Explore the intriguing tale of the Earth God's wife and the scandalous affair that shook a village. Uncover the truth behind this divine enigma.
In Diaoqiao, there was a man named Wang Bing. One day, as he was leaving the village, he saw a beautiful woman coming out of the Earth God’s temple. She was very flirtatious with him, batting her eyelashes and making advances. Wang Bing responded with some flirtatious words and teasing, and the beautiful woman happily showed her willingness to accept his advances. They wanted to get closer but had nowhere to go, so they agreed to meet at night. Wang Bing then shared his address with the beautiful woman.
That night, the beautiful woman indeed came, and they indulged in pleasures. Wang Bing asked for her name, but she insisted on not revealing it. From then on, they continued to see each other regularly. Sometimes, Wang Bing would be in bed with his wife, and the beautiful woman would still come to be with him, and his wife seemed completely unaware of her presence. Astonished, Wang Bing asked for the reason, and the beautiful woman replied, “Because I am the Earth God’s wife.”
Wang Bing was horrified and wanted to break off the relationship, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t prevent her from coming. This continued for half a year, and Wang Bing became weak and bedridden. The visits from the beautiful woman became even more frequent, and even the family members could see her. Soon, Wang Bing did indeed pass away, but the beautiful woman continued to visit every day. Wang Bing’s wife scolded the beautiful woman, saying, “You shameless demon! He’s already dead, what more do you want?” So, the beautiful woman left and never returned.
Although the Earth God is a minor deity, it is still a god. How could it allow its wife to elope without consequences? It shouldn’t be so confused to let things reach this point. I don’t know what has clouded its judgment, leading future generations to believe that there was a filthy and promiscuous god in this village with improper behavior. It’s really unjust!
《土地夫人》
窎桥王炳者，出村，见土地神祠中出一美人，顾盼甚殷。挑以亵语，欢然乐受。狎昵无所，遂期夜奔，炳因告以居止。至夜，果至，极相悦爱。问其姓名，固不以告。由此往来不绝。时炳与妻共榻，美人亦必来与交，妻竟不觉其有人。炳讶问之，美人曰：“我土地夫人也。”炳大骇，亟欲绝之，而百计不能阻。因循半载，病惫不起，美人来更频，家人都能见之。未几，炳果卒，美人犹日一至。炳妻叱之曰：“淫鬼不自羞！人已死矣，复来何为？”美人遂去，不返。
土地虽小，亦神也，岂有任妇自奔者？愦愦应不至此。不知何物淫昏，遂使千古下谓此村有污贱不谨之神。冤矣哉！