It is a very famous Chuanqi in the Tang Dynasty. Below is a full English translation of the story.
During the reign of Emperor Dezong in the Tang Dynasty, there was a man named Cui Sheng(崔生). His father was a prominent official who had a close relationship with high-ranking ministers of the time. Cui Sheng himself served as a guard in the palace. One of these high-ranking ministers fell ill, and Cui Sheng’s father instructed him to visit.
During the Tang Dynasty, Wei Xinggui(韋行規) recounted an incident from his youth. Once, while traveling in the western capital, he arrived at a shop when it was getting dark. Despite that, he intended to continue his journey forward.
There was an old man working in the shop who advised him. “It’s late. It’s not safe to travel at night; there are many bandits around here.”
“I have prepared my bow and arrows.
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.’
