1
女子稟陰柔之質，有從人之義。 前代誌貞婦烈女，蓋善其能以禮自防。 至若失身賊庭，不汙非義； 臨白刃而慷慨，誓丹衷而激發； 粉身不顧，視死如歸，雖在壯夫，恐難守節，窈窕之操，不其賢乎！ 其次梁鴻之妻，無辭偕隱，共姜之誓，不踐二庭，婦道母儀，克彰圖史，又其長也。 末代風靡，貞行寂寥，聊播椒蘭，以貽閨壺，彤管之職，幸無忽焉！ 李德武妻裴氏李德武妻裴氏，字淑英，戶部尚書、安邑公矩之女也。 性婉順有容德，事父母以孝聞。 適德武，經一年而德武坐從父金才事徙嶺表。 矩時為黃門侍郎，奏請德武離婚，煬帝許之。 德武將與裴別，謂曰：「燕婉始爾，便事分離，方遠投瘴癘，恐無還理。 尊君奏留，必欲改嫁耳，於此即事長訣矣！」 裴泣而對曰：「婦人事夫，無再醮之禮。 夫者，天也，何可背乎！ 守之以死，必無他志！」 因操刀欲割耳自誓，保者禁之，乃止。
Women are endowed with a gentle, yielding nature and carry the obligation to defer to others. Earlier dynasties recorded chaste wives and women of fierce integrity, chiefly to praise their ability to protect themselves through propriety. Then there were those who fell into rebel hands yet were not stained by unrighteous conduct; who faced naked blades with resolute courage and pledged undying loyalty with passionate conviction; who gave their bodies without hesitation and embraced death as though going home—even sturdy men might struggle to match such constancy; are not such women's virtues truly admirable! Then there were exemplars such as the wife of Liang Hong, who shared her husband's seclusion without complaint, and Gong Jiang, who swore never to enter a second household—models of wifely duty and maternal virtue celebrated in the histories; these represent an even higher standard. In these later times morals have declined and exemplary fidelity is rare; I offer these fragrant accounts for the women of the inner chambers—may those who record virtue in the histories not overlook them! Pei Shi, wife of Li Dewu, was styled Shuying and was the daughter of Pei Ju, Director of the Household Ministry and Duke of Anyi. Gentle and gracious in disposition, she was renowned for the filial devotion with which she served her parents. She married Li Dewu, but after only a year he was banished to Lingnan because of his cousin Jin Cai's case. At that time Pei Ju was Vice Director of the Yellow Gate; he petitioned for Li Dewu to divorce her, and Emperor Yang granted the request. When Li Dewu was about to leave Pei, he said to her, "We have only just begun our life together, yet we must part; I am being sent far into the pestilential south, and I fear I shall never return. Your father has petitioned to keep you here; he surely means for you to remarry—this is our final parting!" Pei wept and answered, "A wife serves her husband; there is no rite that permits a second marriage. A husband is like Heaven itself—how could I turn against him! I shall hold to this unto death; I will have no other thought!" She then seized a knife to cut off her ear in pledge, but her attendants restrained her and she desisted.
2
裴與德武別後，容貌毀悴，常讀佛經，不御膏澤。 李氏之姊妹在都邑者，歲時朔望，必命左右致敬而省焉。 裴又嘗讀《烈女傳》，見稱述不改嫁者，乃謂所親曰：「不踐二庭，婦人常理，何為以此載於記傳乎？」 後十餘年間，與德武音信斷絕。 矩欲奪其志。 時有柳直求婚，許之。 期有定日，乃以翦刀斷其髮，悲泣絕粒。 矩不可奪，乃止。 德武已於嶺表娶爾硃氏為妻，及遇赦得還，至襄州，聞裴守節，乃出其後妻，重與裴合。 生三男四女。 貞觀中，德武終於鹿城令，裴歲餘亦卒。 楊慶妻王氏楊慶妻王氏，世充兄之女也。 慶即隋河間王弘之子。 大業末，封郇王，為滎陽太守。 後陷於世充。 世充以兄女妻之，授管州刺史。 及太宗攻圍洛陽，慶謀背世充，欲與其妻俱來歸國。 妻謂慶曰：「鄭國以妾奉箕帚於公者，所以結公心耳。 今既二三其行，負恩背義，自為身謀，妾將奈何？ 若至長安，則公家之婢耳！ 願送至東都，公之惠也。」 慶不聽。 伺慶出後，謂侍者曰：「唐兵若勝，我家則戚。 鄭國無危，吾夫又死，進退維谷。 何以生焉？」 乃飲藥而卒。 慶既入朝，官至宜州刺史。
After she parted from Li Dewu, Pei's appearance withered with grief; she read Buddhist scriptures constantly and wore no cosmetics. For Li family sisters living in the capital, at each season and on the first and fifteenth of every month she always had her attendants pay respects and inquire after their welfare. Pei had once read the Biographies of Heroic Women and, seeing accounts that praised women who refused remarriage, remarked to her intimates, "Never entering a second household is ordinary wifely conduct—why should such things be recorded in the histories?" For more than ten years afterward, all communication with Li Dewu ceased. Pei Ju sought to change her mind. At that time a man named Liu Zhi sought her hand in marriage, and Ju consented. When the wedding day was set, she cut off her hair with scissors, wept bitterly, and refused all food. Unable to sway her, Ju gave up the plan. Li Dewu had meanwhile married a woman named Erzhu in the south; when an amnesty allowed him to return and he reached Xiangzhou, he learned that Pei had kept her chastity, dismissed his second wife, and took Pei back. They had three sons and four daughters. During the Zhenguan reign, Li Dewu died while serving as magistrate of Lucheng; a little more than a year later Pei died as well. Wang Shi, wife of Yang Qing, was the daughter of Wang Shichong's elder brother. Yang Qing was a son of Hong, the Sui Prince of Hejian. Near the end of the Daye reign he was enfeoffed as Prince of Xun and appointed Administrator of Xingyang. He later fell into Wang Shichong's power. Wang Shichong gave him his niece in marriage and appointed him Prefect of Guanzhou. When Emperor Taizong besieged Luoyang, Yang Qing plotted to defect from Wang Shichong and intended to bring his wife with him to surrender to the Tang. His wife said to him, "The Zheng state gave me to you in marriage to win your loyalty. Now you waver in your loyalty, betray your obligations, and plot only for yourself—what am I to do? If I go to Chang'an, I shall be nothing but a servant in your household! I ask only that you send me back to the Eastern Capital—that would be your kindness to me." Yang Qing would not heed her. After Qing had gone out, she told her attendants, "If the Tang forces win, our family will be counted among the enemy's kin. If the Zheng state is not endangered, my husband will die; whether I advance or retreat, I am trapped. How could I go on living?" She then took poison and died. After Yang Qing entered Tang service, he rose to the post of Prefect of Yizhou.
