Longzhu entered Boss Hu's room and saw that he was already awake, so he quickly poured him a cup of tea. After Boss Hu finished the tea, Longzhu took out his pipe and sat by the bed to fill it for him. As he filled the pipe, they chatted, and the conversation turned to recommending his father. Longzhu tried his best to charm him and pestered him relentlessly to help his father get a job as a deputy. Boss Hu was afraid of gossip and flat out refused. But Longzhu wouldn't give up, so Boss Hu finally relented and told him to go see Old Man Zhou. Longzhu said, "If Zhou says no, I'll come back." Boss Hu replied, "If he doesn't agree now, just ask him again, and he’ll definitely say yes." Longzhu said, "No, I’m going to see Zhou, and I’ll tell him you sent me." Boss Hu's face darkened: "Cut it out!" With that, he lay back down to sleep.
Little Dragon was worried about holding up his dad's promotion, so he ran to the outer cabin to find Zhou Lao Ye. Unexpectedly, the outer cabin was crowded with people, including officers, crew, and even the captain's cook, all talking to Zhou Lao Ye. Because the captain was sleeping, they dared not speak loudly and gathered around Zhou Lao Ye to talk quietly. Zhou Lao Ye just nodded and shook his head, no idea what was going on. He even saw the cook bowing down to him. After those people dispersed, a group of people stood at the front of the boat. Zhou Lao Ye shooed them away, not wanting to wake the captain. Although these people did not dare to come in, they also refused to leave. Zhou Lao Ye had no choice but to close the cabin door. Little Dragon went back to plead with him. Zhou Lao Ye got it – a chance to brown-nose the captain! He agreed right away. By the time the recommendation was written, it was dawn. The crew went all out, fixing Zhou Lao Ye a bowl of porridge and some side dishes in the back cabin. Little Dragon went to the forward cabin to confirm that the captain was still sleeping, then returned to tell Zhou Lao Ye, "The captain'll be out for a while. You've been up for two days straight, Zhou Lao Ye, get some rest." Zhou Lao Ye said, "I really can't hold on anymore!" After speaking, he lay down on the boat owner's bed and fell asleep. Little Dragon covered him with a blanket. The boat owner said it was chilly and grabbed another blanket. Zhou Lao Ye quickly said politely, "You're a promoted man now, we're colleagues! Don't worry about it." The boat owner replied, "Don't be silly! I wouldn't have this job if it weren't for you!" Zhou Lao Ye was really too tired, and as soon as he lay down, he fell asleep. And with that, Zhou Lao Ye finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted but happy.
When Zhou woke up, it was already one o'clock. He jumped up, splashed water on his face, and grabbed the papers to find Commander Hu. Hu was comfortably lying in bed, and when he took the documents, he said, "Thanks for your hard work!" After reading them, the first page was a full report on the bandit crackdown, then a list of folks to recommend, and finally some paperwork to file later. It was just a preliminary list, to be added to later. Hu read it, no problem. He had it copied and put Zhou's name at the top.
After a banquet on the Commander's ship, Magistrate Zhuang bid farewell and entered the city. He got to the yamen and found a huge crowd. Upon entering, villagers were on their knees by his sedan chair, begging for justice. Zhuang immediately got off the sedan chair and personally helped up the two elderly people at the front. Before they could speak, he said, "Those bastards! I've told the Commander, and they'll pay—their heads'll be on display at your village gate!" He kept talking as he walked into the hall and sat down.
At this time, the bailiffs stood on both sides, and the lanterns and torches in the hall shone as bright as daylight. After Magistrate Zhuang sat down, the complaining villagers knelt down in the hall. Magistrate Zhuang frowned and said sorrowfully, "You poor folks! I am your official, and you are my subjects. When the sons of the world are bullied, can the hearts of the parents not ache? Today's matter, even if you did not come to beg me, I will definitely punish the culprits severely." Before Magistrate Zhuang finished speaking, the villagers kneeling in the hall shouted together, "Lord Qingtian, you're a true public servant! You understand our hardships; you've said exactly what we feel. You are truly Lord Qingtian! We don't need to say anything else." When Magistrate Zhuang heard this, he knew that the matter could be easily resolved, so he said, "You go down first to discuss everything—who was murdered, whose homes were robbed, who was assaulted, whose houses were burned. Write it all down and bring it to me. Tomorrow morning, I will take your complaints to the ship to ask the commander for the people. I'll have them executed right away, and you'll get your answers in person." The villagers all bowed their heads to thank Magistrate Zhuang for his grace, and then they all retreated, praising him one after another.
