Chapter 11: Taizong Tours the Underworld and Returns to Life; Liu Quan Brings Melons and Is Rejoined with His Wife

A verse says:

A hundred years pass like water flowing;
the work of one whole life is no more than floating foam.
Yesterday the face was peach-blossom bright;
today white flakes of snow drift by the temples.
When the ant-ranks break, illusion shows itself for what it is;
when the cuckoo cries sharply, it is already time to turn back.
Since ancient times hidden goodness has lengthened life;
do good without asking pity, and Heaven will provide of itself.

Now then: Emperor Taizong drifted on in a blur of emptiness, his soul borne out before the Five-Phenix Tower, and before long he saw the imperial forest guard and cavalry drawing up the great carriage for a hunt. Delighted, he followed after them, floating on and on, until horse and men were gone. Then he found himself alone, wandering over desolate meadows and wild ground.

Just as panic rose in him because he could no longer find the road, a man called loudly from one side:

"Emperor of Great Tang, come this way, come this way!"

Taizong looked up. The man before him was:

Black gauze cap upon his head, rhinoceros-horn belt at his waist.
The soft ribbons of the cap trailed loose,
the gold fittings of the belt shone bright.
An ivory tablet in his hand gathered auspicious mist;
his silk robe held hidden radiance.
Powder-soled boots on his feet,
he seemed to tread cloud and herd the fog.
In his bosom he carried the register of life and death,
where survival and extinction are set down.
His temples were wild, hair flying over the ears;
his beard curled and danced about his cheeks.
In former days he had served as a minister in Tang;
now he stood over the ledgers before the King of Hell.

When Taizong came near, the man dropped to his knees by the roadside.

"Your Majesty, forgive your servant for failing to come farther out to meet you."

Taizong asked, "Who are you, and what brings you here to receive me?"

The man replied, "Half a month ago, in the Hall of Senluo, your servant saw the ghost-dragon of the Jing River accuse Your Majesty of promising rescue and then letting him die. So King Qin Guang, First King of the First Hall, sent ghost-messengers to summon Your Majesty here, that the Three Offices might hear the case face to face. Your servant learned of it and came ahead to wait and receive you. I only regret that I arrived late today, and beg your forgiveness."

Taizong asked, "What is your name? What office do you hold?"

The man said, "While alive, your servant attended Your Majesty's late imperial father and served first as magistrate in Cizhou, later as Vice Minister of Rites. My surname is Cui, my given name Jue. In the underworld I have now been appointed docket judge in charge of the records of Fengdu."

At this Taizong was delighted. He hurried forward and lifted him with his own hand.

"Sir, you have taken trouble on my behalf. Chancellor Wei Zheng placed a letter in my care for you, and now by good fortune we meet."

Judge Cui thanked him and asked where the letter was. Taizong drew it from his sleeve and handed it over. Cui Jue bowed to receive it, broke the seal, and read. It said:

Your younger brother in affection, Wei Zheng, bows and writes to his elder brother in the great docket, the venerable Master Cui: I remember our old friendship as if your voice and bearing still stood before me. In the blink of an eye several years have passed, yet no word of your honored instruction has reached me. At the changing seasons I have set out only humble offerings, never knowing whether they found their way to you. Not long ago, because you did not disdain me, you appeared in my dreams, and only then did I learn how high elder brother has risen. Yet yin and yang divide us, and though we stand beneath the same heaven and earth, we cannot meet face to face. Now my lord Emperor Taizong of Tang has suddenly died, and I suppose he will soon come before the Three Offices and have audience with you there. For the sake of the friendship we shared among the living, I beg you to show him some small favor and send him back to the world of light. That kindness I shall repay in gratitude hereafter. Nothing more.

When Judge Cui had read the letter, he was glad at heart.

"The matter of Wei Zheng's dream-beheading of the old dragon has long been known to me, and I have praised it without end. What is more, he has cared constantly for my descendants in the world above. Since he has now sent this letter, let Your Majesty set his heart at ease. Your servant will personally see that Your Majesty returns to life and climbs again to the jade gates."

Taizong thanked him.

Even as they were speaking, two blue-robed boys appeared carrying canopies and banners, crying:

"The Kings of Hell request your presence. Request your presence."

So Taizong set out with Judge Cui and the two boys. Before long they came to a city. Over the gate hung a great plaque inscribed in seven huge golden characters:

Ghost Gate Pass of the Netherworld Underworld

The blue-robed pages shook their banners and led Taizong straight into the city and down the streets. Along the roadside he saw the late Emperor Li Yuan, his elder brother Jiancheng, and his dead younger brother Yuanji.

