So, Suifengzhan, this Qizhou clerk, happened to get caught by the acting magistrate and got chewed out. Suifengzhan wasn’t having it and argued back. The acting magistrate said he was gonna take him to see the superior, accusing him of skipping out and then showing up again without permission, and that he was in for it. Suifengzhan shot back, "I came back, but I didn’t ask you to hand over the official seal. How’d you say I came back without permission?" The acting magistrate replied, "You didn’t take the seal, so how’d you accept gifts from others on the side?" Suifengzhan confidently said, "I’m the real deal, so these gifts are mine!" The acting magistrate wasn’t buying it and decided to write a complaint.
Knowing he was in the wrong and unable to compete with others, Sui hurried to the county overnight to see his boss, Qu Fengren, and ask for his help. On that day, Qu Fengren happened to have a banquet set up to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with his staff and friends. Just as they were about to start the feast, someone came to report: "The former chief of police, Chief Sui, is sitting in the office and wants to talk to the clerk." The clerk hurried over to see him before joining the feast. Sui was dressed in travel clothes and greeted him with a bow as soon as they met. The clerk quickly returned the greeting. After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down. Before the clerk could speak, Sui said, "Brother, I have something troubling that I need your help with." The clerk then asked him when he handed over his duties and when he returned. Sui explained his difficulties in fear of his festival gifts being taken away by others and why he had secretly returned. He also added, "The acting chief is going to file a complaint because of this, so I specifically came to ask for your help first. Please speak on my behalf in front of my boss; I'd be ever so grateful!" After saying this, he expressed his gratitude a couple of times. The clerk had a good relationship with Sui and didn't want to refuse him, so he asked Sui to wait in the office while he went to the hall to tell Qu Fengren about the situation in detail. Knowing Sui's diligence, Qu Fengren readily agreed to help. So when the banquet was over, around 10 PM, he called Sui over. He still had to give him a mild dressing-down. Sui repeatedly apologized and asked for Qu Fengren's guidance. Qu Fengren promised to call the acting chief over to sort things out together.
Just as he was about to show his guest out, Qian Qiongguang, the acting supervisor, showed up with a grievance. Qu Fengren hustled Sui Fengzhan back to the accounting office and then invited Qian Qiongguang in. The minute Qian Qiongguang saw Qu Fengren, he dropped to his knees, refusing to rise. Qu Fengren said, "Stand up and speak, why are you kneeling?" Qian Qiongguang said, "Boss, please help me out, then I'll get up." Qu Fengren asked, "What's the matter?" Qian Qiongguang cried and said, "Sui Fengzhan hogged all my food! I quit!" Qu Fengren said, "Get up, let's discuss it." With that, he helped Qian Qiongguang up. Qu Fengren asked again, "What happened exactly?" Qian Qiongguang said, "I've been working at this yamen for twenty-seven years. I served under Hong and Lu, and I've been acting supervisor five or six times – some stints longer than others." Qu Fengren said, "I know all that, no need to repeat it. Just tell me about what happened with Sui Fengzhan." Qian Qiongguang said, "In this yamen, all duties are rotated. I finally got the chance to be the agent, but I ran into Sui Fengzhan, his gifts, according to the rules..." At this point, Qu Fengren deliberately put on a stern face and said, "What rules? I don't know any rules! Spill it!" Seeing Qu Fengren getting angry, Qian Qiongguang was scared and nervously smiled, saying, "Boss, it was just, uh, gifts from some folks." Qu Fengren snorted and coldly asked, "How much dough are we talkin'?" Qian Qiongguang said, "Some were four, some were two, the biggest was six – over thirty in total." Qu Fengren asked, "What happened then?" Qian Qiongguang said with a sad face, "Sui Fengzhan pocketed the whole thing! I got nothin'! This whole acting supervisor gig was a total waste! So please, boss, help me out!" With that, he took out a complaint letter from his sleeve, handed it over with both hands, and bowed. His eyes welled up, like he was about to burst into tears.
