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The Woman Who Ran Away. The Woman Who Ran Away. The Household: Jen + Woman Wang (+Jen’s father) they are poor, with no children Woman Wang commits adultery and runs away with her lover She and her lover break up and she returns to the Taoist Temple near her home
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The Woman Who Ran Away • The Household: Jen + Woman Wang (+Jen’s father) • they are poor, with no children • Woman Wang commits adultery and runs away with her lover • She and her lover break up and she returns to the Taoist Temple near her home • Kao sees her and Jen comes to the Temple
Provocations • Jen yells at the priest for harboring Woman Wang • Kao defends the priest • Jen insults Kao, accusing him of complicity of hiding Woman Wang • Kao hits Jen • Jen curses Kao
Sending Woman Wang Home • Kao and priest take her to her father in law • Father in law sends her to Jen • Could Jen have divorced or sold her? Grounds for divorce (besides mutual consent): • inability to bear sons • lascivious behavior • failure to serve inlaws • talking too much • having a thievish nature • being overzealous • having a serious illness
Problems for Jen • He could not divorce her if: • she had no family • she had mourned her in laws • her husband had become rich
The Murder • Jen kills Woman Wang • Jen plans to blame Kao; Jen and father accuse Kao of murder and adultery • Huang arrests Kao and wife, doubts Jen’s story and decides to investigate
Huang’s Investigation • Checking alibis • Visiting the crime scene and the site of Woman Wang’s body • Huang imprisons Jen and father in law in the temple of the city god with a spy to listen
The Resolution • Huang explains to Jen what he thought occurred • Jen confesses • The Punishment: • Father in law exonerated • Jen beaten and humiliated, but allowed to remarry • Kao charged with Woman Wang’s burial