Free Censored by Confucius by Mei Yüan

full moon when they were interrupted by someone calling Hua's name. In the darkness Hua could see that the voice belonged to someone standing just beyond the wall. He hurried over and recognized the man to be the scabby monk. The monk took him by the arm and said, "The ghost's life is drawing to a close. I have come here especially to exorcise her from your household." It became apparent from the young man's expression that he was not very pleased with this news and so the monk continued. "I know that the ghost hasslandered me. For this I am even less inclined to forgive her." He wrote out another two charms for Hua and said, "Quick! Go and capture her!"
    The young man turned to go, but then hesitated and finally stopped. So his parents, who had come out to see what was happening, carried the charms to his wife's residence instead. Hua's wife was ecstatic. Holding the charms, she walked towards the woman, who shook and shivered in fright. They then bound the woman's hands and carried her outside.
    The woman wept and pleaded with Hua. "I knew that my life was nearly over and I know that I should have left before, but I was so deeply in love with you that I kept delaying my departure. Now this calamity has befallen me. I have loved you dearly all these years and soon we will be parted forever. I beg you to put me in the shade of the wall, away from the moonlight, so that I might be reprieved of my death sentence. Have pity on me, will you?"
    The young man did not have the heart to see her die in such misery, so he carried her to the shaded side of the wall and untied her hands. The woman promptly leaped into the air and was transformed into a streak of black smoke that sped through the sky. The Daoist monk immediately let out a shrill cry and gave chase through the air to the southeast.
    Nobody knows what became of them.

Ghosts Who Play with Firecrackers May Burn Themselves
    In Shaoxing there was a mansion that remained, on its owner's instructions, locked fast. It happened one day that a traveler came by seeking lodgings for the night.
    The owner of the mansion informed him, "You are quite welcome to rent the eastern mansion, but you do so at your own peril."
    Our traveler inquired as to the meaning of this cryptic welcome and was told, "The building was previously used for storage, and my two servants were quartered there. Late one evening we were disturbed in our nighttime preparations by a frightful howling from the mansion. We rushed over and found the servants pale and shaking, speechless with fear. It was quite some time before they regained their composure.
    "They later told me, 'Just before we had blown the candle out in preparation for sleep, a creature in the form of a huge stone monument came to our bedside, opened the bed curtain, and made as if to join us. Frightened beyond belief, we ran from the building screaming. This is the truth for we saw this creature with our own eyes.' Naturally, after this strange event no one has dared live in that building."
    After hearing the owner reach the end of his tale our traveler simply laughed and said, "I'll give it a try."
    His host tried in vain to dissuade him from such a reckless course, but in the end he was compelled to sweep out the dust, put down some mats, and prepare the building for residence.
    On entering his temporary home the traveler, armed with his sword, went directly to the top floor. There he lit a candle and waited.
    Finally, in the deep of the night, his patience was rewarded by a rustling sound emanating from the northern end of the room. He gazed in that direction and in the gloom made out the form of the ghost. It looked just as the landlord had described.
    The ghost jumped onto a chair and began examining some books that had been left on the table. Soon wearying of this pastime, the ghost proceeded to empty the contents of our traveler's luggage onto the table and inspect them one by one.

    Among the various items of personal use were several batches