謝遷之變，宦第皆為賊窟。王學使七襄之宅，盜聚尤眾。城破兵入，掃蕩群丑，尸填墀，血至充門而流。公入城，扛尸滌血而居。往往白晝見鬼；夜則床下磷飛，牆角鬼哭。一日，王生皞迪寄宿公家，聞床底小聲連呼：「皞迪！皞迪！」已而聲漸大，曰：「我死得苦！」因哭，滿庭皆哭。公聞，仗劍而入，大言曰：「汝不識我王學院耶？」但聞百聲嗤嗤，笑之以鼻。公於是設水陸道場，命釋道懺度之。夜拋鬼飯，則見燐火熒熒，隨地皆出。先是閽人王姓者，疾篤，昏不知人者數日矣。日夕，忽欠伸若醒。婦以食進。王曰：「適主人不知何事，施飯於庭，我亦隨眾啗噉。食已方歸，故不飢耳。」由此鬼怪遂絕。豈鈸鐃鐘鼓，燄口瑜伽，果有益耶？
谢迁之变，宦第皆为贼窟。王学使七襄之宅，盗聚尤众。城破兵入，扫荡群丑，尸填墀，血至充门而流。公入城，扛尸涤血而居。往往白昼见鬼；夜则床下磷飞，墙角鬼哭。一日，王生皞迪寄宿公家，闻床底小声连呼：「皞迪！皞迪！」已而声渐大，曰：「我死得苦！」因哭，满庭皆哭。公闻，仗剑而入，大言曰：「汝不识我王学院耶？」但闻百声嗤嗤，笑之以鼻。公于是设水陆道场，命释道忏度之。夜抛鬼饭，则见燐火荧荧，随地皆出。先是阍人王姓者，疾笃，昏不知人者数日矣。日夕，忽欠伸若醒。妇以食进。王曰：「适主人不知何事，施饭于庭，我亦随众啗噉。食已方归，故不饥耳。」由此鬼怪遂绝。岂钹铙钟鼓，燄口瑜伽，果有益耶？
After Xie Qian’s rising, the mansions of officials all became bandits’ dens, and the house of Wang Qixiang, the education commissioner, held more of them than any. When the city fell and the troops came in, they swept out the whole vile crew; corpses filled the steps, and the blood rose to the gateway and ran out through it. Lord Wang entered the city, had the bodies carried off and the blood scrubbed away, and settled in. Ghosts were often seen there in broad daylight; at night ghost fires flitted under the beds and ghosts wept in the corners of the walls. One day a scholar named Wang Haodi was staying the night in Lord Wang’s house. He heard a small voice under the bed calling again and again, “Haodi! Haodi!” Then the voice grew louder: “I died hard!” It began to weep, and the whole courtyard wept with it. Lord Wang heard, came in with a sword in his hand, and shouted, “Don’t you know who I am? I am Commissioner Wang!” All he heard was a hundred voices sniggering, snorting at him through their noses. So Lord Wang set up a Water and Land Mass and had Buddhist monks and Daoist priests chant rites of penance to deliver them. At night food was thrown out for the ghosts, and ghost fires were seen glimmering, coming up out of the ground everywhere. Some time before this, the gatekeeper, a man surnamed Wang, had fallen gravely ill and had lain senseless for several days. That evening he suddenly yawned and stretched as if waking. His wife brought him food. “Just now the master was giving out food in the courtyard, I don’t know what for,” he said, “and I went along with the crowd and ate. I’ve only just got back from eating, so I’m not hungry.” From then on the ghosts were gone. Can it be that cymbals and bells and drums, and the yoga of the Flaming Mouth, really do some good?
異史氏曰：「邪怪之物，惟德可以已之。當陷城之時，王公勢正烜赫，聞聲者皆股栗；而鬼且揶揄之。想鬼物逆知其不令終耶？普告天下大人先生：出人面猶不可以嚇鬼，願無出鬼面以嚇人也！」
异史氏曰：「邪怪之物，惟德可以已之。当陷城之时，王公势正烜赫，闻声者皆股栗；而鬼且揶揄之。想鬼物逆知其不令终耶？普告天下大人先生：出人面犹不可以吓鬼，愿无出鬼面以吓人也！」
The Historian of the Strange says: Evil and uncanny things can be stopped by virtue alone. When the city fell, Lord Wang’s power was at its height, and people trembled at the knees at the very sound of him; yet the ghosts jeered at him. Did the ghosts know beforehand, perhaps, that he would not come to a good end? I say to all the great men and fine gentlemen under heaven: if not even a human face can frighten ghosts, I pray you, do not put on a ghost’s face to frighten people!