You gotta write a book in order, can't jump around like that, same goes for talkin'. Let's put aside the matter of Jia Dashao going to Henan to raise money, and talk about him lending money to Shi Xiaoren first.
Shi Xiaoren gave one hundred thousand taels of silver to Huang to lend out at high interest, earning a few hundred taels each month. He lay low, avoided visitors, and saved every penny, socking away a tidy sum each month. Although he agreed on a three-month deadline with Huang, he stalled, hoping to squeeze out every last bit of interest before paying up. However, he really wanted to be an official. Although he didn't go to Guangxi to fight bandits, relying on his ancestral connections, he managed to get a position as a low-level bureaucrat. When he went to Beijing to report on his work, he brought tens of thousands of taels of silver, thinking of getting promoted and making a fortune. Just when he was feeling pleased with himself, Du repeatedly accused him of various crimes, saying that the person he recommended, Shu Junmen, embezzled military funds, condoned soldiers committing crimes, wrongfully killed civilians, falsely reported military achievements, sheltered bandits, and inflated expenses—a laundry list of offenses. When the court saw the memorial, the emperor blew his top and immediately ordered the Governor to thoroughly investigate the matter and not hide anything. Luckily, the governor was young and capable, dared to take responsibility, and was not afraid of offending people. He dug up the dirt and reported it. The court accused him of negligence and harboring a viper, immediately dismissed him from his post, and had him hauled off to Beijing to face the music. Shi Xiaoren was afraid of being implicated because one of the charges in the memorial was cronyism; even if they couldn't find anything on him, if this matter escalated, he was afraid that Du would cause trouble for him. In short, he felt that things were not going well. Black Eight and the others told him to lay low until things cooled down.
Shi Xiaoren hid to protect himself. Word is Shu Junmen has been hauled off to the Ministry of Justice and will be interrogated by the Shanxi office of the Ministry of Justice. I heard he’s already been questioned once and thrown into the Tianlao. Shi Xiaoren got him the job at first, relying on his ancestors' connections, and he himself had never met Shu Junmen. After Shu Junmen was sent to the Ministry of Justice, a few people who owed him favors paid him a visit, but since Shi Xiaoren didn’t know him well, he pretended not to know him to stay out of trouble.
Now, about Shu Junmen... He led troops on the Guangxi border for many years, skimming off a cool million taels every year. But he had a wide social circle and was a big spender. The capital's officials were shaking him down for two hundred thousand taels a year, splitting it amongst themselves. As for palace eunuchs, the bigwigs in the Grand Council, and other powerful types, they had to send him at least three or four hundred thousand taels a year. Plus, there were his relatives, friends, and hangers-on. So although he had a high income, his expenses evened out. When they canned him, he was broke. On the way from Guangxi to Beijing, he had already started borrowing money to make ends meet. A few of his former underlings still had a conscience and gave him a little help; but the sycophants, they'd all vanished.
Shu Junmen was from Hengzhou, Hunan, and had served in Guangxi for many years, while his family had always lived in his hometown. After receiving the decree of dismissal, his family immediately rushed to Beijing. Shu Junmen's family only consisted of his wife and a twelve or thirteen-year-old. He was a big spender and never paid much attention to household matters, so his wife had no savings. After arriving in Beijing and staying at an inn, they were already selling off their stuff to make ends meet, and soon they'd be completely cleaned out. He was out of power, and nobody bothered to visit.
One day, Shu was escorted to the capital and handed over to the Justice Ministry. He was briefly questioned and immediately imprisoned. Having been an official for so long, he naturally understood the rules. You couldn't get into the Justice Ministry prison without greasing some palms; especially since he used to spend money extravagantly, he was not an ordinary criminal. On the way, he scrounged up three thousand taels of silver, ready to make some connections in prison. Upon arriving at the prison, he learned that the current jail warden was the son of his father-in-law—the former magistrate of Shandong Province, Shi Darens son, the Ministry of Justice official, Shi Yaoquan. Shi Yaoquan served as an official in the capital every year and often received help from his father-in-law, so when Shu heard it was him, he felt more at ease. Shortly after entering the prison, Shi Yaoquan came to see him and said, "Uncle Shu, bear with it for now. You are usually favored in front of the emperor; this time is just to keep things quiet. There will definitely be an edict in a few days, and you’ll be back in business. I have arranged everything for you here, so rest assured." Although Shu was happy to hear this, as the saying goes, "It's easy to deal with the big boss, but the underlings are a pain." Although his nephew did not ask for money, the prison guards may not be easy to handle. So, he took out the three thousand taels of silver he had collected and handed it to Shi Yaoquan, asking for his help. Although Shi Yaoquan said he didn't need it, he still reached out and accepted it. He just gave a quick count to the various silver notes, totaling only three thousand taels of silver. After counting, he returned the money to Shu, saying, "I will take care of Uncle Shu's affairs; there's no need for this. Besides, you will be out of here in three to five days at most, so rest assured." With that, he left. Shu took him at his word.
