by Guo Xiaoting
Zhao Bin himself did not understand what could have happened to Wang Xing, or what it was all about. After leaving Guo Four, he asked in many places without learning anything. It was very dark and now at the second watch. He quickly went again to the estate of Prime Minister Qin and climbed stealthily over the roofs. Looking down from a rooftop, he was surprised to see in the courtyard below, lit by flickering candlelight, those household people who truly resembled a troop of demons. Trembling with fear and very cautious, Zhao Bin leaped from roof to roof and hurried off to the west.
Arriving at a distant flower garden, Zhao Bin stopped, looked east and west, and then said to himself, “This flower garden is not part of the prime minister’s mansion. Whose home is it?”
When he had looked about for some time, he saw that at the northeast corner there was a courtyard where he could see a twinkling light. He jumped down and moved in for a closer look. He saw that the flower garden was surrounded by the saplings of cassia trees. When he went through the gate, he saw before his eyes a short section of an ornamental wall that closed off the view to anyone standing in the gateway. In the center of the wall there was a design like a chessboard done in gray plaster. Beyond, to the north, was a building of three sections on a high platform with appropriate lower buildings on the east and west, each with three sections. A bamboo curtain was hanging in the door of the north building, and because of the light it was possible to see quite clearly into the room from the outside. He could see a square table inside. On the table was some fruit, hot and cold dishes with meat and fish, and the best quality strong wine. It was a most finely set table.
Zhao Bin thought to himself, “It would suit me just right to have such a meal prepared for me to eat and drink my fill, before going to kill that beastly person.”
He took a couple of steps forward. Just then he began to feel quite differently and said to himself, “Zhao Bin, you are too simple-minded. What if there is someone in the room and you simply walk in? How could you avoid being seen? That would be most inconvenient. I will have to find a small stone with which to try to find out whether anyone is there.” He searched about in the courtyard until he found some small stones, and threw one against the lattice. It was an oft-repeated saying among the brotherhood of the Greenwood that, if one threw stones in this way and the sound was heard, there would be a reply. More importantly, if there was a guard dog it would bark, and the one who had thrown the stone would swiftly depart.
Zhao Bin threw the stone, but there was no apparent movement within. Feeling satisfied that there was no one there, he walked forward. Not until he was on the first step did he hear someone say, “Ai yah! Big Brother has come. Quick, come and save us!”
Zhao Bin was greatly surprised. As he looked about carefully, he saw Wang Xing and his wife hanging upside down from a beam. Both were covered with blood.
CHAPTER 12
Qin Da practices a cruel deception; Qin Da seeks to separate a faithful couple
A thousand ounces of the yellowest gold
Would not suffice to buy that little body.
It is her love that made her rouge besmeared
And left a puzzle in the library.
ZHAO Bin could hardly help but be terribly shocked at the sight of his friend Wang Xing and Wang Xing’s wife both hanging there from a beam, certainly injured. How could they have been so mistreated?
Now this was the flower garden of Qin Da, the second noble son of Prime Minister Qin. Ordinarily, Qin Da made no attempt to behave in ways proper to his position. He took advantage of the fact that his father was prime minister. Since Qin Da’s elder brother had died some time earlier, Qin Da was now the only remaining son. He was quite unrestrained in his vicious behavior. Under his patronage he had a considerable number of hired thugs, whom he had gathered and trained. Frequently they went out robbing, plundering, and taking young wives and girls by force. Then the ruffians treated them without mercy. Qin Da even permitted his uncontrolled thugs to kill these unfortunate females. If anyone came to the prefectural offices to complain, the guards would not accept their petitions. They all knew that Qin Da was the noble son of Prime Minister Qin. Because of this, they gave Qin Da the nickname of “Demon of Doom.”
On this particular day he had been reading a book in the flower garden. When he read, he never looked at proper books. They were always licentious books with perverted viewpoints. The one he had been reading was The Emperor Tang Minghuang Vows to Make Yang Gueifei His Favorite Concubine. He had just reached a very satisfying place when he slapped the table in astonishment.
