The Romantic History of Emperor Yang of Sui [19]

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Chapter Nineteen: Ma Shumou Opens the River, the Great Golden Immortal's Reburial .
The poem reads:
The affairs of the world are fleeting, alas, time flies swiftly, like water flowing eastward. How long can glory last? Hair cannot withstand the autumn chill. The rain has just passed, the clouds have dispersed, in an instant, it's all over. Thinking carefully, heaven and earth are like puppets, mayflies in the universe.
[The poem continues with a poem in the style of "Unforgettable
Love," which is not directly related to the preceding text.] Emperor Yang was overjoyed and inquired repeatedly. Xiao Huaijing replied, "Northwest of Daliang, there is an old riverbed. During the Qin Dynasty, General Wang Ben once dug here to divert the waters of Mengjin directly to Daliang. However, it has been blocked for many years. I recommend that you gather soldiers and laborers to start from Daliang and dig it again from Heyin, Chenliu, Yongqiu, Ningling, Suiyang, and other places, diverting the waters of Mengjin. It would only be a thousand li east to the Huai River, which would lead directly to Guangling. I have also heard Geng Chunchen report that an aura of an emperor is seen in Suiyang. In the past, during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, a royal aura also appeared in Jinling. Qin Shi Huang ordered the pillar to be cut off, and later..." The imperial aura has been extinguished. Now, digging a river must pass through the territory of Suiyang, which will inevitably sever the emperor's aura. Once this river is completed, it will be neither dangerous nor far, and it will also eliminate this potential threat. Wouldn't that be wonderful? This is my humble opinion; I wonder what Your Majesty's opinion is? Upon hearing this, Emperor Yang was overjoyed and said, "Excellent discussion! Excellent discussion! Only someone of your talent and insight could have conceived of this." He then issued an edict appointing Ma Shumou, the Grand General of the Northern Expedition, as the Protector-General of the River Expedition, and Li Yuan, the General Who Pacifies Bandits, as the Deputy Commissioner of the River Expedition. The excavation would begin from Daliang, proceeding through the Suiyang area directly to the Huai River. All laborers from across the land, aged fifteen to fifty, were permitted to participate. Anyone who concealed their labor would be executed along with their entire family. Once the edict was issued, who dared to offer advice? The officials could only silently accept the decree and leave. The relevant government office immediately sent a document urging Ma Shumou and Li Yuan to take up their posts. Ma Shumou was known for his cruelty and greed. Upon hearing of his promotion to Protector-General of the Canal Opening, he was overjoyed and immediately came to assume the post.
Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, knew that canal opening would endanger lives and was unwilling to come. He submitted a memorial claiming illness and resigning. Emperor Yang had originally intended to relieve Li Yuan of his military command, but seeing his refusal due to illness, he was somewhat displeased. However, given the current prosperity of the empire, he let it go. He then issued a new edict appointing Linghu Da, the Left Guard General, to replace Li Yuan as Deputy Commissioner of the Canal Opening. Linghu Da received the decree and, together with Ma Shumou, moved to Daliang. They first built a canal-opening office on the northern road of Letai, which, because of its proximity to Bianliang, was named Bian Canal. Upon hearing this, Emperor Yang said, "Now that we are to divert the river water into Bian, I hereby bestow upon the character 'Bian' with the water radical added, and from now on, it shall be written as 'Bian'." Ma Shumou accepted the decree and changed the name to "Bian Canal." He issued a document to mobilize laborers, and within a month, laborers from all over the country had gathered at the Bian Canal. Ma Shumou and Linghu Da carefully inspected and selected 3.6 million laborers for the canal construction. They also selected more than 50,000 brave young men to serve as team leaders and supervisors, overseeing the work. The rest, whether old, young, or women, were all ordered to be provided with food and drink. In total, more than 5.43 million people from all over the country were mobilized. After the two men had gathered the laborers, they chose an auspicious day and began digging from the ancient riverbed at the source of the river. They ordered the laborers to be divided into teams of two hundred and battalions of one thousand, all lined up in a single file. These four to five million laborers, stretching for dozens of miles, all began work simultaneously, following the old riverbed of Wang Ben. Shovels and spades flew like clouds, baskets rained down. In an instant, dust and sand billowed across the fields, soil and mud flew everywhere. Never before in history had such a massive labor mobilization been undertaken.
