Original Text
Yang Wanshi was a scholar of Daming Prefecture, and had always been terrified of his wife. His wife, née Yin, was extraordinarily fierce; the slightest disobedience would result in a beating. His father, over sixty years old and having lost his wife, was treated by Yin like a servant. Yang Wanshi and his younger brother Yang Wanzhong often secretly brought food to the old man, not daring to let Yin know. Yet the old man wore a tattered padded jacket, and fearing he would be laughed at, they would not let him see guests. Yang Wanshi, at forty, still had no son, so he took a concubine named Wang, but dared not speak a single word to her all day. When the two brothers went to the prefectural city to await the examinations, they met a young man of elegant and refined appearance and dress. Conversing with him, they took great delight in him. Upon asking his name, he said, "My surname is Ma, given name Jiefu." From then on, their friendship grew daily, and they burned incense, swore an oath, and became sworn brothers.
About half a year after their parting, Ma Jiefu suddenly arrived with a servant to visit the Yang brothers. It happened that Old Man Yang was outside the gate, basking in the sun while catching lice. Ma Jiefu, mistaking him for a servant, gave his name and asked him to announce his arrival to the master. Old Man Yang wrapped his tattered padded jacket around himself and went inside. Someone told Ma Jiefu, "That is the father of the Yang brothers." Ma Jiefu was astonished when the Yang brothers came out to greet him in simple attire. Entering the hall and exchanging courtesies, Ma Jiefu requested to pay respects to Old Man Yang, but Yang Wanshi declined, saying his father was slightly indisposed. The three sat knee to knee, chatting and laughing merrily, unaware that dusk was falling. Yang Wanshi repeatedly said that supper was prepared, yet nothing was brought forth. The brothers went in and out urging, until a gaunt servant finally brought a jug of wine. The wine was quickly drained, and they sat waiting for a long time, with Yang Wanshi rising frequently to call out, his face drenched in sweat. After a while, the gaunt servant brought out coarse rice, half-raw and unpleasant to eat. After the meal, Yang Wanshi hurriedly left. Yang Wanzhong brought a quilt to sleep with the guest. Ma Jiefu reproached him, saying, "Earlier I thought you brothers valued righteousness, so I became your sworn brother. Now your father truly lacks even warmth and sustenance, and passersby would feel shame at this!" Yang Wanzhong wept sorrowfully and said, "The true feelings within are hard to express in haste. Our family is unlucky, having encountered a fierce sister-in-law; the entire household, young and old, suffers cruel oppression. If you were not a brother of utmost sincerity, I would not dare to reveal this family shame." Ma Jiefu sighed in shock for a moment, then said, "I had intended to leave at dawn, but having heard such a strange tale, I cannot but see her myself. Lend me a spare room, and I will cook for myself." Yang Wanzhong complied, immediately cleaning a room to settle Ma Jiefu. Late at night, he secretly brought vegetables and grain, fearing only that Yin Shi might learn of it. Ma Jiefu understood his hardship and firmly declined these offerings. He also invited Old Man Yang to eat and sleep with him, personally going to the city shops to buy cloth and change the old man's clothes. The entire family of father and sons were moved to tears. Yang Wanzhong had a son named Xi'er, just seven years old, who slept with his grandfather at night. Ma Jiefu stroked the child and said, "This child's fortune and longevity will surpass his father's, though he will suffer orphaned hardship in his youth."
