During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a scholar named Feng in Guangping, Hebei Province. He had a straightforward and generous personality, and was not concerned with details. He took several exams but failed. From then on, he hated the imperial examination system and had no intention of achieving fame. One day, Feng Sheng was drinking at a friend’s house when he met a beautiful girl in a red dress, about seventeen or eighteen years old, followed by a little maid who gently walked past him. Feng Sheng’s admiration arose at first sight. After dusk, Feng Sheng rode a small donkey back from his friend’s house and passed by an abandoned temple where he saw a woman coming out. When Feng Sheng looked closely, it was the girl he had met early in the morning. The girl saw Feng Sheng and immediately turned back with a smile.
Feng Sheng’s heart stirred, so he tied the donkey to the entrance of the temple and followed him in. He saw that the temple was covered in wild grass, unlike anyone living there, and was suspicious when suddenly an old man with white hair walked from behind him. Feng Sheng hurried forward to greet the old man. The old man warmly invited Feng Sheng to have tea at the back. Feng Sheng followed the old man around the main hall and arrived at a very tidy courtyard. Feng Sheng walked into the room and saw that the inside was separated by a veil, while the outside served as a place for entertaining guests. Although it was small, it was still elegant. After Feng Sheng sat down and inquired, he found out that the old man’s surname was Xin and he was temporarily staying here. At this moment, a maid came out to offer tea.
Feng Sheng recognized her as the maid who was following the girl, and speculated that the old man might be the girl’s father. He took advantage of the wine to ask the old man for a marriage, but was politely refused by the old man. Feng Sheng was feeling frustrated when he suddenly heard a woman whispering softly inside the curtain. Feng Sheng said while drunk, “Since marriage is not possible, can we meet up for a while?” He casually pulled open the veil and saw the girl in red and a few other women panicked and preparing to escape. The old man was furious and ordered someone to push Feng Sheng out. Feng Sheng felt groggy and fell into the weeds. In an instant, shattered tiles and rocks rained down like raindrops, leaving Feng Sheng terrified.
Feng Sheng’s shock subsided slightly, he got up, stumbled out of the temple, and saw the little donkey still gnawing on grass by the door. He mounted his donkey and walked away, still unable to forget the girl in the red coat in his heart. Feng Sheng rode his little donkey for a while, but due to the confusion of the night, he didn’t know where he had arrived. He was in a dilemma when he suddenly saw lights flickering in the distant jungle, presumably a village, and ran towards the flames. As he approached, he saw a large courtyard in the jungle. Feng Sheng quickly jumped off his donkey and went to knock on the door. Someone inside asked, ‘Who knocked on the door in the middle of the night?’ Feng Sheng told him that he had lost his way at night and wanted to stay overnight.
Not very skilled, a servant opened the door and escorted him to the hall. The hall was brightly lit and very luxurious. Feng Sheng didn’t know where he was when he suddenly heard someone shouting, “Madam has arrived!” Feng Sheng looked up and saw several maidservants helping an old woman out, quickly bowing forward. The old lady asked Feng Sheng and happily said, “Oh! So it’s my nephew!” Feng Sheng was a little puzzled, but he didn’t dare to ask further. Feng Sheng was puzzled when the old man sat him down and asked, “Why did my nephew come here in the middle of the night? Feng Sheng told me about the situation where the marriage proposal was unsuccessful. The old lady smiled and said, ‘This is a good thing. Don’t worry, nephew. I’ll handle it for you.’
As he spoke, the old man killed the 14th wife of the Xin family and came out. Feng Sheng was overjoyed to see that Xin was the girl in red. The 14th wife blushed with embarrassment when she saw Feng Sheng. The old lady said to the fourteen mother, ‘I will act as a matchmaker for you and marry you. Would you be willing to do so?’ The fourteen mother smiled awkwardly, and the old lady was very happy. She wanted to immediately let the two of them get married. Fourteen mothers didn’t want to be so hasty, so the old lady pulled a golden flower from her head and handed it to Feng Sheng. She also confirmed an auspicious day and asked Feng Sheng to wait at home for the wedding. After the departure of the 14th mother, the rooster crows three times. As dawn approaches, the old man kills his servant and leads a donkey to escort Feng Sheng back. Feng Shenggang walked out of the gate not far away and turned around to see that the courtyard was actually a large tomb, surrounded by towering pine and cypress trees, eerie and frightening, which surprised him greatly.
