Xi Fangping is from Dong'an. His father's name was Xi Lian, who was honest and honest by nature. He had a grudge against Yang, a rich man from the same village. Yang died first. A few years later, Xi Lian was seriously ill and dying. He said to people: "Sheep has now bribed the servants of the underworld.I asked them to torture me. "After a while, his whole body was red and swollen, and he screamed and died. Xi Fangping was so sad that he couldn't eat, and said: "My father is honest and stupid, and now he is being bullied and humiliated by evil spirits; I want to go to the underworld to avenge him. "From then on, he stopped talking. Sometimes he sat and sometimes stood, as if he was dementia. It turned out that his soul had left his body.
Xi Fangping felt that when he first went out, he didn't know where he was going. He saw people walking on the road, so he asked for the way into the city. Soon, he entered the city. His father is already in jail. When he came to the prison gate, he saw his father lying under the eaves from a distance, looking very embarrassed. Xi Lian looked up and saw his son, with tears falling down his face, and said to his son: "All the guards in the prison have suffered." Someone bribed me and tortured me day and night until my legs were broken!" Xi Fangping was very angry and cursed the guards: "If my father is guilty and has his own laws, how can he be manipulated by you damn ghosts!" So he walked out of the prison and took the Start writing a petition. Just when the city god was sitting in court in the morning, he went to complain and submit an appeal. Yang was frightened and bribed everyone inside and outside before appearing in court to confront him. The city god said that Xi Fangping's accusation had no basis and considered him unreasonable. Xi Fangping was dissatisfied and had no place to complain, so he walked more than a hundred miles in the dark to the county government office, and reported the case of the Chenghuang government officials' malpractice for personal gain to the county government office. The lawsuit was delayed for half a month before it came to trial. The county magistrate went to court and actually beat Xi Fangping, but still sent him back to the City God for review. Xi Fangping arrived at the county seat and was tortured. His tragic grievances could not be resolved. The city was afraid that he would sue again, so he sent officers to escort him home. The officer escorted him to the door and returned.
Xi Fangping refused to enter the house and ran to the Palace of the King of Hell, accusing the county magistrate and the city god of cruelty, corruption and perversion of the law. The King of Hell immediately arrested them for confrontation. The county magistrate and the city god secretly sent their confidants to negotiate with Xi Fangping and promised to give him a thousand taels of silver. Xi Fangping refused. A few days later, the innkeeper said to him: "You have gone too far with your anger. The government is suing for peace, but you insist on refusing. Now I heard that the county magistrate and the city god have given many gifts to the King of Hell. I'm afraid your lawsuit will not go well." Yes." Xi Fangping didn't quite believe it because he thought it was hearsay. Soon, a government servant in black summoned him to the government office. When he went to the court, he saw the king of hell with an angry face and refused to say anything, so he ordered him to be beaten with twenty big sticks. Xi Fangping asked sternly: "What crime did the villain commit?" The King of Hell looked coldly, as if he didn't hear. While leaning against the board, Xi Fangping shouted: "I deserve to be beaten! Who told me that I have no money!" The King of Hell became even more angry and ordered people to put him on the fire bed. Two ghost servants dragged him down, and they saw an iron bed under the steps on the east side. The fire was blazing below, and the bed surface was roasted red. The ghost servants stripped off Xi Fangping's clothes, lifted him up and placed him on the fire bed. They rubbed and pressed him over and over again. Xi Fangping was in extreme pain. His bones and flesh were all burnt black, but he could not die. After about an hour, the ghost servant said: "That's enough." He helped him up and urged him to get out of bed and get dressed. Fortunately, he could still walk with a limp. Once again in the hall, the King of Hell asked: "Do you still dare to appeal?" Xi Fangping said: "I will not give up if I have not redressed my grievance. If I say I can't appeal, it is deceiving the king. I must appeal!" The King of Hell asked again: "You What are you suing for?" Xi Fangping said, "I will tell you whatever happened to me personally!" The King of Hell was so angry that he ordered his body to be cut open with a saw.
