After the Northern Song Dynasty fell to the Jin, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou established the Southern Song in Lin'an (modern-day Hangzhou), adopting a policy of appeasement and living a decadent life of idle pleasure and drunken oblivion.
The court's humiliating policy of appeasement sparked fierce opposition among the people and righteous fury in many patriotic generals. The legendary hero Yue Fei, leading his Yue Family Army, launched a stirring campaign against the Jin invaders, driving them back in defeat. But just as his forces reached Zhuxian Town, poised to march north, capture the Jin capital, and rescue the two captive emperors, the pro-surrender Chancellor Qin Hui received a secret letter from the Jin commander Wuzhu. It read:
"You have always wanted peace with me, but Yue Fei is determined to recover the lands north of the Yellow River. Only if you kill Yue Fei can we begin negotiations."
After reading Wuzhu's letter, Qin Hui realized that Yue Fei was the greatest obstacle to peace negotiations with the Jin dynasty and resolved to have him killed. After careful scheming, Qin Hui instructed others to falsely accuse Yue Fei of plotting rebellion, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. However, Yue Fei remained unyielding even under torture and refused to confess, leaving Qin Hui unable to secure a conviction. Qin Hui and his wife, Wang, secretly discussed their next move beneath the eastern window of their bedroom. Wang insidiously remarked, "To catch a tiger, you must enter its lair—if we don't act decisively, we'll never be rid of him."
“Meeting you, it's easier to bind a tiger than to release one. If we don't find a way to kill Yue Fei now, the future troubles will be endless!” “Madam is absolutely right! I will make sure Yue Fei is killed,” Qin Hui said.
Qin Hui then instructed the imperial censor Moqi Xie and others to fabricate evidence, framing Yue Fei, his son Yue Yun, and his general Zhang Xian on false charges, and under the pretext of "trumped-up crimes," had Yue Fei, Yue Yun, and Zhang Xian executed in prison.
After the tragic deaths of Yue Fei and his son, the treacherous minister Qin Hui once took a solitary pleasure cruise on West Lake in his ornate boat. Suddenly, a towering, muscular man appeared at the bow, and with righteous fury, he began listing Qin Hui's crimes against the nation and its people, one by one. The terrified Qin Hui trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat streaming down his face.
Qin Hui returned home and soon died. Not long after, his son Qin Xi also died. Wang Shi, feeling uneasy, invited a Taoist priest to perform a prayer ritual. It is said that the priest saw Qin Xi in the underworld, wearing a heavy iron cangue around his neck. The priest asked, "Where is your father Qin Hui?"
"At Fengdu Hell," Qin Xi replied.
The Taoist arrived at Fengdu and indeed saw Qin Hui and Moqi Xie wearing iron cangues, suffering various painful tortures. Qin Hui, upon seeing the Taoist, said dejectedly, "Please send word to my wife Wang, saying that the East Window plot has been exposed."
The Taoist returned and told Wang about the "East Window Plot," and Wang was so terrified that she soon died. Later, the idiom "East Window Plot" came to refer to a conspiracy being exposed and facing punishment.
Source: *West Lake Travel Records*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "东窗事发" came to describe a conspiracy being exposed and facing punishment.