Alright, folks, the place where the Justice Department detains prisoners is right next to the prison's shrine, along with a few other rooms. After Shi Yaoquan left, the jailer brought Shu Junmen to a bright three-room hall, but the room was totally empty—there wasn't even a bed, table, or chair. After entering, Shu Junmen could only pace back and forth on the ground, unable to find a place to sit. He was a heavy smoker, and back in the military camp, several soldiers kept him supplied with cigarettes, but now he was all alone here; he didn't even have a blanket, let alone tobacco. After resting for a while, the craving hit him hard, making him extremely uncomfortable. Before entering the prison, he had already told his subordinates that if he needed anything, it should be sent immediately. However, after waiting for three hours, there was still no response. At this point, he was in tears, unable to take it anymore, and could only sit against the wall for a while. As it got dark and his subordinates still didn't come, he realized something fishy was going on. He asked the jailer to bring Shi Yaoquan for a discussion. Shi Yaoquan said, "Sir, you’ll be released in a few days. I'm worried you might do something rash. I can't be held responsible, so I ordered not to put too many things in this room. I'm just trying to help, please forgive me! I'm really busy; I'll come to visit you tomorrow." After saying that, he left. Shu Junmen knew the situation was not good, but there was nothing he could do, so he had to give up. With the craving for tobacco and hunger, he felt even more distressed. We'll check back in on him later.
Shu, the Commander, was escorted from Guangxi to Beijing, accompanied by only one long-time aide—who is now also a military officer—and two underlings, all of whom had been with him for a long time. The Commander usually treated them fairly well, so these three were stuck with him through thick and thin. However, among them, only the long-time aide Kong Changsheng and one man, Wang Debiao, were considered loyal and willing to help the Commander. The other man, Xia Wuyi, nicknamed "Xia Ten" by everyone, was different from the other two. Since the Commander got into trouble, he had been trying to find a new boss. If it weren't for the repeated persuasion of Kong and Wang, he would have left long ago. When they arrived in Beijing, he didn't care about the Commander's life or death, leaving all the matters to Kong and Wang while he busied himself looking for relatives and friends. There was nothing Kong and Wang could do, so they let him go about his business. More will be said in the following text.
Kong and Wang escorted Shu, the Commander, into the prison of the Ministry of Justice, thinking that with three thousand taels of silver on him, it should be enough. They packed up the pipes and luggage, ready to send them in. But when they reached the door, they were stopped by the prison guards, who said, "The prison warden, Master Ti Laoshi, has ordered that the Commander's case is serious, and no one is allowed to visit, nor are they allowed to privately deliver food or luggage. Anyone caught doing so would face severe punishment!"
Shu Junmen's about to go to jail. He figures, "Lots of officials in the capital owe me one, but most are broke, so borrowing's out. I'm up the creek, facing a serious charge, and my neck's on the line. All I can hope for is they'll remember what I've done for them and pull some strings to keep me from swinging. Borrowing money from them now? No way, I'd lose face." He was stumped. Then he remembered Lu Wu, who ran a security firm outside Shunzhi Gate in Zhuozhou. Lu Wu used to be a horse dealer. Army contracts made him a rich man. He was a righteous guy, a skilled fighter, known as "Double-Blade Lu Wu." Lu Wu'd done time before, but got a pardon. He was generous to the guards when he was inside, so everyone at the Ministry knew him. Shu Junmen told Kong and Wang about Lu Wu.
