Strange Tales from Liaozhai--Volume 4

by Pu Songling

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  Zhao Feiyan: This famous beauty (fl. 1st century B.C.E.) trained as a dancing girl, working for a while with her sister as courtesans once they were orphaned; Feiyan was eventually elevated by the Western Han emperor, Chengdi, to the rank of Empress Consort after he deposed his own wife (Paludan 42).

  Yang Guifei: The Tang dynasty concubine of emperor Xuanzong (685-762), she became the subject of many poems and paintings, after Xuanzong took her from his eighteenth son, who had already made her one of his own concubines. In 745, she was given a title second only to that of the empress (Mayers 286-7). She’s the title character in the traditional Chinese opera, The Drunken Concubine.

  He reported the crime to officials so they could pursue and capture the criminals, but he received no further messages from them. Three or four years slipped by imperceptibly, so, feeling melancholic and bored, he decided to offer the excuse of going to the capital to take the civil service examination there. He lived there for six months, trying all manner of fortune-tellers, inquiries, and investigations to find Chang’e.

  It happened that when he was walking past Yao Lane, he chanced to run into a young woman with a dirty face and ragged clothing, who was as frantically agitated as a beggar. Once he stopped to look at her, he realized it was Diandang. “What has made you so thin and haggard?” he asked in astonishment.

  “After I left and moved south,” she replied, “my elderly mother died, so some evil Manchurians kidnapped, beat and humiliated me, leaving me cold and hungry, so I’ve been too traumatized even to speak.”

  Zong’s tears began to fall as he inquired, “Have you been able to pay their ransom?”

  “I’ve had great difficulty,” she said. “It’s so high that I haven’t been able to pay it.”

  Zong responded, “I’ll tell you the truth: in the past few years, I’ve been rather fortunate in gathering a bit of wealth, but the pity is that I’ve traveled here without bringing much money with me, though I can certainly sell my supplies and horse with no regrets. And if that’s not enough, I’ll go back home to secure sufficient funds.”

  Diandang arranged to come out the following day to the west wall, where they could meet together beneath the willow trees there; she urged him to come alone, and not to bring any servants.

  “I promise,” replied Zong.

  The next day, he set out early, but Diandang had arrived before him, wearing a bright-colored jacket, greatly changed from her previous appearance. Startled, Zong asked her about it, and she replied with a laugh, “I was testing your feelings before, and fortunately our former love still survives. If you’ll please come to my cottage, I’ll certainly reward you properly.”

  They walked several steps to the north until they came to Diandang’s home, where she brought out some dishes of food and wine to entertain them while they chatted. Zong asked her to come home with him for good. “I have many worldly concerns,” she replied, “so I can’t go with you.”

  Zong anxiously asked her where Chang’e was, and she explained, “It’s hard to discern any trace of her, so I really can’t figure her out. On Mt. Xi, there’s an old Buddhist nun who’s blind in one eye, and if you ask her, she’ll be able to help you.” Then Zong stayed for the night with her.

  At dawn, Diandang showed him the way to find the blind nun. When Zong arrived, there was an ancient temple, whose outer wall was in ruins; in a stand of bamboo there was a half-open thatched cottage, inside which an old nun sat sewing patches on her robe. When she noticed that a visitor had arrived, she very casually didn’t make a big deal about it.

  Zong bowed to her with his hands clasped respectfully, and the nun finally raised her head and asked him some questions. Once he informed her of his name, he quickly proceeded to deliver his request. “I’m eighty, old and blind,” she told him, “and I live here completely cut off from the world, so where could I possibly find out about some beauty’s frame of mind?” Zong remained adamant in his plea. Then she answered, “I truly don’t know. I have two or three relatives who’re coming here tonight while passing through, and perhaps the young girl with them would know, because I sure don’t. You can come back tomorrow night,” so Zong consequently went away.

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  Mt. Xi: Located near Beijing.