"Shimin has come! Shimin has come!"

Jiancheng and Yuanji rushed forward together to claw and beat at him, shouting for his life. Taizong could not dodge in time and was caught fast. Luckily Judge Cui called up a green-faced, fang-toothed ghost-attendant and had Jiancheng and Yuanji driven back. Only then did Taizong escape and move on.

After a few more li he saw ahead a towered hall roofed in blue tile, magnificent beyond belief. Truly:

Layer on layer of colored cloud piled high,
dim through a thousand streaks of red mist.
Under the eaves the heads of strange beasts jutted bright;
fivefold roof-tiles shone like paired mandarin ducks.
The gate was studded with lines of red-gold nails;
the balustrade held one long stretch of white jade.
Windows near at hand gave off the glow of dawn-smoke;
the hanging curtains flashed like red lightning.
Tower and terrace rose to the blue sky itself;
covered walks and side-courts linked to jeweled compounds.
Beast-shaped braziers sent fragrant clouds over imperial robes;
scarlet lanterns lit palace fans.
To the left stood fierce ox-head warders,
to the right grim horse-face guards.
Golden tallies called the dead and sent off ghosts;
white streamers summoned souls and drew them in.
This was the General Assembly Gate of the Underworld,
and below it lay the Hall of Senluo of the old Yama Kings.

As Taizong stood gazing, there came the ringing of pendants and strange immortal fragrance. Two pairs of torch-bearers emerged, and behind them the Ten Kings of the Ten Courts themselves descended the steps to receive him: King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, King Song Di, King Wu Guan, King Yama, King Ping Deng, King Tai Shan, King Du Shi, King Bian Cheng, and King Zhuan Lun.

The ten kings came out from the jeweled Hall of Senluo, bent their backs, and bowed in greeting. Taizong was humble and would not advance.

"Your Majesty is king among the living," the ten kings said, "while we are kings among the dead. This is only proper. Why be so yielding?"

Taizong replied, "I have offended those under your command. How dare I speak of distinctions between living and dead?"

But at last, after much humility on both sides, he entered the Hall of Senluo, exchanged bows with the ten kings, and took his place as guest while they sat as hosts.

After a little time, King Qin Guang came forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"The ghost-dragon of the Jing River accuses Your Majesty of promising rescue and then causing his death. How is this?"

Taizong answered, "It is true that I dreamed of the old dragon begging for his life and promised him safety. Yet he had committed a crime that by law called for punishment, and it fell to Wei Zheng, that official of the human bureaucracy, to execute him. I summoned Wei Zheng to play chess before the throne and did not know that in a dream he would go and behead the dragon. That was the mysterious coming and going of my human minister's spirit, and the dragon himself was guilty unto death. How can it be counted my fault?"

The ten kings bowed.

"Even before the dragon was born, the register of the Southern Dipper had already recorded that he must die by the hand of a human official. We have long known this. Only because he insisted on arguing the case here did we summon Your Majesty so that the Three Offices might hear both sides. The dragon has already been sent into the wheel-store and reborn. Yet we have put Your Majesty to the trouble of coming here and beg pardon for pressing the summons."

Then they ordered the judge in charge of the ledgers of life and death to bring out the registers and see what span of years remained to the emperor in the world above.

Judge Cui hurried to the records room, first inspected the master register of the heavenly allotments of all kings beneath Heaven, and at last found under the Southern Continent:

Emperor Taizong of Great Tang: destined to die in Zhenguan year thirteen.

Judge Cui started in alarm. At once he took up a thick black brush and added two strokes to the one, turning it into three. Then he presented the register.

The ten kings read it from the top and found that beneath Taizong's name the life-allotment now ran to thirty-three years.

"How many years have you reigned?"

"This is the thirteenth."

"Then set Your Majesty's heart at ease. Twenty more years of life remain to you. This visit has made the case clear. Please return to the world of origin and live again."

Taizong bent and thanked them again and again. The ten kings then ordered Judge Cui and Commander Zhu to escort him back to life.

As Taizong left the Hall of Senluo, he asked the ten kings one more thing:

"How fare the old and young within my palace?"

The kings answered, "All fare well enough. We fear only that the span of your younger sister may not be long."

