Original Text
Zhen Yusheng was a native of Yichang in Hubei Province and the son of a provincial graduate. He excelled in composition, was handsome and elegant in appearance, and by the age of twenty had already gained considerable renown. In his childhood, a physiognomist had once said, "In the future, he will take a female Daoist as his wife." His parents dismissed this as a jest, yet whenever they discussed marriage arrangements for him, they always found that those of high status were beyond their reach and those of low status were beneath their consideration.
Zhen Yusheng's mother, Lady Zang, was originally from Huanggang. When Zhen Yusheng went to his maternal grandmother's home on business, he heard locals tell him: "In Huangzhou, there are the so-called 'Four Clouds,' and the youngest is the most beautiful." It turned out that in Huanggang there was a Luzu Nunnery, where the Daoist nuns were all very beautiful, hence this saying. The nunnery was only about ten li from Zang Family Village, so Zhen Yusheng secretly went there. As soon as he knocked on the nunnery gate, three or four Daoist nuns indeed came forward humbly and joyfully, their bearing and manner both elegant and pure. The youngest among them was a peerless beauty unmatched in the world; Zhen Yusheng took a liking to her and stared at her intently. The woman, however, rested her chin on her hand and looked elsewhere. The nuns fetched teacups and brewed tea for Zhen Yusheng, and he took the opportunity to ask the beauty's name. She replied, "My surname is Chen, and my given name is Yunqi." Zhen Yusheng then joked with her about the love story between the Song Dynasty nun Chen Miaochang and the scholar Pan Bizheng, saying, "How marvelous! Your humble student happens to be surnamed Pan." Chen Yunqi blushed deeply, lowered her head without speaking, rose, and left. Shortly after, the nuns brought out brewed tea and refreshments. They introduced themselves one by one: one was Bai Yunshen, about thirty years old; one was Sheng Yunmian, around twenty; one was Liang Yundong, about twenty-four or twenty-five, who called herself a junior sister, but Chen Yunqi did not appear. Zhen Yusheng felt greatly disappointed and asked why she had not come. Bai Yunshen said, "That girl is afraid of meeting strangers." Zhen Yusheng then rose to take his leave; Bai Yunshen earnestly tried to detain him, but he did not stay and left through the gate. Bai Yunshen said, "If you wish to see Yunqi, you may come again tomorrow." Zhen Yusheng returned to his grandmother's home, his longing for Yunqi growing even more intense.
The next day, he returned to the Temple of Patriarch Lü. All the other female Daoists were present, but Yunqi was the only one missing, and Zhen Yusheng felt too embarrassed to ask about her immediately. The Daoist women prepared wine and food, pressing Zhen Yusheng to stay for a meal; he tried his utmost to decline but could not refuse. Bai Yunshen tore up a pancake for him and handed him chopsticks, urging him to eat with great warmth. After the meal, Zhen Yusheng asked, "Where is Yunqi?" Bai Yunshen replied, "She will come on her own." A long time passed, and as dusk fell, Zhen Yusheng wished to leave. Bai Yunshen grasped his wrist to detain him, saying, "Wait here a while, and I will go fetch that girl to see you." Zhen Yusheng then stayed. Before long, lamps were lit and wine was set out, and Sheng Yunmian also departed. After several rounds of drinking, Zhen Yusheng excused himself, claiming he was already drunk. Bai Yunshen said, "Drink three more cups, and Yunqi will appear." Zhen Yusheng indeed drank three cups. Liang Yundong followed the same method, and Zhen Yusheng downed another three cups, then overturned his cup on the table to take his leave. Bai Yunshen said to Liang Yundong, "Our faces are too thin to press the wine. Go and drag Yunqi here, and say that Pan Lang has been waiting for Miaochang for a long time." Liang Yundong went, but returned shortly, saying, "Yunqi will not come." Zhen Yusheng wanted to depart, but the night was already deep, so he feigned drunkenness and lay down. Bai and Liang removed his clothes and took turns making love to him. Zhen Yusheng could not endure their harassment all night; at daybreak, he rose without sleeping and left. For several days he dared not go again, yet his heart still yearned for Yunqi, and he would often go near the Temple of Patriarch Lü to inquire for news.