Qu Fengren took over the complaint letter and first looked at the beginning, which read: "Qian Qiongguang, acting magistrate of Qizhou, a ninth-rank official: the former magistrate left the provincial capital without permission, returned to his post privately, pocketed bribes, and begged for mercy." Qu Fengren looked at it and said, "He's the real magistrate, you're just filling in. You should say 'the magistrate'." When he read "returned to his post privately," he thought for a moment and said, "You've misspelled 'sizi'. But he didn't ask you to hand over, so it can't be called 'returning to his post'." When he read the last sentence, he said, "He doesn't explain why he took bribes. You've been a magistrate for 27 years and you don't know bribes are supposed to be secret?" He casually glanced over the contents of the letter and saw that the first sentence below "Respectfully submitted" was, "That guy, my old boss from the Right Hall..." Without reading further, Qu Fengren threw the letter on the table and said, "Did you write this letter?" Qian Qiongguang said yes and added, "I didn't write it well." Qu Fengren replied, "It's pretty good. But this is tricky. Suifengzhan shouldn't have come back without permission, but you can't just accuse him of taking bribes in a complaint. If I send this in, you'll both be in trouble." When Qian Qiongguang heard Qu Fengren say this, he suddenly understood, fearing that Qu Fengren would really be angry and affect his future. He quickly stood up, wanting to retrieve the letter. Qu Fengren understood his intentions and quickly pressed the letter with his hand, saying, "Wait! Business is business. Since it's written, there's no reason to take it back. You go back and wait, I have a solution." After that, he served tea and saw Qian Qiongguang off. Qu Fengren then called the accountant steward and asked him to mediate the matter. It was wrong for Suifengzhan to leave his post privately, so he fined him to return half of the received gifts and give it to the acting magistrate as compensation. Suifengzhan was initially unwilling, but later, seeing Qu Fengren angry and threatening to report to the authorities, he relented and handed over sixteen dollars to the accountant steward. After saying goodbye to Qu Fengren, he went back to the provincial capital to wait for his trial.
Qian Qiongguang didn't get any money from the manager and instead got himself into trouble, leaving him terrified. He sat in the front office for half a day, couldn’t think of a solution, and had to go back. Early the next morning, he came back again. The people at the door urged him to go see the accountant. He had no choice but to go. By this time, the sixteen silver dollars spat out by Sui Fengzhan had already reached the accountant. But his relationship with Sui Fengzhan was not good. When he saw the accountant, he rambled incoherently, even getting some spittle on the accountant's face without explaining clearly. The accountant felt sorry for him and wanted to give him the sixteen silver dollars. But then he thought that if he gave them directly to him, he would definitely not appreciate it. So the accountant exaggerated the situation, talking about how the master needed to report to the higher-ups, which scared him into bowing deeply. Then, the accountant went out to see the master on his behalf and begged for mercy. After taking his time, he came back and told him that the master had agreed not to pursue it anymore. Qian Qiongguang was grateful and slowly told him, "My boss took pity on you and arranged for half the reward to go to you. Let's just forget this ever happened."
Qian Qiongguang initially only hoped that the magistrate would not report his application upward, and he was very grateful. He did not expect that the accountant would later give him sixteen silver dollars. He was overwhelmed with gratitude, almost unable to contain it. He immediately kowtowed eight times and bowed repeatedly, saying "You've gone to so much trouble, thank you." He even asked the accountant to take him to thank the magistrate. The accountant replied, "He is busy with official business now. It's the same if I say it for you." So Qian Qiongguang made another bow, took the silver dollars, and left. Back in the police station, he looked at the sixteen silver dollars over and over again for a long time, even tapping each one on the table, listening for the ring to confirm they were genuine. He was especially grateful that the county accountant looked out for him, not even giving him a fake silver dollar. He thought about how to thank the accountant. As he pondered, he took a small handkerchief, wrapped the silver dollars, placed them beside the pillow, and then went out to relieve himself. When he returned, he walked with his head down and suddenly remembered: "At the end of April, a boat arrived in the river outside the city, with seven or eight women, including two who were quite beautiful. Wang Erxiazi, the owner of the felt hat shop on Nan Street, had asked me to take care of them before leaving. It would be better to invite them to help me prepare some dishes tomorrow, and spend a dollar or two to invite the accountant to dinner to thank him." With the idea set, he returned to the room, but he searched everywhere and couldn't find the sixteen silver dollars! He rummaged through the drawers of the table and the bookcase, but they were nowhere to be found. He was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat, wondering if he'd lost his mind or if he'd dreamt the whole thing. He lay on the bed in his clothes, slowly thinking, "Where did I put it?" He cursed himself for his bad memory, hating himself so much that he stomped his feet! Then, as he shifted, he heard a "clink." The silver dollars, poorly wrapped in the handkerchief, had slipped from under his pillow.