After Magistrate Zhuang left the hall, he immediately drafted a notice and posted it overnight. The notice read: "The commander's word is law. This military operation to eliminate bandits is to keep the peace. Fearing that there may be unruly soldiers harassing the people, the commander specifically ordered me: if there are the above-mentioned situations, with solid evidence, you are allowed to come to the county yamen to accuse. After investigation, they will be dealt with according to military law, without leniency." After the notice was posted, Magistrate Zhuang finally went back to his room to sleep for a while. Early the next morning, he first reported this matter to the prefectural yamen, and the prefect hesitated after hearing it, asking him to go to the outskirts of the city to find the commander first. At this time, the commander was still sleeping, and the steward dared not wake him up. Magistrate Zhuang waited in the official hall until 1:30 AM, feeling hungry. He wanted to go back to the yamen to eat before coming back, but someone came to say that the commander had woken up, so he had no choice but to wait it out.
After ages, around half past two, a shout came from the boat: "Come on board!" Mr. Zhuang boarded the ship, greeted Commander Hu with a toast and thanks, then sat down to discuss official business slowly. Mr. Zhuang laid out what happened last night, saying, "I heard it on the boat last night, but I wasn't sure it was true, so I stayed put." Commander Hu, upon hearing this, remembered what his servant Cao Sheng had said yesterday, realizing it was true, and wasn't best pleased and didn't say anything for ages. Seeing Commander Hu's face like thunder, Mr. Zhuang quickly flattered him: "I've got a plan, guv. Those yokels won't get a word in edgeways, and you won't have to lift a finger." Commander Hu hurriedly asked, "What plan?" Mr. Zhuang then detailed his plan from start to finish. At first, Commander Hu just listened, but gradually a smile appeared on his face, and in the end, he burst into laughter, exclaiming, "Brilliant, brilliant! Thanks a million, mate! You've been a lifesaver!" He then added, "I've already told the big boss, and you're in line for a promotion and a title!" Mr. Zhuang quickly expressed his gratitude and took his leave.
Back at the yamen, Mr. Zhuang immediately called all the blokes in from the courthouse, prepared to hold a court session, and had someone notify the city garrison to come and look good. With everything ready, Mr. Zhuang sat on the magistrate's seat and called in those who had filed complaints to question them. Mr. Zhuang pulled a long face and said to them, "Those soldiers were a disgrace! I'll make an example of a few today to show I'm on your side! I have already informed Commander Hu about all the affected families, and they will receive a decent payout. Have you written your complaints? Bring them to me so I can distribute money to you." Upon hearing this, with money to receive and grievances to be redressed, they all bowed down and quickly presented their complaints.
After Zhuang finished reading the complaint, he instructed his subordinates: "According to the contents of the complaint, Zhao Da's house was burned, and a worker was killed. They suffered the biggest loss, so they should be compensated with fifty taels of silver!" Immediately, a hefty gold ingot was slapped down. Zhao Da was overjoyed, unable to close his mouth, while the others watched with envious eyes, feeling green with envy. The remaining money was divided among Er, San, Si, Wu, Liu, Qi, and Ba, each receiving between ten and forty taels. Zhuang comforted those who suffered the most loss, pointing to one person and saying, "You said your wife and daughter were raped; this is the most serious matter. Investigate it thoroughly and make an example of those responsible! However, we need to be sure we have the right man, so you must clearly identify who raped your wife and daughter; do not make false accusations! Have you brought your wife and daughter here?" The man replied, "They were brought here together yesterday." Zhuang said, "Very good. Set your wife aside for now; once we have examined your daughter, I will immediately nab the perpetrators." The man was speechless. Zhuang continued, "The most important thing in a lawsuit is evidence! Only with evidence can we collar people! Your complaints are here; think quickly about who the witnesses are! Not only do we need evidence for this matter, but we also need to find out who killed Zhao Da's worker and who set the house on fire. Hurry up and find the criminals; I am waiting to handle the case!" They just stared at each other, speechless. Zhuang said, "Go back and think about it; maybe you will remember something." The crowd retreated, discussing it in a flurry of voices, but still unable to make sense of it. The daughter who was raped heard that she would be examined and flat-out refused to go back, causing a commotion, but in the end, she wouldn't return to court.
