法苑珠林 75.56

75.56

唐顯慶三年。岐州岐山縣王志任益州縣令。考滿還鄉。有在室女。面貌端正。未有婚娉在道身亡。停在綿州。殯殮居棺寺。停累月。寺中先有學生。停一房內。夜初見此亡女來入房內。莊飾華麗。具申禮意。欲慕相就。學生容納。相知經月。女與學生一面銅鏡巾櫛各一。念欲上道。女共學生。具展哀情密共辭別。家人求覓此物不得。令遣巡房求之。於學生房覓得。令遣左右縛打此人。將為私盜。學生具說。逗留口云。非唯得娘子此物。兼留上下二衣共某辭別。留為信物。令遣人開棺檢求。果無此衣。兼見女身似人幸處。既見此徵。遣人解放。借問此人。君居何處。答云。本是岐州人。因從父南任。父母俱亡。權游諸州學問。不久當還。令給衣馬。裝束同歸。將為女夫。憐愛甚重（見西明寺僧法雲本鄉梓州具說如是）。

In the third year of the Xianqing era of the Tang, Wang Zhi of Qishan County in Qizhou was serving as a county magistrate in Yizhou. Having completed his term of evaluation, he was returning to his home commandery. He had an unmarried daughter of dignified countenance who had not yet been betrothed; she died on the road. Her body was halted in Mianzhou, where her encoffined remains were temporarily placed in a temple for several months. In the temple, there was previously a student staying in one of the rooms. Early one night, he saw this deceased maiden come into the room, adorned in magnificent dress. She fully expressed courteous regard and wished to join him in affection. The student accepted her, and they were intimate for a month. The maiden gave the student a bronze mirror and a set of hair comb and towel. Thinking she was about to set out on her journey, the maiden and the student fully displayed their sorrowful affection and secretly took leave of each other. Her family searched for these items and could not find them, so they ordered people to patrol the rooms to search for them, finding them in the student's room. They ordered attendants to bind and beat this man, taking him to be a petty thief. The student explained the situation in full, lingering over his words, and said, 'Not only did I receive these items from the young lady, she also left behind upper and lower garments when parting from me, leaving them as tokens of trust.' They ordered people to open the coffin to inspect and search it, and indeed these garments were missing; in addition, they saw that the girl's body appeared as though someone had been intimate with her. Having seen these signs, they had him released. Inquiring of this man, they asked, 'Where do you reside, sir?' He replied, 'I am originally a man of Qizhou. Because I accompanied my father to his southern posting, and both my parents have died, I have temporarily traveled across various prefectures to study. I will return before long.' They gave him clothing and a horse, equipped him to return together, and treated him as their daughter's husband, cherishing him with great affection. (Seen in the account of the monk Fayun of Ximing Temple, who fully related it thus regarding his native Zizhou.)