Taizong bowed once more and said, "When I return to the world above, I have nothing with which to repay your kindness but only melons and fruit."

The ten kings laughed with delight.

"Here we have eastern melons and western melons enough. Only southern melons are lacking."

"Then when I return I will send them at once, at once."

So they bowed to one another and parted.

Commander Zhu took a soul-banner in hand and led the way. Judge Cui followed behind, seeing Taizong safe along the road out of the underworld. Looking up, the emperor found that the path was not the one by which he had come.

"This is the wrong road, is it not?"

Judge Cui said, "It is not wrong. The underworld works in this way. There is a road for going in, but none for coming back by. We are now sending Your Majesty out by way of the wheel-store of rebirth. One reason is to let Your Majesty look upon the underworld; another is so that you may charge the world of the living to deliver the souls here."

Taizong could only follow.

After a few more li they came to a high mountain where dark clouds hung to the earth and black fog sealed the sky.

"What mountain is that, Master Cui?"

"The Mountain of Hidden Yin in the Netherworld."

Taizong shuddered. "How can I pass through such a place?"

"Set your mind at ease. We are here to lead you."

Trembling all over, Taizong climbed with them to the rocky heights and looked up. What he saw was:

Its shapes all broken and uneven, its force jagged beyond telling.
Steep as the passes of Shu, high as the cliffs of Lu.
No famous mountain of the world above,
but truly a perilous ground of the underworld.
Thorn and bramble clumped thick to hide ghostly things;
stone crags glinted in the gloom with evil spirits between them.
No cry of beast or bird came to the ear;
before the eye moved only demons and strange souls.
A sinister wind hissed, black fog spread wide.
That wind was the smoke blown from the mouths of divine soldiers;
that fog the breath of hidden ghosts.
Look high or low, and there was no true landscape.
Look left or right, and all was deathly riot.
There were mountains, peaks, ridges, caves, ravines -
yet the mountains bore no grass, the peaks pierced no heaven,
the ridges knew no travelers, the caves received no cloud,
and the ravines ran with no water.
On every bank crouched monsters; beneath every ridge clustered demons.
Wild ghosts were shut in the caves; evil souls hid in the ravines.
Before and behind the hills, ox-head and horse-face warders shouted in confusion.
Half-hidden among the rocks, hungry ghosts and poor souls sobbed face to face.
The judges who hasten death rushed about with their warrants;
the commanders who chase spirits bawled and drove their papers on.
Fast-runner spirits went like whirlwinds;
summoners and registrars moved in black clouds.

Only by clinging to Judge Cui's protection did Taizong make it over Yin Mountain.

Farther on they passed many more offices, and everywhere the ear was battered by grief and the heart startled by horrors.

"What place is this?"

Judge Cui answered, "Behind Yin Mountain lie the Eighteen Hells."

"Which eighteen?"

"Listen then," said Cui.

"The Hell of Hanging Tendons, the Hell of Wronged Darkness, the Hell of Fire Pits - barren and lonely, vexed and tormented - all are filled with those who, while living, committed a thousand kinds of deeds and only after death came here to suffer their names of punishment.

"The Hell of Fengdu, the Hell of Torn Tongues, the Hell of Flayed Skin - crying and weeping, wretched and miserable - these are for those who were disloyal, unfilial, false-hearted, and snake-minded.

"The Hell of Grinding, the Hell of Pounding, the Hell of Cart-Rending - skin split, flesh torn, mouths twisted in pain - these are for those who deceived others, blinded their own hearts, and with honeyed words secretly harmed their fellow men.

"The Hell of Cold Ice, the Hell of Shell-Stripping, the Hell of Guts-Pulling - filthy-faced, hair wild, brows knotted with grief - these are for those who cheated the simple with big measures and little scales and so piled disaster on themselves.

"The Hell of Boiling Oil, the Hell of Darkness, the Hell of Knife-Mountains - shaking with terror, crying in bitter sorrow - these are for the violent who oppressed the good, and who now cower alone.

"The Hell of Blood Ponds, the Avici Hell, the Hell of Balance-Beams - flayed to bone, arms broken, sinews torn - these are for those who murdered for gain, slaughtered beasts, and killed for profit, sinking for a thousand years without release and for ten thousand lives without escape."

He went on:

"Each soul there is bound fast with rope and chain. Red-haired ghosts and black-faced demons come armed with spears, swords, rods, and bronze hammers; ox-heads and horse-faces strike them till the blood runs. They call to earth and heaven alike, and no answer comes. It is just as the saying has it:

'Do not deceive your own heart while alive. Spirits and gods are plain to see. In the end good and evil are repaid; the only question is whether sooner or later.'"

