Hao Qiu Zhuan/en1761-en2026/Chapter 13
Chapter 13 — Translation Comparison: 1761 ↔ 2026
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Chapter 13: Hateful Words Refuse the Betrothal: Treachery DeepensFrom: Hau Kiou Choaan, or The Pleasing History. Translated by James Wilkinson, edited by Thomas Percy (London, 1761) Note: This text was digitized via OCR from the original 1761 print. Some scan errors may remain -- compare with the modern translation and Chinese original to verify. [Volume III, Book III, Chapters VI-VII] CHAP. VI.[1] Tieh-chung-u taking his leave of the Grand Visitor, went and told Shuey-yeong who had attended him there, all that had past at the tribunal: and concluded with desiring him to recommend him to his mistress, and to present his thanks for the advice she had given him. "It is not in my power, said he, to send any present as an acknowledgment of her goodness: neither could I presume to do it, a single man as I am, to a young unmarried lady." Then delivering his horse to the old servant, and hiring a mule, he departed for his own city; and Shuey-yeong returned to his mistress. Let us now return to Kwo-khe-tzu and his companions, whom we have seen disappointed in their designs on Tieh-chung-u. When they found he was got clear out of their hands, they were ready to burst with rage and madness. The first that broke silence was Shuey-guwin, who said, "Who would have suspected this young man to have been possessed of so much strength and courage?" "It was owing to neither of these that he escaped, said his son-in-law, but he had got Chang-cong-tzu at such disadvantage, that he could neither help himself, nor we conveniently assist him. But he must not go off so: let us muster up a proper company, and go find him out: let us still treat him as he deserves: and afterwards give in a petition to the Grand Visitor." This proposal was approved by them all: the young Mandarine Chang instantly promised to bring thirty people; each of the others likewise engaged to raise as many. These to the number of a hundred were soon assembled, and with their masters at their head, Shuey-guwin leading the way, drove along the streets like a swarm of bees. But when they came to the inn, where the young stranger had lodged, they were told that he went away almost as soon as he came home. They were quite disconcerted at this information. "However, said Kwo-khe-tzu to the rest, this shall not serve his turn; we will immediately apply to the Grand Visitor of the province, and he shall do us justice." Shuey-guwin told him, that their enemy was of the province of Pe-king, and therefore was not under that Mandarine's jurisdiction. "Well then, said Kwo-khe-tzu and his companions, we will all together draw up a petition, wherein we will accuse him of endeavouring to raise a rebellion[2]; this will authorise the Mandarines of any province to lay hold of him. The Grand Visitor must give an account of this at court; where we will send to our fathers and friends to acquaint them of the affair; thus we shall quickly humble him, notwithstanding all his bravery and valour." They were exceedingly pleased with this proposal, and accordingly got their petition wrote, which Shuey-guwin signed as a witness: they then repaired to the city of Tong-chang; and finding the audience open for receiving petitions, presented themselves before the tribunal. The Grand Visitor received their petition, and ordered them all out of the hall, except Shuey-guwin. "This paper, said he, contains a strange story of a rebellion attempted in this country by Tieh-chung-u: if he was so dangerous a person, how came you to be so desirous of his company, and to invite him so earnestly to drink wine with you? Did he drop any hint of his intention to raise a tumult or rebellion in the city, in the midst of his cups, or afterwards in the quarrel?" Shuey-guwin finding the Grand Visitor so inquisitive, knew not what to answer; and therefore remained silent. "You are a very sorry fellow, said the Mandarine. I am well acquainted with the whole story: nevertheless if you do not relate it exactly from beginning to end, I will bring your fingers to the Niab-tsou or Tormenting-sticks." Shuey-guwin's fear became excessive when he saw the other so angry, and found he should be forced to confess the truth. "Sir, said he, it is true, he was drinking with the others." "Very well, said the Mandarine, if you were drinking all together, I must suppose you all equally guilty: nay it is more likely that you five should form seditious designs upon the city, than he whom you accuse, who perhaps would not join in such an attempt, and so you have agreed to impeach him first." "My Lord, replied he, Kwo-khe-tzu invited this young man to his house out of civility and good-will, and when he was in his cups all the secret came out. Nothing would pacify him; he overset the table and fell to fighting, crying out to the young Mandarines, that if there were a thousand of them, he would not regard them: and that if he should come to be Emperor he would destroy the four houses to which they belong. The young gentlemen deeply concerned at these things, could not refrain from lodging a complaint with your Excellency: which they would not have presumed to do, had it been false." "A likely story, said the Grand Visitor, that one person should beat and abuse four or five of you. No! no! you must not think to impose on me at this rate." "Sir, said Shuey-guwin, the broken pieces of furniture are still to be seen: nothing is more certain." The Mandarine took him up short, "How should a stranger of another city come and raise such a disturbance, unless he had been provoked by some injury or insult? However if it be as you alledge, have you secured or brought him with you?" "No, he replied; he was like a tyger, there was no taking hold of him: he went away without any one's daring to oppose him." The Grand Visitor ordered all he had reported to be taken down in writing by the secretary of the tribunal: then said to him, "Are not you ashamed, an old fellow as you are, to come here with these stories: and to keep company with young rakes, drinking and embroiling yourself in their quarrels? This petition you have brought me is false and scandalous. Go home and tell the four Mandarines sons to be quiet: I know the whole story, better than they imagine. If it were not for the connections of these young men, I would throw you into prison, where you should die with hunger: however I must make you a present of twenty or thirty bastinadoes."