Original Text
In Zhaoyuan County, Shandong, there lived a man named Zhang Yudan, who was bold and unrestrained by nature, and at that time was studying in a temple. The magistrate of Zhaoyuan, Lord Lu, was a man from Sanhan, and had a daughter who was very fond of hunting. Zhang had once encountered her in the wilds and saw that her countenance was exceedingly delicate and beautiful; she wore a brocade and sable jacket, rode a small black horse, and had an elegant bearing like a figure in a painting. Returning to the temple, Zhang recalled the lady's flower-like face and moon-like beauty, and was deeply infatuated. Later, he heard that the young lady had died suddenly of illness, and his grief was so intense that he wished to die. Because Lord Lu was far from his hometown, he placed his daughter's coffin temporarily in the temple—the very temple where Zhang was studying. Zhang treated the magistrate's daughter with the utmost reverence, as if she were a deity, burning incense and praying every morning, and offering sacrifices at every meal. He often poured wine on the ground and prayed: "I was fortunate enough to glimpse half of your fair face, and I often see you in my dreams. I never thought that such a beauty would suddenly pass away. Today, though you and I are near at hand, separated by the boundary between the living and the dead, it feels as distant as thousands of rivers and mountains. How deep and painful is my regret! While you lived, you were bound by propriety; now that you are dead, there should be no such restrictions. If you have a spirit in the underworld, you should come gracefully to comfort my deep admiration." Zhang prayed day and night without ceasing for nearly half a month.
One evening, Zhang Yudan was reading by lamplight when he looked up and saw Miss Lu already standing before the lamp, smiling. Zhang Yudan hastily rose to greet her, and Miss Lu said, "Moved by your deep affection, I could not restrain myself, and so I have set aside all scruples about clandestine meetings." Overjoyed, Zhang Yudan joined her in bliss, and from that night onward, Miss Lu came to him every evening without fail. One day, she said to him, "In life, I loved riding and hunting, taking pleasure in shooting deer and roebuck; my many killings have burdened me with heavy sins, so that after death my soul has no resting place. If you truly love me with all your heart, please recite the Diamond Sutra for me a full store of times, and I shall remember your kindness for all my lifetimes." Zhang Yudan earnestly complied, rising each night to kneel before her coffin and chant the sutra while telling his beads. Once, during a festival, Zhang Yudan wished to take Miss Lu home with him. She feared her legs were too weak for the long journey, so he offered to carry her, and she smilingly agreed. He lifted her as easily as a baby, feeling no weight at all, and from then on it became their custom; he even took her along when attending examinations, though they always traveled by night. Later, when Zhang Yudan was about to go for the autumn provincial examination, Miss Lu said, "Your fortune is not ample; going would be a wasted effort." Heeding her words, he did not go.
After four or five years, Lord Lu was dismissed from his official post, and being too poor to transport his daughter's coffin back to his hometown, he planned to bury her remains locally but worried about finding a suitable burial ground. Zhang Yudan then went to Lord Lu and said, "Not far from my home, near the temple, I have a piece of barren land that I would like to offer for the burial of your esteemed daughter." Lord Lu was greatly pleased. Zhang Yudan also exerted himself to help with the interment of the coffin, and Lord Lu was deeply grateful, though he did not understand why Zhang acted so. After Lord Lu departed, the two continued their intimate relationship as before.
One night, Miss Lu leaned sideways in Zhang Yudan's arms, her tears falling like beans, and said, "Five years of love and affection must now come to an end! The kindness you have shown me I could never repay in a hundred lifetimes!" Zhang Yudan asked in astonishment what was the matter. She replied, "Thanks to your boundless grace to me, a soul in the underworld, I have now completed the recitation of a full sutra treasury, and today I am to be reborn into the Lu family, whose father is the Minister of Revenue in Hebei. If you do not forget this day, on the sixteenth day of the eighth month, fifteen years hence, please come to the Lu residence to see me." Zhang Yudan wept and said, "I am already over thirty years old; in another fifteen years, I will be nearing death. Even if I come to see you, what good will it do?" Miss Lu replied, "I wish to be your maidservant to repay you." After a moment, she added, "See me off for six or seven li. The path is thick with brambles, and my robes are too long; I fear I cannot pass easily." So she clasped Zhang Yudan's neck, and he carried her to a broad roadside. There they saw a procession of carriages and horses; some riders were alone, others in pairs, while the carriages held three or four, or even ten or more people. Only one carriage, adorned with gold and silver and hung with embroidered curtains, carried a single old woman. When she saw Miss Lu approaching, she called out, "Have you come?" Miss Lu replied, "I have come." Then she turned to Zhang Yudan and said, "See me no further. Go back now, and do not forget my words." Zhang Yudan promised her. She approached the carriage, the old woman helped her aboard, the wheels began to turn, and the other carriages and horses set off with a jingling and clattering.
