Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 5 Asking
As dusk fell, the main hall of the temple grew dim. The Great Teacher Zhang Jiao sat at the head of the table, watching his two personal disciples kneeling on the ground, while the other five disciples had different expressions, seemingly divided into two sides.

"Peace and righteousness prevail; encourage good deeds and seek survival..."

Zhang Jiao sighed softly, recited a line from the "Taiping Jingwen" (Scripture of Great Peace), and stood up from the straw mat. He ignored his kneeling second disciple Tang Zhou and sixth disciple Wu Deng, and instead slowly lit two pine torches, casually placing them in the circle formed by the disciples.

If someone familiar with Tai Chi were to look at it, they would immediately notice that the two torches were inserted precisely into the eyes of the Tai Chi symbol. The flickering flames reflected on the faces of the disciples, creating a changing interplay of light and shadow, like the chasing Tai Chi fish.

"Tai Chi is the Tao; one begets two, which are called Yin and Yang; when Yin and Yang move in turn, all things come into being."

After reciting this sentence, Zhang Jiao finally raised his head and looked at the faces of his disciples. His expression was gentle, and he first looked at his eldest disciple, Ma Yuanyi.

"Yuanyi, Wudeng wants to treat the common people first, while Tang Zhou wants to prioritize the powerful clans and wealthy households. As the senior brother, what is your opinion on how to handle these medicinal herbs?"

"Ah! Master...I..."

Faced with this question, the eldest disciple, Ma Yuanyi, showed a conflicted expression. His two junior brothers both looked up at him expectantly. After a moment's hesitation, he lowered his head slightly and whispered.

"Master! The reason my two junior brothers are arguing is because I didn't bring back enough medicinal herbs. I'll take my disciples out tomorrow to collect another batch of these much-needed herbs!..."

"Oh! Gathering medicinal herbs is indeed a good start, and it can solve our immediate problem."

Zhang Jiao nodded slightly, his face revealing neither joy nor sorrow. With his third disciple absent, he shifted his gaze again to his fourth disciple, Pan Jingzhi, a minor official, and spoke gently.

"Jingzhi, what do you think?"

Pan Jingzhi bowed, appearing confident and composed, and then spoke.

"Peace and prosperity reign! Our Way of Great Peace heals and saves people based solely on sincerity, regardless of their social status. Whether they are from wealthy families or ordinary people, as long as they are willing to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to our Way of Great Peace, they deserve to be saved! Therefore, Jingzhi believes that we should select patients based on their piety and the degree of their dedication, and then use this as the standard for administering medicine and treatment!"

"Oh? Taking piety as the standard is indeed a principle of Taoism. The Five Pecks of Rice sect in Hanzhong follows this path. I've observed it carefully; it seems capable of being passed down for a long time..."

Zhang Jiao nodded again, then looked at his fifth disciple, Xie Chu, who was a shaman, and asked the same question.

"Xie Chu, what are your thoughts?"

"My esteemed teacher, at first I thought... the medicinal herbs weren't in short supply, but rather had fallen into the hands of wealthy and powerful families. They lack skilled physicians, and hoarding so many would be a waste... Heaven has the virtue of helping the needy and encouraging good deeds; we can use 'witchcraft and spirit-based arts' to frighten and persuade them to donate the herbs, in exchange for a dose of healing medicine. The surplus herbs can then be used to help the people, thus resolving their dilemma!..."

Upon hearing his fifth disciple's answer, Zhang Jiao remained silent for a moment, neither nodding nor shaking his head. After a few breaths, he sighed softly and solemnly began to teach.

"Xie Chu, your Daoist heart is always clear, and your initial intention is good. However, once the cart has set out, it inevitably changes course. The mechanism of good and evil hinges on a single thought. The way of Yin and Yang may rise or fall. In the blink of an eye, no one can perceive it..."

"If you choose this path, you must constantly reflect on yourself and carefully observe the tracks you leave behind. Otherwise, the shift from good to evil, between yin and yang, is but a thought away!"

Upon hearing Zhang Jiao's words, Xie Chu's face paled. He pondered for a moment, then respectfully lowered his head and bowed in response.

"Yes! I will follow Master's teachings!..."

"Ah."

Zhang Jiao responded and then looked at his seventh disciple, Gao Daonu. A smile appeared on his face as he asked.

"Dao Nu, what about you? Have you thought of anything?"

“Master! I agree with Sixth Brother Wu Deng’s idea! I think saving lives is the top priority. For Taiping Shandao, the more people we save, the better! As for not having enough medicinal herbs, we’ll find a way to get them! ...I can take the disciples to ‘borrow’ some from those wealthy families! Or, we can have the recovered villagers go to the mountains to collect the herbs and bring them over!”

"Yes. The path to good begins with saving lives. Hold fast to one thought and do not waver in your heart. Dao Nu, although you are illiterate, your mind is pure. Although there are still shortcomings in your actions, your pursuit of the Dao is sufficient."

