Original Text
In the county town of West Cliff Village, a merchant was murdered on the road. After a night, his wife also hanged herself. The merchant's younger brother brought the case to the authorities. At that time, Fei Yizhi, a man from Zhejiang, served as the magistrate of Zichuan. He personally examined the corpse and found that the bundle wrapped around the merchant's waist still contained over five qian of silver, concluding that it was not a case of murder for gain. Magistrate Fei summoned the neighbors from both villages and interrogated them, but found no leads. Without resorting to torture, he released them all, merely instructing the local constables to investigate carefully and report every ten days. After half a year, the matter gradually slackened. The merchant's brother complained that Magistrate Fei was too lenient and repeatedly came to the court to make a scene. Magistrate Fei grew furious and said, "Since you cannot name the murderer, do you expect me to harm innocent people with shackles?" He drove him out of the yamen. Having no recourse, the merchant's brother buried his elder brother and sister-in-law in anger. One day, the yamen arrested several people for overdue taxes. Among them was a man named Zhou Cheng, who, fearing punishment, stepped forward and said that the grain tax had been prepared. He then took a money pouch from his waist and presented it for Magistrate Fei's inspection. After examining it, Magistrate Fei asked, "Where is your home?" Zhou replied, "In such-and-such village." "How far is it from West Cliff?" "Five or six li." "The merchant who was killed last year—what relation is he to you?" "I do not know him," Zhou answered. Magistrate Fei flew into a rage and said, "You killed him, yet you claim not to know him!" Zhou Cheng vehemently denied it, but Magistrate Fei would not listen. He subjected Zhou to severe torture, and Zhou indeed confessed.
It turned out that the merchant's wife, Wang, was preparing to visit a relative, but feeling ashamed for lacking jewelry, she nagged her husband to borrow some from a neighbor. When he refused, she went herself to borrow the ornaments and treasured them greatly. On her way home, she removed the jewelry, wrapped it in a money pouch, and placed it in her sleeve. Upon arriving home, she discovered the pouch was lost. Not daring to tell her husband and unable to compensate for the loss, she was overcome with regret. That very day, Zhou Cheng happened to pick up the pouch on the road, knowing it belonged to the merchant's wife. Seizing the opportunity when the merchant was away, he climbed over the wall at midnight, intending to use the jewelry to force Wang into adultery. The night was hot, and Wang was sleeping in the courtyard. Zhou Cheng crept up and violated her. Wang awoke and screamed. Zhou Cheng quickly silenced her, left the pouch, and returned the jewelry. After the deed, Wang pleaded, "Do not come again; my husband is fierce, and if he discovers us, we will both perish!" Zhou Cheng angrily retorted, "I have spent enough for several nights in a brothel; how can I be satisfied with just one encounter?" Wang tried to soothe him, saying, "It is not that I am unwilling, but my husband is often ill; wait until he dies, and then we can proceed." Zhou Cheng left at once, murdered the merchant, and returned that night to Wang, declaring, "Your husband has been killed; now fulfill your promise." Wang burst into tears, and Zhou Cheng fled in fear. By dawn, Wang was also dead. Magistrate Fei thoroughly investigated the case, concluding that Zhou Cheng deserved punishment. Everyone admired the magistrate's wisdom but could not fathom how he solved it. Magistrate Fei explained, "It was not difficult; one need only be observant at all times. During the autopsy, I noticed the pouch was embroidered with a swastika pattern, and Zhou Cheng's pouch bore the same design, clearly made by the same hand. When I interrogated Zhou Cheng, he claimed not to know the deceased, but his speech faltered and his expression shifted, thus I determined he was the true murderer."
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: Those who judge cases in this world, when handling legal matters, either show utter indifference or else seize dozens of people at once and subject them to torture. The sound of flogging fills the courtroom, clamorous and chaotic, whereupon the judge furrows his brow and says, "I am doing my utmost in this duty." Yet once the court session ends and he retires from office, he indulges in feasting and pleasure, wallowing in wine and women—how could he ever keep difficult cases at heart? When the time comes to ascend the tribunal again, he passes judgments recklessly, causing countless innocent people to be implicated and harmed. Alas! How can such a manner of judging truly comprehend the people's circumstances? I have often said: "A wise man may not necessarily be benevolent, but a benevolent man is surely wise, for if one exhausts his heart and strength, a solution will inevitably be found." The saying "Be attentive in every detail" can instruct all officials who govern the people throughout the realm.
In the county there was a man named Hu Cheng, who was a fellow villager of Feng An, and the two families had been at odds for generations. Hu Cheng and his father were stubborn and strong, while Feng An tried to ingratiate himself with them, but Hu Cheng never trusted him. One day, the two drank together, and when slightly tipsy, they spoke some heartfelt words. Hu Cheng boasted, "Do not fear poverty; a hundred taels of silver is not hard to come by." Feng An knew that Hu's family was not wealthy, so he mocked him. Hu Cheng said seriously, "To tell you the truth: yesterday on the road I met a great merchant carrying much luggage, and I pushed him into a dry well in the southern hills." Feng An mocked him again. At that time, Hu Cheng had a brother-in-law named Zheng Lun, who had entrusted him with several hundred taels of silver to facilitate the purchase of some fields, and Hu Cheng brought it out to show Feng An. Feng An then believed him. After the feast dispersed, Feng An secretly wrote a complaint and reported it to the magistrate. Magistrate Fei had Hu Cheng arrested for confrontation, and Hu Cheng told the truth; when Zheng Lun and the seller of the fields were questioned, they all said the same. So they went together to examine the dry well. They sent a constable down to look, and indeed there was a headless corpse inside. Hu Cheng was terrified and had no words to defend himself, only crying out that he was wronged. Magistrate Fei was enraged, struck Hu Cheng several dozen slaps on the face, and said, "The evidence is clear and conclusive, yet you still cry injustice!" He ordered him to be confined with instruments for condemned prisoners. He also instructed that the corpse not be brought out, but only posted notices in every village for the family of the deceased to come and identify it.
