After Huang Daotai finished his dinner, he smoked for a while, then slowly changed his clothes, sighing all the while. After dressing properly, he sat in the sedan chair, with a red umbrella held high and lanterns flickering along the way, and went to his superior's place in a procession. When he arrived at the yamen, he went straight into the magistrate's office. Hu Xunbu heard that he had come, and because they had a good relationship, he hurried out to greet him, saying, "The Lord is meeting guests now, please wait a moment before going up. Have you eaten yet?" Huang Daotai replied, "I have eaten. Old friend, you need to change how you address me. I’ve been demoted now, not like you!" With that, he tried to pull Hu Xunbu to sit down and chat. Hu Xunbu sat down, more out of politeness than desire, and after a few words, he said, "I gotta go see what's up; once they're gone, I'll let the boss know." Huang Daotai said, "Thanks, mate."
Hu, the patrol officer, didn't take long to return and invite Huang, the magistrate, in. Huang put down his long sleeves, straightened his hat, and followed Hu into the house. The guard had already come out to greet them. After entering, Huang first bowed, then knelt down and kowtowed, and bowed again, saying, "Thank you, sir, for worrying about my situation." After sitting down, he added, "I am not fortunate enough to serve you. In the future, please take me under your wing; I'm at your service." The guard replied, "This is unexpected. Although the governor's telegram says so, the memorial has not been submitted yet. Yesterday, when Hu returned, he mentioned that a relative of yours is working at the Yamen. Why not ask him for help?" Huang said, "Although I have a relative at the Yamen, I am afraid to speak in front of the governor. Please help me think of a solution and smooth things over. I dare not ask for anything else; I just want to save face, and I would be immensely grateful." With that, he got up and bowed again. The guard said, "I will send a telegram now. But you also need to send a telegram to your relative to find out what happened." Huang replied, "No need to investigate." With that, he leaned in to the guard's ear and detailed the whole story. Then he said loudly, "I'm counting on your help." After listening, the guard frowned and said, "Sir, you were indeed careless at the beginning and did not handle it well, which is why it went wrong." Huang replied, "Yes." The guard comforted him a few more times, asking him to wait for news at the mansion: "I will send a telegram now and definitely help you come up with a solution." Then he served tea and saw Huang off. Hu caught up, saying, "The guard has agreed to help, so it seems like there should be no problem. As soon as there is news, I will come to tell you immediately." Huang repeatedly thanked him and humbly said a few more words before getting into the sedan chair and leaving.
Back at the compound, Huang Daotai's expression was no longer as dull as before. After alighting from his sedan chair, he did not return to his room but went straight to the hall and sat down. He called for the secretary, explained what happened, and asked him to draft a telegram. According to the guard's suggestion, he asked Wang Zhongquan to help investigate the truth and reply. The secretary said, "This telegram has too many words. Sending it to the telegraph office will incur extra word charges. It's better for us to use the telegraph code properly before sending it." Huang Daotai agreed with a nod. The secretary picked up the "Huayang Calendar" and found the section on "New Telegraph Codes," writing out the codes one by one to be sent by Second Master. Huang Daotai then returned to his room, changed into his sleeping clothes, and discussed the guard's kindness with his wife. His wife was also very grateful and said, "When we have good results, we must repay him well." After that, the two of them fell asleep peacefully.
Dai Sheng saw the master sending a telegram. After the master went in, he asked the secretary about the situation and learned the truth. The secretary said, "The guard is willing to help with this matter; it seems there is still hope." Dai Sheng snorted coldly and said, "We'll see! I have already packed up and prepared to leave. Being a mandarin ain't easy! Look at his appearance when he was promoted a few days ago; today he looks different after being reprimanded by a superior. Unlike us, if we resign from this job, we can still find another and still be able to eat. You only have one boss, and that's the Emperor. Do you think the guard is willing to help? The governor might not give a damn what he says. Let's see how things turn out in the future! Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to leave?" As he spoke, he laughed and left. The secretary did not pay him any attention and went back to his room to rest.