When Kong and Wang arrived at the prison to see Commander Shu, they found that they couldn't reach anyone inside or out. They guessed that they hadn't established the necessary connections yet. Feeling desperate, they hurried to find Lu Wu, a renowned swordsman, outside Shunzhi Gate. To their dismay, they discovered that Lu Wu had left Beijing five days ago due to some urgent matter. They were nearly in tears. After the guys at the courier agency learned of their situation, they realized that they were sent by Commander Shu. The staff warmly welcomed them, saying, "Old Wu mentioned a few days ago that Commander Shu would be arriving soon, and he happened to have some personal matters to attend to at home. Before leaving, he said that if Commander Shu arrived in Beijing and ran out of money, he could come and collect... and he also asked the staff to help out." After saying this, they instructed to fix them some food. Kong and Wang said, "Forget the rest for now, let's hurry to the Justice Ministry to speak on behalf of Commander Shu! He has been in prison since noon, and they haven't even gotten a smoke. We don't know how much suffering he's enduring inside!" When Lu Wu's assistant heard this, a tall, thin man stood up and said, "In that case, I'll accompany you." He then brought out a horse. Kong and Wang had their own horses, so the three of them mounted up and rode straight to the prison. Lu Wu's assistant, Geng Er, was Lu Wu's sworn brother. When Lu Wu was imprisoned for his crimes, Geng Er had always helped him run errands. When the prison guards saw Geng Er, they all called him "Second Master." Geng Er said, "Now that Commander Shu has arrived, feel free to tell me anything you need to say. Although he has led troops for many years, he is an honest official. Please be lenient with him!" The prison guards replied, "What Second Master says goes! When Second Master is here, there's no need for instructions, we all understand. However, you must personally inform Master Shi Yaoquan about this matter. As for everything else, we can handle it." Geng Er asked, "Who is Master Shi?" The others replied, "It's Master Shi Yaoquan." Geng Er said, "I don't know him." At that moment, an elderly prison guard said, "I'll take you to him. I'll go inform him first, and then you can speak." Geng Er agreed, and the elderly prison guard went up to inform Shi Yaoquan before returning to escort Geng Er.
Geng Er bowed to Shi Yaoquan and called him "Boss." Shi Yaoquan nodded in return. After listening to the report from the jailer, Shi Yaoquan already had an idea in his heart. Before Geng Er could finish speaking, Shi Yaoquan smiled and said, "Shu's broke, we go way back, I know that. But everyone else is trying to squeeze him dry, and since we are old friends, I have to take less. Otherwise, others will say I’m biased towards him, which wouldn't be fair! Lord Shu gave me three thousand taels as soon as he arrived. With this whole office and his position, how am I supposed to split three thousand taels? Good thing you're here, let's talk." Geng Er said, "Three thousand taels isn't enough, I know. But Lord Shu really has no money, and we'll need your help to back him up, Boss. Since I’m asking for your help, I don't want to make things harder for you. I'll go back and gather another three thousand taels to bring tomorrow. I'll handle the guards, don't you worry." Shi Yaoquan listened and didn’t say anything, but that three thousand taels was due today. Geng Er said, "It's dark, where am I gonna get the money? Even if I had gold bars, I couldn't bring them in—it'd look bad." The jailer vouched for him, so he could pay tomorrow morning.
Shu waited in prison for a long time until he saw his subordinates bring him a smoking kit and bedding. It was like a reprieve, but it also felt awful. He quickly lit a lamp, took a few puffs, and then slowly asked what was going on. The jailer filled him in. Shu was surprised to hear that Geng Er had agreed to take three thousand taels of silver from Shi Yaoquan. He said, "Is Geng Er even human? He got close to me and said he didn't want a single penny from me. So that's why you took so long! He thought three thousand taels wasn't enough. If he thought it was too little, why didn't he say so at the time? Why torture me, what gives?" The jailer said, "What's the point of arguing? They call the shots here." Shu sighed, and the jailer continued, "Oh, and this opium – that's worth something." Shu asked, "How much?" The jailer replied, "Geng Er under Lu Wu is responsible for it; I don't know the exact amount. But this jar of opium is worth another three hundred taels." Shu nearly choked. After that, the guards were always bringing him stuff, all on Lu Wu's tab. A few days later, Lu Wu came back to town and stopped by.
