1
武用妻蘇氏，真定人，徙家京師。 用疾，蘇氏刲股為粥以進，疾即愈。 生子德政，四歲而寡。 夫之兄利其資，欲逼而嫁之，不聽。 未幾夫兄舉家死，惟餘三弱孫，蘇氏取而育之。 德政長，事蘇氏至孝。 蘇氏死時，天大旱，德政方掘地求水以供葬事，忽二蛇躍出，德政因默禱焉。 二蛇一東一北，隨其地掘之，果得泉。 有司上其事。 旌復其家。
Wu Yong's wife, Lady Su, came from Zhending; the family later moved to the capital. When Yong fell sick, Lady Su sliced flesh from her own thigh to prepare porridge for him, and he soon recovered. She gave birth to a son named Dezheng and was widowed when the boy was four. Her husband's older brother wanted her wealth and tried to pressure her into marrying again, but she refused. Soon afterward her brother-in-law's entire family perished, leaving only three frail grandsons, whom Lady Su took in and reared. When Dezheng came of age, he treated Lady Su with the utmost devotion. Lady Su died during a severe drought. While Dezheng was digging for water for her funeral, two snakes suddenly sprang from the ground, and he prayed to them in silence. One snake went east and the other north; he dug where they led and found a spring. The authorities reported the affair to the court. The court honored the family and granted it tax relief.
2
任仲文妻林氏，寧海人。 家甚貧，年二十八而寡。 姑患風疾，不良於行，林氏旦暮扶侍惟謹，撫育三子皆有成。 年一百三歲而卒。
Ren Zhongwen's wife, Lady Lin, was from Ninghai. Her household was desperately poor, and she was widowed at twenty-eight. Her mother-in-law had rheumatism and could barely walk; Lady Lin tended her day and night with scrupulous care, raised three sons, and saw each of them succeed. She died at the age of one hundred and three.
3
江文鑄妻范氏，名妙元，奉化人，年二十一歸於江。 及門，未合卺，夫忽以蒐疾卒。 範曰； 「我既入江氏之門，即江氏婦也，豈以夫亡有異志哉！」 遂居江氏之家，撫諸侄江森、江道如己子。 卒年九十五。
Jiang Wenzhu's wife, Lady Fan, whose given name was Miaoyuan, came from Fenghua and married into the Jiang family at twenty-one. She had barely arrived at the door when, before the wedding rites were completed, her husband suddenly died of a sudden illness. Fan said: "I have already entered the Jiang household and am a Jiang wife. How could the death of my husband change my resolve?" She remained in the Jiang home and raised her nephews Jiang Sen and Jiang Dao as if they were her own children. She died at ninety-five.
4
有柳氏者，蘇郡人，為戶部主事趙野妻。 未示成婚而野卒，柳哭之盡哀，誓不再嫁。 其兄將奪其志，柳曰：「業已歸趙氏，雖未成婚，而夫婦之禮已定矣。 雖凍餓死，豈有他志哉！」 后寢疾，不肯服藥，曰：「我年二十六而寡，今已逾半百，得死此疾幸矣。」 遂卒。
There was a Lady Liu from Suzhou, wife of Zhao Ye, a director in the Ministry of Revenue. Before the wedding could take place, Zhao Ye died. Liu mourned him with deepest grief and swore never to marry again. When her brother tried to make her change her mind, Liu said, "I have already been pledged to the Zhao family. Though we never wed, the bond of husband and wife was already settled. Even if I freeze or starve to death, I could never think otherwise!" Later she fell ill and refused medicine, saying, "I was widowed at twenty-six and am now past fifty. To die of this illness would be a blessing." And so she died.
5
姚氏，餘杭人，居山谷間。 夫出刈麥，姚居家執爨。 母何氏往汲澗水，久而不至。 俄聞覆水聲，亟出視，則虎銜其母以走。 姚倉卒往逐之，即以手毆其脅，鄰人競執器械以從，虎乃置之而去。 姚負母以歸，求藥療之，奉養二十餘年而卒。
Lady Yao of Yuhang lived in a mountain valley. Her husband went out to harvest wheat while she stayed home to cook. Her mother-in-law, Lady He, went to fetch water from the brook and was gone a long time. She suddenly heard a splash, rushed outside, and saw a tiger carrying her mother-in-law away in its mouth. Yao rushed after the tiger and beat its flank with her bare hands; neighbors seized weapons and joined the chase, and the tiger dropped her mother-in-law and fled. Yao carried her mother-in-law home, nursed her with medicine, and cared for her for more than twenty years until her death.
6
又方寧妻官勝娘者，建寧人。 寧耨田，勝娘饁之，見一虎方攫其夫，勝娘即棄饁奮梃連擊之，虎捨去，勝娘負夫至中途而死。 有司以聞，為旌復其家。
There was also Guan Shengniang of Jianning, wife of Fang Ning. While Ning was hoeing his field, Shengniang brought him lunch and saw a tiger seizing him. She dropped the food, grabbed a club, and beat the tiger until it let go. She carried her husband away, but he died on the road. The authorities reported the matter, and the court honored her family with commendation and tax relief.
7
衣氏，汴梁儒士孟志剛妻。 志剛卒，貧而無子，有司給以棺木。 衣氏紿匠者曰：「可寬大其棺，吾夫有遺衣服，欲盡置其中。」 匠者然之。 是夕，衣氏具雞黍祭其夫，家之所有悉散之鄰里及同居王媼，曰：「吾聞一馬不被兩鞍，吾夫既死，與之同棺共穴可也。」 遂自剄死。
Lady Yi was the wife of Meng Zhigang, a scholar of Bianliang. When Zhigang died, they were poor and childless, and the authorities provided a coffin. Lady Yi told the carpenter, "Make the coffin larger. My husband left clothes that I want to place inside with him." The carpenter agreed. That night she prepared a meal to honor her husband and gave away everything they owned to the neighbors and to Old Woman Wang, who lived with them, saying, "They say one horse cannot bear two saddles. Now that my husband is dead, it is right that we share one coffin and one grave." Then she cut her own throat and died.
8
有侯氏者，鈞州曹德妻。 德病死，侯氏語人曰：「年少夫亡，婦人之不幸也。 欲守吾志，而亂離如此，其能免乎！」 遂縊死於墓。
There was Lady Hou, wife of Cao De of Junzhou. When De died of illness, Lady Hou said to others, "To lose one's husband while still young is a woman's greatest misfortune. I wished to keep my vow, but with chaos and upheaval like this, how could I hope to remain untouched?" Then she hanged herself at his grave.
9
又周經妻吳氏、郭惟辛妻郝氏、陳輝妻白氏、張頑住妻杜氏、程二妻成氏、李貞妻武氏、暗都剌妻張氏，並以夫死，不忍獨生，自縊而死。 事聞，咸旌異之。
Lady Wu, wife of Zhou Jing; Lady Hao, wife of Guo Weixin; Lady Bai, wife of Chen Hui; Lady Du, wife of Zhang Wanzhu; Lady Cheng, wife of Cheng Er; Lady Wu, wife of Li Zhen; and Lady Zhang, wife of Andula—all hanged themselves when their husbands died, unwilling to live on alone. When word reached the court, each was honored with special commendation.
