Is “Qi man Shaoweng set up a tent to summon the spirit of Lady Li” true?
The Book of Han, Treatise on Sacrifices, Part 1, records that Emperor Wu favored Lady Li, and when she died, Shaoweng used his arts to summon her and the stove god's appearance at night, and the emperor saw them from behind a curtain. He then appointed Shaoweng as General of Literary Accomplishment. In Search of the Supernatural, Volume 2, describes Shaoweng setting up a tent at night to summon her spirit, and Emperor Wu saw a beautiful woman in the tent, and "the emperor became even more sorrowful and composed a poem: 'Is it she? Or not? I stand and gaze, she is graceful, why does she come so slowly?'" This act of summoning the spirit is indeed recorded in the official history.
In the official history, Emperor Wu of Han missed Lady Li and ordered the alchemist Shaoweng to set up a tent to summon her spirit, while the supernatural tale details his poetic lament.
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