During the Western Jin dynasty, apart from powerful officials like Wang Kai and Shi Chong, who lived in extravagant luxury, there was another group of aristocratic officials. These men, after filling their bellies, would gather in groups of three or five to engage in idle boasting, spouting nothing but absurd and fantastical nonsense disconnected from reality. This kind of conversation was known as "pure conversation" (Qingtan). Such individuals often enjoyed great fame and high status, which clearly illustrates the corrupt风气 of that era.
However, among the officials, there were also some who were relatively upright and willing to undertake practical work. Zhou Chu, who lived at the beginning of the Western Jin dynasty, was just such a man. When he served as the governor of Guanghan (modern-day Guanghan North, Sichuan), the local officials had been corrupt, leaving cases piled up for as long as thirty years without resolution. As soon as Zhou Chu took office, he diligently handled all the backlogged cases. Later, transferred to the capital to serve as the Imperial Censor, he fearlessly exposed any lawbreakers, regardless of whether they were imperial relatives or high-ranking nobles.
Originally from Yixing (modern-day Yixing County, Jiangsu) in the former state of Eastern Wu, Zhou Chu was tall and stronger than the average young man when he was young. His father died early, and growing up without proper discipline, he spent his days wandering outside, refusing to study. He also had a fierce temper, often resorting to fists, and even drawing knives or spears. The people of Yixing lived in fear of him.
Near Yixing, in the Southern Mountains, there was a white-browed tiger that frequently attacked people and livestock, and the local hunters were unable to subdue it.
In the river beneath the Long Bridge in the area, a large "jiao" (a type of crocodile) appeared unpredictably. The people of Yixing linked Zhou Chu, the white-browed tiger of the Southern Mountains, and the giant jiao of Long Bridge together, calling them the "Three Evils of Yixing." Among these three, Zhou Chu was the one the people found most troublesome.
Once, while walking outside, Zhou Chu noticed that people seemed gloomy and unhappy. He asked an elderly man, "The harvest this year is quite good; why are you all looking so downcast?"
The old man replied testily, "The Three Evils haven't been eliminated yet; how can we possibly be happy?"
This was the first time Zhou Chu had heard the term "Three Evils," so he asked, "What exactly are these three evils?"
The old man said, "The white-browed tiger in the Southern Mountains, the jiao in Long Bridge, and you—aren't these the Three Evils?"
Zhou Chu was shocked. He realized that the villagers viewed him as a great menace, just like the tiger and the crocodile. After a moment of reflection, he said, "Very well. Since everyone suffers from the Three Evils, I will eliminate them."
The next day, Zhou Chu indeed took up his bow and arrows, slung a sharp sword over his back, and went into the mountains to hunt the tiger. Deep in the dense forest, he suddenly heard a tiger's roar, and a white-browed beast charged from afar. Zhou Chu quickly dodged aside, hid behind a large tree, nocked an arrow, and with a "whoosh," shot the tiger straight in the forehead, ending its life.
When Zhou Chu came down the mountain to tell the villagers, several hunters went up to carry the dead tiger down. Everyone happily congratulated Zhou Chu, but he said, "Don't celebrate yet; there's still the jiao in Long Bridge."
The next day, Zhou Chu changed into tight-fitting clothes, took his bow, arrows, and sword, and jumped into the water to hunt the jiao. The creature, hidden in the deep water, sensed someone entering and tried to leap up and bite. Zhou Chu, already prepared, plunged his sword deep into the jiao. Severely wounded, the jiao fled downstream.
Seeing that the jiao was not dead, Zhou Chu pursued it closely. When the jiao surfaced, he swam toward the surface; when it dove deep, he followed it to the bottom. Up and down they went, chasing for dozens of miles.
Three days and three nights passed, and Zhou Chu still hadn't returned. People began to speculate widely, believing that Zhou Chu and the jiao must have fatally wounded each other and both perished at the river bottom. Originally, people had thought it impressive enough if Zhou Chu could kill the tiger and the jiao; now, with all "Three Evils" dead, they were overjoyed. Everywhere in the streets and alleys, people spoke of the event with delight, celebrating each other.
To everyone's astonishment, on the fourth day, Zhou Chu returned home completely unharmed. It turned out that after being wounded, the giant jiao had been relentlessly pursued by Zhou Chu, eventually bleeding heavily, unable to move, and finally killed.
When Zhou Chu returned home, he learned that after he had been gone for three days, people, believing him dead, had been quite happy. This incident made him realize just how deeply his past actions had been hated by the people.
He made a firm resolution, left his hometown, and went to Wu Commandery to seek a teacher. At that time, there were two highly respected men in Wu Commandery: Lu Ji and Lu Yun. Zhou Chu went to find them, but Lu Ji was away, leaving only Lu Yun at home.
Zhou Chu met Lu Yun and sincerely shared his determination to reform. He said, "I regret that I realized my mistakes too late, having wasted precious time. Now I want to accomplish something, but I'm afraid it's already too late."
Lu Yun encouraged him: "Don't lose heart. With such determination, there is still great hope for your future. A person should only fear lacking firm resolve, not lacking prospects."
From then on, Zhou Chu studied diligently with Lu Ji and Lu Yun, devoting himself to his books, while also focusing on cultivating his moral character. His spirit of hard work and eagerness to learn earned widespread praise. Within a year, the local and regional governments summoned him to serve as an official. After the state of Eastern Wu was conquered by the Jin dynasty, he became a high-ranking minister of the Jin.