7次考试落榜 却成明朝大臣

7次考试落榜 却成明朝大臣

This is a story from
the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty. This is a true story
about a real person. If you search online, you can find it. His name was Zhang Cong. He was a very legendary figure. In the past, the imperial examination
was divided into two levels. The first was the provincial exam. Passing that makes you
a provincial scholar. Does that make you an official? No, it’s not like that. It only makes you an educated person. At that time, the country was poor
and there were few scholars. So, after passing the exam,
people might study medicine, or work in a rural county, doing some minor tasks,
such as a clerk, a registrar for real estate transfers, or helping to resolve small disputes, serving as a member of a minor court;
basically a low-ranking official. This is for provincial scholars. If you want to become
a high-ranking official, you’ll need to gain more wisdom for
another exam to become an advanced scholar. During each dynasty’s
examination period, the titles were somewhat different. In the Ming Dynasty,
the higher-level exam was held in Beijing at the time;
that’s the Palace Examination. The exam took place in
the emperor’s official palace. The emperor and some trusted
high officials supervised the exam. Cheating was impossible. So, why was it held in
the imperial palace? Because the emperor directly
selected talented individuals. Many farmers were illiterate. If scholars wanted to serve
the emperor and their country, they must be very knowledgeable. That’s how it is. So this system is justified. Zhang also roughly
passed the first exam. After the entry-level exam, he
would take the advanced-level exam. He was quite interesting. His family had the money
to send him to the exams. But, he’d failed so many times that
the hotel owners all knew him. He’d stay at the inn for half a
year to prepare, after he failed, he went home,
study some more and try again. He’s stay at the same place. There weren’t many inns back then. Zhang wasn’t the brightest guy; he failed the exam
six times in a row. He started in his twenties and
kept trying until he was 47. You could call him
an experienced candidate. The others were in
their twenties and thirties. He’s not young; but he’s a
candidate like the younger guys. Right. It’s not that he’s not smart,
he just had poor luck. Well,
maybe he’s not that smart after all. One day, he became enlightened. There were two months left
before the exam. He suddenly went to
a Buddhist temple to pray. He was inspired. Immediately,
he went back to pack his bags. He was well known. The market vendors knew him. He said goodbye to everyone. Why? He felt too embarrassed
to sit for the exams; because he thought he’s too old for
that. I’ll just go home and roast eggs
and sweet potatoes, no more tests. He’s going home,
and he said goodbye. He’s never made if after all
those year and attempts, he finally became aware
of how embarrassing it is. How could he face his grandchildren? He’s the bad example in his family. So,
he decided to quit once and for all. The next day, at the door,
he was greeted by Xiao, an old fortune-teller. He said, “Hey, Old Zhang, Old Zhang. “Stop, stop. “Let me take another look at you. “Let me have one last look at you. “Come, please sit down,
don’t be alarmed. “Give me a moment,
and I’ll examine you carefully. “Old Zhang,
you should know my name, right?” This fortune teller’s name is Xiao. He was known as “Xiao Iron Mouth”. He’s not an ordinary fortune teller. So, who is he? He served the Beijing government. Specifically,
within the central government. He’s like today’s supervising officer. He keeps an eye on the officials
and reported them to the emperor. Yes, a supervising official. A highly-ranked official who
could offer advice to the emperor. Because the Ming government
didn’t pay officials enough, he had to work part-time to earn
extra income, and that’s legal. The government didn’t forbid that. Street vending has a
long history in China. He called himself “Xiao,
the half sage.” His official title was
the imperial censor. There’s a Taiwanese singer
called Hsiao, right? These are not the same person. Xiao spends his spare time
reading fortune. he’d accurately predicted
the futures of some people. When he saw Zhang about to pack up
and go home, he stopped him. He claimed that Zhang would
make great achievements; but if he were to quit at that time, then he’d remain ordinary
for the rest of his life. And that’s a huge loss. Xiao knew everything. But Zhang thought he’d met a fraud. He’s going home;
he’s too old and too embarrassed to
sit for another exam. That old man was just a fraud;
that’s what Zhang thought. Xiao said,
“You don’t have to pay me now, but in the future,
you’ll have to pay me more.” “I won’t fall for that,” Zhang said. After being convinced by Xiao,
Zhang started to give in. Xiao,
in pursuit of the ultimate truth, was willing to bet on his title,
“the Iron Mouth”, that Zhang would pass the exam. Zhang wasn’t confident; he’d
