched, and for the newlyweds built a tower. That’s when they called Vinny Durna, so that he would write an adjective inscription – the name for the tower. He drained a dozen wine cups, grabbed a paintbrush and instantly wrote; “Tower of the Ten Cups”. The hosts and guests could not understand the meaning of the inscription, they even decided that the drunk calligrapher was mistaken.
Meanwhile, it was the wedding day. The young husband dreamed of reuniting with his wife after a solemn feast, but in bed she discovered a certain flaw – as they say, “among the rocks there was not a gate for the traveler.” The young man was sad, and the next morning he told all his parents. They decided to return the unfortunate home, and instead demand her younger sister.
Secretly exchanged. But Yao Jun and there was no luck: the youngest was ugly and moreover incontinence suffered. Whatever morning, the young mule woke up in a wet bed amidst a terrible stench.
Then they decided to try a third sister from Tu’s house. This seemed to be all good – no flaw in the eldest, nor the ugliness of the younger. The husband was delighted. True, it soon became clear that the beauty before the wedding was confessed to some man and suffered. I had to drive the sinner away.
This or some other failure ended and all the following attempts of the unfortunate Yao to find a pair: then the malevolent came across, then obstinate, then stupid. For three years our hero has visited the groom nine times. One old relative named Guo Tushu guessed what was wrong. It is known that with the brush of Vinny Durn, when he wrote the name for the “Tower of the Ten Wedding Cups”, a holy celestial was leading. Young Yao has not yet fulfilled the predictions, drank only nine cups, left one more. Then the parents asked Guo to find somewhere in a foreign country a bride for her son. We waited a long time. Finally from Guo came the news that the bride was found. She was brought and married. When the husband removed her muslin coverlet, it turned out that before him – his first wife
What was to be done? Day after day, the wife was tormented, but suddenly something unexpected happened. In the very place where his wife did not have a “peony bud”, there was an abscess. A few days later he burst, a wound was formed. They were afraid that the wound would last, but everything turned out okay. Now the beauty was, as they say, without flaw. Truly the couple were overjoyed. It is not without reason that it is said that one should strive for happiness, and not get it with ease.
The Tower of the Returning Crane
During the Song Dynasty, a certain Duan Pu, a scion of an ancient family, lived in Bianjin. At the age of nine he joined the sciences, but did not hurry to pass the exams, I wanted to gain experience. He did not hurry with marriage. He was an orphan, it was not necessary to take care of anyone, so he lived freely and for his own pleasure.
He was friends with a certain Yu Zichang, also talented and similar to him the manners of the young men. Yu also did not aspire to a career, but thought about marriage seriously. However, it was very difficult to find a worthy wife.
Meanwhile, the emperor issued a decree. All learned people were obliged to come to the palace for testing. Let’s go and Duan and Yui. Although they did not dream of success at all, and even wrote essays on their sleeves, they were lucky, and they took high places.
In the capital city lived a respectable man named Guan, in whose house two beautiful women grew up – his daughter Weizhu, the Pearl in the frame, and the niece of Zhaotsuy – Lazurnaya. The azure beauty even surpassed the Pearl. When the sovereign arrived in time to select beauties for the palace harem, the court eunuch could choose only these two, although he preferred Zhao-chui. She had to become a sovereign concubine. However, soon the Emperor refused his intention. The time was restless, it was necessary to bring the sages closer to oneself, and not indulge in lust.
It was then that Guan heard about two young men who had succeeded in the trials. You can give your daughter and niece for such.
Yuya was pleased with the news. But Duan thought the marriage was a nuisance. True, it was not necessary to argue with a high dignitary, and Duan resigned himself. Weddings were played. Yu married the Pearl, Duan took to wife Azure. Yu lived happily, could not get enough of the beauty of his wife and even promised not to take concubines to the house. Duan also fell in love with his wife, but at times he was grieved: he understood that such a wife – that rare jewel, so expect trouble.
Soon, friends received appointments to high positions. It seemed that everything was going well. However, the joy did not last long. The Sovereign changed his previous decision and again ordered to take the beauties in the harem. Learning that the two most beautiful maidens went to poor students, he was very angry and ordered to send two friends to remote provinces. Helpful officials immediately advised them to send them with tribute to the state of Jin. Messengers did not usually return from there.
