Expose reality.
The important theme of "Strange Tales" is to expose the corruption of realpolitik and the brutal oppression of the people by the ruling class. This kind of work reflects the fundamental contradictions of feudal society and has a higher ideological value. "Promoting Weaving" is a very typical article exposing the oppression of the people by the feudal ruling class. Because the emperor loved to fight crickets, and the magistrates flattered and invited favors, the officials used the excuse to blackmail, so that "every responsibility is one, and the property of several families is dumped". The Fame family is one of the many families that have been victimized. **The corruption of the imperial examination system that co-opts for talents, the author has criticized it a lot. He emotionally exposed the evil of the imperial examination system burying talents. The reason why the imperial examination buries talents, that is, the examiners are all "Le Zheng Shi Kuang, Treasurer and Qiao" ("Yu to Evil") and the like, either blind or love money. "Su Qiu", "The Goddess", "A Bao" and other articles all hint at bribery in the imperial examination.
In "Strange Tales from Liao Zhai", there are orthodox traditional Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism and folk karma thoughts. The idea of doing good and reaping blessings and suffering evil can be reflected everywhere and at all times: "Liao Zhai is not only the best writing, but unique through the ages, the first argument is mellow, reasonable, and irrefutable." Such as famous Confucianism lectures, such as old monks talking about Zen, such as the old folk music elders reading and reciting the world text, the view of the truth is beneficial to the body and mind, and the guard against stubbornness and foolishness. When it comes to loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, it makes people cry and wake up, and it is also a book about the world's religion. (Feng Zhenluan's "Reading Liao Zhai Miscellaneous") There are a large number of stories of underworld travel and reincarnation in "Strange Tales of Liao Zhai", reflecting a concept of karma and the reincarnation of good and evil.
Some researchers believe that the story of the retribution in "Strange Tales from Liao Zhai" is mainly based on Pu Songling's personal experience of the imperial examination, because stories such as "Kao Chenghuang", "Ye Sheng", "Lu Jian", "Lei Cao", "Qingmei", "Continuation of Huangliang", "Kao Si", "Gongsun Xia", "Chu Sheng", "Si Wenlang", "Yu to Evil", "Three Lives" and other stories all reflect the unfairness of the imperial examination in the world, and use the world of ghosts and gods to vent the resentment that has not been encountered for many years, and realize the unrealizable desire of the world. People do not deny this, but it should also be noted that these stories of reincarnation are also the embodiment of the folk belief in reincarnation. The Confucian spirit of not being shy in the face of difficulties and not taking money is reflected in many ways.
The article "Water Mangcao" has created a character of Zhu Sheng who opposes the worldly harm to others and self-interest, insists on benevolence, and has the courage to struggle. There are many images similar to Zhu Sheng. The author's enthusiasm and intentions to create such a righteous character image are in awe of the corrupt society at that time, where people are lustful, only talking about power, and not paying attention to emotion. Works such as "Official Mengbi" write about people's attitudes towards money. The author wrote the key to the turning point of the situation of the central character of the pen, and his fortune was not because of accidental luck, but after experiencing the hardships and tribulations of life, he had a deep understanding of the relationship between people and wealth, and the value of chivalrous human affection was truly cherished, so that people have the blessing and character to master wealth. The gain or loss of wealth is only temporary, and it is no longer important here, but whether people have the determination, ambition and ability to control wealth. In this way, the author highlights the role of people's spiritual realm improvement and subjective efforts on the issue of the ownership of silver, especially the holding of it.
Original. Yidu Yue Yu Jiu, there are foxes and cloth utensils at home, and they are thrown to the neighbors. Accumulate fine kudzu, and will take it as a suit; Seeing that the bundle is the same, the eyes are relieved, then the side is real and the middle is empty, and everything is gone. And so on, and so on. Criticize it. Yue Jiezhiyun: "I'm afraid of foxes." The fox said on the beam: "I have heard it." "So it's very beneficial.
