太原有民家，姑婦皆寡。姑中年，不能自潔，村無賴頻頻就之。婦不善其行，陰於門戶牆垣阻拒之。姑慚，借端出婦；婦不去，頗有勃谿。姑益恚，反相誣，告諸官。官問姦夫姓名。媼曰：「夜來宵去，實不知其阿誰，鞫婦自知。」因喚婦。婦果知之，而以姦情歸媼，苦相抵。拘無賴至，又譁辨：「兩無所私。彼姑婦不相能，故妄言相詆毀耳。」官曰：「一村百人，何獨誣汝？」重笞之。無賴叩乞免責，自認與婦通。械婦，婦終不承。逐去之。婦忿告憲院，仍如前，久不決。時淄邑孫進士柳下令臨晉，推折獄才，遂下其案於臨晉。人犯到，公略訊一過，寄監訖，便命隸人備磚石刀錐，質明聽用。共疑曰：「嚴刑自有桎梏，何將以非刑折獄耶？」不解其意，姑備之。明日，升堂，問知諸具已備，命悉置堂上。乃喚犯者，又一一略鞫之。乃謂姑婦：「此事亦不必甚求清析。淫婦雖未定，而姦夫則確。汝家本清門，不過一時為匪人所誘，罪全在某。堂上刀石具在，可自取擊殺之。」姑婦趑趄，恐邂逅抵償。公曰：「無慮，有我在。」於是媼婦並起，掇石交投。婦啣恨已久，兩手舉巨石，恨不即立斃之；媼惟以小石擊臀腿而已。又命用刀。婦把刀貫胸膺，媼猶逡巡未下。公止之曰：「淫婦我知之矣。」命執媼嚴梏之，遂得其情。笞無賴三十，其案始結。
太原有民家，姑妇皆寡。姑中年，不能自洁，村无赖频频就之。妇不善其行，阴于门户墙垣阻拒之。姑惭，借端出妇；妇不去，颇有勃溪。姑益恚，反相诬，告诸官。官问奸夫姓名。媪曰：「夜来宵去，实不知其阿谁，鞫妇自知。」因唤妇。妇果知之，而以奸情归媪，苦相抵。拘无赖至，又哗辨：「两无所私。彼姑妇不相能，故妄言相诋毁耳。」官曰：「一村百人，何独诬汝？」重笞之。无赖叩乞免责，自认与妇通。械妇，妇终不承。逐去之。妇忿告宪院，仍如前，久不决。时淄邑孙进士柳下令临晋，推折狱才，遂下其案于临晋。人犯到，公略讯一过，寄监讫，便命隶人备砖石刀锥，质明听用。共疑曰：「严刑自有桎梏，何将以非刑折狱耶？」不解其意，姑备之。明日，升堂，问知诸具已备，命悉置堂上。乃唤犯者，又一一略鞫之。乃谓姑妇：「此事亦不必甚求清析。淫妇虽未定，而奸夫则确。汝家本清门，不过一时为匪人所诱，罪全在某。堂上刀石具在，可自取击杀之。」姑妇趑趄，恐邂逅抵偿。公曰：「无虑，有我在。」于是媪妇并起，掇石交投。妇啣恨已久，两手举巨石，恨不即立毙之；媪惟以小石击臀腿而已。又命用刀。妇把刀贯胸膺，媪犹逡巡未下。公止之曰：「淫妇我知之矣。」命执媪严梏之，遂得其情。笞无赖三十，其案始结。
In Taiyuan there was a household where a mother-in-law and her son’s wife were both widows. The mother-in-law was in her middle years and could not keep herself chaste. A village scoundrel came to her again and again. The daughter-in-law did not approve of such conduct, and quietly barred the gates and walls against him. The mother-in-law was ashamed. She seized on a pretext to turn the young woman out; the young woman would not go, and there was a good deal of quarrelling. The old woman grew angrier still, turned the charge around, and accused her before the magistrate. The magistrate asked the lover’s name. The old woman said, “He comes at night and goes in the dark. I really don’t know who he is. Question her; she knows.” So he called the daughter-in-law. Sure enough, she knew him, but she laid the affair at the old woman’s door, and the two contradicted each other bitterly. The scoundrel was brought in. He protested loudly too: “I’ve had nothing to do with either of them. Those two don’t get on, so they tell lies to blacken each other.” “There are a hundred men in the village,” said the magistrate. “Why would they slander you alone?” He had him flogged hard. The scoundrel knocked his head on the floor, begged to be spared, and confessed to an affair with the daughter-in-law. The young woman was put to torture, but she never confessed. The magistrate drove her out of court. In her anger she appealed to the provincial authorities. It went as before, and for a long time the case was not settled. At that time Sun Liuxia, a jinshi from Zichuan county, was magistrate of Linjin and had a name as a gifted judge, so the case was sent down to Linjin. When the accused arrived, Sun questioned them briefly and had them lodged in jail. Then he ordered his runners to get bricks, stones, knives and awls ready for use at daybreak. They all wondered: “For harsh questioning there are the proper instruments. Why is he going to try a case with unlawful torments?” They could not see what he meant, but got the things ready anyway. Next day Sun took his seat in the hall, asked whether everything was ready, and had it all set out before him. Then he called the accused and again questioned each of them briefly. He said to the two women, “There is no need to get to the very bottom of this. Which of you is the wanton is not settled, but the lover is certain. Yours is a decent family. You were only led astray for a moment by a bad man, and the whole guilt is his. The knives and stones are here in the hall. You may take them and beat him to death yourselves.” The two women hung back, afraid that if he happened to die they would have to pay with their lives. “Don’t worry,” said Sun. “I am here.” So the old woman and the young one both rose, picked up stones and threw them at him together. The young woman had nursed her hatred a long time: she raised a huge stone in both hands, as if she wished him dead on the spot. The old woman only struck at his buttocks and legs with small stones. Then Sun told them to use the knives. drove her knife into his chest; the old woman still hesitated and did not strike. Sun stopped them. “Now I know who the wanton is,” he said. He had the old woman seized and severely tortured, and got the truth out of her. The scoundrel was given thirty strokes, and only then was the case closed.