Yu Ziichang loved his wife, and parting seemed to him dry land flour. Duan, on the contrary, honestly told his wife that he would probably not be able to return, and ordered me not to torment my heart in vain. The young woman was shocked by his coldness, she was very angry. Moreover, on his house he strengthened the sign with the inscription: “The Tower of the Returning Crane”, hinting at eternal separation – he supposedly will return here except after his death in the guise of a crane.
The journey was difficult. Even more difficult was life in Jin. Jin officials demanded bribes. Duan immediately refused to pay, he was brutally treated, shackled and beaten with whips. But he was firm. But Yu, hurrying to return to his wife, littered to the right and left with the money that his father-in-law sent him, he was well treated and soon released to his homeland.
He was already in his thoughts embracing his wife, and she, knowing about his arrival, could not wait to meet. But the sovereign, after listening to the report of Yu Zichang, immediately appointed him an inspector for supplying troops with provisions. It was a military matter, there was not a moment to lose. Of course, the emperor continued to take revenge on a man who intercepted his beauty! Again, for Yu and his wife, the joy of the meeting was replaced by the pain of separation. Only he managed to transfer a letter from Duan to his wife. She read the poems and realized that her husband had not changed at all – instead of a heart he had a stone. And she decided not to be tormented in vain, to do needlework, to earn money, and then to spend them generously. In a word, I stopped wasting time.
The life of Yu Zichang was held in hardships. He did not climb down from the saddle all day long, his wind was blowing, he poured rain. So passed not a year or two. At last the victory was won. But then it was just time to pay tribute to the state of Jin again. An official at the court, remembering that the Tsar did not favor Yui, suggested that he should be sent by the ambassador. The Emperor immediately made an appointment. Yu was in despair. I even wanted to put my hands on myself. He was rescued by a letter from Duan, who, himself suffering deprivation and adversity, found the opportunity to keep a friend from rash acts.
The Jinters were delighted at Yu’s arrival. They expected generous offerings from him. But this time the father-in-law was in no hurry to send money, and Yu could not appease the greedy Jintz. And then terrible trials came upon him. From Duan, they eventually backed down, even ready to let him go home. Only he did not hurry. After two years of unceasing torment and waving at Yui, it became clear that he could not get money from him.
Over the years, friends have grown even closer. They helped each other in every way, shared sorrows and sorrows. Duan tried to explain his severity to his wife, but Yu could not believe in his rightness.
Eight years passed. The province of Jin went on a campaign against Song, captured the capital. The Emperor was taken prisoner. Here he met with his subjects, which ruined his life. Now he bitterly repented. He even ordered them to return to their homeland.
And then, after an endless separation, the ill-fated strangers approached their native places. Time did not spare Yu. He became quite gray. Not daring to appear to his wife in this form, he even drew his hair and beard with special paint. But when I entered the house, I learned that my wife died of grief.
But Zhaotsui, wife of Duan, it seems, even got prettier. The husband was delighted, decided that she correctly took his long-standing advice. But the wife held his resentment against him. Then he reminded her of the secret sign, which was contained in a letter sent eight years ago through Yuya. The woman objected that it was his usual letter with words destroying love. But it turned out that it was a letter-a flip-flop. His wife read it in a new way, and her face was lit up with a joyful smile. This time, she realized how wise and perspicacious was her husband.
Tower of offering to the ancestors
During the reign of the Ming dynasty – already in the period of its decline – under the Nanking lived scientist Shu. His genus was very numerous, but the ancestors of seven generations had only one child. In his wife he took a virgin from an eminent family. Soon she became a support in the house. The couple were very fond of each other. Children they did not have a long time, finally a boy was born. Parents and relatives literally prayed for the child. True, the neighbors were surprised at the courage of people who gave birth to a son. the troubled times were painful, gangs of bandits raged everywhere, and women and children seemed particularly vulnerable. Soon the Shu family realized the danger.
Shu himself decided at all costs to save his son – a precious gift of fate. Therefore, he dreamed to take from his wife the word that she, even at the cost of her own dishonor, will try to save the boy. It was not easy for such a decision, she tried to explain herself to her husband, but he stood his ground. In addition, the relatives demanded to preserve the life of the successor of their family. They turned to fortune-telling. The answer was the same.
Soon robbers came to their land. The scientist disappeared. The woman was left alone with the child. Like all the surrounding women, she did not escape outrage. Once the robber burst into the house and already brought the sword, but the woman offered him her life in exchange for the life of her son. He did not kill anyone, but took his mother with the child with him. Since then, they have followed him everywhere.