Hearing this, Taizong felt horror settle in his bones.

A little farther on they came upon a band of ghost-soldiers kneeling beside the road, each one holding banners.

"The bridge-guides are here to receive you."

Judge Cui ordered them up, and they led Taizong over a Golden Bridge. On one side he saw another bridge of silver. Across it passed the loyal, the filial, the worthy, the just - all attended by banner-bearing guides. But on the other side there was yet another bridge, with cold wind rolling and blood-waves surging, and cries of grief rising without cease.

Taizong asked, "What bridge is that?"

Judge Cui answered, "That, Your Majesty, is called the Bridge of No Return. When you are back in the world above, you must make men remember it well. Below that bridge lies:

Rushing water vast and grim,
a road so perilous and narrow it seems a strip of cloth flung across a river,
or a fire-pit floating up from the lower world.
The yin-chill enters a man's bones;
the rank wind pierces his heart.
Waves rear and roll, but there is no ferryboat for those who come and go there.
Barefoot, hair wild, all who enter are ghosts made by their own deeds.
The bridge is several li long, only a few spans wide, a hundred feet high, and thousands deep.
No rail above; below, monsters snatching men away.
Yokes and fetters fasten the body as souls are driven up the dreadful bridge.
At the bridgehead the divine guards are fierce and stubborn;
in the river below the damned souls are beyond consolation.
On forked trees hang red and blue and yellow and purple garments.
By broken cliffs crouch the bawling women who cursed fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law or were wanton and foul.
Copper snakes and iron dogs fight to devour them.
Who falls into the River of No Return has no road back out."

A verse says:

Now and again come cries of ghosts and gods,
and blood-dark water rises ten thousand fathoms high.
Countless ox-heads and horse-faces,
grimly stand guard at the Bridge of No Return.

As Judge Cui spoke, the bridge-guides had already withdrawn. Taizong's heart filled with fresh alarm. He sighed to himself and followed Cui and Commander Zhu past the evil water of No Return and the bitter realm of the blood-basin.

Ahead they came upon the City of Wrongful Death. At once he heard a great uproar:

"Li Shimin has come! Li Shimin has come!"

Taizong's heart shook with fear. A crowd of ghosts came to block the road - broken-backed, one-armed, some with feet but no heads - all crying:

"Give me back my life! Give me back my life!"

Terrified, the emperor hid and dodged as best he could.

"Master Cui, save me! Save me!"

Judge Cui said, "Your Majesty, those are the souls of the kings and captains of the sixty-four rebel camps and the seventy-two outlaw strongholds, all violent dead who died with grievance upon them. They have no one to take them in, no one to manage them, no money or travel-fare in the underworld, and so have become cold and hungry ghosts. If Your Majesty gives them some money, then I can get you through."

Taizong said, "I came here empty-handed. Where am I to find money?"

Judge Cui answered, "There is a man in the world above whose gold and silver have long been deposited in our underworld. If Your Majesty will sign his name to a note, your servant may stand as guarantor and borrow one whole treasury from him. That can be distributed among these hungry ghosts, and then we may pass."

Taizong asked, "Who is this man?"

"A resident of Kaifeng in Henan, surnamed Xiang, given name Liang. He has thirteen treasuries of gold and silver here. If Your Majesty borrows one, you may repay it in the world above."

Taizong was greatly pleased and agreed at once. A note was drawn up in his name, and Judge Cui guaranteed it. One treasury of silver and gold was borrowed from Xiang Liang, and Commander Zhu handed it all out.

Judge Cui then proclaimed:

"Share these riches among yourselves and let the grandfather of Great Tang pass on. His life in the world above is not yet spent. I hold the command of the ten kings and escort him back to life. He will hold a great Water-Land Assembly in the world above and save you to rebirth. Trouble him no more."

The ghosts, hearing this, received the gold and silver, all murmured assent, and withdrew. Judge Cui ordered Commander Zhu to shake the soul-banner and lead the Tang emperor out of the City of Wrongful Death onto the great road of Pinyang.

After traveling some distance, they came to the place of the Sixfold Wheel of Rebirth. There Taizong saw some beings mounting cloud in brocade gowns, others bearing registers with golden fish at the waist; monks and nuns, laymen and women, beasts that ran, birds that flew, sprites and demons - all rushing in a great stream toward the wheel, each entering its own path.

