The Master said:“Was Shun not the epitome of filial piety?His virtue made him a sage; his honor made him Son of Heaven;he possessed the wealth of all within the Four Seas.He is honored in ancestral temples, and his descendants preserve his legacy.
The man of steadfast morals does not pray for happiness, but Heaven, without him knowing it, fulfills his heart’s desires.
The Merchant’s Son (Jia Er), from Pu Songling’s Strange Tales from Liaozhai, unfolds in the Chu region. A merchant departs on business, leaving his wife and young son at home.
Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Wang Lan recounts the supernatural journey of Wang Lan from Licheng County, Shandong.
The story Forty Thousand Coins from Strange Tales from Liaozhai by Pu Song ling serves as a karmic allegory, illustrating the Buddhist-Confucian principle that debts — whether material or moral — must inevitably be repaid.