by Shi Nai-An
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When Westgate heard this news he felt as though his body was in an ice house, and he said, "Horrible! I know that Wu Sung killed a tiger on the Ching Yang Ridge, and that he is the great hero of Ching Ho Hsien. But I have loved you for so long that our hearts are now one, and we cannot change. But what can we do? The situation is awkward."
Mrs. Wang sneered and said, "We are in the same boat; I am the passenger but I am not afraid. This is the first time I have seen the man at the helm nervous and excited."
"I am a useless man," said Westgate, "and in a situation like this, I cannot arrange anything, so if you have any plan I hope that you will not keep it from us."
"Well, do you want to be a couple for your whole life or for only a short time?" asked Mrs. Wang.
"What do you mean? asked Westgate.
"Well, if you wanted to be a couple for a short time then now is the time for you two to separate," said Mrs. Wang, "and when Wu Ta-lang gets better you must apologize to him. Then when Wu Sung returns there will be nothing said to him, and after waiting until Wu Sung departs on some other business you two can come here again as before. But if you two wish to continue as husband and wife for life without further trouble then I have a plan, but I do not care to mention it now."
"Please tell us at once how we can be husband and wife for life," said Westgate.
"To carry out that plan we should require a very rare thing which however you have at your house," replied Mrs. Wang.
"Even if you wanted my eyes you could have them," replied Westgate. "But what is the thing you want?"
"This fellow is very sick," said Mrs. Wang, "but when be is much worse we can use my plan. At your house you have some arsenic. You can tell Mrs. Wu to go and buy some medicine for her husband's sickness, and she can mix the arsenic with the medicine, and poison him and then burn his body so that there will be no trace left behind, and when Wu Sung returns what can he do? An old saying has this, 'An elder brother's wife should not talk matters with her brother-in-law.' 'The first marriage must
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be in accordance with the wish of the parents but the second marriage is your own affair only.' Wu Sung can raise no objection. After Wu Ta-lang's death you two can secretly come here and continue as before for about six months or a year, and then after the mourning is over you can be formally married, and be husband and wife for life live happily together ever afterwards. Is that a good plan?"
"I am afraid that we should be found out," said Westgate. "But still, still, still. If I don't do it I shall have no rest."
"I am glad to hear that," said Mrs. Wang. "There is a saying, 'If the roots are removed the grass will not come up again. But if the grass is only out, then the next spring it will revive.' Sir, you had better go at once and get the arsenic, and in the meanwhile I will instruct this lady how to use it. When this affair is finished you will both be deeply indebted to me."
"That will be so without your saying," said Westgate. He went for the arsenic, and upon returning with it handed it to Mrs. Wang.
Upon reaching her home Mrs. Wu saw her husband lying on the bed hardly breathing, and almost lifeless. She went to the side of the bed and pretended to cry.
Wu Ta-lang asked her why she came there to cry, and his wife dried her eyes, and said that she had made a mistake in that affair, but she had been deceived. "Who could have foreseen that you would have been kicked in that brutal manner," she said. She added that she had found a good medicine, but did not buy it because she was afraid that he would suspect her.
"Well, if you now save my life," said Wu Ta-lang, "I will forgive you, and when my brother arrives I will not say anything to him. Go at once, and buy the medicine, and so save my life."
So Mrs. Wu went to Mrs. Wang, who gave her the arsenic. Upon returning to the bedroom with the poison Mrs. Wu gave it to her husband and said, "The doctor says that you must take this during the night. You will perspire freely so you must have two blankets over your head."
"That is all right," said Wu Ta-lang. "Thanks very much. You had better not go to sleep to-night, but stay up and administer the medicine to me."
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"You can go to sleep, and I will look after you," said Mrs. Wu. She saw that it was getting dark so she lit a lamp, and kindle a fire to boil some water. She took a duster, and put it in the water. The night watchman just then sounded the hour of midnight on his drum. She then placed the arsenic in a cup, and poured some hot water in another cup. She took these upstairs, and called out, "Husband Where is the medicine?" Wu Ta-lang replied that the medicine was underneath the mat on which he was lying at the side of his pillow. He asked her to let him have the medicine at once. She raised the mat, took out the medicine, which, together with the cup of water, she poured into the cup of arsenic. She then took a silver hairpin, to stir the decoction; she raised Wu Ta-lang with her left arm, and gave him the cup to drink. He drank some, and then said, "Wife! this medicine is not easy to take."
"It will do you good, so never mind if it has a bad taste," she said.
He took two mouthfuls and each time his wife tipped up the cup so that he should take plenty, and at last the cup was empty. She then laid him down on the bed, and quickly left him. Her husband gave a retch and said, "Wife! that medicine is giving me pain in the stomach. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I cannot bear it." At this she took two quilts from the foot of the bed and put them over his head. He called out, "I am almost suffocated." His wife replied, "That is in accordance with the doctor's orders, as he wished you to perspire freely, and so you would be better more quickly." The next time he attempted to speak she was afraid that he was going to get free, so she sprang on the bed, knelt on his body, and pressed down the quilts with her hands so that he could not move. He gave several gasps, but he was soon suffocated, and lay quite still. She raised the quilts, and looked at him. His teeth were set tight; and blood was flowing from the seven openings in his head; and this sight gave her a fright. She jumped off the bed, and running to the partition wall knocked. Mrs. Wang upon hearing the sound went to the back door of Mrs. Wu's house and coughed gently. Mrs. Wu immediately went downstairs, and opened the door.