Anyway, the notice posted by Zhuang has been known throughout the villages and towns. Who wouldn't want to come forward to file a complaint if they have been victimized? In a flash, hundreds of people had gathered at the yamen, with two scholar-warriors leading the way, demanding to see the official. Zhuang, upon hearing the news and knowing that handling the crowd would be a pain, had the gate opened and invited the two scholar-warriors into the main hall. Initially, the two scholar-warriors were cocky and full of themselves, taking advantage of the crowd. However, upon hearing a polite "please" and seeing the magistrate personally welcoming them, with soldiers and bailiffs lining the hall, their bravado evaporated. Seeing this, others dared not speak and followed them into the yamen, standing in the main hall without daring to say a word.
Zhuang welcomed the two scholar-warriors into the main hall. Upon seeing the magistrate, they quickly knelt down and kowtowed, then stood up and bowed. Zhuang invited them to sit down and served them tea, making them feel uneasy and at a loss, unsure of what to say. They wanted to speak but didn't know where to start. The lead scholar even began to tremble. Without waiting for them to speak, Zhuang began his usual act: laying into the soldiers for their crimes and championing the villagers. The scholars felt Zhuang had stolen their thunder and couldn't utter a word except for agreeing repeatedly. Zhuang immediately pressed them, "Quickly investigate the victims, find the real culprit, and I will handle the case immediately!" The two scholar-warriors were squirming in their seats, dying to get out of there. Zhuang practically shooed them out.
They both returned to the crowd, figuring things out, when they bumped into the person who had just come down from the hall. When they met, they still couldn't name names. Just as they were in a dilemma, the magistrate posted another notice. Everyone crowded around to see, pushing them to find the killer and bring him to justice. After reading it, everyone felt extremely frustrated, but couldn't find a solution. Moreover, it was a matter of life and death, not something to mess around with. If they wrongly accused someone, they would be haunted by their ghosts, which would be even more troublesome. So after discussing for a long time, they still couldn't come up with a solution.
After a while, they heard someone inside shouting, "The magistrate's calling everyone who filed a complaint back to court." Everyone had no choice but to return to the hall and kneel down. The magistrate, looking stern, snapped, "Have you found the culprit? Do you have any evidence?" Everyone looked at each other and had nothing to say.
The magistrate said, "I'm trying to help you, but you're lying to me? That's not on! Your complaints are in my hands, and I have reported them to my boss. If my boss asks for evidence, I will have to ask you for the person. If you cannot find the person, not only will you have to return the compensation money you received earlier, but you will also be punished for false accusations! Think about it, what crimes are murder, arson, and rape? How many heads do you think you have? You're already in trouble, and now you want to make it worse? I see you are pitiful; why didn't you clarify things before filing a complaint?" Everyone bowed their heads low, unable to say a word. The magistrate forced them to speak quickly, telling them to identify the culprit, but they still couldn't. The magistrate blew up, "What is wrong with you? How am I supposed to explain this to my boss? There is only one way now, name the killer, and he'll hang. Otherwise, you're all going down for lying!" Upon hearing this, everyone knelt down and begged for mercy.