10
湯輝妻張氏，處州龍泉人。 會兵亂，其家財先已移入山寨，夫與姑共守之。 舅以疾未行，張歸任藥膳，且以輿自隨。 既而賊至，即命以輿載其舅，而己遇賊。 賊以刀脅之曰：「從我則生，否則死。」 張掠發整衣請受刃，賊未忍殺，張懼污，即奪其刃自剚死，年二十七。
Tang Hui's wife, Lady Zhang, was from Longquan in Chuzhou. When war broke out, the family had already moved their valuables into a mountain fort, where her husband and mother-in-law stayed to guard them. Her husband's uncle was too ill to travel, so Zhang went back to prepare his medicine and meals and brought a sedan chair with her. When bandits arrived, she ordered the sedan bearers to carry her uncle away while she herself faced the raiders. The bandits held blades to her and said, "Come with us and live, or refuse and die." Zhang tossed her hair aside, straightened her clothes, and asked them to strike. The bandits hesitated, so fearing dishonor she seized a blade and stabbed herself to death. She was twenty-seven.
11
又湯婍者，亦龍泉人，有姿容。 賊殺其父母，以刃脅之。 婍不勝悲咽，乞早死，因以頭觸刃。 賊怒，斫殺之。 其妹亦不受辱而死。
There was also Tang Qi of Longquan, a woman of striking beauty. Bandits killed her parents and threatened her with blades. Overcome with grief, Qi begged to die quickly and thrust her head against the blade. Enraged, the bandits hacked her to death. Her younger sister likewise chose death rather than submit to dishonor.
12
俞士淵妻童氏，嚴州人。 姑性嚴，待之寡恩，童氏柔順以事之，無少拂其意者。 至正十三年，賊陷威平，官軍復之，已乃縱兵剽掠。 至士淵家，童氏以身蔽姑。 眾欲污之，童氏大罵不屈。 一卒以刀擊其左臂，愈不屈。 又一卒斷其右臂，罵猶不絕。 眾乃皮其面而去，明日乃死。
Yu Shiyuan's wife, Lady Tong, was from Yanzhou. Her mother-in-law was severe and showed her little kindness, yet Lady Tong served her with gentle obedience and never once crossed her. In the thirteenth year of Zhizheng, rebels seized Weiping. After government troops retook the city, the soldiers were allowed to loot freely. When the soldiers came to Shiyuan's home, Lady Tong shielded her mother-in-law with her own body. They tried to violate her, but Lady Tong cursed them loudly and would not yield. One soldier slashed her left arm, yet she yielded all the more stubbornly. Another cut off her right arm, yet her curses never stopped. The soldiers flayed her face and left; she died the next day.
13
張氏女，高郵人。 城亂，賊知張女有姿艷，叩其家索之。 女方匿复宇間，賊將害其父母，女不得已乃出拜賊。 賊即伏地呼其父母為丈人媼，而以女行，女欣欣然從之。 過橋，投水死。
A daughter of the Zhang family lived in Gaoyou. When the city was thrown into chaos, bandits learned that the Zhang daughter was beautiful and came to her home demanding her. She had just hidden in the space beneath the eaves when the bandits threatened to kill her parents. With no other choice, she came out and bowed to them. The bandits prostrated themselves, addressed her parents as father- and mother-in-law, and led the girl away. She followed them with apparent cheer. When they came to a bridge, she threw herself into the water and drowned.
14
有高氏婦者，同郡人也。 攜其女從夫出避亂，見道旁空舍，入其中，脫金纏臂與女，且語夫，令疾行。 夫挈女稍遠，乃解足紗自經。 賊至，焚其舍。 夫抵儀真，夜夢婦來告曰：「我已縊死彼舍矣。」 其精爽如此。
There was also a woman of the Gao clan from the same region. She fled the turmoil with her husband and daughter, entered an empty house by the road, removed her gold armlet and gave it to her daughter, and told her husband to hurry on. After her husband had taken their daughter a little farther on, she untied her foot bindings and hanged herself. When the bandits arrived, they burned the house down. When her husband reached Yizhen, he dreamed that night that his wife came to him and said, "I have already hanged myself in that house." Her spirit had been so vivid.
15
惠士玄妻王氏，大都人。 至正十四年，士玄病革，王氏曰：「吾聞病者糞苦則愈。」 乃嘗其糞，頗甘，王氏色愈憂。 士玄囑王氏曰：「我病必不起，前妾所生子，汝善保護之。 待此子稍長，即從汝自嫁矣。」 王氏泣曰：「君何為出此言耶！ 設有不諱，妾義當死，尚復有他說乎。 君幸有兄嫂，此兒必不失所居。」 數日，士玄卒。 比葬，王氏遂居墓側，蓬首垢面，哀毀逾禮，常以妾子置左右，飲食寒暖惟恐不至。 歲餘，妾子亦死，乃哭曰：「無復望矣。」 屢引刀自殺。 家人驚救，得免。 至終喪，親舊皆攜酒禮祭士玄於墓。 祭畢，眾欲行酒，王氏已經死於樹矣。
Hui Shixuan's wife, Lady Wang, was from Dadu. In the fourteenth year of Zhizheng, Shixuan fell gravely ill. Lady Wang said, "I have heard that when a patient's stool tastes bitter, he will recover." She tasted his stool and found it rather sweet, and her face grew all the more troubled. Shixuan told Lady Wang, "I will not recover. The son born to my former concubine—you must care for him well. When he grows a little older, you may remarry as you wish." Lady Wang wept and said, "My lord, why do you speak such words? If the worst should come, it is my duty to die with you. What other course could there be? You still have your brother and sister-in-law; the boy will not be left without a home." A few days later, Shixuan died. After the funeral, Lady Wang lived beside the grave with unkempt hair and a filthy face, mourning beyond what ritual required. She kept the concubine's son always at her side and tended his food, drink, warmth, and comfort with scrupulous care. More than a year later the concubine's son also died. She wept and said, "There is nothing left to hope for." She tried again and again to kill herself with a knife. Her family rushed to stop her and saved her. When the mourning period ended, relatives and friends brought wine and offerings to honor Shixuan at his grave. After the rites, as everyone prepared to drink together, they found that Lady Wang had already hanged herself from a tree.
16
又有王氏者，良鄉費隱妻也。 隱有疾，王氏數嘗其糞。 及疾篤，囑王氏曰：「我一子一女，雖妾所生，無異汝所出也。 我死，汝其善撫育之。」 遂歿。 王氏居喪，撫其子女。 既而子又死。 服除，謂其親屬曰：「妾聞夫乃婦之天，今夫已死，妾生何為！」 乃執女手，語之曰：「汝今已長，稍知人事，管鑰在此，汝自司之。」 遂相抱慟哭。 是夜，縊死於園中。
There was also Lady Wang, wife of Fei Yin of Liangxiang. When Yin fell ill, Lady Wang repeatedly tasted his stool to gauge his condition. When his illness grew critical, he told Lady Wang, "I have a son and a daughter. Though born to a concubine, they are no different from your own children. When I am gone, you must raise them well." Then he died. Lady Wang mourned him and raised the children. Before long the son died as well. When her mourning period ended, she told her relatives, "They say a husband is a wife's heaven. Now that my husband is dead, why should I go on living?" She then took her daughter's hand and said, "You're grown now and understand something of life. Here are the household keys—manage them yourself. Then mother and daughter held each other and sobbed in grief. That same night she hanged herself in the garden.