[3] At these words Shuey-guwin in great terror, cryed out that he was old, and begged he would pardon and not dishonour him so much. "Honour! said the Grand Visitor, what honour have you?" He said, "I am brother to the second Mandarine of the tribunal of arms." "Are you his brother, said the magistrate? why who keeps his house?" "My brother, he replied, hath no son: but only one daughter, who heretofore hath received great favour from your Excellency." "If it be so, replied the Grand Visitor, for her sake I will pardon you: but then tell me truly, who it is that bears such implacable enmity against this young stranger." "I am not his enemy, answered Shuey-guwin: but it is Kwo-khe-tzu, who being disappointed in his design of marrying my niece, by the other's interposal, hath ever since retained a secret malice and desire of revenge; and it was in order to gratify his revenge, that he now invited him to his house: but for my part I owe him no kind of ill will." The Grand Visitor ordered his secretary to make a memorandum of this; then giving him back the petition, bade him go tell those young men to mind their studies, and let him hear no more of them: "For this once, said he, I pardon them on account of their fathers: who would find a great deal of trouble, should such complaints be brought against them at court." Shuey-guwin having thus obtained leave to retire, was ready to leap out of his skin for joy: but when he was got without the audience where the others were waiting for him, he shrugged up his shoulders, and made signs to them to hold their tongues: at the sight of which, and of the petition which he held in his hand, they were alarmed; and being informed of all that had happened, sent in a Sho-poun[4] or billet of thanks, to the Grand Visitor for his lenity, and afterwards returned home not a little ashamed. However Kwo-khe-tzu could not be prevailed on to lay aside his resentment, or to drop his pursuit. On the contrary, he was the more obstinately resolved to persist in both; and recollecting that Chun-kee had been gone some time, he dispatched a messenger to enquire after him. Now Chun-kee in performance of his promise had made the best of his way to the court: where as soon as he arrived, he delivered to the minister Kwo-jho-fu the letter from his son. As soon as the Mandarine had read the letter, he withdrew with him into his library, and inviting him to sit down, inquired about his son's proposal of marriage with Shuey-ping-sin. "Her father, said he, is now in disgrace: this match cannot be for our credit, as we are advanced to such a degree in the state." "This young lady, replied the other, is endowed with wonderful perfections both of mind and person, and is of unexampled modesty: in short there is not her fellow to be found in the world. Wherefore your son hath sworn either by gentle or violent means to marry her." Kwo-jho-fu laughed and said, "I am afraid my son is very weak and simple. If he had a mind to marry her, he needed not have sent to court, when the Che-foo and Che-hien, the fathers of the country, might easily have compleated the marriage for him. You have had a great deal of trouble in coming so far: and now he would give me still more, in requiring me to send without the wall into Tartary for her father's consent." "He hath not been wanting in application to the Che-foo and Che-hien, replied the other; he hath left no means to prevail with her unattempted; but she hath always by very gentle but artful methods found means to elude his pursuit. Your Lordship must not talk of the Che-foo and Che-hien, since the Grand Visitor of the province, who was your pupil, endeavoured to promote the suit of your son, but she so far baffled him, that he hath been glad to put forth a declaration, forbidding any one to molest her on the subject of marriage. Now if a Mandarine of his rank is afraid to meddle with her, who besides dares approach her gates? Kwo-khe-tzu therefore had no other remedy, but to apply to your Lordship." The Mandarine Kwo-jho-fu was surprized at this account, and said, "Surely this is a young lady of fine understanding, and it is on that account my son so much admires her. But this Shuey-keu-ye, her father, is a very positive man: if he does not heartily approve of any measure, he is not to be moved to engage in it: besides I am not very intimate with him. He is a man of one word: when he held an audience, there was very little application made to him, because he was known to favour no body. He hath only this daughter; and I remember I once applied to him about her, but without success. However, as he is now in trouble, perhaps he will be more inclined to comply: there seems at present a good opportunity to ask his consent." "But in what manner, said Chun-kee, will your Lordship apply to him?" "It must be done, said the other, with all the usual ceremonies. A friend must first be employed to break the matter: afterwards we must send a present. But here lies the difficulty: as he is distant from us no less than two hundred leagues, I cannot ask any Mandarine of great quality to go so far. I believe I must write a letter and beg the favour of you to carry it, together with the present." Chun-kee replied, "Your Lordship may command my best services. Let me also carry letters to such of the great Mandarines there as are able to influence him." "You are right," said the Minister; and accordingly selecting a fortunate day, he wrote the letters and dispatched him with them. CHAP. VII. Now the case of the Mandarine Shuey-keu-ye [was as follows;] upon receiving notice that a war had broke out with the Tartars, and that there was not any valiant man to head the troops; [he had] made inquiry after such a person, and [had] found among the people of his audience[5] a man called Hu-hiau, one of the north-west country, who had offered himself for that service. Of this Shuey-keu-ye informed the Emperor, who consented to employ him, there being none other that cared to go against the enemy. He was accordingly constituted General, with orders to go and visit those parts that were the seat of war, and to act as he should[6] think best for the public service. He executed these orders with such dispatch, that he would not stop to pay the usual visits of ceremony to any of the other Mandarines in command, but went immediately in search of the enemy. This gave so much disgust to those officers that they would not go to his assistance, nor unite their forces with his. Nevertheless he attacked the enemy, and had a sharp engagement for a whole day with equal advantage on both sides. Small as this success was, it was represented still less to the Emperor by the disaffected Mandarines, and both he and Shuey-keu-ye were suspended from their employments: the one being sent to prison, and the other an exile into Tartary. The latter had now remained about a year in banishment: where, although he still retained his dignity of Mandarine, there was taken little notice of him, and he had small hopes of returning home. One morning a servant belonging to his tribunal (for notwithstanding his disgrace he still had an hall of audience assigned him) came to tell him that there