by AnonYMous
“I’m only trying to help. I’m afraid of what you’ll have to go through. Since you can’t raise the money, I won’t keep on urging you. But you’re involving your favorite as well as Qiang Da. What are you going to do about them?”
Wu Zhen whispered in his ear: “Wu Jingyu tried to get a loan out of me, but I wouldn’t give him one. He then conspired with these people to come and frighten me into paying, after which they would divide up the spoils. Well, the one who’s responsible has to suffer the consequences, and neither Qiang Da nor Cassia has any quarrel with them. Could you promise the runners a bit more money on their account? I won’t implicate Qiang Da or Cassia in court, so they needn’t take them away.”
“That’s very generous of you. I’ll go and tell them.”
“I’ve had a talk with Wu,” he said to the runners. “According to him, he really can’t raise the money. I hope you gentlemen can do me a favor and make a reasonable compromise along the lines of what Brother Wu Jingyu has suggested. If you really can’t do it, Wu says he’ll just have to brace himself and get dressed and let you do your duty. He’s prepared to go with you on his own to face a court case. Now I would like to ask you a personal favor. Qiang Da and Cassia have done all they could; would you agree to leave them behind?”
“By rights, sir, I ought to do as you ask,” said Bao Guang, “but Wu Zhen looks down his nose at us. If we don’t make an example of someone, he’ll never pay up with a good grace. Don’t blame us; he even shut you out. You needn’t bother about him. As for Qiang Da and Cassia, we’ll do as you ask, provided they can show us some respect.”
Yu Jiafu spoke to Qiang Da and Cassia. “Now, be a little smarter and offer to host them. I’ve persuaded them to grant you a favor.”
“You know my affairs,” said Qiang Da. “Please beg them to do me a good turn.”
“Godfather, you come here often, but you have no idea what misery I have to put up with,” said Cassia. “I’m indentured here, and every quarter, needless to say, my family comes and takes the money away. But in addition to that, my mother-in-law and husband come several other times during the year, and each time, without any idea of how little I have in my private savings, they clamor for nine or ten strings of cash; they also want their travel paid, and gifts to take back with them, as well as the cost of food and lodging while in Yangzhou, to say nothing of incidental expenses. They came the other day and told me that their house had been flooded and had to be repaired. They also needed money for food, and so on and so forth. They didn’t leave until they’d gotten a dozen strings out of me. I had no money to pay them, so I borrowed ten thousand, discounted ten percent, from Godfather Chen at one percent a month over three months. I don’t have any good clients, and yet every day I need flowers and incidentals, as well as two pellets of that accursed stuff.”
She whispered in Yu Jiafu’s ear: “This is all the doing of that hateful Wu Jingyu. I can’t tell you how many special favors I have to do for that man during the year! Right now I’m burdened with debts running into the tens of thousands. The next quarter’s earnings have been mortgaged to pay for this quarter’s clothes, and even so I’m never properly dressed. And now on top of everything else this has to happen! Godfather, what can I do?” She began to weep.
“‘The King of Hell doesn’t make any distinction between rich and poor,’” said Yu Jiafu. “You may say you have no money, but no one will believe you. If they take you to the yamen, not only will you be disgraced, you’ll also have to pay them off. In my opinion, you should forget about your lack of money. Just promise them something, and then think how you’re going to get it.”
“Thank you, godfather! I hope you’ll be modest in what you promise them. I have nothing I can offer you. I’ll just have to give you a few more kowtows.”
“Don’t be silly!” said Yu Jiafu. “You surely don’t think I’m going to take your and Qiang Da’s money and make them a present of it?”
He told the runners how the two of them had pled poverty and hardship. After lengthy negotiations, they settled on a total of sixty thousand cash, with forty thousand down. The remaining twenty thousand would be due when Wu Zhen had been found guilty in the county court and transferred to the prefecture. If he were found not guilty, the runners wanted the forty thousand in ready cash within one month. Yu Jiafu promised to provide the down payment within three days. Bao Guang agreed but said to him, “You’re the one who suggested this compromise, so you’ll have to guarantee both Qiang Da and Cassia. I’m not just raising difficulties here. I’m afraid that when Wu Zhen gets to court, he’ll implicate them both, and we’ll need you to produce them.”