17
李景文妻徐氏，名彩鸞，字淑和，浦城徐嗣源之女。 略通經史，每誦文天祥《六歌》，必為之感泣。 至正十五年，青田賊寇浦城，徐氏從嗣源逃旁近山谷。 賊持刀欲害嗣源，徐氏前曰：「此吾父也，寧殺我。」 賊舍父而止徐氏。 徐氏語父曰：「兒義不受辱，今必死，父可速去。」 賊拘徐氏至桂林橋，拾炭題詩壁間，有「惟有桂林橋下水，千年照見妾心清」之句。 乃厲聲罵賊，投於水。 賊競出之。 既而乘間复投水死。
Li Jingwen's wife, Lady Xu—given name Cailuan, courtesy name Shuhe—was Xu Siyuan's daughter of Pucheng. She was versed in the classics and histories, and whenever she read Wen Tianxiang's Six Songs, she was moved to tears. In Zhizheng 15, Qingtian bandits attacked Pucheng, and Lady Xu fled with her father Siyuan into a nearby valley. Bandits drew their swords to kill Siyuan, but Lady Xu stepped forward and said, "He is my father—better kill me instead. The bandits released her father and took Lady Xu in his place. She told her father, "I cannot live in dishonor. I am going to die—please leave at once. The bandits took her to Guilin Bridge, where she wrote a poem on the wall with a piece of charcoal, including the line, "Only the waters beneath Guilin Bridge, for a thousand years, will reflect how pure my heart remains." She then denounced the bandits at the top of her voice and threw herself into the river. The bandits rushed in and pulled her out. Soon afterward she found a moment to jump in again and drowned.
18
周婦毛氏，松陽人，美姿色。 至正十五年，隨其夫避亂麻鷖山中，為賊所得。 脅之曰：「從我多與若金，否則殺汝。」 毛氏曰：「寧剖我心，不願汝金。」 賊以刀磨其身，毛氏因大詈曰：「碎呙賊，汝碎則臭，我碎則香。」 賊怒，刳其腸而去，年二十九。
A woman of the Zhou household, née Mao, came from Songyang and was renowned for her beauty. In Zhizheng 15 she fled with her husband to Mayi mountain to escape the chaos, and bandits seized her there. They threatened her: "Come with me and I'll give you gold; refuse, and you're dead. Lady Mao replied, "I'd sooner have my heart cut out than take your gold. A bandit scraped a knife along her body. She cried out, "You bandit scum! Smash you and you'd reek; smash me and I'd still smell sweet. Enraged, they cut out her bowels and left her to die. She was twenty-nine.
19
丁尚賢妻李氏，汴梁人。 年二十餘，有姿容。 至正十五年，賊至，欲虜之。 李氏怒曰：「吾家六世義門，豈能從賊以辱身乎！」 於是闔門三百餘口俱被害。
Ding Shangxian's wife, Lady Li, came from Bianliang. She was in her twenties and attractive. In Zhizheng 15, when bandits came, they tried to capture her. Lady Li furiously declared, "Our family has been a righteous household for six generations—I will never follow bandits and bring shame on myself! The bandits then slaughtered the entire household, more than three hundred souls.
20
李順兒者，許州儒士李讓之女也。 性聰慧，頗涉經傳，年十八，未嫁。 至正十五年，賊陷鈞州，密邇許昌。 父謂其母曰：「吾家以詩禮相傳，此女必累我。」 女聞之，泣曰：「父母可自逃難，勿以我為憂。」 須臾於後園內自經而死。
Li Shun'er was the daughter of Li Rang, a scholar of Xuzhou. Intelligent and well read in the classics, she was eighteen and still unmarried. In Zhizheng 15 rebels took Junzhou, right next to Xuchang. Her father told her mother, "Our family lives by poetry and ritual—this daughter will bring disaster on us. Overhearing, she wept and said, "Mother and Father, save yourselves—do not worry about me. Moments later she hanged herself in the back garden.
21
吳守正妻禹氏，名淑靜，字素清，紹興人。 至正十六年，徙家崇德之石門。 淑靜嘗從容謂守正曰：「方今群盜蜂起，萬一不測，妾惟有死而已，不使人污此身也。」 是年夏，盜陷崇德，淑靜倉皇攜八歲女登舟以避。 有盜數輩奔入其舟，將犯淑靜，淑靜乃抱幼女投河死。
Wu Shouzheng's wife, Lady Yu—given name Shujing, courtesy name Suqing—was from Shaoxing. In Zhizheng 16 the family resettled at Shimen in Chongde. Shujing once told Shouzheng calmly, "Thieves are rising everywhere. If the worst should happen, death is my only choice—I won't let anyone dishonor me. That summer Chongde fell. Shujing fled in panic onto a boat with her eight-year-old daughter. Several bandits stormed the boat and moved to assault her. Shujing clutched her daughter and leaped into the river, drowning them both.
22
黃仲起妻朱氏，杭州人。 至正十六年，張士誠寇杭州，其女臨安奴倉皇言曰：「賊至矣，我別母求一死也。」 俄而賊驅諸婦至其家，且指朱氏母子曰：「為我看守，日暮我當至也。」 朱氏聞之，懼受辱，遂與女俱縊死。 妾馮氏，見其母子已死，歎曰：「我生何為，徒受辱耳！」 亦自縊死。 繼而仲起弟妻蔡氏，抱幼子玄童，與乳母湯氏皆自縊。 及暮，賊至，見諸屍滿室，執仲起將殺之，哀求得脫。 賊遂盡掠其家財而去。
Huang Zhongqi's wife, Lady Zhu, came from Hangzhou. In Zhizheng 16 Zhang Shicheng besieged Hangzhou. His daughter Lin'annu cried out in alarm, "The rebels are here—Mother, forgive me, but I must find a way to die. Moments later bandits herded women to the house and told the guards, pointing at Lady Zhu and her daughter, "Watch these two. I'll be back at dusk. Fearing disgrace, Lady Zhu and her daughter hanged themselves together. The concubine Lady Feng saw them dead and sighed, "What is my life for, if not to be humiliated! She hanged herself as well. Next Zhongqi's sister-in-law Lady Cai, clutching her infant son Xuantong, along with the wet nurse Lady Tang, also took their own lives. When the bandits returned at dusk and found corpses strewn through the house, they seized Zhongqi to kill him, but he begged so desperately they let him go. They stripped the household of everything and left.
23
焦士廉妻王氏，博興人，養姑至孝。 至正十七年，毛貴作亂，官軍競出虜掠。 王氏被執，紿曰：「我家墓田有藏金，可共取也。」 信之，隨王氏至墓所。 王氏哭曰：「我已得死所矣，實無藏金，汝可於此殺我。」 乃與妾杜氏皆遇害。
Jiao Shilian's wife, Lady Wang, came from Boxing and was deeply filial toward her mother-in-law. In Zhizheng 17 Mao Gui rose in rebellion, and government troops competed in raiding and looting. When Lady Wang was seized, she lied, "There's hidden gold in our family's burial fields—I'll show you where. Believing her, they followed her to the graves. There she wept and said, "I've found where I want to die. There is no gold—just kill me here. They killed her and the concubine Lady Du.
24
又有趙氏者，平陽人，年二十，未嫁。 寇亂，趙被驅迫以行，度不能免，紿賊曰：「吾取所藏金以遺汝。」 賊信之，遂還，投於廁而死。
Another was Lady Zhao of Pingyang—twenty, and still unmarried. When bandits swept through, Zhao was forced along with them. Realizing she could not escape, she told them, "I'll get the gold I've hidden and give it to you. They believed her and turned back. She threw herself into a latrine and died.
