Magnate Ho hastily came outside and said, “Liu the Second, please go home. I’ll come after you.”
“You’ll come after me, will you, you dog-fucked creature!” Liu the Second cursed at him.
Without any warning, he sent a clenched fist whistling his way that flew right into Magnate Ho’s face, creating instantaneously a swollen purple bruise. When Magnate Ho got to his feet he managed to escape out the open door.
Liu the Second then knocked over Wang Liu-erh’s table with a single kick of his foot, smashing all the utensils on it; at which Wang Liu-erh cursed at him, saying, “Who do you think you are, you death-defying, lousy, gallows bird, to break into my room for no good reason, only to let off your farts? I’m not the sort of woman who feels:
Inured to such alarms.”
Liu the Second responded by stepping forward and giving her a single kick that knocked her flat on her back, and cursed at her, saying, “You whore, I’ll fuck your mother! What are you but a nameless unlicensed prostitute, who did not come register yourself with me; as though I would let you get away with plying your trade in this tavern. You had better move out at once. If you delay, I’ll subject you to a real beating with my fists.”
“What sort of a ‘bare stick’ or ‘knockabout’ do you think you are?” retorted Wang Liu-erh. “Do you suppose I have no relatives of my own, so that you can get away with taking advantage of me? What do I want with this life of mine anyway?”
So saying, she plopped down on the ground and began to cry.
Liu the Second Drunkenly Beats Wang Liu-erh
“You whore!” Liu the Second cursed at her, “I’ll kick you in the entrails until they break. You still don’t seem to understand who I am.”
The uproar they created was such that, in no time at all, the neighbors to either side, as well as the pedestrians in the street, gathered around them in considerable numbers.
One of the bystanders, who did not comprehend the situation, said to her, “Wang Liu-erh, you are a newcomer and do not know that he is the renowned Turf-protecting Tiger Liu the Second, who is the brother-in-law of Inspector Chang Sheng on the staff of His Honor Commandant Chou Hsiu. He is the proprietor of My Own Tavern and is:
A foreman among the beaters of trollops;
A leader among the abusers of drunkards.
You would do well to cut him some slack, rather than acting as though you:
Don’t know what is in your own interest.20
No one around here dares to cross him.”
“There are people even more powerful than he is,” responded Wang Liu-erh. “What reason is there to worry about that gallows bird?”
When Lu Ping-i saw how rough Liu the Second was getting, he and Fatty Hsieh:
Resorting to both appeals and threats,
succeeded in persuading him to leave.
Ch’en Ching-chi was still lying in bed at the time, and when he heard the disturbance on the floor below and got up to see what was going on, the sun was already setting in the west.
When he asked what was going on, Han Tao-kuo was nowhere to be seen, but he ran into Wang Liu-erh, who was coming up the stairs:
With disheveled hair and a soiled face,21
and said to him, thus and so, “Some gallows bird of a ‘knockabout,’ who is known as the Turf-protecting Tiger Liu the Second, who is the proprietor of My Own Tavern, and who claims to be the brother-in-law of Inspector Chang Sheng from the commandant’s household, came looking for one of his customers, kicked and beat me for no good reason, and cursed me out before finally leaving. He also smashed our crockery and wine vessels to smithereens.”
So saying, she started to weep out loud. Ch’en Ching-chi then called up the two managers to ask them what had happened, but the two of them could only:
Gaze at each other in astonishment,
without daring to utter a word.
Finally, Manager Lu Ping-i, who had a glib tongue, explained, “It was the brother-in-law of the head servant Chang Sheng from the commandant’s household, who came here looking for Magnate Ho. He claimed that he owed him two month’s rent, and that he had also come to collect the unpaid fees for the services of the prostitutes he had been patronizing at his place. When he saw that he was in Wang Liu-erh’s quarters drinking wine:
Without permitting any further explanation,
he tore the portiere aside and struck Magnate Ho a blow with his fist, which frightened Magnate Ho so much that he fled the scene. He then went on to quarrel with Han Tao-kuo’s wife, kicking her over with his foot; and the rumpus thus created attracted the attention of all the pedestrians in the street, who crowded in to see what was going on.”
