第十一回 · 三曹對案 The Three-Tribunal Confrontation — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

三曹對案 The Three-Tribunal Confrontation

約yuē有yǒu片piàn時shí，秦qín廣guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér進jìn言yán曰yuē：「涇jīng河hé鬼guǐ龍lóng告gào陛bì下xià許xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn殺shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè夢mèng老lǎo龍lóng求qiú救jiù，實shí是shì允yǔn他tā無wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì當dāng刑xíng，該gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi徵zhēng處chù斬zhǎn。朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi徵zhēng在zài殿diàn著zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí夢mèng而ér斬zhǎn。這zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū沒méi神shén機jī，又yòu是shì那nà龍lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì當dāng死sǐ，豈qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī過guò也yě？」约yuē有yǒu片piàn时shí，秦qín广guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér进jìn言yán曰yuē：「泾jīng河hé鬼guǐ龙lóng告gào陛bì下xià许xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn杀shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè梦mèng老lǎo龙lóng求qiú救jiù，实shí是shì允yǔn他tā无wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì当dāng刑xíng，该gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi征zhēng处chù斩zhǎn。朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi征zhēng在zài殿diàn着zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí梦mèng而ér斩zhǎn。这zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū没méi神shén机jī，又yòu是shì那nà龙lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì当dāng死sǐ，岂qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī过guò也yě？」

逐句解 Line by line

約yuē有yǒu片piàn時shí，秦qín廣guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér進jìn言yán曰yuē：「涇jīng河hé鬼guǐ龍lóng告gào陛bì下xià許xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn殺shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」约yuē有yǒu片piàn时shí，秦qín广guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér进jìn言yán曰yuē：「泾jīng河hé鬼guǐ龙lóng告gào陛bì下xià许xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn杀shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」

After a little while, King Qinguang, clasping his hands, came forward and said, 'The ghost-dragon of the Jing River charges that Your Majesty promised to save him and then instead had him slain. How is this?'

拱手 is the cupped-hands salute, one fist covered by the other palm. King Qínguǎng, first of the Ten Kings, opens the questioning, and the charge points straight back to chapter 10: a promise of rescue, then a beheading.

太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè夢mèng老lǎo龍lóng求qiú救jiù，實shí是shì允yǔn他tā無wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì當dāng刑xíng，該gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi徵zhēng處chù斬zhǎn。太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè梦mèng老lǎo龙lóng求qiú救jiù，实shí是shì允yǔn他tā无wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì当dāng刑xíng，该gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi征zhēng处chù斩zhǎn。

Taizong said, 'I did once dream at night that the old dragon begged for rescue, and I truly promised him he would come to no harm. I did not expect that, having broken the law and being due for punishment, he should fall to be beheaded by my Registrar of the Bureau of Men, Wei Zheng.'

The emperor's defence, and it is a lawyer's. 人曹官, "Registrar of the Bureau of Men," is Wei Zheng's post in heaven, held simultaneously with his job at the Tang court. 當刑 is "liable to punishment"; 處斬 is to sentence to beheading. Note the structure of the plea: I promised, yes — and then somebody else, acting under authority I do not control, executed a man who was guilty anyway.

朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi徵zhēng在zài殿diàn著zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí夢mèng而ér斬zhǎn。朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi征zhēng在zài殿diàn着zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí梦mèng而ér斩zhǎn。

'I had summoned Wei Zheng to play chess with me in the hall, and did not know that in a single dream he had carried out the beheading.'

The alibi. 著棋, zhuó qí, is to play a board game — the 著 is zhuó, the word for making a move. In chapter 10 the emperor kept Wei Zheng at the chessboard precisely to stop him carrying out the execution; Wei Zheng dozed off over the board and did it in his sleep.

這zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū沒méi神shén機jī，又yòu是shì那nà龍lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì當dāng死sǐ，豈qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī過guò也yě？」这zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū没méi神shén机jī，又yòu是shì那nà龙lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì当dāng死sǐ，岂qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī过guò也yě？」

'This was the Registrar's own divine and hidden working; and moreover the Dragon King had transgressed and merited death. How should it be a fault of mine?'

出沒神機 — "divine workings that appear and vanish" — is the emperor's way of saying that what Wei Zheng did was above his pay grade. Two defences in one sentence: the executioner acted by a power I do not command, and the victim had it coming.

總評 Commentary

Taizong's defence works by prising intention apart from outcome: he promised mercy, but the dragon was guilty and Wei Zheng's uncanny agency, not the imperial will, brought the axe down.

It is a lawyerly plea, and the court is already inclined to accept it, since — as the Kings are about to confirm — the dragon's death had been entered in the ledgers before he was born. The scene is a trial in which the verdict was filed first.