Diao Maipeng, due to the appreciation of the imperial examiner Tong Ziliang and the gratitude of the provincial governor Jiang Zhongcheng, was recommended to the central government by the imperial examiner and was endorsed by the governor in several memorials. He took the opportunity to report to Beijing. When he arrived in the capital, he used his connections to successfully obtain an audience and was eventually appointed as the governor of Anhui by imperial decree. He experienced a meteoric rise! Back in the province, all the officials flattered him, and even the governor often sought his advice and treated him with respect. In the Anhui officialdom, he was called "the Second in Command." Later, he served as governor of Wuhu and soon encountered a retired senior officer named Zhang Shoucai. Zhang Shoucai had previously led troops against bandits, served as a battalion commander for over ten years, and even held the rank of admiral. He amassed a fortune of over three million through years of fighting bandits and less scrupulous means. At seventy, his official career had come to an end, and he felt that being an official was becoming increasingly difficult. In case one day the emperor ordered him to lead troops into battle and he lost, it would be a big trouble. So he simply claimed illness, retired, and returned home to enjoy his retirement. Although he was not from Wuhu, he was very familiar with the place from his time leading troops there, so he bought land, built a large house, and later acquired over a hundred acres to create a large garden. The only thing Zhang Shoucai didn't do well was that, at his age, he had no children. He married dozens of concubines; some ran away, and some were given away. When he retired, he had nineteen left, with the main wife counting as one, totaling twenty. The main wife was the daughter of a general and was only in her forties. Though he'd commanded respect from women all his life, he treated his wife, thirty years his junior, with the utmost deference. All his concubines were taken before he married his current wife.
When he was in office, because his main wife had just arrived and there were many people in the government office, he didn't dare take any chances, so he only prohibited him from taking concubines. After retiring and returning to Wuhu, the large house he built, with nine rooms on the upper floor, was for his main wife to live in. Behind the upper floor, a building was constructed, with nine rooms on each floor, totaling eighteen rooms, just enough for eighteen concubines to live in. Each room had several doors that were interconnected. In order to prevent the concubines from meeting Zhang Shoucai privately, the main wife sealed off all the doors leading to the outside of the building, leaving only one main door that led to her room. Every servant had to pass her bed. The main wife believed that this was the only way to prevent Zhang Shoucai from secretly giving money to the concubines.
After Zhang Shoucai retired, local officials naturally wanted to suck up to him. Diao Maipeng was a slick old dog, so of course he also wanted to establish a good relationship with him. They first dined and drank together and later became sworn brothers, with Zhang Shoucai as the big brother and Diao Maipeng as the little brother. The two families became close, with Diao Maipeng even wearing his uniform to visit Zhang Shoucai's wife, and Zhang Shoucai taking his wife to visit Diao Maipeng's wife. Although Diao Maipeng had acted in many official positions, he was still not satisfied, so he spent money to build relationships and secured the actual position of customs official in Wuhu. Word was, Zhang Shoucai bankrolled most of it.
Although Zhang Shoucai is wealthy, he was injured in battle when he was young, indulged in excessive desires in middle age, and now that he is older, his health is very poor. He was constantly surrounded by young mistresses—no wonder his health was failing! He often feels dizzy and disoriented. When Diao Maipeng found out, he personally went to see him, going in and out of Zhang Shoucai's room without hesitation. Zhang Shoucai is old, sick, bedridden, semi-conscious, has difficulty speaking, is as thin as a skeleton, has a fever all over, and later coughed up phlegm, gasping for breath like sawing wood. Many famous doctors were consulted; each prescription needed a multi-doctor consultation, costing sixty or seventy dollars a pop. Even the cheap medicine, his wife refused to use, saying, "You get what you pay for." The more medicine he took, the worse he got, with no effect at all.
