The old monk saw Xu Dajun off, then slowly walked to the West study. The foreigner had left, leaving only Yin Zichong and his brother-in-law. The brother-in-law was gushing about his clever plan: "Slipped all of Anhui province's mineral rights under the table! All the gweilos had to do was sign on the dotted line; even Xu signed, what can the Governor of Anhui say? The foreigner saw Xu sign with his own eyes, so he had nothing to say!"
This idea was actually suggested by Yin Zichong's brother-in-law. He was in cahoots with the foreigner's translator to come up with this scheme. The foreigner already had photos of all the bigwigs, so when they met, he immediately recognized Xu Dajun and had no doubts. There were two copies of the contract, both pre-written. Knowing Xu couldn't read a word of English, they made him sign right there, twice! We've already covered what the monk said. At that time, several people were in the West study. The translator asked the foreigner to take out the contract, signed it himself, gave one copy to Yin Zichong, agreed on the payment date, and then shook hands and said goodbye. With the deal done, Yin Zichong quickly divvied up the ill-gotten gains, buying off the monk and the translator, and tossing a few bones to his 'uncles' to keep them mum.
After pulling off this scam, Yin Zichong received the money and wrote to the original shareholders, saying that the company was tanking, so they had to offload the mineral rights to the foreigners for a song. After pocketing his cut, there was barely enough left to give the shareholders 30% of their money back. Those who'd always depended on Xu just swallowed it. But a few hard cases, hearing the whispers, weren't about to let it slide.
As the saying goes, "What's done in the dark will come to light." Yin Zichong did such a thing, and among his colleagues in the capital city, some were upright and naturally criticized him because the matter was of great importance. A few had a bone to pick with him, saying he had made so much money on his own without benefiting anyone else, and they suspected he wanted to keep it all for himself. Feeling dissatisfied, they incited everyone to get even with him. As a result, the colleagues held a meeting, and Yin Zichong was so scared that he dared not show his face. Later, hearing that the rumors were getting worse, some wanted to report him to the authorities, and even the governor was going to investigate him. He felt that he could no longer stay in the capital city, so he quickly rushed the foreigners into paying up, packed his bags, bid farewell to his father-in-law, and hightailed it to Shanghai. Just as he arrived in Shanghai, the situation in the capital city erupted. Four of those guys, the censorate officials, went after him, and the emperor ordered the governor of Anhui to investigate. Several newspapers in Shanghai reported this matter and gave him a real tongue-lashing.
Yin Zichong felt that he could not stay in Shanghai either, and after being away for a long time, he wanted to return home. So, he laid low and disappeared back to his hometown. Talking to himself, he said, "This money is enough for me to spend for the rest of my life. Since they can't get along with me, I'm happy to keep my head down and enjoy life at home." He stayed at home for more than two months, and surprisingly, no one came to trouble him. He comforted himself again, "I still have my old man's got my back. Even if they want to deal with me, they wouldn't dare to disregard my father-in-law's face. Besides, Dad's name's on the contract, so they'd go after him first, leaving me in the clear."
He was mulling things over when the steward brought a message, saying that someone from the county government had arrived. He was taken aback: "I haven't visited anyone since I got home, how did they know?" Since they were here, he had to meet them. Before the steward could leave, someone else came in to say, "The county magistrate has already arrived and is waiting in the hall for you." Yin Zichong was even more puzzled, thinking he couldn't see him, but he was already there, so he had to go. He thought to himself, "Anyway, I have a backer; what can he do to me?" So he braced himself and went out to see him. Who would have thought that when he walked into the hall, before he even saw the county magistrate, he found the corridor and courtyard filled with constables? Yin Zichong was scared stiff! The county magistrate had already spotted him and shouted, "Yin Ziweng, my brother's here!" Yin Zichong had no choice but to go over. The county magistrate was a smooth operator, smiling and bowing warmly, saying, "Brother, I only found out today that Ziweng was back home, and I haven't come to visit yet; I'm really sorry!" Although Yin Zichong exchanged pleasantries with him, he still felt guilty at heart, looking flustered and nonplussed. After bowing, he should have let the guest take the seat of honor, but he wasn't paying attention for a moment and sat in the seat of honor himself. Later, when the steward brought him tea, he realized his mistake; his face turned red, and he quickly switched seats, feeling even more discombobulated.