There beside him was one of his household servants, Qin Yu, who commonly was most eager to do any service for him. “Which good part has pleased the honorable young master so much?” Qin Yu asked.
“Do you know, it is not surprising that one of the Tang-dynasty poems tells how the emperor’s wife frankly expressed her opinions, how she openly rode her horse through the palace gates, and how she made it the fashion to use delicately applied adornments and to complain about impurities in the rouge and other cosmetics,” said Qin Da.“This Yang Gueifei was certainly a fine woman!”
“Honorable young master, did you see these things yourself?” asked Qin Yu.
“This toady is always showing how addle-brained he is by his talk,” Qin Da said. “That was the Tang Dynasty. This is the Song Dynasty. How could I have seen these things with my own eyes?”
“But there is one person now before the eyes of men who is more beautiful than Yang Gueifei,” said Qin Yu. “Truly she is one of the few beneath heaven. There is not another such in the world. Since the time when I was born, I have seen only one such beautiful woman. She is neither tall nor short, fat nor thin, with eyebrows and eyes and everything else of great beauty.”
Qin Da was not a good person at all. When he heard these words, his eyes became fixed and staring and he quickly spoke up. “Qin Yu, where did you see her?”
Qin Yu replied, “At the gate of our estate there is a man named Wang Xing, who has spread his carpet and displayed there the fruit that he sells. He lives in the city. One day this small person, myself, went to buy two chairs of hard yellow cedar. I wanted to hire someone to take them to my home for me, but there was no suitable person around. I therefore went to the home of Wang Xing to ask him to carry them. Just as I knocked, his wife was leaving the house. When this small person saw her, he knew beyond any doubt that hers was a very rare beauty. She was at the highest level among beautiful women. Since the day that I saw her, I have wanted to tell the young master about her, but there was no suitable time. She is just right for you.”
“Impossible!” Qin Da said, “I would like to have her, indeed, but it is not an easy matter. Can I simply say that someone in Wang Xing’s home belongs to me? Do you know of any way to drop this beautiful woman into my hands? I would certainly give you much silver for your efforts.”
Qin Yu replied, “If the young master wants this beautiful woman, it is not difficult. If you can spend two hundred ounces of silver, this toady has a suitable plan that will ensure this beautiful woman will be in your hands today. If only you, young master, will give me the two hundred ounces of silver, I will put my plan into operation for you.”
Qin Da said, “Go to my treasury, get the silver, and bring it here.”
When the two hundred ounces of silver was in his hands, Qin Yu came close to Qin Da and told him his plan. When Qin Da heard it, he laughed loudly, “Ha, ha! You just go and call him.”
After that, Qin Da simply followed Qin Yu’s plan. Without any further words, Qin Yu went outside to look and saw that Wang Xing had just finished arranging his produce. “Our young master has asked me to come and call you,” said Qin Yu.
Wang Xing quickly asked Guo Four to watch his fruit for him and went inside with Qin Yu. Wang Xing was smiling and thinking that he would probably sell enough fruit to earn several ounces of silver. It must have seemed to him that the young master wished to buy the best-quality fruit. They hurried
on until they came to a palatial studio in a flower garden. There, Wang Xing saw that the Demon of Doom, Qin Da, was just sitting down on the veranda with several of his attendants standing on either side of him.
Wang Xing immediately went forward and said, “The small person whom the honorable young master has called is here. What may I do?”
Qin Da asked, “Wang Xing, what people do you have at home and how old are you? Speak the truth!”
Wang Xing did not know what this was all about, but promptly replied, “Since the honorable young master asks, in my home there are only this insignificant person, who is twenty-two years old; my mother, who is fifty; and my wife of nineteen. There are only three of us at home.”
When Qin Da heard this, the rascal gave a wild laugh and said, “Wang Xing, I have heard it said that your wife is not bad-looking. I will give you two hundred ounces of silver for her and you may get another. Bring your wife here and give her to me.”
