(GXSGC, #237. 422; TPGJ, 276. 2183)
151. ZHONG YOU’S GHOST GIRLFRIEND
Zhong You (151–230) suddenly stopped having audiences with the sovereign,58 and both his consciousness and his temperament became abnormal. When his colleague asked why, he replied, “A woman often comes to me, and she is exceptionally beautiful.” The man who asked said, “She must be a ghost. You should kill her.”
Later, when the woman came, she stopped outside the door and asked, “Why are you intending to kill me?”
Zhong You said, “I won’t.” Then he called her in earnestly. He had a heart that could not bear to kill her, so he only slightly wounded her.
Then the woman ran out, rubbing the blood with new cotton all the way.
The next day, Zhong You sent someone to look for her by following the traces of blood on the ground. When he reached a big tomb, he saw a woman inside a coffin, whose body was like a living person’s, wearing a white silk shirt and a red embroidered cotton sweater. One of her thighs had been wounded, and she was rubbing the blood with the cotton from the sweater.
After that she disappeared.
(GXSGC, #51. 366–67; TPGJ, 317. 2509)
152. A GHOST NURTURES A CHILD
In the tenth year of Taiyuan of Jin (385), Ruan Yuzhi lived in front of a Buddhist temple in Shixing.59 He was fatherless, poor, and could not support himself. He cried all the time.
Suddenly he saw a ghost writing on a brick while approaching him.60 It read,
Your father died and returned to the realm of darkness.
Why do you cry for so long?
Within three years from now,
your family will be supportable.
I shall lodge at your house
and not let you suffer any loss.
Do not fear that I will do you harm;
I will do good things for you.
From then on the ghost was always in his home and gave him what he needed. Two or three years later, Ruan’s family was comparatively well off. He cooked a meal for the ghost, and talked and laughed together with him. When Ruan asked him for his surname, he replied, “My surname is Li, my name is Liuzhi, and I was your brother-in-law.”
Ruan asked, “Where are you from?”
The ghost said, “I have already received punishment [in hell] and was temporarily born into the realm of ghosts. For the time being I lodge at your home, and in four or five years I will leave.”
Ruan asked, “Where will you go?”
He replied, “I will be reborn into the world of human beings.”
When the time came, the ghost bid him farewell and left, as expected.
(GXSGC, #125. 389; TPGJ, 320. 2539)
153. A CHILD IN RED
During the fifth year of the Yixi reign of the Jin (405–418), Liu Cheng of Pengcheng frequently saw ghosts.61 When he became the Commander of the Left Guard, his official residence was connected to that of Chao Ying, the general. When Cheng approached Chao to sit and talk, they saw a little boy in red who held a round red flag, resembling a lily flower. A few days later, Chao’s residence was set ablaze.
(GXSGC, #136. 393; TPGJ, 320. 2539–40)
154. CHILDREN STRIVING FOR A POT
At the beginning of the Yuanjia reign, Senior Recorder Liu Jun’s home was located at Danyang.62 One day when it was raining heavily, he saw three children in front of his gate, all about six to seven years old, playing games, yet their clothing was not wet at all. Jun suspected that they were not human beings.
Shortly thereafter, he saw that the children were fighting over a targeting pot. Jun pulled his bow to hit it with a ball and exactly hit the pot. Suddenly the children disappeared. Jun obtained the pot, then hung it by his attic.
The next day, a woman entered his door, holding the pot and sobbing. Jun asked her the reason, and she replied, “This is my son’s belonging, I wonder why it is here?” Jun told her what had happened. The woman took the pot and buried it in front of her son’s grave.
One day later, Jun saw one of the children again, who held the pot and came to his door. Lifting it, the child told Jun with a smile, “I got the pot again!” After finishing his words, he disappeared.
(GXSGC, #241. 423; TPGJ, 324. 2571; TPYL, 350. 1613a)
155. A GHOST PAYS A DEBT
Zhou Jing, a native of Anding Commandery,63 was planting watermelon.
During a severe drought, a ghost lifted water from the well using a waterwheel, to water the watermelons for him. The watermelons became big and their stems luxuriant.
Zhou Jing asked the ghost his name, yet the ghost did not reply. After returning home, Zhou Jing told his father what had happened and asked, “Have you ever done a favor for someone?”
His father said, “Fan Ying, who lived in the western suburbs, previously worked as an official in [the government of] the commandery, and he had to pay several hundred hu of rice back to the government. At that time, I assisted him with one hundred hu [of rice]. The man has already died.”