It was truly a case of:
"The king should not indulge in pleasure, for if he does, the people will perish."
Five million people were forced into hard
labor, just to provide for the emperor's fleeting pleasure. The laborers, now conscripted, had no choice but to risk their lives, digging shovel by shovel, autumn by autumn. They dug from dawn till dusk, not daring to slack off even a little. They dug until their backs were bent and their bodies hunched, exhausted and weary. The slightest delay meant either being bound and beaten or beheaded; who among them did not tremble with fear? They had to start working at the crack of dawn and only stopped when the sky was completely dark. At night, there were no houses to live in; the muddy grass by the river became their shelter. On sunny days, the sun was bearable, but when it rained, they dug standing upright in the rain, like a thousand eels mixed in with mud. If anyone fell ill, they were not allowed to ask for leave to be replaced; the work continued until someone died. How distressing and tragic! Ma Shumou, seeing this, still felt it was too slow and relentlessly whipped and beat them. The poor laborers were truly unable to live, unable to die.
Later generations, reading history at this point, wrote a poem expressing their sorrow:
"Though fortune may turn, rivers flow and never return.
A foolish ruler brings suffering to the world; chaos brings calamity to the people.
The Xia and Yu dynasties are gone forever; the Tang emperor will never come again.
The labor of dredging the canal was gruesome, a sorrow that will last a thousand years.
" But let us leave aside the suffering of the laborers for now. Now, let us tell of a group of laborers who, after digging only a few feet deep, suddenly saw a roof ridge faintly emerging below. Everyone was astonished. They had no choice but to follow the ridge, layer by layer, slowly digging down. When they reached the bottom, they found an ancient hall, about three or five rooms in size, surrounded by sturdy white stone walls. In the center stood two stone doors, tightly shut without a single crack. When the men tried to push them open, they found them firmly shut and impossible to budge. The laborers discussed, "This must be the tomb of an ancient emperor; there must be gold and treasure inside. Why don't we all open it and take some? It's all hard work." Several laborers said, "We probably can't take any. There are too many of us, too many mouths. If the authorities find out tomorrow, we'll be punished severely." Several other laborers said, "Brothers, you're too kind. We're laborers ordered to dredge the canal; we're not secretly stealing from tombs or shooting in broad daylight. This stone structure blocks the official canal; we should dig it up. If we find any gold or silver treasures, we can all take some. What's the crime?" The laborers all agreed, "Brothers, you're right! We should dig! We should dig!" So they all grabbed their shovels and spades, aiming at the stone doors, and began digging haphazardly. To everyone's surprise, the door seemed cast in iron, and no matter how hard the men dug and hammered, they couldn't budge it an inch. After a while, they exclaimed in astonishment, "How strange! These are just two stone doors, how come so many iron tools can't move them at all?" Some said, "It's just that we're unlucky, we shouldn't have this windfall, so Heaven won't allow us to open it." Because the men said there was gold and jewels, it had already caused a stir among the laborers from all the camps, who all gathered there, hoping to get their fortune. One group came and hammered and banged for a while, but couldn't open it; another group came and hammered and banged for a while, but still couldn't open it. Some tried chiseling at the roof, others dug at the ground, and everyone worked for half a day, but still couldn't make a single mark. Seeing that so many people had gathered, the men feared something bad might happen, so they hurriedly reported to their captain. The captain didn't dare to hide it and immediately informed Ma Shumou. Upon hearing this, Ma Shumou thought to himself, "There must be treasure here." Without informing his son, Gu Da, he rode alone to the river to investigate. Seeing a stone house, he asked, "Why don't you go inside?" The men replied, "We've dug and hammered at it, but we can't open it." Ma Shumou said, "This is made of white stone, extremely hard and strong. How can your soft iron shovels and picks open it? If you use iron awls and chisels, you can easily break it open." He then ordered the stonemasons to be summoned. Soon, the stonemasons arrived, and Ma Shumou instructed them to chisel open the stone door. The stonemasons all started working, chiseling away, but after a while, they hadn't even made a mark on the door. Ma Shumou, furious, said, "Why don't you use your strength and chisel harder?" The stonemasons had no choice but to use all their strength to chisel. Light chiseling was manageable, but heavy chiseling only caused sparks to fly out. The stone door remained completely unmoved. Upon seeing this, Ma Shoumou was furious and exclaimed, "Is it possible that these two stone doors are impossible to open?" He then ordered many soldiers to build a wooden frame and use ropes to hang the enormous stone pillars and slabs, which they then used to ram against the doors. They smashed one piece, then replaced it with another, creating a thunderous roar, but they couldn't budge them an inch. Seeing that they couldn't open them even after such efforts, Ma Shoumou began to panic, thinking, "This is strange. Even a piece of iron would be moved by ramming; how can these two stone doors be so sturdy?" He was deeply troubled and fearful.
