After Cai Jing was dismissed as prime minister, he served as the envoy of Taiyi Palace and lived in the palace. He only went to the palace to attend court on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. Because Zheng Juzhong and others further submitted this petition, Emperor Huizong demoted Cai Jing to the title of Prince Shaobao, did not allow him to live in Beijing, and placed him in Hangzhou.
Cai Jing left the important place in the capital and the center of power of the imperial court. He was at ease for a while, either concentrating on the study of calligraphy and painting, or traveling around, watching mountains and rivers, or understanding the dynamics of the imperial court through his cronies who came to visit him, and thinking about how to make a comeback and return to the imperial court. .
That year, Cai Jing was traveling in the mountains and rivers and passed by Suzhou. Seeing the beautiful scenery by the lake, he wanted to build a pavilion to serve as an academy and spread the culture of calligraphy and painting. However, building a pavilion costs tens of thousands of dollars, and the time is tight, so it may not be completed immediately. Cai Jing became depressed because of this, suffering from insufficient funds, insufficient materials, and no one to supervise the construction.
It was also a coincidence that it was Cai Jing and his ilk who caused chaos in the government and ruined the country. As a result, while visiting Suzhou, Cai Jing met a person who triggered the Fangla Civil War. Who is this guy? This person is Zhu Chong.
Who is Zhu Chong? Zhu Chong is a native of Suzhou. He comes from a humble background, is tall and powerful, and has good strength. He usually makes a living by helping others.
Even so, Zhu Chong was a man with a violent temperament. He did not regard his humbleness as a restraint, but instead got angry and argued with others.
One day, due to trivial matters, Zhu Chong had another conflict with others. He punched and kicked others, knocking them to the ground and almost becoming disabled. Therefore, he was sued by others for intentional injury to Suzhou Mansion.
The magistrate of Suzhou Prefecture had long heard of Zhu Chong's evil deeds, and was planning to deal with him. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he ordered Zhu Chong to be arrested and brought to court.
Zhu Chong was captured by the government officials and taken to the lobby to be interrogated by the prefect.
The prefect did not ask about the cause of the case, nor did he allow Zhu Chong to tell the difference. He just glared at Zhu Chong who was kneeling and crawling, slammed the gavel, and ordered the government servant: "Hit! Give this guy twenty big blows!" "
After hearing the order, the yamen officer pinned Zhu Chong to the ground.
Zhu Chong was extremely frightened and shouted loudly: "Sir, the common people are not guilty!"
The prefect became even angrier and shouted: "Hit me! Hit me hard!"
The government officials rounded up the wooden planks and hit Zhu Chong on the buttocks with twenty sticks. The beatings made Zhu Chong cry for his father and mother, and he lay on the ground, almost unconscious.
The Lord Magistrate ordered sternly: "Stand up! Listen to the verdict!"
Immediately, the case was not even tried, but was sentenced directly.
The prefect suddenly slapped the gavel and pronounced loudly: "The defendant Zhu Chong! For a long time, he has been running rampant in the streets, relying on the strong to bully the weak, causing trouble for nothing, provoking quarrels and disturbing the law. His crime is inexcusable! He has not caused harm to anyone. As a result of the loss of life and disability, the sentence is hereby pronounced as follows: I will be driven out of Suzhou City and will never be allowed to live in the city."
After the verdict was pronounced, the prefect looked at Zhu Chong who was still in a daze, frowned in disgust, waved his hand, and ordered the yamen to drag Zhu Chong out.
The yamen servant dragged Zhu Chong out of the yamen, leaving him still on the street, and ordered him to leave the city overnight without delay. Otherwise, he would be served with a big stick and would show no mercy.
Zhu Chong was beaten up in the Zhizhou Mansion, dragged out of the government office, and thrown into the street. He felt that he could not disobey the orders of the magistrate, and he could no longer stay in the prosperous and beautiful Suzhou City, so he had to be dragged and beaten to pieces. Got my butt off and went out of town.
Zhu Chong went out of the city and had nowhere to go. He saw a thatched hut in the countryside, so he moved inside and lay down to rest.
That night, it started to rain lightly, the north wind howled, and the temperature dropped sharply. Zhu Chong in the straw shed was shivering from the cold.
After finally surviving the night, Zhu Chong was thankful that he was not frozen to death. When he saw that the rain outside had stopped and the wind had subsided, he struggled out of the hut and waited for the sun to rise in the sky to bask in his almost frozen body.
