西游记故事(英文版)(精)

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CHAPTER 18 Chinese Emperor Tours the Underworld In China, it was a period known as the Tang Dynasty (618– 907), during which China had extended its territory beyond the Great Walls and South China Sea. This was also the period during which China opened itself to a vast number of foreigners and accepted their cultures. During the early Tang Dynasty, the most illustrious period was when Emperor Taizong was on the throne (626 – 649). The entire Chinese Empire was at peace, and people enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. At the time, there was a wood-cutter and a fisherman who were friends. They would meet every evening when the fisherman came back from the sea and the wood-cutter from the mountain. They enjoyed their drinks and conversations together. One evening, as they were about to part after the daily drinks, the fisherman said, “Well, good night and have a nice day tomorrow, though I know your mountain is not quite as nice a place as my sea.” The wood-cutter replied, “Why! I think your sea is not as nice as my mountain.” The fisherman said, “My sea is beautiful, where one can see the sun rise and set on the horizon, and the moon casting its romantic rays; where one can feast on fish and shrimps and octopus; where the scenery is wide open and makes one forget the trivial things of the world.” The wood-cutter said, “But my mountain is infinitely variable; in the summer’s heat, it provides cool respite; the sun gives life to the trees, and the moonbeams inspire one’s meditative mood; the meats of animals taste better than fish, shrimps or octopus; and the cloud-shrouded mountain tops make one feel other-worldly.” The two continued arguing about the virtues of their places for another hour. And at the end, the wood-cutter said, “All right, my friend, we just agree to disagree. Good night and take care. I don’t want to experience ‘one less friend’s face amongst the crowd’. The fisherman said, “What an inauspicious thing you say! But don’t fear, I am fully informed about the weather so there is no danger of being struck by unexpected storms.” The wood-cutter asked, “How so?” The fisherman replied, “There is a fortune-teller of great wisdom who can predict the weather precisely, so I consult him every morning before putting out to the sea.” And the two parted. This conversation was overheard by one of the retainers of the Dragon King of the River Jing. He went and reported it to his master, who decided to teach the fortune-teller a lesson. The Dragon King went to the fortune-teller’s stall and asked for the forecast for the next day. The fortune-teller gave him 3,348 points of rain at 3:00 p.m. The Dragon King was taken aback. He himself did not know about it. He asked the fortune-teller, “Are you quite sure?” The fortune-teller said, “Of course.” The Dragon King answered, “I will come and take down your sign if your forecast is wrong.” And he went back to his river palace. As he arrived, there was an imperial instruction ordering him to provide 3,348 points of rain at 3:00 p.m. the next day. He was in a panic. One of his advisors suggested that he provide 3,340 points at 2:00 p.m., so he would have carried out the instruction but with a slight alteration. He took that advice and provided 3,340 points at 2:00 p.m.