王子安，東昌名士，困於場屋。入闈後，期望甚切。近放榜時，痛飲大醉，歸臥內室。忽有人白：「報馬來。」王踉蹌起曰：「賞錢十千！」家人因其醉，誑而安之曰：「但請睡，已賞矣。」王乃眠。俄又有入者曰：「汝中進士矣！」王自言：「尚未赴都，何得及第？」其人曰：「汝忘之耶？三場畢矣。」王大喜，起而呼曰：「賞錢十千！」家人又誑之如前。又移時，一人急入曰「汝殿試翰林，長班在此。」果見二人拜床下，衣冠修潔。王呼賜酒食，家人又紿之，暗笑其醉而已。久之，王自念不可不出耀鄉里。大呼長班，凡數十呼，無應者。家人笑曰：「暫臥候，尋他去。」又久之，長班果復來。王搥床頓足，大罵：「鈍奴焉往！」長班怒曰：「措大無賴！向與爾戲耳，而真罵耶？」王怒，驟起撲之，落其帽。王亦傾跌。妻入，扶之曰：「何醉至此！」王曰：「長班可惡，我故懲之，何醉也？」妻笑曰：「家中止有一媼，晝為汝炊，夜為汝溫足耳。何處長班，伺汝窮骨？」子女皆笑。王醉亦稍解，忽如夢醒，始知前此之妄。然猶記長班帽落；尋至門後，得一纓帽如盞大，共疑之。自笑曰：「昔人為鬼揶揄，吾今為狐奚落矣。」
王子安，东昌名士，困于场屋。入闱后，期望甚切。近放榜时，痛饮大醉，归卧内室。忽有人白：「报马来。」王踉跄起曰：「赏钱十千！」家人因其醉，诳而安之曰：「但请睡，已赏矣。」王乃眠。俄又有入者曰：「汝中进士矣！」王自言：「尚未赴都，何得及第？」其人曰：「汝忘之耶？三场毕矣。」王大喜，起而呼曰：「赏钱十千！」家人又诳之如前。又移时，一人急入曰「汝殿试翰林，长班在此。」果见二人拜床下，衣冠修洁。王呼赐酒食，家人又绐之，暗笑其醉而已。久之，王自念不可不出耀乡里。大呼长班，凡数十呼，无应者。家人笑曰：「暂卧候，寻他去。」又久之，长班果复来。王搥床顿足，大骂：「钝奴焉往！」长班怒曰：「措大无赖！向与尔戏耳，而真骂耶？」王怒，骤起扑之，落其帽。王亦倾跌。妻入，扶之曰：「何醉至此！」王曰：「长班可恶，我故惩之，何醉也？」妻笑曰：「家中止有一媪，昼为汝炊，夜为汝温足耳。何处长班，伺汝穷骨？」子女皆笑。王醉亦稍解，忽如梦醒，始知前此之妄。然犹记长班帽落；寻至门后，得一缨帽如盏大，共疑之。自笑曰：「昔人为鬼揶揄，吾今为狐奚落矣。」
Wang Zi’an, a scholar of some name in Dongchang, kept failing in the examination halls. After sitting the provincial examination he had very high hopes. When the list of passes was about to be posted, he drank himself blind drunk and went home to lie down in his bedroom. Suddenly someone announced, “The heralds have come with the news!” Wang staggered up. “Give them ten thousand cash!” he said. Seeing he was drunk, his household humoured him with a lie: “Just go to sleep. They’ve been paid.” So Wang slept. In a moment someone else came in and said, “You have passed as a jinshi!” Wang said to himself, “I haven’t even gone to the capital yet. How can I have passed?” “Have you forgotten?” said the man. “All three sessions are over.” Wang was overjoyed. He got up and shouted, “Give them ten thousand cash!” Again the household lied to him as before. After a while a man hurried in. “At the palace examination you were made a member of the Hanlin Academy. Your footmen are here.” And sure enough Wang saw two men bowing at the foot of his bed, neatly dressed and capped. He called for wine and food to be given them. Again the household fooled him, laughing to themselves at how drunk he was. After a long while Wang thought he really must go out and show himself off to the neighbours. He shouted for his footmen, dozens of times, but no one answered. “Lie down and wait a bit,” said the household, laughing. “We’ll go and find them.” After another long while the footmen did come back. Wang pounded the bed and stamped his feet. “Where did you go, you dolts?” he roared. The footman was angry. “You shabby, worthless scholar! We were only playing with you, and you curse us in earnest?” Wang flew into a rage, leapt up and lunged at him, and knocked off his hat. Wang fell over too. His wife came in and helped him up. “How did you get so drunk?” she said. “The footman was insolent,” said Wang, “so I was teaching him a lesson. What’s drunk about that?” His wife laughed. “There is only one old woman in this house, to cook for you by day and warm your feet at night. Where would footmen come from, to wait on your beggarly bones?” The children all laughed. Wang was sobering up a little; suddenly it was as if he had woken from a dream, and he knew at last that it had all been delusion. Still, he remembered knocking off the footman’s hat. They searched behind the door and found a tasselled official’s hat no bigger than a wine cup. Everyone was puzzled. Wang laughed at himself. “Men of old were mocked by ghosts. Now I’ve been made a fool of by a fox.”