Original Text
In Dongchang Prefecture there lived a cow doctor named Bian, who had a daughter called Yanzhi, meaning Rouge. This girl Yanzhi was endowed with both talent and beauty, being clever and lovely. Her father cherished her greatly and wished to betroth her to a family of pure and noble standing, but the great clans looked down upon his lowly origin and disdained to form such a connection, so Yanzhi, though grown to womanhood, remained unmarried. Opposite the Bian household lived the Gong family, whose wife, Wang, was a frivolous woman fond of jesting and was Yanzhi's companion in her chamber. One day, as Yanzhi saw Wang to the door, a young man passed by, clad in white garments and a white cap, with a striking and graceful bearing. Yanzhi's heart was stirred at the sight; her limpid eyes fixed upon him, gazing up and down. The young man lowered his head and hurried past. Even after he had gone far, Yanzhi still stood gazing after him. Wang perceived her thoughts and said teasingly, "With your talents and beauty, you would have no regrets in matching with such a man." A flush of crimson spread over Yanzhi's cheeks, and she remained silent, shy and abashed. Wang asked, "Do you know that young man?" Yanzhi replied, "I do not." Wang told her, "He is E Qiusun of South Lane, a scholar; his father was a xiaolian before his death. I used to be his neighbor, so I recognize him. No man in the world is more gentle and tender than he. He wears white now because his wife has died and his mourning period is not yet over. If you truly have such a wish, I can send word for him to arrange a matchmaker." Yanzhi said nothing, and Wang departed with a laugh.
After several days passed without any news, Yanzhi grew suspicious, thinking that Madam Wang had been too busy to deliver her message promptly, and also fearing that Scholar E, being from an official family, might not deign to lower himself to her station. Thus, Yanzhi fell into melancholy, pacing back and forth all day, her heart consumed with longing and bitter sorrow. Gradually, she lost all appetite for food and drink, took to her bed in illness, and lay there weak and listless. One day, Madam Wang happened to visit her, and seeing her condition, pressed her to reveal the cause of her sickness. Yanzhi replied, "I myself do not know. But ever since I parted from you that day, I have felt nothing but gloom and misery; now I am merely lingering on, and my life may end at any moment, morning or night." Madam Wang, recalling the matter, whispered to her, "My husband has gone away on business and has not yet returned, so no one has been able to send word to Scholar E. Could it be that your ailment is due to this?" Yanzhi blushed and remained silent for a long while. Madam Wang then teased her, saying, "If it truly is for this reason, and you are already so ill, what is there left to fear? Let me arrange for him to come tonight for a rendezvous—how could he possibly refuse?" Yanzhi sighed and said, "Since matters have come to this, I can no longer be ashamed. As long as he does not disdain my humble family and sends a matchmaker at once, my illness will naturally heal; but if it is to be a secret tryout, that I absolutely cannot agree to!" Madam Wang nodded and took her leave.
In her youth, Wang had been carrying on an illicit affair with a neighbor, a scholar named Su Jie. After she married, Su Jie would come to renew their old acquaintance whenever he heard her husband was away. On this particular night, Su Jie happened to be at Wang's home, and Wang told him the story of Yan Zhi's confession as a jest, playfully urging him to deliver a message to Scholar E. Su Jie had long heard that Yan Zhi was very beautiful, and upon hearing Wang's words, he secretly rejoiced, thinking it a great stroke of luck that an opportunity had presented itself. He wished to discuss the matter with Wang but feared her jealousy, so he pretended to make casual remarks, using them as a pretext to inquire about the layout of Yan Zhi's home, learning every detail clearly. The next night, Su Jie scaled the wall into the Bian family's compound and went straight to Yan Zhi's boudoir, where he tapped lightly on the window. A voice from within asked, "Who is it?" Su Jie replied, "It is Scholar E." Yan Zhi said, "The reason I long for you is for a lifelong union, not for a single night. If you truly love me, you should hasten to send a matchmaker with a proposal. As for a secret meeting, I dare not comply." Su Jie pretended to agree but earnestly begged to hold her hand as a pledge. Yan Zhi could not bear to refuse him outright, so she forced herself to rise and opened the door. Su Jie immediately entered and embraced her, seeking intimacy. Yan Zhi, too weak to resist, fell to the ground, gasping for breath, and Su Jie quickly helped her up. Yan Zhi said, "What villain are you? You are certainly not Scholar E. If you were truly Scholar E, he is gentle and refined, and knowing that I fell ill for his sake, he would pity and cherish me—how could he be so rough! If you persist, I will cry out, and it will ruin both our reputations!" Su Jie, fearing his deception would be exposed, dared not press further, only begging for another meeting. Yan Zhi agreed to meet on their wedding day. Su Jie thought that too far off and pleaded repeatedly. Yan Zhi, annoyed by his persistence, finally said she would see him after she recovered. Su Jie then demanded a token, but Yan Zhi refused, so he seized her foot, removed one of her embroidered shoes, and turned to leave. Yan Zhi called him back, saying, "I have already pledged myself to you; what is there to begrudge? I only fear that 'painting a tiger may end up as a dog,' and if things fail, I will be laughed at. Now that this embroidered shoe has fallen into your hands, I suppose it cannot be recovered. If you prove faithless, I have only death to turn to!" Su Jie left the Bian home and returned to Wang's house. Though he had lain down, his mind was still troubled by the embroidered shoe; he secretly felt his sleeve, but the shoe was gone. He hastily rose, lit a lantern, shook out his clothes, and searched everywhere. Wang asked him what he was looking for, but he did not answer, suspecting that Wang had hidden the shoe. Wang deliberately smiled, which only deepened his suspicions. Knowing he could not conceal the truth, Su Jie confessed everything to her. After speaking, he took the lantern and searched outside the door, but found nothing, and finally returned to bed in vexation. He still hoped that since it was the middle of the night and no one was about, even if lost, the shoe should still be on the road. The next morning he went to search again, but it was gone without a trace.
