Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong

by Guo Xiaoting

  The prime minister directed the servant to invite Ji Gong to enter.

  The household person went to the gate and said, “Our prime minister said that the saintly monk is invited to enter as he is, and that he is respectfully awaited in the guest hall.”

  The lohan hurried in, and the Great Protector welcomed him and thanked him for curing his aunt’s eye trouble. When Ji Gong came into the room and sat down, the two Qiantang prefects did not know who he was and saw only a poor, ragged monk being welcomed by the Great Protector and the prime minister. “What power can he have?” they wondered. They saw Ji Gong and the prime minister sitting side by side with no suggestion of precedence and chatting in a familiar manner.

  Then the monk said, “I hurried here because I had helped to capture a robber.”

  When the prime minister heard that, he was overjoyed and directed the household people: “Bring the robber here to me.”

  “Yes, Prime Minister,” the attendants replied. Outside they said, “The prime minister has ordered that the robber be brought in for examination and be made to kneel before him in the guest hall.”

  When the robber was brought in, the prime minister immediately asked, “Who is this kneeling here? Identify yourself by name. Where did you sell the jewels you stole from me?”

  CHAPTER 34

  The Chicken Thief tells his story; Tian Laibao sells his clothes

  WHEN the prime minister asked the man’s name and where he had sold the stolen jewels, the man replied, “This small person’s name is Liu. I am called Liu the Second, a Four Rivers man who makes his living as a peddler. All because today I wanted to return home for a visit, I was walking along the main street, and for some reason I do not understand, these officers brought me here. As for the pearl coronet, I know nothing.”

  When the prime minister heard this, he said to Ji Gong, “He’s only a peddler, holy monk.”

  The monk smiled slightly as he spoke. “The Great One is not an interrogator in criminal cases. May the Great Protector Zhao ask about the business. I am sure that he will understand.”

  Prime Minister Qin assented. “So be it. Come, Great Protector, you may interrogate in this case.”

  Zhao Fengshan immediately went outside under the broad eaves of the guest hall, asked for a table and a chair, in which he sat down, and had the robber brought before him. Then he said, “You say you are a peddler. Bring whatever things he was carrying and show them to me.”

  In a moment the man’s cloth bundle and his knife were brought and shown to the Great Protector. “What do you use this knife for?” he asked.

  “That is for protection on the road,” Liu the Second replied.

  “And what kind of things do you peddle?” the Great Protector continued.

  “I have been selling fresh fruit for a living,” the man answered.

  As the man was being questioned, he saw the monk approach and heard him say, “I ask you, what is in this little bundle of yours?”

  Liu the Second replied, “They are items of personal use.”

  The monk had the cloth-wrapped bundle opened. Two sets of garments and two pair of new socks fell out. The monk commented, “You are a peddler and you wear new socks!”

  Hearing this, the Great Protector said to himself, “What kind of talk is this?” but thought it best not to speak.

  Liu the Second was saying, “In answer to Your Worship, I had some money and bought some socks. That was not a violation.”

  The monk was feeling inside the socks and brought out a little package. When it was opened, they saw a huge pearl. The monk then asked, “You buy new socks and that is no violation, but what about this pearl? Where did it come from?”

  Liu the Second was so frightened that his color changed as he replied, “In answer to Your Worship, the pearl is one that I stole.”

  Prime Minister Qin heard and realized that the great pearl was from the very top of the phoenix coronet. He asked a servant to bring it to him for close examination. Of course, there was no mistake. “Holy monk,” he said, “This pearl is from my lost phoenix coronet.”

  Hearing this, the Great Protector became very angry. “You creature! If I do not beat you, you probably never will tell the truth!”

  An order was given to one of the underlings to bring some of the bamboo staves at the residence and beat him.

