Shen Yu sees the thrush in the Imperial Aviary.

26

Shen Xiu Causes Seven Deaths with One Bird

As the story goes, in the third year of the Xuanhe reign period [1121] under Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty, there lived, by New North Bridge outside Wulin Gate in the prefecture of Ninghai,¹ a weaver named Shen Yu, courtesy name Bixian. A man of quite some means, he took himself a wife whose maiden name was Yan. The loving couple had an only son, whom they named Shen Xiu. At the time of which I speak, Shen Xiu was eighteen years old and not yet married. The father made his living by weaving fabrics, whereas his romantically inclined son, ignoring all proper pursuits, did little more than take care of his birds. (The root of all trouble.) As he was the only son, his parents were too doting to apply any discipline to him. The neighbors gave him a nickname: Birdie Shen. Every dawn at the fifth watch, he would take one of his thrushes to the willow grove in the city for fresh air, and so the days went by.

On one of those colorful days toward the end of spring when summer was already in the air, a day that was neither cold nor hot, Shen Xiu rose at the first light of dawn and, having washed and eaten his breakfast, made ready a cage into which he put a thrush. It was indeed a divine bird with no match on earth. Never had it lost a fight anywhere Shen Xiu took it, nor did it fail to bring in piles of money. Therefore, Shen Xiu loved it no less than he did his own dear life, and he made it a gold lacquer cage with brass hooks, water and food bowls of the finest Geyao² porcelain, and a green-gauze cage-cover. Cage in hand, he swaggered his way into the city, heading straight for the willow grove. Little did he know that he was to die a violent death in much the same way as

So Shen Xiu took his thrush to the willow grove, but he was too late. Those who usually gathered there to give their birds fresh air were already gone. The whole place was now dark and deserted, with not a soul left. All alone, he hung the cage on a willow branch. After the thrush sang for a while, Shen Xiu felt bored. He took down the cage and was about to turn back when a sharp pain shot through his belly and he sank into a squatting position.

As a matter of fact, Shen Xiu su ered from a chronic hernia, each attack of which left him more dead than alive. That morning, because he had risen earlier than usual but arrived too late for the gathering, he felt low-spirited, and so the attack was more severe than usual. With a thump, he collapsed by a willow tree and lost consciousness for a good four hours.

As coincidence would have it, the bucket-cooper Mr. Zhang was walking through the willow grove, a load on his shoulders, on his way to the Chu residence for a job. From afar, he saw a man lying under a tree. Taking what would be the space of three ordinary steps in two, he rushed forward and put down his load. What he saw was a young man in a coma, his face drained of all color. There was nothing of any value about him other than the birdcage, in which the cursed bird was, at that very moment, singing more beautifully than ever. Indeed, as the saying goes, the sight of money stirs up one’s greed, and the direst poverty leads to action. Zhang thought to himself, “How can I ever get to have some fun with the pittance I make?”

Shen Xiu was meant to die at that moment, for the thrush began to sing exceptionally well at the sight of Zhang. “This thrush alone,” said Zhang to himself, “would be worth two or three taels of silver at least, not to mention anything else.” So saying, he picked up the cage, but before he got away, Shen Xiu came to. When he saw Zhang carrying the birdcage, he tried in vain to get up. “Old jerk!” he cried out. “Where do you think you’re taking my bird?” (What good does cursing do? He brings death upon himself for lack of self-restraint in a trifling matter.)³

“So this little bastard has a sharp tongue!” Zhang thought to himself. “If I walk away with the thing, he’ll get up and catch up with me, and I’ll end up the loser. If I am to get a bad name anyway, I might as well finish him o .” From his bucket he drew out a paring knife, held Shen Xiu to the ground, and struck with one blow of the knife. It being a sharp, curved knife struck down with mighty force, the young man’s head rolled to one side. (There goes the first one.)

