Original Text
Yu Shen, styled Jin'an, was born into an aristocratic family in Shuntian Prefecture. Once, while traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, he lodged outside the city walls and often noticed a young man from the house across the way, whose bearing was handsome and refined, his face like polished jade. Yu Shen took a great liking to him and gradually drew near to converse, finding him even more elegant and free-spirited, his speech far from vulgar. Overjoyed, Yu Shen took him by the hand and invited him to his own lodgings, where he set out wine and feasted him. Upon asking his name, the young man replied, "I am from Jinling, surnamed Yu, given name Shichen, styled Xunjiu." Hearing that they shared the same surname, Yu Shen felt even closer and proposed they become sworn brothers. The young man then dropped the character "Shi" from his name, calling himself simply Yu Chen. The next day, Yu Shen visited Yu Chen's home, finding the study and chambers quite neat, yet the gate and courtyard were desolate, without even a single servant. Yu Chen led Yu Shen inside and called for his younger sister to come out and pay respects; she appeared to be about thirteen or fourteen years of age, her skin so pure and white that even powder or jade could not compare. After a moment, she served tea to Yu Shen, revealing that the household had no maids or serving women. Yu Shen found this strange, exchanged a few words, and then took his leave. From then on, Yu Shen and Yu Chen were as close as blood brothers. Yu Chen never let a day pass without visiting Yu Shen's lodgings, and when Yu Shen once asked him to stay the night, Yu Chen declined, saying his younger sister was still young and needed care. Yu Shen said, "My brother has traveled a thousand li from home, drifting here, yet you have not even a gatekeeper or servant, and you and your sister are both delicate—how do you make a living? I think it best you return with me; I have a room where you and your sister can live together. What do you say?" Yu Chen was delighted and agreed to come after the examinations.
After the examination concluded, Yu Chen invited Yu Shen to his residence, saying, "It is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moonlight is as bright as day, and my younger sister Suqiu has already prepared wine and dishes; I hope you will not disappoint her kindness." With that, he led Yu Shen into the inner chamber. Suqiu came out, exchanged a few brief pleasantries, then entered the inner room, lowered the curtain, and set about preparing the feast. Shortly, she personally came out to serve the wine and dishes. Yu Shen rose and said, "To have you toil so, how can my heart bear it?" Suqiu smiled and withdrew. In a moment, the curtain was lifted, and a maidservant dressed in blue emerged holding a wine pot, followed by an old woman carrying a tray of fish. Yu Shen exclaimed in surprise, "Where did these people come from? Why did they not work earlier, causing you to labor yourself?" Yu Chen smiled faintly and said, "Suqiu is up to her tricks again." From behind the curtain came a sound of stifled laughter, and Yu Shen could not fathom what was happening. When the feast ended, maids and servants came to clear the table; just then, Yu Shen coughed, and his spittle accidentally fell on the maidservant's clothing. As soon as the spittle touched her, she collapsed, the bowls shattered with a crash, and the soup spilled all over the floor. Looking closely at the maidservant, she was a figure cut from silk, only four inches tall. Yu Chen burst into laughter. Suqiu came out smiling, picked up the figure, and departed. After a while, the maidservant emerged again, moving about as freely as before. Yu Shen was greatly astonished. Yu Chen said, "This is merely a trivial skill my sister learned from the Zigu spirit in her youth." Yu Shen then asked, "You and your sister have both grown up; why have you not yet married?" Yu Chen replied, "After our parents passed away, we had no fixed abode, so we have delayed making any decisions on marriage." Yu Shen then discussed with him a date for departure; Yu Chen sold the house, took his sister, and journeyed westward with Yu Shen to Shuntian Prefecture.
