Hao Qiu Zhuan/en/Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Feigned Earnestness Before the Provincial Inspector: Turning the Tables
Modern English translation by Martin Woesler (2025)
To the tune of "Green Willow Tips":
Thunder rumbles loud, but only hollow-hearted men fear it. Looking up, nothing to be ashamed of; Looking down, nothing to regret — Why sit in alarm, why start in fright?
Those who practice deceit on others Find the thunderbolt strikes their own heads. When that moment comes, They no longer pray for gain — They pray only to be let off.
It was told how Shui Yun, armed with Young Master Guo's mocking ditty about Tie Zhongyu, went straight back to see Miss Bingxin. He said: "I told you there was no need to inquire — it would have been kinder to let the Iron fellow save face. But you insisted I go and inquire, and now the inquiry has turned up something quite disagreeable."
Miss Bingxin said: "What is disagreeable?"
Shui Yun said: "Before I went, the rumor that he was a kidnapper was still in the realm of the vague and uncertain. Now that I have inquired, there is hard evidence — his reputation is in shreds. Never mind his disgrace — our own association with him reflects badly on us too."
Miss Bingxin said: "What hard evidence?"
Shui Yun said: "When I reached the county gates, I saw that some busybody had taken the whole affair of the Iron young gentleman's kidnapping and composed it into a set of verses. They were plastered all over the walls. Fearing you would not believe me, I peeled off a copy to show you." He produced the paper and handed it to Miss Bingxin.
Miss Bingxin took it, opened it, and read. Then she burst out laughing: "Congratulations, uncle! When did you take up your studies? And now you are producing poetry and prose?"
Shui Yun said: "Your uncle may fool other people, but how could I fool you? When have I ever composed poetry?"
Miss Bingxin said: "If my uncle did not compose this, then it must certainly be the great literary work of Young Master Guo."
Shui Yun stamped his foot: "Dear niece, do not slander people! Young Master Guo may call himself a man of talent, but his scholarship is the same as your uncle's — he cannot so much as hold a brush, let alone wield one. How can you blame him?"
Miss Bingxin said: "His brush may not move, but his mouth certainly does."
Shui Yun said: "What grudge does Young Master Guo have against this Tie fellow, that he should go to such trouble to compose satirical verses?"
Miss Bingxin said: "Young Master Guo may have no grudge against the Iron young gentleman and no particular reason to slander him. But he at least knows the Iron young gentleman exists. No one else would even recognize the Iron young gentleman — why would they compose verses to mock him? That makes even less sense. Though I am merely a girl of the inner chambers, such crude doggerel cannot possibly sway me. Tell him not to waste his efforts!"
Shui Yun, seeing that Miss Bingxin had seen through everything, dared not press the matter further. He merely said: "Let us set this aside for now. But there is another matter I must tell you about — you must not take it lightly."
Miss Bingxin said: "What is it?"
Shui Yun said: "It is nothing else but this: Young Master Guo's ardor for you remains undiminished. Recently, since the local prefect and magistrate are too junior to compel the matter, he has let it rest for the time being. But the newly appointed Provincial Inspector is one Feng Ying — the most devoted protégé of old Master Guo. The moment he arrives and takes up his post, Young Master Guo intends to petition him to officiate as matchmaker by force and to marry into our household as a resident son-in-law. Your father is far away on the frontier, with no word of when he might return. I am only a commoner without rank. You are a girl of sixteen or seventeen — how can you stand against such power?"
Miss Bingxin said: "The Provincial Inspector is appointed to tour on behalf of the Son of Heaven, to redress wrongs and administer justice. If instead he obeys his patron's commands and forces marriages by disrupting the moral order, then he is not touring on behalf of Heaven — he is doing evil on behalf of his patron. The three-foot law of the court stands stern and inviolate — who would dare to break it? I beg my uncle to rest easy. I shall absolutely not submit."
Shui Yun laughed: "It is easy to talk bravely before your uncle. But when you are brought before the Inspector and his authority descends upon you, and the instruments of punishment are truly applied — then, I think, you will be afraid."