As for Xiao Ren, the governor, since Mr. Shu fell from grace, he wouldn't disappear. After being cooped up for months, he was at his wit's end and thought, "I must find an opportunity to turn things around!" Then, Mr. Shu was shipped off to the capital and thrown in the Ministry of Justice. Mrs. Shu heard about it and came to visit. Three guards knew that Mrs. Shu had come from her hometown, so they moved in together to make it easier to talk. Everyone knew that Mr. Shu had many connections outside. Kong and Wang took the chance during the visit to pump Mr. Shu for information about his connections and money to help. Xiao Ren had been in the capital for a long time, and someone tipped off Mr. Shu's people about his whereabouts and background. Mr. Shu's son was just a kid, so Mrs. Shu, Kong, and Wang did all the legwork to ask for help. Finding out Xiao Ren was in the capital, and knowing his job was thanks to Mr. Shu, plus he was loaded, Mrs. Shu, her son, Kong, and Wang went straight to his place to beg for help. After meeting Xiao Ren, he comforted Mrs. Shu and said, "I owe Mr. Shu big time, I can't just stand by and watch. Don't you worry..." Mrs. Shu believed him and happily returned home with her son.
Two days passed without any news. So, I wrote a letter and sent it off, explaining that I needed to borrow five thousand taels of silver temporarily. Unexpectedly, Shi replied, saying, "This time I came to the capital, and I only managed to gather just over a thousand taels for the bribe. My family's poor, and I desperately needed work to support them; I didn't expect Mr. Shu to be in trouble, with rumors spreading everywhere, and I got implicated as well. I've been in hiding, and not only did I blow through my bribe, I'm also deep in debt. Although we have a friendship, I am very grateful to Mr. Shu and should do my best to repay him, but now I am really in a dilemma, with no solution at all. Hope you understand." Mrs. Shu received the letter and was very disappointed; she started complaining, calling him broke and ungrateful for not helping. Unexpectedly, someone heard Mrs. Shu's complaints. Who was this person? It was Xia Shi, one of the constables who'd come with Mr. Shu.
Ever since arriving in the capital with Mr. Shu, Xia Shi had been nothing but complaints. Now that Mr. Shu's fallen from grace, he doesn't even care about Xia Shi. Since Mr. Shu was imprisoned, Xia had been staying at home all day, doing nothing except eating and sleeping. Sometimes he would have a few drinks, and when drunk, he would curse at people. At first, Kong and Wang tried to advise him, but later, he would just glare at them whenever they spoke, so they stopped trying to help. And Mrs. Shu? She's a good woman.
Xia Shi has some friends in Beijing, but unfortunately, they are a rough crowd. They knew Xia Shi had made a fortune while away, so they brown-nosed him at first; but when they realized there was no benefit, they gave him the cold shoulder. So after three months in Beijing, Xia Shi felt bored and unhappy, staying indoors and not going out other than his apartment. These past two days, he unintentionally heard that Madam Shu went to find Shi Xiaoren, and then overheard someone say, "Shi Xiaoren is a wealthy magistrate"! That gave him an idea. Later, when Madam Shu failed to borrow money from Shi Xiaoren and badmouthed him behind his back, Xia Shi heard it all. Suddenly, he had a plan. Whenever he had some downtime, he asked Kong and Wang about Shi Xiaoren's address and background. In the evening, he used a friend as a cover and went directly to Shi Xiaoren's house, knocked and asked to see him.
Shi Xiaoren had been a nervous wreck these days because of the trouble with Shu Junmen, which was a huge mess and was being strictly investigated by the court. He was afraid of being implicated and stayed at home all day, not daring to go out. He sighed alone: "I've stashed away a fortune. If I had known it would be like this, I could have bought myself a decent post! Just because I wanted to buy a respectable position, I flattered him, but now it's blown up in my face and harmed me. I dare not show my face now. Today, someone said that when this old man was an official in Guangxi, his soldiers secretly colluded with a secret society, so he was accused of tolerating bandits and nurturing trouble. The court sent a memo to the Governor of Guangxi, saying that there may be leaders of the secret society among his subordinates, and to clean house. Although I didn't work under him, he was my sponsor, so people think we're in on it together. I need to find a way to clear my name, or my career's over..."