The morning light slowly opened the curtain. After the rain, the air in the countryside is fresh. The sun probably took pity on Zhu Chong, so he broke through the clouds and spread his light onto the earth.
Under the sunshine, the temperature of the earth rose, and white mist floated everywhere.
As the temperature rose, Zhu Chong gradually regained his composure.
Zhu Chong looked around. In the clouds and mist, covered with green trees, there were houses everywhere, with smoke curling from their kitchens, making them look warm and peaceful. Thinking that he had no place to live and was alone in the countryside, Zhu Chong felt so sad that he couldn't help but cry.
At this time, a person came from the clouds and mist in the distance. Gradually, the man came closer, but he was a monk.
Seeing Zhu Chong squatting on the grass and sobbing, the monk inquired and muttered: "Amitabha, I am compassionate. May I ask this man, why are you here, crying in sorrow?"
When Zhu Chong asked, he told the monk his situation.
"Amitabha." The monk said: "My Buddha is merciful. Since you have no place to live, man, you can follow me to the temple and stay temporarily. We will worry about it later when you have a place to go."
Zhu Chong was worried that he had nowhere to go, so he followed the monk to the temple.
From then on, Zhu Chong interacted with the monk very much, and they got along very happily.
The monk was a wandering Taoist. He liked Zhu Chong very much when he saw that he was tall, strong, and open-minded. He felt that it was too late to meet Zhu Chong, so he gave Zhu Chong several doses of prescriptions for treating daily diseases.
The wandering Taoist An An said to Zhu Chong: "This is Pindao's secret recipe handed down from his ancestors, and it is very effective. Because Pindao became a monk since he was a child and has no children, he is afraid that this recipe will be lost. It would be a pity. If it is passed on to others, there will be no one who likes it." . Now I see that you are well-behaved and generous, so I send this to you. You should cherish it and study more. If you can really become familiar with this way, you can support your family and become rich."
Zhu Chong was irritable, but he also had a bright mind. Hearing that the Taoist wanted to pass on the secret recipe to him, how could he not be extremely grateful? Zhu Chong then lay down on the ground, kowtowed to the Taoist several times, and said with tears in his eyes: "I deeply feel the kindness of the master's reinvention. If he develops, Zhu Chong will never dare to forget the kindness of the master."
The Taoist priest then passed on the ancestral secret recipe to Zhu Chong.
Zhu Chong began to study the medicine after receiving a few magical prescriptions from Taoist You Fang. He occasionally went out of the temple and tried to cure several patients, but all were cured by the medicine. Zhu Chong was overjoyed, became even more enthusiastic about research, and even understood some pharmacology.
As a result, Zhu Chong often went out of the temple to treat villagers, and gradually became famous. Later, Zhu Chong stopped staying in the monastery and began to travel around to practice medicine. Gradually, Zhu Chong saved some money, got a wife, had children, and started a family and property.
A few years later, when the emperor granted a general amnesty to the world, Zhu Chong returned to Suzhou City and opened a clinic, specializing in treating people.
Zhu Chong's mind was bright. After gradually getting rich, Zhu Chong was different from other doctors who carried a medicine box on their backs all day long. They were poor and stingy, and looked miserable.
Zhu Chong was different from other doctors. He put on a big show, wore brocade clothes all day long, hired several bearers, and let the bearers carry the big sedan. He sat upright on it, swaggering through the market, known as The miracle doctor in the world can cure all diseases.
How can an honest doctor treating people be treated like child's play? Of course, one is one and two is two, but we don’t dare to mess around. Because of this, even if the average doctor has skills and can maintain a living, it is already good. How can he afford new clothes and ride in a sedan chair? Therefore, ordinary doctors can only carry medicine boxes and walk around the streets to make a living by their crafts.
The ignorant people in the countryside do not know good from evil, do not distinguish between true and false, and look down on others. When they see a doctor carrying a medicine box and wearing straw sandals, walking from house to house in the countryside, they do not take notice and think that he is a charlatan. On the contrary, he is Zhu Chongzhi. A charlatan like this, because he wears splendid clothes, rides in a luxurious sedan, and is carried by a sedan bearer, and walks through the streets, his net worth is naturally much higher. Although he does not know much about pharmacology, in the eyes of ignorant people, he has become a famous doctor. .