was a messenger arrived from Pe-king, with letters from one of the Ministers of state. Shuey-keu-ye, who had looked upon himself as intirely forgotten at court, was surprized at this news. Nevertheless he ordered the messenger to be admitted. Chun-kee was accordingly shewn in, attended by two servants whom he had brought with him. He performed his reverences, and presented a Tieh-tse or billet of compliments. The Mandarine perused it, and finding Chun-kee to be no servant, but a particular acquaintance of the person who sent him, desired him to sit down. "I am so unhappy, said he, as to be out of favour: and it is a long while since I have been taken notice of by any one. How happens it then, that you are come so far to me? Upon what account?" "I should not have taken this liberty, replied the other, had I not been sent by Kwo-jho-fu, whose business abroad I sometimes transact: and it is on his account that I have now taken so long a journey." "When I was at court, said Shuey-keu-ye, I had very little acquaintance with that Mandarine. I suppose therefore my punishment is now going to be increased." Chun-kee replied, "It will not be long before your Lordship will return to Pe-king: I am only come at present in behalf of this nobleman's son, who desires your daughter in marriage: but as she hath not your permission or order, I am sent to intreat you to grant it." Then asking the servants for the letter, he presented it to Shuey-keu-ye: who opening it, and having read it, thought that the whole affair was not rightly conducted, according to the manner among people of quality; nor suitably to the dignity of his rank. At the same time being not unacquainted with the character of Kwo-khe-tzu, and having no great opinion of the Mandarine his father, he resolved not to consent to their request. This resolution he was the rather confirmed in, as he supposed if his daughter had approved of it, they would never have sent so far to him. After some pause, Chun-kee took the liberty to ask him if he had read the letter. He replied, "I have, and thank you for the great trouble you have been at in bringing it: I am obliged to Kwo-jho-fu for the high honour he doth me: and should esteem it great good fortune that he is pleased to desire my daughter for his son: but only that I am now under his Majesty's displeasure, and removed above two hundred leagues from home, from whence I have been absent five years at court, and one in banishment. As I have no son, and only this daughter, who is unto me as a son, and as such hath the whole direction of my house, I shall therefore permit her to govern herself in this affair according to her own inclinations. If Kwo-khe-tzu had so great a desire to marry her, why did not he apply to the Che-foo and Che-hien, who are the public guardians of the people[7], and to my brother Shuey-guwin? What need had he to take so much trouble in sending so far?" "Sir, replied Chun-kee, you speak very well; and Kwo-khe-tzu did last year pursue the method you describe; but after she had many times put him off, she at length confessed, it was because she had not your permission, and therefore he hath got me to come for it." The Mandarine Shuey-keu-ye judged from his discourse, that his daughter was not inclined to marry Kwo-khe-tzu; and therefore he said, "As I am now in disgrace, I look upon it that I have nothing to do with my family, nor can I pretend to dispose of my daughter. I have been here a twelvemonth, and have not so much as sent home one letter: and it is because I am not yet acquitted. Now under these circumstances, should I pretend to give out an order about my daughter, it would aggravate my offence: I dare not therefore offer to do it." Chun-kee said, "Let me have but your word, and it will be sufficient." He was very importunate, insomuch that Shuey-keu-ye grew downright angry, and said, that it was not a thing of a slight or indifferent nature: and custom required that there should be more than two to concert so important an affair as marriage. Without any further satisfaction he dismissed him, but ordered him alodging: from whence Chun-kee often paid him visits, but to no purpose: he therefore sent to all the neighbouring Mandarines, and got them to speak to him on the subject of the marriage. They were accordingly very urgent and pressing, which made Shuey-keu-ye so uneasy, that he sent for Chun-kee and said: "I never did any ill to the Mandarine Kwo-jho-fu: why then doth he give me so much trouble, and is for taking my daughter by force? Go home, and tell him, I will never compel her to act against her inclinations. As for myself, I never expect to carry my bones home again: my life is to me of little value: [but I will not make my daughter miserable.] Nay should the Emperor himself order me to compel her, I would still leave her to her own choice: and should all the Mandarines here my superiors do their utmost to make me suffer, I regard it not. Therefore take your letter and your present back again." Chun-kee finding it would be in vain to persist, packed up his baggage and returned to the court. Where being arrived with no little shame for his ill success, he gave back to Kwo-jho-fu his letter and present. At which the Minister was very much inraged, and resolved to resent it the first opportunity. It was not long before he found one; for there being a demand for more troops to go against the Tartars, on account of the havoc and loss which had been made of those who went before; that Mandarine, when he advised the Emperor of it, did not fail to lay the blame on the former mismanagement of Shuey-keu-ye, and on that of his general Hu-hiau: representing to his Majesty, that if they were taken off by the punishment they deserved, warriors enow would offer themselves, and bring the war to a conclusion: but that this could not be expected till all suspicion was taken away of their ever returning into employment; in the discharge of which they had both rendered themselves extremely odious. The Emperor approved of this remonstrance, and referred it to the consideration of the San-fa-tseh, or tribunal of three[8]: which was commanded to assemble and examine into the conduct of Hu-hiau in order to bring that general to justice.
End of Chapter 13 |
Chapter 13: Hateful Words Refuse the Betrothal: Treachery DeepensModern English translation by Martin Woesler (2025) To the tune of "Butterfly Loves the Flower": In the halls of propriety, brute force avails but little — How much less when seeking a bride: Her willing heart is all that matters. Relentless bullying holds no ground; Those who rely on bluster alone shall be rolled aside. A gentleman must stand upon his principles; A match of a hundred years — Would he not ponder it deeply? If a white jade disc were to suffer men's defilement, Better to shatter at a single touch and be ground to dust.
