Tang Dynasty Tales

The following sections are included:

• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Note to the Reader

During the Yifeng 儀鳳 reign (676–679), there was a scholar, Liu Yi 柳毅, who failed the imperial examination and was going to return to the shores of the Xiang [River] 湘. He remembered that there was a native of his township who was sojourning in Jingyang [County] 涇陽, and so he went there to bid him farewell. When he had gone six or seven li [two or three miles] a bird flew up and frightened his horse, which galloped off to the left of the road. Only after another six or seven li did it stop…

Zhang Lao was an old gardener in Liuhe 六合 County, Yang 揚 Prefecture. Among his neighbors was a Wei Shu 韋恕, who came from Yangzhou 揚州 during the Tianjian 天監 reign period (502–519) of the Liang 梁 dynasty after fulfilling his post as Section Clerk (Caoyuan 曹掾). He had an eldest daughter. When she reached the age to bind her hair, he summoned an old matchmaker in his neighborhood and ordered her to seek a good son-in-law. Zhang Lao was delighted when he heard about it and waited for the matchmaker at Wei's gate…

Yin Qiqi's 殷七七 given name was Tianxiang 殷天 [Heaven's Bounty], and he also had the given name Daoquan 道筌 [Daoist Method]. Often he called himself Qiqi 七七 (Double Seven), and common folk called him like that the most. It was not known where he was from. He roamed and travelled under the Heaven; people said that they had seen him [around] for a long time, but could not guess his age. His face was radiantly bright, as of a person of around forty. In every place he would occasionally change his name so it was not certain. Once when he was selling medicine in Jingzhou 涇州 an epidemic was growing more severe among the foreign and Han people in Lingtai 靈台. Those who obtained the medicine [from him] got better as soon as it went into their month, and everyone called him a divine saint. He received money, yet gave it out to people, and often he would get drunk in the city…

Xue Yi was a Secretariat of the Palace Library from Hedong 河東. His younger sister's husband was a certain, Cui Mi 崔秘, who became Commandant of Tonglu 桐盧尉. Yi and his aunt, née Wei 韋, were abiding in the Mi's home. After a long time, [Xue Yi] contracted malaria. He grew gravely ill for several months and nearly died. Ms. Wei was deeply troubled. One night, she dreamt of a Divine Person in a white hat and jacket wrapped with intersecting lapels over an unlined garment. Ms. Wei pressed her palms together to offer respect accordingly, begging it to handle Yi's illness…

Feng Yan 傳馮 was a stalwart from Wei 魏. As for his father and grandfather, their names were not known. When Yan was young, with all his will and spirit he took on the role of a knight-errant, taking to ball games and cockfighting as pastimes…

At the beginning of the Taihe 太和 era (827–835), Shen Yazhi was on his way to Bin 邠[州]. Having left the city of Chang'an, he stayed in the guest-lodge at Tuo Springs 橐泉. It was springtime and he fell asleep while it was still daylight, dreaming of entering [the capital of] Qin and living in the household of Liao 廖, the Scribe of the Capital. Liao, the Scribe of the Capital, recommended Yazhi [for an official position]…

The ancestors of Ge Hua 革華 (Leather Splendor), Marquis of Xiapi 下邳 (After the Hide Was Removed), were natives of Longxi 隴西. His thirty-sixth-generation ancestor governed Qianwei 犍為 [Commandery]. During the time of the Yellow Emperor, he was summoned because of his strength and appointed as Grand Minister of Agriculture (Sinong 司農). Because he gained merit in opening up the land, and because he also understood the troubles and hardships of sowing and harvesting, he was transferred to be the Capital Commandant of the Light Carriage (Qingju duwei 輕車都尉). His descendants succeeded him [in this position]. At the time of King Wu 武 of Zhou (r. ca. 1049–1043 BCE), they were moved to live in Taolin 下邳 (Peach Grove), and their official career was then terminated. After this, people thought of their talent for aiding the world, and accordingly reinstated their status and increasingly appointed them to positions…