Just think, a doctor who can sit in a sedan chair must be a famous doctor; otherwise, how could he be able to sit in a sedan chair? Which doctor who is not a famous doctor can afford to sit in a sedan chair? !
Those who are sick are tortured by the disease and are in great pain. They are anxious and have fantasies. They just want to seek treatment from famous doctors in order to be cured. Firstly, Taoist Wanderer's prescription works, and secondly, the life of the sick person should not be cut off. After Zhu Chong's careless treatment, he was fine.
If you talk about this to his family, wouldn’t you make the doctor angry to death?
As a result, Zhu Chong's reputation grew day by day, and there was an endless stream of people seeking medical treatment. He actually became a famous doctor, and his financial resources rolled in.
Zhu Chong prospered from this, built a large courtyard, and gradually became a wealthy family in Suzhou.
At this time, Taoist Youfang, who was a good friend of Zhu Chong, learned that Cai Jing, the great scholar, grand master, and former prime minister of the imperial court, wanted to build pavilions and academies. He felt that it would be profitable, so he went on his own, met with Cai Jing, and recommended Zhu Chong.
Cai Jing learned from the Taoist priest that Zhu Chong had abundant funds, strong organizational skills, and was good at building palaces. He was moved and sent someone to summon Zhu Chong, who was already a famous doctor of his generation.
The traveling Taoist had informed Zhu Chong in advance that Cai Jing, the great scholar, grand master, and former prime minister of the dynasty, was now relegated to Hangzhou. He was visiting Suzhou recently and wanted to build a pavilion and an academy. This was a good opportunity to make friends with powerful people. Can't lose.
After Zhu Chong heard what Taoist You Fang said, he was still unwilling to let him help Cai Jing build the pavilion. Zhu Chong thought to himself, I have so much money, why should I help him build the building? Besides, he is a former great scholar, former grand master, and former prime minister. Why should I fawn over him? ! Isn’t it just a waste of money and food? You can't do this.
Zhu Chong said what he meant tactfully.
Taoist You Fang saw this and asked Zhu Chong: "Do you still remember the situation when we first met?" Zhu Chong nodded and replied: "Of course I remember, that was because I was unlucky!" The Taoist said: "Why were you unlucky at that time? Zhu Chong said: "I have no money!"
The Taoist smiled and said to Zhu Chong: "Even if you had money at that time, you couldn't stop the bad luck! Think about it, if you had a backer, how could you have no money? If you had a backer, then the Suzhou prefect would attack you without even trying him. Rotten your ass?”
When Zhu Chong heard this, he thought to himself, that's true.
The monk further advised Zhu Chong: "Master Cai wants to build a pavilion and an academy in Suzhou. You should work hard to accommodate him. This guy will be extremely valuable in the future. Both your father and son can use this to get high positions in the future. They will have a bright future and become rich and powerful."
Zhu Chong finally figured it out. Zhu Chong thought to himself that private money is not as good as public money, and private power is not as good as public power. If you become a bachelor of the current dynasty, you will have more opportunities to get promoted and make a fortune in the future. Why stick to this hospital and do the job of treating people? In the future, I can also use Grand Master Cai's power to seek an official position. Zhu Chong felt very proud and thought, as long as he has an official position, why not worry about money? ! Thinking of this, Zhu Chong was so excited that he neither went anywhere nor treated anyone. He looked around all day long, waiting for Cai Jing to send someone to find him.
Sure enough, within a few days, someone came to invite Zhu Chong, saying that it was the great scholar Cai from Hangzhou.
Zhu Chong was so happy that he was invited, and followed the visitor to see Cai Jing.
After Cai Jing and Zhu Chong met, they talked about building pavilions and setting up academies.
Zhu Chong also saw this as an excellent opportunity to curry favor with Cai Jing. He patted his chest and agreed, saying that there was absolutely no problem. Just wait and ask me for a pavilion, Bachelor Cai.
Next, Zhu Chong provided exclusive funding, and within a few days all the materials for building the temple were ready.
Immediately, Zhu Chong and his son Zhu Meng called together craftsmen from the countryside and worked overtime, day and night, and within a month, they built a magnificent temple.
When the temple pavilion was completed, Cai Jing was specially invited to see it.
Cai Jing was overjoyed.
Since then, Zhu Chong and his son have been deeply appreciated by Cai Jing.
