Shen Shouyao, ashamed of having confessed his poverty to his mother, lashed out, calling her a bad talker and slapping her. He didn't expect to hit her too hard and knock her down. But his Ma was a tough cookie. She simply lay on the ground and shouted, "Hit me! Beat me to death, I ain't gettin' up!" Then she started crying loudly. By then, most of the police station guards had drifted off, leaving just five or six, who were drawn in by the yelling. Shen Shouyao, his face red, tried to pull his Ma up, but couldn't, so he kept right on cussing her out. His Ma kept jawing back, so Shen Shouyao, furious, kicked her twice. His mother simply refused to get up, crying and claiming innocence, even when the people from the police station came out to intervene. Finally, the police station's head honcho showed up, chewed her out, and threatened to send her to the county lockup. His mother stopped crying, stood up, and rubbed her eyes. Shen Shouyao was real grateful to the head honcho and wanted to thank him, but the guy just gave him a look and walked off.
Shen Shouyao felt even more awkward and figured he'd get another dig in at his mum, but she'd scarpered, leaving her boots, hat, and bundle all over the place. Shen Shouyao panicked. "Shame I've got to nip off to see someone," he said to Feng Zhan, "or I'd get one of the lads to help you with that." "No worries," he added. "No one's carrying your stuff," Qin Meishi said kindly, "so how are we going to get out of here?" "'Little Dog!' he yelled. A skinny little lad came running, called him 'Dad,' and stood there wiping his nose. Qin Meishi said, "This is Mr Shen, do you know him?" The boy said he knew Mr Shen but not Mr Feng. Qin Meishi asked him to bow to both of them. The boy bowed and greeted them politely. Feng Zhan realised it was Qin Meishi's son and had a chat with him, saying he was bound to do well. Qin Meishi chuckled and introduced his fifteen-year-old son. "He's not much of a scholar," he said, "but he's a dab hand at getting things done." He usually takes him to the yamen to run errands and deliver messages. "'What are you gawking at? Get my shoes!' Qin Meishi snapped." The boy whipped out a little cloth bag, grabbed his dad's shoes, and helped him change them. Qin Meishi folded his clothes, bundled them with his shoes, and then chucked Shen Shouyao's stuff at his son. Shen Shouyao tried to refuse, but Qin Meishi insisted, so he gave in. The boy couldn't manage it all, so he grabbed a stick, popped his dad's hat on his head, and marched off, shouting as he went. And that's when everyone realised Qin Meishi used his son like a bloody gopher.
Qin Meishi had his son take Shen Shouyao's stuff over to his place. As a result, he saw his mother bawling and cussing in the house. Shen Shouyao was so angry that he wanted to drive her away. His mother refused to leave, saying, "If you want me to leave, pay me what I'm owed, and I'll leave immediately. The boss also promised me daily expense money for going to the yamen with him to pick up his clothes and hats." Shen Shouyao said, "It was agreed at the time that we only got paid for work done. I don't have any work now, so how can you ask for money?" His mother said, "Even if there is no work, shouldn't there be gift money?" Shen Shouyao said, "The gift money is also limited." His mother said, "No matter how much, this is what I deserve. Master, you are an official, can't you even take our little money? I remember clearly that from last May to today, there have been over three bucks in gift money. In the past, your boss said that this money should be given to the wife sixty percent, and the rest to us. Calculate a little more, the wife deducts two bucks, leaving more than one buck. Add the wages of thirteen and a half months, eighty cents a month, a total of $10.80, plus the gift money, give me twelve bucks!" Shen Shouyao was furious when he heard that so much money was needed. He was so angry that he wanted to hit someone and cursed, "Are you kidding me? That's crazy! How can I owe you so much money? At most, I haven't paid for three months, but you say thirteen and a half months. As for the gift money, I also keep accounts; it's not even one buck, deducting sixty percent for the wife, where does so much come from? You're trying to rip me off! Originally, I was going to give you this money, but you love to cheat people, so the gift money is forfeited, and I won't give you a penny!" His mother said, "What about the wages?" Shen Shouyao said, "Here's three months' pay, and don't ever come back!" His mother said, "That's highway robbery! Only giving three months for thirteen and a half months, you are taking advantage of me, I won't agree. The gift money cannot be less. Master, if you owe me a penny, I will sue you! You're stiffing me on my wages and pocketing the gift money? What kind of boss are you?" When Shen Shouyao heard this, he rushed up and grabbed his mother's collar, ready to kill her. His mother was also angry and cursed loudly, "The master refuses to pay wages, takes gift money!"
