孫生，娶故家女辛氏。初入門，為窮袴，多其帶，渾身糾纏甚密，拒男子不與共榻。床頭常設錐簪之器以自衛。孫屢被刺剟，因就別榻眠。月餘，不敢問鼎。即白晝相逢，女未嘗假以言笑。同窗某知之，私謂孫曰：「夫人能飲否？」答云：「少飲。」某戲之曰：「僕有調停之法，善而可行。」問：「何法？」曰：「以迷藥入酒，給使飲焉，則惟君所為矣。」孫笑之，而陰服其策良。詢之醫家，敬以酒煮烏頭，置案上。入夜，孫釃別酒，獨酌數觥而寢。如此三夕，妻終不飲。一夜，孫臥移時，視妻猶寂坐，孫故作齁聲；妻乃下榻，取酒煨爐上。孫竊喜。既而滿飲一盃；又復酌，約盡半杯許，以其餘仍內壺中，拂榻遂寢。久之無聲，而燈惶煌尚未滅也。疑其尚醒，故大呼：「錫檠鎔化矣！」妻不應，再呼仍不應。白身往視，則醉睡如泥。啟衾潛入，層層斷其縛結。妻固覺之，不能動，亦不能言，任其輕薄而去。既醒，惡之，投繯自縊。孫夢中聞喘吼聲，起而奔視，舌已出兩寸許。大驚，斷索，扶榻上，踰時始蘇。孫自此殊厭恨之，夫妻避道而行，相逢則各俯其首。積四五年，不交一語。妻或在室中，與他人嬉笑；見夫至，色則立變，凜如霜雪。孫嘗寄宿齋中，經歲不歸；即強之歸，亦面壁移時，默然就枕而已。父母甚憂之。一日，有老尼至其家，見婦，亟加贊譽。母不言，但有浩歎。尼詰其故，具以情告。尼曰：「此易事耳。」母喜曰：「倘能回婦意，當不靳酬也。」尼窺室無人，耳語曰：「購春宮一幀，三日後，為若厭之。」尼去，母即購以待之。三日，尼果來。囑曰：「此須甚密，勿令夫婦知。」乃翦下圖中人，又鍼三枚、艾一撮，並以素紙包固，外繪數畫如蚓狀，使母賺婦出，竊取其枕，開其縫而投之；已而仍合之，返歸故處。尼乃去。至晚，母強子歸宿。媼往竊聽。二更將殘，聞婦呼孫小字，孫不答。少間，婦復語，孫厭氣作惡聲。質明，母入其室，見夫婦面首相背，知尼之術誣也。呼子於無人處，委諭之。孫聞妻名，便怒，切齒。母怒罵之，不顧而去。越日，尼來，告之罔效。尼大疑。媼因述所聽。尼笑曰：「前言婦憎夫，故偏厭之。今婦意已轉，所未轉者男耳。請作兩制之法，必有驗。」母從之，索子枕如前緘置訖，又呼令歸寢。更餘，猶聞兩榻上皆有轉側聲，時作咳，都若不能寐。久之，聞兩人在一床上唧唧語，但隱約不可辨。將曙，猶聞嬉笑，吃吃不絕。媼以告母。母喜，尼來，厚饋之。孫由是琴瑟和好。生一男兩女，十餘年從無角口之事。同人私問其故。笑曰：「前此顧影生怒，後此聞聲而喜，自亦不解其何心也。」
孙生，娶故家女辛氏。初入门，为穷袴，多其带，浑身纠缠甚密，拒男子不与共榻。床头常设锥簪之器以自卫。孙屡被刺剟，因就别榻眠。月余，不敢问鼎。即白昼相逢，女未尝假以言笑。同窗某知之，私谓孙曰：「夫人能饮否？」答云：「少饮。」某戏之曰：「仆有调停之法，善而可行。」问：「何法？」曰：「以迷药入酒，给使饮焉，则惟君所为矣。」孙笑之，而阴服其策良。询之医家，敬以酒煮乌头，置案上。入夜，孙酾别酒，独酌数觥而寝。如此三夕，妻终不饮。一夜，孙卧移时，视妻犹寂坐，孙故作齁声；妻乃下榻，取酒煨炉上。孙窃喜。既而满饮一杯；又复酌，约尽半杯许，以其余仍内壶中，拂榻遂寝。久之无声，而灯惶煌尚未灭也。疑其尚醒，故大呼：「锡檠镕化矣！」妻不应，再呼仍不应。白身往视，则醉睡如泥。启衾潜入，层层断其缚结。妻固觉之，不能动，亦不能言，任其轻薄而去。既醒，恶之，投缳自缢。孙梦中闻喘吼声，起而奔视，舌已出两寸许。大惊，断索，扶榻上，逾时始苏。孙自此殊厌恨之，夫妻避道而行，相逢则各俯其首。积四五年，不交一语。妻或在室中，与他人嬉笑；见夫至，色则立变，凛如霜雪。孙尝寄宿斋中，经岁不归；即强之归，亦面壁移时，默然就枕而已。父母甚忧之。一日，有老尼至其家，见妇，亟加赞誉。母不言，但有浩叹。尼诘其故，具以情告。尼曰：「此易事耳。」母喜曰：「倘能回妇意，当不靳酬也。」尼窥室无人，耳语曰：「购春宫一帧，三日后，为若厌之。」尼去，母即购以待之。三日，尼果来。嘱曰：「此须甚密，勿令夫妇知。」乃翦下图中人，又针三枚、艾一撮，并以素纸包固，外绘数画如蚓状，使母赚妇出，窃取其枕，开其缝而投之；已而仍合之，返归故处。尼乃去。至晚，母强子归宿。媪往窃听。二更将残，闻妇呼孙小字，孙不答。少间，妇复语，孙厌气作恶声。质明，母入其室，见夫妇面首相背，知尼之术诬也。呼子于无人处，委谕之。孙闻妻名，便怒，切齿。母怒骂之，不顾而去。越日，尼来，告之罔效。尼大疑。媪因述所听。尼笑曰：「前言妇憎夫，故偏厌之。今妇意已转，所未转者男耳。请作两制之法，必有验。」母从之，索子枕如前缄置讫，又呼令归寝。更余，犹闻两榻上皆有转侧声，时作咳，都若不能寐。久之，闻两人在一床上唧唧语，但隐约不可辨。将曙，犹闻嬉笑，吃吃不绝。媪以告母。母喜，尼来，厚馈之。孙由是琴瑟和好。生一男两女，十余年从无角口之事。同人私问其故。笑曰：「前此顾影生怒，后此闻声而喜，自亦不解其何心也。」
A scholar named Sun married a girl of the Xin family, an old family of good standing. From the day she came into the house she wore closed trousers with a great many ties, wound tight about her whole body, and refused to share a bed with a man. At the head of her bed she always kept awls and hairpins and the like to defend herself. Sun was stabbed and pricked so often that he took to sleeping on another bed. For more than a month he did not dare so much as ask the weight of the cauldrons. Even when they met by day, she never once spared him a word or a smile. A fellow student of his heard about it and asked him privately, “Does your wife drink?” “A little,” said Sun. The friend said teasingly, “I have a way to make peace between you. It’s a good one, and it will work.” “What way?” “Put a stupefying drug in her wine and trick her into drinking it. Then you can do whatever you like.” Sun laughed at him, but secretly thought the plan a good one. He asked a doctor about it, duly boiled some aconite in wine, and set it on the table. When night came, Sun strained some other wine for himself, drank several cups alone and went to bed. Three nights passed like this, and his wife never drank. One night, after Sun had been lying down a while, he saw that his wife was still sitting there in silence, so he pretended to snore. Then she got down from her bed, took the wine and warmed it over the stove. Sun was secretly glad. She drank a full cup; then she poured again, drank about half a cup, poured the rest back into the pot, swept her bed and lay down. For a long time there was no sound, but the lamp was still burning bright. Suspecting she was still awake, Sun shouted on purpose, “The tin lampstand is melting!” His wife did not answer. He shouted again, and still no answer. He went over naked to look: she was sunk in a drunken sleep, limp as mud. He lifted the quilt, slipped in, and cut through her ties one layer after another. His wife was aware of it all, but she could neither move