He Siling 賀思令

He Siling, of Guiji, was skilled at playing the qin zither. One night he was sitting in the moonlight facing into the wind and playing music, when he suddenly saw a person of extremely large stature, bearing shackles and wearing a sorrowful countenance. When this man arrived in the courtyard, he praised the playing and they spoke a while. He introduced himself as Ji Zhongsan,[1] and told He: “The gentleman’s hand movements are extremely rapid, but do not yet conform to the ancient rules.” He then gave instruction on the ‘Guanglingsan’,[2] and He thus achieved mastery in this. The manifestation then ceased.

From Youminglu.

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, 324.2569:

賀思令

會稽賀思令。善彈琴。嘗夜在月中坐。臨風撫奏。忽有一人。形器甚偉。著械有慘色。至其中庭。稱善。便與共語。自云是嵇中散。謂賀云。卿下手極快。但于古法未合。因授以廣陵散。賀因得之。於今不絕。出幽明錄

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[1] Ji Zhongsan 嵇中散, also known as Ji Kang 嵇康, courtesy name Shuye 叔夜 (223-62 CE), a famed musician and Daoist poet active under the Wei 魏 (220-65 CE), was executed by the minister Sima Zhao 司馬昭 (211-65 CE).

[2] ‘Guanglingsan’ 廣陵散 was an air famously played but not explained or taught by Ji Zhongsan 嵇中散.

Liu Daoxi 劉道錫

In their youth, Liu Daoxi and his younger cousin Kang Zu did not believe in spirits. Their older cousin Xing Bo had seen spirits from a young age, but they were unable to accept his accounts when he spoke of it. Once, at a residence east of the Changguang Bridge in Jingkou, he told them: “There’s the ghost of a murder victim, over on the eastern fence.” Daoxi laughed, but then asked for the location and led Xing Bo over there, waving a large knife wishing to hack at it. Xing Bo called out from behind him: “The spirit’s hitting you!” Daoxi had not even reached the ghost’s place when he heard a sound like a great club swinging. Daoxi then dropped to the ground and only awoke after the night had passed. A month and a day later, Xing Bo again spoke up: “There’s a spirit up the tree at the eastern end of the government hall. In shape it is like a child, but it is so tall that it must be dangerous.” Kang Zu did not believe this, and asked how high up it was in the tree. He pointed to a clearly distinct spot. More than ten days passed, and then, on an evening with a waning moon, Daoxi stabbed with a halberd at the place where the spirit had been, then returned, nobody being any the following day, Xing Bo came around early, then suddenly said, quite shocked, “This spirit was stabbed by someone last night! It’s half-dead and quite unable to move.” Kang laughed out loud.

From Youminglu.

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, 320.2540:

劉道錫 劉道錫與從弟康祖。少不信有鬼。從兄興伯。少來見鬼。但辭論。不能相屈。嘗於京口長廣橋宅東。云。有殺鬼。在東籬上。道錫笑。便問其處。牽興伯俱去。捉大刀欲斫之。興伯在後喚云。鬼擊汝。道錫未及鬼處。便聞如有大杖聲。道錫因倒地。經宿乃醒。一月日都差。興伯復云。廳事東頭桑樹上有鬼。形尚孺。長必害人。康祖不信。問在樹高下。指處分明。經十餘日。是月晦夕。道錫逃闇中。以戟刺鬼所住。便還。人無知者。明日。興伯早來。忽驚曰。此鬼昨夜那得人刺之。殆死。都不能復動。死亦當不久。康大笑。出幽明錄

Wang Gongbo 王恭伯

Wang Gongbo, courtesy name Zisheng, who lived under the Jin (265-420 CE) and came from Guiji, was elegant in appearance and skilled at playing the zither. While serving the Crown Prince as Palace Secretary, he requested leave to rest in Wu. On reaching the courier’s lodge at the Changmen Gate,[1] he gazed at the moon and played his zither. Presently a woman appeared, with a girl following her, who addressed Gongbo: “Your servant has always loved the zither, and would like to play it with you.” In appearance she was extremely beautiful. Gongbo stayed the night with her, and took his leave a little before daybreak, receiving presents of a padded brocade sachet of fragrance and a jade hairpin. Gongbo then gave her another jade hairpin as a parting gift.

