Standing under the towering glazed tower built on a five-colored lotus platform, Zhao Hao couldn't help himself for a long time as he looked at the three large characters "The First Tower" written by Emperor Chengzu himself on the tower gate.
Only by seeing it with your own eyes and being there in person can you truly appreciate how magnificent this pagoda is and how glorious this miracle building of the Ming Dynasty is!
Xuelang and the other two could all feel that at that moment, Zhao Hao seemed like a different person.
Mr. Zhao, who used to be lazy and undisciplined, now had a look of reverence on his face, just like the most devout Buddhist. He excitedly reached out to touch the tower wall that was covered with five-colored glazed tiles.
On the tower walls, there are numerous porcelain statues of the Heavenly King riding lions and elephants, each with a crown, helmet, robe, spear, halberd, bell, and other ornaments, and no two are repeated. Looking up, each eaves of the tower is covered with carved pillars, surrounded by red and purple flower petals, and the green tiles are lined up, shining brightly.
At the top of the nine-story pagoda is a huge iron wheel, with wheels stacked up several feet high and crowned with a golden bead several feet in size. It is surrounded by gilded copper chains and hung with golden bells. Gilded bells are hung on the eaves of each level, ringing melodiously in the autumn wind, singing the most splendid music of the Ming Dynasty.
Xuelang told Zhao Hao that this glazed tower, except for a "core wood" on the top of the tower, had no wood in the whole tower. This was also the reason why it was able to survive the thunder and fire last year...
It was not until the monk guarding the pagoda opened the copper-clad iron door with gold nails and red paint under Xuelang's order that Zhao Hao discovered that there was actually a three-story spacious lobby inside the glazed tower.
When you enter the tower, you will see a tall stupa made entirely of gold in the center of the hall, with a golden body of Sakyamuni Buddha enshrined on each of the four sides.
Xuelang stepped forward to light incense for the Buddha statue. The two women knelt on the cushions and kowtowed devoutly to the Buddha, but no one knew what they were praying for.
At this time, Zhao Hao stood there, looking up at the hundreds of Buddha statues scattered on the walls and caissons of the hall. He saw that each one was extremely exquisite, with eyebrows and hair intact, and they were looking at him with majesty, compassion, or indifference.
The Buddhas seemed to be interrogating him, asking: Who are you, where do you come from, and where are you going?
Zhao Hao couldn't answer, so he could only look away and follow Xuelang's footsteps to climb the spiral staircase that circled the tower wall.
The four of them went up the spiral staircase silently, and each time they reached a level, they bowed to the Buddha as they had done at the beginning.
In the middle of the second floor is a large statue of Amitabha Buddha;
In the middle of the third floor is a large statue of Sakyamuni Buddha;
In the middle of the fourth floor is a statue of the Buddha of Great Compassion;
In the middle of the fifth floor is a statue of Mahāmuni Buddha;
In the middle of the sixth floor is a statue of Avalokitesvara;
The seventh floor is dedicated to the statue of the Bodhisattva Garland;
The eighth and ninth floors are like the first floor, each with four sides of a Buddha statue...
When they reached the top floor, Zhao Hao saw a door leading out of the tower. He asked Xuelang and learned that it was reserved for inspecting the top of the tower. He then excitedly suggested going out to take a look.
Xuelang's face turned pale when he heard this: "I'm sorry I can't accompany you, I'm afraid of heights."
Qiaoqiao was also scared, but seeing that Ma Xianglan was also eager to try, she said, "I'll go out and take a look."
"You must be careful. If you fall down, you will die." Xuelang was really worried that the Ming Dynasty poetry world would lose its fig leaf. He tied the rope that the little monk usually used to clean the windows outside the tower around the waists of the three people, then took out the key and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, wind suddenly rushed in. Zhao Hao went out first, followed by Ma Xianglan. The two of them protected the petite Qiaoqiao in the middle.
When they arrived outside the tower, they saw a platform more than three feet wide for them to stand on. Zhao Hao couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't worry, it's very spacious."