The county magistrate looked at Yin Zichong, secretly laughing to himself. Not wasting much time, he said, "I've got orders to see to this, so I had to come personally." As he spoke, he took out an official document from his boot. Yin Zichong took it and saw that it was a letter from the Minister of Overseas Trade. He was stunned on the spot. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was about the sale of his mine. He'd been hit with four separate impeachments from four prefects and was ordered to be investigated by the provincial governor. The governor didn't give a damn about him, so he wasn't going to lift a finger. Unexpectedly, this matter came to the attention of the Governor of Liangjiang, and because the case involved foreign trade, it fell within the jurisdiction of the Minister of Overseas Trade. They rushed a report to the Emperor, accusing him of selling the mine without authorization and requesting that he be arrested and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment. The Emperor approved the memorial, and a telegram was sent out. The Liangjiang Governor ordered someone to pick a commissioner to go get him. This commissioner was Xu Dajun's man, so he recommended his own guy, a reserve county magistrate named Mao Weixin. Mao Weixin was connected to the Yins, so this was a way to look after Zichong. When they arrived, the county magistrate was responsible for receiving them. Since Mao Weixin knew Zichong, he sent the magistrate on ahead.
Yin Zichong finished reading most of the official documents, which stated that they were going to arrest him. He was so scared that he froze, holding the documents in his hand for a long time. After waiting for a while, the county magistrate said, "The guy from the Mao Committee is in my yamen. You know him, so it would be good to have some support on the way. The sedan chair is ready for you, let's go." After a few words, Yin Zichong was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, his eyes as wide as saucers. After a while, he finally stammered, "This matter was my father-in-law's doing, not mine. If they've got a problem, tell 'em to talk to him." The county magistrate said, "I don't know the ins and outs of this whole mess. I'm just following orders and have to come. If there's any injustice, when you arrive in Nanjing, you can explain it to the governor. If not, you can also appeal to the Emperor. Besides, your mother's still there; you'll have a bit of a rough time, but it'll blow over soon. It's getting late now; that Mao Committee fella needs to leave early tomorrow, let's go together." Yin Zichong had nothing to say, he stammered, "I need to inform my mother first, there are some things to take care of at home, I will definitely go over tonight." The county magistrate said, "I will send someone in to inform your mother. You’ll be back soon, don’t worry." Yin Zichong wanted to say something else, but the county magistrate looked up at the sky, ignoring him, and shouted loudly, "Come here!" His manservant answered, "Yes!" The county magistrate asked, "Is the sedan chair ready? Yin and I are heading back to the yamen." They all answered in unison below, "The sedan chair has been ready for a long time." The county magistrate immediately got up, let Yin Zichong walk in front, and followed him from behind, accompanying him into the sedan chair. He was fine, but the Yin family, already expecting the worst, wailed like he was being led to his execution. Yin Zichong also felt very sad, but the county magistrate was as hard as nails, so he could only grit his teeth and go along.
Soon arrived at the county yamen and met with Mao. The county magistrate still let him sit in the hall, but sent a few more servants and soldiers to take turns guarding him. He received the same food and lodging as Mao; after all, he was the son-in-law of Xu Dajun, and local officials had to show him some deference. In addition, Mao was entrusted by the Jiangning Fan Tai, balancing public and private duties, so Yin Zichong felt relatively secure. He stayed overnight at the county yamen that night, and his family sent a steward to serve him. The next day, they set off together by boat. They traveled by day, stopping for the night along the way, and arrived in Nanjing after a few days. Mao went to report and was ordered to hand over to the Jiangning Treasury for safekeeping, and another comrade was sent to escort him to Beijing. We'll leave that aside for the moment.
As for Mao Weixin in Nanjing, he was awaiting an assignment at the Foreign Affairs Office and could be considered a talent in foreign affairs. Before he was assigned a task, he often said to people, "How many of those employed in the Foreign Affairs Office can recite all the trade treaties by heart? But as officials now, we must brush up on provincial affairs, so as not to be clueless when handling matters." So he specifically copied the Jiangning Treaty of the 22nd year of Daoguang, which was only four or five pages long, and diligently studied it for several days until he had memorized it. He bragged to everyone, saying that once he memorized it, he would no longer be afraid of negotiating in the future. Later, a knowledgeable friend tested him and found that was the extent of his knowledge, so he argued with him, "That treaty's outdated; memorizing it is pointless." He said, "As officials in Jiangning, we should know the Jiangning treaties. As for the Tianjin Treaty and the Yantai Treaty, I'll study them when I'm posted there." The knowledgeable friend knew he had misunderstood and wanted to tell him, but seeing his friend's stubbornness, he decided not to bother correcting him. So he smiled, and the matter passed.
