Abstract：During the Guangxu reign， Yu Qiongfang， a gentry member from Yunxi County， Hubei Province， died suddenly in the local Binxing Bureau. Subsequently， two conflicting theories emerged regarding the cause of his death： poisoning and illness. The son of the deceased， Yu Xiwu， suspected his father had been assaulted and poisoned， while Xie Yiqing， the county magistrate， shielded the suspects—the two clerks Gan Ruitang and Wang Shijun—insisting that Yu Qiongfang had died of illness. Yu Xiwu， in turn， received support from Chenglu， the prefect of Yunyang. Thus， officials at the prefecture and county levels accused and impeached each other. The Governor-General of Huguang ordered the case to be handed over to the Judicial Review Bureau for trial. However， all witnesses in the case simultaneously retracted their testimonies， the son of the deceased requested the charges be withdrawn， and Ding Ziheng， Chenglu's advisor， was also suspected of involvement. As a result， the case was transferred from the Judicial Review Bureau to the Provincial Judicial Commissioner. Meanwhile， Censor Tu Renshou submitted a memorial to the court， impeaching the Governor-General and Governor of Hubei. Governor-General Bian Baodi organized a bone examination， sparking a dispute between himself and the censor over the findings. The court dispatched Imperial Commissioner Sun Yuwen to the south to adjudicate the case. Coroners from the capital conducted a steamed-bone reexamination of the deceased， concluding that Yu Qiongfang had been beaten to death. Subsequently， physical evidence was uncovered， and witnesses gradually revealed the truth， confirming that Yu Qiongfang had indeed been killed by the two clerks， Gan and Wang. The perpetrators， witnesses， and implicated officials were all punished according to the law. By examining the multi-level judicial process of Yu Qiongfang's case， the power struggles and maneuvering among local officials， gentry， clerks， and commoners behind the judiciary were revealed， thereby shedding light on the inherent dilemmas within the Qing dynasty's judicial review system.
高 航. “成信谳而雪沉冤”：晚清郧西余琼芳案研究[J]. 华中师范大学学报（人文社会科学版）, 2025, 64(6): 120-135.
Gao Hang. “Unwavering Judgment to Redress a Grave Injustice”： A Study of the Yu Qiongfang Case in Yunxi during the Late Qing Dynasty. journal1, 2025, 64(6): 120-135.
2025, Vol. 64 