Later, Diao Maipeng recommended a doctor, saying he was from their hometown, practicing medicine in Shanghai, and was highly skilled. When Zhang's wife heard this, she immediately had Diao Maipeng write a letter, sent two messengers to invite the doctor, and gave whatever amount of money was needed. Fortunately, there was a money changer in Shanghai, making it convenient to withdraw money. When the messengers arrived in Shanghai and found the doctor's residence, the scene was very grand, with a sign on the door indicating it was a palatial residence. Strangely, there were no patients coming in. The messengers had no choice but to deliver the letter. The doctor, upon seeing that it was a recommendation from Wuhu Guandao, immediately asked for three hundred dollars per day for consultation fees, with travel expenses to be paid separately. If the patient was cured, then they could discuss further, and there was also a two thousand dollar "establishment fee." The messengers agreed to everything except the establishment fee, saying, "Since our master fell ill, we have had at least eighty to ninety doctors, and we have always been willing to pay whatever price. We have never heard of an establishment fee. If you need money, you can deduct five days' worth from the consultation fee, which is one thousand five hundred dollars." The doctor, seeing that the messengers did not agree, immediately became angry and said, "I'm not a performing monkey! I don't work for a flat fee." One of the messengers refused to pay the establishment fee, so the doctor refused to go; the other messenger, in a hurry, pleaded and apologized, kowtowing, before finally agreeing and boarding the ship. They traveled in style, first class all the way, with the finest food and drink—needless to say.
Who knew that when the doctor arrived in Wuhu, Zhang Shoucai was on his deathbed. Mrs. Zhang was frantic with worry, wishing to immediately have the doctor treat her husband and bring him back to life. However, the doctor insisted on playing hard to get, saying that he would not treat the patient immediately. He claimed that he had gotten a terrible chill on the boat and had not slept well all night, so he needed to rest for a night and would see the patient the next day. No matter how much Mrs. Zhang begged, even to the point of kneeling down, he refused to budge. He said, "I'm a professional; I need to be at my best. I can't afford to be sloppy. I need to rest for a day or two and adjust my condition before diagnosing and prescribing medication." Everyone thought his words made sense, so they had to comply. The doctor arrived in the morning but did not see the patient that day. By the evening, Zhang Shoucai was in an even worse condition, gasping for breath. Diao Maipeng had visited two or three times a day in the past few days, but unfortunately, he was busy with official duties that day and only managed to visit after finishing his work. When he saw the doctor, he asked if he had seen the patient, and the officer relayed the doctor's reasoning. Diao Maipeng said, "If the person is on the brink of death, why wait until tomorrow? Hurry and invite him in to take a look; maybe with two medicines, he can be saved. If you can't convince him, I will." Thanks to Diao Maipeng's kind persuasion, they managed to convince the doctor. So, Diao accompanied the doctor, with a dozen officers carrying lanterns, to invite the doctor to Zhang Shoucai's room. Mrs. Zhang saw the doctor and thought of him as the savior of her husband. The room was brilliantly lit. When the doctor approached the bed, he saw the patient lying there, his breathing rattling.
The doctor sat on the chair by the bed, closed his eyes, tilted his head, and felt the pulse with three fingers. After checking one hand, he moved on to the other, spending a good hour. After he finished, Mrs. Zhang anxiously asked, "How's the old man doing?" The doctor didn’t reply but asked Diao to step outside with him to write a prescription. Mrs. Zhang wanted to ask more, but the doctor had already left. Everyone said, "That guy's got a temper; some questions shouldn't be asked too much." After Diao came out, the doctor smoked his water pipe and thought about the prescription. Just as he said, "The old man's illness...", cries echoed from the room. Someone came out to report that the old man had passed away. Hearing this, Diao immediately jumped up, disregarding everything else, and went to take care of the funeral. The doctor stood there holding his pipe, dazed. Just as he was lost in thought, a constable slapped him and shouted, "You son of a bitch! Why are you still here? What are you waiting for?" Then he kicked him. The doctor felt it was pointless and said, "Where's my constable? I need to go to the magistrate's office." He continued, "You invited me here; if you want me to leave, you should send me off properly. You can't treat me like this. I need to have a good talk with Diao about this." The constable snapped, "You came this morning, and when we asked you to see the patient, you refused and were being difficult. It was only when Diao begged you that you finally went in to see him. You let him die! If you don’t leave, I’ll beat you!" As he spoke, he was about to hit him. Fortunately, Diao's steward stopped him, allowing the doctor to leave.