Hearing these words, Wang Xing felt a cold chill, and he thought to himself: “If I refuse, they will beat me to death.” So, trying to guess the thoughts in Qin Da’s mind, Wang Xing said, “Honorable young master, you are above me, and I, beneath, beg for your kindness. My wife is nothing but someone who takes care of my old mother. After my mother dies, I will send my wife to the honorable young master, but I would not dare to accept the two hundred ounces of silver you offer.”
When Qin Da heard the words of Wang Xing, he was about to say, “Go! Be off with you!”
But Qin Yu came to him and said, “Honorable young master, do not listen to this kind of talk. This is clearly just a pretense. His mother is just now fifty and will probably live another thirty years. Then he will send his wife to you to take care of in her old age.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Da suddenly became very angry and cried out, “You dog head, you dare try to deceive the one who is master of your household, and to his very face! You are being quite vexatious. Come, my men, seize him, tie him, and hang him up for me!”
Qin Da’s wicked thugs tied Wang Xing and hung him up. Qin Da then said, “Qin Yu, what do you suggest? Suppose you trick his wife into coming here. I will have her look at him to get her consent to stay with me.”
Qin Yu rolled his eyes. This was just as he had planned. He went outside and, calling three of the other rogues together, instructed them in several sentences. They then hired a sedan chair and two of the three men carried it. The third went with them to Wang Xing’s home and knocked at the gate. Wang Xing’s mother came out of the house immediately and asked, “Who is there at the gate?”
The third man then said, “Old lady, you do not know me. My name is Zhang. There is a little problem at Prime Minister Qin’s flower garden. I am a good friend of Elder Brother Wang. Early today, just as Elder Brother came and spread out his fruit, he fell down flat; froth began to come from his mouth, and he lost his understanding of things. We carried him into the flower garden and asked a doctor to look at him. The doctor said that Brother Wang’s illness is extremely serious. The doctor wants to speak to a near relative of Wang before treating him. Elder Brother Wang said that I should bring his wife.”
The old lady said, “Perhaps it would be good for me to go to see him.”
The man said, “Old lady, at your age if you go to see him, you might be quite shocked. Also, leaving the young wife here at home alone might not be fitting.”
The old woman replied, “What, then, is best?” She went back into her house to talk the matter over with her daughter-in-law, Wu Shi.
Wu Shi was a person who understood about three-fourths of what she heard. When she heard that her husband was ill, her heart was in turmoil. She quickly changed her clothing, saying, “Your daughter will go and see.” Outside, she said a few polite words to the waiting people and got into the sedan chair.
At Prime Minister Qin’s estate she was taken into the flower garden. The sedan chair was put down. When the curtain of the chair was pulled up, she looked out and saw the young master sitting under the roof of the high veranda. Qin Da had dressed with especial care for his meeting with Wu Shi. The kerchief on his head was shaped into the form of a regal scepter from which hung a number of gaudy streamers. His loose robe was embroidered with flowers and bordered with gold. He sat with his feet propped up, showing the white soles of his shoes. The bulbous chin of his repulsive face was thrust out at her. His cruel eyes staring at her made him seem like the image of an evil demon that had somehow come to life.
After Wu Shi had looked at him she asked, “Young master, who are you? Why have you tied up my husband?”
One of the men who was standing at Qin Da’s side said, “This is our young master, no less than the honorable son of Prime Minister Qin. Are you not going to bow your head to him?”
Before Wu Shi could reply, she heard Qin Da say, “Do not be afraid, young woman. I am truly very kind and gentle. To my surprise, this dog head, Wang Xing, is not willing to agree with me. I wanted so much to see the lovely face of the young woman, yourself, admired by the entire city—in fact, by the entire nation. I thought of your being with Wang Xing, where you had no choice but to drink his crude tea, eat his tasteless rice, and wear garments made from the coarsest cloth. Therefore, I called him in to discuss this matter with him. I thought that I would give him two hundred ounces of silver to take another wife. Was this not killing two birds with one stone and the best possible arrangement for both of you? After all, he would not need two hundred ounces of silver to buy a wife, and he would still be a little rich. To spare him punishment I had you brought here to see me. I have here with me a person who understands me very well. He has also discussed this matter with your husband, who was extremely unwilling to agree with me. Because of this, I had him tied up.”