When Yin Shi learned that Yang Fu was living in comfort and warmth, she flew into a great rage and cursed Ma Jiefu for meddling in others' family affairs. At first, her abusive shouts remained within the women's quarters, but gradually she approached Ma Jiefu's dwelling to curse, deliberately letting him hear. The Yang brothers were drenched in cold sweat, pacing anxiously, unable to stop her, yet Ma Jiefu acted as if he heard nothing. Yang Wanshi's concubine, Wang Shi, was five months pregnant when Yin Shi discovered this; she stripped Wang Shi of her clothes and beat her severely. After the beating, she ordered Yang Wanshi to kneel, placed a woman's headdress on him, and drove him out with a whip. Just then, Ma Jiefu was outside; Yang Wanshi, overcome with shame, dared not approach, but Yin Shi pursued him further, forcing him out the door. Yin Shi followed, gesticulating and cursing, drawing a crowd of onlookers. Ma Jiefu pointed at Yin Shi and shouted, "Begone! Begone!" Yin Shi immediately turned and fled as if pursued by a ghost, her trousers and shoes falling off, her foot bindings trailing tangled on the road, running home barefoot with a face ashen as death. After a moment to compose herself, a maid presented her with shoes and stockings; she dressed and then wailed loudly, and no one in the household dared ask why. Ma Jiefu pulled Yang Wanshi over to remove the headdress, but Yang stood rigid, holding his breath as if fearing it might fall off; Ma Jiefu forcibly removed it. Yang Wanshi fidgeted uneasily, as if afraid Yin Shi would punish him for removing it without permission. Only after learning that Yin Shi's crying had ceased did he dare enter the house, cowering and not daring to approach. Yin Shi said nothing, then suddenly rose and went to her chamber to lie down. Yang Wanshi's spirits finally eased, and he marveled secretly with his brother. The household found it strange and gathered to murmur among themselves. Yin Shi overheard faintly and, growing even more ashamed and angry, beat all the servants. She then called for Wang Shi, but Wang was too injured from the beating to rise. Yin Shi, thinking she was feigning, beat her on the bed until she bled heavily and miscarried. Yang Wanshi, hiding from others, wept before Ma Jiefu. Ma Jiefu comforted and soothed him, ordering a servant to prepare wine and food, and did not let Yang Wanshi return home until the second watch of the night.
While confined to her chamber, Lady Yin burned with rage at her husband's failure to return. Hearing the sound of someone forcing the door, she hastily called for her maidservant, but the door was already wide open. A giant strode in, his shadow darkening the entire room, his visage hideous and demonic. Soon several others followed, each brandishing a sharp blade. Terrified, Lady Yin tried to scream, but the giant pressed a knife to her throat and said, "Cry out and you die!" She quickly offered money to ransom her life. The giant replied, "I am an envoy from the underworld; I want no money, only the heart of a shrew!" Lady Yin grew even more fearful, kowtowing repeatedly until her forehead bled. The giant traced a line across her chest with his sharp knife and enumerated her offenses: "For such and such a deed, do you deserve death?" With each accusation, he cut a stroke. He recounted nearly all her cruel acts, cutting her skin no fewer than dozens of times. Finally, the giant said, "The child in Concubine Wang's womb is also a descendant of your Yang family—how could you bear to beat her into miscarriage? This crime cannot be forgiven!" He then ordered the others to bind Lady Yin's hands and cut open her heart to see it. Lady Yin kowtowed and begged for mercy, repeatedly declaring her repentance. Soon, the sound of the inner gate opening and closing was heard, and the giant said, "Yang Wanshi has returned. Since she has repented, let her life be spared for now." Then they vanished in a chaotic flurry. Shortly after, Yang Wanshi entered and found Lady Yin naked and bound, her chest covered with countless crisscrossing knife wounds. He untied her and asked what had happened; learning the tale, he was greatly startled and secretly suspected Ma Jiefu was behind it. The next day, Yang Wanshi told Ma Jiefu about the incident, and Ma Jiefu also feigned surprise. From then on, Lady Yin's ferocity gradually subsided, and for several months she dared not utter a single harsh word. Ma Jiefu was delighted and said to Yang Wanshi, "To tell you the truth, do not reveal this: the other day I used a minor trick to frighten her. Since you and your wife are now reconciled, it is time for me to take my leave." And so he departed.
