Story 123: Chef Tashi Wangdui Grows Pearls Folktales

Chef Tashi Wangdui Grows Pearls

Author: Anonymous

Tashi Wangdui was the king’s old chef. Not only did he have excellent cooking skills, and the meals he made were praised by the king and his guests, but he was also an upright man and never said anything in the king’s ears. Unexpectedly, his behavior aroused the hatred of the chief minister Jigme Toden.

One day, a grand ceremony was held in the palace. Chiefs, shepherds, and businessmen from all over the country lined up on both sides and took turns presenting gold, silver, grain, tea, Pulu, cattle and sheep to the king. The chef Tashi Wangdui came in to serve tea to his subjects and farted unintentionally. The chief minister seized this opportunity and spoke to the king: “O king! Today, all the subjects of the country happily presented their gifts to your majesty. Only the chef Tashi Wangdui farted in public to vent his dissatisfaction with your majesty. , you can’t ignore it!”

Although the king liked Tashi Wangdui, he could not withstand Jigme Daodeng’s vicious provocation, so he called him in for questioning. Tashi Wangdui knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times, and said, “Honorable King, my behavior just now was definitely not intentional. Please forgive me for my rudeness for the sake of my many years of serving you!” When the chef said this, half of the king’s anger was gone, and the subjects also explained things to him one after another. It seemed that the turmoil was about to subside.

At this time, Jigme Toden stood up from his seat and said angrily: “To fart in front of the king is to tell the king to eat shit. If such rebellious behavior is not punished, what kind of dignity can the country have? What dignity does the king’s law have?” ? What’s the point of me as chief minister? King, please allow me to resign!”

Finally, the king agreed with Jigme Toden’s proposal and sentenced Tashi Wangdui to death and was immediately buried alive under the city tower in public. Jigme Toden realized the conspiracy he had hidden in his belly for many years, and he was almost crazy with joy.

Then, the king and ministers climbed up the tower and saw that a yak-sized pit had been dug downstairs. Soon, Tashi Wangdui was led to the edge of the pit by twenty executioners with shackles weighing dozens of kilograms. Just waiting for Jigme Daodeng to make a gesture, Tashi Wangdui would be pushed to the bottom of the pit and shoveled and buried. Suddenly, he turned around and sighed three times, with two pea-sized tears rolling out of his eyes.

The king was very surprised and asked: “Chef Tashi Wangdui, what else do you want to say?” Tashi Wangdui clasped his hands together and replied loudly to the tower: “King, the tears I shed just now and the sigh are not in response to life. No nostalgia. It’s just that I have a special skill since elementary school, which is to grow pearls on the ground. I had long wanted to plant dozens of pearls to enrich His Majesty’s treasure house. Who knew that I would suddenly pass away today, and my special skill could only be brought to Gone to the Western Paradise.”

After hearing this, the king was surprised and delighted, and asked: “You, can you really grow pearls?” Who said Zhaxi Wang; “King, I have served you for forty years, and I have never lied as small as a horse’s tail.” I have. As long as I scatter pearls in the ground, a pearl tree will grow that year and be full of pearls the next year. If I tell lies, please ask the king to punish me more.”

So the king ordered the executioner to let Tashi Wangdui go, and asked him to plant the pearl on an auspicious day. On the appointed day, the royal city was more lively than the Chinese New Year and more joyful than the holidays. The king, queen, ministers, and the people of the whole city came to the chosen place early. Tashi Wangdui was even more impressive, wearing a brand new robe, leading two cattle decorated with satin and feathers, burning incense, worshiping Buddha, and praying to the gods.

He was ready for everything but refused to sow seeds. The king was very anxious. He came over and asked, “Tashi Wangdui, why haven’t you started yet?” The old chef knelt on the ground and said, “Honorable King, I have prepared everything. I just need a person to sow pearls.” . At that time, my master told me: The person who sows must have never farted since birth, otherwise the pearls will not grow. Please find such a person for me to sow seeds!”

The king felt that this request was very simple, so he announced loudly to his subjects: “Listen, everyone, if anyone has never farted after being born in his mother’s belly, please come forward and help Tashi Wangdui sow seeds!” After waiting for a while, During the tea time, no one agreed.

“Then, please invite Chief Minister Jigme Daodeng to come!” the old chef requested the king.

“I can’t, I can’t!” Jigme Daodeng recalled that the farts he had farted were no less than the number of his beards, and they were all very loud.

“I think I have no choice but to help Your Majesty…” Tashi Wangdui bowed deeply to the king.

“Oh my God! I fart a lot too!” the king shouted.

“That’s right!” the old chef said sincerely: “A few days ago, when I was pouring tea, I accidentally farted. The chief minister insisted that I was dissatisfied with the king and asked his majesty to eat shit. Now it seems that even The First Minister has farted more than once, how should this be punished?”

The king felt that what Tashi Wangdui said was very reasonable, and decided that Jigme Toden was a guy who mixed blood in milk. He dismissed him from his post on the spot, drove him out of the palace with sticks, and proposed Tashi Wangdui to be the chief minister. Tashi Wangdui repeatedly refused and said: “King, I really don’t have the ability to be the chief minister. Let me do my job as a chef! However, I hope that the criminal law that turns white into black and black into white, don’t do it anymore.”

Narrated; Gesang, Chengguan District, Lhasa City
Recorded on September 25, 1979
Compiled in January 1982

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