Huang Daotai waited in the official residence for three days, but no one from the yamen came to deliver a letter. He was beside himself with worry, pacing back and forth in the house, feeling restless. It just goes to show you how fickle things are in official circles—one minute you're in, the next you're out. When Huang Daotai was in office before, there were crowds of people coming to see him every day. But now, there wasn't a single person in sight. Even the guy who ran the revenue office, Qian Dianshi, whom he had promoted before, had vanished into thin air, and even the gatekeeper Dai Sheng hadn't shown up for several days. Huang Daotai didn't care much about Dai Sheng, but Constable Hu, who had always been close to him and cared the most about him, also didn't come. This didn't bode well. After finishing dinner on the fourth day, Huang Daotai completely gave up hope. It was getting dark when Dai Sheng came in with a smile, holding a letter in his hand. "The boss wants to see you! This is from Hu (the constable), saying there may be good news from Nanjing, and he wants you to go there." Huang Daotai quickly took the letter, opened it, and read: "Respected Sir: I have received a telegram from the higher authorities. The case has not been reported yet, and Guo Daoyuan has been appointed to investigate. There may be a turning point in the situation. Please come to the mansion as soon as possible. Best, [Name]." Before Huang Daotai finished reading, he hurriedly said, "That kid Zhongquan is impulsive! There’s no evidence yet, and he sent a telegram? That's crazy!" He muttered while running into the inner room with the letter to tell his wife. Everyone was naturally very happy when they heard the news. He immediately changed his clothes, hopped in his sedan chair, and went to the yamen.
When they arrived at the yamen, Hu the constable paid his respects first. This time, Magistrate Huang was not as polite as he had been that evening. He stood and talked to Hu, not allowing him to sit down, and Hu didn't dare to sit. Huang said, "Can you believe this?! Our family received such a telegram out of nowhere! Now that Inspector Guo's on the case, things should be smoother." After speaking, Hu went in to deliver the message, and then came out to greet him again. This time, Huang changed his attitude, only bowing according to the rules, not repeatedly greeting him as he had done that evening. Just then, the guard told Huang, "After you left that day, I sent a telegram to the Jiangning governor. He is a friend of mine, and I asked him to help you think of a solution. I just received his reply, take a look." The guard handed the telegram to Huang. The telegram read, "Got your Jiangning telegram. The report on the Huang case is done and sent up the chain as ordered. The Governor's calmed down a bit and told Inspector Guo to look into it properly. Best." After reading it, Huang showered the guard with thanks and then took his leave.
Returning home, not sure who leaked the news, the members of the bureau and the camp office all dropped by the mansion to pay a visit one by one. Huang Daotai shot the breeze with a few colleagues, and the others said they were tired and showed them the door. Only Qian Dianshi stayed at the gate, discussing with Dai Sheng and asking him to help deliver a message. "I knew the boss was down these days, so I didn't dare to disturb him. We skipped the show for his wife's birthday. Now that everything is fine, and I owe him a lot, I should take the lead and get some colleagues and friends together to celebrate his wife's birthday. Mate, how about tomorrow? Can you help me respond first?" Dai Sheng said, "No worries! Things were pretty quiet around here a few days ago; I wanted to chat with you, but you didn't come. So now you're doing this?" Qian Dianshi blushed, "It's not that I didn't come, I was just afraid the boss was in a bad mood. My bad. Now it's just showing our appreciation from us; we can't be lacking." Dai Sheng said, "I understand. Don't worry, I'll let you know once the date is set." It turned out that after Qian Dianshi had a private conversation with Dai Sheng that day, he received an appointment from the finance bureau the next day and became the treasurer. The other matters were handled according to the rules, no need to go into detail. When writing an article, some things are written clearly, some are hinted at, and some need additional explanation. The author only hints at Qian Dianshi's promotion, but the reader can infer it from the context, so keep that in mind.
After Qian left, Dai Sheng was thinking about his words and figured he was right. He immediately went to the inner room, not mentioning that it was Qian's idea, but saying it was his own thought. He said to Huang Daotai, "Two days ago was Madam's birthday. Originally, we were going to celebrate it at home, but then that telegram came, causing a commotion for a few days. We didn't even have a good meal and couldn't sleep well at night. We thought, since we've lucked out with a great boss, we should hope for him to be promoted and prosper. Besides, he's got the best reputation in all of Jiangxi, so there shouldn't be any problems. A few days ago, there were some guys who were worried all day, trying to ask this boss and that boss for help, and they weren't willing to do any work in the mansion. Those ingrates really got under my skin!" Huang Daotai said, "What good are those ungrateful bastards? Who are they? Fire them immediately!" Dai Sheng replied, "I won't mention their names. Let bygones be bygones. Those heartless people will definitely not have a good future, just wait and see." After Madam also said a few words of advice, Huang Daotai didn't say anything else. Then they decided to have a belated birthday bash, with Mr. Qian taking the lead at the office, following the previous plan. Huang Daotai agreed, and it was decided to start the celebration the day after tomorrow. After Dai Sheng came out, he informed Qian. As usual, family members would celebrate first, then the office, followed by the business department, and the rest.
