Third Brother Hebao returned to the office and found his older brother, asking how things were going. Hebao said, "Forget it, it's a bust! Big brother, you better hand it over to someone else; I don't think this will work out." The magistrate felt like someone threw a bucket of cold water on him, stunned for a while, and asked, "What exactly happened? Originally, I made an offer, he countered, he didn't accept it; we could have negotiated. How come he said two thousand is two thousand, accepting all his conditions? We might as well let him do it and be done with it. You brothers rely on me, your big brother, for everything – your weddings, your promotions, the whole shebang. Third Brother, I'm not blaming you; this is for everyone. Brothers help brothers out; why can't you get it done by talking to him? Also, the Ni family, how much money our office spends there, not letting him make big profits; he can still earn some. Just because of this small matter he's holding out, I don't think he's playing fair!" It turned out that when Hebao came in, he wanted to say it couldn't be done first, so his brother would counteroffer, using a little bit of reverse psychology. He first observed his brother's expression, then said, "let him counteroffer." Hebao felt pleased, thinking he could bargain now, "killing two birds with one stone!" But his brother's words hit him like a ton of bricks, leaving him both ashamed and furious.
Little Sam is usually very obedient in front of his older brother. This time, being scolded by him, he felt cornered, as if his secret had been discovered. In a moment of anger, he said to his brother, "Big brother, don’t say that! If that’s how you want to play it, let’s settle the score as brothers!" He Fan Tai replied, "What’s this all about?" Little Sam said, "Settling accounts!" He Fan Tai asked, "What accounts?" Little Sam said, "The family accounts!" He Fan Tai coldly chuckled twice, "Little Sam, you, your second brother, and your fourth brother—all of you grew up under my care. And you want to settle accounts with me?" Little Sam said, "I know. When father was around, there was only around a hundred thousand taels of silver left in the family. You first donated to become a county official, spending more than ten thousand, creating a real deficit. In less than three years, when the old lady passed away, you took over twenty thousand from the family to cover the shortfall. The money in your name was long gone, and then you just squandered what was left. With a large family, after the funeral, you had to spend over ten thousand again. Instead of just being a county official, you insisted on promotion, donating to become a prefect, using connections, spending more than twenty thousand again. After three years as the salt commissioner in the province, you should’ve saved at least twenty thousand. And yet you complain constantly—are you really broke, or just pretending? After a while as an acting governor, you got bored, wanted promotion again, spent eight thousand to buy your way into a recommendation, and paid thirty thousand to get this salt commissioner position. Which of these transactions didn’t involve our brothers’ money? Even for our marriages and official positions, we only used the interest, never touched the principal. Now we’re using our own money; we don’t need you to act like you’re doing us a favor! Whether it’s marriage or official positions, if you don’t care, then don’t interfere—just return our money! We have money, so why should we worry about not being able to marry or get promoted?" He Fan Tai's face went white with rage. He stroked his beard, speechless.
San Hebao, even more pleased now, saw his brother unable to speak. He paced back and forth, hands behind his back, head held high, saying, "Let's not talk about family matters now. Let's talk about the business I've handled for you. He rattled off a list of names and sums: twelve thousand from Wang Mengmei in Yushan, eight thousand from Zhou Xiaobian in Pingxiang, six thousand from Huzigen in Xinchang, five thousand five from Mo Guiying in Shangrao, five thousand from Lu Ziling in Jishui, six thousand four from Huang Zhanfu in Luling, four thousand five from Zhao Lingzhou in Xinyu, three thousand five from Wang Ermei in Xinjian, three thousand from Jiang Dahua in Nanchang, and two thousand each from Kong Qinglu in Qianshan and Lu Ziting in Wuling. There are also some one thousand and eight hundred ones; I can't remember them all right now, but there are at least twenty or thirty transactions, all meticulously accounted for. Where did this money come from if it wasn't for my brother helping you? We'll split the profits, right? Plenty of money came in, but I haven't seen a dime from you. Now you're coming to settle accounts with me. Let's just settle it. If you can't figure it out, we'll get Jiang Dahua in Nanchang County to settle this. If Jiang Dahua can't sort it, we'll go higher – all the way to the capital if we have to! Don't think you can push me around!" San Hebao became more and more pleased as he spoke, Fan Tai's eyes bulged, his beard trembling with rage. After a long moment of shock, he gasped and said, "I'm done with this! What's the point of slaving away if we're both going to be broke? You don't even treat me like a brother! I'm better off becoming a monk and finding some peace!" San Hebao replied, "All that hard work – for who? Not for me! If you think I'm not treating you right, then act like the older brother you're supposed to be! Be a monk if you want – it's your problem."
