History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 386 Gao Xianyu and Wei Yin

The boy reached out to stop him, saying, "Don't rush, don't rush, I haven't finished yet. If you want to calculate your fortune, prosperity, or longevity within the next two years, you need to roll the peach wood bucket around to the left once, then around to the right once at the talisman's position, and then draw a lot with the bucket upright."

"The method for predicting one's fortune over the next three years by rolling the peach wood bucket is the same as the method for predicting two years, but you must buy a secret talisman from me in advance." He showed everyone the secret talisman, which was decorated with six peach branches intertwined with the yin and yang of heaven and earth, containing unfathomable mysteries.

“Drawing talismans is very time-consuming. Our temple’s celestial master can only draw ten mysterious talismans a day. Each talisman costs three Taihe Wuzhu coins.”

The fewer the talismans, the more precious they are. Gao Xian was originally hesitant about which aspect of good or bad fortune to predict, but after Zhen Senglin helped him snatch the Mystery Talisman, he immediately made a decision to stand at the head of the team that predicts fortune and destiny.

He rolled the peach wood bucket to the left, then to the right. Strangely enough, as he rubbed the peach wood bucket, Gao Xian always felt his heart being moved. The circles the peach wood bucket made seemed to represent the passage of time, day and night.

Lu Tianshi's disciple, Xiangling, has arrived.

The method of using peach wood divination sticks to predict fortune, prosperity, and longevity was created by Wei Yin, the husband of General Zhao Zhi, who was in charge of the Eastern Garrison. Wei Yin felt that his divination skills were not yet sufficient and that he might make mistakes in predicting the fortune over a three-year period. Therefore, Master Lu added a mysterious talisman and instructed Xiangling to supervise the place and help the Taoist boy explain the divination texts to the people at any time.

Closer to home.

Gao Xian took two deep breaths and then drew a peach wood stick at will.

In fact, the peach wood stick represents the "queue master" in the "Dacheng Gua". The six lines are in conflict, and the queue master determines the life, death, fortune and misfortune of the whole hexagram!

The young Taoist priest moved his mouth but made no sound. Based on the knowledge of the I Ching taught by Master Lu, he began to calculate using the divination master and today's "Zhen Gua" (a specific hexagram).

“Alas,” he sighed with pity, and told Gao Xian, “Young master, your good fortune will only last three years. The divination says: “For whom have you toiled for three years? You will have to start all over again to compete with ghosts. Looking around the hills and fields, you will find no old friends, only green pines and white poplars.”

Gao Xian's vision went black, and he felt panicked and terrified. He thought of the sage doctor Zhao Xuan. Could it be that Zhao Xuan's divination for him also resulted in a terrible omen? Was that why the other party hesitated and pretended that the divination was wrong that day?

A kind-hearted but anxious woman next to him gave Gao Xian a push and said in a loud voice, "My God, didn't you understand? I'm telling you, you drew an unlucky lot, you'll die in three years!"

Zhen Ning and her son together scolded the other party: "Shut up, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhen Ning helped Gao Xian to the side, and Zhen Senglin gave money to the young Taoist boy, asking, "Is there any way to avoid misfortune?"

The young Taoist dared not accept the money. Xiangling had witnessed the whole process. Seeing that Gao Xian's expression was not right, he came over to take his pulse and then comforted him: "Young master, there is no need to worry too much. All things in the world are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. Knowing the misfortune in advance may not be a bad thing."

Gao Xian came to his senses and looked at Xiang Ling with anticipation.

Zhen Senglin gave Xiangling an extra string of cash, saying, "As long as the Celestial Master has a way to avert disaster, I will definitely donate alchemy furnaces and medicines to the temple and offer three days of vegetarian meals."

Xiangling didn't accept money either. He hesitated between compassion and respect for the cause and effect of heaven and earth, and finally couldn't bear it. He reminded him, "The fortune stick you drew, sir, is the most perilous one, 'Weeping Blood,' which means you can't go back to the past, and going forward will only lead to a dead end of tears and blood. Since you can't go forward or backward, why not calm down and think about the variables? Perhaps you can save yourself."

A bird cried out in the courtyard, and Xiangling realized that if she said anything more, she would be entangled in karma, so she got up and left.