3
時又有獨孤武都，謀叛王世充歸國，事覺誅死。 武都子師仁，年始三歲，世充以其年幼不殺，使禁掌之。 乳母王氏，號蘭英，請髡鉗，求入保養，世充許之。 蘭英撫育提攜，備盡筋力。 時喪亂年饑，人多鋨死，蘭英扶路乞丐捃拾。 遇有所得，便歸與師仁； 蘭英唯啖土飲水而已。 後詐采拾，乃竊師仁歸於京師。 高祖嘉其義，下詔曰：「師仁乳母王氏，慈惠有聞，撫鞠無倦，提攜遺幼，背逆歸朝。 宜有褒隆，以錫其號。 可封永壽郡君」。 楊三安妻李氏楊三安妻李氏，雍州涇陽人也。 事舅姑以孝聞。 及舅姑亡沒，三安亦死，二子孩童，家至貧窶。 李晝則力田，夜紡緝，數年間葬舅姑及夫之叔侄兄弟者七喪，深為遠近所嗟尚。 太宗聞而異之，賜帛二百段，遣州縣所在存恤之。 魏衡妻王氏魏衡妻王氏，梓州郪人也。 武德初，薛仁杲舊將房企地侵掠梁郡，因獲王氏，逼而妻之。 後企地漸強盛，衡謀以城應賊。 企地領眾將趨梁州，未至數十里，飲酒醉臥。 王氏取其佩刀斬之，攜其首入城，賊眾乃散。 高祖大悅，封為崇義夫人，舍衡同賊之罪。 樊會仁母敬氏樊會仁母敬氏，字像子，蒲州河東人也。 年十五，適樊氏，生會仁而夫喪，事舅姑姊姒以謹順聞。 及服終，母兄以其盛年，將奪其志。 微加諷諭，便悲恨嗚咽，如此者數四。 母兄乃潛許人為婚，矯稱母患以召之。 凡所營具，皆寄之鄰里。 像子既至，省母無疾，鄰家復具肴善，像子知為所欺，佯為不悟者。 其嫂復請像子沐浴。 像子私謂會仁曰：「吾不幸孀居，誓與汝父同穴。 所以不死者，徒以我母羸老，汝身幼弱。 今汝舅欲奪吾志，將加逼迫，於汝何如！」 會仁失聲啼泣。 像子撫之曰：「汝勿啼。 吾向偽不覺者，令汝舅不我為意。 聞汝啼，知吾覺悟，必加妨備，則吾難為計矣！」 會仁便佯睡，像子於是伺隙攜之遁歸。 中路，兄使追及之，將逼與俱返。 像子誓以必死，辭情甚切，其兄感嘆而止。 後會仁年十八病卒，時像子母已終。 既葬，像子謂其所親曰：「吾老母不幸，又夫死子亡，義無久活。」 於是號慟不食，數日而死。 絳州孝女衛氏絳州孝女衛氏，字無忌，夏縣人也。 初，其父為鄉人衛長則所殺。 無忌年六歲，母又改嫁，無兄弟。 及長，常思復仇。 無忌從伯常設宴為樂，長則時亦預坐，無忌以磚擊殺之。 既而詣吏，稱父仇既報，請就刑戮。 巡察大使、黃門侍郎褚遂良以聞，太宗嘉其孝烈，特令免罪，給傳乘徙於雍州，並給田宅，仍令州縣以禮嫁之。 濮州孝女賈氏孝女賈氏，濮州鄄城人也。 年始十五，其父為宗人玄基所害。 其弟強仁年幼，賈氏撫育之，誓以不嫁。 及強仁成童，思共報復，乃俟玄基殺之； 取其心肝，以祭父墓。 遣強仁自列於縣，司斷以極刑。 賈氏詣闕自陳己為，請代強仁死。 高宗哀之，特下制賈氏及強仁免罪，移其家於洛陽。 鄭義宗妻盧氏鄭義宗妻盧氏，幽州范陽人，盧彥衡之女也。 略涉書史，事舅姑甚得婦道。 嘗夜有強盜數十人，持杖鼓噪，逾垣而入，家人悉奔竄，唯有姑獨在室。 盧冒白刃往至姑側，為賊捶擊之，幾至於死。 賊去後，家人問曰：「群兇擾橫，人盡奔逃，何獨不懼？」 答曰：「人所以異於禽獸者，以其仁義也。 昔宋伯姬守義赴火，流稱至今。 吾雖不敏，安敢忘義！ 且鄰里有急，尚相赴救，況在於姑，而可委棄！ 若萬一危禍，豈宜獨生！」 其姑每嘆云：「古人稱歲寒然後知松柏之後雕也，吾今乃知盧新婦之心矣！」 貞觀中卒。 劉寂妻夏侯氏劉寂妻夏侯氏，滑州胙城人，字碎金。 父長雲，為鹽城縣丞，因疾喪明。 碎金乃求離其夫，以終侍養。 經十五年，兼事後母，以至孝聞。 及父卒，毀瘠殆不勝喪，被髮徒跣，負土成墳，廬於墓側，每日一食，如此者積年。 貞觀中，有制表其門閭，賜以粟帛。 楚王靈龜妃上官氏楚王靈龜妃上官氏，秦州上邽人。 父懷仁，右金吾將軍。 上官年十八，歸於靈龜，繼楚哀王後。 本生具存，朝夕侍奉，恭謹彌甚。 凡有新味，非舅姑啖訖，未曾先嘗。 經數載，靈龜薨。 及將葬，其前妃閻氏，嫁不逾年而卒，又無近族，眾議欲不舉之。 上官氏曰：「必神而靈，寧可使孤魂無托！」 於是備禮同葬，聞者莫不嘉嘆。 服終，諸兄姊謂曰：「妃年尚少，又無所生，改醮異門，禮儀常範，妃可思之。」 妃掩泣對曰：「丈夫以義烈標名，婦人以守節為行。 未能即先犬馬，以殉溝壑，寧可復飾妝服，有他志乎！」 遽將刀截鼻割耳以自誓，諸兄姊知其志不可奪，嘆息而止。 尋卒。 楊紹宗妻王氏楊紹宗妻王氏，華州華陰人也。 初，年二歲，所生母亡，為繼母鞠養。 至年十五，父又征遼而歿。 繼母尋亦卒。 王乃收所生及繼母屍柩，並立父形像，招魂遷葬訖，廬於墓側，陪其祖父母及父母墳。 永徽中，詔曰：「故楊紹宗妻王氏，因心為孝，率性成道。 年迫桑榆，筋力衰謝。 以往在隋朝，父歿遼左，招魂遷葬，負土成墳，又葬其祖父母等，遏此老年，親加板築。 痛結晨昏，哀感行路。 永言志行，嘉尚良深。 宜標其門閭，用旌敏德。」 賜物三十段、粟五十石。 于敏直妻張氏于敏直妻張氏，營州都督、皖城公儉之女也。 數歲時父母權有疾，即觀察顏色，不離左右，晝夜省侍，宛若成人。 及稍成長，恭順彌甚。 適延壽公於欽明子敏直。 初聞儉有疾，便即號踴自傷，期於必死。 儉卒後，兇問至，號哭一慟而絕。 高宗下詔，賜物百段，仍令史官錄之。 冀州女子王氏冀州鹿城女子王阿足者，早孤，無兄弟，唯姊一人。 阿足初適同縣李氏，未有子而夫亡。 時年尚少，人多聘之。 為姊年老孤寡，不能舍去，乃誓不嫁，以養其姊。 每晝營田業，夜便紡績，衣食所須，無非阿足出者，如此二十餘年。 及姊喪，葬送以禮。 鄉人莫不稱其節行，競令妻女求與相識。 後數歲，竟終於家。 樊彥琛妻魏氏樊彥琛妻魏氏，楚州淮陰人。 彥琛病篤，將卒，魏泣而言曰：「幸以愚陋，托身明德，奉侍衣裳，二十餘載。 豈意釁妨所招，遽見此禍。 同入黃泉，是其願也。」 彥琛答曰：「死生常道，無所多恨。 君宜勉勵，養諸孤，使其成立。 若相從而死，適足貽累，非吾所取也。」 彥琛卒後，屬李敬業之亂，乃為賊所獲。 賊黨知其素解絲竹，逼令彈箏。 魏氏嘆曰：「我夫不幸亡歿，未能自盡，茍復偷生。 今爾見逼管弦，豈非禍從手發耶？」 乃引刀斬指，棄之於地。 賊黨又欲妻之，魏以必死自固。 賊等忿怒，以刃加頸，語云：「若不從我，即當殞命。」 乃厲聲罵曰：「爾等狗盜，乃欲汙辱好人，今得速死，會我本志。」 賊乃斬之，聞者莫不傷惜。 鄒保英妻奚氏鄒保英妻奚氏，不知何許人也。 萬歲通天年，契丹賊李盡忠來寇平州。 保英時任刺史，領兵討擊。 既而城孤援寡，勢將欲陷。 奚氏乃率家僮及城內女丁相助固守。 賊退，所司以聞，優制封為誠節夫人。
At that time Dugu Wudu also plotted to defect from Wang Shichong to the Tang; when the plot was discovered he was put to death. Wudu's son Shiren was only three years old; Wang Shichong spared him because of his age and had him imprisoned under guard. His wet nurse Wang Shi, known as Lanying, asked to be shorn and shackled so she could enter the prison to care for him; Wang Shichong consented. Lanying raised and guided him, exhausting every ounce of her strength. In those years of chaos and famine many starved to death; Lanying went begging along the roads to gather whatever she could find. Whatever she obtained she brought back at once for Shiren; Lanying herself ate only scraps of earth and drank only water. Later she pretended to go out gathering and secretly carried Shiren away to the capital. Emperor Gaozu praised her conduct and issued an edict: "Shiren's wet nurse Wang Shi is renowned for kindness and grace; she reared him without rest, guided the orphaned child, and turned from rebellion to bring him back to the Tang court. She deserves honor and elevation, and should be granted a title. Let her be enfeoffed as Lady of Yongshou Commandery." Li Shi, wife of Yang San'an, was a native of Jingyang in Yong Prefecture. She was renowned for the filial devotion with which she served her parents-in-law. After her parents-in-law died, San'an died as well, leaving two young sons and a household in utter poverty. By day she worked the fields; by night she spun and wove; within a few years she had conducted seven funerals for her parents-in-law and her husband's uncles, nephews, and brothers, winning deep admiration throughout the region. When Emperor Taizong heard of this he was deeply impressed, granted her two hundred bolts of silk, and ordered the local prefecture and county to provide for her welfare. Wang Shi, wife of Wei Heng, was a native of Qi in Zizhou. Early in the Wude reign, Fang Qidi, a former officer of Xue Rengao, raided Liang Commandery, captured Wang Shi, and forced her to marry him. As Fang Qidi grew stronger, Wei Heng plotted to surrender the city to the rebels. Fang Qidi led his forces toward Liangzhou; when they were still several tens of li away, he drank himself into a stupor and fell asleep. Wang Shi took his belt knife and killed him, then carried his head into the city; the rebel force scattered. Emperor Gaozu was greatly pleased, enfeoffed her as Lady of Chongyi, and pardoned Wei Heng for conspiring with the rebels. Jing Shi, mother of Fan Huiren, was styled Xiangzi and was a native of Hedong in Pu Prefecture. At fifteen she married into the Fan family, bore Huiren, and was widowed; she served her parents-in-law and sisters-in-law with meticulous devotion and was widely praised. When her mourning period ended, her mother and elder brother, seeing that she was still