"Is it finished?" asked Mrs. Wang.
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"Yes! All is over," replied Mrs. Wu. "But I feel too weak to do anything else."
"What is the difficulty? I will help you," said Mrs. Wang. She thereupon rolled up her sleeves; filled a bucket full of hot water; put a duster in the bucket; and took them upstairs. She took the quilts off the bed and washed the corpse; she made it all clean, and then covered it with ordinary clothes. The two women then took the body downstairs and placed it on a leaf of door. They combed the hair, put on a turban, dressed the remains with clothes, socks, and shoes. Put a piece of silk over his face, and placed a clean quilt over the body. They then went upstairs, and cleaned the room. When all had been finished Mrs. Wang returned to her own house. Mrs. Wu began a very good imitation of crying for her husband. Now generally when a woman weeps for her husband there are three kinds of crying: (1) When there are both tears and voice that is called "sob"; (2) when there are tears but no voice that is called weeping; (3) when there is voice but no tears that is called crying. This woman was crying but not weeping and she did it well up till about 4 a.m. It is not quite dawn when Westgate arrived to hear what had had been done. When Mrs. Wang told him that all had been satisfactorily finished he gave her money to buy a coffin. He asked her to call Mrs. Wu to discuss matters, and when she arrived she said to Westgate, "My husband is now dead, so that I am dependent upon you."
"It is hardly necessary to mention that," said Westgate.
"There is, however, still an important thing," said Mrs. Wang.
"The headman of this ward is Ho Chiu-shu who is very particular, and I am afraid that if he discovers any loophole he will place difficulties in the way of a burial."
"That does not matter," said Westgate. "I will talk to him and square him. He will certainl
y attend to what I say.”
"Then you had better go at once, and get that matter settled," said Mrs. Wang. And Westgate acted accordingly.
When it was daylight Mrs. Wang went and purchased the coffin, and also some incense and paper money. She and Mrs. Wu prepared the sacrificial food for the spirit of the dead, and lit the seven-wicks lamp to be placed underneath
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the door plank on which the corpse lay. The neighbors came in to offer condolence, and Mrs. Wu was very busy with her artificial crying. The neighbors wanted to know of what complaint Wu Ta-lang had died, to which Mrs. Wu replied that he had had a severe attack at heart which got up worse and worse every day, and the doctor had not been able to cure him. Unfortunately he had died last night about midnight. So saying she gave a good display of simulated sobbing and crying. The neighbors, however, did not believe that Wu Ta-lang had died a natural death, but dared not ask further questions. So they consoled her, saying, "He is dead, but you are still alive so don't grieve so much." She thanked them, and they then all withdrew.
Mrs. Wang, after getting the coffin, went to inform the headman of the ward -- Ho Chiu-shu. She bought all the articles necessary for the funeral, and also engaged two priests to come that evening to perform the necessary prayers. The headman of the ward duly engaged two corpse burners to cremate the body. He then went himself to visit the house, but when he reached the Purple Stone Street he met Westgate who asked where he was going. The headman Ho Chiu-shu replied that he was going to look at the body of Wu Ta-lang who had died the previous night.
Westgate said, "I have something to tell you about that." So Ho Chiu-shu followed him round a comer to a restaurant where Westgate asked him to take the seat of honor, but Ho Chiu-shu declined this. They both sat down at last, and Westgate called for wine. The waiter brought it with fruit and vegetables.
Now Ho Chiu-shu could not understand what was at the bottom of this condescension as previously Westgate had never offered him wine. He was therefore suspicious. After they had been drinking wine for about an hour Westgate took out an ingot of ten ounces of silver from his sleeve, and placing it on the table said, "You must not think that this is rather small, because to-morrow there will be some more."
Ho Chiu-shu expressed his thanks by saluting with both hands, and said, "But I am not aware of having done any thing for you, so why do you present me with this silver? But even if you wish me to do something I do not care to accept this silver."
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“I hope that you will not treat me in that way," said Westgate. "Please take the money, and I will then tell you something."
"Please, sir, speak without any reserve and I will listen," said Ho Chiu-shu.
"The fact is," said Westgate, "that they may offer you a gift themselves. When you are inquiring into the death of Wu Ta-lang it would be much better for you not to go into details, but just cover up the fact without any comment."
"Why are you so deeply concerned about such a small affair?" asked Ho Chiu-shu. "How can I accept money in such a case?"
"If you do not accept the money I am afraid that you will decline to act as I suggest," said Westgate.
Ho Chiu-shu had ever been afraid of Westgate because he was crafty and had influence with the officials so he thought it better to take the money. When they had drunk some more wine Westgate called for the bill, and promised to call again the following day and pay. They both went downstairs, and when at the street door Westgate asked Ho Chiu-shu not to forget what he had said, and also not to mention this matter to anyone else, and in a few days he would reward him still further.