  The next day, when he came again, the Buddhist nun came out, then bolted the door shut. As he waited there a long time, the minutes passing by and the moon rising high in the sky while he paced back and forth, in the distance Zong saw two or three girls who’d been standing outside prepare to go in, with Chang’e among them. This made Zong very happy, so he suddenly burst in among them, quickly pulling Chang’e into his arms by her sleeve.

  “You rude fellow!” she exclaimed. “Frightening me like a demon! That hateful Diandang shoots off her mouth, then you pester me with your lust.”

  Zong sat her down next to him, holding her hand with heartfelt emotion, finding it difficult to tell her what the nun had told him, unconsciously feeling sad and tormented. She replied, “I’ll tell you the truth: I’m really the Lady in the Moon, and I was banished here, to drift along for a time till I fulfill the terms of my exile; while it’s being completed, I’ve been supported by the robbers, and hence I’ve been able to cut myself off from you. The nun is the Queen Mother of the West’s palace guard, and I was originally censured for some time until she took pity on me, allowing me a place to stay for awhile. If you’ll just move on past me, you’ll be able to let Diandang take my place.”

  Zong wasn’t listening, but simply sat with his head hanging down, tears falling from his eyes. Then she turned around to look off in the distance and declared, “My sisters are coming.” Zong then looked up and glanced all around, but Chang’e had already disappeared. He cried out loudly that he didn’t want to live any longer, so he loosened his belt and hanged himself.

  He could faintly feel that his spirit was already beginning to depart, aimlessly wandering as though blown about by the wind. Presently he saw Chang’e appear, catch him, and pull him along as his feet left the ground; when they entered the temple grounds, Chang’e tried to push his spirit back into the corpse hanging on the tree, shouting, “Foolish fellow! Chang’e is here.”

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  Queen Mother of the West: Daoist goddess of life and immortality, the 西王母 (xiwangmu), traditionally represented as conducting her court in western China’s Kunlun Mountains.

  Suddenly it was as if he was awakening from a dream. Once he was a little more stable, she scornfully exclaimed, “That cheap whore Diandang! She harms me and kills you, so I can’t forgive her!” They walked down the mountain, hired a carriage, and rode home.

  Afterwards Zong told his servants to prepare the necessities for him to take a journey, and then he returned to the west wall, to visit Diandang and offer his thanks; but when he arrived there, her home was completely empty, so with a stunned sigh, he returned home. Fortunately, he thought, Chang’e didn’t know that he’d secretly done this.

  When he entered his gate, Chang’e welcomed him with a smile, inquiring, “Did you see Diandang?” Zong was so startled that he couldn’t reply. “Didn’t you go behind my back for Diandang?” she reiterated. “Please have a seat while you wait for her, since she’ll be along soon.”

  Soon afterwards, a panicked Diandang rushed in and hid underneath a bed. Chang’e appeared in the blink of an eye and cried, “You imp, you’re not going to trap this man that easily!” Diandang kowtowed to her, begging Chang’e to spare her life. “You push him into your snares, and yet you want to escape heaven’s punishment?” she exclaimed. “Aunt Eleven from the Moon Palace is going to be married within the next few days, so you’ll have to embroider a hundred pillows, and a hundred pairs of shoes, before you can leave with me, but we can get the work done together.”

  Diandang respectfully replied, “I ask only that I can delegate some work out to helpers, so I can have everything done
on time.”

  Chang’e wouldn’t allow this, and told Zong, “If you intercede for her, then I’ll step back and set her free.” Diandang looked to Zong, who smiled, but didn’t didn’t say anything. Diandang’s eyes then grew angry. Consequently, he entreated Chang’e to allow Diandang to go back to her family to say farewell to them, and once Chang’e agreed, the women left together.

  Zong asked around about Diandang’s background, and that’s when he learned that she was a fox from Mt. Xi. He bought a carriage and went to wait for her there. The next day, she arrived, and subsequently Zong, Chang’e, and Diandang all went home together.

