Little Bean

Author: (Qing) Zeng Yandong / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Ode to the Heroic Woman with Preface and Postscript Weiyi's solitary mountain holds the tomb of a heroic woman, whose surname and residence remain unknown. In the Ximing year of the Chongzhen era, the rebellion of the troops broke out in Wuqiao, broke through Xincheng, and advanced eastward. The people of Weiyi saw a large formation marching in perfect order when suddenly, a detachment appeared, carrying sedan chairs, and moved northward. About two or three miles later, smoke and flames filled the sky, and the reason remained unclear. After the troops left, they inquired and learned that the woman had come from Xincheng. Initially, the bandits had captured her, forcing her not to ride a horse and not to board a carriage, crying to the heavens and the earth, vowing never to live. The soldiers considered her a valuable commodity and wanted to present her to their superior. They found a large sedan chair and forcibly carried her. The woman had not eaten or drunk for several days, only seeking death. The soldiers tried to persuade her with other captured women, but she refused. When they reached the superior, he roared, "Who taught you to do this? Take her back immediately!" They opened the chair, and the woman had already cut herself to death. They carried her to the wilderness and piled firewood to burn her. The scholars and officials of the city admired her righteousness, erected a stele, and buried her bones.
Ode:
Her bones were as snow, her heart as iron.
True gold does not break in the furnace,
Ages do not extinguish the fragrance of sandalwood;
Yellow rhino repels dust, dust does not rise;
White jade does not stain, stains do not adhere.
Vast primordial energy returns to the void,
A short stele on Weiyi mountain stands tall.
Ma Gu, in the late years of the Chongzhen era, when Gao Jie and others caused chaos, the regions of Yan and Yu were unsettled. Bandits rose, plundering cities, abducting treasures and women, leaving nothing behind. When bandits attacked Jinxiang, a general named Tian Feiyao led the troops. The magistrate of Jinxiang, Han Jian, was skilled in warfare and had implemented many good policies in the city. Upon receiving the news, he first inspired the elders with loyalty and offered heavy rewards to recruit brave soldiers, preparing for battle and defense. When the bandits approached the city, they attacked for several days but could not breach it. At night, the bandits used dozens of ox carts to advance directly under the city walls, hiding in the axles to dig trenches. The magistrate threw sand bottles and sulfur at the carts, killing many bandits with the smoke. In the morning, the bandits shouted, "This small city has resisted with all its strength. Taking it will not intimidate us. We are leaving!" and scattered. The people said, "When the bandits leave, we should gather water and wood." The magistrate disagreed, saying, "They are lying. I see them disbanding but preparing to regroup, so we must be on high alert." In the afternoon, they heard the sound of gongs coming from the northwest. The magistrate immediately led the people to the city walls to watch. After a while, dust rose, horses galloped, and the banners were fresh. The people were suspicious. When they reached the city moats, the bandits shouted, "The Lu Wang's troops have arrived to protect the people!" Everyone was happy, not expecting the bandits to be fake. Just as they were about to open the gates, a woman with a monkey-like face and arms, riding a donkey, charged out, shouting, "These are bandits! They are trying to trick you into surrendering! Where are the Lu Wang's troops?" The bandits were furious and surrounded her, cutting her to pieces on the spot. The magistrate and the people on the city walls witnessed it, and the defense became even stronger. The bandits had no choice but to retreat. Three days later, the people of the city went out to collect her body and found a small inscription on her clothing: "Ma Siqing, daughter of Ma Fangtun in the south of Jinjing, vowed never to surrender to the bandits." The people of the city were moved by her righteousness and buried her, erecting a shrine called "Shrine of the Loyal and Heroic Ma Gu."
This was not recorded in the local annals, but it was mentioned in Pan Zhaolun's "Notes on Fragrant Mornings." Now, Sheng Bai'er of Xiushui edited the "Jinjing Gazetteer," which included this entry, though it was too brief. Alas! The virtue of women and girls lies in their gentleness, obedience, and chastity, which are considered virtuous. But when they face adversity, clarity of principle, saving the city, and bravery—these are things even men find difficult! The actions of Ma Gu were unparalleled even by ancient Zhong Lian, and yet she also faced the fate of Li Sheng!
