Wang Mushan was having a party at the office when suddenly, two girls from the brothel ran over with smiles on their faces and said, "Our boss is here!" Wang Mushan took a look and saw that it was the two mothers of his lover, Xi Huifang, named Ajin and Aqu. It turned out that last month during the festival, Wang Mushan owed Xi Huifang twelve drinks and ninety-six gambling debts, but since he was short on cash at the time, he didn't send it over. Xi Huifang's mom figured he wouldn't skip out on the debt since he knew so many big shots, so she didn't rush to send someone to collect the money, thinking that when Wang Mushan came next time, he'd naturally repay it. However, from the festival until now, he never showed up. His home said he was at the office, the office said he was at home—you couldn't find the guy. Later, Wang Mushan's friends said that after the festival, he was getting cozy with some girl named Zhou Baobao, and within less than a month, he had eaten several meals and played cards several times with her. Xi Huifang's mom was furious, kept trying to get her money back from him, but he always managed to avoid her in advance, either sneaking out the back or hiding out at Zhou Baobao's. After days of searching, she ended up staking him out at the bookstore.
Once, she finally met Wang Mushan. She originally wanted to confront him, but was swayed by Wang Mushan's honeyed words. Wang Mushan begged bitterly, saying, "Ma, don't be angry! It's really because I feel embarrassed to come and repay the debt due to lack of money; I didn't mean to avoid repaying." He continued, "You know my situation. Right now, the bookstore on New Road, Mr. Song Ziren and Mr. Shen Yifu on Iron Road are willing to lend me money to expand my business! They've promised to lend me the money, but it hasn't arrived yet. Once it does, I'll repay you first. That little bit for drinks and food is peanuts. I will definitely fulfill my promise to Yuanyuan about the gold bracelet. You go back today. In less than two weeks, I will definitely repay you." Huayuanyuan's mother said, "Young Master Wang, you are also human! You were a young man courting our Yuanyuan last spring, and now..." Wang Mushan interrupted her, saying, "Don't say anymore. What situation do I not know? When I earn more money in the future, I'll make Yuanyuan my wife! You'll be my mother-in-law then, and you can live with us." Huayuanyuan's mother replied, "Young Master, as long as you repay the money for drinks and food, that's enough. I dare not expect anything else." Wang Mushan assured her, "I will definitely do this, rest assured!" Huayuanyuan's mother could only endure for the time being, not even mentioning his job change.
After half a month, there was still no news. Huayuanyuan's mother sent people two or three times, but still couldn't see anyone. Getting to that bookstore on Bazi Road wasn't easy. Huayuanyuan's mother became anxious and bribed Wang Mushan's coachman. The coachman told her, "Whenever the shop is open, our master will definitely be there, so feel free to come." Huayuanyuan's mother noted that day. As a result, on that day, Wang Mushan was prepared early; he got Song Ziren to borrow four soldiers from the barracks, dressed in military uniforms, to block people at the door. He also asked for help from two police officers from the patrol house, keeping outsiders out.
That day, Huayuan's mum was preoccupied, so she woke her daughter up early in the morning. They weren't ready until half past eleven. When they arrived at the bookstore, it was almost noon. The street was bustling with people, carriages, and sedan chairs. Huayuan and her mum knew it was too crowded, so they went to a teahouse and waited for half an hour. Once most people had arrived, they walked to the entrance with Ajin and Aqiao. The cops and soldiers blocked them from entering. The two girls couldn't take the shouting, so they beat a hasty retreat.
Clever Aqiao said, "Everyone's here; what's the point of not going in?" She let Yuan Yuan and her mother wait at the teahouse and barged in with A Jin. The police, unable to stop them, let them in. Wang Mushan was shocked when he saw them. There were important guests in the room, and it would be inconvenient if there was a commotion. He thought fast and said, "You came at a good time. My master has a letter here that I haven't had time to deliver yet. Do me a favor and take this letter; it'll save me a trip." After saying that, he made an excuse to go to the room to get the letter and took A Jin and Aqiao to the account room. He first complained that they shouldn't have embarrassed him in public, then said, "What's the rush?" Aqiao replied, "This has nothing to do with me. They insisted on coming and are waiting at the teahouse. Hey, big guy, you can talk to them yourself." Wang Mushan frowned and said, "I'm busy right now, and they keep bothering me!" Aqiao said, "That's your own fault. You can't go back on your word, so don't blame others. If you can't produce cash right away, just give them some money to get them off your back, and they won't keep coming to you." Wang Mushan knew that this matter couldn't be resolved without money today. Grumbling, he took out the money he had just borrowed yesterday from the account room cabinet. After counting what he needed, there were still over sixty bucks left. He gave fifty bucks to Yuan Yuan and five bucks each to A Jin and Aqiao, asking them to quickly persuade Yuan Yuan and her mother to go back and discuss the matter later. A Jin and Aqiao took the money, gladly did a good deed, and left with thanks a bunch!
