Chapter 1 Lock Dragon Well

The Lock Dragon Well.

Upon hearing this name, our expressions changed.

Lock Dragon, Lock Dragon, could it be that there really was a dragon in this pond?

I suddenly remembered when I was underwater, pulling that iron chain, it suddenly trembled violently, as if something alive was tied to the other end!

Moreover, that iron chain was as thick as an adult's arm. What kind of monster could cause such a heavy iron chain to tremble?

Could it really be a dragon?

I quickly asked, "Officer Jiang, is the Lock Dragon Well really used to lock dragons? Could it be that we've all wronged Old Huang, and there really is an evil dragon in this Dead Man's Pit?"

Jiang Yongguang shook his head and said, "It's not that mystical. Although the Lock Dragon Well is called Lock Dragon Well, it's not really used to lock dragons, but to control water."

"Control water?" I asked curiously.

"That's right, it's to control water." Jiang Yongguang replied, "The ancients believed that dragons could summon clouds and rain, and control the water flow. Generally, when there was a flood, it must have been caused by an evil dragon. Some places prone to flooding would specially invite experts to build a Lock Dragon Well, symbolizing the locking up of the evil dragon, controlling the flood, and preventing further disasters."

I was dumbfounded. This was the first time I had heard that building an ancient well could control water.

Jiang Yongguang continued, "Although the Lock Dragon Well was mostly built in the Ming Dynasty, this story can be traced back to ancient times. You must all know about Yu the Great controlling the floods. It is said that the Lock Dragon Well was invented by Yu the Great, so it also has a full name, called Yu the Great's Lock Dragon Well."

I said with a smile, "Didn't Yu the Great rely on Sun Wukong's golden cudgel—the sea-stabilizing needle—to control the floods? It was mentioned in Journey to the West. Why would he need to build a Lock Dragon Well?"

Jiang Yongguang's mouth twitched, and he glanced at me, saying, "Don't interrupt. This has nothing to do with Sun Wukong."

Then he continued, "There are Lock Dragon Wells all over the country, and each Lock Dragon Well often has a mysterious story. You can check it out yourselves if you're interested. There's plenty of information online. But the most famous one is the Beixinqiao Lock Dragon Well in the capital. That Lock Dragon Well is truly magical."

At that time, I had never been to the capital, and I didn't know where Beixinqiao was, but from the name, this place should be in the north of the capital.

Xiao Liang and Uncle Mei had also never been to the capital, and they both asked curiously, "How is it magical?"

Jiang Yongguang said, "The capital doesn't border any major rivers, so there's no question of flooding, but people who live in the capital know that every year in the summer, especially in mid-July, there will be torrential rain in the capital, and the city will be flooded, even drowning people. It is said that before the Beixinqiao Lock Dragon Well was built, the situation was even more serious."

"Since the Beixinqiao Lock Dragon Well was built, the floods in the capital have subsided for many years. It wasn't as serious in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and fewer people drowned. But later, when feudal superstitions were being eliminated, someone moved this Lock Dragon Well, and wow, that summer, the capital was flooded with torrential rain! An overwhelming flood!"

"Later, an expert was invited to take a look, and he repaired the Lock Dragon Well overnight, which calmed the flood. The following summer, there were no more terrifying torrential rains. Because of this incident, the construction of the subway in the capital later specifically avoided this Lock Dragon Well."

After listening to Jiang Yongguang's story, I was half-convinced, and I felt that what he said was like the story Old Huang told us at the dinner table yesterday, with more or less exaggeration.

But many years later, when I personally went to the capital and took the subway several times at Beixinqiao, I realized that what he said was true.

This subway not only bypassed the Lock Dragon Well, but even the layout of the subway station was very particular. Friends who understand feng shui can go and see it for themselves, or search for pictures online to see what the layout means. Insiders will know at a glance.

At this time, Jiang Yongguang asked us again, "By the way, do you know who built the Beixinqiao Lock Dragon Well?"

We all shook our heads, indicating that we didn't know.

Jiang Yongguang said, "There are two theories. The first is that the person who built this Lock Dragon Well was none other than the feng shui master Liu Bowen."

"Liu Bowen again?" I asked in surprise, "Isn't this a bit of a coincidence?"

"It's not a coincidence." Jiang Yongguang pointed to the Lock Dragon Well in the Dead Man's Pit and said, "Isn't this the site where Liu Bowen cut off the dragon vein? If there is also a Lock Dragon Well built by Liu Bowen here, doesn't that prove that we have found the right place?"

I slapped my forehead and said, "That's true!"

Jiang Yongguang continued, "Legend has it that Liu Bowen couldn't bear to see the devastating floods, so he specially built the Lock Dragon Well and also built a bridge over the Lock Dragon Well. At that time, the evil dragon was locked in the well, so it pleaded with Liu Bowen, asking him when he would let it out. Liu Bowen said, when this newly built bridge becomes old, I will let you out. The Dragon King agreed immediately, but Liu Bowen gave the bridge a name—Beixinqiao (North New Bridge), which will never be old."

I thought to myself, I didn't expect Liu Bowen to be such a sly old fox!

But at this time, Xiao Liang shook his head and said, "That's not right. After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he established the capital in Nanjing. It wasn't until Zhu Di usurped the throne later that he changed the capital from Nanjing to the capital. Liu Bowen was a person from the Zhu Yuanzhang era. He shouldn't have lived in the capital, so how could he have built a Lock Dragon Well in the capital?"

Jiang Yongguang praised with a smile, "As expected of a college student, you have indeed discovered the loophole in this story. That's right, Liu Bowen lived in an era when the capital of the Ming Dynasty was still in the south, so it is indeed unlikely that he would have built a Lock Dragon Well in the capital. So there is another version of the Lock Dragon Well. It wasn't him who built this well, but someone else."

"Who is it?" Xiao Liang asked.

"The Black-Robed Prime Minister—Yao Guangxiao," Jiang Yongguang said.

After he said this name, he glanced at us, as if asking if we knew this guy.

Xiao Liang nodded immediately, obviously having heard of Yao Guangxiao's name. Uncle Mei also nodded, so it seemed that he had also heard of him.

Only I, this illiterate, didn't know him, but listening to his name "Black-Robed Prime Minister", which was mighty and domineering, I guessed that he was a pretty awesome character.

At this time, Jiang Yongguang said to Xiao Liang, "Come, Xiao Liang, please introduce this Yao Guangxiao to everyone."

Xiao Liang was not shy and immediately said, "Yao Guangxiao, also known as Monk Daoyan, was the main strategist of the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, and also the mastermind of the Jingnan Campaign. It was he who persuaded Zhu Di to rebel and seize the Great Ming Jiangshan from Zhu Yunwen, helping Zhu Di to ascend the throne. Therefore, he was the most respected person in Zhu Di's life, and he was the first and only person in the Ming Dynasty to enter the ancestral temple as a civil official."

After listening, Jiang Yongguang nodded in approval and said, "That's right. Yao Guangxiao can be said to have changed the fate of the Great Ming, and he also laid the foundation for the Great Ming's Yongle Prosperity. In addition to that, Yao Guangxiao was also a feng shui master. The layout of the four-nine city of the capital in the Ming and Qing dynasties was designed by him. Even today, the capital is still using the layout left by the old gentleman."