Old Man Zan's Journey

Author: Liu E
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: Lao Can said, "Is it a crime to have concubines and drink in the mortal world, or even to sleep with flowers and stay in brothels?" Zhe Gong replied, "It is not without crime, but there are crimes that can be offset. For example, drinking and eating meat is also not without crime. These are all called crimes that can be offset, so there is no major harm." Lao Can said, "If it is a crime to have concubines and drink in the mortal world, why can one do the same in the underworld? Is it even without crime?" This book is one of the four great classics of modern literature. Itly exposes the images of two "honest officials." One is Yu Xian, who, in order to gain a good reputation, recklessly disregards human lives and arbitrarily tortures and kills innocent people, making one's hair stand on end. The other is Gang Bi, who is subjective and arbitrary, uses severe torture to extract confessions, and treats human lives as child's play. These two images are quite innovative, and their objective value far exceeds the art itself.