Time: 2013-03-12 12:37 Source: "Folk Legendary Stories" Author: Pang Dong\1, The Legend of the Witch Teapot\ In Chenzhou, there was a blacksmith named Xu Tieya. That year, he suddenly fell seriously ill. His son, Xu Xiaomao, called for a doctor, but the doctor shook his head and said, 'Mr. Xu, your illness has reached your heart and lungs; there is nothing I can do.'\ Knowing his life was coming to an end, Xu Tieya sent the doctor away and called his son to the bedside. Pointing toward the head of the bed with his finger, he said shakily, 'There is a wooden box under the wine jar; take it out.'\ Xu Xiaomao was puzzled. He was 30 years old and had never heard of anything being hidden under the wine jar. With curiosity, he grabbed an iron spade, moved the wine jar aside, and began digging. After a while, Xu Xiaomao was stunned to see a piece of red cloth appear from the soil! He hurriedly bent down, picked up the object wrapped in the red cloth, and brought it to his father.\ Xu Tieya carefully opened the wooden box, and instantly, a green light radiated out. Xu Xiaomao was amazed at the sight—a delicate and translucent jade teapot! The entire body of the teapot was a glossy green, with two blue dragons coiled around it amid vibrant blue skies and seas. The exquisitely crafted handle was embedded with tiny pearls from the South Seas, and the spout was ingeniously shaped like a dragon's head.\ Seeing Xu Xiaomao's confusion, Xu Tieya said, 'Do you remember the legend of the "Witch Teapot" that I told you?' Xu Xiaomao was startled and asked, 'Could this be the "Witch Teapot" that is rumored to have doomed the Ming dynasty?' Xu Tieya solemnly nodded.\ Thirty years ago, one day, a few Manchu envoys brought a finely crafted jade teapot as a tribute to Emperor Chongzhen, wishing for generations of friendship and peace between the two sides. Emperor Chongzhen saw the teapot as a treasure and played with it all day, unable to tear himself away. One day, while strolling in the imperial garden, the fortune teller Yuan Tianshu, who accompanied him, suddenly shouted, 'Danger!' Seeing the alarm on Yuan's face, the emperor inquired about the reason. Yuan Tianshu said, 'The Qing tribes have a strange kind of magic called the "Evil Curse." A wizard recites a spell and draws a talisman on a jade vessel; whoever acquires the vessel is doomed to continuous misfortune and will surely die within three years! Only by breaking the teapot or keeping it hidden from the world can the curse be broken! This teapot, though exquisitely beautiful, has an unusual hue and must have been enchanted!'\ Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was furious. Such a beautiful treasure being called a "Witch Teapot"—Yuan Tianshu was clearly cursing him himself, wasn't he?In a fit of anger, Emperor Chongzhen stormed off.
Unexpectedly, within three years, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to hang himself on Coal Hill!
Xu Tieya was originally a jade stonemason in the Ming Dynasty's court workshop. After the Ming dynasty fell, the jadeite pot passed through his hands several times. Later, he went into hiding and learned to be a blacksmith. Although the "shaman's teapot" was widely known, Xu Tieya cherished it deeply and could not bear to break it. To avoid its curse, he buried it deep underground and kept it unexposed for nearly 30 years. Now that the secret of the teapot has been revealed, he wants to see it broken before his death, to avoid future trouble. Xu Tieya insisted that Xu Xiaomao break the pot. Seeing his father's firm attitude, Xu Xiaomao took the pot out. After a crisp "crack," suddenly a strange scream came from inside the room. Xu Xiaomao rushed in, but at that moment, Xu Tieya's head tilted and he died! "2, A Deadly Disaster
Xu Tieya suddenly died, and Xu Xiaomao was so shocked that a chill ran down his spine. He thought, "Could this be the work of a shamanic pot?" A few days later, Xu Xiaomao once again took out a wooden box from under the wine jar. He took out the jadeite pot and examined it carefully. Could this pot really be magical? It was so exquisite, it must be priceless! That day, Xu Xiaomao broke an old bowl that had fallen from porcelain. Thinking of Chongzhen's fate and his father's sudden death, Xu Xiaomao felt a constant sense of fear. One day, he came up with an idea: why not sell it for money? Xu Xiaomao wrapped the teapot and hid it in his sleeve, then went straight to a jade shop called 'Qingyu Xuan.' The owner of this jade shop was Cao Zhou, the nephew of Cao Hong, the magistrate of Chenzhou. The shop assistant A San called out to Xu Xiaomao: 'May I ask if you are here to buy a teapot?' Xu Xiaomao shook his head thoughtfully. Although each jadeite pot in the shop was considered a masterpiece, compared to his own, they were worlds apart. Xu Xiaomao slowly took out his teapot and proudly held it to Asan's eyes, which lit up instantly. "Take a look at this teapot of mine. If the price is fair, I'll sell it to you!" Asan had admired teapots countless times, but this was the first time he'd seen such exquisite ones. "How about 1500 taels?" Xu Xiaomao was taken aback. In fact, he had no idea about the value of jade or jadeite items, but hearing this price suddenly made his heart tremble with joy. He deliberately widened his eyes and said, "You think you can buy my teapot for 1500 taels? To be honest, I won't sell it if it's 3,000 taels less!"A San hesitated for a moment and said, “I'll go call the boss to come and talk to you about the price.” Xu Xiaomao felt secretly pleased, knowing that the longer he held onto the pot, the more valuable it would become. After a while, a man with a stubbly beard came out from the inner room; he was the boss, Cao Zhou.