"Yes, Qiaoqiao, open your eyes and take a look. This beautiful scenery is probably the only one you will see in your life." Ma Xianglan also advised Qiaoqiao.
Qiaoqiao was frightened by the shrill sound of the wind in her ears. Her legs were still trembling and she closed her eyes. She just held Zhao Hao's arms tightly with both hands. How could she dare to open her eyes to look?
Zhao Hao and Ma Xianglan had no choice but to ignore her. They turned around and looked around, and saw mountains and rivers everywhere, and flying birds and flowing clouds were within reach.
Looking closely at the city of Jinling, they saw the magnificent imperial palace, the majestic civil and military offices, the criss-crossing streets and alleys, the dense waterways and canals, as well as the houses, alleys, carriages, and ships...all those huge and unattainable things in the past, which were deeply engulfed in them, now appeared at their feet like a picture.
At this time, the sun was setting and the entire city of Nanjing was shrouded in golden light.
Listening to the clear sound of the bell beside his ears, Zhao Hao had no distractions. He finally found the answer he had been looking for since he came to this world.
Why am I here? What am I going to do?
It turns out that I came here to let this glazed pagoda stand forever under the city of Nandu...
It turns out that I came here to preserve the prosperity of this vast China...
It turns out that I came here to make the world continue to crawl under China's feet!
When he figured this out, he felt as if the membrane between him and the world had silently shattered.
In early winter, the sun sets in the blink of an eye.
As it was getting dark, Zhao Hao and Ma Xianglan took Qiaoqiao back into the tower.
After landing on the ground, Qiaoqiao finally opened her eyes and cried, "Oh my god, it's too scary. I will never go to a high place again."
"Isn't it?" Xuelang nodded in agreement and said, "We humans should keep our feet on the ground. Let's go down."
As we walked down, we met teams of young monks holding candles and oil cans, lighting lamps and adding oil in front of each window.
When Zhao Hao and his companions came out of the pagoda and looked back, they saw that the entire glazed pagoda was brightly lit and shining with precious light.
"It's really beautiful!" Qiaoqiao couldn't help but clap her hands and said, "If I had known earlier, I would have just watched it from below. Why bother going up there?"
"If you don't go up this time, you will regret it for the rest of your life." Ma Xianglan shook her head and chuckled, but she leaned on Qiaoqiao's shoulder.
She had been going up and down for most of the day, and her legs were already very sore. She had to hold on to the railing to get down, and now she was already shaky.
Although Zhao Hao was stronger than her, he was also very tired.
Seeing that the city gate was closed, Xuelang let them stay overnight.
If Zhao Hao was alone, he would definitely let him live in his own abode so that they could chat at night.
But with two female donors present, it was naturally inconvenient for them to stay in the temple. Fortunately, the Dabaoen Temple had many properties, and there were a large number of guest rooms prepared for pilgrims outside the temple.
Xuelang escorted the three people to an exquisite courtyard, asked the monk in charge of reception to treat them well, and then hurried back to attend his evening class.
The young monk fetched some hot water for the three of them to soak their feet to relieve their fatigue, and then set up a vegetarian banquet to entertain his fellow monk's guests.
The three of them were already extremely hungry, and this was their first time enjoying the vegetarian meal at the Da Baoen Temple, so naturally they praised the meal highly.
"Well, the vegetarian food in Da Baoen Temple is really as good as its reputation." Zhao Hao ate and drank his fill, stretched himself, and leaned on the Arhat bed, not wanting to move.
Qiaoqiao helped the little monk clean up the dishes. Ma Xianglan wanted to help, but she couldn't stand up. She had to sit on the other side of the bed and smiled bitterly at Zhao Hao.
While Qiaoqiao was away, Zhao Hao casually took out an envelope from his sleeve, handed it to Ma Xianglan and said, "Here's a small gift for you."
ps. This is the seventh update. I am confused by how many votes it takes to add more. But I still remind everyone not to go and see the so-called restored glass tower. You will be disillusioned... They have used plexiglass instead. Oh, by the way, it takes 1,000 votes to add more.