Tao Ziyao received a telegram from his father-in-law, which read: "The authorities do not agree to buy the machine. Return the $20,000 deposit, all to be handed over to Wang." Tao Ziyao hadn't finished reading it yet; his hands turned cold, and his eyes were fixed, not saying a word. After a while, he muttered to himself, "My 'holdout' document has arrived!" At that time, Tao Ziyao was still having dinner at Lan Fen's house with his new sister-in-law. The butler brought the telegram, saying that the telegram bureau had already translated it. After reading it, Tao Ziyao's expression soured, and everyone guessed that there must be some bad news in the telegram. Fortunately, the new sister-in-law was very calm, continued eating, and only slowly asked after finishing a bowl of rice, "What's wrong?" Tao Ziyao couldn't say clearly, only saying, "I've been called back urgently." The new sister-in-law understood in her heart and didn't ask further. Tao Ziyao asked, "Where does Wei Pianren live?" The new sister-in-law said, "You're running around asking about him, and you still don't know where he lives?" Tao Ziyao replied, "I only know him superficially; I've never been to his place." The butler interjected, "There are so many brokers in Shanghai; once the money is in their hands, it's difficult to get it back. My father-in-law doesn't even know him; how could he entrust him with matters?" Tao Ziyao cursed, "Don't be ridiculous! You don't know anything about this!" The butler dared not speak. The new sister-in-law quickly said, "Wei's a decent guy; if you entrust him with something, he can always get it done. If the machine deal falls through, it's not Wei's fault; it's those foreigners." Tao Ziyao ignored her, threw on his coat, got up, and was about to leave. The new sister-in-law asked him, "Where are you going?" He said, "Down to the docks." The new sister-in-law knew it was useless to stop him, so she let him go.
Tao Ziyao had just returned to the dock when Wei Pianren came to find him. "I’ve already talked to those guys. They disagree and say that the contract has been signed, so how can they back out? Even if the eleven thousand bucks already paid is considered a fine, they don’t want it; they insist you receive the goods. Ziyao, you need to write a detailed report to the governor to avoid trouble. If there’s a problem in the future and a lawsuit is filed, it'll be on the Shandong governor's head." Tao Ziyao was hesitating about what to do when the steward brought a letter. "It's from Room 21 at the Changchun Inn, sent by Wang, the Shandong deputy governor, asking for an immediate reply." When Tao Ziyao heard “Wang,” he was stunned again and quickly opened the letter to read (the observer Wang mentioned in his father-in-law's telegram earlier). The letter stated that he had received orders from the Shandong governor to go to Japan to study, and upon arriving in Shanghai, he got another telegram asking him to also look into agriculture, industry, and commerce, and to bring along four members and over a dozen students. Therefore, he was asked to request the two thousand bucks from the members as travel expenses. He'd just gotten the telegram and was writing to let him know. "Let me know when you can send someone to get it." After reading the letter, Tao Ziyao was so anxious that he couldn't say a word. He thought, "Those guys won't give the money back, and now Wang's after it too! Even if they agree to refund, it’ll only be a little over ten thousand bucks, and I’ve already spent almost nine thousand. In any case, I definitely won’t be able to get back the two thousand bucks. Why am I not panicking! I could use a hole to crawl into right now!" He thought without saying a word. His steward waited, tongue-tied.
By now, Wei Pianren was getting impatient and said, "They're waiting for your reply. Whatcha gonna say?" This reminded Tao Ziyao, and he quickly found a piece of paper to write a reply. Suddenly, he remembered that Inspector Wang was his superior in the province, and according to the rules, he should write a formal report to him. He used to be a copywriter, so he understood these formats. However, his mind was in a mess, and when he picked up the pen, he couldn't write a single line properly, either missing words or writing them incorrectly. He changed five sheets of paper, none of which were filled with three lines. Sweat was pouring down his face, but he still couldn't write well. Later, Wei Pianren came up with an idea to help him, "Inspector Wang is your superior; since he has come, you must visit him. Don't write a reply today, give the messenger a note, let him go back and say that you will visit him tomorrow and talk in person." Tao Ziyao was worried about how to write the reply, but after hearing this, he repeatedly said, "Yeah, you're right..." He immediately took out a business card with his title from the card holder and handed it to the steward, asking him to go out and tell the messenger that he had received the letter from the superior and would visit him early tomorrow morning. The steward left.