He came because righteous indignation spurred him a thousand miles; He departs because one heart is bound by deep affection. Speak not of mystical horns that cannot commune — The silent zither finds, unspoken, its true companion. Let us set aside Shui Yong's return to report to Miss Shui, and Tie Zhongyu's own journey back to Daming, and speak of them no more. Instead we turn to Young Master Guo, who had invited three villainous young lords and seven or eight ruffians, fully expecting to give Tie Zhongyu a thorough beating and vent the fury in his breast. To his dismay, Tie Zhongyu had overturned the banquet table and thrashed the lot of them into abject disarray. Worse yet, he had seized Young Master Zhang, carried him out the door as a hostage, and departed in magnificent style, leaving them all so furious they could barely speak. After sputtering for a long while, it was Shui Yun who finally said: "We underestimated the matter, that is all. Anger serves no purpose now. Who could have guessed the little beast had such strength?" Young Master Guo said: "Strong he may be, but it was not that we could not overpower him — only that he held Zhang by the throat, so none dared press forward. Now that Brother Zhang is free, this business cannot be dropped. I shall gather twenty or thirty men and give him a sound thrashing, then file a complaint against him with the Inspector." Young Master Zhang said: "If Brother Guo is summoning men, I shall raise twenty or thirty of my own to help." Young Masters Wang and Li likewise offered to muster reinforcements. In the heat of the moment, they assembled a mob of more than a hundred men. Led by the four young masters and Shui Yun, the whole rabble surged to Tie Zhongyu's lodgings to find him and settle accounts. But upon arrival and inquiry, they discovered that he had already gone. All were filled with chagrin, and they fell to blaming one another. Young Master Guo said: "There is no need for recriminations. Though he may have escaped, I have the means to file a charge and make the Inspector arrest him." Shui Yun said: "He is from Northern Zhili. He is not under Shandong's jurisdiction. Even the Inspector cannot arrest him." Young Master Guo said: "It is not so difficult to have him seized. We four need only file a joint complaint, stating that he boasted no army of a thousand men could defeat him — clear evidence of treasonous intent — and that he repeatedly used force against the four of us, clearly planning to seize provisions and establish a rebel base. This will alarm the Inspector enough to memorialize the throne. Once the memorial is submitted, our four families can each send men to the capital to petition the various ministers and arrange for a secret imperial arrest warrant. Then, even if he has the strength of ten thousand men, it will avail him nothing." All heard this and rejoiced: "An excellent plan!" They had someone draft a complaint naming all four as plaintiffs, with Shui Yun listed as witness, and when all was agreed, they proceeded together to Dongchang Prefecture to await Inspector Feng's next day for receiving petitions, upon which they submitted their complaint. Inspector Feng read it with care, and seeing that it corresponded precisely to the matter Tie Zhongyu had earlier brought to his attention, he considered dismissing it outright by citing Tie Zhongyu's prior complaint. But he feared they would accuse him of listening to only one side. He thought of summoning the four young masters for a face-to-face hearing, but worried about embarrassing their families. Noting that Shui Yun was listed as witness, he issued a single warrant to bring Shui Yun in for examination. Now Shui Yun had dared to serve as witness solely because he relied on the four young masters' influence, imagining there would be no cross-examination worth fearing. When the Inspector's warrant suddenly arrived, summoning him alone, and he without even the protection of an official degree, his soul nearly departed his body and his whole frame shook with terror. The runners identified him, seized him without ceremony, and dragged him off. Shui Yun looked desperately at the four young masters and croaked: "What is to be done? I implore the four of you to come in together! If I go in alone, without anyone of consequence beside me, and say the wrong thing in the heat of the moment, I shall ruin the whole affair!" The four young masters said: "You are right — we should all go in together." They made to follow, but the runners refused: "His Lordship's orders are to bring Shui Yun alone. Who has the audacity to bring all of you?" The four had no choice but to stay. The runners led Shui Yun alone to the foot of the vermilion steps, where he knelt and announced: "In obedience to Your Lordship's summons, Shui Yun has been brought in." Inspector Feng ordered him brought forward, and the runners led him to kneel before the official bench. The Inspector asked: "You are Shui Yun?" Trembling from head to foot, Shui Yun answered: "Your humble servant is indeed Shui Yun." "And you are the one who served as witness?" "That is so, Your Lordship." "Was this testimony given of your own free will, or were you compelled by those four men?" "The four men did not force me, nor did I volunteer of my own accord. It is simply that the treasonous words of Tie Zhongyu were heard with my own ears, and therefore I could not decline." "Then the treason of Tie Zhongyu is proven?" asked the Inspector. "It is indeed true." "Very well. Then tell me precisely what treasonous words Tie Zhongyu spoke." "Tie Zhongyu boasted of his prowess, saying that if he held so much as a foot of iron, not even a thousand soldiers or ten thousand horsemen could defeat him." "And when Tie Zhongyu uttered these treasonous words — was it you alone who heard them, or were there others present?" "If I alone had heard them, it would be my word against his. These words were heard jointly by me and the four plaintiffs. Since they wished to serve as accusers, they asked me to be witness." "If all five of you heard these words together, you must have been in league with him. Where did this occur?" Shui Yun had not prepared for such a question. Unable to produce an answer, his tongue merely clicked and clucked in his mouth. Inspector Feng, seeing this, called briskly for the finger-presses. The bailiffs, fierce as tigers and wolves, bellowed their assent and tossed a pair of short wooden presses on the ground before Shui Yun. At the sight of them, Shui Yun's soul fled his body, and his face turned the color of clay. The Inspector slammed his hand on the bench and said: "Where did you hear these words? Why will you not speak?" Shui Yun, in complete panic and bereft of all composure, blurted out the truth: "The treasonous words of Tie Zhongyu were truly spoken in the house of Guo Qizu." "If Tie Zhongyu