Xu Chengcheng also began to tell his own story: "I'm going to tell you. This is also a very true story. It also happened in Shandong. I heard it told to me by an old Taoist priest from a Shandong Taoist temple."
"He said that during the Huizong period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Liu Chaotian, a native of Laiwu, Shandong, studied hard for many years and finally passed the Jinshi examination. The court arranged for him to serve as an official in Fenzhou, Shanxi. One day, he was sitting alone in the mansion and heard people talking and laughing in the courtyard. The sound was getting closer and closer. He looked up and saw four women coming in. One was in his forties, one was about thirty, the other was about twenty-four or five years old, and the last one was a girl with no hair tied up. Liu Chaotian felt it was strange. , I don’t know what’s going on, he knows what’s in his yamen better than anyone else. But he doesn’t know any of these four women. Just when he was wondering, all four of them stood in front of the table, They looked at each other and smiled. Liu Chaotian had known that there were many vixens living in the area, so he ignored them. After a while, the youngest girl who had not tied up her hair took out a red gauze scarf and threw it to Liu Chaotian's head as a joke. On his face. Liu Chaotian picked it up and threw it under the window, but still ignored them. Seeing that he was so bored and uninterested, these four women all laughed and left."
"Then one day, the oldest woman came to Liu Chaotian's room and said to him: "My sister is destined to you, please don't dislike her. "Liu Chaotian didn't take it seriously at all, and agreed casually without raising his head, "Okay, I understand. If you still have something to do, just tell me. If nothing happens, don't affect my study. "The oldest woman didn't speak to him, turned around and left. In a blink of an eye, she led a maid and hugged the girl. She asked the girl to sit down side by side with Liu Chaotian and said, "You two are really a good couple. My friend, let’s get married tonight. Serve Mr. Liu well, I'm leaving. "Liu Chaotian thought it was a joke made by the fox demon, but he didn't know that the other party was not joking with him. What he said was true. However, since he took it seriously. He was embarrassed to say that he was joking for a moment, so he began to look at the girl carefully. , extremely gorgeous, Liu Chaotian felt that he was very lucky, so he fell in love with this girl. When he asked the woman's origin, the girl said: "I am not a human being, but I am actually a human being. I am the daughter of a former state official. I was deceived by a fox and died of injuries. I was buried in the garden. The foxes used magic to revive me, so I became as airy as a fox. Official, please understand that the slave family is both a human and a fox. I hope you won’t be afraid! After Liu Chaotian heard this, he touched her back with his hand. The woman noticed it and said with a silly smile: "Master, do you think I have a tail?" If you really want to know, just wait a moment! After saying that, she turned around and said, "Please touch it!" "From then on, the girl never left, and she was with the little maid in every move. Everyone in the family treated her as a young lady. When the maids and women came to pay their respects, she gave many rewards. Although, the girl She is a fox demon, but she is very compatible with humans, without any feeling of alienation. Foxes are one of the most humane animals, and this is true!"
"Just like this, a long time passed. One day, Liu Chaotian celebrated his birthday. Many people came to Liu Chaotian's residence to congratulate Liu Chaotian on his birthday. A total of more than 30 banquet tables were arranged. Naturally, many chefs needed to be hired, otherwise there would not be enough There was no queue for the flowing table, and there was a constant stream of guests, so there had to be chefs constantly preparing the food in the kitchen, but only one or two of the chefs agreed in advance came. Liu Chaotian was very angry. When the woman found out, she said to Liu Chaotian: "No need. worry! Since there are not enough cooks, it is better to send away the two who came. As long as you trust me, I will definitely arrange the banquet in an open and extraordinary manner. Although I am not very capable, it is not enough to host more than thirty tables. Disaster. Officer, you must trust the slave family. This is the time for the slave family to share the worries of the husband. "
"After hearing this, Liu Chaotian turned his worries into joy and followed his wife's advice, so he quickly sent people to move the fish, meat, vegetables, seasonings and other items to the inner courtyard. The family saw no one in the kitchen, but they heard the clanking of knives, tables and frying spoons inside. It was endless. A table was placed inside the door, and the serving servant put the tray on it. In a blink of an eye, the dishes were filled. Not only Liu Chaotian was shocked, but also the family and servants in Liu's house were shocked. More than a dozen Servants kept coming and going, and there was still an endless supply. Not only that, the guests who came to visit all praised the delicious food in Liu's house. Many people said that it was the best meal they had ever had, and the lavishness was naturally sufficient. In the end , the servant came to ask for soup cakes, only to hear the woman inside say: "Master didn't ask for soup cakes in advance, how could he bring them out immediately in such a hurry? Then he said: "It doesn't matter, let me borrow it first!" "After a short while, the woman called the servant to get the soup cakes. When everyone saw, more than thirty bowls of soup cakes were placed on the table. After the guests left, the woman said to Liu Chaotian: "Take out the money and repay a certain family. soup cake money. "Liu Chaotian hurriedly sent someone to deliver the money for the soup cakes. The family lost the soup cakes. Just when he was wondering, the person who sent the money arrived, and the mystery was solved. It turned out that the fox wife in the family had cast a spell to change her body. , things are still the same things.”