They were arguing while his wife was upstairs delousing and didn't come down. Later, the argument got out of hand, so she had to come down looking like she'd just rolled out of bed to intervene. At this time, the boy hadn't left yet and was pulling Shen Shouyao's sleeve, saying, "Mr. Shen, don't pay attention to that fool! When he leaves, I'll help you give gifts; even if you go to the yamen, I can help you with your clothes and hat. You don't have to worry about him!" Shen Shouyao said, "Brother Shi, you're the son of Master Qin. How can I trouble you with gifts and my clothes?" The boy replied, "It's no trouble at all! Besides, giving gifts is how you help me make money; in the future, I'll only take four out of ten coins." Shen Shouyao was amused and angry, thinking, "What a useless son we've raised! So unreliable!" Just as he was thinking this, his wife came down. Seeing the couple arguing, she realized that her husband had no money these days; he couldn't even come up with three coins, let alone twelve. So she pretended to advise him not to be angry, winked at her mother-in-law to persuade him not to take it seriously and to continue working, saying, "He's just upset; don't take what he said seriously." At first, the mother-in-law firmly disagreed, but unable to resist her daughter-in-law's kind words, she finally caved in.
After Xiao Gouzi pulled Shen Shouyao aside, he sorted everything out, including his clothes and hat. Shen Shouyao offered him tea and a meal, but he refused, saying he didn't want to, but he wouldn't budge. Shen Shouyao couldn't figure it out and asked him, "What's the matter?" Xiao Gouzi said, "I need eight copper coins from you, Uncle Shen, to buy some sugar-fried chestnuts." Shen Shouyao didn't have any copper coins, but he couldn't refuse the boy's request, so he went back in to discuss it with his wife. His wife said, "We only have twenty-three coins left from pawning things the other day – barely enough for half a litre of rice! We've got nothing to cook with today, so we'll have to pawn more. Just give him eight, and keep the rest safe; I need it for the next couple of days!" Shen Shouyao immediately gave the money to Xiao Gouzi. Xiao Gouzi bowed deeply to Uncle Shen before taking the money and counting it as he left.
After Xiao Gouzi left, Shen Shouyao listened, and when he heard nothing, he knew his wife had talked his mother round. That was a relief! That day, his wife pawned more things to buy rice. While eating, his wife counted the money and said, "When we got married, I didn't expect riches, just enough to eat. Then you became an official, and we thought, 'That's it, we're set!' But other officials get rich, we just get poorer. We've nothing left to pawn! What am I supposed to do?" Shen Shouyao, feeling ashamed, said, "Since I became an official, I've done my best. I've never been late for work. It's just bad luck, and I can't do anything about it." He sighed. His wife cried and couldn't eat. Shen Shouyao only ate half of his meal. Then a friend dropped by, so he went out.
Shen Shouyao usually doesn't come back until midnight after lunch. This day, he returned in less than two hours, dancing with joy as soon as he entered the door. His wife found it strange and asked him, "Why are you back so early?" He said, "Great! Great! We low-level officials have always been suppressed, and no one treats us like human beings. Now it's good; we finally have a chance to get ahead!" His wife asked, "How did you get ahead?" Shen Shouyao said, "I just went to Old Man Hu's house with a friend (I used to borrow money from him often). Old Man Hu returned from his business trip and met the Prefect. The Prefect said, 'I just came out of the court; the Governor said that starting tomorrow, all minor officials will have seats and won't have to stand like before. The Governor also said, 'Both big and small officials are officials of the emperor's family. Looking down on them is disrespecting the imperial officials. Let them sit down and talk.' Honey, isn't that great? I've been stuck in this dead-end job for over ten years, had enough of being treated unfairly, and finally, I can sit down and talk. He also understands me. Do you remember what the fortune teller said in August this year? That I would have great luck in December? It seems to be coming true! Moreover, the Prefect only has a seat to see the Governor, and now our minor officials are the same as the Prefect; this is a leap in status!" His wife thought for a while and said, "Wait a minute! Didn't you tell me before that you officials, regardless of rank, are like brothers to the Governor? Why did you say today that you used to stand to see him? So, you're saying you used to have to stand before him like one of his servants?" Shen Shouyao blushed, unable to answer for a while, and finally said, "Now there is no need to stand to see him." He hesitated, thinking to himself, "I guess women don't understand the struggles of being a low-level official. Even the Prefect's dog gets treated better than we do. If you can compare with the Prefect's second master, that would be great!" Just as he was thinking this, his wife said again, "Don't deceive me; whether standing, sitting, or kneeling to see him, as long as there is money to spend and food to eat, don't always act like you're something." Shen Shouyao said, "Don't worry, with this rule in place, there is hope for the future; just you wait and see!" His wife ignored him.