Feng Sheng focused his attention and looked closely, but this was actually the tomb of Xue Shangshu. Xue Shangshu was the younger brother of Feng Sheng’s grandmother, so the old woman called Feng Sheng her nephew. Feng Sheng knew that he had just encountered a ghost, but he didn’t know who Xin Fourteen Niang was? Feng Sheng returned home, afraid that the marriage arranged with the ghost would be hard to believe. When he looked at the temple again, it was a desolate place. He asked the people nearby, and they all said that there was no one in the temple, but foxes were often seen. Feng Sheng thought to himself: If he could get that beautiful girl as his wife, why bother being a fox fairy? On the day of the arranged wedding, Feng Shengsheng’s servant cleaned the courtyard and personally went outside the gate to look around and wait. However, from morning until evening, he still did not see the 14th Lady arrive. Feng Sheng felt disappointed and very frustrated.
In the middle of the night, Feng Sheng was about to rest when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the door. He hurriedly walked out of the room and saw that the flower sedan had stopped in the courtyard, and a maid was helping the 14th maid out of the sedan. Feng Sheng was overjoyed. In an instant, the sound of drums and firecrackers resounded, and Feng Sheng and Xin Fourteen Niang both bowed to heaven and earth, becoming husband and wife. After marriage, the 14th mother was diligent and frugal in managing the household, waking up early and staying up late every day, weaving and spinning fabrics. The two of them are deeply in love and inseparable, living a very happy life.
Feng Sheng’s classmate, Chu Gongzi, was a son of an official, cunning and fond of women. He heard that Feng Sheng had married a beautiful wife, and his evil thoughts suddenly arose. That day, he came with a gift, but he didn’t expect Fourteen Mothers to disappear behind closed doors, feeling very disappointed in his heart. A few days later, Lord Chu sent someone to invite Feng Sheng to drink and write a paper. Fourteenth Lady advised her husband, ‘Last time when Lord Chu came, I secretly investigated him. He spoke lightly and had a sinister expression on his face. The Langjun should not associate with him.’ Feng Sheng promised not to go, but he didn’t care. The next day, Prince Chu personally came to Feng Sheng’s house and smiled, saying, “Recently, I have written several articles and found them quite good. I wanted you to comment on them, but you refused. Are you really fascinated by my mother’s beauty?” Then he handed over the articles he brought to Feng Sheng.
Feng Sheng took the article and read it once, then bluntly pointed out the flaws in the article and jokingly mocked him. Chu Gongzi left with a embarrassed face and anger. Feng Sheng returned to the inner room and told his wife what had just happened as a joke. Upon hearing this, Madam Fourteen was saddened and said, “Young Master Chu is a treacherous person. Do not provoke him. If you do not listen to my advice, you will inevitably suffer disasters in the future. Soon, after passing the entrance examination, Young Master Chu ranked first and Feng Sheng ranked second. Young Master Chu was proud and sent someone to invite Feng to drink before his death.
Feng Sheng remembered the advice of the Fourteenth Mother and politely declined the invitation from the Duke of Chu. Later, on the birthday of Chu Gongzi, Feng Sheng couldn’t refuse because he was a fellow student, so he had to go and congratulate him. When we arrived at the Chu family, we saw a very sumptuous feast and the room was filled with classmates and fellow students. Chu Gongzi greeted Feng Sheng warmly upon his arrival. After Feng Sheng took his seat, he exchanged a few polite words with his fellow students before drinking to his heart’s content. Chu Gongzi intended to take this opportunity to show off his exam results in front of his classmates, in retaliation for Feng Sheng’s ridicule of him last time. While drinking, he took out his exam paper for everyone to watch.
My fellow students know that Chu Gongzi has no literary talent, and he won first place in the imperial examination by relying on his power, but no one dares to offend him. Therefore, everyone passed on the exam paper and praised it endlessly. Upon hearing this, Chu Gongzi naturally felt very proud. Chu Gongzi arrogantly said to Feng Sheng, “The reason why I can rank higher than my friend is mainly because of the first few sentences of the article, which are slightly higher than my friend’s.” After speaking, he looked around at his fellow students and everyone nodded in agreement. Feng Sheng couldn’t help but laugh out loud when he heard this and said, “What, my friend is ranked first. Do you think it’s because the examiner is interested in your article? Actually, it’s not. The examiner is only interested in your family’s power.