"Later, another night, Liu Chaotian was drinking alone in his office. As he drank, he thought for a while, and remembered that he had not drunk the wine from his hometown for many years. Liu Chaotian, who had not returned to his hometown for many years, suddenly wanted to drink The bitter wine from my hometown. After telling my wife about this, she said at that time: "What's so difficult about this? It's just a matter of a moment for me. My husband wants to drink the fine wine from his hometown. You Just wait here for a while, and then go back to the slave family. After saying that, she turned around and went out to get it. Then she opened the door, stepped lightly, and walked out. After just a cup of tea, he came back and said to Liu Chaotian: "Husband, fortunately you have fulfilled your mission and stayed at the door." There is a large jar of hometown wine outside, enough for you to drink for several days. "Liu Chaotian went out and saw that there was indeed a jar of wine. It was really the "Wengtou Spring" from his hometown. Liu Chaotian was very happy. He drank three buckets of his hometown wine "Wengtou Spring" every day and drank it happily. From then on, Liu Chaotian fell in love with this wineless wine even more. The impossible fox wife."
"A few days later, Liu Chaotian's wife sent two servants to Fenzhou. On the way, a servant said: "I heard that our master's wife, Mrs. Fox, gave a lot of reward. If you get the reward this time, you can buy something. Wear leather jacket. We are still willing to do things with Mrs. Fox. At least she is not stingy and gives us more money, so we should be kinder to ourselves! "Liu Chaotian's fox wife already knew this in the Fenzhou official office, so she said to Liu Chaotian: "The people sent by the family are coming soon. What's hateful is that the slave assigned to handle this matter is so rude. I will definitely punish him later. Husband, don't worry about it. If such an evil slave is not punished, he will not know how high the sky is, and he will not care about his family and his husband. "On the second day, two servants just entered the city. Suddenly, the servant who was rude yesterday suffered from a splitting headache and screamed repeatedly. He covered his head and screamed. With the help of another casual companion, , finally arrived at Zhou Yamen, but the evil servant was still holding his head and screaming in pain. Everyone wanted to give him medicine to treat the splitting pain, but Liu Chaotian didn't panic when he saw it, stopped and said with a smile: "No need for treatment , it will naturally get better by then. "Everyone suspected that Mrs. Fox had offended Liu Chaotian, so she cast a spell to teach this rude servant a lesson. Some people even advised the servant to go to Mrs. Fox to apologize and beg for her forgiveness. The servant who was punished thought to himself. : I haven’t put down my things when I first came here. Where did my sin come from? I had nowhere to complain, so I had to kneel down and loudly beg for mercy to Mrs. Fox in the room, begging to be let go. I only heard someone from inside the curtain say: "If you call me Madam, just call me Madam." That's all, why add the word 'fox'? The servant then suddenly understood and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize and said: "Madam, you have a lot of money, but I am not sensible and I offended you with my unscrupulous words." Please let me go. In the future, I will definitely control my bad mouth and no longer speak frivolously to my wife. Otherwise, I will be willing to die from a headache. This slave knows that I am wrong. Please forgive me, madam! "
"At this moment, I heard someone say: "Since you want leather clothes, how can you be rude? Then he said: "Your headache is gone!" "As soon as he finished speaking, the servant's head stopped hurting immediately. He even said that Madam is really a goddess and that her magic is boundless. Then, he quickly thanked and stood up to leave. Suddenly he saw a package thrown from the curtain, which said: "This is a lambskin coat, you can take it. Since you sincerely repent, I will forgive you and grant your wish for a leather coat. "The servant untied it and saw five taels of silver in the bag. He immediately understood that Mrs. Fox was really generous. The one-time reward was three months' wages. This was to let him buy leather clothes by himself. Liu Chaotian asked about the situation at home, The servant replied that everything was safe at home, except that one day a bottle of wine was missing. Then, he calculated the date of the loss with the servant, and it was the night when the woman got the wine. All this series of things spread, Everyone in the government office, whether Liu Chaotian's family members or servants, were afraid of the young lady's magical power and called her the "Holy Immortal". Liu Chaotian also painted a lifelike and exquisite portrait of her."
