Being a bandit is not something to be proud of, but it doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning all sense of morality and ethics. If a person can maintain a moral compass, they deserve to be called human and have hope for redemption. If even bandits can adhere to ethical standards, then ordinary people in society can certainly uphold justice and conscience.
Luo Siju: The righteous avenger
Luo Siju, also known as Tianpeng, was from Dongxiang, Sichuan. Due to poverty, he became a bandit. Agile and brave, he could easily scale walls and rooftops, and several times he avenged the wronged by killing the unjust.
In Jinjiang, there was an old and poor widow whose son had left for business and had not returned for three years. Her daughter-in-law was a young and beautiful woman. A local tyrant desired her and tried to take her by force, causing the widow and her daughter-in-law to cry bitterly at night. Luo Siju, passing by their roof, heard their cries and was moved. He jumped down, gave them all the stolen goods in his bag, and told them to flee.
That night, he entered the tyrant’s house and killed him. At that time, among the thieves in Sichuan, Luo Siju was known as one of the most capable, so the tyrant’s family suspected him. They reported it to the police and offered a reward of 1,000 taels of silver to track down Luo Siju, but to no avail.
Later, Luo Siju faced a great calamity. After a lucky escape, he left his life of crime, gave away his ill-gotten wealth, and started a legitimate business. He eventually married, but it was hard to walk the righteous path. He struggled to make money and fell ill with an incurable disease. A passing Taoist told him he had a cure, but demanded 30,000 coins. Luo Siju, penniless, considered returning to crime, but did not.
Desperate, he suggested selling his wife to buy the medicine. His wife refused, but eventually agreed after much persuasion. Luo Siju sold his wife, bought the medicine, and recovered. Later, he joined the military, earned great honors, and became an officer. He redeemed his wife with a large sum of money, and they resumed their life together, grateful for her sacrifice.
Luo Siju eventually rose to the rank of governor. One day, he confessed to a magistrate about the old tyrant’s murder, asking to be punished. The magistrate refused, and the case was closed. Luo Siju offered the tyrant’s family a thousand taels of silver as a ransom for his life. He was known for his loyalty and filial piety, which moved many people.
Chen Da: The benevolent outlaw
Chen Da, from Ziyang in Shandong, was a strong and righteous man who hated evil. When he was young, he helped someone carry rice to the market and encountered a crowd of people talking about an incident. Chen Da squeezed into the crowd to learn what had happened and discovered that a woman had beaten her young daughter-in-law to death. In a fit of rage, Chen Da threw a bag of rice at the woman, knocking her down. Then, he jumped on top of her, pressing the heavy bag into her even harder, which caused her death. Consequently, he had to leave his hometown and flee to Henan, where he worked as a laborer.
The area was rife with bandits, and a local wealthy man, Xu, feared an impending robbery. Someone suggested he seek Chen Da’s help. Xu found Chen Da returning from the fields and asked for advice. Chen Da laughed and said: “I’m just a laborer. What would I know? But I think if you want to avoid bandits, you could give away your wealth. Have you ever seen bandits rob the poor?” Disheartened, Xu hired guards, but one night, a bandit, declaring he was not afraid of anyone but Chen Da, robbed him.
Realizing the bandits feared Chen Da, Xu asked him to retrieve his stolen wealth. Chen Da agreed, on the condition that Xu distribute it to the poor. The bandit, fearing going against Chen Da, returned the stolen goods without a word, and Xu fulfilled his promise, distributing his wealth to help the poor. There was a famine at that time, and countless lives were saved due to this. Chen Da later disappeared, but his reputation lived on.
Three youths protect Xia Chaoheng
Xia Chaoheng, a native of Hengyang, was a compassionate man. Because his family was poor, he ventured out to do business in Hanzhong. On his way back to his hometown, he encountered a passenger ship that had been looted by robbers. The men and women on board were barefoot and weeping bitterly. Xia Chaoheng felt deep sympathy for them and took out a hundred taels of silver to help the passengers return to their hometowns.
Three young men on the same boat were very surprised by Xia Chaoheng’s generosity and asked for his name to pay their respects.
In the middle of the night, bandits suddenly stopped the boat and demanded Xia Chaoheng come out. They said: “We heard there is a tycoon on board who can casually give away a hundred taels of silver. Since he is so generous, he might as well give us the rest of his silver.”
Xia Chaoheng was frightened, but the three young men got up, wielded their clubs, and struck the bandits. The bandits were beaten severely, begged for mercy, and fled. Xia Chaoheng was overjoyed and thanked the three young men, asking them to leave their names. The three smiled but did not answer. When the ship arrived at Shaoyang, they took their leave. Xia Chaoheng wanted to give them some silver as a token of appreciation, but the three young men refused, saying: “We are also robbers, but we respect your righteousness, so we changed our ways and protected you instead.” Then they left.
In the evening, the three young men suddenly returned and said to Xia Chaoheng: “We have robbed many people, but when we saw that you value righteousness over money, we felt ashamed to be robbers. That is why we did not dare to tell you our names earlier. Now, we are willing to follow you. Can you arrange a place for us to live near you?” Xia Chaoheng happily agreed.
The three young men followed Xia Chaoheng to Hengyang, where they worked hard to earn their living. After a few years, each of them got married and had children, leading honest and fulfilling lives. They were forever grateful for Xia Chaoheng’s inspiration and kindness.
These stories from the Qing Dynasty show that even those who live on the edge of society can possess deep moral convictions and a sense of justice, inspiring us to uphold our own principles in challenging times.
Translated by Audrey Wang
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