Taizong asked, "What does this mean?"

Judge Cui answered, "Your Majesty is clear in mind and true in nature, so you must remember this and tell it to the world above. This is called the Sixfold Wheel of Rebirth. Those who do good rise into the immortal way. The loyal are reborn among the noble. The filial are reborn into blessed estates. The fair and upright return as human beings. Those who gather merit are reborn to wealth. The cruel and venomous sink into the ghost way."

Taizong nodded and sighed:

Truly good, truly good -
from good deeds no calamity comes.
Let the good heart remain earnest,
let the good way stand wide.
Stir up no evil thoughts,
and there will be less crookedness in men.
Do not say there is no requital.
Spirits and gods have their arrangements.

Judge Cui escorted Taizong all the way to the gate of Noble Rebirth and bowed.

"Your Majesty, this is the place of emergence. Your servant now takes leave. Commander Zhu will accompany you one stage farther. But once Your Majesty has returned to the world above, you must hold the Water-Land Assembly and deliver those masterless souls. Do not forget it. Only when the underworld no longer echoes with grievances may the world above enjoy peace. Everywhere there is wrong, let it be corrected one by one. Proclaim goodness to all under Heaven, and your descendants will flourish while your realm stands secure."

Taizong agreed to everything, took leave of Judge Cui, and entered the gate with Commander Zhu. Inside was a sea-red horse, fully saddled and bridled. Commander Zhu invited the emperor to mount, helped him on from either side, and away they went, the horse running like an arrow until they reached the bank of the Wei River.

There Taizong saw in the water a pair of golden carp, turning and leaping in the waves. He delighted in the sight and would not move on.

Commander Zhu said, "Your Majesty, hurry. Enter the city before the hour is gone."

But Taizong still lingered, gazing at the fish. At last Commander Zhu seized him by the foot and shouted:

"If you will not go, then what are you waiting for?"

With that he shoved him from the horse straight into the Wei River. In that instant Taizong was flung clear of the underworld and returned directly to the world of light.

Now while all this was happening, Xu Maogong, Qin Shubao, Hu Jingde, Duan Zhixuan, Ma Sanbao, Cheng Yaojin, Gao Shilian, Li Shiji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xiao Yu, Fu Yi, Zhang Daoyuan, Zhang Shiheng, Wang Gui, and the rest of the civil and military ranks had all remained with the crown prince, the empress, the consorts, the palace women, and the attendants, keeping vigil in White Tiger Hall. Some were already discussing the mourning proclamation that must be sent through the realm and how the crown prince should be enthroned.

Then Wei Zheng said from the side, "Wait. You must not do that. If word goes out to the provinces too quickly, disorder may follow. Let us wait one day more. Our lord will surely return."

Xu Jingzong stepped forward.

"Chancellor Wei speaks absurdly. Since ancient times spilled water has never been gathered up, nor the dead returned. How can you utter such empty words and confuse men's hearts?"

Wei Zheng answered, "I do not hide it from you: from my youth I received arts from immortals and understand calculation well. I guarantee the emperor will not die."

Even as they argued, a cry came from within the coffin:

"I'm drowning! I'm drowning!"

The civil officials panicked, the generals shook, the empress and consorts went white with terror. Faces turned yellow as mulberry leaves in autumn; waists wavered like young willows in spring. The crown prince's legs went soft beneath him, the attendants' souls flew loose, the concubines fell sprawling, the painted palace girls swayed and toppled like lotuses beaten flat by a storm. The whole White Tiger Hall became like a broken bridge or a collapsing temple.

Palace servants fled in all directions, and not one dared go near the bier. Only Xu Maogong, righteous Wei Zheng, bold Qin Qiong, and wild Yuchi Gong stepped forward to the coffin and cried:

"If Your Majesty has something on your mind, tell it to us. Do not play the ghost and terrify your own household."

Wei Zheng said, "This is no ghost-play. His Majesty is returning to life. Bring tools, quickly."

The coffin lid was opened, and there indeed sat Taizong within, still crying:

"I'm drowning to death! Who will drag me out?"

Xu Maogong and the others hurried up and helped him out.

"Your Majesty is awake. Do not fear. Your servants are here, guarding you."

Only then did the emperor open his eyes and say:

Hard indeed was my suffering:
I had scarcely escaped the demons of the underworld
before the water's edge nearly became the place of my death.

