During the Western Han Dynasty, a man named Yu Gong served as a prison warden in Donghai Commandery
Yu Gong handled countless cases, but one in particular made his reputation soar.
In Donghai Commandery, a young widow with no children refused to remarry, devotedly serving her mother-in-law with utmost filial piety. The mother-in-law, moved by her sacrifice, urged her to remarry, but the widow declined. The mother-in-law once told a neighbor, "My daughter-in-law has endured much for me. I am old, but she is young—how can I burden her further?" Soon after, the mother-in-law hanged herself. Her daughter suspected the widow of murder and reported it to the authorities. The governor, without thorough investigation, hastily convicted the widow and sentenced her to death.
Yu Gong conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that the woman had dutifully cared for her mother-in-law for over a decade, enduring hardship without complaint, and was widely known as a filial daughter-in-law, making it impossible for her to have murdered the elder. Yu Gong pleaded for her innocence, urging the prefect to handle the case with caution, but the prefect ignored Yu Gong's advice and refused to overturn the verdict.
After the filial widow was executed, the Donghai Commandery suffered a drought for three consecutive years. When a new governor took office, he found the prolonged dry spell deeply puzzling.
Yu Gong told him, "A woman's mother-in-law committed suicide, but the previous prefect, without a proper investigation, convicted her and had her executed. After her death, there was a severe drought for years—perhaps Heaven itself was crying out for her injustice."
The governor, upon hearing this, took the matter seriously, reopened the case files, conducted a new trial, uncovered the truth, and personally visited her grave to pay respects, clearing her name and posthumously vindicating her.
The exoneration of this injustice shocked the entire prefecture, sparking widespread discussion among the people and earning them even greater respect for Yu Gong. While he was still alive, they built a living shrine for him, called the "Yu Gong Shrine."
When the main gate of Magistrate Yu's official residence fell into disrepair, craftsmen from the county arrived to fix it. The townsfolk murmured among themselves, "Magistrate Yu has never handed down a wrongful verdict—this is accumulated virtue. His descendants are sure to prosper." They urged Yu to rebuild the gate tall and wide enough for a four-horse chariot to pass through. Yu himself, confident in his integrity and fairness, agreed, believing his future would indeed bring glory to the family name.
Yu Gong's children were very ambitious. His son Yu Dingguo studied law with him from a young age, first serving as a prison officer in the commandery and later rising to become Tingwei (Chief Justice). He handled cases with great caution and care, never rushing to conclusions when there were doubts. The court praised him, saying, "With Yu Dingguo as Tingwei, the people of the world know they will not suffer injustice."
Yu Dingguo served as the Supreme Justice for 18 years before being promoted to Chancellor. The emperor bestowed upon him a four-horse chariot and sixty jin of gold, and after his death, he was posthumously honored as Marquis An. The Yu family's household was illustrious and exceedingly prominent.
"The idiom 'Four-Horse Chariot' refers to a high-canopied carriage drawn by four horses, typically ridden by the wealthy and noble."
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Yu Dingguo"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "驷马高车" came to describe Four-Horse Chariot refers to a high-canopied carriage drawn by four horses, typically ridden by the wealthy and noble.