Original Text
Wen Rensheng, a man from Henan, fell ill for an entire day. He saw a scholar enter, who knelt and bowed at the foot of his bed, humble and respectful, observing all the proper rites. Then the scholar invited Wen to go out for a walk, taking his arm and conversing at length, talking endlessly as they walked. After they had gone several li without bidding farewell, Wen stopped and made a bow to take his leave. The scholar said, "I beg you to walk a few more steps; I have a favor to ask." Wen asked what it was, and the scholar replied, "All of us are under the jurisdiction of the Examination Cruelty Bureau, whose master is called the Hollow-Bellied Ghost King. When one first meets him, by custom a slice of flesh must be cut from the thigh. I beseech you to plead for me before the Hollow-Bellied Ghost King." Wen asked in surprise, "What crime have you committed to come to this?" The scholar said, "No crime is necessary; it is merely the custom. If one offers a generous bribe, one can redeem the penalty. But I am poor." Wen said, "I have never been acquainted with the Ghost King; how can I act on your behalf?" The scholar replied, "In your former life, you were of the Ghost King's grandfather's generation; he should heed your advice."
As they spoke, the two had already entered the city. They arrived at a government office, where the buildings were not overly spacious, save for a single grand hall that was tall and wide. Below the hall stood two stone tablets, one to the east and one to the west, inscribed with green characters as large as bushel baskets; on one was written "Filial Piety, Brotherly Love, Loyalty, and Trustworthiness," and on the other "Propriety, Righteousness, Integrity, and a Sense of Shame." Ascending the steps with broad strides, they reached the hall, where a plaque hung bearing the words "Office of Examination and Correction" in large letters. On the pillars before the hall was a couplet carved into wooden boards with green characters: "By schools, by academies, by colleges, virtue and conduct are secretly taught; the superior scholar, the middling scholar, the inferior scholar—one hall of rites and music for ghostly disciples." Before Wen Rensheng had finished surveying the scene, the official emerged. He had curly hair and a hunched back, appearing to be several hundred years old, with nostrils turned upward and lips protruding outward, unable to meet his teeth. Behind him followed a clerk in charge of documents and records, with the body of a tiger and the head of a man. A dozen others stood in attendance, most with fierce and hideous features, like mountain monsters. The scholar said, "This is the Ghost King." Wen Rensheng was terrified and wished to retreat, but the Ghost King had already spotted him. Descending the steps, he bowed and invited Wen to ascend the hall, inquiring after his well-being. Wen could only respond with meek assent. The Ghost King then asked, "What business brings you here?" Wen Rensheng forthrightly conveyed the scholar's request. The Ghost King's countenance changed, and he said, "This matter has a fixed precedent; even if my father commanded it, I would not dare comply!" His attitude was extremely stern, as if he would not listen to a single word. Wen dared not speak further and immediately rose to take his leave. The Ghost King saw him out with a sidelong bow, accompanying him all the way to the gate before returning.
Wen Rensheng did not return home but secretly slipped back to observe the situation. Arriving beneath the hall, he saw the scholar and several of his peers already bound with their arms behind their backs, their fingers clamped in presses, truly and visibly tied there. A fierce-looking man approached with a knife, bared the scholar's thigh, and cut a strip of flesh from it about three fingers wide. The scholar screamed in agony, his voice nearly hoarse. Wen Rensheng, young and chivalrous, could not contain his indignation and shouted loudly, "Such darkness—what kind of world is this!" The ghost king, startled, rose and ordered a halt to the cutting, stepping forward to greet Wen Rensheng. Wen Rensheng, already furious, went out and told all the people in the marketplace of the horrific scene he had witnessed, preparing to appeal to the Heavenly Emperor against the ghost king. Someone mocked him, saying, "How foolish you are! The vast heavens are boundless—where will you find the Heavenly Emperor to lodge your complaint? Such a creature as the ghost king is only close to the King of Hell; if you cry out to the King of Hell, you might get a response." With that, he pointed out the path. Wen Rensheng rushed there and indeed saw the majestic steps of a palace, where the King of Hell sat in state. Wen Rensheng knelt at the steps and cried out for justice. The King of Hell summoned him to the hall, examined the matter, and immediately ordered several ghost attendants to take ropes and hammers and depart. Soon, the ghost king and the scholar were brought in together under escort. After interrogation, it was confirmed that Wen Rensheng's account was true, and the King of Hell said angrily, "Pity that in your past life you studied diligently; I temporarily appointed you as ghost king, awaiting rebirth into a wealthy family. Yet now you dare to act thus! Your good sinews shall be drawn out, your evil bones increased, and you shall be condemned to never rise above others in life after life!" The ghost attendants then beat the ghost king, who fell to the ground, losing a tooth. They cut open his fingertips with a knife and pulled out sinews, gleaming white like silk. The ghost king howled in pain, his cries like a pig being slaughtered. Only after all the sinews in his hands and feet were drawn out was he led away by two ghost attendants.