Every evening, Yin-shi would detain Yang Wanshi to keep her company, laughing and flattering him with coy enticements. Yang Wanshi, who had never in his life known such boudoir pleasures, suddenly encountered them and found himself unable to sit or stand. One night, Yin-shi recalled the giant's form and trembled with fear. Yang Wanshi, seeking to please her, let slip a hint that the affair was a sham. Yin-shi sat up abruptly and pressed him for the truth. Realizing his slip, Yang Wanshi could not retract his words and confessed everything. Yin-shi flew into a rage, cursing him loudly, and Yang Wanshi, terrified, knelt stiffly by the bedside to apologize, but she ignored him. He begged until the third watch, when Yin-shi said, "If you want my forgiveness, you must cut your heart as many times with a knife to satisfy my wrath." She rose to fetch a kitchen knife. Yang Wanshi, panic-stricken, fled, and Yin-shi pursued him relentlessly, raising such a clamor that the whole household was roused. Yang Wanzhong, not knowing why his sister-in-law sought to kill his brother, could only shield him by dodging left and right. As Yin-shi raged, she suddenly saw Old Man Yang approaching, clad in new clothes and trousers, which enraged her even more. She rushed forward, slashing his garments into strips with the knife, then slapped his face and tore at his beard. Yang Wanzhong, enraged by this, hurled a stone at Yin-shi, striking her on the head. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Yang Wanzhong said, "If I die, and my father and brother can live, what regret is there?" He then threw himself into a well. When they pulled him out, he was already dead. After a while, Yin-shi revived and, upon hearing of Yang Wanzhong's death, her anger subsided. After his burial, Yang Wanzhong's wife, mindful of their son Xier, swore never to remarry. Yin-shi reviled her and denied her food, forcing her to remarry and leave. The orphan boy was left behind, beaten daily with a whip, and given only cold leftovers after the family had eaten. After half a year, the child was reduced to a mere breath of life, thin and frail.
One day, Ma Jiefu suddenly arrived; Yang Wanshi instructed his family not to tell Yin Shi. When Ma Jiefu saw that Yang's father was still dressed in tattered clothes as before, he was greatly astonished, and upon learning that Yang Wanzhong had died, he grieved so deeply that he stamped his feet. When Xi'er heard that Ma Jiefu had come, he approached to show affection, stepping forward to call him Uncle Ma. Ma Jiefu did not recognize him at first, but after a careful look he identified him and exclaimed in shock, "How have you become so haggard, child!" Only then did Yang Wanshi's father hesitantly recount the whole affair. Ma Jiefu said angrily to Yang Wanshi, "I told you before that you were not a man, and indeed I was not mistaken. You brothers have only this single thread of lineage; if you cause his death, what will you do?" Yang Wanshi had no words to reply, and could only bow his head and weep in submission.
After they had been sitting and conversing for a while, Yin already knew that Ma Jiefu had arrived. Not daring to come out and drive away the guest herself, she merely called Yang Wanshi inside, slapped his face, and forced him to break off relations with Ma Jiefu. Yang Wanshi came out with tears in his eyes, the marks of the slaps still clearly visible on his face. Ma Jiefu said to him angrily, "Brother, if you cannot assert your authority before your wife, can you not at least divorce her? She has beaten your father and caused your brother's death, yet you endure it all complacently—are you still a man?" Upon hearing this, Yang Wanshi rose and stretched his arms, as if something had stirred within him. Ma Jiefu further provoked him, saying, "If she refuses to leave, you ought to use force to compel her. Even if you kill her, there is no need to fear. I have two or three friends who hold high official positions; they will surely do their utmost to help you and ensure you come to no harm." Yang Wanshi agreed, and emboldened by his anger, he strode quickly into the inner chamber. He collided with Yin, who shouted, "What are you doing!" Yang Wanshi instantly turned pale with fright, prostrated himself on the ground, and said, "Ma Jiefu advised me to divorce you." Yin grew even more enraged and looked around for a knife or a club. Yang Wanshi, terrified, fled back out. Ma Jiefu spat at him and said, "Brother, you are truly beyond