Wei Pianren asked Tao Ziyao, "What are we gonna do about this?" Tao Ziyao said, "Pian, with the foreigners, we gotta get them to return the goods." Wei Pianren said, "Zi, we're like brothers; there's some things you haven't told me, but I can guess." When Tao Ziyao heard this, his face turned red, knowing that he couldn't hide it from him, so he decided to tell him the truth and discuss it. He said, "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. You have to help me come up with an idea." Wei Pianren said, "I think we shouldn't return the machine." Tao Ziyao asked, "Why?" Wei Pianren said, "I have an idea of the money you brought with you, as well as the money you spent in Shanghai. Even if you can't get the money back from the foreigners, it'll count as business expenses, and your boss won't come down too hard on you. The problem is how to get your personal expenses reimbursed. We are friends, I have to help you think of a solution."
Tao Ziyao said, "Thanks for worrying. I was unsure for a moment, and we're in the red. If this gets investigated, what should I do?" Wei Pianren said, "I’ve already come up with a plan!" Tao Ziyao hurriedly asked, "What's the plan?" Wei Pianren said, "The machines absolutely cannot be returned now! If the machines are returned, you won't benefit at all. As far as the foreigners are concerned, they'll return them at a word. Honestly, I helped you stop them from returning. When you meet Wang Guancha tomorrow, only talk about the machines. After arriving in Shanghai, sign a contract with the foreigners, inflate the price, say the machine costs 22,000, then say it costs 40,000. If 20,000 isn't enough, tell them you borrowed another 20,000 from a friend in the village, paid the full price, and the machines will arrive soon. The foreigners won't give them back, no problem. If Shandong's still pushing for a return, then please hire a lawyer to sue them. If you can't win the lawsuit against the foreigners, you don't need to return the machines anyway; that'll cost thousands in legal fees alone, plus other expenses—you'll have to cover those. Besides, Wang Guancha will have your back; he won't push you too hard. Do you think this plan is good?" Tao Ziyao kept saying, "Brilliant!" and then added, "I mentioned in the telegram last time that 20,000 is not enough, and we need additional funding from higher authorities; I've already laid the groundwork." Wei Pianren said, "However, you must hire a foreign lawyer." Tao Ziyao said, "I don't know anyone. Where am I gonna find one?" Wei Pianren said, "Don't worry, I know some people. I'll find one for you right now. Wrap this up by tomorrow morning, then go see Wang Daotai. Once he sees you're suing, he'll know it's serious and back off. I'm relying on you, then." Wei Pianren said, "We're just going through the motions with this lawyer; he won't have to lift a finger. We're friends, let's keep costs down." Wei Pianren calculated on his fingers and said, "We need to play it cool and keep it under wraps. Let's grease some wheels. Give me 500 bucks, I'll get a friend to help us out. Sound good?"
Tao Ziyao was taken aback and said, "So much money?" Wei Pianren replied, "I'm just talking about a formality. You'd need at least two or three thousand!" Tao Ziyao calculated in his heart, "I only have a little over seven hundred silver dollars left, plus two hundred yuan. If I give another five hundred, Shandong might not send any more. Then what'll I do?" After thinking for a long time, he reluctantly told Wei Pianren the truth, asking him to talk to the lawyer about paying in installments. Wei Pianren had no choice but to let him pay three hundred first. After discussing back and forth, Tao Ziyao finally gave in and agreed to pay only two hundred. Wei Pianren had no choice but to take the money and leave. After stepping out, he first informed Chou Wuke. Chou Wuke said, "Brother Pianren, we got some more dough." Wei Pianren replied, "Of course, that's how we make a living on Simalu!" Wuke smiled, but said nothing.