Shen Shouyao originally did not plan to go to the yamen the next day, but the governor wanted to see twenty or thirty veteran lower-ranking officials. He thought that although his qualifications were not the oldest, the governor might be happy to see a few more, so he decided to go early. The next day, early in the morning, he went to the governor's yamen with his mother. The news had already spread, so there were a lot of people in the yamen. When Shen Shouyao arrived at the governor's hall and changed his clothes, he met Qin Meishi, Sui Fengzhan, and others. Sui Fengzhan said that he had already received the appointment from the viceroy last night and came to report today. He also mentioned that there was a vacancy among the Qizhou officials because the former official had messed things up, and he wanted to ask the military governor in person. Qin Meishi also had a lot to report to the military governor directly.
As everyone was quietly discussing, the viceroy, the governor, the grain commissioner, the salt commissioner, as well as the heads of various departments and both officially appointed officials and those awaiting appointment, came in and out one after another. When the viceroy and the governor came out to get into the sedan chair, the junior officials quickly lined up. Some of the high-ranking officials nodded, while others walked away with their heads held high.
The officials waited from seven in the morning until twelve o'clock, when the governor finally saw them all. Then an officer with a list came down and said he wanted to summon thirty subordinates, calling those people in order and not allowing anyone to cut in line. Everyone was happy, but it was the first time after all, and they were all a nervous wreck, feeling butterflies in their stomachs. Some of the names at the back, afraid of not seeing the governor, tried to cut in line, resulting in an argument with the people in front. The officer urged them to hurry up and stop arguing. After being reprimanded, those officials hurried in.
In the reception room, the governor was already standing in the middle, saying there was no need to kowtow. Everyone bowed, and the governor asked them to sit down. As a result, everyone rushed to sit down, and it took a while for things to settle down.
Everyone waited quietly for the governor's instructions. Governor Jia said, "These days, junior officials usually stand when they meet bigwigs, let alone the governor. Today, I am making an exception and letting you sit down, hoping you all appreciate it. These days are busy, and in a few days, I will summon each of you one by one to test you. Got it?" After his speech, the officials understood it was time to leave.
At first, when everyone heard about the exam, they all looked at each other and no one responded. It wasn't until the official asked again that someone offered a hesitant affirmation. After the official finished speaking, he picked up his tea cup and gestured for the guests to leave. Suifeng Zhan had much to say but remained silent. Everyone could only mumble a "yes" and picked up their tea cups.
At that moment, with a "bang," a tea bowl broke, and it turned out to be Shen Shouyao sitting at the back. He was so happy that he accidentally knocked over the tea bowl, splashing tea on the official's clothes. The official shook his clothes and said, "What's going on? What's going on!" Shen Shouyao quickly picked up the pieces, saying, "My apologies." The official ignored him.
Everyone finally saw that it was Shen Shouyao who broke the tea bowl. He blushed with embarrassment. The official looked at him for a moment, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything and stood up, saying to the constable, "Let's just continue as usual; these people are beneath contempt." After speaking, he left. One of the official's followers came out to urge everyone to leave quickly and even made a sarcastic remark.
Shen Shouyao slowly followed everyone, and the follower said again, "So, you heard the boss? These seats are here today, gone tomorrow! Don't like 'em? Feel free to come back for seconds!" Everyone knew it was sarcasm and could only walk away with their heads down.
Qin Meishi complained to Shen Shouyao, saying that he had ruined our chances that everyone had fought so hard for. Suifeng Zhan advised everyone, saying, "This will be a story we can tell for years to come." After some discussion, everyone dispersed.