Indeed:
Even if a ruler's heart is as treacherous as a demon, he can only deceive the emperor and harm the people.
The three-foot-tall gods are truly awe-inspiring; the more treacherous and cunning one is, the more harm one will suffer.
Having exhausted all other options, Ma Shumou sent someone to invite Linghu Da to discuss the matter. Linghu Da arrived immediately upon hearing the request. Ma Shumou then recounted the entire situation. Linghu Da examined the tomb closely again and said, "Old sir, look at this tomb. It's so well-constructed and sturdy. If it's not the mausoleum of an ancient emperor, it must be a mine of immortals. Even mortals would feel a sense of awe here. How can you so easily break it open with a chisel?" Ma Shumou replied, "If you don't break it open, how can you open it?" Linghu Da said, "In my humble opinion, there must be a god or immortal here. We should only proclaim the Emperor's decree, offer incense, and pray. Perhaps then it can be opened." Ma Shumou laughed and said, "If breaking it open won't work, what use is praying? Even if it were a god, it's now just a skeleton in a tomb. It might not be so powerful!" Linghu Da said, "The affairs of ghosts and gods are hard to fathom. Old sir, you shouldn't ignore this." Although Ma Shumou didn't fully believe it, he had no choice but to follow Linghu Da's advice. He ordered his attendants to set up an incense table, and he and Linghu Da put on their official robes and, facing the entrance of the stone house, burned incense and prayed again. After bowing, he personally prayed: "Ma Shumou, the Protector-General of the River Excavation, and Linghu Da, the Deputy Envoy of the River Excavation, have been ordered by the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty to excavate the Huai River. On the way, we encountered the sacred mine of the venerable deity and cannot proceed. We humbly beseech the venerable deity to grant us your mercy, open the tomb gate, and allow us to choose another auspicious site on the plateau for a proper reburial, so as not to fail the imperial decree and to avert the transgression of disrespect." Before the prayer was finished, a gust of wind suddenly swept up in front of the incense table, blowing coldly and chillingly, truly frightening. How so? It swirled a few times on the ground, disappearing without a trace; then, a gust swept across the sky, hitting our faces. In an instant, sand and dust filled the air like mist; in a moment, dust rolled like smoke to the sky. As it swept past, our hearts turned cold, as if a ghostly aura lurked within; as it drifted by, our hair stood on end, a testament to divine might. A cold, chilling wind forced the sun to lose its light; a dark, gloomy sky hung heavy with menace. The surrounding air was a chaotic whirlwind, obscuring all directions; a single, swirling breath obscured the seasons. It was neither born of a tiger's roar nor a valley's emptiness; it did not ride a ten-thousand-mile wave, nor carry the twenty-four seasonal tidings. Only a mournful, weeping sound seemed to echo, stirring the souls of those passing through the tomb.