cure!" Then he opened his chest, took out a small spoonful of medicine, mixed it with water, and handed it to Yang Wanshi to drink, saying, "This is the 'Manhood Restorative Powder.' I do not use it lightly because it harms a person. But now there is no other choice; you must first try a little." After drinking it, in a short while Yang Wanshi felt his chest swell with rage, as if a fire were burning within him, and he could no longer endure it. He rushed straight into the inner chamber, his shouts like thunder. Before Yin could even ask what was happening, Yang Wanshi kicked her, sending her flying several feet away. Then, clenching his fists like stones, he rained blows upon her like a storm. Yin was nearly beaten black and blue, yet she still cursed incessantly. Yang Wanshi drew a knife from his belt. Yin cursed, "You draw a knife—do you dare to kill me?" Yang Wanshi paid her no heed; he stepped forward and cut a piece of flesh the size of a palm from her thigh, throwing it to the ground. Just as he was about to cut again, Yin cried out for mercy, but Yang Wanshi ignored her and cut once more. The family members, seeing Yang Wanshi so ferocious, rushed forward together and, risking their lives, dragged him out. Ma Jiefu came forward, pulled Yang Wanshi aside, and took his arm to comfort him. Yang Wanshi's anger had not yet subsided, and he repeatedly tried to rush back in to settle accounts with Yin, but Ma Jiefu restrained him. After a while, the medicine's effect gradually faded, and Yang Wanshi once again became as spiritless as before. Ma Jiefu admonished him, saying, "Brother, do not lose heart. To assert a husband's authority, this is the one chance. People fear certain things not because of a single day or night, but because of gradual accumulation over time. This time, it is as if you died yesterday and were reborn today; from now on, you must wash away your old habits and renew your demeanor. If you lose heart again, there will be no remedy at all." He sent Yang Wanshi back inside to observe the situation. Yin's legs were trembling violently, and in her fear, she had a maidservant help her up, intending to crawl over on her knees. Yang Wanshi stopped her, and so she desisted. He came out and told Ma Jiefu, and the father and son congratulated each other.
Ma Jiefu was about to leave, but the Yang father and son together urged him to stay. Ma Jiefu said, "I happen to be heading to the Eastern Sea, so I took this route to visit you; on my return, we may meet again." After more than a month, Yin Shi recovered from her wounds and rose from bed, serving her husband with utmost respect. As time passed, she came to regard her husband as no more than a donkey with exhausted tricks, and gradually she began to show him disrespect, then to mock him, then to curse him, and before long, her old habits returned in full force. Yang's father could no longer endure this, so he fled by night, becoming a Taoist priest in Henan, and Yang Wanshi dared not go in search of him.
After more than a year had passed, Ma Jiefu returned and, learning of the Yang family's situation, flew into a violent rage. After thoroughly rebuking and enumerating Yang Wanshi's faults, he immediately summoned Xier, placed him on the back of a donkey, and drove the beast away, departing. From then on, all the villagers looked down upon Yang Wanshi. When the provincial education commissioner inspected the schools of Daming Prefecture, he revoked Yang Wanshi's status as a licentiate on grounds of depraved conduct. Another four or five years later, a great fire struck the Yang household, reducing their house and all possessions to ashes, and the flames also spread to neighboring dwellings. The villagers dragged Yang Wanshi before the prefectural authorities to lodge a complaint, and the fines imposed were so numerous and severe that his family property gradually dwindled away, until they had no place to live. People in the surrounding villages warned one another not to rent a house to Yang Wanshi, and even Yinshi's brothers, enraged by her conduct, refused to take them in. Having reached the end of his resources, Yang Wanshi pawned his concubine, née Wang, to a wealthy family for a small sum of money, then took Yinshi and crossed the river southward. When they arrived in Henan, their traveling funds were exhausted. Yinshi refused to stay with Yang Wanshi any longer and clamored to remarry. It happened that a butcher had recently lost his wife, so he bought her for three hundred coins.