  However, once Chang’e was back, she seemed aloof and formal, refusing to lighten up or to laugh. Zong tenaciously tried to get her to make love with him, but she simply designated Diandang as her replacement. Diandang now seemed vastly more intelligent, devoting herself to fawning on Chang’e. For her part, Chang’e seemed content to sleep alone, avoiding Zong each night as though she had no desire to make contact with him.

  One night, during the sounding of the third watch, it seemed like Chang’e heard the sound of continuous, stifled laughter from Diandang’s room. She sent a maidservant to eavesdrop. When the maid returned, she had nothing to report, but asked if her mistress might go and see for herself. As she hid at the window and peeked inside, she saw Diandang all dressed up to look like her, and Zong embracing her, calling out Chang’e’s name. The girl smiled and withdrew.

  A bit later, Diandang began feeling some violent pains, so she quickly threw on some clothing, dragging Zong along with her to see Chang’e, and as they entered her doorway, they lied about what they’d been up to, begging for her help. “Am I some kind of doctor, or sorceress, that I can predict what’s ailing you?” she asked. “You were the one who was trying to imitate Xi Shi.”

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  Third watch: The third of the five two-hour divisions of the night, spanning approximately 11:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

  Xi Shi: A famous beauty from the Warring States period (475 B.C.E. to 221 C.E.).

  Diandang kowtowed to her, proceededing verbally to acknowledge her guilt. “Now you’ll recover,” replied Chang’e. Then she got up, unable to stop herself from laughing, and left.

  Diandang privately confided to Zong, “I can make your wife copy Guan Yin.” Zong didn’t believe her, and so they made a bet about whether or not she could do it. Chang’e often sat cross-legged, meditating with her eyes closed. Diandang silently took a jade vase, inserted a willow branch in it, and placed it on a table; then, bowing her head modestly, she brought her palms together in greeting, standing subserviently at Chang’e’s side, her cherry red lips half open, exposing her teeth just a bit, and her eyelids fluttering. Zong laughed at this.

  When Chang’e opened her eyes and asked who was there, Diandang answered, “I’ve been studying with the Dragon King’s daughter who serves Guan Yin.” Chang’e taunted her by saying that she should punish her by making her bend over like some school boy. Keeping her feelings under control, Diandang then looked all around and above her, worshipfully prostrating herself and then turning over, carrying on such odd behavior, flopping left and right on her sides, so her leggings became twisted all around her.

  Chang’e finally laughed, sat up and kicked at her. Diandang raised her head, took Chang’e’s tiny foot in her mouth, and lightly touched it with her teeth. Chang’e then laughed playfully before suddenly sensing a delicate enchantment of her emotions, as she dangled her toes above Diandang, that went straight to her heart, stirring lewd thoughts in her, as if she were no longer in control of herself.

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  Guan Yin: Depicted as a woman in the modern era of Chinese tradition, Guan Yin is the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, revered for her ability to relieve suffering. She’s often depicted as holding a vase containing amrita, the “dew of immortality,” and a spray of willow cuttings that signify compassion.

  Chang’e’s tiny foot: Sang Tze-lan notes that “When the fox spirit Diandang tries to seduce the female immortal Chang’e, the latter thwarts as well as condemns the attempt. This tale makes it clear that Pu is interested in sensual desire between women and that perhaps he is more sympathetic to sentiment than to sex between women” (306n48).

  Then she anxiously regained her composure, and cried out, “Fox slave, you should die for that! Is there any doubt that I didn’t choose for you to do that?” Diandang was scared, so she tried to explain her actions and flung herself to the ground. Chang’e then harshly scolded her, but no one else present could understand why. Chang’e told Zong, “Diandang’s fox nature can’t be changed, and just now I was almost fooled by her. If I didn’t have such a firm Buddhist foundation, I could have been undone by her!”

  From then on, whenever she saw Diandang, she always disciplined her. Diandang felt ashamed and afraid, so she told Zong, “To Chang’e, I’m just limbs connected to a body, while she’s so beloved to me, and has no idea how much I adore her. She tells me I’m disloyal, but not only would I not dare to be disloyal to her, I also couldn’t stand doing it.”

