Original Text
Wei Yunwang, a native of Pengquan in Yidu, came from a distinguished and ancient family. Later, his family fortunes declined, and they could no longer afford to support his studies; thus, in his early twenties, he abandoned his scholarly pursuits and followed his father-in-law into the wine-selling trade. One evening, Wei lay alone sleeping in the upper chamber of the tavern, when suddenly he heard a pattering of footsteps below. Startled, he sat up and listened in fear. The sounds drew nearer, ascending the stairs, each step louder than the last. Before long, two maidservants, holding lanterns, had already reached his bedside. Behind them came a young scholar leading a young lady, both approaching the bed with gentle smiles. Wei was greatly astonished, and the thought that they might be fox-spirits made his hair stand on end; he lowered his head, not daring to glance sideways. The scholar laughed and said, "You need not be suspicious. My younger sister is bound to you by a predestined bond from a former life, and it is fitting that she should serve you." Wei looked up at the scholar, who was clad in a brocade robe and sable furs, dazzlingly resplendent, and felt deeply ashamed of his own shabbiness, his face flushing with embarrassment, at a loss for how to reply. The scholar left the lantern behind and departed with the maidservants.
Wei Yunwang carefully examined the young woman; she was delicate and moving, like a celestial maiden, and his heart was filled with deep affection, yet he felt ashamed of his own inadequacy and could not utter any playful words. The young woman looked at Wei Yunwang, smiled, and said, "Are you not a bookworm gnawing at texts? Why do you put on such a poor scholar's air?" Then she drew near to the bedside, placed her hand in Wei Yunwang's bosom to warm herself. Only then did Wei Yunwang break into a smile, adjust his trousers, and flirt with her, drawing close in intimacy. Before the morning bell had rung, two maidservants came to escort the young woman away. They agreed to meet again at nightfall. When night descended, the young woman indeed arrived, her face beaming with a smile, and said, "What fortune has this foolish lad stumbled upon? Without spending a single coin, he has obtained such a beautiful woman, who comes to him of her own accord every night." Seeing that no one else was present, Wei Yunwang was overjoyed, set out wine, and drank with her, playing the finger-guessing game, in which the young woman won nine times out of ten. Then she laughed and said, "It would be better for me to hold the tokens, and you guess; if you guess correctly, you win, and if not, you lose. If I were to guess, you would never have a chance to win." So they played as she suggested, delighting in the game through the entire night. Later, when it was time to sleep, the young woman said, "Last night the bedding was cold and rough, unbearable." She then called for the maidservants to bring her own rolled-up bedding, which they spread on the bed; it was of silk and satin, fragrant and soft. In a moment, they undressed and nestled together, the young woman's lips exuding a fragrant aroma, truly surpassing even Emperor Cheng of Han's 'warm chamber of tenderness.' From then on, this was their daily routine.
Half a year later, Wei Yunwang returned home. It happened to be a moonlit night, and he was speaking with his wife beneath the window when suddenly he saw the young lady, dressed in resplendent attire, seated atop the wall, beckoning to him. He drew near, and she pulled him up, helping him over the wall, then taking his hand, she said, "Today I must part with you. Pray see me a little way, to repay the half year's tender affection and lingering love." Startled, Wei asked the reason, and the lady replied, "Fate and destiny are ever fixed; need I say more?" As they spoke, they reached the outskirts of the village, where the former maidservant awaited them with two lanterns in hand. They proceeded straight to the southern hills, climbed to a high place, and there she bade Wei farewell. Unable to detain them, he watched as they departed. He stood there, his mind unsettled, gazing into the distance as the twin lights flickered and faded, growing ever dimmer until they vanished entirely, and then he returned home in melancholy. That night, all the villagers saw the lights upon the mountain peak.
Commentary
This piece and "The Dog Lamp" from Volume Three are likely companion stories, both being romantic tales of humans and fox maidens introduced by a lamp. The narrative is also relatively simple, where after a tender tryst they part ways, with no deep affection to speak of, and it is all attributed to "karmic fate."
"Karma" is the Buddhist universal explanation for the conditions and causes of the arising and ceasing of all phenomena in the world, as it is said, "When causes and conditions converge, all dharmas arise; when this exists, that exists; when this ceases, that ceases; when this is born, that is born; when this is extinguished, that is extinguished." This also serves as the all-purpose remedy in many of the casually fabricated tales within "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
Although this story is brief, it possesses a complete structure, using the twin lamps to introduce the tale and concluding with them as well. The ending, where "the twin lamps flickered and dimmed, growing distant until they could no longer be seen," and "that night, the villagers all beheld the lights upon the mountain peak," leaves an lingering resonance that stirs the imagination. The fox maiden is the initiator and controller of this romance, displaying dominance in every aspect, and her speech is marked by a vivid individuality, witty and amusing.