Upon arriving home, Yu Shen cleaned a room for them to stay and assigned a maidservant to attend to the brother and sister. Yu Shen's wife, the niece of Minister Han, took a particular liking to Suqiu and often dined with her, just as Yu Shen and Yu Chen did together. Yu Chen was exceedingly intelligent, reading ten lines at a glance, and when he attempted to compose an essay, even the most learned scholars could not surpass him. Yu Shen urged him to sit for the imperial examinations, but Yu Chen replied, "I engage in these studies merely to relieve your weariness from reading, sharing a small part of your burden. I know my fortune is shallow and that I cannot advance far in officialdom; moreover, once I embark on this path, I cannot help but be troubled by gains and losses, so I have no desire to compete." Three years later, Yu Shen failed the examinations again. Yu Chen, greatly aggrieved on his behalf, said with fervor, "How can it be so difficult to secure a place on the list! At first, I wished not to be swayed by success or failure, thus I preferred obscurity. But now, seeing my elder brother unable to achieve high honors, my heart stirs involuntarily. This nineteen-year-old old scholar shall gallop into the examination arena like a colt." Yu Shen was delighted, and on the day of the examinations, he escorted Yu Chen to the venue. In the county, prefectural, and circuit examinations, Yu Chen ranked first each time. Thereafter, Yu Chen studied even more diligently alongside Yu Shen. The following year, they both took the examinations and tied for first place in both the county and prefectural levels. Yu Chen's fame spread far and wide, and many families from near and far sought to arrange marriages with him, but he declined them all. Yu Shen urged him repeatedly to accept, and only then did Yu Chen defer the matter, saying they would discuss it after the provincial examinations. Soon after, when the examinations concluded, those who admired Yu Chen's literary talent vied to copy his essays, passing them around with praise, and even Yu Chen himself felt that a second-place ranking was beneath his notice.
When the list of successful candidates was posted, both of the Yu brothers had failed. At the time, they were drinking together, and upon hearing the news, Yu Shen could still force a smile, but Yu Chen was utterly stricken with dismay; the wine cup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered, and his body slumped beneath the table. Yu Shen helped him to bed, where his condition grew critical. Yu Shen hastily summoned Suqiu, and Yu Chen, opening his eyes, said to Yu Shen, "Though we have been as close as brothers, we are not of the same blood. I feel that my name is already written in the registers of the King of Hell; for years I have been indebted to your kindness, unable to repay it. Suqiu has grown up, and thanks to your wife's loving care, let her become your concubine." Yu Shen's face changed color, and he said, "Brother, you speak wildly! Would you have men call me a beast in human form?" Yu Chen was moved to tears. Yu Shen immediately spent a great sum to buy a fine coffin, and Yu Chen had it brought to his bedside, where he mustered all his strength to climb into it, instructing Suqiu, "After I die, seal the coffin at once, and let no one open it to look." Yu Shen wished to say more, but Yu Chen's eyes had already closed. Yu Shen mourned deeply, as if he had lost a true brother. Yet he secretly thought Yu Chen's last words strange, and taking advantage of Suqiu's absence, he opened the coffin to look. Inside, the burial robe lay like a snake's sloughed skin, and lifting it, he saw a bookworm about a foot long, lying stiff and still. While Yu Shen was still astonished, Suqiu rushed in, her face sorrowful, and said, "What need for concealment between brothers? I did this not to hide from you, but for fear that if this became known, I too could not remain here long." Yu Shen replied, "Rites are founded on human feelings; if there is true feeling, what difference does it make if one is of another kind? Sister, do you not understand my heart? Even to my wife, I will reveal nothing; do not worry." So Yu Shen quickly chose an auspicious day and buried Yu Chen with full honors.
At first, Yu Shen wished to marry Suqiu into a prominent local family, but Yu Chen disagreed. After Yu Chen died, Yu Shen again discussed the matter with Suqiu, yet she still refused. Yu Shen said, "Sister, you are now twenty years old. It is time for you to marry, yet you do not. What will others think of me?" Suqiu replied, "If that is the case, I will obey my elder brother's command. But I feel I lack the fortune for a high match and do not wish to aspire to a noble house; a poor scholar would suffice." Yu Shen said, "Very well." Within a few days, matchmakers came one after another, but Suqiu was not pleased with any of them. Previously, when Han Quan, the younger brother of Yu Shen's wife, came to mourn Yu Chen, he had a chance to see Suqiu and greatly admired her, desiring to take her as a concubine. He discussed this with his sister, who urgently warned him not to mention it, fearing Yu Shen would find out. After Han Quan left, he could not let go of the idea and sent a matchmaker to hint to Yu Shen that if he agreed to the match, Han Quan would bribe the examiners for Yu Shen's success in the provincial examinations. When Yu Shen heard this, he was furious, cursed Han Quan severely, and drove the messenger away, thus severing their relations. At that time, a certain Jia, the grandson of a deceased minister, was about to marry when his betrothed suddenly died, and he also sent a matchmaker to propose. Jia's family had grand mansions and great wealth, which Yu Shen had long known, but he wished to see Jia himself, so he arranged with the matchmaker for Jia to visit in person. On the appointed day, Yu Shen had Suqiu set up a curtain in the inner chamber for her to observe. Jia arrived in a fur robe, riding a large horse, followed by a retinue, deliberately flaunting himself in the streets. Jia himself was handsome and refined, like a maiden. Yu Shen was overjoyed at the sight, and all who saw Jia praised him, but Suqiu was greatly displeased. Yu Shen ignored Suqiu's opinion and agreed to betroth her to Jia. He then prepared a lavish dowry, spending no small sum. Suqiu tried her utmost to stop him, saying that only an old maidservant would suffice for her service. Yu Shen still would not listen and ultimately bestowed a substantial dowry.
