Baduanjin

Author: Xingshi Jushi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: This book warns people against greed for beauty, fear of internal desires, stinginess with wealth, indulgence in alcohol, and excessive talk. It narrates the story of Yun Fa, the son of a wealthy family in the Song Dynasty, Yun Jin, who manages the silk-selling business at home. Yun Fa engages in an affair with Zhang Saijin, a private prostitute in the shop. When Zhang is criticized by her neighbors and moves out, Yun Fa does not repent and becomes obsessed with her. After falling ill, he indulges in lust, nearly losing his life. He is carried home and dreams of two monks who committed suicide for breaking the precept of chastity, wanting to replace them. Yun Jin seeks a sorcerer to exorcise the monks, and Yun Fa finally regains consciousness. Later, he regrets his actions deeply.
In the Ming Chenghua era, there was a man named Pei Sheng who was addicted to gambling and lost all his family wealth. His wife, Yang Shi, had no choice but to return to her parents' home. Her brother and sister-in-law refused to support her, cutting off her food supply. Yang Shi was helped by the Earth God, and her supply of firewood, rice, cooking oil, and salt gradually improved. Her brother and sister-in-law envied her wealth and set fire to her house, only to burn their own home down. Yang Shi searched for her husband. At the time, Pei Sheng was gambling in Yangzhou. In a dream, he received guidance from a deity, betting his wife and winning thousands of taels of silver. Pei prospered through this and returned to his hometown, where he reunited with his wife and lived harmoniously thereafter. Pei, grateful for the Earth God's help in saving his wife, also rebuilt the Earth God Temple.
At the end of the book, it narrates the story of three brothers in Pei County, Huang Shi, who (successively passed away), leaving behind a widowed mother and their respective wives. All three daughters-in-law refused to remarry, which pleased the mother. Later, a son named Hua Chun was born, handsome but frivolous. Hearing about the three widows' chastity, he visited the Huang family and seduced them. The three daughters-in-law successively engaged in affairs with him, and the four of them often slept together, indulging in extreme lewdness. A four-year-old child reported this to his mother, who sent the three daughters-in-law back to their homes to remarry. Later, the eldest daughter-in-law became a prostitute, the second was abused to death, the third became a widow again, and Hua Chun was killed by bandits. All four faced divine retribution.