法苑珠林 75.55

75.55

宋東海徐某甲。前妻許氏。生一男名鐵臼。而許亡。某甲改娶陳氏。陳氏凶虐志滅鐵臼。陳氏產一男。生而祝之曰。汝若不除鐵臼。非吾子也。因名之曰鐵杵。欲以鍾擣鐵臼也。於是捶打鐵臼。備諸苦毒。飢不給食。寒不加絮。某甲性闇弱。又多不在。後妻恣意行其暴酷。鐵臼竟以陳餓痛杖而死。時年十六。亡後旬餘。鬼忽還家。登陳床曰。我鐵臼也。實無片罪橫見殘害。我母訴怨於天。得天曹符來取鐵杵。當令鐵杵疾病與我遭苦時同。將去自有期日。我今停此待之。聲如生時。家人賓客不見其形皆聞其語。於是常在屋樑上住。陳氏跪謝摶頰為設祭奠。鬼云。不須如此。餓我令死。豈是一喰所能對謝。陳夜中竊語道之。鬼厲聲曰。何敢道我。今當斷汝屋棟。便聞鋸聲。屑亦隨落。拉然有響。如棟實崩。舉家走出。炳燭照之。亦無異。鬼又罵鐵杵曰。汝既殺我。安坐宅上以為快也。當燒汝屋。即見火然。煙焰大猛內外狼狽。俄爾自滅。茅茨儼然不見虧損。日日罵詈。時復歌云。桃李華嚴。霜落奈何。桃李子嚴。霜早落已。聲甚傷切。似是自悼不得成長也。于時鐵杵六歲。鬼至便病。體痛腹大。上氣妨食。鬼屢打之。處處青𪒠。月餘而死。鬼便寂然（右一驗出冤魂志）。

There was a certain Xu from Donghai during the Song. His former wife, Lady Xu, bore a boy named Tiejiu, and Lady Xu died. Master Xu remarried, taking Lady Chen. Lady Chen was cruel and fierce, bent on destroying Tiejiu. Lady Chen gave birth to a boy, and when he was born, she prayed over him, saying, 'If you do not eliminate Tiejiu, you are no son of mine!' She then named him Tiechu, desiring to use a pestle to pound the iron mortar. Thereupon, she beat Tiejiu and subjected him to all manner of torment and bitterness. When he was hungry, she gave him no food; when he was cold, she added no padded clothes. Master Xu's nature was dim and weak, and he was often absent. The second wife gave free rein to her cruelty, and Tiejiu ultimately died from Chen's starvation and painful beatings, aged sixteen at the time. A little over ten days after his death, the ghost suddenly returned home, mounted Chen's bed, and said, 'I am Tiejiu. In truth, I had not a shred of guilt, yet I suffered this wanton cruelty. My mother voiced her grievance to Heaven and received a tally from the Heavenly Bureau to take Tiechu. I will make Tiechu suffer illnesses identical to the bitterness I met with. There will be an appointed date when he will be taken away. I am now staying here waiting for it.' His voice was just as in life; the family members and guests could not see his form, but all heard his speech. Thereupon, he constantly lived upon the roof beam. Lady Chen knelt to apologize, slapped her cheeks, and laid out offerings. The ghost said, 'There is no need for this. You starved me to death; how could a single meal atone for it?' During the night, Chen whispered secretly about it. The ghost yelled sharply, 'How dare you speak of me! I will now sever the ridgepole of your house.' Then the sound of a saw was heard, and sawdust fell along with it. A tearing sound arose, as though the ridgepole were actually collapsing. The whole family ran outside, lit candles, and looked, but there was nothing unusual. The ghost also cursed Tiechu, saying, 'Since you killed me, do you sit comfortably in the house and take pleasure in it? I will burn your house!' Flames were immediately seen igniting, with fiercely raging smoke and flames, causing dismay inside and out. Shortly thereafter, it extinguished on its own, and the thatch roof remained intact without the slightest damage. Day after day, he cursed and scolded, and from time to time he sang, 'Peach and plum blossoms are magnificent; / If frost falls, what can be done? / Peach and plum fruit are magnificent; / The frost has fallen early.' His voice was very mournful, seemingly lamenting his own failure to grow to adulthood. At that time, Tiechu was six years old. As soon as the ghost arrived, he fell ill: his body ached, his belly swelled, his breath surged upward, preventing him from eating. The ghost repeatedly beat him, leaving bruises all over. After a month or so, he died, and the ghost then fell silent. (This one verification is from the Yuanhun zhi.)