Original Text
Guo Sheng was a native of the capital, over twenty years old, with a handsome face and an elegant bearing. One day, just at dusk, an old woman brought him a jug of wine. Guo Sheng found it strange, wondering why she would send wine for no reason. The old woman smiled and said, "Don't ask; drink it, and you will naturally arrive at a fine place." With that, she left. Guo Sheng lifted the lid and sniffed gently; the wine's fragrance spread all around, so he drank it. After finishing the wine, he suddenly became drunk and lost all awareness. When he awoke, he found himself lying side by side with someone. He reached out and touched the person, whose skin was as smooth as grease, and a scent of musk and orchid wafted over—it was a woman. Guo Sheng asked who she was, but she did not answer, so he had intercourse with her. When it was done, Guo Sheng felt the walls with his hands; they were all stone, damp and earthy, much like a tomb. Greatly alarmed, he suspected he was being seduced by a female ghost and asked the woman, "What spirit are you?" The woman replied, "I am not a spirit, but an immortal. This is a grotto. You and I have a predestined bond from a former life; do not be alarmed, just settle here in peace. Beyond another door, there is a place where light leaks through, where you can relieve yourself." Then she rose, closed the door, and left. After a long while, Guo Sheng grew hungry, and a young maidservant brought him flatcakes and duck soup, letting him grope for them and eat. The cave was pitch black, with no way to tell day from night. Before long, the woman came to sleep, and only then did he know it was evening. Guo Sheng said, "By day I see no sun, by night there is no lamp; when eating, I do not know where my mouth is. If it is always like this, what difference is there between Chang'e and a rakshasa, or between heaven and hell?" The woman laughed and said, "Because you are a mortal, fond of talking and prone to revealing secrets, I do not wish to let you see my form. Besides, groping in the dark can still distinguish beauty from ugliness; why must there be a lamp?"
After staying for several days, Scholar Guo felt extremely restless and repeatedly requested to return home temporarily. The woman said, "Tomorrow I will take you to tour the Heavenly Palace, and then we shall part." The next day, a little maid suddenly entered carrying a lantern, saying, "The lady has been waiting for you for a long time." Guo followed her out. Under the starlit night sky, he saw countless pavilions and towers. After passing through several painted corridors, they arrived at a place where pearl curtains hung before the hall, and huge candles blazed as bright as daylight. Upon entering, he beheld a beauty clad in splendid robes, seated facing south, about twenty years of age, her brocade gown dazzling to the eye, and pearls on her head trembling around her temples. Short candles were placed all over the floor, illuminating even the hem of her skirt—truly a celestial maiden. Guo was dazzled and at a loss, unconsciously kneeling to bow. The woman ordered the maid to help him up and pulled him to sit beside her. Soon, rare delicacies filled the table, and the woman urged him to drink, saying, "Drink this cup to see you off." Guo bowed and said, "Previously, I met you without recognizing your immortal visage, and I am deeply ashamed. If the immortal will allow me to atone for my past offenses, I wish to serve as your loyal subject for life." The woman turned to the maid with a smile and ordered the feast moved to the bedchamber. The bedchamber was hung with tasseled embroidered curtains, and the bedding was fragrant and soft. The woman had Guo sit on the bed. While drinking, she said several times, "You have been away from home for long; it is fine to return for a while." When the first watch ended, Guo made no mention of leaving. The woman called for the maid to light a lantern and escort him away, but Guo remained silent, feigning drunkenness and lying down on the bed, unmoving even when shaken. The woman ordered several maids to support him and remove his clothes. One maid, grasping his private parts, said, "This man looks gentle and refined—why is this thing so uncivilized!" They carried him to the bed and left with loud laughter. The woman also climbed onto the bed, and only then did Guo turn over. The woman asked, "Are you drunk?" Guo replied, "How could a mere scholar be drunk! I was merely overwhelmed by the sight of the immortal." The woman said, "This is the Heavenly Palace. Before dawn, you should leave early. If you find the cave tedious, it is better to return soon." Guo said, "Now that a man has obtained a famous flower by night, smelling its fragrance and caressing its branches, yet suffering from the lack of a lamp to see it, how can such feelings be endured?" The woman smiled and promised him a lamp. At the fourth watch, the woman called for a maid to light a lantern and, holding his clothes, escorted Guo inside. Entering the cave, he saw the surroundings exquisitely adorned, with palm-mat cushions over a foot thick where he slept.