Qian Qiongguang turned around and saw that the silver dollars were still there! He immediately opened and counted them—still sixteen dollars—and he was stoked! He carefully wrapped the silver dollars back up and put them in his pocket. Then he asked the steward to go to South Street to find Blind Wang, telling him to go to the boat run by the Jiangxi women and let them know to come to the restaurant tomorrow night to cook some dishes, saying that they were inviting the county accountant to dinner. The dishes should be better, and the boat should be cleaned up. The steward set off to do as he was told, while he figured, "The guests invited tomorrow will definitely include the accountant." He also remembered, "Today in the accountant's office, I saw the District Magistrate's second son; he even asked me how much money I made this time. It seems he cares about me, so I should invite him too." He counted on his fingers: "One accountant, the District Magistrate's second son, two Blind Wang, plus myself—a total of four people. That's too few, so I might as well invite two more: Old Sun's salted meat shop in Nan Guan and Zhou Xiaolv's stall at the Fengda herb shop outside the East Gate. Let's have a bit of a party." They’ll be sure to come when they hear I’ve invited the magistrate's son and the county accountant. With his plan set, feeling pretty pleased with himself, he’d got it all figured out. The steward returned and said, "Blind Wang heard that the master is inviting the county accountant to dinner, so he went out of town to the boat to make arrangements himself, and he also went to the restaurant." Qian Qiongguang nodded and said, "I'm not just inviting the accountant; I'm also inviting the District Magistrate's second son!" The steward was gone, and Qian Qiongguang hit the sack.
He couldn't sleep; something was bothering him. Early the next morning, after getting cleaned up, he went to treat guests. He first went to the gatekeeper, took out a calling card, and went to see the second master. After going in and out, he came out and said, "The second master played mahjong until midnight last night, then suddenly had a stomach ache, tossing and turning until dawn before feeling better, and now he's asleep, sorry to miss you." Qian Qiongguang was very disappointed when he heard this and said, "I prepared a banquet today and specially invited him. Tough luck!" So he personally went to the accounts office to try to make an appointment with the account manager. Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the accounts office, he saw tables and beds piled with account books inside and out. The account manager was holding a pen, checking accounts and reading aloud, with two assistants helping him write. When the account manager saw him, he didn't pay much attention to him, just said, "Please sit down! We're busy, brother!" Qian Qiongguang couldn't get a word in and sat in silence for a while. The accounts office staff offered him a hookah, and he smoked five cigarettes, killing some time. But the account manager was still busy, so he had to stand up and take his leave, thinking that when the account manager sent him off, he could invite him to dinner on the way. Who knew that as soon as he said, "Gotta run," the account manager just acknowledged him with a nod and said, "Sorry, I'm busy here, I can't see you off, let's meet another day!" After saying that, he continued to check the accounts. Qian Qiongguang treated guests, but no one showed up, which made him very upset! He thought, spending money was a small matter, but the key was letting people like Wang Er blind see it—how embarrassing! He complained to the account manager, "I invited you to dinner on purpose, but you just focused on your work, leaving me hanging, not taking me seriously! You're just working for the boss, not some big shot. Why so stuck-up? And that second master, he wasn't ill yesterday, won't be ill tomorrow, but just when I ordered the dishes, he falls ill. Seriously?" After grumbling, he went back to the gate.
When Qian Qiongguang saw the gatekeeper looking down in the dumps, he asked him, "Hey, gatekeeper, what’s on your mind? You look like you’ve got a lot on your plate." This reminded Qian Qiongguang, and he slapped his forehead, "The second master and the accountant aren’t coming. I might as well invite those friends below to dinner; they’re also from the state. Maybe these small-time officials will be more useful in front of the boss than the accountant and the second master! Besides, I haven't invited them since I took office, and today is a good chance to solve two problems at once." So he had the gatekeeper invite the big shots from several departments like the Treasury, Records, General Affairs, Seal Office, Document Office, and Stamp Office; there were too many underlings to invite, so he only asked the heads of the staff. He also specifically mentioned it would be in the evening. The gatekeeper knew right away that he couldn’t invite anyone above, so he dismissed it, saying, "Nah, I ain't got time for that." Qian Qiongguang didn’t hear him at all and had the three young men in the gatehouse invite the guests.
After a while, the young men came back and said, "Mao from Records, and Lu from the Seal Office, might have official business in the evening and can’t leave; Zhu from General Affairs and Ma from the Stamp Office have been constantly sought after by the bosses lately, so they’re busy; Lu from the Treasury, his second wife is taking care of their child, so he’s taken two days off; only Xiao from the staff said he’ll come after the master falls asleep." Before the young man could finish speaking, the gatekeeper said, "They’re not coming, why bother going through all this trouble for me?" Qian Qiongguang replied, "There’s also Xiao and you! If they don’t give me face, as brothers, are you really going to say you won’t come?" He kept pressing him until the gatekeeper finally nodded before leaving. Back at the yamen, Qian Qiongguang grew angrier and angrier, "They totally dissed me! Only the powerless showed up!"