The ministers said, "Your Majesty, calm your heart. What water-disaster is this?"

Taizong replied, "I was riding my horse by the Wei River when I saw twin-headed fish at play in the water. While I was gazing at them in delight, Commander Zhu seized me by the foot and pushed me from the horse, and I fell into the river, almost drowned."

Wei Zheng said, "The ghost-breath has not yet dispersed."

At once he ordered the imperial physicians to bring calming and soul-settling decoctions, and also had porridge prepared. After one or two draughts and a few bowls of gruel, the emperor at last returned fully to himself and knew the world around him again. By the count of men, he had been dead three days and nights before returning to the living world to reign.

A verse bears witness:

Through ten thousand ages, how kingdoms change -
in every generation some fall and some arise.
Zhou, Qin, Han, and Jin all knew strange events,
yet who among them was like the Tang king, dead and alive again?

That day the sun was already setting, so the ministers asked the king to return to his chambers and rest. All withdrew. The next morning, the mourning robes were laid aside and bright court dress resumed. Red robes, black caps, purple sashes, and gold seals gleamed once more as the ministers gathered outside the gate awaiting the summons.

Taizong, having taken the calming medicines and nourishing broths, had slept soundly all night, restoring his spirit. At dawn he rose, gathered himself, and dressed in full imperial dignity:

A soaring crown upon his head,
a robe of russet-yellow on his body.
A belt of Lantian jade at his waist,
carefree founding-boots upon his feet.
His face noble as ever,
his majesty fiercer than before.
Truly he was the king of Great Tang in an age of peace and order,
Li the sovereign, risen from death back into life.

He ascended the Golden Chime Hall, gathered the civil and military ranks, and after the cries of ten thousand years were done, heard the herald say:

"Let those with matters to report step forth. Those with none may withdraw."

Then from the eastern side stepped Xu Maogong, Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, Xu Jingzong, and the rest. From the western side came Yin Kaishan, Liu Hongji, Ma Sanbao, Duan Zhixuan, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Hu Jingde, Xue Rengui, and the others. All bowed low before the white jade steps and said:

"Your Majesty, when you dreamed before, why did you remain gone so long before waking?"

Taizong answered:

"After receiving the letter from Wei Zheng, I felt my soul leave the hall. The imperial forest guard then invited me out to hunt. Before long the horsemen were gone, and I saw my late father and my dead brothers quarreling before me. In the midst of that trouble I met a man in black cap and dark robe - Judge Cui Jue - who drove my brothers off. I handed him Wei Zheng's letter.

"Then blue-robed pages with banners led me inward to the Hall of Senluo, where I sat in audience with the ten kings. They raised the matter of the Jing River dragon's false charge that I had promised rescue and then caused his death. I laid the whole truth before them. They said the case had already been heard before the Three Offices and ordered the registers of life and death brought forth to examine the span of my years.

"Judge Cui then passed them the ledgers. The kings saw that I had an allotment of thirty-three years and had only lived thirteen. So they said I still had twenty years of life remaining and ordered Commander Zhu and Judge Cui to escort me back. When I took leave of the ten kings, I promised them melons and fruits in repayment.

"After leaving the Hall of Senluo, I saw the punishments of the underworld laid upon those who had been disloyal and unfilial, lawless and faithless, wasteful of grain, cheats in open and secret, false in trade, adulterous and corrupt. They suffered grinding, burning, pounding, crushing, boiling, flaying, and hanging beyond count. There were thousands upon thousands, more than a man could bear to see.

"Then in the City of Wrongful Death I was blocked by the spirits of the sixty-four rebel camps and seventy-two outlaw hosts. Only because Judge Cui stood surety and borrowed one treasury of gold from old Xiang of Henan to buy them off could I pass. Judge Cui charged me then to hold a Water-Land Assembly in the world above to deliver the masterless ghosts, and he repeated the charge again and again.

"After we passed beneath the wheel of the six rebirths, Commander Zhu set me on a horse and flew like an arrow until we came to the Wei River. There I saw fish sporting at the surface, and while I was taken by the sight he seized my foot and pushed me down, and so I came back to life."

When the ministers heard this, all offered congratulations.

Thereafter proclamations were sent across the realm, and every prefecture and district submitted memorials of congratulation.

