Ghost Story of Liaozhai

During the Qing Dynasty, there was a scholar surnamed Song Mingtao who took part in the imperial examinations many times, but failed many times, and became ill from depression.

This day, Song Tao was sick in bed, when suddenly the door of the room was pushed open, and a man who looked like a government official walked into the room with a white horse in his hand, and said, "Mr. Song, please follow me to the examination room to take the exam."

Song Tao was full of doubts, hesitantly said: "The exam period is still far away, and the chief examiner has not yet taken office, what test should I take?"

The yamen servant said impatiently: "Go if you are told, why are there so many nonsense!"

Seeing the fierce face of the yamen servant, Song Tao didn't dare to contradict him, so he had to go out with him.The yamen servant pointed to the white horse and said, "Go up."

Song Tao shook his head and said, "I don't know how to ride a horse, I'm afraid of falling."

The yamen servant said: "With me taking care of him, how could he fall? Don't worry about it." Before he finished speaking, he lifted Song Tao's collar, threw him on the horse's back, and then slapped the horse's hip hard with his palm. The white horse suffers from pain and gallops like lightning.

The yamen servant smiled slightly, his footsteps staggered, he trailed behind without hurrying, the white horse strode across, the dust rolled in the place it passed, like a gust of wind passing through, the speed was unspeakable, tens of miles in an instant.

The yamen servant was strolling in the courtyard, with an elegant demeanor, walking with strides, no different from ordinary people.But it was strange to say that no matter how fast the white horse ran, it still couldn't get rid of the yamen servant's pursuit.There is a distance of four feet and eight inches between one person and one horse, not more than one inch, not less than one inch.

Song Tao nodded secretly, "Shrink the ground into an inch, this yamen servant is not a mortal."

Just as he was thinking wildly, the white horse neighed and stopped under a city wall.Song Tao opened his eyes and looked at it. Seeing that the city wall was tall and strong, he thought to himself, "The city wall is so high, it is at least nine feet high, which is twice as high as the Forbidden City."

The yamen servant held the rein in his hand and entered the street from the east gate. Song Tao stared at it, and saw that the street was straight and wide, paved with clear marble, enough to accommodate eight carriages.There are many restaurants and shops on both sides, and the common people shuttle among them, all of them are beautiful and jade belts, and their spirits are high. It's like a beautiful city: prosperous and rich, far better than Kyoto.

Song Tao was dumbfounded, envious, and in a trance, he was taken into a yamen long ago.The yamen servant whispered, "This is the important place of the immortal family. Within a radius of [-] meters, you are not allowed to ride a horse or a sedan chair. Come down quickly."

Song Tao got off his horse as he said, and the yamen servant led the way and invited him into the hall.The hall is covered with tables and chairs, carved and carved, all made of precious rosewood.

In the middle of the lobby, a dozen or so officials were sitting, all of whom were strangers, most of whom Song Tao didn't know.There was only one majestic general, with Danfeng eyes, crouching silkworm eyebrows, and a two-foot-long beard. His face was stern, and he was not angry, but he could tell at a glance that it was Guan Yu, the second master of Guan.

Guan Yu looked at Song Tao, nodded and smiled, pointed to a pair of tables and chairs on the left under the hall, and said, "Sit."

Song Tao sat down as he said, only to see rice paper spread on the table in front of him, a bamboo tube on the left hand side, and several brushes in the bucket; an inkstone on the right hand side, filled with ink, with a strong fragrance of ink, it was actually a good tribute: purple jade Light ink.

Opposite Song Tao, there was also a pair of tables and chairs. Sitting on the chair was a scholar in white. He was in his thirties, fair-skinned, and a very handsome man.

Guan Yu pointed to the man in white, and introduced: "This is Zhang Xiucai from Changshan. You two are both scholars, how close you are."

Song Tao cupped his hands and said, "Brother Zhang, I'm Song Tao, I'm being polite here."

Zhang Xiucai hurriedly returned the salute, "I dare not. Excuse me, is Brother Song a scholar in the 28th year of Kangxi?"

Song Tao nodded and said: "That's right. Hey, time has passed, and 24 years have passed in a blink of an eye. 24 years ago, Brother Yu was a scholar, and 24 years later, Brother Yu is still a scholar. Brother, I laughed." After speaking, he sighed.

Zhang Xiucai also sighed and said: "I am also a degenerate in the world, and my situation is not much better than that of Brother Song. I took part in the imperial examination in the 37th year of Kangxi, and even took the exam six times, but I was only a scholar. I don't know why. It's only a young age."

Both of them are talented and underappreciated, and at this moment they are talking to each other from the bottom of their hearts, and gradually develop a sense of confidant.

