Original Text
In Zhili there was a scholar surnamed Mu, whose childhood name was Changong, the son of the merchant Mu Xiaohuan. He was very clever and fond of reading. At sixteen, his father considered studying for the imperial examinations too pedantic and made him abandon literature for commerce, learning the trade, so he followed his father to the Chu region. Whenever he had nothing to do on the boat, he would chant poetry and read books. Upon reaching Wuchang, his father left him in an inn to watch over the goods. Taking advantage of his father's absence, Mu would take out his books and recite poetry with a clear, rhythmic cadence. Sometimes he saw a shadow moving outside the window, as if someone were eavesdropping, but he thought nothing of it. One evening, his father went out to a banquet and did not return for a long time, so Mu chanted his poems even more diligently. He saw someone pacing outside the window, clearly visible in the moonlight. Startled, he hurried out to look, and found it was a girl of fifteen or sixteen, of peerless beauty. As soon as she saw Mu, she quickly fled. Two or three days later, they loaded their goods and sailed northward for home, anchoring at night by the lakeshore. When his father went out on business, an old woman entered and said, "You will be the death of my daughter!" Mu asked her in surprise what she meant, and the old woman replied, "My surname is Bai, and I have a daughter named Qiulian, who is well-versed in literature. She says that in the city, she heard you reciting poetry, and it has stayed in her heart, unable to forget, to the point that she has lost sleep and appetite. I wish to unite her with you in marriage; I hope you will not refuse." Mu was truly fond of the girl in his heart, but he feared his father's reproach, so he told the old woman the truth. She did not believe him and insisted he agree to the match, but Mu refused. The old woman grew angry and said, "In the world of men, some seek marriage in vain. Now I come as a matchmaker myself, yet I am rejected—could there be a greater disgrace? Do not think you can sail back north!" With that, she left. After a while, his father returned, and Mu gently told him the matter, secretly hoping he would consent. But his father, considering the distance from home and looking down on the girl's forwardness, merely laughed it off.
The place where the boat was originally moored had water deep enough to cover the oars, but one night a sandbank suddenly rose up, trapping the vessel so it could not move. Every year on the lake, passenger boats were inevitably stranded on the islets, and when the spring floods came the following year, before other cargo ships arrived, the goods on board could be sold for a hundred times their original price. Thus, Mu Sheng's father was not overly worried. He merely thought that when he came south the next year, he would need to raise more funds, so he left his son behind and returned home. Mu Sheng secretly rejoiced, only regretting that he had not asked the old woman where she lived. After nightfall, the old woman and a maidservant supported the girl as they came, spread out clothes, and laid the girl on the bed. She said to Mu Sheng, "The person is already this ill—don't you act as if nothing is wrong and sleep peacefully!" With that, she left. At first, Mu Sheng was startled, but when he brought a lamp to look, he saw that the girl, though ill, was still exquisitely beautiful, with large, dark, sparkling eyes that were captivating. He asked her a few questions, but she only gave a charming smile. Mu Sheng pressed her to speak, and the girl said, "'For the beloved's sake, I am haggard, yet ashamed before him'—that line could be said to be written for me." Mu Sheng was overjoyed and wished to be intimate with her, but pitying her frailty, he put his hand into her bosom and kissed her fondly. The girl could not help but feel delighted, and she laughed, saying, "If you recite Wang Jian's poem 'Luo Yi Ye Ye' three times for me, my illness will be cured." Mu Sheng began to recite as she instructed. After only two recitations, the girl gathered her clothes and sat up, saying, "I am already well!" When he recited again, the girl joined him in a soft, trembling voice. Mu Sheng's spirits soared, and he extinguished the lamp, and they lay down together. Before dawn, the girl rose and said, "My mother will be coming soon." Shortly after, the old woman indeed arrived. Seeing the girl fully dressed and sitting there joyfully, she felt greatly relieved. She then wanted to take her daughter back, but the girl bowed her head and said nothing. The old woman rose and left on her own, saying, "Since you enjoy playing with Mu Sheng, I will not interfere." Then Mu Sheng asked the girl where she lived, and she replied, "You and I are merely newly acquainted friends; it is not yet certain we will marry, so why must you know where my home is?" Yet the two loved each other deeply and swore vows of eternal fidelity.