Taizong then issued pardons to the empire and reviewed the prisons. Among those held for hanging or beheading were more than four hundred men. He released them all to go home, bid farewell to parents and brothers, settle their goods among kin, and report back the same day next year to submit to their punishment. The prisoners thanked him and withdrew.

He also issued a proclamation of relief for the lonely and bereft. He ordered the three thousand young women of the palace released and matched to military households. From that time on, kindness spread through both court and common life.

A verse says:

Great Tang's king possessed enormous grace;
his virtue surpassed even Yao and Shun, and the people prospered.
Four hundred death-row prisoners all left their cells;
three thousand grieving palace women were released.
Officials throughout the realm praised his long life;
ministers at court saluted his dragon greatness.
One thought of goodness brought Heaven's protection down,
and its blessing was enough to pass through seventeen generations.

When the release of the palace women and the condemned prisoners was complete, Taizong further had an imperial proclamation posted throughout the empire. It declared in part:

Heaven and Earth are vast, and sun and moon look down in clear judgment. The universe is broad, and Heaven and Earth do not shelter the treacherous. Schemes of the heart and tricks of the hand bring their reward in this very life. Scatter goodness lightly and ask no return; speak not of blessings only in the world to come. A thousand cunning plans are not equal to living as one should; ten thousand strong-armed ruffians cannot match a frugal heart that follows its lot. If the heart walks in mercy and goodness, why labor to read scriptures? If the heart would harm others, what use is it to mouth a whole store of the Tathagata's teaching?

From that time, it is said, there was no man beneath Heaven who did not strive to do good.

On one side the court posted a notice seeking a worthy man willing to bring melons and fruit down to the underworld. On the other, it ordered one whole treasury of gold and silver sent with Yuchi Gong and Hu Jingde to Kaifeng in Henan, there to find Xiang Liang and repay the debt.

The proclamation hung for several days before a man came forward willing to carry the melons and fruit. He was a native of Junzhou, surnamed Liu, given name Quan, and he possessed wealth worth ten thousand strings of cash. Yet because his wife, Li Cuilian, had once drawn out a gold hairpin at the gate to give alms to a fasting monk, Liu Quan had scolded her for stepping out beyond the women's quarters and failing in proper wifely conduct. Li Cuilian, unable to bear the insult, hanged herself in anger.

She left behind a son and daughter both still small and weeping day and night. Liu Quan could not bear the sight of them. In the end he cast away his life, abandoned house and kin, left his children behind, and willingly chose death so that he might carry the melons in service to the state. He tore down the proclamation and came before the Tang king.

The king ordered that he be taken to the Pavilion of Golden Grace, there to balance a pair of southern melons on his head, tuck funeral money into his sleeve, and hold medicine in his mouth.

Liu Quan indeed swallowed poison and died. At once his soul, still carrying the melons and fruit, arrived at Ghost Gate Pass. The gate-guards shouted:

"Who are you, to dare come here?"

Liu Quan answered, "I come by imperial command from Emperor Taizong of Great Tang to present melons and fruit to the Ten Kings."

The ghost guards, delighted, led him on. He came straight before the Hall of Senluo, saw the kings, and made his offering.

"I bring these melons and fruits by command of the Tang king, in thanks for the leniency and mercy of the ten kings."

The kings were greatly pleased.

"What a ruler of faith and virtue this Emperor Taizong is!"

They received the melons and fruit, then asked the man who had brought them his name and native place. Liu Quan answered:

"I am a commoner of Junzhou, surnamed Liu, given name Quan. My wife Li hanged herself, leaving behind our children with no one to care for them. I willingly abandoned home and children and gave up my own body to repay the state by bringing this fruit and these melons in tribute to Your Majesties."

Hearing this, the ten kings ordered that Liu Quan's wife Li be brought up at once for inspection. The ghost-attendants fetched her to the hall, and there husband and wife met again beneath the Hall of Senluo. When they had spoken over all that had passed, they turned and thanked the ten kings for their mercy.

Then the kings examined the ledgers of life and death and discovered that both husband and wife still possessed a lifespan fit for ascent among immortals. At once they ordered that they be sent back.

But the ghost-attendants said, "Li Cuilian has been dead in the underworld a long time. Her body is long since gone. To what body can her soul be restored?"

The kings replied, "The imperial younger sister Li Yuying of Tang is just now due to die. Let Cuilian borrow that body and return to life in it."

The attendants took the order, and so Liu Quan and his wife set out together from the underworld to live again.

But how that husband and wife returned to life is another matter, and must wait for the next chapter.