“Very well.” At last Bao Guang called in the constables and ordered Qiang Da’s chains removed. He and his men then lit their torches and took Wu Zhen away with them in chains, together with the opium paraphernalia.
As they were leaving, Wu Zhen rounded on Wu Jingyu and cursed him bitterly. “I had no feud with you, but because you couldn’t get a loan out of me, you conspired with others to arrest me. When I get to court, I’ll show you no mercy.” Wu Jingyu acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing and walked quietly away. The runners took Wu Zhen to the yamen, wrote out a charge, submitted the opium paraphernalia, and waited for the magistrate to ascend his tribunal and conduct an interrogation.
Let me turn to Yuan You. That day he had been to a relative’s to offer birthday congratulations, and it was not until after supper that he returned to Qiang Da’s. When Paria told him what had happened to Wu Zhen, he stamped his foot in exasperation. “How stupid of him! This sort of thing should never go to court. Were Masters Jia or Wei in the house when the runners came?”
“If either of them had been here, all of this could have been avoided.”
“It’s sheer bad luck that I was busy and they weren’t here. Oh! This would have to happen!” He promptly left Qiang Da’s and went to the Ganquan yamen and sought out an old acquaintance, whom he asked for information.
“His Honor just now ascended his tribunal and ordered Wu Zhen to be given thirty blows across the face and to be held in jail,” he was told.
Anxious as Yuan You was, it was now nearly midnight and too late to get into the jail, so he returned to Qiang Da’s and told Paria what he had learned. When Cassia heard that Yuan You had come from the yamen, she rushed in and asked, “You’re just back from the yamen. What’s happening with Master Wu?” When Yuan You told her, she burst out sobbing and returned to her room.
Yuan You stayed there that night, then early the next morning hurried in through the main entrance of the yamen and went to the gate of the jail. Because he had once been confined in the Jiangdu county jail himself, he was familiar with prison rules and regulations. Seeking out a jailer by the name of Ge Ai, he asked, “I want to visit Wu Zhen, and I’m prepared to sweeten things for you and your colleagues.” When Ge Ai saw that he spoke the prison language, he let him in the gate and led him past the shrine of the prison god to the registration office. There he found Wu Zhen, his whole body shackled, swaying back and forth in the corridor outside the office. His cheeks were red and swollen, and his face was stained with blood.
Seeing the pathetic state Wu Zhen was in, Yuan You went up to him and called his name. When Wu Zhen saw it was Yuan You, tears welled up in his eyes. “Brother, all because of a trivial little request that I didn’t grant, that fiend played this vicious trick on me! I expect it will be hard to avenge in this life and I’ll just have to wait until the next.”
“They may have conspired against you, but it’s also the result of your own bad fortune. Set your mind at rest. The important thing is to find some way to get you off.”
“When disaster strikes like this, what can I do? I’m held in jail, and I have an opium habit. Last night was more than any man could bear. I have a burning sensation inside me, and if things go on like this, in three or four days I’ll be dead.”
Yuan You took several pieces of Korean ginseng from the purse at his waist and popped
them into Wu Zhen’s mouth. “You weren’t very strong to begin with. In addition you have an opium habit, and last night you were locked up here and punished. You felt remorse and anger, and you were deprived of opium, so of course you’re miserable. The first thing to do is to get the torture instruments removed, then find some way for you to give up opium. After that we can start thinking of how to get you off.”
“My boy is still very young, and I’ve never gotten along with my family—the trouble I’m in will give them no end of enjoyment. And there’s no one on my wife’s side who’s capable of handling things for me, no one who can step forward and take the lead. At present you’re like a blood brother. Would you mind acting as mediator? If you need money, go and speak to my wife. Tell her to think of some way of raising it.”
Yuan You agreed, then took leave of Wu Zhen and said to Ge Ai, “Brother Ge, let’s go over to the teahouse for a little chat.” Ge Ai accompanied him out of the prison to a teahouse.
If you are wondering what they said to each other, please turn to the next chapter.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Jailers are bribed to remove a man’s shackles,
And a clerk is urged to change a confession.