is from Daming Prefecture, why was he at Guo Qizu's house?" "Tie Zhongyu learned that Guo Qizu came from a wealthy official family and, with designs of robbery, went to him under the pretense of a social call." "And why were you there?" "Guo Qizu is my son-in-law's family. I often visit, and so I happened to be present." "When you encountered those two, were they drinking? Talking? Fighting?" Shui Yun, confounded by the Inspector's probing, could not find his bearings and kept stalling. The Inspector rebuked him sharply: "This case has been perfectly clear to me for some time. If you do not tell the truth, I shall have you pressed to death, you old scoundrel!" Shui Yun, more frightened than ever, had no choice but to tell the truth: "When I encountered the two of them, they were indeed drinking wine." "Did you drink with them?" "Since I happened upon them, I joined in." "And those three — Wang, Li, and Zhang — how did they come to be there?" "They arrived by chance, one after another." "And did they also drink?" "They did." "If all five of you were drinking together amicably, and he wished to commit treason, surely you five must have conspired together. Why then do you come to accuse him?" "Guo Qizu invited Tie Zhongyu to drink in good faith. But when Tie Zhongyu was deep in his cups, his true nature emerged. He overturned the table, seized people, and struck them in all directions, sending everyone sprawling. In his rage he let slip the treasonous boast that a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horsemen could not defeat him, and even declared he would level all four families' estates to serve as his fortified base. The four men were terrified and came to lay the matter before Your Lordship. Had they been co-conspirators, they would hardly have dared come forward." "In the fight, was there actual physical engagement?" "How could there not be? The smashed dishes and utensils are still there. Your Lordship may send someone to verify." "If there was indeed a fight, he was but one man, come from far away in Daming, while your five households had numerous masters and many servants. Surely it was he who was injured. Why then accuse him of treason?" "Though Tie Zhongyu was but one man, once he began to fight, even several dozen could not overcome him. Because he proved so capable, and because of his boastful words, the four young masters accused him of treason." "Has Tie Zhongyu been captured?" "Tie Zhongyu is ferocious beyond compare. He could not be caught and made his escape." Inspector Feng ordered the clerk to record Shui Yun's testimony in full, then thundered: "By your own testimony, you old scoundrel, this affair was nothing more than a tavern brawl among a gang of dissolute young men! How dare you fabricate a charge of treason? Tie Zhongyu may be bold, but he is but one man — what one man could dare to commit treason? Even his boast that a thousand soldiers could not defeat him was merely swaggering bravado, not treasonous speech! You say Tie Zhongyu escaped? He had already filed a prior complaint accusing your party of conspiracy to frame him — how can you call it escape? Examining both complaints together: the drinking was real, the fighting was real. He was one man against five of you and all your servants — so your conspiracy to frame him is the established fact; while your accusation of treason is entirely groundless and manifestly false. This Court is inclined to believe that the four young masters, as sons of gentry, would not stoop to filing such a fraudulent complaint. It must be you, you old scoundrel, who bears some grudge against Tie Zhongyu and stirred up trouble on both sides, then had the effrontery to come here as a brazen false witness and deceive this Court — an offense most detestable!" He plucked six warrant-sticks from the tube and hurled them to the ground, ordering the prisoner taken away for a beating. The bailiffs bellowed in unison, dragged Shui Yun down, flipped him onto his belly, pulled down his trousers, pinned his head and feet, and were about to administer the blows when Shui Yun, his soul utterly gone, screamed: "Great Lordship! Spare me for the sake of the gentry's honor!" The Inspector barked: "And which gentry member's honor am I to respect?" "Your humble servant is the younger brother of Shui Juyi, Vice Minister of War!" "If you are his brother, tell me — has the Vice Minister any other family at home?" "My elder brother has no sons, only a niece who stays at home to keep watch. It is a most precarious situation. Thanks to Your Lordship's gracious protection, a notice forbidding any forced marriage was posted, and we have lately enjoyed some peace. The entire household is deeply grateful." "Very well, that checks out. Since you beg me to spare you, tell me truthfully: what grudge do you bear against Tie Zhongyu that you sought to frame him?" Pinned to the ground by the bailiffs, his bare haunches pointing skyward and desperate for his life, Shui Yun dared not lie any longer: "I bore no grudge whatever against Tie Zhongyu. The trouble began because Guo Qizu wanted to marry my niece and failed. When Guo previously dragged her to the county court, Tie Zhongyu rescued her, which filled Guo with bitter resentment. When he learned Tie Zhongyu had returned, he feared some ulterior purpose and therefore concocted a scheme to invite him to a banquet, provoke a quarrel during the drinking, and thrash him to vent his spleen. But Tie Zhongyu proved to be a true hero and turned the tables on them all. Unable to contain their fury, they stirred one another up and brought the matter before Your Lordship. In truth, I bear him not the slightest ill will." The Inspector said: "Now that is the truth." He ordered the clerk to record it, then directed Shui Yun to rise: "By rights you deserve a severe thrashing and a month in the cangue, as a warning against malicious litigation. But out of consideration, first, for your status as a gentry family member, and second, for the four young masters' dignity, I shall spare you. Go at once and advise the four young gentlemen to drop this case and make no more trouble." He then instructed a clerk to escort Shui Yun out, carrying the original complaint, Tie Zhongyu's earlier petition, and the transcript of Shui Yun's confession, and to show them all to the four young masters, with this message: "Tell them that His Lordship does not refuse to act on this complaint; but were he to pursue it, the testimony that would emerge could only prove most disadvantageous to the four young masters." When Shui Yun heard this, he felt as if the gates of the underworld had suddenly flung open for a general amnesty. He scurried after the clerk, and upon seeing the four young masters, he could only shake his head and stick out his tongue: "I nearly lost my life! Lord Feng's interrogation is like a