Old Master Zhuang saw that they were afraid, so he took advantage of the situation even more. At one moment he said he would take them to the magistrate's boat, and at another, he said since there's no proof, they shouldn't have taken that money in the first place, and he wanted them to return it. Everyone refused, crying and kowtowing. Old Master Zhuang said, "You poor saps, but you're also infuriating! If you want to get justice, why not identify the real culprit and let me help you? Now you have nowhere to get what's coming to you, and you'll be accused of false accusations. Fortunately, I know where you're coming from. If it were someone else, you guys would be toast today! What do you want to do now? Tell me, and I'll help you sort things out." Everyone said, "What else can we say? We are the master's people. As long as the master takes care of us a little, he's our savior." Old Master Zhuang listened, did not speak, furrowed his brow, and then said, "This is gonna be a real headache. Letting you go is easy enough, but I'll have to answer for you to the magistrate." Everyone kept kowtowing.
Magistrate Zhuang asked again, "The house burned down, the workers died, and things were stolen, is that true?" Everyone said, "Yes." He asked again, "Is it true that women were raped?" Those women who were raped could only cry and dared not answer. Magistrate Zhuang said, "Now I only have one way to give you a way out. Not only will I not punish you for false accusations, but each of you can also receive a bit of money." Hearing this, they all kowtowed. Magistrate Zhuang said, "I know these things were done by soldiers, but without evidence, how can we punish them? Now, to help you get off the hook, you must push all these things onto the bandits. Each of you write a statement, only mentioning how you were ravaged by the bandits, asking me to sort this out for you. Also write a receipt, stating how much compensation you received. I will take these to the superiors to plead for you. If it works, great; if not, tough luck." Everyone said, "Magistrate, seeking help from the superiors will surely work." Magistrate Zhuang said, "Let's give it a try. However, since you said the bandits caused the harm, besides dealing with the bandits, you as civilians must also chip in." Everyone thought the superiors wanted money and cried together, "We have been ruined by the bandits; how can we afford to show appreciation to the superiors? Please show mercy, Magistrate!" Magistrate Zhuang said, "The superiors don't care about your money! Just give them some 'umbrellas for the people' before leaving (a customary gift, essentially a bribe), isn't that enough? How much can one person give?" Everyone listened, kowtowed again, thanked the Magistrate for his grace, and went off to rewrite their statements and collect their money.
The first group of people are done with; now it's time to deal with the second group. The second group also has no real evidence, and seeing the fate of the people in front of them, they were already terrified. Magistrate Zhuang originally wanted to hand down a verdict immediately, but seeing too many people and fearing trouble, he called it a day and asked for the two leaders, Wuxiucai, to come in. Then he asked these two scholars to invite a dozen or so local bigwigs to the hall. The two scholars had seen officials before, and the gentry were all shaking like leaves. Magistrate Zhuang comforted them, asked them to sit down and talk, and first said to the two scholars: "I am so angry today! These people are hateful; they want justice but can't provide evidence. I'm not asking for Zhang San or Li Si; do you think I’m going to randomly kill people? Even if I want to help them seek justice, the higher-ups won't agree; they'll ask me to arrest them and punish them for false accusations. Do you think this is fair? I pity them, so I came up with a solution: not only to avoid punishment, but also for each person to receive some compensation. I’m also doing right by the people of Jiande." The two scholars said together, "Your Honor's kindness is truly appreciated; you're a father to us all." The gentry also praised Magistrate Zhuang repeatedly. Magistrate Zhuang then got to the point, asking the two scholars: "You are scholars; you understand the laws of the emperor. This time, you must have found the real culprit, not only seeking justice for the villagers but also helping me clear my name." The two scholars blushed, unable to say a word, sitting there very uneasy. Magistrate Zhuang then said to the gentry: "You are all older folks; as the saying goes, 'young folks aren't always dependable.' People like you must be trustworthy and won't wrong others, right?" However, although these gentry were respected in the countryside, they became tongue-tied around authority. Magistrate Zhuang said a word, and they agreed, but when asked for specific details, they all looked at each other and remained silent. Magistrate Zhuang, puzzled, said, "Why is no one speaking? I'm an impatient person; as long as you tell me who the culprit is, I want to deal with them right away!" Still, no one spoke.