young, sought to make her remarry. At the slightest suggestion she would weep in grief and indignation; this happened again and again. Her mother and brother then secretly betrothed her to another man and summoned her home with a false report that their mother was ill. Everything prepared for the wedding was stored with neighbors. When Xiangzi arrived and found her mother was not ill, the neighbors had laid out a feast; realizing she had been tricked, she pretended not to notice. Her sister-in-law then asked her to bathe. Xiangzi privately told Huiren, "I am unfortunate to be a widow and have sworn to share a grave with your father. The only reason I have not died is that my mother is frail and aged and you are still young and helpless. Now your uncle means to force me to remarry—what will become of you then!" Huiren burst into loud weeping. Xiangzi comforted him and said, "Do not cry. I have been pretending not to understand so your uncle would not be on his guard against me. If he hears you cry, he will know I have understood and will guard against me—then I shall have no way to escape!" Huiren then pretended to sleep; Xiangzi seized her chance, took him, and fled home. On the road her brother sent men to overtake them and tried to force them to return. Xiangzi swore she would die rather than submit; her words were so earnest that her brother sighed in admiration and let them go. Later, when Huiren was eighteen, he died of illness; by then Xiangzi's mother had already died. After the funeral she told her intimates, "My mother met a sad end, and now my husband is dead and my son is gone—I have no right to go on living." She then wailed in grief, refused all food, and died within a few days. The Filial Daughter Wei of Jiang Prefecture—Wei Shi, styled Wuji, was a native of Xia County. Her father had earlier been killed by a fellow townsman named Wei Changze. Wuji was six at the time; her mother remarried, and she had no brothers. When she grew up, she constantly brooded on revenge. Her paternal uncle often held feasts for pleasure, and Changze sometimes attended; Wuji struck him dead with a brick. She then went to the authorities, declared that her father's murder had been avenged, and asked to be punished. The touring inspector, Vice Director of the Yellow Gate Chu Suiliang reported the case; Emperor Taizong praised her filial courage, specially pardoned her, provided relay horses to relocate her to Yong Prefecture, granted her fields and a residence, and ordered the local authorities to arrange a proper marriage for her. The Filial Daughter Jia of Pu Prefecture was a native of Juancheng. When she was only fifteen, her father was killed by a clansman named Xuanji. Her younger brother Qiangren was still a child; Jia raised him and swore never to marry. When Qiangren came of age, they plotted revenge together; they lay in wait for Xuanji and killed him; cut out his heart and liver and offered them at their father's grave. They sent Qiangren to surrender himself at the county seat; the authorities sentenced him to death. Jia went to court to confess her own guilt and asked to die in her brother's place. Emperor Gaozong was moved and specially pardoned both Jia and Qiangren, relocating their family to Luoyang. Lu Shi, wife of Zheng Yizong, was a native of Fanyang in You Prefecture and daughter of Lu Yanheng. She had some education in history and literature and served her parents-in-law with exemplary wifely devotion. One night several dozen robbers, armed with clubs and making a great racket, climbed over the wall; the whole household fled in terror, leaving only her mother-in-law alone in the room. Lu braved the robbers' blades to reach her mother-in-law's side; they beat her nearly to death. After the robbers left, her family asked, "When those violent men were rampaging, everyone fled—why were you alone unafraid?" She answered, "What distinguishes human beings from birds and beasts is benevolence and righteousness. In antiquity Lady Bo Ji of Song upheld righteousness and walked into the flames; her fame endures to this day. Though I am not clever, how could I dare abandon righteousness! When neighbors are in distress, people still rush to help—how much more when it is one's mother-in-law, and one could abandon her! If disaster should strike, how could one live on alone!" Her mother-in-law often sighed, "The ancients said that only in bitter cold does one know the pine and cypress are last to wither—I now know the heart of my daughter-in-law Lu!" She died during the Zhenguan reign. Xiahou Shi, wife of Liu Ji, was a native of Zuocheng in Hua Prefecture and was styled Suijin. Her father Changyun served as Assistant Magistrate of Yancheng and went blind from illness. Suijin then sought to leave her husband so she could devote herself entirely to caring for him. For fifteen years she also cared for her stepmother and was renowned for utmost filial devotion. When her father died, grief left her so emaciated she could scarcely endure the mourning; with hair unbound and barefoot, she carried earth to build the tomb, lived in a hut beside the grave, and ate only one meal a day for years. During the Zhenguan reign, an edict honored her household and granted her grain and silk. Shangguan Shi, consort of Prince Lingui of Chu, was a native of Shanggui in Qin Prefecture. Her father Huairen was a general of the Right Gold Crow Guard. At eighteen Shangguan married Prince Lingui, succeeding as consort after the lamented King of Chu. Her