One day, as dusk fell, Bai Yunshen went out and walked away with a young man. Zhen Yusheng was greatly relieved, for he no longer feared Liang Yundong, and hastened forward to knock at the door. Sheng Yunmian came out to open it. Upon inquiry, it turned out that Liang Yundong had also gone out. Zhen Yusheng then asked about Yunqi, and Sheng Yunmian led him forward, entering another courtyard, calling out, "Yunqi! A guest has arrived." The door was heard to slam shut with a bang. Sheng Yunmian smiled and said, "The door is closed." Zhen Yusheng stood outside the window, as if he had something to say, and Sheng Yunmian, seeing this, withdrew first. Yunqi spoke through the window, saying, "They are using me as bait to lure you, like a fish. If you come often, your life will be nearly forfeit. I cannot keep the pure precepts forever, but neither dare I act recklessly; I must observe propriety and hope to marry one like Pan Bizheng." Zhen Yusheng then pledged to grow old with her. Yunqi said, "My master raised me, and it was no easy task. If you truly love me, bring twenty taels of silver to ransom me. I will wait for you here for three years. If you seek a secret tryst, that is not something I can do." Zhen Yusheng agreed. Just as he wished to speak further, Sheng Yunmian returned, and he had to follow her out of the courtyard, taking his leave and returning home. Zhen Yusheng felt a deep melancholy, pondering some excuse to go again and once more behold Yunqi's lovely face, but unexpectedly, a servant arrived to report that his father was ill, and he had to journey back that very night.
Not long after, the true juren passed away. Zang's wife was the strictest in household discipline, and Zhen Yusheng dared not let her know of his heart's desire, merely cutting expenses and saving money day by day. When someone came to propose a match for him, he refused on the grounds of mourning, but his mother would not agree. So he gently told his mother, "When I was in Huanggang, my maternal grandmother wished to betroth me to the Chen family, and I was also quite willing. Now that a great misfortune has befallen our household, all news has been cut off, and it has been a long time since I made inquiries in Huanggang. I hope you will allow me to go there; if it proves unsuitable, I will then follow your instructions entirely." Zang's wife consented, and Zhen Yusheng set out with the money he had saved. Upon reaching Huanggang, he went to the Luzu Nunnery, only to find the courtyards and buildings desolate and utterly changed from before. He walked slowly inside, where only an old nun was cooking, and stepped forward to inquire. The old nun said, "The old Daoist died two years ago, and the 'Four Clouds' scattered." Zhen Yusheng asked, "Where did they go?" The old nun replied, "Yunshen and Yundong went off with some young ruffians; I once heard that Yunqi dwells north of the commandery, but of Yunmian's whereabouts, I know nothing." Upon hearing this, Zhen Yusheng sighed deeply in grief, then ordered his carriage to proceed immediately north of the commandery, inquiring at every temple and monastery, but finding not a single trace. In melancholy and resentment, he returned home and lied to his mother, saying, "My uncle said that Chen's father has gone to Yuezhou; once he returns, he will send a matchmaker."
After half a year had passed, Lady Zang returned to her mother's home to visit her relatives and brought up this matter with her mother, who appeared utterly bewildered and unaware of it. Lady Zang was very angry that her son had lied, but the grandmother thought it was something the nephew and uncle had discussed together, so she herself had not heard of it. Fortunately, the uncle had gone on a long journey, so there was no way to ascertain whether it was true or false. Lady Zang went to Lotus Peak to offer incense and fulfill a vow, lodging at an inn at the foot of the mountain, where she fasted and slept alone. After she had lain down, the innkeeper came to knock on the door and sent in a female Taoist to share the room with her. The female Taoist called herself Chen Yunqi, and upon hearing that Lady Zang was from Yichang, she came over and sat by her bedside, recounting her own hardships and misfortunes in a very sorrowful tone. Finally, she said, "I have a cousin named Pan, who is from the same hometown as you, madam. I trouble you to instruct your children to pass on a message for me, saying that I am temporarily lodging with my uncle Wang Daocheng at the Perch and Crane Temple, suffering from dawn to dusk, passing days like years. Tell him to come and see me soon, for I fear that after this time passes, no one will know of me." Lady Zang asked her what her cousin's name was, but she did not know, only saying, "Since he is studying at the school, I suppose the scholars will know him." The next day, Yunqi took her leave early before dawn, earnestly entrusting this matter repeatedly as she departed. After Lady Zang returned home, she mentioned this to Zhen Yusheng. Zhen Yusheng knelt down and said, "To tell the truth to my mother, the so-called Pan is none other than your son." Upon learning the situation, Lady Zang angrily said, "You unfilial creature! To indulge in debauchery at a temple and take a Taoist nun as a wife—what face do you have to meet relatives and friends?" Zhen Yusheng hung his head and dared not speak. It happened that Zhen Yusheng went to the prefectural city to take the examinations, and secretly took a boat to seek out Wang Daocheng. When he arrived and inquired, he learned that Yunqi had gone on a journey half a month earlier and had not yet returned. He went home, dejected and fell ill from melancholy.