After Wei Pianren left the house, he went to a familiar bank and took fifty taels of silver. He found a law firm and first met with a translator. They were both familiar with each other and discreetly arranged things. Then the translator went to the lawyer's office and briefed the lawyer. The lawyer promised to write two letters to the foreigner immediately: one to the foreign boss of Qiu Wuke, saying that he wanted to return the machine; the other to the new yamen (government office). When Tao Ziyao's petition was ready, it was sent in together. Wei Pianren saw that the matter was settled, explained the silver clearly, took the letter, and returned to Tao Ziyao. By this time, Tao Ziyao's petition was already written in the name of his family member Tao Sheng, accusing Qiu Wuke of inflating the price of the machinery, falsifying the accounts, and attempting embezzlement, and requesting a refund. Wei Pianren said, "That's brilliant! Interestingly, the order for the machine was all written by Wu Ke. According to your original account, there are only a few total names, written unclearly; you'd never find a way to do it. I didn't expect Wu Ke to become leverage for a friend." Tao Ziyao said, "I don't want to sue him. I just want to find a reason. Other reasons don't make sense; only this one is acceptable." Wei Pianren said, "I didn't expect you to be such a sharp lawyer." Tao Ziyao replied, "When I first arrived in Shandong, I studied criminal law for three years. Later, my father often said, 'People who work in criminal law often end up doing wrong.' So I changed professions and became an official." Wei Pianren said, "Oh, I get it." They looked at the petition together, after a quick look-over. Tao Ziyao immediately wrote it down, sent it in with the lawyer's letters, only relaxing once he got the confirmation.
The next morning, I went to Changchun Inn, Room 21 early to meet Wang Daotai. I was wearing the same clothes I usually wear when going out. I hired a rickshaw and arrived at the entrance of Changchun Inn. The housekeeper went in first to present my card. Wang Daotai was meeting with guests at the time. When he saw me, he said "please" and asked his attendant to take me to another room to wait for a while. The attendant led me to sit in the room of Mr. Zhou, one of his staff. After a while, when Wang Daotai saw off the guests, he came to see me. Although I had been in Shandong for a long time, I had never met Wang Daotai. After meeting, of course, we bowed. Wang Daotai knew that I was someone specially recommended by the governor, so he did not dare to neglect me and said many flattering words. I quickly said, "I'm just a lowly clerk in the Westernization Bureau and have never served someone of your stature. When you came to Shanghai, I did not receive any news and arrived late, so I apologize for that." Wang Daotai said, "Don't say that!" As we chatted, we talked about getting the machinery back and the money transfer. Wang Daotai said, "I came out this time for another assignment, and only got a wire when I landed in Shanghai saying I needed to pop over to Japan, so I didn't bring much cash. Later, I wired my bosses for some funds, and only got word back that you had this money. That's why I wrote you yesterday. It should be fine, just waiting on your okay before I send someone to pick it up. You coming yourself is really going above and beyond, though!"
I said, "I'm really sweating this one. I know when the boss comes, I should pay a visit and also seek his advice. Even though I haven't been to the capital, I'm working in Shandong, and he’s basically my direct supervisor, so I need to consult him." Wang Daotai just humored me and looked puzzled. Then he asked, "When will the money be allocated?" Only then did I say, "There’s a budget of twenty thousand taels from above for me to buy machinery in Shanghai. Once I get to Shanghai, I’ll sign a contract with a foreign firm, and the machinery should arrive in about a month. I had to borrow another twenty thousand taels to cover it. Unexpectedly, after everything was settled, I got a telegram from above telling me to return the machinery and refund the money. You know how these foreign firms are – once it’s signed, that’s it. I tried talking to them, but they wouldn't budge, so I had to hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit. I just filed the lawsuit last night. In the future, the new yamen will still need your guidance and help to get this done." After I finished speaking, I stood up, bowed, and said, "Thanks for your help." After hearing me out, Wang Daotai just blew me off, served tea, and saw me out. The next day, I went to Gaosheng Inn to express my gratitude.