Cao Zhou, with a rough voice, asked, “You want to sell a pot?” Xu Xiaomao nodded and said, “Yes.” Cao Zhou fiddled with the jadeite pot and said, “This pot is indeed a high-quality piece, but it's only worth 2,000 taels of silver. Will you sell it?”
Xu Xiaomao understood Cao Zhou's intentions and decided not to sell it to him for the time being. After a while, Cao Zhou would surely come knocking respectfully, and by then the price would be even higher. Xu Xiaomao took the pot back into his hands, shook his head, said he wouldn't sell it, and then walked out of 'Qingyu Pavilion.'
On the way back, Xu Xiaomao cheerfully passed by a fortune-telling stall. With a 'bang,' his head hit a wooden post adorned with a Bagua diagram. Xu Xiaomao yelped in pain and quickly looked up to see an elderly fortune-teller with a white beard, ringing a bell and beckoning passersby. Hearing this, Xu Xiaomao was instantly intrigued. The old fortune-teller proclaimed loudly, “One hundred taels of silver for a divination, revealing fate and lifespan, predicting fortune and misfortune. If my divination is wrong, I will pay you a hundred times the cost!”
Hearing this, Xu Xiaomao was immediately interested and asked, “If the divination is wrong, do you really pay a hundred times?” The old fortune-teller chuckled and said, “Of course!”
“Then please give me a divination and see if I have any good fortune today,” Xu Xiaomao asked with a smile.
As soon as he spoke, the old fortune-teller furrowed his brows tightly. Xu Xiaomao asked, “Sir, why do you have this expression?” The old fortune-teller asked if Xu Xiaomao really wanted a divination. Xu Xiaomao nodded, saying, “Yes!” The old fortune-teller stroked his beard and said, “Your forehead is darkening, and a knife-shaped wrinkle has suddenly appeared. Tonight, you are sure to face a deadly calamity!”
Xu Xiaomao's scalp tingled with fear, and he shouted, “You charlatans just cheat money, why curse me with nonsense?”
Seeing that Xu Xiaomao didn't believe him, the old fortune-teller asserted, “If you don't believe me, I won't accept your payment today. Remember, tonight you must sleep under the bed. No matter what happens, do not come out. Place a straw figure on the bed, cover the entire body with a blanket, and you will see the outcome for yourself!”
Seeing the old fortune-teller's serious expression, Xu Xiaomao's hairs stood on end. Back home, he made a straw figure and, following the old fortune-teller's instructions, covered it entirely with a blanket.Xu Xiaomao's heart was pounding. Could it be that he was really in mortal danger?\ At night, Xu Xiaomao hid under the bed, never daring to sleep. After the gong sounded at midnight, Xu Xiaomao gradually felt sleepy, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open. Gradually, the gong sounded for the clown hour again, and Xu Xiaomao couldn't help but curse inwardly: "This old sorcerer is really detestable, he actually deceived me! In a couple of hours, it will be dawn. Who would kill someone after the clown hour?" At this moment, Xu Xiaomao felt his lower abdomen swell a little. Just as he was about to crawl out to relieve himself, the door latch suddenly went “clack”! Xu Xiaomao was startled and hurriedly pulled himself back, trembling...\ The door was pushed open, and a man in black holding a big knife quietly walked in. The glint of the knife emitted a chilling aura, terrifying one's very soul. Xu Xiaomao shivered and covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound. The man in black walked to the bed, lifted the curtain, and started slashing wildly with the knife!\ After finishing, the man in black struck a flint to light a candle he had brought. Then he began to rummage through the cabinets, searching for something. Xu Xiaomao muttered inwardly, “Oh no,” as the man in black pulled out the jadeite pot from the cabinet. The man in black then chuckled, holding the jadeite pot, and strutted out of the room.\3, the pot is broken and death comes\ It was not until dawn that Xu Xiaomao, still trembling, crawled out from under the bed. He sighed with relief, considering himself extremely lucky to have encountered that old fortune teller; otherwise, he would have met the King of Hell last night. At the same time, cold sweat broke out on Xu Xiaomao's forehead. The legend of the “Witch Pot” was indeed true!\ After applying makeup, Xu Xiaomao went to the old fortune teller's place. He pulled the fortune teller aside and fell to his knees with a “plop,” speaking excitedly: "Thank you, sir, for saving my life!" The old fortune teller helped Xu Xiaomao to his feet and asked if he had offended anyone. Xu Xiaomao thought he had not offended anyone, but then he suddenly remembered that he had once given the jadeite pot to Caozhou, the boss of “Qingyu Xuan.” Upon hearing this, the old fortune teller smiled slightly and said: “It must be someone he sent.”