Soon after, when the sun rose, he heard that the daughter of Liu Huiji, Magistrate of Wu County, had died on a nearby boat, and that a jade hairpin and spice sachet had gone missing from before her funeral tablet. Soon [2520] after, government clerks searched through the neighbouring boats. When they arrived at Gongbo’s vessel they seized him. Gongbo was scared, and related the whole story, telling them: “I gave her a jade hairpin, too.” Huiji ordered that this be investigated, and they did indeed find this in the dead girl’s hair. Huiji broke down and wept, calling out to Gongbo with the courtesy due a son-in-law. His daughter had been called Zhihua, and she had died at age sixteen.

From Xingzicaishanhebieji.

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, 318.2519-20:

王恭伯

晉世王恭伯。字子升。會稽人。美姿容。善鼓琴。為東宮舍人。求假休吳。到閶門郵亭。望月鼓琴。俄有一女子。從一女。謂恭伯曰。妾平生愛琴。願共撫之。其姿質甚麗。恭伯留之宿。向曉而別。以錦褥香囊為訣。恭伯以玉簪贈行。俄而天曉。聞鄰船有吳縣令劉惠基亡女。靈前失錦褥及香囊。斯 [2520] 須。有官吏遍搜鄰船。至恭伯船。獲之。恭伯懼。因述其〈明鈔本述其作還之。〉言。我亦贈其玉簪。惠基令檢。果於亡女頭上獲之。惠基乃慟哭。因呼恭伯以子壻之禮。其女名稚華。年十六而卒。出刑子才山河別記

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[1] This may refer to the famous west gate of Suzhou 蘇州 or the western gate in Yangzhou 揚州.

Moonlight Traces An Immortal 月影仙跡

Wang Tinggui was from Luxi, in Ancheng. His courtesy name was Minzhan, and he was a student of the imperial university, having passed the highest examinations. He once took leave of Hu Dan’an with a poem on the latter’s demotion to Xinzhou. Gui [?who? Qin Hui (1090-1155)?] heard of this and was angry, demoting him too. When Gui died, he was summoned to court once more, appointed Academician in the Cabinet for Promotion of Literature, but resigned the post and returned to live in seclusion in his home village, travelling around and resting at Mengcao Convent. In late spring, when the roseleaf raspberry was in full bloom, it was almost dawn when the waning moonlight illuminated a figure, seemingly dressed like a lay Buddhist, and who addressed a vegetable-washing servant, saying: “Please give us a poem; Lü Dongbin is coming to see you.” The servant said: “It is still early.” When the servant went in to announce this, Wang straightened his robe and hurried out, but could see only the moonlight outlining the form of a person on the ground. He kowtowed and bowed to them, but then there was nothing to be seen. He later amended the scrolls around the convent gate to read:

Moonlight traces immortal vestiges

Fragrant blooms bring spirit to the writing-brush.

Anon., Huhai xinwen yijian xuzhi, 後1.133 (Tale 233):

月影仙跡

安成盧溪王庭珪，字民瞻，太學生（明刻本無「生」字。）登第。嘗以詩送胡澹庵貶新州。檜見而怒，例遭貶。檜死，召還朝，除敷文閣學士，致仕，歸遯丘園，遊息于夢草庵。莫春荼䕷盛開，天將曙，殘月照人，偶有衣白衣人來，與洗菜僕曰：「請與敷文說，呂洞賓來相見。」僕曰：「尚早。」及僕入語，王攬衣急出，但見月影，一人在地，遂扣而拜之，不復可見。後改庵前門帖云：「月影印仙迹，花香供筆靈。」

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).