Ch’en Ching-chi was worried about creating an incident this late in the day and ordered them to disperse the crowd. He then asked what had become of that rascal Liu the Second, and the two managers told him that they had persuaded him to leave.
On hearing this, Ch’en Ching-chi:
Made a point of remembering it;
and then did his best to placate Wang Liu-erh and her daughter, saying, “Leave it to me. There is nothing to worry about. The two of you, mother and daughter, can continue to live here. When I get home, I’ll take care of it.”
When the managers had calculated the interest earned since his last visit and turned the silver over to him, Ch’en Ching-chi got up to go, mounted his steed, and, followed by his servant, whipped up his horse and departed. By the time he made it inside the city wall, the sky was already dark, and he was not in a good mood. On arriving home, he went to see Ch’un-mei, turned the interest money over to her, and then returned to his own quarters. Concerning that evening there is nothing more to relate.
The next day:
His every thought and every consideration,
told him that he should tell Ch’un-mei what had happened, but as he contemplated it, he said to himself, “I’d better hold off on it, and wait until I can find some serious faults with Chang Sheng, and get my cousin to persuade His Honor to put an end to him. I cannot tolerate the fact that he has shown more than once that he is not to be trusted. He dares to point out that it was he who located me and knows the truth about my origins, so he figures that I am at his mercy.” Truly:
Getting revenge on one’s enemies is often
accomplished this way;
When the opportunity arises, one does not
need to seek far for it.
Though you wear out shoes of iron without
finding what you seek;
In the end you may find it without making
any effort whatsoever.22
One day, Ch’en Ching-chi went back to the tavern on the Lin-ch’ing dock and met with Han Ai-chieh and her mother to discuss the fright they had been exposed to on the previous occasion.
He also asked his Manager Lu Ping-i, “Has that rascal Liu the Second come back to bother you again?”
“Since he left the other day,” responded Manager Lu, “he has not returned.”
He also asked Han Ai-chieh whether or not Magnate Ho had come back for another visit.
After having something to eat, and checking over the accounts, Ch’en Ching-chi felt obliged to go back to Han Ai-chieh’s room on the second floor, where the two of them spent some time engaged in heartfelt conversation and also indulged in a bout of intercourse.
Upon coming out, he took advantage of his free time to call the wine steward Ch’en the Third into his presence and interrogate him, thus and so, as to whether Chang Sheng or Liu the Second were guilty of any serious misdemeanors that he knew of. This Ch’en the Third:
Though he never, ever, should have done it,
told him how Chang Sheng was keeping Sun Hsüeh-o, who had formerly been in his master’s household, as his mistress in My Own Tavern. He also told him how Liu the Second lent money to the singing girls in the brothels at 30 percent interest and took advantage of His Honor the commandant’s name to conduct his illicit business. Ch’en Ching-chi made a mental note o
f everything he had said.
After this, he gave two or three taels of silver to Han Ai-chieh for her living expenses, finished checking the accounts with his managers, wrapped up the money that had been earned as interest since his last visit, said farewell, mounted his horse, and set off for home. But enough of this idle chatter.23 He had harbored the thought of revenge in his heart for some time. In the first place, it was a case of:
Two enemies confronting each other;
and in the second place, it was only to be expected that it might give rise to a catastrophe.