(GXSGC, #202. 410; TPYL, 978. 4335b)
156. EXCHANGING A GIRL WITH A BOY
In the first year of the Shengping reign (357–361) during the Jin, Chen Su of Shan County was wealthy.64 Yet ten years after he took a wife, he had no sons. The husband intended to take a concubine. His wife prayed in front of a spirit and was suddenly pregnant.
The wife of his neighbor, a humble man, was pregnant at the same time. Therefore, Chen Su’s wife bribed the wife of her neighbor, saying, “If I give birth to a boy, it is the will of heaven. If my baby is a girl and yours a boy, we should exchange them.” Thus both sides agreed. Later, the neighbor’s wife gave birth to a boy, and Chen’s wife gave birth to a girl three days later. Then they exchanged them, and Chen Su was delighted.
When the boy was thirteen, he took the duty of offering sacrifices. An old servant woman of the family, who could often see ghosts, said [to Chen Su], “I found that when your ancestors came, they always stopped at the gate. I saw only a group of petty men who came to the seats and enjoyed the offering.”
The father was astonished. He invited others who could see ghosts and asked them to observe when the sacrifice was offered. Their words were the same as the old servant woman’s.
Then Chen Su confronted his wife. She was scared and told him the whole story. Then they sent the boy to his own home and asked for their daughter back.
(GXSGC, #92. 379; TPGJ, 319. 2527)
157. DEMONIC MAGIC
In the third year of the Yongchu reign (420–422) of Song, a ghost suddenly appeared at the home of Zhang Feng,65 a man of Wu Commandery,66 saying, “If you share your food with me, I shall protect and assist you.” Then he ate with the ghost, placing a mat on the ground, spreading rice on the mat, and serving him wine, meat, and five other dishes. In this way the ghost obtained what he wanted and no longer offended people.
Later, taking advantage of cooking for the ghost, Feng cut the spot where they ate. Then he heard the cries of more than ten people, and the cries were sorrowful, all saying, “I am dying, yet how will I get a coffin?” He heard also, “Our host has a boat that he loves very much. I should take it as my coffin.”
He saw the boat arrive, followed by the sound of wood being cut with a saw. When they finished cutting the boat, he heard someone calling to lift the corpse and place it into the coffin. Feng could not see anything, he only heard the voice arranging and directing, but without the sound of nails being driven into the coffin.
Then he saw the boat being gradually lifted into the air and entering the clouds. After a long while it disappeared, and the boat fell from the sky and shattered into a hundred pieces. Then he heard the wild laughter of several hundred people, saying, “How could you kill me? Do you think I should be stranded by you? I know your evil heart, and I hate what you did, therefore I broke your boat.”
Feng changed his mind and served this ghost again. He asked his fortune and what to do in the future. The ghost told Feng, “You can place a big jar in the corner of the house; I’l
l find something for you.”
Every ten days, he poured things out of the jar, including gold, silver, copper, iron, fish, and the like.
(GXSGC, #234. 420; TPGJ, 323. 2559; FYZL, 67. 2004–05)
____________
1. For the hun soul and po soul in Chinese religion, see footnote 8 in chapter 1.
2. Cai Mo, see footnote 7 in chapter 2.
3. Guiji 會稽 State, the area of modern Shaoxing 紹興, Zhejiang, covering the same area under the administration of Guiji Commandery. “Grand Judge,” translation of sili 司理.
4. Chen Commandery, see note 20 in chapter 3. Linxiang 臨湘 County, modern Changsha 長沙, Hunan.
5. Mao Qu 毛璩, Governor of Yizhou 益州 of Jin from 394 to 405.
6. Fuling 涪陵 Commandery; its seat was modern Fuling, Sichuan.
7. Translation of zhongshu lang 中書郎.
8. Jiangzhou 江州, established in the first year of the Yuankang 元康 reign (291) of Jin, covering most of modern Jiangxi province during the Jin. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 4. 3–4.
9. The original words 作伴 (Accompaniment) in TPGJ was replaced with 鬼來 (The ghost came) here based on the Huang Pilie edition. Cf. Zheng Wanqing, YML, 4. 124.
10. Donglai 東萊 Commandery, the area of modern Yandai 煙臺 and Weihai 威海 in Shandong.
11. Deng Ai 鄧艾 was General Pacifying the West of the Cao Wei 曹魏 Kingdom (220–265), instead of General of Pacifying the East as in the next sentence of this story.
