In ancient times, tales of tigers devouring people were common at the foot of Mount Tai.
One day, Confucius and his disciples passed by the mountain. As they walked, they heard distant weeping. They approached and found a young woman in white mourning clothes, kneeling before a new grave and weeping bitterly.
Confucius sent a disciple to inquire. The woman raised her head, wiped her swollen eyes, and answered intermittently between sobs: "First, my father-in-law was devoured by a tiger. Then, my husband met the same fate. Now, my son has also been killed by a tiger."
A disciple asked worriedly, "The tiger has claimed three generations of your family. Why didn't you leave this place earlier?"
The woman replied, "There are tigers here, but there are no exorbitant taxes, levies, or heavy corvée labor!"
Hearing this, Confucius turned to his disciples and said, "Remember, tigers devour people, but tyranny is fiercer than tigers!"