The Kitchen God governed the food and drink of everyone in every household. Though he remained beside ordinary people, they could not flatter or offend him too casually. Thus, when the Kitchen God entered a home, no one could sing, weep, curse, or shout in anger. Likewise, if filthy firewood was used for cooking, the impure smoke it gave off would harm the Kitchen God.
If one was not careful during the eight seasonal markers, the above offenses would become even more serious. These eight markers were Beginning of Spring, Beginning of Summer, Beginning of Autumn, Beginning of Winter, the Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, and Winter Solstice. They were the times when nature's yin and yang alternated, and the human body underwent similar changes. Moreover, the gods also judged and rewarded or punished people during these seasonal markers.
When the deities upheld justice, people not only could not commit wrongdoing, but could not torture prisoners either. Because he had failed to observe this rule, the famed general Du Fan was punished by the gods. Du Fan was normally exceedingly cruel to his soldiers. In the winter of the second year of Emperor Taizong of Tang's Zhenguan reign, he suddenly fell ill and shouted, "I see someone carrying over a tray. There's a fresh pumpkin on it."
His subordinates were greatly astonished upon hearing this, thinking, Where would a fresh pumpkin come from in the dead of winter?
Du Fan trembled all over, then said, "The pumpkin is a human head. It has come to claim my life."
The moment he finished speaking, he breathed his last.
These sins included, but were not limited to, killing living creatures without cause, abusing subordinates, physicians harming patients, or exposing one's body when rising at night.
The "Treatise on Response and Retribution"