25
陳淑真，富州陳璧之女。 璧故儒者，避亂移家龍興。 淑真七歲能誦詩鼓琴。 至正十八年，陳友諒寇龍興，淑真見鄰嫗倉皇來告，乃取琴坐牖下彈之。 曲終，泫然流涕曰：「吾絕弦於斯乎！」 父母怪，問之，淑真曰：「城陷必遭辱，不如早死。」 明日賊至，其居臨東湖，遂溺焉。 水淺不死，賊抽矢脅之上岸，淑真不從，賊射殺之。
Chen Shuzhen was Chen Bi's daughter of Fuzhou. Her father Bi was a scholar who moved the family to Longxing to escape the chaos. At seven she could recite poetry and play the zither. In Zhizheng 18 Chen Youliang attacked Longxing. When a neighbor ran in with the news, Shuzhen took her zither, sat by the window, and played. When the piece ended, she wept and said, "Is this where I break my strings forever? Her parents were alarmed and asked what she meant. She said, "When the city falls I'll be dishonored. Better to die now. The next day the rebels arrived. Her home stood by East Lake, and she drowned herself in it. The water was too shallow to drown her. Bandits nocked arrows and ordered her ashore, but she refused, and they shot her dead.
26
時同郡李宗頤妻夏氏，名婉常，亦儒家女。 與女匿居後圃中，賊至，挾其女共投井死。
About then Li Zongyi's wife in the same district, Lady Xia—given name Wanchang—was also from a scholar's family. She hid with her daughter in the back garden. When bandits arrived, she clasped the girl and they jumped into a well together.
27
秦閏夫妻柴氏，晉寧人。 閏夫前妻遺一子尚幼，柴氏鞠如己出。 未幾柴氏有子，閏夫病且死，囑柴氏曰：「我病不復起，家貧，惟二幼子，汝能撫其成立，我死亦無憾矣。」 閏夫死，家事日微，柴氏辛勤紡績，遣二子就學。 至正十八年，賊犯晉寧，其長子為賊驅迫，在圍中，既而得脫。 初在賊時，有惡少與張福為仇，往滅其家。 及官軍至，福訴其事，事連柴氏長子，法當誅。 柴氏引次子詣官泣訴曰：「往從惡者，吾次子，非吾長子也。」 次子曰：「我之罪可加於兄乎！」 鞫之至死不易其言。 官反疑次子非柴氏所出，訊之他囚，始得其情。 官義柴氏之行，為之言曰：「婦執義不忘其夫之命，子趨死而能成母之志，此天理人情之至也。」 遂釋免其長子，而次子亦得不死。 時人皆以為難。 二十四年，有司上其事，旌其門而復其家。
Qin Run and his wife Lady Chai came from Jinning. Run's first wife had left a young son, and Lady Chai raised him as her own. Soon Lady Chai bore a son. Run fell mortally ill and told her, "I won't recover. We're poor, with only these two little boys. Raise them well and I'll die content. After Run died the household grew poorer, but Lady Chai spun and wove tirelessly and put both boys in school. In Zhizheng 18 bandits attacked Jinning. Their elder son was forced into service with the rebels but eventually escaped. While he was with the rebels, a young ruffian who hated Zhang Fu went to wipe out Zhang's family. When government troops arrived, Zhang Fu reported it. The case implicated the elder son, who by law faced execution. Lady Chai brought her younger son to the magistrate in tears and claimed, "The son who followed the rebels was my younger boy, not the elder. The younger son cried, "How can my guilt be put on my brother! Under torture to the point of death, neither changed their story. Officials doubted the younger son was really hers and questioned other prisoners until the truth came out. Moved by Lady Chai's conduct, the magistrate declared, "The wife kept faith with her husband's dying charge, and the son faced death to fulfill his mother's wish—this is the highest expression of heaven's order and human devotion. They released the elder son, and the younger was spared as well. Contemporaries all considered this extraordinary. In year 24 officials reported the case to the court, which erected a commemorative arch over their gate and granted commendation and tax relief to the household.
28
也先忽都，蒙古欽察氏，大寧路達魯花赤鐵木兒不花之妻，以夫恩封雲中郡君。 夫坐事免官，居大寧。 至正十八年，紅巾賊至，也先忽都與妾玉蓮走尼寺中，為賊所得，令與眾婦縫衣，拒不肯為。 賊嚇以刃，也先忽都罵曰：「我達魯花赤妻也，汝曹賊也，我不能為針工以從賊。」 賊怒殺之。 玉蓮因自縊者凡三，賊並殺之。 先是，其子完者帖木兒，年十四，與父出城，見執於賊。 完者拜哭，請以身代父死。 賊愛完者姿秀，遂挈以從。 久之，乃獲脫歸，訪母屍並玉蓮葬焉。
Yesen Huddu, a Qincha Mongol, was the wife of Temür Buqa, darugachi of Daning Circuit. Through her husband's privilege she was ennobled as Lady of Yunzhong Commandery. Her husband lost his post over a legal matter and lived in Daning. In Zhizheng 18 Red Turban rebels arrived. Yesen Huddu fled with her concubine Yulian to a nunnery but was captured and ordered to sew with other women. She refused. When they threatened her with blades, she cursed them: "I am a darugachi's wife—you're nothing but rebels. I won't stitch clothes for bandits. The rebels killed her in fury. Yulian hanged herself too. Three women had taken their own lives, and the bandits killed them all. Earlier her fourteen-year-old son Wanzha Temür had gone outside the city with his father and was captured by rebels. Wanzha bowed and wept, offering his own life for his father's. The rebels admired his handsome bearing and took him away. Eventually he escaped and returned, found his mother's body, and buried her together with Yulian.
29
呂彥能者，陵州人。 至正十八年，賊犯陵州，彥能與家人謀所往。 其姊久嫠居，寓彥能家，先曰：「我喪夫二十年，又無後，不死何為？ 苟辱身，則辱吾弟矣。」 赴井死。 其妻劉氏語彥能曰：「妾為君家婦二十八年，茲不幸逢亂離，必不負君，君可自往，妾入井矣。」 彥能二女及子婦王氏、二孫女，皆隨劉氏溺井。 一門死者七人。
Lü Yanneng came from Lingzhou. In Zhizheng 18 bandits attacked Lingzhou, and Yanneng and his family debated where to flee. His widowed elder sister, who lived with him, spoke first: "I've been widowed twenty years with no heirs—what reason do I have to live? If I were defiled, I'd disgrace my brother. She threw herself into a well. His wife Lady Liu told him, "I've been your wife for twenty-eight years. In this calamity I won't betray you—go save yourself. I'm going into the well. Yanneng's two daughters, his daughter-in-law Lady Wang, and two granddaughters followed Lady Liu into the well. Seven members of the family died.