Wang Mushan breathed a sigh of relief when they left. Back in the living room, he apologized repeatedly, "Sorry about that! Funny thing is, those two just now? Their boss is Hong Ruyi from Puqingli. My older brother helped him a few times in Shanghai last year. After my brother went to Beijing, they still kept in touch often, exchanging gifts, and I helped pass messages between them." Song Ziren said, "Your brother is quite the ladies' man! Hong Ruyi is from Suzhou and has a certain air about him." Everyone chatted, smoothly steering the conversation away from Huayuanyuan.
Wang Mushan relaxed and was about to pick up his chopsticks to get some food when he suddenly noticed that Shen Dashan was missing. He quickly asked everyone, "Where did Shen go?" Song Ziren replied, "Uncle Shen heard there was a problem with the money stored at the Zhuangzi (an estate), so the steward sent him a letter, and he hurriedly left. He sent word through us, but we forgot to pass it on." Wang Mushan felt unhappy upon hearing this. He still remembered Cai Zhi'an asking him to help borrow five thousand yuan; although he didn't agree, it was on his mind. After the meal, everyone said their goodbyes.
The next day, Zhu Lizhai did indeed send 500 yuan. Wang Mushan was so grateful he could have kissed the ground and didn’t say much. But he owed too much before, and the 500 yuan turned into over 600 yuan, paying off the bureau's account and the store's account; with money in hand, he became more confident, living the high life—big meals, mahjong games, carriage rides, theatre outings, and new clothes. The money vanished in a puff of smoke. In less than ten days, the 500 yuan was spent clean. When the money ran out, he remembered, "Song Ziren promised to give me 100 yuan; I should ask him." But Song Ziren, bless his cotton socks, was a real chatterbox and a cautious one at that. After meeting, he asked many questions: "How much does the bureau spend in a month? How many books have been printed? How much money can be made in a year?" Wang Mushan just humoured him, desperate to get the money. Later, Song Ziren said many encouraging words and then took out a promissory note. Wang Mushan was chuffed to bits to receive the money, but then he saw it was just a cheque, and his face fell. When he returned to the bureau and looked at it, he was happy but also a bit disappointed. After hesitating for a long time, he had to ask a friend in the accounting department to get it cashed and take it to the pawnshop for discounting. After discounting, the accountant then helpfully pointed out that over fifty quid was needed for the lads' wages and grub, otherwise they'd down tools. Wang Mushan only had a little over 80 yuan left, and he was beside himself. Although he was unwilling, he had no choice. Eighty quid wouldn't last a week, and it didn't.
I'm broke, so I had to come up with a plan. "I'm short of cash. I figured I'd try Cai Zhian. He offered to put in a good word for me with Shen Yifu the other day." With a plan in mind, he went to find Cai Zhian. Cai Zhian knew Shen Yifu wouldn't lend a dime, and he didn't want to risk embarrassing himself by asking, so he said, "You'll have to talk to him yourself. All I can do is mention it. He has a good relationship with you, so he’ll likely help you come up with a solution." Wang Mushan didn't understand his meaning and said, "Okay, I'll go see him. After that, I'll see what to say and report back to you. And see if you can think of anything." Cai Zhian said, "That's how it will be."