mirror — you cannot conceal a thing from him. Let us be gone at once!" The four young masters, seeing that Tie Zhongyu had already filed a prior petition, were thunderstruck: "We assumed he had fled in fear, yet he had gone ahead and laid his case before the Inspector! One must concede — that is a man of ability!" Seeing Shui Yun's terror and their own thorough humiliation, they had no choice but to draft a note of thanks to the Inspector and take their dejected leave, each going his separate way. The others gradually let the matter drop, but Young Master Guo alone could not put it to rest. Seeing that Cheng Qi had been in the capital for some time with no word, he dispatched another trusted servant to press for news. As the verse has it: When the blue bird brings no tidings, how can one trust to hope? When the yellow hound bears no message, one strains one's ear to listen. Can it be that the blossom's heart will not lightly open, Tight and close, guarding still the golden bell? Let us set aside Young Master Guo's dispatch of another man to the capital, and speak of it no more. We turn instead to the servant Cheng Qi, who had been sent ahead and had now reached the capital, where he found Academician Guo and presented Young Master Guo's letter. The Academician read it and then invited Cheng Qi to the gatehouse, where he seated him and questioned him in detail: "Why is my eldest son so determined to marry this Miss Shui? Her father has been exiled to the frontier on a military sentence — I fear the match is beneath our family's station." Cheng Qi said: "The young master has learned that Miss Shui is a paragon of virtue in our age. Not only is her beauty dignified and her temperament serene — truly without peer — but her intelligence and ability are such that even the cleverest of men cannot outwit her. That is why the young master has sworn to have her as his wife." The Academician laughed: "What a besotted boy! If he wishes to make her his wife, he need only inform the prefect and the county magistrate, ask them to serve as intermediaries, send betrothal gifts, and fetch the bride. Why must he send you all the way to the capital to see me, and then ask me to travel all the way to the frontier to seek her father's consent?" Cheng Qi said: "How could the young master not have sought help from the prefect and the county magistrate? He did precisely that, employing every conceivable scheme and expending untold effort, yet Miss Shui, without so much as batting an eyelid, effortlessly evaded them all. She simply could not be obtained. Never mind the prefect and the magistrate — even the newly arrived Inspector Feng, who is Your Lordship's own protege, was prevailed upon to issue two successive tiger-seal warrants ordering the marriage completed within a month. Everyone was convinced it was settled. Yet this Miss Shui possesses such audacious daring that she drafted a memorial to the throne and sent a servant to the capital to beat the Drum of Complaint and impeach Inspector Feng." The Academician was astonished: "How could a mere girl possess such boldness? Did she not fear the Inspector would have her arrested?" "Not only did she not fear arrest, but having sent the servant with the memorial three days earlier, she deliberately went in person to deliver a copy of the impeachment to Inspector Feng at his own bench! The Inspector, seeing how devastating it was, was thoroughly alarmed and begged her repeatedly, until she revealed the name of the servant, giving him time to send a fast rider to recall him. After that, the Inspector recognized her as a heroine among women, not to be trifled with, and he reversed course entirely, posting a notice forbidding forced marriage on her door. After that, who would dare so much as ask after her? Since even the Inspector could not prevail against her, the young master was driven to desperation and asked me to convey this matter to Your Lordship, begging you to secure this paragon of virtue, thus adorning the noble tradition of the 'Ospreys' ode." The Academician heard all this with a mixture of alarm and delight: "So Miss Shui is as brilliant as all that! No wonder my besotted boy is so set on her. But her father, Shui Juyi, is himself a stubborn and willful man, most difficult to deal with. Though we are from the same hometown, our relations have always been rather cool. Moreover, he has no sons, only this one daughter, and who knows whom he has in mind for her? In former times, had I approached him, he would certainly have put on airs. But now that he has been banished to the frontier, he is in desperate straits — he could only be grateful for such a connection. If I go to propose the match, I need not fear a refusal." Cheng Qi asked: "How does Your Lordship plan to proceed?" The Academician said: "In the proper course of things, one should engage a trusted go-between to convey one's intentions. But he is now stationed on the frontier, a thousand miles or more from the capital. Whom could I send as matchmaker? A minor official would lack the dignity the occasion demands, while a high official could hardly be expected to travel so far — and in any case, none of my senior colleagues are on intimate terms with him. The best course is for me to write a personal letter, prepare a handsome gift, and trouble Brother Cheng to go in person to make the proposal." Cheng Qi said: "For Your Lordship to write a personal letter is indeed the most direct approach. If the letter hints that you might help clear his name, he will be eager for Your Lordship's influence and will certainly consent. Should he prove obstinate nonetheless — since he is a military convict, there must be garrison officers and superiors in authority over him — Your Lordship might also furnish me with several official calling cards and name-seals. If it comes to it, I can either persuade him or apply pressure, and he will have no choice but to agree." The Academician nodded: "Just so." He made all the necessary preparations, chose an auspicious day, and dispatched Cheng Qi once again, accompanied by two capable servants. As the verse has it: The ospreys must seek their mate by the river's shore; Only through patient turning does the gentleman find his good match. If the three stars of marriage shed no kindly light, In vain one journeys ten thousand miles to ask for the bridal quilt. Now we tell that when Vice Minister Shui had served in the Ministry of War, there had been an alarm on the frontier, and he had vigorously recommended a certain general named Hou Xiao, sending him to defend the border. This Hou Xiao was a man of the northwest, brave and upright. Because the Ministry had recommended him as a general without first consulting the supreme commander, he went into battle on his own authority. The commander, resentful, secretly withdrew all the surrounding forces, leaving