Panic overtook Zhang. He looked around in all directions, afraid that he might have been seen. Raising his eyes, he saw a hollow willow tree. With great haste, he picked up the head and tossed it into the hollow trunk. He then put the knife back into the bucket, hung the cage from his carrying pole, and pressed ahead, not to the Chu household for the job but, through streets and alleys, to a place where what he was to do would cause more lives to perish on account of the bird. Truly,

Zhang thought to himself as he went along, “I’ve noticed that in an inn at Huzhoushu, there is a traveling merchant who is interested in buying pets. Why don’t I go and sell him this bird?” And he headed straight for this inn outside Wulin Gate.

This merchant’s allotted span of life was destined to draw to an end. When going through the gate, Zhang ran into three travelers, followed by two young attendants, who had packed up their merchandise. All of the men were from the city of Bianliang, the Eastern Capital. One of them, a trader in herbal medicine by the name of Li Ji, was also fond of thrushes. (Root of trouble.) At the sight of the fine bird in the cage hanging from the pole, he asked Zhang if he could take a look. Zhang put down his load. Much impressed with the thrush’s fine feathers, eyes, and voice, the traveler asked Old Zhang, “Would you be willing to sell it?”

All too eager to rid himself of this source of trouble, Zhang said, “How much will you pay, sir?”

The more Li Ji looked at the bird, the more he liked it. “One tael of silver,” said he.

Zhang was well pleased over this good deal. “I shouldn’t haggle,” he said, “but, as the saying goes, anything that truly strikes one’s fancy is worth any amount of money. Add a little more and you’ll have it.”

Li Ji took out three pieces of silver that weighed one and a fifth taels. “All right,” he said and handed over the silver to Zhang.

The pieces of silver now in his hand, Zhang examined them and put them in his bag. He gave the bird to the traveler and, with a few words of farewell, took himself o . “It’s a good thing that I have now rid myself of that root of all trouble,” he muttered to himself. Instead of going to work, he headed straight home, not in an altogether carefree frame of mind. Truly,

Zhang lived with his wife by Yongjin Gate. They had no children. Upon his return, his wife said, “You haven’t used any of the rattan strips. Why are you back so early? What do you have in mind?”

Without a word of reply, Old Zhang carried his load into the house, put it down, turned around, and closed the door before he spoke up. “Wife, come here. I have something to tell you. Just now . . . ” He went on to give an account of what had happened. “With the one and a fifth taels of silver,” he continued, “you and I are going to have a good time.” The couple were beside themselves with joy, but of this, we shall speak no further.

Let us come back to the deserted willow grove. It was not until about nine in the morning that two men carrying loads of manure passed by. Appalled at the sight of a headless corpse blocking the way, they cried out and caused quite a stir among the residents and headmen of the nearby neighborhood. The neighborhood headmen reported the murder to the county authorities, who, in their turn, reported it to the prefect. The following day, some officers and coroners were sent to the willow grove to investigate. No wounds were found on the headless body, nor did any family members of the deceased come forward to identify the corpse. After the officers reported back to the prefect, inspectors were sent out to search for the murderer. Commotion broke out throughout the city and beyond.

In the meantime, Shen Xiu’s parents waited in vain for their son until evening came. They then sent someone out to search everywhere for him, but to no avail. At daybreak, as another search party went to the city, they heard in Huzhoushu much excited talk about a murdered headless corpse in the willow grove. When she heard this, Shen Xiu’s mother thought to herself, “My son took the bird to the city yesterday and is still missing. Might it be him?” She turned to her husband and urged, “You must go there yourself to find out what happened.”

Shen Yu gave a start and, in alarm, hurried into the willow grove. There he saw the headless corpse. A close examination of the clothes convinced him that it was indeed his son. He broke down in bitter weeping. The neighborhood headman remarked, “Now we’ve got the family, but there’s still no clue as to the murderer.”

Shen Yu went to the prefect of Lin’an and pleaded, “My son took his thrush into the city early yesterday morning and for whatever reason was murdered. Please, Your Honor, make sure that justice is done!”

The prefect issued orders to inspectors throughout the prefecture, demanding that the murderer be arrested within ten days.