"At that time, there was a man named Zhang Daoyi here, who was the academic envoy of Fenzhou. He heard about these strange things. He went to see Liu Chaotian in the name of a fellow villager and asked to see Liu Chaotian's Mrs. Fox. However, Mrs. Fox had a certain reason. For this reason, he chose and refused to see her. Liu Chaotian couldn't resist the fox wife, so he took out her portrait for Zhang Dao to see. Zhang Daoyi couldn't stand it and fell in love immediately. He kept praising his wife as a heavenly being, saying After that, Qiang took the portrait and left. After Zhang Dao returned home, he hung up the portrait and prayed to it every day: "Oh, beauty, beauty, with your beauty and temperament, who can't you match?" I have to keep up with Liu Chaotian, a white-haired, arrogant old man! I, Zhang Daoyi, am in no way better than Liu Chao. I have blinded such a beautiful woman in vain. Beauty, why don't you come and see me? It makes me miss you so much, it feels so painful in my heart! "Liu Chaotian's fox wife felt that she had been humiliated and was very unhappy. So in the state capital, she suddenly said to Liu Chaotian: "Mr. Zhang is rude to me, I must give him some punishment! Liu Chaotian didn't pay attention, and just said to Fox's wife: "Just stop it, don't go too far." "One day, when Zhang Daoyi was praying to the portrait of Mrs. Fox, he felt as if someone had hit him on the forehead with a ruler. He had a headache that felt like it was about to split. He was extremely frightened and hurriedly sent someone to return the portrait. Liu Chaotian deliberately asked the reason. , the person who came here concealed the truth and refused to tell the truth. Liu Chaotian smiled and said: "Doesn't your master's forehead hurt? Seeing that he couldn't hide it, the visitor had no choice but to tell the truth. These words reached Zhang Daoyi's ears. He knew that this was a little warning given to him by Liu Chaotian's fox wife. Zhang Daoyi accepted the lesson and stopped talking. From now on, we will just do our duty."
"Not long after, Liu Chaotian's son-in-law Qi Sheng came and wanted to see his wife Fox, but the fox wife refused to see him. Qi Sheng asked again and again, and Liu Chaotian said to the fox wife: "Qi Sheng is my son-in-law, and he is not. Why do outsiders definitely not see him? The woman replied: "When my son-in-law comes to see me, I must give him something." But his wish is too high, I guess I can't satisfy him, so I don't want to see him. "Even so, the son-in-law who called Qisheng still insisted on seeing her. The fox wife refused, so she was allowed to wait ten days for the meeting. When the agreed date came, Qisheng entered the room, saluted through the curtain, and greeted her briefly. For a moment. He only saw Mrs. Fox's vague appearance. He didn't dare to look carefully, so he resigned. After taking a few steps, he couldn't help but look back. He only heard Mrs. Fox say: "The son-in-law has turned back." "After he finished speaking, he kept laughing, and his voice was like the hoot of an owl. After hearing this, Qi Sheng was so frightened that his legs were weak, and he was swaying as if he had lost his soul. After going out, he sat for a long time before he calmed down and said : “The laughter I heard just now was like a thunderclap that shook my ears, and I didn’t even feel that my body was my own. Sure enough, the Fox Fairy must not be offended, and I will never dare to do so again. "After a while, a maid gave Qi Sheng twenty taels of silver on the order of the woman. After Qi Sheng accepted it, he said to the maid: "The Holy Immortal lives with his father-in-law. Don't you know that I have always been a squanderer? Are you used to spending small amounts of money? When the fox wife heard this, she said, "I knew he was this kind of person!" Unfortunately, my money bag is empty now; this was before I went to Kaifeng with my companions, and the city happened to be flooded, and all the money stored in the warehouse was submerged in the water. We each salvaged a little money, how can we satisfy his greedy demands? Besides, even if I could give him more, he wouldn't be able to afford it even if his blessings are too meager. "Of course there is a hidden meaning in this statement, and people all understand it."
"Fox Wife has another skill, that is, she can know everything in advance. Whenever Liu Chaotian encounters a difficult problem, he always discusses it with her and solves it. One day, while she was sitting next to Liu Chaotian, she suddenly looked up and looked at the sky and said in shock: " Disaster is imminent, what should we do? "Liu Chaotian was surprised and asked about the good or bad luck of his family. Fox's wife said: "Everyone else is fine, but the second young master is worrying. This place will soon become a battlefield, and you should ask for an errand to go to a distant place to avoid disaster. "Liu Chaotian followed her advice and asked his superiors to allow him to go to Yunnan and Guizhou with food and salary. This trip was a long way. When others heard about it, they expressed concern for him, but Fox's wife only expressed her congratulations. Soon, Jiang Xiang rebelled, and Fenzhou was captured. The thieves occupied it. Liu Chaotian's second son came from Shandong and was killed just in time for this incident. After the fall of Fenzhou City, all officials, large and small, were killed. Only Liu Chaotian was spared because he was on a business trip. After quelling the rebellion, Liu Chao The genius came back. Later, he was implicated in a major case and punished, so poor that he could not eat. The people in power extorted money in many ways, so Liu Chaotian wanted to die. The woman advised him: "Don't worry, there are still three thousand taels of silver under the bed." , can be used to live. Liu Chaotian asked happily: "Where did you steal it from?" The woman replied: "There is an endless supply of things that have no owner in the world. Is there any need to steal?" "Liu Chaotian relied on the woman's strategy to return to his place of origin, and the woman followed. A few years later, the woman suddenly left, leaving behind a paper bag containing several things. Among them was a small flag hung on the door during the funeral. , about two inches long, everyone thought it was an ominous sign. Sure enough, Liu Chaotian died of illness soon after."
Xu Chengcheng concluded: "Foxes are even more spiritual. As long as they identify a person correctly, they can help them achieve success and avoid disasters."