Wang Mushan left and went straight to Shen Yifu's. When he arrived at the door, he asked the gatekeeper to report. The gatekeeper said, "Our master is currently looking at the telegram from Shanxi. There's a famine there this year, and the magistrate sent a telegram asking to remit money over. He just invited Master Yan to discuss it in the hall. Should I send you in now, or should you wait a bit?" Wang Mushan thought to himself, "Bad timing. Looks like he's swamped." He said, "Just tell him I'm here." The gatekeeper handed over the business card. Shen Yifu, upon seeing it was him, wasn't too happy, thinking to himself, "Cai practically begged me for five grand the other day, and I had to weasel my way out of it. And now he's back! Seriously annoying!" Not wanting to see him, he didn't expect that Wang Mushan was already waiting under the eaves. Shen Yifu had no choice but to invite him in.
After meeting and making small talk, Shen Yifu did not wait for him to speak but asked first, "Do you know?" Wang Mushan replied, "I don't know." He then asked, "What's the matter, Old Man Shen?" Shen Yifu said, "There's a famine in Shanxi—there's nothing left to eat—not even tree bark or grass roots; people are resorting to cannibalism. I got a telegram from the governor, asking me to donate one million for disaster relief. Money is urgently needed. My friend, you know my situation; I can't afford a million, let alone eight hundred thousand, or even ten or three thousand—I'd have to scrape together every penny." Wang Mushan said, "Saving a life is worth more than all the temples in the world. Old Man Shen is doing a good thing; it's great to have money in advance to save lives as soon as possible." Shen Yifu sighed, "Gosh, if this wasn't official business, I couldn't manage this kind of borrowing!" Mr. Yan chimed in, praising Shen's hard work and the difficulties he faced. "Now disaster relief is very challenging; it's not as easy as it used to be." After saying a lot, Wang Mushan remembered to ask his name. Shen Yifu said, "You don't even recognize Mr. Yan Er, Yan Dashan? It's really hard for you! His name is Yan Zuozhi, and his courtesy name is Yan. He was recently recommended by the governor as the governor of Zhili. He's been given three imperial awards and two commendations; my name is always below his." Mr. Yan Er listened with a proud expression and then asked Wang Mushan his name, to which Wang Mushan replied. Shen Yifu said, "This Wang brother is the one I mentioned to you who runs the charity bookshop." Mr. Yan Er said, "Most Chinese can't read, so using books to spread good morals is a slow, inefficient process. What's the point of giving books if they don't read them? In my opinion, it's better to do some visible practical things, more substantial. What does Shen Dasheng think?" Shen Yifu had not spoken yet, but Wang Mushan said, "I'm not well-off enough to do more than print books and spread some knowledge. If I had more capital and strength, like what Old Man Shen did, I would also like to do."
Mr. Yan sneered and said, "Doing good deeds is not that easy; not everyone can achieve it in a lifetime! I can't compare with Mr. Shen. Take Mr. Shen's family, for example. His grandfather didn't have much money back then. He initially worked in a small restaurant, earning barely ten dollars a year. Later, because of his old age and good reputation, the villagers appointed him village head. From then on, he was always getting donations and doing good deeds extensively. He even dared to raise money from the nunnery for good deeds—he was really something! When his grandfather was alive, he saved a few hundred dollars. By the time it reached his father and then him, there were continuous floods in Shandong and Henan, and the areas around Beijing and Tianjin were all barren land. The locals knew that his family was generous and kind-hearted, so they all recommended him. All disaster relief donations were handled by his family. So when his father passed away, the family had already saved hundreds of thousands. I remember when I was thirteen, Mr. Shen's father was still alive. I went to greet him, and he held my hand and said, 'Child, first of all, be a good person. Being a good person will eventually be rewarded. Look at my grandfather. He couldn't even afford to eat properly. But since I started doing good deeds, we've got a house, land, a good job, a family, even servants! It all came from doing good deeds. "Heaven helps those who help themselves"—that's the truth!' Later, Mr. Shen's father passed away, and the family property was passed on to Mr. Shen. Mr. Shen is even more remarkable; not only are his efforts much larger than his father's, but now his official position is very high, and he is about to be promoted soon. Haven't you heard? His brother is also going to be a magistrate? Those brothers really made something of themselves!"
