Scholars have long argued that the reason why acts of revenge were so prevalent during the Western and Eastern Han dynasties can be attributed to views on revenge articulated in the Gongyang zhuan (公羊傳). This paper will point out, however, that most acts of revenge occurred during the Eastern Han, whereas the Gongyang zhuan enjoyed popularity during the earlier Western Han. Furthermore, a closer look at the historical record shows that the theory of revenge expounded in the Gongyang zhuan was never seriously put into practice during either period. Under further scrutiny, we find that the imperially sanctioned Gongyang zhuan, complete with its theory of revenge, was in fact never an influence on individuals during the Eastern Han. The same was true during this period for local officials, who widely treated acts of revenge as homicide cases. We therefore conclude that the widespread practice of taking revenge had less to de with Gongyang scholarship than with weakened control of the government as it was forced to focus most of its resources on putting down rebellions.