Jia Fengzhi

Jia Fengzhi, being born in Pingliang area of Gansu Province, was of uncommon brilliance but unable to pass the imperial examination at the county level for several times. One day, he met a Xiucai (One having passed the imperial examination at the county level in the Ming and Qing dynasties.) on the way, he said his surname was Lang, who had a special kind of easy and unaffected demeanour.  Jia felt what he said was very reasonable during their talk, so  invited him to go home and presented the exercises in composition for being made a comment. After reading, Lang praised him very much, " Your  composition are excellent enough to be in the first place in the examination at the county level, but they'll be hard to get any place in the examination at the  provincial  level, even the last place." Jia Fengzhi asked: "Why?" Lang replied:" Every thing will be hard for you to solve if you're morally lofty, but it'll be easy if you're tuft-hunting. Could it be said that it needed explaining again?" So he cited some peoples and their articles as example, which were all looked down by Jia Fengzhi. Jia said with smile:" The purpose for a scholar is to pursue the immortal， which means the senior official should be considered being worthy of his post. If we pursue personal fame and rank by mean trick, we'll be still lowly even in the position of  prime minister." Lang said: "It's not so! Your excellent articles will be unable to spread if you're in a low position. furthermore, you and your articles will be unknown for ever. Most of the high officials gained fame and fortune by very base conduct, I'm afraid they can't change their mind by reading your article." Jia Fengzhi kept silent. Lang stood up and said: "You're bookish and naive!" then , he left. Jian failed again in that autumn examination and became very gloomy. He thought over what Lang had said and read the example articles pointed by him. but he felt drowsy and can't control himself before finishing reading one piece." Three years later, Lang appeared suddenly when it's very near the time of examination. Both of them were very happy to meet each other. so he gave seven themes and asked Jia to write. And on the next day, he didn't approve and  asked Jia to write again after reading. He said  they were not good yet after being finishing another time. And last, Jia wrote them as prank and gathered all the ornery, vague, low-quality sentences to compose the articles .But this time ,Lang was very satisfied with them and said: "You know the key now!" then,  "Be sure to remember them by heart and not to forget ",he urged again and again. Jia said with smile: "To be honest, all these are written insincerely and forgotten in a flash. I can't remember them even being beaten." Lang sat beside the table and forced Jia to read   them again and asked him to expose his back and drew some magic figures on it. then, he said: "It's enough  to pass the examination and what you've read before becomes nothing" .Jia examined the figures and found they had already  permeated in muscles and can't be washed off. He found the test themes were just the seven ones tested by Lang on getting the test paper. There remained nothing but only the seven compositions as prank in his mind when he tried to remember his former exercises. Being ashamed for them ,he wanted to do a revise ,but no word can be remembered. Soon it's dark and he had to write down the compositions being as prank in the beginning again and left." You're so late?" Mr. Lang was surprised after having waited for a long time. He told him the truth and asked to wash off the figures ,and finding they had begin to disappeared  gradually. He felt very blurred as if several centuries has passed when recalling the compositions on the answer sheet. Being very astonished, he asked: "Why I can't write them down myself ?" Lang said smilingly: "Because you don't think this kind of problem, you can't work out this corresponding compositions." Asked whether or not he can come his home next day again, He replied: "Yes!" Reading his compositions again when Lang left ,he  found they violated his thought, felt very disappointed and returned home repentantly without visiting Lang again. Shortly, the result was published and he got the first place. His clothes became sweaty when reading the compositions the other time." How can I face all gentlemen in the world since the compositions were published", feeling quite ashamed, he talked to himself. At this time, Lang suddenly appeared and said: "What annoy do you have since your request for passing the examination has been realized?" He replied: "I felt too ashamed to face my companions because I considered that all this happened is just like to fill in dog's droppings into gold pot and jade bowl. Now, I want to flee to the mountain forest and live in seclusion." "This thought is  brilliant, but I'm afraid you can't do as this. If you can, I'll introduce you to a man who can teach you the way of longevity and make you know  that thousand- of- year fame is not