Original Text
She Dayou, styled Junshi, was a native of Yang County in Hanzhong. He served as a military officer under Zu Shushun by virtue of his status as a military juren, and Zu Shushun greatly valued him, promoting him repeatedly until he became a general of the pseudo-Zhou regime. Later, sensing that the pseudo-Zhou cause was lost, he secretly led his soldiers to ambush Zu Shushun. In the struggle, Zu Shushun wounded his hand, and She Dayou bound him and surrendered to Governor-General Cai Yurong. Upon arriving in the capital, She Dayou dreamed that he had come to the underworld, where the King of Hell, enraged by his betrayal of his master for personal gain, ordered demons to pour boiling oil on his feet. When he awoke, his feet ached unbearably. Later, both feet became swollen and festered, and his toes rotted away. He then fell ill with malaria. He constantly cried out, "I am truly ungrateful!" and thus died.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: Serving a false dynasty is hardly sufficient to be deemed loyal, yet whether measured by the standard of the realm's most outstanding talents or by that of the common folk, one must repay the grace of recognition with due gratitude—this is what worthy and heroic individuals consider their duty. This tale truly serves to instill fear in all those who, as subjects, harbor divided loyalties.
Commentary
Loyalty and righteousness are essential components of traditional Chinese culture, having once played a significant role in the development of the nation, the people, and society. During times of social upheaval and change, people often used these principles to judge and evaluate individuals.
However, what is called loyalty and righteousness is only limited to responsibility towards an individual or a certain group, lacking a higher, greater, more unified, and more idealistic goal; it is a feudal culture and also a flaw in the Chinese worldview. In this tale, Pu Songling uses the concept to criticize She Dayou's notion that "a scholar of the realm or a common man, knowing gratitude, repays it; thus the noble and heroic naturally act accordingly," which in fact advocates a sense of personal gratitude, far removed from the pursuit of nation, ethnicity, or ideals, and fraught with contradictions when put into practice. Applied to She Dayou, it undoubtedly demands that he, like Guan Yu at Huarong Pass, release Cao Cao, fulfilling his duty to Zu Shushun, yet this becomes entangled with the idea that "serving a false dynasty is hardly worthy of being called loyal."