Early the next morning, Liu Dakuaizi and Huang Sanliuzi entered the yamen wearing shabby gowns. Upon entering the official hall, they saw that all the officials were wearing simple, undyed robes, not official uniforms or beads. Liu Dakuaizi noticed at a glance that it was a day of mourning, so he quickly exclaimed, "Good heavens! I'd completely forgotten!" and instructed the steward to quickly go back and fetch clothes to change into. Huang Sanliuzi didn’t understand what was happening until Liu Dakuaizi explained it to him, and he frantically yelled for his steward, but the steward was not around, which made him so angry that he stomped his feet and cursed, calling the steward a "son of a bitch." All the officials found him quite amusing.
After scolding for a while, the steward finally arrived, and Huang Sanliuzi immediately gave him two slaps. The steward was not happy and muttered something unintelligible. This made Huang Sanliuzi even angrier, and he immediately wanted to have the steward arrested and sent to Renhe County for a whipping. Liu Dakuaizi, being more composed, was afraid that it would not look good in front of the other officials, so he quickly stepped forward to mediate. Unexpectedly, the coat borrowed by Huang Sanliuzi was too worn out, and it tore open a big hole with a sudden movement. Taking advantage of this, the steward ran away. Huang Sanliuzi was still angry. At this time, the constable came with official documents to invite the officials to meet their superiors. Liu Dakuaizi was in a hurry, and there was no time to go back for clothes. As the saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Liu Dakuaizi had a sudden inspiration and quickly took off his court beads, turned his coat inside out, and followed everyone inside, hoping that the high official wouldn't notice. Huang Sanliuzi had no choice but to follow suit, turning his coat inside out as well. However, there was a big hole on the sleeve, and a piece of silk was hanging loose, fluttering in the wind like a tattered flag, which was really unsightly. But there was no other way; they could only do this.
Entered the magistrate's office, bowed, and sat down. The magistrate first discussed official business with the provincial governor and local officials, as well as several other officials with assignments. Huang Sanliuzi had a source, and Liu Dakuai also received a reminder from the provincial office, indicating that the magistrate intended to observe the two of them. Seeing that their clothes were very different from before, with their robes worn inside out—a sign of distress or desperation—they didn't know what was going on. They wanted to ask but couldn't, so they could only hold it in their hearts. Huang Sanliuzi's clothes were particularly old, with not a single new item on him, and there was even a big hole in his sleeve. After looking for a while, the magistrate smiled and said, "To err is human. You two seem to be making an effort to improve yourselves!" Huang Sanliuzi didn't understand what the magistrate meant and quietly tugged on Liu Dakuai's sleeve. Liu Dakuai swayed and ignored him, making him anxious. Then the magistrate said, "You two, if you can be frugal in everything from today onwards and change your previous habits, I will admire and be happy. However, whether you see me or not, your actions should be consistent. As scholars, the most important thing is the skill of 'self-restraint' (shèndú), to achieve integrity even in private. If you are one way in front of me and another way behind me, lacking 'self-restraint,' there is a deficiency in behavior. I have people secretly observing every day, and I know all your actions." After hearing this, Liu Dakuai broke out in a sweat. Huang Sanliuzi still didn't understand. The magistrate continued, "Our former lord preached the principles of self-restraint throughout his life. Since I came into the picture, until his death, he lived a life of rigorous self-discipline, residing alone in the study and never going upstairs. Sometimes the former lady sent maids to bring tea and snacks to the former lord, but he never looked at the maids, fearing that it would go against the natural order due to personal desires. Only then can it be considered truly achieving 'self-restraint.'" When the other officials heard this, as the magistrate was talking about his father, they all showed great respect. Later, the magistrate offered a few more words of encouragement before having tea brought in to serve the guests. After Huang Sanliuzi went back, he scolded the errand boy again and asked him to pack up and leave. Later, thanks to Liu Dakuai's plea, the matter was settled.
