Original Text
Zhong Qingyu was a renowned scholar from Liaodong who went to Jinan to participate in the provincial examination. Hearing that there was a Taoist priest in the prince's mansion who could foresee people's fortunes and misfortunes, he was eager to meet him. After completing two sessions of the exam, Zhong Sheng arrived at Baotu Spring and happened upon the Taoist priest. The priest, over sixty years old with a long beard reaching his chest and graying hair, was surrounded by a crowd like a wall, all asking about their fortunes, and he answered them all with vague, cryptic words. Spotting Zhong Sheng among the crowd, he joyfully took his hand and said, "Your heart and virtue are truly admirable!" He led him by the hand up to a pavilion, dismissed the others, and asked, "Do you wish to know what lies ahead?" Zhong Sheng replied, "Yes." The priest said, "Your fortune is quite thin, yet this provincial examination holds promise for success. After you pass and return home, I fear you will not see your mother again." Zhong Sheng, a man of great filial piety, wept upon hearing this and wished to abandon the exam and return home. The priest said, "If you miss this opportunity, you will never pass the next examination." Zhong Sheng replied, "If my mother is on her deathbed and I do not go to see her one last time, how can I call myself a man? Even if I attain wealth and rank as a minister or chancellor, what use would it be?" The priest said, "I have a karmic bond with you from a past life; today I will do my utmost to help you." He then gave him a pill, saying, "Send someone to deliver this to your mother overnight. Taking it will extend her life by seven days. After you finish the exam and return home, you and your mother will still have time to meet." Zhong Sheng carefully stored the pill and rushed out, utterly distraught. He then thought that since his mother's death was fated, returning a day earlier would allow him to serve her one more day. So he took his servant, hired a donkey, and immediately set off eastward. After traveling a li or so, the donkey suddenly turned back and ran wildly. Zhong Sheng dismounted and shouted, but the donkey would not listen. When he tried to hold it, it kicked. Helpless, Zhong Sheng sweated profusely in his anxiety. His servant urged him to stay, but he would not listen. He hired another donkey, but it too refused to go forward like the first. The sun had already set, and he did not know what to do. His servant again urged, "Tomorrow is the last session of the exam; why fret over a single day? Let me go ahead and deliver the medicine first—that would be a good plan." With no other choice, Zhong Sheng had to agree.
On the second day, Zhong Sheng hastily finished his examination and set off immediately, not even pausing to drink water or catch his breath, hurrying homeward with great speed. By then, his mother had already taken to her bed, unable to rise, but after taking medicine, she gradually improved. When Zhong Sheng arrived home and entered her room to inquire after her, he knelt by the bed and wept. His mother shook her head, signaling him to stop crying, and took his hand joyfully, saying, "Just now I dreamed I went to the underworld and saw the King of Hell, whose countenance was kind and gentle. He said that upon examining your conduct throughout life, you had committed no great sins, and now, mindful of your filial piety, he grants you an additional twelve years of life." Zhong Sheng was overjoyed to hear this. After a few days, she indeed recovered as fully as before.
Soon after, news of his success in the provincial examination arrived, and Zhong Sheng bid farewell to his mother and returned to Jinan. He presented some gifts to a eunuch of the Prince of Fan's mansion, asking him to convey his respects to the Taoist priest. The priest was delighted to see him, and Zhong Sheng knelt in gratitude. The priest said, "You have already passed the examination, and your mother's lifespan has been extended—all due to your virtuous conduct. What merit have I, a mere Taoist, contributed?" Zhong Sheng was astonished that the priest knew of these matters and further inquired about his own fate. The priest replied, "You will not attain great wealth or high rank; it is enough that you enjoy good health and longevity. In a former life, you and I were both monks. You struck a dog with a stone and accidentally killed a frog, which has since been reborn as a donkey. According to your destined lot, you were fated to die young and violently. But now your filial piety has moved the gods, and a star of deliverance from calamity has come to your aid, so no disaster will befall you. However, your wife, in a previous life as a woman, was unchaste, and her fate was to be widowed young. Now that your virtue has extended your life, she will not grow old with you; I fear she may pass away within the year." Zhong Sheng grieved for a long while, then asked where his future wife would be found. The priest said, "In Zhongzhou, she is now fourteen years old." As they parted, he advised, "If you encounter danger, you must flee toward the southeast."