A sudden gust of cold wind swept through, and Ma Shumou was terrified, his soul nearly leaving his body, trembling and shaking. A short while later, as the wind passed, a loud sound was heard, and the two stone doors swung open gently. Ma Shumou, seeing this, was even more alarmed, finally believing that ghosts and spirits should not be disrespected. Composing himself, he and Linghu Da led the others into the stone chamber. They first examined the two stone doors; there were no latches or supports inside, and when they closed them, they opened easily. They didn't know why, despite all the pounding, they remained unmoved. The group, seeing this, were all filled with a chilling fear. Ma Shumou went in again and saw hundreds of lacquered lamps burning brightly, illuminating the room as if it were daytime. The walls were covered with colorful paintings, depicting exotic flowers and plants, strange beasts and rare birds. The dragons, tigers, and leopards were painted with lifelike realism. Above them were many images of ghosts and gods, some with a thousand hands and eyes, others with three heads and six arms, all arranged in a solemn and serene manner, inspiring both
reverence and awe. Entering the second floor, he saw a stone box, four or five feet long, in the center, its surface intricately carved with patterns. Ma Shumou, feeling somewhat fearful, hesitated to open it. He then went to the next floor, which was a small, round hole. Inside the hole sat a stone coffin, placed upright. Ma Shumou discussed with Linghu Da, saying, "This coffin must be opened to know its true nature." Linghu Da replied, "It must be opened, but it must not be desecrated." Ma Shumou still ordered an incense table to be set up, and the two of them recited the previous prayers again before instructing their attendants to carry out the coffin and gently lift the lid. The two approached and examined it closely. Inside lay a person, whose complexion was still rosy and fair, as if not dead; his skin was plump and white as jade; his black hair flowed from his head, face, and abdomen down to his feet, then spiraled back up from his back, reaching only the middle of his spine; his fingers and toenails were over a foot long, clearly the appearance of a deity.
A poem testifies to this:
A deity's remains, now in the Great Brightness.
Dark and mysterious, always embracing the ultimate essence.
Face as beautiful as jade, countenance as radiant as a flower.
Hair long, wrapping around his feet, fingers and toenails abundant.
Form and appearance, without smell or sound.
If it were real, if it were illusory, neither dead nor alive.
Do not speak of ascension, for the Great Dao is remembered.
Ma Dumou, seeing these strange shapes, guessed they were the remains of an enlightened immortal, and dared not disturb them easily, ordering his men to close the coffin lid again. He then discussed with Linghu Da, "Given this state, if we move it, we will offend the gods; if we bury it as before, what will become of the riverbed?" Linghu Da said, "Old sir, please don't rush. Let's go open the stone box in front and see what it is, then we can decide." The two then went to the front and had everyone lift the lid of the stone box. Inside, there was nothing but a stone slab about three feet long and one foot wide. Many characters were written on it, all in tadpole-like, bird-like, seal script, a vast expanse, indistinguishable. Linghu Da said, "This stone slab must be some kind of inscription or eulogy. We must examine it carefully to know its origin." Ma Shumou said, "These ancient seal scripts cannot be deciphered at once. What should we do?" Linghu said, "Many people are wise; perhaps someone among us can recognize them." Ma Shumou then issued an order: "Regardless of whether they are officials, laborers, young or old, men or women, anyone who can recognize the seal script on the stone will be exempt from corvée labor." Upon receiving the order, everyone was eager to escape their hard labor. Those who recognized a few seal characters also came to look at it for a while. However, this seal script was a wondrous creation of immortals; how could these ignorant commoners possibly decipher it? One guessed the character "Zhang," another guessed "Wang," and after a series of attempts, they still couldn't decipher it. Ma Shumou was filled with anxiety. Linghu Da said, "Don't worry, there must be a wise man among the recluses. Send people to search around." Ma Shumou then had no choice but to issue an order: "Regardless of whether they are soldiers or civilians, anyone who can find a wise hermit who can recognize this inscription will be exempt from corvée labor, and the rest will be richly rewarded." As soon as the order was issued, a laborer stepped forward and said, "I know someone who can recognize this." Ma Shumou asked, "Who is this person?" The laborer said, "I am from Xiapei, and this person is from my hometown. In Xiapei, there was once a deity during the Han Dynasty named Huang Shigong. This man admired Huang Shigong's character and gave himself the pseudonym Baishi Laoren (Old Man of White Stone). The village was named Baishi Village because of him.