He Fan Tai was lying on the bed, smoking opium and fuming. Suddenly, he shot up, threw the opium pipe to the ground with a crash, and smashed a teacup. Tea spilled all over the bed, soaking the mattress. San He Bao, his younger brother, thought he was about to hit him, so he immediately took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and squared up to him.
He Fan Tai originally wanted to throw the opium pipe out to find the lawyer and have him go to the governor to report sick leave. As a result, his younger brother suddenly lunged at him, and he dodged while shouting, "Go ahead, kill me!" At first, the two brothers just quarreled, and the servants huddled outside, too scared to breathe. Later, it escalated, and several older butlers came to persuade them to stop, trying to separate them, but they couldn't move them at all. Several young servants dared not approach and hurriedly ran to the back hall to tell the wife, "The third master and the master are fighting, yanking each other's queues!" The wife was terrified when she heard this! She didn't even bother with her shoes, just ran to the flower hall by herself. The servants hurriedly lifted the curtain for her. When she saw it, the two brothers were still fighting. Frantic, the wife rushed in to break them up, using all her strength, but still couldn't separate them. One shouted, "Go ahead, kill me!" The other shouted, "If you want to die, let's die together!" The wife was so desperate, "What in God's name is going on?!" In her heart, she instinctively sided with her husband, trying to pull him aside with all her might. He Fan Tai saw his wife in this state, softened his heart, let go of his hand, and sat on the chair next to him. When his brother suddenly let go, San He Bao wasn't expecting it, continued to push forward with force, and missed completely, slamming into his sister-in-law's (He Fan Tai's wife) belly. His sister-in-law was three months pregnant and already weak. After being hit like this, she screamed and fell to the ground. San He Bao also fell down, pressing on the wife. He Fan Tai was angry and anxious, furious at his unreasonable brother and worried that his wife was three months pregnant. This new wife was married last year, and it was not easy for her to get pregnant. If she miscarried because of this, it would be a disaster. He didn't care about anything else, quickly pulled up his brother, and went to help his wife. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift her up. The wife sat on the ground, one hand on her belly, the other hand supporting her cheek, head down, eyes closed, frowning, sweat pouring down her face. He Fan Tai asked her how she was, and she just shook her head, unable to speak. He Fan Tai anxiously said, "What have I done to deserve this?!" San He Bao saw this situation and made a run for it.
When the mistress came out, a servant ran out and shouted, "Master He and Third Master are fighting; all the clerks hurry to persuade them!" Soon, the clerks and a throng of relatives, including uncles, aunts, nephews, and grandsons, arrived to intervene in the signing room. When they arrived outside, the servants said, "The mistress is inside." Everyone dared not go in; a few relatives politely stood outside listening. Later, they heard Third Master knock down the mistress, and she cried out, prompting everyone to realize that things had gone pear-shaped, even pulling in those who were trying to mediate. Then they saw Third Master come out from behind the curtain, and everyone quickly asked him what had happened. Third Master, seeing so many elders, found it difficult to say he was right or that his brother was wrong; he simply said, "It's a long story, and I'm done with it!" After speaking, he ran away. Everyone was still confused. Later, the bookkeeper and the second master carefully questioned the servants and finally figured out what had happened. The second master wanted to ask again but heard the mistress inside let out a series of moans; perhaps she had overexerted herself just now or was hurt by Third Master. Everyone knew the mistress was three months pregnant and feared she might have a miscarriage. Outside, a few people were discussing when Master He bellowed for the midwife and scolded the maids inside, "Are you all useless? Why isn't anyone coming out?" The servants heard the master was angry and quickly went to call people. Soon, the concubine, young lady, and a few midwives arrived behind the screen. The clerks had to retreat. The concubine, young lady, and a few midwives went in and were scolded by Master He; nobody dared to speak. Finally, a few people carried the mistress inside. Master He followed in, helping her settle into bed, but she couldn't answer.
