01
There is a person named Jingxing in Wendeng County who has been very famous since childhood. He and Chen Sheng are neighbors, and their study rooms are only separated by a low wall.
One day, Chen Sheng passed by a desolate mound at night and, in a trance, heard a woman crying between the pine and cypress trees!
Chen Sheng approached the woman and saw a ribbon hanging from a branch of a big tree. It seemed that the woman was about to hang herself!
Chen Sheng asked her the reason for hanging, and the woman wiped away her tears and replied:
My mother went on a long journey and entrusted me to my cousin. Unexpectedly, my cousin was ambitious and could no longer accommodate me. It’s better to die alone like this! “After saying that, she began to cry sadly.
Chen Sheng untied the belt from the tree and advised her to get married.
The girl is worried that there is no good person to rely on. Chen Sheng invited the girl to stay at his home temporarily, and the girl obeyed
Take it home and light the lamp to see: the woman is born with charm and beauty, with excellent looks! Chen Sheng was extremely happy and wanted to rape her. The girl fiercely resisted, and the sound of the argument spread to the neighboring Jingxing family.
Jingxing immediately jumped over the low wall to investigate, and Chen Sheng finally released the girl. The girl saw Jingxing and stared at him without moving her eyes for a long time before running out.
Chen Sheng and Jing Xing chased after each other, but there was no trace left!
02
Jingxing returned to his study, closed the door just as he was about to go to sleep, and suddenly saw a girl appearing lightly in the room.
Jingxing was greatly surprised and quickly asked her why she was here. The woman replied, “Chen Shengde has shallow blessings and cannot be entrusted for life
Jingxing was pleased to hear this and asked her name.
The woman said, “My surname is Qi, my nickname is Axia, and I have lived in Shandong for generations
Jingxing then said some provocative words to her, and seeing that the woman was just smiling and not too resistant, the two of them eventually slept together.
There are many friends in the study, and the woman often hides in the inner room during the day.
After a few days, the woman said, “I’ll be away for a few days. This place is chaotic and suffocating. From now on, I choose to come over at night
When asked where her family lives, the woman only said, “It’s not too far
The next morning, the woman got up early and left the study. In the evening, she arrived as promised, and the two of them had a romantic and sincere relationship.
A few days later, the woman said to Jingxing:
Although our relationship is good, we are still in a difficult union. My father is an official in western Xinjiang, and tomorrow I will leave this place with my mother to visit relatives. Let me take the opportunity to report to my parents, and then we can be together for life
Jingxing asked, “How many days will we be apart
The woman agreed to meet again in ten days.
03
After the woman left, Jingxing thought to himself: I can’t live in the study forever. If I move into the inner room, I’m afraid my wife will be jealous.
After some thought, it’s better to divorce my wife!
After being determined to be ruthless, his wife came to him and was insulted and scolded. My wife couldn’t bear to be insulted, she cried bitterly and was about to seek death.
Jingxing said, ‘If you die, I’m afraid it will still affect me. Go back to your mother’s house early!’ After that, he urged his wife to leave quickly.
My wife cried and said, “I’ve been with you for ten years without any wrongdoing. Why are you so heartless
Jingxing didn’t listen and drove away even more urgently. His wife had no choice but to go out and return to her parents’ home!
From that day on, Jingxing began to paint the walls with white clay, clean up the dust, and wait for Axia’s return with his neck and heels raised all day long. Unfortunately, Axia had never heard from him, like a stone sinking into the sea!
After his wife was divorced and returned to her parents’ home, she asked Jingxing’s friends several times to intercede and request to remarry him. Jingxing did not accept it, and his wife eventually married the Xiahou family.
The land of the Xiahou family borders the farmland of the Jing family, and due to the boundary, there have been generations of animosity.
After hearing this news, Jingxing became even more resentful towards his wife and hoped that Axia would come back to comfort him. But after more than a year, there is still no trace!
04
One day, just in time for the Shanghai God’s birthday, men and women gathered inside and outside the temple, and Jingxing was also squeezing in and out of the crowd: a girl could be seen from afar, looking very much like Axia!
Jingxing walked forward, but the girl quickly slipped into the crowd and continued to follow. She was seen drifting away after leaving the temple gate.
Jingxing couldn’t catch up and returned home full of resentment and melancholy.
Half a year has passed, and one day I was on my way when I happened to see a girl dressed in red riding a black donkey, accompanied by an old servant.
Jingxing glanced at it, it seemed to be Axia! So he walked up and asked the servant who was following him, “Who does Madam belong to
The servant replied, “The wife of Nancun Zheng Gongzi’s continued marriage
I asked again, ‘How long have you been married?’
The servant said, “It’s only half a month
Jingxing thought to himself: Did you mistake someone for the wrong person? The girl heard the voice and turned around to take a look. Jingxing looked at her and said, ‘It’s really Axia!’!
Seeing that she had already married someone else, she was filled with anger and shouted loudly, “Xia Niang! Why did you forget your previous engagement
The servant who follows him calls out to the housewife like this will beat him up with an old punch! The girl hurriedly stopped and lifted her veil, cursing at him, “What face can a unfaithful person see me
Jingxing said, “It was you who let me down. Have I ever let you down
Axia said:
You bear the burden of your wife. It’s even more serious than carrying me! Even if you have a married woman, let alone someone else? In the past, because your ancestors were virtuous and your name was listed in the book of achievements, I devoted myself to following you.
Now that you have abandoned your wife, the underworld has stripped you of your fame and fortune. Wang Chang, the second ranked juren of this year, will replace you! I have already married Zheng Jun, and I don’t need you to miss me anymore
Jingxing bowed obediently and couldn’t say a word. Looking up at Axia again, she whipped the black donkey and ran away like flying away. Jingxing could only regret it with regret!
05
In this year’s township examination, Jingxing still did not pass the imperial examination. The second place was indeed Wang Chang, and Zheng Jun also passed the imperial examination.
Due to this reason, Jingxing gained a reputation for being frivolous and without a wife in his forties, and his family’s financial situation continued to decline. He often went to relatives and friends’ homes to beg for food.
Once, by chance, he arrived at the Zheng family and Zheng Jun warmly welcomed him, leaving him to stay at home.
Axia glimpsed Jingxing from the window and felt sorry for him. She asked her husband, “Isn’t the guest in the hall Jing Qingyun
My husband asked her how she found out, and Ah Xia said, “When I didn’t marry you, I used to avoid trouble at his house and received his help. Although this person has a despicable character, the Yin virtue of our ancestors has not been completely removed. Besides, we are old friends and should have the obligation of wearing a robe (not forgetting our old friendship)
Zheng Jun thought so, so he changed his tattered clothes and stayed at home for a few more days.
One night, Jing Xing was about to fall asleep when he suddenly saw a maid bring him twenty gold coins as a gift.
Axia said outside the window, “This is my personal savings, a small reward for my past love. You can take it back and find a good wife. Fortunately, your ancestors have a virtue that can still benefit your descendants. Don’t lose your character again, so as not to waste your life
Jingxing was grateful and spent ten gold coins to buy a maid from an official’s family. She had an ugly appearance and a stubborn temperament, and gave birth to a son who later passed the imperial examination.
Zheng Junguan became a member of the Ministry of Personnel. After his death, Axia returned from the funeral procession. Her family lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw that it was empty and no one had left. It was then that they realized Axia was not an ordinary person.
Ah! A person without good morals, willing to sacrifice the old for the new, can only end up with chicken flying and egg beating. The retribution of the heavens is very cruel!