12. Wang Dun 王敦 was the younger brother of the Counselor-in-Chief Wang Dao 王導 (276–339), son-in-law of Emperor Wu 武 (r. 265–290) of Jin, and Regional Inspector of Jiangzhou and Jingzhou respectively under Emperor Yuan (r. 317–322). He captured the capital of Jin, Jiankang, and named himself Counselor-in-Chief in 322, but he died of illness in 324. His biography is in Jin shu, 98. 2553–66.
13. Huan Wen, see footnote 18 in chapter 3.
14. Beginning in the Eastern Han (25–220), some scholars questioned the idea that the spirit has a physical existence. In the Eastern Jin (317–420) there was also debate about whether the spirit or soul has a physical form (xing 形) or not. The “immortality of spirit” became an important doctrine for Buddhists in the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (386–589). Chinese Buddhists used every possible means to make this viewpoint convincing. One means was inventing stories about spirits manifesting themselves in physical form. For this reason, stories concerning the transformation of spirit or soul became widespread (see Zhenjun Zhang, Buddhism and Tales of the Supernatural in Early Medieval China, 18–21). This is one of them.
15. Historically, Ruan Zhan 阮瞻 (styled Qianli 千里) was an official of the Jin, the eldest son of Ruan Xian 阮咸 (234–305), one of the famous “Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove” 竹林七賢. He was a man of placid disposition and few attachments, and noted for his ability to get the essence of a work without close study. His biography is in Jin shu, 49. 1363.
16. Commander-in-Chief Huan, Huan Wen. Zheqi 赭圻 Ridge, located west of modern Fanchang 繁昌, Anhui.
17. Suo Yuan 索元, a general of Jin under Huan Xuan 桓玄, the usurper of Jin. Liyang 歷陽, modern He 和 County, Anhui.
18. For Yu Hong 庾宏 and the Prince of Jingling 竟陵 here, no further information has been found.
19. Jiangling 江陵, northwest of modern Shashi 沙市 city, Hubei.
20. Dongwei 東魏 Commandery was not yet established when Xie Xuan was alive, so Zheng Wanqing suggests that it should be Dongguan 東莞 Commandery in modern Shandong.
21. Dong’an 東安 Commandery, seat in modern Yishui 沂水 County, Shandong.
22. Pengcheng 彭城, modern Xuzhou 徐州, Jiangsu.
23. Sima Long 司馬隆 (d. 276), member of the royal house and Prince of Anping 安平 of Western Jin.
24. Should be Dong’an, since there was no Andong 安東 County during the Jin and Song. Cf. Zheng Wanqing, YML, 5. 178.
25. Chinese people believe that people and ghosts belong to different realms, so they should be separated.
26. Xiang 項 County, east of modern Xiangcheng 項城 County, Henan. TPGJ (320. 2539) reads Xu xian 須縣.
27. Ye 鄴 County, modern Linzhang 臨漳, Hebei.
28. Wang Biaozhi 王彪之, styled Shuhu 叔虎, was the nephew of Wang Dao (276–339) and the Director of the Imperial Secretariat of Eastern Jin. After Huan Wen’s death he shared the administration of Jin with Xie An 謝安 (320–385).
29. Shan County, see footnote 2 in chapter 1. Shangyu 上虞 County, east of modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
30. Cai Kuo 蔡廓, styled Zidu 子度, was the grandson of Eastern Jin Minister of Education Cai Mo (281–356), Editorial Director Assistant (著作佐郎) of Eastern Jin, Governor of Yuzhang Commandery (modern Nanchang, Jiangxi), Palace Aide to the Censor-in-Chief (御史中丞), and Minister of Personnel (吏部尚書) of Liu Song. His biography is found in Song shu, 57. 1569–85.
31. Xu Xianzhi, see footnote 21 in chapter 2.
32. Huan Baonu 桓豹奴, named Huan Si 桓嗣, was the oldest son of Huan Chong 桓沖 (328–384), the famous general of Eastern Jin and the brother of Huan Wen (312–373). He was appointed General Governing the West in 377 and later stationed at Xiakou 夏口 (west of Wuchang) as Governor (太守) of Xiyang 西陽 and Xiangcheng 襄城. His biography is in Jin shu, 74. 1953.