Sui Feng visited various government offices to say his goodbyes and thank everyone as he prepared to take office. His position as a low-level official in Hubei Province was not great, but it was still acceptable. He always believed that hard work could overcome anything and figured he could make a success of any job. The position cost him a pretty penny, and he wasn't exactly rolling in dough. As a ninth-ranking minor official, his sedan chair would only have a blue umbrella. The villagers didn't understand and thought the fellow in the sedan chair was a big shot! He felt that the blue umbrella was too shabby, and he couldn't afford to buy a fifth-rank title. Luckily, someone let him have a blank fifth-rank feathered hat certificate for twelve bucks. He was overjoyed and immediately put it on, adding "Fifth-Rank Feathered Hat" to his official documents. He also wanted to make four nameplates to bring to the provincial office: one for "Qizhou Right Hall," one for "Fifth-Rank Feathered Hat," one for "Rewarded with Blue Feathers," and after thinking for a while, he came up with "Three-Level Military Merit Promotion." He got a lacquer worker to whip up the four nameplates in five days and took them with him when he started his new job.
Arriving in Qizhou, Suifengzhan first visited Magistrate Qu Fengren. The magistrate's office wasn't a standalone building, so Suifengzhan went to the gatehouse first. He bribed the gatekeeper, who then chatted him up like an old friend. The gatekeeper said some kind words, and Suifengzhan offered the usual pleasantries about future favors. Then he went in to see Qu Fengren, dressed in his flashy official robes. Even though they'd met in the provincial capital, Suifengzhan bowed again. Magistrate Qu had him sit, made some small talk, and then dismissed him. After leaving, Suifengzhan left his card with the gatekeeper and then began his rounds of the yamen, visiting officials and clerks. He visited every office, from accounts to the courts, even the magistrate's son. Some received him, some did not. He sent a card and a letter to the magistrate's wife, who politely declined his visit. After canvassing half the yamen, he finally took a breather at the gatehouse. He made a point of greeting everyone, from the gatehouse stewards to the magistrate's flunkies and even the tea boys. He'd chosen the 19th of the 12th month for his swearing-in. On this day, a throng of people—carrying umbrellas and banners, beating drums and blowing horns—escorted him to the yamen. Dressed in his finest robes, Suifengzhan alighted from his sedan chair, performed the kowtow ceremony, and received the official seal as the ritual master chanted. With the magistrate present, they couldn't set off fireworks, only a couple thousand firecrackers. He changed into his official robes, took his seat on the dais, accepted congratulations, stamped his seal, and received the bows of his staff. He then reported to the magistrate, and the next three days were a blur of official business.
Although Sui Fengzhan was new to his position, his ancestors had been officials for generations, so he was very familiar with how things worked in government. He knew that the benefits of the constabulary all lay in the New Year's gifts, so he was eager to take office, afraid that his predecessor had taken all the gifts. On his first day in office, after meeting the magistrate, he visited the salt court and various pawnshops to meet the managers. He began by showering them with compliments, then mentioned the difficulties of his new post, hinting at his reliance on their assistance before finally getting to the matter of the New Year's gifts. There were a total of seven pawnshops inside and outside Qizhou City, two of which had just changed managers and only knew that they had to send gifts to the constabulary for the New Year. The former official had sent someone ahead to borrow money, and the new manager did not know that a new official was coming, thinking it would be the same sooner or later, so he lent him the money. Two old managers refused to lend money in advance, and the former official had to accept it. Two others compromised and only lent half; for example, they usually sent two silver dollars, so they first lent one and kept the other for the new constabulary. The former official had to give in. Only the manager of the salt court and the former official were from the same hometown; not only did he lend money, but he also gave him two extra coins, saying it was a gesture of hometown sentiment. The proper gifts would come later, at New Year's. The former official did not want to easily give up the New Year's gift from the salt court, which was more than elsewhere, and said, "Look, between Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year's, that's 135 days! I worked 120 of them, so this money's rightfully mine!" But the other party refused to give it, so he had no choice but to accept it. After Sui Fengzhan arrived in Qizhou, he visited everywhere, inquired about the news, and within three days, he figured out all the accounts of the former official. Then he told everyone, "I wasn't planning on coming this year, but then I heard about the end-of-year bonuses, and well, here I am! I will never handle things perfunctorily and disappoint the expectations of my superiors. As for all the rules, I believe everyone will follow the old regulations." He chuckled. "I'm still finding my feet; we will spend a long time together in the future, do you still need me to worry?" He laughed again. He said this everywhere, and some of the New Year's gifts that the former official had not received were happily given. Those who hadn't caught on had already given their gifts to the old guy, and now they were kicking themselves.