One day, the husband and wife did not get up, and the fox took a suit. Each white body squatted on the bed, looking into the sky and wishing it. Suddenly, I saw a good woman entering through the window, throwing her clothes at the head of the bed. Regarded as not very slender; The clothes are crimson and the snowflakes are more than nails. Yue dressed and said: "The immortals intend to look down, that is, don't disturb each other." How about thinking that you are a woman? The fox said, "My teeth are longer than yours, so why should I be arrogant?" "And for sisters, I grant it. So he ordered his family to call Aunt Hu. Shiyan Town, Zhang Bagongzi's house, there is a fox living upstairs, and he always talks to people. Yue asked, "Do you know it?" Answer Yun: "It's my aunt, why don't you know?" Yue said: "Aunt Bixi didn't bother people, why don't you follow it?" "The fox doesn't listen, and it's the same as before. He did not care much about others, but devoted himself to his children's wives: the hairpins and hairpins, often abandoned the road, and buried dead rats or dung in porridge every time they ate. The woman threw her slap and scolded the fox, and did not pray for forgiveness. Yue Zhu said: "The children all call Rugu, why don't you have a long body?" The fox said: "Teach your son to be a woman, I will be your daughter-in-law, and you will be at peace." The son-in-law scolded and said: "The lewd fox is not ashamed of himself, and he wants to fight with others."”
When the woman sat on her clothes, she suddenly saw smoke coming out of the gair, and it was as hot as a cage. Enlightened, hidden clothes;There are one or two things left, and they are all obedient. and made his son-in-law out of his wife, and the son should not be. After a few days, it was urged, but it still should not be. The fox was angry, and hit it with a stone, his forehead was broken, and he was bleeding several times. Yue is in trouble. Xishan Li Chengyao, good at water, hired because of the currency. Li wrote red silk in lacquer gold as a symbol, and it was completed in three days. And he bound his jaws with mirrors, and caught them as handles, and shone them all over the house. So that the boy will look at it, and if he sees something, he will be urgent. To one place, the wall of children's words is like a dog. Li Jiji's hand is written in the same place. Even in the Yu step court, when the curse moves, I see the dogs and pigs at home coming, and the ears and tails are told, if you listen to the order.
Li waved and said, "Go!."That is, they all went away. Curse again, and the ducks will come and wave away. It's gone. Li refers to a chicken, and he is big. He went away, and the chicken lay alone, crossed its wings and crowed, saying: "Don't dare to do it!."Li said: "This thing is made by the family." The family didn't say anything. Li said: "Zigu is still here. "Because I remember three years ago, I used to play this play, and it was weird since the beginning of the day. searched all over the place, and saw that the puppet was still on the stable beam. Lee was thrown into the fire. It is a wine pipe, three spells and three swords, and the chicken goes up. Wen Xuan said: "Yue Si is very good!."After a few years, when it comes back. "Yue begged to pay for the soup fire;Li can't, take it with you. Or see dozens of bottles hanging between the walls, and those who plug their mouths are all foxes. It is said that it is secondary, and it is troublesome, so it is a reward for the appointment and a strange cloud.
Translations. Yue Yujiu in Yidu County has fox spirits at home, and clothes and utensils are often thrown on the walls of neighbors. And when he had laid up a great deal of arrowroot, he wanted to take them for clothes, and when he saw that the bundles of arrowroot cloth were still in their original state, they could untie them and see that they were all empty in the middle, and they were all cut off. There are so many pranks like this that the family can't bear it. Once, the whole family scolded the evil fox, and Yue Sheng hurriedly warned: "I'm afraid that the fox will hear this kind of scolding." Before he could finish speaking, the fox said on the beam, "I have heard it." "Since then, the fox has become more and more troublesome.
