The poem says:
White Cloud Mountain, Red Leaf Tree, witnessing the cycles of glory and decline, like morning turning into evening. Countless sunsets grace the fragrant grass, tides ebb and flow, welcoming and bidding farewell to people.
Ruan Gong Road and Yang Zi Road, winding like a sheep's intestine, once led the wheels astray. Recalling the place where the cold flowers neighed, the emerald-clad official played the silver zither, singing in the night towers until dawn.
To the tune of "Su Mu Zhe"
Two days later, on May 20th, coincidentally his birthday, Chen Jingji's family prepared a feast, and everyone joyfully celebrated the day. The next morning, Jingji said, "I have never been to the river below. Today, I have nothing to do, so I’ll go check the accounts and escape the summer heat. I will be back soon." Chunmei advised him, "Take a sedan chair, don’t overwork yourself." So the sedan chair came, with Xiaojing following, and they went to the riverside restaurant.
The journey was uneventful. In the afternoon, they arrived and entered the restaurant. The two accountants rushed out to greet him, asking, "Is the boss feeling any better?" Jingji said, "Thank you for your concern." His thoughts were solely on Han Aijie, and after sitting for a while, he instructed the accountants, "Check the accounts; I will come to settle them later." Then he went to the back. The madam had already spotted him and hurried to tell Wang Luer and his wife. Han Aijie was upstairs, leaning against the banister, eagerly waiting for him, still writing poems to express her feelings. Suddenly someone reported that Chen Jingji had arrived, and she quickly walked down lightly, with a warm smile, welcoming him, saying, "Sir, it's rare to see you. What wind blew you here?" Jingji greeted them, and they entered the room together. After a while, Wang Luer brought tea. After drinking the tea, Aijie said, "Sir, please come to my room." Jingji went upstairs, and the two were like fish reunited after a long separation, intimately sharing whispers. A piece of paper peeked out from under Aijie's inkstone, which Jingji picked up and read. Aijie said, "I wrote this to keep myself occupied while waiting for you; don’t mind its roughness." Jingji read it once, and the poem read:
Leaning lazily on the embroidered bed, too lazy to move, the silk curtains hang idle as her hair falls low. The jade lover has gone without news, one day of longing feels like twelve hours. Jìng Jì praised her repeatedly. In no time, Wáng Liùér brought up the food and wine, placing it on the dressing table. The two sat together, Ài Jiě poured a cup of wine, handed it to Jìng Jì with both hands, bowed deeply, and said, "Sir, you haven't been here for a long time, I miss you every day. Thanks to the money sent by Bā Lǎo last time, the whole family is extremely grateful." Jìng Jì took the wine, returned the gesture, and said, "I've been unwell recently, I hope you won't hold it against me." After they finished their drinks, Jìng Jì also poured a cup for Ài Jiě. While drinking, they chatted. Wáng Liùér and Hán Dàoguó also came up to accompany them for a few drinks, then went downstairs, leaving the two to catch up. After a long time, the wine was almost finished, the two felt a deep connection, and memories of the past arose. After an intimate moment, they dressed again and had a few more drinks. With tipsy spirits and unfulfilled desires, the young man, feeling constrained at home and preoccupied with thoughts of Ài Jiě, hadn't been intimate with his wife. Today, meeting his lover, he was reluctant to stop. It seemed they were fated to be together, as if it had been written five hundred years ago; Jìng Jì was completely enchanted by her. After a while, they found themselves entwined once more. Eventually, exhausted, they skipped lunch entirely and fell asleep on the bed.