Hou Xiao without support. He fought alone for a day without victory, and when the reports unanimously accused him of losing a strategic advantage, he was arrested and imprisoned. Vice Minister Shui was implicated for having recommended the wrong man and was sentenced to military exile on the frontier. Being by nature a man of few connections and with no one to intercede on his behalf, he had no choice but to serve out his sentence. He had been there for over a year. Though he thought constantly of his daughter, he was powerless and thousands of miles away, and could only resign himself to fate. One day, as he sat in idle melancholy, a report came that Academician Guo from the capital had sent someone to call upon him. Though Shui the Vice Minister was a disgraced official, his standing as a former high minister remained; yet being enrolled in the military register, he could not put on too many airs. Hearing that someone had come from Academician Guo, and not knowing the purpose, he ordered them shown in. Cheng Qi entered with his two servants, first presenting his own visiting card and announcing himself as a client of Academician Guo's household. After the formalities of guest and host were observed and tea had been served, the Vice Minister asked: "I, your student, have been banished to this place by imperial grace and am no longer fit to be counted among court officials. Moreover, you and I have never met. What matter can be so pressing that you have not shrunk from traveling a thousand miles or more to reach me?" Cheng Qi bowed deeply and said: "I, a humble scholar, would never presume to call upon Your Excellency of my own accord. I come solely because Academician Guo has charged me with a commission and has a favor to ask of Your Excellency — hence my willingness to undertake this long journey." The Vice Minister said: "Though I and Academician Guo are nominally from the same district, our respective offices kept us apart and we had little intercourse. Since my exile, the gulf between us has only widened. What business can he have that requires you to travel so far? Perhaps the court has decided my previous sentence was too light, and some new charge is to be laid against me?" Cheng Qi said: "Academician Guo often speaks of Your Excellency's unjust treatment and intends to have the matter set right before long — that is not the purpose of my visit. The matter is this: the Academician's eldest son has reached the age for marriage but has not yet found a suitable match. Having learned that Your Excellency's daughter is a maiden of the highest refinement and possesses, moreover, all the lofty graces of a woman of retirement, he has long desired this union of the trailing vine with the towering tree. Unfortunately, heaven has placed many obstacles in the way. Your Excellency's banishment here makes it impossible to proceed through the usual intermediaries, and to wait until Your Excellency's reinstatement and then send a proper go-between would risk letting the peach-blossom season pass. In this extremity, the Academician has taken the liberty of writing a personal letter and preparing a gift, inadequate though it is, to serve in place of the matchmaker's axe." He ordered the two servants to present the letter and gifts, bowed again, and said: "The substance of the letter is my earnest plea — I humbly beg Your Excellency to consent." The Vice Minister took the letter, broke the seal, and read it through. Finding its purport identical to what Cheng Qi had said, he thought to himself: "This Academician Guo maintains his position at court entirely through flattery — he is not a man of our kind. His son is notorious for his dissolute ways. How could such a person be a fitting match for my daughter? Moreover, since my daughter is at home and this Young Master Guo has been pursuing her, with their houses in the same neighborhood, it is unheard of for someone to abandon a local suit and come all this way to the frontier instead. The fact that he has made this distant journey, sparing no effort, proves that the local suit has failed. If I consent rashly, and this is not what my daughter desires, the consequences could be grave." He tucked the letter into his sleeve and said: "In matters of marriage, it is true that the father's word is paramount — that is the established principle. Yet in all human affairs there is a norm and there is an exception; there is the constant and there is the contingent. I, a solitary official with a lone daughter, am deeply honored that the Academician does not disdain to pluck the humble duckweed. However, I spent five years in the capital, and have now been on the frontier for over a year — first a thousand miles from home, and now twice that distance. How long I have been away, and how far — you may easily imagine. Moreover, I have no sons; this girl, though a daughter, serves me in the place of a son. I have always entrusted her with the management of our property, and as for the matter of marriage, I long ago charged her with choosing for herself. This may not accord with established convention, but it is a necessary expedient. Since Young Master Guo does not consider my daughter beneath him, let him apply to the prefect, who is the local father-and-mother official, to the county magistrate, to her uncle — why not send the silk thread of betrothal, bring the hundred carriages of the bridal procession? Why, instead, abandon what is near and seek what is far?" Cheng Qi said: "Your Excellency's words show a vision that reaches ten thousand miles! The young master, consumed by longing for a good match, yearns for nothing more than to accomplish the rites of bells, drums, zither, and lute at once. He has sought the help of the prefect, who agreed to mediate; of the magistrate, who consented to tie the knot; of her uncle, who has accepted the betrothal gifts. Yet after repeated efforts, the young lady insists that only a father's command can properly authorize a marriage. That is why the Academician has respectfully sent me on this long journey to seek Your Excellency's word." The Vice Minister, hearing that his daughter had refused, knew at once that this was not a match she desired. He said: "My daughter insists upon her father's command, and the Academician insists upon seeking the father's command — both are upholding the proper form. But I, a convict awaiting judgment, am a criminal of the state, no longer the stern patriarch of a household. My life from day to day is uncertain — how dare I meddle in family affairs? Since my exile, I have not ventured to write a single word concerning my daughter's welfare, for my guilt before the sovereign has not been resolved, and the imperial sentence has not been lifted. If, while the imperial sentence remains in force and my guilt unresolved, I were to reach across the miles and privately