Antong took the letter and bid farewell to Judge Huang before heading to Shandong. He learned that Censor Zeng Xiaoxu lived in Dongchang Prefecture, the son of the Imperial Censor Zeng Bu, a newly appointed Jinshi scholar and a highly principled official. Antong thought to himself: If I directly deliver the letter to the door, the gatekeeper will surely turn me away. It would be better to wait for the notices to be posted, then kneel at the door and deliver the petition and letter together. My father, upon seeing it, will surely find a way. So, he wrote the petition, tucked it away, and waited a long time at the gate of the Court of Judicial Review.
He heard the sound of the cloud board being tapped inside, the door opened, and Censor Zeng was sitting in the hall. First, the notices were posted, with the first one warning the royal family and nobility, the second one warning officials of all levels, and only the third one being about the complaints of the common people. Antong followed the notice board into the courtyard, and only after all matters were settled did he walk to the center of the hall and kneel down. The bailiffs on either side asked him what he wanted, and Antong raised the letter up high to hand it over. Upon hearing this, Censor Zeng called out, "Bring it here!" The bailiffs hurriedly came forward to take the letter and set it on the desk. Censor Zeng opened it and read: (Original text: A letter from Huang Duansu, a student in the capital next year)
To Mr. Dazhu Shi Shaoting, esteemed elder brother of Mr. Zeng: Having strayed from proper etiquette, a year has passed in a flash. True friends are hard to come by, and good times are fleeting. My thoughts of you are ever-present, constantly by my side. Last autumn, I unexpectedly received a letter from Yao Zhang; as I recited it, I felt transported to Chang'an, as if we were face to face. Not long after, my elder brother traveled south to visit relatives, and upon hearing of his virtuous conduct, I was overjoyed. Congratulations, congratulations. My elder brother's loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and resilience define him, always present in the temple and vivid in scholarly debates. Now, during this inspection tour, it's the perfect opportunity to root out corruption and restore discipline. I hold deep affection for you that I cannot forget. I believe that my elder brother, who has always had the potential for greatness, will have the chance to showcase his talents and uphold the law, to prevent corrupt officials from twisting justice and dishonest individuals from exploiting it. How can there be officials like Miao Qing in Dongping, who undermine the law, or victims like Miao Tianxiu, who suffer great injustice? It is shocking to encounter such corruption in an age of wise governance. When my elder brother travels through this region, it is the perfect time to resolve grievances and restore justice. Accompanied by An Tong, carrying the documents, I hope you will investigate and not disregard this matter. (Written the day after the middle of the second month)
After Magistrate Zeng read the letter, he inquired, "Is there a petition?" The attendants quickly turned to An Tong, asking, "Does the master want to know if you have a petition?" An Tong took out the petition from his bosom and handed it over. Once Magistrate Zeng had read it, he wrote a note with his brush: "Requesting the officials of Dongping to investigate, verify the identity of the deceased, and provide a detailed report." He instructed An Tong to wait at Dongping. An Tong quickly expressed his gratitude and left through the side door.
Magistrate Zeng put the note and petition into an envelope, sealed it with his stamp, and sent it to Dongping. When Prefect Hu Shiwen of Dongping saw the instructions from his superior, he was so startled that he quickly dispatched Di Sibin, the county magistrate of Yanggu, to investigate—Di Sibin was from Wuyang, Henan, known for his honesty but also for his careless handling of cases, earning him the nickname "Di Hun."
While passing by the west riverbank of Qinghe County, Magistrate Di suddenly saw a whirlwind in front of his horse, swirling around and following him. Di found it strange, pulled up his horse, and instructed his subordinates to follow the whirlwind to see what was going on. The subordinates followed the whirlwind until it stopped near the mouth of the new river and returned to report to Di. Di then gathered the local residents and used shovels to dig into the riverbank, uncovering a corpse with a clear knife wound on its neck. After examining the body, the coroner asked where it had come from, and the subordinates replied that Ci Hui Temple was not far from there.
The magistrate went to question the monks at the temple. The monks all said, "Last October, when we released water lanterns, we saw a corpse drifting down from upstream into the harbor. The elder, showing compassion, collected and buried it, but we do not know how it died." The magistrate said, "It is clear that you conspired to commit murder, burying the body here, certainly for the sake of profit and to harm life; that's why you're not being truthful!" Without hesitation, he first gave the elder a severe beating, and the other monks were also punished and thrown into prison. He then reported the situation to Inspector Zeng, preparing for further investigation. The monks cried out in injustice.
