Ji Xiaolan????tells stories about cause and effect #32 Breach of Promise Gets Karma 負約受報

(English subtitles) 紀曉嵐因果故事 Ji Xiaolan (紀曉嵐1724-1805) was an influential philosopher, politician, and writer in the Qing Dynasty of China.
Subtitles:
張福是杜林鎮人，平時以販運為業。有一天，他和當地的土豪爭路，土豪指揮他的惡僕把張福推下石橋。
Zhang Fu was a native of Dulin Town, and he made a living by transportation. One day, he got into a dispute with a local tyrant over the road. The tyrant ordered his wicked servant to push Zhang Fu off a stone bridge.
當時，河水剛剛結冰，冰塊的稜角利如鋒刃，張福的頭顱被撞破裂。人們把他抬上來時，已經是奄奄一息了。
At that time, the river had just frozen over, and the edges of the ice were as sharp as blades. Zhang Fu's skull was cracked from the impact. When they carried him up, he was already on the verge of death.
杜林鎮的里長一向痛恨這位土豪，
The village chief of this town had always hated this tyrant,
1:00
便立即把此案上報官府，官府估量這樁案例有利可圖，所以對這件獄訟案逼迫得很急。
so he immediately reported the case to the government. The government estimated that this case was profitable, so they pressed this criminal case very hard.
張福讓他的母親私下去見土豪，並轉達他的話說 :「讓你給我償命，對我有什麼好處?」只要你答在我死後，代養我的老母與幼兒，趁我還有一口氣在，我可以到官府去，承認是我自己失足掉下橋去的。
Zhang Fu asked his mother to meet the local tyrant in secret, conveying his message: "What good will it do me to have you pay for my life? As long as you promise to take care of my elderly mother and young child after my death, I can go to the government office while I still have a breath left and admit that I accidentally fell off the bridge."
土豪當即滿口答應了他所提出的條件。 張福粗識文字，便伏在床上，忍痛自己寫下一篇自供狀，並送到了官府，由於張福的供狀確鑿無疑，官府也無可奈何。
The local tyrant readily agreed to all the conditions he had proposed. Zhang Fu, who had some basic literacy, lay on his bed, enduring the pain, and wrote a confession himself. He then delivered it to the authorities. Since Zhang Fu's confession was undeniably solid, the authorities could do nothing about it.
但是，張福死後，土豪矢口否認了張福生前的密約，不承擔任何義務。張福的母親屢次向官府控告，只因有張福的供詞為據，官府也無法為她伸冤。
However, after Zhang Fu's death, the tyrant flatly denied the secret agreement made during Zhang's lifetime and refused to fulfill any obligations. Zhang's mother repeatedly petitioned the authorities,
2:00
but with only Zhang's confession as evidence, the government was powerless to vindicate her.
後來，土豪乘醉騎馬夜行走在橋上，忽然馬失前蹄，他也掉到橋下摔死了，人們都說，這是他害死張福並自食其言的報應。
Later, the tyrant was drunk and riding his horse at night across the bridge, suddenly had his horse stumble and fall. He also tumbled off the bridge and died. People said this was karma for his murder of Zhang Fu and for breaking his own word.
先父姚安公說 ： 「治理獄案真是難啊！而審理人命就更難了。其中有頂替兇手而甘願代人受死的，有接受賄賂達成和解，而甘心出賣自己親友的。
My late father, Lord Yao'an, once said: “Administering justice in criminal cases is truly difficult! Yet adjudicating matters of human life is even more so. Among them are those who willingly take the blame for murderers and sacrificing themselves, accepting bribes to reach settlements and willingly betraying their own relatives and friends.
像這樣的案子，已是不容易查究了，至於被殺害人自寫供狀，承認不是被兇手所殺害，這類案子，
Cases like this are already difficult to investigate. As for those where the victim writes a confession admitting they were not killed by the murderer. In such a cases,
3:00
即使是最傑出的法官，也治不了兇手的罪。
even the most outstanding judge may be unable to hold the murderer accountable.
例如這個土豪，如果 不是因負約而遭到鬼神的誅戮，他肯定還可以用金錢買回這條命。
Take this tyrant for example, if he hadn't been punished by the deities and ghosts for breaking his promise, he could certainly have bought back his life with money.
訟案的案情變化多端，可以說是無所不有，掌管刑律的人能據理而輕率斷案嗎?」
The situations of a lawsuit can be as varied as the stars in the sky, encompassing every conceivable scenario. Can those who administer criminal law possibly render judgments rashly based on mere reasoning?