Anyway, speaking of Mrs. Zhang, she originally hoped that this famous doctor she invited could save the master's life with just one dose of medicine. Who knew that as soon as the doctor left, the master passed away, and chaos ensued immediately. Mrs. Zhang and the eighteen concubines cried together, their cries were deafening. Just as they were crying, someone reported, "Diao is here." Mrs. Zhang cried so hard that she seemed heartbroken. The maids helped the concubines to the back room. Diao stood at the doorway, looking at the deceased, and shed a few tears as well. Mrs. Zhang cried and kowtowed to Diao, saying, "The master has passed away, there is no one to take charge at home; we will have to rely on you for everything in the future." Diao hurriedly replied, "That's what brothers are for, Sister-in-law. Anything else I can help with?" As he spoke, he also cried.
Zhang Shoucai has passed away, and all the funeral arrangements have been made; money made everything easier. But the problem is, he held such a high position, accumulated so much wealth, and had no sons—who will inherit these things? He came from humble origins and barely knew his own relatives. His second wife, the daughter of a military officer, usually ran the household with an iron fist and kept a tight rein on the other women, but she wasn't exactly known for her wisdom. Therefore, when it came to the matter of adopting a son, she never even brought it up. Those concubines used to listen to Zhang Shoucai because he was alive. Now that he has passed away, they have all become widows, and knowing Mrs. Zhang was vulnerable, they grew bolder, with two even directly refusing to listen. At this moment, Mrs. Zhang was at her wit's end.
At the Zhang household, 49 monks were invited to chant the Liang Wang Chan repentance day and night, keeping the monks fed and busy. Two days before the "Sānqī" ceremony (the 21st day after death), a concubine asked a lady for help in organizing a few days of Buddhist rituals due to their relationship. The lady agreed, but Mrs. Zhang did not approve and insisted on waiting for the monks to finish the 49 days before allowing the nun to come. It started as a small thing, but these women got into a real fight about it. The concubine felt embarrassed when Mrs. Zhang did not approve, so she started whining and complaining, even bawling and ranting at Mr. Zhang's spirit tablet. Mrs. Zhang caught on and stopped her, asking what was going on. The concubine just lost it and said, "That man was an official his whole life, and now he can't even get a few extra days of prayers? I want him to ascend to heaven sooner and not suffer in hell! Why won't you agree to this small matter? What's the point of saving all this money? For some other guy? If my husband dies, we will all have no way out. I don't want to live either. Let's just all break ties, and I'll become a nun!" And with that, she just sobbed.
Mrs. Zhang understood and became so angry that she was trembling all over. Later, she heard something about "raising men" and got even angrier. Without thinking twice, she rushed to the bedside, opened the iron safe where Zhang Shoucai usually kept land deeds and cash, grabbed a bunch of documents, and walked to the spirit tablet, saying, "He's dead! This stuff'll just bring trouble!" She burned them all in a fire. It happened so fast; nobody could stop her. Mrs. Zhang didn't even know how much was in the safe, but it was estimated that the things she burned were worth at least two to three hundred thousand yuan. Some things could be replaced, but once the cash was gone, it was gone for good. Acting on impulse, she did this. After the fire, she wanted to burn another bundle, but several old ladies held her down in a chair, not letting her move. Mrs. Zhang was so anxious that she stomped her feet, crying and cursing. The mistress just stood there, speechless.
