Yao Yuanqi 姚元起

Yao Yuanqi, of Henei, lived close to a mountain forest. His family all went into the countryside to raise their crops, and his seven-year-old daughter was left alone to mind the house. She gradually became thin and emaciated. When her parents asked her about this, the girl told them: “There’s often this man. More than a zhang (c.3.3m) tall, he has four faces, each face having the seven apertures.[1] He calls himself Marshal of the High Heavens, and swallows me whenever he comes, so I come out through his lower end. This has happened several times. He told me: ‘Be sure never to speak of me. If you talk about me you will spend a long time in my belly.’” The family locked their doors and sighed in horrified astonishment. They then moved away to avoid him.

From Lingguizhi.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), vii, 320.2534:

姚元起

河內姚元起。居近山林。舉家恒入野耕種。唯有七歲女守屋。而漸覺瘦。父母問女。女云。常有一人。長丈餘而有四面。面皆有七孔。自號高天大將軍。來輒見吞。逕出下部。如此數過。云。慎勿道我。道我。當長留腹中。闔門駭惋。遂移避。出靈鬼志

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[1] I.e., two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and a mouth.

Providing Congee, Accruing Merit 施粥有功

Zhu Ran, of Sha County in Nanjianzhou, distributed congee as aid to the poor in years of bad harvests. He subsequently had a son who was extremely intelligent, and requested he be entered into the examinations. When the year’s results were about to be revealed, it happened that people on the street fancied they saw people running around celebrating examination success and carrying a banner bearing the four characters: “Reward for Giving Congee”. When the results were opened, his son had gained a particularly high first place.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 前2.111 (Tale 192):

施粥有功

南劍州沙縣祝染者，遇歉歲，為粥以施貧。後生一子聰慧，請舉入學。年榜將開，忽街上人夢捷者奔馳而過，報狀元榜，手持一大旗，上書四字，曰「施粥之報」。及榜開，其子特科狀元。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

Voles 田鼠

In the renxu 壬戌 year of the Zhengda 正大 era,[1] the peasant population of Beishan 北山, in Neixiang 內鄉 (in present-day Henan province) reported that voles were eating their grain. The rodents were as big as rabbits, gathering in their tens and hundreds, and wherever they passed grain and millet simply vanished. When hunting households shot at them they took many heads, some of which weighed more than ten jin 斤, the colour of their coats being like that of otters. Rodents of such size have never before been seen.

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), 1.16:

田鼠

正大壬戌，內鄉北山農民告田鼠食稼，鼠大如兔，十百為羣，所過禾稼為空。獵戶射得數頭，有重十餘斤者，毛色似水獺。未嘗聞如此大鼠也。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.) Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986)

[1] This is confusing. The Zhengda era declared by the Jin 金 polity ran from 1224 to 1234 CE. It does not seem to have included a renxu year; the first renxu year would have been in 1262.

An Honest Heart Moves Heaven 平心感天

Chen Renfu, of Tiaolu Village, Gao’an County, resided in some wealth in a farmhouse in the village, specializing in the study of Buddhism and Daoism. Each year, in the spring, he would reserve two thousand dan of millet, and, in the fifth or sixth month of the following year, when grain was expensive, he would sell his grain at a reduced price. When the money was handed over, he’d have the buyers enter the granary themselves and would not let them take anything until the scales were perfectly level. The village all called him ‘Chen Weigh-It-Yourself’. At that time there was a terrible drought; the prefectural chief prayed for relief, but without result. One night he dreamed that the town god said: “Chen Weigh-It-Yourself has the rain.” When he awoke from the dream, he sent servants to seek a meeting at the prefecture offices. On seeing him, he was delighted, preparing candles and incense, having monks chant sutras and ordering them to pray for his longevity. Chen said: “Your servant is just a villager, lacking any skill with which to pray for rain.” The prefectural chief told him about the dream, and urged him strongly. Chen had no choice but to light incense and turn his face to heaven, praying earnestly and begging for three days of continuous heavy rain to relieve somewhat the worry and pain of the populace. When evening fell there was indeed a great rainfall, which only stopped after three days, and the people of the prefecture were all delighted. This benevolent elder’s daily reduction of grain prices was enough to move the heavens.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 前2.108 (Tale 189):

平心感天

高安縣調露鄉陳仁父，居村田宅稍富，專事釋老之學。每年春留穀二千石，至次年五六月米貴之時，減價發糶，既交錢，令糴者自入倉內量出，不許多取，務要兩平。一村稱之曰「陳自量」。時大旱，太守祈求不應，夜夢城隍曰：「調露鄉陳自量有雨。」夢覺，差人尋訪赴郡。太守見之，喜具香燭，僧道誦經，就令祈禱。陳曰：「某村夫，無術可以祈雨。」太守以所夢事告，強之。陳不免炷香，對空而禱，乞降霖雨三日，以濟焦沽（「沽」，疑當作「枯」。）少甦民望。至晚果大雨，三日方止，一郡之人皆悅。蓋仁父平日減米價，足以感天也。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

A Spirit Rebukes A Musician 神譴樂人

The Dongyue Temple in Fenggao County was very austere, and observed an annual custom on the twenty-eighth day of the third month, where the townsfolk celebrated the birthday of the Yue Emperor. The old custom was to offer wine, and at the fourth cup to play the [225] tune ‘Ten Thousand Years of Joy’. In the Zhiyuan era (1264-94), the wuyin year (1278), the musician Wan Shou thought that, because that year’s harvest had failed, there would not be anyone to take charge of the affair, and also no offerings, so only played a popular tune in the mournful shang mode. Wan Shou later dreamed that he was escorted by yellow-robed clerks to a place below the hall of the True Lord Qingyuan at the Yue Temple, and the True Lord asked: “Yesterday, on the birthday of the Yue Emperor, wine was offered; why, on the fourth cup, did you just play some kind of popular ditty?” Wan Shou could not find a single word to respond. The True Lord spoke in judgement: “The sentence is: twenty canes across the back, three successive years of illness, banishment across the sea to be incarcerated in the demon cave.” The next day an abcess opened on his back, as big as a bowl in size. It persisted for three years, after which he died.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.224-25 (Tale 400):

