Tales from the Top

List of Illustrations — 9
Introduction — 11
Illustrations — 21

Part 1 ANIMATION — 29
Crock and marksman — 31
Free-standing gown — 33
Jade horse shows a leg — 34
A too perfect model — 35
Marionettes play up — 36
All in the mind — 37
Stone statue harasses — 38

Part 2 CONJUGAL — 41
A fallen woman — 43
Love survives remarriage — 45
The Juliet motif — 47
Elopement condoned — 48
Young love blighted — 49
Wife sacrifices her honour in vain — 52

Part 3 KARMA — 55
Fox allows adultery — 56
Fox debauches wife — 58
Fox girl impersonates maid — 59
Saved lives averts rebirth as pig — 60
Generosity saves from fire — 62

Part 4 ANIMAL WELFARE — 65
Cruelty to animals — 66
Getting cut up — 68
Ox spared the butcher 69
Sharpshooter bested by spell — 70

Part 5 FOX FAIRIES — 71
Fox fairy rebuts — 73
Hiding in gourd — 73
Concubine impersonates fox fairy — 75
Fox fairy proves a handful — 77
Fox fairy escapes domestic tyranny — 79
A genteel lifestyle — 82

Part 6 GHOSTS — 85
Ghostland betrothals — 88
Belles-lettres in ghostland — 89
The tender trap in ghostland — 90
Poseur reprimanded in ghostland — 91
Unburied concubine appeals — 92
The ageing of ghosts — 94
Descriptions of ghosts — 94
Ghosts are everywhere — 95
Greedy ghost messengers — 97
Ghost recruits scholar — 99
Hanged ghost gets tactical advice — 101
Hanged ghost has a conscience — 103
Hanged ghost traps lovers — 105
Hanged ghost gang up — 107
Hanged ghost puts filial duty first — 108
Hanging and drowning averted — 109
Hungry ghosts secure redemption — 111
Hungry ghost’s impersonation falls flat — 113
Hungry ghost impersonates dead concubine — 115

Part 7 JI DOMESTIC — 117
Caring ancestors — 119
Dead first wife returns to advise second wife — 120
Death throws ducks — 121
Drum demon — 122
Ghost suspected — 123
Sack monster — 124
Toddler playmates — 124
Yaksha — 125
Saved from suicide by past kindness — 126
Yang beats yin — 127
Changji uprising — 128
Impiety punished — 129
Thwarted ghosts vow revenge — 130
Transmigration proved — 132

Part 8 SOCIETY — 133
A daughter’s revenge — 134
Fiendish cunning — 135
Trade in daughters — 137
Bandit rues arrogance — 140
Doctors’ rivalry — 140
Fake ghost comes to grief — 142
Fake bogeys — 143
An example to judges — 144
Masters worse than servants — 146
Monks, nuns and almsgiving — 147
Moralist gets own medicine — 149
Judge not in haste — 150
Please no torture — 152
Portrait mistaken for ghost — 153
Revenge taken on wife — 154
Discord among wives — 156

Part 9 UNCLASSIFIED — 157
Boy ages fast — 158
Saving mother-in-law raises woman to divinity — 159
Sorcerers redundant — 160
Stomach gremlins — 162
Tables turned — 163
Valour in battle elevates menial — 164
Weird flies — 165