After meeting Wang Daotai, I felt quite happy and thought I had finally dealt with him. I blocked this path so that he wouldn't ask me for money or come up with other ways. Afterwards, I continued to spend time at my new wife's sister's place every day. She knew all about their affairs and was happy to continue using them both. Later, when I ran out of money, I went to Wei Pianren to discuss borrowing one or two thousand taels from the village. Wei Pianren initially refused, but later realized that if this blew up, even the Shandong governor couldn't bail me out. After making up his mind, although he couldn't fully meet my demands, he lent me a few hundred taels of silver. I was especially grateful to him. On the other side, Wei Pianren would occasionally speak well of me, saying, "Tao has no money to use, and there's no remittance from Shandong; it's all me lending to him." This was to leave a good impression on my new wife's sister. Ever since she set her eyes on me, she either wanted to cut a few pieces of fabric or have the tailor make me some clothes, all without accepting my money, trying to win me over emotionally. In addition, Wei Pianren would sometimes coincidentally forget his silver dollars or pretend to be in a hurry and borrow ten or twenty silver dollars from my new wife's sister. After a few times, he had borrowed over a hundred silver dollars and still hadn't paid it back. She never asked him for it back. I had no clue and still thought of him as a friend—talk about ironic!
Enough of the chit-chat. Besides, Wang Daotai was having trouble getting hold of my money; he was short on cash in Japan, so he had to send a telegram to Shandong again. The magistrate was on leave, so the provincial governor handled things. After receiving the telegram, he telegraphed me back, saying that I refused to return the machine, which messed things up, and really chewed me out, insisting that I return the machine. Although Wei Pianren gave me some advice, after all, it was what my bosses in the province said, and I dared not disobey, so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. At the same time, the provincial governor also sent a telegram to Wang Daotai, asking him to get the money from me. Wang Daotai had no choice but to come to see me about it. I had a guilty conscience, so I had to go meet him. These past few days, Wang Daotai had dug up quite a bit about me. Zhou Laoye, also from Taiyuan, Shanxi, knew the pawnshop owner where I had saved money before. Zhou Laoye visited his fellow townsman, and the pawnshop owner was very familiar with him. He knew about the telegram from Shandong demanding the money, and since I couldn't pay up, he spilled the beans to Zhou Laoye. When Zhou Laoye came back, he told Wang Daotai the whole story. Wang Daotai had no choice but to want to talk to me in person to find out what was going on and figure out what to do.
Today, when they met, Wang Daotai showed him the telegram. Tao Ziyao insisted firmly, "Forty thousand taels, not a penny less! I’ve paid all of it! I had to borrow another twenty thousand from a local landlord to cover the shortfall. Now I really have no money left! Even if I hire a lawyer, I’ll have to spend more. Please, have mercy! If you send a telegram to Shandong, could you help explain my situation? I’d really appreciate it!" Wang Daotai already knew his background but didn’t reveal it. Instead, he tactfully replied, "With the foreigners, you’re so clever; you must not have paid them the full amount, right? Let’s not talk about unreasonable things regarding the money that’s already been paid. Whether to refund or not, we can wait until the lawsuit is over. But, brother, I have to be honest: what are we in this for? Besides, when you get to Shanghai, there’ll definitely be some expenses. If you still owe money, you should at least keep two thousand as a reserve. I’ll give you five or six thousand first. This way, we’ve also reported our matter to the higher-ups. If the remaining amount isn’t enough, I’ll send another telegram to request more from above, and I won’t pressure you again. Sound good?" Tao Ziyao still insisted he had no savings. Wang Daotai really wanted to use the money. It just so happened that he was assigned this task from above and was allocated twenty thousand taels. How could he not desperately pursue it? Moreover, he had figured out Tao Ziyao’s background, so how could he let him off easily? He added, "Look, this money’s coming from above, so I need some proof that you don’t have it, so I can report back and get the money sent to me."