30
劉公翼妻蕭氏，濟南人，有姿色，頗通書史。 至正十八年，聞毛貴兵將壓境，豫與夫謀曰：「妾詩書家女，誓以冰雪自將，儻城陷被執，悔將何追？ 妾以二子一女累君，去作清白鬼於泉下耳！」 夫曰：「事未至，何急於此！」 居亡何，城陷，蕭解絛自縊死。
Liu Gongyi's wife Lady Xiao came from Jinan. Beautiful and well educated, she was versed in letters and history. In Zhizheng 18, hearing Mao Gui's army was about to overrun the region, she told her husband in advance, "I come from a literary family and have vowed to keep myself as pure as ice. If the city falls and I'm captured, it'll be too late for regret. I've burdened you with two sons and a daughter—now I leave to be an unstained ghost in the grave! Her husband said, "It hasn't come to that yet—why rush into this! Before long the city fell. Lady Xiao loosed her sash and hanged herself.
31
袁氏孤女，建康路溧水州人，年十五。 其母嚴氏，孀居極貧，病癱瘓臥於床者數年，女事母至孝。 至正十二年，兵火延其里，鄰婦強攜女出避火，女泣曰：「我何忍舍母去乎，同死而已！」 遂入室抱母，共焚而死。
There was an orphan girl of the Yuan family from Lishui Subprefecture in Jiankang Circuit. She was fifteen years old. Her mother Lady Yan lived in widowhood in dire poverty. Paralyzed, she had lain in bed for years, and the girl cared for her with the deepest filial devotion. In Zhizheng 12, fighting and fire spread to their neighborhood. A neighbor woman forcibly dragged the girl out to escape the flames. The girl wept and said, "How could I abandon my mother? We die together, and that is all! She went back inside, held her mother in her arms, and the two perished together in the flames.
32
徐允讓妻潘氏，名妙圓，山陰人。 至正十九年，與其夫從舅避兵山谷間。 舅被執，夫泣以救舅脫，夫被兵所殺，欲強辱潘氏。 潘氏因紿之曰：「我夫既死，我從汝必矣。 若能焚吾夫，可無憾也。」 兵信之，聚薪以焚其夫。 火既熾，潘氏且泣且語，遂投火以死。
Xu Yunrang's wife Lady Pan, whose given name was Miaoyuan, came from Shanyin. In Zhizheng 19, she and her husband followed their uncle into the mountain valleys to escape the fighting. Their uncle was captured. Her husband wept as he struggled to save him and win his release, but the soldiers killed him and then tried to force themselves on Lady Pan. Lady Pan deceived them, saying, "My husband is dead. I will surely go with you. If you will cremate my husband, I shall have no regret. The soldiers believed her, piled up firewood, and burned her husband. Once the flames were roaring, Lady Pan wept and spoke as she went, then cast herself into the fire and died.
33
又諸暨蔡氏者，王琪妻也。 至正二十二年，張士誠陷諸暨，蔡氏避之長寧鄉山中，兵猝至，有造紙鑊方沸，遂投其中而死。
There was also Lady Cai of Zhuji, the wife of Wang Qi. In Zhizheng 22, Zhang Shicheng captured Zhuji. Lady Cai fled to the mountains of Changning Township, but soldiers suddenly arrived. A papermaking vat was boiling nearby, and she threw herself into it and died.
34
趙洙妻許氏，集賢大學士有壬之侄女也。 至正十九年，紅巾賊陷遼陽，洙時為儒學提舉，夫婦避亂匿資善寺。 洙以叱賊見害，許氏不知也。 賊甘言誘許氏，令指示金銀之處，許氏大言曰：「吾詩書冠冕故家，不幸遇難，但知守節而死，他皆不知也。」 賊以刃脅之，許氏色不變。 已而知其夫死，因慟哭僕地，罵聲不絕口，且曰：「吾母居武昌，死於賊，吾女兄弟亦死賊，今吾夫又死焉。 使我得報汝，當醢汝矣。」 遂遇害。 寺僧見許氏死狀，哀其貞烈，賊退，與洙合葬之。
Zhao Zhu's wife Lady Xu was the niece of Youren, Chancellor of the Hall of Assembled Worthies. In Zhizheng 19, Red Turban rebels captured Liaoyang. Zhu was then serving as Confucian Schools Intendant, and the couple took refuge from the turmoil in Zishan Temple. Zhu was killed for rebuking the rebels, but Lady Xu did not yet know. The rebels tried to coax her with honeyed words and ordered her to show them where the gold and silver were hidden. Lady Xu answered in a ringing voice, "I come from an old family of letters and official rank. Misfortune has found us, but I know only how to keep my honor and die. I know nothing else. They threatened her with blades, but Lady Xu's face did not change. When she learned her husband was dead, she broke into wailing and fell prostrate to the ground, cursing without pause. She cried, "My mother lived in Wuchang and was killed by rebels. My sisters were killed by rebels too. And now my husband is dead as well. If I could have my revenge on you, I would cut you to pieces! Then they killed her. The temple monks, moved by the manner of Lady Xu's death and her steadfast virtue, buried her together with Zhu after the rebels withdrew.
35
張正蒙妻韓氏，紹興人。 正蒙嘗為湖州德清稅務提領。 至正十九年，紹興兵變，正蒙謂韓氏曰：「吾為元朝臣子，於義當死。」 韓氏曰：「爾果能死於忠，吾必能死於節。」 遂俱縊死。 其女池奴，年十七，泣曰：「父母既死，吾何以獨生！」 亦投崖而死。
Zhang Zhengmeng's wife Lady Han came from Shaoxing. Zhengmeng had once served as intendant of tax affairs at Deqing in Huzhou. In Zhizheng 19, troops mutinied in Shaoxing. Zhengmeng told Lady Han, "I am a subject of the Yuan dynasty. By duty I ought to die. Lady Han replied, "If you can truly die for loyalty, I can die for honor. Then they hanged themselves together. Their daughter Chinu, seventeen years old, wept and said, "My parents are dead. How can I go on living alone? She too threw herself from a cliff and died.
36
又何氏者，處之龍泉縣季銳妻也。 因避兵於邑之繩門岩，賊至，何氏被執。 欲污之，乃與子榮兒、女回娘投崖而死。
There was also Lady He, the wife of Ji Rui of Longquan County in Chuzhou. She had fled the fighting to Shengmen Rock in the district, but when bandits arrived Lady He was captured. When they tried to violate her, she took her son Rong'er and daughter Huiniang and leapt from the cliff to their deaths.
37
劉氏二女，長曰貞，年十九； 次曰孫，年十七。 龍興人，皆未許嫁。 陳友諒寇龍興，其母泣謂二女曰：「城或破，置汝何所？」 二女曰：「寧死不辱父母也。」 城陷，二女登樓，相繼自縊。 婢鄭奴，亦自縊。
The Liu family had two daughters. The elder was named Zhen and was nineteen; the younger was named Sun and was seventeen. They were from Longxing, and neither had yet been betrothed. When Chen Youliang attacked Longxing, their mother wept and asked the two girls, "If the city falls, where can I keep you safe? The two daughters answered, "We would rather die than bring shame on our parents. When the city fell, the two girls went up to a tower and hanged themselves, one after the other. Their maid Zhengnu hanged herself as well.
