Explore the intriguing story of a fox spirit's mystical encounter and the vanishing golden goblet in this classic Chinese folklore.
In Licheng County, there was a man named Yin Tianguan. When he was a child, his family was very poor, but he had great courage and knowledge. In the county, there was an old aristocratic mansion covering several acres of land, with continuous pavilions and towers inside. Because there were often supernatural occurrences and strange phenomena there, no one dared to live there, and it fell into disrepair. Over time, the mansion became overgrown with weeds and tall grass, and even in broad daylight, no one dared to enter. One day, Yin Tianguan and a group of scholars from the county were drinking together. Someone jokingly said, “Whoever can spend a night in that place, we will all chip in to treat them to a banquet.” Upon hearing this, Yin Tianguan jumped up and said, “What’s so difficult about that?” That night, he took a mat and went there. The others accompanied him to the entrance and joked, “We’ll wait here for a while. If you see any ghosts or spirits, be sure to call for help.” Yin Tianguan laughed and replied, “If there are really ghosts or spirits, I’ll catch one as evidence.” With that, he entered. Inside, he found the courtyard covered in tall reeds, with dense patches of mugwort and wormwood. It was the beginning of the month, and the crescent moon was not very bright. Fortunately, in the dim and yellowish moonlight, he could still make out the doors and windows. He groped his way through several courtyards until he reached the rear pavilion. After ascending the platform, he found it to be smooth and clean, very charming, so he decided to stay there. Looking at the moon in the west, there was only a faint glimmer of moonlight on the mountainside. He sat here for a long time and didn’t notice anything unusual. He chuckled to himself, thinking that the rumors he had heard outside were all unbelievable. He lay down on the ground, using a stone as a pillow, and gazed at the Cowherd and Weaver Girl stars in the sky.
It was around the middle of the night when Yin Tianguan was on the verge of falling asleep. Suddenly, he heard a tumultuous sound of footsteps downstairs, and someone was coming up the stairs. He pretended to be asleep, squinted his eyes to peek, and saw a person in a green robe carrying a lotus lantern. This person suddenly noticed Yin Tianguan, got startled, took a few steps back, and said to someone behind, “There’s a stranger here.” The person below asked, “Who is it?” The person in the green robe replied, “I don’t recognize him.” After a while, an old man came up the stairs, approached Yin Tianguan, and carefully examined him. He said, “This is Minister Yin. He’s fast asleep. Let’s just go about our business. Minister Yin is easygoing and may not blame us.” So, one by one, people entered the building, and the doors were all left wide open. A little later, more people coming and going made the upstairs brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Yin Tianguan turned over lightly and sneezed. The old man, hearing him wake up, quickly came out and knelt down, saying, “Elder, my daughter is getting married tonight. I didn’t expect to offend a distinguished guest. Please don’t take it too harshly.” Yin Tianguan got up, helped the old man to his feet, and said, “I didn’t know tonight was a special day for your family. I feel ashamed that I didn’t bring any gifts.” The old man said, “Having a distinguished guest like you visit, dispelling evil spirits and bringing good fortune, is already a great blessing for us. If you could honor us by sitting down as our guest, it would be an even greater honor and privilege.” Yin Tianguan was delighted and agreed. Upon entering the building, he saw that the furnishings were very splendid. At this point, a woman came out to greet him, around forty years old. The old man said, “This is my wife.” Yin Tianguan gave her a courteous nod.