failed the exam seven times. Xiao,
was confident that he would pass. He knew that Zhang would
achieve more than just a scholar. In the future,
Zhang would be serving the emperor. Do you know what rank an official
has when serving the emperor? The eunuchs, empresses, consorts, and maids aren’t considered officials. Formal officials, okay? There were usually no more than three officials in
front of the emperor. These three people held all
the power of the Ming dynasty. They formed
the imperial cabinet back then. In the U.S. Congress,
there are Cabinet members too. The held great power and authority. So, once you enter the cabinet,
you’re bestowed with great power. They’re like prime ministers; second only to the emperor,
above all others. Zhang was so stunned hearing that
he nearly had a nosebleed. His voice began to
tremble as he spoke. Zhang said, “If that’s true,
I’ll give you whatever you want.” But Xiao didn’t care about that. Still, his words still
seemed too good to be true. Xiao said,
“You’ll know in two months’ time.” Xiao said,
“You’ll know in two months time.” Well, Zhang had been trying for
20 years, and he could definitely try for another two months. So, he decided to try one more time. “Just do what you should,
and that’s it, and leave the rest to fate. In the end,
Zhang really took the exam and passed. Of one hundred candidates,
he ranked seventy-first. he didn’t do that well. If divided into three groups,
he would be in the third group. That means he’s in the tail end. Though it wasn’t that impressive, it’s the result of
his twenty-one years of hard work. That doesn’t mean he
wasn’t fated to become a man with great power. The high scorers
rarely get blessed with great power. Because they’re too focused
to achieve high scores. Those who score average have
thought about ruling the world. They focus on more
than just high scores. So, Zhang passed the exam. When he met Xiao, he wanted
to pay him, but Xiao refused, because he was helping
out of sincerity. There was one major problem. You see, Zhang wasn’t young, and he didn’t pass with flying colors. Even if the influential figures
wanted to support him, they’d think twice; because Zhang was close to
his retirement age. Who would bother
helping someone like that? The Ming dynasty government at
that time had a history. When the Great Ming
Empire was founded, its capital was in Nanjing, which is today’s Nanjing City in
Jiangsu Province. Nanjing is a major city on
the edge of the Yangtze River. What does “Jing” mean? It usually means capital city. Then, after several decades, After Zhu Yuanzhang’s fourth son,
Zhu Di, became emperor, he established the Ming dynasty’s
northern capital in Beijing. How did he arrange
the situation in Nanjing? He was going to make
Nanjing as a backup capital. This approach was also quite good. It creates two sets of government
functions and personnel. The most capable managing
officials were in in Beijing. The backup officials were in Nanjing. The organization
and hierarchy were similar, but the real power was in Beijing,
roughly like this. This part of the system was
inspired by the Song Dynasty. After the Northern Song was
conquered by the Liao Kingdom, the Southern Song emerged. The emperor thought if Beijing fell, then Nanjing would act
as the backup capital. It’s not a complete
annihilation; not bad, right? So, Zhang had no one in the court,
and he was quite old. So, at the age of forty-seven
or forty-eight, Zhang was sent off to Nanjing to serve as a minor official in the
Ministry of Personnel, at rank eight. There’s no one lower than him. Although he passed the
exam in the palace, because no one in the court needed
him, he was sent to Nanjing. He had no power, but enough time. He’s free all the time,
and as a a very studious person, he read a lot. We don’t know exactly what he read,
but he liked reading. Zhang probably read about texts written by Confucius
on “Li” (human ethics). For example,
your dad’s dad is your grandpa. It establishes your rank and
seniority within the family hierarchy. From the primitive times when
people lived huddled in caves, it was unclear who was whose father. Ethics were already failing back then. The concept of father,
mother and child didn’t exist. Well, maybe people knew
who their mother was, but not their father. This is a part of ethics. Once you’re officially married,
it became clear; who’s the grandpa,
father, grandson, etc. At that time, a succession of
the throne was taking place. The late emperor was called
the Zhengde Emperor. He lived to about thirty
years old before he died. He spent nearly half his
life indulging in pleasures. He had no heirs
and never had any children. The palace had a harem of women,
but none bore him children. Yes. It might be due to his illness
or health problems. He just couldn’t have children. In history, the emperor, in his teens, weren’t studious like his peer. He was different—playful
and mischievous. For example, he’d keep rare
animals in the palace in cages. Anyway, he found all