arrange my daughter's marriage, I would be failing in obedience to my sovereign above and failing to reflect upon my own guilt below — would that not compound my offense? I absolutely dare not." Cheng Qi said: "Your Excellency's words are pure gold — the speech of a great minister who upholds rectitude and would not deceive even in the darkest corner. Yet in matters of propriety, there are cases where a lesser point may yield to a greater. If Your Excellency today were simply to grant a single word, it would seal a union of a hundred years. Which is the weightier, which the lighter? Even under the sovereign's thunderbolt of judgment, might he not look with lenience upon such a thing and let it pass?" The Vice Minister said: "You know that propriety may bend, sir, but you do not know that there are aspects of propriety's substance that cannot be bent. Consider the present case: I am in disgrace, and my daughter is alone and vulnerable, unable to resist powerful suitors. If everything were done in haste and roughly — that might be excused as the common lot of those in adversity. But if in the midst of adversity she refuses to be daunted by adversity, insisting on her father's proper authorization — that is the conduct of a virtuous woman. Since the daughter awaits her father's proper word, the father cannot, in conscience, instruct his daughter with anything less than propriety. And if we speak of propriety in marriage: when the superior and inferior have their respective stations, for one of low station to force himself upon one of high — that is called presumption. For one of high station to descend beneath himself — that is called debasement. In my present condition, banished here, my station is as low as it can be. That you have troubled yourself, sir, to travel so far and bind the red thread on my behalf — this I must call presumption, and I dare not accept it. On the other hand, if one considers that in former days I held a position in the second rank of the court, among the sovereign's attendants, then if the Academician wished to propose a match, he might well have employed some eminent colleague as his go-between — and no one would have objected. Why has he not done so, but instead sent a mere personal letter to serve in place of the matrimonial axe? Is this not a great debasement? I beg you, sir, to consider — can this be proper?" Cheng Qi, confounded by the Vice Minister's reasoning, was left speechless. After a long pause he ventured: "I am a humble and lowly scholar, truly ignorant of the grand protocols of ministerial betrothal. I come only at the Academician's behest, serving as no more than a humble messenger — a mere autumn leaf, a lesser bird — carrying a message of no great weight. If I have erred in matters of propriety, I beg Your Excellency to instruct me, and not to let one messenger's inadequacy spoil a match of a hundred years." The Vice Minister said: "Your mediation is well-meant, sir, and I appreciate the sentiment. But upon careful reflection, I find several points that make this match inappropriate." "What points?" "The Academician is a minister of the highest rank; I am a convict on the frontier. Our families are not of equal standing — that is the first difficulty. My daughter has no mother and lives alone in the south; her father has been convicted and exiled to the far north; communication between us is nearly impossible, and seeking my formal authorization is most inconvenient — that is the second. I have been unfortunate: my family line is declining, and I treat my daughter as my son. If she marries out, there will be no one left at home; if a son-in-law is brought in, it would disrupt our ancestral rites — that is the third. Furthermore, no betrothal has ever been concluded solely between two families without the parties meeting, and no suitor has ever been chosen sight unseen. I must trouble you, Brother Cheng, to convey my respectful decline." Cheng Qi pressed his suit again and again, but the Vice Minister would not budge. He arranged lodging for Cheng Qi at a small temple and continued the discussion for two or three more days. When Cheng Qi saw he was making no headway, he resorted to the Academician's official cards, enlisting the garrison commander and other military superiors to come and either cajole or coerce the Vice Minister. This only made Shui Juyi angrier, and he sent his reply through Cheng Qi: "I, Shui Juyi, have offended the court, but I have not offended Academician Guo. Why does he insist on bullying me with his influence? I, Shui Juyi, offended the court with my own person alone; my daughter, living at home, has committed no offense — why does he persecute her with demands for marriage? I beg Brother Cheng to convey my sentiments in full. Since my exile, I have long since ceased to hope for my own life. I have no desire for anyone's patronage; and though they heap abuse upon me, I have nothing to fear. I respectfully return the gifts and the letter." Cheng Qi had no recourse but to pack his things and return to the capital. As the verse has it: Iron's substance cannot be changed; Ginger and cinnamon will not alter their nature. A true hero would rather die Than submit to another's oppression. When Cheng Qi returned to the capital and reported the Vice Minister's obstinate refusal in full detail, Academician Guo was consumed with rage. He plotted a hundred schemes to bring ruin upon Shui Juyi. Not half a year had passed when another alarm erupted on the frontier. The border commanders were all killed or wounded, and the Ministry of War had no one to send. The court ordered all ministers to recommend candidates, and seizing this opportunity, the Academician submitted a memorial: "The repeated losses on the frontier are entirely due to the former Vice Minister of War Shui Juyi's erroneous recommendation of Hou Xiao, whose failure caused the disaster. Though Shui Juyi has been exiled, his punishment is far from sufficient. Meanwhile, Hou Xiao languishes in prison with his case unresolved, which is why the border generals refuse to exert themselves. I humbly beseech Your Majesty's decisive judgment: command the Three Judicial Offices to try Hou Xiao immediately and execute him as an example. Then recall Shui Juyi and put him to death as well. Under such thunderbolts of justice, no one will dare make careless recommendations, and the generals, thus inspired, will serve with vigor — and what frontier need we then fear will remain unsecured?" Within days the imperial decree came down: "Approved." The Three Judicial Offices had no choice but to take Hou Xiao from prison and convene a joint trial to determine his sentence. And from this single trial, it came to pass: Li Bai met his rescuer again; Guo Ziyi was reborn into the world. If you wish to know what happened next, you must read the following chapter. |