The Ode to Zhang Liefu Zhang Liefu, wife of Sun Tukui of the same city. After marrying Sun, she did not live for many years. When Sun fell ill during his provincial exams, Liefu immediately decided to die for him. Soon after, Sun's condition slightly improved and returned home. However, he was still bedridden with illness. Liefu prayed to heaven, asking to die in his place but was not allowed. For five years, Liefu tended to the medicine pot, never ceasing day or night. When Sun recovered, Liefu, having no children, arranged a concubine for Sun. In the Bingzi year, Sun's illness returned, and Liefu mourned day and night, wanting to die first to report to her husband in the afterlife. Sun said, "My wife is pregnant. If she gives birth to a son, after I die, who will take care of the child?" Liefu obeyed her husband's command and did not die. That month, she gave birth to a son, and Sun's illness also improved. In the eleventh month of winter, his illness worsened and could no longer be treated. Liefu, out of fear of dying without her child, did not die. Three years later, her child died young. Liefu again wanted to die, saying, "If my child does not die, I must stay to raise him. But if he dies, what is there to guard? I should die to fulfill my husband's wish!" Her relatives and friends tried to comfort her, saying, "After you die, will you die for your husband or your son? Dying for your husband was loyal; not dying for your son is virtuous. And how can you abandon a single coffin to guard it day and night? Why die?" Her words were close to the truth, so she could not die again. Later, she became very poor, and her concubine had no choice but to leave. Liefu alone stayed with a maid, gathering grain and wild vegetables, her life growing harder but her virtue stronger. She always mourned on the 1st and 15th of each month and consulted the coffin before taking any action. In the Jiaoshen year, bandits rose, and people fled. Liefu sighed, "As a widow, should I flee with the people? This is the time for me to die!" She stopped eating and sold her cosmetics to make a coffin. She prepared everything, from the coffin to the burial plot, even the sedan chair. On the sixth day of the fifth month, she bid farewell to her relatives as if going on a visit. By then, she had not eaten or drunk for fourteen days, her voice like metal, her expression serene, showing no trace of grief. Those who knew her thought she would not die; those who did not know her thought she had no intention of dying, so how could she die? At noon on the fifth day, she entrusted her final affairs to her younger relatives and locked the door at midnight. On the sixth day at dawn, she was found sitting beside her son's coffin, her white scarf around her neck, closing her eyes with a smile. Before she stopped eating, her dog also refused to eat. Liefu told the dog, "I will die, find another master for you, can you?" The dog whined and wagged its tail, reluctant to leave. By then, the dog also died. Alas! Loyal officials and virtuous women may vow to die but end up not dying, or they may start hesitantly but ultimately die decisively. Though it is said it is their nature, there is also fate. Without the right opportunity, they cannot die, and they dare not die. Liefu died again but did not die, and finally died decisively. This is truly dying when it is time to die, and dying with a proper destiny. Her writing is extraordinary and can be passed down with the woman.
My great-grandfather Wen Jin had a servant named Ye Lu, who was very fast and could travel 500 miles in one night. His shinbones were longer and straighter than ordinary people's, without flesh, covered in black hair about two or three inches long, curling downwards from the knees. When walking with others, he seemed unremarkable at first, but in the blink of an eye, he was far ahead. Observers thought his feet barely touched the ground, and arrows flew over his head. When Wen Jin passed the imperial examinations through recommendation, Ye followed him. The family was poor and the parents elderly, so Wen Jin gave half his allowance to his family once a month, sending Ye back home. My hometown is over 1,200 miles from the capital, and Ye made the round trip in seven days without fail. One night, he was traveling and passed Zhongzhou's, a 20-mile stretch with no settlements. A man with a short staff ambushed Ye and struck him. Ye fell, and the man stole his belongings. Ye struggled back up, lost his money, and saw only two paths, no side roads. He chased the man northward for about five or six miles but lost sight of him. He hurried back south but found the man ahead after about eight miles. Ye shouted, "Give me back my belongings." The man saw Ye and ran, but Ye followed slowly. The man turned to strike, but Ye retreated slowly, and the man could not catch him. The man ran again, and Ye followed. This happened twice, and the man grew frightened, returning Ye's money. Ye took it, and the man left. Ye thought, "I traveled all night without incident, and I am hungry. Why not tease him?" He followed the man again. The man was exhausted, and with the rooster crowing and stars shining, he panicked and said, "Brave man, why are you so persistent?" Ye replied, "After traveling all night, we haven't even shaken hands. I wanted to visit your home to meet you." The man had no choice and said, "Please be quiet. My home is nearby. If you visit, I will guide you." When dawn broke, the man led Ye to a village. After staying in the house for a long time, an old man came out and invited Ye to his home. He asked for Ye's name, and the old man said, "My name is Duan. Last night, my pig got into trouble. Please forgive him." Ye nodded in agreement. The old man asked about Ye and learned he was a servant of the Zeng family, sent to care for the family. The old man admired Ye's loyalty to his master and respected Wen Jin's filial piety. He treated Ye well and gave him a small flag, saying, "If you meet any important friends here, whether by car, horse, or luggage, insert this flag, and you will reach Jinjing without worry." Later, Ye often visited the old man's home. Several years later, the Duan family became wealthy and changed businesses, while I heard Wen Jin had been appointed as the magistrate of Yunmeng. When Ye was sent on a mission to the capital, he passed by again, but the old man had passed away. The man and Ye reminisced, and the old man's two sons treated them to chicken and millet.
