The Official’s Daughter, the Female General

Xia Shaoyuan, Minister of Court Ceremonies, and Jiang Jichang, Minister of War, were implicated in the case of Prince Yuan Yue's rebellion and sentenced to execution after the autumn harvest. With foreign enemies invading at the time, the Crown Prince petitioned that their female relatives be sent to the army to reward the troops. The civil officials all opposed the proposal. General-in-Chief Cui Shiheng petitioned that each family be allowed to exchange one daughter for a boy under six, in which case the sentence would be commuted to exile. The emperor approved. The Xia family's eldest daughter, Xia Junyue, secured the release of her legitimate younger brother. Minister Jiang failed to secure the release of any girl. Xia Junyu, the Xia family's second daughter and betrothed to the Jiang family's eldest son, asked to exchange herself for the Jiang family's youngest son. Jiang said, "You will be a wife of the Jiang family for life..."