A Homicide Case: The Killing of Her Own Son by a Lascivious Mother

The plot of this play is adapted from an infamous court case which is listed as one of the "Four Most Outrageous Cases" at the end of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1644-1911).

The story takes place during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. A widow named Madame Xu lives in the small town of Nantong in southern China. She has become a widow at a young age, and lives with her only son. She is still young and attractive, and is unwilling to remain without a man for the rest of her life. Instead of looking for another serious relationship or possible marriage, she lives a frivolous life. There is a Buddhist temple not far from her house, where a monk named Nayun lives. Nayun is something of a playboy, and rarely follows Buddhist disciplines. The two have an affair not long after Madame Xu's visit to the temple to worship Buddha. The two visit one another often, even in broad daylight, and everyone in the neighbourhood learns of the scandal, except Madame Xu's son. No one wants to hurt him, since he is just a schoolboy.

One day Madame Xu's son leaves school much earlier than usual, because his teacher is sick. At home he happens upon his mother and the monk. He becomes very angry and denounces them both in no uncertain terms. He claims that he is determined to go to court to sue Nayun because, as a Buddhist monk, he is not supposed to do such things. The boy also accuses his mother for not being a chaste woman, then expels the monk from the house. Madame Xu is deeply embarrassed. She becomes angry, and even shame does not contain her rage. She sneaks up on her son and kills him without a second thought, then dismembers the corpse and buries the remains in a number of different places.

The boy's teacher notices that he has not been to school in some time, and asks Madame Xu about her son. Madame Xu claims that her son has gone missing, and reports his disappearance to the authorities. The teacher is a responsible man and, with the help of his students, begins searching for the missing boy everywhere. After a thorough search and inquiry, he concludes that the boy has been killed by his own mother. The teacher goes to court and accuses Madame Xu of murdering her son. The authorities, however, refuse to take the case because of insufficient evidence. They dismiss the case, because to them it is not at all logical for a mother to kill her own child. The teacher appeals, but he is unexpectedly detained by the authorities for obstruction. Later, a high-ranking official visits Nantong in plainclothes and starts his own investigation after hearing rumours about the murder case. With substantial evidence this time, Madame Xu is finally brought to justice and is sentenced to death. This case is widely known, and can be found in many forms of art in China. It is also seen as an example of retribution for killing one's own son in a country where Buddhism predominates.