法苑珠林 49.48

49.48

The Hanshu records: In Donghai there was a filial daughter-in-law who served her mother-in-law with great care. The mother-in-law said, "My daughter-in-law serves me with such toilsome hardship! I am already old; why begrudge my remaining years and long burden the young?" She thereupon hanged herself and died. Her daughter reported this to the authorities, saying, "The daughter-in-law killed my mother." The authorities arrested and imprisoned her, torturing and mistreating her with venomous cruelty. The filial daughter-in-law could not endure the excruciating pain and confessed falsely against herself. At that time, Master Yu was a prison clerk. He said, "This woman has served her mother-in-law for over ten years, renowned far and wide for her filial piety. She certainly did not commit murder." The grand administrator would not listen. Master Yu contended for justice but failed; clasping the dossier of the case, he wept at the commandery headquarters and departed. Thereafter, there was severe drought in the commandery for three years. When a subsequent grand administrator arrived, he sought to find where the blame lay. Master Yu said, "The filial daughter-in-law should not have died; the former grand administrator wrongly executed her. The blame must lie here." The grand administrator immediately went in person to make offerings at the filial daughter-in-law's grave. Before he had even returned, heavy rain fell. An old tradition says: The filial daughter-in-law was named Yongqing. When Qing was about to die, a cart carried a bamboo pole one hundred feet tall on which five banners were hung. She swore an oath before the assembly, saying, "If Qing is guilty, when I am executed, may my blood flow downward. If Qing dies unjustly, may my blood flow upward!" Once the execution was carried out, her blood turned cyan and yellow, rose along the banner bamboo pole all the way to the top, and then flowed down along the banners, so it is said.