In the July 1st case, Qixia and Laiyang counties had the most number of people who were executed consecutively. Hundreds of people were captured in one day and killed in the martial arts field. The ground was covered with blood and bones were lying on the ground. The officials were compassionate and donated coffins and store inventory, which were all sold out. He was killed.

Most of the deceased were buried in the southern suburbs.

During the Jiayin period, a scholar from Laiyang came to Jinan, and two or three of his relatives and friends were also executed. He bought incense paper and put it in the tomb to pay homage to the deceased. Not far from the tomb, there was a temple where the scholar stayed.

The next day, the scholar went to the city for business, but before returning home at dusk, a young man suddenly came to visit him. Seeing that the scholar was not there, he took off his hat and went to bed, put on his shoes and lay down on his back. The servant asked who he was, but the young man closed his eyes and did not answer. Then the scholar returned, and the night was hazy.

, without recognizing the person, he went under the bed to ask. The young man stared and said, "I have been waiting for the master for a long time. Xu Xu pressed me and asked, am I a thief?" The scholar smiled and said, "The master is here." The young man hurriedly put on his hat, bowed in salute, and straightened his coat.

Sitting upright, the two of them exchanged greetings. The young man's accent sounded familiar, so he hurriedly held a lamp and stared, but it turned out that it was Zhu Sheng from the same county who also died in the Qi Disaster.

The scholar was horrified and turned around to run away. Zhu Sheng forcibly grabbed him and said, "Why should I be so unkind when I have a literary relationship with the young master? Although I am a ghost, I will never forget the feelings of old friends. Even if there is any offense, please do not be suspicious." The scholar is.

Sitting down and asking her why she came, Zhu Sheng said: "I want to marry my niece, who lives alone without a partner. I have tried to match her many times, but she has been rejected. I ask the young master to persuade her on my behalf. If the marriage is successful, I will not forget the great virtue."

At first, my niece lost her mother when she was young and lived in a scholar's home. She did not return home until she was fifteen years old. During the Qi Rebellion, she was captured and brought to Jinan. Her father was killed and she died in tears.

The scholar heard this and said, "Marriage matters are decided by the parents. She has her own father, why should she ask me?" Zhu Sheng said, "My father's coffin was moved for my nephew and is not here." The scholar asked, "Who did she rely on in the past?"

"Zhu Sheng said: "I live with my neighbor's old lady." The scholar thought to himself: "There are differences between humans and ghosts, how can we be a matchmaker?" Zhu Sheng said: "Without further delay, I would like to excuse you and come with me." The scholar asked: "Where are we going?

?" Zhu Sheng said, "Don't ask too many questions." He held his hand and walked out.

Along the way to the north, there were large villages with hundreds of households, and they arrived at a house. Zhu Sheng knocked on the door, and an old lady came out and asked, "What are you doing?" Zhu Sheng said, "Go and tell the lady: her uncle is here.

." The old lady turned and left, returned in a moment, and invited the guests into the house. She looked at Zhu Sheng and said, "The room is simple and narrow, please wait outside the door." Zhu Sheng nodded in agreement and said to the scholar: "You and her

Go in and don’t forget the purpose of your trip.”

The scholar then entered and saw half an acre of desolate courtyard and two small houses. He was greeted by his niece outside the door, and relatives met each other, each sobbing. The lights in the room were bright, and the girl's appearance was as beautiful as before. He stared with tears in his eyes and asked: "

Are all your family members in good health?" The scholar said, "Everyone is fine, but your aunt has passed away." The girl choked and said, "When the child was young, she was raised by her aunt, but she never repaid her kindness. I didn't want her soul to return to Jiuquan, which is very hateful. Last year, my uncle

The eldest brother removed my father's remains and left me alone here without thinking about him. Hundreds of miles away, he was as lonely as the autumn swallows. Fortunately, my uncle was considerate and gave me gold and silk as gifts, and I received them all."

The scholar asked for Zhu Sheng's hand in marriage, but the girl bowed her head and said nothing. The old lady said: "Mr. Zhu asked Mrs. Yang to come here three or five times. I thought I was a good match, but the young lady refused to agree hastily. Now that my uncle is doing the matchmaking in person, I should be satisfied."

"

While he was talking, a girl, seventeen or eighteen years old, came out. When she saw the scholar, she turned around and walked away. The girl grabbed the corner of her skirt and said, "It doesn't have to be like this. This is my uncle, not someone else." The scholar bowed in salute, and the girl returned the bow with her skirt folded.

The girl introduced: "Her name is Gongsun Jiuniang, she is from Qixia County. She comes from a wealthy family. Now her family is in decline and she is depressed and unhappy. She interacts with her son sooner or later."

The scholar looked at her with attention. Jiuniang smiled at the autumn moon and was so shy that she was dizzy with the morning glow. She was as beautiful as a fairy. She said, "She is indeed a lady among all the people. How can a poor girl be so beautiful?" The girl smiled and said, "She is still a bachelor, and she is proficient in poetry.

"

Jiuniang smiled and said: "The little girl ruined someone's reputation for no reason and made my uncle feel cold." The girl smiled and said: "My uncle has not married yet. If he gets this young lady as his wife, he will be happy." Jiuniang ran out with a smile and said:

"The little girl is crazy." After saying this, everyone dispersed.

The beautiful lady left, and the scholar was haunted by his dreams. The girl seemed to be aware of it, and said: "Jiu Niang is unparalleled in talent and beauty. If uncle doesn't think she is a ghost, I will help you match her." The scholar was delighted and hesitated: "Humans and ghosts have different paths, how can we do that?"

Match?" The girl said: "It doesn't matter, you two are destined to be destined." The scholar said goodbye and left. The girl got up to see him off and said: "In five days, when the moon is bright and the people are quiet, I will send someone to pick you up."

