A Jiangling Granny 江陵姥

Granny Zhao of Jiangling made her living as a wineseller. During the Yixi era (405-19 CE), humps suddenly rose in the floor of her room. Granny investigated this strange occurrence, and sprinkled wine onto them each day at dawn and dusk. She once saw a thing like a horse’s head emerge, but no holes were left in the floor behind it. When Granny died, her family heard a sound like weeping coming from beneath the earth, and later, when someone dug down, they saw a strange worm-like thing, its size impossible to guess at, which quickly vanished. People call such things Earth Dragons.

From Zhugongjiushi.

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), ix, 418.3402:

江陵姥

江陵趙姥以沽酒為業。義煕中。居室內忽地隆起。姥察為異。朝夕以酒酹之。嘗見一物出頭似驢。而地初無孔穴。及姥死。家人聞土下有聲如哭。後人掘地。見一異物蠢然。不測大小。須臾失之。俗謂之土龍。

出渚宮舊事

Liu Kuo 劉廓

When the Song-era Chen Youzhi (d. 478 CE) was on garrison duty, Zhu Daozhen once served as Magistrate of Chanling, and Liu Kuo in the Revenue Section for Jingzhou. The two lodged together in Jiangling, and both enjoyed playing weiqi (a chess-like game), meeting night and day. Daozhen died on the sixth day of the third year in the Yuanhui era (475 CE). After several months had passed, Kuo was seated in the study when he suddenly caught sight of a person, who handed Kuo a letter, telling him: “Written by Zhu of Chanling.” It read:

Ever missing meeting for chess,

Never wanting separation.

Your fated approach draws near,

I dream you may soon visit.

When Kuo finished reading, the letter was nowhere to be seen. He was confined to bed by illness and soon died.

From Zhugongjiushi.

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, 325.2583:

劉廓

宋沈攸之在鎮。朱道珍嘗為孱陵令。劉廓為荊州戶曹。各相並居江陵。皆好圍棊。日夜相就。道珍元徽三年六日亡。至數月。廓坐齋中。忽見一人。以書授廓云。朱孱陵書。題云。每思棊聚。非意致濶。方有來緣。想能近顧。廓讀畢。失信所在。寢疾尋卒。出渚宮舊事

Zhu Huichi 竺惠熾

[2569] The śramaṇa Buddhist monk Zhu Huichi, who lived in the Siceng Monastery in Jiangling, died in the second year of the Yongchu era (421 CE). Seven days later, the disciples all gathered and stepped outside the monastery, leaving behind only one monk, Ming Dao, who had previously fallen ill. Suddenly Ming saw Huichi, who told him: “Previously, in life, I was unable to abstain from meat-eating. Now I am fallen to the starving dog hell, to make me understand the consequences.”

From Yiyuan.

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, 324.2568-69:

竺惠熾

[2569] 沙門竺惠熾。住江陵四層佛寺。以永初二年卒。葬後。弟子七日會。舉寺悉出。唯僧明道先患病。獨停。忽見惠熾。謂明曰。我生不能斷肉。今落餓狗地獄。令知有報。出異苑

Zhu Tai 朱泰

Zhu Tai’s home was in Jiangling. During the [Liu] Song Yuanhui era (473-77 CE), he fell ill and died, but before he could be buried he manifested and took visible form. Returning to sit beside his corpse, he comforted his mother, and the gathered throng all saw him. Indicating the items laid out to accompany him to the grave, a matter in which he followed a frugal ideal, he asked his mother: “Our family is relatively poor, and now Tai has died, and can no longer offer support. How can so much be expended on a burial?”

From Shuyiji.  

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, 323.2565:

朱泰

朱泰家在江陵。宋元徽中。病亡未殯。忽形見。還坐尸側。慰勉其母。衆皆見之。指揮送終之具。務從儉約。謂母曰。家比貧。泰又亡歿。永違侍養。殯殮何可廣費。出述異記

Painting Connecting To Spirits 繪畫通神

Zhang Sengyou of the Liang was skilled at drawing, and served as prefectural chief of Wuxing. Whenever Emperor Wu (464-549 CE) thought of one of his vassal princes, he would order Sengyou to go and draw their portrait, which was like a double of the subject’s face. Once, while in the Tianhuang Monastery in Jiangling, he painted the Buddha, Confucius and the Ten Sages, and the emperor asked: “Why draw these in a Buddhist temple?” He replied: “Some day this will benefit them.” Later, when Zhou burned out the Buddhists, in order to construct a Confucian hall, this alone was saved from the flames. Moreover, when he painted four dragons at the Jiangling Anle Monastery, he did not dot their eyes. People questioned this, and he replied: “If dotted they will fly off.” The crowd thought he was joking, and insisted he dot them. In an instant they heard a thunderclap, and two dragons climbed the clouds and soared upwards; only the two without the eye-dots remained behind. This is painting that connects to spirits.