Shen Yu put the corpse in a coffin, left it in the willow grove, and returned home. “It is indeed our son,” he said to his wife. “He was murdered, but his head is still nowhere to be found. I have appealed to the prefect, who then sent orders all over the prefecture to arrest the murderer. I bought a coffin for the body. Now what should be done next?”

At this account, his wife burst into loud wails and collapsed to the ground. The condition of her five vital organs was not readily apparent, but her four limbs visibly went limp. Truly,

When she came to after bystanders forced some warm water down her throat, she lamented between sobs, “My son always turned a deaf ear to good advice, and now he has died without even a burial place. What a tragic death for such a young man! I never expected that I would have no son to support me in my old age!” So saying, she broke down in another flood of tears. Then she resumed her laments, refusing all o ers of tea and food. Her husband tried desperately to console her, and at last she calmed down. Half a month went by with no more news about the case. The couple took counsel with each other and decided that since it was their son’s waywardness that brought this calamity upon himself, there was nothing much they could do if the murderer could not be found, but at least the corpse should be made whole. It would be best if they wrote a poster to let it be known to all that a reward would be given to anyone who could find the head so as to have the corpse made whole.

Having thus decided, the couple promptly wrote several posters and put them up in various places throughout the city. On the posters were written these words:

The matter was reported to the prefect, who, while again charging inspectors with the task of arresting the murderer, also put up posters that said,

The posters caused quite a stir throughout the city.

Now, at the foot of Southern Peak there lived an old man, with the surname Huang, who was as poor as could be. Nicknamed Old Dog Huang, he was not a man known for his good sense. In his younger days, he had made a living by carrying sedan-chairs, but now, in his declining years, having lost his sight, he could do no better than allow himself to be supported by his two sons, Big Bao and Little Bao. This family of three could hardly scrape together enough food to fill their bellies nor enough clothes to cover their bodies. One day, Old Dog Huang called together Big Bao and Little Bao and addressed them as follows: “I have heard that a rich man, Shen Xiu, was murdered, and his head is still missing. For anyone who can come up with the head, there’ll be a reward of one thousand strings in cash from the family and another five hundred strings in cash from the prefect. Now, I’ve called you together just to say that, being a useless and sightless old man with no source of income, I’d be better o dead if, in exchange, you two could live it up. Tonight, the two of you can cut o my head and hide it by West Lake. Wait for a few days for it to rot beyond recognition, and then take it to the prefectural yamen to claim the reward of fifteen hundred strings of cash. Wouldn’t that be better than su ering in such misery here? This is a wonderful plan that needs to be carried out without delay, for if someone else does it before us, I’ll have died for nothing.” Such was the folly of Old Dog Huang. To make matters worse, the two sons were also densely ignorant imbeciles who knew nothing about the law. (The law is only of secondary importance.) Truly,

The two brothers went outside to talk it over. Little Bao said, “Father’s plan is indeed more ingenious than what any general or commander could have come up with. But, however ingenious it might be, it’s too bad that we’ll be losing our father.”

Big Bao, being as stupid as he was ruthless, rejoined, “He’s going to die soon anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to finish him o now? Let’s dig a pit at the foot of the mountain and bury him. With no trace left behind, how would we be found out? What we’ll be doing is but giving the whole thing a push and a finishing touch, so to speak. In all conscience, it’s he who wants us to do this, not the other way around.”

“It’s a good idea all right,” said Little Bao, “but let’s wait until he’s fast asleep before we do it.”

Having thus decided upon the course they were to follow, they went out and, after much running around, bought two bottles of wine on credit. The father and the sons drank until they tumbled every which way. Upon waking up at the third watch of the night, the two brothers rose and saw that the old man was sound asleep. Big Bao took a kitchen knife from the stove and, with one strike, cut his father’s head o . (There goes the second one.) In great haste, they wrapped it up in a ragged piece of clothing, put it by the bedside, and proceeded to the foot of the mountain, where they dug a deep pit. They then carried the body there and buried it. Before the night was out, they took the head to the lake near Lotus House by South Screen Mountain and buried it in a shallow spot by the water’s edge.

