During the Ming Dynasty, a young scholar named Han Ziwen lived in Tiantai County, Zhejiang. Orphaned from a young age, he had no family to support him. Though he was talented and well-versed in literature, his financial struggles left him with no choice but to make a living as a private tutor. At 18, he had yet to find a marriage match.
One year, during the provincial examination, Han Ziwen’s lack of money to bribe the examiners resulted in him being ranked only in the third tier. Around the same time, Emperor Zhengde passed away, and Emperor Jiajing ascended the throne. Rumors spread in Zhejiang that the imperial court was seeking young women for selection as concubines and palace maids. In response, families across the region rushed to marry off their daughters to avoid losing them to the selection process. The streets were filled with the sounds of wedding processions and celebratory music.
A marriage agreement made in haste
A local pawnbroker named Jin Sheng had a 16-year-old daughter named Zhaoxia, who was known for her beauty. Panicked by the rumors, he disregarded wealth and status, deciding to betroth his daughter to Han Ziwen. Aware that the rumors were false, Han worried that Jin Sheng might later regret the engagement. To prevent this, he invited two scholar friends, Zhang Siwei and Li Junqing, to serve as witnesses. A formal marriage contract was written, and Han Ziwen offered fifty taels of silver — his entire savings — as the betrothal gift. In return, the Jin family gave Han a lock of Zhaoxia’s hair to symbolize their agreement.
However, once the rumors died down, Jin Sheng and his wife began to regret their decision. Their doubts intensified when Jin’s wealthy brother-in-law, Cheng Yuan, arrived from Huizhou with his son, A’Shou. Cheng, a prosperous businessman, proposed an alliance with the Jin family by arranging a marriage between his son and Zhaoxia. Seeing an opportunity to elevate his daughter’s social status, Jin Sheng lamented: “If my daughter could marry A’Shou, what more could I ask for? But I’ve already promised her to that poor scholar.”
Cheng Yuan, undeterred, proposed a scheme: “If you’re unwilling to let your daughter marry Han Ziwen, just file a lawsuit at the magistrate’s court. Claim that the original engagement was with my son, but was later broken. The court will rule in our favor.” Jin Sheng agreed and prepared to act on the plan.
A cunning scheme to annul the engagement
The following morning, Cheng Yuan drafted a lawsuit and recruited a man named Zhao Xiao to act as a witness. They went to the prefecture office in Taizhou, where the newly appointed magistrate, Wu Gongbi, presided over the court.
Magistrate Wu examined the case and summoned Cheng Yuan for questioning.
“How is Jin Sheng related to you?” the magistrate asked.
Cheng Yuan bowed and replied: “He is my brother-in-law. Years ago, we agreed to a marriage between our children, but I was in Huizhou while he was in Taizhou, and we lost contact. When rumors spread about the palace selecting maidens, Jin Sheng panicked and gave his daughter to another man. I only learned about it recently when I arrived in Taizhou. Since my son was the original fiancé, the scholar should return the girl to us.”
Finding the argument reasonable, Magistrate Wu allowed the case to proceed to trial, setting a court date for ten days later.
Meanwhile, Jin Sheng feigned distress and approached Han Ziwen’s two friends, Zhang and Li, pretending to seek their advice. “What should I do? I had promised my daughter to my wife’s nephew long ago, but engaged her to your friend during the panic over the palace selection. Now my brother-in-law has sued me — how will I explain this to the authorities?”
Zhang and Li were furious. “When you arranged the engagement, you swore it was final! We always suspected you were greedy for wealth, but this is despicable. If you try to deceive our friend, we’ll make sure your daughter never marries at all!”
Ignoring Jin Sheng, they rushed to inform Han Ziwen.
The magistrate exposes the deception
Han Ziwen was enraged, but remained composed. “If the Jins don’t want this marriage, even if I force it, they’ll never treat me as family. Besides, they have money, and the court will favor them. I’m too poor to fight a legal battle.”
He then instructed Zhang and Li: “Tell Jin Sheng that if he returns double the betrothal silver — one hundred taels — I will annul the engagement.”
When Jin Sheng heard this, he was overjoyed. He handed over 100 taels without hesitation and urged Han to return the engagement contract and Zhaoxia’s hair. However, Han refused to do so until the lawsuit was officially dismissed.
Zhang and Li drafted a mediation statement the next day, and all parties appeared before the magistrate. Magistrate Wu carefully examined the document. Upon seeing Han Ziwen’s dignified and refined appearance, he summoned the scholar to step forward.
“You appear to be a man of promise,” the magistrate said. “Why would you so easily abandon your engagement?”
Realizing the magistrate was sympathetic, Han changed his stance. “I never wanted to annul the engagement. From the start, I feared Jin Sheng would go back on his word, so I had him write a contract with two witnesses. He gave me his daughter’s hair as proof of betrothal. Now, due to greed, he falsely claims another engagement!” He then presented the marriage contract and the girl’s hair to the court.
Governor Wu meticulously interrogated the accusers separately. When asked for the exact date of Zhaoxia’s supposed prior engagement, Jin Sheng, Cheng Yuan, and their accomplice, Zhao Xiao, all provided different answers, exposing their deceit.
Enraged, Magistrate Wu declared: “How dare you deceive the court! If your daughter had truly been engaged to Cheng’s son, there would have been no need to use Han Ziwen as a cover. The marriage contract Han holds is clear evidence of your dishonesty.”
He ordered each of the three conspirators to receive thirty lashes.
Justice prevails
Seeing the punishment about to be carried out, Han Ziwen quickly knelt and pleaded: “Since you have ruled in my favor and granted me this marriage, Jin Sheng is now my father-in-law. Please show him mercy.”
The magistrate softened his sentence, reducing Jin Sheng’s punishment to fifteen lashes, while Cheng Yuan and Zhao Xiao received the full thirty.
With the matter settled, Han Ziwen used the returned 100 taels to prepare a proper wedding. Zhaoxia, having witnessed her father’s greed and Han’s noble character, fell deeply in love with her husband, caring little for his financial status.
The following year, Han excelled in the imperial examination under the recommendation of Magistrate Wu. He later became a high-ranking official, and Zhaoxia lived as a respected official’s wife. Jin Sheng, regretting his short-sightedness, lamented: “Had I known my son-in-law would achieve such greatness, I would have gladly given him my daughter — even as a concubine!”
Translated by Katy Liu
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