During the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, in the region of Shanzhou, there lived a poor scholar named Li Wenzheng, and his wife, Zhao Suyue. The couple loved each other deeply. Li Wenzheng studied diligently, hoping one day to achieve the highest honor in the imperial examinations. Zhao Suyue, a hardworking and virtuous woman, spun thread and wove cloth day and night to support her husband's studies, living frugally and saving every penny. That year, when the imperial examinations were held in the capital, Zhao Suyue sold her dowry jewelry and combined it with her savings to provide travel expenses, sending her husband to the capital to take the exams.
Little did they know that the chief examiner at the time was the corrupt official Yan Song. Although Li Wenzheng performed brilliantly in the exams, he was disqualified by Yan Song for failing to bribe him. After failing the exam, Li Wenzheng was overwhelmed with sorrow. He thought of his devoted wife who had labored tirelessly for his scholarly ambitions, enduring great hardships, only to see their efforts come to nothing. How could he face her? Moreover, the journey home was long and arduous, and he had no money. At the end of his rope, Li Wenzheng decided to end his life. To avoid burdening the innkeeper, he quietly slipped out of the capital and went to the eastern suburbs, where he hanged himself from a willow tree. By fate, Li Wenzheng's time had not yet come. The abbot of Yongfu Temple on White Cloud Mountain, Elder Tongming, happened to be passing by on a pilgrimage and rescued Li Wenzheng, who was still breathing.
Elder Tongming asked, "Young scholar, what is your name and where are you from? Why would you take such a desperate action?"
Li Wenzheng knelt before Elder Tongming and recounted his entire ordeal. Then he pleaded, "Venerable Master, since you have saved my life, I have already renounced all worldly desires. I beg you to accept me as your disciple!"
Elder Tongming sighed and said, "Our meeting today is fate. Seeing your sincerity, I shall accept you." Li Wenzheng followed Elder Tongming back to Yongfu Temple on White Cloud Mountain near the capital. The elder monk shaved Li Wenzheng's head, ordained him as a monk, and gave him the Dharma name Fazheng. From then on, Fazheng devoted himself wholeheartedly to Buddhism, reciting scriptures and copying sutras with deep reverence every day. Seeing Fazheng's intelligence and potential, Elder Tongming took a special liking to him. Besides teaching Buddhist doctrines, he often discussed history and current affairs with him, and their relationship became like that of close friends. Yongfu Temple, with a history of over a hundred years, was in disrepair and urgently needed renovation. Elder Tongming had long harbored this wish. He therefore asked his disciples to go out and beg for alms to raise funds for repairs. The disciples, following their master's instructions, each took their alms bowls and went their separate ways, and Fazheng was naturally among them.
Five years passed in a blink. The disciples had collected enough money for the temple's renovation. Elder Tongming hired skilled craftsmen, and over the course of two years, they completely restored the mountain gate, the main hall, the side halls, the scripture hall, and the bell and drum towers. They also recast a large bronze bell, replacing the old, damaged one.
When the renovations were complete, Elder Tongming presided over a grand celebratory ceremony. The first act of the celebration was to ring the bell and play Buddhist music. Unexpectedly, the newly cast bell remained silent no matter how many times it was struck. The monks and the bell casters looked at each other in astonishment, utterly baffled. Elder Tongming clasped his hands, recited "Amitabha Buddha," and then told the monks, "The bell is cast but silent because there is still a benefactor whose good karma is incomplete. You disciples must work hard once more and go out to collect alms. The amount of copper coins does not matter; we need the bell to ring." Thus, the monks went down the mountain again to beg for alms. Fazheng walked through the streets and villages alone, holding his alms bowl and begging for donations. That day, as Fazheng walked with his head down, he suddenly heard a "clang" from his bowl, and a copper coin fell in. He looked up and saw a woman dressed simply in plain clothes and a wooden hairpin. The woman stared at Fazheng with wide eyes, then suddenly burst into tears, saying, "My husband, I've finally found you!"
Fazheng was stunned—he realized this benefactor was his wife, Zhao Suyue! His heart trembled. He suddenly remembered his master's words: Could it be that the master's statement about the bell being silent due to an "incomplete good karma" referred to Suyue? The sound of the copper coin Suyue threw into the bowl was particularly loud. Wasn't this exactly what the master meant by "sufficient when it rings"? Both events had happened to him. Could it be the Buddha's deliberate arrangement...?
