枕中記

In a quiet roadside inn, a wandering young scholar encounters an eccentric Taoist who has mastered a mysterious art. The old man offers the traveler a simple blue‑glazed pillow, claiming that sharing a dream on its surface will bring the seeker the destiny he longs for. Though skeptical, the youth accepts the gift, feeling the pillow’s inner hollows pulse with an uncanny light as he leans his head against it.

Soon after, his fortunes begin to shift. He marries a beautiful lady from a respected family, passes the imperial examinations, and is appointed to increasingly prestigious posts. His talent for engineering leads him to carve a mighty river channel that benefits countless villagers, while his leadership on the frontier secures victories against hostile forces. Stories of his rise spread through the court, painting him as a man whose fate seemed guided by the very pillow he once rested upon.