When Zheng Fuli, the young Yin of Hazhong, first took the imperial examination, he failed ten times and was in a very difficult situation.
There was a monk named Hongdao in Qianfu Temple. 8 or 9 out of 10 people who asked him to tell their fortune were rejected by him. Zheng Fuli was sad and worried, so he chose an auspicious day, ate fasting and bathed and went to Qianfu Temple to wait for the monk to ask Hongdao for advice. Hongdao was very gentle and said to him, “I have never divulged heavenly fortune to others, and today you come to me with the frustration of repeatedly failing to win, I can’t bear it. If you continue to work hard, you will finally become famous. But your matter is very special, not to be told to the public!”
Zheng Fuli asked about the date of his examination, and Hongdao said, “The date of the examination, there must be four things as a condition, and then you can achieve your wish. Four things, one cannot be missing. Your flesh and blood relatives successively won the three lists. Before the third list, it is as difficult as heaven to win the list; after the third list, it is as easy as a handful to win the list.” Zheng Fuli was stunned, and after a while he asked which four things. Hongdao hesitated for a long Time before saying, “You must not say to others that you want to become famous, there are four conditions, so it is very special. The first, must be the second year of the change of year; the second, must be the Minister of Rites again to preside over the examination; the third, the second place in the examination must be surnamed Zhang; the fourth, the same year to participate in the examination must be ranked eighth surnamed Guo’s students. If one of the four things is missing, you will lose all your efforts and will not succeed. Your brother and nephew in order to win the list, the order must be so.” Zheng Fuli was very skeptical of his statement and was in a depressed mood, thinking it was hopeless, so he retired with thanks.
In the second year of Changqing of Emperor Mu Zong of Tang, someone recommended his name to the chief examiner. Zheng Fuli did not have confidence in the result because the examiner was not conducting the exam for the second time, so he did not pass the exam. It was not until the second year after the change of the state name to Bao Li that Yang Xin Chang was the examiner again, and Zheng Fuli was secretly happy, but did not dare to say anything to others. In the spring of the next year, he won the exam, and the second place was really named Zhang, Zhang Zhi Shi. At the same time to take the examination there is a Guo Bailang, the name of the word Yang. Fuli sighed with wonder for a long time, and recorded the matter. He said to himself, “Hongdao said the order of the three lists must be like this, one list is strange enough. How can there be another one and have a third one?”
The following year it was the turn of the late Han Xian, the right minister of the Shang Shu, to take the imperial examination. In the second year of Dahwa of Emperor Wenzong of Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination was very large, and because the examiner was not conducting the examination for the second time, Han Xian did not win the examination. Later, he took the examination in the ninth year of the Dahwa, also just a little short of the examination, until the second year of the country’s name changed to Kaicheng, high kingland again as the examiner. Han Xian felt strange, and the next year Han Xian really high school. The second named Zhang Tong, while taking the exam there is a Guo Bailang, named Guo Zhi. Zheng Fuli will record this again. Although the three lists were still short of one list, both lists were right by Hongdao. Zheng Fuli said at Home, “Is it really like what Hongdao said?” By this time, Hongdao had already gone to nowhere.
The next time it was the turn of the late Roy, the son of a horse in harness, to take the imperial examination. Coincidentally, the year after the change of the country’s name to Huichang, Minister of Rites Liu Jing again administered the examination. Hazel won the first prize. The second name was Zhang Qian, and at the same time there was a Guo Bailang, Guo Jing, who took the exam. This proves that what Monk Hongdao said was true.
(from “Wild History”)
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