revenge

Reborn to Collect a Debt as a Son

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Ge Zuliang(葛祖亮), an official in the Ministry of Rites, told me: A neighbor named Cheng, who was wealthy but childless for many years, unexpectedly had a son in his old age. This son was intelligent and clever, with bright features that Cheng cherished dearly. However, by the age of twelve, the child fell seriously ill, incurring countless medical expenses. As he grew older, instead of engaging in productive activities, he took pleasure in cockfighting and dog racing, squandering away the family fortune. 

Fox Demon in the Belly

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《幽竹枯槎圖》卷 王庭筠

Li Yi(李鷁), the son of Minister Li Hefeng(李鶴峰), styled as Yishan(醫山), passed the imperial examination in the 26th year of Qianlong’s reign and was selected to join the Hanlin Academy(翰林). He excelled in poetry and literature, and had a fondness for the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism(宋儒理學).

One day, while Li Yi was studying under the lamp, two exceedingly beautiful women suddenly appeared to tempt him, but he paid them no attention. 

Observing Cause and Effect

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《東坡題竹圖軸》杜堇 明

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. 

The Shapeshifting Ghost and the Flies

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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.’ 

The Ghost Wearing Clothes Falls into a Trap

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In Shucheng County(舒城縣), Luzhou Prefecture(廬州府), there was a villager named Chen(陳姓者). His wife was suddenly haunted by a female ghost who sometimes strangled her throat with hands and other times tied her neck with straw ropes. No one around her could see the haunting ghost. Tormented and in agony, she frequently clawed at her clothes, pulling out many straw ropes.

Chen gave his wife a bundle of peach tree branches, saying, ‘If the female ghost returns, use these to strike her!’ 

The Dragon’s Pearl

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In Jingxiang, there is a temple nestled close to mountains and water, where a dragon resides. This dragon often stirs up storms, damaging trees. Within the temple, there is an old man named Zhang who strikes the bell; he is a sorcerer, unknown to the monks. Zhang detests the havoc caused by this dragon and desires to capture and kill it, secretly performing magic.

The dragon, aware of this, transforms into a human and secretly informs one of the monks, saying, ‘I am a dragon, living in these waters for many years. 

Good Bye, My Concubine

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Cui Shensi(崔慎思), a man from Boling(博陵). During the mid-reign of Emperor Dezong in the Tang Dynasty, he participated in the imperial exams. Without a residence in the capital, he rented a small courtyard. The landlady, a woman in her thirties without a husband, lived there with two maids. Cui Shensi wanted to marry the woman, but she said, ‘I am not a scholar; we are not suitable. You will regret this.’ 

The Ghostly Encounter

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In the Langya region, there was a man named Qin Juebu who was already sixty years old. One day, he was walking home at night after drinking. He passed by the Fengshan Temple when he saw his two grandsons coming to meet him. They supported him for over a hundred paces, suddenly grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground.

“You old slave, you beat me once, and now I’m going to kill you!”