Ghost Story of Liaozhai

A certain scholar from Shuntian Mansion was born in a poor family and caught up with the famine, so his family fled to Luoyang.The scholar is slow-tempered, seventeen years old, and his articles are still in a mess.But he is handsome, good at joking, and proficient in writing letters.When outsiders met him and praised him, how could they know that a scholar has no real talent?

Not long after, his parents passed away one after another, and the scholar was alone. In order to make a living, he temporarily taught in a private school.At that time, there was a Miss Yan in the village. She was a famous scholar, and she was a bright young man. When her father was still alive, she taught her to read.My father often said: "There is a female bachelor in my family, but it's a pity that she is not a male."

For this only daughter, Master Yan loved him very much, and let out the rumor, "My daughter will either not marry, or marry a high official if she wants to marry."Three years later, Ms. Yan still has not found her husband's family.At this time, the mother left again, and Ms. Yan was alone, living a hard life.

On this day, the woman next door came over the wall, holding a letter in her hand, and chatted with Ms. Yan.Ms. Yan opened the letter to check, and saw that the writing was fluent, she read it several times, and couldn't stop nodding.The woman guessed her intentions, and said with a smile: "The person who wrote the letter is a handsome young man, who is about the same age as the girl, and has no parents. If the girl likes it, I will ask my husband to try to match her." Miss Yan was full of affection when she heard this , bowed his head in silence.

This letter was naturally written by a scholar. He and the woman had a friendly relationship and often exchanged letters.When the woman returned home, she immediately asked her husband to take the lead.The gentleman told the scholar about this, and the scholar was overjoyed. He took the golden crow earring left by his mother as an engagement, and entrusted the woman to be a matchmaker.

The two chose a date to get married, and their relationship was harmonious after marriage.Ms. Yan read the scholar's article, and said with a smile: "compared with the letter, the article written by my husband is like two different people. With such a level, when can I be selected?" Ms. Yan lit a lamp to study first, as an example, and the two of them studied all night until the third watch.

After such a year, the scholar is proficient in writing and has made great progress. He went to take the imperial examination, but he was defeated repeatedly. For a while, he was disheartened, depressed, and cried.Ms. Yan reprimanded: "A majestic man, crying all day long, is really ashamed of his seven-foot body. If I were a man, getting fame and fame would be like picking something out of a pocket."

The scholar was already in a bad mood, and when he heard the words, he was furious, and retorted: "You don't feel pain in your back when you stand and talk, and you don't know the difficulty of the imperial examination if you don't go to the examination room. Do you think that obtaining fame and fame is as easy as boiling water and cooking in the kitchen? Let you take the exam, and the result is not the same as mine?"

Ms. Yan said with a smile: "Don't be angry, sir. The next time the exam is held, let me disguise myself as a man and take part for you. If I still lose my name, I will never dare to despise the heroes of the world." The scholar laughed: "You don't know what is good or bad, If you have to ask for trouble, I will help you. I am afraid that you will show your flaws and be ridiculed by the neighbors." Ms. Yan said: "I am not joking, I am serious. My husband told me before that Shuntian Mansion is your hometown. I plan to go back with you and pretend to be your younger brother. Anyway, since you have been wandering since you were a child, no one will doubt you even if you have more relatives."

The scholar nodded and obeyed, Miss Yan smiled slightly, and changed her appearance when she entered the room. When she came out again, she had changed into a man's attire, and said with a smile, "Do I look like a man in this attire?" , nodding again and again, "Like, very like."

The two returned to their hometown on a donkey, and the scholar's cousin was still alive. Seeing the two younger brothers' faces like crowns of jade, they were very happy and often helped them.I also saw the two of them studying hard day and night, and they became more and more respectful and loving.A child was specially invited to take care of the two of them.When it gets dark, the husband and wife send the child away early in the morning.There are celebrations and funerals in the village, and there are scholars to entertain them. Ms. Yan never goes out, and she concentrates on studying hard.

After staying for half a year, outsiders seldom see Yan's face. If a guest asks to see him, the scholar will all refuse.There are also people who have read Ms. Yan's article and are overwhelmed by it. If they don't report it first, they visit rashly. Ms. Yan bows her hands and goes back to her room.When the guests saw Ms. Yan's demeanor, they were overwhelmed and scrambled to praise her. As a result, she became famous, and the aristocratic families came to propose marriage one after another.

My cousin discussed marriage matters with her. Ms. Yan smiled and said nothing, feeling anxious, she said, "I'm all about getting fame and fame. I don't want to be famous for a day, and I don't marry for a day." Soon the backyard examination began, the husband and wife took part together, and the scholar failed again , and Ms. Yan got No.1 in the exam.In the next township examination, he was admitted to the fourth place in Shuntian Prefecture. In the second year, he was admitted as a Jinshi. He was awarded the magistrate of Tongcheng County.

Later, Ms. Yan asked for leave due to illness, returned to her hometown, and thanked guests behind closed doors. Although she was a noble person, she was always single and never mentioned the matter of marriage.After Ms. Yan returned to her hometown, she gradually bought maidservants. Some people randomly speculated that "a big man would buy so many young maidservants with bad intentions." Nothing.

Soon after, the Ming Dynasty fell and the world was in chaos.Only then did Ms. Yan confess the truth, and said to her sister-in-law: "To tell you the truth, I am your cousin's wife. It was only because I was fair and mediocre that I couldn't stand on my own. That's why I disguised myself as a man to gain fame. Leaking identity will lead to the emperor's punishment and ridicule."

The sister-in-law didn't believe it, so Ms. Yan took off her official boots to reveal her slender feet. Now that things have happened, she can't help but not believe it. Seeing the official boots filled with cotton wool, the sister-in-law is both surprised and admired.

Later, the scholar inherited his wife's official title, while Miss Yan stayed in her boudoir, shutting herself out.Since she did not get pregnant all her life, she also paid to buy a concubine Ji to continue the incense for the scholar.Sometimes I openly joked with the Prime Minister: "Any dignified person likes to accept wives and concubines. Only me, who has been an official for more than ten years, is still single. Now that you are sitting and enjoying beauties, you should be content."

The scholar smiled and said: "If you are unbalanced, you can also find a male favorite, I don't mind."

Once a scholar made a fortune and had a prominent position, officials, gentry and rich rushed to visit, and they all visited with the ceremony of a censor.However, because the official title comes from his wife, the scholar is ashamed to mention it, and has always regarded himself as a scholar, and never sits in an official sedan chair for life.