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<v Speaker 1>Another solomon from the Chinese. At Taiyuan, there lived a

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<v Speaker 1>middle aged woman with her widowed daughter in law. The

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<v Speaker 1>former was on terms of too great intimacy with a

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<v Speaker 1>notably bad character of the neighborhood, and the daughter, who

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<v Speaker 1>objected very strongly to this, did her best to keep

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<v Speaker 1>the man from the house. The elder woman, accordingly tried

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<v Speaker 1>to send the other back to her family, but she

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<v Speaker 1>would not go, and at length things came to such

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<v Speaker 1>a pass that the mother in law actually went to

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<v Speaker 1>the mandarin of the place and charged her daughter in

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<v Speaker 1>law with the offense she herself was committing. When the

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<v Speaker 1>mandarin inquired the name of the man concerned, she said

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<v Speaker 1>she had only seen him in the dark and didn't

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<v Speaker 1>know who he was, referring him for information to the accused.

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<v Speaker 1>The latter, on being summoned, gave the man's name, but

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<v Speaker 1>retorted the charge on her mother in law, and when

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<v Speaker 1>the man was confronted with them, he promptly declared both

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<v Speaker 1>their stories to be false. The mandarin, however, said there

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<v Speaker 1>was a prima facie case against him and ordered him

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<v Speaker 1>to be severely beaten, whereupon he confessed that it was

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<v Speaker 1>the daughter in law whom he went to visit this

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<v Speaker 1>the woman herself flatly denied, even under torture, and on

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<v Speaker 1>being released, appealed to a higher court with a very

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<v Speaker 1>similar result. Thus the case dragged on until a mister Son,

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<v Speaker 1>who was well known for his judicial acumen, was appointed

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<v Speaker 1>district magistrate at that place. Calling the parties before him,

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<v Speaker 1>he bade his lictors prepare stones and knives, at which

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<v Speaker 1>they were much exercised in their minds, the severest tortures

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<v Speaker 1>allowed by law, being merely guides and fetters. However, everything

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<v Speaker 1>was got ready, and the next day mister Sun proceeded

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<v Speaker 1>with his investigation. After hearing all that each one of

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<v Speaker 1>the three had to say, he delivered the following judgment.

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<v Speaker 1>The case is a simple one, for although I cannot

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<v Speaker 1>say which of you to women as the guilty one,

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<v Speaker 1>there is no doubt about the man who has evidently

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<v Speaker 1>been the means of bringing discredit on a virtuous family.

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<v Speaker 1>Take those stones and knives there and put him to death.

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<v Speaker 1>I will be responsible. Thereupon, the two women began to

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<v Speaker 1>stone the man, especially the younger one, who sees the

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<v Speaker 1>biggest stone she could see, and threw them at him

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<v Speaker 1>with all the might of her pent up anger, while

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<v Speaker 1>the mother in law chose small stones and struck him

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<v Speaker 1>on non vital parts. So with the knives, the daughter

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<v Speaker 1>in law would have killed him at the first blow,

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<v Speaker 1>had not the Mandarin stopped her and said, hold, I

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<v Speaker 1>now know who is the guilty woman. The mother in

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<v Speaker 1>law was then tortured until she confessed, and the case

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<v Speaker 1>was thus terminated.