冥報記 3.23

3.23

貞觀中魏王府長史京兆韋慶植。有處女。先亡。夫婦痛惜之。後二年。慶植將聚親賓客。宰肉備食。家人買得羊。未殺。慶植妻夜夢。見其亡女。著青裾白衫。頭髮上。有雙玉釵。是生平所服者。來見母。涕泣言曰。兒嘗私用物。不語父母。坐此業報。今受羊身。來償父母命。明日當見殺。青羊白頭者是。特願慈恩。垂乞性命。母驚寤。旦而往觀。羊項膊皆白。頭上有兩點白相對。如玉釵形。母對之悲泣。語家人勿殺。待慶植至。將放之。俄而植至。催食。厨人白言。夫人不許殺青羊。植怒即命殺之。宰夫縣羊欲殺。賓客數人已到。乃見一女子容貌端正。訴客曰。兒是韋長吏女。乞救命。客等驚愕。止宰夫。宰夫懼植怒。又但見羊鳴。遂殺之。既而客坐。食至。客皆不食。植怪問之。客具以言。慶植悲痛。發病遂不起。京下士人多知之。崔尚書敦禮具為臨說。閻尚書立德。亦說云爾。

During the Zhenguan era, Wei Qingzhi of Jingzhao, Senior Administrator of the Prince of Wei's household, had a maiden daughter who died prematurely, and the couple grieved over her deeply. Two years later, when Qingzhi was about to gather relatives and guests and slaughtered meat to prepare a feast, his household bought a sheep but had not yet slaughtered it. Qingzhi's wife dreamed at night that she saw her deceased daughter, wearing a green skirt and a white blouse, with a pair of jade hairpins in her hair—the very garments she had worn in life. She came to see her mother and said weeping, 'I once made use of property in secret without telling my parents. In consequence of this karmic retribution, I have now received the body of a sheep to repay my parents with my life. Tomorrow I will be slaughtered. The green sheep with a white head is me. I specifically pray for your compassionate grace, that you may grant me my life.' The mother awoke in alarm. At dawn she went to inspect it: the sheep's neck and shoulders were completely white, and on its head were two white spots opposite each other, shaped like jade hairpins. The mother wept facing it, and told her household not to slaughter it, but to wait until Qingzhi arrived and then release it. Soon Qingzhi arrived and hurried the meal. The cook reported, 'The lady does not permit slaughtering the green sheep.' Qingzhi was angered and at once ordered it slaughtered. The butcher hung the sheep up to kill it, and several guests had already arrived; they saw a young woman of graceful countenance appeal to the guests, saying, 'I am Senior Administrator Wei's daughter. I beg you to save my life!' The guests were shocked and stopped the butcher. The butcher, fearing Qingzhi's anger and seeing only a sheep bleating, slaughtered it anyway. Soon the guests were seated and the food arrived, but none of the guests would eat. Qingzhi was surprised and questioned them, and the guests told him everything. Qingzhi was overwhelmed with grief and fell ill, and eventually could not rise again. Most scholars in the capital know of this. Minister Cui Dunli recounted it in full to me, [Tang] Lin, and Minister Yan Lide also spoke of it in this manner.