Inspector Zeng found it strange: "If the monks committed murder, they should have thrown the body into the river; how could it be buried on the bank? Moreover, they said there were many people, which raises doubts." He ordered the monks to be detained. About two months later, a boy named An came to file a complaint. Inspector Zeng sent someone to escort An to identify the body. Upon seeing the corpse, An cried out in grief, saying, "This is my master, who was murdered by a thief; the knife wound is still fresh." After confirming the identity, he reported back to Inspector Zeng, who then released the monks.
At the same time, Inspector Zeng re-investigated the case files and questioned Chen San and Weng Ba again, both of whom admitted that Miao Qing was the mastermind. Inspector Zeng was furious and sent a team to urgently apprehend Miao Qing in Yangzhou. He also submitted a report to impeach two officials from the Procuratorate for bribery and corruption.
(Credit to the original text: Corrupt officials undermine the country's justice system, and Zeng Gong judges and clears the grievances. Even though the orders are strict, the outcomes are often not genuine. On the other hand, since Wang Liuer received one hundred taels of silver and four sets of clothes from Miao Qing, she and Han Daoguo have been busy buying new clothes and jewelry all day, and also spent sixteen taels of silver to buy a maid, Chunxiang, to serve them. One day, Ximen Qing came to Han Daoguo's house, and Wang Liuer received him. After drinking tea, Ximen Qing went to wash his hands in the back and saw the neighboring veranda, asking, "Whose is this?" Wang Liuer said, "It's the veranda of the Le San family next door." Ximen Qing asked Wang Liuer to tell Le San that if he didn't remove the veranda that blocked his feng shui, he would report it to the authorities. Wang Liuer told Han Daoguo, "It wouldn't be right to bring this up with the neighbors." Han Daoguo said, "Let's keep it from Dad. We can buy some wood to build a pavilion for drying soy sauce on top and use the space underneath for a horse shed or even a toilet." Wang Liuer said, "Pah! You fool! It's better to buy bricks and tiles to build two houses than to build a pavilion." Han Daoguo said, "It's better to build a small bungalow than two houses." In the end, they spent thirty taels of silver to construct two bungalows. Ximen Qing sent Dai'an with plenty of wine, meat, and snacks to treat the workers, and everyone on the street knew about it. Xia Tiqing took several hundred taels of silver, sent his eighteen-year-old son Xia Cheng'en to study martial arts, and became a student. Every day, he practiced martial arts and horseback riding with his classmates and friends, living the good life. Ximen Qing invited Liu, Xue, Zhou, Jing, Zhang, and a group of officials from the guard to congratulate Xia Cheng'en with gifts, but we won’t go into the specifics of the gift-giving.)
Ximen Qing's family tomb has a new house that has been built on the family tomb. Since his son became a thousand-household, he hasn't paid respects to his ancestors yet. He invited a fortune teller, Mr. Xu, to take a look, repaired the tomb gate, constructed a beautiful path, planted peach and willow trees in front of the tomb, planted pine and cypress trees around it, and even created a decorative mound. For the Qingming Festival, they need to replace the silk banner, slaughter pigs and sheep, and set up a feast. On the day of the Qingming Festival on the sixth day of the third month, he sent out invitations in advance, invited a whole crowd of people, prepared everything including food, wine, rice, and dishes, and also invited a band, acrobats, and opera troupes. The clowns include Li Ming, Wu Hui, Wang Zhu, and Zheng Feng; the opera singers include Li Guijie, Wu Yiner, Han Jinchuan, and Dong Jiaoer. The invited officials included Zhang Tuanlian, Qiao Dahuzi, Wu Dajiu, Wu Erjiu, Hua Dajiu, Shen Yifu, Ying Baojue, Xie Xida, Fu Huoji, Han Daoguo, Yun Lishou, Ben Dichuan and his son-in-law Chen Jingji, and so on, probably more than twenty people. The ladies invited include Zhang Tuanlian's wife, Zhang Tuanlian's mother-in-law, Qiao Dahuzi's wife, Zhu Taiguan's wife, Shang Juren's wife, Wu Dajinzi, Er Jinzi, Miss Yang, Mrs. Pan, Hua Dajinzi, Wu Dayi, Meng Dayi, Wu Shunshen's wife Zheng Sanjie, Cui Ben's wife Duan Dajie, along with the family's Wu Yueniang, Li Jiaor, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, Sun Xue'e, Ximen's sister, Chunmei, Yingchun, Yuxiao, Lanxiang, as well as the nanny Ruyi carrying the official's son. In total, there were at least twenty or thirty sedan chairs. In the morning, Yueniang said to Ximen Qing, "Why don't you leave the child at home? First, it's only been a few days since the baby was born, and second, Liu Po said that the child's fontanelle hasn't closed properly yet, and he's scared of the long journey. I think it’s best not to take him, let the nanny and Lao Feng stay at home with him, you and his mother can go." Ximen Qing didn't listen and said, "What's wrong with going to the tomb to worship our ancestors and kowtow? Even if the fontanelle hasn't closed properly, we can wrap him in a blanket, keep him steady in the sedan chair, what's there to worry about?" Yueniang said, "Do whatever you want." Early in the morning, everyone was ready, hopped into the sedan chairs, and headed out.
