"Testing for City God"
The grandfather of my brother-in-law, named Song Tao, was a scholar in our county. One day, while he was bedridden due to illness, a small official came to him with a letter and led a horse with a white patch on its forehead. The official said to him, "Please come for the examination." Song Gong replied, "The examiners haven't arrived yet, why do we need to take the exam right away?" The official didn't say much and urged Song Gong to set out. With no other choice, Song Gong had to mount the horse, despite his illness, and follow the official.
The journey was unfamiliar, and they arrived at a walled city, seeming like the capital of a king. In an instant, he found himself entering the palace with the official. The palace was splendid and magnificent, with a front hall where several officials were seated. Song Gong didn't recognize any of them except for the deity Guan Yu. Two tables and stools were set up outside the hall, and there was already a scholar sitting there. Song Gong sat down beside him, and pens and paper were placed on the table.
After a while, the exam questions were handed out. Upon looking at it, he saw eight characters: "One person, two people, with intent, without intent." In no time, both Song Gong and the other scholar completed their essays and submitted them to the hall. In Song Gong's essay, there was a sentence that said, "One who intends good, though good, shall not be rewarded; one who lacks intention for evil, though evil, shall not be punished." After the deities and officials read their essays, they praised them and summoned Song Gong to the hall. The order was given: "Henan is lacking a City God, and you are suitable for the role." Song Gong realized it with a start, bowed down in gratitude, and cried, "The great deity has shown affection for me, appointing me as a City God. I dare not decline. However, my elderly mother, over seventy years old, has no one to care for her. I beg the deity to allow me to serve my mother until her passing, and then I will take up the position." Seated in the central position, a figure resembling an emperor ordered for Song Gong's mother's life record to be examined. An official with a beard picked up the record and examined it, then reported, "She has nine more years of life." The deities hesitated, unable to reach a decision. Guan Yu suggested, "Why not let Zhang Sheng serve as a temporary replacement for nine years?" He then said to Song Gong, "Although you should have gone to take up your post immediately, considering your filial piety, we will grant you a nine-year leave. We will summon you when the time comes." Following this, Guan Yu gave the scholar Zhang Sheng a few words of encouragement, and both candidates kowtowed and left the hall.
The scholar Zhang Sheng accompanied Song Gong to the outskirts, introduced himself as a native of Changshan County surnamed Zhang, and composed a farewell poem for Song Gong. The exact wording had been forgotten, but the poem contained the lines: "Flowers and wine are ever present in spring, even without candles and lanterns, the night remains illuminated." Song Gong bid farewell and rode away.
Upon returning home, Song Gong felt like he had awoken from a dream, but by then he had already been dead for three days. Hearing groans from within the coffin, his mother opened it and found him awake. She helped him out, and it took some time for him to regain his ability to speak. He later inquired in Changshan County and indeed found that a scholar surnamed Zhang had died on the same day.
Nine years later, Song Gong's mother did pass away. After handling the mourning affairs, Song Gong bathed, donned new clothes, entered his room, and died. His father-in-law's family lived near the western gate of the city. One day, they saw Song Gong riding a horse with red tassels, accompanied by many carriages and horses, coming to bid them farewell. The entire family was astonished and puzzled, unaware that he had become a deity. They rushed to Song Gong's home to inquire, only to find out that Song Gong had already passed away.
Song Gong himself once wrote a brief account, but unfortunately, due to the chaos of war and hurried escape, it was not preserved. The recorded story provided here is only a rough summary.