Xiao Renzheng was at a loss when the steward came to report, "Mr. Xia from Shujunmen is here to see you." Hearing "Shujunmen," Xiao Renzheng thought he was coming to borrow money again and wanted to blow him off. The steward said, "Mr. Xia mentioned that this isn't about the Junmen." Xiao Renzheng's interest was piqued, and he said, "Get him in here!" Xia Wuyi came in and knelt to pay his respects. Xiao Renzheng wasn't sure what he wanted, so he quickly bent down to help him up and gave a little bow in return. Xiao Renzheng invited him to sit, but he wouldn't, saying, "I'm supposed to be waiting on you, sir. There's no place for me to sit." Not knowing why he had come, Xiao Renzheng said, "You're Junmen, I'm Junmen-recommended. We're practically family, no need for all this formality." Finally, Xia Shi sat down. They chatted for a while, each secretly wondering what the other was up to.
Later, Xiao Ren couldn't help but ask tentatively, "The recent situation with the General has been pretty chaotic, do you know about it?" Xia Shi said, "I've heard a little, but it's hard to say what the court really means. Boss, when do you think this will get resolved?" Xiao Ren said, "It's way too early to tell. If he can keep his life, that's considered lucky for him." Xia Shi hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by that?" Xiao Ren then filled him in on Du's ratting him out and the investigation sent by the court to Guangxi. Xia Shi didn't speak for a while. Xiao Ren moved closer and said, "I want to ask you something." As soon as he heard Xiao Ren ask for his advice, Xia Shi immediately straightened up and said seriously, "Shoot." Xiao Ren said, "Yeah, the General got me this job, but I never actually worked for him. You've been with the General for many years, you know about the situation. Do you think Du was right to rat him out? We're cool, so let's be honest." Xia Shi felt that Xiao Ren's words were getting closer to the point, so he also leaned in and said, "If you didn't ask, I wouldn't say a word. To be honest, I've been with him for ten years, he's done a lot for me, so this is tough. But you’re family, I can't lie to you." Xiao Ren said, "Don't worry, you can tell me anything."
Xia Shitan sighed, "Ah, speaking of this military governor, what he did in Guangxi was a great sin. He's in way over his head; one head wouldn't be enough, let alone ten!'' Xiao Ren asked in a hurry, "What happened?" Xia Shitan said, "That's what they say: you pay the army for years, then you need them in a crisis. Since the military governor arrived in Guangxi that year, he had forty battalions under his command. Think about it, sir, with forty battalions, how much military pay is needed in a year? How many people do you think actually received their pay?" Xiao Ren said, "Surely at least six or seven out of ten got paid." Xia Shitan replied, "Less than forty percent! That's a lowball estimate. In the first two years, the local areas were peaceful, with no bandits. Even if only forty percent received the money, it could still be passed off. But in recent years, the situation has been bad, bandits are everywhere, and he's still the same as before. What do you think? I heard people say that the governor's report said he allowed his soldiers to become bandits. I didn't understand at first, but later I realized. Saying that he deliberately made soldiers become bandits is false, but saying that soldiers colluded with bandits is not wrong." Xiao Ren said, "According to what you're saying, the military governor should have made a fortune, why would he still need to borrow money?" Xia Shitan said, "He raked in the cash, but it was hard to use. Think about it, in the capital, everyone from the war office to the emperor's advisors, who doesn't need money? Bribing everyone to get things done. Now that the money is gone, so is the favor; it's as if they never used money. To be honest, if he hadn't been buying favors, you'd still be enjoying your retirement, wouldn't you?"
Xiao Ren said, "Does the magistrate have other complaints? Do his subordinates really have secret brotherhoods?" Xia Shi replied, "I've been in the army for over twenty years – I know what's what. In the past, when we fought against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army, lots of them were homeless and rootless, so they stuck together like brothers. So they formed a kind of club, looking out for each other. They looked after each other, like brothers, no matter their rank, and stayed out of trouble. That's why we always won back then, fighting the Taiping and the Nian rebels. Later, they decided to make him a scapegoat. Look, how many good guys are there in the army? They made him a scapegoat and cheated him out of his pay – no wonder he wasn't loyal. As for this commander, I doubt his men are really in any secret brotherhood. What happened in Guangxi? Mostly the officials pushed the people too far. It's a whole long story."