Sun Yuanchang Sun Yuanchang, styled Daxian, was from Yidu. He was upright, resolute, and open-minded, revealing nothing in conversation. When he was determined on something, his words were decisive, and even Fei Yu and Yu Fei could not sway him. He loved deep and profound thinking, writing with precision and logic, avoiding smooth and superficial style. He had long been a student in the academy but failed the exams repeatedly, never changing his studies. His arguments were clear and firm. In his youth, he spoke passionately, but in his fifties, after his marriage, he shut himself away, gradually withdrawing from worldly affairs. He planted willows in front of his door and grew gourds behind his hall, labeling his door, "Avoiding worldly desires, resting the mind, seeking solace in nature." He had poor and humble friends. One day, a wealthy man with carriages and horses passed by, but as soon as he heard the sound, Sun leaped over the wall and left, never to interact again. His resentment toward the times and customs was like this. He had a meticulous nature. When faced with a situation, he would first establish a plan, whether with broken bamboo or ruined tiles, placing them where they fit and using them appropriately. In his later years, he lived by the Xiaoshui River, quietly observing the world, sitting motionless for years. When tired, he would take his staff and wander the mountains and forests, often staying for days in unexpected encounters. His children worried about his toil and sometimes followed him with servants and horses, but he refused to ride, returning alone in disappointment, reflecting his simple tastes. He lived alone, reflecting on his solitude but not abandoning his family. He corrected the times and refined customs, acting without alarming others. At seventy-three, he had never worn silk or ridden a horse. When his illness was critical, he still checked his remaining grain and paid off his brothers' debts, never taking a single coin from others. He had four sons, the eldest, Tingquan, was an official enfeoffed as a Lightly Attired Minister.
Zhang Min Zhang Min, from Anqiu, was orphaned in childhood. As a student, he disdainfully avoided studying classical texts, once saying, "If my heart is not for serving the state, how can rituals be for archery? Why chase wealth so persistently?" He cultivated himself in tranquility and nurtured virtue in frugality, earning the respect of the neighborhood as an elder. In middle age, he had no children, so his wife, Wang, bought him a concubine. When the concubine arrived, she was covered in tears, her sorrow moving. Learning she was from a noble family, Sun sent her away without demanding payment. The concubine thanked him and returned, telling the messenger, "I wish for Master Zhang to have three sons who achieve success." Later, he had three sons: Sili for the imperial examinations, Jingling Jilun, and Ciyu Xuelun, fulfilling her wish. Earlier, when Sun was dying and his sons were young, he called his nephew, Sili Shushen, to his bedside. With no one present, he took out a thousand gold pieces and said, "These poor orphans cannot guard this wealth. Give it to you to wait until they grow up. If you can give it to them, do so; if not, enjoy it yourself, do not let the wealth burden you." Shushen agreed. When the younger brothers grew up, he returned the original wealth. Those who heard praised Sun for his ability to influence others and his wisdom in protecting his family.
Little Li, from the old saying that men should establish households and women should manage them, has always been true. Those who hear of such stories should not necessarily meddle properly with matchmaking, using clever words to encourage it or subtle advice to persuade it. Often, there are cruel-hearted people who not only do not help but actively break up marriages. When couples argue, or when they are separated, or during years of famine, they willingly accept separation, spreading baseless rumors and speaking harshly to sever ties. Watching couples part as if they had broken a mirror or split a phoenix, they find it satisfying. What benefit do they gain from doing so?
In Dezhou, there was a Little Li who worked as a boatman. One day, a merchant came ashore and left ten gold pieces. Li found them and promised to marry his daughter to the boat owner. A few days later, the merchant returned, but the boat owner was away, so Li generously returned the money. The boat owner had a relative named Qi, who took advantage of the situation and said, "This boy is unlucky. He cannot even accept ten gold pieces, let alone marry. He will surely starve to death!" The boat owner, influenced by his words, drove Li away. Li left. That day, while bathing by the bridge, something obstructed his foot. He touched it and found it was silver. He took it all, worth hundreds of gold pieces, and used it for trading. He met the merchant who had lost the silver and taught him how to sell goods, doubling his profits. The boat owner heard of his wealth and returned his daughter to him, driving away Qi. How does this show heaven rewarding the virtuous? What benefit do those who break marriages gain?