\ Caozhou, relying on his uncle being the magistrate of Chenzhou, bullied the market. Those who offended him never fared well. How could he pass up the “opportunity” to kill a minor figure and obtain a fine jadeite pot?\ Xu Xiaomao told the story of the “Witch Pot,” and the old fortune teller shook his head with a smile after listening, without saying a word.That night, the street was bustling with noise. Xu Xiaomao scrambled up and looked out the window, seeing fires burning continuously and continuously gathering outside. Xu Xiaomao was stunned; it must be Huang Baozi coming down the mountain. Huang Baozi was the bandit leader of Yashan in Chenzhou, who would come down the mountain periodically to plunder merchants and civilians' property. He was ruthless and ruthless; anyone who disobeyed him was inevitably killed. Xu Xiaomao curled under the bed, praying that Huang Baozi would bypass his home, but at that moment, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. A bandit burst in, and after a thorough search, found nothing. Just as he was about to leave, the bandit seemed to notice movement under the bed. He quietly approached and reached out to pull Xu Xiaomao out.
The bandit asked where the valuables were hidden. Xu Xiaomao was so terrified that cold sweat broke out and he stammered, saying he had nothing valuable at home, and his only jade pot, worth 3,000 taels, had been stolen. Hearing this, the bandit laughed heartily and said, "You think you have a jade pot worth 3,000 taels?" With that, the bandit slapped Xu Xiaomao twice loudly and left.
After a night of trembling fear, Xu Xiaomao thanked the heavens and narrowly escaped disaster. As he walked down the street, suddenly a large group of horses galloped over, led by Cao Hong, the prefect of Chenzhou. Xu Xiaomao guessed the prefect must be here to investigate the bandits' robbery last night, and he followed behind, wanting to see what would happen. Cao Hong and the others headed straight for the "Qingyu Pavilion" jade shop, while Xu Xiaomao watched. As soon as Cao Hong walked in, A San, his face bruised and battered, ran up. Xu Xiaomao listened intently, and A San said, "Last night, Huang Baozi and the other bandits knocked me to the ground without a word, then started looting the jade and jadeite in the shop. Just as they were about to seize the jade pot, the owner, feeling sorry for him, started fighting with them. In the end, Huang Baozi beheaded him with a single stroke. ......"
" What jade pot?" Cao Hong asked. A San pointed to Caozhou on the ground. Xu Xiaomao glanced sideways and was stunned, only to see his jade teapot tightly gripped in Caozhou's hand, though the spout and lid were already shattered and scattered all over the ground. "Wu Hu!" Whoever obtains Wu Hu will surely die! " Xu Xiaomao exclaimed in shock. At that moment, his shoulder was slapped. When he turned around, he saw it was the old diviner. Xu Xiaomao and the old diviner stepped aside. Xu Xiaomao said, "Sir, you guessed right—my teapot was indeed stolen by Caozhou!"The sorcerer's pot is truly a harmful pot!”
The old fortune-teller chuckled, “The story of the 'sorcerer's pot' is just a fabrication. In fact, I am Yuan Tianshu, the one who created the story!”
The old fortune-teller explained: Many years ago, the Manchu tribes had to pay tribute to the court every year. Although they appeared to bow and submit, their hearts harbored ulterior motives, and they had long been scheming to seize the Ming dynasty. Loyal ministers suggested eliminating these threats early, but the foolish Emperor Chongzhen listened only to the treacherous ministers' empty words about 'peace in the world.' One day, Yuan Tianshu noticed that Emperor Chongzhen was entirely focused on playing with a jade pot, paying no attention to the ministers' reports on border issues. An idea came to him, so he told the story of the 'sorcerer's pot,' intending to use the pot's 'curse' to anger Chongzhen and provoke a northern military campaign...
Xu Xiaomao was greatly shocked. Yet he could not understand—if the jade pot was not the sorcerer's pot, why did everyone who obtained it die tragically?
Yuan Tianshu sighed. The Ming dynasty's fate was near, the country was doomed, and the emperor's death was not surprising. Your father was old and ill; his passing was inevitable. As for the deaths in Caozhou, it was simply due to 'greed.'