38
於同祖妻曹氏，茶陵人。 父德夫，教授湖、湘間，同祖在諸生中，因以女妻焉。 至正二十年，茶陵陷，曹氏聞婦女多被驅逐，謂其夫及子曰：「是尚可全生乎！ 我義不辱身，以累汝也。 顧舅年老，汝等善事之。」 遂自剄死。 妾李氏驚，抱持之不得，亦引刀自剄，絕而復蘇，曰：「得從小君地下足矣。」 是夕死。
Yu Tongzu's wife Lady Cao came from Chaling. Her father Defu taught in the lake and Xiang region. Tongzu was one of his students, and Defu gave him his daughter in marriage. In Zhizheng 20, Chaling fell. Hearing that many women were being seized and driven away, Lady Cao said to her husband and son, "How can anyone hope to survive this? I cannot let my body be dishonored and become a burden to you. Your grandfather is old. You must take good care of him. Then she cut her own throat and died. The concubine Lady Li, alarmed, tried to hold her back but failed. She too drew a knife and cut her throat. She lost consciousness, then revived and said, "It is enough if I can follow my lady into the grave. She died that same night.
39
李仲義妻劉氏，名翠哥，房山人。 至正二十年，縣大饑，平章劉哈剌不花兵乏食，執仲義欲烹之。 仲義弟馬兒走報劉氏，劉氏遽往救之，涕泣伏地，告於兵曰：「所執者是吾夫也，乞矜憐之，貸其生，吾家有醬一甕、米一斗五升，窖於地中，可掘取之，以代吾夫。」 兵不從，劉氏曰：「吾夫瘦小，不可食。 吾聞婦人肥黑者味美，吾肥且黑，願就烹以代夫死。」 兵遂釋其夫而烹劉氏。 聞者莫不哀之。
Li Zhongyi's wife Lady Liu, whose given name was Cuige, came from Fangshan. In Zhizheng 20, the county was stricken by famine. The troops of Pingzhang Liu Hala Buhua had no food, so they seized Zhongyi and meant to boil him alive. Zhongyi's younger brother Ma'er ran to tell Lady Liu. She rushed at once to save him, weeping as she fell prostrate before the soldiers. "The man you have seized is my husband," she pleaded. "Have mercy and spare his life. We have a jar of sauce and one dou and five sheng of rice buried in the ground. Dig them up and take them instead of my husband. The soldiers refused. Lady Liu said, "My husband is thin and small. He is not fit to eat. I have heard that plump, dark-skinned women taste best. I am plump and dark. Boil me instead, and let me die in my husband's place. The soldiers released her husband and boiled Lady Liu instead. All who heard of it mourned for her.
40
李弘益妻申氏，冀寧人。 至正二十年，賊陷冀寧，申語弘益曰：「君當速去，勿以我婦人相累。 若賊入吾室，必以妾故害及君矣。」 言訖，投井死。
Li Hongyi's wife Lady Shen came from Jining. In Zhizheng 20, rebels captured Jining. Shen told Hongyi, "You must leave at once. Do not let me, a woman, drag you down. If the rebels enter our home, they will surely harm you because of me. When she had finished speaking, she threw herself into a well and died.
41
弘益既免於難，再娶安氏。 居二歲而弘益以疾卒，安氏時年三十，泣謂諸親曰：「女子一適人，終身不改。 不幸夫死，雖生亦何益哉！」 乃竊入寢室，膏沐薰裳，自縊於柩側。
Hongyi survived the ordeal and later married Lady An. Two years later Hongyi died of illness. Lady An was then thirty. Weeping, she told her relatives, "A woman weds but once and keeps that bond for life. My husband is gone. What good is there in going on living? She slipped into the bedchamber, washed and perfumed herself, dressed in fresh clothes, and hanged herself beside the coffin.
42
鄭琪妻羅氏，名妙安，信州弋陽人。 幼聰慧，能暗誦《列女傳》。 年二十，歸琪。 琪家世宦族，同居百餘口，羅氏執婦道無間言。 琪以軍功擢鉛山州判官，羅氏封宜人。 至正二十年，信州陷。 羅氏度弋陽去州不遠，必不免於難，輒取所佩刀淬礪，令銛甚。 琪問何為，對曰：「時事如此，萬一遇難，為自全計耳。」 已而兵至，羅氏自刎死，時年二十九。
Zheng Qi's wife Lady Luo, whose given name was Miao'an, came from Yiyang in Xinzhou. Clever from childhood, she could recite the Biographies of Exemplary Women by heart. At twenty she married Qi. Qi's family had served as officials for generations, and more than a hundred relatives lived under one roof. Lady Luo fulfilled her duties as a wife without a murmur of complaint. For his military service Qi was promoted to assistant magistrate of Qianshan Subprefecture, and Lady Luo was granted the title Proper Person. In Zhizheng 20, Xinzhou fell. Lady Luo judged that Yiyang, so close to the prefectural seat, would not escape the coming disaster. She took the knife at her belt, whetted it, and honed it razor-sharp. When Qi asked why, she answered, "These are desperate times. If the worst should happen, this is my way to preserve myself. Before long the soldiers arrived. Lady Luo cut her own throat and died. She was twenty-nine.
43
周如砥女，年十九，未適人。 至正二十年，鄉民作亂，如砥與女避於邑西之客僧嶺，女為賊所執。 賊曰：「吾未娶，當以汝為妻。」 女曰：「我周典史女也，死即死，豈能從汝耶！」 賊遂殺之。 如砥時為紹興新昌典史。
Zhou Rudi's daughter was nineteen and not yet betrothed. In Zhizheng 20, the local people rose in rebellion. Rudi and his daughter fled to Késēng Ridge west of the district, but the girl was captured by bandits. The bandit said, "I have no wife. You shall be mine. The girl answered, "I am the daughter of Zhou the district recorder. If I must die, then die I shall. How could I ever follow you! The bandit killed her. Rudi was then serving as district recorder of Xinchang in Shaoxing.
44
狄恆妻徐氏，天台人。 恆早沒，徐氏守節不再醮。 至正二十年，鄉民為亂，避難於牛囤山，為賊所執，驅迫以前。 徐紿之曰：「吾渴甚，欲求水一杯。」 賊令自汲，即投井而死，時年十八。
Di Heng's wife Lady Xu came from Tiantai. Heng died young, and Lady Xu kept her widowhood and did not marry again. In Zhizheng 20, the local people rose in revolt. She fled to Niutun Mountain for safety, but bandits seized her and forced her onward. Lady Xu deceived them, saying, "I am terribly thirsty. Let me draw a cup of water. The bandits told her to draw it herself. She at once threw herself into the well and died. She was eighteen.
45
柯節婦陳氏者，長樂石梁人。 至正二十一年，海賊劫石梁，其夫適在縣郭。 陳氏出避賊，道與賊遇，被執以行。 陳氏且行且罵，賊亂捶之，挾以登舟，罵不已，忽振厲自投江中。 其父方臥病，見其女至，呼之不應，駭曰：「吾豈夢耶！」 既而有自賊中歸者，言陳氏死狀，乃知其鬼也。 明日屍逆流而上，止石梁岸傍。 時盛暑，屍已變，其夫驗其背有黑子，乃慟哭曰：「是吾妻也！」 舁歸斂之。
There was the chaste widow Lady Chen of the Ke family, from Shiliang in Changle. In Zhizheng 21, sea raiders plundered Shiliang. Her husband happened to be at the county seat. Lady Chen went out to escape the raiders, but met them on the road and was seized and dragged away. Lady Chen cursed them as she walked. The bandits beat her wildly, forced her onto a boat, and still she would not stop cursing. Suddenly she rallied her strength and threw herself into the river. Her father lay ill in bed. When he saw his daughter arrive, he called to her, but she did not answer. Horrified, he cried, "Am I dreaming? Soon afterward someone came back from among the bandits and told them how Lady Chen had died. Only then did they realize it had been her ghost. The next day her body floated upstream against the current and came to rest on the bank at Shiliang. It was the height of summer, and the body had already begun to decay. Her husband examined it, found a dark mole on her back, and wailed, "This is my wife! They carried her home and laid her out for burial.
