During the Tang Dynasty, Yuchi Gong, one of the 24 founding generals honored in the Lingyan Pavilion, started his career as a blacksmith. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he joined the military to suppress rebellions and later followed Liu Wu Zhou in an uprising against the Sui. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Yuchi Gong surrendered to Li Shimin (later Emperor Taizong) and achieved numerous military successes. He passed away at the age of 74 and was posthumously honored with the title “Loyal and Brave.”
A request to Yuchi Gong to borrow money
It is intriguing that Yuchi Gong’s future wealth was foretold while he was still a blacksmith. During the late Sui Dynasty, a poor scholar living in Taiyuan had to teach to make ends meet. His residence was near a government treasury. One day, the scholar discovered an entrance to the treasury through a cave and, tempted by the sight of thousands of coins, decided to take some to relieve his poverty.
Just when the scholar was about to take away some of the money, a warrior in golden armor holding a weapon appeared in front of him and said: “If you need money, you can get a note from Yuchi Gong saying you can borrow some. The money here is all his.”
The scholar did not know who Yuchi Gong was, so he searched everywhere, but couldn’t find him. One day, by chance, he visited a blacksmith’s shop and heard about a blacksmith named Yuchi Gong who was working there, beating iron bare-chested and disheveled. The scholar waited for him to take a break and then approached him to pay his respects.
The scholar said: “My family is very poor, and I know you are very wealthy. Can you lend me 500 coins?” Yuchi Gong became very angry upon hearing this and said: “I’m just a blacksmith. How can you say I’m wealthy? Are you mocking me?” The scholar replied: “If you have any pity on me, just write out a promissory note for me to sign and you will understand everything in the future.”
Reluctantly, Yuchi Gong wrote out a note for the scholar to sign, which read: “I agree to lend five hundred coins today.” The scholar included the date and Yuchi Gong’s name on it as well. After receiving the note, the scholar thanked him and left. As he departed, Yuchi Gong and his apprentice clapped their hands and laughed, thinking that the scholar was being ridiculous.
A prediction comes true
After obtaining the note, the scholar returned to the treasury and saw the golden-armored general again. He presented the loan note to the general, who laughed upon reading it and said: “This is exactly what I wanted.” The general instructed the scholar to tie the note to the beam of the room and allowed him to take away 500 coins.
Later, Yuchi Gong assisted the wise monarch Emperor Taizong and made great contributions. When he retired, the emperor rewarded him with a lot of money and a storehouse of treasures that had not yet been opened.
Yuchi Gong ordered someone to open the treasury and check the money against the account books. They discovered that 500 coins were missing. As he was about to punish the treasury keeper, he noticed a note on the beam of the room. He examined it and realized it was the note he had written for the scholar from his blacksmithing days.
After locating the scholar, Yuchi Gong learned the whole story. Grateful, he rewarded the scholar handsomely and shared his wealth with his old friends.
The story of Yuchi Gong illustrates a profound lesson about blessings and the fulfillment of one’s destiny. Predicted to become wealthy despite his initial circumstances, Yuchi Gong couldn’t foresee how this would unfold. Yet, through acts of kindness and trust, his blessings came to fruition in unexpected ways. This tale reminds us that our fortunes may be fated and that our actions, guided by integrity and generosity, can pave the way for unexpected blessings to manifest in our lives.
Translated by Cecilia
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