Zhao Wang and his wife in Teng County were devout Buddhists, abstaining from meat, and widely known in the village as "the Benevolent Couple," maintaining a modest livelihood. Their daughter, named Xiao Er, was intelligent and strikingly beautiful, and Zhao doted on her. When Xiao Er was six, she attended the private academy with her elder brother, Changchun, mastering the Five Classics within five years. Among her classmates was Ding Sheng, whose courtesy name was Zimò; he was a few years older than Xiao Er, known for his refined literary talent, and a mutual affection blossomed between them. Ding Sheng formally requested his mother to propose marriage to the Zhao family, but Zhao Wang sternly refused.

Not long after, Zhao Wang joined the White Lotus Society, rebelling alongside Xu Hongru, and the entire family was thus branded as rebels. Xiao Er, possessing sharp intellect and understanding, mastered magical arts—such as conjuring horses from cut paper or soldiers from scattered beans—as soon as she learned them. Xu Hongru accepted six female disciples in total, and Xiao Er proved the most gifted, absorbing the entirety of Xu’s true teachings.

Zhao Wang, capitalizing on his daughter's rising influence, was also treated with considerable regard. That year, Ding Sheng turned eighteen, still unmarried and refusing all discussion of matrimony, his heart fixed solely on Xiao Er. He consequently enlisted under Xu’s banner. Xiao Er was delighted to see him, and the two grew exceedingly close. In her capacity as Xu’s disciple, Xiao Er managed military affairs, moving in and out day and night, so rarely seen by her parents that even they struggled to catch a glimpse.

However, every night she met with Xu, dismissing all attendants to converse deeply until the third watch. Ding Sheng privately urged Xiao Er, "Do you know the true purpose behind my coming here?" Xiao Er replied, "I do not." Ding Sheng pressed, "I am not one to chase after power or seek advantage through association with the mighty. I came here, in truth, for you. The White Lotus path is unorthodox; it courts inevitable ruin. You are astute; you cannot fail to see this. Come away with me." Upon hearing this, Xiao Er awoke as if from a dream and stated, "To abandon kin and flee for one's life is an act of disloyalty; we must first inform our parents." The two sought an audience with Zhao Wang, laying out the dire consequences in detail, but Zhao Wang remained obstinately deluded, chuckling, "My Master is a divine being; how could he possibly err?"

Seeing her father deaf to all counsel, Xiao Er’s heart grew cold. She changed her attire and disguised her appearance, producing two paper kites from her sleeve. Each of them took hold of one, and the kites unfurled their wings, soaring side-by-side, moving as swiftly as living birds. By dawn, they reached the jurisdiction of Laiwu. Xiao Er lightly touched the neck of her kite with her finger, causing it to descend. They changed their mounts for horses and rode north of the mountains, where they constructed a thatched hut and withdrew to live in seclusion, avoiding the unrest.

In their hurried departure, the couple had forgotten to bring travel funds, and provisions soon grew scarce, causing Ding Sheng considerable anxiety. He approached neighbors to borrow grain, but no one was willing to help. Xiao Er showed no worry, treating the matter lightly. She sold her bracelets and earrings to subsidize their household expenses. The two spent their days in quiet contemplation, challenging each other with lantern riddles and reciting poetry to test their knowledge. The loser was punished by a light strike to the arm.

Their neighbor, an older man named Weng, was a known local hero of the jianghu. One day, upon returning from a hunt, Xiao Er remarked, "Old Man Weng is wealthy; what worry have I? If I ask to borrow a thousand pieces of silver, do you think he will agree?" Ding Sheng replied, "That will likely be difficult." Xiao Er countered, "I have a way to make him willingly lend the money." As she spoke, she cut paper into the shape of a Judge from the Underworld, placed it on the ground, and covered it with a chicken coop. She then pulled Ding Sheng onto the bed, brewed wine, and began reading the Rites of Zhou, playing drinking games and guessing characters. They agreed that either party could randomly point to a page, line, and character in the book for mutual inspection. If the revealed character contained the radical for 'food' (), 'water' (), or 'wine/alcohol' (), the other party had to drink a cup; if the character revealed was 'wine' () itself, the penalty was doubled.

Subsequently, Xiao Er uncovered the characters "Wine Person" (). Ding Sheng poured a full, large cup of wine and urged her to drink quickly. Xiao Er took the opportunity to make a silent vow: "If I successfully borrow the silver, may fate reveal a character containing the radical for 'drink' ()." Ding Sheng turned the page and found the characters "Turtle Person" (). Xiao Er laughed, "The matter is settled; you must drink." Ding Sheng protested, but Xiao Er insisted, "You are of the water tribe; it is fitting that you drink the turtle’s share." As the two were playfully arguing, they suddenly heard rustling from within the chicken coop. Xiao Er rose, saying, "The silver has arrived." She lifted the coop to examine the contents. There, nestled in a cloth pouch, lay countless pieces of gold. Ding Sheng, seeing this, was overjoyed beyond measure.