Two days later, the Provincial Governor told the two officials, "The newcomer Huang, although he bought his position, is courageous in reforming himself, which is truly rare! The second time I saw him, he wasn't wearing a stitch of new clothing. The person who came with him, Liu, had a very old robe, but his boots and hat were quite smart. To become a man of principle, one must have their own opinions and not follow the crowd, so Huang is slightly better than Liu in this aspect. Today, I’m making an exception and promoting him as an example, giving him a task, rewarding him, and advising others. What do you guys think?" The two officials agreed repeatedly.
Therefore, the Governor immediately sent word for Huang to help at the military office. Huang was thrilled when he received the news; he could hardly believe it! Early the next morning, he went to see the Governor, bowed in gratitude, but didn't know what to say. He just stood there, tongue-tied. The Governor only encouraged him with a few words. Besides agreeing repeatedly, he couldn't say anything else. From then on, Huang had a job. His attitude changed completely. He constantly talked about the Governor and the military office to his friends. He looked down on everyone else in the province, especially Liu.
From then on, the vibe in the Zhejiang officialdom changed drastically. In the government offices, hundreds of officials came and went every day, wearing rags, like a group of beggars. In the past, everyone competed to be fashionable with their boots, hats, and clothes. Now, everyone competed to wear the most tattered clothes. Whoever wore the most ragged clothes would be congratulated and told, "Brother, you’re soon going to be promoted and become wealthy!" And sure enough, a promotion would follow in a day or two. So everyone figured, why bother with the work when you could get promoted by looking like a bum? Hangzhou's secondhand shops were cleaned out; even the old boots and hats at the antique stalls were bought up. Everyone knew that officials specifically bought old goods, so prices soared, doubling the cost of new goods. After a while, some officials from other prefectures came to report their work in the capital, knowing about the big boss's quirk, and no way were they showing up in anything new. They could only hurriedly buy old ones. However, after searching all the old clothes shops, they couldn’t find any, even if they paid triple. Some buddies would lend clothes to each other to wear.
There was an old county magistrate from Chuzhou who hadn’t been to the capital for many years. This time, because a new governor had arrived, he had to make a trip. Upon arriving in the capital, he heard about this whole new clothing thing and, unfortunately, it was too late. There was nowhere to buy old clothes, and he didn’t have any interaction with his colleagues, so he couldn’t borrow any. The county magistrate got a great idea and simply wore new clothes to the office. At that time, the newly appointed Chief of the Court (equivalent to a provincial official) had a lot of power. Both civil officials from lower ranks and military officials had to listen to him. He hated new clothes, so everyone started wearing rags. Unexpectedly, the county magistrate showed up in a brand-new suit to meet him. There were five or six others who went with him, and he was the only one who stood out. Everyone stared, even the big boss was taken aback.
After sitting down, he spoke a few words of official business. The magistrate couldn't help but speak up with a stern face, saying, "Sir, you have been serving in a different place for so long, but your attire remains the same! After I took office, I established new rules and had the patrol officers notify everyone. You should be aware of this, right?" The county magistrate immediately straightened up and said, "In response to Your Honor, as soon as I arrived in the provincial capital yesterday, I heard about your rule. How could I dare to disobey the order and intentionally wear new clothes? So I hurried to find an old outfit to meet you. Who knew that I couldn't find any old clothes, and even if I did find them, I couldn't afford to buy them?" The magistrate asked, "What's going on?" The county magistrate explained, "Since your order was issued, all the officials in the city dare not wear new clothes to meet you, so they all have to buy old ones. The second-hand clothing shops know that everyone wants old clothes, so the price of old clothes is twice the price, or even more, than new clothes. This robe I'm wearing was made the year I took office, and others have long worn out their old clothes; I know life is not easy, so every time I wear it, I cherish it and take extra care, which is why it still looks new. 'Every thread, every strand, reminds us of the labour involved,' as the *Zhu Xi Family Instructions* say. These are the two sentences I admire most in my life." After hearing this, the magistrate was very pleased, his face softened, and he said, "Actually, you don't have to buy old clothes yourself. If a friend has them, you can borrow a set to wear. As the ancients said, 'To share a fine horse or a rich robe with a friend brings no regret.' Besides, they are just old clothes, right?" The county magistrate corrected his tone and said, "Your Honor, friends' clothes can certainly be borrowed, but borrowing them to wear once to meet you, and then returning them to the owner. After returning the old clothes, do I have to wear new ones? Wouldn't that be deliberately deceiving you by wearing old clothes specifically to mislead you? Although I may lack ability, I dare not deceive you! Today, I have violated your order, and I fully accept responsibility for my actions; if you want to remove me from my position or impeach me, I will die without complaint; but if you want me to deceive you, that would be a flaw in my character, and I would rather die than comply!" The magistrate thought to himself, "I didn't expect this person to be so resolute; every word he says is reasonable, and I can't treat him badly." He immediately put on a smile and said, "You are truly an honest gentleman, I was rude! If all the officials in Zhejiang could be like you, wouldn't good governance flourish?" Then he casually asked about the local situation and harvest, and had him shown out.