Half a month later, they went into the city, read the posters, and made their way to Shen Yu’s house. “Yesterday,” they reported, “the two of us were catching shrimp and fish in the lake near Lotus House when we saw a human head. We thought it might be your son’s.”

“If it is,” said Shen Yu, “you shall get your reward of a thousand strings of cash, not a penny less.”

After treating them to wine and food, Shen followed them to the lake. A human head could be seen thinly concealed under a layer of soil. When lifted up for a look, it turned out to be a head so bloated from all those days in the water as to be beyond all hope of recognition. But this must be it because, if not, how could there be another unclaimed human head? Shen Yu wrapped it up in a handkerchief and went with the two brothers to the prefectural yamen to report, “Shen Xiu’s head has been found.”

To the prefect’s repeated queries, the two brothers answered, “We saw it while we were catching shrimp and fish. That’s the full extent of our knowledge.”

The prefect believed their story and handed out the reward of five hundred strings of cash. The money now in their possession, they carried the head and followed Shen Yu to the willow grove, where they opened the coffin, fit the head onto the neck, nailed the coffin up again, and returned with Shen Yu to his house. Pleased at hearing that her son’s head had been found, Yan-shi set out wine and food in honor of the two brothers and gave them the reward of one thousand strings of cash. The two men took the money, bade the couple farewell, and returned home to build a new house and buy farming implements. The two men said, “Now we don’t have to carry sedan-chairs as before. We can very well make a living by hard work at farming and selling firewood.” But of them, for the time being, no more.

Indeed, time flew like an arrow, and the days and months passed by as fast as a weaver’s shuttle. Quite unnoticeably, several months elapsed. The prefectural yamen’s attention was diverted elsewhere, and the case gradually ceased to be a topic of conversation.

Now let us return to Shen Yu. Being a weaver for the Eastern Capital, it was now his turn to escort a shipment of silk to the capital. When all the other weavers had finished their work, Shen Yu went to the prefectural yamen to get the permit for delivery of the goods. Upon returning home, he gave instructions for the arrangement of household a airs and set o on his journey. He was to see the bird again, an encounter that was to lead to another death. Truly,

To resume our story, Shen Yu went on the road, eating and drinking whenever necessary, resting by night and traveling by day. Some days later, he arrived in the Eastern Capital. After delivering the bolts of silk and taking his receipt, he thought to himself, “The sights of the capital are said to be quite di erent from other places. Why don’t I take a look around? It’s only once in a long while that I get to visit the capital.” And so he made a tour of all the famous hills, scenic spots, temples, monasteries, and historic sites. Chance took his steps past the Imperial Aviary. Being a lover of pets, Shen Yu wished to go in for a look. After paying about a dozen cash at the gate, he was allowed in. He heard a thrush singing beautifully. A closer look revealed it to be none other than the missing thrush that had belonged to his son. Upon recognizing Shen Yu, the bird sang with more gusto. It hopped about, stretching its neck toward him. The sight of the thrush reminded Shen Yu of his son. Tears gushed out, and a pain shot through his heart. In spite of himself, he cried out in anguish, “How can there be such a thing!”

The guard of the aviary sharply reprimanded him, saying, “This brute has no idea of regulations! This is no place for you to kick up such a fuss!”

Feeling wronged, Shen Yu cried even louder.

Afraid of being blamed by the authorities, the guard saw no alternative but to apprehend Shen Yu and take him to the Court of Judicial Review. The court judge thundered, “Who do you think you are, making such a noise in a royal place? How were you wronged? Speak the truth, and I’ll let you o .” Shen Yu thereupon gave a full account of how his son was murdered while on an outing with the bird. The court judge was astounded and fell silent, for this bird had been o ered as tribute to the aviary by Li Ji, a resident of the capital. How could he have known the story behind it? Accordingly, he sent runners to bring Li Ji with all speed to the court.

The interrogator asked, “Why did you murder his son in Ninghai and o er the thrush here as tribute? Confess, and you shall be spared from torture.”

