第十一回 · 大赦天下 A General Amnesty — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

大赦天下 A General Amnesty

卻què說shuō太tài宗zōng又yòu傳chuán旨zhǐ赦shè天tiān下xià罪zuì人rén。又yòu查chá獄yù中zhōng重zhòng犯fàn。時shí有yǒu審shěn官guān將jiāng刑xíng部bù絞jiǎo斬zhǎn罪zuì人rén，查chá有yǒu四sì百bǎi餘yú名míng呈chéng上shàng。太tài宗zōng放fàng赦shè回huí家jiā，拜bài辭cí父fù母mǔ兄xiōng弟dì，託tuō產chǎn與yǔ親qīn戚qī子zǐ姪zhí，明míng年nián今jīn日rì赴fù曹cáo，仍réng領lǐng應yīng得dé之zhī罪zuì。眾zhòng犯fàn謝xiè恩ēn而ér退tuì。又yòu出chū恤xù孤gū榜bǎng文wén。又yòu查chá宮gōng中zhōng老lǎo幼yòu綵cǎi女nǚ共gòng有yǒu三sān千qiān人rén，出chū旨zhǐ配pèi軍jūn。自zì此cǐ，內nèi外wài俱jù善shàn。却què说shuō太tài宗zōng又yòu传chuán旨zhǐ赦shè天tiān下xià罪zuì人rén。又yòu查chá狱yù中zhōng重zhòng犯fàn。时shí有yǒu审shěn官guān将jiāng刑xíng部bù绞jiǎo斩zhǎn罪zuì人rén，查chá有yǒu四sì百bǎi余yú名míng呈chéng上shàng。太tài宗zōng放fàng赦shè回huí家jiā，拜bài辞cí父fù母mǔ兄xiōng弟dì，托tuō产chǎn与yǔ亲qīn戚qī子zǐ姪zhí，明míng年nián今jīn日rì赴fù曹cáo，仍réng领lǐng应yīng得dé之zhī罪zuì。众zhòng犯fàn谢xiè恩ēn而ér退tuì。又yòu出chū恤xù孤gū榜bǎng文wén。又yòu查chá宫gōng中zhōng老lǎo幼yòu彩cǎi女nǚ共gòng有yǒu三sān千qiān人rén，出chū旨zhǐ配pèi军jūn。自zì此cǐ，内nèi外wài俱jù善shàn。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō太tài宗zōng又yòu傳chuán旨zhǐ赦shè天tiān下xià罪zuì人rén。又yòu查chá獄yù中zhōng重zhòng犯fàn。却què说shuō太tài宗zōng又yòu传chuán旨zhǐ赦shè天tiān下xià罪zuì人rén。又yòu查chá狱yù中zhōng重zhòng犯fàn。

Now Taizong further decreed a pardon for the realm's condemned, and had the grave offenders in the prisons reviewed.

赦 is to pardon. 重犯 uses zhòng, serious offenders. 中 is zhōng. Having been told that mercy above quiets grievance below, the emperor starts spending.

時shí有yǒu審shěn官guān將jiāng刑xíng部bù絞jiǎo斬zhǎn罪zuì人rén，查chá有yǒu四sì百bǎi餘yú名míng呈chéng上shàng。时shí有yǒu审shěn官guān将jiāng刑xíng部bù绞jiǎo斩zhǎn罪zuì人rén，查chá有yǒu四sì百bǎi余yú名míng呈chéng上shàng。

The reviewing officials took the prisoners of the Board of Punishments condemned to strangling and beheading, and found upon examination some four hundred and more, whom they submitted for report.

The 刑部 is the Board of Punishments, one of the six ministries. 絞斬 is death by strangling or beheading — strangling being the marginally less terrible of the two, since it left the body whole. 將 is jiāng.

太tài宗zōng放fàng赦shè回huí家jiā，拜bài辭cí父fù母mǔ兄xiōng弟dì，託tuō產chǎn與yǔ親qīn戚qī子zǐ姪zhí，明míng年nián今jīn日rì赴fù曹cáo，仍réng領lǐng應yīng得dé之zhī罪zuì。太tài宗zōng放fàng赦shè回huí家jiā，拜bài辞cí父fù母mǔ兄xiōng弟dì，托tuō产chǎn与yǔ亲qīn戚qī子zǐ姪zhí，明míng年nián今jīn日rì赴fù曹cáo，仍réng领lǐng应yīng得dé之zhī罪zuì。

Taizong released them to go home, to take leave of their parents and brothers and entrust their property to kinsmen and nephews — and to present themselves before the court on this same day next year, still to receive the punishment due.

This is the famous one. Four hundred and more condemned men — 四百餘名 — are sent home to settle their affairs on the understanding that they will present themselves for execution on the same day next year. 子姪, zǐ zhí, are sons and nephews. 應得之罪 is the punishment one has earned; 應 is yīng. The episode is in the historical record too, and in both places it is told as a test of trust that both sides pass.

眾zhòng犯fàn謝xiè恩ēn而ér退tuì。又yòu出chū恤xù孤gū榜bǎng文wén。又yòu查chá宮gōng中zhōng老lǎo幼yòu綵cǎi女nǚ共gòng有yǒu三sān千qiān人rén，出chū旨zhǐ配pèi軍jūn。自zì此cǐ，內nèi外wài俱jù善shàn。众zhòng犯fàn谢xiè恩ēn而ér退tuì。又yòu出chū恤xù孤gū榜bǎng文wén。又yòu查chá宫gōng中zhōng老lǎo幼yòu彩cǎi女nǚ共gòng有yǒu三sān千qiān人rén，出chū旨zhǐ配pèi军jūn。自zì此cǐ，内nèi外wài俱jù善shàn。

The prisoners gave thanks and withdrew. He further issued a proclamation for the relief of orphans, and, finding some three thousand palace women, young and old, decreed that they be given out in marriage to the soldiery. From this time, within the court and without, all was good.

恤孤 is relief for orphans. 綵女 are palace serving-women. 配軍 is to marry them off to soldiers — which sounds high-handed until you consider the alternative, which was to spend a life immured in the palace with no prospect of marriage at all; releasing them counted as a work of merit. 中 is zhōng.

總評 Commentary

The emperor pays off the moral debt of his reprieve in a cascade of merciful acts — a general amnesty, relief for orphans, three thousand palace women released to marriage.

The most arresting is the parole of some four hundred condemned men, freed to put their affairs in order and trusted to come back and die. In the historical record and in the novel alike the story is told the same way, and for the same reason: it is a test of whether a ruler's virtue can produce honour in his subjects, and everyone passes.