Just then, someone quickly ran to the government office to report the news. Diao Maipeng received the message and barged in. As soon as he entered, he heard that Mrs. Zhang had burned the family property. He hurried to the spirit front, muttering, "What in the world is going on?" Seeing smoke still coming out of the stove, he reached in to pull out the burning papers but quickly shrank back from being burned. Undeterred, he tried again and grabbed a stack of scorched contracts, the writing still barely recognizable. Diao Maipeng stomped his feet as he looked at them, thinking, "What a waste!" After examining them for a while and finding them all damaged, he could only sigh. Then he got up and walked to Mrs. Zhang. Mrs. Zhang cried with her hair disheveled and her voice hoarse, explaining the whole story. After finishing, she knelt down and refused to get up. Diao Maipeng urged her to stand, but she insisted on him being fair. Diao Maipeng thought to himself, "They're all widows, with no one to look after them. I'm the only one who can handle this." So he agreed and said, "My brother asked me to take care of things before he passed away. I originally wanted to help him with the funeral arrangements, but I've been swamped with work lately, and my brother only just died; I'm still reeling. Now that my sister-in-law's in this mess, I have to take charge." Mrs. Zhang expressed her gratitude and knocked her head again. Then she invited Diao Maipeng into the house and pointed to the cabinet, saying, "Everything my husband worked for over the years, please help me sort through it tomorrow and decide how it should be divided fairly." Diao Maipeng said, "We can't just sort through it; we need to divide it up properly. Your husband left behind more than just you. Living together like this won't work. I'll come over tomorrow and think of a solution." Mrs. Zhang has always been arbitrary, and when she heard about dividing the family property, she thought to herself, "Who else is there in this house besides me?" A shadow crossed her face.
Diao Maipeng returned to the yamen, thinking to himself: "Where did that money even come from, anyway? Now his wife burned it all up! All that money he slaved his whole life to get, and no son to leave it to—what was the point? I just wanted to help them divide the money, but Mrs. Zhang didn't look too pleased. Aw, nuts! Split it up, and it'll just end up in someone else's pockets, anyway. Tomorrow, I'll try a different tack—wait for the wife to come out, get rid of a few of those troublesome concubines, and if I can't get rid of them all, I'll give each one a smaller share; the wife gets the rest. Then she'll trust me, and everything will have to go through me from now on." He thought again: "Gotta think of both sides, not just one." And that's that.
The next day, Diao Maipeng shut himself away and slipped away to the Zhang family alone. He first went to the hall and met several veteran officers of the late General Zhang. He knew that these people had power and influence and could speak in front of Madam Zhang. He ingratiated himself with them and let everyone sit down to chat. Several veteran officers saw that he was the brother of the Zhang family and said, "Sir, we couldn't possibly sit in your presence!" Diao Maipeng replied, "Nonsense, gentlemen! Firstly, you're all officials of the Emperor. Secondly, Madam Zhang has asked me to help manage her household, and I need your advice. Let's sit and talk frankly." With no outsiders present, everyone had no choice but to sit down. Diao Maipeng first praised them for their loyalty, saying, "When the late General Zhang was alive, it was all up to you to take care of the small and big affairs." He continued, "You have followed the late General for so many years, but unfortunately, you haven't gone out to be officials. With your abilities, if you were to go out, would you fear not becoming a governor or a general, wearing the full regalia of a high-ranking officer?" Only then did he talk about his relationship with the late General. "Now that the late General is dead and no one is in charge, as his brother, I have to help him with his affairs. I can't control what others say about me." At this time, the veteran officers were all completely won over by Diao Maipeng's charm and said in unison, "Sir is the sworn brother of the late General. Now that he is gone, you are our master. Who dares to gossip? If anyone dares to spread rumors, we will be the first to disagree!" Diao Maipeng laughed heartily, "Even if someone talks, I'm not afraid! My relationship with the late General is different from others. If I were afraid of what people say, I wouldn't have come." After speaking, he walked towards the inner room. After walking a few steps, he stopped, turned around, and said, "You have all worked with the late General and seen the world. I've received orders from above requiring the recruitment of several battalions and the replacement of several battalion leaders. I think only you seasoned soldiers are competent and I need your help." When the crowd heard that Sir Diao intended to appoint them as battalion leaders, they could immediately become officials, much better than being servants now, so they hurriedly thanked him. Then, they followed Diao Maipeng into the inner room, met Madam Zhang, greeted her as usual, comforted her, and mentioned helping her with household chores. The veteran officers all felt that Diao Maipeng was a good person, and seeing that he spoke to the mistress with no ulterior motives, they left him to it and waited outside.