Yuan You invited the jailer Ge Ai to the Great Wave teahouse on the west side of the yamen and chose a secluded table. As the waiter poured the tea, Yuan said, “I’m hoping to get Wu Zhen’s irons removed, and that’s why I’ve invited you here for a talk. About how much would it cost?”
“Oh, I can’t take the sole responsibility for that. You’ll have to ask Master Duan Qinggeng, the supervisor, to come over and discuss it with you.”
“If I wait here, could I ask you to go and invite him? I hope you won’t take offense. Over and above the cost, there’ll be a modest present for you.”
“Very kind of you, I’m sure. Just wait here while I go and find him. I’ll be back soon.”
He bustled out of the teahouse and returned after some time with another man. When Yuan You saw them, he jumped to his feet. Pointing to the man he had brought, Ge Ai said, “Master Yuan, this gentleman is Master Duan Qinggeng, the supervisor of our criminal department.” Pointing to Yuan You, he said to Duan, “This is Master Yuan You.” The two men bowed to each other and sat down. The waiter poured Duan a cup of tea.
After they had exchanged some polite conversation, Yuan You said, “My friend Wu Zhen is being held on opium charges. There’s no one in his family to step forward, so I’ve taken it upon myself to try to get his irons removed. May I trouble you two gentlemen to help? How much would it be, all told?”
“The chief1 was interested in your friend’s money even before he knew of his reputation for wealth,” said Duan Qinggeng. “Since you’re prepared to take this on, you should first understand what he wants. The others, senior and junior jailers, prisoner bosses, prisoners, sailors, and watchmen, the fellows on night duty in the various departments, as well as the guards on the main and secondary gates—those people Ge Ai and I can help you with.”
“When you ask a favor from officials, you start from where you are,” said Yuan You. “Since I sought you gentlemen out, you mustn’t turn me down; please take this on. Once you and I have reached agreement, I shan’t mind what else is involved.”
“Master Yuan, you’re setting us a very difficult task. If you’re entrusting it to us, it will probably cost at least three hundred silver dollars.”
“By rights I ought to accept your offer. But you can deduce the state of my friend’s finances from this fact: when the runners arrested him, he would never have been brought here at all if he’d possessed a hundred taels. You can’t say he has no money, but altogether he can offer about fifty thousand cash for those in the jail, plus an additional ten thousand each for you two gentlemen.”
Duan Qinggeng had still made no comment when Ge Ai replied: “You must be joking, Master Yuan! To be frank with you, when I saw him brought in yesterday, I hunted out all my old pawn tickets. In a word, I alone would want well over a hundred thousand. It’s no easy matter, pulling in a really big fish like this! The big ones in the Customs rarely fall into our hands. You’re talking a few score thousand. Do you really think that will be enough for this deal?”
“No need to lose your temper, Officer Ge. This kind of thing is very hard to calculate. As the saying goes, ‘The greater your wealth, the bigger your troubles.’ At the risk of offending you gentlemen, let me put this to you: if a completely penniless person were in your custody and there was no money to get the irons removed, you surely wouldn’t let him just hang there till he died, would you? It’s not that I’m pleading poverty for my friend Wu Zhen, but he really doesn’t deserve a reputation as a rich man, and he can’t come up with the money. I also cannot promise you any more money on his behalf. I could benefit from this deal myself, but I’m acting as an unpaid negotiator, and I hope you gentlemen will take that into consideration.”
“Officer Ge didn’t lose his temper at all,” said Duan Qinggeng. “That small sum you mentioned would really not be enough to go around. But please don’t take offense.”
“To be quite candid, a few years ago I was investigated myself. I was in Jiangdu jail, where it cost me only twenty thousand altogether. It’s not that I’m unwilling to agree to more in his case, but the truth is, he just can’t raise the money. I hope you will make allowances for that.”
Duan Qinggeng and Mo Ai swore that it was not enough. Yuan You repeated his arguments again and again, before finally settling on eighty thousand as a base figure, plus ten thousand extra as compensation for each of them.
“Although you’ve entrusted this to the two of us, we can’t give it final approval until we know what the warden thinks, after which the others are likely to agree. Let’s meet again after lunch.”
“We’ve gone over my offer in great detail, and it’s all settled,” said Yuan You. “Don’t try to angle for any more. Not another penny can be added.”