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Wang Er, the blind man, finally showed up that afternoon and said, "Everything is ready. Word on the street was that the restaurant had landed some bigwigs from the prefecture, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. Just don't know when these officials will arrive?" Qian Qiongguang blushed and said, "They're all being so thoughtful, trying to save me the expense. I'm sure they'll treat me to dinner at the Yamen anyway!" He then ordered the kitchen to add more dishes. "Look, I've already put in the order. Since they're not showing, I don't want to waste your time or food, so I've invited a couple more." Wang Er said, "You should have told me earlier; we can still cancel some of the dishes. I wonder who you invited?" Qian Qiongguang didn't want to say they were servants, so he vaguely replied, "They're also from the office." Wang Er heard that they were also from the office; though not as high-ranking as the bookkeepers, it was still something.
Wang Er wanted to wait for the people from the office to arrive together to look more respectable. Qian Qiongguang knew that Xiao Er, the servant, had to wait until the master was asleep before he could leave, so he said, "No need, let's go out to eat first and wait for them." So off they went, on foot, out of the city. When they arrived at the boat, a gaggle of actors swarmed them, all dolled up in makeup and finery, shouting "Master Qian! Master Wang!" Qian Qiongguang walked into the cabin and saw a place to smoke in the middle. Wang Er, being a heavy smoker, practically collapsed the moment he saw the smoking area. The actors on the boat also came into the cabin and asked when the other officials would arrive. Without waiting for Qian Qiongguang to speak, Wang Er counted the time on his fingers: "It's five o'clock now. Those big shots from the prefecture will be having tea, then paperwork at six, court at seven – so they probably won't be out of the city until eight."
Qian Qiongguang said, "There's no time for that. The old man here is a serious smoker, smoking three times a day, with each session lasting at least an hour. It takes five or six people just to keep him supplied with cigarettes, and we still can't keep up. It's now five o'clock, just starting to smoke, six o'clock for a snack, seven o'clock for his paperwork, eight o'clock for lunch, and nine o'clock for court. If there's not much paperwork, he can wrap it up by ten o'clock, then head back to the room to eat and smoke. At twelve-thirty, he goes back to the office to handle his official duties. After two o'clock, he returns to the room to smoke until dawn. But with people serving in the room, the followers will be fine." Wang Er Blind said, "His addiction to smoking is so strong, what if there's an emergency?" Qian Qiongguang said, "If there's an emergency, he'll just take a quick hit of opium."
Just as they were talking, Sun Laohun arrived, knowing he had to accompany the old gentleman from the prefecture for dinner, so he deliberately changed into a new outfit. Wang Er Blind said, "Laohun, today Master Qian invited you to dinner as a guest, not to look for a son-in-law, so why are you dressed like a new son-in-law?" Sun Laohun said, "Well, it's not every day Master Qian invites me to dinner, especially with the bigwig from the prefecture, so I wanted to look my best."
Several people chatted for a long time, and some snacks were brought out to eat on the boat. Wang Er looked at the watch; it was almost nine o'clock, the officials from the prefecture had not arrived, and Zhou had no news either. Everyone was puzzled. After waiting for another half hour, suddenly someone shouted from the bow of the boat. Everyone thought it was the honored guest who had arrived, so they quickly got up to welcome them. But when they looked, it was Zhou, running with sweat dripping down his face, his robe half soaked, fanning himself with a fan in one hand. Wang Er asked him to take off his robe and had someone bring a basin of water for him to wash his face. Qian Qiongguang asked him, "Why are you so late?" Zhou said, "Don't mention it, I helped a friend all day today." Qian Qiongguang asked, "What happened?" Zhou said, "His cousin's brother promised to marry his cousin's daughter when his aunt was alive. Later, when his aunt died, his uncle changed his mind, saying that the niece was no good, and promised the daughter to someone else." Qian Qiongguang asked, "Was there a matchmaker at the beginning?" Zhou said, "There was no matchmaker; it was a close relative, his aunt promised it in person." Qian Qiongguang said, "What about the marriage contract?" Zhou said, "I don't know if there is one. His brother ran around all day today for this matter, couldn't settle it, and will probably have to go to court." Qian Qiongguang said, "Without a matchmaker, without a marriage contract, this case is going nowhere." Zhou said, "Now our villagers are willing..." but stopped there. Wang Er understood and gestured to Qian Qiongguang, saying to Zhou, "Mr. Qian is here; you don't have to worry. Let's discuss how to solve this together and stand up for your villagers! Besides, Mr. Qian is familiar with everyone in the prefecture; there's nothing he can't do." Zhou felt encouraged and said, "His uncle just needs to issue a ticket; I'm worried he won't listen." Qian Qiongguang said, "Issuing a ticket is easy. Since I took office, thanks to the care of the villagers, I have issued more than ten tickets, all with the help of the villagers. This matter can be handled in my local government office, without the need to involve the prefecture." Zhou said, "If you are willing to help, that would be great! Once a ticket is issued, his uncle will have to send his daughter over. I understand the rules of the office. Our villagers have money, and I will make sure he gives you some more. As the saying goes, 'fight for justice, not for money,' as long as this matter is resolved, not only will his brother's face be saved, but in the future, our villagers will deeply appreciate your help!" Qian Qiongguang said, "Then I'll trouble you! Tell him to bring the petition early tomorrow morning; I will sign and stamp it, and the ticket will be issued on the same day."