Diao Maipeng noticed that there were fewer people in the room before he spoke up. Madam Zhang was very pleased when she heard this and quickly said with a smile, "Our late Commander really has a good eye for friends. Only you, sir, can be entrusted with our future." She sighed again, "Our late Commander has been harmed to death by those women. In my opinion, we should drive them all away without giving them a single penny!" Diao Maipeng replied, "No way, they're getting paid." Madam Zhang fell silent. Diao Maipeng continued, "There are many capable old stewards who have contributed a lot. I would like to ask you to recommend a few of them, and I will arrange tasks for them to help me. Anyway, we don't go out, and if there are things in the house, we can call them at any time." Madam Zhang said, "This is a promotion from you, sir. You can call whoever you think is suitable. After the late Commander passes away, there won't be much to do in the house, and we were going to lay off people anyway. Now it's a win-win situation; they have a way out, and it couldn't be better." Diao Maipeng bid farewell and returned home. The next day, he wrote five or six official documents and had them sent to the Zhang Mansion. These documents appointed those old stewards as the new regimental officers. Those powerful old stewards in the Zhang Mansion were all assigned tasks by him. These people were just worried that there was no hope after the late Commander passed away, but now they suddenly got tasks, which was even better than when the late Commander was alive. Naturally, they were grateful. From then on, these people worked under Diao Maipeng. Diao Maipeng never went to the Zhang Mansion again from that day on, but that's another story. After Madam Zhang heard Diao Maipeng's words, her attitude towards those concubines suddenly changed. They ate and played together every day, and spoke very affectionately. In the past, those concubines had to pass through Madam Zhang's room when entering and exiting, but now she no longer guarded against them. She opened a door in the middle room to make it easier for them to come and go. Madam Zhang even said, "We're all the same now, so why differentiate between big and small?" The concubines were astonished by Madam Zhang's sudden change of heart.
So, these concubines, how many were from good families? In the past, they were afraid of the master and the mistress. Now that the master is dead, the mistress has lost her authority. Some concubines still behave obediently, just like before. But some have become unrestrained, giggling and flirting with the houseboys. Sometimes when the monks come to perform Buddhist rituals, they either mumble their prayers or have awful voices, and these concubines dare to scold the monks. After half a month, they often use temple visits as an excuse to go out and have fun. The mistress not only ignores them but also encourages them to go out and relax, saying, "You're all young, and the old man's gone. What's left for you? Go out and enjoy yourselves while you can. Unlike me, I've been sick as a dog ever since he died – no time for fun!" From that day on, Mrs. Zhang feigned illness and stopped eating. Seeing her like this, those concubines became even more unrestrained in going out to play, while the mistress just slept it off and didn't bother them. The Zhang family lived like this for a month.
During this month, Diao Maipeng, claiming he was swamped with work, did not visit the Zhang family at all. But he often summoned the several officials newly assigned to the general's household and instructed them, saying, "During this time, because I've been busy with official duties, I haven't been to your commander's family. After the commander passed away, leaving behind these young women, I really can't rest assured. When you have time, you must go back to look after them and give me a hand." The officials all agreed and privately discussed, saying, "Wow, Diao's really looking out for us! He's a true friend of the General!"
