Extensive Records of Taiping: Peachy Face
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lotus_genieFrom the Taiping Guangji (Extensive Records of Taiping)
Book 256: Mockery Part III, Section 24: Cui Hu (originally found in Wei Xuan's Fine Sayings of Gentleman Liu Yuxi) and Book 274: Love, Section 2: Cui Hu (originally found in Meng Qi's Poetry of Capabilities)
According to Liu Yuxi, when Cui Hu failed the Imperial Examinations, he blamed the chief proctor Miao Deng, who was his mother's third male cousin, essentially his uncle. He proceeded to slander this uncle during a private study session where he acted as the examiner, saying, “He has a pig's skin growing out of his back."
Those with him asked, "Why doesn't he get rid of it? It must cause some discomfort."
His study guide annotations explained, "As Chong-Er's fused ribs were revealed when the Duke of Cao peeped on his bath, Miao Deng's pigskin was exposed when Xiang Li stripped away his clothes."
Previously, Miao Deng had served as Captain of the Guard of the Eastern Capital Metropolitan Area. Xiang Li had been the sitting governor then. He wanted to flog Miao Deng at one point. When Miao Deng's bare back was exposed, he was found to have a birthmark with hairs several inches long.
Thus, Cui Hu also claimed, "In times of peace, he lugs it around, but it doesn't do him much good. On feeding days, he wags it, begging for scraps." He meant Miao Deng had a tail.
Cui Hu of Boling was a very beautifully built man, but he was by nature aloof and unsociable. One year, he failed the Imperial Examinations.
On the day of the Qingming Festival, he toured the south of the Capital on his own. He came upon a residence one acre in size, covered in dense, flowering shrubs, so silent it seemed to be unoccupied. After he knocked at the door for a long while, a girl answered him, peering from behind the door crack, asking, "Who is this?"
Cui Hu gave her his name and said, "I was doing some spring sightseeing alone, and became thirsty after downing a bit of wine. Might I have some water?"
The girl stepped into the house and brought forth a cup of water. She opened the gate, set up a bench, and told Cui Hu to sit down. She herself stood by, leaning against a low-hanging bough of a slim peach tree, watching him with intense interest. Her pose was enchanting, her mannerisms alluring, and her plump form overflowing with charm. Cui Hu attempted to flirt with her, but she never responded, so the two only stared soulfully at each other. When Cui Hu excused himself, she escorted him to the gate, then returned to the house, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion. Cui Hu also took lingering glances backwards as he went home.
Afterwards, he did not return to the area. The next year, at Qingming, he suddenly thought of the girl and could not escape his longing. Thus, he went seeking her house. The gate and walls were all the same, but all was now sealed with a heavy lock. Thus he wrote a poem on the left-hand door of the gate:
In this very door, back a year ago,
Your face amid red peach blossoms glowed.
Now the face is gone, I know not where,
But peach blossoms still smile in the spring air.
Several days later, he again passed by the south side of the Capital and sought out the house. He heard weeping within and knocked on the door to ask what was wrong. An old man emerged and demanded, "Are you Cui Hu?"
Cui Hu replied, "Yes."
The old man wept out, "You are the one who killed my daughter!"
Cui Hu backed away, startled, not sure how to respond. The old man said, "My daughter, though she is of age and well-educated, has not yet been betrothed. Since last year, she often had episodes of spacing out, as if she had lost something dear. One day, we went out, and when we returned, we found something written on the left of the gate. After she read it, she went inside and took ill. Then, she refused food for several days and died. I am an old man. The reason she remained unwed is because I was waiting for a good man who could take care of the two of us. Now she has met a tragic demise. Were you not the one who killed her?"
He descended into hysterical wails. Cui Hu was also deeply pained and asked to go in and weep over the girl. He found her lying still in her bed.
Cui Hu laid her head on his lap. Sobbing, he assured her, "I am here. I am here."