After Sui Feng took over the handover, he immediately called his brother-in-law and a trusted aide to check everything with the former guy. They had to account for everything, down to the last detail. Among the items handed over by the former, there were five lidded teacups, one of which was missing a lid. While counting the items, the aide clumsily broke a lid. Trying to brown-nose his boss, he didn't dare admit he broke it himself and told Sui Feng that the former had only handed over three with lids. He figured it was a cheap lid, so he blamed it on the former guy, hoping Sui Feng wouldn't bother investigating. But Sui Feng wasn't having any of it, insisting the aide go ask the former for the lid, saying, "If he doesn't have it, I'll skin him alive!" The aide knew he'd broken it, so how could he ask? So he stubbornly refused to go. Sui Feng chewed him out, saying, "After all these years, you're turning on me? Helping the other guy instead of me? You've got no loyalty!" Pressured by Sui Feng, the aide had no choice but to go look around, but came back empty-handed, saying, "Nope." Sui Feng scolded him again, calling him useless and saying he’d have to do it himself. Finally, his uncle talked him down.
Everything's settled. Heard the old guy's heading back to the provincial capital tomorrow. Suifeng Zhan smelled a rat, so he hurried out overnight, rounded up every constable in town, and told them to inform all the joints, gambling parlors, and cribs: "Anyone connected to the old man's office – tell 'em no payments. If they pay under the table, the old man ain't gonna honor it, and I'll double-collect. Besides, he was just standin' in, I'm the real deal. They work for me now. And if they don't like it, tell 'em to watch their backs!" After arranging for the constables to pass on the message, he thought again: "I've got those places covered. I'm worried about the pawnshops. They're all owned by heavy hitters. Two of 'em have already been bought by the old guy, and they may not be willing to cough up cash at the end of the year. Ain't that a kick in the teeth? I gotta straighten this out with the old man, pronto. If he makes off with it, I'm screwed." So he hightailed it over to see the old man.
When the former heard that he was coming, he had to come out to meet him. Suifeng Zhan came in, gave a cursory bow, blushed a few times after sitting down, hemmed and hawed for a while before saying, "Brother, you came today, there's something I'd like to ask for advice on..." At this point, he stopped again. After a while, he said, "Our family's been in government for generations, we've seen our share of money. But since we took a salary to become officials, what is it for? If we didn't care, why bother being in government? Maybe they're trying to pull a fast one on us during the changeover, who knows. So I had to come and ask, make things clear, and not be deceived by villains." The former acting official listened to all this rambling, still clueless about the point. He had a vague idea, but still couldn't figure it out, just sat there speechless. Suifeng Zhan saw that he didn't respond and said, "It's just about the year-end bonus. It's not much, but it's a matter of principle. We're not above accepting it. But this money, brother has always known, they always wait until the end of the year to send it. Some with bad tempers wait until New Year's Eve to send it, and you have to send someone to their store to wait until midnight to get it. I call them cheapskates; you gotta practically beg them for it. Who knows what their game is?" The former acting official listened to him and followed his words, saying, "Those guys are jerks! They won't give it a day early!" Suifeng Zhan suddenly put on a serious face and said, "It's the same everywhere else, man. I didn't expect it to be different here!"
The ex-official, realizing Suifengzhan was talking about him, feigned surprise. Suifengzhan then said with a smile, "Being an official, we only get by on the three big holidays. So as soon as we take over, we quickly inquire about this. You know this already; this is the money we use to support our families, how can we not take it seriously? Who knows, after asking a few places, they all said the brother had already collected the year-end gifts. I thought, I am the official, the brother is just an agent. If I'd taken over on New Year's Day, it would've been his. But I took over on the 29th, so the money's mine—it's practically a whole day's worth of work! That sounded fishy. The guy's got a reputation to uphold; he wouldn't be so brazen. So I figured they were trying to butter us both up. I am always cautious, so I came today to ask, to avoid being deceived by them." The ex-official was speechless. Suifengzhan said again, "I know the brother would never do anything to betray a friend. Let's go straighten this out with those two pawnshops and clear your name." After that, he stood up to leave. The ex-official claimed he was leaving tomorrow and couldn't go. Suifengzhan said, "If you don't come, everyone'll think you're in on it." The ex-official thought to himself: sweeping this under the rug isn't going to work. Let's just lay our cards on the table and see what happens. He made up his mind, chuckled twice, and said, "You're a sharp cookie! You're the official, I'm just the temp. You're the Emperor's favorite; taking gifts is part of the job, right? But hey, I've been busting my butt here for over a hundred days, you've only been here a couple of weeks. The year-end gifts are mine, fair and square!"