33. Guiyang 桂陽 Commandery; its seat was in the modern city of Chenzhou 郴州, Hunan.
34. Fu Jian 苻堅 (styled Yonggu 永固), from a di 氐 family of Shanxi, was the founder of the Former Qin 秦 State (351–394). He ascended the throne in 357 and conquered all of north China by 370, but was defeated at the Fei River 淝水 (in Anhui) by Eastern Jin troops in 383 in his attempt to annex the south and unify China and died two years later (see Richard Mather, Shih-shuo Hsin-yü [Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1976], 520; M. C. Rogers, The Chronicle of Fu Chien [Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1968]). His biography is found in Jin shu,113–114. 2883–2929.
Xiangyang 襄陽, modern Xiangfan 襄樊, Hubei.
35. Minister of Works is Xi Fanghui’s 郗方回 posthumous title, to which he was indeed appointed yet that he never assumed when he was alive.
36. Guiji, see footnote 21 in chapter 3.
37. Jiande 建德 County, established in the forth year of the Huangwu 黃武 reign of Wu Kingdom (225), with its seat in Meicheng zhen 梅城鎮 of present-day Jiande city, Zhejiang.
38. Jinling 晉陵, modern Changzhou 常州, Jiangsu.
39. Ruan Kan 阮侃, styled Deru 德如, was a native of Chenliu 陳留 (present-day Qi 杞 County). He was the governor of Henei 河內 of Jin and a close friend of Xi Kang 嵇康 (223–262).
40. Liu Daoxi 劉道錫 was governor of Guangzhou of the [Liu] Song. His biography is in Song shu, 65. 1720.
41. “Government office,” rendition of tingshi 廰事.
42. Donglai 東萊 Commandery; its seat was in modern Ye 掖 County, Shandong.
43. The surname of a servant follows his owner’s, and that is why only his given name, Jian 健, is mentioned here. Information about Li Xian 李羨 is not available. Gaoping 高平, modern Guyuan 固原, Shanxi.
44. Originally it reads nu huan 奴換; Zheng Wanqing changed it into 奴喚. Neither of them makes much sense.
45. Nandun 南頓, modern Xiangcheng 項城, Henan.
46. Pingyu 平輿, modern Ru’nan 汝南, Henan.
Pu Shengzhi 暴勝之, Embroidered-Uniform Censor, or Bandit-Suppressing Censo
r, under Emperor Wu of Han.
47. Xunyang 尋陽 Commandery; its seat was in Jiujiang 九江, Jiangxi.
48. Biezuo shenglie 別坐生列 is replaced with Liezuo naiyan 列坐乃言 based on the quotation of BTSC in Tang leihan 唐類函 (see GXSGC, #146. 395).
49. Here the six characters, 仆以寒暑衣手, are deleted based on the quotation of BTSC in Tang leihan 唐類函 (see GXSGC, #146. 395).
50. TPGJ (389. 3105) credits this story and a variant to SSJ. The variant is a longer version, in which Lu Su appears to beat Wang Boyang, and is also found in volume 6 of Xu Soushen ji 續搜神記.
51. Lu Su 魯肅 (172–217), styled Zijing 子敬, was a politician and military general of Wu (222–280) during the Three Kingdoms period. He played an important role diplomatically in forming an alliance with Shu (221–263) to defeat the troops of Cao Wei (220–265) in the famous Red Cliff Battle.
52. The original text reads yudi 與弟, “with [your] younger brother.” It makes no sense. TPGJ (389. 3105) reads yuwu 與吾, “with me.”
53. Huan Shimin 桓石民, nephew of the Grand Marshal Huan Wen, was military governor of Jingzhou, Jiangzhou, and Yuzhou 豫州 of Jin. GXSGC reads Anmin 安民 for Shimin.
54. Ningzhou 寧州, the area of modern Yunnan. Its seat was in Wei 味 County (present-day Qujing 曲靖, Yunnan).
55. Qiao 譙 Commandery; its seat was in modern Bo 亳 County, Anhui.
56. According to the “Treaties of Five Elements” in Jin shu, since the Taikang 太康 reign (280–289), buggery and keeping gigolos had become popular among scholar officials. The tragedy described in this story occurred in such a milieu. Cf. Zheng Wanqing, YML, 4. 124.
57. Yongxing 永興, Yuji 余暨 of Han; it was changed to Yongxing by Sun Quan (r. 222–252). Its seat was west of modern Xiaoshan 蕭山 County, Zhejiang.
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