worthy of infatuating with, what's more the temporary riches and fame", Lang said. Being happy, Jia accommodated him and said: "Let me think about it!" When it's dawn, he said: "I've decided!" Then left without saying good-bye to his wife. Graduately, they came to a remote mountain and entered into a cave, which was like another world quite different from this one. There was a gray beard sitting in the hall, Jia was asked by Lang to salute to him and called him master. The master said: "Why do you come so early?" Lang replied: "This man has fixed decision for Tao, I wish you can take him in." The master said to Jia: "Only after having  no regard of your life, can you enlighten and follow the Tao." Jia replied "Yes, Yes", then being brought to a yard and accommodated and presented pastries by Lang. Then Lang left. The room was neat ,but the door had no plank and the window no muntins, there were  only a small table and a bed in it. Through the window the bright and clear moonlight shined the room ,, he took off  shoes and sat on the bed, and ate the pastry when feeling somewhat hungry  ,and feeling full and the sweet tasty  in mouth. He sat silently, then felt faint scent filling the room, his body was empty and clear and the venations can be counted. Suddenly hearing a loud voice as cat 's scratching the itch, he looked out of the window and saw a tiger sitting under the eaves. Feeling very surprised but he soon recalled what the master said and  concentrated his spirit ,sitting silently again. It seemed as if the tiger knew that there was a man, so it walked into the room and neared the bed, then smelled him from feet to thighs. Shortly afterwards, hearing another sound as if chooks' being roping, then he found the tiger left. Then a little while, a beauty with cosmetics'  assailing the nostrils appeared , who went to his bed and said near his ears: "I've come." Her face powder gave out fragrant when saying these words. Jia shut his eyes slightly and thought nothing." Do you want to go to bed?" she asked in a low voice and her voice was very like his wife. His spirit jiggled, but another idea appeared: "This is magic for trial given by master !"So he shut eyes again. The beauty said: "Mouse moved!" Jia recalled that in the beginning, because his wife and the slave-girl lived in a same room and she worried about being heard by her when making love, they appointed  a secret phrase "Mouse moved" which meant they can make love. Suddenly hearing this phrase, his spirit moved violently and opened the eyes to look ,it's really his wife. He asked: "How can you come here?" "Lang worried that your loneness  and ordered an old woman to take me here ",she replied. Leaning close to him, she complained his going away without saying good-bye. He comforted her for a long time until she smiled. After this, It's dawn and he heard the master's loudly scold coming near the court. His wife got up urgently ,being unable to find a place to hide and jumped out of the short wall ,and fleeing. The master entered followed by Lang , scolded and beat him with staff before Jia, and commanded him being left. Lang took Jia out of the  wall , pointed his way home, saying: "I placed too high hope on you  ,being a little rash. Your destinied love relationship doesn't end, but I'm sure we can meet again". Then they took leave. Jia looked down at his hometown and it already appeared. He thought his wife was delicate in health and must be on the way still. After walking fast for several miles, he arrived home. He was very surprised that the wall of the houses declined and all scenery was not like as before. Furthermore, he can't know any one of the hamlet. He bethought that Mr. Liu and Ruan' s returning from Tiantai, and feeling it's so like that scene. Not daring to enter, he sat at the opposite door for a rest. After a long period, an old man leaning on a staff came out, Jia saluted to him and asked: "Where is the home of Jia?" The man pointed to the house and said: "There it is! Don't want to know the strange thing? I know clearly about this. It's said that the Man fled to the mountain forest and lived in seclusion on passing  the examination at the provincial level. At that time, his son was only seven or eight years old. Then when his son was fourteen or fifteen years old, his mother suddenly fell into soporous state and can't waked. His son changed clothes for his mother when living. After his son death, both of  his grandsons were poor and pulled down the house and covered their grandmother with wood frames. But the women waked suddenly several months ago. More than 100 years had passed when counting on this with figures. The villagers felt strange and all came to visit, they came seldom only this odd-come-shortly." Jia suddenly saw the light and said :"You don't know that I'm Jia Fengzhi." The old man was very surprised and went to tell his family about this. His elder grandson had already been dead and the other named Xiang still lived but was over fifty years old, who saw Jia was young and doubted he was