In “The Examination for the Post of City God” from Strange Tales from Liaozhai Studio, why would Song Tao go to Changshan to inquire about Scholar Zhang?
Song Tao traveled to Changshan County to investigate Scholar Zhang’s background because the two had interacted in the underworld, where Zhang disclosed his place of origin.
During his illness, Song Tao was taken to the underworld to take an examination, where he collaborated with Scholar Zhang on the test questions. After passing the exam, Song Tao was appointed as the City God of Henan Province. However, since his elderly mother was still alive, Yama King (King of Hell) permitted him to delay his duties until her death. Consequently, Scholar Zhang was assigned as the acting City God temporarily.
As Scholar Zhang escorted Song Tao to the outskirts of the underworld, he introduced himself as a native of Changshan County and composed a farewell poem for Song Tao.
After returning to the human world, Song Tao sought to verify the authenticity of his underworld experience. He journeyed to Changshan to confirm whether Scholar Zhang truly existed and whether Zhang had died on the day of the examination.
Ultimately, he discovered that Scholar Zhang had indeed died on the same day as himself. The reason Song Tao revived was solely because Yama allowed him to return to care for his mother.
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