After Suqiu married into the family, the couple enjoyed a harmonious relationship. However, her elder brother and sister-in-law often missed her, so she would return to visit them once every month. Whenever she came, Suqiu would bring a few pieces of jewelry from her dressing case and entrust them to her sister-in-law for safekeeping. The sister-in-law, not understanding her intention, simply kept them for her temporarily. A certain man, known as Jia, had lost his father in childhood and was raised solely by his widowed mother, who doted on him excessively. He frequently associated with disreputable characters, who gradually led him into gambling and debauchery, causing him to sell off the family's calligraphy, paintings, and antiques to pay off his gambling debts. Han Quan, an old acquaintance of Jia, once invited him for a drink and secretly probed his intentions, offering two concubines and five hundred taels of silver in exchange for Suqiu. Jia initially refused, but after Han Quan's repeated entreaties, he seemed to waver, though he feared that Yu Shen would not let the matter rest. Han Quan said, "He and I are close relatives, and besides, Suqiu is not his real sister. Once the deed is done, he will have no recourse. If any trouble arises, I alone will bear the responsibility. With my father's influence, what need is there to fear a Yu Jin'an?" With that, he had two gorgeously adorned concubines come out to drink with Jia, adding, "If this plan succeeds, these two concubines will be yours." Seduced by Han Quan, Jia set a date and returned home. On the appointed day, Jia, still suspecting Han Quan might be deceitful, waited by the roadside at night. Sure enough, a carriage approached; Jia lifted the curtain to inspect and found it genuine, so he led them home, temporarily settling them in the study. Han Quan's servant then handed over five hundred taels of silver. After counting it, Jia rushed to the inner chambers and falsely told Suqiu that her brother had suddenly fallen ill, urging her to leave immediately. Without time to dress or adorn herself, Suqiu hurried out. The carriage set off, but soon lost its way in the darkness, wandering far from any known path, and still did not reach the Han estate. Suddenly, two giant candles appeared ahead; the Han servants rejoiced, thinking they could ask for directions. But as the candles drew near, they revealed themselves to be a giant python with eyes blazing like torches. The group was terrified and scattered in all directions, abandoning the carriage by the roadside. When dawn broke, they gathered again and found only an empty carriage. Assuming Suqiu had been devoured by the serpent, they returned to report to their master, and Han Quan could only hang his head in despair.
Several days later, Yu Shen sent someone to visit his sister, only to discover she had been abducted by a scoundrel; at first, he did not suspect that a certain Jia was behind the scheme. Yu Shen summoned Suqiu's maidservant back home and meticulously questioned her about the events, gradually uncovering the truth of the matter. Furious, he went to the local yamen to file a complaint. Jia, terrified, sought help from Han Quan. Han Quan, already disheartened by the loss of both the woman and the money, rebuked Jia and refused to lend any assistance. Jia, foolish and dull-witted, found himself at a loss; when summonses arrived from various offices, he bribed them to delay execution. Within a month, his family's gold, silver, jewels, and clothing had all been sold off. Yu Shen then appealed to the provincial court, which pursued the case with great urgency; the prefectural and county officials had no choice but to comply with orders from above. Jia, realizing he could no longer hide, finally appeared in court and confessed everything. The provincial court issued a summons for Han Quan to appear for cross-examination. Han Quan, frightened, told his father the truth. His father, already retired from office, was enraged by his son's misdeeds and had him bound and handed over to the constables. At the tribunal, when Han Quan spoke of encountering a python, the judges deemed it absurd and dismissed it as nonsense. Nearly all of Han's servants were tortured, and Jia was repeatedly beaten. Fortunately, Jia's mother sold off land daily to bribe officials and secure his safety, so his punishments were light and he was not beaten to death, though Han's servants perished in prison from illness. Han Quan, long confined in jail, offered a thousand taels of silver to help Jia bribe Yu Shen, begging him to drop the lawsuit. Yu Shen refused. Jia's mother then offered to add two concubines, pleading only that the case be shelved as a doubtful matter while they searched for Suqiu's whereabouts. Yu Shen's wife, urged by her aunt, daily entreated Yu Shen to withdraw the complaint, and he finally relented. Jia's family had already fallen into poverty; he wished to sell his house to raise the silver, but could not find a buyer quickly, so he first sent the concubines over, begging Yu Shen for an extension.