Two more days passed, and on the first day of the New Year, Diao Maipeng went to the City God Temple to burn incense and paid his respects, saying, "There seems to be a note under the altar; let's see what this is." Someone picked it up and handed it to him. He pretended to look at it, then hid it in his sleeve and left in a sedan chair. At that time, all the officials saw it. Diao Maipeng returned to the yamen, took off his clothes, asked the others to leave, and kept only the officials with him to show them the note. He complained about himself while blaming them, saying, "I have repeatedly told you that I have been busy with official duties recently and can't often go to your military commander's residence. Moreover, the master is not here now, the mansion is full of women, and it's not proper for me to be going there often. That's why I instructed you to go back and keep an eye on things, just to prevent any trouble and avoid being laughed at. Even if nothing really happens, it's not good to have rumors spread. You didn't listen to me, and now look what’s happened! Someone wrote an anonymous letter. That low-life who wrote this! Why couldn't they just say it straight, instead of dragging the widow's family into it? I must find out who this person is and punish him severely. Fortunately, I found it. If someone else had found it and spread it, my reputation would be even worse." Diao Maipeng spoke while the officials agreed, and they looked at the anonymous letter. Two of them knew how to read, and they read out the four lines of poetry on the letter: "There's gossip swirling around Wuhu, the commander's been letting people slip through his fingers. Women are lining up at his door every day, all for the sake of cheap thrills with the local lads and randy monks." The two officials were soldiers; although they could read, they did not understand the meaning of the poem. After reading it, they were stunned. Diao Maipeng deliberately explained each line to them, and everyone finally got it.
One of the gruff officers, upon hearing these words, raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes, and angrily said, "What in the world is going on? The old man was a big shot, now he's dead and his reputation's in the toilet. I'm a bit indignant about this. My wife's been sick in bed for the past half month. This must be the doing of those other women. When my wife is sick and no one is there to keep them in line, they become lawless. Boss, now that the old man's gone, you're the only one who can keep those women in line. I kneel here to ask you to take care of them!" So everyone knelt down. Diao Maipeng furrowed his brow and said, "This is a tough nut to crack, and I'm not sure I can handle it. Well, I'll figure something out. You all go out first, find out what's going on and who wrote that anonymous letter. Once you find the person, I’ll deal with it. Besides, if I found one, there are probably more. Keep your eyes peeled." The officers left.
Two officials returned to the mansion and told Mrs. Zhang about the matter. Mrs. Zhang just sat there for a while before saying, "I'm sick as a dog; I haven't got the energy to deal with them. Go and investigate first, find any evidence, tell me, and then I will ask them." The officers left, furious that Mrs. Zhang wasn't doing anything. "With the old man gone, nobody's in charge! Those women are running wild!"
Two days later, the two bad-tempered cops returned from the teahouse, and as they approached the gate, they saw a crowd gathered in front of the shadow wall. They stopped to take a look and saw a notice posted on the wall. Everyone was looking at it and discussing, but couldn't figure out the meaning. You won't believe this: the notice was the same as the one Mr. Diao had found in the City God Temple two days ago, except that the second sentence "The military bigwig's using back channels" was changed to "The big shots are using back channels," with only four words changed. Those two cops blew a gasket the second they saw it. Ignoring the crowd, they immediately stepped forward and took down the notice. Without returning to the yamen, they went directly to Zhang's mansion with the notice in hand, having the old lady announce, "It's urgent, we need to see the Madam!" So the Madam let 'em in.
