Jinting Han people

Chapter 3: Preventing Disease
In the eighth year of Taishi (272 AD), on the th month, at the Anle Mansion.

Nine years had passed since the fire. The sky was gloomy, with rows of dark clouds spreading across the sky, evenly spreading from overhead to the horizon like thick ink. Along with them came a razor-sharp winter wind, slicing back and forth through the bare treetops with a disturbing sound.

"What strange weather!" Lady Zhang Ximiao, the wife of the Duke of Anle, said to her widowed sister-in-law, Fei Xiu, as she lay on her bed, looking out the window at the swaying branches. "It looks like thunder is coming."

Fei Xiu initially denied it, saying, "How could there be thunder in winter?" But then a gust of cold wind rushed into the house, making her shiver. She had to agree, saying, "But you never know this year; it's the Year of the Dragon, after all."

The eighth year of the Taishi reign was indeed the Year of the Dragon, Renchen. Even before the seventh year of the Taishi reign, folk legends were circulating that the Renchen year was the year of the true dragon, and that a latent dragon, dormant for a century, would ascend to heaven. No one can definitively explain the origins of this legend. However, reports of auspicious signs began to emerge from various parts of the Western Jin Dynasty. Some claimed that a Maitreya-shaped stone had been unearthed in Yecheng, while others claimed that a blue dragon had been sighted in Guanzhong. These reports were all signs that a sage would soon unify the world.

Then, in October, a solar eclipse suddenly occurred, visible everywhere. This eclipse was a sign of great disaster, contradicting previous rumors. Popular belief spread that the eclipse would signal a change in the heavens and earth, and that the old dragon would die! This rumor spread so quickly that the imperial court issued an order prohibiting all reports of auspicious or catastrophic events, with offenders facing imprisonment.

And now, winter thunder seems to be coming, and the strong wind makes the windows bang. From all indications, this so-called Year of the Dragon, Renchen, is not an ordinary year.

Logically speaking, whether this year was extraordinary or not should have nothing to do with women. However, Zhang Ximiao at this time was not just a woman, she was also a mother. More precisely, she was already ten months pregnant and would give birth in the next one or two days.

Fei Xiu, her sister-in-law, wanted to close the window. After all, with such bizarre weather, no one knew whether it would affect the birth. But Zhang Ximiao stopped her. Gently stroking her belly, she thought about all the strange things that had happened this year, and then said to her sister-in-law, "I have a feeling that, with God as my witness, I will give birth to an extraordinary child."

This was a premonition all mothers share before giving birth. Fei Xiu had experienced it herself, but in the end, her child proved to be nothing special, just an ordinary boy, which made her sad and tearful. But as a new mother, Fei Xiu didn't want to break this premonition. She sat back down at the bedside and gently agreed, "I have this feeling too. It will definitely be an extraordinary boy."

But Zhang Ximiao felt no comfort after hearing this. Instead, she felt a sense of panic. During her pregnancy, she had actually thought long and hard about how she should educate her child and how to give him a bright future. But on the eve of her delivery, amidst the howling wind, she overturned all her visions of her child's future, replaced by guilt and timidity.

She thought, she was just a woman. In this era, a woman had very little to decide. She couldn't choose her parents, her husband, or her life. How could she convince herself that she could choose her own children? Even a great man like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang couldn't make his children successful.

So panic struck the young mother's mind, reminding her of the Chengdu fire nine years ago.

Even a man as upright as General Jiang Wei can sometimes be defeated by fate.

When Zhang Ximiao thought of this, she suddenly felt insignificant: People never control their own destiny. They can't control when they are born or when they die. It was as if a giant being existed between heaven and earth, watching with cold eyes and mocking people's self-righteousness. This thought made her clasp her hands together, and tears flowed.

"Xi Miao...what's wrong with you?"

Fei Xiu naturally didn't understand her sister-in-law's complex feelings and just looked at her worriedly. Zhang Ximiao didn't know how to explain her feelings.

"Sister, I suddenly thought, it doesn't matter if the child is ordinary... As long as he is happy all his life..."

As Zhang Ximiao said this, she couldn't hold back her tears any more. She added, "But I'm afraid... I'm afraid I can't do it..."

Although her sister-in-law's words were unclear, Fei Xiu quickly understood her concern, because it was a sentiment shared by every mother. Living a life of happiness might sound simple, but in this world, happiness often comes after bitterness, before sorrow, before joy. Just like now, at this blissful moment of impending motherhood, her sister-in-law was first experiencing pain and sorrow.

Fei Xiu then said, "It's all right. Haven't you already invited a monk from the White Horse Temple to pray? You've always been sincere, and Guanyin Bodhisattva will protect you."

This consolation was effective, and the young mother stopped crying. Some time ago, a high monk from the Western Regions said that Guanyin Bodhisattva could protect children, so a large number of nobles and common people went to pray, and it was said to be quite effective. So Zhang Ximiao also went to the White Horse Temple to burn a stick of incense and invited a high monk from India to chant scriptures at home, hoping to bless the childbirth to be smooth and safe.

Zhang Ximiao thinks the same now, but she has added another wish, which is that she hopes her child will have a safe and harmonious life.

Then she recited the prayer in her heart again. The prayer was very simple, only ten sentences. The full text was:

"Avalokitesvara, Namo Buddha, I have a cause with the Buddha, a connection with the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and am always happy and pure. Morning and evening, I chant Avalokitesvara. Every thought arises from my heart, and chanting the Buddha never leaves my heart."