Miss Bingxin said: "It is true that when punishments are abused, even a gentleman may feel fear. Yet he does not, on that account, cease to be a gentleman. And being a gentleman, he has his great principles of personal conduct and integrity. Never mind the Inspector — even before the Son of Heaven himself, I would not debase myself. Why must my uncle cringe before petty men and play such power games?"
Shui Yun said: "Power and profit — even the greatest heroes and knights of history cannot escape those two words. Why apply them only to petty men? I may be a petty man of power and profit, but I daresay even petty men of that sort gain some advantage."
Miss Bingxin laughed again: "If power and profit yield advantage, then pray tell me, uncle: where is the advantage you have gained?"
Shui Yun said: "Do not laugh at me, niece. I have pursued power and profit for half a lifetime. Though I may not have gained any advantage, at least I have not suffered any loss. But I fear that you, dear niece, by refusing to pursue them, will come to grief. And when that day comes, do not say your uncle did not warn you."
Miss Bingxin said: "The old proverb puts it well: 'One cannot speak of ice to a summer insect; the cicada knows nothing of spring and autumn.' Each person knows their own warmth and cold. Let my uncle look after himself. I know only duty and honor — I know nothing of fortune or misfortune. There is no need for my uncle to worry on my behalf."
Shui Yun, seeing that Miss Bingxin's words were as firm as iron driven through wood, knew there was no persuading her. He said breezily: "I offered my bitter counsel out of good will. Since you will not listen, what should I care?" And he went out.
Privately he thought: "My slandering the Iron young gentleman as a kidnapper — she refused to believe it. My threatening her with the Inspector — she was not afraid. There really is no way to move her. Her brother has been exiled to the frontier with no date of return. Am I to let this girl sit on the family property forever? Once the Inspector arrives, I must provoke Young Master Guo into taking real legal action, dragging her through the courts until she is battered and broken. When my predictions come true, I shall be in a position to act."
He went back to Young Master Guo and reported, embellishing Miss Bingxin's words: "The moment my niece saw the verses, she knew they were composed by the young master, and flatly refused to believe they were genuine. Then I threatened her with the Inspector's matchmaking, and she responded: 'If the Inspector is an upright man, he will not serve as the Guo family's lackey. If he is a man without backbone, then since he is willing to be the young master's matchmaker, the moment he lays eyes on a Vice-Minister's daughter he will fall over himself to ingratiate — how would he dare make trouble? Tell your Master Guo to abandon this foolish hope!' Do you think you can outargue her?"
Young Master Guo, hearing this, was furious: "If that is how she talks, there is nothing more to say for now. When old Feng arrives, I shall file a suit first. Then we shall see whether he supports me — the son of a future Grand Secretary — or her — the daughter of an exiled Vice-Minister!"
Shui Yun said: "If you can let it go, there is no need to endure this humiliation. Let her have the last word in the family quarrel. But if you truly cannot let her go, you must wait for the Inspector and strike hard — seize her and bind her tight. Then, clever as she is, she will have to submit. Arguing back and forth gets you nowhere — she will never come quietly."
Young Master Guo said: "Go home for now, uncle. When the new Inspector arrives, you shall see what I can do."
The two settled their plan and parted.
Sure enough, two months later, the new Provincial Inspector Feng Ying arrived. Young Master Guo went out to the county border to greet him from a great distance. After Feng had taken up his post and conducted the initial ceremonies, Young Master Guo presented generous gifts and invited him to a banquet. Inspector Feng, being obliged to show courtesy to his patron's son, accepted. When they were deep into the drinking, Inspector Feng said: "I have only just arrived and have not yet distributed my stipend, yet here I am enjoying your generous hospitality. If there is anything I can do for you, I shall certainly oblige."
Young Master Guo said: "Your Excellency's authority is as awesome as frost, as terrible as thunder — the entire province stands in awe. How would I dare trouble you with private affairs? There is only one matter that touches me personally, and I beg your guidance."
Inspector Feng asked: "What matter is this?"
Young Master Guo said: "My father has been wholly devoted to the service of the state and has had no time for domestic affairs. As a result, I have yet to find a bride."
Inspector Feng was startled: "Do you mean to say you have not even been betrothed?"
Young Master Guo said: "The betrothal was made. But now the other party is reneging."
