冥報記 3.19

3.19

Ma Jiayun of Wei Commandery was at home in the first month of the sixth year of the Wude reign period. Late in the day, he went out the main gate and suddenly saw two men, each holding a horse, standing beforehand under a tree outside the gate. Jiayun asked who they were. They answered, saying, 'We are envoys of the Duke of the Eastern Sea, come to welcome and fetch Scholar Ma.' Jiayun had always possessed scholarly learning and was renowned in the prefectures and villages; whenever there were circuit envoys or noble guests from the four quarters, they often requested to see him. When he heard this summons, he did not find it strange. He said to the envoys, 'I have no horse.' The envoys brought forward a horse, saying, 'We brought this to welcome you, Scholar Ma.' Jiayun immediately mounted the horse beneath the tree and rode away, but in reality he had fallen and lay on the ground under the tree. Soon he arrived at an official bureau. As he was about to enter the main gate, there were several dozen men and women outside the gate who looked like litigants. There was a woman among them who was an old acquaintance of Jiayun: Lady Cui, the wife of Zhang Gongjin from the same commandery. Holding a document in her hand, she said to Jiayun, 'Scholar Ma, do you still recognize me? Formerly, when you associated with Area Commander Zhang, we met frequently. The area commander was unprincipled and wrongfully murdered me. I lodged an appeal with the Heavenly Bureau, and now three years have passed. Because Heavenly Master Wang shielded Gongjin, I was constantly suppressed. Now I have finally obtained redress, and the authorities have already dispatched a summons for him; he will arrive before long. I was suspecting that I alone had suffered this wrongful harm; why have you also come, Scholar Ma?' Jiayun had known that Lady Cui had been murdered, but only upon seeing her did he realize she was dead. An envoy led him into the gate, but the gatekeeper said, 'The Duke is asleep and cannot be received yet. You should lead him to the quarters of Judicial Administrator Huo to sit.' Jiayun saw the judicial administrator, who was none other than Huo Zhang, formerly a vice director of the branch department of state affairs in Yizhou. Seeing Jiayun, he invited him to sit and said, 'The post of record keeper in this bureau is vacant. The Duke of the Eastern Sea heard of your talent and learning, and wishes to demean you with this office, that is all.' Jiayun said, 'My family is poor, and my wife and children cannot support themselves. I hope you will speak for me, so that I may be fortunate enough to be spared.' Zhang said, 'If so, when the time comes you may state on your own that you lack literary learning, and I shall provide clarification for you.' Soon someone came and said, 'The Duke has awoken from sleep.' He led Jiayun inside, where he saw a man sitting in the hall, short, stout, and dark-skinned. He called Jiayun forward and said to him, 'I have heard of your talent and learning, and wish to engage you as my record keeper. Can you do it?' Jiayun bowed in thanks and said, 'I am deeply fortunate, but I am an uncouth rustic from the wilderness; I have only taught the classics to youths and am not fit for the duties of a master of records.' The Duke said, 'Do you know Huo Zhang?' He answered, 'I know him.' Thereupon the Duke had Zhang summoned and asked him about Jiayun's talents. Zhang said, 'All my life I have known his classical learning, but I have never seen him compose literary prose.' The Duke said, 'Release Scholar Ma to return.' He immediately ordered Chen Ziliang to be summoned. Jiayun took his leave and went out. Zhang parted from him, saying, 'I trouble you to tell my Sangou: on my deathbed I told you to sell the horse I rode and build a black stūpa. Why did you sell the horse and spend the money on yourself? Quickly do as I instructed and construct the stūpa.' Sangou was the pet name of his eldest son. Jiayun then asked, 'Who is the "Heavenly Master" mentioned by Zhang Gongjin's wife earlier?' Zhang said, 'It is Wang Wujie, a fellow villager of Gongjin. Upon dying, he became a heavenly master and has constantly protected Gongjin; that is how he survived until now. Now it seems he will not escape.' Having finished speaking, they parted. An envoy was dispatched to escort Jiayun to a narrow, rugged path, and instructed him to return by this road. As soon as Jiayun entered the path, he revived, and only after a good while was he able to rise. It was toward midnight, and his wife and children were all sitting and weeping. Jiayun recounted everything in full. In the seventh month of that year, a man of Mianzhou named Chen Ziliang died suddenly and revived after a night. He himself said that he had seen the Duke of the Eastern Sea, who wished to employ him as a record keeper, but he demurred that he was illiterate and that there was another Chen Ziliang, a man of Wu, who was skilled at literary drafting. Thereupon the Duke ordered that one to be summoned and dismissed this one. The following year, Chen Ziliang of Wu suddenly died, and Zhang Gongjin also passed away. After the two died, Jiayun was once traveling on the road with several people when he suddenly saw runners from the official bureau. Jiayun's expression became anxious and terrified; he bowed deferentially and hurried forward. After a short while, he settled down. His companions asked him about it, and he replied, saying, 'The one I just saw was an envoy of the Duke of the Eastern Sea, who said he was going to Yizhou to arrest someone. He further remarked: "Ziliang complained intensely against you. Judicial Administrator Huo was severely interrogated on your account. You almost did not escape; it was only through the merit of your ransoming living beings that you were spared."' Earlier, when Jiayun was in Shu, the local people were about to drain a pond to catch fish. At that time, Jiayun was lecturing on the texts for people and had received several dozen bolts of silk. He therefore bought the pond fish and released them; 'ransoming living beings' referred to this. During the Zhenguan era, when the imperial retinue was at the Jiucheng Palace, the Emperor heard of this and sent Cen Wenben, Vice Director of the Secretariat, to investigate the matter. Wenben recorded it in full and presented it in a memorial. Jiayun later served as an erudite of the National University and died in office.