The villagers say he is over a hundred years old." The young man's grandfather said that he looked exactly like this a hundred years ago. Now, with white hair and a youthful face, he walks with the speed of a bird. This man is well-read, and what he says often comes true; he seems to possess a certain air of immortality. If he were shown this seal script, he would surely recognize it. Ma Shumou was overjoyed and said, "Call him here for me. If he recognizes it, I will reward him handsomely." Ding Fu said, "This man is of high moral character and great virtue. How can I possibly call him here? Please, sir, send someone to fetch him; perhaps he will come." Linghu Da said, "That makes sense. There are Taoist masters in the mountains who do not serve kings or nobles. They have lofty aspirations and should be treated with great courtesy. We should send someone to invite him." Ma Shumou then provided two horses, sent a calling card, and dispatched two clerks to accompany Ding Fu to invite him. After half a day, they saw Ding Fu with an old man, who was not riding a horse but walking. As they approached, Ma Shumou and Linghu Da took a close look at the old man. What did he look like? He was a man of unruly white hair, seemingly seventy or eighty years old; yet his youthful face made him appear no more than seventeen or eighteen. Two dark pupils shone deep within his eyes; three long strands of white beard hung down to his abdomen. His brow ridges were high and prominent, and his fingernails were long and curved. His large earlobes reached his shoulders; his long eyebrows connected to his sideburns. A tattered square turban covered his head; worn-out black boots slung across his legs like cranes. He walked with the air of a learned scholar from the East, his movements slow and deliberate, like the Old Man of the South Pole descending.
The old man, upon seeing Ma Shumou and Linghu Da, did not bow, but simply gave a deep bow. Seeing his otherworldly bearing, the two men, realizing he was no ordinary person, hurriedly returned the bow. The old man said, "I am but a hermit from the mountains, ignorant and uneducated. I am honored by your summons, gentlemen. What are your orders?" Ma Shumou said, “We were ordered by the court to excavate the Huai River, but after only a few miles, we encountered a stone cave blocking our path. Inside the cave was the remains of an immortal, and we dared not move it. Fortunately, we found a stone tablet. If we can recognize the inscription on it, we will know its origin. However, the inscription is the handwriting of an immortal, and we cannot decipher it. We have heard that you, sir, are learned and knowledgeable, and must know the mysteries of immortality. We beg you to instruct us.” The old man Baishi asked, “Where is the stone tablet?” Ma Shumou then ordered his men to bring the stone tablet to him. The old man approached and examined it carefully, saying, “This is a stone inscription.” Ma Shumou said, “Since it is a stone inscription, please read it to us, sir.” The old man said, “It bears the name of an esteemed person, and I dare not presume to do so.” Linghu Da said, “In that case, I would be so kind as to copy it down.” "The old man took out paper and pen and wrote it down one by one. The two looked at it carefully and said: I am the Great Golden Immortal, who died a thousand years ago.
When the thousand years were up, there was a flowing spring on my back.
I met Ma Shu, who buried me on the plateau.
My hair grew to the Niwan Palace, and I waited another thousand years before
I ascended to the Tushita Heaven."
Ma Shumou was astonished to see even his name written on it beforehand, finally believing in the wondrous power of the immortals and their divine intervention. He was also impressed by the old man's ability to recognize immortal characters, and asked again, "Will our river-digging be a great success?" The old man replied, "Your Excellency is acting on the Emperor's decree, your authority extending throughout the land; what difficulty is there in not succeeding?" Ma Shumou then asked, "What about wealth and honor after success?" The old man said, "Wealth and honor are minor matters; there will also be the joy of two taels of gold." Ma Shumou asked, "What are these two taels of gold?" The old man said, "You will know later," and refused to elaborate. Ma Shumou was overjoyed and immediately took two bolts of colored silk and ten taels of silver as a token of his gratitude. The old man laughed, "What use is this to a recluse like me!" He refused to accept it, bowing once more before departing.
Indeed:
A hermit in the mountains, possessing the most precious treasure in his very being.
He regards worldly gold and silver as mere dung.
Seeing that the Old Man of White Stone had left, Ma Shumou discussed with Linghu Da, saying, "Since the Great Golden Immortal knew of today's events, it shouldn't be a problem for us to rebury him." Linghu Da replied, "Reburying him is naturally fine, but we must choose a good burial site." Ma Shumou dared not be disrespectful, so he personally went to the west of the city and selected a fertile and lush plateau. He prepared a separate coffin and buried the Great Golden Immortal there with great honors. The present-day Great Buddha Temple is its ruin.
Indeed:
Unafraid of treacherous schemes as deep as the sea, yet chilled by the sight of immortal arts.
Does this thousand-year-old remains know its spirit? A grand burial on a high, verdant peak.
What happened after the Great Golden Immortal's reburial? Let us find out in the next chapter.

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The Romantic History of Emperor Yang of Sui [19]

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