Wow, I never thought Mao Weixin was that famous! Two prefects even praised him in front of the governor, saying, "Mao not only excels at modernization, but he knows all the trade treaties by heart. He’s truly a rare official!" The governor replied, "I've dealt with enough diplomats to know that most of them have to look things up. It's the same with all these scholars! It drives me nuts! I tell them, 'Look, I'm getting old, my memory's shot, but you youngsters should be reading these treaties, memorizing a page a day – that's 360 pages a year, and in three years, you'll know more than anyone!' But they won't listen! They'd rather play mahjong and hang out in the pleasure districts. Then when it comes time to actually do something, they're stuck with their noses in a book! It's infuriating! Since the Mao you mentioned today is willing to put in the effort, that's great. Let him come see me tomorrow." It turned out that the governor of Jiangnan at that time was named Wen Ming, a Manchu, who highly admired modernization. However, he didn’t read much when he was young and didn’t have much knowledge. So, he got really lucky. He went in, managed to bluff his way through a few questions the next day, and bam! He got the job at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs.
Mao Weixin was sent to Anhui as a high official. When he bid farewell, he said, "I heard that the atmosphere in Anhui is quite open. This time I go, I will carefully inspect every place I pass through." The governor listened and thought it made sense. When he returned, Mao Weixin explained the official business clearly and went to report to the yamen. The governor asked about the situation of his inspection, and he said, "The officials in Anhui now understand reform very well." The governor asked, "How do you know?" He said, "I heard that a large restaurant opened in the provincial capital, and three bigwigs have eaten there." The governor said, "Just because they ate a fancy meal, doesn't mean things are really that open, does it?" Mao Weixin said with a stern face, "Your Honor, I heard from people in the Anhui officialdom that the Minister's intention is that everything is top-down, and in the future, it is good for all the people in Anhui province, regardless of wealth or poverty, to be able to eat a big meal." The governor said, "How much does it cost to eat a big meal? Do you also need to pair it with all the fancy booze? Can the poor afford it?" Just then, a newly arrived county magistrate entered with Mao Weixin. Because he had just arrived and didn't understand the rules of the officialdom very well, he felt left out because the governor was only talking to Mao Weixin. He interrupted and said, "I came from Beijing this time, passing through Tianjin and Shanghai, and ate a few big meals. I can do without alcohol." His words were meant to help Mao Weixin. The governor was very unhappy when he heard this, and with a stern look, he said, "Now hold on a minute, I haven't asked you anything yet! I have invited foreigners to dinner at the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office and the provincial Foreign Affairs Office many times, and those things cost a small fortune, you know?" Turning back to Mao Weixin, he said, "Although I come from a wealthy background, I am not a playboy. I know how hard it is to make a living farming." Mao Weixin quickly flattered him, saying, "That just shows how much you care about the common people, sir."