Now Ho Chiu-shu thought all this was very strange, and he became more suspicious. He thought he was only going to inspect the body, and authorize the burial, and yet this man had given him so much money, so there must be a trick somewhere. When he reached Wu Ta-lang's house he saw the men engaged to cremate the corpse and asked them of what sickness Wu Ta-lang had died. They replied that the people of the house said that he had died from some disease of the heart. He raised the curtain over the door, and upon entering he was received by Mrs. Wang who said that she had been waiting for him a long time, Ho Chiu-shu explained that he had been delayed by a little affair and that was why he was a little late. He saw that Mrs. Wu had already put on the mourning clothes, and was pretending to cry. He said to her, "Please do not grieve so much. Your husband has returned to heaven."
Mrs. Wu covered her eyes so that he should not see that there were no tears, and said, "I cannot say all there is to
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say. I did not expect that this heart trouble would carry him off so quickly. He has left me with all this sorrow and misery.”
Ho Chiu-shu looked at her very carefully while she was saying this and remembered that he had often heard others speak about her, but this was the first time he had seen her. He now understood why Westgate had given him the ten ounces of silver.
Ho Chiu-shu then removed the shroud screening the corpse, and took the veil from the face.
Upon noticing that the lips were purple, and that blood had issued from the mouth; the face was yellow, and the eyes were dull; the finger nails were dark colored, he fell down in a swoon with a loud exclamation.
Life like the waning moon at dawn,
Or lamp at midnight without oil.
We will now relate what became of Ho Chiu-shu's life.
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CHAPTER 25
HO CHIU-SHU STEALS THE BONES; WU SUNG
OFFERS A MAN'S HEAD AS SACRIFICE
WHEN Ho Chiu-shu saw these marks he fell down in a faint and the corpse burners rushed in and lifted hand up. Mrs. Wang called out, "He has been made sick by some poison! Bring some water!" She got the water herself and taking it in her mouth spurted it over Ho's face. Slowly he recovered consciousness. Mrs. Wang then told the corpse burners to take him home. They took a leaf of door, placed him on it, and carried him off. His people received him and placed him on a bed where he went to sleep.
His wife cried and asked, "He went out this morning laughing and in good spirits. How is it that he returns like this? He has never had such an attack as this before." She sat at the side of the bed sobbing very bitterly. Ho Chiu-shu opened his eyes and seeing that the corpse burners had all gone he then explained all that had happened and told his wife that the corpse showed signs of poisoning. "But I did not say anything as I was also afraid there was no man there who would take the matter up. If I had said anything would it not have been like disturbing a wasp, and getting stung? If I had stupidly sanctioned the corpse being put in the coffin then I should have had to face his younger brother, Wu Sung, the lieutenant who killed a tiger on Ching Yang Ridge, and who can kill men without moving an eyelash. When he returns there is bound to be a row."
"I heard a man say a few days ago that a boy, Elder Brother Yun, had assisted Wu Ta-lang in an endeavor to catch the adulterer in a tea house on Purple Stone Street," said his wife. "It must have been connected with this case. You had better go and crossexamine him. At present there is no diff ficulty, and you can just allow the corpse burners to put the corpse in the coffin, and they can get their instructions from the wife as to when the funeral will take place. If they
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postpone the funeral until Wu Sung returns we can assume that everything is really above-board. Even if they bury the dead before he arrives we need not worry. But if they arrange for the body to be cremated then indeed we may expect that there has been something strange. You can attend the funeral without creating any suspicion, and after the cremation you can get some bones which, and together with those ten ounces of silver will be very important proofs. If Wu Sung does not make any inquiries then Westgate will not 'lose face,' and everything will be finished."
"A wise wife in the home I have," said Ho Chiu-shu. "You see things quite clearly." Forthwith he told the corpse burners that he was sick and they themselves could go and dress the body, and ask Mrs. Wu when the funeral w
ould take place. They must report to him what she said. If she gave them money they could divide it equally among themselves, but if she wanted to give him money he would not accept it.
The corpse burners went to Mrs. Wu's house, and duly dressed the body. After everything had been arranged they returned to Ho Chiu-shu, and told him that Mrs. Wu had said that the funeral would take place after three days, and they were to cremate the body outside the town. They then divided the money, and departed.
Ho Chiu-shu said to his wife, "What you said has come true, and I will go to the funeral and get the bones as you suggested."
During the night Mrs. Wang had repeatedly urged Mrs. Wu to stay with the dead. The next day she got four priests to intone their prayers. On the third day the corpse burners came to carry away the coffin, and many of the neighbors followed in the procession. Mrs. Wu was in her white mourning clothes, and on the way she pretended to bewail her loss. When outside the town they came to the crematorium, where the attendants were told to get the fire ready. There they saw Ho Chiu-shu with paper money waiting for them, and Mrs. Wang and that woman Mrs. Wu spoke to him saying, "We are glad to see that you are better."
"Some days ago I bought some cakes from Wu Ta-lang and was worried because I had not paid him, so I decided to come to his funeral and pay this paper money to his spirit."
