During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a woman surnamed Zhang lived in Luojiang, in what is now the Deyang area of Sichuan Province. She was the daughter of a scholar, and her widowed mother, Madam Yang, had remained in her husband’s household and was known locally for her chastity and good character.
One day, Zhang and her mother attended a relative’s wedding together with Yong Yi, a servant who looked after the family’s storehouse. Yong Yi left the celebration early. Madam Yang returned home not long afterward and discovered that he had been murdered inside the storehouse.
The authorities were unable to identify the killer and soon turned their suspicions toward the mother and daughter.
Zhang Wenrao, an official responsible for judicial affairs in the Chengdufu Circuit, suspected without evidence that Madam Yang had been having an illicit affair with Yong Yi. He theorized that a dispute had arisen between them and that she had killed Yong Yi to silence him.
The accusation ran contrary to Madam Yang’s reputation in the community, but Zhang Wenrao nevertheless pursued his theory.
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