After more than a year had passed, Zhong Sheng's wife indeed died of illness. Zhong Sheng's maternal uncle served as a magistrate in Xijiang, and his mother urged him to visit his uncle, planning to pass through Zhongzhou on the way to fulfill the Taoist's prophecy that his second wife would be found there. As he passed through a village, he happened upon a riverside performance where men and women mingled freely among the audience. Zhong Sheng was about to tighten his reins and hurry past when suddenly a runaway donkey, having broken its tether, came galloping after him. Zhong Sheng's mule kicked out with its hind legs at the donkey. Turning back, Zhong Sheng struck the donkey's ear with his whip; the beast, startled, bolted wildly. At that moment, a young prince of the royal household, only six or seven years old, was being held by his nursemaid as they sat on the riverbank. The donkey charged forward, and before the guards and servants could react, the young prince was knocked into the river. The crowd raised a great outcry and sought to seize Zhong Sheng. He lashed his mule and fled with all his might. Then he suddenly recalled the Taoist's words and sped desperately toward the southeast. After traveling some twenty li, he came upon a mountain village where an old man stood at his gate. Zhong Sheng dismounted and bowed to the old man. The old man invited him inside, saying his surname was Fang, and asked where Zhong Sheng had come from. Zhong Sheng knelt and kowtowed, confessing the whole truth. The old man said, "No matter. You may lodge here with me; I have a way to make your pursuers leave." By evening, it was learned that the child who had fallen into the river was a prince. The old man turned pale with shock and said, "Had it been any other family, I could still find a way to help, but now I truly wish I could but cannot!" Zhong Sheng pleaded incessantly. The old man pondered for a long while and said, "There is no other way. Wait one night; let us hear how the situation develops—perhaps there is still a chance." Zhong Sheng, filled with anxiety and fear, could not sleep all night. The next day, the old man made inquiries and learned that the authorities had ordered a search for the culprit, and that anyone harboring him would also be executed. The old man's face showed great difficulty; he entered the house without a word. Zhong Sheng, gripped by suspicion and terror, could not find peace. At midnight, the old man came to Zhong Sheng's room, sat down, and asked, "How old is your wife this year?" Zhong Sheng replied that his wife had already passed away. The old man said joyfully, "The plan I have in mind can now work." Zhong Sheng asked what the plan was, and the old man replied, "My brother-in-law is a devout Buddhist who cultivates himself in the Southern Mountains; my sister has already died. They left behind an orphaned daughter, whom I have raised. She is quite clever. What if you take her as your second wife?" Zhong Sheng was delighted at this, for it matched the Taoist's prophecy, and he hoped that by becoming a relative of the old man, he might gain more assistance. He said, "This student is truly fortunate. But I fear that a fugitive like myself, from afar, might bring trouble upon you, venerable sir." The old man said, "I am doing this for your sake. My brother-in-law's Taoist arts are wondrous, but he has long ceased to concern himself with worldly affairs. After the marriage, you can discuss matters with my niece yourself, and surely a way will be found." Zhong Sheng was overjoyed and became a son-in-law by marriage.