Wang Mushan listened with envy and said to Yan Er, "Your father-in-law might not be as wealthy as Shen's old man, but you're gonna be rolling in dough before you know it!" Yan Er replied, "How can I compare to him! The 'Great Learning' says 'what you put out comes back around', and I’m working hard on it!" Shen said, "You can't get out of helping with that Shanxi disaster relief this time. Think about it—rather than just donating money, it’s better for us to go in person, so they’ll owe us big time. We’ve suffered and put in a lot of effort, donated quite a bit of money; shouldn’t they be grateful? Plus, we can bring a few more people, and in the future, we can help even more during the disaster relief efforts." Yan Er nodded, "Right, right!" He asked, "When will we set off?" Shen replied, "In about ten days. The most important thing now is to get the donor list sorted. Once that’s done, we can ask the newspaper to help us send them out. I’ve already written the draft; take a look and see if there’s anything to change." Yan Er glanced over it and said, "Looks good, but you’re missing eight words." Shen hurriedly asked, "Which eight words?" Yan Er said, " 'Don’t get greedy, or you’ll get burned.' Those eight words are essential! If you don’t add those, people definitely won’t believe it." Shen said, "Yeah, I totally forgot for a moment; those eight words can’t be omitted."
At this time, Wang Mushan also stood up to check the donation list draft, standing by without saying a word. After listening to their conversation, he realized it was more complicated than he'd thought. In the end, Shen Yifu and Mr. Yan discussed the issue of names again. Shen Yifu said, "Your family's known for philanthropy, so he should be listed first; I won't be polite about it. As for the others, you can handle it." At this moment, Wang Mushan suddenly had the idea to brown-nose the powerful and said to Shen Yifu, "Mr. Shen, although my abilities are limited, I can still handle the task of persuading donations. Can you add my name to the donation list? Firstly, I want to rub elbows with the big shots, which would be a great honor. Secondly, I can also get some experience under my belt. I am willing to contribute for free; all the money donated will go to the public, and I don't want a single penny in return." Shen Yifu and Mr. Yan looked at each other, remained silent for a while, and before Shen Yifu could speak, Mr. Yan spoke first: "Adding a name isn't a trivial thing! Three characters, but each one represents millions in responsibility. Ask yourself, can you bear this responsibility?" Wang Mushan said, "Then I will go find Mr. Song Ziren as a guarantor, is that okay?" Shen Yifu thought to himself, "He's here to borrow money. He can't ask for that now, but wants his name on the list. Hard to say no. And he knows many high-ranking officials; it'll make me look good, happy to give him a favor, agreed to him." So he said, "It's not that I don't trust you; I insist on you finding a guarantor because this matter is of great importance. I can't decide alone; my say doesn't matter without a guarantor. With a guarantor, others won't criticize me." Wang Mushan said, "I understand this." Shen Yifu continued, "Now you are one of us. I hope you will have smooth sailing from now on, climb the ladder, and all kinds of good things will happen. It'll be good for both of us. The ancients said, 'Doing good feels good.' I'm an experienced person; would I deceive you?" Wang Mushan listened and naturally felt very happy.
Mr. Yan Er said, "The donation booklets are not ready yet. Even if they are ready immediately, it will take at least twenty days to depart. This October is my mother's 70th/90th birthday. Last time, her name was already on the list of awards for the disaster relief in Guangxi, where she was awarded a second-rank imperial consort's title. Last month, my cousin went to Beijing and brought back the honor for her. I want to find a good day to hold a grand birthday celebration for her at Zhang Garden. In October, I will be going out for disaster relief and won't be home, so I want to take this opportunity to wish her a happy birthday in advance and show my filial piety. What do you think, Mr. Shen Yifu?" Shen Yifu said, "Exactly! Being filial to parents and making a name for oneself is the right thing to do. If I had known that Mr. Shan was coming, I would have signed up in advance." Mr. Yan Er said, "I was just thinking of asking for your help." After chatting for a while, the two bid farewell to each other. From that day on, Shen Yifu posted a red paper sign at the door saying, "Shanxi Emergency Relief Fund: Donations Accepted Here." Wang Mushan often came to his house to visit.
Three days later, the donation booklets were printed, and the last name on the last row was indeed Wang Mushan. Upon seeing this, Wang Mushan was extremely pleased. He carried around five or six hundred donation booklets, all of which he kept except for those sent to the newspaper office for distribution. Wherever he went, every other word was about donations. He would immediately pull out the donation booklets from his pocket and show them to people, pointing to the last name and saying, "This is me, and I am helping now. If you want to donate, you can give it to me, and it will be the same as giving it to the headquarters. Besides, when my name has more donations under it, it will also give me some face." His earnest plea made it hard for people to refuse, so they'd give him a little something, but they were all small donations, not a single large donation. After three days of fundraising, more than three hundred donation booklets were distributed, but only around 180 yuan was donated, all in small amounts. Wang Mushan started to slack off, and when he returned to the headquarters, he found out that Mr. Shen had received over ten thousand yuan in donations without even leaving the house for three days. It dawned on Wang Mushan that fundraising, like any other position of power, required the right connections.