Tao Ziyao said, "I'll write a report for you when I get back. You can use my report to reply to the bosses." Wang Daotai replied, "Besides that, you've got a receipt for the payment, right? It's in a foreign language, I bet. I'm going abroad, and I just found a translator. When you come back, bring the receipt, and I'll get the translator to translate it for you and send a copy to the bosses. Look, I trust you, but I need the receipt for proof. The money was indeed paid to a foreigner, and if they see the receipt, they won't be on my back about this anymore. What do you think? I've got a translator on hand, so you won't have to go to the trouble of finding one yourself." When Tao Ziyao heard that Wang Daotai wanted the receipt, he knew the situation was not good. He was worried things would get out of hand, so he quickly said, "I did have a receipt, but because the money wasn't enough, I borrowed from someone else. They didn't believe me, so I temporarily pawned the contract receipt with them; it's not in my hands. If you need to see it, I'll have to let them know first." Wang Daotai said, "I'm not trying to give you a hard time; I just need everything squared away. Since it's pawned with them, it's okay. I'll have the translator go with you to retrieve it, make a copy, and bring it back. That makes things a lot simpler, right?" Tao Ziyao said, "I need to inform them first, so they can prepare the things. I'll go with the translator to avoid wasting time." Wang Daotai could tell Tao Ziyao was dodging the issue and didn't want to pressure him anymore, so he gestured towards the tea and showed him out.
After a few days, Wang Daotai didn't receive a reply from Tao Ziyao, so he sent Mr. Zhou and a translator to visit him, asking for a response. Once they reached an agreement, he would have the translator quickly translate the letter and bring it back, as the letter needed to get to Shandong immediately. After going three times, they still didn't see Tao Ziyao, and he didn't come to visit either. Wang Daotai blew a gasket, saying Tao Ziyao was playing him for a fool, thinking he was above the law. He angrily wrote a letter, putting on a superior attitude, and severely reprimanded Tao Ziyao. The letter also said, "Brother, I know everything you've done in Shanghai. Because your brother-in-law and I are in the same government office, I've always cut you slack. Now you're taking my goodwill as malice. Since you refuse to listen to me, I will report to my superiors truthfully. Don't blame me for turning ruthless in the future!" The letter arrived at Tao Ziyao's house like a thunderbolt. The butler, seeing it was from Wang Daotai, rushed the letter to Tao Ziyao. After reading it, Tao Ziyao was a wreck, unable to eat or sleep. When his new sister-in-law saw this, she asked him what was wrong. Though Tao Ziyao was cagey, his sister-in-law figured it out. She said, "If you're in a jam, talk to Mr. Wei. He's got connections and brains." Her words reminded Tao Ziyao, and he immediately wrote a note and sent someone to invite Wei Pianren. They couldn't find him, so his new sister-in-law sent a maid to his mistress's place on Liu Ma Road. They headed to Tongqing Lane. When Wei Pianren asked what was up, Tao Ziyao, treating him like a brother, showed him the letter and they hashed out a plan.
Wei Pianren said, "We must discuss this with Chou Wuke. I think besides using foreign pressure to pressure him, there’s no other way." After speaking, he went with Tao Ziyao to find Chou Wuke and told him about Wang Daotai's matter. Chou Wuke said, "We must immediately send a telegram to the foreign merchants to inform the Shandong governor. We should say that the machines have already been ordered, and there’s no reason to return them. That loss would kill the merchants. The Commissioner has already informed us, and a Daotai named Wang has come to ask for money in the Shandong officialdom. They've wrecked our good name, and we can't do business anymore. Not only should we not allow him to return the goods, but the Shandong governor should compensate us for our losses. By sending this telegram, the foreign governor will definitely help his own country's merchants. In this way, Tao, your machine will definitely be saved. We'll tell them straight: the contract's already signed; they can't back out now. You tell that Wang Daotai to back off. If he doesn't, tell him to watch out – I'll make him sorry he ever messed with us!" Tao Ziyao was hugely grateful.