After Feng Sheng finished speaking, all the guests were stunned. Chu Gongzi felt both ashamed and angry, and with a flick of his sleeve, he walked away. My fellow students also found it boring and gradually dispersed. Feng Sheng returned home with great regret and told his wife about what had happened at the Chu Prince’s house. Fourteen mothers were very unhappy when she heard this and said, “You’re such a bookworm who doesn’t understand the ways of the world. I’ve advised you many times not to listen, let’s break up, okay?” After saying that, she was about to leave. Feng Sheng hurriedly stepped forward to stop his wife, crying and expressing remorse. Fourteen mothers sighed and said, “If that’s the case, I’ll make a promise with you that from now on, I’ll study at home in seclusion, no longer socialize, and no longer drink alcohol.” Feng Sheng agreed one by one.
From then on, Feng Sheng earnestly followed his wife’s advice and spent his days writing and reciting poetry at home, leading a peaceful and comfortable life. Moreover, Chu Gongzi has repeatedly been ridiculed and mocked by Feng Sheng, and he has long harbored resentment. He often sends people to secretly investigate Feng Sheng’s movements, waiting for opportunities to retaliate. One day, Chu Gongzi was sitting quietly in his study when he saw a maid coming to deliver tea. In a moment of lust, he approached the maid and grabbed her for pleasure. The maid struggled desperately and cursed Chu Gongzi as a beast with clothes and a crown.
Upon learning of this, Chu Gongzi’s wife rushed over with a wooden stick in hand and forcefully accused the maid of seducing her master, striking her on the head. The maid was beaten until she bled profusely and died immediately. Chu Gongzi had no idea when he saw his maid dead. Suddenly remembering Feng Sheng’s ridicule towards him, he couldn’t help but plan and ordered someone to move the maid’s body to another room and put it away. Then he sent a servant to invite Feng Sheng to come and drink with an invitation. Fourteen mothers received the invitation and knew that Chu Gongzi had no good intentions. She didn’t tell Feng Sheng and immediately burned the invitation.
The next day, Chu Gongzi heard that Feng Sheng had gone to a friend’s house to offer condolences, so he hurried over. Chu Gongzi saw Feng Sheng with a smile on his face. He stepped forward and grabbed Feng Niu’s hand, begging to go to his house to drink and chat. Feng Sheng strongly declined, but unfortunately Chu Gongzi’s sweet words insisted that he go. Feng Sheng couldn’t resist, so he reluctantly agreed. When he arrived at the Chu family, the Chu prince sent Feng Sheng to the living room and immediately instructed his servants to set up a sumptuous feast. Feng Sheng quickly said, “I have been sober for a long time, and I dare not drink anymore.” With that, he stood up and said goodbye to go home.
Chu Gongzi couldn’t accept it and warmly pulled Feng Sheng to sit down. He smiled and said, “Brother Feng, don’t refuse. When old friends come together, there’s no reason not to drink.” As they spoke, a group of beautiful singing girls walked out lightly, holding musical instruments in their arms. In an instant, the sheng pipes resounded in unison, and the singing girl danced gracefully. Feng Sheng has always been trapped at home and hasn’t encountered such a scene in a long time. Suddenly, he was drunk and his wife’s advice had already been forgotten. He picked up some fine wine and drank a few glasses in a row. Chu Gongzi took the opportunity to persuade him a few more times, and within a short while, Feng Sheng was drunk like a puddle of mud and collapsed at the table.
Chu Gongzi saw that Feng Sheng was too drunk to wake up, so he took the opportunity to ask someone to secretly place the corpse of his maid beside Feng Sheng, closed the door and walked out. Feng Sheng woke up in the middle of the night after drinking and realized that he was lying drunk in the living room of Chu Gongzi. He calmed down and remembered the incident of drinking last night, feeling very regretful. He stood up and wanted to find a bed to rest. It would be a good day to say goodbye and go home. Feng Sheng fumbled in the darkness and took two steps, stumbling on something under his feet. He touched it with his hand and lay alone on the ground. Feng Sheng thought it was a book boy from the Chu family who came to accompany him, and shouted a few times, but he didn’t agree.
He kicked it with his foot, but still didn’t move. Then he smelled a bloody smell. He looked through the moonlight and realized it was a female corpse! Feng Sheng was taken aback and hurriedly ran out of the living room, shouting loudly. The servant of the Chu family rushed over upon hearing the sound, lit a torch, and saw the female corpse. He immediately grabbed Feng Sheng and took him to the inner house to report to his master. Chu Gongzi was deliberately shocked when he saw the female corpse and cursed Feng Sheng for forcing him to rape and kill his maid. Then he ordered the servants to tie up Feng Sheng and send him to the government office for punishment.
