Baduanjin

The preface to

*Eight Pieces of Brocade* is a collection of vernacular stories from the late Ming Dynasty, containing eight tales offering eight kinds of admonitions. These are the eight stories listed in the title: "Punishing Lust," "Avoiding Fear of One's Wife," "Being Inferior," "Being Discouraged in Marriage," "Repenting of Excessive Drinking," "Avoiding Promiscuity," and "Keeping a Widow." However, they are actually only four admonitions: abstaining from lust, gambling, excessive drinking, and promiscuity.

The first story: In Lin'an during the Song Dynasty, there lived a wealthy man named Yunfa, who had a wife and children. One day, three women moved some belongings into his house without permission. When Yunfa was about to get angry, one of the young women apologized. Seeing her youth and beauty, Yunfa readily agreed. The next day, without telling his parents, Yunfa went to the young woman's house. She led him upstairs and they engaged in sexual intercourse. She claimed to be Cun Saijin, but was actually a prostitute. This was witnessed by a neighbor. Yunfa gave Saijin some silver to find her a place to stay, promising to look after her there. Sai Jin moved to Nanheng Bridge. Yunfa fell ill during the summer heat and was weak. Sai Jin wrote a letter and sent gifts to invite him to meet. Upon seeing Sai Jin, Yunfa was overcome with lust and had sex with her twice, causing him to become mentally confused. He dreamt that a monk was trying to persuade him to become a monk. After returning home, he fell seriously ill, and the doctor said it was due to excessive lust. Yunfa told his father the truth, and his father burned incense and knelt down, begging a Zen master to release his son. After the prayer, the son recovered. In the dream, the monk left with a staff. Yunfa regained his virility and lamented that one should not commit adultery.

The second story: In the city of Nanzhili, there lived a man named Yang Yu, who was sociable and respected, but afraid of his wife. His wife, Hua, was beautiful. Yang Yu's friend Gao Zixing had an affair with another friend, Gou Meidu's orphaned mother, Zhu, and they were caught. Yang Yu mediated and resolved the situation. Yang Yu and Gou Meidu then engaged in homosexual acts, which resulted in Hua beatings and scoldings. Hua took a liking to Gao Zixing and arranged to meet him, but this was witnessed by Xi Yaode, another friend of Yang Yu. Therefore, Hua arranged to meet Gao Zixing through the Zhu family, but Xi Yaode disrupted their tryst. Hua then invited Gao Zixing to a boat for a tryst, but the people on the boat told Yang Yu, who, in a fit of rage, pushed Hua into the water and drowned her. He also falsely accused Gao Zixing of being a notorious bandit and imprisoned him until his death.

The third story: In Gou Rong County, there was a man named Pei Sheng who had been addicted to gambling since childhood. As a result, he gambled away all his wealth, and his wife, Yang, who was quite beautiful, was sent back to her parents' home. Pei Sheng himself ran away. After Yang's parents died, her brother, Yang Er, no longer wanted to support her. Yang wanted to commit suicide, but suddenly an old man brought rice and money. Yang saw the rice and money, but the old man disappeared. Yang abandoned her suicidal thoughts and lived a relatively comfortable life. Her brother and sister-in-law wanted to burn her alive. The Jade Emperor learned of this and turned the fire back to Yang Er's house, where his wife burned to death. Yang was rescued by the old man who had given her rice money that day. It turned out that the local earth god had helped her. Yang learned that Pei Sheng was in Yangzhou, so she rushed there and met the ragged Pei Sheng. The next day, a wealthy man named Liu Lang offered Pei Sheng a pawnshop to gamble with his wife. Pei Sheng won. At his wife's urging, he resolved to stop gambling. Two years later, Pei Sheng bought an official position and returned to Gou Rong with his wife. They forgave Yang Er and lived a good life again.

