Original Text
When Minister Wang Yuncang was on his way to take up an official post in the Chu region, he planned to ascend Dragon Tiger Mountain to pay a visit to the Heavenly Master Zhang. Upon reaching the shores of Poyang Lake and just as he had boarded his vessel, a small boat approached, and someone aboard requested an audience with the Minister through the boatmen. Wang received the visitor, who appeared dignified and stalwart, with a commanding presence. The man drew forth a name card from the Heavenly Master Zhang and said, "Hearing that Your Excellency intends to honor us with a visit, the Heavenly Master has sent me ahead to welcome you." Wang was astonished that the Heavenly Master had foreknowledge of his coming and regarded him with even greater reverence as a divine being, proceeding with sincere devotion to pay his respects. Upon reaching the mountain, the Heavenly Master hosted a banquet in Wang's honor. The attendants serving at the feast were clad in garments and caps and bore long beards that were mostly unlike those of ordinary men. The earlier messenger was also in attendance, waiting upon them.
After a moment, he whispered a few words into the ear of the Heavenly Master. The Heavenly Master said to Lord Wang, "This is a fellow townsman of yours, sir—do you not recognize him?" Lord Wang hastily inquired who it was. The Heavenly Master replied, "This is none other than the Hail God Li Zuoche, of whom legend speaks!" Lord Wang, upon hearing this, was so startled that his countenance changed. The Heavenly Master said, "Just now he mentioned that he must take his leave, as he has been ordered to descend and deliver a hailstorm." Lord Wang asked, "To what place is the hail to fall?" The Heavenly Master answered, "It is Zhangqiu." Because Zhangqiu bordered his own hometown, Lord Wang was deeply concerned, and thus rose from his seat to plead that the calamity of hail be averted. The Heavenly Master said, "This is a decree from the Jade Emperor; the amount of hail to be sent down is fixed by regulation—how could I grant a private favor?" Lord Wang continued to entreat without cease. The Heavenly Master pondered for a long while, then turned to the Hail God and instructed, "You may let the hail fall mostly in the mountain valleys, and do your utmost to avoid harming the crops." He further admonished, "Now that there is an honored guest present, you must depart slowly and not act rashly." The Hail God went out into the courtyard, where suddenly smoke arose beneath his feet and clouds and mist swirled around him. After about the space of a quarter of an hour, he exerted himself to leap upward, reaching a height only slightly above the trees in the yard; then, with another leap, he rose above the towers and pavilions; with a thunderous crash, he flew northward, shaking the house and causing the vessels on the banquet table to jolt and sway. Lord Wang said in alarm, "Is it that when he departs, thunder and lightning erupt?" The Heavenly Master replied, "I just cautioned him, and that is why he left slowly. Otherwise, with a single clap of thunder on level ground, he would vanish without a trace." After Lord Wang took his leave of the Heavenly Master and returned home, he noted the day and month, and sent someone to Zhangqiu to make inquiries. It turned out that on that very day, a great hailstorm had indeed occurred there, filling the ditches and streams with hail, while in the crop fields there were only a few hailstones.
Commentary
The title "The Hail God" appears twice in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," both recounting the legend of the Hail God Li Zuoche; one tale is found in the first volume, the other in the twelfth, indicating that during Pu Songling's time, the folklore surrounding the Hail God was quite abundant in his hometown, likely due to the frequent natural disasters, especially hailstorms, in the Zichuan region.
Since this is a legend, it naturally emphasizes its authenticity. The witnesses in these two tales of the Hail God are both well-known figures in Zichuan—one is Wang Yuncang, a jinshi from the late Ming dynasty, and the other is Tang Jiwu, a jinshi contemporary with Pu Songling. As witnesses to the stories, they enhance the tales' credibility and reliability.
Although this piece incorporates plot elements from earlier stories—such as the phrases "do not harm the crops" and "depart with civility, not force," which clearly derive from the dialogue between the Lord of Dongting and the Lord of Qiantang in the Tang dynasty romance "The Tale of Liu Yi"—the depiction of the Hail God Li Zuoju as a deity under the command of the Taoist Celestial Master Zhang is a precious and uniquely preserved piece of folkloric material.