He Fan sent for Doctor Zhang to come and see his wife's illness. After Doctor Zhang got himself all spruced up, he first handed his name card at the gate of the yamen, and then he was led into He Fan's residence. Upon entering, he chatted briefly with the official and was then taken to He Fan's study. He Fan came out to greet him personally, politely expressing his thanks. Doctor Zhang bowed and explained he was there to see Mrs. He. He Fan asked him to sit down and described Mrs. He's condition in detail. After a while, Mrs. He's maid summoned Doctor Zhang. Once inside, Doctor Zhang saw Mrs. He lying on the bed, knowing a bow wasn't practical, he just gave a quick greeting. Mrs. He did not speak, and He Fan just nodded. Doctor Zhang sat on a stool by the bed, had the maid rest Mrs. He's right hand on some books, then closed his eyes and took her pulse for fifteen minutes. After examining the right hand, he also checked the left hand, then had the maid look at Mrs. He's tongue coating. He Fan, worried the maid wouldn't see it clearly, lifted the curtain himself for Doctor Zhang to see. After a glance, Doctor Zhang asked to lower the curtain, saying, "It's just a little chill, nothing to worry about!" Then, he and He Fan went out together to write the prescription.
Doctor Zhang said Mrs. He had liver qi stagnation (a traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis), a bit of waist strain, and a slight disturbance in the fetal qi, but nothing serious. He wrote a prescription with common herbs such as white atractylodes, poria, sichuan chinaberry, and stuff like that. After writing the prescription, he handed it to He Fan, humbly asking for his opinion. He Fan took the prescription and praised his medical expertise. He saw at the end of the prescription it was written "Respectfully submitted, Zhang Cong, Acting Magistrate of Jiangxi, Supervisor of the Medical Office," smiled, and asked his subordinates to quickly fetch the herbs. After Doctor Zhang took his leave, the medicine was quickly prepared. In less than half an hour, Mrs. He's stomach ache was gone, and He Fan finally felt relieved.
Although his wife's illness has improved, it was all caused by his younger brother Sanhebao, who refused to admit his mistake. The next day, He Fantai called in sick to the yamen, claiming to have a cold, but in reality, he was furious. Sanhebao completely ignored him, which made him even angrier. So he decided to throw a fit, going to the clerk's office to have the accountant's assistant write a letter to his superior, saying that he wanted to resign, complaining that he had worked hard as an official for several years but was still no better than a servant. The accountant's assistant refused to write, so he groveled, and the assistant had no choice but to secretly invite colleagues from the clerk's office and other stewards and elders from the yamen to persuade him.
Soon, a large group of people arrived, a cacophony of voices trying to persuade He Fantai. At first, He Fantai firmly disagreed. In the end, it was two elders who came forward to persuade him, saying that since it was Sanhebao's fault, he should apologize and make amends. He Fantai said he didn't want to see his younger brother, afraid of losing face. His great-uncle said that Sanhebao would definitely listen to him, so he and his uncle went to find Sanhebao. Sanhebao was the accountant of the yamen, and usually, He Fantai and his brother relied on him, so after meeting, his great-uncle and uncle greeted him warmly. Although his great-uncle had said earlier that Sanhebao would listen to him, when they arrived at the accountant's office, he still humbly pleaded with him. Sanhebao understood their intentions and said he was not afraid of He Fantai resigning, and would deal with him later after he resigned.