The fourth story: In Huzhou, there was a blind fortune teller named He Qike. He married Xiu Yue, who was intelligent and beautiful, and he cherished her dearly. However, Xiu Yue was not satisfied with him. He feared his wife would cheat on him and often tried to sneak in and out of his house. Next door lived a young man named Wu Yun, who was very close to He and often helped him with chores. Soon, Xiu Yue and He began to flirt and develop feelings for each other. Several times they tried to kiss, but the blind man would come in and interrupt them. Xiuyue simply had the blind man sit aside while she and Wuyun made their own way with him. The noise they made was heard by the blind man, but Xiuyue always covered it up. After that, whenever they were in the mood, they would make their own way with him, regardless of the time of day. As time went on, the blind man became suspicious. One day, he suddenly caught Wuyun, who took off her clothes and ran away. The neighbors advised the blind man to let it go, saying that his disability made him unworthy of such a beautiful wife, and suggested he send her back to her parents' home. Wuyun scraped together some money for the blind man, married Xiuyue, and moved elsewhere.

The fifth story: In Xiuning County, there was a wealthy man whose son, Lusheng, married a woman named Wang, who was five months pregnant. The wealthy man gave his son some money to go out and do business, with his cousin Shangyi accompanying him. They went into the medicinal herb business. While away, Lusheng spent money on prostitutes, but found no pleasure. Shangyi advised him to marry a virgin. The matchmaker introduced him to Sister Wu. After sleeping together, Lu Sheng realized she wasn't a virgin and that she had stolen some of his money. With little silver left, Wu Da Jie and her sister conspired to kill Lu Sheng through excessive sexual activity. Lu Sheng, upon learning this, asked Shang Yi for help. Shang Yi took his place and had intercourse with Wu Er Jie, causing her great pain. Shang Biao then instructed Lu Sheng to send Wu Da Jie back to her parents' home, and the two of them resumed their business, earning some money. One day, Lu Sheng got into a fight with another dried fish seller on the street. He discovered that this man was his own son, sent by his wife to find him. They returned home together, and the whole family reunited.

The sixth story: During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, there was a talented scholar in Bozhou named Ma Zhou. He was poor, over thirty years old, and unmarried, but addicted to alcohol. The governor of Bozhou had once employed him, but he twice became drunk and disorderly, and was scolded and dismissed by the governor. Ma Zhou vowed to drink less alcohol. One day, Ma Zhou arrived in Xinfeng and received help from an innkeeper. After being invited to stay for a meal, the innkeeper left a letter instructing Ma Zhou to go to Chang'an to find his niece, Lady Wang. Ma Zhou found Lady Wang, but since her husband had died, he couldn't proceed further. Lady Wang introduced Ma Zhou to a servant of Chang Zhonglang, who was looking for learned men because the court required subordinates to speak frankly about gains and losses for selection. Emperor Taizong was impressed by Ma Zhou's policy proposal and appointed him as an imperial censor. Chang Zhonglang then arranged for Ma Zhou to marry Lady Wang, and she married him. Later, Ma Zhou became a minister, and the innkeeper who had helped him was overjoyed. The governor came to apologize, but Ma Zhou thanked him for his advice. From then on, Ma Zhou and Lady Wang lived a life of wealth and honor.

The seventh story: Ying Shiqiao, a man from Jiaxing County, was fond of beautiful women and loved to boast, earning him the nickname "Red Mouth." Once, he made a bet with Zou Guang, claiming he could get a beautiful woman to pour him tea. The woman was named Han, and her husband was named Lin Song. She served tea to Chi Kou, who claimed to be her husband's elder brother. During a gathering with Zou Guang, his brother Zou Fu, and Zou Fu's friend Lin Song, Chi Kou mentioned his affair with Han. Lin Song, however, assumed his wife had committed adultery and, upon returning home, beat and interrogated her. Unable to endure the abuse, Han became a nun. Lin Song went to the county to file a complaint, and Chi Kou was imprisoned. Six months later, Chi Kou was bailed out by the Zou brothers, but fearing further trouble, he disappeared. Lin Song claimed they were in cahoots and ordered the county magistrate to arrest Zou Guang, stating he would only release Chi Kou if Chi Kou was captured. Three years later, Chi Kou came to investigate, entered a nunnery, and was killed by an indignant old nun. Because Han was a nun there, she recognized Chi Kou. Zou Guang, who had escaped during his exile, fled to the nunnery and learned that Han and her accomplices had committed murder. The county government detained all those involved. The magistrate ruled that Chi Kou's crime was unforgivable, but the old nun's righteousness was pardoned. Han and Lin Song reconciled.