sorts of ways to have fun. But he was also a great emperor. Having fun reflects a young
person’s curiosity about the world. It also shows a thirst for learning. He was the first Ming
dynasty emperor to travel to the south of the
Yangtze River for leisure. All the ministers
and various officials, upon learning this,
set off to follow him. They wanted him back at
the palace for his safety. They couldn’t have something
bad happening to him. When emperors were having
fun outside the palace, they’re the only people
that were happy. The ministers, on the other hand,
would be worried. Everyone was worried
that something might go wrong. The official’s concerns
weren’t without reason. That’s how it was. They thought emperors
should stay in the capital and manage the country
with the ministers. Emperors should behave like emperors. So, wherever he went, the officials would advise
him to return to the palace. They all wanted him
back at the palace. But he’s still a pretty good person. In his thirties, an accident happened. One time,
he accidentally fell into a ditch. After being pulled out,
he became seriously ill. Not long after, in less than
half a year, he passed away. It was regrettable that he had no
children to carry on his legacy. Once he died, his successor
immediately faced trouble. Even the most powerful minister wouldn’t let their
sons take the throne. If they did,
their whole clan would be destroyed. No one would do that. Only the descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang could be promoted and take the throne. After Zhengde Emperor passed away,
there was one who was very closely related to him,
his cousin, who later became Jiajing Emperor. Not his son, but his cousin. Essentially, his grandfather’s cousin, the would-be Jiajing Emperor. What happened during the
time of Jiajing Emperor? Take note of this. At that time,
influential ministers would rebel if they thought they’re
powerful enough. When they’re powerful enough,
they feared no one. At that time, Emperor Jiajing
was only 15 years old. He’s young, but also cunning. He’s the descendant of Zhu Yuanzhang,
after all. He’s cunning enough to stand his
ground against a 75-year-old. In this court, the officials of
the Beijing imperial palace, the most powerful among
them at the time was the prime minister of
the previous cabinet; the most powerful man,
named Yang Tinghe, also known as Minister Yang. He finally showed his true colors. At the age of over 70,
he thought the young emperor was too young to be taken seriously. He only got to the throne because of his connection with
the previous emperor. That’s what Yang thought. He thought he’d be the
one making all calls. Back then, successors of the throne had to entered the palace
through the right gate. Yang made the young emperor enter
through the Crown Prince’s Gate, which was only meant for
sons of deceased emperors. Jiajing Emperor, should enter
through the Zhengyang Gate, because he was taking over
the throne from his cousin. Yang, at that time,
wanted to embarrassed the young boy. Only when Jiajing Emperor
threatened to quit that Yang said, “Fine,
go through whichever gate you want.” Even the emperors had proper
etiquettes to follow. See, a subordinate making
things difficult for his boss. Like I said, Jiajing Emperor got guts. He’s not someone you
could mess with easily. There, he threatened to quit, passing this difficult
problem back to Yang. When Yang found that the young
boy was tough to deal with, he let him enter through
whichever gate he wanted. That’s how the power struggle started. The emperor was being bullied
because he’s young. Today, when a young
chairman succeeds his dad, the old board members would
make things difficult for him. Yes, because he’s young. If you’re weak, you’d be tossed
around by the old foxes. That’s how it is. After Jiajing Emperor got to
the throne, new troubles arose. It’s that official Yang, the most powerful minister,
holding immense power. Hundreds of officials below
him were all appointed by him. You see, what did Emperor
Zhengde do when he was alive? He was just playing
around—really to an extreme. He was just a mischievous child. He did accomplish many things,
that benefited the people. But he was too playful. That’s why, while he was having fun, everything was handled by Yang. Every call, big or small,
was made by Yang. Yang was more influential
than the late emperor. If Yang wanted to
cross Jiajing Emperor, the other ministers would follow suit. It’s like, if the young
emperor proposed something and Yang opposed it,
the rest would also oppose it. So, did that 15-year-old
emperor feel pressure? Then, the powerful Yang, after
the gate issue, was still bitter. Using traditional culture
and the proper rites as excuses, he told Jiajing Emperor that all emperors succeeded their
fathers, and no one should be exempted. So, Jiajing Emperor should officially recognize Zhengde Emperor’s parents as his own parents, since he couldn’t recognize his cousin as his father. Then what about the emperor’s real,
