法苑珠林 74.30

74.30

漢世何敞。為交阯刺史行部。到蒼梧郡高要縣。暮宿鵲奔亭。夜猶未半。有一女子從樓下出。自云。妾姓蘇名娥字怡姝。本廣信縣修里人。早失父母又無兄弟。夫亦久亡。有雜繒百二十匹及婢一人。名致富。妾孤窮羸弱不能自振。欲往傍縣賣繒。就同縣人王伯。賃車牛一乘。直錢萬二千。載妾并繒令致富執轡。乃以前年四月十日到此亭外。于時日暮行人既絕。不敢前行。因即留止。致富暴得腹痛。妾往亭長舍乞漿取火。亭長龔壽操刀持戟。來至車傍。問妾曰。夫人從何所來。車上何載。丈夫安在。何故獨行。妾應之曰。何故問之。壽因捉妾臂曰。少愛有色寧可相樂耶。妾時悑懼不肯聽從。壽即以刀刺脇一創立死。又殺致富。壽掘樓下埋妾并婢。取財物去。殺牛燒車。車釭及牛骨貯亭東空井中。妾死痛酷無所告訴。故來自歸於明使君。敞曰。今欲發汝屍骸。以何為驗。女子曰。妾上下皆著白衣。青絲履猶未朽也。掘之果然。敞乃遣吏捕壽。拷問具服。下廣信縣驗問。與娥語同。收壽父母兄弟皆繫獄。敞表壽殺人。於常律不至族誅。但壽為惡隱密經年。王法所不能得。鬼神訴千載無一。請皆斬之。以助陰殺。上報聽之。

In the Han era, when He Chang served as Regional Inspector of Jiaozhi, he made an inspection tour and reached Gaoyao County in Cangwu Commandery. At dusk, he lodged at Queben Pavilion. Before midnight, a woman came out from beneath the watchtower. She identified herself: ‘My surname is Su, my given name is E, and my courtesy name is Yishu. Originally a person of Xiu Lane in Guangxin County, I lost my parents early and had no brothers; my husband also died long ago. I had one hundred and twenty bolts of assorted silk and one bondmaid named Zhifu. Orphaned, poor, emaciated, and weak, I could not sustain myself and wished to travel to an adjacent county to sell the silk. From Wang Bo, a man of my county, I rented a cart and an ox, worth twelve thousand cash, to carry me along with the silk, and had Zhifu hold the reins. Then, on the tenth day of the fourth month of the year before last, we reached the outside of this pavilion. At the time, the sun had set and travelers had vanished; not daring to proceed forward, we remained and stayed there. Zhifu suddenly developed abdominal pain, and I went to the pavilion director’s quarters to beg for hot water and fetch fire. The pavilion director Gong Shou, wielding a knife and holding a halberd, came to the side of the cart. He asked me: “Where does the lady come from? What is loaded on the cart? Where is your husband? Why do you travel alone?” I answered him: “Why do you ask this?” Shou then seized my arm and said: “A tender beauty with fine looks—might we take pleasure together?” At that time I was terrified and would not consent. Shou then stabbed my flank with his knife; with one wound I died on the spot. He also killed Zhifu. Shou dug under the watchtower and buried me together with the maid, took our goods and property, slaughtered the ox, and burned the cart. He stored the metal hubs of the cart and the ox’s bones in an empty well east of the pavilion. The agony of my death is excruciating and I had nowhere to lodge my complaint, so I have come on my own to submit to your wise honor.’ Chang said: ‘If I now wish to uncover your remains, what will serve as proof?’ The woman said: ‘Above and below I was dressed in white clothing; my shoes of blue silk have not yet decayed.’ When they dug, it was indeed as she said. Chang then sent officials to arrest Shou; under interrogation and torture, he fully confessed. They referred the matter to Guangxin County to verify and interrogate, and the details matched E’s words. They arrested Shou’s parents and brothers, and all were imprisoned. Chang submitted a memorial stating that although Shou's murder would not, under regular statutes, warrant the extermination of his clan, Shou had concealed his evil for years, escaping the king’s law; and since complaints by ghosts and spirits do not occur once in a thousand years, he requested that they all be beheaded to aid the retribution of the unseen realm. The emperor granted his request in a reply.