Shi Xiaoren opened the door and went straight to the point: "Get to the point, I just want to know if everything that old geezer Du participated in is true?" Xia Shi replied: "In short, there are some things that Du doesn't know at all, so his input was unreliable. It's a common problem among military leaders; everyone has them. Speaking of which, talk about bad luck, he's taking the fall all by himself!" Shi Xiaoren said: "Let's not talk about the rest for now. You have followed the military for so many years, endured so much hardship, and certainly hope that the military can get you ahead in life. Now suddenly facing this mess, it's really unexpected!" Xia Shi said: "Let's put aside the military affairs for now; the main issue is that other people are a real pain in the neck." Shi Xiaoren said: "The military has fallen from grace, and you're still following them to the capital—that's pretty loyal of you. How could anyone still dare to push you around?" Xia Shi sighed, spun a yarn about how officials Kong and Wang were corrupt, using military matters to make money outside; his wife was also foolish, even behind Shi Xiaoren's back, calling him "ungrateful," revealing everything. After finishing, he bowed to Shi Xiaoren and said, "I'm willing to serve you as a servant and will never eat Shu's grub again!" Shi Xiaoren listened to him, not caring about the rest, but the mention of many things that Du didn't know about the army stuff made him curious. "Others say I'm in with him, causing me to never catch a break. Now, using him as a witness may help me clear my name." Shi Xiaoren made up his mind and said, "I need your help, but don't move in with me for now, to keep it on the down low. If you're short on money, I'll give you some silver every month. When I'm out of the woods, we will leave the capital together. By then, I'll look after you." Xia Shi saw that Shi Xiaoren agreed and even offered him silver every month, immediately knelt down to thank him; he was so grateful, you wouldn't believe it!
After kowtowing, Shi Xiaoren asked a lot about Shu Junmen's misdeeds in Guangxi. After Xia Shi left, he was afraid of forgetting, so he quickly took notes on paper. After writing it down, he repeatedly checked and revised it several times, pondering all night. Halfway through the revision, he suddenly stopped writing and said, "He is already unlucky now. I’m afraid he won’t die yet, and I have to give him another fatal blow. Does that sit right with me?" Thinking of this, he wanted to stop, but suddenly saw a copy of "Jing Bao" (Capital Gazette) on the table. The front page was a decree from the personnel who inspected and distributed it. The first two were the ones who entered Beijing with him; there were also two others who entered Beijing at the same time as him, and they had already been promoted. This stirred Shi Xiaoren's heart again. He also remembered his friends' advice to lay low for a while, "At this rate, I'll be waiting forever!" He thought again, "It's better to be smart than stubborn. He didn’t know me in the first place. Although he recommended me, it was out of respect for the old man. He recommended me as a favor to the old man. We have no real connection, so why should I delay my own future for him? Moreover, the things he did in Guangxi were indeed disrespectful to the emperor. It wouldn't be excessive for me to report him now." If I report him, I will need witnesses and have to confront him. I have Xia Shi as a witness, but why should I confront him? After much consideration, he felt it was not appropriate. So he thought again and decided to find a friend to discuss it with, thinking, "Among these friends, only Huang Panggu and Hei Bage are more reliable. I will talk to them first tomorrow." With his decision made, he went to bed. Before he could fall asleep, it was already dawn. He didn't want to waste any time, so he got up and went to find Huang Panggu.