Empty
Everyone chatted for a while, and Wang Erxiazi lay on the deck, yawning several times. He said, "It's getting late. Did they forget to come?" Qian Qiongguang replied, "I know they won't be too late; they're almost here." After a while, they heard laughter coming from the shore, followed by the sounds of loading and unloading as people called for help. Soon, people were on the boat. Qian Qiongguang hurried out to greet them, only to find that there was only Old Man Xiao and a young man who usually helped him with his cigarettes. No one knew him, and no one asked his name, only inquiring, "Why isn't he coming?" The young man quickly said, "The master sent him to the province, so he couldn't come, and asked me to stand in for him. Old Man Xiao, don't we look sharp today?" With that, he entered the cabin. Everyone got up to greet him, taking a deep bow. Unexpectedly, this young man was always bowing and immediately bent over when he saw someone. Only Qian Qiongguang managed to stay upright; the other three almost fell. Wang Erxiazi was lucky to be supported by Qian Qiongguang. Everyone urged them to take off their coats. This young man was small in stature but wore a large and long gauze robe, which Qian Qiongguang recognized as what Old Man Xiao usually wore when receiving guests. He was holding Old Man Xiao's Chaozhou fan, the fingerstall on his finger, and the sachet and purse around his waist—everything belonged to Old Man Xiao. It was too awkward to say anything, but he thought it was pretty funny.
After a while, they returned to their seats, and Qian Qiongguang was the first to speak, asking, "Why are you two so late?" Old Man Xiao explained first, "We could have arrived at half past nine. Just as we were about to leave, my father received a letter from the provincial government. Since no one else knows about it yet, we came to inform you first. Get dressed early tomorrow and go congratulate him." Qian Qiongguang hurriedly asked, "What good news does your father have?" The young boys piped up, "Our boss has been promoted!" When Old Man Xiao entered the room, he pretended to be a steward in front of Old Wang the Blind and the others, saying "my family" repeatedly. Now that the young boys said "our boss," he glanced at them secretly, fortunately, no one noticed. Qian Qiongguang asked again, "Where has your father been promoted to?" The young boys eagerly said, "It could be Wuchang Prefecture or Huangzhou Prefecture; it's not confirmed yet." Old Man Xiao said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. My father originally had a vacant position as the county magistrate of Zhili Prefecture. Now, he has secured another... secured what... oh, my memory is really bad; I just can't remember." He frowned and closed his eyes, trying to remember for a while, but still couldn't recall. He even knocked his head with his fist, saying, "Secured what... why can't I remember?" The young boys again eagerly said, "Old Man Xiao, this letter was brought in by the clerk. At that time, I was behind his chair, lighting his pipe. He pointed to the letter and said to the clerk, 'See this?' I tiptoed behind him and took a glance, and it turned out my name was written on the letter, along with the words 'promotion.' I recognize my name." Qian Qiongguang had been in the officialdom for a long time and knew that when a letter of recommendation said "promotion," it definitely meant a promotion. He said, "He already holds the position of county magistrate of Zhili Prefecture. If he is being promoted again, it must be to a prefect. We must go congratulate him tomorrow. Thank you for making the trip." Old Man Xiao said, "We're all family, no need to thank us!" Qian Qiongguang had just been wondering what the young boys were called, but this conversation cleared things up.
Because it was getting late, Qian Qiongguang quickly ordered the banquet to be set up. Of course, Old Man Xiao sat at the main seat, while the young master sat at the secondary seat. During the banquet, Old Man Xiao still acted all high and mighty, referring to his official position as "my office," and no one present could figure out what he was up to. Only the young master had no manners at all, eating and drinking like a pig, even stripped down to his undershirt, with his braid twisted up on his head, and his legs sprawled all over the chair, happily drinking and eating. The women on the boat, who claimed to sell their art and not their bodies, were even getting handsy with him. Two women directly refused him, and when he caused a scene, they each pouted and said, "Hey, mister! Keep your hands to yourself!" After saying this, they walked away. The young master got angry and cursed, "You goddamn bastards! You look down on my master; tomorrow when I go back, I'll make sure you get what's coming to you!" The women on the boat completely ignored him, and Qian Qiongguang had to get up and mediate.