That's how it is – short and sweet. After a few days, it was Old Mrs. Yan's birthday bash. A few days prior, he snagged a big place at Zhang Yuan, and the night before, he went with his family to decorate it. He also booked a band for entertainment. He sent out invitations, inviting over three hundred big shots from Shanghai. The next day, early in the morning, Mr. Yan Er got up, dressed in his robe, got on a carriage, and rushed to Zhang Yuan, bringing along his nine-year-old son from his concubine. He was all decked out in his finest, wearing a small robe, small boots, a small hat, and a fifth-rank hat. He said that since there were many guests today, he was asked to help with the greetings. In addition, there were staff, totaling about ten people. Mr. Yan Er arrived at Zhang Yuan at seven o'clock.
Around eight o'clock, a guest arrived, a well-known Shanghai magistrate, nicknamed "the Kowtowing Magistrate." He was in his forties. He himself said he had been a magistrate for over twenty years in Hubei Province, never held any real position, and his mansion was in Shanghai. He'd only turn up to fancy parties, always in his official robes, to make a show of himself. He'd show up first, kowtowing in his big red hat, for any respectable family's party, whether he knew them or not. Later, as people got familiar with him, they started inviting him to their parties just to see him kowtow. This guy could really eat, and every time he visited a home, he would stay until after the meal, sometimes even staying for dinner. When people held celebrations, with guests coming and going, there always had to be someone to entertain them. Other officials would just pop in and out, all high and mighty. But this guy, he'd stick around and help out, making the host's life so much easier. So everyone invited him to their parties.
On this day, the kowtowing official arrived at the mansion, bowed before the ancestral shrine, met the host, and was offered a seat and tea. It was still early, and there was no one else in the mansion. Mr. Yan Er, seeing that he didn't have much to say to the guy, called his son over to pay his respects to the old man. The official first asked, "How old are you, son? Whatcha studying?" Mr. Yan Er answered one by one. The official then spotted his official hat and asked, "How old are you, my friend?" Mr. Yan Er replied, "I bought this during the Sichuan flood relief two years ago; it got me a Tongzhi title. The child is still young, so when he is older, I’ll get him a real job."
The kowtowing official asked Mr. Yan Er, "What are the benefits of donating money now? I want to get a hereditary title of a first-rank official for three generations." Mr. Yan Er said, "Absolutely! You're in the know, so I'll be straight with you. If it were someone else, even if they gave money, I might not help them. For your matter, wait for a while, and let's talk in a month or two. For the Shanxi disaster relief this time, at least seven or eight hundred thousand must be donated. Those wealthy families who donate thousands or tens of thousands, they'll work the system to get rewarded for themselves, or give rewards to their descendants. We can't benefit from them. Even if there is some leftover after getting rewards, the amount is limited. Moreover, although the pawnshops and money shops in each prefecture and county have been ordered to donate, they still need to sell the donated bills to make some money. These donated bills follow market prices, and we can't take advantage of them. If you want to take advantage, you can only start with small donations. People who donate 180 or 10 or 20 taels, who expects any benefits from them? But with many small donations, those in the know can profit. For example, with a donation of one million silver, after getting rewards according to the rules, only 100 or 200 thousand are known to the public; the rest needs to be padded out. When it's almost time to report, the affairs of that province will be discussed with the provincial governor and ourselves, and we'll unload it at a discount to sell to others, and rewards can still be received. Others are willing to take advantage; who wouldn't buy? And most of these transactions are still handled by us." The kowtowing official said, "In this way, even if we sell it off at a discount of 60-70%, wouldn't we be able to raise another 600-700 thousand from a donation of one million? It would be enough to save a lot of people!" Mr. Yan Er said, "You're too naive! If we use this money for disaster relief again, what's the point of all our hard work? If it were really like that, why wouldn't I let you buy the donated bills, but make you wait for a few days? Waiting for a few days will give you an advantage. But this matter is not something I can handle alone. Shanxi urgently needs disaster relief funds now. With your connections, as long as you can handle the collection of ten thousand or so, besides getting rewards according to the rules, I can also find a way to get you a recommendation under someone else's name. You'll get more than that hereditary title – you can also get several other official positions." The kowtowing official indeed felt moved, but he still hesitated to raise ten thousand yuan for donation. Just as they were talking, more guests arrived, and they stopped the conversation.
