Original Text
When Wang Zousheng, a jinshi from Changshan County, served as magistrate, he would, in every case he judged, impose a penalty on the offender according to the severity of the crime, requiring them to pay a fine of butterflies for redemption. Thus, in the courtroom, hundreds and thousands of butterflies fluttered up and down, like brocade cut by the wind, and Wang Zousheng would slap the table and laugh heartily. One night, Wang Zousheng dreamed of a woman, dressed in splendid attire, who entered his room with a composed air and said to him, "Because of your tyrannical rule, many of my sisters have died. I will make you suffer a small romantic punishment first." With these words, she transformed into a butterfly, circled and flew away. The next day, as Wang Zousheng was drinking alone in his yamen, a runner suddenly reported that the Imperial Inspector had arrived. Flustered, Wang Zousheng hurried out to greet him, forgetting to remove a white flower that his wife had playfully placed on his official cap. When the Imperial Inspector saw this, he deemed it a sign of disrespect, berated him harshly, and Wang Zousheng returned dejected. From then on, the order to pay fines of butterflies was discontinued.
Yu Chongyin, a man from Qingcheng, was wild and unrestrained by nature. When he served as a judicial officer, on the night of the Lantern Festival, he tied firecrackers and fireworks all over a donkey's body, from head to tail, and led the donkey to the prefect's gate. He knocked on the rattle and begged the prefect to open the door, saying, "I have come to present a fire donkey; please come out and behold it." At that time, the prefect's beloved son was suffering from chickenpox, and the prefect was deeply troubled, so he declined. Yu Chongyin persisted in his request, and the prefect, unable to refuse, ordered the gatekeeper to unlock the door. As soon as the door opened, Yu Chongyin lit the fireworks on the donkey and pushed it inside. The explosions startled the donkey, which bolted wildly, while the fireworks flew at people, keeping them at bay. The donkey charged through halls and chambers, smashing vases and jars; wherever the fire touched, it ignited, burning window screens to ashes, throwing the prefect's household into chaos. The son with chickenpox was so frightened that he died after a night of torment. The prefect, bitterly hating Yu Chongyin, intended to impeach him. Yu Chongyin enlisted many officials to plead on his behalf, and he himself went to the prefect's home to apologize humbly, after which the prefect dropped the matter.
Commentary
This chapter includes two tales of unrestrained indulgence, neither of which the author endorses, yet due to their differing natures, interpretations and evaluations vary. In the tale of releasing butterflies, Presented Scholar Wang disregards legal sentencing, instead imposing a penalty of redeeming oneself by offering butterflies based on his own whims, which the author criticizes from the perspective of animal protection. The tale of Yu Chongyin involves an untimely personal prank that leads to tragedy. As the author deems these matters of no great consequence, despite some mild reproach and criticism, they are treated merely as lighthearted anecdotes.