Ma Shilin(馬士麟), a scholar from Changzhou(常州), once recounted a personal experience:
When he was young, he and his father studied in the northern tower. From their window, they could see the outdoor flower platform of an old man named Wang who sold chrysanthemums. One day, Ma Shilin woke up early, leaning against the window and peering below. The sky was gradually brightening, and he saw Wang ascending the platform to water the flowers.
In Shimen County(石門縣), Zhejiang Province(浙江), there was a local official named Li Nianxian(李念先), tasked with collecting rent in the villages. One evening, he arrived at a remote village but couldn’t find an inn. He noticed a dimly lit thatched cottage in the distance and decided to head in that direction. As he approached, he found a broken bamboo fence acting as a gate, and from within came moaning sounds.
Li Nianxian loudly announced himself, stating his purpose as a local official there to collect rent.
Ding Kai(丁愷), a bailiff from the Yamen in Fengdu County(酆都縣), Sichuan(四川), was carrying official documents to deliver in Kuizhou(夔州). Passing by the Guimen Pass(鬼門關), he saw a stone tablet inscribed with the words “Boundary of Yin and Yang.” Ding Kai walked up to the stone tablet, touched and observed it for a long time, unknowingly crossing the boundary. Wanting to return the same way, he found himself lost, unable to discern the direction.
In the mountains, there is a beast called Zhi(彘). It looks like a tiger, has a tail like a cow, and barks like a dog. It eats people.
有獸焉，其狀如虎而牛尾，其音如吠犬，其名曰彘，是食人。
《山海經 南次二經》
The Huan(䍺)’s shape is like a sheep’s, it has no mouth, but it will not starve.
又東四百裏，曰洵山，其陽多金，其陰多玉。有獸焉，其狀如羊而無口，不可殺也，其名曰䍺。
《山海經 南次二經》
The “Book of the Northern Dynasties(北史)” says that the king of Piqian(毗騫國) had a three-foot-long head and still hasn’t died to this day. I used to doubt the authenticity of this record.
During the Kangxi(康熙) period, a man named Fang Wenmu(方文木) from Zhejiang(浙人) was navigating at sea when his ship was blown by the wind to a place where a grand and magnificent palace stood, inscribed with the three characters “Piqian Palace(毗騫殿)”.
In Huizhou(徽州), there was a top scholar named Dai Youqi(戴有祺). He and his friends, having drunk too much, strolled outside the city to admire the moon, reaching the Hui Long Bridge(回龍橋). A person in blue, carrying an umbrella, approached from the west side. Upon seeing Dai, he hesitated to cross the bridge, appearing fearful. Suspecting him to be a thief, Dai stepped forward to interrogate him. The person in blue claimed, ‘I am an officer from the yamen, sent to apprehend someone.’
In the southern part(南鄉) of Nanjing’s Jiangpu(江浦), there was a woman surnamed Zhang who married a man named Chen. Seven years later, her husband passed away, leaving Zhang a widow. Struggling to make ends meet, she remarried to another Zhang with the same surname. This second Zhang had also been widowed for seven years. The matchmaker considered this coincidence to be a heaven-sent match.
Unexpectedly, just half a month after their marriage, the ghost of Zhang’s former husband possessed her and exclaimed, “You lack conscience!
Chenhuang(乘黃/飛黃)is a mythical creature in ancient Chinese mythology. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas(山海經), it looks like a fox, has a horn on its back, and is yellow in color. The person who rides it will live for 2,000 years longer.
白民之国有乘黄，长得像狐，背上有角，毛色是黄的，乘者增寿二千岁
Yan Song(嚴嵩), for his wife Ouyang(歐陽氏), selected a burial ground, summoning several dozen guests skilled in Feng Shui from among his followers. He addressed them, saying, ‘My wealth has reached its peak. What more could I desire? I only hope that you, sirs, will choose for me a piece of auspicious land so that my descendants may be as prosperous as I am. Then I shall be content.’ These guests readily agreed.