One night, the girl rose early to light the lamp, and suddenly opened a book, shedding tears of sorrow. Mu Sheng hastily got up and asked her what was wrong. The girl said, "Your father is coming soon. I just divined our future, and when I opened the book, I found Li Yi's 'Song of the Southern River,' whose verses are rather inauspicious." Mu Sheng comforted her, saying, "The first line, 'Married to a merchant from Qutang,' is already greatly auspicious—what ill omen is there?" The girl then brightened a little, rose to take her leave, and said, "Let us part for now; by dawn, many people will be pointing fingers at us." Mu Sheng grasped her arm and sobbed, "If my father agrees to this match, how shall I inform you?" The girl replied, "I often send someone to inquire; whether he consents or not, I will know." Mu Sheng wanted to escort her off the boat, but she strenuously refused and departed. Not long after, Mu Sheng's father indeed arrived. Mu Sheng gradually revealed the truth, and his father, suspecting he had consorted with a courtesan, angrily scolded him. He carefully inspected the cargo on the boat and found nothing missing, so after the reprimand, he let the matter rest. One evening, when his father was away from the boat, the girl suddenly appeared, and they clung to each other in deep affection, yet could devise no plan. The girl said, "Success or failure is determined by fate; let us first enjoy the present pleasure. I will stay with you for another two months, and then we will decide what to do." Before parting, they agreed to use reciting poetry as a signal for their meetings. From then on, whenever his father went out, Mu Sheng would loudly chant verses, and the girl would come. As the fourth month drew to a close, the prices of goods had missed the favorable season, and the merchants, at a loss, pooled money to pray for divine aid at the Lake God Temple. After the Dragon Boat Festival, heavy rains fell, and the boats began to sail again.
After returning home, Scholar Mu fell ill from excessive longing. His father, deeply worried, summoned both shamans and physicians to treat him. Privately, Mu told his mother, "This illness of mine cannot be cured by medicine or sorcery; only when Qiulian comes will I recover." His father was initially furious, but as time passed and Mu grew thinner and weaker, his father became frightened. He hired a carriage, took his son, and returned to the Chu region, mooring the boat once more at the same spot. They inquired among the locals, but no one knew of an Old Woman Bai. Just then, an elderly woman rowing a boat on the lake emerged, claiming to be that very Old Woman Bai. Mu's father boarded her boat and saw Qiulian, his heart secretly rejoicing. He asked about their family background and learned they were river-dwellers. He then truthfully explained the cause of his son's illness, hoping Qiulian would come to his boat to cure him. The old woman, deeming the match not yet formally betrothed, refused to let Qiulian go. Qiulian, half-hiding her face, listened intently to their conversation, tears glistening in her eyes. Seeing her daughter's expression and Mu's father's earnest pleas, the old woman relented. That night, after Mu's father had left, Qiulian indeed came to the boat. Leaning by the bedside, she sobbed, "The lovesickness that once afflicted me has now passed to you! The bitterness of it—you must taste it too. But in such a wasted state, how can you be cured at once? Let me recite a poem for you." Mu was delighted. Qiulian recited the same poem by Wang Jian. Mu said, "That poem speaks of your heart; how can it work for two people? Yet hearing your voice, my spirit already feels refreshed. Try reciting for me 'A thousand willow branches all stretch westward.'" Qiulian recited it. Mu exclaimed, "How exhilarating! Among the verses you once sang, there was one from 'Gathering Lotus Seeds'—'The fragrance of lotus blooms spreads over ten acres of ponds'—I have not forgotten it. Please, chant it again in a long, drawn-out tone." Qiulian chanted it once more. No sooner had she finished than Mu sprang up, crying, "What illness did I ever have?" They embraced warmly, and his grave ailment seemed to vanish instantly. After a while, Mu asked, "What did my father say when he saw your mother? Can our marriage be arranged?" Qiulian, already sensing Mu's father's intentions, replied bluntly, "It was not settled."