deceased parents? Well, since he would be recognizing Emperor Zhengde’s
parents as his parents, for his own parents,
he should recognize them as his uncle and aunt. What a lame idea. In short, calling your own
parents your uncle and aunt, and your cousin’s parents your father
and mother. Emperor Jiajing was furious;
he thought that was nonsense, and Yang had crossed his line. But what he could do? The rest of the court all
acted on Yang’s order. What if the three hundred officials
said the same thing to him? He couldn’t just pretend like
that never happened. The young emperor had a
hard time with the old fox. He swore he’d get rid of him one day. Still, he kept his cool
and didn’t act recklessly, because he thought his servants
might be Yang’s informants. So, he kept his cool. He didn’t dare to curse in the
palace either, he did it silently. When the young emperor realized
there wasn’t much he could do, he started behaving
like a spoiled brat; threatening not to eat and not to attend the court
because he’s ill. That’s what a teenager
would usually do, right? To what extent did he resist? Until Yang withdrew his proposal. Emperor Jiajing’s reason was simple; he would not address his
cousins as his parents; just because he didn’t inherit
the throne from his own father. It’s that simple. When nothing was working,
he had one more trick up his sleeve. He stopped attending court sessions. He didn’t care, even if Yang
got someone else to do it. That’s when Yang knew
the young emperor was not someone he could mess with. Everyone knew Yang was
picking on the young emperor. But they kept quiet,
because they were forced to pick a side, and that Yang’s side. No one dared to speak up. I believe there were good
guys among the corrupt ones, but they dared not
stand up against Yang. Some had written to the
emperor expressing their stand, but they were either locked up
or assassinated by Yang’s men. At that time, Zhang,
who had nothing to do in Nanjing, heard about this matter. He couldn’t stand this; he’d decided
to help the poor emperor out. In his studies, he specialized in
the study of rites and customs. 2000 to 3000 years ago,
during the Warring States and Spring and Autumn periods,
there were philosophers studying rites and Tao (The Way). I mean, a very large group of people. The enlightened could explain
these rites very clearly. Even the emperors’ titles
were part of these. The rites cover customs such as the naming of titles,
the need for the emperors to have multiple wives,
the practice of kowtow, etc. But how could Zhang take on Yang? Yang was a prodigy. He became a provincial scholar at just thirteen
or fourteen years old. As for Zhang,
he only passed at eighteen. Yang passed the palace
examination at twenty-one. He was among the top three. Zhang studied for twenty-one years, and made it into the third tier. So their intelligence levels
were vastly different. But this did not affect
Zhang’s future meteoric rise. When Zhang heard about the emperor,
he knew he had to step up. He insisted on citing classics, quoting exactly from
the Book of Rites. He was going to tell Yang his ideas of calling your cousins your parents, and your parents your uncle and aunt,
were utter nonsense. He was quoting the classics. For an entire week straight, he pondered
and wrote a very important letter, and sent to the Emperor. At that time, all letters to the
emperor were controlled by Yang. It was just
that day when Yang was feeling unwell. When the eunuchs saw Zhang’s letter was meant to be received
by the emperor, he directly sent it to the emperor. The emperor,
reading Zhang’s letter, said, “Oh my heavens, I am saved!” “Finally, I’ve found
someone who understands me.” His spirits were lifted. There, with the letter in his hand,
he went to Yang, telling him about all
historical ancient works, the Book of Rites, and the theoretical foundations
that made the customs. Finally, the young emperor could say, “I was right,
and you’re wrong” with confidence. So, how was Yang going to refute that? Well, he couldn’t. Then, he teared up, knelt to the ground and said,
“Your Majesty, I should retire.” The emperor was happy
and approved his request immediately. He wanted it done right away,
and even paid for his retirement. He’d wanted him gone for so long for making his life difficult every day. Once Yang was sent packing, the emperor also wrote a
letter to bring in Zhang. With Yang gone,
the corrupt officials vowed revenge. They planned to kill
Zhang in an ambush. It was Yang’s son who
came up with the idea. He was also a high-ranking
official at the time. There was a road, at that time,
it’s a place where killing won’t get you punished. So, 100 officials were
waiting to ambush Zhang. Right there,
the place where killing is allowed. Zhang’s personality
is a bit like mine; Not great at studying,
but he learns everything. He studied military strategy. He knew that the corrupt officials
wouldn’t let him off easily. So, Zhang found an informant
to scout ahead first. He then found out
that the ambush was real. So Zhang entered the city at night,