Wen Zhitai asked, "Is there anything else about the investigation you conducted?" Mao Weixin continued, "The son of the Anqing Prefect Rao Shou and the son of the local military official went abroad to study together after cutting off their braids. I happened to arrive there on the day they shaved their braids. Prefect Rao knew I was an official involved in Westernization efforts and specially wrote a letter inviting me to witness the event. That day, over three hundred officials and gentlemen were invited. They had consulted a fortune-teller in advance to choose an auspicious time. The fortune-teller listed a schedule, selecting the late afternoon for shaving the braids as most auspicious. The invited guests all wore festive attire in the morning, congratulated the host, and then sat down for the feast. When it was time to disperse, the auspicious time arrived. Rao Shou, dressed in a python robe, led his son—who was also dressed in a robe and hat—to place ancestral tablets, lighting incense and candles. The father and son first paid respects to the ancestors and reported the matter. Then they had the servants bring a red felt cloth and led the son to bow to each guest, some performing a full kowtow. After all the bows were completed, the servants arranged a high-backed chair in the center of the main hall for Rao Shou to sit. Then they brought the son over, who knelt in front of his father to listen to his father's advice. General, you don't know, Rao Shou only has this one son. Since the promotion of studying abroad, he volunteered to sign up, willing to fund his son's education abroad. So that day, local dignitaries all sent representatives to congratulate. It's a pity that his son is only eighteen years old, got married in December last year, not even half a year ago, and now he's being sent abroad. Not to mention the young couple being reluctant to part, even Rao Shou himself, at sixty years old with only one son, how could he bear to let him go abroad? So when he saw his son kneel down to ask for advice, the old man was overcome with emotion and could barely speak. Later, all the relatives and friends said, "The auspicious time has come, we can't miss it, my friend, it's time to change clothes." At this point, two stewards came up, took off the young man's official uniform, removed his hat, leaving him in casual clothes. Then the barber came up, brought a basin of hot water, washed his head, and prepared to shave. Unexpectedly, as he shaved, a mishap occurred. The barber sharpened his knife, and with a swish, a large piece of scalp was exposed from the back of the braid. Thankfully, I saw it clearly and quickly stopped him, saying, 'If you shave like this, won't it look like a tonsure? Even though foreigners don't have braids, they don't have shaved heads like a Buddhist monk's either!' When all the relatives and Rao Shou heard me say this, they all understood. They scolded the barber together, saying he was unprofessional and didn't know how to shave. The barber knelt on the ground, trembling, saying, 'I've been doing this since I was a child; I really haven't seen how to shave braids. I always thought since they don't want the braid, I should shave off all the hair, so I dared to start. Now that I've made a mistake, please guide me, sir.' At this point, I had already walked up to Rao Shou's son, lifted his braid to take a look; fortunately, what was shaved off was just the front bangs, so it wasn't a big problem. I asked them to bring scissors, and I myself divided his braid into sections, cutting each section off, leaving about an inch below, then cleaned it with a sterilizing solution, and he looked just like a foreigner. General, think about it, people from the interior are really pitiful; even such a small matter as cutting off a braid to study abroad, there's no one who understands. Fortunately, I was there to teach them to cut with scissors in the future, not with a knife, which made everyone understand, saying my method was correct. This incident spread throughout the city of Anqing that day, and it was said that the son of the military official also used scissors as I suggested. The next day, I went to visit the provincial governor and received praise. He said, 'Many people in Jiangnan studying abroad are cutting their braids; this is all part of modernization, we still have a long way to go here!' Wen Zhitai was very happy to hear others say he promoted modernization. Because they had been chatting for too long, Zhitai needed to eat, so he said, 'It's getting late, let's chat again next time.' After that, he picked up the tea and saw Mao Weixin off. With that, Mao Weixin took his leave, eager to share his expertise at other government offices."
This governor has a bad temper. No matter who he sees, anyone lower in rank and under his authority is likely to be at risk of his ire; he would immediately find fault with them, regardless of whether they can handle it. Let alone the higher-ranking officials, even the lower-ranking officials were treated this way. As for those who work under him, such as police and guards, they were routinely scolded and kicked, sometimes lightly, sometimes with a horsewhip.
One day, for some reason, an official handed him a report. He took the report and casually threw it on the table, saying, "I'm running three provinces here; I ain't got time for this! If you have something to say, just say it straightforwardly!" The official had no choice but to suppress his anger and briefly report the contents of the document. However, there were too many things to report, and he couldn't finish in a few sentences. The governor became annoyed halfway through and angrily said, "You're a real pain! Although I am the main official of three provinces, I am responsible for everything; even if I had three heads and six arms, I couldn't cope!" With that, he turned to talk to other officials. The official wanted to explain further, but he wouldn't listen. After the official left, he was so angry that he wanted to report sick, but luckily he was persuaded by a friend.
A few days later, the Prefect of Huai'an Prefecture came to the provincial capital to meet the governor. This Prefect of Huai'an was a highly educated scholar from the Hanlin Academy, and he had a respected career. He had only been in office for less than a year, and coincidentally, there were two difficult cases in his area, so he came to the provincial capital to get the governor's advice. Afraid of not being able to explain clearly, he wrote two brief reports and prepared to give him the reports in person. After meeting the governor and chatting briefly, he respectfully passed him the reports. When the governor saw that they were reports with tiny writing, he was not pleased. He also felt that the other party was only a fourth-rank official, much lower than the previous official, so he simply threw the reports on the ground and said, "You think I'm blind, writing so small? You're trying to trick me!"