After a while, Qiulian departed, and her father returned. Seeing that Musheng had risen from his sickbed, he was greatly relieved and offered words of comfort. Then he added, "That girl is fine, but she has spent her life on a boat, steering and singing. Not to mention her lowly origins, I fear she may not be chaste." Musheng remained silent. After his father left, Qiulian returned, and Musheng told her what his father had said. Qiulian replied, "I have seen it clearly: in all matters under heaven, the more you rush, the farther it recedes; the more you try to please, the more it resists. We should make your father change his mind and come to seek you out instead." When Musheng asked her for a plan, she said, "Merchants think only of profit. I have a way of knowing prices. Just now I looked at the cargo in the hold, and none of it will yield a profit. Tell your father for me: if he hoards a certain kind of goods, he can triple his profit; if he hoards another kind, he can gain tenfold. When you return home, if my words prove true, I will become a good daughter-in-law in your house. When you come back here, you will be eighteen and I seventeen, and we will naturally have our time of joy—why should you worry?" Musheng told his father about the prices Qiulian had mentioned. His father was skeptical and only used half of his remaining funds to follow her advice. When they returned home, the goods he had bought on his own incurred heavy losses, but thanks to the small portion he had invested according to Qiulian's instructions, he made a substantial profit, and the two roughly balanced out. From then on, he believed in Qiulian's supernatural insight. Musheng praised her even more before his father, saying that Qiulian claimed she could make their family wealthy. His father then raised more capital and traveled south again. When they reached the lake, many days passed without sight of the old woman Bai. After several more days, they finally saw her boat moored beneath a willow tree. Musheng's father sent over betrothal gifts, but the old woman Bai refused them all, only choosing an auspicious day to send her daughter across to their boat. Musheng's father then rented another vessel and held a wedding for his son. Qiulian asked Musheng's father to continue southward, and she recorded all the goods he should procure in a ledger and handed it to him. The old woman then invited Musheng to stay on her boat. Three months later, Musheng's father returned; when the goods were transported to Chu, their prices had already multiplied several times. As they prepared to return home, Qiulian requested that they bring back some lake water. After returning, she would add a little to every meal, like a seasoning. Thereafter, whenever Musheng's father traveled south, he would bring back several jars of lake water for her.
After three or four years, Qiulian gave birth to a son. One day, she wept and wished to return home, so Mu's father took his son and daughter-in-law together to the Chu region. When they reached the lake, they could not find the old woman anywhere. Qiulian knocked on the boat's railing and called out for her mother, suffering greatly in both spirit and body, urging Musheng to inquire along the lakeshore. They happened upon a fisherman catching sturgeon, who had hooked a white-fin porpoise. Musheng approached and saw it was a massive creature, shaped exactly like a human, complete with breasts and genitals. He found it strange and returned to tell Qiulian. Qiulian was greatly alarmed, saying she had long harbored a wish to release living creatures, and urged Musheng to buy it and set it free. Musheng went to negotiate with the fisherman, who demanded a high price. Qiulian said, "In your household, I have helped you earn no less than ten million in gold; can you begrudge such a small sum? If you do not heed me, I will leap into the lake and drown!" Musheng, frightened, dared not tell his father, stole the money, bought the fish, and released it. When he returned, Qiulian was nowhere to be found; he searched for her until the fifth watch of the night before she came back. Musheng asked, "Where did you go?" Qiulian said, "I went to my mother's place." Musheng asked, "Where is your mother?" Qiulian said shamefacedly, "Now I must tell you the truth. The fish you bought and released today is my mother. In the past, at Lake Dongting, the Dragon Lord commanded her to manage travelers. Recently, the palace sought to select concubines, and some idle people praised my beauty; the Dragon Lord heard of it and ordered my mother to hand me over. My mother reported the truth to the Dragon Lord, but he would not listen and exiled her to the southern shore, where she nearly starved to death, thus suffering the earlier calamity. Now the calamity is lifted, but the punishment is not yet remitted. If you love me, please pray to the True Lord on my behalf to have her punishment lifted. If you despise me for being of a