Okay, here is the translation following your instructions: The First Strange Stories from a Ming Case Book

Author: Ling Mengchu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-02-01
Features: This book is one of the "Popular Edition Series of Chinese Classical Novel Masterpieces," a collection of fictional tales written by Ling Mengchu during the late Ming Dynasty. It was compiled in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627) during the Ming Dynasty and is collectively known with "The Second Collection of Surprising Stories" as "The Two Collections of Surprising Stories." The content is complex, and the ideological inclinations are also diverse. Although the themes of the stories are mostly derived from previous works, they are re-created by Ling, reflecting the social reality and atmosphere of the late Ming Dynasty, imbued with Ling's own ideological concepts and a sense of indignation against the secular world. The book mainly features works depicting the thoughts and actions of merchants, their destinies, and stories of love and marriage, all of which hold cognitive value and positive significance.
There are two main issues regarding the thematic content of "The First Collection of Surprising Stories." The first is the explicit erotic descriptions. Many works, such as "The Western Mountain Temple Conducts a Ritual for the Departed, Kaifeng Prefecture Prepares a Coffin to Rescue the Living," "Qiao Exchange of Beards Leads to Sexual Debauchery, Manifestation of Punishment for the Immortal Master," and "The Village Woman's Self-Sacrifice for Passionate Love, False Heaven's Judgment by the Clerk" contain lewd descriptions. Such works reflect the vulgar tastes of the urban populace. The second is the strong influence of religious superstition, the belief in cause and effect, and fatalism. Works like "The Viceroy Wang's Authority Over His Subordinates, Li the Ensign's Vengeance in Life" and "The Scheme for Wealth in the Outskirts, the Ghost's Testimony in the Case of Yang Huai Borrowing a Body," as well as "Li Ke-Rang's Competition for an Empty Letter, Liu Yuan-Pu's Twin Sons' Good Fortune," and "Zhang Rong's Encounter with a Tiger Through a Divine Matchmaker, Pei Yue-Kes' Marriage on a Lucky Day" are filled with descriptions of supernatural encounters and the rewards and punishments of good and evil.
"The First Collection of Surprising Stories" is a collection of fictional tales written by Ling Mengchu during the late Ming Dynasty. It was compiled in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627) during the Ming Dynasty and published by the Shang You Tang publishing house the following year. Later, Ling Mengchu compiled "The Second Collection of Surprising Stories," which was published in the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign (1632) during the Ming Dynasty. The two books are collectively known as "The Two Collections of Surprising Stories." "The First Collection of Surprising Stories" was originally a 40-volume collection with 40 stories, but the original manuscript is lost. The earliest and most complete version now available is the Shang You Tang edition preserved in the National Diet Library in Japan, which consists of 39 volumes (missing volume 23), corresponding to 39 actual stories.