The Reversal of the Death Verdict Against Wang Shizhen's Father

VERDICT REVERSAL (PING FAN) Wang Shizhen (1526–1590, aPresented Scholar [jinshi ] of 1547) established a lasting reputation in historiography and literature, but in the middle of his life he experienced a crisis that devastated him emotionally, the beheading of his father for military crimes. He called it the “family disaster” (jia nan ) In the fall of 1559, during the reign of Emperor Shizong (r. 1522–1567), his father Wang Yu (1508–1560, Presented Scholar 1541) was arrested, tortured and tried for military infractions. He was sentenced to death and beheaded in the tenth lunar month of the following year. Shizhen failed to save his father's life. For the next seven years he and his brother Wang Shimao (1536–1588, Presented Scholar 1559) livged with the stigma of being the sons of a person who had been executed for a capital crime. In 1567, about five months into the new reign of Emperor Muzong (r. 1567–1573), Wang Shizhen succeeded in having the throne reverse the verdict. The family was able to resume normal life, and Wang Shizhen and his brother were able to re-enter government service

Ancient history · Brother · Emperor · Political science · Politics · Reign · Verdict · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law