Reading books in my spare time, I came across a chapter in the classic "Sou Shen Ji" " The Filial Wife of the East China Sea ", which records such a story in ancient times that shocked the society at that time and caused a strange injustice. The following is an excerpt for the readers:
Han Dynasty , a filial woman from the East China Sea, and a very considerate mother-in-law. Guri said: "My wife has worked hard to support me, but I am already old. How can I regret my remaining years and my youth?" So she hanged herself. His daughter complained to the officials: "I killed my mother." The officials arrested her, tortured her, plundered her, and poisoned her. The filial woman couldn't bear the pain and falsely accused herself. At that time, was the warden of Gong , and he said: "This woman has been raising a aunt for more than ten years. She has been well-known for her filial piety, so she will not kill her." The eunuch refused to listen. The dispute with the public was unreasonable, so he left the government with his prison words in his arms and cried. Since then, there has been a drought in the county, and there has been no rain for three years. The later eunuch arrived and on the official day, "The filial woman should not have died. The former eunuch killed her in vain, and this is the fault." The eunuch immediately offered sacrifices to the tomb of a filial woman as a symbol of her tomb. The sky is raining, and the year is ripe. The elders passed on: "The filial wife's name is Zhou Qing. When Qing is about to die, he carries a ten-foot bamboo pole on the cart, hangs five flags, and swears to everyone: 'If Qing is guilty, he is willing to be killed, and the blood must be poured down; if Qing dies in vain, the blood will be poured down." When the execution has been carried out, her blood is green and yellow, and the flag is on the bamboo, and the flag is on the cloud. "
" The filial woman of the East China Sea" is probably the old man of the Jin Dynasty. It was compiled from the story recorded in "The Biography of the Kingdom of Ding" and translated into the vernacular: During the Han Dynasty , there was a filial woman in the East China Sea. Her husband died very early and she had no sons, but she supported her mother-in-law very thoughtfully. The mother-in-law wanted to He asked her to marry again, but she refused. The mother-in-law said to her neighbor: "It's really hard for my daughter-in-law to serve me. I am old and have been dragging down the young people for too long. What should I do?" Later, the mother-in-law hanged herself. Her daughter went to the government and complained: "That woman killed my mother." The government arrested the dutiful woman and tortured her with torture instruments. The dutiful woman could not bear the pain and was forced to admit her guilt against her will. Yu Gong was the warden at that time and believed that this woman had supported her mother-in-law for more than ten years and was famous for her filial piety, so she would definitely not kill anyone. The prefect did not accept his opinion, and the public argument was ignored. He cried bitterly in the prefect's residence holding the confession of the case and left. The prefect finally killed the woman. After the filial wife was killed, there was a severe drought in the county, and there was no rain for three years. After the later eunuch took office, Yu Gong said: "A filial woman should not be sentenced to death. The previous eunuch killed her unjustly, and the fault lies here." So the eunuch personally went to pay homage to the filial woman's tomb and carved a stone in front of the tomb to commend her. If you are virtuous, it will rain immediately, and you will have a good harvest that year. From then on, people respected Yu Gong very much.
Mr. Qian Bao's "Sou Shen Ji" completes the story of "The Filial Wife in the East China Sea". It adds that the dutiful wife's name is Zhou Qing, and also narrates a plot about Zhou Qing's death: General Zhou Qing When he was executed, he asked for a ten-foot-long bamboo pole to be carried in a vehicle to hang five-color long flags. He swore in public: "If I am guilty, I am willing to be executed, and the blood will flow down; if I die unjustly, the blood will flow upward." "Just after she was executed, the blood was green and yellow, flowing up the long bamboo pole, and then flowing down along the flag again when it reached the top of the pole.
From this story, we can see how corrupt bureaucrats the law enforcement officials were in ancient my country when it came to enforcing criminal laws. They simply took bribes, perverted the law, and took human life lightly. In ancient times, during trials, suspects were treated regardless of whether they were innocent or innocent. In the courtroom, the judge often tortured the suspect first. How could he not give in and be punished? Therefore, unjust and wrongful convictions have become a common occurrence. Such ancient and strange injustices as "the dutiful woman in the East China Sea" were not uncommon in that feudal society. However, God has eyes, and the "Dutiful Wife of the East China Sea" has become a legend among the people and has been passed down to this day.