Inspector Feng laughed: "This is even more extraordinary! Given your father's eminence and your own youth and talent, who would not wish to be allied with your family? Who is the bride, that she dares to renege?"
Young Master Guo said: "The daughter of Vice-Minister Shui of the Board of War."
Inspector Feng said: "That would be Shui Juyi. He has been banished to the frontier — who is left at home to make such decisions?"
Young Master Guo said: "Her mother is dead. There is no one else — the young lady makes her own decisions."
Inspector Feng said: "How can a girl renege? Perhaps the original betrothal was made without her knowledge."
Young Master Guo said: "Even if the original betrothal was made without her knowledge, I subsequently sent a matchmaker in person, went through all six rites, and sent the betrothal gifts to her house — and she accepted them all. How could she not have known? Yet when the time came for the wedding, she put up every obstacle and reneged on every count."
Inspector Feng said: "In that case, why did you not ask the prefectural and county authorities to intervene?"
Young Master Guo said: "I did ask them. But she looks down on them and refused to comply."
Inspector Feng said: "Since that is how it stands, I shall issue an official notice and approve the marriage. But I am concerned that the matchmaking may not have been properly conducted, or that the betrothal gifts may not have been clearly received, or that the agreement was spoken but never confirmed — and that she was pressed too suddenly. That would be awkward."
Young Master Guo said: "The matchmaker was Magistrate Bao himself. The betrothal gifts were also delivered by Magistrate Bao. When the gifts arrived at her house, it was her own uncle Shui Yun who received them on her father's behalf — everyone knows it. How would I dare deceive Your Excellency?"
Inspector Feng said: "If the county magistrate served as matchmaker and the betrothal rites were properly conducted, then there is nothing more to discuss. Tomorrow I shall issue an order approving the marriage."
Young Master Guo said: "I fear that when the sedan chair comes, she will refuse to get in and make further trouble. I beg instead that the order approve me marrying into her household as a resident son-in-law — then she will have no room to refuse."
Inspector Feng nodded his agreement. They drank a few more cups in high spirits and then parted.
A day or two later, Inspector Feng issued an official order to the Licheng County magistrate. It read:
Order of the Provincial Inspector: Marriage is the foundation of human relations and public morals, and must not be delayed. It has been reported that Young Master Guo, son of the Grand Secretary, and Miss Shui, daughter of Vice-Minister Shui, have long been betrothed, with the county magistrate serving as matchmaker and the full rites duly performed. The betrothal having been concluded, the marriage should proceed forthwith. As Minister Shui is absent on duty, it is fitting that the groom marry into the bride's household. The magistrate is hereby ordered to notify both families and set an auspicious date for the prompt completion of the nuptials, lest the season for marriage pass and the harmonious customs be impaired. The marriage must be completed within one month. Any delay will be punished.
Magistrate Bao received the order and read it carefully. He recognized it as Young Master Guo's doing, trading on the Inspector's connection to his father. He wanted to submit a report setting the record straight, but feared Young Master Guo's anger. Yet if he did not report the truth, the Inspector might act on partial information and do harm to Miss Shui, and then blame the magistrate for not speaking up sooner. He had no choice but to submit a confidential memorandum:
This county served as matchmaker and conducted the betrothal, which is true. However, these were all actions arranged by Young Master Guo and the young lady's uncle Shui Yun; Miss Shui herself appears never to have consented, and so the matter has remained unresolved. Having received Your Excellency's order, this county will carry it out. However, I fear that Miss Shui, being of firm character and sharp wit, and being the daughter of a high official, may prove arrogant and disrespectful to the county's overtures, thereby compromising Your Excellency's dignity. I submit this report for your consideration and instruction.
Inspector Feng read this and was furious: "Am I not a Provincial Inspector? Is my authority so feeble that it cannot be enforced upon one girl?" He issued a second order:
Second Order of the Provincial Inspector: If Miss Shui never consented, then for whom did the magistrate serve as matchmaker and conduct the betrothal? This is self-contradictory. Carry out the order immediately! Miss Shui is the daughter of a convicted official — how dare she be arrogant? If she proves insolent, she shall be arrested and brought to this office for judgment and sentencing. Do not delay!