Unexpectedly, just at this time, in the Court in the Eastern Capital, Emperor Hui-tsung was confronted with the fact that the army of the Great Chin regime had crossed the borders of the realm and had penetrated far into the interior. The situation was urgent and the Son of Heaven was thrown into a panic. After consulting with his chief ministers, he dispatched an envoy to travel to the northern kingdom and sue for peace; expressing his willingness to pay an annual ransom of several million taels worth of gold and silver, and colored silk, in return for a settlement. He also abdicated his throne in favor of the crown prince, who changed the reign title from the seventh year of the Hsüan-ho reign period to the first year of the Ching-k’ang reign period and assumed the title of Emperor Ch’in-tsung. When his son had taken his place on the throne, the former Emperor Hui-tsung assumed the title Supreme Taoist Emperor Emeritus and retired to the Lung-te Kung, or Dragon Virtue Palace. The court then appointed Li Kang24 to the post of minister of war, in charge of the armies of the various circuits; and Ch’ung Shih-tao25 to the post of general-in-chief, responsible for military affairs both inside and outside the capital.
One day, an imperial edict came down, addressed to Chou Hsiu, the commandant of Chi-nan prefecture, promoting him to the post of commander-general of the Shantung region, in command of an army of ten thousand men, both infantry and cavalry, and ordering him to station his forces in Tung-ch’ang prefecture, where he should join forces with the grand coordinator and censor-in-chief Chang Shu-yeh in defending the territory and resisting the Chin armies.
Commandant Chou Hsiu was presiding in his yamen at the time, when his attendants came in and reported that an imperial edict had come down and invited him to formally receive it. Commandant Chou Hsiu did not dare to be remiss and knelt down before an incense stand in order to listen to the reading of the edict. The imperial messenger then proceeded to declaim it out loud, and the text read as follows:
The edict from the Emperor, whose sovereignty is ordained by Heaven, states:26
We have heard that the civil arts establish peace in the country,27 while military prowess serves to stabilize the realm. The Three August Ones relied on rites and music to establish their kingdoms; the Five Emperors28 used military campaigns to secure their empires. Undertakings may go smoothly or with difficulty; men may be sagely or foolish.29 We have inherited the unshakable foundation bequeathed by Our ancestors;30 and the weighty position passed on to Us by Our predecessor. In performing Our myriad tasks We tremble with anxiety. In olden times, Shun subdued the four malefactors, and T’ang31 drove out the Miao barbarians. Had they not deployed their armies, they could not have been victorious; had they not employed military might, they could not have established peace. Armies are the teeth and claws of the nation; military power determines the security of the realm. At the present time, the central plain is in danger of collapse, and the barbarians are in revolt. The Liao bandits have encroached upon Our borders from the west; and the Chin rebels have launched a southern invasion with their cavalry. The common people have been greatly afflicted;32 and We are much concerned about their plight.33 The military commissioner-in-chief of Shantung, Chou Hsiu, is a man of seasoned talent, and a commander capable of defending cities; who has repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary merit, and whose fidelity and courage are well-known. He deploys his troops strategically and knows how to lead them into battle. We hereby promote him to the posts of commander-general of the Shantung region, and defense commissioner of the four circuits. In concert with the grand coordinator and censor-in-chief of Shantung, Chang Shu-yeh, he is ordered to lead his infantry and cavalry to defend Kao-yang Pass; and to place the disposition of his forces and their battle orders under the jurisdiction of General-in-chief Ch’ung Shih-tao; in the hope of restoring peace to Our endangered society, and expelling the rebellious barbarians. Alas! The appointment of worthy men to office in order to set the country straight; and the willingness to put oneself in danger in order to protect the throne; are indications of the loyalty and sincerity of ministers and sons. Just as the recognition of the good and the rewarding of the worthy, in order to stimulate resistance toward the enemy, are among the important functions of the court.34 Each of you should exert your loyalty to the utmost, in order to accomplish Our goals. This Imperial command must be obeyed.
Ordered on the stated day of the ninth month of the first year of the Ching-k’ang reign period.
When Commandant Chou Hsiu had listened to the reading of the edict, he sent the imperial messenger on his way. He then called in his two inspectors, Chang Sheng and Li An, and directed them to load up two carts with his trunks of luggage, valuables, and other belongings, and escort them back home.
