Original Text
Scholar Fan was staying at an inn. After his meal, he extinguished the candle and rested with his eyes closed. Suddenly a maidservant arrived, placing a bundle of clothes on a chair, and then setting out a mirror case and a dressing box one by one on the table before departing. Shortly thereafter, a young woman emerged from the inner room, opened the dressing box and mirror case, and began to adorn herself before the mirror. She arranged her hair, inserted her hairpins, and lingered before the mirror, examining herself from various angles for a long time. The maidservant returned, bringing water to attend the young woman's ablutions. After washing, she handed her a towel, then took the water away. The young woman opened the bundle and took out a skirt and a cape, all bright and new garments, and put them on. She then adjusted her lapels, straightened her collar, and dressed herself with meticulous care. Scholar Fan remained silent, deeply puzzled, and concluded that she must be a woman eloping, having dressed so splendidly to meet a secret lover. When she had finished attiring herself, she produced a long sash and hung it from a beam in the room, tying a noose. Scholar Fan was greatly startled. The young woman calmly raised herself on tiptoe, stretched her neck, and hanged herself. As soon as her neck slipped into the noose, her eyes closed tightly, her eyebrows drew upward, her tongue protruded two inches beyond her lips, and her face turned a ghastly, ghostly pallor. Scholar Fan, terrified, fled from the room, shouting to inform the innkeeper. When they re-entered to look, the scene had vanished without a trace. The innkeeper said, "My daughter-in-law once hanged herself here; could this not be her lingering spirit?" Alas! How strange! To reappear and reenact the very moment of death—how can this be explained?
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: When injustice reaches its utmost extreme and leads to self-inflicted death, how bitter it is! Yet, while alive, one knows nothing of it, and after death, as a ghost, one feels nothing either; what is most unbearable to endure is that very moment when one has finished adorning oneself and is tying the noose for hanging. Therefore, after death, one instantly forgets all else, but this particular scene and circumstance must still be vividly reenacted before one's eyes, for it is what she can never forget.
Commentary
This account describes a scene witnessed by a third party, akin to a silent tableau—still, solemn, and heroic; though extremely brief, the narrative unfolds with orderly precision. The young woman ends her own life with unhurried composure, bearing a sense of dignity that recalls the tragic fate of Liu Lanzhi in the ancient yuefu poem "The Peacock Flies Southeast," who, before her suicide, endured the misfortune of "the dim twilight after dusk, the silent stillness at the hour when all is quiet."
The author clearly harbors profound sympathy for this, stating: "When injustice reaches its extreme and leads to self-inflicted death, how bitter it is!" Thus, although this tale depicts the process of suicide with terror and brutality, it is not merely a simple record of strange and unusual events, but rather filled with reverence for life and compassion for humanity.