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<p>Acknowledgments</p>
<p>Introduction by Robert E. Hegel</p>
<p>Translators’ Note</p>
<p>List of Illustrations</p>
<p>Chronology of Chinese Dynasties</p>
<p>Slapping the Table in Amazement</p>
<p>Preface [1628 Edition]</p>
<p>Five Editorial Principles for This Collection</p>
<p>1. The Man Whose Luck Has Turned Chances upon Dongting Tangerines; The Merchant from Persia Reveals the Secrets of a Turtle Shell</p>
<p>2. Yao Dizhu Flees from Disgrace Only to Incur More Disgrace; Zhang Yue’e Uses a Mistake to Advance Her Own Interests</p>
<p>3. Liu Dongshan Brags about His Prowess at the City Gate; Eighteenth Brother Leaves His Mark in the Village Tavern</p>
<p>4. Cheng Yuanyu Pays for a Meal at a Restaurant; Lady Eleventh Explains Swordsmanship on Mount Cloud</p>
<p>5. Zhang Derong Encounters a Tiger Sent by the Gods as a Matchmaker; Pei Yueke Becomes the Lucky Mate Just in Time for the Blissful Date</p>
<p>6. Zhao the Nun Drugs a Beauty into a Stupor; Jia the Scholar Takes Revenge in a Brilliant Move</p>
<p>7. Emperor Minghuang of Tang, a Daoist Devotee, Seeks Out Eminent Daoists; Consort Wu, a Buddhist Disciple, Witnesses Contests of Magic Power</p>
<p>8. General Wu Repays the Debt of One Meal; Chen Dalang Reunites with Two Loved Ones</p>
<p>9. In the Director’s Garden, Young Ladies Enjoy a Swing-Set Party; At Pure and Peaceful Temple, Husband and Wife Laugh and Cry at Their Reunion</p>
<p>10. Scholar Han Takes a Wife in a Wave of Panic; Prefect Wu Makes a Match for a Talented Scholar</p>
<p>11. An Evil Boatman Commits Blackmail with a Dead Body; A Heartless Servant Wrongfully Presses Murder Charges</p>
<p>12. Mr. Tao Takes In Strangers Seeking Shelter from the Rain; Jiang Zhenqing Gains a Wife with a Jest</p>
<p>13. Mr. Zhao Spoils His Son and Dies as a Result; Magistrate Zhang Sentences an Unfilial Son to Death in an Ironclad Case</p>
<p>14. To Steal Money, Yu Dajiao Does Violence to a Drunken Man; To Confront the Culprit in Court, Yang Hua Attaches Himself to a Woman’s Body</p>
<p>15. Squire Wei, with His Merciless Heart, Plots to Seize Another Man’s Property; Scholar Chen, with His Clever Plan, Wins Back His House</p>
<p>16. Zhang Liu’er Lays One of His Many Traps; Lu Huiniang Severs a Bond of Marriage</p>
<p>17. Prayer Services Are Held at West Hill Temple for a Departed Soul; A Coffin Is Prepared in the Kaifeng Yamen for a Living Criminal</p>
<p>18. An Alchemist Turns Half a Grain of Millet into a Nine-Cycle Pill; A Rich Man Squanders Thousands of Taels of Silver to Win a Beauty’s Smile</p>
<p>19. Li Gongzuo Ingeniously Reads a Dream; Xie Xiao’e Cleverly Snares Pirates</p>
<p>20. Li Kerang Sends a Blank Letter; Liu Yuanpu Begets Two Precious Sons</p>
<p>21. Yuan’s Face-Reading Skills Impress the High and Mighty; Zheng’s Good Deed Wins Him a Hereditary Title</p>
<p>22. With Money, a Commoner Gains an Official Post; Out of Luck, a Prefect Becomes a Boatman</p>
<p>23. The Older Sister’s Soul Leaves Her Body to Fulfill a Wish; The Younger Sister Recovers from Illness to Renew a Bond</p>
<p>24. The Old Demon of Yanguan County Indulges in Debauchery; The Bodhisattva on Mount Huihai Puts the Evil Spirits to Death</p>
<p>25. Revenue Manager Zhao Leaves Word for His Love a Thousand Li Away; Su Xiaojuan Achieves Happiness with a Single Poem</p>
<p>26. In a Competition for Sexual Favor, a Village Woman Is Murdered; In Claiming Celestial Authority, a Judge Solves a Case</p>
<p>27. Gu Axiu Donates to a Nunnery with Joy; Cui Junchen Is Shown the Lotus Screen through a Clever Scheme</p>
<p>28. The Master of Golden Light Cave Recalls the Past; The Venerable Elder of Jade Void Cave Is Enlightened about His Previous Life</p>
<p>29. They Remain Loyal to Each Other through Their Trysts; His Success Is Announced at the Jailhouse</p>
<p>30. Commissioner Wang Rides Roughshod Over His Subordinates; Adjutant Li Gets His Comeuppance from a Reincarnated Victim</p>
<p>31. Priest He Commits Fornication via Black Magic; Registrar Zhou Wipes Out Rebels via Fornication</p>
<p>32. Mr. Hu Corrupts a Fellow Man in a Wife-Swapping Scheme; A Chan Master in Meditation Explains the Principle of Retribution</p>
<p>33. Squire Zhang, in His Noble-Mindedness, Adopts an Orphan; Judge Bao, in His Wisdom, Recovers a Document</p>
<p>34. Scholar Wenren Shows His Prowess at Cuifu Nunnery; The Nun Jingguan Goes in Glory to Huangsha Lane</p>
<p>35. A Pauper Keeps Temporary Watch over Another Man’s Money; A Miser Resorts to Tricks When Buying His Nemesis’s Son</p>
<p>36. The Monk of the Eastern Hall Invites Demonic Spirits during a Lapse in Vigilance; The Man in Black Commits Murder in an Abduction Attempt</p>
<p>37. Qutu Zhongren Cruelly Kills Other Creatures; The Yunzhou Prefect Helps His Nephew in the Netherworld</p>
<p>38. To Stake His Claim on the Family Fortune, a Jealous Son-in-Law Plots against the Rightful Heir; To Continue the Bloodline, a Filial Daughter Hides Her Brother</p>
<p>39. Heavenly Preceptors, with Their Theatrics, Claim to Subdue Drought Demons; A County Magistrate, in His Sincerity, Prays for Sweet Rain from Heaven</p>
<p>40. On the Huayin Trail, Li Meets One Extraordinary Man; The Jiangling Commander Opens Three Mysterious Envelopes</p>
<p>Notes</p>

<p>Shuhui Yang is professor of Chinese at Bates College. Yunqin Yang is a simultaneous interpreter in the United Nations Secretariat. Together they translated the three-volume set of Ming dynasty stories by Feng Menglong: <i>Stories Old and New</i>, <i>Stories to Caution the World</i>, and <i>Stories to Awaken the World</i>.</p>

<p>"Centuries later, Ling Mengchu's stories, full of love and treachery, humour and drama, are as compelling as ever. This is a book for the ages, brought to life in a superb, witty, and beautiful translation by Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang."—Madeleine Thien, author of <i>Do Not Say We Have Nothing</i></p>

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