  Just as they were about to stretch him out for the beating, the frightened Liu the Second began to speak. “I will tell the truth. This small person’s name is Liu and my personal name is Chang. My nickname is ‘the Chicken Thief.’ I used to be a servant to the men of the Greenwood in Four Rivers Road, until I came here. The pearl is not one I stole. This morning there was a great thief from Four Rivers named Cloud Dragon, nicknamed ‘the Robber Rat of the Universe,’ together with ‘the Iron Monkey,’ Wang Tong. These two first had attacked the nun and afterward killed a man in a restaurant. Then they came to Prime Minister Qin’s residence and stole the jade pendants and the phoenix coronet. A long time ago I used to work for the two of them. Today they gave this pearl to me and told me to go back to Four Rivers. They said that I could sell the pearl for four or five hundred ounces of silver. The money would have been enough to live on and to open a small business. Today I was just going to the Qiantang Gate. Unexpectedly, the two detectives arrested me. This is a true account of what happened, without a single false statement.”

  “Where do Cloud Dragon and Wang Tong live now?” The Great Protector asked. “You must know.”

  “They used to live at the Happy and Glorious Inn, but they have moved. I do not know where they are now,” Liu Chang answered.

  “Great Protector,” said Ji Gong, “Fasten the fetters on him and send him to the Qiantang yamen. This case is considered broken open. The prime minister will want to reward the captors.”

  The prime minister sent a household person for fifty silver pieces, and the two headmen and the two local Qiantang guards were each given two ounces of silver. Chai Yuanlo and She Chenying thanked the prime minister and took Liu Chang away with them.

  “Saintly monk,” the prime minister queried, “Where is Cloud Dragon? I beg the teacher’s help in taking him and I thank you for what you have already done.”

  “I can try to find out where he may be by divination,” said Ji Gong.

  The prime minister welcomed the idea. “Very good.”

  “Do you have an ancient eight-legged bronze vessel?” asked the monk. “I will try it with that.”

  The prime minister sent a household person to get an ancient eight-legged vessel from a cabinet. Shortly afterward, a servant brought the vessel and gave it to Ji Gong. The monk placed it on a table and chanted some indistinct words. When he had finished, he lifted the vessel into the air. “Where is the prefect from the Jenhe district?” the monk asked.

  “Outside,” the prime minister replied. “Have the prefect from the Jenhe district come here quickly,” he commanded.

  “Honorable prefect,” the monk said, “you have under your command a headman named Tian Laibao. Summon him for me.”

  The face of the prefect turned white with fear. He had no idea what this was about. “That is right,” he said, “there is one with that name.”

  Ji Gong said, “Call him for me.”

  The prefect did not know what was going on in Ji Gong’s mind. His own mind was in turmoil. He wondered whether Tian Laibao might have hidden the thief who stole the coronet and other jewels. Quickly he sent someone off to summon Tian Laibao.

  At this time Tian Laibao was talking with Wan Hengshan in the guard-room. In came a servant who said, “Tian Laibao, something dreadful! The case of the jewel thief has been broken open. They have caught a thief called Liu Chang and they have sent out word to catch the two jewel thieves. One is the Robber Rat of the Universe, Cloud Dragon, and the other is the Iron Monkey, Wang Tong. Prime Minister Qin asked Ji Gong of the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat to do a divination to find out where these two robbers have gone. Ji Gong perfo
rmed the ritual for a long time and he didn’t say anything. Then he called our prefect and said: ‘I have something to say to you.’ It frightened the prefect so and he didn’t know what it was all about. Then he sent me to call you to come at once.”

  Tian Laibao heaved a long sigh and said, “That is terrible! Dear brother Wan, we have been friends for a long time. Now I must go—I have an old mother at home who is like your own aunt, with no one to look after her. Take good care of her.”

  When Wan Hengshan heard these words, he could not imagine the reason for them, and remonstrated: “Elder Brother Tian, where do such words come from?”

  “You need not ask,” replied Tian Laibao. “In a little while you will know.” He stood up and went out with the messenger toward the prime minister’s residence.

  At the residence, the messenger went in and reported that he had brought Tian Laibao. Ji Gong directed that he should be shown in. As he entered, he first bowed to Prime Minister Qin, then to Ji Gong, and finally to everyone else. Then he stood to one side.

