Once, some literati from Chang'an, Kyoto, gathered together for a banquet. After three rounds of wine, the dishes were five flavors, and everyone chatted idly in the south of the sea. Some people say: "People's nature is different, some people are born bold, some people are born timid." Another person said: "Courage is born of courage, boldness is brave, timidity and cowardice." A slightly older man said, "I have seen bold people, in the dark of night, who dare to walk through the ancient tombs, breathless, heart not beating, really ..."
Before he could finish speaking, a rusheng wearing a square scarf and a blue shirt and a black face waved his hand, interrupted him, and said unceremoniously: "What is this?" I'm bolder than he is! ”
"You?" Everyone had never heard of him being so bold, and they all turned their eyes to look at her doubtfully.
He was even more energetic, spewing wine all over his mouth, sticking out his thumb and drunkenly saying, "Of course! It was because I was bold that people gave me a nickname, called.... It's called Bold Confucianism! ”
Some people were intimidated by his boasting, but some people did not believe it, saying: "Bold and small, you can't just say it with your mouth, you have to try it yourself." ”
Someone echoed, "Yes, bragging is not enough." ”
Ru Sheng said, "Then try it." ”
One of the people in the seat didn't speak. At this time, he stood up and said, "I have a way, be bold and small, and I will know it when I try it." ”
Everyone asked urgently, "What can be done?" ”
He smiled slyly and said without hurrying: "I have a distant relative, his family has a murderous house, it is often haunted at night, no one dares to live, and it has been locked empty." He pointed to the Confucian who said he was bold and said, "Didn't this young brother say that he was bold?" If you dare to sleep in it alone for a night, we will believe, and if you do not dare, you will be bragging and talking big. What do you think? ”
"So good." All the students agreed in unison.
At dusk, after dinner, everyone led the self-proclaimed confucian to an empty, cold mansion, brought him lamps and candles and wine and dishes, and asked him: "What else do you need?" Ru Sheng said, "I carry a sword with me to defend myself, and that's enough, the rest don't need it." Then he instructed the servant, "Lead the donkey I am riding on to the empty room of the compartment and tie it up, and all of you will please go back." ”
The servant led the donkey to the next house and tied it to a pillar. Then everyone walked out of the courtyard, locked the street door, and went home separately.
This courtyard is actually not a murderous house, but because it has not been inhabited for many years, it seems empty and gloomy, several cases are full of dust, the corners of the walls are full of cobwebs, and the ground is full of claw marks where foxes crawl, which really makes people feel eerie and terrible.
This self-proclaimed and courageous Confucian student was actually particularly timid and cowardly. It's just that the big words have been spoken, and I have to come hard. After the sun sets, the moon has not yet risen, the night is dark, and five fingers are not visible. The sky was blowing wind, the broken window paper was blowing loudly, and the dim lights and candles were crumbling by the wind. Terrified, he did not dare to sleep, and sat in a chair with a sword in his hand, his eyes staring in horror at the door and the window, afraid that some monster would break in from outside. Suddenly, with a cry, an animal came out of nowhere, frightening him with a wit, and he jerked out his sword and was about to stab it, when the animal jumped out of the door like lightning under his feet. But the sword knocked the lamp down and rolled to the ground. He stretched out his trembling hand to touch the lamp candle, and he didn't touch it for half a day.
At this time, it was already three o'clock, and the moon had risen into the sky at some point. The pale and cold moonlight shone obliquely through the broken window ledge, adding a little more fear, he regretted that he should not say a big word, really wanted to escape from this mansion immediately, one door was locked, and the other was to escape halfway, wouldn't he be laughed at? He couldn't stop and continued to stay here, but he was really afraid, it was really a dilemma, it was difficult to ride the tiger. He clutched the sword in his hand and sat in a chair in horror, his ears high, listening to what was going on inside and outside the house. Suddenly, he saw a monster squirming on the clothes rack, like a strange bird flapping its wings and flying. He mustered up enough courage to stand up suddenly, picked up his sword, and had no head or brain to split the monster. Just listening to the snap, the monster immediately fell to the ground. Frightened in his heart, he did not dare to go forward to see what the monster was. Still holding the sword in his hand, he sat nervously in his chair.
For a long time, the inside and outside of the house was unusually calm. At about five o'clock, suddenly, heavy footsteps came from the courtyard, kicking, kicking, and walking up the steps toward the door. Ru Sheng's head exploded in fright, the hairs on his head stood up, his body trembled like chaff and his hands and feet did not listen to the call. The monster walked up to the door and pushed it hard, not pushing it open, but reaching over from the dog hole next to the door, "Huh? "It's scary! Black and mushy, like minotaur horse noodles, spitting out long tongues, huffing and panting, really vicious and terrible! He screamed and slashed at the monster. As soon as he stood up, his feet were weak, and he fell to the ground like a half-cut piece of wood, and the sword was thrown out of his hand. He was afraid that the monster would come in and eat himself, and he did not dare to go looking for the sword, so he crawled under the bed with a rolling belt and curled up, not daring to make a sound. Fortunately, the thing did not come in, and he tossed and turned for nearly a night, tired and sleepy, and fell asleep under the bed.
After dawn, his servants and the scribes opened the courtyard door and came in, and at a glance they saw that there was a lot of blood and messy animal hair in the dog hole. They didn't know what was wrong, they hurriedly opened the door of the house, and saw that there was no Confucian in the house, so everyone panicked and rushed around to look for it. When they found Ru Sheng under the bed, they couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. Ru Sheng was awakened by the laughter, hurriedly opened his eyes, found that the sky was already bright, and hurriedly crawled out from under the bed. They asked him how he was last night? He added branches and leaves to tell the "feat" of splitting demons and monsters twice, and told them in a colorful way, just like the generosity of a big husband!
Everyone was suspicious of the letter, so they went down to the clothes rack to examine it. When I looked at it, I couldn't help but laugh! It turned out that the "strange bird" he had chopped to death was actually a straw hat! Because it was broken, it was blown by the wind and swayed back and forth, like a bird flapping its wings. Everyone went to the dog hole again, and his sword was thrown on the ground next to the hole, and the blood dripped from the dog hole to the next house, and everyone went to see it, and they all laughed. It turned out that the "monster" he said was his donkey. Near dawn, the crook broke free of the reins and ran out, his head drilled into the dog hole, and he blew a sword like a monster. The donkey's beak was cut off and blood is still flowing.
This Confucian who was not ashamed to boast of his boldness was so timid and cowardly that they laughed so hard that they leaned forward and backward, could not stand, and helped each other out of the courtyard.
Frightened, the Confucian fell ill in bed and recovered more than ten days later.
This part was originally titled "Kyoto Confucianism", in the Taiping Guangji, volume 500. Image from the web