Zhang Jiao smiled and offered a few comments, then finally looked at his youngest disciple, Zhang Chengfu. His eyes were gentle, yet filled with a certain concerned scrutiny, as he asked in a calm voice.

"Chengfu, what about you? What are your thoughts? You haven't been on the path for long, so if you have any questions, feel free to speak them!..."

Hearing his master's question, Zhang Chengfu pursed his lips, lost in thought. In this question and answer, the stances, choices, personalities, and biases of his fellow disciples were clearly revealed. And what was his own stance, and what were his choices?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, each carrying the weight of mountains and the brilliance of firelight. But when these thoughts reached his lips, many remained unspoken, settling into a silent surge within his chest. After a few breaths, he spoke softly, his voice filled with unwavering strength.

"Master, fellow disciples! I am truly perplexed… A few days ago, an old man named Zhao fell seriously ill. I tried to save him, but he died in my arms. I fed him talismanic water, and he had already realized it was merely for comfort. Yet, he remained grateful to the Taiping Dao and to the 'Immortal Masters.' And in his dying moments, his greatest fear was that in the afterlife, in the Yellow Heaven Paradise, there would be officials and powerful figures!…"

"The court is tyrannical, and those in power are despicable. Surplus grain is entirely in the hands of officials, powerful families, and wealthy clans, such as the Ju family of Julu and the Cui family of Qinghe. Their estates are overflowing with grain, yet they offer no relief; instead, they wait for the common people to die so they can seize the land. These aristocratic families despise us, and even more so the common people in the fields… But the people at the bottom of society, even knowing that the talismanic water is useless, still genuinely trust us! Because only we truly care about them, treat them as human beings! Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. The people actually know who truly cares for them…"

"Peace and prosperity reign! Since the people can only rely on my Way of Great Peace, then who can my Way of Great Peace rely on? The Taiping Jing says, 'The Way of Great Peace is the righteous path, benefiting all people, doing one's best, and having no regrets.' So, on this path of Great Peace, who will stand with us? The Tao Te Ching says, 'The Way of Heaven is like drawing a bow and shooting an arrow, taking from the surplus to give to the deficient.' So, who should be shot by this Way of Great Peace, this sharp arrow of worldly equality?!…"

At this moment, Zhang Chengfu's gaze was intense, and he straightened his spine. He looked at his fellow disciples, then bowed respectfully to Zhang Jiao at the head of the table, and said solemnly.

“Master! I am the last to join the sect, and I often have doubts about the Way of Peace, finding it difficult to understand the true meaning of the scriptures. But I always feel that as long as we know who our enemies are and who our friends are, we will know what the road ahead should look like. We will know who to save and how to save them!…”

"."

A moment of silence fell over the main hall, the flickering light of the torches mirroring the changing expressions in the crowd. The three senior disciples at the head of the hall frowned, uneasy at the veiled rebuke directed at the aristocratic class.

This doesn't mean they've already taken the place of the aristocratic clans. Rather, it means they understand the power of the aristocratic clans and know who truly rules the Han Dynasty!

As for the three senior brothers at the lower seat, they looked thoughtful; some understood, some didn't. Senior Brother Wu Deng wiped his eyes, thinking of the dead people he had seen during the relief efforts, and sighed, "The righteous path of Heaven... the people are our true allies!"

At this moment, Zhang Jiao, the Great Teacher at the head of the table, remained silent. Of everyone present, only he, the master, understood the true meaning behind his youngest disciple's words. This disciple, seemingly gentle and polite, was actually the most resolute and possessed the strongest killing intent. Could this be the extraordinary manifestation brought about by the possession of a lost soul, the destiny hidden within the calamity? ...

"The Way of Heaven is like stretching a bow. It lowers what is high, raises what is low, diminishes what is excessive, and supplements what is insufficient... The Way of Heaven is indeed to diminish the excessive and supplement the insufficient! However, the Daoist scriptures also say that the sage governs by emptying the mind, filling the belly, weakening the will, and strengthening the bones..."

In front of his disciples, Zhang Jiao shook his head. He looked into Zhang Chengfu's eyes and spoke in a reprimanding tone.

"To shoulder responsibilities and follow the path of peace, we must 'fulfill the people's needs, fill their bellies, and strengthen their bones,' rather than 'inflate empty hearts and instill unrealistic ambitions!'..."

"Heaven does not listen to empty words, and peace does not respond to false pronouncements. The world is in turmoil, and your empty words are easily lost, and your actions are difficult to fulfill. To speak without acting is to presume to follow the will of Heaven, which is to violate the Way! Therefore, we who have entered the Way must be careful in our words, vows, and actions!"

Hearing these words of reprimand and looking into Zhang Jiao's eyes, Zhang Chengfu's heart stirred. He respectfully knelt on the mat and obediently admitted his mistake.

