In the Tang Dynasty, there was a merchant named Liu Hongjing whose ancestors had lived between the Huai River and the sea for generations. He was always virtuous, but never boasted, so people didn’t know about him. Although his family was very wealthy, he did not resent when others took advantage of him, and he never asked people to pay him back for the favors he did for them.
One time when Liu Hongjing was traveling, he met a man who was good at reading fortunes. The fortune-teller said to Liu Hongjing: “Well! Sir, please stop, I have something to say to you.”
Liu Hongjing then invited the fortune-teller into the guest house where he was staying so he could hear him out. The fortune-teller said: “Sir, you are a very rich man, but what will you do in two or three years when you face your final day?”
When Liu Hongjing heard the fortune teller, he could not help but cry out, saying: “Life expectancy is set by the heavens, sir. Now that you have told me about it, what is there for me to do?”
The fortune teller said to him: “Though it appears you may not have a long life, you are moral, noble, and generous. If you listen to my words, in the next two or three years you can accumulate more merit which may allow you to extend your lifespan. As the saying goes, one virtuous deed eliminates a hundred disasters. I hope we will see each other again in three years!” The fortune teller left after he finished, and Liu Hongjing saw him off with tears in his eyes. From then on, the merchant began to get his affairs in order so as to prepare for his coming death.
Liu Hongjing buys four slaves
Liu Hongjing had a daughter who was going to get married, so in order to prepare for the wedding, he went out to buy four slaves to serve his daughter at the wedding. Among these four slaves, there was a maid named Fang Lansun, who was very beautiful and had a different style and posture when compared to normal people. Liu Hongjing felt that this woman was rather uncommon, so he asked her about her origin.
Fang Lansun pondered for a long time before answering: “I dare not speak more because it may bring me peril, but since the master wants to know more, I dare not hide anything either. My family name is the same as that of the royal family. Bandits suspected my family’s connection and came to kill my father and seize the family property. They also captured some of my family members and carried them off. I have no idea what their situation is. In the end, I could only escape on my own.”
Liu Hongjing sighed with sorrow and then said to her: “Although your family has fallen, you are still the daughter of the crown. It is unbearable to me that you have been wronged to this extent. If I can’t help you get justice, I will be punished by the gods!” Liu Hongjing asked her more about her family and learned that her mother shared the same family name of “Liu,” so he accepted Fang Lansun as his niece, burned the contract showing she had been sold as a slave, prepared a dowry of 500,000 yuan for her, and arranged for her to be married before his own daughter.
One night, Liu Hongjing had a dream in which he saw a man dressed in green, holding a brush in his hand, bowing to him from afar and saying with tears streaming down his face: “I am Fang Lansun’s father. Thank you for your great kindness. I have no way to repay you, but I have heard that virtue can move Heaven and Earth. Now that you are approaching the end of your life, I plan to ask the Emperor of Heaven if he will extend your lifespan.” After saying that, he disappeared.
Three days later, Liu Hongjing dreamed of Fang Lansun’s father again. This time, her father told him: “I spoke with the Emperor of Heaven. He promised to not only extend your life by 25 years, but also to make your family rich for three generations and your children will have no more misfortunes. Those who harmed my family will be tried, and those who are alive will suffer. For those who have already died, their children will suffer. For myself, the Emperor of Heaven appointed me to a high office and set me to rule over the mountains and rivers between the Huai River and the sea.” So saying, he sobbed and bowed to Liu Hongjing before disappearing.
When Liu Hongjing woke up, he still had doubts in his mind, not quite believing that everything in the dream could really happen. But when three years had passed, the fortune-teller returned. After meeting with Liu Hongjing he said: “Well! Your life expectancy has been extended, and you can see it from your eyebrows and hair.” Liu Hongjing then took off his hat so the fortune-teller could do a more complete face reading.
“Well! It seems virtue has moved Heaven. You can expect to live for another 25 years, and your wealth and prosperity will reach three generations.”
Liu Hongjing told the fortune-teller about his dream of Fang Lansun’s father. The fortune-teller said: “During the Warring States period, the Han family accumulated virtue by protecting the Zhao family. As a result, members of the Han family served as officials for ten generations and held positions of very high rank. Fang Lansun’s family had no descendants and she was reduced to selling herself into slavery. But instead of trying to take advantage of a young beauty like her, you acted as a gentleman and treated her with compassion and kindness, earning this virtue!” From this, we can see that people are blessed by doing good deeds and accumulating virtue.
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