birth parents were still alive; morning and evening she attended them with ever-increasing respect and care. Whenever there was a new delicacy, she never tasted it until her parents-in-law had finished. After several years Prince Lingui died. When he was about to be buried, his former consort Lady Yan had married less than a year before dying and had no close kin; the assembly debated whether to bury her at all. Shangguan said, "If the dead retain consciousness, how could we leave a solitary soul without a resting place!" She prepared full rites and buried her with him; all who heard sighed in admiration. When her mourning ended, her siblings said, "You are still young and bore no children; remarriage is ordinary custom—you should consider it. Covering her face, she wept and replied, "A husband wins renown through righteous courage; a wife wins it through steadfast integrity. I have not yet been able to follow my husband into the grave—how could I adorn myself again and turn to another man! She immediately took a knife and cut off her nose and ear in pledge; her siblings, seeing her resolve could not be changed, sighed and gave up. She died soon afterward. Wang Shi, wife of Yang Shaozong, was a native of Huayin in Hua Prefecture. When she was two her birth mother died and she was raised by her stepmother. By fifteen her father had also died on the Liaodong campaign. Her stepmother soon died as well. Wang gathered the coffins of her birth mother and stepmother, set up her father's portrait, summoned his soul for reburial, and built a mourning hut beside the tomb to attend her grandparents and parents. During the Yonghui reign an edict said, "The late Yang Shaozong's wife Wang Shi, filial in heart and steadfast in nature. Her years approach old age and her strength declines. During the Sui, when her father died in Liaodong, she summoned his soul for reburial and built his tomb by hand; she also buried her grandparents—and now in her old age she still personally worked the earth. Her grief bound morning and evening; her sorrow moved all who passed on the road. The court spoke always of her will and conduct with deep admiration. Her household should be honored to commend her keen virtue." She was granted thirty lengths of goods and fifty piculs of grain. Zhang Shi, wife of Yu Minzhi, was the daughter of Jian, Regional Commander of Yingzhou and Duke of Wancheng. When she was a child and her parents fell ill, she watched their faces and never left their side, attending day and night like an adult. As she grew older, her respectful devotion only increased. She married Yu Minzhi, son of Qinming, Duke of Yanshou. When she first heard Jian was ill, she wailed and injured herself, resolved to die with him. When news of Jian's death arrived, she cried out once and died. Emperor Gaozong issued an edict granting her a hundred lengths of goods and ordered the historians to record her deed. Wang Azu of Lucheng in Ji Prefecture was orphaned early, had no brothers, and only one elder sister. Azu first married a man of the same county surnamed Li; she had no children before her husband died. She was still young and many men sought her hand. Because her sister was old, widowed, and alone, she could not abandon her; she swore not to marry and supported her sister instead. By day she worked the fields; by night she spun; for more than twenty years all food and clothing came from Azu alone. When her sister died, she buried her with full rites. Neighbors praised her integrity; they eagerly had their wives and daughters seek her acquaintance. Several years later she died at home. Wei Shi, wife of Fan Yanchen, was a native of Huaiyin in Chu Prefecture. When Yanchen was gravely ill and near death, Wei wept and said, "Though I am foolish and lowly, I entrusted myself to your bright virtue and served you for more than twenty years. Who would have thought the offense I provoked would suddenly bring this calamity. To enter the yellow springs with you—that is my wish. Yanchen replied, "Death and life are the constant Way; there is little to regret. You should strive on, rear our orphans, and help them grow to maturity. If you follow me in death, you would only add to their burden—that is not what I want. After Yanchen died, during Li Jingye's rebellion, she was captured by the rebels. The rebels knew she was skilled in music and forced her to play the zither. Wei sighed, "My husband died untimely; I was unable to follow him and have lived on in degradation. Now you force me to touch strings and pipes—is this not calamity born from my own hands! She drew a knife and cut off her fingers, casting them on the ground. The rebels also wished to take her as wife; Wei held firm with the resolve to die. The rebels grew angry, put blades to her neck, and said, "If you do not obey us, you will die at once. She cried out fiercely, "You dog-thieves wish to defile an honorable woman—now I may die quickly; that fulfills my intent." The rebels cut her down; all who heard grieved for her. Xi Shi, wife of Zou Baoying; her place of origin is unknown. In the Wansui Tongtian era the Khitan rebel Li Jinzhong raided Ping Prefecture. Baoying was then prefect and led troops to repel them. Soon the city was isolated, reinforcements were few, and defeat seemed imminent. Xi led household retainers and the women of the city to help defend the walls. When the rebels retreated, the authorities reported her deed; by special edict she was enfeoffed as Lady of Sincere Integrity.
