Original Text
Miao Yongding was a senior licentiate from Jiangxi. He was habitually addicted to wine, and most of his clansmen dared not approach him. Once, he happened to visit his paternal uncle's home. Because he was witty and skilled at telling jokes, the guests who conversed with him took great delight in his company, and they all drank freely together. When he became drunk, he flew into a drunken rage, cursing those present and offending the guests. The guests grew exceedingly angry, their indignation stirred, and they argued heatedly. His uncle tried to shield him and mediate by blocking left and right, but Miao believed his uncle was favoring the guests and redirected his fury even more fiercely toward his uncle. His uncle, at his wit's end, rushed to Miao's home and informed his family of the matter. His family came and, supporting and dragging him, managed to bring him back. No sooner had they laid him on the bed than his limbs turned cold; upon feeling him, they found he had already breathed his last.
After Miao Yongding died, a man in a black hat bound him and led him away. After some time, they arrived before an official building whose roof was covered with pale green glazed tiles, more magnificent than any structure in the mortal world. As they reached the foot of the steps, the black-hatted man seemed to be waiting to see the magistrate. Miao thought to himself, what crime have I committed? Perhaps I am being accused of brawling. He glanced at the black-hatted man, whose angry eyes bulged like those of an ox, but dared not ask. Still, he reasoned that as a senior licentiate involved in a quarrel, he might not have committed a grave offense. Suddenly, a clerk from the hall announced that those with lawsuits should return the next morning to await judgment. The crowd below scattered in confusion. Miao followed the black-hatted man out of the building, but having nowhere to go, he cowered under the eaves of a shop. The black-hatted man said angrily, "You drunken ruffian! Night is falling, and everyone is finding a place to eat and sleep. Where do you think you're going?" Miao trembled all over and said, "I don't even know why I was arrested, nor have I informed my family, so I have no money with me. Where can I go?" The black-hatted man replied, "You drunkard! When it comes to buying yourself wine, you always have money! If you talk back to me again, I'll smash your drunken bones with my fists!" Miao hung his head and dared not speak.
Suddenly, a man emerged from the door, and upon seeing Miao Yongding, exclaimed in astonishment, "How did you come here?" Miao Yongding looked closely and recognized his maternal uncle, whose surname was Jia and who had been dead for several years. Only then did Miao Yongding realize with a start that he himself was already dead, and his heart filled with even greater sorrow and terror. Shedding tears, he pleaded with his uncle, "Uncle, save me!" Jia addressed the black-hatted man, saying, "The Eastern Spirit Envoy is no stranger; pray do me the honor of visiting my humble abode." So Miao Yongding and the black-hatted man entered the house. Jia bowed deeply to the black-hatted man and begged him to show special consideration. Soon, wine and dishes were brought out, and the three sat around the table drinking together. Jia asked, "For what matter has my nephew caused you the trouble of apprehending him?" The black-hatted man replied, "The King went to meet the Lord of Fulai and encountered your nephew raving drunk and cursing people, so he ordered me to bring him in." Jia inquired, "Has he seen the King yet?" The black-hatted man answered, "The King is at the Lord of Fulai's place, jointly trying the case of the Flower Beggar, and has not yet returned." Jia then asked, "What crime will my nephew be charged with?" The black-hatted man responded, "That is not yet known. However, the King holds such people in great abhorrence." Miao Yongding, overhearing their conversation, trembled all over, sweat pouring from him, and he could no longer lift his wine cup or chopsticks. Shortly after, the black-hatted man rose to express his thanks, saying, "I have troubled you to prepare such a lavish feast, and I am already drunk. I shall entrust your nephew to your care for now. When the King returns, allow me to call upon you again." With these words, he took his leave and departed.
Jia Mou said to Miao Yongding, "You have no brothers, and your parents cherished you like a pearl in the palm of their hand, never bearing to scold you. When you were sixteen or seventeen, after three cups of wine, you would spout drunken nonsense, picking quarrels with others, and if anything displeased you, you would strip naked and pound on the door, hurling curses. At that time, we thought you were still young. But now, after more than ten years apart, I see you have not improved in the slightest—what is to be done?" Miao Yongding knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, and could only say that his regret was beyond measure. Jia Mou pulled him to his feet and said, "I sell wine here and have a bit of a reputation; I will do my utmost. The man who was drinking just now is an envoy of the Great King of the Eastern Spirit. I often invite him for wine, and he is quite friendly with me. The Great King is overwhelmed with a thousand affairs each day and may not necessarily remember you. I will speak to him tactfully, entreat him to consider personal ties, and ask him to release you—perhaps he will agree." Then, after a moment's thought, he added, "This matter is fraught with risk; it cannot be settled without a hundred thousand silver pieces." Miao Yongding expressed his gratitude and readily agreed to bear the cost himself, and Jia Mou promised to plead on his nephew's behalf. That night, Miao Yongding stayed at his uncle's home. The next day, the black-hatted man came early to call. Jia Mou requested a private conversation with him, and after talking for a good while, he came to tell Miao Yongding, "It is settled. He will return again shortly. I will first give him all the money as a deposit; the remainder you can gather slowly after you return home and give to him." Miao Yongding asked joyfully, "How much is needed in total?" Jia Mou said, "A hundred thousand cash." Miao Yongding replied, "Where would I ever get so much money?" Jia Mou said, "It only takes a hundred strings of gold-fringed paper money." Miao Yongding was overjoyed and said, "That is easy to manage."