Suifengzhan saw him unrepentant and furious, and he sternly said, "No way! That's ridiculous! According to what you said, you must have already spent this money! Why am I even here? I'll be honest with you, for the sake of our relationship, I'll overlook it this time. Just give me back the advance New Year's gift, and let's call it quits. If you refuse to hand it over, hmph, I'm not arguing with you. Let's go see our superior together and let him judge!" The former acting official, seeing him being so tough, also refused to back down, repeatedly saying, "Let's see the magistrate; I'm not afraid of him!" Suifengzhan, seeing that he was not afraid, immediately lunged at him, saying, "Let's go!" The former acting official also grabbed his pigtail. The two of them fought from the side room to the main hall door. The gatekeeper recognized them and quickly stepped forward to mediate. But the two of them held on tightly and couldn't be pulled apart no matter how hard they tried. Their respective bodyguards also followed. They fought all the way to the gatehouse, where several guards were playing mahjong. Seeing the situation, they quickly came over to stop them. Suifengzhan said, "He doesn't even respect my official position! I want to see the magistrate and let him judge!" The former acting official also said, "I only received four copper coins as a gift, which I deserve. If he wants to see the magistrate, I'll go with him. I did nothing wrong; I'm not afraid!" After listening to them, the guards couldn't favor either side and could only persuade them to stop fighting. Finally, they managed to pull them apart. The gate official from the state stomped his foot and said, "What's wrong with you two? At least you are officials; how can you not understand even the basic rules of officialdom? Don't act like this; it will make the higher-ups angry, and others will laugh at you. Let's talk this out. As the saying goes, 'Talk is cheap; actions speak louder.' Don't you understand even this?"
When they stormed in, all fists and fury, everyone felt guilty and were itching to rat them out to their bosses. After being scolded by the guy at the gate, they wilted, sitting there silently. The guard went all out to be nice, bringing them towels to wipe their faces and making tea for them. The mahjong game stopped; everyone watched and listened. Finally, Sui Fengzhan couldn't hold back anymore and spilled the beans about the ex-guy's early Christmas bonus. The former boss, seeing him speak up, quickly shared his own grievances, saying, "Poor me, I'm about to step down, with no power at all. Those people are really selfish. Only a couple of families chipped in two bucks each—a measly four bucks total. See? This is what happened." Sui Fengzhan said, "Four bucks? Are you kidding me? How much do you think you deserve?"
Before the former official could speak, a mahjong player said, "You big shots really have short-sightedness! Is it worth making such a fuss over four measly bucks? When we play mahjong, we can rake in hundreds in a single game. Others play a hundred rounds and don't even have to pay for being the banker. What's four bucks? I lost over forty yesterday!" Menzheng said, "Brother, who can compare to you? You, Money Cao, earn thousands in a year. Some guys slave away as officials for ten years and still don't make that much." Money Cao said, "I make money, but unfortunately can't become an official; they are at least officials appointed by the emperor." Another mahjong player said, "Enough! Did you not see when they came in fighting just now? They didn't care about the official position for four bucks. If you gave them a few thousand taels of silver, they would probably be willing to give up being officials. If you envy them being officials, I can be the middleman; you two can switch, how about it?" Money Cao said, "I have money; can't I just buy an official position myself? Why do I need their positions?" Another mahjong player said, "As long as there's money to be made, I don't care about being an official." Everyone was talking loudly, making Suifeng Zhan and the former official embarrassed and regretful for their impulsiveness, ending up in the hands of these flunkies.
In the end, Suifeng Zhan didn't say anything and quietly left. The former official was taken to another room by people he knew. And that was that. Until the end of the year, Suifeng Zhan sent people to the two pawnshops to ask for holiday gifts. They said they had already been sent. Suifeng Zhan said, "I never got them, so forget it." In the end, since everyone saw him as a court official, they might need his help in the future, so they didn't argue with him too much, and each family gave him a whole silver dollar, and this matter was considered settled.