It happened that Old Madam Zang passed away, and Madam Zang returned to her natal home for the funeral; after the burial, she lost her way and came to the house of the Jing family. Upon inquiry, she learned that the mistress of the house was a younger cousin of her own clan. Cousin Jing invited her inside, where she saw a young maiden in the hall, about eighteen or nineteen years of age, with a gentle and exceedingly lovely countenance, the likes of which she had never beheld. Madam Zang had long wished to secure a fine wife for her son, to spare him from resentment toward her, and at the sight of this maiden, her heart was stirred. She asked about the girl's circumstances. Her cousin replied, "This is a daughter of the Wang family, a niece of the Jing household. Both her parents have passed away, and she is temporarily lodging here." Madam Zang inquired, "To whom is she betrothed?" The cousin answered, "She is not yet married." Madam Zang took the maiden's hand and spoke with her, and the girl's demeanor was charming and gentle. Overjoyed, Madam Zang stayed at the Jing residence and privately confided her intentions to her cousin. The cousin said, "That would be excellent. However, she holds herself in high regard; otherwise, she would not have remained unwed until now. Allow me to discuss it with her." Madam Zang then invited the maiden to share her bed, and they chatted and laughed together most pleasantly, until the maiden voluntarily acknowledged Madam Zang as her foster mother. Delighted, Madam Zang invited her to return together to Jingzhou, and the maiden gladly agreed. The next day, Madam Zang and the maiden sailed home together. Upon arriving, they found Zhen Yusheng still ill and bedridden. Wishing to comfort her grievously sick son, the mother sent a maidservant to secretly inform him, saying, "The lady has brought a beautiful maiden for the young master."
Zhen Yusheng did not believe it, so he crouched by the window to peep, and saw that the young woman was even more radiant and captivating than Yunqi. He thought to himself: "I originally agreed with Yunqi on a three-year term, and now that time has passed; she has gone wandering and not returned, so she must have married someone else. To obtain this beautiful girl before me is quite comforting." Thus he smiled with joy, and his illness soon recovered. His mother then arranged for the two to meet. When Zhen Yusheng came out, Lady Zang said to the young woman: "Now you know why I brought you back with me, do you not?" The young woman smiled faintly and replied: "I understand now. But the reason I agreed to come back with you, my godmother, you do not know. When I was young, I was betrothed to the Pan family of Yiling; news has been cut off for a long time, and I suspect they have already taken another bride. If that is the case, I will become your daughter-in-law; if not, I will remain your daughter for life and repay you later." Lady Zang said: "Since you already have a prior engagement, I will not force you. But when we were at Mount Wuzu before, a female Taoist asked me about the Pan family, and today you mention them again; yet I know there is no Pan clan among the noble houses of Yiling." The young woman was startled and said: "Was it you who lodged beneath Lotus Peak? The one who asked about Pan Lang was I." Lady Zang then realized the truth and laughed, saying: "If that is so, then Pan Lang has long been here." The young woman asked: "Where is he?" Lady Zang had a maid lead her to see Zhen Yusheng. Zhen Yusheng asked in surprise: "Are you Yunqi?" The young woman countered: "How do you know?" Zhen Yusheng then recounted the whole affair, and Yunqi realized that the so-called Pan Lang was a jest of his. Upon learning the truth, she felt too embarrassed to continue speaking and hurried back to tell Lady Zang. Lady Zang asked: "Why did you take the surname Wang?" Yunqi replied: "I was originally a Wang. Because my master favored me and adopted me as a daughter, I took her surname Chen." Lady Zang was delighted and chose an auspicious day for their wedding. It turned out that Yunqi and Yunmian had both been disciples under Wang Daocheng. Wang Daocheng's temple was too small, so Yunmian left for Hankou. Yunqi, delicate and unable to work, was ashamed to continue as a Taoist, and Wang Daocheng grew displeased with her. By chance, when the Jing family came to Huanggang, Yunqi saw them and wept bitterly; the Jings took her home, changed her into women's clothing, and planned to marry her into a prominent family, thus concealing her past as a Taoist. But whenever a match was proposed, she always refused, and her uncle and aunt, not knowing her intentions, grew weary of her. On this day, she returned with Lady Zang, found a refuge, and felt a great burden lifted. After the wedding, Zhen Yusheng and Yunqi each recounted their experiences, weeping with joy. Yunqi was filial and prudent, and Lady Zang was very fond of her, but Yunqi only knew how to play the zither and chess, not how to manage household affairs, which greatly worried Lady Zang.