Magistrate Bao received this second order. Seeing the severity of the language, he set aside all considerations of right and wrong and prepared his retinue. He first visited Young Master Guo to convey the Inspector's instructions — Young Master Guo agreed eagerly and needed no urging. Then the magistrate proceeded to the Shui household. He alighted from his sedan at the gate, walked straight into the great hall, and sent a servant inside with a message: "Magistrate Bao of Licheng County, on official commission from Provincial Inspector Feng, requests an audience with the young lady."
The servant went in and reported. Miss Bingxin, knowing at once that the matter she had foreseen was now unfolding, came to the back of the hall with two maids, stood behind the hanging curtain, and had the servant announce: "The young lady is now behind the curtain, ready to receive instructions. May I ask what matter Inspector Feng has to convey? Please, Your Honor, speak."
Magistrate Bao addressed the curtain: "It is none other than the matter of Young Master Guo's suit for the young lady's hand. He has long entrusted me to serve as matchmaker and deliver the betrothal gifts, but since the young lady has refused, the matter has been set aside. Now the newly arrived Inspector Feng — who is a protégé of Grand Secretary Guo — has been petitioned by Young Master Guo to officiate, and, not being fully apprised of the details, has issued an order to this county directing both families to set an auspicious date and complete the marriage promptly, in the interest of public morals. The deadline is one month. I have already conveyed this to Young Master Guo, who is overjoyed. I now come to convey it to the young lady. I respectfully ask the young lady to comply with the Inspector's command and make preparations without delay."
Miss Bingxin answered from behind the curtain: "A wedding is a joyful ceremony — how dare I obstinately refuse? But without my father's consent, I cannot act on my own authority. I humbly hope that Your Honor, in your parental kindness, will submit a request on my behalf."
Magistrate Bao said: "When I first received the order, I already submitted a memorandum on the young lady's behalf. But unexpectedly the Inspector issued a second order, rebuking even me in the sharpest terms. I dare not disobey, and so I have come to inform the young lady. Whether you comply or resist, you must consider carefully. I shall not force you."
Miss Bingxin said: "What severe language does the Inspector's order contain? May I be permitted to see it?"
Magistrate Bao had the clerks produce both orders and pass them inside through the servants. Miss Bingxin read them carefully and then said: "This humble woman has steadfastly refused the Guo match — not because she is being selective, but only because her father is far away. Were she to act on her own, when her father returns he would reproach her for acting without authority, and she would have no answer. Now that the Inspector has issued these two stern orders, threatening punishment — even a violent man would not dare resist, let alone a frail woman. I shall therefore comply — my submission is no private act. But I fear that once the marriage is concluded and these orders are returned, or the Inspector's term expires and he departs — on what evidence shall I then rely? Would it not appear, after all, that I acted on my own? I humbly beg Your Honor to request the Inspector's permission for me to retain these two orders as proof, so that it may be clear that today's submission was forced upon me — that it was public duty, not private choice."
Magistrate Bao said: "The young lady's foresight is admirable. Allow me to submit another memorandum and seek the Inspector's ruling. I shall leave both orders with the young lady for now."
He rose and returned to his office. Privately he thought: "I had been planning all along to bring about the match with the Iron young gentleman as an act of righteousness. And all her previous refusals of Young Master Guo — so adamant, so unyielding — how is it that today, simply because she wants to keep the official orders, she agrees so easily? Most puzzling! In the end, it must be that the Inspector's authority is simply too great to resist."
He drafted a memorandum and sent it up to the Inspector.
Inspector Feng read it and laughed: "The other day Magistrate Bao said this girl was fierce. But one look at my orders and she loses all her fierceness!" He wrote his reply:
According to the report, Miss Shui states that she has not received her father's consent and cannot act independently, and requests to retain the orders as proof of her circumstances. Her filial sense of duty is commendable. However, the auspicious season must not be missed — let the marriage proceed at once, in accordance with proper custom. Permission is granted to retain the two previous orders as evidence.
Magistrate Bao, seeing the Inspector's approval, went again to inform Miss Shui. As he was leaving, he repeated his admonition: "Now that the Inspector has given his approval, this is no longer Young Master Guo's affair — it is the Inspector's affair. There can be no wavering or change of mind. The young lady must make preparations with all haste. When Young Master Guo has selected the auspicious date, I shall come again to inform you."