The eighth story: In Pei County, there were three widows: Suo, Yu, and Ding, all extremely beautiful. One day, a handsome young man named Hua Chun passed by and was captivated by their beauty. Suo attempted to seduce him. The next day, she let him in and they kissed and caressed each other. Hua Chun also had his eye on the other two. After having sex with him, Suo arranged for Yu and Ding to come to her room, where they took turns enjoying themselves with Hua Chun. Their actions were witnessed by Suo's young son, who, thinking a tiger had attacked someone, told his mother. The mother-in-law remarried them. Suo later became a prostitute, Yu was killed by her husband, Ding married a gambler, and Hua Chun was killed by bandits.

The purpose of writing *Eight Pieces of Brocade* needs no summary from readers or commentators, as the original table of contents provides a three-character theme for each section, a seven-character couplet title for each chapter, and a poem and explanation, introductory remarks, and commentary before each story. Each story also concludes with a concise aphorism from the author, comprehensively conveying the surface meaning of the stories and the deeper lessons learned by the characters.

For example, the first story's theme is "Punishing Greed for Lust," and its title is "A Talented Man's Greed for Lust Leads to Wasted Money, Breaking the Precept Against Lust and Repenting." The opening poem reads: "Spoiled and pampered, he lost his freedom; at Lishan, he held a grand show, mocking the feudal lords. Knowing only that a smile could topple a nation, he was unaware that the dust of the barbarians filled his jade tower." The following poem and explanation, combined with the introductory remarks, recount famous stories of beacon towers lit to win a smile from Bao Si, Duke Ling of Chen's affair with Xia Ji, Emperor Yang of Sui's favoritism towards Consort Xiao, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's favoritism towards Yang Guifei, all stemming from political turmoil caused by lust. Then, the passage begins with, "You say these officials all lost their lives and their countries because of their lust for women. Now, we ignorant children should be wary of lust. You say beware of lust? I'll tell you a story..."

This serves as a transition, introducing the story. The story concludes with the sentence, "Readers, remember this passage to warn your children. Don't think that unofficial history is useless and therefore unnecessary to read." Almost every story follows this format (the only differences being whether the introduction emphasizes a short story or commentary, and the length of the concluding remarks). This form is unique to Chinese vernacular novels; it seems to address the audience (readers), like a teacher giving a lecture, with a sense of direct instruction. This content naturally fulfills the traditional Chinese literary principles of "literature conveying the Way," "the pen of the scholar to encourage good and punish evil," and "striving to benefit the world."

Of course, with the progress and development of society and literature, such rather rigid didactic language has gradually faded from its direct place in works. Novels are increasingly focused on integrating the characters with the plot itself, to the point that it doesn't even appear, but rather reveals itself naturally through the plot and characters. This is because novels primarily focus on vividly narrating stories, describing environments, and portraying characters; abstract, conceptual themes and meanings should be deeply embedded within them. Using this standard to measure and compare the eight stories reveals some differences in quality. Therefore, the eight stories can be divided into four types and levels of quality.

The first type: stories that are basically forced, illogical, and nonsensical. This can be seen in the fourth and eighth stories as examples.

The fourth paragraph, "He the Blind Man Caught in Adultery, Flames Run Far Away to Complete Their Love," intentionally points out at the end: "...The dung basket is facing a broom, there's nothing more to say. Besides, He the Blind Man is blind, he should only find a disabled person to be his partner. How can this beautiful wife not do something? How can anyone control her?" He the Blind Man caught Wu Yun committing adultery, but the neighbors all advised him not to make a fuss about it. They gave him many reasons, but in the end, they still thought he and Xiu Yue were not a good match.

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