Yang Wanshi, alone and destitute, begged for food in villages and towns far and near. Arriving at a wealthy household, the gatekeeper shouted at him and would not let him approach. After a while, an official came out, and Yang Wanshi prostrated himself on the ground, sobbing. The official scrutinized him for a long time, asked his name, and exclaimed in surprise, "It is my uncle! How have you come to such poverty?" Yang Wanshi looked closely and recognized him as Xi'er, and could not help but burst into tears. He followed Xi'er inside and saw a hall resplendent with gold and jade. Soon, Yang Wanshi's father came out, supporting a young boy, and father and son wept in sorrow, choking with emotion. Yang Wanshi then recounted his misfortunes. In the beginning, when Ma Jiefu brought Xi'er here, within a few days he went out and fetched Yang Wanshi's father, letting the grandfather and grandson live together. He also hired a teacher to instruct Xi'er in reading. At fifteen, Xi'er passed the imperial examination at the county level, and the following year he became a provincial graduate, after which he was married. Ma Jiefu then prepared to take his leave, but the grandfather and grandson tearfully begged him to stay. Ma Jiefu said, "I am not human; in truth, I am a fox immortal. My fellow adepts have been waiting for me for a long time." And so he departed. As Xi'er recounted these events, he could not help but grieve. Thinking also of the cruel abuse he and his step-aunt Wang had once suffered, he became even more sorrowful, and sent a carriage with money to ransom Wang and bring her back. Over a year later, Wang gave birth to a son, and Yang Wanshi elevated her to the status of his lawful wife.
After following the butcher for half a year, Yin Shi remained as arrogant and unreasonable as before. The butcher, enraged, pierced a hole through her thigh with his cleaver, threaded a pig bristle rope through it, and hung her from the roof beam before carrying his meat away. Yin Shi screamed desperately until her voice grew hoarse, and only then did the neighbors learn of it; they untied her and pulled out the bristle rope, each tug causing her cries of pain to shake the entire neighborhood. From then on, whenever she saw the butcher approaching, her hair stood on end. Though the wound on her leg eventually healed, the bristle barbs remained embedded in her flesh, leaving her permanently lame, yet she still rose early and worked late without daring to slacken. The butcher, having initiated his brutal and overbearing treatment of Yin Shi, would beat and curse her mercilessly whenever he came home drunk. It was only then that Yin Shi began to realize the cruelty she had once inflicted on others was just the same. One day, Lady Yang and her aunt Wang went to Putuo Temple to burn incense, and all the village women came to pay their respects. Yin Shi stood dejectedly among the crowd, not daring to approach. Wang deliberately asked, "Who is this woman?" A servant stepped forward and reported, "She is the wife of Butcher Zhang." Then he ordered her to come forward and kowtow to the old lady. Wang smiled and said, "This woman, having married a butcher, should never lack for meat. Why is she so thin?" Yin Shi, filled with shame and anger, returned home and tried to hang herself, but the rope was not strong enough, and she failed. The butcher grew even more disgusted with her. After more than a year, the butcher died. On the road, Yin Shi encountered Yang Wanshi; seeing him from afar, she crawled on her knees, tears streaming down her face. Yang Wanshi, mindful of the servants' presence, did not speak a word to her. Returning home, he told his nephew of his wish to take her back, but the nephew firmly opposed it. Despised by the villagers, Yin Shi had no home to return to and lived by begging among the vagrants. Yang Wanshi would often visit her in the ruined temple. Xi'er, considering this a disgrace to the family, secretly instructed the beggars to humiliate Yang Wanshi, thus forcing him to cut off all contact with Yin Shi. What became of her afterward, I do not know; the remaining lines were written by Mr. Bi Gongquan.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: Fear of one's wife is a common affliction among men throughout the world. Yet who could have imagined that in this vast realm there would exist a man like Yang Wanshi—could it be that he has transformed into some unnatural creature? I once composed a sequel to the "Sutra of Wondrous Sounds," and I humbly append it here to bring a smile to all readers.
I believe that the evolution of Heaven's Way gives birth to all things, relying chiefly on Earth to complete them; a man's aspirations extend to all corners, and he especially needs a virtuous wife. When husband and wife share joys but the wife alone endures hardships, she labors through ten months of pregnancy with groans and pains; when the child wets the bed, she sleeps in the damp while he sleeps dry, toiling for three years through every frown and smile. This is for the sake of continuing the family line, so the gentleman seeks a mate; mindful of the wife's domestic toil, the ancients spoke of harmony like fish and water.
