In The Bedroom
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In the Ming dynasty, a family in Anji, Zhejiang, was celebrating the wedding of their son. Many guests came. Amid the hustle and bustle, a burglar sneaked into the nuptial chamber. He hid himself under the nuptial bed to wait for an opportune time to steal some jewelry after dark.
But guests streamed into the nuptial chamber ceaselessly as the wedding celebration would not be complete without merry-making in the nuptial chamber. Guests were free to poke fun at the newlyweds, asking them to sing or dance, or challenging them to drink as many cups of wine as possible. It was believed that such merry-making would bring luck to the couple. And the more boisterous, the better.
As a result, the burglar never had a chance to carry out his plan. He got very hungry. Seizing a quiet moment, he sneaked out from underneath the bed only to be caught right away by the servants.
When he was taken to the local magistrate, he protested, “I’m not a burglar. I am the bride’s physician. She asked me to accompany her to the wedding.”
He went on to give a detailed account of the bride’s family since he had overheard the conversations between the bride and bridegroom. He even intimated that the bride had a hidden condition.
The magistrate felt the man might have been wrongly accused. He decided to subpoena the bride to the court to be cross-examined. The bride, terrified at the prospect of having to testify against the burglar in public, asked to be spared.
Realizing the trial might cause embarrassment to the bride, the magistrate consulted one of his senior aides.
“It will be hard on the newly wed if she has to testify in the court,” the aide reasoned. “No matter what the outcome of the trial is, she will be humiliated by the questioning.”
“What shall we do?”
“If the defendant sneaked into the bedroom and was caught when he tried to get out from under the bed as the bridegroom’s servants claimed, the chances are that he could not have seen the bride. Suppose we let another woman appear in court posing as the bride, we’ll find out who is telling the truth.”
The magistrate decided to seek the help from a local prostitute. She was asked to put on the bride’s wedding dress and come to the courthouse in a nuptial sedan. As soon as she entered the courtroom, the defendant lashed out at her.
“Remember you didn’t feel well on your wedding day and asked me to come with you? How could you say I was a burglar?”
The magistrate broke into laughter and convicted the man.
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Wise Proverbs
- Wise man have their mouths in their hearts, fools have their hearts in their mouths.
- 智者嘴在心里，愚者心在嘴里。
- Lies can never changes fact.
- 谎言终究是谎言。
- A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
- 不善始者不善终。
Editor Says:
Those who handle legal cases must do their best not to harm the innocent and not to victimize the victim a second time. Otherwise, even if justice is done, it is discounted. The magistrate deserved commendation for being sensitive to the bride.