When they arrived at the ancestral tomb five miles away, they could see from afar the green pines and cypresses, the newly built tomb gate, the rock formations on both sides, the stone walls around, the road in the middle, the main hall, the altar, the incense burner, and the candlestick, all made of white jade. A new plaque was hung on the tomb gate, with the words "General Ximen Shi's Ancestral Tomb." The grave site was surrounded by earthen mounds and lush trees. Ximen Qing was dressed in a bright red official robe, offering sacrifices to his ancestors. After the officials paid their respects, the ladies and young women followed suit. Drums and gongs were loud, and the atmosphere was lively. The young master was terrified, quaking in his nurse's arms, too scared to move. Madam exclaimed, "Li Dajie, quickly take the child to the back, look how scared he is! I told you not to bring him, but you insisted, now look at how frightened he is!" Li Ping'er hurried down, had Dai'an stop the drumming, covered the child's ears, and took him to the back.
After the sacrifices were made, Mr. Xu read the ritual text and burned paper money. Ximen Qing invited the officials to take their seats in the main hall, while Madam invited the ladies and young women to the back pavilion, entering through the garden, with pine trees and bamboo on both sides and flowers and grass all around, creating a picturesque setting. It was as follows:
Peach blossoms, willows green, and warblers weave,
All created by the Eastern Lord's hand.
The opera troupe entertained the ladies and young women in the pavilion, with four clowns singing and dancing for the officials. The four performers took turns raising toasts to the officials. Chunmei, Yuxiao, Lanxiang, and Yingchun poured wine for the ladies and young women, gathered around the table with the eldest sister, eating and enjoying snacks together.
After eating, Pan Jinlian, Yulou, Eldest Sister, Li Guijie, and Wu Yiner went to the garden to swing together on the swings. Behind the pavilion, Ximen Qing built three bright rooms and two dark rooms, furnished with beds, tables, chairs, and dressing tables for the ladies to rest and dress up after visiting the graves. The rooms were clean and tidy, decorated with calligraphy and paintings, and featuring musical instruments and chess sets, making it very beautiful. Nanny Ruyi was holding the little boy as she slept on the golden bed, while Yingchun played with him. Pan Jinlian walked over from the garden, holding a branch of peach blossoms in her hand, and upon seeing Yingchun, she said, "Why weren't you serving upstairs today?" Yingchun replied, "Chunmei, Lanxiang, and Yuxiao are upstairs. My mother asked me to come down to see the baby and brought two plates of snacks for Ruyi." When the nanny saw Jinlian coming, she picked up the little boy. Jinlian teased the child and said, "You little scaredy-cat, you were so frightened by the gongs and drums earlier!" As she said this, she playfully tugged at the child's clothes, took him in her arms, and kissed him a few times. Just then, Chen Jingji lifted the curtain and came in, seeing Jinlian teasing the child, and he also showered the child with kisses. Jinlian said, "Little Taoist, you should also give your brother-in-law a kiss." The little boy looked at them and laughed. Jingji, not caring about anything else, picked up the child and showered him with kisses. Jinlian scolded, "Annoying, who kisses a child like that? You’ve messed up my hair!" Jingji smiled and said, "You're still saying, I almost kissed the wrong person just now." Jinlian was afraid that the nanny would see, so she slapped him with a fan, making Jingji jump up like a startled fish. Jinlian scolded, "Annoying, who's so improper like you!" Jingji said, "No, you should be more gentle, I'm wearing so little, and you hit me!" Jinlian said, "Am I usually polite to you? If you provoke me again, I will hit you!" Seeing them play around, Ruyi quickly scooped up the little boy. Jinlian and Jingji were still playing around, and Jinlian made a circle with the peach blossoms and quietly put it on Jingji's hat. Just then, Meng Yulou, Eldest Sister, and Guijie arrived. Eldest Sister noticed and asked, "What’s happening?" Jingji removed the peach blossoms and stayed silent. The opera troupe performed four acts.
