Original Text
In the final years of the Ming dynasty, a plague of locusts arose between Qingzhou and Yanzhou, gradually spreading to Yishui County, where the magistrate was greatly troubled. Returning to his private chambers to rest, he dreamed of a scholar who came to seek an audience, wearing a tall cap and green robes, of imposing stature, who claimed to have a fine plan to deal with the locusts. The magistrate hastily asked for advice, and the scholar replied, "Tomorrow, on the main road southwest of the county town, you will see a woman riding a pregnant she-donkey; she is the Locust Goddess. Beseech her, and the calamity will be averted." The magistrate, deeming this dream extraordinary, prepared wine and food and hurried to the southern outskirts. After waiting a long while, indeed a woman appeared with a high coiffure, draped in a brown shawl, riding alone on an old gray donkey, moving slowly and laboriously northward. The magistrate immediately lit incense, offered wine, knelt by the roadside in greeting, and held the donkey's reins to prevent her from leaving. The woman asked, "What does the magistrate wish?" The magistrate earnestly pleaded, "This humble little county, I implore your mercy, that it may be spared from the locusts' mouths!" The woman said, "How hateful that Scholar Liu has been so talkative, revealing my secret! I shall make him bear the burden with his own body, so that the crops may be unharmed." Then she drank three cups of wine and vanished in an instant. Later, the locusts came flying, blotting out the sun, but they did not settle on the crops; they only alighted on willow trees, and wherever they passed, every willow leaf was devoured. Only then did the magistrate realize that the scholar was the Willow Spirit. Some said this was the result of the magistrate's heartfelt concern for the people moving Heaven—and indeed it was so!
Commentary
This was likely a folk legend passed down among the common people of that time.
When people were still unable to explain natural disasters scientifically, they often resorted to supernatural forces for explanation. Though this tale is brief, it vividly portrays three distinct figures: the benevolent magistrate of Yi who cared deeply for his people, the willow spirit who sacrificed itself for the welfare of the village, and the fearsome locust god who, though formidable and quick to anger, could be appeased.
In real life, Pu Songling's attitude toward natural disasters was one of struggle and unyielding resistance. In his work "The Classic of Agriculture and Sericulture," he wrote: "Heaven-sent calamities occur from time to time; is it not said that one may toil in the fields yet meet with a barren year? Yet when drought or flood befalls, Heaven may overcome man; but through methods of defense and resistance, man can overcome Heaven." He specifically included entries such as "Flying Locusts," "Striking the Nymphs," and "Grub Worms," urging farmers to combat locusts, saying, "Seize them early, and they will cause no harm; he who hesitates will find his fields swept clean, and regret will be too late!"