Only the wife's authority gradually became established within the household, causing the husband's dignity to vanish entirely. At first, she spoke harshly and threw great tantrums, and the husband would offer slight rebuttals; then the husband revered his wife as an honored guest, yet she gave nothing in return. It was only because of deep affection for children that the hero's spirit was subdued. A female Yaksha sat upon the bed, causing even a Vajra-like man to lower his brows and submit; the shrew's arrogance blazed forth, forcing even an iron-willed man to bow his head in obedience. The autumn night's washing mallet, not used for pounding clothes under the moon, instead beat upon the husband's back; the slender fingers of Magu, not meant for scratching itches or massaging, were instead used to claw at the husband's face. As a husband, he endured minor beatings and fled from major ones, almost taking the place of Mencius's mother cutting the loom to teach her son; the wife led and the husband followed, seeking to establish household rule under the banner of the Zhou Mother's rites. Baring teeth and brandishing claws, leaping about, they drew the stares of all passersby on the street; quarreling and clamoring, babbling noisily, they terrified young maidens into panic. How detestable! Crying out to heaven and stamping the earth, suddenly letting down her hair to leap into a well. How ugly! Feigning madness and playing the fool, stretching out her neck to hang herself.
At such times, the husband standing below would have his courage shattered and his soul startled by the thunderous scolding from beyond the heavens. Even one as fierce as Beigong You would surely flee, and one as valiant as Meng Shishe could not help but tremble. A general's bold spirit, like thunder and lightning, upon entering the courtyard, instantly loses all its edge; an official's stern countenance, like ice and frost, once within the bedchamber, finds places where he must humble himself. Could it be that the very breath of a woman's rouge and powder, without any support, possesses such authority? Why does it cause a man of seven feet to shiver uncontrollably? It is understandable if the wife, with her lofty chignon and beauty like a celestial maiden, is worthy of tender attachment. But the greatest injustice is when the wife is both old and ugly, with disheveled hair, yet she is still worshipped like a Buddha with incense and flowers. The husband, upon hearing the shrew's roar, lifts his face to receive her wrath; upon hearing the hen crow at dawn, he prostrates himself completely. The lecherous man cares not for his wife's appearance, yet the "Song of the Returning Waves" becomes a mockery of the henpecked. If one were the son-in-law of Prince Guo Ziyi of Fenyang, instantly gaining wealth and honor, then fawning on his wife might have some reason; but if one marries into a common wealthy family, inevitably being ordered about and bowing repeatedly, what is there to gain? The poor man, feeling powerless to control his wife, lets her chop trees and ruin flowers, unleashing her tyranny, and can only beg for her tolerance; the wealthy man, like the god of wealth, may have power and influence, but if he offends the shrew's scales, even money cannot help. Could it be that the only thing binding a wanderer's heart is this narrow path? That the only thing subduing a hero's spirit is this single moat?
But in death they share the same grave, in life they share the same coverlet—how could a husband ever cause his wife to sigh over the "White Hair" lament? Yet if he drifts as clouds by day and rains by night, the wife alone would claim the peaks of Wushan for her own. The wife, bitter toward a husband who dotes on courtesans and forgets his home, vainly strikes the red ivory clappers; the poor, ill-fated woman keeps her lonely chamber through the deep cold of the night. The husband, like a cicada shedding its shell, slips away, silent as an egret stepping on the sandbank; while the fierce dragon-like shrew sleeps soundly, he hastens to rendezvous with his concubine. But once discovered, he mounts an ox-cart and brandishes a yak-tail whisk, only to regret that the old ox runs too slowly. The wife suspects her husband shares a bed with another woman, but when she tears them apart, she finds it is her own brother; the husband tied to the bedpost with a rope awakens to find himself turned into a white ram. The wife's tender warmth is needed only for a fleeting moment, yet her venomous cruelty endures without end. If the husband pursues pleasure and buys smiles, he brings sin upon himself—the "Tai Jia" surely says such cannot be escaped. But when he has already bowed his head and submitted, yet suffers unprovoked punishment, Li Yang himself would declare it unjust. The sour wind howls, withering the springtime passion of the embroidered chamber; the vinegar sea spreads wide, cutting short a fair marriage bond. Sometimes, at a sudden grand gathering with good friends seated, the wife hides the wine and refuses to bring it forth, issuing from her boudoir a command to expel the guests; old acquaintances grow distant, afraid to call, as if the husband himself has severed ties with them. Worse still, brothers are driven to divide the family, shedding helpless tears in vain; when a wife dies and a new one is taken, the stepmother will use reed catkins in place of cotton to maltreat the children of the former wife. Thus, Yang Cheng remained unmarried all his life, only drinking with his brothers; Shangzi delighted in herding pigs and playing the reed pipe, past seventy with no wife. The ancients acted thus because they harbored unspeakable bitterness.