When the scholar came to the door, he didn't see Zhu Sheng. He looked westward, the moon was high in the sky, and he recognized the path in the dusk. He saw a house in the south. Zhu Sheng was sitting on the stone in front of the door. He stood up to greet you and said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. This is it."

If you don't mind this humble house, please go in and have a seat." The two of them entered the house hand in hand. Zhu Sheng thanked him diligently, took out a gold cup and hundreds of pearls, and said, "I have nothing to offer, so this is a betrothal gift, please accept it." He added.

"Although there is fine wine at home, the things from the underworld are not enough to entertain the guests. What can I do?" The scholar thanked him and left. Zhu Sheng saw him halfway and said goodbye. When he returned to the temple, the monk asked about his whereabouts and said, "There are many ghosts nearby.

, the donor must not walk around randomly." The scholar said: "I will go to a friend's house for a drink, the monk does not need to worry."

Five days later, Zhu Sheng came indeed. He was wearing brocade clothes, fast boots, and a folding fan. He was very satisfied. When he went to the courtyard, he bowed when he saw the dust. The scholar clasped his fists in return and invited him into the house. Zhu Sheng said with a smile: "Congratulations, let's talk about the marriage.

OK, let's go to the bridal chamber tonight." The scholar said, "Since there has been no reply for a long time, and the betrothal gift has not yet been sent, how can we get married?" Zhu Sheng said, "Well, I gave it to you as a betrothal gift." The scholar thanked him repeatedly, and the two of them went.

In Zhu's Mansion, a girl dressed up went out to welcome her. The scholar asked, "When did you come?" Zhu Sheng said, "It's been three days."

The scholar presented a golden cup of pearls as a dowry for his niece. The girl refused to accept it and said, "I have proposed marriage to Mrs. Gongsun on behalf of my uncle. The old lady was very happy and said: I only have one daughter. I don't want Jiuniang to marry far away. I will let you marry me tonight."

I am getting married, and there is no man in the family. I would like to ask my husband to accompany me." Upon hearing this, Zhu Sheng immediately led the scholar to go to the end of the village and saw a house. The door was opened and the two of them entered the hall. After a while, someone sent a message, "The old lady is here." Two maids helped one.

When the old lady came out, the scholar hurriedly kowtowed and saluted. The old lady said: "I can't return the favor because I'm an old man. We can avoid red tape if we can." She ordered the servants to put on a banquet to entertain the guests. The dishes at the banquet were no different from those in the earth. But the old lady said

The wife pours her own drink and does not persuade her to drink.

After the meal, Zhu Sheng said goodbye, and the maid in green led the scholar into the room, where he saw Jiu Niang waiting in beautiful clothes. The two met again by chance, went to bed, and had great fun.

At first, Jiuniang's mother and son were captured and originally planned to be escorted to Beijing. When they arrived in Jinan, her mother could not bear the abuse and died, and Jiuniang also committed suicide. She recalled the past on her pillow, choked up and couldn't sleep, and wrote two poems: "In the past." "White Poplar Wind and Rain"

When walking around the solitary grave, who would have thought that the balcony would be covered with clouds? Suddenly, when I opened the carved gold box and looked inside, I saw that the blood was still staining the old skirt."

As the day dawned, Jiuniang urged the scholar to leave, saying: "Go back to the temple quietly, without disturbing the servants." From then on, the two of them went back and forth day and night, and their affection continued. One night, Jiuniang asked Jiuniang, "What is the name of this village?" Jiuniang said:

"Laixiali. Most of the ghosts here are from Qixia and Laiyang counties, so they are named after them." The scholar sighed after hearing this. Jiuniang spoke sadly and said: "A thousand miles of soft souls, wandering without a home. Mother and son are alone.

He said with regret. If the young master cares about his old love, please collect the bones and move them to the side of the ancestral grave, so that I can have a place to live for a hundred generations, and I will die and be immortal." The scholar agreed.

Jiuniang said: "People and ghosts have different paths, so we cannot stay here for a long time." She took off her socks and gave them to each other, and said goodbye with tears. The scholar came out sadly, as if lost, and couldn't bear to go back. Passing by Zhu's mansion, he went up and knocked on the door. Zhu Sheng came out barefoot.

After greeting her, the girl also got up, her hair was fluffy, and she asked in surprise why. The scholar was melancholy for a long time, and then he relayed Jiuniang's words. The girl said: "Even if my sister doesn't say it, I still think about it like this. This is not a human world, so it's better to go far away."

So they both cried, and the scholar shed tears and said goodbye.

Returning to his residence, the scholar couldn't sleep. At dawn the next day, he wanted to look for Jiuniang's grave. Before leaving, he forgot to ask for the mark, so he had to give up. When he went back at night, he found that there were thousands of graves around him. He lost his way and returned with a sigh. He opened his stockings.

Staring at it, I saw it was shattered by the wind and rotted like ashes. I had no choice but to pack up and return east. I couldn't let go for half a year.

Later, the scholar never forgot Jiuniang and went to visit the outskirts of Jinan. When he arrived, it was already late. He parked his carriage and horses at the temple and walked to the cemetery alone. He saw a series of barren graves, overgrown thorns, wild fires dancing, and a group of foxes neighing. He felt worried in his heart.

, and returned disappointed.

The scholar felt depressed and returned to his hometown on horseback. After a long journey eastward, he saw a girl walking alone among the tombs. Her expression and body shape looked exactly like Jiuniang. He stepped forward with his whip, and it turned out to be her. He got off his horse and struck up a conversation. If Jiuniang didn't recognize him, he turned around and left.
Chapter completed!