Sent a message to the county magistrate, asking them to notify the school teachers to seal the props box of the theater troupe. Before long, the troupe leader from last time arrived at the mansion with the trunk in tow. The troupe leader bowed to Old Man Dai and said, "Grandpa Dai, we haven't settled the money from the last performance yet! For the sake of the adults' business, I asked around everywhere; making money is a small matter, the main thing is to save face for the adults. Who knew we were suddenly told we couldn't perform, causing me to lose one hundred and twenty-four copper coins—I'm practically broke, leaving only a pair of pants! Fortunately, there is still work today, giving us face, and we will do our best. Grandpa, think about it, our lead actor rivals Juxian in skill, our painted-face actor rivals Xiushan, our young male actor rivals Suyun, and our leading female actor rivals Yiyun; each one is a top-notch role." Dai Sheng said, "So they're all 'as good as'? I doubt that!" The troupe leader became anxious, "They're Jiangxi's famous 'Four Aces'! Everyone knows that! After you listen to the performance, you will see we are not bragging." Dai Sheng said, "If you sing well, no problem; if you sing poorly, I will send you to the county and give you three hundred lashes and shackles." The troupe leader said, "If we don't sing well, please forgive us; if we sing well, there is no need to say more. As long as Grandpa says a word, give us two gold ingots as a reward to make up for the loss last time, that would be Grandpa nurturing us." Dai Sheng said, "The money's not mine to give. Even if I wanted to, he wouldn't let me." The troupe leader said, "Don't hide it from me, everyone knows you have the magistrate's ear! If it's just a matter of your word, not to mention one gold ingot, even thousands or tens of thousands, you can take it." Dai Sheng said, "That's true. I have this money; I won't leave it at the door." Just then, someone called for Old Man Dai, cutting him short.
Before you knew it, it was time for Huang Daotai's birthday celebration. The show was set to start at two. Huang Daotai took three days off for this occasion, and after lunch at the estate, he and his wife sat in the hall to watch the opera. His concubines and daughters were all dressed beautifully, accompanying them to the performance. Huang Daotai also had a thirteen-year-old son, who was spoiled rotten by his wife since she did not have a son. If he wanted the moon, someone had to fetch it; otherwise, ten men couldn't stop him when he threw a fit. On this day of watching the opera, he ran into the dressing room early in the morning, wearing a fake beard, pretending to fight. The troupe was too scared to say anything. Later, a clown who couldn't stand it anymore said, "Young Master, what are you doing back here?" The boy didn't understand. When the young master's second uncle heard this, his eyebrows shot up, and he said that the clown was disrespecting the young master and wanted to get even with him. The clown refused, and the two started fighting. The boss pulled the clown off, apologized to the uncle, and got the kid to the main hall. Backstage gossip could get you in big trouble, especially if you offended the young master. Finally, the uncle took the kid out. The boss saw it but kept quiet.
It's getting dark, and the performance on stage is about to stop for the birthday celebration. The master and madam are dressed up and come out. The master wears a robe adorned with pearls, and the madam wears a red gown and cloak, standing in front of the hall to receive everyone's greetings. First, their own family members, then Dai Sheng leads the servants of the mansion. Dai Sheng wears a red tassel hat and a blue coat, while others wear horse coats or long robes, all kowtowing together. The master bows, and the madam also returns the bow. After the servants finish kowtowing, it's the clerks' turn to pay their respects. The madam steps aside, and Huang Daotai comes out to return the bows. After everyone disperses, officials from the province, including the magistrate, come to present documents. Huang Daotai orders all to stop, but only Qian Dianshi, regardless of whether there are people in the hall or not, dressed in a colorful python robe and a fifth-rank award token, walks to the middle, kneels, and kowtows three times, then rises to pay respects and wishes the madam a long life. The madam leaves as soon as she sees him. Huang Daotai is polite to him and asks him to stay and watch the show. Qian Dianshi says, "I am different; I should be here to serve." With everything in place, the feast and performance commenced, lasting until half past twelve.
Many people came to bring gifts that day, mostly wine, candles, pastries, peaches, and screens. Dai Sheng is responsible for registering who brought what and how much they spent, all recorded in the accounts. Dai Sheng also collects bribes from others, some ten coins, some eight coins, without missing a single one, adding up to quite a sum. Some aspiring officials, aware of Huang Daotai's close ties to the guards, seized the opportunity to offer gifts, ranging from one hundred taels to fifty, along with fabrics and gold—and naturally, substantial entrance fees. The madam instructed that cash, fabrics, and gold be submitted immediately; other gifts were to be accounted for after the performance, personally verified by the madam before she retired for the night.
