While The Biography of Yu Jang was short, I think it spoke a lot to the culture of respect and loyalty in China. Yu Jang was serving the earl of Chih who was killed by Lord Hsiang, and in response Yu Jang vowed to sacrifice his life to avenge him.
Twice Yu Jang disguised himself to get close to the lord. The first time, the lord saw him as an honorable man and let him go out of respect for the loyalty he had to the earl he had served. The second time he was discovered, the lord couldn’t let him go despite his righteousness. Yu Jang fell on his sword to “face the earl below.”
Yu Jang’s actions made people weep in his favor. They saw what he’d done and thought him greater for it. One of Yu Jang’s friends had asked why he doesn’t just serve the lord and use his skills for him. Yu Jang replied by saying he couldn’t split his mind and serve two masters.
The fact that the lord didn’t kill Yu Jang, a traitor looking to assassinate him, the first time he was caught is something I don’t think would ever happen in today’s society. The recognition of loyalty in that way wouldn’t mean much in the face of treason. I also think his decision to take his own life instead of being killed by the person who killed his earl is not something society today would see as noble or righteous.
Yu Jang would have been considered an enemy of the state in today’s society, and his actions immediately punishable. Instead, this story highlights his honor and the way he never betrays the man he served even after he is gone.
On one hand, I think it could be a warning to people who might consider vengeance and showing how there is only one ending. On the other hand, I think it could be a tribute to loyalty and the esteem received even in death by the enemy for staying loyal to the end.