“I was on my way to Hangzhou on business,” said Li Ji, “when at Wulin Gate I ran into a bucket-cooper, who had this thrush in a cage hanging from his carrying pole. The bird was so beautiful and was singing so well that I bought it for one and a fifth taels of silver. It is such a fine bird that I dared not keep it for myself but o ered it in tribute to the emperor. I know nothing about any foul play.”

“Don’t try to shift the blame onto someone else,” said the interrogator. “We have this thrush as physical evidence. Out with the truth!”

Li Ji pleaded time and again, “I did indeed buy it from the old bucket-cooper. I know nothing about any murder. I can’t confess to something I didn’t do.”

The interrogator pressed further: “If you bought it from an old man, what is his name? And where is he from? If you make a clean breast of everything, I will have him brought in. Then we’ll establish all the facts and let you go.”

“I bought it from him when I ran into him on the road. I know nothing about his name or where he lives.”

The interrogator lashed out, “Don’t try to get by with evasive answers! You can’t make someone else pay for the murder! This thrush is conclusive evidence against you. (The judges go only by whatever evidence they happen to see under their noses. A big flaw in the system.) The brute has to be beaten before he’ll confess!”

After he was beaten till his skin split and his flesh ripped, the pain was too much for Li Ji to stand. He had no choice but to confess to having “killed Shen Xiu and discarded his head for the sake of the beautiful thrush.” Consequently, he was thrown into jail to await sentence. In the meantime, as a response to the judge’s report, an imperial decree came saying that Li Ji, being the murderer of Shen Xiu, as evidenced by the surviving thrush, was to be executed in accordance with the law. The bird was given back to Shen Yu, who was permitted to return home, whereas Li Ji was taken under guard to the marketplace to be decapitated. (There goes the third one.) Truly,

The two merchants who had traveled with Li Ji to Ninghai to ply their trade were angered by the news. “What an injustice! We saw him buy the bird! We would have defended him, only we don’t know the seller’s name, either, though we do remember how he looked. Moreover, it all happened in Hangzhou. What if we were to be incriminated too, without being able to clear his name? A human life was unjustly taken for the sake of a mere bird! If ever we find ourselves in Hangzhou, we will surely try to get the truth out of that man.” We shall leave them for the moment and come back to Shen Yu.

Having packed his belongings, Shen Yu took the bird and hastened on his way home, without waiting for the night to be over. Upon arriving home, he said to his wife, “I got our son avenged in the Eastern Capital.”

“How did it all happen?” asked his wife, whereupon Shen Yu gave her a full account of the story, beginning with his sighting of the bird in the Imperial Aviary. When she saw the thrush, Yan-shi broke down in a flood of tears, for it reminded her of her son, but this is no concern of ours here.

The following day, Shen Yu took the bird to the prefectural yamen to have his permit canceled, and he gave a report of everything that had happened. Greatly pleased at the account, the prefect exclaimed, “What a remarkable coincidence that was!” Truly,

It goes without saying that cases involving human lives, being matters of concern to heaven, are by no means child’s play. The prefect ordered, “Since the murderer has been brought to justice and executed, the coffin of Shen Xiu may now be cremated.” Accordingly, Shen Yu had the coffin cremated and the ashes scattered into a temple pond, but of this, no more.

In the meantime, the two merchants, He and Zhu, who had traveled with Li Ji to Hangzhou to sell medicinal herbs, were now in Hangzhou again. They stayed in the inn at Huzhoushu and disposed of all the herbs left in their stock. Still indignant at the injustice done to Li Ji, the two of them went into the city to look for the bucket-cooper. They searched a whole day without finding a clue. In low spirits, the two men returned to the inn. The following day, they went into the city again and ran into a man carrying a cooper’s load. They stopped him and said, “May we ask you something, brother? We are trying to find a cooper, an old man,” and they proceeded to give a description of the old man’s looks. “Would you happen to know his name?”

The man said, “In my line of business, there are only two old men, a Li who lives on Pomegranate Lane and a Zhang who lives by the western city wall. I don’t know which of them you might be asking about.”

