Jiang Yilin(江軼林), a literati from Tongzhou(通州), had been living for generations in Lü Sichang(呂泗場) in Tongzhou. He married a woman named Peng, and their relationship was extremely deep. Peng had been married to Jiang Yilin for three years when he was just twenty years old and hadn’t yet passed the scholar examination.
One night, both husband and wife dreamt that Jiang Yilin would pass the scholar examination on a certain month and day of that year, while Peng would die on the same day. Soon after, the examination officials came to Tongzhou to conduct the tests. Lü Sichang was over a hundred miles away from Tongzhou, and due to the ominous dream, Jiang Yilin hesitated and didn’t want to go to Tongzhou. Peng urged him, saying, ‘Seeking success in the exams is of great importance. Dreams are not sufficient evidence.’
Reluctantly, Jiang Yilin set out. After completing the exam, as predicted in the dream, he indeed passed, and the announcement was made on the exact day mentioned in the dream. He felt extremely uneasy. Two days later, news arrived of Peng’s death. After finishing the exam, Jiang Yilin hurriedly rushed back home, but Peng had been deceased for fourteen days already.
According to the customs of Tongzhou, on the fourteenth night after a person’s death, their clothes should be placed beside the coffin, and the whole family should hide away. It was believed that the departed soul would return to the body, termed ‘returning the evil spirit.’ Grieving Peng’s death deeply, Jiang Yilin, on the night of ‘returning the evil spirit,’ moved his bed beside the coffin and hid within the bed curtains, hoping to see Peng one more time.
As the night approached its darkest hours, he heard faint sounds from the corner of the room. Peng slowly descended from the eaves, walked to the front of the coffin, knelt before the candles, and immediately, the flames extinguished. However, the room remained as bright as day. Fearful of startling Peng, Jiang Yilin dared not make a sound. Peng walked from the coffin to the bedside, drew back the curtains, and softly called out, ‘Has my husband returned?’ Jiang Yilin jumped out, and both of them embraced, crying bitterly. After their tears subsided, they expressed their separation woes and shared their feelings. Then, they undressed and lay together, loving each other as before.
Calmly, Jiang Yilin asked, ‘I’ve heard that after death, there are guardians and evil spirits. During the return of the spirit, why were you able to come alone?’ Peng replied, ‘The evil spirits are the guardians in the underworld. Only the guilty spirits are bound during the return. The underworld deemed me innocent and because our destiny isn’t severed, they allowed me to return alone.’
Jiang Yilin further inquired, ‘If you were innocent, why did you die so soon?’ Peng answered, ‘Life is fleeting, and destiny is predetermined, whether guilty or not.’ Jiang Yilin said, ‘Our connection isn’t severed. Tonight’s visit, is it to sever our ties?’ Peng replied, ‘Not yet. Severing the past ties, there are still future connections.’ Before finishing, a strong wind arose outside. Peng was extremely frightened, clutching Jiang Yilin, pleading, ‘Hold me tight! Protect me! Spirits fear the wind the most. Once carried by the wind, they can’t control their direction; if they stumble, they’ll be blown far away.’ When the rooster crowed at dawn, they bid farewell, reluctantly parting ways. Peng reassured him, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll meet again tonight!’ After saying this, she left. Since then, Peng visited every night, arranging her former dressing table and even mending Jiang Yilin’s clothes. Over two months later, Peng suddenly sighed deeply, tearfully telling Jiang Yilin, ‘Our past ties have been severed. From now on, we’ll be apart for seventeen years. After seventeen years, I’ll come again to continue our future ties.’ Saying this, she departed.
Jiang Yilin was originally a handsome young man with considerable wealth. Many women from the village were willing to marry him as his second wife, but he refused them all. Seventeen years later, following Peng’s appearance and demeanor from her previous life, he searched everywhere in Tongzhou, Taizhou, Yizheng, and Yangzhou but couldn’t find a match. He returned alone to Lü Sichang.