different kind, I will return your son to you and go back myself; the Dragon Palace's offerings are not necessarily inferior to your household's by a hundredfold." Musheng was greatly startled, fearing he could not see the True Lord. Qiulian said, "Tomorrow at the hour of the Wei, the True Lord should come. If you see a lame Taoist, quickly bow to him; even if he enters the water, you must follow. The True Lord favors scholars, and he will surely sympathize and grant your request." She then produced a piece of fish-belly silk and said, "If he asks what you seek, present this and beg him to write the character 'exempt' on it." Musheng waited as Qiulian instructed, and indeed a lame Taoist approached; Musheng stepped forward and knelt in obeisance. The Taoist hurried away, but Musheng followed closely. The Taoist threw his staff into the water and leaped onto it; Musheng also leaped after him, and saw it was not a staff but a boat. Musheng bowed again. The Taoist asked, "What do you seek?" Musheng produced the fish-belly silk and begged him to write. The Taoist unrolled it and said, "This is the fin of a white-fin porpoise; how did you come by it?" Musheng dared not conceal the matter and recounted the whole story. The Taoist laughed and said, "This creature is quite refined; how could the old dragon be so lecherous!" He then took out a brush, wrote the character 'exempt' in a cursive style resembling a talisman, and rowed the boat to the shore, letting Musheng disembark. The Taoist then stepped on his staff and walked across the water, vanishing in an instant. Musheng returned to the boat, and Qiulian was overjoyed, only urging him not to tell his parents about this matter.
Two or three years after they returned home, Mu Sheng's father went south again and did not return for several months. The lake water at home was all used up, and they waited long without his return. Qiulian then fell ill, gasping day and night without cease. She instructed Mu Sheng, saying: "If I die, do not bury me first; at the three hours of Mao, Wu, and You each day, recite Du Fu's poem 'Dreaming of Li Bai,' and my corpse will not decay. When the lake water arrives, pour it into a basin, close the door, loosen my garments, hold me and place me in the basin to soak in the water, and I will revive." After gasping for several days, Qiulian breathed her last and died. Half a month later, Mu Sheng's father returned, and Mu Sheng urgently followed Qiulian's method, soaking her in the lake water; after more than an hour, Qiulian revived. From then on, Qiulian often wished to return south. Later, when Mu Sheng's father died, Mu Sheng complied with Qiulian's wish and moved their household to the Chu region.
Commentary
This story recounts the romantic love tale between Mu Xiaohuan's son, Mu Changong, a merchant, and the fish spirit Bai Qiulian. Some say the fish spirit is a carp, others claim it is a white-flag dolphin, but neither assertion has been proven.
Bai Qiulian, who delighted in reciting poetry, bore the shadow of Gu Qingxia, a singing girl Pu Songling had come to know during his travels in the south. Pu Songling shared a deep affection with Gu Qingxia and greatly admired her skill in recitation, describing her voice as "clear and melodious, like jade shattering and pearls rounding." "Her chanting tones were crisp as a spring swallow's song, lightly tapping her powdered fingers against her golden hairpin," he wrote, and he once selected from ten thousand Tang quatrains a hundred love poems especially for her, each one's tone fragrant as musk and orchid. "The oriole's warble truly paired with peerless grace, gladly given to the dear one to chant and hear." After Gu Qingxia's death, Pu Songling still clung to her memory, saying, "Her chanting voice seems still to linger in my ears, no more songs or music to gaze upon her tomb gate."
This tale possesses a remarkably brilliant aspect, as it breaks away from the traditional formula of classical fiction concerning marriage, where the disparity in social standing between lovers—typically with the woman's family being of higher status—is always resolved by the poor scholar passing the imperial examinations to elevate his position. Instead, it is the woman, Bai Qiulian, who "foresees commodity prices," using her ability to enrich the man and thereby bridge the gap between their families. When assessing the prospects of their union, Bai Qiulian says to Mu Chongong: "The ambition of all merchants lies in profit. I possess the art of knowing prices in advance... Return home, and when my predictions prove true, then I shall become a worthy wife." This incisive analysis sharply reveals the mercantile psychology of Mu Xiaohuan regarding marriage, vividly highlighting the monetary standard that governed matrimony and human relations in that era. This reflects a new social phenomenon emerging at the time, as well as Pu Songling's profound insight into the mindset of the merchant class.