After a while, the drums and music were heard, and someone ran upstairs, saying, “They’ve arrived!” The old man hurriedly went to greet them, and Yin Tianguan also stood up to wait. Before long, a cluster of lanterns wrapped in red silk, guided the bridegroom inside. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with an impressive appearance, handsome and refined. The old man asked him to pay his respects to the honored guest first. The bridegroom looked at Yin Tianguan, and Yin Tianguan performed a half bow, similar to a ritual assistant. Then, the father-in-law and son-in-law exchanged bows, and after the formalities were completed, everyone joined the feast. After a while, the maidservants, dressed in elaborate attire, began to move around, and for a moment, food and wine were arranged, filling the air with warmth. Jade bowls and golden basins reflected each other, and the light shone on the banquet table. After a few rounds of drinks, the old man asked the maidservant to fetch the young lady. The maidservant agreed and went inside. However, they waited for a long time and she didn’t come out. The old man personally got up and lifted the curtain to urge her. After a while, several maidservants and the old matron escorted the bride out. The gold ornaments on her body jingled, and the fragrance of orchids and musk wafted through the air. The old man asked his daughter to bow to the honored guest at the head of the table, and after she stood up, she sat beside her mother. Yin Tianguan took a brief look and saw that she had a phoenix hairpin adorned with pearls on her head and pearl earrings on her ears. She had a beautiful and rare appearance. After a while, they raised golden goblets to toast everyone at the table. These goblets were large enough to hold several liters of wine. Yin Tianguan thought that he could take this back as evidence for his friends, so he quietly placed the golden goblet in his sleeve and pretended to be drunk, leaning against the table, tilting from side to side as if asleep. Everyone said, “The minister is drunk.” Not long after, they heard the bridegroom preparing to take his leave, and suddenly the drums and music played loudly again, and the guests began to leave the building.
After the banquet, the host began to tidy up the wine vessels and noticed that one golden goblet was missing. They searched everywhere but couldn’t find it. Some people privately speculated that Yin Tianguan, who had appeared to be sleeping there, had taken the golden goblet. The old man hurriedly stopped them from talking, fearing that Yin Tianguan might overhear. After a while, both inside and outside the building became quiet again, and Yin Tianguan finally got up. He found everything pitch dark, with no lights whatsoever, only the scent of cosmetics and the aroma of wine lingering in the room. He looked towards the east and saw that it was already getting light, so he calmly descended the stairs. When he reached into his sleeve, he discovered that the golden goblet was still there. At the entrance, the scholars had been waiting, suspecting that Yin Tianguan had left during the night and returned in the morning. Yin Tianguan then took out the golden goblet to show everyone. After seeing it, they were all astonished and started questioning him. Yin Tianguan proceeded to recount everything he had witnessed and heard. Everyone felt that such a golden goblet was beyond the means of a poor scholar, and this made them believe his words.
Later, Yin Tianguan passed the imperial examination and became an official in Feiqiu. There was a prominent family named Zhu in the area who hosted a banquet in his honor. During the feast, the host ordered a servant to bring a large wine cup, but it took a long time and it still hadn’t arrived. A young servant approached the host and whispered something to him, causing an expression of anger to appear on the host’s face. After a while, he brought out a large golden goblet to toast the guest. Yin Tianguan took a close look and noticed that the style and intricate carvings on the golden goblet were identical to the one he had seen with the fox spirit. He felt very puzzled and asked the host where this golden goblet had been made. The host replied, “There are a total of eight golden goblets like this one. My ancestors had them crafted by skilled artisans when they served as officials in the capital city. These goblets are our family’s heirloom, preserved for a long time. It’s because of your presence, County Magistrate, that I had my servant retrieve it from the chest. However, we found only seven left. We initially suspected the servant of theft, but when we saw that the layer of dust accumulated over ten years on the chest remained undisturbed, we couldn’t make sense of it.” Yin Tianguan smiled and said, “It seems the missing goblet has turned into an immortal and flown away! However, a family heirloom passed down through generations should not be lost. I have a goblet that looks very similar to yours, and I would like to present it to you.” After the banquet, Yin Tianguan returned to his official residence and immediately sent someone to deliver the golden goblet. The host named Zhu examined it and was greatly astonished. He personally came to thank Yin Tianguan and inquired about the origin of this particular goblet. Yin Tianguan then recounted the whole story in detail. It was only then that everyone realized that even items from a thousand miles away could be somehow obtained by the fox spirit, although it dared not keep them for too long.