even wearing makeup to blend in. Less than a month later, he was directly promoted by the
emperor to work by his side. In just one year, he became
the emperor’s right-hand man. And 3-5 years later,
his power rose even more. The peak of his authority
lasted for about ten years. He rose to such a
position of great power. By the second
or third year of his peak, he started to think of Xiao. At that time,
he was feared because of his power. He even had his own guards. He remembered his
benefactor back then, Xiao, the guy who told his fortune. He decided to pay him a visit. At Xiao’s place,
he thanked him for his advice. If not, he’d have really
missed a great opportunity. Xiao was happy to see his old friend,
too. So, how did Xiao know that Zhang would rise to
become a powerful figure? Xiao said, “Heaven’s secrets
must not be revealed.” So, they drank a bit. When Xiao got a bit tipsy,
he said something about one of Zhang’s previous lifetimes. In one lifetime, Zhang was an orphan. And then what? They drank more, and in the end, during those five or six hours
that night, he told the whole story. So, don’t drink. This is how it turned out. Zhang,
in one of his previous lifetimes, was an orphan in a village. No one knew who his parents were. Even Zhang had no memories
about his parents. From the time he had memories,
he was always alone. He lived in a shack
outside the village. It’s a shack, not even a proper house; the kind of shack farmers stay under when it’s raining
or when it gets sunny. Yes, that kind of shack. He didn’t have food all the time. He was about 1.45 meters tall. He was short,
unattractive in appearance. His back is slightly hunched,
and a bit slow-witted. Yes. He’s not young, but no
matchmaker came with a proposal. One day, Zhang, this little orphan, saw a monk walking over to beg
for alms while he was working. The monk was begging,
holding a monk staff, with iron rings on top. The clanging let people
know the monk’s arrival. But the people followed Taoism,
not Buddhism. So whenever a Buddhist
monk came for alms, none would make offering. The neglected Zhang felt a sense of happiness when he saw
that monk. To Zhang,
he looked both tired and hungry. It’s not a monk in movies; a grand,
towering figure like Buddha. It’s an ordinary monk, hungry,
weak, with a sallow and thin face. There’s no heroic
or majestic aura; none at all. The monk was starving badly,
yet no one offered him food to eat. Zhang,
with a heart full of compassion, wanted to offer the monk
two sweet potatoes. But his low self-esteem
made him think that maybe the monk would despise him. Then, he went to wait at the route the monk would have to pass
through to get to the next village. When the monk approached him, Zhang handed over the sweet potatoes. The monk ate everything in a rush, then left without even looking back. Zhang felt a sense of happiness. He was despised by the villagers, yet the monk ate the food he offered. He’s so happy. He then continued to offer food to the monk for a total of ten times. When he was about to do it the
eleventh time, he fell ill. He was so sick, barely hanging on. Again, that day,
no one offered food to the monk. The monk went to check out Zhang, who was ill and stayed in his shack. Zhang said,
“I feel like my time is running out. Can I still offer a
meal one more time?” “Of course,
what else do you have to offer?” He said there was still half a
steamed bun covered in the bowl. The monk said, “I gladly accept. When he offered
that half a steamed bun, the monk gladly accepted it. He then asked Zhang, “Child,
you always offer to me. Do you have any thoughts,
requests, or expect any reward?” Zhang shook his head and said,
“No, I just feel very happy.” After that,
Zhang passed away in that lifetime. Take note, okay? He offered for a total of 11 times
without asking for anything in return. The reborn Zhang,
during the reign of Emperor Jiajing, became the most powerful
official for ten years. Xiao said due to his previous karma, he would not be born intelligent. The best he could achieve was
a county magistrate, that’s it. But his merit from offering to monks
was selfless and without expectation. So he’d end up as the
second most powerful man in the era of the Jiajing Emperor. The core theory of Buddhism
is very scientific and fair. The Buddha taught us this very
scientific and fair principle. He told us
that our fate in this life shows the law of cause and effect. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha delivered
the ultimate truth. It is this law of cause and effect. You reap what you sow. The kind of seed you plant, is the
kind of fruit you will harvest. That sounds very reasonable,
doesn’t it? So, look at spring in March or April, when you plant certain seeds. months later, when they mature,
you’ll know what you sowed. So, there are a few
more things to mention. What if your harvest doesn’t come
that early? How many years does it take to
get apples from an apple tree? Small apple trees bear fruit