Two constables found Mrs. Zhang, didn’t say anything, and pushed a piece of paper in front of her, saying, “Here, take a look at this!” Mrs. Zhang pretended not to know and asked, “What’s this all about?” The constables replied, “Diao received the exact same paper last time. We’re here to report to Madam and ask you to keep those concubines in line; don’t let them run around everywhere, their reputation is too bad. You said you didn’t have time for it back then. Now it’s even affecting your reputation.” Mrs. Zhang was anxious, “What’s this got to do with me?!” The constables said, “Doesn’t it say they’ve hurt you too?” Mrs. Zhang read it once, still didn’t understand, called the accountant to read it to her, and then understood. She was furious! Her face fell, she stood up, didn’t give a damn who was watching, hair disheveled, in her nightclothes, rushed to the family shrine, slapped it, and cried out, “When he was alive, that good-for-nothing took his salary but did nothing for the country! All he did was steal money from the army to keep his mistresses! Other men might have a couple, but he had dozens! He wasn’t running a brothel, was he? Why so many women? And now that he’s dead, I’m stuck with this mess! I have to take the blame for his sins, and my reputation's ruined!” She cried and scolded, and asked someone to fetch Diao, “Go get Diao, now! He was the master’s good brother, but after the master died, he didn’t even come to visit; he doesn’t care about our family anymore! Those mistresses, who is having an affair, who is showing off, who is flirting with monks, he’s a local official, he has the power to investigate! I’ve been too sick to go out, but it’s all come out anyway.”
"Find out which hussy did the bad things—I’ll get even with her! If we can’t figure it out, I’ll run off and become a nun and be done with it! Living here, they’ve trashed my reputation! I can’t stand it!" She urged someone to quickly invite Mr. Diao, saying, "Where is he? Wasn’t he pals with the master? The master died, and he didn’t even bother to ask about it! He didn’t give a damn when he was alive, so what’s he going to say now?"
Just as they were arguing, Master Diao arrived. As soon as he stepped in, Mrs. Zhang knelt down, crying, "Oh, Master Diao, save me! If you don't help me, I will die in front of you today!" Suddenly, she whipped out a shiny pair of scissors from her sleeve and dropped them on the ground. Mr. Diao quickly waved his hand, "Please, don't! Calm down! Let's talk this out. Before he died, my brother asked me to help him, and I must do my best! Get up quickly! Get up quickly!" Mrs. Zhang didn't get up at first, but when she heard Mr. Diao promise to help, she knocked her head and got up, sitting on a low stool in front of the spiritual tablet. Mr. Diao also sat down. Mrs. Zhang then explained everything that had just happened. Mr. Diao said, "It's understandable that Mrs. Zhang is furious. She has been sick at home all this time, and suddenly got involved in this, of course she's angry. But this matter concerns the reputation of the mansion; it'll ruin the family's reputation and is also disrespectful to my brother. In my opinion, she needs to lay down the law and give those girls a good talking to." The bailiff interrupted, "Last time when the letter arrived, we came back to tell Madam to control them and not let them go out. Madam didn't listen, and now something has happened." Mr. Diao said, "Yes, I did instruct you that way at the time." Mrs. Zhang said, "I used to ignore them, treating them like human beings, considering their feelings. But now it has come to this, everyone's dignity is lost! If Sir is willing to help and honor my deceased husband, think of a way to deal with those hussies. If not, I will just die!" With that, she picked up the scissors and was about to cut her neck, scaring everyone who quickly took it away. Diao Maipeng pretended to be indecisive and asked everyone, "What's the plan?" Everyone looked at each other, without any ideas. Mrs. Zhang anxiously asked Mr. Diao, "What's going on exactly?" The messenger was straightforward, saying, "With the master gone, you're the head of the household now, Madam. You can't even think about leaving, let alone killing yourself!"
