湖南某，能記前生三世。一世為令尹，闈場入簾。有名士興于唐被黜落，憤懣而卒，至陰司執卷訟之。此狀一投，其同病死者以千萬計，推興為首，聚散成群。某被攝去，相與對質。閻羅便問：「某既衡文，何得黜佳士而進凡庸？」某辨言：「上有總裁，某不過奉行之耳。」閻羅即發一簽，往拘主司。久之，勾至。閻羅即述某言。主司曰：「某不過總其大成；雖有佳章，而房官不薦，吾何由而見之也？」閻羅曰：「此不得相諉，其失職均也，例合笞。」方將施刑，興不滿志，戛然大號；兩墀諸鬼，萬聲鳴和。閻羅問故，興抗言曰：「笞罪太輕，是必掘其雙睛，以為不識文字之報。」閻羅不肯，眾呼益厲。閻羅曰：「彼非不欲得佳文，特其所見鄙耳。」眾又請剖其心。閻羅不得已，使人褫去袍服，以白刃劙胸，兩人瀝血鳴嘶。眾始大快，皆曰：「吾輩抑鬱泉下，未有能一伸此氣者；今得興先生，怨氣都消矣。」鬨然遂散。某受剖已，押投陝西為庶人子。年二十餘，值土寇大作，陷入賊中。有兵巡道往平賊，俘擄甚眾，某亦在中。心猶自揣非賊，冀可辯釋。及見堂上官，亦年二十餘，細視，則興生也。驚曰：「吾合盡矣！」既而俘者盡釋，惟某後至，不容置辨，竟斬之。某至陰司投狀訟興。閻羅不即拘，待其祿盡，遲之三十年，興始至，面質之。興以草菅人命，罰作畜。稽某所為，曾撻其父母，其罪維均。某恐來生再報，請為大畜。閻羅判為大犬，興為小犬。某生於北順天府市肆中。一日，臥街頭，有客自南中來，攜金毛犬，大如狸。某視之，興也。心易其小，齕之。小犬齩其喉下，繫綴如鈴。大犬擺撲嗥竄，市人解之不得。俄頃，俱斃。並至冥司，互有爭論。閻羅曰：「冤冤相報，何時可已。今為若解之。」乃判興來世為某婿。某生慶雲，二十八舉於鄉。生一女，嫻靜娟好，世族爭委禽焉。某皆弗許。偶過臨郡，值學使發落諸生，其第一卷李姓，實興也。遂挽至旅舍，優厚之。問其家，適無偶，遂訂姻好。人皆謂某憐才，而不知有夙因也。既而娶女去，相得甚歡。然婿恃才輒侮翁，恆隔歲不一至其門。翁亦耐之。後婿中歲偃蹇，苦不得售，翁百計為之營謀，始得志於名場。由此和好如父子焉。
湖南某，能记前生三世。一世为令尹，闱场入帘。有名士兴于唐被黜落，愤懑而卒，至阴司执卷讼之。此状一投，其同病死者以千万计，推兴为首，聚散成群。某被摄去，相与对质。阎罗便问：「某既衡文，何得黜佳士而进凡庸？」某辨言：「上有总裁，某不过奉行之耳。」阎罗即发一签，往拘主司。久之，勾至。阎罗即述某言。主司曰：「某不过总其大成；虽有佳章，而房官不荐，吾何由而见之也？」阎罗曰：「此不得相诿，其失职均也，例合笞。」方将施刑，兴不满志，戛然大号；两墀诸鬼，万声鸣和。阎罗问故，兴抗言曰：「笞罪太轻，是必掘其双睛，以为不识文字之报。」阎罗不肯，众呼益厉。阎罗曰：「彼非不欲得佳文，特其所见鄙耳。」众又请剖其心。阎罗不得已，使人褫去袍服，以白刃劙胸，两人沥血鸣嘶。众始大快，皆曰：「吾辈抑郁泉下，未有能一伸此气者；今得兴先生，怨气都消矣。」哄然遂散。某受剖已，押投陕西为庶人子。年二十余，值土寇大作，陷入贼中。有兵巡道往平贼，俘掳甚众，某亦在中。心犹自揣非贼，冀可辩释。及见堂上官，亦年二十余，细视，则兴生也。惊曰：「吾合尽矣！」既而俘者尽释，惟某后至，不容置辨，竟斩之。某至阴司投状讼兴。阎罗不即拘，待其禄尽，迟之三十年，兴始至，面质之。兴以草菅人命，罚作畜。稽某所为，曾挞其父母，其罪维均。某恐来生再报，请为大畜。阎罗判为大犬，兴为小犬。某生于北顺天府市肆中。一日，卧街头，有客自南中来，携金毛犬，大如狸。某视之，兴也。心易其小，龁之。小犬齩其喉下，系缀如铃。大犬摆扑嗥窜，市人解之不得。俄顷，俱毙。并至冥司，互有争论。阎罗曰：「冤冤相报，何时可已。今为若解之。」乃判兴来世为某婿。某生庆云，二十八举于乡。生一女，娴静娟好，世族争委禽焉。某皆弗许。偶过临郡，值学使发落诸生，其第一卷李姓，实兴也。遂挽至旅舍，优厚之。问其家，适无偶，遂订姻好。人皆谓某怜才，而不知有夙因也。既而娶女去，相得甚欢。然婿恃才辄侮翁，恒隔岁不一至其门。翁亦耐之。后婿中岁偃蹇，苦不得售，翁百计为之营谋，始得志于名场。由此和好如父子焉。
A certain man of Hunan could remember three of his past lives. In the first he was a county magistrate, and once served as an examiner inside the curtain at the provincial examinations. A well-known scholar named Xing Yutang was failed, died of rage and resentment, and in the underworld brought a suit against him, papers in hand. Once this complaint went in, others who had died of the same grievance, thousands upon thousands of them, made Xing their leader, and the scattered ghosts gathered into a mob. The man was seized and carried off to face his accuser. Yama asked, “You were the one judging the essays. How could you fail a fine scholar and pass the mediocre?” The man protested, “Above me there was a chief examiner. I was only carrying out orders.” Yama at once sent out a warrant tally to arrest the chief examiner. After a long while he was brought in, and Yama told him what the man had said. The chief examiner said, “I only had the final say over the whole. However fine an essay, if the examiner in the room did not recommend it, how was I ever to see it?” Yama said, “You cannot shift the blame onto each other. You failed in your duties equally, and by the rules you are both to be flogged.” Just as the flogging was about to begin, Xing, not satisfied, let out a piercing howl, and the ghosts on both sides of the steps answered him with ten thousand voices. Yama asked what the matter was. Xing spoke up boldly: “Flogging is far too light. Their eyes must be gouged out, as payment for not knowing good writing when they saw it.” Yama would not agree, and the crowd shouted all the harder. Yama said, “It is not that they did not want good writing. It is only that their judgment was poor.” The crowd then demanded that their hearts be cut out. Yama