The magical peony flower

At dawn, birds sing together. Early in the morning, Tianci Xu, a big businessman, rode a green mule and ran slowly from the road. He was followed by a dozen servants who protected a carriage with a coffin painted black with paulownia. The destination of the group is Tianxiang Temple on the hillside of Langya Mountain.

The black lacquer coffin contains the abbot of Tianxiang Temple, Da Zhi monk. Dazhi monk came to Hangzhou all the way, and when he came back, he passed Shahuling and met a robber. The gangster snatched the silver ticket and stabbed Dazhi in the chest with a knife ... It happened that Tianci Xu passed by here. When he learned that Dazhi was the abbot of Tianxiang Temple, he quickly dressed him. But the monk's big branch was dying because of excessive bleeding.

The wise old monk held hands and said intermittently, "Xu benefactor, the poor monk's oil lamp will go out and his life will soon end." Come here with your ears, and I'll tell you a secret of Tianxiang Temple! ……"

There is a Tiger Head Cliff in the backyard of Tianxiang Temple, and a lantian jade peony grows in the gap under the Tiger Head Cliff. This lantian jade peony is six feet high, 12 branches. Every spring in April and May, a rare blue peony flower will bloom on that branch. According to the number of peony flowers in lantian jade, we can infer the drought and flood situation within several hundred miles of Langya Mountain Fiona Fang. Tianxiang Temple also benefited from the strong incense.

Dazhi first checked the number of peony flowers, then deduced the formula of drought and flood, and told Tianci Xu. Then he took out a 180 page Peony Atlas and handed it to Tianci Xu. He said, "Donor Xu, please return the remains of the old monk to Tianxiang Temple, and hand over this album and formula ..."

This is how Tianci Xu escorted the coffin of Dazhi monk. As soon as he led the people to the foot of the mountain, he heard a faint sound of * * * in the black pine forest on the roadside. Tianci Xu walked over and saw a beggar lying in the Woods. He was so hungry that he fell to the ground.

The beggar is a silly boy of sixteen or seventeen, named Sandezi. His family lives in Niuzhuang, hundreds of miles away. Because of the plague in Niuzhuang, all his relatives died, and he begged all the way to Langya Mountain.

Tianci Xu brought dry food and clear water, and rescued Sandezi, who was half stupid but not stupid. With a thud, full Sanders knelt on the ground and hugged Tianci Xu's thigh without saying a word.

Tianci Xu didn't know what to do. Wu Tong, a monk from Tianxiang Temple, got the news and soon took people to meet him. It wasn't until the monk Wu Tong promised to ask Sun Dezi to be a handyman in the temple that Sun Dezi let go of his hand clutching Tianci Xu's thigh.

The abbot of Dazhi died, and the whole temple was crying. More than 0/00 monks in the temple/KLOC-led by Wu Tong held a scenic spot ceremony for the monks. The monk's body was put into the brick tower behind the temple, and Wu Tong found Tianci Xu.

Brother Wu Tong thanked Tianci Xu for a while, then changed the subject and said, "Can the abbot of Dazhi leave any last words before he dies?"

Tianci Xu shook his head and said, "The abbot of Dazhi left no last words!"

Seeing that he was speechless, monk Wu Tong put his hands together and said, "It was a great merit for Mr. Xu to send the abbot back to this temple. This temple has prepared some small gifts, please accept them! "

Wu Tong gave a hand, and the young monk outside sent two hundred and twenty sycees, but Tianci Xu refused.

The two men made concessions for a long time. Seeing the hospitality, he finally said, "Xu is really ungrateful!" Tianci Xu just wants to see the treasure of Tianxiang Temple-lantian jade Peony.

When Wu Tong heard that Tianci Xu wanted to see lantian jade Peony, he couldn't help sighing.

Hurry up and say, "If you are embarrassed, Xu won't read it!" "

Wu Tong thought for a moment and said, "I want to ask, can you draw?"

Tianci Xu really knows how to draw. He can draw a few strokes on flowers, birds, insects, fish and pavilions. When Wu Tong heard that Tianci Xu could draw, he clapped his hands and said happily, "If you can draw, it will be easy!"

Tianxiang Temple left two lantian jade Peony Atlas more than 300 years ago, one in the hands of Dazhi monk and the other in the hands of Wu Tong himself. Every spring, in order to expand its influence, Tianxiang Temple invites a famous artist to Lantianyu to watch peony and leave a peony map. Now Wu Tong has 177 photos. Today, Tianci Xu drew another picture, which happened to be 178.

2。 Battle front

Hutou Cliff behind Tianxiang Temple is more than 30 feet high. The cliff is an abrupt boulder, shaped like a fierce tiger's head. In a gap in the "tiger's mouth", lantian jade peony grows tenaciously. In order to protect this thousand-year-old peony flower, it was surrounded by a wooden fence, and a dog head lock was hung on the wooden fence door.