Later, Weng’s wife visited their home for idle chat and mentioned the matter of the lost gold: "When my husband first returned, he was sitting by the lamp late at night. The floor suddenly cracked open, revealing an abyss of unknown depth. A Judge emerged from the fissure, proclaiming in a deep voice, 'I am an emissary of the Underworld. The Judge of Mount Tai summons the officials of the netherworld, requiring a thousand silver lamps, ten taels per lamp. You, sir, have committed countless misdeeds in life; if you wish to redeem yourself, quickly donate one hundred silver lamps.' My husband was terrified upon hearing this and immediately offered a thousand pieces of silver after burning incense and praying. The Judge then vanished as the earth sealed itself shut." Hearing this, Xiao Er and her husband feigned astonishment, murmuring in wonder.

From that point onward, the couple purchased cattle and horses, hired servants, and built their own grand residence, becoming quite wealthy. Local ruffians, greedy for their wealth, banded together and scaled the wall to rob them. Ding Sheng and Xiao Er awoke from a dream to find torches blazing and robbers filling their main hall. Two of the vagrants seized Ding Sheng, while another moved to grab Xiao Er. Xiao Er rose, completely naked, pointed a finger at the bandits, and commanded, "Stop moving. All of you, stop moving." As soon as the words left her lips, thirteen bandits stood frozen, their tongues lolling out, utterly like wooden puppets.

Xiao Er quickly dressed and summoned her household staff to restrain the robbers, tying their hands behind their backs. She inquired into their motives and sternly rebuked them: "My husband and I came here seeking refuge, hoping for mutual support from our neighbors. I never expected you to commit such an unjust and cruel act. If you are truly facing dire circumstances, you should have told me plainly. Am I a miser clinging to wealth? You have committed the deeds of jackals and wolves and deserve execution. But I cannot bear it; I shall let you go this time. Should you offend again, I shall show no mercy." The bandits bowed deeply in thanks and departed.

Before long, He Hongru was captured, and Zhao Wang and his wife, along with their daughter, were all executed. Ding Sheng bribed the local magistrate with gold and silver, managing to save Changchun’s young son, whom he then raised with devoted care. The child was just three years old; they treated him as their own, changed his surname to Ding, and named him Chengqi. Because of this connection, everyone in the village knew that Xiao Er and her husband were remnants of the White Lotus faction. Coincidentally, a locust plague struck. Xiao Er deployed several hundred paper kites across the fields; the locusts turned away, refusing to enter their land, and the crops were entirely spared. Conversely, the villagers lost every grain, growing intensely jealous and denouncing the couple to the authorities, revealing them to be White Lotus collaborators. The officials used this as an excuse for extortion; Ding Sheng spent a fortune to avert disaster, bribing the county magistrate with untold sums of silver to secure their freedom.

Xiao Er remarked, "Our wealth was acquired through improper means; it ought to be dispersed. But in a land filled with venomous snakes and vipers, we cannot remain long." The couple sold their property at low prices and relocated west of Yidu.

Xiao Er was naturally clever and adept at managing a household; her business acumen surpassed that of any man. She eventually opened a glassworks, hiring laborers and personally instructing them in their crafts. All the lighting fixtures produced in the factory featured novel designs that competitors could not match; they were expensive yet sold quickly. Within several years, the couple had accumulated immense fortune. Xiao Er managed her workforce with extreme strictness; hundreds of laborers worked diligently, none daring to be idle.

In their leisure time, the couple either sipped tea and played chess or amused themselves by reading historical texts. The accounts of money and the servants' tasks were inspected every five days. Xiao Er managed the tally sticks herself, while Ding Sheng held the ledger, checking names: the diligent were rewarded, the lazy punished. On the day of inspection, the evening was declared a holiday, and the couple hosted a feast, inviting all servants and maids to drink and sing folk songs for entertainment.

Xiao Er possessed near-divine insight, and no one dared deceive her. Her rewards and punishments were meticulously fair, earning her deep respect from all. Among the two hundred households in the village, the majority who were poor received aid from Xiao Er, causing the number of idle loafers to vanish.

During a severe drought, Xiao Er instructed the villagers to erect an altar in the wilderness. She was carried out in a sedan chair, then stepped down and performed incantations. Torrential rain poured down, nourishing the seedlings across a radius of five li. Everyone revered her.

When Xiao Er went out, she never concealed her face. Young men who caught sight of her beauty would praise her in private, yet when they met her in person, they would stand in respectful awe, unable to look up directly. Every autumn, the village children were excused from fieldwork; Xiao Er paid them wages to collect wild vegetables and dry them. Over twenty years, their house filled with dried provisions.

Soon after, a famine struck Shandong, leading to cannibalism. Xiao Er brought out the preserved vegetables, steaming them mixed with coarse rice to relieve the starving masses. She saved countless lives; not a single person in the entire village starved to death.

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