Three days passed before you knew it, and Huang Daotai returned to the yamen (government office) to work. A few days later, he visited his colleagues who celebrated his birthday with him. Secretly, he had someone send a hefty bribe of 10,000 taels to Guo Daotai. Guo Daotai helped him settle the matter, saying, "It was a case of extenuating circumstances, and there was no evidence," and reported to the Zhitai (head of security). The Zhitai also received a plea letter from the security chief, and unable to risk the embarrassment, he let the matter pass.
Huang Daotai continued his work. Because the security chief trusted him, he was in charge of the salt administration, the baojia bureau, and the foreign affairs bureau, making him the top dog in the province.
Ah, there was no way around it. The new governor had already requested approval from the court to move south for his new post and would soon take office. The others were fine, but the only one left was the high-ranking official, who was in charge of the salt administration and loved money the most in his life. Since taking office, he had been afraid of gossip and dared not openly peddle influence. Now that he heard the new governor was about to take office, he knew he had to leave too. He couldn't hold onto his position for much longer. So he threw caution to the wind and had his aides and relatives help him with selling positions. Starting at one thousand taels of silver, they could only arrange for mediocre positions; the best positions required at least twenty thousand taels of silver. It was all about who could pay, and he played it fair... for himself. For those without money, as long as they wrote an IOU for after taking office, the official would accept it. But if they encountered someone with cash on hand, those with IOUs would have to wait their turn.
Let's not talk about this chit-chat first. Since Fantai has established the rules, he treats everyone equally, but the place is bustling with activity, and he's living quite comfortably. A magistrate saw a vacancy, was determined to get it, used his connections with Fantai's brothers, and was willing to pay eight thousand taels of silver. Fantai agreed, and they struck a deal right then and there. Just as he was about to announce it publicly, someone came to report that they wanted to see him, so he hurried to the yamen. The guard received him, and it turned out to be about Inspector Hu. Hu had been working hard for half a year, and now that the guard was about to retire, he wanted to find a good job for him as a reward. Unexpectedly, the position the guard specifically requested was the same vacancy that Fantai had just sold for eight thousand taels. Fantai was in a dilemma when he heard this. He thought: there are plenty of vacancies; it would be fine if it was another one, but it just had to be the one that was sold yesterday, and it was a cash transaction. He originally thought that after the announcement, he would still have control, but he didn't expect the guard to also be interested in this vacancy. How can I explain this to him? On the other hand, I will be leaving soon, and we are both at the same level, so there is no need to compete for the same position. However, it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse directly. It would be better to find another vacancy to deal with the situation. Fantai made up his mind and said to the guard, "The vacancy you mentioned is far from the provincial capital, and it’s said to be just a title without any real benefits. Hu is diligent in his work, and this was ordered by you. After you return to the office, we can arrange a better position for him. I’ll get back to you tonight. As for the vacancy you mentioned, someone’s already filling that position, and it should be announced after you return to the office." The guard said, "I think this vacancy is considered top-notch in the whole province; isn’t that good enough?" Fantai replied, "Even if the vacancy is good, it depends on the local conditions. If the local situation isn't favorable, things won't go well. Let's wait for the office to arrange a position in a place with better conditions; it’ll be worth it to have helped him out." The guard had already heard about Fantai selling official positions and guessed that this vacancy had already been sold. Originally, he wanted to argue, but then he thought, I’ll be leaving soon, so why make enemies? Since he said so, let’s see what good place he arranges for me. So he nodded and agreed, saying, "Thanks for your help." Fantai then took his leave and went back.
