長山王公子瑞亭，能以乩卜。乩神自稱何仙，為純陽弟子，或謂是呂祖所跨鶴云。每降，輒與人論文作詩。李太史質君師事之，丹黃課藝，理緒明切；太史揣摩成，賴何仙力居多焉，因之文學士多皈依之。然為人決疑難事，多憑理，不甚言休咎。辛未歲，朱文宗案臨濟南，試後，諸友請決等第。何仙索試藝，悉月旦之。座中有與樂陵李忭相善者，李固好學深思之士，眾屬望之，因出其文，代為之請。乩註云：「一等。」少間，又書云：「適評李生，據文為斷。然此生運氣大晦，應犯夏楚。異哉！文與數適不相符，豈文宗不論文耶？諸公少待，試一往探之。」少頃，又書云：「我適至提學署中，見文宗公事旁午，所焦慮者殊不在文也。一切置付幕客六七人，粟生、例監，都在其中，前世全無根氣，大半餓鬼道中游魂，乞食於四方者也。曾在黑暗獄中八百年，損其目之精氣，如人久在洞中，乍出，則天地異色，無正明也。中有一二為人身所化者，閱卷分曹，恐不能適相值耳。」眾問挽回之術。書云：「其術至實，人所共曉，何必問？」眾會其意，以告李。李懼，以文質孫太史子未，且訴以兆。太史贊其文，因解其惑。李以太史海內宗匠，心益壯，乩語不復置懷。後案發，竟居四等。太史大駭，取其文復閱之，殊無疵摘。評云：「石門公祖，素有文名，必不悠謬至此。是必幕中醉漢，不識句讀者所為。」於是眾益服何仙之神，共焚香祝謝之。乩書曰：「李生勿以暫時之屈，遂懷慚怍。當多寫試卷，益暴之，明歲可得優等。」李如其教。久之署中頗聞，懸牌特慰之。次歲果列前名，其靈應如此。
长山王公子瑞亭，能以乩卜。乩神自称何仙，为纯阳弟子，或谓是吕祖所跨鹤云。每降，辄与人论文作诗。李太史质君师事之，丹黄课艺，理绪明切；太史揣摩成，赖何仙力居多焉，因之文学士多皈依之。然为人决疑难事，多凭理，不甚言休咎。辛未岁，朱文宗案临济南，试后，诸友请决等第。何仙索试艺，悉月旦之。座中有与乐陵李忭相善者，李固好学深思之士，众属望之，因出其文，代为之请。乩注云：「一等。」少间，又书云：「适评李生，据文为断。然此生运气大晦，应犯夏楚。异哉！文与数适不相符，岂文宗不论文耶？诸公少待，试一往探之。」少顷，又书云：「我适至提学署中，见文宗公事旁午，所焦虑者殊不在文也。一切置付幕客六七人，粟生、例监，都在其中，前世全无根气，大半饿鬼道中游魂，乞食于四方者也。曾在黑暗狱中八百年，损其目之精气，如人久在洞中，乍出，则天地异色，无正明也。中有一二为人身所化者，阅卷分曹，恐不能适相值耳。」众问挽回之术。书云：「其术至实，人所共晓，何必问？」众会其意，以告李。李惧，以文质孙太史子未，且诉以兆。太史赞其文，因解其惑。李以太史海内宗匠，心益壮，乩语不复置怀。后案发，竟居四等。太史大骇，取其文复阅之，殊无疵摘。评云：「石门公祖，素有文名，必不悠谬至此。是必幕中醉汉，不识句读者所为。」于是众益服何仙之神，共焚香祝谢之。乩书曰：「李生勿以暂时之屈，遂怀惭怍。当多写试卷，益暴之，明岁可得优等。」李如其教。久之署中颇闻，悬牌特慰之。次岁果列前名，其灵应如此。
Young Master Wang Ruiting of Changshan could divine with the planchette. The spirit of his planchette called itself Immortal He and said it was a disciple of Chunyang. Some said it was the crane that Patriarch Lü used to ride. Whenever it came down, it would discuss essays and compose poems with people. Academician Li Zhijun served it as his teacher. It marked his practice essays in red and yellow ink, its reasoning clear and to the point. When the academician had mastered the examination style, he owed most of it to Immortal He, and so many men of letters became its devotees. But when it settled doubtful matters for people, it mostly went by reason and said little about good or bad fortune. In the xinwei year, Examiner Zhu came to Jinan to hold the examinations. Afterwards a group of friends asked Immortal He to tell them their grades. It asked for their examination essays and passed judgment on every one. Among those present was a good friend of Li Bian of Leling. Li was a studious, deep-thinking scholar, and everyone had high hopes for him, so the friend brought out Li’s essay and asked on his behalf. The planchette wrote: “First grade.” A little later it wrote again: “Just now I judged Licentiate Li by his essay. But this scholar’s luck is under a heavy cloud. He is due for the rod. Strange! His essay and his fate do not agree. Can it be that the Examiner does not judge by essays? Wait a little, gentlemen. I will go and see.” After a short while it wrote: “I have just been to the Examiner’s office. The Examiner is buried in official business, and what worries him is not essays at all. He has handed everything over to six or seven private secretaries. There are men among them who bought their rank with grain, and men who bought places in the Imperial Academy. They have no roots of merit at all from former lives. Most of them are wandering souls from the path of hungry ghosts, who once begged for food in every direction. They spent eight hundred years in the Hell of Darkness, and it ruined the vital essence of their eyes. Like a man who has been long in a cave and suddenly comes out, they see heaven and earth in strange colours, and nothing in its true light. One or two of them were men in their past lives, but the papers are divided among them in batches, and I fear his may not happen to fall to those.” They asked how the thing could be put right. The planchette wrote: “The method is as solid as can be. Everyone knows it. Why ask?” They understood what it meant and told Li. Li was frightened. He took his essay to Academician Sun Ziwei for an opinion and told him of the omen. The academician praised the essay and so cleared away his doubts. Since the academician was a master of letters known throughout the land, Li took heart and paid the planchette’s words no more mind. When the results were posted, Li was placed in the fourth grade after all. The academician was astounded. He took the essay and read it again, but could find nothing whatever to fault. “His Excellency the Examiner from Shimen has always had a name for letters,” he said. “He would never be so absurd. This must be the work of some drunkard among his secretaries who cannot tell where a sentence ends.” At this everyone was all the more convinced of Immortal He’s divine powers, and together they burned incense and gave thanks. The planchette wrote: “Licentiate Li should not feel ashamed over a passing setback. He ought to make many copies of his examination paper and show it about even more widely. Next year he can win a high grade.” Li did as it said. In time the Examiner’s office heard a good deal about it, and a notice was posted especially to console him. The next year, sure enough, he was ranked near the top. Such was the power of its oracles.