Li Peng, the magistrate of Shengtang County in the Tang Dynasty, met Sang Daomao one day. Sang Daomao said, “You are only in charge of one county, your two sons, the eldest will be a minister in the future, and the second one will also be in charge of several places in the future, so that your children and grandchildren will be rich and prosperous for a hundred years.”
Later, as he said, the eldest son, Li Shi, became a general and a minister, and his children and grandchildren were selected in the imperial examinations for two generations. The second son, Li Fu, has guarded seven places, and three of his eight sons have been elected to the imperial examinations, and have been appointed to the post of minister of the county. His grandsons were all fifth-ranking or third-ranking officials.
In the first year of Jianzhong, Doumao requested to build a city in Fengtian for the king to live in. As the king had always regarded Doumao’s words as divine, he ordered Yan Ying, the king’s official, to send thousands of laborers to build the city together with the soldiers of the six armies. It was the height of summer, and the people did not know the reason for the great construction. It was only when the capital was moved there that the purpose of building Fengtian City became clear.
When Zhu bright rebellion, Dezong was honored to drive Fengtian, at that Time, all the clans along the border had sent soldiers to protect The Emperor‘s carriage, and Zhu bright led the fierce thieves to the city. A monk from Ximing Temple was caught in the midst of the bandits’ formation. He was clever enough to have a ladder made to attack the city, which was more than 90 feet high and had a boarding house railing on it, so that he could get a bird’s eye view of the city. Hun Chan and Li Sheng reported to the emperor, “The bandits are fierce and the ladders are very strong, so if we let them get close to the city, I am afraid they will not be able to resist. While they are still far away, please send elite soldiers to thwart them.” So he led the king’s division of 5,000 men out of the city in formation, and at the same time tied up a mess of hemp and put it behind him to be lit on fire when the battle was fierce. The king’s division marched in with a fierce fire and wind, and smoke and dust rushed to the sky, turning the ladders into ashes and causing the bandits to flee. Dezong climbed the city tower to watch the battle, and hailed from inside and outside the city.
When the capital was recovered, Hun and Li were the first to be honored, and the emperor favored them with the title of princes and marquises. They were always loyal and devoted to their duties in order to support the country. Li Xiping had four sons, all of whom commanded a part of the army, and their loyalty and courage were high and glorious.
At the beginning, Li Sheng served in Zuoben, but could not be promoted for a long time. Hearing that Sang Daomao knew how to read faces, he brought a silk and went to see him in the early morning. At that time, there were many people who believed in him, and many of those who went to see him could not see him at once. When he heard that Li Sheng was asking for an audience at the door, he personally went out to greet him and set up wine and Food at his Home, and entertained Li Sheng attentively. After a while, he said to Li, “You will be rich and powerful when you establish your merit. There is a matter in which the great power is in your hands, and I shall trust it with my Life.” Li Sheng could not guess the meaning of his words, so he nodded his head and said yes. Sang Daomao asked him to take back the silk he had given him and to exchange it for the sweatshirt Li Gong was wearing, but only asked him to write his name on the sweatshirt and said that when he saw this sweatshirt in the future he could recall today’s events to each other.
By the time Zhu bright rebellion, Daomao fell into the hands of the rebels. Later, the capital was recovered and all those who followed the rebellion were killed on the spot. At that time, Li Sheng was appointed to take charge of the execution, and when Dao Mao was about to be executed, he asked for a few words with Li Sheng, so he mentioned the matter of the sweater. Li Gong presented to the emperor in the name of innocence, and Dao Mao was granted a special pardon.
Situ Du You had been Yang Yan’s judge, and Lu Qi was jealous of him because of this, and he wanted to run away. After Du met with Dao Mao, Dao Mao said to him, “If you become an official within a year, you will be blessed with longevity.” Later, Du began to be a so-and-so official, and became a so-and-so official in his ninetieth day. His official name was forgotten, and his happiness and longevity were really as Dao Mao had said.
(From “The Book of Dramatic Talks”)
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