After a while, he returned to the yamen, finished his meal, and was leisurely handling official business in the office. At this time, his Third Brother came in and called out, "Brother." The magistrate asked him, "What's the matter?" Third Brother said, "Yesterday, there was an opening in Jiujing Prefecture. This morning, a friend at the money exchange received a telegram from the chief county magistrate of Jiujing Prefecture, asking the exchange to advance two thousand silver dollars for him, wanting him to act as the agent for the chief county magistrate for one or two months. This opening is also quite ordinary; it's all about prestige." The magistrate said, "I haven't heard of anyone dying in Jiujing Prefecture. How did this opening come about?" Third Brother said, "We only know that there is an opening now; it could be due to illness, or it could be due to mourning; the telegram didn't specify." The magistrate said, "It's quite common for a county magistrate to act as an agent. But this position is worth more than that. If a magistrate is sold for only two thousand, wouldn't the price for those positions be even lower?" Third Brother said, "The price depends on the position and how we negotiate. This agency is only for two or three months." The magistrate said, "Does the appointee need to advertise?" Third Brother said, "Of course, a sign must be put up." The magistrate said, "If he needs to advertise, he needs at least five thousand silver dollars upfront. The canal tax collection is coming up soon. As soon as he arrives, there will be official fees, as well as the canal tax, and there's always opportunities for gifts. Maybe the new governor will return to the capital after the New Year and receive a New Year's gift; he'll rake in tens of thousands of silver dollars. He should give us half now; the rest is just gravy anyway. If he plays his cards right, he can make a killing. Who's going to stop him?" Third Brother saw his brother speaking like this and agreed in his heart, saying, "Brother is right." He said to his brother, "Okay, I'll tell our contact at the money exchange to wire them and demand five thousand silver dollars. Tell him to reply today." The magistrate said, "Yes, hurry up and find that friend. Get him to reply. If he doesn't want it, there are others." This acting magistrate, whose nickname was 'Hebao' (literally 'money bag'), had a brother nicknamed 'San Hebao' (Third Money Bag). People said his pockets were bottomless – he could always find room for more.
So, the Third Young Master, after ditching his brother, didn’t take a sedan chair but had his boy toting a lantern as he headed straight to a remittance shop in the city, where he found Ni Er behind the counter—the friend who had discussed the telegram with him before. Ni Er, known as a "real softie," was someone everyone called "Mud Bodhisattva." He specialized in helping people make connections and profiting from it. When He Fantai was in charge of the salt road, the Third Young Master often interacted with him. After He Fantai was promoted, his business grew larger, and there were more financial transactions, so Ni Er became even more attentive. Everyone in the Fantai yamen, from top to bottom—even the gatekeepers—knew "Mud Bodhisattva"; even the yamen dog wouldn’t bark at him. When the Third Young Master entered his shop, he called out "Mud Bodhisattva" repeatedly. When Ni Er heard this, he knew things worked out this morning, so he hurried out to greet him.
After meeting, Ni Er asked, "So, how'd it go?" The Third Young Master replied, "Everyone calls you 'Bodhisattva,' but I think you’re more formidable than a bandit! We’re family, are you really willing to deceive me?" Ni Er anxiously said, "What's that supposed to mean?! What kind of person am I, daring to deceive the Third Young Master?" The Third Young Master chuckled, "I was just joking, why are you so anxious?" Ni Er responded, "Hey, I’m a softie, don’t scare me!" With that, the two burst into laughter. After laughing, the Third Young Master laid out his brother's plan to Ni Er. Ni Er said, "Listen, this might sting a bit, but the new prefect’s about to take office, and your brother will soon head back home. With that in mind, now's the time to grab what you can. The two thousand taels we discussed before? I think that’s about right. Pushing for more now could blow the whole thing. I advise you to go back and persuade your brother to let it go this time. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get your cut later."
Young Master San said, "I also advised him like this, but my brother insists on asking for more. What can I do?" Mr. Ni Er said, "We're at the wire here; we can't go any higher. There are handling fees involved, so I'm helping you out for free and giving all four hundred taels to my elder brother. This is already enough." Young Master San said, "Once he receives it, you have worked for free, but what about me? You haven't worked for free either." Mr. Ni Er said, "Apart from those two thousand taels, I've already thought of a solution for you, do you need further instructions?" Young Master San stepped closer and asked quietly, "How much?" Mr. Ni Er said, "Add twenty percent." Young Master San said, "Come on, you know how I roll; how is this amount enough? On my brother's side, it's not certain if we can negotiate the two thousand taels down, I still have to get my brother to take the job; anyway, let him handle this shortage. But between us brothers, we have to keep him happy." Mr. Ni Er said, "I've calculated separately for you, only for you. It's not good to ask for more. If we sweeten the deal a bit, the people around me will help speak for him, and it can also be accepted. My suggestion is, in addition to the twenty percent, add another one hundred, totaling five hundred taels. If it were someone else, we would split it seventy-thirty. But now it's you, Young Master San; we are like brothers, so keep this money for yourself." Young Master San said, "This is not enough. I really appreciate you thinking of me; you should take care of me more in the future." Mr. Ni Er said, "That's natural. I appreciate you, San; we've been friends for two years. Don't you understand my character?" Young Master San said, "Wire him tonight and let him prepare to receive the seal. I will speak on your behalf in front of my brother." Mr. Ni Er happily agreed, said a few more kind words, and only then did Young Master San leave. Will his brother go for it? Find out next time!