He waited until nearly noon, but the black-hatted man still had not arrived. Miao Yongding wanted to go for a stroll and take in some sights. Jia instructed him not to wander far, and he readily agreed before stepping out the door. He found the streets and alleys bustling with trade and commerce, exactly like the mortal world. Arriving at a place enclosed by a high wall of thorny brambles that seemed to be a prison, he saw a tavern across from it, with a chaotic throng of people coming and going. Outside the tavern flowed a stream like a ribbon, its black waters churning, so deep that the bottom was invisible. As Miao Yongding paused to gaze at the stream, he heard someone inside the tavern shout, "Where has Master Miao come from?" He quickly looked to see who it was and recognized Weng Sheng, a fellow villager and a literary friend from ten years past. Weng Sheng hurried out of the tavern, grasped Miao Yongding's hand, and was as joyful as in life. They then sat down in the tavern for a casual drink, recounting what had happened since their parting. Miao Yongding, rejoicing at his chance to return to the world of the living and meeting an old friend, drank freely and became thoroughly drunk, forgetting in an instant that he was a dead man. His old vice flared up again, and he gradually began to reproach Weng Sheng with nagging complaints. Weng Sheng said, "We haven't seen each other for years, and you're still like this after drinking?" Miao Yongding had always detested being reminded of his drunken misbehavior, and hearing this, he grew even angrier, slamming the table and stamping his feet as he hurled curses. Weng Sheng cast him a sidelong glance, flicked his sleeves, and walked out of the tavern. Miao Yongding chased him to the stream's edge and tore off Weng Sheng's cap. Weng Sheng said angrily, "You are truly a reckless and lawless man!" and pushed Miao Yongding into the stream. The water was not very deep, but the stream bed was thick with sharp blades that pierced his ribs and calves; with every painful movement, the agony cut to his marrow and pierced his brain. The murky black water, mixed with filth and urine, entered his throat with every breath, making it even more unbearable. On the bank, people crowded like a wall, watching and laughing, but no one was willing to pull him out. Just as the crisis reached its peak, Jia suddenly arrived. Seeing this, he was greatly alarmed, pulled Miao Yongding ashore, and took him home, saying, "You are truly beyond cure! Even in death, you refuse to repent—you are unworthy of being human again! You might as well go back to Dong Ling and suffer the splitting of axes and chopping of knives!" Miao Yongding was terrified and said tearfully, "I know my crime!" Jia then said, "Just now, the envoy from Dong Ling came, waiting for you to sign the pledge, but you went off drinking and wandered away without returning. His time was pressing, and he could wait no longer. I have already signed the pledge and paid a thousand strings of cash to send him on his way. The remaining sum is due within ten days. When you return, you must quickly raise the money, and at night, go to the wild wasteland outside the village, call out my name, and burn paper money. Then your vow will be fulfilled." Miao Yongding agreed wholeheartedly. Jia then urged him to leave quickly, escorting him to the outskirts, and added, "You must not break your word and implicate me!" He then pointed out the road and sent him home.
At that time, Miao Yongding had lain stiff and motionless for three days, and his family thought he had died of drunkenness, yet a faint breath still lingered at his nostrils. On this day, Miao Yongding revived and vomited violently, spewing forth several pecks of black fluid so foul that none could bear its stench. After he finished vomiting, sweat soaked through his mat, and his body finally felt cool and refreshed. He recounted to his family the strange adventures he had experienced after death. Soon after, he felt a swelling pain where the sharp knife had pierced him, and by the next night it had turned into a sore, though fortunately it did not fester badly. After ten days, Miao Yongding gradually managed to walk with the aid of a staff. His family all urged him to repay the debt he owed in the underworld, but when Miao Yongding calculated the expense, he found that several taels of silver would be needed to prepare the offering, and so he grew stingy, saying, "Perhaps that earlier affair was but a phantom of my drunken dreams. Even if it were not a phantom, he released me out of private favor—how would he dare let the King of Hell know?" His family advised him to fulfill his vow, but he refused to listen. Yet in his heart, he remained fearful and dared not indulge in heavy drinking again. His neighbors rejoiced at his improved conduct and gradually began to drink with him once more. After a year or more, Miao Yongding gradually forgot the retribution of the underworld, his demeanor grew reckless, and his old habits returned. One day, while drinking at the home of a younger clansman, he again cursed loudly at the host's table. The host drove him out, shut the door, and left him alone. He raged outside the gate for over an hour until his son, hearing of it, came to support him home. As soon as he entered the house, Miao Yongding faced the wall, knelt upright, and kowtowed countless times, crying, "Now I repay your debt! Now I repay your debt!" With these words, he fell prostrate to the ground and had already breathed his last.
Commentary
Excessive drinking leads to a loss of virtue, and drunken antics are detested by all, especially among the refined scholars of old who valued decorum. "The Drunken Madman" satirizes a senior licentiate named Miao Yongding, who repeatedly refuses to reform his ways and ultimately meets his death as a result. Though the tale is brief, it vividly portrays how he was spoiled and indulged from childhood, lacking proper discipline, which led to his inevitable drunkenness and subsequent fits of madness, culminating in the tragedy of his ruined life.
However, although Miao Yongding was given to excessive drinking and would quarrel and curse others after becoming intoxicated, according to the law he was by no means deserving of death. As a tribute student, Miao Yongding was fully aware that this was the fundamental reason for his demise at the story's conclusion, having violated the unspoken rules of the underworld or officialdom. Due to his drunkenness in the mortal realm, Miao Yongding endured a harrowing cycle of death and revival in the netherworld, suffering humiliation and extortion from the yamen runners, a process fraught with twists and turns. Although Pu Songling's primary intent was to admonish and satirize the social scourge of alcoholism, it also reflected his call for judicial reforms in the Qing dynasty, such as "swift adjudication" and "curbing the abuses of yamen runners."