Alas! A virtuous wife meant for lifelong companionship has become a festering sore clinging to the bone; the betrothal gifts and wedding rites have purchased only the agony of flesh. Men with brows as sharp as blades and daggers are thus, but where is the man with courage as vast as a bushel? Though one dares not slay his wife and bury her beneath the stable floor, who can steel himself to enter the silkworm chamber and take the knife to his own manhood? The Amazon army rages and tyrannizes, yet no remedy exists for the malady of jealousy; the rouge-tiger devours all living souls, but a ferry still crosses the ford of delusion. By burning incense and chanting Buddha's name in the deep of night, one may escape the boiling cauldron's torment; by morning prayers and sutra recitations, one may avoid the forest of swords and mountain of blades. Only in the blissful Pure Land can husband and wife fly side by side on rainbow wings; only there can the long-tongued shrew of yore find harmony with her co-wives, like twin lotuses on a single stem. In the Buddha-realm, sorrow is cast away; on the banks of the River of Love, a Dharma-pulpit is raised for preaching. Alas, may these few pages of scripture transform into a single drop of willow-branch water, turning evil to good.
Commentary
Between husband and wife, it is quite normal for one to be stronger and the other weaker, whether the man is strong and the woman weak, or the woman strong and the man weak. However, when it comes to the man bullying the woman or the woman bullying the man, it exceeds the bounds of normality. In the feudal patriarchal society, the husband was the guiding principle for the wife, with laws and concepts granting the husband dominance. Once the opposite phenomenon of the husband losing his authority appeared, it was extremely abnormal and became a subject of gossip and ridicule, which is why "the roaring lioness of Hedong" and "the fear of Jichang" became hot topics of conversation in ancient Chinese society. Yet Pu Songling, in his "Commentary by the Historian of the Strange," said, "Fear of one's wife is a common ailment under heaven," which reveals that the principle of "husband as the guide for wife" was, in the later stages of feudal society, merely a matter of formality.
The phenomenon of a wife's shrewishness and jealousy likely left a deep impression on Pu Songling. According to the "Account of Liu's Conduct," Pu Songling's elder sister-in-law was extremely shrewish and jealous. According to the "Letter to Wang Luzhan," the wife of Pu Songling's friend Wang Luzhan was a woman who drove her father-in-law out of the house, leaving him "lingering at death's door in a traveler's inn." Pu Songling indignantly denounced his friend Wang Luzhan's inability to stop the lion's roar that drove away his father, calling it an act "pointed at by a thousand people" and one that would "forever be scorned among men." This is why the novel "Ma Jiepu" is imbued with such intense emotion, and why, after the story, Pu Songling appended "A Sequel to the Sutra of Marvelous Sounds" to the "Historian of the Strange's Commentary." Because Pu Songling's friend Bi Gongquan also felt a deep resonance in his heart, he joined in the creation.
Of course, this story contains both real-life examples and elements of imaginative creation, as well as components from folk legends. For instance, when Yang Wanshi, emboldened by Ma Jiefu, goes to discipline his wife, and upon actually encountering her, she "shouted, 'What are you doing?' Wanshi, panic-stricken and pale, prostrated himself on the ground, saying, 'Ma bade me cast you out,'" this echoes the folk tale of the henpecked Qi Jiguang who "invited his wife to review the troops."