The two men thanked him and proceeded to Pomegranate Lane, where they saw Mr. Li there cutting rattan strips. They looked him over, but he was not the man they were after. They then headed toward the house by the western wall and asked, upon arrival, “Is Mr. Zhang in?” His wife said, “No, he’s out on a job.”

The two men turned back without another word. In the early afternoon, when they had covered hardly half a li on their way back, they saw a cooper with his load coming in their direction from afar. This man was to pay for Shen Xiu’s life and clear Li Ji’s name. Truly,

Zhang was heading south while the two travelers were heading north, and so they met face to face. Zhang did not recognize the two men, but they recognized him. Stopping him, they said, “May we ask your name, sir?”

“My surname is Zhang.”

“Might you be the Mr. Zhang who lives by the western wall?”

“Yes,” replied Zhang. “Why are you asking me these questions?”

“We have a lot of work at the inn for an experienced cooper. Where are you heading?”

“I’m on my way home.”

The three men chatted as they went along, until they came to Zhang’s door. “Please come in for some tea,” said Zhang.

“It’s too late. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

“In that case, I’ll stay at home tomorrow to wait for you.”

After parting company with Zhang, the two men did not return to the inn. Instead, they went straight to the prefectural yamen to make their report while the court was in its evening session. They got down on their knees in the hall and gave a detailed account of how Shen Yu had recognized the thrush, how Li Ji had ended up being executed, and how they had witnessed Zhang selling the thrush. “Believing that an injustice was done, we are here to make sure that Li Ji is avenged. (Good men. Good men.) Please apprehend Zhang for interrogation, Your Honor, and find out how he came by the thrush.”

The prefect said, “Shen Xiu’s case is closed. The murderer has already been executed. What more is there to talk about?”

The two men pleaded, “The judge of the Court of Judicial Review made a poor judgment when he unjustly sentenced Li Ji to death on the evidence of the thrush alone, without any investigation. In the face of such injustice, we ask that Li Ji’s life be paid back. We wouldn’t have dared to make this report if what we say is anything less than the truth. Please stand by us in your mercy.” The sincerity of their pleading made the prefect decide to dispatch runners to arrest Zhang that very night, in much the same way as

That night, the runners hurried to the western wall and trussed Mr. Zhang up with ropes. They then brought him to the prefectural yamen and threw him into jail. The following day when the prefect called the court session to order, the runners took Zhang out of jail and made him kneel down. The prefect said, “How could you have murdered Shen Xiu and let Li Ji die in your place? Now that the truth has come to light, the will of heaven will not spare you.” He sharply ordered that the man be given a sound beating. After thirty strokes, his skin split, his flesh ripped open, and blood ran all over the place, but he still refused to confess.

The two merchants and their two companions said in unison, “Li Ji is dead, but the four of us all saw with our own eyes how he bought the thrush from you for one and a fifth taels of silver. Now who are you going to shift the blame to? If you didn’t do it, tell the court where you got the bird. Hard facts cannot be denied. Lying won’t get you anywhere!”

As Zhang insisted on his innocence, the prefect roared, “With the bird as evidence of your theft and the four men here as eyewitnesses, I will order that the ankle-squeezers be used on you if you don’t confess!”

A terrified Zhang had no choice but to confess how he had stolen the bird and cut o Shen Xiu’s head.

“Where did you put the head?” asked the prefect.

“In a moment of panic, I tossed the head into a hollow willow tree by the roadside. Then I took the bird, walked out Wulin Gate, and ran into three traveling merchants with two attendants, who bought the bird from me for one and a fifth taels of silver. I took the money home and spent it. All this is true.”

The prefect made Zhang sign his confession and sent runners to bring Shen Yu. With Zhang under guard, they went to the willow grove to find the head. The news caused an uproar throughout the city. Countless people swarmed to the willow grove to watch the spectacle. There, for all to see, was indeed a hollow willow tree. As the tree fell to a saw, the crowd gave a shout because, lo and behold, there was indeed a human head that, when lifted up, was found to be as fresh as when alive. (The aggrieved soul of the dead man refused to go away.) A closer look convinced Shen Yu that it was his son’s head. He broke out into loud wails of grief and fell to the ground unconscious. When he came to after a considerable while, he wrapped up the head with a kerchief. Zhang was then taken under guard to the prefectural yamen.