Later, as more and more guests arrived, the host instructed to start the banquet. The kowtowing guest took over as host and urged everyone to drink. From the cold dishes to the last few courses, he didn't stop eating or talking. Finally, a bowl of braised pork trotters was served, and he insisted everyone eat first. Everyone said, "Thank you! I really can't eat anymore." Seeing that everyone wasn't eating, he used his chopsticks to scoop up a large piece of pork skin and put it in his rice bowl. Then he chopped the pork into bite-sized pieces, mixed it with his rice, and devoured it in no time. He was still hungry, but seeing everyone stop eating, he had to stop as well. After this table dispersed, another group of guests arrived, so another table was set up. He played host again, and only after eating the second meal did he feel full. He wiped his face and enthusiastically helped the host arrange things, then watched a play. When the guests left, he finally departed.
After Mr. Yan Er's wife's birthday, he rested for a day, thanked the guests, and began to prepare for departure. He declared he couldn't wear a fur coat for the relief effort. Because Shanxi was cold, he had his family make a set of silk-cotton padded clothes to wear inside and then cover it with a tattered cotton coat. To play the part of a great philanthropist, he affected an air of humble frugality. Money could be exchanged, but the cotton clothes had to be brought by himself. Fortunately, local officials sent people to take care of him along the way. When a benevolent benefactor goes to help people, even the emperor will look at him differently, let alone in a small county. If any local official does not treat the benevolent benefactor well, he can simply write a letter to the governor and have that official removed from office; even an accusation is easy. So, who'd dare not curry favor? With everything prepared, he took the boat with his master and second master, passed through Beijing and Tianjin, and headed straight to Shanxi. He wired the Shanxi governor from every stop; luckily, it was free for a philanthropist.
One day, Mr. Yan arrived in Shanxi province. The governor of Shanxi had already issued orders to the counties along the way, stating that a great philanthropist, Mr. Yan, from the south had come to provide disaster relief to the people of Shanxi, bringing with him a lot of silver and cotton clothes. The local authorities must treat him well. Receiving the orders, the counties didn't dare to slack off. They put him up in the best government guesthouses, some even festooned with lights, and the county officials personally welcomed him. When Mr. Yan arrived at the inn, they even sent a lavish banquet of shark fin soup and fine wine. In order to show his integrity and honesty, Mr. Yan immediately had the decorations removed and firmly refused the feast. He only asked for a bowl of hot water from the waiter, soaked two simple cakes he brought with him to satisfy his hunger, and then said to the people, "At least we have our food, which is good enough for now. When we get to Taiyuan, it will be a thousand miles of wasteland, where there's nothing left to eat, not even grass. People are starving, driven to desperation; that's when it will be truly miserable!" At this point, he was almost in tears, saying, "Just thinking about the suffering of the disaster-stricken people, I can't even eat the dry rations!" Everyone looked at him in admiration and said in unison, "Now *that's* a real philanthropist!"
Once this news spread, the subsequent prefectures and counties also dared not to put on a celebratory display or offer banquets. Unexpectedly, Mr. Yan felt that they were being lackadaisical in their preparations, thinking that they were deliberately disrespecting him. He said, "I traveled a thousand miles to bring silver to Shanxi for disaster relief, to help the people. How come there isn't even a decent reception? No food prepared? Do they think we're beneath them? Or that we're just a nuisance? Since they think we are troublesome, then we will immediately write to the highest official and leave!" When the local officials heard that Mr. Yan was furious, they were terrified and scrambled to apologize, even sending people to convince Mr. Yan to stay. Only then did Mr. Yan reluctantly agree. When the local officials prepared and sent the feast, he refused and explained, "It's not about the food; it's about appearances. Besides, we're self-sufficient; we don't mooch off others." He firmly refused to accept, insisting that the feast be taken back. The local officials could only swallow their pride. Some counties even tried to flatter Mr. Yan, giving benefits to his staff, hoping to put in a good word for him and land a plum job when he arrived in the provincial capital. So, Mr. Yan traveled in considerable style.