After a day had passed, a woman submitted a plaint, claiming to be the deceased's wife, saying: "My husband, He Jia, took several hundred taels of silver to go out trading, and was killed by Hu Cheng." Magistrate Fei said: "There is indeed a corpse in the well, but I fear it may not be your husband." The woman insisted it was. Fei then ordered the corpse brought up from the well, and upon inspection, it proved to be so. The woman dared not approach, but stood there wailing. Fei said: "The murderer has been captured, but the corpse is incomplete. You may return for now; when the head is found, I will inform you at once, and he shall pay with his life." Then he summoned Hu Cheng from the prison and rebuked him: "If you do not produce the head by tomorrow, I will have your legs broken!" He sent guards to escort Hu Cheng in his search, but after a whole day's wandering, when questioned, Hu only wept. Fei then laid out the instruments of torture before him, making as if to apply them, yet refrained, saying: "I imagine that night you carried the corpse in great haste, and the head fell somewhere without your knowing—why did you not search more carefully?" Hu Cheng begged for more time to search properly. Fei then asked the woman: "How many children do you have?" She replied: "None." "What relatives does He Jia have?" "Only an uncle by the paternal side." Fei sighed and said: "You are young and widowed, left alone and helpless—how will you live?" The woman then wept and kowtowed, begging for mercy. Fei said: "The crime of murder is already settled; we only await the complete corpse to close this case. Once it is closed, you may remarry at once. As a young woman, you should not appear in public or frequent the court again." The woman, moved to tears, kowtowed and withdrew from the hall.
Magistrate Fei immediately issued a warrant, instructing the villagers to search for the head of the corpse. After a day had passed, a fellow villager named Wang Wu reported that it had been found. Magistrate Fei interrogated him, verified the matter, and rewarded him with a thousand strings of cash. He then summoned He Jia's uncle to the court and said, "This grave case has been resolved, yet a matter of human life is of great weight; without the passage of some months or years, it cannot be concluded. Since your nephew has no son and his wife is young and unable to support herself, let her remarry soon. There will be no further business here; if a superior official comes to review the case, you need only come forward to handle it." The uncle refused to agree, but Magistrate Fei immediately ordered two bamboo slips for flogging to be brought forth. Still the uncle refused, and Magistrate Fei ordered another slip. Fearing punishment, the uncle relented and withdrew. When the woman heard of this, she came to thank Magistrate Fei. He comforted her earnestly and announced, "If any man wishes to marry this woman, he may declare it in court." This word spread, and soon a suitor appeared—none other than Wang Wu, the one who had reported finding the head. Magistrate Fei summoned the woman to the court and asked, "Do you know who the true murderer is?" She replied, "Hu Cheng." Magistrate Fei said, "No. You and Wang Wu are the true murderers." Both were greatly startled and vehemently protested their innocence. Magistrate Fei said, "I have long known the truth of this case; the reason I delayed in revealing it was for fear of wronging an innocent person. The corpse had not yet been taken from the well—how could you be so certain it was your husband? You must have known he was dead beforehand. Moreover, when He Jia died, he was dressed in rags; where would he have obtained several hundred taels of silver?" Turning to Wang Wu, he said, "And you—how familiar you were with the location of the head! The reason you were so eager to produce it was to hasten your union with her." The two turned pale with terror and could not utter a single word in their defense. They were both subjected to torture and soon confessed the truth. It turned out that Wang Wu and the woman had long been carrying on an illicit affair, and together they had murdered her husband, just as Hu Cheng had made his jest. Thus Hu Cheng was released. Feng An was severely beaten for filing a false accusation and sentenced to three years in prison. The case was concluded without a single person being subjected to unjust punishment.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: My master had always borne a reputation for benevolence, and from this single matter alone, one can perceive the profound and painstaking intentions of a truly humane man. When my master served as magistrate of Zichuan County, I had just come of age, and he bestowed upon me excessive praise and high expectations; yet I, dull and lacking in talent, failed to live up to his generous hopes. If there was one thing in my master's life that was not wise, it was brought about by me. Alas, how sorrowful!
Commentary
This chapter consists of two legal case stories. The protagonist in both is Fei Yizhi, the magistrate of Zichuan County at the time when Pu Songling passed the imperial examinations to become a xiucai. Although these tales fall within the category of legal cases, the emphasis is not on the cases themselves but on the protagonist Fei Yizhi's benevolence, his attentiveness to all matters, and his excellent qualities of diligent governance and love for the people. The two stories are depicted with delicate and steady brushwork, composed with calm dignity, and both contain lengthy passages of "The Historian of the Strange says," where between the lines one can perceive not only the moral spirit of Fei Yizhi but also the author's deep and lingering sentiments of remembrance.
Fei Yizhi had the grace of recognizing Pu Songling's talent, and in the first volume's tale "Ye Sheng," Ding Chenghe bears the shadow of Fei Yizhi. Feng Zhenluan commented on this piece, saying: "Liaozhai is inferior to others only in the matter of passing the two civil examinations. But I ask, of those who passed those examinations in that era, does even one survive today? Yet Liaozhai's name endures through the ages. Fei Yizhi's reputation for recognizing talent is, in turn, transmitted through Liaozhai—how fortunate indeed!"