Prior to this, there was a man named Mao Da in the alley, a loafer without a fixed occupation. He had once attempted to seduce Wang but failed, and knowing that Su Jie was intimate with Wang, he always hoped to catch them together so he could use it to coerce Wang. That night, as Mao Da passed by Wang's door, he pushed it and found it unlatched, so he stealthily slipped inside. Just as he reached the window, he suddenly stepped on something soft, like a piece of cotton cloth; picking it up, he found it was a kerchief wrapped around an embroidered shoe. He crouched by the window and listened, overhearing every detail of what Su Jie had said, and was greatly delighted, then withdrew and left. A few days later, Mao Da climbed over the wall into Yanzhi's home, but unfamiliar with the Bian family's layout, he accidentally stumbled upon Old Man Bian's room. Old Man Bian saw a man through the window, and noticing his furtive demeanor, realized he had come for his daughter. Furious, Old Man Bian grabbed a knife and rushed out. Mao Da, terrified, turned to flee. Just as he was about to climb the wall, Old Man Bian caught up, and Mao Da, desperate with no escape, turned back to wrest the knife from the old man's hand. Meanwhile, Bian's wife had risen and began shouting loudly; Mao Da, unable to get away, killed Old Man Bian. Yanzhi, just recovering from her illness, heard the commotion in the courtyard and got up. Mother and daughter lit a candle and came out to find Old Man Bian with his skull split open, unable to speak, and he soon died. They found an embroidered shoe at the base of the wall, and Yanzhi's mother recognized it as her daughter's. She pressed Yanzhi, who tearfully told her the truth, but unwilling to implicate Wang, she only said that Scholar E had come on his own. At dawn, mother and daughter reported the matter to the county magistrate, who then sent men to arrest E Qiusun. This E Qiusun was a cautious man, not given to much talk, nineteen years old, but still shy as a child before strangers. Once arrested, he was terrified to death; when brought to court, he did not know what to say and could only tremble in fear. The magistrate, seeing his demeanor, became even more convinced of his guilt and subjected him to severe torture. The scholar, unable to bear the pain, was forced to confess falsely. E Qiusun was then sent to the prefectural court, where he was tortured just as harshly as in the county. The scholar, full of grievance, always wished to confront Yanzhi face to face; but whenever they met, she would curse him bitterly, leaving him tongue-tied and unable to defend himself, and thus he was sentenced to death. This trial was repeated several times, and though many officials interrogated him, none elicited a different confession.
