"The world is vast, and nothing is too strange to happen"—this saying applies in many contexts, for truly bizarre and unfathomable events do occur. If one acts with sound reasoning and justifiable motives, it need not be considered peculiar. Recently, however, a genuinely bizarre incident unfolded, where the protagonist's actions can only be described as bewildering and indicative of impaired judgment.
It is understood that Yang Jinggen, a man from Binhai County, Jiangsu Province, visited his brother Yang Fugen's wife Li Xiaoqin's home to see his mother while his brother was away working. Seeing his sister-in-law Li Xiaoqin lying on the bed aroused his lust, leading him to engage in an improper relationship with her. Once the first time happened, a second followed, and thereafter, the two frequently had relations.Later, when his sister-in-law Li Xiaoqin became pregnant, she confessed the affair under her husband Yang Fugen's interrogation. The matter was eventually resolved through mediation by neighbors and local officials. Subsequently, Li Xiaoqin and her husband relocated elsewhere. Fearing his wife might stray again, Yang Fugen stopped working away from home. However, Yang Jinggen maintained contact with his sister-in-law and began plotting his brother's death.He persuaded his wife, Zhang Lanhua, and his sister-in-law, Li Xiaoqin, to join him in plotting Yang Fugen's murder. First, he had Zhang Lanhua and Li Xiaoqin attempt to attack his brother, but both failed. Finally, Yang Jingen took matters into his own hands, yet still failed. Fearing his brother would uncover the truth, he moved to another location and, through his wife Zhang Lanhua, brought his sister-in-law there as well.During their subsequent cohabitation, Yang Jingen repeatedly abused Li Xiaoqin over trivial matters. Li Xiaoqin sought to return home but was threatened by Yang Jingen. Ultimately, she went back to her husband and revealed the situation. Yang Fugen, enraged upon learning this, immediately reported it to the police. Consequently, all three have been transferred for prosecution on charges of intentional homicide.
Hearing this story, many might wonder: Why didn't the sister-in-law resist when the man seized her? Why did the wife help him murder her brother? Why did the sister-in-law assist in killing her husband? It all sounds like a farce beyond belief.
The Affair of Stealing One's Brother's Wife: A Desire Shared by Many Men
First, this man seized his own brother's wife. Even rabbits avoid eating the grass right by their burrows—how could he bring himself to do such a thing? Of course, many men might still harbor such thoughts.If it were just about taking his brother's wife without the later murder, most men would think: "My brother did what I've always wanted but dared not do—he's got guts!"
Adultery has always been a primal impulse for men. The desire for infidelity often stems from humanity's craving for intimacy. No one can rationally control their inner desires or forbid passion from playing out in unrealistic scenarios with someone they find irresistible.In The Revolution of Marriage, Erich Fromm wrote: "Human feelings of love often stem from sexual desire. Love is the spiritual need within sexuality, and the instability of love is determined by whether sexual needs are satisfied and by their pervasive nature." Strictly speaking, the purpose of infidelity isn't to destroy marriage, though its byproduct may be marital dissolution.
This man, however, openly disclosed his affair to his wife, thereby entering the second realm of male fantasy: polygamy. Indeed, his life couldn't be more comfortable.
The "adaptive difference" between men is enormous. This "adaptive difference" refers to how many more times the "winners" in the biological reproduction race successfully reproduce compared to the "losers."This implies two realities: some men remain childless their entire lives, while a tiny minority may father dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of children.
The essence of human polygamy lies precisely in this phenomenon. Wealthy and powerful men, despite having wives, maintain mistresses, concubines, or other extramarital lovers—effectively practicing polygamy.
Men's desire for polygamy stems primarily from a need to conquer and prove their prowess, but the pursuit of novelty and excitement is the main driver. Facing the same old wife day in and day out, the appearance of a fresh, young sister-in-law perfectly satisfied Yang Jinggen's appetite. His wife's tacit approval and acquiescence were also major factors fueling his audacity.
A wife's twisted love that aided murder: Extreme devotion turned perverse
Yang Jinggen's wife knew every sordid detail from start to finish. She tolerated her husband's affair with her sister-in-law and even went so far as to help him kill her own brother. What a love reduced to utter humiliation.
There exists a kind of personality that sacrifices everything for love.This kind of love resembles the reckless, all-consuming passion found in Qiong Yao's novels—an unrealistic ideal modern men and women often yearn for. Love that sacrifices self is destined for tragedy. Yet perhaps she hadn't truly lost herself; she merely expressed her identity differently. She transformed herself into an appendage, while her husband became the towering tree dominating her life—even if that tree was rotten to the core.
The suppressed wife, witnessing her husband's illicit affair with her sister-in-law, channels her pent-up grief and rage onto her younger brother-in-law. Powerless to act otherwise, she helps her husband conceal the family scandal, then continues to endure her wretched marriage.
Husband and wife are meant to be one. When facing hardship, besides parting ways, they can become grasshoppers bound by a single string. Killing her brother-in-law became the breaking point.She vented all her grievances and resentment onto the event's greatest victim. Her dissatisfaction with her husband and jealousy toward her sister-in-law erupted in killing this innocent person, completely reducing herself to a tool exploited by her husband.
Many wives, after discovering their husband's infidelity, avoid confronting him or holding the man responsible. Instead, they lash out at the mistress. This mindset is identical. Love taken to extremes becomes perverse. The ultimate price for extreme devotion is always paid by the woman herself.
Fortunately, the younger brother survived. The older brother's scheme to murder his own sibling for his sister-in-law was exposed. This farce leaves us with profound questions: How do you love the person beside you? How many lives does infidelity truly destroy? As similar tragedies unfold, what should we do?