Unfortunately, trouble came. A silk merchant named Mr. He arrived, and Wang Liu'er accompanied him downstairs to drink. Han Daoguo went out to buy groceries, wine, and fruit. The two of them were hanging out downstairs. Just before sunset, a drunken thug named Liu Er from the tavern, disheveled with his shirt unbuttoned, flaunting his muscles, staggered downstairs and shouted, "He Manzi, come out!" The two accountants saw Jing Ji sleeping upstairs and were afraid to wake him, so they quickly went out to stop Liu Er, saying, "Brother Liu Er, Mr. He has not arrived." But Liu Er refused to listen. He burst into Han Daoguo's room, pulled back the curtain, and saw Mr. He and Wang Liu'er drinking side by side. He immediately became furious and yelled, "You filthy dogs! I've been looking for you everywhere, and here you are! You've been eating and staying for free at my inn, owing several months' rent, and still having a mistress here!" Mr. He quickly came out and said, "Brother Er, don't be angry, I'll leave right away." Liu Er cursed, "Get out!" and then punched Mr. He in the face, causing it to swell up instantly. Mr. He didn't pay any mind to it and hurriedly ran away. Liu Er kicked Wang Liu'er's table over, sending everything flying. Wang Liu'er cursed, "You piece of trash! Coming to my room and causing trouble for no reason! You don't want to mess with me!" Liu Er kicked Wang Liu'er over, cursing, "You slut! Who do you think you are? Doing business here without my consent? Get out now! Move slowly, and I'll knock your lights out!" Wang Liu'er said, "You bastard! I've got someone who’s got my back! How dare you bully me?" and burst into tears. Liu Er cursed, "I'll knock your lights out, and you still won't know who I am!" The ruckus drew a crowd. Some recognized Liu Er as the nephew of Zhang Yuhou, the steward of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, known as "Sitting Tiger" Liu Er, a bully who specialized in bullying prostitutes. They warned Wang Liu'er to steer clear of him. Wang Liu'er said, "Is there anyone tougher around? I'm not afraid of him!" It took some serious convincing from Lu Bingyi and Xie Pangzi to get Liu Er to finally back off.
Chen Jingji fell asleep, but suddenly there was a commotion downstairs, so he quickly got up to check. It was almost dark outside, and he asked, "What's going on?" Han Daoguo had disappeared somewhere, and all he saw was Wang Luer running upstairs with disheveled hair and a dirty face, crying and saying, "A real piece of work showed up, nicknamed 'Sitting Tiger' Liu Er, who's been staying at my shop and claims to be Zhang Yuhou's brother-in-law. He's looking for alcohol everywhere, and when he's bored, he kicks and hits me, even scolded me, and smashed all the utensils in the shop!" And then she started crying. Chen Jingji called two managers to ask what was going on. The managers couldn't hide it and had to say, "It's Zhang Yuhou's younger brother-in-law Liu Er, who came here to collect rent from Mr. He. He saw Mr. He drinking inside the house, and without saying a word, he yanked the curtain aside, punched Mr. He, and scared him off. He also quarreled with Han's wife, kicked her, and attracted people on the street to watch the commotion." When Chen Jingji heard this, he recognized it was Liu Er, the Taoist he had beaten before. He wanted to confront him, but he was worried that Liu Er, the thug, was too much of a bully. It was getting late, and he asked, "Where is Liu Er now?" The manager said, "We persuaded him to leave." Chen Jingji comforted Wang Luer, "You and your son can rest easy; I've got this covered. You can continue to stay; my family will handle this matter." The manager cleared the debt and handed them some cash, and Chen Jingji got on a sedan chair with his servants. Just as they entered the city, it was already dark, and he was very angry. When he got home and saw Chunmei, he handed her the interest money, then headed back to his room to get some rest.
No words were exchanged that night. The next day, Chen Jingji kept thinking about telling Chunmei about this matter, but he hesitated. He thought to himself, "Wait, I'll first slowly find Zhang Sheng's handle, then let my sister tell the lord, so he will have no place to be buried. This bastard has deceived me time and again, claiming that my current situation is because I begged him for help, knowing my details, thinking I can't do anything to him." He thought to himself:
Revenge should be served this way; seize the opportunity when it arises. It's often easy to find what you're looking for when you've searched high and low, without putting in much effort.
One day, Chen Jingji went to the River Down Hotel and saw Ai Jie and her son, saying, "I was really shaken up last time." He then asked Manager Lu, "Has Liu Er been here again?" Manager Lu said, "He hasn't been back since that day." He then asked Han Aijie, "Has He Guanren also been here?" Aijie said, "No." After finishing his meal and settling the bill, he went upstairs to Aijie's room. After chatting and catching up for a while, they came out. Chen Jingji called a waiter named Chen San'er and quietly asked about Zhang Sheng and Liu Er's activities in the mansion. Chen San'er, for some reason, revealed that Zhang Sheng had sheltered Xue'e after she left the mansion, letting her work as a prostitute in the tavern. Liu Er, on the other hand, lent money at high interest rates everywhere, using the master's name to carry out his misdeeds. Chen Jingji kept these in mind, gave Aijie some money, settled the bill with the manager, took the interest money, and rode his horse back home.