Later, this case was sent to Jinan Prefecture for retrial. At that time, Wu Nandai was serving as the prefect of Jinan, and as soon as he saw Scholar E, he suspected that he did not look like a murderer. Secretly, he sent someone to gently question him, allowing him to reveal the whole truth. Prefect Wu thus became even more convinced that Scholar E was wrongfully accused. After carefully considering the matter for several days, he finally opened the court for interrogation. Prefect Wu first asked Yanzhi, "After you made your pledge with E Qiujun, did anyone else know about it?" Yanzhi replied, "No." "When you met Scholar E, was there anyone else present?" Yanzhi again answered, "No." Prefect Wu then summoned Scholar E to the court and comforted him with kind words. Scholar E said, "I once passed by her doorstep and saw her old neighbor, Mrs. Wang, coming out with a young woman. I quickly avoided them and did not exchange a single word." Upon hearing this, Prefect Wu scolded Yanzhi, saying, "Just now you said there was no one else nearby—how is it that there is a neighbor woman?" Then he ordered torture for Yanzhi. Frightened, Yanzhi hastily said, "Although Mrs. Wang was there, she truly had nothing to do with it." Prefect Wu immediately stopped the questioning and ordered Mrs. Wang to be arrested and brought to court. A few days later, Mrs. Wang was taken into custody. Prefect Wu did not allow her to meet Yanzhi, to prevent collusion, and promptly held a session to interrogate her. He asked, "Who is the murderer?" Mrs. Wang replied, "I do not know." Prefect Wu deceived her, saying, "Yanzhi has already confessed; you know all about the killing of Old Man Bian. Are you still trying to hide it?" Mrs. Wang cried out, "Injustice! That little wanton woman was lusting after a man herself. Although I spoke to her about acting as a matchmaker, it was merely a jest. She lured a lover into her home—how could I know anything about it?" Prefect Wu questioned her closely, and only then did Mrs. Wang recount the whole story of her jesting words. Prefect Wu then had Yanzhi brought up and said angrily, "You claimed she knew nothing, yet now she has confessed to the matchmaking jest. How is that?" Yanzhi wept, saying, "I myself was unworthy, causing my father to die tragically. I do not know when this case will be resolved, and to implicate another person is something I cannot bear." Prefect Wu asked Mrs. Wang, "After your jest, did you ever speak of it to anyone?" Mrs. Wang testified, "I spoke of it to no one." Prefect Wu said angrily, "Husband and wife in bed should have no secrets from each other—how can you say you never mentioned it?" Mrs. Wang replied, "My husband has been away for a long time and has not yet returned." Prefect Wu said, "Even so, those who mock others always laugh at their foolishness and boast of their own cleverness. You say you told no one else—who are you trying to deceive?" He then ordered her ten fingers to be crushed in the torture device. Mrs. Wang had no choice but to confess truthfully, "I once told Su Jie about it." Prefect Wu then released E Qiujun and sent men to arrest Su Jie. When Su Jie arrived, he testified, "I truly do not know." Prefect Wu said, "A man who spends the night with a prostitute is certainly no good!" He then ordered severe torture. Su Jie could only confess, "It is true that I went to the Bian house to deceive Yanzhi. But after losing the embroidered shoes, I dared not go again. Of the killing, I truly know nothing." Prefect Wu said angrily, "A man who climbs over walls is capable of anything!" He again ordered torture. Unable to bear the cruel punishment, Su Jie admitted to the murder. Prefect Wu recorded the confession as a case file and submitted it to the higher authorities, and no one did not praise Prefect Wu for his judgment as if he were a god. The case was as solid as an iron mountain, and Su Jie could only stretch out his neck, awaiting execution in the autumn.
When all the suspects had arrived, Commissioner Shi went to the City God Temple and commanded them to kneel before the incense altar. He said to them, "A few days ago I dreamed that the City God told me the murderer is among you four or five men. Now, before the deity, you must not utter a single falsehood. If you confess willingly, you may still receive a lighter sentence; but if you lie, once the truth is discovered, there will be no mercy!" The men all declared in unison that they had committed no murder. The Commissioner ordered the instruments of torture to be placed on the ground, preparing to apply them; he had the suspects' hair bound up and their clothes stripped off, and they all cried out in protest of their innocence. The Commissioner ordered a halt and said to them, "Since you refuse to confess on your own, I must let the deity point out the true culprit." He had the hall's windows covered tightly with felt mats and rugs, leaving not a single crack. Then he made the suspects bare their backs and led them into the darkness. First, he gave them a basin of water and ordered each to wash his hands, then tied them with ropes along the wall, commanding, "Each of you face the wall and do not move. If you are the murderer, the deity will write a mark on your back." After a while, he called them out and examined them one by one, then pointed at Mao Da and said, "This is the murderer!" It turned out that the Commissioner had secretly coated the wall with lime and had them wash their hands in soot water: the murderer, fearing the deity would write on him, pressed his back against the wall, thus staining it with white lime; and when coming out, he covered his back with his hands, which left black soot marks. The Commissioner had already suspected Mao Da of the murder, and now he was even more certain. He then subjected Mao Da to severe torture, and Mao Da confessed the entire truth of the crime. The Commissioner pronounced his judgment.