Then Wei Pianren suggested that Tao Ziyao and Chou Wuke sign another fake contract to purchase forty thousand taels of silver worth of machines. Write two copies, get both signatures, one each. If we end up in court, it'll be solid proof. Chou Wuke also asked Tao Ziyao to write a promissory note, borrowing twenty thousand taels, using the machine purchase contract as collateral, and handing over both the contract and the promissory note to Wei Pianren for safekeeping. By now, Tao Ziyao considered Wei Pianren a true friend and felt completely at ease. Chou Wuke then filled the foreign merchants in on everything, asking them to send a telegram to their own country's governor to negotiate with the Shandong governor. Upon receiving the telegram, the governor immediately sent a telegram back because foreign officials really look out for their own businesses – unlike the Chinese officials who just stomp all over them. Not only did they not return the forty thousand taels for the machines, but they also demanded forty thousand taels in compensation. The Shandong governor about jumped out of his skin when he got that telegram!
So, the governor in charge of Ta Zi Yao's machinery fell ill and had to take leave, so all official duties were managed by the provincial treasurer. When his sick leave was over and he was still not well, he had to submit a resignation to the court. The court approved his resignation, and he left immediately, temporarily replaced by the local treasurer of the province. This treasurer's surname was Hu, his name was Li Tu, and he was from Shaanxi. He passed the imperial examination when he was young and was appointed as a county magistrate by the court. The Ministry of Personnel drew lots and sent him to Hubei. After a few years in office, he was promoted to a substantive post. Unfortunately, that year there was a clash between local people and foreign missionaries, resulting in the death of a foreigner and causing a big uproar. His superiors said he handled it improperly, so he was first relieved of his duties; later, due to some related circumstances, he was directly dismissed. After a lot of effort, he finally entered the military, regained his official position, and was promoted all the way to governor. Due to a diplomatic dispute that offended foreigners, they reported him to their consul, who then informed the Prime Minister's office, resulting in him being removed from his position again. This made him very angry! Later, he asked someone to use connections, and coincidentally, during the Boxer Rebellion that year, when foreigners were killed, the governor of Shanxi transferred him to manage the local defense force. When things calmed down and the ringleaders were punished, the governor was also replaced. The new governor found no evidence that Hu had condoned the Boxers' actions. However, due to his close ties with the previous governor, he was implicated in other matters and demoted three ranks. Poor Hu Litu! His career was a rollercoaster of promotions and demotions, all thanks to bad luck and unfortunate circumstances.
He wasn't happy about it and was pulling strings. In the matter of donating money for disaster relief in Qin and Jin, he donated enough to get his old job back, plus a promotion to Daotai. Luckily, there were discounts, so it didn't cost him much. He blew his savings on twenty thousand taels of silver for the country. Some people recommended him, and he was ordered to be pardoned, allowing him to meet the emperor. He immediately went to the capital and relied on old connections. Because he didn't spend much money, he didn't expect to get a good position, so he was appointed as the Dao of Yanzhou, which was a real pain in the neck. After taking office, things were quiet since there were few foreigners coming to the mainland. However, a foreign missionary wanted to buy land and build a church in Yanzhou Prefecture but couldn't agree on the price with the locals, so he told Hu Litu. Hu Litu not only didn't help the locals but also advised the missionary to offer more money! The missionary blew a gasket and ratted him out to the governor. Even though he hadn't done anything wrong, the governor gave him a dressing down. He blamed all his problems on foreigners.
Fortunately, the emperor looked after him. He quickly climbed the ranks, becoming Yunsu, then Niesu, and finally the governor of Shandong. He did well as long as he stayed away from foreigners. Now, because the provincial governor is sick, he was ordered to temporarily take over. Before officially taking office, since the governor was on leave, he was in charge. He received a telegram from Tao Ziyao requesting additional funds. He hated dealing with foreigners, so he figured he'd avoid any more problems, immediately sending a telegram to Tao Ziyao to stop the machinery, get the money back, and report back to the province. He also asked Wang Daotai to help recover the money. This backfired spectacularly. Not only did he not get the money back, but he also faced a lot of gossip from foreigners. In the end, he was clueless about dealing with foreigners.