Uncle explained they were brothers, blood brothers, hoping San Hebao would give them some face, for brothers' sake, and help resolve the situation. Their other uncle chimed in, even more smoothly than the first, calling him "Third Master" repeatedly. San Hebao figured this had to be settled. If things went south, he'd lose his money, and maybe more besides. So he decided to compromise. He told his uncles it was all about that official-selling mess with He Fantai. His uncles said they could fix it. San Hebao said that as long as He Fantai agreed to accept the two thousand taels of silver, he was willing to reconcile. If He Fantai kept playing hardball, he'd split the assets, leave, and wash his hands of the whole thing. Uncle swore He Fantai would toe the line if he spoke up. Then, the two of them took San Hebao to find He Fantai together.
The servants saw them coming and whipped open the curtain. The uncles flanked San Hebao, one on each side. San Hebao walked in to find everyone up except his brother, who was still sitting there like a lump. San Hebao became even angrier. Luckily, Uncle was a smooth talker. He held San Hebao's hand and walked up to He Fantai, saying, "What's the point of brothers fighting? Everyone's on edge! I've been worried sick about you two not even sharing a meal since yesterday. Come on, Lao San, you're the younger brother, just go call him 'Big Brother' and be done with it." San Hebao was fuming, but he had no choice. He gritted his teeth and spat out a "Big Brother." Before He Fantai could even open his mouth, Uncle let out a big laugh. "There! All fixed! Now I can finally eat!"
When it came to this point, He Fantai was about to publicly reprimand his brothers to salvage his reputation when suddenly someone came to report, "Magistrate Wang Mengmei's here to say goodbye." This was San Hebao's big client, the one who'd given him twelve thousand yuan. Today, Wang Mengmei took office and specially came to bid farewell. He Fantai glanced at the report, then his anger melted away – his brothers had pulled it off. As he changed his clothes to meet the guest, he turned to San Hebao and said, "I will go meet the guest; you stay here with everyone." Everyone said together, "Alright, we should leave too." With that, the elder uncle, the younger uncle, and the legal clerks all left together. He Fantai went out to meet the guest himself.
It turned out that the newly appointed county magistrate Wang Mengmei was a skilled official. In the first half of the year, he worked in the tax bureau for a few months, but he squeezed so much money out of people that they rioted, and a bunch of merchants ran to the provincial capital to complain. The tax bureau immediately reported to have him removed from office and sent guys to grill him. It was later found that he had condoned his subordinates' excessive fees. Fortunately, the higher-ups were lenient and only dealt with a few subordinates, giving him three demerits, suspending him for a year, and sweeping it under the rug. Coincidentally, about a month ago, He Fantai received news that he would soon be reinstated, so he started raking in the cash. With the help of his brother, he vigorously attracted business; as long as you paid, anything was possible. Wang Mengmei learned about this opportunity and treated San Hebao to a few rounds of drinks and girls.
Just in time for San Hebao's birthday, Wang Mengmei took the opportunity to give a birthday gift of a few hundred silver taels, celebrated with a party at a brothel, invited guests, and gathered a bunch of his mates to celebrate. San Hebao was thrilled and became good friends with Wang Mengmei. As luck would have it, the former magistrate of Yushan County was dismissed due to a case. Yushan County was a highly sought-after position in Jiangxi, so Wang Mengmei found San Hebao and was willing to give him ten thousand taels to pull some strings for him. San Hebao helped him talk to He Fantai. He Fantai said, "Wang Mengmei's suspended, and to appoint him now would be irregular. This isn't enough money." Another two thousand was added. Wang Mengmei privately gave San Hebao two thousand silver tickets. "Don't we brothers need this little money?" San Hebao said, already pocketing the cash. In fact, Wang Mengmei had only served as a magistrate once, and he was dismissed before completing his term. After returning to his province, he had to pay off debts, entertain guests, and compensate the patrolmen and clerks who took the blame for him. He'd spent nearly everything. Luckily, a moneylender friend coughed up three thousand for buying his official position. He also found a rich accountant and a well-connected lawyer, each contributing three thousand, agreeing that one would manage the account room and the other the documents after taking office. In total, nine thousand, with the remaining four to five thousand being his own contribution. Today he is taking office and bidding farewell; that's just how things are done.