Miss Bingxin said: "The matter is in the Inspector's hands — how would I dare change my mind? But I suspect it may be the Inspector who changes his."
Magistrate Bao said: "The Inspector and the Grand Secretary are master and disciple. He will support Young Master Guo to the utmost — how could he change his mind?"
Miss Bingxin said: "That remains to be seen. But since the Inspector will not change his mind, even if I wished to, I could not."
Magistrate Bao, having made everything clear, took his leave and went to inform Young Master Guo, telling him to choose an auspicious date for the wedding. Young Master Guo was beside himself with joy and threw himself into preparations. As the verse says:
Do not mistake a peach in bloom for a fair mate; Remember: harmony must sound before the ospreys sing. Among the many birds along the river's edge, None but the mandarin ducks lie side by side.
Now some days after Inspector Feng had settled the marriage matter, congratulating himself on the use of his authority to do a favor for Young Master Guo — and while he was holding open court to receive complaints — a crowd of one or two hundred people suddenly surged in, each holding a written petition, and prostrated themselves in the courtyard. Inspector Feng ordered the petitions collected and the crowd dismissed to await the posting of responses.
The crowd dispersed in a rush — all except one young woman, who remained kneeling and would not leave. When the attendants shouted at her to go, she rose to her feet, walked forward several steps, then prostrated herself again, crying out: "This criminal woman has committed a crime against her superiors. She does not dare flee from death. She begs to end her life here and now, to uphold the law of the land and vindicate the dignity of this court."
From her sleeve she drew a gleaming dagger and gripped it, preparing to drive it into her own body. Inspector Feng, looking down from his seat, saw this and was startled. He quickly ordered her restrained and asked: "Whose daughter are you? What wrong have you suffered? Speak calmly, and I shall set things right. There is no need for desperate measures."
The young woman spoke: "This criminal woman is the daughter of the former Vice-Minister of War, now a banished convict — Shui Juyi. Her name is Shui Bingxin, and she is seventeen years of age. Her mother died young, and her father has been exiled to a distant garrison. She is a lonely young woman, living quietly in her chambers — at a time when she should be enduring hardship and preserving her purity, not contemplating marriage. Yet the villain Guo Qizu has schemed by every means: first employing brute force that nearly overwhelmed a defenseless girl; now trading upon the bond of master and pupil to unleash his wolfish appetite, seeking to defile a spotless jade. Though my father is in disgrace, he was once a senior minister, and though I am insignificant, I am still a daughter of the inner chambers. With propriety at stake and the moral order in the balance, how could I submit to a forced marriage, lacking both a father's command and a matchmaker's words, merely out of fear of a tyrant's power, and thereby lose my virtue and destroy my honor?
"In former times, the violence I faced was merely that of common ruffians — by cunning and courage I could still preserve myself. But now the authority of the imperial court and the power of a Provincial Inspector are openly wielded against me — orders demanding, warrants compelling, propriety and the moral order cast aside like worn-out caps. The force arrayed against me is so overwhelming that a girl of the inner chambers is beside herself with terror. If I try to hold to virtue and preserve my chastity, I face destruction of my person and my family. Yet a woman's death is a small matter; the disgrace of her person is the great crime. In desperation, on such and such a date, I wrote out my grief in blood, and I have dispatched a household servant to the capital to strike the Drum of Grievances and submit a memorial to the throne.
"But I am a sheltered girl, unfamiliar with the rules of decorum. In the heat of my anguish, my language may have overstepped propriety. I know my crime is beyond pardon. Therefore I prostrate myself before this court, ready to die."
She raised the dagger again as if to strike.
Inspector Feng, at first merely discomfited by her account of Young Master Guo's villainy, paid little heed. But when he heard the words "dispatched a servant to the capital to strike the Drum of Grievances and submit a memorial," his alarm was genuine. And when he saw her raise the dagger again, he hastily ordered a page to run down and snatch it from her hand. Then he said: "There are many circumstances here of which I was unaware. Let me ask you: the other day, when Magistrate Bao reported that he served as matchmaker and conducted the betrothal, how can you now claim there was no matchmaker's word?"