Old Master Zhuang dragged his feet, repeatedly questioning the two scholars who remained silent throughout. He then sternly said, "What in the blazes is going on here? Think you're playing games? Others may get away with it, but you two are scholars! False accusations are a crime, forcing your way in is a crime, causing trouble in a group is a crime, and disturbing the peace at the yamen is a crime! You know the law, yet you break it – what kind of behavior is that?!" The two scholars were frightened and quickly knelt down, kowtowing, "Master, spare us! Those opera students are illiterate and unreasonable. We will go back and study hard. If anything bad happens again and reaches your ears, we will both take the blame together!" They continued kowtowing, the sound echoing loudly. Several respected elders also knelt down, pleading together, "We persuaded everyone to leave, please calm down, Master!"
Old Master Zhuang was secretly amused but maintained a serious demeanor, helping the two scholars up and letting everyone sit down. He pretended to lecture for a while, then decided to release the elders and temporarily keep the two scholars in the city, awaiting further orders. The crowd was grateful, almost scaring the two scholars to death! Old Master Zhuang then continued to play the peacemaker, saying, "Go back and tell everyone to return home. In a few days, I will go to the countryside myself to check things out. If there are indeed any losses, I will make it up to them." Everyone was even more grateful. However, the two scholars were pale with fear, kneeling down again to beg for mercy. Old Master Zhuang, looking up and stroking his beard, slowly said, "False accusations are a serious crime, and I cannot bear that responsibility." Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, everyone knelt down together, their heads bobbing like crazy.
Mr. Zhuang said, "You folks are just ordinary people, and ignorance can be forgiven. But these two scholars have received an education; how could they not understand the law? I'll give 'em a break. I'm sending them to the schoolhouse, under the teacher's supervision, till I talk to the magistrate." When the two scholars heard they would be reported to the magistrate, they were terrified, afraid of losing their official positions and livelihoods, and begged even more desperately. The crowd also followed suit in pleading.
Mr. Zhuang thought to himself that he'd laid down the law and was happy to go along with it. He said to the elderly, "I understand the hardships of the people, and I’ll cut them some slack. These two scholars should behave themselves; if they act like this to me, imagine what they do to the country folk! So I’ll keep them here to see if they’ve been up to any mischief. Since you’re all pleading for them, I’ll do you a favor and let them go for now. In the future, if I need them, you must produce them whenever I ask. If you fail to do so, I’ll come after you! Can you be their guarantors?" The crowd answered in unison, "Yes!" Mr. Zhuang said nothing more. The scholars and the crowd thanked him and left.
A pre-written statement was quickly finalized in the side room, along with two official documents: one reporting a bandit uprising and requesting reinforcements; the other praising the leader for restoring order, while also stating the suffering of the people and requesting disaster relief and compensation. At first, the villagers were unwilling to write this way, saying, "Zhuang has been very good to us, but the soldiers under the leader are lawless. We have suffered enough and cannot say the word 'good'." Zhuang privately had someone persuade them, "If you don't praise the leader, how can he be willing to provide compensation? Without proof, you're stuck. Better to get something out of it, right? If you don't write like this, Zhuang won't be able to help you in front of the leader. And if you piss Zhuang off, he'll really come down on you. Can you handle that?" They reluctantly agreed, stamped it, and gave it to Zhuang to look over. Seeing that both sides had no objections, Zhuang let them go.
On that day, the big issue was resolved, and he felt much relieved. He immediately took the official documents out of the city to meet the leader. After hearing the report, the leader gratefully said, "Apply for whatever you need, I'll approve it right away, and you can claim it back later." He invited him to dinner and asked, "How many years have you been in office?" Zhuang replied, "More than two years." The leader asked again, "After all these years, you must've saved a bundle, right?" Zhuang said, "I had a large deficit before, and with a large family, even though I was promoted, after 23 years in office, I not only did not save any money, but also had a deficit of over 30,000 taels of silver. But I've got a little wiggle room." The leader said, "Twenty-three years in the red and still broke? That's rough." Zhuang said, "I'm not greedy, so even though others make ten thousand, I only make seven thousand. Plus, I have a lot of expenses, some I had to cover upfront, and some people still owe me, but I don't sweat the small stuff, so the debt just keeps piling up."