One day, they arrived at the outskirts of Taiyuan. Taiyuan was the most severely affected area. Mr. Yan knew that he couldn't act high and mighty like before. If he was seen by the villagers, he might be mobbed or even killed. So, he ordered his men to split into several groups and pretend to be refugees, not taking the carriage, and walked more than ten miles. After entering the city, he went to see the local official of Taiyuan and then announced that Mr. Yan from the south had arrived. The highest official in Shanxi received the news and went to visit him without waiting for Mr. Yan to pay his respects. He thanked Yan profusely, calling him "Mr. Yan." He then ordered the Taiyuan officials to give Yan the best possible treatment. Although Mr. Yan was only a magistrate, this time he came to help with disaster relief, and he acted like a kind-hearted person. He disregarded the highest official's rank, calling him by his first name and acting like old friends. Coincidentally, this highest official valued these manners the most, but for the sake of the relief funds, he had to rely on Mr. Yan. Although he was not happy, he still tried his best to humor him.
On the first day Mr. Yan arrived in Taiyuan, he sent his men to distribute money and food to various places, investigate the population, and verify the distribution situation. He himself also wore tattered clothes and worked together with them.
Look, these big-hearted guys donate tons of money every year and work their butts off. And it really helped the people who were suffering. Without them, who knows how many people would have died? They saved a lot of lives. That's the author's take on it, pretty fair, I think. If you just say they were all bad, that's not right. Sure, it's best if they're totally selfless and honest, but that's not always the case. So, the author writing about this isn't being mean-spirited.
Anyway, Mr. Yan has been helping out with the disaster relief in Taiyuan for over two months and has done a lot of follow-up work, spending a significant amount of money in the process. The people of Shanxi loved him, and even the officials from the top brass down were grateful to him. This made him even more proud, got a big head, and looked down on everyone, with a narrow-minded attitude. After returning to the capital, he met with the highest-ranking official and painted all the local officials he encountered during the disaster relief efforts as bad apples, citing a mix of official business and personal grudges, saying not one of them was any good. The highest-ranking official was also angry after hearing this and ordered that several officials with serious misconduct be fired and investigated.
But his arrogance had offended many people. Initially, he spoke ill of others in front of the highest-ranking official, but gradually others began to speak ill of him in front of the highest-ranking official. With everyone turning on him, what chance did he have? The top guy remembered how arrogant Yan had been, and it rubbed him the wrong way. Therefore, he wrote a memorial in return, stating: "The officialdom in Shanxi has long been corrupt, and now with the drought disaster, the people are displaced and suffering, their vitality greatly diminished, making recovery difficult. We need people who genuinely care for the people and make efforts to comfort them in order to remedy the situation. Now, this good Samaritan from the south, Magistrate Yan, who donated to the Jin disaster relief fund, is worthy of commendation. Since his arrival in Taiyuan, I have met with him multiple times and found him to be clever and unassuming; during each disaster relief effort, he ate simple food, shared the people's suffering, and worked tirelessly in the heat – a truly dedicated man. Furthermore, he is brave, determined, and not afraid to speak his mind – a rare find. I urge the Emperor to allow him to remain in Shanxi for his duties..."
The court approved the memorial's request. One day, the governor secretly put away the decree and personally went to visit Mr. Yan Er. After meeting, the governor was very polite to him and slowly revealed his intention to employ him. Mr. Yan Er thought that the governor wanted to keep him, so he started to brag, saying, "If I help you, I can't help anyone else. Unless the emperor specifically orders me to stay in your province to help, no one can keep me!" The governor smiled slightly, took out the decree from his sleeve, and handed it to him. This time, he didn't call him Mr. Yan, only said, "Here's the Emperor's order; have a look."
