Original Text
A certain governor of Hunan dispatched a prefectural officer to escort sixty thousand taels of military funds to the capital. On the way, they encountered rain, and by nightfall they had lost their way, finding no lodging in sight. Far off, they glimpsed an ancient temple, so they stopped there to rest. Come daybreak, when they looked at the silver they were escorting, it had vanished without a trace. The men were startled and bewildered, yet they could find no clue or sign. The prefectural officer returned and reported this to the governor, who deemed him a liar and was about to punish him. When the other escorts were questioned, they offered no differing account. The governor then ordered the prefectural officer to return to the place where the silver was lost and search for clues.
The prefectural officer arrived before the temple, where he saw a blind man of most peculiar appearance, who claimed, "I can know the thoughts of others." So the officer asked him to cast a divination. The blind man said, "You have come concerning the loss of silver, have you not?" The officer replied, "Indeed." He then recounted the circumstances of the lost military funds. The blind man bade him procure a sedan chair, saying, "You have only to follow me, and in due time you shall know." Thus the officer did as instructed, with the other officials and attendants following behind. The blind man said, "Go east," and they went east. He said, "Go north," and they went north. In this manner they traveled for five days, until they entered deep mountains and suddenly beheld a city with many inhabitants. They entered the city and walked but a short while when the blind man said, "Halt." With these words, he descended from the sedan chair and pointed southward with his hand: "See that gate facing west? You may knock and inquire for yourself." Having spoken, he clasped his hands in farewell and departed.
Following the blind man's directions, the provincial officer indeed saw a tall gate tower and slowly entered. A person came out, dressed in Han dynasty attire, who did not reveal his name. The officer explained his purpose, and the man said, "Please stay for a few days, and I will surely lead you to see the one in charge." With that, he guided the officer inside, lodged him alone in a room, and provided him with food and drink. During his leisure, the officer strolled to the rear of the residence and saw a garden with pavilions, so he entered. Within the garden, ancient pines shaded the sky, and the ground was covered with fine grass like a carpet. Passing several corridors and terraces, he came upon a tall pavilion. Ascending the steps, he saw several human skins hanging on the walls, complete with facial features, and a stench of blood assailed him. The officer shuddered with terror and hastily retreated from the garden, returning to his quarters. He reckoned that staying in this strange place with hanging skins left no hope of survival, but then thought that whether he advanced or retreated, death awaited him, so he resigned himself to fate. The next day, the man summoned him and said, "Today you may see him." The officer humbly obeyed. The man mounted a swift horse and galloped away, with the officer running behind. After a while, they arrived at a government office that looked like a governor's yamen, with black-robed attendants standing in solemn rows on both sides. The man dismounted and led the officer inside, passing through another gate, where they saw a kingly figure wearing a pearl crown and embroidered robe, seated facing south with his back to the north. The officer hurried forward, knelt, and kowtowed. The king asked, "Are you the silver escort officer from Hunan?" The officer replied yes. The king said, "The silver is all here. Since your governor has generously offered this small amount, it is not unacceptable to accept it." The officer wept and said, "My deadline has passed; if I return, I will surely be killed. What proof can I offer when I report to him?" The king said, "That is not difficult." He then handed over a large letter, saying, "Take this to reply to him, and it will ensure your safety." He then sent a strongman to escort him out. The officer, terrified and holding his breath, dared not argue, accepted the letter, and departed. The mountains and roads along the way were entirely different from those he had traveled before. After being escorted out of the mountains, the strongman returned.
A few days later, the provincial treasurer returned to Changsha and respectfully reported to the governor. The governor, even more convinced that he was lying, angrily refused to let him argue and ordered his attendants to bind him with ropes. The treasurer untied his bundle, took out the letter, and handed it to the governor. The governor opened it, and before he had even finished reading, his face turned ashen. He ordered the treasurer to be unbound, merely saying, "The silver is but a trivial matter; you may withdraw for now." Then he hastily commanded his subordinates to find a way to make up for the lost silver. A few days later, the governor fell ill and soon died. It turned out that the governor had been sleeping with his beloved concubine, but upon waking, he found that all her hair was gone. The entire yamen was astonished and puzzled, unable to fathom the reason. The letter contained the concubine's hair, along with a message that read: "You rose from being a county magistrate and prefect to your present high office, yet your greed knows no bounds, and the bribes you have accepted are beyond counting. The previous sixty thousand taels of silver have been received and stored in the treasury. You should open your own ill-gotten coffers to replenish the old amount. The silver courier is innocent, and you must not reprimand him. The cutting of your concubine's hair was but a slight warning. If you still do not obey the command, I will come for your head sooner or later. Your concubine's hair is enclosed in this letter as proof." After the governor's death, his family made the letter known. Later, the governor's subordinates sent men to search for that place, but they found only sheer cliffs and precipices, with no road to be found.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: In days of old, Hong Xian stole the golden casket from beside Tian Chengsi's pillow to warn him against further greed—a deed both thrilling and uncanny. Yet the immortals of the Peach Blossom Spring engaged in no plundering; even among a gathering of swordsmen, how could there be city walls and government offices? Alas! What manner of deity is this? If such a place were truly to be found, I fear those seeking to lodge complaints would never cease.
Commentary
In classical Chinese literature, ever since the poem "The Big Rat" from the Book of Songs voiced the cry, "I will leave you, go to that happy land; happy land, happy land, there I shall find my place," countless works in the tradition of "Peach Blossom Spring," where "silkworms yield long silk in spring, and autumn harvests are free from royal taxes," have filled the historical records. Yet tales emphasizing resistance, the pursuit of fairness and justice, and the upholding of righteousness in a utopia beyond the mortal world are rare. The tale "The King" breaks new ground, recounting how a provincial official dispatched by the Hunan governor to escort military funds was robbed en route and came upon a mountain city where "several human skins hung on the walls, complete with all features, reeking with a foul stench," and where "the government gate resembled the viceroy's yamen, with black-clad attendants arrayed left and right, in a solemn and awe-inspiring manner." It was these very people who had seized the ill-gotten wealth, and through the official, they admonished the Hunan governor to "make up the original amount from your own corrupt coffers." Though the mountain city that plundered the unjust riches is described vaguely and indistinctly, it clearly bears the nature of a political entity. Pu Songling, in his "Historian of the Strange's commentary," noted, "Even if it were a gathering place for swordsmen, how could there be a city with government offices?" thus pointing out this very aspect. This is what makes the tale deeply thought-provoking.
The work is clearly influenced by "The Story of Peach Blossom Spring," where "their garments and caps followed the Han system, and they spoke not of their names," and "later, the subordinate sent men to seek that place, but found only layered cliffs and sheer ravines, with no path whatsoever." Yet the underlying ideology is vastly different.