Gao Xian realized what was going on and said to the Zhen family, "I'm going to wander around. Don't bother me." He left the divination hall and tried his best to relax. While admiring the scenery of the temple, he heard people talking.

"Have you heard there are many diviners near Lingtai? They say if you find the right person, their divination is incredibly accurate." "Don't go there! I've been scammed before. Eight out of ten diviners are frauds!"

"But I heard that there is a diviner named Wei who is very accurate. He can even tell you where the fish are in the river and how many rat holes there are in a house."

“I know the person you’re talking about. He’s accurate in his calculations, but unfortunately, he only helps people catch fish and kill rats. He never helps people with divination. Once, I was watching from the sidelines when a foreign merchant offered him five hundred coins, but he wouldn’t even tell the merchant’s fortune.”

Gao Xian thought to himself: Although Chongxu Temple is very famous, it does not have the reputation of being the best in the world in divination. Rather than believing the ominous divination I just received and being sad and anxiously searching for a change in fortune, I should go to Lingtai and find a skilled folk diviner to give me another reading.

Zhen Ning and his son followed at a distance. After arriving at the Lingtai ruins, Zhen Ning told his son to quickly give all the money he had to Duke Gao Xian, and then observe from a distance, following his instructions not to disturb them.

Gao Xian had no interest in the Lingtai; in his view, it was just a dilapidated high platform.

Even swindlers have it tough. The wind was strong today, howling and making the awnings and cloths of each fortune-telling stall sway and rattle. The fortune tellers who had been tending their stalls for a long time were squinting from the cold, babbling and calling out to customers in a nasal voice.

"Fortune telling, good or bad luck predictions, consult me ​​for divination. I can help you encounter unexpected wealth and own a luxurious mansion."

"I have received the divine power from Laozi in a dream. I can foresee tomorrow's wind and rain, and predict the wealth and poverty of my descendants. Distinguished guest, would you like to have your fortune told?"

"Fooling around, fooling the north, fooling around at home, fooling around outside..."

As Gao Xian walked past these stalls, he could tell at a glance that these fortune tellers were swindlers. Among them was a lazy bum who was clearly forced by his family to come out and swindle people. When he saw a customer passing by, he would mutter rapidly like he was reciting a book.

As Gao Xian walked, he saw a diviner with an extraordinary demeanor. He sat upright in the cold wind, with no guests in front of him, still carefully practicing his technique by twirling ancient coins. When one hand got cold, he would put on a glove and switch to the other.

The diviner was none other than Wei Yin.

Gao Xian approached and saw a wooden sign lying on the ground that read, "Eliminate the rats in your home, catch the fish and turtles of Luoyi," but the words "Eliminate the rats in your home" were crossed out with a horizontal line.

Gao Xian pointed to the underlined words and asked, "This one doesn't count?"

Wei Yin: "There are too many causes and effects. We won't even count the past six months. We'll only count the fishing."

Gao Xian asked curiously, "You take money to help people get rid of rats, what kind of karma could that have?"

Wei Yin didn't care whether the deal went through or not, and patiently explained: "If there are fewer rats, the cats will starve; if there are fewer cats, the eagles will starve; if there are fewer eagles, the hunters will starve. Cause and effect cycle through all things in the world. If you want to get rid of the giant rats that are robbing our rice, you'll have to wait a few more months."

Gao Xian suddenly had an idea and said, "I'm currently living with my clansmen, but I plan to move out in three years and dig a large fishpond in the new house. However, I have a habit of raising fish from fry. Can you help me calculate which body of water is best for catching good-quality fry in this cold weather, and which ones can be raised to age for three years so I can personally release them into the fishpond?"

After saying that, he put down the heavy cloth bag and told him, "There is one string of cash inside. If you calculate it correctly, I will give you another string of cash later. If you don't calculate it correctly, I will report you to the authorities and say that you have cheated the people out of their money. I will also have the authorities drive away all the swindlers here and make them hate you for ruining their business."

Catching fish fry in the dead of winter is no easy task, and Wei Yin accepted the money without feeling guilty. He used three ancient coins to perform divination, and when the hexagram appeared, he frowned and stared at the person opposite him.

Gao Xian's heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling, but at the same time, he knew he had found the right person!