After finally finishing the banquet, it was almost dawn. The young master was afraid of delaying his tasks and being scolded by the master, so he immediately put on his clothes to leave. Qian Qiongguang repeatedly urged him to eat some porridge before leaving. Old Man Xiao also advised him to slow down, saying, "I still want to have a few words with Mr. Qian." The young master couldn't wait and stomped his feet, saying, "If the task is delayed, I’ll take responsibility. You guys are stuffed; you don't know what it's like to be starving, so leave quickly!" Old Man Xiao was pressured by him and had no choice but to dress and bid farewell. By the time Qian Qiongguang saw him off at the boat, the young master had already put on his long, oversized robe and was standing on the shore. We'll skip over them heading back to work for now.
Qian Qiongguang returned to the cabin, and Blind Wang complained to him, "How did you invite this big shot?" Qian Qiongguang blushed and thought for a moment before saying, "Don't underestimate him. He's a popular figure among the prefecture's top officials. He's practically glued to the magistrate's side. In short, as officials, we need to roll with the punches to avoid losses. For example, when their prefecture's high-ranking official receives a recommendation, they're willing to send a letter to me. Since I got the letter first, I'll be the first to congratulate him today, and naturally, my superior will be pleased. If I don't invite them to dinner, who will have time to inform me? It pays to be well-connected; that's the key to being an official." Blind Wang was left speechless by his words. Little Zhou stood up and said, "I'll take care of this matter. I'll go meet the magistrate immediately and be back to report to him within two hours." Qian Qiongguang said, "Go ahead, get the paperwork ready, and leave the name blank." After speaking, he bid farewell with a bow. Qian Qiongguang, Wang, and Sun each went home, and that's that.
Although Qian Qiongguang had stayed up all night, he didn't feel tired because there was profit to be made. He got back to the office as the sun was rising. He quickly took out an old scroll, copied the style of the old documents, leaving only the case and the original defendant's name blank. After writing it out, he checked it twice, then took out a wooden seal and stamped it, filling in the date with a red pen. It was already eight o'clock, and more than two hours had passed, but Little Zhou had not yet arrived, making him very anxious. Seeing that time was running out and he had to go to the prefecture to congratulate, his anxiety grew. There was no choice but to put on his clothes and wait quietly. As soon as Little Zhou arrived, he could explain clearly and leave. It was lucky that as soon as he had put on half of his clothes, Little Zhou arrived. They were both glad to see each other.
Zhou Xiaolu pulled out the petition from his sleeve. Qian Qiongguang glanced at it roughly and found many words and phrases he couldn't understand. He quickly noted down the names of the plaintiff and defendant, jotted down the main points of the case, filled out the form he took from the drawer, and immediately sent someone to say, "Take Mr. Zhou with you." Then Zhou Xiaolu took out a red envelope from his bosom and handed it to Qian Qiongguang with both hands. Qian Qiongguang weighed it and felt it was very light, so he asked, "How much money is in here?" Zhou Xiaolu said, "It's four silver dollars, just a little something for your troubles." Qian Qiongguang hesitated for a moment and said, "Look, I'm just the middleman, and I'm almost done with this. I appreciate you taking care of this. I don't have any other expectations, just hoping the case can be resolved smoothly. Not to mention anything else, I got this done right away when I got back, just waiting for you. I wrote all the words on it myself. Normally, this would take ten days at least – I got it done super fast. If this matter falls into someone else's hands, you'd be paying through the nose – at least thirty silver dollars! Now, as long as you give me ten dollars, I have already restrained myself." After Zhou Xiaolu listened to his words and saw that he refused to accept the four dollars, he knew that this matter was not so easy to accomplish, so he took out two more silver dollars from his bag and said, "This is my contribution. Gotta help a friend out, you know?" Qian Qiongguang said, "You're a good guy, and I appreciate you helping your friend out. Let's make it eight. You go back and tell your friend to spend ten dollars, we'll go halves. You have put in effort, I won't say much more." Zhou Xiaolu hesitated for a long time again, and finally added one more dollar, saying many words of thanks, "This extra dollar is for my friend – buy himself a new pair of shoes." Qian Qiongguang had no choice but to accept.