That's it:
The sunlight outside the window flickered by, and the shadows of flowers on the floor shifted between the seats. It was getting dark; Ximen Qing instructed Ben Si to first give each of the bearers a bowl of wine, four baked flatbreads, and a plate of cooked meat. After everything was arranged, they set out with the sedan chair. The official rode behind, while Lai Xing and the cook slowly carried the food box, following at the end. Dai An, Lai An, Hua Tong, Qi Tong, and Yue Niang's sedan chairs moved together, with Qin Tong and four guards following Ximen Qing's horse. The wet nurse Ruyi sat alone in a small sedan chair, tightly holding the child wrapped up securely as they entered the city. Still concerned, Yue Niang sent Hua Tong to follow the wet nurse's sedan chair, fearing that with so many people in the city, something might happen to the child.
Once Yue Niang's sedan chair entered the city, it separated from the Qiao family's sedan chairs. Yue Niang got down first and returned home, while Ximen Qing and Chen Jingji took a long time to arrive home and dismount. Ping An'er came forward to report, "Today, Magistrate Xia personally dismounted and came to the hall, asking where Ximen Qing had gone. Later, he sent someone to ask twice more, but we don’t know why." Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing grew uneasy. He went to the hall and saw the book boy adjusting his clothes beside him. Ximen Qing asked, "What did Magistrate Xia say today?" The book boy replied, "He was vague, only asking where the master had gone, saying, 'I sent someone to invite him; I have important matters to discuss.' I told him, 'Everyone has gone to the graves to burn paper; they will return only at night.' Magistrate Xia said, 'I will come again at noon.' Later, he sent someone to ask twice more, and I said, 'He hasn't returned yet!'" Ximen Qing wondered, "What’s happening?"
Just as he was wondering, Ping'an came to report: "Officer Xia is here!" By this time, it was already dark, and Xia was dressed in plain clothes, wearing a cap, with two attendants in tow. He got off his horse and bowed in the hall, saying, "Is the master here at the manor today?" Ximen Qing said, "I went to the ancestral tomb today to pay my respects. I apologize for my rudeness!" Xia said, "There is something I need to report to the master." Then he said, "Let's talk in the guest room." Ximen Qing asked the boy to open the door and invited Officer Xia inside, then asked all the servants to leave. Xia said, "Today, Lord Li of the county came to me and said... someone recently reported the High Commissioner to the court, and both the master and I are involved. I've had a copy of the complaint prepared for you to take a look." Ximen Qing's expression changed drastically upon hearing this; he quickly grabbed the complaint and read it by the lamp. What did it say?
The inspector of Shandong, Ceng Xiaoxu, submitted a report to report on corrupt and negligent military officials, requesting their dismissal to uphold the law and discipline. I have heard that the emperor's inspections of the four corners of the realm and the observation of customs are part of the imperial duties; suppressing official corruption and promoting law and discipline is the duty of the censors. In ancient times, during the Spring and Autumn period, King Tian Wang conducted inspections, leading to peace among the states and harmony among the people, thus establishing the king's way and demonstrating wise governance. Since last year, I have been tasked with inspecting Shandong and Qilu for almost a year now, visiting various officials and assessing their competence, which has yielded significant results. As my term is about to conclude, I must adhere to the customary process of evaluation and report to His Majesty! In addition to impeaching the officials, I will submit another memorial. I would like to draw attention to Xia Yanling, the head of the Criminal Justice Department in Shandong, who is known for his greedy and corrupt actions, which have long drawn public criticism and tarnished his reputation. In the past, he was responsible for managing the imperial territory, but he engaged in rampant corruption, with subordinate officials revealing their private interests. Now, while overseeing the criminal justice system in Shandong, he remains greedy and suppresses his peers. His son, benefiting from connections, falsely registered for the military examination, undermining the integrity of the scholar-official class. The family of the reputable Xia Shou has solicited bribes, while officials are scorned and governance becomes obscure! In dealings, he is servile; he is referred to as a lackey; when asked about matters, he is indecisive, and subordinates mock him as a puppet. The deputy head of the criminal justice department, Ximen Qing, originally a street thug, rose through connections, falsely claiming military achievements, and knows nothing of governance. He allows his wives and concubines to roam the streets, leading to scandal; he drinks excessively with entertainers in public houses, tarnishing his official conduct. Regarding his relationship with the Han woman, he indulges in debauchery without restraint, and accepting bribes from Miao Qing at night to cover up his misdeeds, the evidence of corruption is clear. These two officials are both greedy and negligent, long disregarded by the public, and must not be allowed to remain in their positions any longer. I humbly hope that Your Majesty will listen and order a thorough investigation by the relevant department. If my words are not mistaken, then Yanling and others should be promptly dismissed, restoring the integrity of governance and allowing the emperor's virtue to shine eternally.