After several days, as Yu Shen was sitting in his study one night, Suqiu suddenly entered with an elderly woman. Yu Shen asked in surprise, "Has my sister been safe and well all this time?" Suqiu smiled and said, "That great python was merely a small trick of mine. That night, I fled to the home of a scholar and stayed with his mother. The scholar himself claimed to know you, elder brother, and now waits outside the door; please allow him to enter." Upon hearing this, Yu Shen hastily slipped on his shoes and hurried out to greet him, holding up a lamp to see—indeed, it was none other than Zhou Sheng, a renowned scholar from Wanping, with whom he had long shared a congenial bond. Yu Shen then took Zhou Sheng by the arm and led him into the study, entertaining him with great warmth. They talked heartily for a long time, and only then did Yu Shen learn of Suqiu's experiences after her disappearance. It turned out that at daybreak, Suqiu had knocked on Zhou Sheng's door; his mother let her in, and after learning the circumstances, they knew she was Yu Shen's sister and wished to inform him at once. Suqiu stopped them and stayed with Zhou's mother. Suqiu was not only clever but also perceptive and considerate, so Zhou's mother grew very fond of her. Since her son was unmarried, she secretly regarded Suqiu as a future daughter-in-law and sounded out Suqiu's intentions. Suqiu declined, saying she dared not decide without her elder brother's consent. Zhou Sheng, because of his friendship with Yu Shen, was also unwilling to marry Suqiu without a matchmaker, though he frequently inquired about the progress of the lawsuit. When he learned the case had been concluded, Suqiu bid farewell to Zhou's mother to return home. Zhou's mother then had Zhou Sheng escort Suqiu home with an elderly servant, instructing the servant to act as a matchmaker. Yu Shen, knowing that Suqiu had stayed so long at Zhou's home, had long harbored this wish but dared not speak of it; when he heard the elderly servant propose the match for Zhou Sheng, he was overjoyed and immediately settled the betrothal with Zhou Sheng. Earlier, Suqiu had returned home under cover of night so that Yu Shen could first obtain the silver from that certain man before making the matter public. Yu Shen deemed this improper, saying, "Originally, I sought money to ruin his family out of unvented anger. Now that I have seen my sister again, how could ten thousand taels of gold be worth her?" So he sent word to the families of that certain man and Han Quan, and the lawsuit was promptly concluded. Yu Shen also considered that Zhou Sheng's family was not wealthy and the distance was great, making it difficult for him to come for the wedding; thus, he brought Zhou Sheng's mother to live in the old house formerly occupied by Yu Chen. Zhou Sheng prepared the dowry, summoned musicians, and the wedding was celebrated. One day, the sister-in-law teased Suqiu, saying, "Now that you have a new husband, do you still remember the joys of your former marriage?" Suqiu smiled and turned to ask a maid, "Do you remember?" The sister-in-law did not understand and pressed for an explanation. It turned out that during those three years of marriage, Suqiu had always had the maid take her place—each night, Suqiu would paint the maid's eyebrows with a brush and send her to the bedroom, and even when the maid sat face to face with that certain man under the lamplight, he could not tell the difference. The sister-in-law was even more amazed and wanted Suqiu to teach her the art, but Suqiu only smiled and refused to say.
