[Reprinted Novel] Strange Marriage Chronicles

2015-01-04 11:11 Source: Dictionary Author: Anonymous
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, there was a poor scholar named Jiang Wensheng in Shangyu County, Zhejiang. He was exceptionally talented in appearance and wrote excellent literature.
One day, Ma Xing, the son of a local silk store owner, invited him to go boating and sightseeing by the East Sea. Jiang Wensheng hesitated and could not agree. The reason was that he was going to the capital next year to take the imperial examination and had no time or interest in sightseeing. Besides, Ma Xing was a wealthy young man, idle and irresponsible, and Jiang Wensheng did not want to associate with him. Seeing his reluctance, Ma Xing said, ‘If you accompany me for a few days, I'll give you five taels of silver as a wage. How about it?' Jiang Wensheng's heart stirred: his widowed mother had been bedridden for over three months, and her illness worsened due to lack of money for treatment. With the five taels of silver, he could hire a doctor for his mother. He nodded and agreed.
The two boarded a small boat and drifted down the Cao'e River, entering Hangzhou Bay and reaching the East Sea, when suddenly strong winds and waves arose. The small boat was tossed by the waves and drifted with the wind, making them dizzy and unable to tell north from south.
Following the wind and waves, the boat drifted to the edge of a solitary island. When they landed, they saw the island covered in peach blossoms of brilliant colors, birds chirping, and fragrant breezes blowing, making them feel as if they had entered a fairyland. They passed through the peach grove and suddenly saw dozens of sedan chairs flying by like colorful butterflies. Each sedan chair carried a young woman. The women varied in beauty, but all were dressed extravagantly. In the first sedan chair sat an extremely ugly girl: with a hollow, pumpkin-shaped face, cross-eyed, lion-shaped nose, protruding lips, and sparse hair like frost-bitten straw. To cover her ugliness, she waved a handkerchief and fluttered her sleeves, adopting a coquettish demeanor. She was adorned with sparkling jewels and jade ornaments that jingled, certainly a wealthy young lady.
Following the line of sedan chairs were poor girls without makeup, wearing coarse cloth clothes. The last girl, dressed in a coarse rose-red garment, was as beautiful as a celestial fairy.
Jiang Wensheng and Ma Xing were captivated, unable to look away, and involuntarily followed them. Soon, they arrived at a government office, and all the women entered inside.
Confused, Jiang Wensheng and Ma Xing asked the local people about this. A middle-aged woman told them: This place is called Taoyao Village. Every March, when the peach blossoms bloom, unmarried girls must enter the government office, where officials rank them according to beauty. Unmarried young men take an examination, and officials rank them based on literary talent. Then the local officials pair the men and women according to their beauty and talent.First-class participants are paired with first-class partners, and second-class participants are paired with second-class partners, arranged in order of ranking, to be married on the island on the same day. \ A kind-hearted middle-aged woman also said, 'If the two gentlemen are not yet married, why not give it a try? Today is the women's registration, tomorrow is the men's exam.' She urged Jiang Wensheng to stay at the inn and take the exam the next day. \ Jiang Wensheng was secretly pleased; he thought that with his outstanding literary talent and vast knowledge, he would surely take first place. That fairy-like girl would definitely be paired with him... Thinking this, he agreed to take the exam. \ That night, Ma Xing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He thought that since he was inexperienced and might fail, he wouldn't be able to marry a beautiful woman, so he needed to think of some tricks. But how could he manage on this unfamiliar island? Jiang Wensheng, however, was confident and soon fell asleep. The next day, the two of them went into the exam hall together. Jiang Wensheng wrote with spirit and completed a remarkable essay in one go. Ma Xing, on the other hand, chewed the end of his brush, scratched his ears and cheeks, and picked his nose. When it was time to hand in the papers, Ma Xing could only hastily write some messy characters and boldly submitted his exam. \ As soon as the two returned to the inn, someone came to reveal a hint from the examiner: 'Whoever brings out three hundred strings of copper coins can surely take first place.' Jiang Wensheng, upon hearing this, was furious: 'Bah, I never expected marriage exams to be so filthy. I would rather marry an ugly woman than take money.' The person slunk out dejectedly, and Ma Xing hurriedly followed. The two whispered outside the door for a while, and after Ma Xing returned to his room, his face showed joy. \ When the results were announced, Ma Xing actually got first place. Jiang Wensheng never imagined he would be ranked last. That ugly woman would be paired with him. Thinking about that woman's 'appearance,' Jiang Wensheng felt as if he had swallowed a fly and felt nauseated. \ Jiang Wensheng discussed with Ma Xing about quickly escaping from this place of dispute. Ma Xing sneered along with him: 'You, a fox who can't reach the grapes, want me to give up that fairy-like beauty? That's impossible.' Ma Xing refused to untie the boat, so Jiang Wensheng had to hide in the peach grove. The constables searched the entire island and caught Jiang Wensheng, warning him: 'Since you have registered for the exam, you must follow the marriage arrangement set by the authorities. If you dare to resist, you will be imprisoned for life.' On the third day, the local official paired the couples in order: Ma Xing, who had taken first place, would marry the first beauty; Jiang Wensheng, ranked last, had to marry the ugliest woman. \ Each couple married that night. Resigned, Jiang Wensheng entered the bridal chamber. Seeing the bride sitting on the bed, he closed his eyes and lifted the veil.But when he opened his eyes, he was greatly surprised to find that the bride was actually the beautiful woman wearing a coarse pink cloth dress from that day. Under the flickering candlelight, she looked even more charming and enchanting. Jiang Wensheng suspected he was dreaming and bit his finger in pain. But then he thought this couldn't possibly be the case – could it be that the official had made a mistake? The bride was delighted to see her groom graceful, elegant, and refined. Seeing his suspicion, she revealed the truth: “I was originally ranked first, but because my family was poor, when the chief examiner's agent came requesting three hundred strings of coins as congratulatory money, I sent him away. He held a grudge and placed me in the last spot.” Jiang Wensheng looked up to the sky and laughed: “This is truly blessed misfortune and unfortunate blessing. If I had spent money to buy the first rank back then, we wouldn't have been matched together.” The bride also sighed: “Yes, many things in this world are upside down. Even this Peach Blossom Village, away from the hustle and bustle of the world, is no exception. However, honest and kind-hearted people who follow the rules will eventually find happiness.” On their wedding night, the talented young man and the beautiful woman spent the night speaking intimately with each other.

