Chapter 128 - 125: Great Saint and Minor Saint Emerge from Retreat
There was once a failed scholar named Zhang Jiao from Julu Commandery in Jizhou. Zhang Jiao had two brothers, named Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao.
Zhang Jiao’s family was impoverished, and in these troubled times, they found themselves unable to satisfy their hunger or clothe their backs. The Han Dynasty had spanned nearly four centuries, and although the Western Han had fallen, Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, established the Eastern Han, temporarily solving the issue of land annexation. But now, the Han Dynasty was weakening, eunuchs dominated the court, and the problem of land annexation had escalated once again. Land was concentrated in the hands of princes, nobility, and families of eunuchs, leaving farmers without land to till, living in destitution. In this chaotic era, the number of troubled wanderers and malcontents had surged.
One day, to make a living, Zhang Jiao went up to the mountains to gather herbs.
Suddenly, he heard someone singing. Enchanted by the song, Zhang Jiao couldn’t help but wonder, "What makes this song so captivating?"
The song went:
"The next life cannot be awaited, the past life cannot be pursued.
When the world has the Dao, the saint succeeds
When the world lacks the Dao, the saint emerges!
In times like these, avoid punishment is the aim!
Luck is as light as a feather, yet no one knows to carry it
Disaster is heavier than the earth, yet no one knows to avoid it.