In the second year, the imperial court held the provincial examination; Zhou Sheng intended to go with Yu Shen, but Suqiu thought it unnecessary for Zhou Sheng to attend. Yu Shen, however, insisted and dragged him along. As it turned out, Yu Shen passed the examination, while Zhou Sheng failed and returned home, gradually losing his ambition for officialdom. The following year, Zhou Sheng's mother passed away, and he never again mentioned traveling to the capital for the exams. One day, Suqiu said to her sister-in-law, "Before, when you asked me about my magical arts, I refused to teach you, fearing it would cause a stir. Now I am about to travel far away and will be gone for a long time, so I wish to secretly pass on my skills to you; in the future, you may rely on them to escape the chaos of war." The sister-in-law, startled, asked what she meant. Suqiu replied, "Three years from now, this place will be desolate and uninhabited. I am frail and cannot bear the terror and panic, so I will flee to the coast and live in seclusion. My elder brother is destined for wealth and honor, and I cannot take him with me; thus, I must bid farewell." Having said this, she taught all her magical arts to her sister-in-law. A few days later, Suqiu also informed Yu Shen of her intentions. Yu Shen tried to persuade her to stay but failed, and wept sorrowfully, asking, "Where will you go?" Suqiu refused to say. The next day, at cockcrow, Suqiu rose early, took along a white-bearded servant, and rode away on two donkeys. Yu Shen secretly sent someone to follow and see her off; when they reached the Jiaolai region, a sudden cloud of dust and mist filled the sky, and when it cleared, Suqiu and her servant had vanished without a trace. Three years later, Li Zicheng's army attacked Shuntian Prefecture, reducing villages and houses to ruins. Yu Shen's wife cut a piece of silk and placed it inside the gate; when the bandits came, they saw a guardian deity, Weituo, towering over ten feet tall, surrounded by swirling clouds, and fled in terror. Thus, the Yu family was preserved, safe and unharmed.
Later, a merchant from Yu Shen's village came to the sea and encountered an old man who closely resembled the white-bearded old servant, but his beard and hair were entirely black, making him difficult to recognize at first. The old man halted and asked with a smile, "Is our young master still in good health? May I trouble you to deliver a message on your return, saying that Miss Suqiu is also well and happy." When the merchant inquired where he lived, the old man replied, "Too far, too far!" With these words, he hurriedly departed. Upon hearing this, Yu Shen sent men to search thoroughly the area where the old man had appeared, but they found not a single trace of Suqiu.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Scholars are by nature not destined for high officialdom—this principle has always held true. Their initial intentions may be clear, yet in the end they fail to persevere. How could they know that those blind examiners, who judge solely by fate rather than by the quality of essays, determine success? Having failed once in the examinations, they die in a daze—how pitiable is the foolish devotion of these bookworms! Alas, for a man of ambition, rather than striving for fame and achievement, it is better to content oneself with poverty, and thereby find lasting peace and joy!
Commentary
The title of the tale is "Suqiu," and the protagonist is indeed Suqiu. At first, the author merely describes her extraordinary beauty, with skin so clear and lustrous that even powdered jade could not match its whiteness; upon her second appearance, she reveals her lively and unrestrained nature, entertaining guests by cutting silk into tiny human figures. After her elder brother's death, when matters of marriage arise, Suqiu's inner gentleness, composure, discernment of character, and capability gradually come to the fore. She escapes an unfortunate marriage, chooses her own spouse, and ultimately departs as an immortal. Suqiu's magical art of cutting silk into human figures runs through the narrative as a recurring motif: first used to entertain Yu Shen, later employed to deceive a certain man, then to frighten off a kidnapper through the illusion of a python transformation, and finally taught to Yu Shen's wife, who "placed the cut silk at the gate" and "saw a towering Weituo deity over ten feet high wreathed in clouds," leaving a profound impression.
However, the true intent of the tale and its profound lamentation lies not with Suqiu, but with her elder brother Yu Shichen. Yu Shichen, being the incarnation of a bookworm, naturally possessed superior scholarship, able to read ten lines at a glance, and when he attempted a composition, even seasoned scholars could not match him. Yet, when he tried his hand at the examinations, though he topped the prefectural and county trials, and after the exams, admirers vied to copy his essays and spread them abroad, he was, like Yu Shen, rejected. Upon hearing the news when the results were posted, his wine cup fell from his hand, and he collapsed beneath the table; when they lifted him onto a bed, his illness had already become critical. The Chronicler of the Strange says nothing of Suqiu, but laments deeply over Yu Shichen's fate: "How could one know that the blind examiner judges by fate rather than by literary merit? Struck down at the first failure, he perishes in darkness—how pitiable is the obsession of the bookworm!"