4
時有古玄應妻高氏，亦能固守飛狐縣城，卒免為突厥所陷。 下詔曰：「頃屬默啜攻城，咸憂陷沒。 丈夫固守，猶不能堅，婦人懷忠，不憚流矢； 由茲感激，危城重安。 如不褒升，何以獎勸！ 古玄應妻可封為徇忠縣君。」 宋庭瑜妻魏氏宋庭瑜妻魏氏，定州鼓城人，隋著作郎彥泉之後也。 世為山東士族。 父克己，有詞學，則天時為天官侍郎。 魏氏善屬文。 先天中，庭瑜自司農少卿左遷涪州別駕。 魏氏隨夫之任，中路作《南征賦》以敘志，詞甚典美。 開元中，庭瑜累遷慶州都督。 初，中書令張說年少時為克己所重，魏氏恨其夫為外職，乃作書與說，敘亡父疇昔之事，並為庭瑜申理，乃錄《南征賦》寄說。 說嘆曰：「曹大家《東征》之流也。」 庭瑜尋轉廣州都督，道病卒。 魏氏旬日亦殞，時人莫不傷之。 崔繪妻盧氏崔繪妻盧氏，幽州范陽人也，為山東著姓。 祖幼孫，常州刺史。 父獻，有美名，則天時歷鸞臺侍郎、文昌左丞。 天授中為酷吏來俊臣所陷，左遷西鄉令而卒。
At that time Gao Shi, wife of Gu Xuanying, also defended Feihu county seat and ultimately kept it from falling to the Turks. An edict said, "Recently Mo-chueh besieged our cities and all feared they would fall. Men defended the walls yet could not hold; women harbored loyalty and did not fear flying arrows; through their stirring devotion the endangered city was saved. If such deeds are not honored, how can we encourage others! Gu Xuanying's wife may be enfeoffed as Lady of Xunzhong County. Wei Shi, wife of Song Tingyu, was a native of Gucheng in Ding Prefecture, a descendant of the Sui Authoring Gentleman Yanquan. For generations they were a Shandong gentry clan. Her father Keji was a man of letters; during Wu Zetian's reign he was Vice Director of the Heavenly Office. Wei was skilled at literary composition. During the Xiantian era Tingyu was demoted from Vice Minister of the Court of the Imperial Granaries to Assistant Administrator of Fu Prefecture. Wei accompanied her husband to his post; en route she composed "Rhapsody on the Southern Expedition" to express her intent in language of great elegance. During the Kaiyuan era Tingyu rose repeatedly to Regional Commander of Qing Prefecture. Earlier, when Zhang Yue was young, Keji had valued him; resenting her husband's exile, Wei wrote to Yue recounting her late father's dealings with him and pleading Tingyu's case, enclosing the "Rhapsody on the Southern Expedition." Yue sighed, "In the manner of Lady Cao's 'Eastern Expedition.' Tingyu was soon transferred to Regional Commander of Guangzhou and died of illness on the road. Wei died within ten days as well; all who heard grieved for them. Lu Shi, wife of Cui Hui, was a native of Fanyang in You Prefecture and belonged to a prominent Shandong clan. Her grandfather Yousun served as Prefect of Chang Prefecture. Her father Xian enjoyed a fine reputation; during Wu Zetian's reign he served as Vice Director of the Phoenix Terrace and Left Assistant of the Ministry of Works. During the Tianshou era he was framed by the cruel official Lai Junchen, demoted to Magistrate of Xixiang, and died in exile.