After Zhou Xiaolu left, Qian Qiongguang hurried to the prefectural city. Although he knew his boss liked to sleep in, he had to go early to offer congratulations. At this time, everyone in the yamen was in high spirits because the master had been promoted. Qian Qiongguang, dressed in his best threads, went to the gatehouse first as usual. The usual clerk had been sent to the province. Today, the guy at the gate was also responsible for handling the deliveries. Qian Qiongguang knew him and quickly handed over his credentials, asking him to report on his behalf, saying he had come to offer congratulations and seek an audience. The gatekeeper went in for a while, came out sweating profusely, and angrily returned to the gatehouse, throwing his hat on the table, saying, "What rotten luck! This promotion's gonna be a nightmare for us underlings. It's just a title, thankfully, but if he actually becomes prefect, forget about it! And if he makes governor, we're all screwed! It's just gonna get worse from there. We're all just his puppets, man! You, Mr. Qian, you should be an official too, you know?" Qian Qiongguang listened to him for a long time and couldn't understand what was going on, so he could only smile and say, "Is the boss up yet? Should I go in now or wait a while?" The gatekeeper said, "He got the recommendation and is so happy he can't sleep! He got up early in the morning, busy making official plaques and pasting couplets. Because the person making the plaques arrived late, he scolded him. Who wasn't born to parents? Who can endure his 'bastard'? Mr. Qian, the more you think about it, the madder you'll get. You might as well skip lunch." When Qian Qiongguang heard that his superior had already gotten up early, he was anxious and wanted to go in immediately. He had to wait until the gatekeeper cooled off before he could get inside.
At this time, Qu Fengren was in the hall, with the joyous letter he received yesterday placed in front of him. Sitting beside him were several friends and relatives, such as the accountant, the clerk, and the second-in-command, all lively. Qian Qiongguang entered the hall, respectfully knelt down, and kowtowed three times to congratulate his boss on his promotion. He then greeted the clerks and the second-in-command. His boss told him to sit down, and then he sat down himself. Qu Fengren looked smugly pleased and asked first, "When did you find out?" Qian Qiongguang thought to himself that he couldn't say he received the letter last night, so he replied, "I just received the letter." Qu Fengren said, "Do you know alone, or does the whole city know?" Qian Qiongguang said, "I was the only one who received the letter, so I hurried over to congratulate the old man first." Qu Fengren said, "Yes, I guess they wouldn't know. This is an under-the-table promotion; only the magistrate knows about it, not even the provincial governor. It's related to that theft case from years ago, and the magistrate personally promised me. Now the promotion has indeed been successful. It shows that to be a high official, one must be fair in rewards and punishments and have a good memory to gain people's trust. I have a good relationship with the magistrate, so I will have to send him an invitation in the future." Then he said to the accountant, "Am I right?" The accountant said, "Yes!" Qu Fengren continued, "I have been promoted to the position of Tongzhi of Zhili Province. What will I be promoted to next? Definitely a prefect. You useless lot! I've been telling you since morning to quickly make a plaque with the title 'My promotion to Prefect' on it, but the carpenter still hasn't come. It's truly annoying! Although the whole city doesn't know yet, they will all come to congratulate me as soon as they receive the letter. Today they come, tomorrow I will go to pay respects, and this plaque is necessary at the office. Moreover, this is a gift from above, much more dignified than buying an official position." The clerks all agreed, "Yes." Qu Fengren then looked at Qian Qiongguang and said, "According to the customs of Hubei, subordinate officials do not have seats when meeting the prefect. Although I don't care about these things, it's the custom. When we officially start work, even if I want to be casual, I can't." Qian Qiongguang understood that these two sentences were directed at him. After thinking for a while, he mumbled a "yes," his mind racing.
As they were speaking, the clerk came in to report: "Both the couplets on the pillars and doors inside and outside the mansion need to be replaced with new ones. Could you do me a favor with this?" Qu Fengren quickly turned to Master Shuqi and said, "This is a bit of a bother, but could you handle it?" Master Shuqi quickly agreed and asked for guidance on how to write them. Qu Fengren said, "The previous couplets were written according to the rank of the prefects; now that I’ve been promoted to governor, words like 'opulent splendor' can be used. However, I’m busy with official duties and getting older, and I don’t want to bother with this. In the Warm Pavilion, I’ve decided to replace the four characters 'first rank in the court' with 'honored family connections' written on red paper and pasted on the screen." He then asked Shuqi, "What do you think?" Before Shuqi could speak, the second master interjected, "These four characters seem a bit vulgar." Qu Fengren said somewhat unhappily, "These four characters are commonly used in letters and are idiomatic, much more elegant than 'first rank in the court'." The second master said, "In the Warm Pavilion, it’s either 'first rank in the court' or 'on the fast track,' never using any other wording." Qu Fengren became even angrier, "Come on, you don’t understand! Without connections, how can one get promoted? These four characters 'honored family connections' encompass what you said in those two sentences! Everyone has their own opinions. Brother, I don’t look down on you, but with you being stuck in your ways, trying to catch up to my rank, it’s still a long way off!" His brother's glare shut the second master up.