神譴樂人

奉高縣東嶽廟甚嚴，年例以三月二十八日，市民慶賀岳帝壽辰。舊例酌獻，第四盞例是樂 [225] 奏《萬年歡》。至元戊寅，樂人萬壽心思是年荒歉，既無人主事，又無祗待，遂只奏商調小曲。後萬壽夢被黃衣吏攝至岳廟清源真君殿下，真君問曰：「前日嶽帝生日酌獻，你如何第四盞只奏小曲？」萬壽竟無辭以應。真君判云： 「決脊杖二十，連病三年，押赴海外鬼洞收管。」次日果背發一疽，其大如碗，連綿三歲而死。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

Li Yue Prays For Rain 梨岳祈雨

When Shi Yuzhi (1216-1293) was judge over Jianning Prefecture, the climate settled into a severe drought. At Li Yue the prefecture had a powerful spirit, and one day Mr Shi went to pray in the ancestral hall, saying: “The spirit is a deity who enjoys the offerings from this land; your servant is a minister upholding an order to protect this land; this prefecture has long suffered drought, the seedlings and grains will soon wilt; if the spirit does not send rain, how will our hearts be soothed? Now I will pour two cups of wine; the spirit will drink one, your servant will drink one, and if the spirit sends sweet timely rain, commendation at court will bring generous titles and rewards. If there is no rain, destruction will visit your statue and fire your temple.” Mr Shi lifted a cup of wine, and the spirit emptied the cup of wine in front of him. Just as he emerged from the temple gate, dark clouds gathered, rain fell in torrents, and duckweed covered all around, vapour rising to blanket the earth. When the rain stopped, the water of the western river had quite dried up. They thus realized that the spirit had transported that to use as rain.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.223 (Tale 396):

梨岳祈雨

史宇之以大觀文殿學士判建寧府，值天時亢旱，郡有神靈於梨岳，一日禱於祠，曰：「神為血食此土之神，某奉君命守土之臣，斯郡久旱，苗稼將枯，神不降雨，我心何安？今釃酒二，神飲其一，某飲其一，若神降甘澍，保奏朝廷，厚其封贈。其或不雨，毀像焚廟。」史公舉杯一飲，而神前杯酒已竭矣。甫出門，陰雲四合，雨即霶霈，與萍俱下，水已帶土氣。雨止，西河之水已竭。乃知神運河之水以為雨也。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

Human-Flesh Wontons 人肉餛飩

In the gengyin year of the Shaoding era (1230), the grain in the areas belonging to Ruizhou in Jiangxi ripened empty, and there was hunger and famine among the populace. Troublemakers in the affected region slaughtered cattle for market, but recklessly sold human flesh mixed and stuffed into it. The starved populace gathered ‘like spokes at a hub’, and it sold out with great speed; of what was left behind the beef was the majority. Therefore the people all looked to find the truth; they were arrested and taken to the government office, where they confessed one by one. When the officials thought about [73] the hubbub and chaos they made, they secretly decided they didn’t dare to impose the mandatory death penalty. On the basis of their confession, and as a person’s body does not contain much meat – there is only a little more than one-and-a-half strings of coins in weight that can be sliced off the buttocks and legs. Taking so many bodies, how can this be borne?

In the Jiading era (1208-24), the gengzi year,[1] Lin’an suffered a great drought, and the harvest failed. By the Liushui Bridge outside the city walls there were similarly deceitful types who killed people and picked off their flesh to make wonton, baozi dumplings and the like. In the spring of the xinchou year (either 1181 or 1241), this became especially serious; among the meat was skin tattooed with a recognisable pattern, although nobody dared to say so. All who bought meat had first to ask, “Is this polished-rice-pork? Or is it rice-husk-pork?” ‘Polished-rice-pork’ was human flesh; ‘rice-husk-pork’ was true pork. This matter later became the beginning of the Liu (i.e., Song) decline.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 前2.73-74 (Tale 127):

人肉餛飩

紹定庚寅，江西瑞州管下禾稼秀而不實，民間飢荒。屬地頑民屠牛為市，浪賣人肉雜而為餡，飢民輻輳，發賣盛行，而牛肉多有存者。以故人皆物色得實，緝捕到官，一一招伏。官司慮 [73] 此聲旁達，暗行予決，不敢明正典刑。據其供吐，人之一身苦無多肉，僅有臀腿亂削之餘有淨肉一緡半重。所得寧幾，何忍哉！

嘉定庚子，臨安大旱，歲飢。城外溜水橋亦騙死人剔其肉為餛飩包子之屬。辛丑春尤甚，其中間有花繡之皮，稍可辨認，人無敢言。凡買肉者必先問：「買米猪？買糠猪？」米猪則人肉也，糠猪則真猪也，後因劉自事始敗。

Yuan Haowen 元好問, Chang Zhenguo 常振國 (ed), Xu Yijian zhi 續夷堅志 (Continued Records of the Listener), and Anon., Jin Xin 金心 (ed.), Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi 湖海新聞夷堅續志 (Continuation of Records of the Listener with New Items from the Lakes and Seas) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1986).

[1] This is an impossible date: the 37th cyclical year should be either 1240 or 1180; neither fit the regnal era specified.