After more than a month had passed, Lady Zang bade the two of them to visit the Jing family, where they stayed for several days before returning. As their boat sailed along the river, suddenly another vessel drew near, and upon it was a female Taoist nun. Drawing closer, they saw it was Yunmian. Yunmian had always been especially close to Yunqi. Overjoyed, Yunqi invited Yunmian onto her boat, and the two sat facing each other, unable to suppress their sorrow. Yunqi asked, "Where are you bound?" Yunmian replied, "I have long been thinking of you. I traveled far to the Qiguan Temple in search of you, only to learn that you had taken refuge with your uncle Jing's family. So I intended to go to Huanggang to visit you. Little did I imagine that you two kindred spirits had already reunited. Now, seeing you like an immortal, I am left as a wandering soul, adrift with no fixed abode, uncertain when I shall find my final resting place!" As she spoke, she wept bitterly. Yunqi conceived a plan: she suggested that Yunmian shed her Taoist robes, pretend to be Yunqi's elder sister, and return together to attend their mother, gradually seeking a suitable husband for her. Yunmian agreed.
After returning home, Yunqi first reported the situation to Madam Zang, and then Yunmian entered. Her demeanor was that of a great lady, and in conversation and laughter, she was very experienced and sensible. Madam Zang had long been widowed and suffered from loneliness; seeing Yunmian delighted her greatly, and she feared that she might leave. Every morning, Yunmian rose early to manage household affairs for Madam Zang, never treating herself as a guest. Madam Zang was even more pleased and secretly wished to have Zhen Yusheng marry Yunmian as well, to cover up Yunqi's reputation as a Taoist nun, but dared not speak of it openly. One day, Madam Zang forgot something she needed to do and hurriedly asked about it, only to find that Yunmian had already done it for her. Madam Zang then said to Yunqi, "That beauty in the painting cannot manage household chores; what use is she? If the new daughter-in-law were like your elder sister, I would have no worries." Unexpectedly, Yunqi had long harbored this thought, but feared her mother's anger; now hearing her mother speak thus, she smiled and replied, "Since Mother likes her, your daughter-in-law is willing to emulate the example of Nüying and Ehuang, who married the sage-king Shun together, and share a husband with my sister. What do you think?" Madam Zang said nothing but smiled as well. Yunqi returned to the room and told Zhen Yusheng, "Mother has agreed." Then she prepared another clean room. Yunqi said to Yunmian, "In the past, when we shared a bed in the temple, my sister once said, 'If we could find a man who knows how to love, we would both marry him.' Do you remember?" Yunmian could not help but shed tears, saying, "What I meant by 'love' had no other meaning; it was like in the past, when I toiled every day, but no one knew my hardships. In these few days, as soon as I did a little work, the old mother felt concern and care for me, and the warmth and cold I felt in my heart were suddenly different. If I am not driven away as an unwelcome guest, and am allowed to long accompany the old mother, my wish will be fulfilled; I do not necessarily hope to fulfill that former promise." Yunqi relayed these words to Madam Zang. Madam Zang then had the sisters burn incense and swear an oath never to go back on their word, and then had Zhen Yusheng and Yunmian perform the marital rites. When they were about to sleep, Yunmian told Zhen Yusheng, "I am twenty-three years old this year, and I am still a virgin." Zhen Yusheng did not believe it, but later saw blood staining the bed mat, and was astonished. Yunmian said, "The reason I wished to marry into a good family was not because I could not endure solitude, but truly because, as a virgin, to put on a brazen face and entertain like a prostitute was unbearable to me. Through this one night, in name I become your wife, and I should serve your old mother and be a good housekeeper. As for the pleasures of the bedchamber, you should seek them with others." Three days later, Yunmian took her bedding and went to sleep with Madam Zang, and could not be driven away. Yunqi then came early to Madam Zang's room and occupied Yunmian's bed to sleep, forcing Yunmian to return and sleep with Zhen Yusheng. From then on, Yunqi and Yunmian exchanged places every two or three days, and this became the custom.
