Chinese Literature

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on the road. She was walking with that young man and they refused to come back; they had to be dragged back by force. We also sent for Mrs. Liu and her father, and when they arrived Liu’s father-in-law said he had given the dead man fifteen strings of cash yesterday to set him up in business; but now Liu was dead and the money gone! When we questioned the concubine, she said she had left the money piled on the ped; but we found the fifteen strings of cash on the young man. This proves that the concubine and the young man must have plotted the murder together. How can they deny it, with such clear evidence against them?” .

The magistrate believed all they said and, calling the young man forward, demanded: “Here, in the seat of the imperial government, how dare you act so lawlessly? Confess now how you made off with Liu’s concubine, stole his fifteen strings of cash and murdered him, and where you were going together.”

“My name is Tsui Ning,” said the young man, “and I live in the country. Yesterday I came into town and sold some silk: that’s how I got these fifteen strings of cash. This morning I fell in with this young lady on the road; but I didn’t even know her name, to say nothing of the murder.” -

In a towering rage, the magistrate thundered: “Nonsense! How could there be such a coincidence: they lost fifteen strings of cash, and you got fifteen strings for your silk! You are obviously lying. Besides, «4 man shouldn’t covet his neighbour’s wife or horse: if she was nothing to you, why were you walking together? No doubt a cunning knave like you will never confess unless I have you tortured A :

The magistrate had Tsui Ning and the concubine tortured until they fainted away again and again. Mr. Wang, his daughter and the neighbours insisted that the couple were guilty, and the magistrate wanted to close the case, so the unfortunate concubine and Tsui Ning were tortured until they broke down and agreed that they had been tempted by the money and killed Liu, then had taken the fifteen strings of cash and fled. The neighbours, acting as witnesses in the case, put their crosses to the confessions; Tsui Ning and the concubine were pilloried and sent to the prison for those condemned to death; and the fifteen strings of cash were returned to Mr. Wang—who found they were not enough to pay the men in the yamen!

The magistrate drew up a report of the case which he submitted to the higher authorities; and after due consideration an imperial edict was issued to the effect that since Tsui Ning was guilty of adultery, robbery and murder, he should lose his head according to the law; while the concubine, who had plotted with her lover to kill her own husband, was guilty of the worst crime and should be sliced to death. The confessions were then read out in court, after which Tsui Ning and the concubine were brought from the gaol to be sentenced—he to decapitation and she

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