The Fivefold Celestial Benedictions FULL NAME IS
The Ming Dynasty Xuantian Shangdi Ruiying Tulu (Records of Auspicious Responses of Xuantian Shangdi in the Ming Dynasty)
The original text does not specify its author. Judging from the content, it was presumably compiled by Taoist priest s during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasties.
Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Biographies Category of the The Dongshen Section within The Daozang.
This book records the entire process of constructing Taoist temples and palaces on Wudang Mountain in the early Ming Dynasty. The Taoist buildings on Wudang Mountain were destroyed by war and fire at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. In the autumn of the tenth year of the Yongle reign (1412 CE), Emperor Chengzu of Ming issued an imperial edict ordering Marquis of Longping Zhang Xin, Prince Consort Mu Xin, and others to lead over 200,000 military and civilian personnel in reconstructing the Wudang Mountain temples and palaces. He also commanded Zhengyi Dao Heavenly Master Zhang Yuqing to select Taoist priests to serve as abbots of Nanyan Palace, Yuxu Palace, Wulong Palace, and other sites.
The book documents various auspicious omens that occurred during the construction, such as "Induction of Black Clouds" and "Plum Blossoms Presenting Auspiciousness." All these omens were painted into pictures and presented to the imperial court, hence the book’s title "Ruiying Tulu (Records of Auspicious Responses)."
At the end of the book, an appendix includes the imperial inscription Stele of the Zhenwu Temple composed by Emperor Chengzu of Ming in the thirteenth year of the Yongle reign. The inscription praises Zhenwu for assisting Emperor Taizu in unifying the country and supporting Emperor Yongle in suppressing internal rebellions, stating that "His merits and virtues to our state are immense". Therefore, the emperor issued an imperial decree to construct the Wudang Mountain temples and palaces for the eternal worship of the deity. Additionally, a Zhenwu Temple was built in Beijing as a dwelling place for the god.
It is evident from this that Emperor Chengzu of Ming expended enormous civilian resources to construct Wudang Mountain, aiming to legitimize his rule through the deification of Zhenwu.
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