Miss Bingxin said: "Magistrate Bao's matchmaking and betrothal were done on behalf of my uncle Shui Yun's daughter, who was subsequently married to Young Master Guo as his principal wife and has been living with him for some time. Is there any precedent for one matchmaker and one betrothal to produce two brides?"
Inspector Feng said: "So he has already married one girl? In that case, you should have submitted a petition explaining the situation. Why did you go so far as to submit a memorial to the throne?"
Miss Bingxin said: "If a petition from this criminal woman could set matters straight, then Your Excellency's official orders should not have been issued so hastily, based solely on Young Master Guo's word. If I did not submit a memorial, how could my grievance ever see the light?"
Inspector Feng said: "Matters of marriage and property are the business of the local magistrate — how dare you importune the court? Perhaps your memorial contains fabrications. When it comes back, the guilt must fall on someone."
Miss Bingxin said: "How would I dare fabricate? I have a copy here — Your Excellency may examine it." She drew the document from her robe and presented it.
Inspector Feng opened it and read:
Memorial of Shui Bingxin, daughter of the former Vice-Minister of War, now banished convict Shui Juyi, respectfully submitted: Concerning a Provincial Inspector who fawns upon his patron and abuses his power, wielding tiger-warrants and wolf-officers to compel a minister's daughter into an illegitimate match, gravely injuring public morals —
Your humble subject's father served the state with diligence and was banished to the frontier. His daughter, young and alone, has not yet been betrothed and keeps her chastity at home — a circumstance of the utmost vulnerability. Yet no sooner had this Inspector Feng Ying entered the province than, before attending to a single item of public business, he issued tiger-warrants compelling your subject to submit to an illegitimate match without a matchmaker's word, seeking to fawn upon his patron and repay a private debt of gratitude.
Your subject is frail and defenseless. Her only recourse is to cut her throat before this court to preserve her honor. But fearing that her grievance may go unheard and that the vapor of her resentment may rise to become a portent harmful to the sagely order, she has dispatched her household servant Shui Yong to brave ten thousand deaths, strike the Drum of Grievances, and lay this matter before the throne. She humbly prays that the imperial compassion may take pity on the wretched suffering of one cruelly persecuted unto death; and that the Inspector be admonished — if he possesses even a shred of public conscience — so that, though your subject die, others in her situation may yet steal a few more breaths of life. In submitting this memorial, your subject is overwhelmed with anguish and indignation.
Inspector Feng had barely read the opening phrase — "fawns upon his patron and abuses his power" — when a cold sweat broke out all over his body. As he read on, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. When he finished, he was seized with fury. He wanted to lash out — but Miss Shui stood before him gripping a blade, her voice fierce and resolute. If she killed herself, the situation would be even more impossible to resolve. After long deliberation, he had no choice but to swallow his rage and speak to her in conciliatory tones:
"I am newly arrived and did not understand the full circumstances. I was deceived by Young Master Guo. Please return home, young lady, and rest easy. I shall immediately issue a proclamation prohibiting any forced marriages. But the memorial you sent — please tell me the servant's name and description, so that I may send someone to overtake him. It would be best if this matter were not publicized."
Miss Bingxin said: "Since Your Excellency is magnanimous, this criminal woman dares not ask for more. But I dispatched my servant three days ago — he has been traveling for three days already."
Inspector Feng said: "Three days is not a problem." He immediately dispatched an able officer, obtained from Miss Shui the servant's name and description, issued an urgent travel warrant, and sent the man racing after him day and night.
Miss Bingxin then bowed in thanks and withdrew, slipping quietly into a small sedan chair and going home. Not only Young Master Guo and Shui Yun, but even Magistrate Bao knew nothing of what had happened.
Young Master Guo, still in high spirits, had selected an auspicious date and sent Shui Yun to convey the news. Shui Yun crossed over and said: "Congratulations, dear niece! Young Master Guo has chosen the date for the wedding."
Miss Bingxin gave a slight smile: "Does my uncle know whether this 'auspicious date' falls in this life or the next?"