Su Jie: He repeated the fate of Pen Cheng Kuo, who died for his lack of virtue, and incurred the infamy of Deng Tuzi, who was consumed by lust for women. All because of childhood innocence, he engaged in clandestine affairs; all because of a single leaked word, he harbored insatiable desires. Like Zhongzi, he climbed over the garden wall, falling to the ground like a bird; impersonating Liu Lang at the cave entrance, he deceitfully opened the boudoir door. He acted with reckless violence toward Yan Zhi—how could a man with any sense of shame do such a thing? He plucked flowers and broke branches, and as a scholar without virtue, what more could be said? Fortunately, he heard Yan Zhi's sickbed confession and could still pity her beauty; like a bird pitying a withered willow branch, he did not descend into utter depravity. He finally released the trapped bird, showing a trace of scholarly grace; yet he snatched Yan Zhi's embroidered shoe as a token—was this not the height of shamelessness! The two spoke in private, unaware that ears were behind the window, and Mao Da overheard; the shoe fell like a lotus petal, vanishing without a trace. Falsehood within falsehood arose, and who would believe injustice upon injustice? Disaster descended from heaven; he suffered cruel torture and nearly died; his self-made sins were full, and his broken head could scarcely be reattached. Such acts of climbing walls and drilling holes indeed disgraced the scholar's name, but bearing punishment for another was hard to dispel the grievance in his heart. Therefore, his punishment was slightly lightened to offset the harsh torture he had endured; he was temporarily demoted from blue robes to black, barred from this year's imperial examinations, and given a path to repent and start anew.
Mao Da was a cunning and unruly scoundrel, a vagrant who roamed the marketplace without a fixed trade. When he made advances toward Wang Shi and was rebuffed, his lecherous desires remained unquenched; taking advantage of Su Jie's secret visits to Wang Shi's home, he suddenly conceived a wicked scheme. Yingchun had originally hoped to welcome Scholar E, but instead allowed Su Jie the chance to scale the wall and enter; Mao Da had intended to catch Su Jie in adultery at Wang Shi's house but overheard news of Yingchun, which stirred in him the intent to seduce her by deceit. Unexpectedly, his soul was snatched away by heaven, and his spirit seized by ghosts. Consumed by lust, he relied on the embroidered slipper and rushed straight to Yingchun's boudoir; mistaking her chamber, he arrived instead at Old Man Bian's door. Thus, the flames of passion were extinguished, and the sea of desire stirred up waves. Old Man Bian brandished his knife and charged forward without hesitation; Mao Da, cornered and desperate, like a hunted rabbit that turns to bite, leaped over the wall into the house, hoping only to impersonate Scholar E and seduce Yingchun. Seizing the knife from Old Man Bian but leaving behind the embroidered slipper, he allowed the true culprit to escape and the innocent to suffer calamity. Only on the path of romance could such a demon arise; how could such a fiend be allowed to linger in the bower of tenderness? Let his head be struck off at once, bringing great joy to all hearts.
Yanzhi: Having grown to adulthood, yet still unmarried. Her beauty was like that of a moon palace fairy, naturally deserving a handsome youth as her match; she was originally one of the rainbow-feathered company, so why worry that no wealthy household would come to seek her hand? Moved by love and longing for a worthy spouse, she gave rise to spring dreams; lamenting the falling plum blossoms and admiring a man, she fell ill from yearning. Just because of this one thread of emotion, she summoned a host of demons swarming in. They vied for her lovely countenance, fearing only to lose "Yanzhi"; they stirred up fierce birds flying about, all pretending to be "autumn falcons." The embroidered shoe was taken by Su Jie, making it hard to preserve her chastity; the iron door was knocked upon, and the maiden's body nearly lost its purity. For a single thought of longing, she actually brought disaster upon herself; old man Bian was cruelly slain, and his beloved daughter truly became a source of calamity! Though tempted by others, she still held fast to her virtue and was not defiled; struggling bitterly in prison, she was fortunate that now a happy ending could cover all past faults. This prefecture commends her for being able to repel the licentious scoundrel, remaining still a pure-hearted lover; it is willing to fulfill her admiration for Scholar E, which is also a refined and romantic affair. Let the county magistrate act as their matchmaker.
After this case was concluded, the tale was widely celebrated and passed from mouth to mouth near and far.
After Prefect Wu's interrogation, Yanzhi came to realize that Scholar E had been wrongfully accused. Occasionally encountering him below the court hall, she would always be filled with shame, her eyes brimming with tears, as if she had countless tender words to speak to him, yet could not utter them. Scholar E, moved by her deep affection, also came to admire her deeply, but he pondered her humble origins and the fact that she had daily appeared in court for testimony, exposed to the gaze and pointed fingers of the crowd, fearing that marrying her would invite ridicule. Thus, he wavered in thought, unable to decide. It was only after the verdict was delivered that his mind was set at ease. The magistrate prepared the betrothal gifts for them and summoned musicians to celebrate their wedding.