Lady Zang had originally been fond of playing chess, but since her husband's death, she had found no leisure for it. After Yunmian came, she managed everything with perfect order, and during the day, when there was nothing to do, she would play chess with Yunqi. In the evenings, they would light lamps, sip tea, and listen to the two daughters-in-law play the zither, not dispersing until midnight. She often said to others, "When the children's father was alive, even he did not bring such joy." Yunmian handled the household accounts and regularly reported the records to her mother-in-law. The mother asked suspiciously, "You two often say you were orphans in childhood—who taught you to write and play chess?" Yunqi laughingly told her the truth. The mother also smiled and said, "At first, I did not wish to take a female Daoist as a wife for my son, but now I have gained two." She suddenly recalled that her son's fortune had been told in his childhood, and thus she believed that no one could escape fate. Zhen Yusheng took the examinations again but still failed. His mother said, "Though our family is not very wealthy, we have three hundred mu of land, and fortunately, with Yunmian managing affairs, our days grow better day by day. My son need only remain before my eyes, bringing joy to me together with your two wives, and I do not wish for you to seek further wealth or rank." Zhen Yusheng obeyed his mother's wishes. Later, Yunmian gave birth to one son and one daughter, Yunqi gave birth to three sons and one daughter, and Lady Zang lived to over eighty years of age before passing away. All the grandsons entered the county school, and the eldest grandson, born of Yunmian, had already passed the provincial examination.
Commentary
On the surface, this tale recounts the story of a scion from a scholarly family who marries two female Daoist priests, its plot richly imbued with legendary color. The love between Zhen Yusheng and the Daoist nun Chen Yunqi unfolds with twists and turns; though the setting is the "Lü Ancestral Temple"—a place nominally a Daoist shrine but in truth a den of debauchery—Zhen Yusheng and Chen Yunqi remain unsullied amid the mire, their affections pure and sincere. Through separation and adversity, they seek and pursue each other unwaveringly, finally becoming husband and wife. The story's moral is clearly influenced by the Ming dynasty romance "The Jade Hairpin," yet it fully exploits the novel's strengths in crafting a plot of remarkable intricacy and surprise.
It is already a novelty for a son of a scholarly family to marry a female Taoist priestess, yet Zhen Yusheng actually married two such women, which is naturally even more extraordinary. The reason for marrying two female Taoist priestesses was, on the surface, a twist in the plot, but the deeper cause lay in Zhen Yusheng's mother's dissatisfaction with Chen Yunqi's character, namely that "she was fond of playing the zither and chess, but knew nothing of managing household affairs, which greatly worried the lady." This led her to say, "A woman who is merely a painting cannot manage a household—what use is she?" This likely represents Pu Songling's critique of a certain type of woman in marriage. The women in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio can be divided into two categories by temperament: one is the romantic type, skilled in poetry, music, and the arts; the other is the practical type, adept at managing the household, thrifty, gentle, and capable. In the tale of Chen Yunqi, Pu Songling brings both types together under one roof, actually revealing his ideal pursuit of merging these two kinds of women into one.