At last the world reigned. The scientist sold the house and all the utensils, went to buy a wife and son from captivity. Only to find them anywhere could not. Besides, on the way, robbers attacked him, and he lost all his money. I had to beg. Once he threw a piece of meat, he bit into it with his teeth, but felt an unusual taste. It turned out that it was beef, which they never ate in their family. Because there was that peculiar vow that allowed in each generation to have at least one heir, and Shu decided to die better than to break the ancient prohibition.
He almost died already, when the spirits suddenly appeared and, struck by his staunchness, returned the scientist to life. They explained to Shu that he was observing the “half fasting”, the ban on the use of beef and dog, and therefore, is able to turn any misfortune to himself for good.
A few more months passed. The poor man went thousands of ways, suffered many tolls. Somehow the soldiers forced him to drag the ship along the river. During the day, the guards followed the guards strictly, at night they were locked in some temple. At night Shu did not close his eyes, shed tears and complained of fate. Somehow, his groaning heard a noble lady, sailing towards her husband. I ordered him to come to me. I asked. And then she told me to put it in the iron so that she would not interfere with her sleep. She said that he is giving his fate to the hands of his husband, the commander, who is about to appear. The commander arrived. The unhappy man appeared before him. It was clear that he had no evil intent. He explained why he cried so bitterly at night, named the name of his wife and son. Then it turned out that the warlord’s wife is the ex-wife of the scientist. Shu begged for the child to be returned, the successor of the family. The military commander did not object. His wife refused to return – she lost her honor.
The commander gave Shu money for the road and the boat. Soon the soul of the scientist began to gnaw doubts, he wanted to return his wife. Then the rider appeared, who brought the order from the commander to return immediately. The scientist was lost in gloomy guesses. It turned out that after the departure of her husband and son, the unhappy woman decided to accept death. She was found hanging under the crossbar of the cabin. The commander ordered to pour in her mouth a curative infusion and to put in a pill that prolongs life. The woman came to life.
Now she fulfilled her vow – she tried to die. It was possible to return to her husband. The military commander told Shue to tell everyone that his wife had died and he married again. I endowed them with money, clothes, utensils. Since ancient times such noble deeds are a rarity!
Tower of the new-found life
In the last years of the Song Dynasty, a rich man named Yin lived in the Yunyang province. He was distinguished by great frugality, his wife helped him in that. They did not boast, they lived quietly. They did not decorate their dwelling. True, Yin decided to build a small tower near the sanctuary of his ancestors, so that Yang’s forces would be favorable to him. In this tower the couple arranged a bedroom.
Shortly after, In’s wife carried, and in due time gave birth to a boy, who was named Loushan, who was born in the tower. Everyone had a good baby, though he had only one testicle. Parents of the soul did not like it.
Once he went for a walk with the children and disappeared. They decided that his tiger had carried away. The couple were in despair. How many attempts to give birth to the child since then, were pursued by some failures. But Yin firmly refused to take a concubine. By the age of fifty they decided to take a foster son. Only they were afraid that they could be flattered by their wealth, they could rob the old people. Therefore, Yin decided to go to distant lands. There, no one knew that he was rich, and it was easier to adopt a adopted son. The wife approved of her husband’s intention and gathered him on the road.
Yin put on the commoner’s dress and set out on his journey. To quickly achieve his goal, he even wrote a special paper: “I am old and childless, I want to go to the foster fathers.” I ask only ten lan. “Those who wish can make a deal immediately and do not repent.” But everyone just laughed at the old man. Sometimes they kicked, gave clout on the head.
One day a young man of pleasant appearance squeezed through the crowd and approached Inya with a respectful bow. Everybody laughed at him, but he kindly invited the old man to a drinking establishment and treated him. So they got to know each other. It turned out that the young man had lost his parents in his childhood, still unmarried, engaged in trade, and even managed to get something done. For a long time I dreamed of going to foster sons, but I was afraid that everyone would decide that he was gambling on someone else’s wealth. Now the adoptive father and son have healed the soul in the soul.
At this time there was a rumor that enemy troops were approaching, and highwaymen were being ravaged by robbers. Old Yin advised his son to distribute the goods to merchants, and to go home lightly. The son agreed, but worried about whether the old man would have to starve on the road. Then Yin announced that he was rich.
On the way, Yin learned that the young man was in love with his former master’s daughter and would like to visit her. We agreed that the old man would go ahead, and the young man would stay to see her. When the boat with the old man had already sailed, he realized that he had not told his adopted son his name, and decided to leave an announcement on each pier.
