法苑珠林 77.48

77.48

King Xuan of Sima of the Wei had achievements that grew daily, and he also executed General-in-Chief Cao Shuang of the Wei, so that signs of his usurpation gradually became evident. Wang Ling, who was then the Regional Inspector of Yangzhou, considered that the Wei emperor was constrained by powerful ministers and unfitted to rule. Prince Biao of Chu was older and talented, and Wang wished to welcome and enthrone him. Hua, the Regional Inspector of Yanzhou, revealed Ling's secret plot to King Xuan. King Xuan personally led the central army to attack Ling, arriving suddenly and unexpectedly. Ling, knowing his situation was hopeless, went out in a single boat to meet King Xuan. King Xuan sent Ling back toward the capital. When Ling reached Qingcheng, passing by the temple of Jia Kui, Ling shouted out: 'Jia Liangdao! I was truly devoted to the altars of soil and grain of the Wei. Only your spirit knows this!' Ling then drank poison and died, and his three clans were all executed. That year, King Xuan fell ill; in broad daylight, he saw Ling coming along with Jia Kui to haunt him as vengeful ghosts. He called out Ling's courtesy name, saying: 'Yanyun, spare me!' King Xuan's body also showed places where he had been beaten, and within a few days he died.