Taizong's hell

Third court -
King Song Di

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P Series Map
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P Series (P3, P5, P6, P8, P9))

Acquired in 2017, these scrolls were clearly part of a single set judging from the way the name of the magistrate on each scroll is unusually obstructed by a fan, a headdress or even a cloud. Most interesting is the gambling and opium smoking that is taking place at the bottom of P6 and the destruction Guanyin is bringing to P9 (in which the torture tools are breaking in half, the officials are falling over and dropping their books and Oxhead is running away in fright, holding onto his horns). (Image: 64 X 144 cm.)
According to Chap. 11 of The journey west, Emperor Taizong promised southern melons to Yama in the underworld, and Liu Quan, out of shame for having caused his wife's suicide, volunteered to take poison and bring the melons to Yama. Yama got his melons, and Liu Quan was reunited with his wife, the couple then returning to the world of the living. For other depictions of Liu Quan and his melons, see I05 and B03.