Zhou Chu eliminates the "three harms"

During the Western Jin Dynasty, in addition to extravagant officials such as Wang Kai and Shi Chong, there was also a group of aristocratic officials who, after eating their fill, did not engage in serious activities. They gathered in groups of three or five to boast and talk about absurd and absurd things that were divorced from reality. This kind of conversation is called 'clear talk'. These people often have a great reputation and high status. This also shows the corruption of pre established customs.

But among officials, there are also people who are relatively honest and willing to do practical things. Zhou Chu, who lived in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, was such a person. When he served as the governor of Guanghan (now Guanghan North, Sichuan), the local officials were corrupt, and the accumulated cases had not been dealt with for thirty years. As soon as Zhou Chu took office, he dealt with all the accumulated cases seriously. Later, he was transferred to the capital city to be the official of the imperial court. Regardless of the emperor's relatives, he was able to expose anyone who broke the law.

Zhou Chuyuan was originally from Yixing, Eastern Wu (now Yixing County, Jiangsu Province). When I was young, I was tall and had more strength than an average young man. His father died a long time ago. He had no one to control him since he was young, wandering outside all day and refusing to study; And he has a strong temper, often punching and hitting people, even using knives to make the people of Gun Yi Xing fear him.

There is a white fronted tiger in Nanshan near Yixing, which often comes out to harm the people and livestock, and the local hunters cannot subdue it.

Under the local long bridge, there is a big dragon (a type of crocodile) that is unpredictable. The people of Yixing associate Zhouchu with the White Eyed Tiger of Nanshan and the Great Jiao of Changqiao, calling them the "Three Pests" of Yixing. Among these 'three harms', the most headache inducing one for the people is still around the corner.

Once, Zhou Chu was walking outside and saw people feeling down. He asked an elderly person, "In previous years, the annual performance was quite good. Why are everyone so worried

The old man replied irritably, "How can we be happy if the three harms have not been eliminated yet

When Zhou Chu heard the name "Three Harms" for the first time, he asked, "What are you referring to

The old man said, "The white fronted tiger of Nanshan, the dragon of Changqiao, plus you, are not the three pests

Zhou Chu was taken aback. He thought that the rural people had treated him like a tiger or a dragon, causing great harm. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "How about this, since everyone is suffering from the 'three evils', I will eliminate them

After a day, Zhou Chu indeed carried a bow and arrow, a sharp sword, and went into the mountains to search for tigers. In the depths of the dense forest, only a roar of a tiger could be heard, and a white fronted tiger darted out from afar. Zhou Chu dodged to the side, hiding behind the big tree, wielding a bow and drawing an arrow. With a whoosh, he hit the tiger's forehead, resulting in its life.

Zhou Chu went down the mountain to inform the villagers that several hunters had gone up the mountain to carry the dead tiger down the mountain. Everyone congratulated Zhou Chu happily, and Zhou Chu said, "Don't be busy, there's another dragon on the long bridge

Another day passed, Zhou Chu changed into a tight fitting suit and jumped into the water with his bow, arrows, swords, and knives to find the dragon. The dragon was hiding deep in the water and found someone entering the water, wanting to jump up and bite. Zhou Chu had already prepared and stabbed the Jiao fiercely. The dragon was seriously injured and fled downstream into the river.

When Zhou Chu saw that the dragon was not dead, he nailed it tightly in front of him. As the dragon floated upwards, he swam to the surface of the water; As the dragon sinks, it dives towards the bottom of the water. This way, it sinks and floats at times, tracking down to tens of miles away.

Three days and three nights have passed, and Zhou Chu has not returned yet. Everyone was discussing and believed that Zhou Chu and Jiao must have both suffered losses and died at the bottom of the river. Originally, everyone thought that Zhou Chu could kill tigers and big dragons, which was already quite good; This time, all three harms have died, and everyone is overjoyed. On the streets and alleys, whenever this matter is mentioned, there is a joyous atmosphere and mutual congratulations.

Unexpectedly, on the the fourth day, Zhou Chu came home safe and sound. People were greatly surprised. After being injured, Da Jiao was chased by Zhou Chu all the way, and eventually bled too much and couldn't move. Finally, he was killed by Zhou Chu.

When Zhou Chu returned home and found out that he had been away for three days, people thought he had died and were quite happy. This incident made him realize to what extent his usual behavior has been hated by people.

He made a painful decision to leave his hometown and go to Wu County to find a teacher to study. At that time, there were two very prestigious people in Wu County, one named Lu Ji and the other named Lu Yun. Zhou Chu went to find them, Lu Ji went out, and only Lu Yun was at home.

Zhou Chu saw Lu Yun and sincerely discussed his decision to change with him. He said, "I regret waking up too late and wasting precious time. It's probably too late to start a career now

Lu Yun encouraged him, saying, "Don't be discouraged. With such a decision, there is still great hope for your future. A person may not have a strong will, nor may they have no potential

After that, Zhou Chu studied diligently with Lu Ji and Lu Yun, studying hard; Pay attention to your own moral cultivation. His diligent and studious spirit has been praised by everyone. After a year, the officials of the state and county recruited him to become an official. After Dongwu was conquered by the Jin Dynasty, he became a minister of the Jin Dynasty.