Original Text
A scholar journeyed to Nanjing for the imperial examinations. Passing through Suqian, he encountered three scholars whose conversation was extraordinarily refined and broad-minded. He bought wine and drank with them in close camaraderie. The three introduced themselves: one was Jie Qiuheng, one was Chang Fenglin, and one was Ma Xichi. They drank freely and joyously, unaware that night had fallen. Jie Qiuheng said, "We have not yet fulfilled the duties of a host, yet we have been honored with such a lavish feast—this is hardly proper. My home is not far from here; we can lodge there for the night." Chang Fenglin and Ma Xichi both rose, took the scholar by the sleeve, and called his servant to follow. They arrived at the northern mountain of the county town, where suddenly they saw a courtyard with a clear stream flowing before its gate. Entering, they found the rooms exceedingly clean. They summoned a servant boy to light lamps and arranged for the scholar's servant to be settled. Ma Xichi said, "In the past, we gathered for literary pursuits. Now the examination date draws near; we must not waste this fine evening. Let us draft four topics as lots, each draw one, and only after completing our essays may we drink." All agreed. Each devised a topic, wrote it down, and placed it on the table. Drawing a topic, they sat by the table to compose. Before the second watch ended, all had finished and passed their essays around for perusal. After reading the three scholars' essays, the scholar was deeply impressed. He hastily copied them and tucked them into his bosom. The host brought out fine wine and urged everyone to drink from large cups. The scholar became thoroughly drunk. The host then led the guests to another courtyard to sleep. The scholar was too intoxicated to remove his shoes and slept in his clothes. When he awoke, the sun was already high. Looking around, there was no courtyard; both master and servant lay in a mountain valley. The scholar was greatly alarmed. Nearby, he saw a small cave with a trickling stream. Astonished and bewildered, he felt his bosom and found the three essays still there. Descending the mountain, he asked the locals and learned this was the "Three Immortals Cave." In the cave dwelled three divine creatures—a crab, a snake, and a toad—most spiritual, often roaming about, and people frequently saw them. When the scholar entered the examination hall, the three topics were exactly those composed by the three immortals. Using their essays, he passed and became a provincial graduate.
Commentary
The very examination questions and essays that secured a candidate's success in the provincial examinations actually originated from a crab, a snake, and a toad—thus one can well imagine the caliber of character and literary merit among those who passed such examinations. The satire in "The Three Immortals" is clearly aimed at the corrupt practices of the imperial examination system of that time!
In the Tang dynasty tale "Records of the Mysterious and Strange," there is a story titled "Yuan Wu You," which closely resembles this piece in both mood and structure; whether "The Three Immortals" was influenced by it is unknown. However, in "Yuan Wu You," four spirits in the dark night declare, "This evening feels like autumn, with such wind and moonlight, how could we not compose writings to record the events of our lives?" and they produce impromptu linked verses. In this tale, three spirits in the dark night instead say, "In the past, we gathered through literary pursuits; now the examination period is near, and we must not waste this fine night. Let us propose four topics, draw lots each to pick one, and only after completing our essays may we drink." They write eight-legged essays! This bears a very distinct mark of the era.