The bride, only sixteen years old, was incomparably beautiful. Zhong Sheng often sighed deeply in her presence, and the bride said, "Am I so ugly that you tire of me so quickly?" Zhong Sheng apologized, saying, "My lady is like a celestial being; to be wed to you is a blessing for three lifetimes. But I am entangled in a calamity, and I fear we may be forced apart." He then told her the truth. The bride complained, "My uncle is truly inhuman! This is a monstrous disaster; he could not devise a plan himself, nor did he speak plainly, but instead pushed me into a pit of fire!" Zhong Sheng knelt and said, "It was I who begged my uncle with my life; his heart was kind but he had no means to save me, knowing that you could bring the dead back to life and make bones grow flesh, surely you can rescue me. I am indeed not a worthy husband, yet my family's standing is not beneath yours. If I can escape this great ordeal and be reborn, I will honor you as a Buddha every day." The bride sighed and said, "Since matters have come to this, what more can be said? But my father, since he shaved his head and became a monk, has severed all ties of parental love. There is no other way; we must go together and beg him, though I fear we will suffer much humiliation and hardship." So the bride stayed awake all night, sewing two thick knee pads from felt and cotton, lining them inside her trousers. Then she called for a sedan chair and headed to the southern mountain. After traveling over ten li, the mountain path twisted and turned, becoming perilous, and they could no longer ride in the sedan chair. Descending, the bride walked with difficulty; Zhong Sheng supported her arm, helping her stumble upward. Before long, they saw the temple gate and sat down to rest. The bride was drenched in sweat, washing away the rouge and powder on her face. Seeing this, Zhong Sheng felt distressed and said, "All for my sake, you endure such suffering!" The bride said sorrowfully, "I fear this is not yet the worst of it!" After recovering a little strength, they supported each other into the temple, bowed to the Buddha, and entered. Winding their way into the meditation hall, they saw an old monk sitting in meditation, his eyes seemingly closed, with a young attendant holding a fly-whisk standing by. The hall was swept clean, but before the monk's seat, the ground was strewn with gravel, as dense as stars in the sky. The bride dared not choose a spot; she entered and knelt on the gravel, and Zhong Sheng knelt behind her. The old monk opened his eyes, glanced at them, then immediately closed them again. The bride bowed to the monk and said, "It has been long since I last paid my respects to you, venerable sir; now that your daughter is married, I have come with my husband." The old monk remained silent for a long time, then opened his eyes and said, "Little girl, you are too troublesome!" He spoke no more. The couple knelt for a long time, utterly exhausted, the gravel pressing into their knees as if piercing the bone, causing unbearable pain. After another while, the old monk finally said, "Has the mule been brought?" The bride replied, "No." The old monk said, "You two go back quickly and bring the mule at once." The couple kowtowed and rose, then returned home in a wretched state.
Upon arriving home, the husband and wife, following the instructions, sent the mule to the temple, though they did not understand the reason for this and could only conceal themselves at home to await news. After a few days, they heard rumors that the criminal had been captured and executed, and the couple rejoiced that they had escaped calamity. Not long after, a young servant sent from the mountains presented a broken bamboo staff to Zhong Sheng, saying, "The one who died in your stead is this Lord Bamboo." He then instructed them to bury the staff and perform a sacrificial rite to absolve the bamboo of its wrongful fate. Zhong Sheng examined the staff and saw that at the broken end there were still traces of blood; so, after offering a prayer, he buried it. The couple dared not linger there long and, traveling by starlight, hastened back to Zhong Sheng's hometown of Liaoyang.
Commentary
This was a story that could be considered mainstream in its time. It tells of the scholar Zhong Qingyu, who, due to his noble character and virtuous conduct, especially his filial piety toward his mother, was favored by heaven in both his life and career. His mother was granted an additional twelve years of life, and he himself encountered good fortune in the face of danger, avoiding an untimely death.
In ancient China, the two paramount events in the life of a scholar were achieving success in the imperial examinations and celebrating the nuptial chamber, which correspond to what we today call career and marriage. The first half of the tale recounts the tribulations faced by Scholar Zhong in his pursuit of official rank, while the latter half narrates the twists and turns of his remarriage, with the core theme being that 'filial piety moves the gods,' thereby altering his fate. Due to its heavy didactic tone, though some plot points are deliberately convoluted—such as Zhong abandoning the examinations to insist on visiting his mother, his donkey repeatedly stumbling to block his path, and after accidentally causing a death, he encounters an old mountain man who, upon learning the victim is the crown prince, hesitantly says, 'His family could manage this, but this truly leaves me helpless!'—the narrative ultimately remains rather bland and unremarkable.