Seeing Fazheng silent, Zhao Suyue's tears flowed like a spring as she cried and poured out her grief of separation. Her husband had left for the capital years ago and never returned, with no news. Zhao Suyue had been restless day and night, and eventually left home to search for him. For a woman who had never left her home before to leave her hometown and search for her husband as if fishing for a needle in the sea was truly inconceivable. Zhao Suyue's money dwindled until she had to beg along the way. For five or six years, she searched without finding any trace of her husband. That day, she met a kind-hearted woman who not only gave her a full meal but also gave her a copper coin when she left. Holding the coin, she encountered this monk begging for alms. She wanted to give the coin to the monk to make a good connection and pray for the Buddha to protect her husband, but she never expected this monk to be her husband, Li Wenzheng, whom she had been searching for desperately for five or six years.
Zhao Suyue was overwhelmed with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy. She didn't care that her husband was now a monk. She grabbed Fazheng's hand and cried, "Husband, we've been apart for so many years. Thanks to the Buddha's protection, we've met by chance. Let's go home." Fazheng hastily pulled his hand away and stepped back two steps, sobbing, "Suyue, I'm sorry to you... But since I've entered the monastic life, I don't wish to return to secular life. You should go back and find a good family to live a peaceful life..." Upon hearing this, Zhao Suyue was both angry and heartbroken. She trembled as she said, "You are so heartless and ungrateful, ignoring my suffering all these years? Fine, if you won't go home, I'll follow you. Wherever you go, I'll go!" Fazheng frowned but was at a loss, and so, a monk helplessly brought a woman back to White Cloud Mountain.
When Elder Tongming saw Fazheng returning with a woman, he asked, "I sent you down the mountain to beg for alms. Why have you brought back a female bodhisattva?" Fazheng had no choice but to honestly explain the situation to his master. Elder Tongming smiled and said, "Since that's the case, we must not treat this female benefactor poorly. However, the rules of our temple are something the lady must understand. Please stay in a village outside the temple for a few days. After the bell is cast, I will have a plan." With that, he ordered Fazheng to arrange for Zhao Suyue to stay with a lay follower at the foot of the mountain.
The next day, Elder Tongming sent a disciple to invite the bell casters to recast the bronze bell. After several days of careful mold-making, the furnace was lit to melt the copper. After the copper was melted, Elder Tongming personally threw the copper coin that Fazheng had brought back into the molten copper. Strangely, as soon as the coin fell into the molten copper, a dazzling red light shot up. Elder Tongming was overjoyed and waved his hand, saying, "Pour the mold!"
The bell was successfully cast in one go. Hung on the bell tower, Elder Tongming personally struck it three times. "Dong—Dong—Dong—" The sound was deep, resonant, far-reaching, and could be heard over ten miles away. After the large bronze bell was successfully cast, Elder Tongming ordered Fazheng to bring Zhao Suyue to the temple. The elder said to Fazheng, "Fazheng, your Buddhist karma is now complete. Your wife is so virtuous, and her loyalty is evident to heaven. Return to secular life, reunite with your wife, and you will surely have a good future."
Fazheng knelt before his master, tears streaming down his face: "Master, I can never repay your kindness. Please accept this bow from your disciple!" Before they parted, Elder Tongming also gifted Li Wenzheng and his wife fifty taels of silver to settle down. After returning to their hometown of Shanzhou, Li Wenzheng and his wife Zhao Suyue rebuilt their dilapidated house and settled into a stable life.
Li Wenzheng originally wanted to live a peaceful life of farming and weaving with his wife. But Zhao Suyue insisted that Li Wenzheng resume his studies and one day go to the capital again to pursue official honors. Li Wenzheng, having suffered setbacks in the previous imperial examination and having his mind purified by years of Buddhist chanting, now viewed fame and fortune as fleeting clouds. However, Zhao Suyue believed her husband was exceptionally talented and destined for success, and his potential should not be wasted. Persuaded by his wife's earnest pleas, Li Wenzheng felt he could not辜负 her efforts and began to study diligently once more. Three years passed in a flash, and it was time for the imperial examinations again. Zhao Suyue packed her husband's bags and chose an auspicious day to send him off to the capital. By this time, the corrupt official Yan Song had fallen from power, and the examination hall was strictly regulated and fair. Over a month after the exam, the results were announced, and Li Wenzheng topped the list, achieving the highest score!
In the imperial court, as the emperor was about to personally designate Li Wenzheng as the top scholar, a minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Li Wenzheng was originally a monk who returned to secular life. Appointing a monk as the top scholar has no precedent in history. I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully..."
The Jiajing Emperor said, "In selecting talents for the nation, we should disregard background and appoint only the capable. Moreover, our founding emperor once lived as a monk himself. What is wrong with appointing Li Wenzheng, who was once a monk, as the top scholar?"
The ministers all praised the emperor as a wise and enlightened ruler, declaring that the nation's fortune would surely flourish. Because Li Wenzheng was a former monk, people called him "The Monk Who Became a Top Scholar." Later, Li Wenzheng served as a prefect and provincial governor, known for his integrity and notable achievements in office.