Zhang Yudan returned home in melancholy and recorded the day of parting upon the wall. Reflecting that this was the fruit of his devout chanting of Buddhist sutras, he became even more earnest in his recitations. In a dream, a divine being told him: "Your aspiration is most commendable, but you must yet journey to the Southern Sea." Zhang asked, "How far is the Southern Sea?" The divine being replied, "The Southern Sea lies within the square inch of your heart." Upon waking, Zhang grasped the divine being's meaning and devoted himself wholly to reciting the Buddha's name, cultivating his practice with even greater purity. Three years later, his second son, Zhang Ming, and his eldest son, Zhang Zheng, successively attained scholarly honors. Though Zhang Yudan suddenly rose to wealth and rank, he remained steadfast in doing good, never slackening. One night, he dreamed that a person in blue robes led him to a palace, where he saw a figure seated upon the dais, resembling a Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva welcomed Zhang, saying, "Your single-minded devotion to goodness is most gratifying. It is a pity that you are not destined for long life, but fortunately I have already pleaded with the Heavenly Emperor on your behalf." Zhang prostrated himself, knocking his head on the ground in gratitude. The Bodhisattva bade him rise, offered him a seat, and presented fragrant tea, whose aroma was like that of orchids. Then a lad was sent to lead him to bathe. The pool water was clear and pure, with fish visible within; upon entering, Zhang felt the water warm and soothing, and when he cupped it to his nose, it bore the scent of lotus leaves. After a while, he gradually moved into deeper water, and losing his footing, he sank into a deep pit, where the water suddenly engulfed his head. He awoke with a start, filled with wonder. From that day onward, his body grew stronger day by day, and his eyesight became keener. When he stroked his beard, the white hairs all fell away with a rustling sound; after some time, even the black hairs dropped off completely, and the wrinkles on his face gradually smoothed out. Within a few months, his chin was smooth and his countenance radiant, like that of a youth of fifteen or sixteen. He also took to playful amusements, behaving like a child. Because he paid excessive attention to his grooming and attire, his two sons often advised him against it. After a while, his wife grew old and passed away from illness. His sons wished to find him a second wife from a prominent family, but Zhang Yudan said, "Let me first journey to the region north of the Yellow River, and I will consider remarrying upon my return."
Zhang Yudan counted on his fingers and realized that the time he had agreed upon with the young lady of the Lu family was fast approaching. He then drove his carriage, accompanied by his servants, and journeyed to Hebei. Upon inquiry, he indeed found a Minister of Revenue named Lu. It turned out that the Minister had a daughter who could speak from birth, and as she grew older, she became even more intelligent and beautiful; her parents doted on her above all others. When sons of wealthy and noble families came to seek her hand in marriage, the girl always refused. Her parents found this strange and questioned her, whereupon she recounted in detail the vow she had made with Zhang Yudan before her reincarnation. They all calculated the years together, and her parents laughed heartily, saying, "Foolish child, by our reckoning, Zhang Lang is already over fifty years old. The world has undergone great changes; by now, his bones are likely rotted away. Even if he still lives, his hair and teeth have probably all fallen out." The girl paid no heed. Her mother, seeing her resolve unshaken, consulted with Minister Lu and instructed the gatekeeper not to admit any visitor who came seeking the daughter, hoping that after the appointed time passed, her hopes would be dashed. Soon, Zhang Yudan arrived at the Lu residence, but the gatekeeper refused him entry. Returning to his inn, he was filled with deep regret and frustration, yet he could think of no remedy. He could only wander idly outside the city, slowly making inquiries about the young lady of the Lu family.