Wang Mengmei bid farewell to his boss and colleagues, and with his family, aides, and servants, he headed off to start his new job. It would take several days on the road. The day before arriving at Yushan, he sent someone ahead with his appointment letter, and the local officials came to meet him. Wang Mengmei figured that it was now the time for tax collection, and there could be no delay. He thought he would be able to take office that day, but he arrived too late, and it was already dark. He was beside himself, desperate to get started. Fortunately, Old Man Qian advised him, "It's already dark; even if someone comes to pay taxes, they'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Better to start tomorrow morning." Wang Mengmei listened to his advice and didn't say anything. But he didn't sleep all night, probably getting up around four in the morning, afraid of delaying the morning office and letting the previous official collect the taxes. When everyone was ready, he was carried to the yamen, and the sun had already risen. After the seal was worshipped, he took his seat in the office, the clerk bowed, and the officials congratulated him, all of which were routine matters and need not be elaborated on.
As for his predecessor, the county magistrate was a scholar who was upright and gentle in nature but not very astute in handling cases. So when it came time for the higher-ups to evaluate him, they wrote a pretty harsh assessment, stating that he was "confused in handling cases, not competent, but because he passed the imperial exam with decent literary talent, it is recommended that he be transferred to a teaching position." This report was submitted and approved by the Grand Council as usual. The province first received a telegram, followed by official documents. However, Wang Mengmei had pulled some strings to secure this position. After taking office, the previous magistrate moved his family out of the yamen that same day to make way for the new county magistrate. He wrapped things up and headed back to the provincial capital.
So, Wang Mengmei starts his new job, and everything else is fine, but the two accountants under him, one named Jiang Fu and the other I forgot, were just bullies who were scared of anyone tougher than them, always trying to control him. At first, things were a mess, but later Wang Mengmei felt like a puppet, having to jump through their hoops. Wang Mengmei had a nephew helping with accounting in the yamen, who was quite shrewd. When he saw that something was wrong, he advised his uncle, "We've been in office for more than half a month now, and it’s tax season, so at least there’s some money coming in. Why not give the money back to those two accountants, get rid of them, and avoid trouble in the future?" His uncle was stunned for a moment, and then said after a while, "Wait, I have an idea." Seeing that his uncle had made up his mind, the nephew didn’t say anything more. In fact, Wang Mengmei was the most cunning person; after taking office, he appeared to be accommodating everywhere, letting those two accountants do as they pleased. When they caused a big mess, he would flip the script and deal with them, either by getting them exiled or even killed. Not only could he get their money back, but he could also gain a good reputation, the best of both worlds! So, yeah, pretty ruthless, right? That’s why his nephew wasn’t worried.
Back in the office, it just so happened that Jiang Fu came to attend to business. There was a case that Wang Mengmei had already rejected; Jiang Fu took the money from the plaintiff and then pestered Wang Mengmei for an invoice to catch the defendant. Wang Mengmei refused, and the two of them started arguing. Jiang Fu left cursing. Wang Mengmei ignored him, wrote a notice, and posted it in the lobby, warning the clerks and officers that she was incorruptible and that any embezzlement, extortion, or blackmail would be severely punished. After the notice was posted, everyone else was fine, but Jiang Fu felt uneasy. Back in the reception area, he pondered: "This notice is clearly aimed at me, cutting off my income, and also using it to establish a reputation for integrity to suppress us. Hmph! If there's meat, everyone eats; if there's no meat, everyone goes hungry. I'm not someone to be trifled with! You want to hog it all and let us all go hungry together? It's not that easy!" He made up his mind, and the next day after the meeting ended, as Wang Mengmei had just entered the room and the scribes were about to disperse, Jiang Fu raised his hand and said, "Hold on, everyone! The boss has an announcement!" Everyone stopped when they heard this. Jiang Fu cleared his throat and said, "The boss wants me to tell you all that he is honest, doesn't take bribes, and really cares about the people. Knowing that the people are living hard lives and that this year's harvest is also not good, the first thing is that those who pay taxes must pay according to the amount, not a penny more. This was mentioned yesterday, and the rules will be posted soon. The second thing is, you scribes, besides your regular wages, the boss has given you all, and you are not allowed to take extra money. You all saw the notice posted yesterday; no officials or staff are allowed to take money privately, and whoever is found out will be punished the same! Be careful, everyone!" And with that, he was gone.