Li Rong 李冗, Du yi zhi 獨異志 (Outstanding Fantastic Stories), 上1.14 (Tale 76):

繪畫通神

梁張僧繇善畫，為吴興太守。武帝每思諸王在外藩者，即令僧繇乘傳往寫其貌，如對其面。嘗於江陵天皇寺畫佛并仲尼及十哲，帝曰：「釋門之內畫此，何也？」對曰：「異日賴之。」至後周焚滅佛教，以此殿有儒聖，獨不焚之。又於金陵安樂寺畫四龍，不點睛。人問之，答曰：「點則飛去。」衆人以為虛誕，固請點之。頃刻雷霆，二龍乘雲騰上；其二不點者猶在。畫之通神若此。

Li Rong 李冗, Du yi zhi, 獨異志 (Outstanding Fantastic Stories) in Du yi zhi, Xuanshi Zhi 獨異志，宣室志 (Outstanding Fantastic Stories, Stories from the Chamber of Dissemination), edited by Zhang Yongqin 张永钦 and Hou Zhiming 侯志明 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1983)

 

Fox Spirits Present Cases 妖狐陳狀

Zhou Ju’an of Ancheng passed the civil examinations when very young, and was first employed as registrar and constable of Songzi in Jiangling. One night within a few months of taking up the post, his father Zhou Hongbo dreamt that the sage protector Zhenwu addressed him, saying: “Your son began his official career very young, but in recent days fox spirits have transformed into seven women bringing complaints in order to turn his head; you should deal with the matter.” As soon as he awoke, he told his son about the dream. Ju’an waited until dawn to see to the matter, first, having already summoned military officers to the government office, he waited for them to arrive. Suddenly, when he had started to judge cases, seven women came to make speeches presenting their complaints, and the constable-registrar judged the cases with composure. Before long the hubbub and noise became extreme, at which he shouted to the soldiers, who shackled and jailed them, although two had already slipped away. The five people all changed into foxes, but said: “You should not kill us, killing us would not be auspicious.” The registrar-constable did not answer, but eventually had them flogged to death, reporting the matter to the government office.

At that time the Vice Grand Councilor Bie was a prominent judge in Jiangling, and was especially pleased to receive his report, soon writing a proclamation that he would come and commend Constable-Registrar Zhou at his office. The Zhous, father and son, on receiving this proclamation, were more than a little surprised, and wondered whether there might be some other reason behind it. On his arrival, Vice Grand Councilor Bie, seeing them, said: “Your Honour passed the civil examination very young, at a similar age to your servant. Your servant too, on first taking office, had fox spirits come having transformed themselves into women, and immediately had them executed. Your killing them, sir, was entirely fitting.” He then proclaimed that [Zhou] serve as a judge among his subordinates. When the time came for the constable to set out and take up this post, he prepared his cap and clothing and said farewell to his ancestral temple. Suddenly he saw, in front of him as he walked, an elderly fox sitting upright with some dignity in the hall. It spoke: “The gentleman has killed five of our people, and ought to be killed for this; as the gentleman is moving away, the rich and powerful of near and far must order the taking of five people from the gentleman’s family.” The constable was angry, and struck out at the old fox with the tablet he was holding, at which it died.

Within two years, his two younger brothers died, his two younger sisters died, his father died, and people said this was the fox spirit’s vengeance. Why? One’s life and death is a matter of fate; how could a fox spirit [252] wrest this away? This was merely chance. Ju’an later rose to the seventh grade in Nanxiong, and eventually died.

Anon, Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後2.251-52 (Tale 453):

妖狐陳狀

安成周居安，少年登科，初任江陵松滋簿尉。之任未數月，乃父周洪伯夜夢所事佑聖真武告之曰：「汝子初仕少年，來日有妖狐化作七婦人告狀，以惑汝子，可治之。」翌早，洪伯以所夢告其子。居安待旦視事，先已約束兵使在衙，待其來矣。方判事間，忽有婦女七人來陳狀詞，簿尉判事自若。未幾喧嘩之甚，遂喝兵使縛之，枷鎖入獄，已失其二。五人盡變為狐，卻云：「不可殺我，殺我不祥。」簿尉不答，竟杖死之，以其事申府。時別參政之傑判江陵，得申狀極喜，尋檄周簿尉過本府稟儀。周之父子當被檄之時，不無驚訝，疑有異故。及至，別參政見之，乃云：「足下少年登科，與某登科年相若也。某之初任亦有妖狐化婦而來者，當即殺之。君殺之甚宜。」遂檄為椽屬。尉捧檄啟行之時，具冠裳辭家廟，忽見前所走之老狐踞坐公廳云：「公殺我五人，本合殺公以去，富貴方遠，必公家取五人之命。」尉怒，以所執手版擊之，老狐隨斃。二年之內，二弟死，二妹死，其父死，或曰「曰」原作「者」，據明刻本改。妖狐之報也。吁！夫人死生有命，豈妖狐所 [252] 能奪也，第偶然爾。居安後得七秩南雄而終。

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).