Lü Sichang was originally near the sea, and that year, a ship returned from Shandong(山東) carrying an elderly couple. They claimed to be of noble descent but had only one daughter, reliant on her uncle for support. The uncle wanted to marry off their daughter to a local wealthy man, which the old man strongly opposed. Therefore, they sought refuge here, and the daughter wished to marry someone from Jiangnan. Someone mentioned Jiang Yilin to the old man, who was very interested. Upon meeting the girl, Jiang Yilin believed she was Peng reincarnated. When he asked her age, she replied, ‘Seventeen.’ Her birth date was just two months after Peng’s death. Delighted, Jiang Yilin agreed to the marriage, and they were even more loving and respectful than before. Her temperament and hobbies were just like Peng’s when she was alive. Sometimes, Jiang Yilin asked about her past life, but she would smile and not answer. Jiang Yilin called her ‘Fairy of Penglai,’ hinting at Peng’s reincarnation.
Later, they had a son and a daughter, naming them ‘Peng Er’ and ‘Peng Daughter-in-law.’ They lived happily together for seventeen years until both husband and wife fell ill and passed away.
Translated from 《江軼林》in 《子不語》:
江軼林，通州士人也，世居通之呂泗場，娶妻彭氏，情好甚篤。彭歸江三年，軼林甫弱冠，未遊庠。一夕，夫婦同夢軼林於其年某月日遊庠，彭氏即於是日亡。學使臨通州，呂泗場距通州百里，軼林以夢故，疑不欲往。彭促之曰：「功名事重，夢不足憑。」軼林強行。及試，果獲售，案出，即夢中月日也。軼林大不懌。越二日，果聞彭訃。試畢急回家，彭死已二七矣。
通俗：人死二七，夜設死者衣衾于柩側，舉家躲避，言魂來赴屍，名曰：「回煞」。軼林痛彭之死，即于回煞夜舁牀柩旁，潛處其中，以冀一遇。守至三更，聞屋角微響，彭自房簷冉冉下，步至柩前，向燈稽首，燈即滅。滅後，室中自明如晝。軼林惟恐驚彭，不敢聲。彭自靈前循柩走至牀，揭帳低聲呼曰：「郎君歸未？」軼林躍出，抱持大哭。哭罷，各訴離情，解衣就寢，歡好無異生前。軼林從容問曰：「聞說人死有鬼卒拘束，回煞有煞神與偕，爾何得獨返？」彭曰：「煞神即管束之鬼卒也，有罪則羈紲而從。冥司念妾無罪，且與君前緣未斷，故縱令獨回。」軼林曰：「爾無罪，何故早死？」曰：「修短數也，不論有罪無罪。」軼林曰：「卿與我前緣未斷，今此之來，莫非將盡于此夕乎？」答曰：「尚早。前緣了後，猶有後緣。」言未畢，聞戶外風起，彭大懼，以手持軼林曰：「緊抱我！護持我！凡作鬼最怕風，風倘著體，即來去不能自主，一失足被他吹到遠處去矣。」雞鳴言別，軼林依依不捨。彭曰：「無庸，夜當再會。」言訖而去。由此每夜必來。來，檢閱生時奩物，為軼林補綴衣服。
兩月餘，忽欷歔泣曰：「前緣了矣！此後當別十七年，始與君續後緣。」言訖去。軼林美少年，家豐于財，里中願續婚者眾，軼林概不允。待至十七年，以彭氏貌物色求婚，歷通、泰、儀、揚、俱不得，仍歸呂泗。
呂泗故邊海，有海舶自山東回者，載老翁夫婦來，言「本士族，止生一女，依叔為活。其叔欲以其女結婚豪族，翁頗不願，故來避地。女亦欲嫁一江南人」。人為翁言軼林，翁甚欲之；言諸軼林，軼林必欲一見其女乃可。翁許之，見則宛然一彭也。問其年，曰：「十七矣。」其生時月日，即彭死之兩月後也。軼林欣然訂娶，歡好倍常。性情喜好，彷彿彭之生前。或叩以前生事，笑而不言。軼林字曰「蓬萊仙子」，隱喻彭仙再來也。子曰彭兒，女曰彭媳，歡聚者十七載，夫婦得疾先後卒。
🎨《墨荷圖》徐渭