After the Prefect of Huai'an Prefecture finished reporting the matter, he remained silent. Once he was done speaking, he calmly picked up the official document he had dropped. While doing so, he said, "I have always written in small characters from the imperial examination to the court examination to the examination by the imperial censor, and the emperor also likes small characters. Now that I am serving as a provincial official, I realize that you, Governor, have the opposite preference, liking large characters. I will need to practice this slowly. But these two matters need to be dealt with urgently, so I rushed here to report to the provincial capital. By the time I have mastered writing large characters, it'll be too late." The Governor listened and asked, "What are these two matters? Give me a brief overview." The prefect replied, "One is that some crooks in the area sold land to foreigners and established a glass company; the other is that a foreigner is extorting villagers in the countryside, even resulting in a death." The Governor's face changed upon hearing this: "Both of these matters are related to foreigners. Why didn't you say so earlier? Quickly bring me the detailed report to review!" The prefect had no choice but to present the memorial again. The Governor put on his reading glasses and read through it. The prefect continued, "I find the situation quite complex and fear that I may not explain it clearly, so I wrote a report. Foreigners opening companies in the interior violates treaties, and debt collection should also be prohibited, especially when it results in loss of life. Therefore, I have come to seek your advice, Governor, as we must stop them." Before he could finish, the Governor put down the memorial and said, "My friend, don't you know that foreigners aren't to be trifled with? If the people don't sell the land, where will their company be established? Debt collection is about money, not life. If they seek death, what does it have to do with foreigners? As a prefect, you should have prevented these villains from selling land to outsiders in advance. As for the debts owed, how did the IOUs end up in the hands of foreigners? There must be something fishy going on. Foreigners aren't stupid; they don't just shake down people for kicks. It's only natural to repay debts, so why would they refuse to pay when foreigners come to collect? Such people aren't good. The problem now is that our official and civilian relations are poor, which is why we are being bullied by outsiders. If things escalate, it will be pushed onto me, and you will be fine. Brilliant!"
So, the deal with this guy's job was: foreigners could do whatever they wanted – run their businesses, collect debts, the whole shebang. Bottom line: I ain't gonna start a fight over nothin'. You're my people, you do what I say, and you keep your noses out of it. He just blamed the local officials and the people – never mentioned the foreigners. Seeing that, the Huai'an guy was speechless. He tossed the memorial back. The Huai'an guy took the memorial, said goodbye, and left, pretty ticked off.
As he was leaving, he saw a cop with a big poster – looked like a new top scholar from a distance. The cop muttered, "Oh, man! Why now? Should I bother him?" A yamen runner next to him said, "The Huai'an guy just got here. He's probably still changing clothes. If you gotta tell him, go now – you still got time. Other people can wait, but not him!" After hearing this, the cop quickly ran inside with the poster. Let's skip the part about him heading back to his place for now.
The patrolman ran to the office, and the bailiff said, "The boss went upstairs still in his dressing gown." The patrolman stomped his foot and said, "Uh oh!" He immediately took the note and hurried to the upper room. Walking down the corridor, he saw the servant coming up with food. The boss inside was loudly scolding someone, asking why the meal was not served yet. Upon hearing this voice, the patrolman had to hang around in the corridor. He was thinking whether to report, because the boss had ordered that during meals, no matter who came to visit or report, the patrolman was not allowed to come up, and had to wait until after the meal and washing his face. But this guest was neither a passing official nor a subordinate of the province. Usually, the boss would show him respect, and it was not appropriate to make him wait outside. However, disobeying the boss's command was serious business. So he paced the hallway, the card clutched in his hand, too scared to go in or leave. Just as he was hesitating, the boss saw him and asked, "What's the matter?" The patrolman hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Sir, a guest has come to visit." Before he could finish speaking, he received a slap on the face. The boss then scolded, "You idiot! How did I instruct you in the beginning? During meals, no matter who the guest is, you cannot report. Didn't you hear me?" With that, he kicked him. The patrolman endured the beating and scolding, and said, "This guest is very important, different from other guests." The boss said, "He's important, am I not important? You say he's different from other guests; no one can be more important than me!" The patrolman said, "Sir, the guest is a foreigner." Upon hearing the word "foreigner," the boss seemed to deflate and stood there in a daze for a long time. Then he thought for a moment, suddenly stood up, and slapped the patrolman again, scolding, "You idiot! Who do you think I am? So it's a foreigner! If a foreigner is here, why didn't you report earlier and let him wait outside for so long?" The patrolman said, "I was about to report it, but then I saw the boss was eating, so I waited a bit."