Just as Qu Fengren was about to continue, suddenly there was a ruckus outside. Everyone jumped, and someone was sent to investigate. A clerk quickly ran in to report: "Someone has come to accuse Qian of taking bribes and breaking the law, and even forced people to smoke opium. They've come to complain. The person who smoked opium has also been brought in; they might be dead." Qu Fengren said, "Are you bringing corpses into *my* yamen?! You've worked for me this long and you don't know that?! It's a special day; there are no bad omens! Nonsense! Get him out of here!" The clerk said, "He shouldn't have taken bribes; that's why they're here." When Qu Fengren heard the words "file a complaint," he immediately understood, turned around, and angrily confronted Qian: "You've got some nerve! This is all your fault! They're here to complain because of you! I'm already swamped, and now this? What do you have to say now?"
Qian Qiongguang was scared at first when he heard the clerk's words. Later, he dropped to his knees after hearing his cousin's reprimand. Qu Fengren didn’t let him get up and continued to scold him: "You can't just take on civil cases! There are laws, you know! You come out to be an official, and you don't even know this? I'm reporting you!" Qian Qiongguang was terrified at the thought of being reported and begged for mercy, bowing his head on the ground. Qu Fengren scolded him for a long time, still not knowing what was going on outside, and said, "Kneeling till dark won't help. You've made your own bed, now lie in it. Go out and resolve it, then come back to see me." Qian Qiongguang knelt on the ground without moving. Qu Fengren asked him, "Why don't you go out?" Qian Qiongguang said, "To tell you the truth, I’ll be killed if I go out!" Qu Fengren replied, "You know what's going on, in your own heart." Qian Qiongguang bowed his head and said, "I deserve to die! I had two dealings with them, and I really don’t know which one it is." Qu Fengren said, "You're a real handful!" Qian Qiongguang explained, "They came to me; I was just trying to help them out, so you wouldn't have to deal with it." Qu Fengren said, "I get it." He then turned to the clerk and asked, "What's going on outside?" The clerk replied, "Some guy wants to marry this girl, but her family said no. So he paid off the boss to have them arrested, saying he'd beat them. The neighbors weren't happy about it, so things got out of hand." Qian Qiongguang finally understood what had happened in the morning, and he was furious at Zhou Xiaoluzi for messing it up.
After talking for a while in the room, the noise outside stopped. The clerk went out to inquire and found out that they had already been stopped by other constables, waiting for the magistrate's questioning, and dared not make trouble again. Qu Fengren heard that it was quiet outside and said, "Get that opium smoker some medicine quick, might save him yet." Someone replied, "Yeah, he's had some medicine already. Heard he didn't take much, reckon he'll pull through." Qu Fengren finally relaxed, reprimanded Qian Qiongguang a few more times, and then went to the magistrate's office. Qian Qiongguang followed the accountant, begging for forgiveness and apologizing repeatedly, "I messed up, please forgive me." The accountant said, "You're leaving soon, so why stir things up? This is your own doing, so sort it out. Keep things quiet. It'll be a whole lot worse when your cousin's judging the case."
Someone reminded Qian Qiongguang, and he quickly came out of the account room and ran to the gatehouse at the back gate. The gatekeeper was busy saving the person who had taken opium. When he saw Qian Qiongguang, he began to complain: "Bloody hell! Nearly killed the bloke, did you! What the devil were you playing at?" After a pause, he said, "He's alright now, don't you worry. You've got until tomorrow morning to sort this out. If you can't solve it, we'll deal with it then." Qian Qiongguang thanked him repeatedly before leaving. When he returned to the yamen, his official robe was soaked. He quickly sent someone to find Zhou Xiaolu, but Zhou Xiaolu had run away and was not at home. So Qian Qiongguang had to go see Wang Er Blind for help. Wang Er Blind was well-connected, so Qian Qiongguang asked him to smooth things over. The night before, Wang Er Blind had drunk Qian Qiongguang's wine, so he was naturally willing to help. He quickly found two people: one was a director of Shantang, and the other had been a cartographer but had handed over the work to his son as he got older. Being older, respected, and knowing this was the constable's request, they were happy to help, hoping to network. After they agreed, Wang Er Blind first found the local guards and the original complainant, and explained the situation in a small teahouse. Fortunately, the complainant had not taken much opium and was easily treated. With the persuasion of Wang Er Blind, the director of Shantang, and others, the complainant only asked the magistrate not to force his daughter to marry the scoundrel, and he was willing to withdraw the lawsuit. Qian Qiongguang promised him: "I'll tear up those papers. I'm staying out of your wedding business." In this way, a major issue was easily resolved. Qian Qiongguang then asked the accountants and money managers to speak to the magistrate. The magistrate was celebrating his promotion and didn't want to be bothered.
Two days later, Zheng Renli and Feng Zhan returned. Qian Qiongguang did the proper handover, went home, and that was that. To be continued!