《狐嫁女》
历城殷天官，少贫，有胆略。邑有故家之第，广数十亩，楼宇连亘。常见怪异，以故废无居人。久之，蓬蒿渐满，白昼亦无敢入者。会公与诸生饮，或戏云：“有能寄此一宿者，共醵为筵。”公跃起曰：“是亦何难！”携一席往。众送诸门，戏曰：“吾等暂候之。如有所见，当急号。”公笑云：“有鬼狐，当捉证耳。”遂入，见长莎蔽径，蒿艾如麻。时值上弦，幸月色昏黄，门户可辨。摩娑数进，始抵后楼。登月台，光洁可爱，遂止焉。西望月明，惟衔山一线耳。坐良久，更无少异，窃笑传言之讹。席地枕石，卧看牛女。
一更向尽，恍惚欲寐。楼下有履声，籍籍而上。假寐睨之，见一青衣人，挑莲灯，猝见公，惊而却退，语后人曰：“有生人在。”下问：“谁也？”答云：“不识。”俄一老翁上，就公谛视，曰：“此殷尚书，其睡已酣。但办吾事，相公倜傥，或不叱怪。”乃相率入楼，楼门尽辟。移时，往来者益众。楼上灯辉如昼。公稍稍转侧，作嚏咳。翁闻公醒，乃出，跪而言曰：“小人有箕箒女，今夜于归，不意有触贵人，望勿深罪。”公起，曳之曰：“不知今夕嘉礼，惭无以贺。”翁曰：“贵人光临，压除凶煞，幸矣。即烦陪坐，倍益光宠。”公喜，应之。入视楼中，陈设芳丽。遂有妇人出拜，年可四十馀。翁曰：“此拙荆。”公揖之。
俄闻笙乐聒耳，有奔而上者，曰：“至矣！”翁趋迎，公亦立俟。少选，笼纱一簇，导新郎入。年可十七八，丰采韶秀。翁命先与贵客为礼。少年目公。公若为傧，执半主礼。次翁婿交拜，已，乃即席。少间，粉黛云从，酒胾雾霈，玉碗金瓯，光映几案。酒数行，翁唤女奴请小姐来。女奴诺而入。良久不出。翁自起，搴帏促之。俄婢媪数辈，拥新人出，环珮璆然，麝兰散馥。翁命向上拜。起，即坐母侧。微目之，翠凤明珰，容华绝世。既而酌以金爵，大容数斗。公思此物可以持验同人，阴内袖中。伪醉隐几，颓然而寝。皆曰：“相公醉矣。”居无何，闻新郎告行，笙乐暴作，纷纷下楼而去。
已而主人敛酒具，少一爵，冥搜不得。或窃议卧客，翁急戒勿语，惟恐公闻。移时，内外俱寂，公始起。暗无灯火，惟脂香酒气，充溢四堵。视东方既白，乃从容出。探袖中，金爵犹在。及门，则诸生先俟，疑其夜出而早入者。公出爵示之。众骇问，因以状告。共思此物非寒士所有，乃信之。
后公举进士，任于肥丘。有世家朱姓宴公，命取巨觥，久之不至。有细奴掩口与主人语，主人有怒色。俄奉金爵劝客饮。谛视之，款式雕文，与狐物更无殊别。大疑，问所从制。答云：“爵凡八只，大人为京卿时，觅良工监制。此世传物，什袭已久。缘明府辱临，适取诸箱簏，仅存其七，疑家人所窃取，而十年尘封如故。殊不可解。”公笑曰：“金杯羽化矣！然世守之珍不可失，仆有一具，颇近似之，当以奉赠。”终筵归署，拣爵驰送之。主人审视，骇绝，亲诣谢公，诘所自来。公乃历陈颠末。始知千里之物，狐能摄致，而不敢终留也。