After listening to his subordinate, the official kicked him again and said, "Other guests don’t need to report; foreigners come for important business. How can we let him wait outside? You idiot! Get him in here, now!"
The constable, on hearing this, hotfooted it out. Out in the street, he slammed his hat down on the table and said, "This is really a dilemma! You can't mention him without mentioning his power. Just the word 'foreigner' sends shivers down my spine. But what are we trying to achieve! I'm being bounced around like a ping-pong ball, I've had enough!" Then a shout came from inside: "Why haven't you invited him in yet?" He snapped out of it, quickly put on his hat, and led the foreigner into the hall. The magistrate, all spick and span, was already waiting under the eaves. It was the foreign consul.
So, it turns out the consul came to see the governor because the governor had just executed a soldier recently. It's not like killing a soldier is a big deal, usually, and that soldier must have committed a crime deserving of death, so the governor dealt with it so severely. The problem is, he killed the soldier in the wrong place! Not in the training ground, not outside the camp gate, but right next to the consulate! So the consul was very unhappy and came to kick up a stink. After meeting, the consul blew his top and laid into him, asking the governor why he killed someone at his doorstep, "What gives?" Fortunately, although the governor was old, he was a smooth operator. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Hey, Consul, you are asking about the soldier I killed, right? He was not a good person; he was a 'Boxer' (member of the Boxer Rebellion). During the Boxer Rebellion in Beijing, he caused trouble and was in on it against your country and others. I verified his crimes, so I executed him." The consul said, "If he was a 'Boxer', fair enough to kill him. But why did you have to kill him at my doorstep?" The governor thought again and said, "Here's the thing... If we don't do it this way, it wouldn't send a message. You don't know, these 'Boxers' are using the slogan 'Support the Qing, Kill the Foreigners'. If they cause trouble again in the future, they will definitely go against various countries, including yours, which is not good for you. So I deliberately chose to kill him at his doorstep, to make an example of him and intimidate his buddies. As the saying goes, 'Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys' (meaning to set an example). Although I only killed one soldier, all the 'Boxers' who see this example will definitely disperse and not dare to oppose you and your country in the future." After listening to his explanation, the consul burst out laughing, gave him props for handling it well, chatted for a few more moments, and then left.
The magistrate sent the guests away and quickly found a few towels to wipe away the sweat, saying, "He scared the living daylights out of me!" After sitting down, he called the officers over and ordered, "When I'm eating, don't bother me for Chinese matters. As for foreigners, anytime is fine. Even if I'm asleep, wake me—I won't hold it against you. Did you not see the consul's expression just now? He looked ready to explode. If I hadn't talked him down, there'd have been hell to pay. Don't you dare get me into trouble with another foreigner! In the future, whenever a foreigner comes to visit, invite them in immediately, remember that!" The officers answered in unison, "Yes!"
As the magistrate was about to go in, the Huai'an officials came with documents to report urgent public affairs, as well as a telegram that needed to be presented in person. The magistrate thought to himself, "It must be those two matters. But now that this telegram has arrived, what new problem has emerged?" Although he did not want to see them, he couldn't make a decision regarding foreigners, so he reluctantly ordered them to "come in."
The Huai'an officials came in, and the magistrate asked eagerly, "What's the news this time? You mentioned a telegram; it's those rotten officials causing trouble again, isn't it?" The Huai'an official replied, "Your Honor, this telegram brings good news." Upon hearing "good news," the magistrate's expression immediately softened, and he asked, "What good news?" The Huai'an official said, "After receiving your reprimand earlier, I intended to follow your instructions and immediately send a telegram to the county magistrate of Qinghe. However, he sent a telegram first, saying that although the foreigner has the idea for the glass company, the deal's stalled, so it's dead in the water. Now that foreigner has received a telegram from overseas and wants to return home first before discussing further." The magistrate said, "Very good! He'll be gone for at least a year. Let's hope this drags on, and he doesn't cause me any problems. What about the other matter?"