The Chronicler of Strange Tales remarks: Indeed! The adjudication of cases must not be taken lightly! Even if one can recognize that a person like E Qiushun, who suffers in another's stead, is innocent, who would have thought that a man like Su Jie also bore a wrongful accusation in another's place? Yet, though matters may be shrouded in obscurity, there must always be some clue within; without careful scrutiny and deep reflection, it cannot be uncovered. Alas! People all admire the divine perspicacity of the wise and sagacious in judging cases, yet they know not how the masterful mind toils in its intricate designs. Those officials in the world, knowing only to while away their hours at chess, indulging in sloth and wasting their duties, spare not a single thought for the hardships of the people. When the hour comes to beat the drum and ascend the hall, they sit loftily in the court, and to silence the disputants, they straightway apply the instruments of torture—no wonder the common folk suffer countless grievances that remain unredressed!
Mr. Shi Yushan was my teacher. When I first gained his appreciation, I was still a child scholar. I saw how he rewarded and recommended students with utmost effort, fearing only that he might not be wholehearted enough; if a student suffered the slightest grievance, he would tenderly protect them, never putting on airs in the school to curry favor with officials. He could truly be called the guardian deity of the Most Holy Civilizing King, not merely a master of his generation who presided over examinations without wronging a single scholar. His love for talent was as if his very life depended on it, far beyond what later perfunctory academic commissioners could match. Once, a renowned scholar took the provincial examination and, when composing on the topic "Treasures Arise from the Depths," mistakenly understood the meaning of "treasures" as "underwater." After copying out his essay, he realized his error and knew there was no hope of avoiding disqualification. So he appended a poem: "Treasures in the mountains, mistaken for the water's edge. On the hilltop, a crystal hall is built. Coral grows on the peak's tip, pearls knot on the treetops. This time, the boatman drowns in the cliff! I appeal to Heaven: leave a little mark, that my friends may see." Mr. Yushan read it and replied with a poem: "Treasures boast of the mountain, suddenly seen by the riverbank. The woodcutter speaks idly of the fisherman's words. Though the topic is wrong, the writing is fine; how could it be placed beneath others? I have seen him fear heights; but when have I seen him drowned in water?" This shows a glimpse of Mr. Yushan's refined and elegant temperament, and it is also an anecdote of his cherishing talent.
Commentary
Although this piece belongs to the genre of courtroom fiction, it does not, like earlier classical courtroom tales, possess a simple plot with few characters, merely narrating the beginning and end of a single lawsuit. Instead, it places the legal case against a complex backdrop of life, adopting a net-like, multi-threaded structure that interweaves the love between Yan Zhi and E Qiusun, the illicit affair between Su Jie and Wang Shi, Mao Da's harassment of Wang Shi, and his urgent entry into Yan Zhi's home leading to a fatal killing. Among these, Yan Zhi's infatuation, tenderness, misunderstanding, and regret toward E Qiusun, Wang Shi's frivolous and coquettish demeanor, Mao Da's furtive and panicked behavior, Wu Nandai's upright and self-assured nature, and Shi Yushan's cautious and contemplative character all leave a deep impression. Due to the complexity of the factors behind the crime and the victim's concealment of certain clues, the case becomes increasingly bewildering and enigmatic.
The process of adjudicating this case was fraught with twists and turns, involving three successive officials. The miscarriage of justice arose not from the traditional vices of bribery, corruption, or benighted incompetence, but rather from the profound obscurity and complexity of the circumstances—truly, "without careful deliberation and meticulous investigation, the truth could not be obtained." It was precisely for this reason that Shi Yushan's brilliance in resolving the case and the depth of his painstaking efforts became all the more striking and prominent. Shi Yushan was the Education Commissioner of Shandong when Pu Songling, at the age of nineteen, passed the county, prefectural, and provincial examinations with top honors to become a xiucai. He once inscribed upon Pu's examination paper the words, "Reading with the clarity of the moon, wielding the brush with the swiftness of the wind." Pu Ruo, in his "Account of the Conduct of Master Liuquan," recorded: "At nineteen, he topped the child examinations, earning great praise from the literary master, Commissioner Shi Yushan." Because Shi Yushan had shown Pu Songling the grace of a discerning patron, Pu, in his narration of this tale, imbued Shi with a heightened aura of cherishing talent, and in the "Historian of the Strange's Commentary," he also filled it with a heartfelt sense of gratitude and kindred spirit.