Mr. Yan was stunned, snatching it up to read. He saw the memorial from the Shanxi governor recommending him to stay in Shanxi; at the end was the imperial decree: "Appointing Mr. Yan to serve under [official's name]." Mr. Yan Er was both shocked and delighted, holding the decree in his hand for a long time without putting it down. He was surprised the governor hadn't said a word, yet here was the decree keeping him! He was thrilled; he'd been without a post, and now he had an imperial appointment! He was a nervous wreck. Since he stayed in Shanxi, he and the governor were now in a superior-subordinate relationship, and he could no longer address him as before. He couldn't bring himself to call him "sir," not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't let go of his pride. They'd been equals, but now he had to call the governor "sir," which felt awkward.
He pondered carefully, hesitating. Later, he thought, "Since he values me and recommended me, then he is my confidant. The ancients said, 'Be grateful to your confidant.' Since I am grateful for his favor, what's wrong with calling him 'the Governor'?" With his decision made, he put down the memorial, quickly got up, respectfully bowed to the Governor, then greeted him, saying, "I am grateful for the promotion from you, and I thank you for nurturing me. I am willing to serve you and work for you." The Governor continued to be polite to him as before, warmly welcoming him every time they met and often inviting him to dinner. He had more clout than some actual governors; he kept his word, and the Governor never said "no." Therefore, some tricky matters in the officialdom ended up with people trying to curry favor with him. At first, he was quite polite, but later he naturally accepted it.
After a while, the money he brought gradually ran out. To please the Governor, he wired several hundred thousand silver dollars to Shanghai. Initially, he solely managed the money; aside from disaster relief, there was no other use for it. Since he was transferred to Shanxi, the last two batches of money sent from Shanghai gradually involved the Governor, and sometimes he would ask for money using disaster relief as an excuse. He didn't dare refuse him due to the Governor's status. Tens of thousands of silver dollars were spent in just a few transactions. When the money ran out, he sent a telegram to Shanghai for more. The people in Shanghai, knowing he was now an official in Shanxi and had spent a lot of money, probably figured they didn't need to keep supporting him, so the money didn't flow as easily as before.
At this time, he was feeling pleased with himself, not knowing what was wrong with him, and said in front of the governor that the prefectural officials were not good. The governor immediately removed the prefect from his position and, after discussing with the Provincial Treasurer, appointed Mr. Yan to act as the governor. The Provincial Treasurer said, "Mr. Yan is only at the level of a prefect; it's not appropriate for him to act as the governor." The governor replied impatiently, "Come on, we're not worried about formalities now, are we? I recommended him to stay in Shanxi because I wanted to reuse him. Now the court is using people out of the ordinary; how can we stick to the old rules?" The Provincial Treasurer was left speechless by the governor's rebuttal and could only repeatedly say, "yes." When he returned to the yamen, he immediately posted a notice. However, he'd stepped on the governor's toes and was sweating bullets. The next day, Mr. Yan went to express his gratitude, but only the Provincial Treasurer did not see him. The governor urged him to take office as soon as possible. Coincidentally, the former governor had suffered from a drought in the past few months, with no income and severe losses, and was happy to retire early. Mr. Yan set his inauguration for the third day. He was always frugal, so on the day he took office, his inaugural procession was a joke: a rickety sedan chair, supposedly carried by four, but actually only two starving bearers; a single red umbrella, a lone gong, and a shouty guy who looked like he hadn't eaten in days. When asked about the missing crew, the answer was, "Starved off." Mr. Yan did not know what to say. After taking over the seal, he only had three out of the six clerks in the office, and only five or six bailiffs. During the roll call, one person had to respond to several names in turn. Their clothes were in rags; they looked like they'd crawled out of a ditch. Mr. Yan was sweating, knowing that in a year of poor harvest, this official position definitely had no benefits. He'd just have to play it cool, be a good guy, and hope for the best. After taking over the seal, for more than ten consecutive days, none of the customary arrival ceremonies from subordinates were received, and the administration was simple, the laws were fair, and the case files were empty. Even the cases reported by subordinates in the past half month were all non-existent. This was not because of his good governance, but because the people of Taiyuan had all fled or died. Therefore, since taking over the seal, he had not done anything. He was still in charge of disaster relief, a task that felt as hopeless as the dust-choked fields surrounding Taiyuan.
As autumn turned to winter, it got freezing up north. Before October even rolled around, a heavy snowfall came. Back in Shanghai, telegram after telegram went out, but no money was received. He was worried sick. One day, sitting in the yamen, he suddenly received a letter from the governor, and when he opened it, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Find out what happens next time!