nor speak, and could only let him take his liberties and go. When she came to, she was filled with loathing, and put her head in a noose to hang herself. In his sleep Sun heard a gasping, rattling sound. He got up and ran to look: her tongue was already hanging out two inches. In horror he cut the rope and lifted her onto the bed, and only after some time did she come round. From then on Sun loathed and resented her bitterly. Husband and wife went out of their way to avoid each other, and when they met, each looked down at the ground. Four or five years went by without a word passing between them. Sometimes his wife would be in a room laughing and joking with others; the moment she saw her husband come in, her face changed, cold as frost and snow. Sun often lodged in his study and did not come home for a year at a time. Even when he was made to come home, he would only sit facing the wall for a while, then go to bed without a word. His parents were very worried. One day an old nun came to the house, saw the young wife and praised her warmly. Sun’s mother said nothing, only sighed deeply. The nun asked her why, and she told her the whole story. “That’s easily done,” said the nun. The mother was delighted. “If you can change her heart, I won’t be stingy with your reward.” The nun looked to make sure no one else was in the room and whispered, “Buy an erotic picture, and in three days I will work a spell for you.” When the nun had gone, the mother bought one at once and waited. Three days later, sure enough, the nun came. “This must be kept very secret,” she warned. “Don’t let husband or wife know.” She cut the figures out of the picture and wrapped them tightly in plain paper with three needles and a pinch of moxa, and on the outside drew a few strokes like earthworms. Then she had the mother lure the wife out, take her pillow on the sly, open its seam and put the packet inside, then sew it up again and put it back where it had been. The nun left. That evening the mother made her son come home to sleep, and the old woman went to listen at the door. Towards the end of the second watch she heard the wife call Sun by his childhood name. Sun did not answer. A little later the wife spoke again, and Sun answered in a surly, disgusted voice. At daybreak the mother went into their room and found husband and wife lying with their heads turned away from each other, and she knew the nun’s art was a fraud. She called her son aside where no one could hear and reasoned with him at length. At the mere mention of his wife Sun flew into a rage and ground his teeth. His mother scolded him angrily, and he walked off without a backward look. The next day the nun came and was told it had done no good. The nun was greatly puzzled, so the old woman told her what she had heard. The nun laughed. “You told me before that the wife hated her husband, so I worked the spell on her alone. Now the wife’s heart has turned; the one who hasn’t turned is the man. Let me work it on both of them. It is sure to take effect.” The mother did as she said: she got hold of her son’s pillow, sealed a packet in it as before and put it back, and again called him home to sleep. After a watch or so, she could still hear both beds creaking as they tossed and turned, and now and then a cough, as though neither of them could sleep. Much later she heard the two of them murmuring together on one bed, but so faintly she could not make it out. Towards dawn she could still hear them laughing and giggling without a pause. The old woman told the mother. The mother was delighted, and when the nun came she rewarded her handsomely. From then on Sun and his wife were as well tuned as zither and lute. She bore him a son and two daughters, and in more than ten years they never once had words. His friends asked him privately how it had come about. Sun laughed. “Before, the mere sight of her shadow made me angry. After, the mere sound of her voice made me glad. I don’t understand what got into me myself.”