Ghost Story of Liaozhai

Ma Ji, whose name is Longmei, is the son of a merchant.The appearance is handsome, young and suave, like singing and dancing.He once learned from the children of Liyuan, and wore a brocade handkerchief around his head. He was as beautiful as a young girl, so he was nicknamed "Junren" again. 14 years old, middle school scholar, famous and moving party.

Ma's father was old, stopped business and stayed at home. He said to his son: "If you count books, you will not be able to eat if you are hungry, and you will not be able to wear clothing when you are cold. It is better to abandon literature and go into business, and inherit the will of the old man." Ma Ji is filial. , was drawn by the hurricane to a capital city.The common people are all very ugly. When they see a horse coming, they think it is a monster and run away in groups.

Ma Ji was terrified when he first saw the faces of the people, but when he realized that the common people were afraid of him, he bullied everyone in turn.When meeting those who eat and drink, they rush forward, and everyone flees in a panic, leaving food all over the floor. Ma Ji is not polite and enjoys it happily.For a long time, when I entered a mountain village, men and women lived together in the village, some were ugly, some were normal, no different from ordinary people, all were dressed in rags, like beggars.Ma Ji stood under the tree, and the villagers did not dare to go forward, but watched from afar.After a long time, he realized that Ma Ji was not a man-eating devil, so he dared to associate with him.

Talking to each other, although the local people speak different languages, they can also understand half of it.Ma Ji came from Chen, the villagers liked it, and told his neighbors: Mr. Ma came from a long way, he is not a bad person, so don't be afraid.The bold ones came to watch after hearing the words, and the ugly ones left after a quick glance, never daring to get close.Ma Ji looked around at the crowd, the positions of his mouth and nose were the same as those of the people in the Central Plains.

Everyone offered wine and food, and Ma Ji asked, "Everyone seems to be afraid of me. Why?" Someone said: "I once heard my grandfather say: [-] miles to the west, there is China. Take it to heart, now that I see a living person with my own eyes, I have to believe it." Ma Ji asked: "Everyone is poor, why?" He replied: "The important thing in our country is not the article, but the appearance. A handsome person, the official worship Shangqing; the next one is a petty official; the third one is favored by the nobles, rewarded with gold and silver, and supports the family, no problem; people like us are the ugliest generation. When many people are born, their parents think it is ominous. It is often abandoned in the valley. Even if it is not thrown away by luck, it is only for the sake of inheriting the family, and the status is always low." Ma Ji asked: "What is this country called?" He replied: "The Great Raksha Country, the capital is thirty miles to the north."

Ma Ji said: "Can you take me around the capital?" He replied: "Yes, we will leave tomorrow." In the early morning of the next day, a group of people went to the capital and arrived at dawn.The capital city is walled with black stones, and its color is like ink.The pavilion is about a hundred feet high, with few tiles on the roof, covered with red stone, bright and dazzling, like cinnabar.When the imperial court retreated, a large and luxurious sedan chair was carried out from the palace. The villagers pointed to the soft sedan chair and said, "This is the prime minister's country." Seeing it, the owner of the sedan chair had ears behind his back, three holes in his nose, and eyelashes covering his eyes, which were as long as bead curtains. .After several rides out, the villagers introduced: "This doctor is also." Ma Ji opened his eyes and looked around. All the officials had hideous faces.

No matter what, when Ma Ji went back, people in the street saw it from a distance, and rushed to run, and countless people fell to the ground, like encountering monsters.The villagers explained in various ways, and the crowd finally calmed down.Back in the village, the news spread quickly. The people in the country, no matter how big or small, knew that Ma Ji was a foreigner, so the nobles and doctors rushed to meet him and asked the villagers to invite him on their behalf.Every time Ma Ji went to a house, he saw that the door was closed tightly, and the husband and wife whispered and peeped through the cracks of the door. For a whole day, no family dared to open the door to meet him.