  The monk approached him and said, “Come with me, Tian Laibao.” Taking him by the sleeve, he pulled him into another room and said, “Take off that hat with the feather and tassel on top.”

  Tian Laibao thought, “He wants me to have my head unprotected.”

  The monk next said, “Now take off that stiff leather belt, your jacket, your blue cloth shirt, and your boots.”

  When he heard that, Tian Laibao said, “You are asking me to take off all my clothes. What are you going to do?”

  The monk said, “I have a good reason for asking you to take them off. Let me ask you. How much is this hat worth?”

  “Probably I bought it for two strings of cash,” replied Tian Laibao.

  “Not much,” commented the monk. “How much are all the rest of these clothes worth?”

  “They might come to two strings, five hundred cash,” answered Tian Laibao. “That includes the jacket, shirt, belt, and boots.”

  The monk nodded his head a couple of times. Then he called one of the prime minister’s household servants and told him to bring two hundred silver coins. The household person knew that Ji Gong was the prime minister’s monk, designated as a second self. The servant dared not ask any questions. Soon he was back with the coins, which he gave to Ji Gong. The monk received them with his cupped hands and in turn gave them to Tian Laibao, who accepted them. The monk said, “Take them and go.”

  Tian Laibao still did not understand what this was all about, but he took the silver and left the prime minister’s residence. Just as he was leaving, he saw Wan Hengshan standing at the gate. Wan Hengshan saw that Tian Laibao had no hat, jacket, belt, or boots—nothing but a pair of un-lined pants. Wan Hengshan quickly spoke up. “Brother Tian! Where have your clothes gone? When I heard what you said a little while ago, I was worried and followed you here. Where did your clothes go?”

  “I sold my clothes,” Tian Laibao answered.

  “How much did you sell them for?” Wan Hengshan asked.

  “Two hundred silver pieces,” Tian Laibao replied, and went on to tell Wan what had just happened.

  “Ask if he wants any more. I have an extra set,” urged Wan Hengshan.

  “I couldn’t go back in there,” said Tian Laibao.

  “Elder Brother Tian, a little while ago your language sounded so mournful,” protested Wan Hengshan. “You were asking me to look after your old mother as if she were my aunt. What was that all about?”

  “You are being very reckless,” said Tian Laibao. “You must forget everything that passed between us today. Don’t you remember the time when the soldiers surrounded the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat? We had to put fetters on Ji Gong. Were not you and I the ones that brought Ji Gong to the Prime Minister’s residence? I fear that he remembers us and still bears a grudge!”

  Only then did Wan Hengshan understand. Silently, the two returned to their barracks, carrying the silver with them.

  During this same time the prime minister had seen that the monk had taken Tian Laibao’s clothing and given him two hundred silver coins. The prime minister did not know what the monk had in mind. Just as he was about to ask, the monk spoke. “Where did the Great Protector go?”

  “He is outside,” replied the prime minister.

  “Ask him to come in,” Ji Gong said.

  “Did you call me, Teacher?” asked the Great Protector Zhao. “What may I do?”

  “You may take off your plumed hat, your jacket, your belt with the jade sections, and your boots,” Ji Gong told him.

  The prime minister was thinking, “Not bad. He bought that set of clothing for two hundred silver pieces and exchanged it for a set worth two thousand. One can see what kind of man the monk is!”

  “Do not play jokes on me,” the Great Protector said. “I am not Tian Laibao. He is a headman.”

  “Take them off,” repeated the monk. “There is a good reason.” There was nothing that the Great Protector could do but take off his clothing. “Now,” said the monk, “I ask you, the Great Protector, to put on this set of clothing. Can you guess why?”

  “Your disciple does not know,” answered the Great Protector.

  “Well, Great Protector,” said Ji Gong, “just put on Tian Laibao’s plumed hat, his jacket, his stiff leather belt, and his boots. Do you remember the lines of verse that the jewel thief wrote on the wall? At the end there was a line in which he said to send the Great Protector after him. Now I will send you to catch the robber.”