It so happens that during the year he had served in office at Chi-nan he had amassed enormous sums of gold and silver, which he now stowed in his trunks of luggage and turned over to his two trusted servants, saying, “When you arrive home and have stored this material safely away, be sure to keep watch over the premises by day and by night. Some day soon, in conjunction with the grand coordinator Chang Shu-yeh, I will take charge of the infantry and cavalry from the four circuits and set out for the front from Ch’ing-ho district.”
That very day, Chang Sheng and Li An took care of loading the carts as they had been ordered to do and set out ahead of their master, but of the events of their trip there is nothing to tell. When they arrived home some days later and had stored the material safely away, the two of them proceeded to patrol the premises, by day and by night, both inside and out. But no more of this.
To resume our story, when Ch’en Ching-chi saw that Chang Sheng had escorted the carts and come home, and learned that Commandant Chou Hsiu had been promoted to the office of commander-general of the Shantung region and would arrive back before long himself, he decided to reveal what was on his mind to Ch’un-mei, so that when the commandant returned they would jointly be able to disclose the incriminating evidence he had discovered about Chang Sheng.
Unexpectedly, one day, when his wife Ko Ts’ui-p’ing was away from home visiting her mother, he was sleeping all by himself in the library on the west side of the courtyard when Ch’un-mei came in to see him early in the morning. Upon observing that there were no maidservants about, the two of them took off their clothes and proceeded to engage in the game of clouds and rain with each other.
What they did not anticipate was that Chang Sheng, ringing his bell as he patrolled the premises, should pass by the postern gate, and overhear what sounded like female laughter coming from inside the library. He immediately silenced his bell and crept slowly up to the window in order to eavesdrop on what was going on.
He found out that Ch’un-mei was inside, engaged in intercourse with Ch’en Ching-chi, and overheard him saying to her, “I can’t put up any longer with that rascal Chang Sheng, who is trying to keep me under his thumb by reminding me that it was thanks to him that I was located, and rescued from the plight I was in. He has run me down in front of the other servants more than once. Recently, when he learned that I had opened a tavern on the Lin-ch’ing dock, he encouraged his brother-in-law, the Turf-protecting Tiger, Liu the Second, to take advantage of your husband’s prestige in order to get away with operating a brothel for unlicensed prostitutes, and exploiting them as a loan shark. He is also maintaining Sun Hsüeh-o as his kept mistress in a separate location, and keeping you in the dark about all these things. The other day, his brother-in-law Liu th
e Second actually forced his way into my tavern and drove the customers away. I have been keeping quiet about these things, not venturing to tell you about them, but now that your husband is on his way home, if we don’t let him know about all this, I will not dare to continue doing business on the dock at Lin-ch’ing.”
When Ch’un-mei heard this, she responded, “How can that rascal act so improperly? I sold that menial creature Sun Hsüeh-o into prostitution. How can he presume to maintain her in a separate location as his kept mistress?”
“He is not only taking advantage of me,” said Ch’en Ching-chi, “but is taking advantage of you as well.”
“When His Honor arrives home,” pronounced Ch’un-mei, “I’ll see that he gets rid of that rascal for good.”
As the saying goes:
There are sure to be ears on the other
side of the wall;
How could there not be someone hidden
beyond the window?35
The two of them were preoccupied with what they were saying to each other inside the room and were quite unaware that Chang Sheng, who was lurking outside the window, overheard what they said so clearly that he might well have ejaculated:
“Is it not delightful?”
From his mouth no word was uttered, but
In his heart he thought to himself,
“Right now, they may be hatching a plot against my brother-in-law and myself, but I will act first by hatching a plot against them.”
So saying, he discarded his bell, went out to the duty room in the front compound, where he picked up a steel-bladed dagger, and then:
Chang Sheng Eavesdrops on Ch’en Ching-chi
The telling is slow, but
What happened was quick;
The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei Page 56