Zhang Tai-tai said, "Staying here and suffering, all the blame for the bad things done falls on me. Since they won't let me die, or at least not yet, I absolutely cannot live with this group of scheming women!" The official said, "Zhang Tai-tai has said so much, it seems that persuasion is not possible. There is no way now; we'll need to get the head of the household to call out those concubines and ask them. Whoever is honest can stay and live with Zhang Tai-tai in the future, following her rules. Those who don't like it can hit the road, so as not to cause trouble together." Zhang Tai-tai said, "I can't stand any of them!" Diao Maipeng said, "There are good and bad apples; you can't tar them all with the same brush. Even if they're allowed to live separately, there must be rules; they can't just do whatever they want." Zhang Tai-tai said, "What rules? They all have their own money stashed away, so they won't go broke, will they? I can't touch a penny of public money! If they're unhappy, they can just leave! When I wasn't here before, I heard that many concubines were sent away—it's not unusual. These years, thanks to my good management, nothing chaotic happened. Now that the military leader has just passed away, not even seven sevens have passed, and they have all changed. If you're doing this for old times' sake, and can handle these scheming women easily, even giving them money, that's not acceptable!" Diao Maipeng whispered, "Come on, bro, you know how it is. But doing so, others will think we are too harsh; it's better to just let them live apart. I will spread the word; it's best not to let them live in Wuhu. Far away, we can't see or hear them. To be frank, even if they run away with someone, it has nothing to do with us; we are clean and clear. What do you think, Big Sis? I heard there are about twenty concubines in total..." Zhang Tai-tai said, "Eighteen." Diao Maipeng said, "We'll have to do this gradually; we can't do it all at once. If there are really a few honest ones, we can leave two to keep Big Sis company. Today, I will send away those who are always trying to get away, and deal with the rest tomorrow." Zhang Tai-tai thought what he said made sense, so she nodded without saying a word.
Diao Maipeng turned around and said to everyone, "I'm practically family to you all, you see, and there are some things I should also take care of. But today, we can't go by this anonymous letter. I won't investigate who was right or wrong according to it. The old man's gone, and the lady of the house is now the head of the family. Whatever she says, no one can disobey. If any of you ladies feel dissatisfied with her rules, keep running around town, and give her a bad name, then that's on you. She swears she won't live with you all anymore. I've tried to advise you, but it's no use. This can't go on. If we don't resolve it today, there will be more trouble tomorrow, even worse than today, and I won't be able to handle it. So, I figure it's best if you all go your separate ways. I'm stepping in to sort this out, and I won't let anyone get the short end of the stick. Today, I’ll help arrange for those willing to leave to find a new place to live within two weeks. If you still don't move out after two weeks, it means you want to stay here with her. She won't make it difficult for you; she'll still share money with you, but you're never allowed to leave the house again. So think it over – which is better?"
Mrs. Zhang said, "How much should each family get for those who are leaving? Please let Diao give the order." Diao Maipeng said, "You're the one to decide, Mrs. Zhang." Mrs. Zhang refused and insisted that Diao should decide. Diao Maipeng had no choice but to say, "Today I'll arrange it; it's the same whether they leave or stay. As for leaving or not, you decide for yourselves. Keep your clothes and jewelry. Each of you gets a separate interest slip from the pawnshop, dividing all of the elder brother's pawnshops among you. The principal is thirty thousand; you can only take the interest. In addition, each person will get a thousand taels of silver for moving. Those who aren't leaving won't receive this." Mrs. Zhang thought it was too much. Diao Maipeng said, "They're still part of the family, and the family's got this money, so we can't shortchange them." After that, he said to the two runners, "You two stay here for two days. It's awkward for me to ask them directly, and it's awkward for them to talk to me. Today, please have the accountant call all the pawnshop managers here and get those interest slips written up for them, pronto. If anyone wants to leave, with you here, it will be easier to help out. For those who aren't leaving, I'll discuss with Mrs. Zhang how to arrange it." After saying this, Diao Maipeng took his leave. The ladies inside the mourning hall heard everything clearly. Some, already decided to stay. Some who were stubborn and unwilling said, "I ain't leaving! Let him try to stop me!" But then they thought, "We've put up with enough of the old bat! With thirty thousand taels in interest plus our own savings, we're outta here! Time to live it up!" So they stopped making a fuss. Some who originally didn't want to leave, after some whispering from others or the maids, also felt more comfortable going out. Therefore, fifteen out of eighteen decided to go. To find out what happens next, tune in next time!