One day, Yue Sheng and his wife were lying in bed and had not yet gotten up, when the fox secretly took away their quilts and clothes. Both of them crouched naked on the bed, looking up at the air and praying pitifully to the fox. Suddenly, I saw a very beautiful girl come in through the window and put her clothes on the head of the bed. Look at this girl is not tall, wearing a crimson dress and a snow-white vest on the outside. Yue Sheng hurriedly put on his clothes, waved the girl, and said, "Since the immortal intends to take care of it, don't come to disturb us again." How about you please be a daughter for me? The fox girl said, "I am older than you, so how can you be arrogant?" Yue Sheng asked to be a sister again, and the fox girl agreed. So Yue Sheng called everyone in the family Aunt Hu.
At that time, Zhang Bagongzi of Yanzhen also had foxes living upstairs in his family and often talked to people. Yue Sheng asked the fox girl, "Do you know it?" The fox girl replied, "It's my aunt, why don't you know it!" Yue Sheng asked again: "That Aunt Xi has never disturbed people, why don't you follow it?" The fox girl didn't listen, and disturbed people as usual. However, he didn't hurt other people much, but he only specifically harmed Yue Sheng's daughter-in-law, often abandoning her shoes, socks, hairpins and earrings on the street; Whenever she eats, she buries dirt such as dead rats and feces in her porridge bowl. Yue Sheng's daughter-in-law also threw away her rice bowl and scolded the fox every time, and did not pray for mercy.
Yue Sheng had no choice but to pray, "The children all call you aunt, why don't you look like an elder at all?" The fox girl said, "If you teach your son to divorce his wife, and I will be your daughter-in-law, and everything will be fine." Yue Sheng's daughter-in-law was so angry when she heard this: "Langhu is really not ashamed, he wants to compete with others!" "At the time. Yue Sheng's daughter-in-law was sitting on the suitcase when she suddenly saw a thick smoke coming out from under her buttocks, and the smoke was as hot as a steamer. She hurriedly opened the suitcase and saw that all the clothes inside had been burned to ashes, and the remaining one or two pieces were all her mother-in-law's. The fox girl also asked Yue Sheng's son to divorce his wife, but he did not agree. After a few days, he urged him again, but he still did not agree. The fox girl was angry, so she stoned him, and his forehead was broken, and she almost died because of excessive bleeding. Yue Sheng was even more worried.
Xishan Li Chengyao is good at using runic water to drive away monsters, and Yue Sheng invited him with a dowry. Li Chengyao used lacquer to write on the red silk, and it took three days to finish writing. He tied the mirror to a stick and held it up to every corner of the house. Let the boy follow and watch, and if he sees anything, report it quickly. Illuminating one place, the boy said that there seemed to be a dog lying on the wall. Li Chengyao immediately raised his index finger and middle finger, and wrote the talisman on the wall with his fingers. Then he walked in the courtyard and recited incantations, and in a short time he saw the family dog and pig come together, with their ears hanging and their tails between their legs, as if they were following orders. Li Chengyao waved his hand and said, "Go away!" Then they lined up and walked away one by one.
Li Chengyao recited the incantation again, and a flock of ducks immediately came, and he waved them away again. After a while, a flock of chickens came again, and Li Chengyao pointed at one of them and shouted loudly. The rest of the chickens were gone, but this one lay alone on the ground, crossed its wings and crowed, saying, "I don't dare." Li Chengyao said: "This thing is a Zigu puppet made by your family." "The whole family said they had never made it. Li Chengyao said: "Zigu is still at home. So the whole family recalled that three years ago, they had indeed made Zigu and played this kind of game, and this strange thing about the fox started on that day. Everyone searched everywhere, and saw that the Zigu puppet was still on the beam of the livestock shed, Li Qiyao took it down and threw it into the fire, took out a wine bottle, recited three mantras, and shouted three times, and the chicken got up from the ground and went straight away.
At this time, I heard the mouth of the wine bottle say: "Yue Si is really ruthless, in a few years, he will definitely come again!" Yue Sheng begged Li Chengyao to throw the wine bottle into the hot soup or fire, but Li disagreed and took it away.
Some people saw more than a dozen bottles hanging on the wall of Li Chengyao's house, and all of them were filled with foxes, saying that he let them out one by one to do mischief, but he relied on this method to obtain a dowry and treat these foxes as a strange commodity.