When Wu Shi heard this speech, she raised her long, beautiful eyebrows and gave Qin Da an angry look from her almond-shaped eyes. Then she said, “Young master, take my advice. Forget this idea and let us, husband and wife, go before it is too late. You are indeed the son of the prime minister of the present reign, and you are living in the house of this high government official. Your house is filled with charming concubines. Why must you take such actions against us? Young masters should be benevolent, help others in need, and maintain their own virtue. If such actions as yours become known to the imperial censors, even great ones may be ruined.”
Wang Xing also spoke up from where he was tied up. “Honorable young master, when I was selling fruit at the gate of your estate, I did no wrong to you. Be merciful and release us both, husband and wife.”
When Qin Da heard these words, they made him very angry. He ordered two of his rogues to hang the husband and wife up together. His underlings then did so, striking the husband and wife with their bamboo staves. Wang Xing and Wu Shi were terrified, but called out that they would die before they would submit to Qin Da’s demands.
By this time it was already evening, and Qin Da called for wine, saying that he would have them beaten later. Suddenly, from the eastern courtyard of the estate came the cry that demons were creating a disturbance. Qin Da sent his people to inquire. They in turn sent word back to him that he should come and look. Upon hearing this, Qin Da sent the rest of his household ahead, and then he followed. Everyone wanted to have a look at the demons. As a result, no one was left behind with the two prisoners.
Wang Xing and his wife were both bruised and sore, but Wang Xing said, “Wife, you have suffered a terrible wrong for my sake.”
Wu Shi answered, “Even though we two should be killed, our ghosts will return here to accuse this young princeling to his face.”
Just as they said this, they saw that someone was approaching outside. It was Zhao Bin.
Wang Xing, startled to see him arriving as if in answer to their need, exclaimed, “Ai yah! Elder Brother Zhao has come to save us!”
As soon as Zhao Bin saw that they were injured, he started to release Wang Xing and get him down, so that they could both release Wu Shi. However, h
e found that the knots that held Wang Xing were very tightly tied. Zhao Bin was becoming quite anxious when he was suddenly seized from behind. He struggled to escape the grip, but he could not move. It was hard to believe that anyone could be so strong. The one who held him was as solid as Mount Taishan—the man had a grip like steel.
CHAPTER 13
Wang Xing and his family leave Linan forever; Qin Da is stricken by a strange illness that Ji Gong is asked to cure
Though rich or poor may fall in their estate
And meet with unimaginable woe,
The virtuous greet each trial with fortitude and pride,
Defying even death to bring their spirits low.
Most evil springs from weakness in the soul.
Errors lead on to ever-deeper sin.
Before the remedy the illness comes
To open the heart to virtue once again.
WHO would have thought that, when Zhao Bin was able to turn his head, he would see that the man who held him was senior monk Ji Gong?
Zhao Bin said, “Teacher, let me go. I was afraid that the prime minister had harmed you. I am surprised to see my teacher here!”
Ji Gong released him and said, “As soon as you have set those two free, come into the other room. I have something I need to say to you.”
Zhao Bin untied Wang Xing and his wife. Ji Gong took out some medicine which, when applied to the wounds that the two had received, cured them rapidly. The monk then went into the next room and began to eat and drink with great relish.
Zhao Bin said, “So this table full of food was prepared for my teacher in the first place.”
“Zhao Bin, go to the north section of the room on the west side,” said Ji Gong. “There, you will see four chests. In the third chest there is a small case filled with gold weighing one hundred ounces, and six envelopes containing white silver weighing three hundred ounces. Bring them to me.”