Suddenly he heard a cough, and an immortal in the hall said: "You two don't have to sigh, Xuanye's child doesn't know talents, it's because he's blind. I will give you justice. Listen carefully: I'm going out right now. For one question, only two of you can do a good job within one stick of incense, and I will reward those who can pass the test."

Song and Zhang glared angrily when they heard the words, and said at the same time: "Bold, the current holy majesty is the true destiny dragon, and you are not allowed to be rude to your majesty."

The Shangxian smiled and said, "Why am I being rude?"

Song Tao said: "It's rude for you to call your majesty a child."

The Shangxian said: "Do you know who I am? How old is this year? I am the Nine Heavens Thunder Emperor, and I have lived to be [-] years old. At my age, why not call Kangxi a boy? Alright, stop talking nonsense, Listen to the question."

Only then did Song and Zhang feel relieved, and said in unison: "Please come up with a question."

Lei Di said: "One person and two people, intentional or unintentional. This is my topic."

Zhang Xiucai said with a smile: "This question is easy, I don't need a stick of incense to write the composition, half a stick of incense can do it."

Song Tao said: "I can solve it with a quarter of a stick of incense."

The two of them had a well-thought-out plan, and they wrote the article in an instant, and submitted it.

Lei Di took the test paper to read, and praised: "Both articles are well done, and Song Tao's is especially wonderful. Especially this sentence'If you do good with your heart, you will not be rewarded even if you are good; Punishment.' Well written, well written."

Pausing for a moment, he said loudly: "Song Tao listened to Feng: I named you Henan City God, in charge of life and death in the world, rewarding good and punishing evil, and I will take office immediately."

Song Tao shook his head and said, "Thank you for your support, but I have a seventy-year-old mother to serve me. My parents are here, so I'm not going to travel far, so I'm sorry."

Lei Di nodded, and said: "Let's go, take the book of life and death. Check it out for me, how many years does Song Tao's mother have?"

Immediately, left and right looked through the book of life and death, and reported: "Hui Tianzun, Song Tao's biological mother, Zhang, has nine years to live."

Lei Di nodded and said, "Got it." Looking at Song Tao, he smiled and said, "Little descendant, you are very filial, not bad, not bad. In this way, I will reserve the position of City God for you, and Zhang Xiucai will take over for you for the time being. Nine years from now, when your mother dies, then go to Henan to become an official. Is there any objection to this arrangement?"

Song Tao smiled openly: "Thank you, thank you."

Lei Di looked at Zhang Xiucai and said with a smile: "Zhang Sheng, pack up and set off." After saying this, he took out a bamboo horse from his sleeve and said: "This horse can travel thousands of miles in the daytime, chasing the wind and chasing the wind." Electricity, bestow strength on your feet."

Zhang Xiucai scratched his head, his face full of doubts: "The bamboo horse is only a few inches long, and it will be broken if you pinch it, how can you ride it?"

Lei Di laughed loudly: "Just try blowing on the horse's back."

Zhang Xiucai breathed according to his words, and suddenly heard a neighing sound, the room was filled with golden light, and the bamboo horse soared in the wind, turning into a living, flesh-and-blood famous horse: tall and long, fat and smooth, with yellow hair like gold, shining brightly Hui.

Zhang Xiucai couldn't help being overjoyed, stretched out his hand to stroke the yellow horse's neck, and praised, "The bamboo horse is resurrected, rare, rare, good luck, good luck!"

Before the words were finished, the hall was empty, and all the gods had left without knowing when.

Zhang Xiucai held the yellow horse in his hand and said to Song Tao: "Brother Song, my younger brother will go to Henan to take up the post first, and you will replace me in nine years. Well, we meet again, and there is no gift. I will send you a poem: 'There are flowers. There is always wine and spring, and the night will be bright without candles and lights. I will go." After speaking, he rode his horse into the sky and left.

Song Tao smiled lightly, and suddenly his body was light and fluttering like a wisp of green smoke, blown by the wind, and returned to his residence after passing hundreds of miles in a blink of an eye.

After returning home, Song Tao discovered that his soul had gone out of his body, and he had been dead for three days. His body was displayed in the coffin, and his mother was crying beside him.

Without further ado, the soul quickly returned to its place, and with a whoosh, it got into the coffin.Just as he was about to walk out of the coffin, suddenly he noticed that the coffin boards were tightly covered and fastened with long iron nails, making it impossible to move.

Hearing the thunderous noise outside, his mother was startled, frightened and delighted, so she hurriedly called neighbors for help, and with great difficulty, everyone managed to pry open the coffin board and rescued Song. Tao dies.

Nine years later, Mrs. Zhang died of illness. Song Tao finished the funeral for the old mother, bathed and changed clothes, and lay down on the bed to wait for death. Soon, his soul escaped and wandered outside. The horse has been waiting for a long time.

Song Tao no longer hesitated, got into the carriage, and drove away with the clouds.