After reading it, Ximen Qing was so scared that his face went pale, and he couldn't say a word. Xia Tixing said, "Chief, what are we going to do?" Ximen Qing replied, "As the saying goes, 'When soldiers come, we block them; when water comes, we cover it with earth.' Now that things have come to this point, we'll have to figure something out ourselves. We need to quickly get some gifts ready and send someone to Tokyo to sort things out." So, Xia Tixing hurriedly took his leave, went home and grabbed two hundred taels of silver and two silver pots. Ximen Qing pulled out a set of gold and jade jewelry and three hundred taels of silver. The Xia family sent Xia Shou, while Ximen Qing sent Lai Bao. They packed up the gifts, and Ximen Qing wrote a letter to Steward Zhai. The two of them hired a fast horse and raced to Tokyo overnight.
After returning from the cemetery, Guanger cried and refused to eat at night and vomited after eating. Li Pinger hurriedly told Yuemeng, who said, "I told you not to take such a young child out of the city." The child cried desperately, saying, "Why did you bring me to the ancestral grave to pay respects today? Don't let me play with my mother!" He cried and shouted as if he had suffered a great injustice, tears streaming from his open eyes. What are we going to do?" Li Pinger was also at a loss. Besides, because Ximen Qing was implicated by the censor, he was discussing going to the capital to deal with the relationship with Xia Tiexing, feeling restless, and the child at home was creating a commotion. Yuemeng asked the servant to invite Liu Pozi to see, and also invited a pediatrician, causing chaos at home. After seeing the child, Liu Pozi said, "The child was a little scared and may have seen something unsettling on the road. It's okay, just burn some joss paper." She also prescribed two pairs of cinnabar pills and gave them with mint soup. The child finally calmed down and fell asleep, no longer crying or vomiting. However, he still had a slight fever. Li Pinger quickly took out a couple of silver coins and asked Liu Pozi to buy paper money. Later, Liu Pozi’s husband and a shaman were invited to burn paper and perform rituals for the child in the tent. Ximen Qing sent Bao and Xia Shou off at five in the morning, and then went to Dongping Prefecture with Xia Tiexing to ask Hu Zhifu about Miao Qing. Wu Yuemeng was very critical of Ruyi after Liu Pozi mentioned that the child had been scared on the road, asking her, "Why didn’t you keep a better eye on the child?" Ruyi said, "I wrapped him tightly in the sedan chair and didn't let him get cold. You even had Huatong follow along, and he was fine the whole way. I even held him as he slept. It was only as we neared the city entrance that I felt him shiver. When we got home, he refused to eat and started crying."
Lai Bao and Xia Shou made their way to Tokyo in just six days. Upon arriving at Tai Shi's residence, they handed over the gifts from both families to Steward Zhai. After reading Ximen Qing's letter, Steward Zhai said, "The impeachment memorial from Former Inspector Zeng hasn't arrived yet. You should stay for two days. The master has just submitted seven matters, and the imperial decree hasn't been issued yet. Once the memorial is approved and Former Inspector Zeng's memorial arrives, I'll inform the master to indicate 'the department is aware' on the memorial. I'll also send someone to the Ministry of War to greet Minister Yu and hold back Former Inspector Zeng's memorial so it doesn't get forwarded up. Rest assured, this matter will be handled without issue." Then, the steward graciously treated them to a meal and invited them to return to the inn to rest while they awaited news.