Let's not talk about these idle matters. The situation has developed to this point, with narrow enemy paths and impending disaster. Unexpectedly, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty in the capital witnessed the Jin army invading the borders, reaching the heartland, and the situation had become critical. The Emperor was thrown into a panic, and after discussing with his ministers, sent envoys to the north to negotiate peace, willing to offer a substantial tribute of gold, silver, treasures, and silk each year. At the same time, he passed the throne to the Crown Prince, changing the era name to Jingkang. The Crown Prince became Emperor Qinzong. Huizong proclaimed himself as the retired Emperor, retreating to the Longde Palace. The court appointed Li Gang as Minister of War, overseeing all military forces; and Zhong Shidao as the Grand General, overseeing both internal and external military affairs.
One day, the Jinan government received an imperial decree, promoting Zhou Shoubei to the position of military governor of Shandong, commanding ten thousand troops to be stationed in Dongchang Prefecture to assist Governor and Censor Zhang Shuye in defending against the Jin forces. Zhou Shoubei received the imperial decree and was determined not to delay. He immediately summoned Zhang Sheng and Li An, two aides, instructing them to escort the two carts filled with luggage and valuables back home first. Having served as an official in Jinan for a year, he had accumulated a considerable amount of gold and silver, all packed in boxes. He entrusted the two to escort them back home: "Be sure to count everything carefully, patrol day and night, and stay vigilant. In a few days, I will gather troops with Governor Zhang and depart from Qinghe County." That same day, the two received their orders, prepared the vehicles, and set off. Their journey was safe and uneventful. Upon arriving home, after they counted everything, everything was in order.
Chen Jingji saw Zhang Sheng driving the cart back home; the military governor of Shandong is about to arrive. He was thinking of telling Chunmei his thoughts and exposing Zhang Sheng after the military governor got back. Unexpectedly, one day, his wife Ge Cuiping went to her mother's house to live, and he was alone resting in the West Study. Chunmei suddenly came in, with the maids in tow, and the two undressed and began to make love in the room. Unexpectedly, Zhang Sheng was patrolling, ringing his bell, and when he walked to the door of the study, he heard sounds of a woman's laughter coming from inside. He stopped ringing the bell and slowly walked to the window to eavesdrop. It turned out that Chunmei was having sex with Chen Jingji. He overheard Chen Jingji telling Chunmei, "That bastard Zhang Sheng is really something, always bullying others, claiming I owe him for helping me get to where I am now, and several times ruining my reputation in public. Yesterday, he saw me opening a hotel by the river and sent his nephew 'Sitting Tiger' Liu Er to smash my shop, chasing away all my customers. He relies on being my brother-in-law's subordinate, lending money at outrageous interest rates, and having an affair with Xue'e on the side and keeping it from my sister. I've put up with it for too long, not daring to tell my sister. When my brother-in-law gets back, if I don't speak up soon, I definitely won't dare to do business by the river again." Chunmei listened and said, "This guy is unbelievable. That Xue'e, I sold her off—how can she still be messing around?" Chen Jingji said, "He not only bullies me but also bullies my sister." Chunmei said, "When his father comes home, he's going to get what's coming to him."