Miss Lu believed that Zhang Yudan had betrayed their vow, and she wept so bitterly that she could neither eat nor drink. Her mother said to her, "If Zhang does not come, perhaps he has already died. Even if he lives, the fault of breaking the oath lies with him, not with you!" The daughter said not a word, but lay in bed all day without rising. Lord Lu was deeply troubled and wished to see what sort of man Zhang Yudan was. He therefore pretended to go on an outing and happened to encounter Zhang outside the city. Seeing that he was a young man, Lord Lu was surprised. They sat on the grass and exchanged a few words, and Lord Lu found Zhang Yudan exceedingly refined and elegant. Delighted, he invited him to his home. As Zhang was inquiring about the girl's condition, Lord Lu suddenly rose, bid the guest wait a moment, and hurried into the inner chambers to tell his daughter. The daughter was overjoyed and sprang from her bed at once. Peeping at the visitor, she saw that he did not match Zhang's former appearance, and she returned weeping, accusing her father of deceiving her. Lord Lu insisted that this young man was indeed Zhang Yudan, but his daughter remained silent, sobbing without cease. Lord Lu came out, feeling greatly disheartened, and treated the guest with little courtesy. Zhang asked, "Is there an elder gentleman here who once served as Minister of Revenue?" Lord Lu answered vaguely, looking about as if he had no regard for the guest. Zhang, sensing Lord Lu's coldness, took his leave and departed. Lord Lu's daughter wept bitterly for several days and then died.
That night, Zhang Yudan dreamed that Magistrate Lu's daughter came to him and said, "Was it truly you who came seeking me? Because our ages and appearances were so vastly different, we could not recognize each other upon meeting, and thus we were parted forever across lifetimes. I have died of grief and resentment. I beg you to hurry to the Earth God's shrine and summon my soul; I may yet be revived, but if you delay any longer, it will be too late." Zhang Yudan awoke from his dream and hastened to Magistrate Lu's residence to inquire, and indeed his daughter had been dead for two days. Zhang Yudan was overcome with sorrow; he went to the chamber where her body lay to offer condolences and recounted his dream to Magistrate Lu. Magistrate Lu heeded his words and went to the Earth God's shrine to summon his daughter's soul. Upon returning, he lifted the quilt covering her, stroked her corpse, called out to her, and offered prayers. In a short while, a gurgling sound was heard from her throat, and her crimson lips suddenly parted, expelling a sticky phlegm like ice. Magistrate Lu moved her to a bed, and gradually she began to moan, and indeed she revived. Magistrate Lu was overjoyed; he invited Zhang Yudan out and prepared a feast to celebrate. He inquired carefully into Zhang Yudan's family background and, learning that he was of noble lineage, was even more delighted. He then selected an auspicious day and hour and had his daughter wed to him.
After half a month, Zhang Yudan brought his new bride home. Lord Lu escorted his daughter to the Zhang residence, where she stayed for half a year before departing. Zhang Yudan and his wife lived together like a young couple, and those unaware of the circumstances often mistook the son and daughter-in-law for the father and mother. Lord Lu passed away a year later, and the youngest son of his household, being the most vulnerable, was wrongfully accused by a powerful bully, nearly losing all his family property. Zhang Yudan took him in and raised him, and thus the boy settled his home in the Zhang household.
Commentary
This is a story about a female ghost's reincarnated marriage fate.
The motif of reincarnated marriage originates from "The Jade Flute Transformed" in Fan Shu's "Cloud Creek Friends' Discussions" from the late Tang dynasty. It tells of Wei Gao and Jade Flute's mutual affection; after Jade Flute dies and is reborn as a singing girl, twelve years later she and Wei Gao are reunited as husband and wife. In this tale, the daughter of Duke Lu appears as a ghost, falling in love with the scholar Zhang Yudan and being reborn as his lover. He Yin, a commentator on "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," remarked: "It was only that the scholar admired the young lady; she initially knew nothing of him. Only because after her death he offered sacrifices at every meal did she pledge herself to him in the next life. Could it be that where love is deeply fixed, even life and death cannot separate them?" Dan Minglun said: "To repay with one's body, regardless of the years, and to pledge in rebirth, agreeing across different lands—from ancient times to the present, through countless kalpas and myriad worlds, it is merely a single word: love."
Although this tale is not lengthy, comprising only a little over a thousand words, it is written with intricate and lingering emotion, rich in folkloric content. At the end of the story, the reborn daughter of Lord Lu fails to recognize Zhang Yudan, which, though necessary for the twists of the narrative, seems slightly superfluous.