Antiques with golden eyes

Mr. Wang did not answer immediately, but asked Shen Yu in a test-oriented tone, "Xiao Shen, you said that the ancient Taoist priests' elixirs were poisonous, do you have any evidence?"

Shen Yu looked calm and replied in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Mr. Wang, the evidence for this is actually quite sufficient. Take mercury as an example, it is a very common ingredient in ancient elixirs.

"It stands to reason that this kind of thing shouldn't appear in the medicines we take, but some Taoist priests in ancient times were taking it too seriously to make alchemy. In addition to using highly toxic substances like arsenic, they were so bold as to use cinnabar as a raw material.

"Cinnabar will decompose when heated, producing mercury, a highly toxic substance.

“Once mercury enters the human body, it can cause serious damage to the nervous system and may even lead to mental disorder.

"At the same time, the kidneys are not immune. Mercury will interfere with the normal metabolic function of the kidneys, causing kidney function to gradually decline. The ancients did not know that there were diseases such as kidney failure and uremia. When they died, they did not know how they died.

"In addition, alchemy materials often contain lead. Lead is not considered highly toxic, but it will still kill you if you eat too much.

"What's even more outrageous is that arsenic sometimes appears in so-called elixirs.

"This is because Taoist priests often use realgar in the process of refining elixirs.

“Realgar itself contains arsenic, which is a highly toxic substance. Once it enters the human body, it will cause a devastating blow to various organs of the body, causing organ failure and eventually death.

"The experiences of many emperors in history are strong evidence of the dangers of this alchemy poison.

"Sima Pi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was addicted to taking elixirs in an attempt to pursue immortality. He was eventually poisoned by elixirs and died at the age of 25.

"Yu Wenyong, the talented and resourceful Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, also mistakenly believed that elixirs could prolong life. After taking them for a long time, his body was eroded by the toxins in the elixirs, and he lived to be 36 years old.

"Zhu Houcong, also known as Emperor Jiajing, became extremely obsessed with Taoism during his reign. He took a large amount of so-called 'elixirs'. As a result, his health deteriorated and he eventually died of drug poisoning.

"Li Yan, Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Li Chen, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, were both poisoned by taking elixirs.

"Even Li Shimin and Yongzheng, inferred from many historical studies and signs, are likely to be deeply affected by the poison of the elixir.

"Li Shimin's pursuit of the art of immortality in his later years, as well as Yongzheng's belief in Taoism and his use of elixirs, all caused many abnormalities in their physical conditions in the later stages, and these abnormalities have many similarities with the symptoms of elixir poisoning.

"Among the ancient emperors, the most cunning and intelligent one was the Taojun Emperor: Zhao Ji.

"In terms of Taoism, he ranks first, and no one dares to rank second.

"He was also obsessed with refining the elixir of longevity, but this Taoist emperor was extremely smart and knew the risks involved. After the elixir was released, he did not take any of it himself, but asked those around him to take it first. The result was death My friend is not dead but I am poor."

"Xiao Shen, you have learned a lot about the history of our country." Mr. Wang nodded slightly, seeming to agree with Shen Yu's words, then there seemed to be light and shadow flickering in his eyes, and he began to tell the story about the Feng Shui Mirror, "Yes, this mirror is indeed It has a lot to do with your Qingniu view.

"It's a long story. At that time, Zhu Di resolutely launched the Jingnan Campaign. The army was overwhelming all the way. When it reached the Dongjiang River, Zhu Di spent the night at Qingniu Temple.

"At that time, it was late at night, the moon was dark and the wind was high. It was a time of crisis. Suddenly, an assassin lurked in the dark and fired a cold arrow.

"Fortunately, because the night was too dark, the cold arrow only hit one of Zhu Di's followers.

"Just when the assassin was about to shoot the second arrow, a black fierce dog suddenly jumped out of the Sanqing Hall. The black dog was like a divine aid, extremely brave, and bit the assassin to death. This allowed Zhu Di to escape by chance. It was considered a disaster. A life was saved.

"Later, this thrilling story was drawn into a character story by someone who was good at painting, and was preserved in Wenyuan Pavilion.

"In the sixth year of Xuande's reign, Emperor Xuanzong accidentally fell on this painting while browsing in Wenyuan Pavilion.

"Perhaps he was deeply touched by the exciting story in the painting, or perhaps out of his sincere gratitude to the Qing Niu Guan for his role in protecting the emperor, he summoned skilled craftsmen to carefully cast this Feng Shui mirror, and then gave it to the Qing Niu Guan. , to express his sincerity and respect for his grandfather, and also hope that this mirror can bring auspiciousness and blessing to Qingniu Temple."

Shen Yu heard this and said curiously: "Since it is the treasure of Qingniu Temple, why did it end up on Hong Kong Island? And why did it end up in the hands of Mr. Da Gu?"

Mr. Wang and Gu Zhengyan looked at each other, and this time Gu Zhengyan smiled and said: "It's a long story. In the 1930s, Qingniu Temple caught fire. At that time, a pilgrim named Gu and Qiba lived in a wing of the temple. a follower.

"The pilgrim was returning to his hometown from Hong Kong Island to visit relatives. Because he was grateful to the Qing Niu Temple, he went to fulfill his vow, but because it was too late, he stayed in a wing of the temple.

"When the fire broke out, the pilgrim surnamed Gu was extremely alert and was the first person to discover the fire. He remained calm in the face of danger, quickly commanded several of his followers, fought the fire with all his strength, and finally succeeded in curbing the spread of the fire. Saved Qingniu Guan from the fire and water, and saved it from destruction.

"In order to thank the pilgrim named Gu, the then owner of Qingniu Temple gave him this Bagua Feng Shui mirror after careful consideration, and the pilgrim named Gu was my grandfather.

"In this way, this bronze mirror traveled back to Hong Kong Island with my grandfather, and has been passed down in the Gu family since then, until it has been passed down to my brother.

"The temple owner at that time was named Wang, and he was Lao Wang's great-uncle."

After hearing this story, Shen Yu couldn't help but be startled. Good guy, the relationship between the Gu family and his family is really deep.

Even though there is such a level of kinship, since his grandfather didn't recognize it, he naturally wouldn't recognize it either.

After all, if you really want to talk about relatives on weekdays, you will always feel a little uncomfortable, and it is inevitable that you will feel awkward when getting along with them.

But who would have thought that in addition to the complicated kinship relationship, there would be such a tortuous origin.

After all, according to the lineage of the Qingniu Temple, I would call the current master of the Qingniu Temple, Taoist Master Baoyuan, my senior brother. He has a very deep relationship with the Qingniu Temple.

The fate in this world is really wonderful. It goes around and around, as if there is an invisible thread connecting everyone together.

Thinking of this, Shen Yu handed the ancient mirror back to Gu Zhengyan, "Mr. Gu, this bronze mirror has gone through hundreds of years and witnessed many historical changes. When I was observing it just now, I could feel that the ancient seal characters and the patterns on the back seemed to be different. It has a special meaning, it’s not as simple as it seems, but I haven’t been able to fully understand it yet.

"All in all, this mirror is a rare magic weapon that can be used to control the house.

"However, as far as the current Feng Shui layout of the house is concerned, there is a statue of Erlang Zhenjun Sou Shan Conquering Demons sitting here, which is enough to protect the house from evil spirits. There is no need to rely on this Bagua Feng Shui mirror."