A few days later, the memorial from Grand Secretary Cai was officially approved. The gatekeeper at the Grand Secretary's mansion secretly copied a copy of the official report and brought it home to show to Ximen Qing. After some time, the house steward Zhai wrote back, giving Liangbao five taels of silver, and instructed Xia Shou to return to Qinghe County in Shandong. When they got home, Ximen Qing was extremely anxious, and Judge Xia came to inquire about the situation every day. Upon hearing that Liangbao and the others had returned, Ximen Qing quickly called them to the backyard to get the details. Liangbao detailed the situation to Ximen Qing: "Steward Zhai read your letter and said, 'This matter isn’t serious, so don’t worry. The term of the Imperial Censor has also ended, and a new Imperial Censor has been appointed. Furthermore, the memorial from the former Imperial Censor has not arrived yet. When his memorial arrives, I’ll speak to the master; no matter how he accuses you in the memorial, I’ll just note that 'the department is aware.' The master will then send someone to the Ministry of War to suppress his memorial, file the case, and not submit it upwards. Even if he is very capable, there is nothing he can do.'" Ximen Qing felt relieved and asked, "Why hasn't his memorial arrived yet?" Liangbao said, "On our way back, we saw many courier horses, carrying yellow packages with pheasant tails and ivory flags inserted, estimated to be memorials sent by the Imperial Censorate just arrived." Ximen Qing said, "If his memorial arrives late, it will be easier for us. I was afraid of going late." Liangbao said, "Father, rest assured, there will be absolutely no problem. Not only did I handle this, but I also learned about two good things, let me report them to you." Ximen Qing asked, "What things?" Liangbao said, "The seven recent memorials submitted by the Grand Secretary have been approved by the imperial edict. Now, the Grand Secretary's in-law, Minister Han of the Ministry of Revenue, has approved a proposal: to open salt fields in Shaanxi and the surrounding border regions, establish public granaries in each prefecture and county, and allow the government to purchase grain. Wealthy families can store grain in the public granaries, exchange for storage certificates, and then use the certificates to obtain salt at the salt fields. Old storage certificates are exchanged at seventy percent, new ones at thirty percent. The storage certificates for the thirty thousand stones of grain we stored with Mr. Qiao at Gaoyang Pass can be exchanged for thirty thousand units of salt, which will be issued directly by the Ministry of Revenue. Now, Cai, who is now the Salt Transport Commissioner in Huainan, will leave for his new position in a few days; this comes with a lot of benefits!" Ximen Qing asked, "Is this really happening?" Liangbao said, "Father, if you don't believe me, I copied a copy of the official report here." He took out the official report from the bookcase and showed it to Ximen Qing. Since it was filled with characters, Ximen Qing asked Chen Jingji to read it to him. Chen Jingji got halfway through but stumbled, not recognizing some characters. So he called the pageboy to read it, and the boy read it fluently, reading the contents of the official report in full.
The report detailed seven matters.
Cai Jing, Duke of Lu, the Censor-in-Chief and Scholar of Chongzheng Hall, presents a document to express his humble opinion, drawing on his wisdom, gathering talents, achieving practical results, ensuring financial resources, benefiting the people, and promoting the governance of the holy:
Firstly, abolish the imperial examination system, and recruit scholars solely based on their school performance.
Secondly, abolish the Financial Profit Discussion Department.
Thirdly, reform the salt and currency laws.
Fourthly, implement the practice of grain-for-money and rice exchanges.
Fifthly, issue a decree for all provinces and counties to exempt farmers from taxes.
The seventh article is about establishing an organization to manage the imperial ships. Your Majesty, since ascending to the throne, you have never engaged in extravagance or self-indulgence. The flowers, plants, and stones you like are easily found in the mountains and wilderness, things that others do not want. However, those officials below always complicate matters in their execution, causing trouble for the common people, which could undermine your wise rule. Your Majesty, if you would adopt a more frugal approach, it would be best to establish an organization to manage the imperial ships. Whatever is needed can be allocated from the treasury, and special officials can be sent to obtain them, thus avoiding further trouble for local authorities. I humbly request your decision, Your Majesty!
The Emperor approved, saying, "You have spoken wisely. I am pleased, which demonstrates your loyalty and ability. Carry out your suggestions accordingly!" The relevant officials were notified.
After reading the letter brought by Manager Zhai, Ximen Qing knew that the gift had been delivered and felt relieved. Hearing that Cai Jing was about to be promoted to the position of Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and would pass by here in a few days, Ximen Qing was absolutely thrilled. He sent Xia Shou home to inform his father, "Quickly go tell your father!" Then he rewarded Lai Bao with five taels of silver, two bottles of wine, and a piece of meat, before returning to his room to rest. For now, that’s all there is to it. It is true: a tall tree catches the wind, and fame can sometimes harm oneself. There is a poem that illustrates this:
Success and failure, honor and disgrace are predestined,
All because of the time and circumstances of planting.
One must fulfill their aspirations with determination,
And do not measure talent by the weight of one’s purse.