The villager said: "There is a halberd-handling man here. He used to be an envoy for the former king to a foreign country. He has seen countless people. Maybe he will not be afraid of your son."Looking at his appearance, he looks like a Ba Jiu ten-year-old man, with protruding eyes and curly beard, like a hedgehog.Said: "When the old man was young, he was sent to various countries under the order of the former emperor. He has been to many places, but he has never been to China. Now he is more than 120 years old. I have witnessed the people of the country. I have to report this matter to the emperor. But the old minister retired. For many years, I have not been to the court for more than ten years, and tomorrow morning, I will make an exception for the young master." Immediately fix the wine and food, and entertain Ma Ji.After a few rounds of drinking, more than a dozen young girls came out, singing and dancing in turn. They looked like yakshas, ​​with white brocade around their heads and red skirts mopping the floor.Yiyi in the mouth, the singing voice is peculiar, and I don't know what to sing.The master was quite satisfied, and asked, "Does China have this kind of music?" Ma Ji said, "Yes." The master said, "Please sing a song, sir." , the master said happily: "It's amazing! The sound is like a phoenix singing and a dragon roaring, it's an eye-opener."

The next day, the master went to court and recommended Ma Ji to the king.The emperor gladly issued an order to summon him, and there were two or three ministers who said, "Ma Ji is ugly, and he is afraid of the holy body, so it's better not to see him." Hearing this, the emperor gave up his thoughts.The Jiji Lang returned disappointed, told Ma Ji the truth, and regretted it.

He lived for a long time, got drunk with his master, danced with his sword, and painted his face with coal as Zhang Fei.The owner thought it was beautiful, and said, "Mr. Ma, you look very handsome now. If you make up Zhang Fei to meet the prime minister, you will be reused. A high-ranking official is rich in salary, and you are just a snap of your fingers." Ma Ji said: "It's nothing to play in private, how can it be easy?" Want to win wealth?" The master insisted repeatedly, but Ma Ji reluctantly agreed.

Not long after, the master held a banquet, invited the people in power to have a drink, and ordered Ma Ji to wait in disguise.Not long after, the guests arrived, and the host called Ma Ji out to meet the guests. The guest said in surprise, "That's strange. Why is Mr. Ma so ugly before and now he is beautiful?" So they drank together and talked very happily.Ma Ji Po whirled and sang a "Yiyang Song", which was full of applause, and everyone was overwhelmed.The next day, the officials went to the court one after another to recommend Ma Ji. The king was overjoyed and summoned him immediately. He asked about the way to govern the country and secure the country.When the king gave a banquet to the palace, and when the wine was hot, the emperor said: "Aiqing is good at music, can I let the few people appreciate it?" title.I often have banquets with him, and I am more gracious.Over time, all the bureaucrats knew that Ma Ji's face was fake, and wherever he went, they whispered in whispers, talking long and short, and deliberately isolated.

Ma Ji was flustered, and wrote a letter begging to resign, but the king refused, and only gave him three months of rest.Ma Ji was loaded with jewels and returned to the mountain village. The villagers knelt down to greet him and distributed the gold and silver belongings to his old friends. All the friends cheered thunderously.The villagers said: "I have received a gift from the doctor. When I go to Haishi tomorrow, I should seek treasures in return for my kindness." Ma Ji asked, "Where is Haishi?" Twelve countries from all over the world come to trade. There are many gods and immortals in the market place, the clouds cover the sky, and the waves are loud. The body of a nobleman should be self-respecting, and there is no need to risk yourself. You only need to issue gold and silver, and we will buy rare treasures on your behalf. The sea market is not far away, and it will start soon." Ma Ji asked: "How do you know it?" The villager said: "If you see vermilion birds coming and going on the water, it will be a sea market in seven days." Ma Ji said: "Take me to see it. Look at the excitement, is it okay?" The villager said: "The waves are rough, you don't have to take risks." Ma Ji smiled and said: "I am a seafarer, so why should I be afraid of the waves?"