It was a storybook written by a down-on-his-luck scholar. The opening words and sentences were quite beautiful, so I patiently read it through.
This story tells of a frail scholar who, despite possessing a wealth of knowledge, repeatedly failed the imperial examinations.
When the time for taking the imperial examinations came again, he was depressed and lingered in the temple, where he met the daughter of a wealthy family who was offering incense at the temple.
Later, the daughter of that wealthy family secretly sent him gold and silver through someone so that he could meet the examiner. This time, he finally passed the imperial examination with flying colors and was even appointed as the top scholar.
The daughter's father then forcibly took the scholar as his son-in-law.
The scholar, fearing for his life, dared not reveal that he had already married back in his hometown.
Several years passed, and Qianjin remained infertile. She went to a temple to pray to Buddha, who said that she had stolen someone else's husband and was destined to be childless.
When Qianjin returned home, she interrogated the scholar, who then confessed that he had a wife and children back in his hometown and had only agreed to marry her under duress.
The young lady was filled with resentment and broke off all ties with the scholar, causing a conflict.
Unexpectedly, someone accused the scholar of abandoning his wife to marry another, which was considered a disgrace to his scholarly reputation.
The plaintiff was the scholar's former wife.
Thus, the husband and his two wives went to court.
In the middle, the scholar skillfully navigates the situation, begging for forgiveness from both wives, interspersed with many romantic verses and poems.
The rich girl murdered the wife in an attempt to seize her husband.
The scholar was in unbearable pain.
Finally, the presiding judge sentenced the scholar to prison, and the woman who murdered for money was also imprisoned.
Although the first wife won the lawsuit, she received a letter of divorce from her husband and was killed by someone sent by her father on her way back to her hometown.
The ending was ultimately tragic.
I closed the book and stood there, stunned, for a long while.
He showed this book to that Lady Zou, clearly implying that I would eventually lash out and hurt someone, just like that rich girl.
Am I really that worthless in his eyes?
When he proposed to me, my father never pressured him in the slightest. It was he who coveted power and wealth, and he went to great lengths to marry me. Now that he has gotten the benefit, he is acting innocent and making such a fuss about me. It is truly outrageous.
Tears streamed down my face, but I made up my mind: I wanted a divorce and to sever all ties with him.
Whether he and that Lady Zou are good or bad, it has nothing to do with me anymore.
I cried until I was dizzy and slowly walked outside, but then it suddenly occurred to me that I had only been married for a year and was about to get a divorce. I still had younger brothers and sisters at home. If they had an older sister like me, it would be much more difficult for them to find husbands in the future. I had only hurt them because of me...
I hesitated again, my mind was foggy, and I wandered aimlessly, going around and around in circles.
The bright moon in the sky was suddenly covered by dark clouds, and everything around it was pitch black.
I looked up, but slipped and fell into the pond. The pond had only recently been cleared of silt and was very deep. I struggled for a few moments before sinking.
After that, I became a confused ghost. I watched as he ordered his men to retrieve my body and lay on it, weeping bitterly.
My heart was filled with mixed feelings, and I didn't know what they were.
My parents came to pay their respects, and seeing them cry so bitterly was heartbreaking.
I stood beside him several times, and he seemed to sense it, always gazing at the sky and sighing.
He and Zou Niangzi burned paper money for me, saying, "I know I've wronged you. In the next life, you can wrong me a hundred or a thousand times, but I only ask that you let me continue down this path in this life."
On the seventh day after his death, when the ghostly energy is at its strongest, I reached out several times, wanting to strangle him and die together.
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