Guo Sheng removed his shoes and slipped into the bed, but the maidservant lingered and refused to leave. Guo Sheng looked at her closely and saw that she was quite charming, so he jested, "Was it you who said I was uncivilized?" The maidservant smiled, nudged the pillow with her foot, and said, "You should lie down now! Say no more." Guo Sheng noticed that the pearls inlaid on the tips of her shoes were as large as soybeans. He grabbed her and pulled her close, and she fell into his arms, whereupon they coupled, and she moaned as if in great pain. Guo Sheng asked, "How old are you?" She replied, "Seventeen." He asked, "Does a virgin also know the ways of love between man and woman?" She answered, "I am not a virgin, but it has been three years since I last did this." Guo Sheng pressed her for the immortal's name, origin, and rank. The maidservant said, "Ask no more! It is neither of the heavens nor like the mortal world. If you must know the truth, I fear you will die without a place to bury your bones." Guo Sheng then dared not ask further. The next night, the woman indeed came with a lamp and candle, ate and slept with Guo Sheng, and so it continued from then on.
One evening, the woman entered and said, "I had hoped to remain with you for a long time, but human affairs are fickle; today I must sweep the celestial palace and can no longer keep you here. Pray let this cup of wine serve as our farewell." Scholar Guo wept and begged the woman to leave him some token from her person as a keepsake. The woman refused, but gave him a catty of gold and a hundred pearls. After Guo had drunk three cups, he suddenly fell into a drunken stupor. When he awoke, he felt his limbs bound as if tightly trussed, unable to stretch his legs or even raise his head. Struggling and turning about, he dizzily tumbled off the bed. Reaching out his hand, he found his entire body wrapped in brocade quilts, tied with fine cords. Sitting up and recalling the events dimly, he vaguely discerned the bed and window, and realized he was in his own study. By this time, Guo had been away from home for three months, and his family had presumed him dead. At first, Guo dared not speak of his experience, fearing punishment from the immortal, yet his heart was full of doubt. He secretly confided in a close friend, but no one could fathom the mystery. The brocade quilt lay at his bedside, its fragrance filling the room; when he opened it, he found it was made of lake silk mixed with incense, and so he treasured it. Later, a high-ranking official heard of this matter and asked Guo about the details, then laughed, saying, "This is the very trick used by Empress Jia of the Jin dynasty. How could an immortal do such a thing? Even so, this affair must be kept strictly secret; if it leaks out, it will implicate the entire clan!" There was a sorceress who often frequented the homes of the powerful, and she said that the shape of that pavilion closely resembled the residence of Yan Donglou, son of the minister Yan Song. Upon hearing this, Guo was terrified and fled with his family. Not long after, news came that the Yan family had been executed by the court, and only then did Guo's family return.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Lofty towers loom in misty obscurity, fragrant scents fill embroidered canopies, youthful servants pace to and fro with pearl-studded shoes—unless it be the wanton indulgence of a powerful and corrupt minister or the extravagant luxury of a haughty noble house, how could such splendor be attained? Behold, when the tally of debauchery is cast, a golden house’s beloved wife turns into a neglected lady of the Long Gate Palace; before the spittoon has dried, the field of affection is already overrun with weeds. Alone in an empty bed, through the long night by a solitary lamp, one’s heart is rent with sorrow. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she fixes her eyes on the embroidered curtain. Thus it comes to pass that by the platform of wine, a path leads to the celestial palace; within the bower of tenderness, one suspects a celestial maiden. The disgrace of the Yan family is not enough to shame them, yet those who hoard a multitude of concubines and leave them to languish in solitude—such men may well take this as a warning!
Commentary
This tale is likely derived from the story of Empress Jia of Emperor Hui in the "Book of Jin" biographies of empresses and consorts. It tells of a handsome man who mysteriously vanishes after drinking, only to be abducted by women from a wealthy family posing as immortals to use him as a sexual slave, and upon his release, he dares not speak of it. Politically, the story satirizes the debauchery and shamelessness of powerful families throughout history. Physiologically, it warns that for all those who monopolize sexual resources, scandal is inevitable—"The licentiousness of the vulgar household is hardly worth shaming, but the one who lets his own fields lie fallow should also take heed!" It is not merely an allegory for the Yan Shifan family alone.