Justice for Rebels by Pu Songling
In T‘êng-i, magistrates favour former opponents of the Manchu dynasty to prevent renewed resistance, making rebel status a disputed advantage in lawsuits. When a magician captures a fox that has bewitched an official’s daughter and prepares to burn it, the fox declares itself a rebel, making the bystanders laugh.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Short Story, Political Satire, Supernatural Fiction · 267 words
First lines
During the reign of Shun Chih,[1] of the people of T‘êng-i, seven in ten were opposed to the Manchu dynasty. The officials dared not touch them; and subsequently, when the country became more settled, the magistrates used to distinguish them from the others by always deciding any cases in their favour: for they feared lest these men should revert to their old opposition. And thus it came about that one litigant would begin by declaring himself to have been a "rebel," while his adversary would follow up by shewing such statement to be false; so that before any case could be heard on its actual merits, it was necessary to determine the status both of plaintiff and defendant, whereby infinite labour was entailed upon the Registrars.
Genres
- Short Story — A brief account of judicial favouritism leads to a single incident ending with the captured fox’s declaration.
- Political Satire — The fox’s claim to rebel status repeats the litigants’ tactic and makes the magistrates’ concessions to former opponents appear ridiculous.
- Supernatural Fiction — A fox bewitches an official’s daughter and speaks from the bottle in which a magician confines it.
Tags
judicial favouritism · rebellion · litigation · fox spirits · magic · political satire
What this Textopian page supports
Justice for Rebels is listed on Textopian as a short story by Pu Songling, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Short story
- Author: Pu Songling
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Story, Political Satire, Supernatural Fiction
- Length: 267 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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