So, two ghost servants pulled Xi Fangping away and saw a wooden stake standing upright, about eight or nine feet high, with two wooden boards placed horizontally underneath. The wooden boards were covered with vague blood stains. The ghost servants were about to tie him up when suddenly the hall shouted "Xi Fangping", and the two ghost servants immediately took him back. The King of Hell asked again: "Do you still dare to sue?" Xi Fangping replied: "I must sue!" The King of Hell ordered the ghost soldiers to pull him down and saw him quickly. After leaving the hall, the ghost servant used two wooden boards to clamp the mat Fangping and tied it to the wooden stakes. As soon as the saw was pulled down, Xi Fangping felt that the top of his head was gradually cracking and the pain was unbearable, but he still resisted shouting. Just listen to the ghost servant say: "What a tough guy!" The sound of the saw rumbled, and it quickly cut into the chest. I heard another ghost servant say: "This man is a filial son, and he was tortured innocently. Let the saw be slightly biased so as not to damage his heart." Then he felt the blade of the saw bending and pulling down, which made it even more painful. After a while, his body was sawed in half. Oniya untied the board and both halves of his body fell down. The ghost servant went to court and reported loudly. A message was passed down in the hall, telling him to close his body and go to see the King of Hell. The two ghost servants pushed the two bodies together, closed them again, and pulled him away. Xi Fangping felt a saw crack on his body, which was so painful that it seemed like it was about to split open again. He took half a step and fell down. A ghost servant took out a ribbon from his waist and handed it to him, saying, "I give this to you to reward your filial piety." Xi Fangping took it and tied it around his waist. He suddenly felt strong and strong and no pain at all. So he went to the hall and knelt down. The King of Hell asked him again as before; Xi Fangping was afraid that he would be tortured again, so he replied: "I won't sue." The King of Hell immediately ordered him to be sent to the underworld. The officer led him out of the north gate, showed him the way home, turned around and went back.
Xi Fangping thought that the darkness in the underworld was worse than that in the earth, but he couldn't let the Emperor of Heaven know. Legend has it that Guankou Erlang is a meritorious official and relative of the Emperor of Heaven. This god is smart and upright, and appeals to him will definitely be effective. He was secretly glad that the two guards had left, so he turned and walked south. While he was running, two people caught up with him and said, "The king of hell is suspicious that you won't go home. Now it's really the case." They grabbed him and went to see the king of hell again. Xi Fangping thought that the King of Hell would be even more angry and suffer even more cruel torture. But the King of Hell showed no anger at all and said to Xi Fangping: "You are indeed filial. However, I have vindicated your father's grievances for you. He has now been reincarnated into a wealthy family, so why are you complaining? Now I will send you back. Are you satisfied with the reward of a thousand gold pieces of property and a hundred years of life?" So the King of Hell recorded these in the book, stamped it with a big seal, and let Xi Fangping see it with his own eyes. Xi Fangping thanked him and came down. The ghost servant came out with him, and when they got to the road, they drove him away and cursed: "You are a slippery man! You have repeated this many times, making people rush back and forth, and you are exhausted to death! If you do it again, I will catch you in the big mill and grind you carefully." Grind!" Xi Fangping glared and reprimanded: "What the hell are you doing! I can withstand knife and sawing, but I can't stand whipping. Please let me go back to see the king. If the king lets me go home by myself, why do you need to send me there? ?" He said and ran back. The two ghost servants panicked and persuaded him to come back with kind words. Xi Fangping deliberately pretended to be lame and walked slowly. After walking a few steps, he took a rest on the side of the road. The ghost servants were holding back their anger and dared not speak any more. After walking for about half a day, we came to a village. There was a door that was ajar. The ghost servant asked Xi Fangping to sit down with him, and Xi Fangping sat on the threshold. Two ghost slaves took advantage of him and pushed him into the door. Xi Fangping was startled and looked at himself carefully. He was reincarnated as a baby. He cried angrily and refused to nurse, and died in three days.
His soul was wandering, and he could not forget to go to Guankou. After running for dozens of miles, I suddenly saw an official car coming towards me with a feather-decorated umbrella canopy and flags and honor guards all over the road. Xi Fangping crossed the road to escape, not wanting to collide with the honor guard. He was caught by the knight who was clearing the way, tied up and brought to the front of the car. Xi Fangping looked up and saw a young man sitting in the car. He had an extraordinary appearance and an extraordinary appearance. The man asked Xi Fangping, "Who are you?" Xi Fangping had nowhere to vent his grievances and anger. He also guessed that this man must be a high official, perhaps with the power to exercise authority and reward, so he told all the cruel and painful things he had suffered. Ichiban. The people in the car ordered him to be untied and let him follow the car. Soon, he came to a place where more than a dozen officials greeted him on the roadside. The people in the car greeted them in their own way. Then he pointed at Xi Fangping and said to an official: "This is a person from the lower world. He is going to file a complaint with you. You should make a ruling for him immediately." Xi Fangping asked his entourage and found out that the person sitting in the car was the Nine Emperors of the Emperor of Heaven. The king is the Erlang Shen whom he entrusted. Xi Fangping looked at Erlang Shen. He was tall and bearded, which was different from the legend in the world.