Hejian 河間 (Mid-rivers) was a lewd woman. I do not wish to disclose her identity and have therefore called her after the township in which she lived. In the beginning, the woman lived in the [Imperial] Relatives Ward and was known for her virtue. Even before she married, she resolutely abhorred the disorderly behavior of her relatives and deemed it a disgrace to be associated with them. She remained discreetly in her quarters and attended to her dress designs, to her spinning, weaving, and knitting…

During the Kaiyuan 開元 and Tianbao 天寶 eras (713–756), there was a Scholar Cui 崔 who resided at the entrance of Luo Valley 邏谷 in Dongzhou 東周. He was fond of planting flowers and bamboo, and so he took special care to grow famed flowers outside of his house. In the time of late spring the many-colored blooms were of fragrances so aromatic they could be scented from even a hundred steps afar. The scholar was certain to wash his hands and rinse out his mouth every morning, and he watched the flowers by himself. All of a sudden, he sighted a young lady riding a horse moving eastwards from the west followed by several servants, old and young, clad in azure. The young lady had an extraordinary countenance and the horse she rode was swift. Scholar Cui did not have time to look at her carefully when the young lady had already passed by. The next day when she again passed by, only when Scholar Cui had beforehand prepared wine, tea, goblets, and spoons beneath the flowers, arranging cushions and setting out straw mats did he then face the horse's head, and say: “This humble person is by nature fond of flowers and plants, and in this garden there is nothing that has not been planted by my own hand. At present, such aromatic verdancy seems to merit a lingering glance. I have humbly observed that the young lady has passed by here time and again, and I assume her servants and horses should be exhausted. I have ventured to prepare a simple repast and clouded wine, hoping she might deign to take respite.” The young lady would not look at him and passed by. After this a servant clad in azure said: “If you just prepare wine and delicacies, how then could you worry that she will not come?” The young lady turned her head to admonish him, saying: “For what reason do you speak with people so rashly!” She finished speaking and then left…

In the west of Bianzhou 汴州 there was a place called Plank Bridge Inn. The proprietress was Third Lady. It is not known where she came from. Living alone as a widow, she was more than thirty years old and had neither children nor relatives. She had a lodge with several rooms and made a living by selling food. However, her household was very well off, she had some social status, and had many donkeys. When official and private carriages would pass by, if they did not have enough [donkeys], she would always lower her prices as a way to help them out. Everyone said that she was “a woman with a way about her,” so travelers came from far and wide to her [inn]…

Xiao'e, whose maiden name was Xie, was a native of Yuzhang 豫章 and the daughter of a travelling merchant. Eight years after she was born, she lost her mother. She was married to the knight-errant Duan Juzhen 段居貞 of Liyang 歷陽 County. Juzhen was impulsive, valued loyalty, and went around with gallants. Xiao'e's father amassed great wealth but kept his reputation hidden among traders. He often shipped goods with his son-in-law Duan on the same boat, travelling back and forth on the lakes and rivers. When Xiao'e turned fourteen years old, just starting to wear the hairpin, her father and husband were both killed by bandits, who robbed them of all their gold and silks. Duan and Xie's brothers and nephews, together with several dozen servants, were all thrown into the river. Xiao'e also suffered a head injury and broke her leg. She drifted along in the water and another boat found her. After a night, she revived. Thus she wandered about begging from place to place, and came to Shangyuan 上元 County. She attached herself to a nun called Jingwu 淨悟, from the Miaoguo 妙果 (Marvelous Results) Temple…

There was a monk Qixu 契虛 (Attached to Emptiness). Originally, he was a son of the Li 李 family from Guzang 姑臧. His father was a yushi 御史 (censor) at the time of Emperor Xuanzong 玄宗 (685–762, r. 712–756). From his childhood on, Qixu liked the Buddhist dharma. At the age of twenty, he shaved off his hair, wore coarse clothes, [and] lived in a Buddhist temple in Chang'an 長安…

The following sections are included:

• Glossary
• Biographical Sketches of the Translators
• Selected Bibliography
• Index