Late Qing Dynasty's Mysterious Case: A Hundred Transformations - (Text and Images)

Author: Lu Qun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Mystery of a Murder Case [Old News] On the day of the Yiwudiao Temple's Medicine King's Birthday in Yingkou, men and women from far and near came together to visit. Fearing that the crowd might cause trouble, the local committee reported to the Taoist governor, asking him to send a military patrol named Ma to suppress the situation. Traditionally, men and women who entered the temple to burn incense were divided into morning and afternoon sessions. On this day, the number of people was too large, and men and women became mixed. At the time, a Chen surname courtesan came with her companions, and the crowd became even more crowded. The courtesan saw Ma and said, "Can you make the onlookers step back a step so that we can move forward to pay our respects?" Ma was a familiar friend of the courtesan. Upon hearing her words, he followed her lead, tried his best to please her, and some people nearby laughed, while others whispered. Ma couldn't stand it, his anger flared, and he ordered the guards to beat the crowd with sticks. A man named Hu, known as the "Madman," cursed, and was beaten and injured. Ma couldn't stay for a moment and left with the courtesan in her carriage. The madman died a few days later due to his injuries. He had a young son and no other relatives to speak for him, so in addition to buying a coffin and arranging his funeral, he was only given twenty taels of money for his son, and the matter was then forgotten. The story told by the post office is roughly like this, but whether it is true or not, it should be questioned by those who know about it. [New Account] In the late Qing Dynasty, the patrol was equivalent to today's police chief. This is just a small official, in the place of Yingkou, because he wanted to please his favorite courtesan, he even abused his power, ordering his subordinates to beat the crowds with sticks at the Medicine King Temple fair to clear a path for the courtesan to walk. Some people objected and muttered a few words. Ma Patrol thought he was being disrespectful and beat him severely. He didn't stay home for long and died. Ma Patrol's misdeeds were outrageous. After injuring someone, Ma Patrol didn't care and left with the courtesan. After the injured person died, Ma Patrol spent only a few small coins, and the matter was settled. At first glance, it seems that there is no one to speak for the victim to file a complaint, but if you think carefully, since Ma Patrol dared to act with such arrogance and treated human life as nothing, what could be done if someone did file a lawsuit? It is likely that he would still keep his job, continue to bully the people, and lose nothing himself. Whenever there is a Ma Patrol like this in a place, it is usually the result of officials protecting each other and acting in cahoots. Under the bright sky and clear heavens, in front of all the people, in a public place, those who eat the public's food are so arrogant—It's hard to imagine that the local administration is still clean and honest. Because of the play "The Fifteen Guans," the honest judge Kuang Zhong of the Ming Dynasty is well-known to all. After taking office as the magistrate of Suzhou, he investigated the various illegal deeds of some of his subordinates. One day, he publicly handled the matter in the grand hall of the prefectural office. Using four strong men, he tossed the corrupt officials up one by one and then threw them down, causing their brains to burst. Six officials died in one day. From then on, the petty officials of the Suzhou prefecture no longer dared to break the law. Kuang Zhong's methods may not be acceptable, but his determination to severely punish corrupt officials is commendable.