Dong Shangshu’s household in Qingzhou maintained severe rules; neither the servants within nor those without dared to mingle. One day, a male servant and a maid were caught playfully teasing each other by Dong Shangshu himself, who immediately erupted in a loud reprimand. Startled, the servant and maid scattered in opposite directions.

That night, Dong Shangshu shared the room with his young attendant for rest. It was the height of summer, stiflingly hot, so to catch a breeze, Dong Shangshu left the door ajar. Around the first watch, the attendant was suddenly awakened by a piercing shriek seeming to emanate from his master's vicinity. In the moonlight, he perceived a silhouette—the very same servant from the afternoon—who then slipped out the door carrying something in his hand. Since the servant was one of their own household, the attendant paid it no mind and simply closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep.

Suddenly, the sound of leather boots hitting the courtyard stone echoed. A towering, red-faced man with a long beard, holding a human head, entered the room. He bore an uncanny resemblance to the image of Guan Erye from the local temple. The attendant was terrified, scrambling under the bed, daring not to move. He then heard a distinct clack-clack sound coming from the master’s bed—perhaps the rustle of cloth shaking, or perhaps the sound of skin being rubbed—which continued for quite some time before finally ceasing. Immediately afterward, the sound of leather boots striking the stone floor resumed, gradually fading away; it seemed Guan Erye had departed.

The attendant crawled out from under the bed. The window was bathed in bright moonlight. He reached out to touch the [Note: Blank in original text, likely referring to the master's body or bed], and his hands came away slick with blood. Alarmed, he shouted loudly and cried out.

Dong Shangshu was roused by the commotion. The two lit a lantern to investigate and found the floorboards and bed drenched in blood, leaving them stunned and utterly baffled as to the cause. At that moment, the sound of official runners knocking at the door was heard. Dong Shangshu opened it himself. Upon seeing Dong Shangshu, one officer turned pale, repeatedly exclaiming, "Strange, most strange." When questioned, the officer explained, "Just now, a house servant from the young master’s residence came to report: 'I murdered my master and buried his head at the Temple of Guan Yu.' We went to the temple, dug up the earth, but found no head. Since this concerns a life, we came to your residence for verification. Seeing the young master safe and sound, it must have been a prank."

Hearing this, Dong Shangshu felt a chill, knitting his brow in thought: "Perhaps it was not a joke. If my guess is correct, I truly did die once. Though the vile servant severed my head and Guan Erye returned it, reattaching it."

With this realization chilling his heart, he immediately went to the county yamen to investigate. There, kneeling in the main hall, was the servant—the very man who had flirted with the maid. Although Dong Shangshu knew this man was the true murderer, he lacked evidence, and since his life had been restored and the wicked servant’s plot had failed, he decided against pressing charges. Moreover, repaying malevolence with kindness, he married the maid to the villainous servant to quell any further trouble.

The county magistrate severely flogged the vile servant and released him. Several days later, the servant and his new wife were asleep in bed when the true Guan Gong suddenly descended, bearing his great saber. With a single, mighty sweep, he cleaved the couple and their bed clean in two.