5
繪早終，盧既年少，諸兄常欲嫁之。 盧輒稱病固辭。 盧亡姊之夫李思沖，神龍初為工部侍郎，又求續親。 時思沖當朝美職，諸兄不之拒。 將婚之夕，方以告盧； 盧又固辭不可，仍令人防其門。 盧謂左右曰：「吾自誓久已定矣！」 乃夜中出自竇中，奔歸崔氏，髮面盡為糞穢所汙。 宗族見者皆為之垂淚。 因出家為尼，諸尼欽其操行，皆尊事之。 開元中，以老病而卒。 奉天縣竇氏二女奉天縣竇氏二女伯娘、仲娘，雖長於村野，而幼有志操。 住與邠州接界。 永泰中，草賊數千人，持兵刃入其村落行剽劫，聞二女有容色，姊年十九，妹年十六，藏於巖窟間。 賊徒擬為逼辱，乃先曳伯娘出，行數十步，又曳仲娘出，賊相顧自慰。 行臨深谷，伯娘曰：「我豈受賊汙辱！」 乃投之於谷。 賊方驚駭，仲娘又投於谷。 谷深數百尺，姊尋卒； 仲娘腳折面破，血流被體，氣絕良久而蘇，賊義之而去。 京兆尹第五琦感其貞烈，奏之； 詔旌表門閭，長免丁役，二女葬事官給。 京兆尹曹陸海著賦以美之。 盧甫妻李氏原武尉盧甫妻李氏，隴西成紀人也。 父瀾，春任蘄縣令。 界內先有草賊二千餘人。 瀾挺身入賊，結以誠信，賊並降附，百姓復業者二百餘家。 時曹升任徐州刺史，知賊降，領兵掩襲。 賊得脫後，入縣殺瀾。 瀾將被殺，從父弟渤，詣賊救瀾，請代兄死。 瀾又請留弟，弟兄爭死。 瀾女盧甫妻，又泣請代父死。 並為賊所害，宣慰使、吏部侍郎李季卿以節義聞。
Cui Hui died young; Lu was still young, and her elder brothers often wished to marry her off. Lu repeatedly claimed illness and firmly refused. Lu's deceased elder sister's husband Li Sichong, in the Shenlong era became Vice Minister of Works and again sought to marry her. At the time Sichong held an eminent post at court, and her brothers did not refuse. On the eve of the wedding they were about to tell Lu; Lu refused again and could not be moved, and they had people guard her door. Lu told her attendants, "My oath was fixed long ago!" In the middle of the night she crawled out through a hole in the wall and fled back to the Cui household; her hair and face were fouled with filth. All who saw her in the clan wept for her. She then became a nun; the other nuns admired her conduct and all honored her. During the Kaiyuan era she died of old age and illness. The two daughters of the Dou clan of Fengtian County—Elder Sister and Second Sister—though raised in the countryside, had resolute wills from youth. Their home bordered Bin Prefecture. In the Yongtai era several thousand bandits armed with blades entered their village to plunder; hearing the two sisters were beautiful—the elder nineteen, the younger sixteen—they hid in a cave. The bandits meant to violate them; they first dragged out Elder Sister, went several tens of paces, then dragged out Second Sister; the bandits looked at one another with satisfaction. As they came to a deep ravine, Elder Sister cried, "I will never suffer defilement by bandits!" She cast herself into the ravine. The bandits were horrified; Second Sister also cast herself into the ravine. The ravine was hundreds of feet deep; the elder sister died at once; Second Sister's legs were broken and her face shattered, blood covering her body; she stopped breathing for a long time then revived; the bandits, moved by her conduct, left. Jingzhao Prefect Diwu Qi, moved by their chaste courage, memorialized the case; An edict honored their household, long exempted corvée labor, and the state provided their funerals. Jingzhao Assistant Cao Luhai composed a rhapsody in their praise. Li Shi, wife of Lu Fu, Magistrate of Yuanwu, was a native of Chengji in Longxi. Her father Lan served as Magistrate of Qi. Within the district there were already more than two thousand bandits. Lan went in person among the bandits and won them with sincerity and trust; they all surrendered, and more than two hundred households resumed their livelihoods. At the time Cao Sheng was Prefect of Xuzhou; learning the bandits had surrendered, he led troops in a surprise attack. After the bandits escaped, they entered the county and killed Lan. As Lan was about to be killed, his younger cousin Bo went to the bandits to save him and asked to die in his brother's place. Lan again asked to keep his younger brother; the brothers contended over who should die. Lan's daughter, Lu Fu's wife, also wept and asked to die in her father's place. All were killed by the bandits; Pacification Commissioner and Vice Minister of Personnel Li Jiqing reported their integrity and righteousness.
6
又有尉氏尉王泛妻裴氏，儀王傅巨卿之女也。 素有容範，為賊所俘，賊逼之。 裴曰：「吾衣冠之子，當死即死，終不茍全一命，受汙於賊。」 賊脅之以兵，逼之以罵，裴堅力抗之。 賊怒，乃支解裴氏，至死不屈。 季卿亦以狀跡聞。
There was also Pei Shi, wife of Wang Fan, Magistrate of Weishi, daughter of Juqing, Tutor to the Prince of Yi. She had always been graceful in bearing and was captured by bandits who tried to force her. Pei said, "I am a child of the gentry; when I must die I die—I will never cling to life and be defiled by bandits." The bandits threatened her with blades and cursed her; Pei resisted firmly. The bandits grew angry and dismembered her; to the end she did not yield. Li Jiqing also reported the facts to the court.
7
詔曰：「鄭州原武縣尉盧甫亡妻李氏、汴州尉氏縣尉王泛亡妻裴氏等，懿範傳家，柔明植性； 頃因寇難，克彰義烈。 或請代父死，表因心之孝； 或誓逐夫亡，標難奪之節。 宜膺贈律，俾光休美。 李氏可贈孝昌縣君，裴氏可贈河東縣君，仍編入史冊。」 瀾、渤亦贈官秩。 鄒待徵妻簿氏鄒待徵妻簿氏。 待徵，大歷中為常州江陰縣尉，其妻為海賊所掠。 薄氏守節，出待徵官誥於懷中，托付村人，使謂待徵曰：「義不受辱。」 乃投江而死。 賊退潮落，待徵於江岸得妻屍焉。 江左文士，多著節婦文以紀之。 李湍妻李湍妻。 湍，吳元濟之軍人也。 元和中，淮南未平，湍心懷向順，乃急渡溵河，東降烏重胤。 其妻遂為賊束縛在樹，臠而食之，至死，叫其夫曰：「善事烏僕射。」 觀者義之。 至是，重胤以其事請列史冊。 十三年，憲宗下詔從之。 董昌齡母楊氏董昌齡母楊氏。 昌齡常為泗州長史，世居於蔡。 少孤，受訓於母。 累事吳少誠、少陽，至元濟時，為吳房令。 楊氏潛誡曰：「逆順之理，成敗可知，汝宜圖之。」 昌齡志未果，元濟又署為郾城令。 楊氏復誡曰：「逆黨欺天，天所不福。 汝當速降，無以前敗為慮，無以老母為念。 汝為忠臣，吾雖歿無恨矣！」 及王師逼郾城，昌齡乃以城降，且說賊將鄧懷金歸款於李光顏。 憲宗聞之喜，急召昌齡至闕，直授郾城令、兼監察御史，仍賜緋魚。 昌齡泣謝曰：「此皆老母之訓。」 憲宗嗟嘆良久。 元濟囚楊氏，欲殺之，而止者數矣。 蔡平，楊氏幸無恙。 ，陳許節度使李遜疏楊氏之強明節義以聞，乃封北平郡太君。 韋雍妻蘭陵縣君蕭氏韋雍妻蕭氏。 雍，故太子賓客。 張弘靖鎮幽州日，奏授觀察判官，攝監察御史。 時屬朝廷制置未備，幽州俗本兇悍，尤不樂文儒為主帥，賓佐習於常態，忿其變通，議論不密，卒然起亂。 雍時家亦從劫，蕭氏聞難號呼，專執夫袂，左右格去，以死不從。 及雍臨刃，蕭氏涕而告曰：「妾不幸年少，義不茍活； 今日之事，願先就死！」 執刃者斷其臂而殺雍，蕭氏詞氣不撓，雖兇悍圜視，無不嗟嘆。 其夕，蕭氏亦卒。 ，節度使楊志誠表明其事，因降敕追封蘭陵縣君。 衡方厚妻昌縣君程氏衡方厚妻程氏。 方厚，太和中任邕州都督府錄事參軍，為招討使董昌齡誣枉殺之。 程氏力不能免，乃抑其哀，如非冤者。 昌齡雅不疑慮，聽其歸葬。 程氏故得以徒行詣闕，截耳於右銀臺門，告夫被殺之冤。 御史臺鞫之，得實，諫官亦有章疏，故昌齡再受譴逐。