Hu, the commander said, "Thanks to your efforts this time, I won't make you pay in advance anymore. Just come and get it whenever you like. Even if it comes to another 18,000 taels, that's fine. It will all be reimbursed in the future." Master Zhuang replied, "Thanks for your understanding, I really appreciate that! Each person in the countryside receives only three taels of silver; I will reimburse myself. As for your reward, I couldn't possibly accept that. I’m old and can’t do much anymore. I have two sons, a brother, and a son-in-law. If you could promote them in the future, that would be a great favor." After speaking, he bowed. Hu, the commander returned the gesture and said, "This is easy; let’s get them to submit their applications soon." Master Zhuang said, "I'll have them prepared and submitted tomorrow."
Now, you see, Hu, the commander, as a soldier, can’t control his subordinates and often bullies the common people. If the common people were to file a complaint, he'd be in big trouble. Thanks to Master Zhuang's clever strategy, the folks in the countryside not only didn’t file a complaint or seek redress but also praised Hu, the commander, and even wrote a guarantee letter. That was that, case closed, with irrefutable evidence. Not even Bao Zheng could overturn this. That's how it's done, a sign of a seasoned official. How could Hu, the commander not be grateful?
Leader Hu thought, under the guise of condolences, he wanted Zhuang to reimburse him for 18,000 taels. After all, it was the emperor's money, so spending it was not a big deal, and it was a total win-win! In the future, when reimbursing, he could negotiate with Zhuang to stamp it, and the money could be spent freely, all of it lining his own pockets. So Leader Hu was even happier and agreed on the spot. He asked Zhuang if he could add another name if he needed to write a petition. Zhuang thanked him again. Thinking of his two sons, his second son was born to his concubine, so he was more fond of him. His son was only twelve, but they added a few years to his age for the appointment, making him seventeen. He immediately recommended him. Leader Hu agreed. After chatting a few more words, he took his leave and returned to the city.
As soon as Leader Hu entered the yamen and got off the sedan chair, someone brought an official summons saying that Master Lu had sent two soldiers to escort a servant for the master to judge. It was said that this servant had stolen twenty Mexican dollars from Master Lu. Zhuang said, "I've been busy all day today; I haven't got time for this petty stuff. However, I can't afford to offend Master Lu, so let's lock him up first and see what happens." The bailiff agreed and went out to give instructions, then gave a receipt to the accused. Because the accused was to be treated as a thief, he was handed over to the constable for safekeeping.
It turns out that Boss Lu's follower is surnamed Wang and his name is Changgui. He is from Shanyang County in Huai'an Prefecture and has some distant relatives with Boss Lu. Boss Lu became a small leader on the cannon boat and got his relative, Wang Changgui, a job as his steward, providing food and board. This Wang Changgui loves gambling, and whenever he has some downtime, he'd gamble with the sailors and soldiers. Unfortunately, he gambled away everything, down to his last pair of trousers and long shirt. October winds whipped at him by the river, and he shivered, but he couldn't resist a gamble. Although Boss Lu is a small leader now, money was tight. Since arriving in Yanzhou, he suddenly started splashing the cash, with jingling coins in his pocket. One night, he even threw a banquet on the Jiangshan Ship and invited friends to dinner. Wang Changgui wondered, "Where's he getting all this money since he got to Yanzhou?" He noticed Boss Lu frequently took money from a small box he always carried.
So, here's what went down: one day, Mr. Lu wasn’t on the ship. Wang Changgui and the sailors were playing a card game and lost money again. The winners gave him a mouthful, and he couldn’t take it. When everyone went ashore to have fun, he pretended to have a stomach ache, saying he couldn’t go ashore and stayed on the ship to watch it, letting the others go out to play. Of course, they were happy to leave him behind. After everyone left, he secretly pried open a box. Fearing being seen, he rummaged around for ages and found the money, shoving it in his pocket and slamming the box shut. When everyone returned, he quickly paid off the debt of two dollars and two cents. The crew were a rough bunch; as long as the debt was paid off, no one cared where the money came from. But he knew in his heart: "What if Mr. Lu found out?" After thinking for a while, he decided, "I still have more than seventeen bucks on me. I’ll just take a few days off and go home. Even if it’s discovered, they won’t suspect me. I’ll keep my ears open and come back in a few days." With his plan set, he waited a bit. When Mr. Lu returned to the ship, he asked for leave, saying his mother was sick and he needed to return to his hometown overnight. Mr. Lu agreed. He had next to nothing – just some pawn tickets and his loot – and scarpered. Stuff like that happened all the time on the boat; nobody really cared.