Wen Rensheng kowtowed to the King of Hell and withdrew. The scholar followed behind, overflowing with gratitude and heartfelt sincerity. The scholar took Wen by the arm and escorted him through the marketplace, where they passed a house with a vermilion curtain hanging down, behind which half a woman's face was visible, her features and attire of surpassing beauty. Wen asked, "Whose house is this?" The scholar replied, "This is a house of pleasure." After they had passed, Wen felt a lingering attachment to the woman and insisted that the scholar not see him further. The scholar said, "You came for my sake, and to let you return alone and desolate—how could my heart bear it?" Wen firmly refused his company, and only then did the scholar depart. Wen watched until the scholar had disappeared into the distance, then hurried back and dashed inside the curtain. The woman came forward to greet him, her face beaming with joy. Entering the chamber, they sat intimately together and exchanged names. The woman said, "My surname is Liu, and my childhood name is Qiuhua." An old woman came out and prepared wine and dishes for them. After drinking, they entered the bed curtains, where their passion was deep and ardent, and they earnestly pledged themselves to marriage. At dawn, the old woman entered and said, "Our firewood and water are exhausted; we must trouble you for some money, sir—what is to be done?" Wen suddenly realized his purse was empty, and filled with shame and embarrassment, he could not reply. After a long while, he said, "I truly have not brought a single coin; let me write a promissory note, and I will repay you immediately upon returning home." The old woman's face changed color, and she said, "Have you ever heard of a courtesan demanding payment by note?" Qiuhua stood by, frowning and silent. Wen had no choice but to take off his clothes as a pledge. The old woman took the garments, laughed, and said, "This is not enough to cover even the wine bill!" She grumbled incessantly, greatly dissatisfied, and went inside with Qiuhua. Wen was deeply mortified. After a moment, he still hoped Qiuhua would come out to bid him farewell and renew their earlier vows, but as time passed and nothing stirred, he stealthily peered inside and saw that the old woman and Qiuhua had transformed from the shoulders upward into ox-headed demons, their ghostly eyes glittering, standing face to face. Wen was terrified, and hastily turned and fled. He wished to return home, but the crossroads were many and tangled, and he knew not which path to take. He asked the people in the marketplace, but none knew the name of his village. Wen wandered the streets for two days and two nights, bitter and sorrowful, tormented by hunger, caught between advance and retreat. Suddenly, the scholar passed by, saw Wen, and exclaimed in surprise, "Why have you not yet returned, and why are you dressed so wretchedly?" Wen blushed and could not bring himself to answer. The scholar said, "I understand—have you not been bewitched by a flower night-hag?" With that, the scholar stormed off toward that house of pleasure, saying, "How can Qiuhua and her mother be so lacking in decency?" After a short while, he returned carrying Wen's clothes and handed them over, saying, "That lewd wench was too insolent; I have already scolded her!" The scholar escorted Wen all the way to his home before taking his leave. By this time, Wen had been dead of a sudden illness for three days, and only now did he revive. As he recounted his experiences in the underworld, everything was still vivid and clear.
Commentary
Through two incidents set in the underworld, this work condemns two types of social professions or classes that are deeply detested in real society. The first is educational officials, specifically the instructor and preceptor depicted in the earlier tale "The Hungry Ghost." However, while the instructor in "The Hungry Ghost" is portrayed concretely, the officials in "The Examination Bureau of Corruption" are more abstract and symbolic. The phrase "it is customary to cut flesh from the thigh" is a euphemism for bribery. The story describes the mansion of the Ghost King of Hollow Greed, where "two stone tablets stand to the east and west, inscribed with green characters larger than winnowing baskets; one reads 'Filial Piety, Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Trustworthiness,' the other 'Propriety, Righteousness, Integrity, and Shame.' Above the hall hangs a horizontal board bearing the large inscription 'Examination Bureau of Corruption.' Between the pillars, a carved wooden couplet in green characters reads: 'By schools, by academies, by colleges, two virtues of conduct and hidden teachings; superior scholars, middle scholars, inferior scholars, one hall of rites and music for ghostly disciples.'" This is profoundly satirical. The second is prostitutes. What these two social professions or classes share is hypocrisy and a sole regard for money. However, between the two incidents, "The Examination Bureau of Corruption" is the main focus, as the commentator He Yin remarked: "The mockery is as before (referring to the 'Hungry Ghost' chapter). The winding alleys come later, serving as a parallel to convey the meaning."