“Now that the head has been found,” said the prefect, “guilt is established beyond a doubt.” With a big cangue put on his neck and shackles on his hands and feet, Zhang was taken to the cell for those condemned to death, where he was kept under close guard. (The fourth one.)

The prefect said to Shen Yu, “It is questionable where the Huang brothers, Big Bao and Small Bao, got the head for which they claimed a reward. Now that Shen Xiu’s head has been found, whose head could the other one be?” Immediately he sent runners to bring the Huang brothers to him for interrogation. Shen Yu went with them all the way to the Huangs’ house on Southern Peak, and they took the brothers to the prefectural yamen, where they were made to kneel down in the hall.

“Shen Xiu’s murderer has been brought to justice,” said the prefect. “Shen Xiu’s head has also been found. Whom did you brothers murder in order to claim a reward for the head? Confess everything and you will be spared from torture.”

Disconcerted by the question, Big Bao and Little Bao found themselves tongue-tied and unable to come up with any answer. The prefect flew into a rage. At his order, the two men were hung up and beaten. As they still refused to confess after a good deal of flogging, red-hot irons were applied to them. The pain was so overwhelming that they fainted. When splashes of water brought them back to consciousness, they had no recourse but to come out with the truth (The fifth and sixth): “Our father being old, sick, and lonely, we got him drunk and cut o his head, something we shouldn’t have done. We buried the head by the side of West Lake near Lotus House. We then came to claim the reward, passing o his head as the one wanted.”

“Where did you bury your father’s body?” asked the prefect.

“At the foot of Southern Peak,” was the reply. The two men were immediately taken there and some digging did indeed reveal a headless corpse buried in the ground. The two men were brought back to the prefectural yamen to await further instructions.

At the report that there was indeed a headless corpse buried in the shallow soil at the foot of Southern Peak, the prefect exploded, “What an atrocity! This is an outrageous violation of all laws of heaven. How can there be such monsters among men! I have no wish to talk, hear, or write about them. They’d better be beaten to death right on the spot. How else is the crime to be vindicated?” On his order, the lictors did not bother about counting, but beat the two men through several rounds of losing and regaining consciousness. They were then locked up in huge cangues and thrown into the cell for prisoners condemned to death. There, they were put under close guard. Shen Yu and the plainti s waited at home for further instructions.

A memorial on the unjust death of Li Ji was promptly submitted to the imperial court. Acting on an imperial decree, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate cross-examined the judge who had sentenced Li Ji to death, stripped him of all official posts, and banished him to Lingnan, in the south. To compensate for the unjust death of Li Ji, the court granted the family of the deceased a thousand strings of cash and exempted his descendants from corvée labor. Zhang was sentenced to death for having committed a murder for monetary gain and causing the unjust death of an innocent man. For this double crime, he was to be cut by knife two hundred forty times and his body dismembered into five pieces. The Huang brothers, for their crime of patricide for monetary gain, were given the same sentence, with no attempt to distinguish one of them as the main culprit and the other as his accessory. They too were to be sliced by knife two hundred forty times, their bodies cut into five pieces, and their heads hung high for the public to see. Truly,

When the documents arrived, officers and coroners put the three men on wooden “mules” and publicized the event throughout the city for three days, after which their corpses were dismembered and their heads hung up for public exposure, as was dictated by the law.

Having heard that her old man was to be executed, Zhang’s wife betook herself to the marketplace, hoping to see her husband once more. However, when the executioners started slicing at the signal to begin, the gruesome sight frightened the wits out of her. As she turned away to flee from the scene, she tripped and fell with a heavy thump to the ground, injuring her five internal organs. She died soon after arriving home. (The seventh.) Indeed,