lying. His wife came out for a moment and recognized him. She fell into tears and called him to get home with her. They hadn't house and entered into the family of his grandson temporarily. The young and the old, men and women ,and the children stood beside were all his great-grandsons and great-great-grandsons, most of them were inferior and ignorance. The wife of his oldest grandson ,whose family name was Wu,  bought wine and prepared the dinner, and let her second son named Hao and his wife lived together with her and vacated an room for grandparents to live in. Jia lived into the room which was full of smoke , dust , children's urine and sent out a stifling smell. After several days later, he felt that can't stood and began to regret. Although being supplied meals by his two great grandsons by turns, the food for them was very bad. The villagers invited him to have dinner for his  return almost everyday ,but his wife was always starved. Wu , a daughter of one scholar having been dead , abided by filial piety. Xiang supplied them less and less food or called them with very bad manner. Jia angered, leaving with his wife, and opening a private school  in the east of the village. He often said to his wife: "I'm very regretful for this return, but can't change this now. I have to come back to my old trade .The rich and honour won't be hard to acquire if I don't feel ashamed. It's about one year later, Wu still gave them food but Xiang and his sons didn't come again. In the year, Jia passed the county examination and became one Xiucai. The head of the county appreciated his brilliance and awarded him rich gifts, so his family circumstances became slightly ample. Xiang began to associate with them in a way .Jia asked him to come in ,converted the expense once supplied by him into money, repaying him, and shouted him to go away. Then he bought new house and let Wu lived together with them, and asked her little son who was very clever to accept education together with the disciples. After returning from the mountain, Jia' s thinking became more and more clearly, passing the imperial examination at the provincial level and the metropolitan examination successfully, and even the highest imperial examination. After several years later, he acquired influential reputation when inspecting the south of the lower reaches of Changjiang River .Being upright and not fawning up influential officials, the ministers of monarchy conspired to traduce him. Jia repeatedly submitted the written statement to the emperor for resigning his post but not being allowed. Soon misfortunes came. The first one was: the six sons of Xiang were all knaves. Although Jia  disengaged with them, they  rode rough shoulder over others ,forcibly occupied other's farmland, and causing trouble to villagers seriously. Xiang' s second son captured the wife of one  villager and  being brought to lawsuit by him, which made a sensation throughout the capital. Assigned to try this case ,he felt too ashamed to show his face ,and  sentencing them several years, Xing and his sons were dead in prison. Then Jia was banished to be soldier of Liaoyang. At that time, Hao, who was very benevolent and had  good reputation for gracious, had been Xiucai for a long period and had a sixteen-year-old son . Jia bided a farewell to him, and leaving with a henchman and a goody. He thought: The ten- year prosperity and high position is not so long as a dream, the post of high rank and great wealth is just same as the hell. I very regret that my crime is much serious than Liucheng and Ruan Zhao.

On reaching the seacoast several days later, Jia caught sight of a big ship coming from a distant place, on which the attendants were all like deity, strains of music accompanied by drumbeats can be heard from there. Then came out a man from the ship, he  smilingly invited Jia to have a rest for a little while. Being readily agreed, Jia jumped into the ship, and not being stopped by the beadle. His wife who was going to follow him, seeing his disappearing very quickly, jumped into the sea, driven by the currency for several steps and then being secured by a man holding a piece of white silk. The beadle ordered the helmsman to pursue Jia, shouting at the same time, but only heard drumbeaten as thunder from the turbulent billow. Jia was out of sight instantly. The man who invited him was Lang.

Yishi said: "It's said that after working out  outstanding writing , Mr. Cheng recited it several times and sighed with regret in his room :'Who know my brilliance?' so throwing it away and remade for his testing composition can't be compared with the exercises. Jia who fled because of shame, can be considered had personality of celestial beings. After returning, he debased himself for bread, the low and poor can be just like so."

Mr Cheng: Being born in Linchuan, whose first name was Jitai, was equally famous as Ai Nanying for his literature. He passed the highest imperial examination in Chongzhen Period of Ming Dynasty. At that time, he was sixty eight years old .