Most people only know that there are four kinds of peony flowers-Yao Huang, Wei Zi, Zhao Fen and Bean Green. In fact, there are many more precious varieties of peony, such as Er Qiao, which has the same plant and different flowers. The three changes of charm are magical-this flower turns green at first, pink when it opens, and pink when it dies.

But among these flowers, only lantian jade will have blue peony flowers. Wu Tong monk took out the bronze key from his waist and opened the big lock on the wooden door. Two people came to lantian jade Peony.

The lantian jade peony under Hutou Cliff is a thousand-year-old peony, 12 branches. This year, 13 blue peonies are blooming in the branches. The blue peony corolla is as big as a bowl, with overlapping petals and dense needles. This flower is brighter than sapphire. Looking at the petals that can be blown to pieces, and the elegant flower branches, Tianci Xu opened his mouth and cried-OK.

Tianci Xu took the brush in Wu Tong's hand. He first outlined the flower stems on snowflake paper, and then painted rosy clouds on the flowers. Finally, he dotted the leaves with bean green-12 peony flowers in front of him, which were vividly depicted on the paper.

When Tianci Xu finished painting the peony flowers in lantian jade, he got up and said goodbye to the monk Wu Tong. In July, Tianci Xu delivered a large amount of grain to Langya Prefecture. The grain was piled up by him in the rented warehouse, piling up like a mountain.

In August, in Langya Prefecture, the clouds were overcast and the rain poured down. Langya Prefecture is a mountainous area. Due to flash floods, roads were washed away, and food outside could not be transported at all. In the face of the fierce flood disaster, Tianci Xu's grain suddenly made a net profit of three times.

Tianci Xu looked at the money he earned and smiled happily. The following spring, Tianci Xu came to Tianxiang Temple again.

Wu Tong, now the abbot of Tianxiang Temple, arranged Tianci Xu to receive guests in the best guest room in the temple.

The peony in lantian jade is in full bloom under the Tiger Head Cliff. This time, Tianci Xu didn't ask to see the peony flowers. When Sanders heard that rescuers were coming and he sneaked into Tianci Xu's guest room, he lit the lamp.

When Tianci Xu asked about the recent situation of Sandezi, Sandezi said shyly, "I don't work in the kitchen now!" "

Although Sun Dezi has mental problems, he is a genius in painting. When he made a fire in the kitchen, he painted on the ground with a matchstick.

The news that Sandezi can paint was known by Wu Tong, who thought he was definitely the best person to paint peonies. This year's 179 peony picture was painted by Sandezi.

Tianci Xu also didn't believe that Sandezi could draw peonies. He pointed to the pen and paper on the table and said, "I want to test you. Please draw me that peony picture and have a look!" "

With a brush in his hand, everything looks like painting. However, as soon as his nib touched the drawing paper, the brush seemed to turn into a snake, flowing freely. Between the floating feathers, lantian jade Peony appeared on the letters.

Peony consists of flowers, leaves, branches and stems. Peony flowers are delicate and as thin as paper. Sandezi used the technique of drawing lines, showing old branches, tender leaves, rich flowers and thin cores.

Only three peonies have blossomed in lantian jade this year. If Sun Dezi hadn't painted it himself, Tianci Xu wouldn't believe that this peony picture was written by a fool. Tianci Xu praised his third son a few words, and his third son went back to his room to sleep with a full face of pride.

Early the next morning, Tianci Xu hid the peony picture painted by Sandezi in his sleeve, and then said goodbye to Wu Tong. According to the peony picture painted by Sandezi, Tianci Xu concluded that there would be a severe drought in Langya this year.

Tianci Xu sold another batch of grain and sold it to the people of Langya House when the crops failed. He killed another one.

In the third year, Tianci Xu got the180th peony picture from Sandezi, with only two peony flowers on it. Tianci Xu thinks that there will be a greater drought in Langya this year. What he didn't expect was that he bought grain and stored it in the warehouse from July until 10, but the weather in Langya Prefecture was good and the crops were bumper.

Tianci Xu's grain stored in the warehouse was full of insects, which made him very miserable.

Tianci Xu carefully read the peony picture given by Sandezi, but found that there were five traces of residual pedicels on it. Obviously, seven peony flowers opened this year, and five of them were cut off, so those five pedicels are indestructible evidence.

Lantian jade Peony grows under the Tiger Head Cliff, and the security facilities outside are tight. Those five flowers seem to have been cut by Wu Tong. This year, Tianci Xu achieved enlightenment.

3。 The last secret

Early spring of the fourth year. On the same day, chanting in the meditation hall, the state cow sent someone to invite.

There are new government officials in Langya Prefecture. In order to pray for good weather, he specially invited Wu Tong to the state capital to attend the worship ceremony. Lord Niu is an official of one side, so there is no reason not to go.

Wu Tong went to Langya Prefecture for three days of sacrifice, and was sent back to the temple by Niu Daren. The first thing Wu Tong did when he returned to the temple was to go straight to Tiger Head Cliff. Under the Tiger Head Cliff, the wooden fence door is firmly locked by bronze locks, and lantian jade Peony grows sharp leaves.