Old Huang was awakened by him and thought he had come to ask for money, feeling a bit nervous. After meeting and figuring out what he wanted, Shi Xiaoren whispered about the matter, saying, "I don't ask for anything else now, just to clear my name and do my job well." Old Huang hesitated and said, "If you want to clear your name, you will have to offend two people now." Shi Xiaoren asked who the two people were. Old Huang said, "One is the Black Manager and the other is Hua Lao Ye (Old Hua). They have both accepted gifts from Shu Junmen (a high-ranking military official) before, so they have always protected him. According to them, there is no such thing at all; it's all Xu Dajunji (Glazed Egg, a derogatory nickname for Xu Dajunji) causing trouble behind the scenes, that's why he was picked up for questioning." Shi Xiaoren also knew that "Glazed Egg" referred to Xu Dajunji, and asked, "How did he cause trouble?" Old Huang said, "Xu Dajunji insists on investigating, while Old Hua insists on not investigating. The two of them argue about this every day and almost come to blows. As for the Black Manager, it is said that he often pleads for Shu Junmen in front of the emperor, saying, 'Shu has committed a crime; the emperor can dismiss him from his position, let him take the blame and make amends, as an example for others. The memorials of the censors, I dare not say are false; but most of the rumors are baseless. If Shu is really bad, why didn't he rebel in Guangxi, but waited to be arrested?' These are all words of the Black Manager, told to me by his nephew. In this case, do you still want to report him?" Shi Xiaoren said, "In the past few days, Old Hua has been very fierce towards him; did the Imperial Edict ask the Governor of Guangxi to investigate?" Old Huang said, "Who told you that? Those low-level officials are like a pack of rabid dogs, stirring up trouble and going after anyone powerful. If they encounter someone timid who can't withstand the pressure, they give them benefits in private, and they are happy to accept. As for the Imperial Edict investigating, it's just routine. His people have already entered the Justice Ministry; it's not good to bring it up and ask him, why bother going to Guangxi to investigate? It's probably just Old Hua trying to appease Xu Dajunji. She's just trying to scare you; don't let her get to you."
Shi Xiaoren was stunned into silence by Huang Panggu's words, thinking to himself: What should I do? If I report this now, I can only go through Xu Dajun. But Panggu said the inside is controlled by Black Uncle, and the outside by Huazhong Hall, both supporting the military governor. After the military governor is in trouble, Ba Ge told me not to stick my neck out, to lay low. What does this mean? He quickly asked Huang Panggu for more details. Panggu laughed, then immediately stopped and said seriously: "Look, it's always the little guys who get screwed in these situations. In a province, when the governor is accused, in the end, one or two prefectures are punished; when the prefecture is accused, in the end, one or two counties are made an example of. Although Shu Junmen's matter is not that serious, you are not his subordinate, but he was your former superior. He is having a tough time, why would you throw yourself into trouble? Just a word from the big boss, and you'll be in deep trouble. That's what Ba Ge was warning you about. What else could he mean?"
Shi Xiaoren said, "Bage, you have to help me find a way out, right?" Huang Panggu chuckled, "What way out? Don't you even understand the phrase 'money buys peace of mind'?" Shi Xiaoren replied, "I brought money to Beijing for this! If you need money, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why keep me waiting all these months?" Huang Panggu thought to herself, "If I'd asked for the money earlier, he'd have been stingy. I had to push him to get him to cough up!" But she couldn't say this directly to Shi Xiaoren, so she spoke vaguely, "That's what I think. How much money do they really want from you? If they don't say, I don't know. Maybe they really want to help you sincerely, without needing your money." Shi Xiaoren said, "Panggu, you are being too modest. Are there people among these friends who are more powerful than you? What you said must be right. I won't run around randomly now. As long as you give me some advice, if Xu Daren is at odds with the military, does he have any connections there? Help me smooth things over. And since Bage's uncle and Huazhongtang are on the military's side, things should be easier." Huang Panggu actually had a plan in mind a long time ago, but she didn't say it at the moment, afraid that Shi Xiaoren would think it was too easy and then say, "check back in a couple of days." At this point, Shi Xiaoren understood: it's easy to bribe Huazhongtang and Black Uncle as long as you have money. Now he urgently wants to find out about Xu Dajun's connections. As long as someone introduces him and he gets to know this person, he will see how things go with Shu Junmen. Best case, he'd get out of this mess. Worst case, he'd stir things up – as long as Xu Dajun doesn't blame him, no one would ever know. With his plan set, when Huang Panggu said, "check back in a couple of days," he had to take his leave. He hung around his place for another two days.