The magistrate later visited the provincial capital several times in new clothes to meet the governor. The governor appreciated him and let him get back to work, with promises of a better job down the line. After bidding farewell and returning to his post, the timid officials still wore ragged clothes to meet the governor. Those who were a little braver sometimes wore slightly worn clothes. When asked why, they all said that new clothes cost too much; they couldn't afford it. After a few complaints like this, the governor eventually just let it go.
When the new magistrate arrived to take up his post, it was summer. After finishing the investigation, he was delayed for a month or two. After he'd been officially appointed, he summoned his subordinates to handle official business, and in the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed—it was already November. He affected an image of honesty and frugality, eschewing leather garments. The other officials all wore padded cotton robes to the office. That winter, however, arrived early, and there had already been a heavy snowfall. Wealthier officials layered padded robes over silk-lined jackets and fox-fur vests, so they didn't feel too cold, just a bit thin. Poorer officials, already having pawned their better clothes to make ends meet, since the magistrate frowned upon ostentatious attire, shivered their way to the yamen each morning. At first, the provincial governor initially obeyed the magistrate's orders, but later couldn't stand it anymore and said, "We're supposed to be enjoying the perks of office, not freezing our butts off! All these impoverished officials are a disgrace to the emperor!" The next day, he swaggered into the yamen in a fox-fur robe, a mink-lined coat, and a sable hat. The prefect, displeased, gave him a long, hard stare. But because the provincial governor held a high position, he couldn't say anything. Later, after the governor's departure, he questioned his clerks, asking, "Why did the provincial governor suddenly change today?" Someone who knew the provincial governor's background replied, "The governor's newfound influence stems from a connection in the military." The magistrate then learned that the governor was a Manchu and a relative of the current Minister of Personnel. The Minister's recent promotion to the powerful Military Department had emboldened the governor, who now felt he could ignore even the prefect.
Prefect Fu understood what really happened. Although he couldn't do anything about it, he was still very unhappy. The next day, he wrote a hand decree himself, had it engraved by a printer, and printed thousands of copies, binding them into booklets. In addition to distributing them to various departments, hundreds of them had to be placed in each yamen, and each official had to receive one. The decree probably read: "This office is all about honesty and hard work. No more gift-giving nonsense! Every time I meet with subordinates, I repeatedly tell them to do their jobs well, care about the people's problems, avoid silly stuff, and stop competing with each other. I've sternly warned all officials in office about this. As for dressing and dining too extravagantly, it should be strictly prohibited. Wear hemp cloth in summer and fur in winter; as long as it's appropriate and warm, why show off? When I was an official in the capital, I saw with my own eyes that the court promoted frugality. The emperor worked day and night, and we as subjects should take that as a warning. In the past three years, except for important court ceremonies, I haven't worn a fur coat, and that should be understandable to everyone. As for those endless banquets that waste time, the emperor made it clear that we should avoid them and advocate frugality. I hereby reiterate this message: everyone, whether you're a regular official, a trainee, or on assignment, must strictly adhere to it. If you ignore this and get lazy over time, it means you don't understand my good intentions and could get into trouble. Forgive my honesty!" After this decree was printed, the office deliberately wrapped a copy in a red envelope and had it sent to Governor Fan. Governor Fan read it, chuckled, and tossed it aside.