The next day, Jiang Wensheng went to discuss returning home with Ma Xing. When he reached Ma Xing's bridal chamber, he saw Ma Xing staring blankly at the peach blossoms in front of the door, resting his chin in his hands. Jiang Wensheng called him three times before Ma Xing snapped out of his daze. The night before, Ma Xing's bride had been escorted into the bridal chamber by a group of maidservants. Eagerly lifting the cover off her face, Ma Xing was so shocked that he nearly fainted. His bride was none other than that ugly woman with a gap-toothed smile. He hurried to question the official responsible for the match, asking if it was a mistake. The official said it was correct – like Ma Xing, this ugly woman had spent money to buy the first rank. In fact, she had spent even more, paying a thousand taels of silver to buy the top rank for the most beautiful woman. The first-ranked man should be paired with the first-ranked woman; this was only logical.

When Ma Xing learned that Jiang Wensheng had married the beautiful woman he had seen that day, he was so angry that he fainted. Upon waking, he looked up at the sky and laughed uncontrollably before throwing all the silver he had brought into the sea: “This filthy money? Useful for nothing, harmful for everything, what good is it?” Ma Xing, driven mad, ran barefoot through Peach Blossom Village shouting: “Filthy money—you've ruined me—” Later, Jiang Wensheng and his wife took him back to his hometown by boat.

The following year, in the capital's grand examination, Jiang Wensheng took first place and became the top scholar. The current prime minister wanted to marry his only daughter to him, but Jiang Wensheng truthfully replied: “I already have a humble and virtuous wife, so I cannot comply.” Seeing his talent and virtue, the emperor soon appointed him as the inspector for the eight provinces of Jiangnan.