Guangping Prefect is a disciple of Chu Gongzi’s father. Chu Gongzi sent a gift to the prefect in advance, asking him to sentence Feng Sheng to death. The prefect knew that the Chu family was wealthy and powerful, and it was not easy to offend them. He also wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor with the Chu family, so he readily agreed. Feng Sheng was kidnapped and taken to the lobby of the government office. He bluntly defended himself, saying that Chu Gongzi used his power to bully others and conspired to frame them. But the prefect didn’t listen at all and forced him to admit that the rape was unsuccessful, resulting in the death of a person. Feng angrily cursed the prefect for being corrupt and abusing the law. The prefect was furious and executed in court. Feng Sheng was beaten until his skin was torn apart and he was sent to prison.
After hearing the news of the young master’s imprisonment, Xin Fourteen Niang was extremely sad. She cried and said, “The young master did not listen to advice and was framed like this. He is truly innocent!” She held back her tears, quickly collected some money, and went to the prison with her servant to visit him. Feng Sheng saw his wife and felt like a ball of cotton stuffed into his throat, unable to say a word. Fourteen mothers saw her husband beaten and bruised, barely alive. She stopped crying and advised, “The matter has come to this point. In order to avoid torture, you have to temporarily surrender. I will go back and find a way to rescue you.” Feng Sheng nodded in agreement.
A few days later, Feng Sheng confessed to rape and murder according to the advice of the 14th mother. The government sentenced him to death by hanging and executed him in the autumn. The old servant of the Feng family heard this news and hurried home to report to Xin Fourteen’s mother. After hearing this, Xin Fourteen Niang brought the fox maid and discussed it carefully. Finally, it was agreed that the fox maid would try to enter the capital to report to the emperor. The fox maid tidied up a little and hurriedly set off. Fox maidservants rushed to Kyoto day and night, preparing to sneak into the palace and plead for Feng Sheng’s innocence. But due to the strict security measures in the palace, it was delayed for more than two months and unable to enter. The fox maid was very anxious.
The fox maid was afraid of causing trouble and wanted to return for discussion. Suddenly, she heard that the emperor was going to inspect Datong, Shanxi. She rushed to Datong in advance, disguised herself as a courtesan in the martial arts world, and entered a famous brothel, waiting for the opportunity to plead for justice for the young master. Not long after entering the brothel, the fox maid quickly gained fame in Datong due to her beautiful appearance, singing and dancing skills. The emperor came to Datong and invited her. The fox maid saw the emperor’s seductive behavior and was quite pleased with him. While the emperor was happy, the fox maid intentionally shed tears. The emperor felt strange and asked what injustice there was? The fox maid pretended to be Feng Sheng’s daughter, and Feng Sheng reported the whole story of his wrongful imprisonment to the emperor.
The emperor, upon hearing this, deeply sympathized with her family’s unfortunate situation and ordered the eunuch to record the address and name, promising to plead for justice for her father Feng Sheng. Upon hearing this, the fox maid quickly knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude. Moreover, the execution date of Feng Sheng was approaching, and the 14th Niang was telling the fox maid about the emperor’s promise to seek justice. Only then did the 14th Niang feel relieved. Fourteen Niang sent an old servant to visit Feng Sheng in prison again. Feng Sheng cried and said, “The execution date is coming soon. Go home and tell your wife to come to the prison and say goodbye.” The old servant returned home and told Fourteen Niang what Feng Sheng had said. Fourteen Niang not only did not feel sad, but also said to the servant, “I think the case of the young master is about to be uncovered!” The old servant was very surprised when he heard this.
Originally, the emperor listened to the fox maid’s words and sent Pingyin Observer to Guangping to hear the Feng case. Upon learning of this, Xin Fourteen Niang immediately instructed the old servant to go to the government office to investigate the truth and falsehood. After observing and understanding the situation, Pingyin brought the Chu prince and the prefect to inquire about the case. Feng Sheng exposed in court that the Chu prince had planned to get himself drunk, move his body, frame him, and collude with the prefect to harm him. Chu Gongzi and the prefect were at a loss for words to answer. Observe the court and write the verdict: Chu Gongzi forced rape and murder, framed kindness, arrested immediately, and sentenced to death by hanging; The prefect was corrupt and abused the law, and was sentenced to be demoted to serve the people; Feng Sheng stood up innocent and suffered injustice, and was acquitted and released.
Feng Sheng returned home and saw Fourteen Niang, holding his head and crying bitterly. He said, “In this society, right and wrong are difficult to distinguish, and there is no justice to speak of. This escape from death has made me understand many truths that I didn’t understand before.” Feng Sheng summed up his lessons from then on, studied hard, avoided socializing, stopped drinking, and became even more affectionate with Fourteen Niang.
