The Mystery of Yefu's Hidden Treasure
The Mystery of Yefu's Hidden Treasure: The Qing Guangxu-era 'Yongding County Local Gazetteer' records: 'In the late Ming, Yefu flew his staff to this mountain from Jiashan Temple. Yefu was a remnant of the rebel bandit; after his defeat, he shaved his head and became a monk, escaping heaven's punishment.' Some infer Yefu was Li Zicheng's nephew Li Guo or Gao Yigong. After Yefu's death, someone erected a stele for him with earth-shaking inscriptions: 'Lofty in ambition, awe-inspiring in bearing...'
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The Mystery of Yefu's Hidden Treasure
The Guangxu edition of the Yongding County Local Gazetteer records: 'In the late Ming, Yefu flew his staff to this mountain from Jiashan Temple. Yefu was a remnant partisan of the rebel Chuang; when his cause failed, he shaved his head and became a monk, and thus escaped heaven's punishment.' Regarding who Yefu was, some infer he was Li Zicheng's nephew Li Guo or Gao Yigong. After Yefu died, someone erected a stele for him, and the inscription was earth-shaking: 'His ambition was lofty and soaring, his bearing stern and fierce. He embraced talents that could span heaven and weave earth, and long hated the powerful eunuchs;'
Riding the momentum of overturning seas and rivers, daring to chase the bandits into the forest. Resting on spears and waiting for dawn, hoping to recover the Central Plains; drawing the sword and ascending the altar, determined to sweep the world clean." Who else could match such great political ambition but Li Zicheng himself?! The mystery lies right here.
It is said that when Yefu went up Tianmen Mountain, he brought over a hundred "disciples," hired nine wooden boats, secretly slipped into Dayong territory against the Lishui River, and then stealthily ascended Tianmen Mountain without anyone knowing. Yefu's renunciation this time was not truly to "attain Buddhahood on the spot," but to daily "rest on spears and wait for dawn" and "draw the sword and ascend the altar," waiting for the day to recover the Central Plains and "sweep the world clean." But the situation turned sharply downward, the peasant army crumbled, and the Qing court was established. Yefu knelt at the summit of Tianmen facing north and howled all day long, finally falling ill from grief and passing away. Strangely, why were his remains buried at Gaofeng Mountain in Cili County (present-day Gaofeng Township); and the over one hundred "disciples" who came with him also suddenly disappeared. Many years later, a knight surnamed Li who had once been a disciple under Yefu built a castle at the foot of Tianluo Mountain and miraculously became the richest man known in the four counties of Dayong, Cili, Taoyuan, and Yuanling. His descendants explained that their ancestor had picked up gold and silver treasures in a certain cave. Naturally, this is a "tall tale" that not even a three-year-old would believe, but the secret of Yefu's hidden treasure has since spread far and wide.
As is well known, after Li Zicheng's defeat and withdrawal from the capital, he looted all the gold and silver treasures from the imperial treasury—aiming to prepare funds for a future comeback. And Yefu's ascent to Tianmen Mountain was very likely to transfer the treasure. Later, when Yefu fell gravely ill and knew there was no hope of restoration, before dying he secretly hid all the treasure in a concealed spot atop Tianmen Mountain and poisoned all his "disciples" with poisoned wine (some say he sealed them alive in a cave). That Knight Li was very likely the sole survivor. But the cunning Yefu would never be so foolish as to concentrate so much treasure in one cave; it must have been hidden separately, and these caves would certainly not connect with other caves. Some judge: legend has it that beneath the Patriarch Hall there are seven cave openings, which were covered with seven iron pots because of a monster's rampage—could this be a coded message?
For hundreds of years, countless pirates, pilgrims (including mysterious monks from Tianmen Mountain Temple), and others have found excuses to go up the mountain to worship, but in reality to secretly survey the terrain and search for treasure, yet all returned empty-handed.
So where exactly is Yefu's gold and silver treasure hidden?