The Story of the Qing Dynasty Zhiwei - The Mirror of Evil (original text plus annotation and translation))

Mirror of Evil

From "Willow Cliff Outer Edition"

The grievances of the previous life have been lost, because they have not been able to weigh themselves.

In the next life, he can chase after sins and teach people where to hide.

【Original】

Hang has Liang Shu official, and eighteen people are brothers. At least Zhou Mou, The Dancing Teenager also. If you have an affair with your neighbor's daughter, you cannot marry her. The neighbor's daughter hanged herself, and Zhou Yi died of depression. Liang Shu asked seventeen brothers to be buried for the camp, sent them back to the funeral, drank in Wuliuju, and then went to Zhaobitai to sleep. The whisperer said, "There are two subordinates who have my words [1]. "The soul went to the City God Temple, and saw that there were three people before him, one was Zhou Mou, one was a woman, and the other was a vicious person, and he raised his head to the case. God[2] said, "This man is a great thief, and the woman was his former wife." Zhou was formerly a scribe in charge of suzhou[3], stealing 4,000 gold, but Zhou received it without saving his death, and his wife was hanged. Zhou used two thousand gold for himself, so-and-so was also a scrivener, each divided into thousands of gold, and Ru Shi wrote for the post [4] to receive twenty gold, is there any? Liang dazed. God said, "Now and in this world, forget yay? "Lifting the evil mirror to take a look, the heart is suddenly lost." Because of the right: "At that time, Zhou was in charge, and so-and-so did not know it." God said, "Ru is written for the thesis, and every time you write a document, you will reward Ru with twenty gold?" It is not as good as it is, and it is suddenly so, and there is no doubt that it is known. But sin does not lead to death, and the responsibility is thirty. He also sentenced the thief: "Ru should have died, and ru's wife should also die, but Zhou should not deceive Ru and receive wealth." He who has died this week, and the two of them who have received two thousand gold, should also be punished for their sins, and Liang mou can be released. "And wake up, my legs are swollen. God's so-called two thousand gold, among the eighteen, made him anxious to return. And he repented of his sins and moved to the good, and before the Long Fast Buddha, he visited Su's former family lineage, and the old wife was still there, and the son was also decaying, and he returned with a thick fortune. He died in his eighties. In the same year,[5] when Lang Xingshi was serving as the Baoding Commandery[6], the Duke of Liang of WenqingHe said this personally.

Liu Yazi said: It is advisable to steal death, so that he can be born by his wealth, and the adulterer dances [7], and the sin is even worse. To the thief's wife and the week before the wrongdoer, the latter is the lover, one soul and two hangings, Mo sighs the joy of the wrongdoer, and knows that the joy is the wrongdoer. With what has been rewarded, cut off his knowledge, and God is also strict!

【Notes】

[1] Word:Book,Interrogated.

[2] God: According to the previous text, "walk to the City God Temple" should be known to refer to the city god, and the following text is the same.

[3] Scrivener: The official in charge of the documents and the preparation of the manuscript.

[4] Thesis: A copying official in the yamen.

[5] The same year: those who passed the examination in the same list or the same year.

[6] 臬司: The Division of Probation.

[7] Dance text: The dance text is inked, and the legal provisions are quoted to cheat.

【Translation】

There was a Liang scribe in Hangzhou who was married to eighteen people with good relations. Among them, the youngest surname, Zhou, is a dancing teenager. Zhou Mou had a private affair with the girl next door and wanted to marry her, but he did not succeed. The woman next door then hanged herself, and then Zhou also died of depression.

Liang Shu asked seventeen other brothers to handle the funeral for Zhou, and after returning from the funeral, he went to Wuliuju to drink and take a nap. Suddenly, he said, "Two servants sent me to be tried." The soul then left the body and went to the City God Temple, and saw that there were three people in front of them, one was Zhou Mou, one was the girl next door, and the other was a vicious and vicious person, all of whom carried their heads to the city god's court.

At this time, the city god sitting in the hall said, "This person is a great thief of Jiangyang, and the woman was his wife in her previous life." In his previous life, Zhou was a scribe in charge of the case in Suzhou, and the robber promised to give Thursday thousand gold, but Zhou accepted the money but did not save him from the death penalty, so his wife hanged herself. Zhou himself used two thousand gold, and the other two scriveners each shared a thousand gold, you were a copyist at that time, and you also received twenty gold, is there such a thing? Liang Shushi looked dazed and didn't know what was going on. Chenghuang said, "Now that you have been separated for a lifetime, have you forgotten?" ”

So he ordered the evil mirror to be brought up to take a picture, and Liang Shushi suddenly understood in his heart. Therefore, he replied: "At that time, Zhou Mou was in charge, and I did not know." God said, "You are a scribbler, and every time he asks you to write a letter, will he reward you with twenty gold?" Isn't it? You know for sure. But sin does not lead to death, and the stick is punished thirty times. The robber also sentenced him: "Although you should have died and your wife should have died, Zhou should not have taken your money and cheated you." Now that Zhou mou is dead, the other two people who divide the money, when the arrest is punished, Liang can be released and return home. ”

Then Liang Shuguan woke up, his legs swollen. The people who were divided into two thousand gold mentioned by Chenghuang were also among the eighteen people, and Liang Shu told them to hurry home. And since then he has repented and rehabilitated, eating and praying to the Buddha all year round, he once went to Suzhou to visit his home in his previous life, his elderly wife is still alive in the world, his son is also old, and Liang Shu official returned to Hangzhou after giving them a sum of money. Finally he died in his eighties. When my brother-in-law Was a Baoding Sentencing Envoy, I heard Liang Gong of Qinghe personally talk about it.

Liu Yazi said: "The robber deserves to die, accepting money to let him live, adulterous dancing, the sin is deeper." As for the robber's wife and Zhou Mou's previous life as a wrongdoer, the future life as a lover, a wisp of soul hanged himself twice, do not sigh the wrongdoer to become joy, and when you know that joy is originally a wrongdoer. With the rewards they have paid and cut off their previous memories, the city god is also strict! ”