"Yes! Your disciple is foolish and often indulges in wild thoughts, which is why I speak such empty words... This is probably what they mean by empty words being useless, but action will surely prove them right. Good words are not as good as good deeds, and empty talk is not as good as putting them into practice..."

"Um…"

Zhang Jiao lowered his eyes, seemingly not having heard his junior disciple's words. He simply turned to his senior disciple, Ma Yuanyi, and spoke.

“Yuanyi, you are the eldest brother. It’s time for dinner. Go and fetch eight portions of wheat rice and give one to each of the junior brothers.”

"Yes! Master!"

Ma Yuanyi breathed a sigh of relief and got up to leave. Zhang Jiao then looked at his kneeling second disciple Tang Zhou and sixth disciple Wu Deng, and comforted them.

"You should both get up! Wooden is right, and Tang Zhou is pragmatic. Seventy percent of these medicinal herbs will be mixed with talismanic water and used on the disaster victims outside the temple. Thirty percent will be made into talismanic medicine and distributed to wealthy households in various counties to raise funds… Since you two suggested these two things, then you should each be responsible for carrying them out!"

"Yes! I will follow Master's teachings!..."

"Yes, Your disciple obeys!"

Tang Zhou and Wu Deng exchanged a glance, then looked away before straightening up. At this moment, Ma Yuanyi returned with wheat porridge and distributed a ceramic bowl to everyone. Even Zhang Jiao, who was at the head of the table, received the same rations.

These earthenware bowls were filled only with steamed broken wheat, a spoonful of fermented black beans, and two slices of cabbage. This was the daily food of ordinary people in this era, and it was already quite abundant.

"May the world be at peace! May there be peace!"

May there be peace!

The disciples chanted in unison, then lowered their heads and silently began to chew. This wheat porridge, naturally different from milled flour, contained wheat kernels and husk fragments. After being steamed in a large steamer, these hard husk fragments softened slightly, making them chewable and swallowable. Although this bowl of wheat porridge was coarse and difficult to swallow, it was far more filling and more economical than wheat-based foods.

At that time, only aristocratic families would use stone mills to grind wheat into flour and then make various kinds of pasta dishes. In the process of grinding wheat into flour, not only was a lot of manpower required, but also a rare stone mill and a lot of firewood were needed, and 20-30% of the grains and husks would be lost.

In times of great disaster and plague, when even food was scarce, what kind of decent family would be willing to grind wheat into flour? The poor and destitute spent their entire lives eating only wheat porridge, millet porridge, and bean soup. They didn't even know what flour was.
"Peace and tranquility, when people can eat their fill and everyone can survive, that is true peace and tranquility."

After the disciples finished eating, Ma Yuanyi put away the earthenware bowls and replaced them with two pine torches. Outside the hall, it was already dark, and the faint sounds of the disaster victims' cries and the constant separations of life and death carried on the wind could be heard.

Upon hearing this voice, Zhang Jiao sighed again, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening, and said in a deep voice to his disciples.

"Peace and prosperity reign! The tenet of our Way of Great Peace is to seek goodness. Each of your answers just now was correct; they all followed the path of goodness. However, the goodness you perceive differs from yourselves, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes high, sometimes low, and it benefits different people!..."

"It's like different ruts and wheels. But as long as you follow the path of goodness, you will always be my disciples, followers of my Way of Peace!..."

After offering these words of comfort and reconciliation, the Great Teacher's face showed deep weariness. He finally looked at his youngest disciple, Zhang Chengfu, and, gazing at the handsome yet serious young man's face, reached out and gently touched his forehead before asking.

“Chengfu, you’re right. Good words are not as good as good deeds, and empty talk is not as good as action… How long have you been by my side?”

“Reporting to Master! I entered the sect in Julu County in the second year of Guanghe... I have been following Master around, learning witchcraft, Taoism, and medicine, and doing some relief and treatment for three years now!”

"Hmm, three years! You've been with me for so long, it's time you took on some administrative duties!"

Zhang Jiao nodded, glanced at his disciples, and continued to ask.

"Chengfu, which senior brother would you like to learn something from? Or is there anything you'd like to do yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. He had patiently waited by the side of the Great Teacher for so long, and finally, he had the opportunity to work independently! At this moment, he became solemn, like a taut bowstring, and prostrated himself in respect.

“Master! While providing relief in the camp, I saw many orphans and children. Once they grow up a little, they can do some practical work and join my Taiping Dao. But if we leave them unattended, many of them will probably die of hunger, cold, and disease. Those who survive will only be able to join powerful families and wealthy households, becoming their servants…”

"Therefore, I humbly request that you take in these orphans and form a group of children... I am willing to lead them and do my best to teach them to be good!..."

"Taking in orphaned children, a children's troupe?"

Upon hearing this request, Zhang Jiao raised an eyebrow and gave the young disciple a deep look. Then, he nodded slightly and agreed in front of all the disciples.

"Heaven above! Yes!..."

(End of this chapter)