After the Nine Kings left, Xi Fangping followed Erlang Shen to an official office and saw his father, Yang and the guards there. After a while, several prisoners walked out of a prison car. They turned out to be the King of Hell, the County Secretary, and the City God. Erlangshen immediately interrogated and confronted Xi Fangping in court, and Xi Fangping's accusations were true. The three ghost officials were trembling all over and lying on the ground like mice. Erlang Shen took up his pen and made a judgment on the spot; after a while, the judgment was handed down and the people involved in the case were called to watch it together. The verdict reads:
"I found out about the King of Hell: I hold the title of king and receive the favor of the emperor. I should be loyal and honest, and set an example for the ministers; I should not be corrupt and pervert the law, which will bring criticism to the government. But you, with your glorious ceremonial guard, vainly show off the dignity of your official position; you are cruel and greedy, It actually tarnished the integrity of the ministers. The axes were hammered, the chisels were dug into the wood, and the skin and bones of women and children were squeezed out layer by layer. The whales swallowed the big fish, and the big fish ate the shrimps. The strong bullied the weak, and the common people who were like ants were really pitiful. . We should bring water from the Xijiang River to cleanse your dirty intestines. We should immediately heat up the iron bed under the east wall and let you taste the fire. City God and County Secretary: As the parents and officials of the people, you govern the people on behalf of God. .Although the position is low, those who can dedicate themselves will work tirelessly; even if there are high-ranking officials who force you to do their best, ambitious people should not give in. But you are colluding together, as fierce as an eagle, and do not consider the poverty of the people at all; you play all tricks , as cunning as a monkey, and don't even care about the poor man's lack of oil and water. He is greedy and perverts the law, he is really a human with a beast's heart! He should pick out the bone marrow, shave off the hair, and execute him in the underworld first; he should also peel off the human skin and replace it with animal skin, and then let you Reincarnation. Underworld servant: Since you are a ghost, you are no longer a human being. You should cultivate yourself and do good deeds in the yamen, and maybe you can recover your body; how can you make trouble in the sea of suffering and commit more heinous crimes? Moreover, he is so domineering and intimidating the people, like a dog His face is as cold and ruthless as the severe frost in June; he rushes wildly, pretending to be a tiger and a fox, blocking the roads extending in all directions. He exerts his lustful power in the underworld, and everyone knows how powerful the jailers are; he encourages cowardly officials to do evil.
Everyone knows how powerful the jailers are; they encourage weak officials to commit evil acts, making everyone tremble in fear when they talk about executioners. Your limbs should be chopped off in the execution ground, and your bones should be fished out of the oil pan. Yang: Being rich is unkind, cunning and treacherous. You covered the whole underworld with the light of gold and silver, so that the palace of Yama was filled with darkness; the stench of copper coins infected the sky, causing good people to die in vain in the city without ever seeing the light of day. The residual smell of money can even control the devils, but the vast financial resources can be used to communicate with gods. Yang's property should be confiscated and used to reward Xi Fangping's filial piety. The prisoner was immediately taken to Mount Tai for execution. "
Erlang Shen said to Xi Lian again: "In memory of your son's filial piety and righteousness, since your nature is kind and cowardly, I will grant you thirty-six years of life."
So he sent two to take them back to their hometown. Xi Fangping copied the verdict and the father and son read it together on the way. After arriving home, Xi Fangping woke up first. I asked my family to open the coffin to see my father. They saw that the body was still stiff and cold. After waiting for a day, he gradually got warmth and came back to life. They then looked for the transcribed verdict, but it was gone.
From then on, their family became richer day by day; in three years, fertile fields were everywhere; but Yang's descendants declined, and the pavilions and fields were all owned by the Xi family. In the village, a man who bought the Yang family's land dreamed of a god scolding him at night: "This is the Xi family's property, how can you own it!" The man didn't believe it at first, but later he grew crops and could only earn one liter and a half a bushel a year. If he couldn't receive it, he sold it to the Xi family again. Xi Fangping's father died when he was in his nineties.