As the saying goes, "walls have ears, and there are people listening outside." Zhang Sheng was listening clearly outside the window. He thought, "If they're plotting against me, I might as well plot against them first!" He put down the bell, ran to the front classroom, grabbed a steel knife designed to break wrists, sharpened it twice, and entered the academy. It was truly fortunate that Chunmei was still alive. At this time, the little maid Lan Hua hurriedly ran to call Chunmei, saying, "Young Master Jin suddenly fainted; please go get Grandma to check on him!" Upon hearing this, Chunmei quickly went to see the child. Just as she entered, Zhang Sheng burst into the study with a knife, not noticing Chunmei but seeing Jing Ji sleeping naked in bed. Upon seeing him, Jing Ji shouted, "Hey, what are you doing here?" Zhang Sheng angrily said, "I'm here to kill you! You really teamed up with that vixen against me? I’ve come to settle the score! You repay kindness with betrayal! As the saying goes, 'a black-headed bug can't be saved; saving it means you'll end up eating human flesh.' Don't run, take my knife!" With that, he stabbed towards Jing Ji. Jing Ji, naked and with nowhere to hide, could only hold onto the blanket. Zhang Sheng stabbed him in the ribs, blood gushing out. Seeing Jing Ji still struggling, he stabbed again in the chest, rendering Jing Ji motionless. Zhang Sheng then decapitated Jing Ji, reciting: "Three inches of breath can be used in countless ways; in a day, everything can change."
Poor Jingji, only twenty-nine, died just like that. Zhang Sheng brandished a knife as he searched for Chunmei in the house. Not finding her, he walked quickly towards the back hall. As he reached the entrance, he saw Li An patrolling with a bell. Li An saw Zhang Sheng charging in, looking menacing with a knife, and asked, "Where are you going?" Zhang Sheng ignored him, walked straight ahead, and was stopped by Li An. Zhang Sheng then stabbed Li An with a knife. Li An sneered and said, "My uncle is the notorious night demon, Li Gui, from Shandong; I don't need to borrow anyone's skills." With that, he kicked the knife out of Zhang Sheng's hand. Zhang Sheng panicked, and the two of them grappled. Li An tripped Zhang Sheng with a kick, tied him up with a belt, and subdued him. In the back hall, Chunmei heard the ruckus and exclaimed, "Zhang Sheng broke in with a knife; I caught him!" Chunmei had just awakened Jin Ge and was frightened by the news. She ran to the study, saw Jingji killed, blood everywhere on the floor, burst into tears, and quickly sent someone to inform Ge Cuiping. Ge Cuiping hurried back home, saw Jingji's body, fainted right there, but thankfully Chunmei revived her. They laid Jingji's body to rest, locked Zhang Sheng up, and awaited Zhou's return to deal with the situation.
A few days later, a military emergency arose, prompting urgent orders for Zhou to mobilize troops. Zhou dispatched the troops, and Zhang, the governor, went to Dongchang Prefecture to wait. Once Zhou returned home, Chunmei recounted the murder of Jingji, Li An presented the murder weapon, knelt down, and reported the incident. Furious, Zhou summoned Zhang Sheng and, without hesitation, ordered him to be executed with a hundred military lashes. Then he sent people to arrest Liu Er. Sun Xue'e, fearing arrest, hung herself in the room. After Liu Er was arrested, he was also beaten to death with a hundred military sticks. This incident stirred up a storm in Qinghe County and Linqing Prefecture.
Having committed countless evils throughout his life, he faced divine retribution today.
A poem stands as testament:
One should never deceive others, for there are divine beings watching over us. If one continues to do evil without consequences, the world will be full of wicked people who harm one another. General Zhou killed Zhang Sheng and Liu Er, eliminating these two menaces. He told Li An to return the Horsehead Inn to its rightful owner and settle the accounts. He asked Chunmei to look after the children at home and to properly mourn for Jingji. He also instructed Li An and Zhou Yi to look after the house while taking Zhou Zhong and Zhou Ren to report to the military camp. In the evening, Chunmei and Sun Erniang hosted a farewell banquet for General Zhou, crying and saying, "Sir, we do not know when you will return; the battlefield is perilous, so please take care!" General Zhou replied, "You stay home and take care of the children; do not worry. Since I receive a salary from the court, I must be loyal to my country and accept whatever fate comes my way, whether I live or die, gain honor or face disgrace."
The next day, the army assembled outside the city, waiting for General Zhou to depart. The journey went without a hitch. Upon reaching Dongchang Prefecture, General Zhou sent someone to report to the city. Governor Zhang and the Prefect personally came out to welcome him. After discussing military matters, they stayed overnight in the prefecture and continued on to the border defense the next day.