had no choice. He had their robes stripped off and their chests slit open with bare blades, and the two of them shrieked as the blood streamed. Only then was the crowd satisfied. “We have been choking on our grievance down in the Yellow Springs,” they all said, “and no one has ever been able to vent it for us. Now that we have Master Xing, our resentment is all gone.” And with a roar they broke up. When his chest had been cut open, the man was sent under guard to be reborn in Shaanxi as the son of a commoner. When he was twenty-odd, local bandits rose in great numbers, and he fell into their hands. A military circuit intendant came to put down the bandits and took a great many prisoners; the man was among them. He told himself he was no bandit and hoped he could clear himself. Then he saw the official in the hall, also twenty-odd. He looked closely: it was Xing. “I’m done for!” he cried. Soon after, all the prisoners were released except the man; he had been brought in last, he was given no chance to explain, and in the end he was beheaded. The man went to the underworld and filed a complaint against Xing. Yama did not arrest Xing at once but waited until his allotted fortune ran out. Thirty years later Xing at last arrived, and the two faced each other. For treating human life as cheaply as grass, Xing was sentenced to be reborn as a beast. But when the man’s own deeds were checked, it was found he had once beaten his parents, and his guilt was the same. Afraid that Xing would take revenge on him again in the next life, the man asked to be a big beast. Yama made him a big dog and Xing a small dog. The man was born in a market shop in Shuntian Prefecture, in the north. One day, as he lay in the street, a traveller came up from the south leading a golden-haired dog no bigger than a wildcat. The man looked at it: it was Xing. Thinking little of its size, he bit it. The small dog sank its teeth into his throat and hung there like a bell. The big dog thrashed and howled and bolted; the people of the market could not pull them apart. In a moment both were dead. They came to the underworld together, each accusing the other. Yama said, “Wrong for wrong, revenge for revenge — when will it ever end? I will settle it for you now.” And he decreed that in his next life Xing would be the man’s son-in-law. The man was born in Qingyun. At twenty-eight he passed the provincial examination. He had a daughter, gentle, quiet and lovely, and old families vied to send betrothal gifts; he turned them all down. Once, passing through a neighbouring prefecture, he happened upon the education commissioner announcing his rankings of the licentiates. The one placed first was surnamed Li — and was in fact Xing. The man took him back to his inn and treated him most generously. He asked about his family: Li happened to be unmarried, so the match was settled. Everyone said the man had an eye for talent, not knowing there was a bond from former lives. Then Li married the girl and took her home, and the two got on very happily. But the son-in-law, proud of his talent, often slighted his father-in-law, and would go a whole year without once coming to his door. The father-in-law bore it patiently. Later, in middle age, the son-in-law fell on hard times and kept failing the examinations. The father-in-law tried every means on his behalf, and at last Li achieved his ambition in the examinations. From then on they were as close as father and son.