However, that night, Mr. Lu needed money, opened the box to get it, and found that twenty bucks was missing. He blew a fuse and turned the boat upside down looking for it. After coming up empty, he remembered Wang Changgui. He immediately sent people to search for him. After searching high and low, they actually found him in a smoking house, about to leave. They hauled him back to the boat, and sure enough, they found the money on him. Mr. Lu was furious, slapped Wang Changgui several times, and immediately sent him to be interrogated by the magistrate, which is how he ended up in the clink.
The copper took him to the prison cell. When the thief saw the copper, he was as scared as a rabbit caught in headlights. The copper asked him, and he dared not lie. He confessed everything from losing money to stealing money. Although he was Lu's follower, at this moment, the copper had no time for sentiment and treated him like a thief. As soon as he arrived in the prison cell, he was ordered to undress. Fortunately, he didn't have much clothing, so he took off his long robe, leaving only a shirt and trousers. The copper also told him to take off his hat and socks. Unexpectedly, with a jingle, a couple of quid fell to the ground. The copper was surprised and asked, "How come you still have money on you?" Wang Changgui said, "You're a clever one, aren't you?" The copper slapped him and scolded, "Who’s your boss? Don't be daft!" Wang Changgui quickly changed his words and called him sir, then he had nothing to say. The copper asked, "Didn't you say that all the money you nicked from the master was taken away? How come you still have some? Where did you steal this from?" Wang Changgui said, "This is also the master's fancy money." The copper asked, "How much did you actually nick from him?" Wang Changgui said, "I took a total of twenty quid from him, paid off two shillings and twenty pence of gambling debts, and had seventeen quid and eighty pence left. After I got off work, I counted it in the tobacconist's, wrapped fifteen quid and put it in my waist, and was about to pay for the fags with the two quid and eighty pence when they found me. They found me on the boat, and I still held these two coins in my hand. When I saw the master's face change, I casually stuffed them into my sock, so they didn't find them. To be honest, the master is actually my cousin. I used two quid of his money. We are all relatives, so it's not right to call me a thief. He has forgotten how poor he used to be, with no job in the province, borrowing money here and pawning things there. He even pawned my mother's coat, and it still hasn't been redeemed. Now that he's become the master, it's considered his good luck. He cleaned up on this job. We share blessings and difficulties together, but if I use his two bob, they want to catch me as a thief—it's a bloody cheek!
The cop, seeming to get it, asked, "When did your boss take up his position?" Wang Changgui said, "He only started this job in May." The cop asked, "How much does he make a year? How much do *you* make a month?" Wang Changgui said, "I barely scrape by, where's the money gonna come from? Even the boss is always broke. It was okay during peacetime, but with all this military stuff, there's barely any money to be made." The cop said, "If his job sucks, where'd he get all that money you stole?" Wang Changgui said, "That's weird. Before, he always complained about how poor he was, but now he's suddenly loaded. And he got the money *before* going on patrol; if it was after, everyone would know he stole it." The cop listened while taking out the two bucks again, but the stamp was too blurry to read. He asked, "Who'd you lose those two bits to?" Wang Changgui said, "I lost it to Xu Laoda, the ship's helmsman, Xu Desheng."