Time flies, and before you know it, spring has passed and it is already April. According to custom, prisoners from various places are to be escorted to the provincial capital at this time for trial by the bigwigs to review any wrongful cases. On this day, the governor, magistrates, and other officials dressed in court robes presided over the court session to interrogate the prisoners, known as the Autumn Review. In reality, it was just for show. Some high officials, in order to save face, would donate some money to buy fans, medicine, and other items to reward the prisoners, but the quantity was limited. The Autumn Review sounded impressive, but once the prisoners were in court, even if they had grievances, the officials didn't have time for them, so it was all a complete formality.
It is said that Huangzhou Prefecture governs Qizhou, and at this time, the officials in the prefecture had to send someone to escort the prisoners to the provincial capital. This task would take at least half a month, or even a month. With a shortage of manpower in the prefecture, two temporary replacements were chosen from the reserve officials, which was a way to rotate staff. Among the two people selected this year happened to be Sui Fengzhan. Around the tenth of April, after the prefecture's official duties were completed, Sui Fengzhan escorted the prisoners to the provincial capital. If the journey went smoothly, he could return by the end of April or early May, in time for the festival. But if there were any delays on the road, he might have to wait until after the festival to return. Sui Fengzhan wasn't exactly happy about the assignment, but since it was a higher-up's order, he had to complete the handover of his duties, pack his bags, and head off to the provincial capital.
After arriving in the provincial capital, all the criminals were gathered, and the senior officials were preparing to discuss the autumn examinations with the governor. However, the governor suddenly fell ill, and they called in a bunch of doctors, but nothing worked. Some people said his face was horribly swollen, making it awful to look at, and his breath was so bad it made you want to throw up. Later, a foreign doctor was brought in, and finally, there was some hope. The foreign doctor gave him some medicine. He said it would flush out all the sickness through his pee, and it wouldn't affect his upper body. However, the governor had to stay inside and avoid visitors. As a result, the autumn examinations were delayed. The officials from the provincial yamen were desperate to get things done and go home. However, with the governor falling ill and unable to handle matters for the time being, they could not leave the provincial capital and were beside themselves with worry.
As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, Sui Zhan was unable to return home for a while. He watched as the holiday gifts were about to be taken by others, feeling like a nervous wreck. On April 26th, he heard that although the official's illness was improving, he still couldn't see visitors for a while, and the Autumn Audit would have to wait until after the festival. Upon hearing this news, he felt like he had been bummed out. After returning to his residence, without saying a word, he thought all night and finally came up with an idea. He figured, "If I keep hanging around in the capital, I'll be twiddling my thumbs and unable to do anything. It's better to take this opportunity to quickly return to Qizhou and pull a fast one by saying that official business is done. When everyone sees me back, they definitely won't give the holiday gifts to others. After collecting all the gifts, I can peacefully celebrate the festival, then return to the provincial capital. No one will be the wiser, how perfect!" With his plan in place, he immediately had his family pack their bags and left the city, crossing the river by boat and heading straight to Qizhou in one fluid motion. As he was leaving, a colleague who lived with him asked where he was going. He said, "I received a letter from home saying that my wife is giving birth in Qizhou, and there is no one to take care of things at home, so I have to go back. I'll leave the matters here to you, please don't tell anyone." The colleague, seeing how earnestly he spoke, didn't say anything and let him go. But he had another plan brewing; once he returned to Qizhou, he didn't report to his superiors, meet with visitors, or see the acting officials. Instead, he spent every day in the pawnshop or the salt bureau, telling people, "I've returned, and I received the seal in such and such year and month." Everyone believed him. By May 3rd, he'd cleaned them all out!
The middleman initially heard that the magistrate had fallen ill, putting the autumn review on hold. Knowing that the regular job holder couldn't return for a while, he felt pleased, thinking that the sweet bribe was as good as his. However, on New Year's Day morning, the person still didn't show up. He quickly sent someone out to inquire, only to find out that Sui Feng had been intercepted halfway. He blew a gasket! He immediately went out searching and finally found Sui Feng at a small inn. Upon meeting, without a word, he grabbed Sui Feng by the scruff of his neck, accusing him of abandoning his post and falsely claiming to have returned to duty. He was determined to drag Sui Feng to their boss and get him in trouble. Sui Feng refused to back down, and the two of them started arguing again. Tune in next time to find out what happens!