in as fast as three years. You’ll get a few small apples,
that’s it. I think it needs about 4-5 years
for it to start producing apples. But if you don’t cut
down an apple tree, it can grow for decades just fine. Alright, that’s for a tree. Also, if it’s not a fruit tree, and I want to plant a tree
for timber in the future, which I could harvest to make pillars
and beams when building a house, how many years does that take? Usually about twenty
years for most trees. If it’s not an
excessively hard wood, it should take about twenty years. Rosewood might need
several hundred years. This means our cause and effect,
like sowing and reaping, ranges from a few months to
several years, to several decades, to several centuries. Life is short. Human Life lasts only about eighty
to a hundred years at most. So if you want a good future,
what should you do now? What kind of seeds should
you start sowing now? Plant good seeds, and you will
reap good fruits in the future. Many people are born
into very poor families. Some are born into extremely wealthy
and prestigious families. Some are born with good appearances. Others are born without good health
or looks. As people grow older,
they start to compare. Why is my family not
as good as theirs? Why is his dad more capable than mine? Why do they have more money
and are also good-looking? You start to question
why you have a poor life when you haven’t done anything wrong. According to the law of cause and
effect, it could be from a past life. During the Buddha’s birthday
celebration, if you offer flowers, you will receive a beautiful
and dignified appearance. Of course, this is just a saying. If you often kidnap
and kill others for no reason, you may offer tons of flowers and you still won’t
get a good appearance. We’re talking about Zhang,
an ordinary farmer, not evil, but might be affected
with the Five Poisons. What if Zhang, offered a flower once at a
Dharma event to the Buddha? Why do we offer chance for
people to make flower offerings? It only costs a few
dollars per offering to at least earn the Buddha’s joy. You might earn the Buddha’s blessings. If you’re sincere and respectful,
that is. So from the moment we are born,
you’re already less fortunate than the others. It’s not about what you
did in this lifetime, this is already a result from birth. So when was the seed for this planted? It was probably in a past life
or even earlier. It’s like a person constantly
accumulating point. For example,
have you exercised this month? If you haven’t,
then this month counts as zero. If you have, then it gets recorded. Some fitness games track how many calories you’ve burned
or consumed. Everything is recorded. That’s how life works. All your merits and demerits are
recorded when you do something. Like, when greed arises
and you harm others. People are not aware when
their greed causes pain. You cheat someone,
then the cheated person, while riding his bike, is too sad to see an incoming truck,
and he got hit. That’s how it is. This is the pain your
greed indirectly caused. As a result, you accumulate bad karma, and it’ll show in
the fate you possess. I hope everyone can
read more about this. Therefore,
our actions are extremely important. Again, a single kind and
compassionate thought is so important. Fill your heart with compassion,
and your fate will undergo a profound
transformation. The next life is a bit too far. In this life, for ourselves, whether it’s physical
or mental health, or states of mind, or the benefits on our family
and children, it should be a tremendous help. Some destined outcomes, like great disasters and calamities,
are predetermined. Can these inevitable
events be avoided? The answer is yes. The Buddha says, to know your future, look at what you’re doing now. If you adjust and correct your
mindset, the result will change. But if you become
worse than you are now, bad things will come faster
and be even greater. If you can’t even offer a little
bit of compassion and kindness, your fate will not transform. This is something we must
begin to understand. The Buddha’s teaching on
the law of cause and effect is extremely fair in this way. You reap what you sow,
and that’s fair enough. Kindness makes a bright future. Evil gets you a bleak future. Our actions are guided
by our thoughts. You could say
that our future is shaped by our current state of mind. There is the cause and effect,
and it’s very fair. The way of the Natural is fair. That’s how it is. The more we understand Nature, the more we realize
that Heaven is extremely fair. I dedicate this story to everyone.

明朝嘉靖年间，有个叫张璁的人，一心想进朝为官。可是，他连续考了二十多年都没考上，眼看就要放弃了。
就在这时，他遇到了一位神秘的算命先生，对他说：「你将来一定会当大官！」
这次奇遇，彻底改变了他的一生。后来，他真的一路逆袭，最终成为大明朝最有权势的大臣之一。
听完这个故事，或许你会对”命运”有了全新的认识。

00:00:00 7次考试落榜，却成明朝大臣
00:00:01 7次落榜，一句预言让张璁坚持到底
00:13:12 张璁于南京研读礼学
00:16:52 正德无后，少年嘉靖即位，遭老臣刁难
00:31:44 张璁以「礼」助嘉靖夺回实权！
00:38:01 前世供僧，今世得大成就！
00:45:43 何谓因果论？

※ 马来西亚地区：仅限非穆斯林

#金菩提 #金菩提宗师 #菩提禅修 #张璁的故事 #因果论 #因果业力 #因果业报 #因果故事 #命运 #前世今生 #张璁大礼议 #供僧 #供僧功德

【相关连结】
金菩提宗师官方网站：https://www.jinbodhi.org/
菩提禅修官方网站：https://www.puti.org