The daughter of an old man from Linzi County, she was the wife of a student named Li from the Imperial Academy.

Before her marriage, a certain sorcerer came to their home to read her fortune, saying, "This young lady is destined to suffer punishment in the future."

The old man was furious and sneered, "Nonsense! My daughter is from a respected family, and her husband is a Jiansheng—a man of status. Who would dare bully her?"

After the marriage, the woman proved to be fierce in disposition, frequently bossing her husband around and screaming at him without restraint. Li could no longer bear it and went to the county yamen to file a complaint.

Magistrate Shao accepted the petition and had the woman brought before the court.

Upon hearing the news, the old man rushed over to plead for leniency, but the magistrate paid him no heed.

Li himself felt a pang of regret and voluntarily withdrew the lawsuit. The magistrate roared, "Handling a case in the yamen is not child's play! You can withdraw it whenever you wish? This is utterly preposterous."

He insisted on proceeding with the trial. After questioning the woman for a few sentences, he thundered, "Truly a shrew!"

He ordered thirty strokes with the rattan cane.

After receiving the punishment, the woman’s skin was split open and bleeding. From then on, she curbed her temperament and never dared to be so presumptuous again.

(A Jiansheng is a student of the Imperial Academy.)