“You’re a tough bargainer and no mistake! You don’t give an inch. Anyway, whether we succeed or not, let’s meet after lunch and try to work out a settlement.”
They said good-bye and were about to part when Yuan You said, “Just one moment. There’s another small concern that I have, and I’d like you to bend the rules for me.” They asked what it was, and Yuan You went on, “Wu Zhen is an addict, and if I go with someone to an opium den and heat up a couple of pellets and bring them to the prison so that he can get by for a while, I wonder if you gentlemen would be willing to give them to him?”
“We’d be reluctant to refuse any request you might make, no matter how difficult,” said Ge Ai. “Master Duan, you don’t smoke, so why don’t you go back to the criminal department and wait there while I go with Master Yuan? I’ll be back soon.” Duan Qinggeng took his leave of Yuan You and left the teahouse.
Yuan You paid for the tea and left with Ge Ai, who led him to an opium den on the south side of the teahouse and invited him to sit down on an opium couch. He then called out “Opium here!” A waiter promptly handed him some Chaozhou tobacco and asked, “How many would you like?”
“Four, please.” The waiter came back with four packets of opium and laid them on a dish. He also poured out two cups of tea. Ge Ai lay down on the bed and said, “Have a smoke.”
“I don’t smoke,” said Yuan You, “but you go ahead.” Ge Ai made four pellets and wrapped them up in the packets, then smoked the rest of the opium. Yuan You paid the bill and they left together, with Ge Ai carrying the packets of opium. They had no sooner reached the gateway of the yamen than they noticed Wu Zhen’s page, Fazi, lurking about hoping for news of his master. At sight of Yuan You, he came running up.
“Master Yuan, do you know where my master is?”
“This is Wu Zhen’s page,” Yuan You explained to Ge Ai. “I would like to have him accompany me into the prison. His master can give him instructions, so that he can go home and find some way to deal with this.” Ge Ai gave his permission, and Yuan You to
ld Fazi, “Come with me to see your master.” Ge Ai led the way into the prison.
When Fazi saw Wu Zhen beneath the eaves of the registration office, his face covered in blood, his arms and legs shackled, he felt a stab of grief and began to cry. “Master, whatever happened to you?” he sobbed.
“Now, don’t be silly!” said Wu Zhen, weeping at the sight of his page. “You don’t need to ask me. You can get the full story from Master Yuan.”
Yuan You told Wu Zhen what Ge Ai and Duan Qinggeng had said, everything but the agreed-upon amount, about which he was purposely vague. “I’d be ever so grateful, Brother, if you’d impress on them that the sooner it’s done the better,” said Wu Zhen.
Yuan You turned to Ge Ai: “Could you please bring me a bowl of boiled water?” Ge Ai picked up a bowl and went off to the kitchen to fetch the water. With the bowl in one hand, he took two pellets from one of the packets and put them in the water, then stirred the mixture with his fingers, held it to Wu Zhen’s mouth, and told him to drink. For Wu Zhen, it was like the elixir of immortality, and in two or three gulps he had finished it.
“I have two more pellets on me,” said Ge Ai. “I’ll give them to you later.” Wu Zhen nodded, then called Fazi to his side and whispered something in his ear. Fazi nodded.
After Yuan You had taken leave of Wu Zhen, he reminded Ge Ai of their meeting after lunch at the Great Wave; whoever arrived first would wait there for the others. Leaving the prison with Fazi, he told the boy to go home and have lunch, then come back that afternoon to the Great Wave to find out what had happened. Yuan You went home, had his lunch, and then went on to the teahouse to await the response from Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai.
Meanwhile Ge Ai had sought out Duan Qinggeng and reached an agreement with him. The two men went first to the criminal department, where they explained the arrangement clearly to everyone, including the chief officer, messengers, clerks, runners, detectives, gatekeepers, servants, umbrella men, and bearers. Then they went to the prison and explained it clearly to everyone there, including junior and senior guards, prisoner bosses and prisoners, as well as a jail supervisor and all the jail staff. After that, they had lunch at a restaurant. Ge Ai then went to the opium den to satisfy his habit, while Duan Qinggeng went straight to the teahouse, where he drank a cup of tea as he waited.