When she recited it for the tenth time, she felt the baby in her belly move, followed by a sharp pain, which made her realize instantly: the child was about to be born!
Without her saying anything, Fei Xiu immediately made her lie down and then called the old woman from the mansion to assist in the birth. Soon, the news of the lady's birth spread throughout the mansion, and the men in the mansion also spontaneously gathered in the outer hall to await the results.

The newly appointed Duke of Anle, Liu Xun, was among the crowd. Unlike his anxious wife, he lacked the apprehension of a father. Instead, his face held a gloomy expression, haunted by the dead. Even as he waited, his eyes shone red, like a drunken murderer, a sight that intimidated his servants. But on such an important day, he suppressed his impatience and irritability, gazing quietly at the sky.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew in from the mansion's courtyard, sending flying yellow sand extinguishing the few dim oil lamps burning in the corridor. A fishy, slightly damp earthy smell filled the air, passing through the swaying beaded curtains and rushing into the rapidly darkening hall.

A servant came out and hung the fluttering beaded curtains on both sides of the door. Only then did people notice that the sky seemed to be covered by a gray patchwork, and suddenly it became extremely dark. Dead branches and fallen leaves fluttered in the sky, like crows flying around.

Liu Xun stood at the edge of the corridor, watching as the wind, just as its momentum had died down, began to drift and chase each other. The rain suddenly grew heavier, pounding the stones and dirt in the yard with a cacophony of crackling sounds.

People had never seen such a sight in winter, so they all started talking about it: "We thought it would snow, but it turned out to be a winter rain!"

"There's already winter rain, so is there winter thunder?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a streak of white light flashed across the sky, and then a loud explosion erupted above the courtyard. The volume was so loud that it startled everyone. At this time, the monk who was chanting sutras for the lady was standing next to Anle Gong. He said to Anle Gong: "Sir, there are wind, thunder, rain and lightning in the sky. There must be a dragon passing through here. Why don't you burn incense and thank the gods! Pray that the gods will send you a noble man and give birth to a child safely."

Liu Xun had always disliked such words, but at this moment, perhaps he remembered something, and he rarely refused. Instead, he asked his servants to burn incense and place it in a place in the corridor where the rain could not reach, respectfully welcoming the real dragon in the wind and rain.

Before they knew it, night had fallen. Outside, the rain was pouring down, and the lights in the mansion's rooms were flickering, as if they were about to plunge into an endless, dark hell. But lightning still occasionally flashed across the sky, illuminating a long, dim shadow amidst the dark clouds, as if something was moving in the sky.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ximiao, navigating the excruciating pain of childbirth, gradually passed out. She could not feel the chill of the wind, the stillness of the night, or even see the long, dragon-like shadow swirling in the lightning. All she thought about was her child's future happiness. This was a mother's heart. She hoped that God would grant her a brave child, not one as cowardly as his father and grandfather, constantly fearful and timid. She hoped that her child would be like his great-grandfather, the embodiment of strength, undeterred by any adversity.

She prayed even in this dream, the pleasure it brought her into an incredible trance. The abstruse words "no thoughts, no thoughts" couldn't capture her current state. It was a feeling of contentment and intoxication with kindness and justice, a kind of self-confidence. Perhaps this was what one might call enlightenment.

When she entered samadhi in a trance, she vaguely heard someone somewhere talking to her, wanting to help her realize her wish.

"lady."

"exist."

"You are a good mother, your wish will come true."

"Ah."

Just as she was about to say something to that person, all the illusions suddenly vanished. Then came the sound of a baby crying, as if slowly drifting in from a distant world. Meanwhile, her sister-in-law Fei Xiu was already gently patting her shoulder, waking her up.

Fei Xiu said to her with a smile: "Congratulations, sister, the baby is born."

Xi Miao felt relieved. With the help of the old woman, she sat up and took the crying child from Fei Xiu's hands, and asked hurriedly, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy!"

Xi Miao hurriedly embraced the baby, wrapped in her sling, and examined it closely. The baby didn't notice its mother's approach, but instead frowned, closed its eyes, and cried furiously at the air. It didn't look adorable. But Xi Miao didn't show any disdain. She pressed her cheek against the child's still damp skin, and the bond of blood instantly calmed the child, who then opened her bright black eyes.

Zhang Ximiao said to Fei Xiu, "Sister, go tell the adults that the child's nickname should be Biji."

【1】The term "adult": "adult" had many meanings in Han and Jin dynasties. It was not simply referring to father or elders like in Song dynasty, nor was it mostly referring to superiors like in Qing dynasty. In the Book of Jin alone, it has many meanings. One is the emperor. When the stars appeared in the sky, the historian said: "adult is the right one." This adult refers to the emperor. The second is a giant. "Xiangwu County said that an adult was seen, more than three meters tall." The third is a gentleman or a wise man. Du Yu wrote in his will: "Adults and gentlemen may be compatible or not. We don't know if they can live, how can we know if they will die?" The fourth is a noble. Ruan Ji wrote in his memorial: "The reason why the kings and nobles treat them with respect is to preserve the Tao." The fifth is a leader. It was often used by ethnic minorities and tribes in Jin dynasty. For example, in the biography of Duan Pidi, it was written: "they are adults for generations." The sixth is an elder. Liu Dun and Wang Pi called Guo Yi "respectfully follow the teachings of adults." The seventh is a father or a head of a family. There are some other uses, which will not be discussed here. The ancients' titles were not rigid at the time, so there is no need to worry too much about them.

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(End of this chapter)