Wu Song's Revenge From Outlaws of the Marsh

1. When Wu Song returned to Guyang County he learned that his brother, Wu Da, had fallen ill and died. He was overcome with grief. That night, in front of the spirit-tablet, he dreamt he heard his brother's ghost howling for justice. Wu Song located the physician who had examined the corpse, along with Wu Da's friend, the pear-seller, and found out that his brother had in fact been murdered. He went straight to the yamen to demand legal action, but the magistrate refused, saying: "You didn't catch the adulterers in the act, and there's no wound on your brother's corpse. Wu Song, your charges are unsubstantiated. How can you claim your brother was murdered?" Wu Song realized that the magistrate had already had his palms greased by Ximen Qing.

2. After leaving the yamen, Wu Song prepared some writing materials and invited all the neighbors, including Mrs. Wang, to drink with him at his brother's house. He also made sure that Wu Da's widow, Pan Jinlian, was in attendance. As the evening wore on, with one round following another, the guests began to wonder what Wu Song had in mind. Some of them, getting worried, made their excuses and got up to leave.

3. "Not so fast!" bellowed Wu Song. "I've assembled you here today to bear witness. A crime has been committed, and its perpetrators must pay the price!" With that, he ordered Mrs. Wang and Pan Jinlian to account for his brother's death, while the neighbors noted down what they had to say.

4. Hoping to exculpate herself, Mrs. Wang quickly blurted: "It's nothing to do with me. Your sister-in-law fell under Ximen Qing's spell. He gave her the arsenic and she used it to kill your brother."

5. "It was your idea all along, you old bitch!" spat Pan Jinlian. "Your filthy lust started it all off!" screamed Mrs. Wang.

6. Wu Song erupted with rage. He shoved Pan to the floor in front of his brother's spirit-tablet, pulled out his sword and cleanly sliced off her head. Telling the neighbors to keep hold of Mrs. Wang, he rushed off to the inn at Lion Bridge in search of Ximen Qing.

7. Wu Song burst into the inn, sword first. Ximen Qing tried to bolt but there was no way out. Instead, he launched himself at Wu Song, knocking the sword from his hand with a kick and then aiming a blow at his chest.

8. Dodging the attack, Wu Song ducked behind Ximen Qing, grabbed him by the shoulder and one leg, and hefted him through the window and into the street. Before Ximen Qing could recover, Wu Song came after him with the sword and chopped off his head. Then Wu Song hurried back to the house and placed both severed heads before the spirit-tablet of his brother.

9. Finally Wu Song, with all the neighbors in tow, dragged Mrs. Wang to the yamen and handed himself in. Having heard the testimony of the witnesses and knowing Wu Song to be a man of valor and integrity, the magistrate passed a sentence of death on Mrs. Wang, and had Wu Song tattooed on the face and exiled to the distant prefecture of Mengzhou.