The clerks looked at each other, not knowing what the official's game was. This matter spread throughout the city, and everyone said, "The official is a clean official. In a few days, there will be a notice to exempt the extra taxes, and the clerks are not allowed to extort." No one cared much about the second thing, but for the first matter, everyone was waiting to profit. After waiting for three days and the notice did not come out, no tax was collected in those three days. Wang Mengmei was baffled: "What's going on? No money was collected for three days?" After sending someone to inquire, it was found that Jiang Fu was behind this. Wang Mengmei was furious and wanted to immediately go to court to give Jiang Fu a thrashing. Fortunately, his advisors advised him to calm down: "This could get messy." Wang Mengmei said, "With him causing trouble like this, can I still collect my taxes?" Qian Gushi said, "Let's just get rid of him. Besides, he's not reliable. Are the people really refusing to pay?" Wang Mengmei thought it made sense and called his nephew to handle Jiang Fu's matter, and told him to get out. The nephew asked, "What about the three thousand?" Wang Mengmei said, "We'll pay him once we're sure everything's okay." The nephew said, "That won't fly." Wang Mengmei said, "What, you think I should pay more?" The nephew felt defeated and dared not say more, so he went out to talk to Jiang Fu. Jiang Fu said, "I knew from day one this gig wouldn't last. Let me go easily, give me back my three thousand dollars, and I'll leave immediately. There's another matter, the official said before 'we're all in this together.' Now that the official is about to promote and make money, we busted our butts and lost money, only to get dumped. Please have your uncle speak for us; on top of the interest, we deserve something extra. Forget the small stuff – the ten or twenty bucks. For example, like that Kong family inheritance mess and the Hu-Lu family breakup, those two cases alone are worth at least five thousand dollars. This job's worth fifteen grand, easy. That's fifteen thousand, right? So how do we split the thirty thousand? He's the boss, he should be fair and not screw us over. Tell your uncle to help us out. We'll be back tonight for an answer." After speaking, he left.
When the young master heard this, he was in a dilemma. He thought to himself, "This old geezer's all sweetness and light, but there's a sting in his tail. Should I help him respond? If I directly tell Uncle, who is a tough nut to crack, he might scold me again like last time when I helped an outsider get money from him. But if I don't respond, Jiang Fu will come to urge me again. That three grand wasn't a gift, and now he wants to welsh on the deal? That doesn't sit right with me. Besides, Jiang Fu's a real snake in the grass; I can't handle him! Forget it, I'll go ask Auntie and see what she thinks before making a decision." With a decision made, he sent someone to find out where the master was. When he found out the master was in the signing office, he slipped upstairs and told the lowdown to the wife, saying, "Uncle doesn't want to pay back now, Jiang Fu is too bad, he probably won't let it go. So I came to ask Auntie what to do." Unexpectedly, the wife was also tightfisted, just like the master, all take and no give. Upon hearing this, she said, "Don't you dare agree to him, young master! Your uncle finally landed this gig to collect grain and supplies for the family's expenses. With Jiang Fu causing trouble, no one has paid for the stuff for days! Your uncle is livid. The reason he hasn't dealt with Jiang Fu is that when he took office, he paid three thousand yuan in advance, which counts for something. He won't pay until he's sure everything's above board. If you agree to Jiang Fu, your uncle will definitely blame you again."
The young master, hearing this, felt even more lost, unsure what to say, so he just mumbled something and left. Back in the counting house, he sulked. Then, the curtain was flung open, and who should walk in but Jiang Fulai, here for the answer! The young master's heart sank when he saw him. How he'd handle Jiang Fulai, and whether Jiang Fulai would let this drop—find out next time!