As for Han Aijie and her son, upon hearing of Chen Jingji's death at the Xie Family Inn, Aijie cried day and night, refusing to eat or drink, longing to see Jingji's body at the General's residence. Despite the pleas of her parents and others, she was adamant about going. Han Daoguo had no choice but to send a group of elders to find out and learned that Jingji's body had already been buried at Yongfu Temple outside the city. When they returned, Aijie insisted on going to the grave to burn paper offerings. Her parents had no choice but to accompany her. They hired a sedan chair and arrived at Yongfu Temple, asking the elder monk where Jingji was buried. The monk took them to the back of the temple to the new grave. Aijie got off the sedan chair, lit the paper money, and cried, "My dear brother! I had hoped to grow old with you, but who knew you would...," before fainting and hitting her head on the ground, dying instantly. Han Daoguo and Wang Liu'er were shocked and rushed to help her, calling out to her, but she did not respond, leaving them even more distraught.
That day, it was the third day after the burial, Chunmei and Gu Cuiping were in a sedan chair, carrying offerings, to burn paper for the deceased. They saw a young woman in mourning attire, collapsed on the ground. A man and a middle-aged woman helped her up, but she fainted again, shocking everyone. They inquired about her identity. Mr. and Mrs. Han Daoguo stepped forward, bowed, and explained what had happened: "This is my daughter, Han Aijie." When Chunmei heard the name "Aijie," she recalled having seen her at Ximen Qing's house and recognized Wang Luer. Han Daoguo explained in detail how Aijie had left the Cai Mansion in Tokyo: "My daughter had met Mr. Chen before, and she never expected him to die. She just wanted to see him once at the grave, burn some paper money, but she unexpectedly fainted there." After everyone had helped her for some time, Aijie coughed up some phlegm, woke up, and gasped, unable to speak. After a moment of crying, she knelt and bowed four times to Chunmei and Cuiping, saying, "Although we were only husband and wife for a short time, he once made deep vows to me. I truly hoped to spend my life with him, but fate had other plans, leaving me all alone. When he was alive, he gifted me a Wu Ling silk scarf with four lines of poetry inscribed on it. I know you have a sister living with you, and I wish to become a concubine. If you doubt me..." She took out the Wu Ling silk scarf from her sleeve, with the following lines inscribed on it:
The Wu Ling silk scarf weaves patterns, the ink strokes are new. Sent to the affectionate Han Wu Jie, harmonizing like the phoenix for a hundred years.
Ai Jie said, "I also have a small love sachet that I always keep with him. Both sides are embroidered with lotus flowers intertwined, with a word written on each petal: 'Given to my beloved Chen Jun at his feet.' After the memorial service, they let Ai Jie and her son have a meal at the temple. Wang Liu'er saw that it was getting late and urged them to go home, but Ai Jie didn't want to leave. She knelt down and cried to Chun Mei and Cui Ping, "I don't want to go back to my parents' home. I want to observe mourning with my sister. Even if I die tomorrow, I want to be by his side. This is my devotion to him; I will regard myself as his wife." Tears streamed down as she spoke. Cui Ping didn't say anything. Chun Mei said, "Sister, you are still young, in the prime of your youth; being a widow will waste your good years." Ai Jie said, "Grandmother, what are you saying? For him, even if it means sacrificing everything, I will maintain my honor. I swear not to marry again." She instructed her parents, "Mom and Dad, go back; I will return to the mansion with grandmother and sister." Wang Liu'er cried and said, "I was relying on you to take care of us; we saved you from the tiger's mouth, but today it was all in vain." Ai Jie just said, "I'm not leaving; you can leave me behind. Going back home feels like just waiting for death." Han Daoguo saw his daughter's determination not to leave, wept with Wang Liu'er for a while, then left in tears, returning to Linqing Inn. Han Ai Jie, Chun Mei, and Cui Ping rode back to the mansion in a sedan chair. Wang Liu'er cried all the way, reluctant to part with her daughter, crying again and again. Han Daoguo was afraid of the dark, so he hired two fast horses to rush back. The horse, restless with anxiety, the road is poor, the body is like a floating duckweed. Only the moon on the capital city gate shines, illuminating the sorrow of separation in every direction.