  Zong accordingly told this to Chang’e, who began treating Diandang as she had before. However, she maintained that Diandang was immoderate in her lovemaking, and often warned Zong about this, but he wouldn’t listen to her; consequently, the maids and Diandang were wild in their sexual play with each other.

  One day, two of the maids were helping another one walk, and it came out that in their delusion, they took her to be Yang Guifei. The two came to this conclusion after looking at each other, since the young women were all drunken and sleepy, and then they took their hands off the third maid; she violently hit her head on some steps below them, making a noise like she’d smacked into a wall.

  A crowd was drawn by the loud sound; and by the time they’d rushed over to assist her, she was already dead. Everyone there was horrified, so they hurried to tell Zong. In fright, Chang’e exclaimed, “Disaster has struck! I said this would happen!” She went to examine the woman, but was unable to save her. Thus she sent people to go tell the woman’s father.

  Her father was a man named Jia, a habitual reprobate, who howled as he hurried to arrive at the scene, then carried his daughter’s corpse over his back into the family hall, where he shouted curses of all sorts. Zong fearfully shut his doors, and didn’t know what to do.

  Chang’e then personally went out to handle the matter, and told the father, “Even a master who tortures a maid to death will eventually stop his actions once there’s no more punishment to take; this is a case of sudden death, so how can you be sure that she won’t come back to life again?”

  “Her limbs are already ice-cold,” Jia shouted, “so where’s there any sign of life!”

  Chang’e replied, “Don’t make so much noise. Even though she died, something may yet be done about it.” Then she entered the hall and started rubbing the corpse till the young woman began to revive, so she continued massaging with her hands until she was able to sit up. Then Chang’e turned around angrily and cried, “She’s lucky she’s not dead, no thanks to all your deceit and misdeeds! You could be arrested by the government for making such an accusation!”

  Jia was speechless, and knelt deferentially, asking solemnly to be forgiven. “You’ve recognized your wrongdoings,” Chang’e replied, “which is why I’m excusing you so you can set things right. However, for having been such a scoundrel, over and over for so long, you must also pay for your daughter’s excesses. The price I paid you for her originally should be refunded, so make the arrangements for it quickly.”

  She gathered two or three older area villagers to serve as witnesses, and to sign the authorizing document, and once that was done, Chang’e called for the daughter to appear before them, then personally asked her, “Are you in good health?”

  “I am,” she replied. Then Jia returned her to them and left. Afterward, Chang’e called together all of the maidservants, and beat each of them
.

  Next she called for Diandang, and strictly forbade her previous conduct. She told Zong, “Now you know how to comport yourself in order to be an exemplary man, so, whether smiling or frowning, you can’t be immoderate. Those who are sad, are negative, and happy, positive; but if the positive begins to overflow, then the negative appears to balance it, which is the rule in the mortal world. The death of Jia’s daughter is a portent for both mortals and ghosts. If you don’t heed my words, then disaster will follow.”

  Zong listened to her respectfully. Diandang tearfully begged him to save her from her misery. Chang’e then pinched her; when, fifteen minutes later, she loosened her grip, Diandang began to feel penitent, but then suddenly it was as if she’d abruptly awakened, and subsequently flung herself to the ground, so happy that she felt like dancing. From this point forward, she comported herself respectfully, no longer daring to cause a clamor.

  At the time Jia’s daughter returned to their home, she wasn’t ill, but then she unexpectedly died. Jia couldn’t come up with the money that he owed Chang’e, so he implored a number of the older area villagers to beg her to dismiss his debt, and she agreed. Then, showing pity due to the fact that the girl had once served her family, she gave Jia a coffin for his daughter.

  Zong was continually worried about the fact that he didn’t have a son. Suddenly he began to hear a child’s weeping from inside Chang’e’s stomach, and when he took a sword and cut into her left side, he pulled out a boy; moments later, she was pregnant again, and once he’d cut into her right side, he pulled out a girl. The boy closely resembled his father, and the girl closely resembled her mother, and everyone talked about how they became an influential family for generations.

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