In a blink of an eye, a month passed, but surprisingly, lantian jade Peony did not bloom. Wu Tong more think more don't understand. This Millennium peony blooms every year. How can this year last forever?

That night, Wu Tong tossed and turned, unable to sleep. When Dazhi monk became abbot, the incense in the temple flourished because he could accurately predict the drought and flood weather in Langya Prefecture. Since he took over as abbot of Tianxiang Temple, the incense in Tianxiang Temple has been declining, because he doesn't know the secret of weather forecast. At this rate, the future of Tianxiang Temple is really worrying.

Wu Tong finally rolled over and got out of bed. He held the oil lamp in one hand and uncovered the floor tiles under the bed in the other. There is a wooden box under the floor tile. Open the lid, the box is 180 pages of Peony Atlas. No sooner had he opened some yellow papers than he heard a scream outside-no, Tiger Head Cliff was on fire!

He quickly put the photo album into the wooden box, and then put the wooden box under the floor tile. By the time he took the people to the bottom of Tiger Head Cliff, the fire on Tiger Head Cliff had burned half the sky.

There was a lot of hay in the crevice on the Tiger Head Cliff, which set the hay on fire. As the hay was burned out, the fire gradually went out. Thankfully, the peony in the lantian jade at the bottom of the cliff is safe and sound. Wu Tong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and went back to the meditation room, but when he looked under the bed, he couldn't help crying. The floor tiles under the bed have been thrown aside, and the peony album in the wooden box has disappeared. Looking up, the window in the north is wide open, and a shadow is fleeing in a hurry. ...

Wu Tong pulled out the Buddhist monk's knife on the wall and led his disciples to chase him out. This dark figure is stout, but the speed of escape is amazing. While chasing, Wu Tong shouted at the top of his lungs: "Stop, where are you going ..."

Wu Tong led the crowd to the heartbroken cliff in the back hill. Wu Tong three-pronged, cut off the shadow of the masked towel. Looking at the thief in the moonlight, Wu Tong exclaimed, "You, you are a virtuous son?"

Wu Tong was cheated by Tianci Xu. Sandezi is not stupid at all. His purpose of playing dumb is to break into Tianxiang Temple, so as to keep abreast of the peony in Lantian Jade.

In the third year, Wu Tong cut off the flowers and cheated Tianci Xu. In order to regain a game, Niu Yi was given a chance to do things, and the door was opened with the key made by Sandezi. He uprooted lantian jade Peony, which could predict drought and flood, and moved it to his back garden.

Lantian jade Peony, which now grows at the foot of Hutou Cliff, is a high-priced Siebel made in Tianci Xu. Tianci Xu tricked Wu Tong into stealing dragons to exchange phoenix, and the real lantian jade peony was transplanted, but it never blossomed again.

Where does Tianci Xu know that peonies can't be planted in spring? If the peony moves in spring and the flower roots are damaged, the peony will never bloom.

After Tianci Xu's plan of secretly planting lantian jade peony failed, he came up with the idea of understanding peony picture books. Sun Dezi hid in the dark. He peeped for a long time and finally found the hiding place of peony atlas. Sun Dezi stole the second peony album, and his undercover identity was exposed. Wu Tong pointed his finger at Sandezi's nose and shouted, "Come, what's the secret of lantian jade Peony?"

Sandezi sneered, "Do you want to know? It doesn't matter if I tell you, the secret is-less than three are dry, four to eight are safe, and more than nine are flooded! " These three sentences are the formula that Monk Tianzhi told Tianci Xu. Now that the peony in lantian jade has been destroyed, what is the use of these three formulas to distinguish between drought and flood disasters?

Wu Tong reached out and grabbed his peony album. Who ever thought Sandoko just wouldn't let go? Wu Tong waved the Zen master's knife and cut it at Sandoko's hand. Sandoko quickly withdrew his hand and retreated. Finally, with a scream, he fell straight to the heartbroken cliff.

Sandezi fell on the rotten leaves at the bottom of the cliff, but his body was fine except for a little skin on his face. In this way, two peony picture books, one in Wu Tong's hand and the other in Tianci Xu's hand.

Two people studied for many years, but no one understood the secret in Peony Atlas. Twenty years later, Wu Tong and Tianci Xu died, and the two peony albums had a chance to merge into one.

These two peony albums are records of drought and flood in Langya Prefecture 360 years ago. Once we compare the two albums, we will find an interesting phenomenon. The weather in Langya Prefecture repeats every 180 ... If we can know the future a few years in advance, people will suffer a lot less. If the weather is waterlogged, everyone can grow rice. If the weather is dry, everyone can grow rice. Wu Tong and Tianci Xu are hypocrites. They never thought about how to use their knowledge to benefit the people. They are playing their own small abacus every day.

Those two peony picture books have long been ruined because of the constant interest disputes. Although peony picture books can accurately predict the weather in Langya Prefecture, they cannot accurately measure people's hearts. People's hearts are really unpredictable! ……