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Ma Xiaolian was a scholar with exceptional talent, but he had consistently failed to pass the imperial examinations, leaving him no choice but to lodge at the Li family's house on the western side of the village.
In the same village lived a neighbor named Wang, known for his hot-tempered nature. He would often unjustly beat his wife, subjecting her to hunger and torment. One day, unable to endure it any longer, Wang's wife secretly took a chicken from the Li family and cooked it for herself. When Li's wife noticed the missing chicken, she informed Wang.
At that moment, Wang was quite drunk and in a foul mood, grabbed a knife and forcibly dragged his wife to the house. He interrogated her about the stolen chicken, and she confessed. Enraged, he threatened to kill her. Terrified, his wife came up with a plan and claimed that the chicken had actually been stolen for her by Ma Xiaolian.
Upon hearing this lie, Ma Xiaolian began to argue with her. However, lacking any evidence to prove his innocence, he proposed, "There is a Guandi Temple in the village; let's go there and seek the divine's judgment. If the deity confirms that you stole the chicken, we will receive a 'yin' hexagram; if it was me, we will receive a 'yang' hexagram." They followed Ma Xiaolian's suggestion, and after casting the divination three times, each time a 'yang' hexagram appeared.
Seeing this result, Wang dropped the knife and released his wife. However, because of the false accusation of chicken theft, Ma Xiaolian found himself despised by the villagers, losing his place to stay, and struggling to find stability for several years.
One day, a person who practiced "fuji" (a form of divination) went to the Guandi Temple to seek divine guidance. Ma Xiaolian recalled his unjust ordeal involving Guandi and shouted in anger, accusing Guandi of being ineffective.
The fuji practitioner wrote on an ash tray: "Ma Xiaolian, you will become an official responsible for civil affairs in the future. You understand the importance of prioritizing matters, don't you? You were falsely accused of stealing a chicken and merely lost a place to stay. If Wang's wife had been found guilty of theft, she might have lost her life. I'd rather endure the accusation of being ineffective and save an innocent life. The Heavenly Deity recognized my understanding of political principles and promoted me by three ranks. Do you still hold a grudge against me?" Ma Xiaolian responded, "Since Guandi has already become a deity, what other ranks can you attain?" The fuji practitioner explained, "There are Guandi temples everywhere in the country. How could there be so many Guandis to receive incense and worship? In most cases, the Guandi temples in villages and towns appoint a virtuous ghost from the village who has passed away to represent Guandi's duties. The true Guandi is up in heaven, accompanying the Heavenly Deity. How could he descend to the mortal realm?" It was then that Ma Xiaolian finally understood and accepted this explanation.