Huaian Prefecture said, "This matter was originally the foreigners' fault; they shouldn't have come to the inland to collect debts..." When the governor heard "the foreigners' fault," although he didn't speak, he felt very dissatisfied, thinking, "Who do you think you are, daring to challenge the foreigners!" He then continued to listen to the report from Huaian Prefecture: "The local people are very angry, all worked up, ready to take action. The foreigners are weak..." The governor became anxious upon hearing this and slammed the table, "This is bad! Surely the foreigners will be killed! A hundred Chinese deaths are one thing, but a dead foreigner… that's a whole different ballgame. Who can bear the responsibility? How many officials were killed two years ago because of the Boxer Rebellion? Haven't you learned your lesson?"
Huaian Prefecture said, "General, I haven't finished yet." The governor said, "Hurry up!" Huaian Prefecture continued, "Although the people have started to get agitated, they have not taken action, and the foreigners have caved on their own." The governor frowned and shook his head, saying, "You bullied him because he was alone; he was afraid of losing, so he temporarily caved. Go back and tell the consul, or report to the ambassador in Beijing; we will have to settle the score with them in the future. No way, no how!" Huaian Prefecture said, "He did realize his mistake, that's why he backed down." The governor asked, "How do you know?" Huaian Prefecture replied, "Because we have two local students who studied abroad; they couldn't stand it and led many people to argue with the foreigners. The foreigners were in the wrong, that's why they backed down."
The governor shook his head again, "This is even worse! These students are really unruly! It has nothing to do with them, yet they are meddling. Local officials are all clueless! Are we going to let them do as they please?" Huaian Prefecture said, "They were only arguing with the foreigners, not causing trouble. Although they led many people to watch the commotion, it wasn't intentional provocation." The governor said, "You are truly the people's champion! You always side with the people, thinking that every one of them is good and that the foreigners are bad. I detest these rabble-rousers the most, always gathering to cause trouble and threatening officials. Now they are doing the same to the foreigners. If we don't crack down on this quickly, it will be a big problem in the future! So, what happened next? What happened after the foreigners backed down?"
The Huai'an Prefecture reported, "The foreigner was criticized by those two students, who said he 'should not collect debts, violating the treaty. Now he has forced someone to death again; we must go to your country's consulate to file a complaint.'" Zhitai nodded, "The criticism makes sense. Is the foreigner afraid of being reported? Even if he is reported, can foreign consuls not help their own people?" The prefect explained, "Unexpectedly, with just a few words, the foreigner was left speechless and instead had the interpreter tell the victim's family that the debt was waived, and even offered a substantial sum of silver to compensate the victim's family, asking them not to file a lawsuit." Zhitai said, "What a turn-up for the books! I only know that it is common for Chinese people to compensate foreigners. When have foreigners compensated Chinese people? This can't be fake, can it?" The prefect replied, "Not only does the telegram say so, but the detailed letter just received also confirms it." Zhitai remarked, "Remarkable! It is already rare for them to admit their mistakes and soften up, and now they are willing to compensate—how unprecedented! I think it should be settled here. You should send a telegram back immediately, asking them to stop right away, and never argue with the foreigner again. As the saying goes, 'let things take their course'; since they are willing to apologize and compensate, they have already given enough face. I have dealt with diplomatic affairs for so many years and have never encountered such a situation. Although we have regained face, I am actually worried. I fear that the local people do not know when to stop, and if anything else angers the foreigner, it will be absolutely unacceptable! As the saying goes, 'victory without arrogance,' this matter depends on you. Don't delay in the province; hurry back overnight. First, control the local people and those students—don't let anything happen again. Second, when the foreigner leaves, make sure to escort him out properly. Although he may suffer temporarily, he cannot do anything to us; he will definitely hold a grudge. Get along with him well; perhaps you can explain. I'm giving you sound advice, a diplomatic secret. Brother, don't ignore my words! You know you are feeling proud there, while I've been on tenterhooks here!" The Huai'an Prefecture repeatedly agreed, then served tea to the guest. To be continued...