Shui Yun said: "Dear niece, you may jest before your uncle — that is nothing. But the Provincial Inspector tours on behalf of Heaven, wielding power over life and death. I am afraid he is not to be jested with."
Miss Bingxin said: "Uncle is like a father to me — how would I dare jest? But the Inspector of today is not the Inspector of yesterday. One may jest with him quite safely."
Shui Yun said: "If it is safe to jest with him, then the other day, when his two stern orders arrived, you should have jested then. Why did you accept them?"
Miss Bingxin said: "Who says accepting the orders was not itself the jest?"
As they were speaking, a servant came in to announce: "An officer from the Inspector has arrived with a proclamation. He wishes to see the young lady."
Miss Bingxin feigned surprise: "What proclamation could this be?"
Shui Yun said: "It is probably nothing but a notice urging you to marry quickly. Let me go out and look first. If it is nothing important, you need not come out."
Miss Bingxin said: "Very well."
Shui Yun went out, greeted the officer, and asked: "What business does Inspector Feng have that brings you here? Is it to hasten the wedding?"
The officer said: "It is not about hastening a wedding. His Excellency sends word that, having only just arrived and having many matters to attend to, he has not yet been able to look into things thoroughly. He has just learned that Minister Shui is away on duty and that Miss Shui, a young woman alone, has never been betrothed and is keeping her chastity at home — a situation of particular vulnerability. He therefore sends this proclamation for the protection of the household, prohibiting any person from attempting a forced marriage."
The officer had an attendant hand the proclamation to Shui Yun. Shui Yun took it, and his heart gave a great lurch. He thought: "What in the world is going on?" Though his mind was racing, he could say nothing. He asked the officer to sit down, took the proclamation inside, and asked Miss Bingxin to read it aloud. She opened it and read:
Proclamation of the Provincial Inspector: It has come to this office's attention that the former Vice-Minister of War, Shui, served the state with diligence and has been banished to the frontier. His young daughter, as yet unbetrothed, preserves her chastity alone at home — a circumstance of extreme vulnerability. The prefectural and county authorities are hereby commanded to provide regular assistance and protection. Should any violent person attempt interference in contravention of propriety, the local authorities and household members are to report immediately to this office, and the offender will be arrested and severely punished without mercy.
Miss Bingxin finished reading and smiled: "This sort of ghost-frightening trifle — what use is it! But since he has sent it, it counts as a gesture of goodwill, and it would be rude to refuse." She took out a generous tip for the officer and a smaller one for his attendant, gave them to Shui Yun, and told him to go out and send them on their way.
Shui Yun, having heard the proclamation read aloud, stood stupefied, unable to utter a word. He took the tips, went out, and saw the officer off. He came back in and said: "Dear niece, you have proven right after all. This Inspector is indeed quite different from before. A few days ago he sent those fierce orders demanding an immediate wedding — and now, out of nowhere, he issues a proclamation forbidding forced marriages! I cannot make sense of it."
Miss Bingxin said: "What is so hard to understand? When he first arrived, he assumed I was weak and easily bullied, so he used his authority to force the marriage and ingratiate himself with Young Master Guo. Now he has learned something of my capabilities and fears I may ruin his career — so he has turned around and is ingratiating himself with me."
Shui Yun said: "Your father is not at home. What power do you have to ruin him? Why would he be afraid of you?"
Miss Bingxin smiled: "My uncle need not ask just now. In a day or two, all will become clear."
Shui Yun, bursting with suspicion, went out and secretly informed Young Master Guo of the Inspector's proclamation. Young Master Guo refused to believe it: "Impossible!"
Shui Yun said: "I am not deceiving you. Go at once and find out what is happening."
Young Master Guo, realizing Shui Yun was speaking the truth, grew anxious and hurried in his sedan chair to the Inspector's office. On previous visits, no matter how busy the Inspector was, he had always been received. This time, though the Inspector was at leisure in his private chambers, word came back: "Not available."
Young Master Guo had no recourse. The next day he tried again, and again, for three or four days running — each time turned away. He grew frantic: "How can old Feng change his tune like this! If he treats me so shabbily, I shall write to my father — and then let us see how long he keeps his Inspectorship!"
But this outburst was to lead to something more. What happened next will be told in the following chapter.