On the third morning, he went to find Huang Mama again. Huang Mama said, "There's a guy from the same hometown as Xu Dajun, and they were classmates and colleagues. He's always popping over to Xu Dajun's when he's got nothing better to do. So Xu Dajun really likes him, discusses many things with him, and lets him handle them. He's got several sinecures in the department, and a few more elsewhere – all paid positions with no actual work. Now, if you want to see Xu Dajun, you’ll need him to help you; there’s no one else." Shi Xiaoren hurriedly asked, "Who is it?" Huang Mama said it was Wang Bogao. "Wang's career has been meteoric. He was recently recommended as a talent by the Xindajingzhao of Shuntian Prefecture and was summoned once. Somehow, he's buddies with half the Military Aircraft Department! On the day of the summons, the emperor asked what benefits the Military Aircraft Department would give him, and they drafted three decrees. The emperor chose the first one, which skipped the usual promotion to 'principal' and went straight to 'Yuanwailang.' There’s a vacancy now, and it’s his. We only recently met through a mutual acquaintance. But he’s honest and doesn't accept gifts openly. If you want to pay your respects to Xu Dajun, just give him all the gifts and bribes – let him handle it. He appears very upright on the surface. Give him a few thousand taels of silver, and after he finishes the matter, he’ll give you a detailed accounting, down to the last copper, to prove he’s on the level. You don’t need to give him anything else; this is enough. I’m telling you about this person now. If you really want to do this, let’s go ahead." Shi Xiaoren asked, "What about the silver?" Huang Mama said, "You can't just cough up a hundred thousand taels on the spot, can you? If you need silver, I’ll help you borrow it, and you just need to pay the interest." Shi Xiaoren knew she was going to take advantage of him with a high-interest loan again, but at this point, he could only listen to her. He readily agreed, repeatedly thanked her, and said, "Sure, whatever you say."
After lunch with Shi Xiaoren, Pang Gu took him to Bogao's new place. Bogao greeted them, then pulled Pang Gu aside for a quick, quiet chat. Pang Gu came back and patted Shi Xiaoren's chest, saying, "Whew! That was close! We dodged a bullet!" Shi Xiaoren asked urgently what happened. Pang Gu slowly said, "Because you're visiting Master Xu, I went straight to Bogao the moment you asked me. He's a real go-getter. He saw Master Xu that very day and put in a good word for you. Then this morning, Bogao was at the yamen and bumped into Fu Ziping, his colleague Fu Litang's nephew, who's also a doctor. They got chatting, and Ziping mentioned his father-in-law, Lord Bi Du, had written a memorial denouncing over ten people, several with military connections – including you, apparently. Seeing what his father-in-law was up to, Ziping talked him out of it, getting him to wait three days. Today, Ziping met Bogao at the yamen and told him about it. Bogao asked Ziping to get his father-in-law to hold off, suggesting they were all friends who could work things out. Bogao knew you were coming, so he told Ziping he'd get back to him the day after tomorrow and to tell his father-in-law to hold the memorial. So that's the story."
After Shi Xiaoren finished listening, he didn't know what to do, so he asked Pang Gu and Bo Gao to help him figure things out. They discussed and decided to visit Old Man Xu, including bribes and grease, which would cost a total of five thousand taels of silver, all to be handled by Bo Gao; how to spend it would be sorted out later. They first sent three hundred taels to Old Man Bi, to be handled by Fu Ziping, and then gave him fifty taels. At this point, Bo Gao asked the butler to invite Fu over from next door.
When Lord Fu arrived a while later, dressed in rags, they greeted each other, and before they could chat, Bo Gao pulled him aside and had a quiet word with him for a while, after which the man left. Bo Gao said, "Your brother will bring the money over later." The man replied, "My father-in-law has my brother there, so rest assured." With that, he left. Seeing that everything was arranged properly, Shi Xiaoren also took his leave, returning to Pang Gu's shop with her and writing a promissory note. Pang Gu immediately sent the bank notes to Bo Gao's house. Upon receiving them, Bo Gao sent someone to fetch Fu Ziping from next door.
Now, get this: although Fu Ziping next door is surnamed Fu and claims to be the nephew of the Zhejiang Governor Fu Litang, which made people believe him more, his actual official position is just a low-level bureaucrat. There were tons of broke officials in the capital, many never getting anywhere. Fu Ziping is just a real loser. Because he knew Bo Gao and was a new neighbor, he often came to ask Bo Gao for help. Luckily, he was around for this, so Bo Gao used him as a witness. After receiving the silver, Bo Gao only gave Fu Ziping four taels. But Fu Ziping hadn't eaten for several days and was extremely poor, so this measly few taels was a significant help for him, allowing him to get by for a few more days. Talk about the hard life of a Beijing official! To be continued...