The constable understood in his heart, so he left Wang Changgui with his mate and walked into the yamen himself to find Old Two. He asked him to report to his superiors, detailed Wang Changgui's words, and then said, "It seems that the last time Wen was short of some foreign coin, it was said that it was stolen by the deceased prostitute. Later, Meng showed mercy and did not investigate. But only fifty quid was found on the prostitute, and she said it was the clerk who asked her to buy things. I didn't buy that, so I nicked her. Now that the prostitute is dead, there is no way to corroborate. But Wen lost a total of a hundred and fifty quid, as well as other things. Even if fifty quid has been found, there’s still a hundred quid missing, and the other things are still unaccounted for. Although Wen did not investigate the thief and the stolen goods, we coppers gotta solve it. This thief sent by the skipper this time, I have carefully interrogated him. He said that the money from his master is of unknown origin. This bloke also had over two quid hidden on him, but unfortunately, the seal was too blurry to recognize. I would like to ask the master to take the fifteen quid found on this thief by Lu for comparison. This thief also lost two quid and tuppence to Xu Desheng, the helmsman on the ship. Get Xu Desheng in to check the books. This is what I think, what d'you reckon, guv?" Master Zhuang said, "I'm not reopening that can of worms. Now Lu has sent his subordinates to steal, and sent them to me for handling. He'll get a few strokes of the cane and be sent packing, or a few months inside and shipped back to his village. Why dig up the past?" The constable said, "We gotta get to the bottom of it. Even if we find out, we'll keep it quiet for the skipper's sake."
Finally, Mr. Zhuang agreed only to summon Xu Desheng for questioning, without further investigation. When Xu was brought in, the coppers first asked him, "Are the two silver dollars that Wang returned to you still with you?" Unexpectedly, Xu Desheng, fearing that Mr. Zhuang would pursue his gambling activities, dared not tell the truth. The coppers scared and sweet-talked him, finally managing to get him to confess, saying, "Half of the silver dollars have already been spent; only one remains with me." The coppers remembered Dingji's account book, asked him to bring it out for verification, and indeed, it was correct. The coppers were very pleased and immediately sent the second young master to report to Mr. Zhuang. Mr. Zhuang said, "That case is closed. He ain't kin to that dead tart, so why dig it up?"
The coppers returned empty-handed and felt very uncomfortable. He went home and knocked back a few shots, thinking to himself, "After a theft case, they will definitely ask us coppers. If we can't catch the culprit, we're in trouble. Even the officials with hats are now involved. I didn't expect our master to protect them first, not even allowing me to ask a question. It seems that they are all protecting each other; this is truly 'officials may set fires, but the common people may not light lamps' (or 'might makes right'). The words of the ancients are not wrong at all. I am a bit skeptical; I must get to the bottom of this." With that in mind, he changed his clothes, returned to the yamen, stole a pass from the gatekeeper, and recommended himself to Mr. Lu's ship. He told Mr. Lu his boss said they needed a hand, so he was recommended, and Mr. Lu would surely not suspect him. "As long as he agrees to take me in, there will be a way in the future. Now that the seal on the silver dollars matches, it seems almost certain. However, the seal of Dingji is not unique to Mr. Wen alone; I must obtain other things to be sure." With a plan in mind, he immediately acted according to plan without informing his superior. Upon boarding the ship, he met Mr. Lu and explained his intentions. Because of Mr. Zhuang's face, Mr. Lu did not refuse and temporarily employed him. He worked hard, Mr. Lu was pleased, and let him run errands in town now and then.
Two days later, Zhuang held a trial and summoned Wang Changgui. He laid into him with two hundred lashes and then sent him back to his hometown. The helmsman actually did nothing wrong, but the constable accused him of "pocketing stolen goods and gambling on the ship," implying he was up to no good. Zhuang agreed with the constable's words and decided to send him back to his hometown to avoid causing trouble. Zhuang didn't mind sending another one packing. In fact, the constable did this to cover his tracks, fearing that the helmsman would expose his tricks after returning home. Old trick, that one! Stay tuned to find out what happens next!
And that's that. The constable's actions are worth pondering. To cover his tracks, he framed an innocent guy—real cold-blooded, that constable. This reflects the dark side of officialdom and the cold-heartedness of society. The whole "stolen goods and gambling" thing? Just a cover story to save his own skin. What will happen next in the story? More next time!