The girl promptly opened her eyes. After half a day, she was alive and well again. Her father was delighted and married her to Cui Hu.
Book 256: Mockery Part III, Section 24: Cui Hu (originally found in Wei Xuan's Fine Sayings of Gentleman Liu Yuxi) and Book 274: Love, Section 2: Cui Hu (originally found in Meng Qi's Poetry of Capabilities)
According to Liu Yuxi, when Cui Hu failed the Imperial Examinations, he blamed the chief proctor Miao Deng, who was his mother's third male cousin, essentially his uncle. He proceeded to slander this uncle during a private study session where he acted as the examiner, saying, “He has a pig's skin growing out of his back."
Those with him asked, "Why doesn't he get rid of it? It must cause some discomfort."
His study guide annotations explained, "As Chong-Er's fused ribs were revealed when the Duke of Cao peeped on his bath, Miao Deng's pigskin was exposed when Xiang Li stripped away his clothes."
Previously, Miao Deng had served as Captain of the Guard of the Eastern Capital Metropolitan Area. Xiang Li had been the sitting governor then. He wanted to flog Miao Deng at one point. When Miao Deng's bare back was exposed, he was found to have a birthmark with hairs several inches long.
Thus, Cui Hu also claimed, "In times of peace, he lugs it around, but it doesn't do him much good. On feeding days, he wags it, begging for scraps." He meant Miao Deng had a tail.
Cui Hu of Boling was a very beautifully built man, but he was by nature aloof and unsociable. One year, he failed the Imperial Examinations.
On the day of the Qingming Festival, he toured the south of the Capital on his own. He came upon a residence one acre in size, covered in dense, flowering shrubs, so silent it seemed to be unoccupied. After he knocked at the door for a long while, a girl answered him, peering from behind the door crack, asking, "Who is this?"
Cui Hu gave her his name and said, "I was doing some spring sightseeing alone, and became thirsty after downing a bit of wine. Might I have some water?"
The girl stepped into the house and brought forth a cup of water. She opened the gate, set up a bench, and told Cui Hu to sit down. She herself stood by, leaning against a low-hanging bough of a slim peach tree, watching him with intense interest. Her pose was enchanting, her mannerisms alluring, and her plump form overflowing with charm. Cui Hu attempted to flirt with her, but she never responded, so the two only stared soulfully at each other. When Cui Hu excused himself, she escorted him to the gate, then returned to the house, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion. Cui Hu also took lingering glances backwards as he went home.
Afterwards, he did not return to the area. The next year, at Qingming, he suddenly thought of the girl and could not escape his longing. Thus, he went seeking her house. The gate and walls were all the same, but all was now sealed with a heavy lock. Thus he wrote a poem on the left-hand door of the gate:
In this very door, back a year ago,
Your face amid red peach blossoms glowed.
Now the face is gone, I know not where,
But peach blossoms still smile in the spring air.
Several days later, he again passed by the south side of the Capital and sought out the house. He heard weeping within and knocked on the door to ask what was wrong. An old man emerged and demanded, "Are you Cui Hu?"
Cui Hu replied, "Yes."
The old man wept out, "You are the one who killed my daughter!"
Cui Hu backed away, startled, not sure how to respond. The old man said, "My daughter, though she is of age and well-educated, has not yet been betrothed. Since last year, she often had episodes of spacing out, as if she had lost something dear. One day, we went out, and when we returned, we found something written on the left of the gate. After she read it, she went inside and took ill. Then, she refused food for several days and died. I am an old man. The reason she remained unwed is because I was waiting for a good man who could take care of the two of us. Now she has met a tragic demise. Were you not the one who killed her?"
He descended into hysterical wails. Cui Hu was also deeply pained and asked to go in and weep over the girl. He found her lying still in her bed.
Cui Hu laid her head on his lap. Sobbing, he assured her, "I am here. I am here."
The girl promptly opened her eyes. After half a day, she was alive and well again. Her father was delighted and married her to Cui Hu.