  “How could I take him myself?” asked the Great Protector. “I have detectives to carry out this work.”

  “I will help you to catch him,” said the monk. “Bring four men with you—Chai Yuanlo, She Jenying, Lei Siyuan, and Ma Anjie. Tonight, between the third and the fifth watch, I intend to catch the robber.” Then, turning to the prime minister, he said, “Do not sleep tonight, Prime Minister, between the third and fifth watch. I will bring the robber here. You will want to interrogate him about the jewels.” The prime minister nodded.

  That night, with the Great Protector and the four headmen, the monk left the prime minister’s residence and hurried off down the street. To the Great Protector it seemed as though they had walked all around the inside of the city walls.

  At the end of the second watch Great Protector Zhao asked: “Teacher, where are we actually going? I truly cannot walk much further.”

  “We are here!” said the monk.

  They had arrived at the mouth of an alley called Rui Lane. To the west was a night watchman’s mat shed. Near the wall a yellow porcelain bowl held a flickering candle that cast gloomy shadows over the inside of the shed. The watchman was sleeping, using his rattle for a pillow. The monk slowly crept inside, and, picking up half a brick, gently pulled the rattle out from under the watchman’s head while he slipped the brick under instead. The watchman was still asleep. The monk told the others that the watchman had said the great man was down for the night. Headmen Chai and She came into the shed and called the watchman, who got up and took the half brick outside.

  The monk asked, “What watch is it? The watchman is going to mark the hour with that half brick!” Suddenly the sleepy watchman realized what he was holding and became frightened. The monk said, “Don’t be afraid,” and then whispered in his ear. The watchman nodded and the monk gave him back his rattle.

  The monk led the five men on to a big gate not far away and said, “If we catch the jewel thief now, we will find him in this house.”

  CHAPTER 35

  Yang Zaitian has his fortune told; jealousy brings failure to four headmen

  AS the monk stood outside the big gate in Rui Lane, he gave instructions to the four headmen. “Headman Chai and Headman She, you two stand at the north side of the crack between the two gates. Headman Lei and Headman Ma, you two will stand at the south side of the crack between the two gates.”

  “And what will you do, Teacher?” they asked.

  “You will block the gate. I will
get inside, and when I blow, I will blow the robber out through the crack.” The four headmen did not dare to question his word. They could only follow the monk’s instructions. He then stepped forward and slapped the gate, calling out, “Come and open the gate! Come and open the gate!” Then he beat on the gate several times.

  Inside there were two young gentlemen just trying to get to sleep in their room. When they heard someone calling at the gate, one said to the other, “Go out and look through the gates.” The second young gentleman was extremely timid. He lit a candle, trimmed the wick to make it brighter, went to the gate, and was just about to open it and look out when he felt a cold blast of wind. It also blew out the candle. The frightened young gentleman turned his head and ran back. Inside the room, the other young man asked, “What was it?”

  “A black monster made a thunderous howling wind blow,” he answered.

  As the two were talking thus, they again heard a shout, “Open the gate! Open the gate!” The two frightened young fellows did not dare to go out.

  Just at this point the master came out. Now, the master of this house was surnamed Yang and his personal name was Zaitian. He had previously been at the capital of Four Rivers province as the governor. Because his mother had died, he had returned home here to go into a period of mourning. When he heard the thunderous clamor at the gate, he told the library boy to light a lantern, go out, and have a servant open the gate. There they saw several headmen in uniform standing in the gateway. At that time Ji Gong had stepped back into the shadows.

  Great Protector Zhao saw the gate open and a man come out wearing a simple cap of rough material and a long blue outer garment. His features were regular and pleasant. Three strands from his black beard reached his chest. Protector Zhao recognized him at once and quickly stepped forward, saying, “Why, it is Elder Brother. You are not asleep yet.”

  Yang Zaitian gave a grunt of disapproval. “What person is this that dares to call out that he is my younger brother?”