The Stories of Ye Jingneng
The term "huaben" refers to scripts used for storytelling, which were known as "shuohua" during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Therefore, the manuscripts, or records of shuohua, can also be called huaben. Previously, most believed that huaben novels began in the Song Dynasty. However, the discovery of Tang-dynasty huaben in the Library Cave made it clear that the Tang Dynasty nurtured the embryonic form of huaben novels, but such works were already widely copied in far-off Dunhuang in the northwest. The Dunhuang manuscript S.6836, titled The Stories of Ye Jingneng, was also founded in the Mogao Caves. Although this document is titled The Stories of Ye Jingneng at the end, it is not a collection of poems but rather a huaben resembling a novel.
The Stories of Ye Jingneng is filled with elements of fantasy. Ye Jingneng was a renowned sorcerer during the reigns of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. In this huaben, Ye attains enlightenment while practicing Taoism in Kuaiji Mountain and encounters various demons and hazards on his way to Chang'an. Later, he is summoned by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to slay a dragon and pray for rain. He also takes Xuanzong on a magical journey to Jian'nan to observe lanterns and even visits the Moon Palace during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The various strange tales in The Stories of Ye Jingneng have been documented in many Tang-dynasty notes and novels. This huaben compiles existing fantastical stories and attributes them to Ye Jingneng. Notably, the episode in which Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Visits the Moon Palace features an imaginative narrative about human lunar exploration which had multiple versions during the Tang Dynasty and gradually became a widely-circulated theme. This story later inspired various forms of art including dramas, novels, and paintings.
《葉凈能詩(shī)》
話本是說(shuō)唱故事的底本，隋唐時(shí)把講故事稱為“說(shuō)話”，“說(shuō)話”的底稿或記錄都可以稱為話本。原來(lái)一般認(rèn)為話本小說(shuō)開(kāi)始于宋代，直到藏經(jīng)洞中出土了唐代話本，大家才認(rèn)識(shí)到唐代不僅孕育著話本小說(shuō)的雛形，甚至遠(yuǎn)在西北的敦煌都已經(jīng)廣泛傳抄。敦煌文獻(xiàn)S.6836《葉凈能詩(shī)》出自于藏經(jīng)洞，這件文獻(xiàn)雖然卷末題名為“葉凈能詩(shī)”，但其實(shí)并不是詩(shī)作，而是一部像小說(shuō)一樣的話本。
《葉凈能詩(shī)》充滿了奇幻色彩。葉凈能是唐高宗、武則天時(shí)有名的方士。在這件話本中，葉凈能在會(huì)稽山修道有成，赴長(zhǎng)安途中降妖除害；后來(lái)被唐玄宗召見(jiàn)，斬龍祈雨，還帶著玄宗神游劍南觀燈，并在中秋游月宮。《葉凈能詩(shī)》里的各種怪談，在唐人多部筆記小說(shuō)中已有記載，這件話本是把已有的奇幻故事編排到葉凈能的身上。特別是其中“唐明皇游月宮”的情節(jié)，這個(gè)充滿想象力的人類(lèi)登月故事，在唐代就有多種版本并逐漸成為一個(gè)廣為流傳的題材，后來(lái)還以此創(chuàng)作出雜劇、小說(shuō)、繪畫(huà)等。