46
李馬兒妻袁氏，瑞州人。 至正二十二年，李病歿，袁氏年十九，誓不再嫁，以養舅姑。 有王成者，聞袁氏有姿色，挾勢欲娶之，袁氏曰：「吾聞烈女不更二夫，寧死不失身也。」 遂往夫墓痛哭，縊死樹下。
Li Ma'er's wife Lady Yuan came from Ruizhou. In Zhizheng 22, Li died of illness. Lady Yuan was nineteen. She vowed never to remarry and devoted herself to caring for her parents-in-law. A man named Wang Cheng, hearing that Lady Yuan was beautiful, used his influence to try to marry her. Lady Yuan said, "I have heard that a steadfast woman does not take a second husband. I would rather die than lose my honor. She went to her husband's grave, wept bitterly, and hanged herself beneath a tree.
47
王士明妻李氏，名賽兒，房山人。 至正二十五年，竹貞軍至縣，李氏及其女李家奴皆被執。 士明隨至軍，軍怒逐之。 李氏謂其女曰：「汝父既為軍所逐，吾與汝必不得脫。 與其受辱，不若死。」 女曰：「母先殺我。」 李氏即以軍所遺鐶刀殺其女，遂自殺。 竹貞聞之，為之葬祭，仍書其門曰「王士明妻李氏貞節之門」。 有司上其事，為樹碑焉。
Wang Shiming's wife Lady Li, whose given name was Sai'er, came from Fangshan. In Zhizheng 25, Zhuzhen's army reached the county. Lady Li and her daughter Li Jianu were both captured. Shiming followed them to the camp, but the soldiers angrily drove him off. Lady Li said to her daughter, "Your father has already been driven away by the soldiers. You and I will surely not escape. Better to die than to endure disgrace. The daughter said, "Mother, kill me first. Lady Li took the ring-knife the soldiers had left behind, killed her daughter with it, and then took her own life. When Zhuzhen heard of it, he had them buried and sacrifices performed, and wrote on their gate: "The Gate of Chaste Integrity of Wang Shiming's Wife, Lady Li." The local authorities reported the affair to higher officials, and a commemorative stele was erected.
48
陶宗媛，台州人，儒士杜思絅妻也。 歸杜四載而夫亡，矢志守節。 台州被兵，宗媛方居姑喪，忍死護柩，為遊軍所執，迫脅之，媛曰：「我若畏死，豈留此耶！ 任汝殺我，以從姑於地下爾！」 遂遇害。
Tao Zongyuan of Taizhou was the wife of the scholar Du Sijiong. Four years after marrying into the Du family, her husband died. She resolved to remain faithful and never remarry. When Taizhou came under attack, Zongyuan was in mourning for her mother-in-law, risking death to guard the coffin. Roving soldiers seized her and tried to force her. She said, "If I feared death, why would I still be here! Kill me if you must—I shall join my mother-in-law in the grave! She was then killed.
49
其妹宗婉，弟妻王淑，亦皆赴水死。
Her younger sister Zongwan and her brother's wife Wang Shu also drowned themselves.
50
高麗氏，宣慰副使孛羅帖木兒妻也。 至正二十七年十二月，其夫死於兵，謂人曰：「夫既死矣，吾安能復事人乎！」 乃積薪塞戶，以火自焚而死。
Lady Gaoli was the wife of Boluotiemuer, Deputy Pacification Commissioner. In the twelfth month of Zhizheng 27, her husband was killed in the fighting. She told those around her, "My husband is dead—how could I ever serve another man! She piled firewood to block the door and burned herself to death.
51
張訥妻劉氏，藍田人。 訥為監察御史，早卒，劉守志不二。 河東受兵，劉氏二子衡、衍俱以事出外，度不能自脫，遂與二婦孫氏、姚氏決死，盡發貲囊分給家人，婦姑同縊焉。
Zhang Ne's wife, Lady Liu, came from Lantian. Zhang Ne was an investigating censor. He died young, and Lady Liu remained steadfast in her devotion. When Hedong came under attack, Lady Liu's two sons Heng and Yan were both away on business. Convinced they could not escape, she and her daughters-in-law Lady Sun and Lady Yao resolved to die together. She emptied the family coffers and distributed everything to the household, then she and her daughters-in-law hanged themselves.
52
有華氏者，大同張思孝妻，為貊高兵所執，以不受辱見殺。 其婦劉氏，僵壓姑屍，大罵不已，兵並殺之。 後家人殮其屍，婦姑之手猶相持不捨。
Lady Hua, wife of Zhang Sixiao of Datong, was captured by soldiers under Mo Gao and killed for refusing to endure dishonor. His daughter-in-law Lady Liu lay pressed against her mother-in-law's body, cursing without cease, and the soldiers killed her as well. When the family later prepared the bodies for burial, the hands of daughter-in-law and mother-in-law were still locked together and would not be parted.
53
觀音奴妻卜顏的斤，蒙古氏，宗王黑閭之女。 大都被兵，卜顏的斤謂其夫曰：「我乃國族，且年少，必不容於人，豈惜一死以辱家國乎！」 遂自縊而死。
Guanyinnu's wife Buyandejin was a Mongol, the daughter of the imperial clansman Prince Heilü. When the capital came under attack, Buyandejin said to her husband, "I am of the imperial clan and still young. They will surely show me no mercy. How could I cling to life and bring shame upon my family and my country! She then hanged herself.
54
時張棟妻王氏語家人曰：「吾為狀元妻，義不可辱。」 赴井死。 其姑哭之慟，亦赴井死。
At that time Zhang Dong's wife Lady Wang told her family, "I am the wife of a zhuangyuan. By every principle of honor, I cannot endure disgrace. She threw herself into a well and died. Her mother-in-law wept in anguish and also threw herself into the well and died.
55
安志道妻劉氏，順州人。 志道及劉氏之弟明理，並登進士第。 劉氏避兵匿巖穴中，軍至，欲污之，劉氏曰：「我弟與夫皆進士也，我豈受汝辱乎！」 軍士以兵磨其體，劉大罵不輟聲，軍怒，乃鉤斷其舌，含糊而死。
An Zhidao's wife, Lady Liu, came from Shunzhou. Both An Zhidao and Lady Liu's younger brother Mingli passed the jinshi degree. Lady Liu hid from the troops in a mountain cave. When soldiers arrived and tried to violate her, she said, "My younger brother and my husband are both jinshi graduates. How could I submit to your dishonor! The soldiers scraped her body with their blades. Lady Liu cursed them without stopping. Enraged, they hooked out her tongue and cut it off; she died making inarticulate sounds.
56
宋謙妻趙氏，大都人。 兵破大都，趙氏子婦溫氏、高氏，孫婦高氏、徐氏，皆有姿色，合謀曰：「兵且至矣，我等豈可辱身以苟全哉！」 趙即自經死，諸婦四人，諸孫男女六人，眾妾三人，皆赴井而死。
Song Qian's wife, Lady Zhao, was from the capital. When the troops breached the capital, Lady Zhao's daughters-in-law Lady Wen and Lady Gao, and her granddaughters-in-law Lady Gao and Lady Xu, were all beautiful women. They agreed among themselves, "The soldiers are coming. How can we save our lives at the cost of our honor! Lady Zhao immediately hanged herself. Four daughters-in-law, six grandchildren, and three concubines all threw themselves into the well and died.