An edict said, "Li Shi, late wife of Lu Fu, Magistrate of Yuanwu in Zheng Prefecture, and Pei Shi, late wife of Wang Fan, Magistrate of Weishi in Bian Prefecture, and the like—exemplary conduct in their families, gentle clarity in their natures; Recently, amid bandit calamity, they displayed righteous heroism. Some asked to die in their father's place, showing filial piety from the heart; some swore to follow their husbands in death, marking integrity that could not be wrested away. They should receive posthumous honors to make their fine virtue shine. Li Shi may be granted Lady of Xiaochang County; Pei Shi may be granted Lady of Hedong County; both are to be entered in the historical records." Lan and Bo were also granted official ranks. Bo Shi, wife of Zou Daizheng. Daizheng, in the Dali era, was Assistant Magistrate of Jiangyin in Chang Prefecture; his wife was seized by pirates. Bo Shi kept her integrity, took Daizheng's official patent from her bosom, entrusted it to a villager, and had him tell Daizheng, "By righteousness I will not suffer dishonor." She then cast herself into the river and died. When the pirates retreated and the tide fell, Daizheng found his wife's corpse on the riverbank. Literary men of the lower Yangtze composed many essays on chaste wives to record her deed. The wife of Li Tuan. Tuan was a soldier in Wu Yuanji's army. During the Yuanhe era Huainan was not yet pacified; Tuan wished to defect to the Tang and urgently crossed the Qin River to surrender to Wu Zhongyin. His wife was then bound to a tree by the rebels, cut apart, and eaten; to the end she called to her husband, "Serve Vice Censor Wu well." Those who watched were moved by her conduct. Zhongyin then requested that her deed be entered in the historical records. In the thirteenth year Emperor Xianzong issued an edict granting the request. Yang Shi, mother of Dong Changling. Changling often served as Chief Administrator of Si Prefecture and his family had dwelt in Cai for generations. Orphaned young, he was instructed by his mother. He served Wu Shaocheng and Shaoyang in succession; by Wu Yuanji's time he was Magistrate of Wufang. Yang secretly admonished him, "The logic of rebellion and loyalty—success and failure can be foreseen; you should plan accordingly." Changling's resolve was not yet firm; Yuanji again appointed him Magistrate of Yancheng. Yang admonished again, "Rebel bands defy Heaven; Heaven will not bless them. Surrender quickly; do not worry over past failures, and do not think of your old mother. If you become a loyal subject, though I die I shall have no regret!" When the imperial army pressed Yancheng, Changling surrendered the city and persuaded the rebel general Deng Huaijin to submit to Li Guangyan. Xianzong heard with joy and urgently summoned Changling to court, directly appointing him Magistrate of Yancheng and Acting Investigating Censor, and granting the scarlet robe and fish tally. Changling wept and thanked him, "This is all my old mother's instruction." Xianzong sighed in admiration for a long while. Yuanji imprisoned Yang and wished to kill her, but was stopped several times. When Cai was pacified, Yang fortunately remained unharmed. Chenxu Military Governor Li Xun memorialized Yang's strength, clarity, integrity, and righteousness; she was then enfeoffed as Senior Lady of Beiping Commandery. Xiao Shi, Lady of Lanling Commandery, wife of Wei Yong. Yong was formerly Tutor to the Heir Apparent. When Zhang Hongjing governed Youzhou, he memorialized and appointed Yong Observation Aide, acting as Investigating Censor. At the time court arrangements were not yet complete; Youzhou custom was fierce and violent, especially unwilling to accept literary Confucians as commanders; staff accustomed to routine resented the changes, their discussions were not kept secret, and rebellion suddenly broke out. Yong's household was also caught in the plunder; hearing the calamity Xiao cried out and clutched her husband's sleeve; attendants pulled her away, but she would not leave even unto death. As Yong faced the blade, Xiao wept and said, "I am unfortunate in my youth; by righteousness I will not live in degradation; in today's affair, I wish to die first!" The executioner cut off her arm and killed Yong; Xiao's words and spirit did not bend—even the fierce rebels who looked on all sighed in admiration. That evening Xiao also died. Military Governor Yang Zhicheng reported the facts; by edict she was posthumously enfeoffed Lady of Lanling Commandery. Cheng Shi, Lady of Chang County, wife of Heng Fanghou. Fanghou, in the Taihe era served as Recorder of Yong Regional Commandery; he was falsely accused and killed by Pacification Commissioner Dong Changling. Cheng could not prevent it; she suppressed her grief as though he were not wronged. Changling, unsuspecting, allowed her to return and bury him. Cheng thus traveled on foot to court, cut off her ear at the Right Silver Terrace Gate, and reported her husband's wrongful death. The Censorate investigated and confirmed the facts; remonstrance officials also submitted memorials, and Changling was again demoted and expelled.