Meanwhile, the young man found out that the village where his master lived, was plundered by bandits and all women were taken prisoner. In a terrible grief, Yao swam further and stumbled upon a market where prisoners were traded. Only the robbers did not allow to look at women. Yao bought one at random – it turned out to be an old woman. But the respectful youth did not scold her, but offered to be his mother.
The woman in gratitude told him that the next day the robbers were going to trade young and beautiful, and explained how to find the best of the girls. Yao did as she ordered, bought without bargaining a woman, took off her veils – was his lover Cao. The jasper arshin served, which he himself had once given her.
Needless to say, how happy were the young, how to thank the old woman. Moved on. Have swum up to any settlement. From the shore they were called. The son recognized his adoptive father, but also the old woman – her husband. When he left his native place, she was seized by robbers. In captivity, she met with the girl Cao.
The delighted Yin and his wife led the young to the tower in order to perform the ceremony. But the youth, having looked around, suddenly said that he would recognize the bed, toys, utensils. Porassov asked, it turned out – in front of them a son kidnapped in childhood. Then the father remembered the admission of his child, took the young man aside, looked and certainly recognized him as his own son.
A wonderful story immediately became known to the whole district. The young ones had many children, and the Yin family prospered for a long time.
The Tower, where they give advice
During the reign of the Ming dynasty there lived a respectable man, and he was called Yin. He occupied the post of interpreter of texts in the person of the sovereign, and everyone called him the historian Yin. He had a cousin named Daisoo, Starets Tugodum, a very modest man, resembling a hermit.
When Dyssou was thirty years old, he had gray hair in his beard. He burned all his poems and compositions, destroyed the brushes, handed out familiar drawing accessories. He left only a few books on agriculture. He explained to those interested that it is impossible to live as a hermit in the mountains and to practice calligraphy.
The historian Yin appreciated Tugoduma: he did not flatter, he always spoke the truth. So the official was not lazy to visit him, although Daisaw lived far away. But Tugoduma did not take vain. He dreamed only of the purity of being, of detachment from worldly vanity. He dreamed of leaving the city and settling in seclusion. I bought several mild earth and built a hut to live here until old age. I said goodbye to my friends and after a few days together with my family went to the mountains. Then Yin decided to name the tower, in which they once talked, “The Tower, where they give advice.”
Gu Tugodum enjoyed the life of a hermit. Yin sent him a letter, begging to return, but he refused. One day a messenger came from the county government with a demand to go to the city, because for Gu there was a shortage. He was terribly upset. Then he decided to butter the messenger. The Dodger took a hundred coins.
And then there were robbers in the district. Once they came to Gu and robbed him to the thread, and even left some things taken from other unhappy people. Life grew worse day by day. Friends sent him letters with sympathetic words, but no one helped with money. Another six months passed. Gu has become accustomed to poverty. But fate did not spare him.
There were guards with an order to arrest. The robbers were arrested, and they confessed that they had left part of the prey in the house of a certain Gu. G understood that for some sin the heavens do not allow him to live as a hermit. Clicked his wife, ordered to collect things and moved to the city. At the city gates, his friends met him. They persuaded him not to talk with the chief, they say, he will spoil everything, but take talks for himself. One condition was put forward: from this day on, Gu remains in the suburbs. They even found a house for him.
When the friends parted, there was one historian Yin who told how he lacked the advice of a friend. They talked all night, and in the morning Gu, looking around, could not understand why the owner had left such a beautiful house.
Then the messenger from the council came. At first Gu was worried, but he turned out to be back to return the money that Gu gave him for cajoling officials. Then the robbers appeared and apologized to Gu returned the stolen goods from him. Then the chief of the county arrived in person. He expressed his pleasure at the decision of Gu to settle near the city.
In the evening guests came with wine and food. Gu told them about an honest bureaucrat, noble burglars and respectful chief of the county. The guests exchanged glances and laughed. Then the historian Yin laid it all out. It turned out that all of Gu’s troubles were arranged by his friends to force him to abandon the life of a hermit. Before dawn, the fun continued, the wine poured. Gu settled in a new place, and everyone came to him for advice. And the historian Yin simply settled down next to him in a peasant house, called “The Tower, where they give advice.”
The attentive reader has already understood that this is more a story about Inya than about Gu Tugoduma. There are few in the world who are able to reject vanity and live as a hermit, but even less – especially among the nobility – conscious of their own imperfections and ready to listen to someone else’s opinion.
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