黃生，故家子，才情頗贍，夙志高騫。村外蘭若，有居僧某，素與分深。既而僧雲遊，去十餘年復歸。見黃，歎曰：「謂君騰達已久，今尚白紵耶？想福命固薄耳。請為君賄冥中主者。能置十千否？」答言：「不能。」僧曰：「請勉辦其半，餘當代假之。三日為約。」黃諾之。竭力典質如數。三日，僧果以五千來付黃。黃家舊有汲水井，深不竭，云通河海。僧命束置井邊，戒曰：「約我到寺，即推墮井中。候半炊時，有一錢泛起，當拜之。」乃去。黃不解何術，轉念效否未定，而十千可惜。乃匿其九，而以一千投之。少間，巨泡突起，鏗然而破，即有一錢浮出，大如車輪。黃大駭。既拜，又取四千投焉。落下，擊觸有聲，為大錢所隔，不得沉。日暮，僧至，譙讓之曰：「胡不盡投？」黃云：「已盡投矣。」僧曰：「冥中使者止將一千去，何乃妄言？」黃實告之。僧歎曰：「鄙吝者必非大器。此子之命合以明經終；不然，甲科立致矣。」黃大悔，求再禳之，僧固辭而去。黃視井中錢猶浮，以綆釣上，大錢乃沉。是歲，黃以副榜准貢，卒如僧言。
黄生，故家子，才情颇赡，夙志高骞。村外兰若，有居僧某，素与分深。既而僧云游，去十余年复归。见黄，叹曰：「谓君腾达已久，今尚白纻耶？想福命固薄耳。请为君贿冥中主者。能置十千否？」答言：「不能。」僧曰：「请勉办其半，余当代假之。三日为约。」黄诺之。竭力典质如数。三日，僧果以五千来付黄。黄家旧有汲水井，深不竭，云通河海。僧命束置井边，戒曰：「约我到寺，即推堕井中。候半炊时，有一钱泛起，当拜之。」乃去。黄不解何术，转念效否未定，而十千可惜。乃匿其九，而以一千投之。少间，巨泡突起，铿然而破，即有一钱浮出，大如车轮。黄大骇。既拜，又取四千投焉。落下，击触有声，为大钱所隔，不得沉。日暮，僧至，谯让之曰：「胡不尽投？」黄云：「已尽投矣。」僧曰：「冥中使者止将一千去，何乃妄言？」黄实告之。僧叹曰：「鄙吝者必非大器。此子之命合以明经终；不然，甲科立致矣。」黄大悔，求再禳之，僧固辞而去。黄视井中钱犹浮，以绠钓上，大钱乃沉。是岁，黄以副榜准贡，卒如僧言。
A scholar named Huang came of an old family. He was richly gifted, and from his youth his ambitions soared high. In a temple outside his village lived a certain monk who had long been a close friend of his. Later the monk went off wandering, and after more than ten years he came back. Seeing Huang, he sighed. “I thought you would have risen high long ago. Are you still in plain white hemp? Your portion of fortune must be thin indeed. Let me bribe the one who rules in the underworld for you. Can you lay your hands on ten thousand cash?” “I cannot,” Huang answered. “Then do your best to raise half,” said the monk, “and I will borrow the rest for you. Let us say three days.” Huang agreed. He pawned all he could and raised the sum. On the third day the monk did indeed bring five thousand and handed it over. Huang’s family had an old well for drawing water; it was deep and never ran dry, and it was said to reach the rivers and the sea. The monk had him tie up the money and set it by the well. “When you reckon I have reached the temple,” he warned, “push it all into the well. Wait about half the time it takes to cook a meal, and a coin will float up. You must bow to it.” Then he left. Huang could not see what kind of magic this was. Then it struck him that it might not work at all, and ten thousand cash was a lot to lose. So he hid nine thousand and threw in only one thousand. In a little while a huge bubble surged up and burst with a clang, and out floated a coin as big as a cartwheel. Huang was terrified. When he had bowed to it, he took four thousand more and threw them in. They fell with a clatter onto the great coin, which held them up so that they could not sink. At dusk the monk came and rebuked him. “Why didn’t you throw it all in?” “I did throw it all in,” said Huang. “The messenger from the underworld took only one thousand away,” said the monk. “Why lie to me?” Huang told him the truth. The monk sighed. “A mean, grasping man is never made of great stuff. This fellow is fated to end as a tribute student. Otherwise the highest degree would have been his at once.” Huang bitterly regretted it and begged him to perform the rite again, but the monk firmly refused and went away. Huang saw that the coins in the well were still floating. He fished them up with the well rope, and then the great coin sank. That year Huang was placed on the supplementary list and admitted as a tribute student. It turned out just as the monk had said.