8
程氏，降敕曰：「乃者吏為不道，虐殺爾夫，詣闕申冤，徒行萬里，崎嶇逼畏，濱於危亡。 血誠即昭，幽憤果雪，雖古之烈婦，何以加焉！ 如聞孤孀無依，晝哭待盡，俾榮祿養，仍賜疏封。 可封武昌縣君，仍賜一子九品正員官。」 女道士李玄真女道士李玄真，越王貞之玄孫。 曾祖珍子，越王張六男也。 先天中得罪，配流嶺南。 玄真祖、父，皆亡歿於嶺外。 雖曾經恩赦，而未昭雪。 玄真進狀曰：「去開成三年十二月內得嶺南節度使盧鈞出俸錢接措，哀妾三代旅櫬暴露，各在一方，特與發遣，歸就大塋合祔。 今護四喪，已到長樂旅店權下，未委故越王墳所在，伏乞天恩，允妾所奏，許歸大塋。 妾年已六十三，孤露家貧，更無依倚。」 詔曰：「越王事跡，國史著明，枉陷非辜，尋已洗雪。 其珍子他事配流，數代漂零，不還京國。 玄真弱女，孝節卓然，啟護四喪，綿歷萬里； 況是近族，必可加恩。 行路猶或嗟稱，朝廷固須恤助。 委宗正寺、京兆府與訪越王墳墓報知。 如不是陪陵，任祔塋次卜葬。 其葬事仍令京兆府接措，必使備禮。 葬畢，玄真如願住京城，便配咸宜觀安置。」 孝女王和子孝女王和子者，徐州人。 其父及兄為防秋卒，戍涇州。 元和中，吐蕃寇邊，父兄戰死，無子，母先亡。 和子時年十七，聞父兄歿於邊上，被髮徒跣缞裳，獨往涇州。 行丐取父兄之喪，歸徐營葬。 手植松柏，剪髮壞形，廬於墓所。 節度使王智興以狀聞，詔旌表之。
An edict to Cheng said, "Recently officials acted without the Way and cruelly killed your husband; you went to court to declare your wrong, traveling on foot ten thousand li through hardship and fear, near to peril and death. Your blood sincerity is now manifest; hidden grievance is truly cleared—what heroic woman of antiquity could surpass this! We hear the lone widow has no support, weeping by day until her strength is spent—grant her honorary stipend and still bestow a noble title. She may be enfeoffed Lady of Wuchang County, and one son granted a ninth-rank regular official post. The female Daoist Li Xuanzhen was a great-great-granddaughter of Prince Zhen of Yue. Her great-grandfather Zhenzi was the sixth son of Prince Zhen of Yue. During the Xiantian era he offended and was banished to Lingnan. Xuanzhen's grandfather and father both died in exile beyond the mountains. Though amnesties had been granted, their names were not yet cleared. Xuanzhen submitted a petition: "In the twelfth month of the third year of the Kaicheng era I received support from the salary funds of Lingnan Military Governor Lu Jun; grieving that three generations of my family's traveling coffins lay exposed in separate places, I obtained permission to send them off for joint burial in the ancestral tomb. Now escorting four coffins, they have reached an inn in Chang'an Prefecture; the location of the late Prince of Yue's tomb is unknown—I beg the court's grace to grant my petition and permit return to the ancestral tomb. I am already sixty-three, orphaned and poor, with no one to rely upon." An edict said, "The deeds of the Prince of Yue are clearly recorded in the dynastic histories; wrongly implicated without guilt, he has long since been cleared. Zhenzi's other offenses led to banishment; for generations they drifted and did not return to the capital. Xuanzhen, a frail woman of outstanding filial integrity, escorted four coffins across ten thousand li; moreover she is near kin—favor must certainly be extended. Travelers on the road still sigh in praise; the court should surely provide relief. Commission the Court of the Imperial Clan and Jingzhao Prefecture to locate the Prince of Yue's tomb and report. If it is not an attendant burial mound, permit burial in the secondary rank of the tomb precinct as divined. Jingzhao Prefecture shall handle the funeral and ensure full rites. When the burial is complete, if Xuanzhen wishes to remain in the capital, assign her to Xianyi Abbey. The Filial Daughter Wang Hezi was a native of Xuzhou. Her father and elder brother were frontier soldiers garrisoned at Jing Prefecture. During the Yuanhe era Tibetans raided the border; her father and brother died in battle without sons; her mother had died earlier. Hezi was then seventeen; hearing her father and brother had died on the frontier, with hair unbound, barefoot, and in hemp mourning garments, she went alone to Jing Prefecture. She went begging along the road to recover her father and brother's remains, returned to Xu, and arranged their burial. With her own hands she planted pine and cypress, cut her hair and marred her form, and lived in a hut at the grave. Military Governor Wang Zhixing reported the facts; an edict honored her household.
9
又，兗州瑕丘縣人鄭神佐女，年二十四，先許適馳雄牙官李玄慶。 神佐亦為官健，戍慶州。 時党項叛，神佐戰死，其母先亡，無子。 女以父戰歿邊城，無由得還，乃剪髮壞形，自往慶州護父喪還，至瑕丘縣進賢鄉馬青村，與母合葬。 便廬於墳所，手植松檜，誓不適人。 節度使蕭椒以狀奏之曰：「伏以閭里之中，罕知禮教，女子之性，尤昧義方。 鄭氏女痛結窮泉，哀深《陟岵》，投身沙磧，歸父遺骸，遠自邊陲，得還閭里。 感《蓼莪》以積恨，守丘墓以誓心。 克彰孝理之仁，足厲貞方之節。」 詔旌表門閭。
Also, the daughter of Zheng Shenzuo of Xiqiu County in Yan Prefecture, aged twenty-four, had been betrothed to Li Xuanqing, an officer of the Flying Cavalry. Shenzuo was also a government soldier garrisoned at Qing Prefecture. At the time the Tangut rebelled; Shenzuo died in battle; her mother had died earlier; there were no sons. Because her father died on the frontier with no means of return, she cut her hair and marred her form, went herself to Qing Prefecture to escort his coffin back, and buried him with her mother at Maqing Village in Jinxian Township of Xiqiu County. She built a hut at the grave, planted pine and cypress with her own hands, and swore not to marry. Military Governor Xiao Jiao memorialized, "Within villages and lanes ritual teaching is rarely known; the nature of women is especially ignorant of righteousness. The daughter of the Zheng clan, grief bound to the deep spring, sorrow deep as in 'Ascending the Knoll'—she threw herself into sandy wastes, recovered her father's remains, and returned from the distant border to her native village." Moved by 'The Smartweed' she accumulated resentment; she guarded the tomb to pledge her heart." She displayed the benevolence of filial principle and fully inspired the integrity of chaste conduct." An edict honored her household.
10
贊曰：政教隆平，男忠女貞。 禮以自防，義不茍生。 彤管有煒，蘭閨振聲。 《關雎》合《雅》，始號文明。
The encomium says: When government and teaching flourish, men are loyal and women chaste. By ritual they guard themselves; by righteousness they do not live in degradation. The red brush shines bright; women's chambers resound with fame. 'Guanju' matches the 'Ya' odes—thus civilization is first named.