57
齊關妻劉氏，河南人。 關應募為千夫長，戰死澤、潞間。 劉氏貧無所依，守志不奪。 有來強議婚者，劉氏紿曰：「吾三月三日有心願，償畢，當從汝所言。」 是日，徑往彰德天寧寺，登浮圖絕頂，祝天曰：「妾本河南名家劉氏女，遭世亂，適湖南齊關為妻。 今夫已死，不敢失節也。」 遂投地而死。
Qi Guan's wife, Lady Liu, came from Henan. Guan enlisted as a chiliarch and was killed in battle between Ze and Lu. Left poor and without support, Lady Liu nonetheless held to her vow and would not be swayed. When a man came pressing her to remarry, Lady Liu put him off, saying, "On the third day of the third month I have a vow to fulfill. When it is done, I will do as you ask. On that day she went straight to Tianning Temple in Zhangde, climbed to the top of the pagoda, and prayed to heaven: "I was born a daughter of the eminent Liu family of Henan. In this age of chaos I was given in marriage to Qi Guan of Hunan. Now my husband is dead. I dare not break my vow of fidelity. She then threw herself from the pagoda and died.
58
王宗仁妻宋氏，進士宋褧之女也。 宗仁家永平。 永平受兵，宋氏從夫避於鏵子山。 夫婦為軍所虜，行至玉田縣，有窺宋氏色美，欲害宗仁者，宋氏謂夫曰：「我不幸至此，必不以身累君。」 言訖，遂攜一女投井死，時年二十九。
Wang Zongren's wife Lady Song was the daughter of Song Xiang, who had passed the jinshi examination. Zongren's family lived in Yongping. When Yongping came under attack, Lady Song fled with her husband to Huazishan. The couple were captured by the army. When they reached Yutian County, a man who coveted Lady Song's beauty and wished to kill Zongren—Lady Song said to her husband, "Fate has brought me to this pass. I will not let my body become your ruin. When she had finished speaking, she took a daughter with her and threw herself into a well. She was twenty-nine years old.
59
王履謙妻齊氏，太原人。 治家嚴肅，克守婦道。 至正十八年，賊陷太原，齊氏與二婦蕭氏、呂氏及二女避難於趙莊石岩。 賊且至，度不能免，顧謂二女曰：「汝家五世同居，號為清白，豈可虧節辱身以苟生哉！」 長女曰：「吾夫已死，今為未亡人，得死為幸。」 呂氏曰：「吾為中書左丞之孫，義不受辱。」 齊氏大哭，乃與二婦二女及二孫女，俱投岩下以死。
Wang Lüqian's wife, Lady Qi, came from Taiyuan. She ran her household with strict discipline and faithfully upheld every duty of a wife. In Zhizheng 18, rebels took Taiyuan. Lady Qi, her daughters-in-law Lady Xiao and Lady Lü, and her two daughters took refuge in the stone cliffs at Zhao Village. When the rebels were about to arrive, convinced they could not escape, she turned to her two daughters and said, "Your family has lived together for five generations, renowned for its integrity. How can you stain your honor and disgrace yourselves merely to cling to life! The elder daughter said, "My husband is already dead. I am a widow now. To die would be a blessing. Lady Lü said, "I am the granddaughter of a Left Vice Grand Councilor. By every principle of honor, I cannot endure disgrace. Lady Qi wept aloud, then she, her two daughters-in-law, two daughters, and two granddaughters all leapt from the cliffs to their deaths.
60
王時妻安氏，名正同，磁州人，平章政事祐孫女也。 至正十九年，時以參知政事分省太原，安氏從之。 二十年，賊兵寇太原，城陷，眾皆逃，安氏與其妾李氏同赴井死。 事聞，贈梁國夫人，諡莊潔。
Wang Shi's wife Lady An, whose given name was Zhengtong, came from Cizhou. She was the granddaughter of Grand Councilor You. In Zhizheng 19, Wang Shi was assigned as Vice Grand Councilor to oversee Taiyuan province, and Lady An went with him. In the twentieth year, rebel forces assaulted Taiyuan. When the city fell and everyone fled, Lady An and her concubine Lady Li threw themselves into a well together and died. When word reached the court, she was posthumously granted the title Lady of Liang and given the honorific Zhuangjie, "Solemn and Pure."
61
徐猱頭妻岳氏，大都人。 兵入都城，岳氏告其夫曰：「我等恐被驅逐，將奈何？」 其夫曰：「事急，惟有死耳，何避也。」 遂火其所居，夫婦赴火以死。 其母王氏，二女一子，皆抱持赴火死。
Xu Youtou's wife, Lady Yue, was from the capital. When troops entered the capital, Lady Yue said to her husband, "We may be driven from our home. What are we to do? Her husband said, "Matters are urgent. There is nothing left but death. Why shrink from it? They set fire to their dwelling and walked into the flames together. Her mother Lady Wang, along with two daughters and one son, held one another and walked into the fire to die.
62
金氏，詳定使四明程徐妻也。 京城既破，謂其女曰：「汝父出捍城，我三品命婦，汝儒家女又進士妻，不可受辱。」 抱二歲子及女赴井死。
Lady Jin was the wife of Cheng Xu of Siming, who held the rank of Detailed Reviser. When the capital fell, she said to her daughter, "Your father has gone out to defend the city. I hold the rank of a third-grade consort, and you are both a scholar's daughter and a jinshi's wife. We cannot endure disgrace. She took her two-year-old son and her daughter and threw herself into a well.
63
汪琰妻潘氏，徽州婺源人。 年二十八而琰卒，潘氏誓不他適，以其夫從兄之子元圭為後。 元圭時始三歲，鞠之不啻己出。 潘氏卒年六十二。 元圭之子良垕，有子燕山。 燕山卒時，妻李氏年二十四，無子，乃守志自誓，父母欲奪而嫁之，不聽。 燕山兄子惟德，娶俞氏，惟德早死，二子甚幼，俞氏守節辛勤，不墜家業。 故人賢汪氏之門，而稱曰三節。
Wang Yan's wife, Lady Pan, came from Wuyuan in Huizhou prefecture. When she was twenty-eight, Wang Yan died. Lady Pan vowed never to remarry and adopted her husband's first cousin's son Yuangui as her heir. Yuangui was only three at the time, and she reared him as tenderly as if he were her own. Lady Pan died at sixty-two. Yuangui's son Lianghou had a son named Yanshan. When Yanshan died, his wife Lady Li was twenty-four and had no children. She vowed to remain faithful. Her parents tried to compel her to remarry, but she refused. Yanshan's elder brother's son Weide married Lady Yu. Weide died young, leaving two very small sons. Lady Yu endured hardship to remain faithful and kept the family fortunes from collapsing. People therefore revered the Wang household for its virtue and called them the "Three Chaste Women."
64
同郡歙縣吳子恭之妻蔣氏，年二十八而夫亡，孀居五十年，年七十八卒。 至正十四年，旌表門閭。
In the same region, Wu Zigong's wife Lady Jiang of She County lost her husband at twenty-eight, lived as a widow for fifty years, and died at seventy-eight. In Zhizheng 14, the authorities erected an official commendation at her home.