Chapter 16 Dr. Zhao
Xinfan County had fewer than 1,000 households, but more than 400. A county magistrate was appointed to the government office. Zhao Jia, the county magistrate and magistrate of Xinfan County, was a learned scholar and a former Jinshi (Jinshi) scholar, known as Dr. Zhao. That day, Dr. Zhao received Meng Quan, who went by the pseudonym Daoxi, in the government hall. Dr. Zhao explained, "I am from Jiangxi. In the 15th year of Shaoxing, I passed the imperial examination with Wang Gangzhong and Luo Gong. In the 5th year of Gandao, I passed the imperial examination with Wang Yan (Dr. Zhao's fellow townsman). He then spoke of Wang Yan. He said this young man had literary talent and a love for writing, but his poetry was mediocre. For example, in the line "Where is my home? Countless chaotic mountains. I can't remember the way back." "Chaos mountains" and "laishi" are straightforward and lack artistic conception, unlike poetry. Where is my home? "Chaos mountains" isn't far enough. How can "chaos" and "countless" be used together to modify the subject? Where is my home? "Countless towering mountains" should be written as Chongshan. Literati should be especially respectful of ci poetry. "Laishi" should be written as "Niancheng." Niancheng is Wuyuan, Wang Yan's hometown. How could a person not remember the way home? Wang Yan is simply entrusting his original intention. The original heart is not that you have forgotten it, but it is like the plum blossoms of childhood, bitter to recall, but a pity to abandon. The same is true for home, which makes you know where it is, but unwilling to go back. To express this meaning, you cannot use "when you came", you have to use the name of the place. And Wang Yan copied Qin Guan's poems when he wrote poems, but he is not as good as Qin Guan. "Where is home? There are countless chaotic mountains. I don't remember the way I came." "There are countless mountains. The red flowers are scattered like rain. I don't remember the way I came" - do you think it looks similar?
Meng Quan said, "Yes."
After discussing Wang Yan, Dr. Zhao finally mentioned Xiong San. Dr. Zhao said calmly, "I know him. The thief Xiong San. It shouldn't be 'thief,' it should be 'human thief.' A thief is someone who has become a thief. A human thief is someone who has become a thief. A traitor to the nation is a thief. Xiong San is a highwayman, seeking wealth. He's a human before a thief. If he weren't a human, he wouldn't have been able to win over Chai Yao and Bi Xi from our office, don't you think?"
Meng Quan said, "That's absolutely right."
It seems that you are my soulmate. Dr. Zhao said that County Lieutenant Chai Yao knew about the thieves. County Lieutenant Chai Yao was thrown into prison in the year of Wu Zi and died in April. He was killed in prison by Xiong San's brothers. The robbers in the mountains often say "vengeance must be taken." According to the rules of the mountains, County Lieutenant Chai Yao must be killed. By the way, Xiong San was imprisoned in March of the year of Wu Zi. In March of the year of Wu Zi, in order to solve the case of the postman whose baggage was robbed, Chai Yao's subordinate, the yamen official Bi Xi, captured Xiong San. This matter is quite complicated. Bi Xi went to capture Xiong San not to solve the case. County Lieutenant Chai Yao asked Bi Xi to capture Xiong San, not to solve the case. Bi Xi and Chai Yao both had some relationship with Xiong San. This story started last year, when the postman went to the yamen to report the case.
Li Bing, a postman, was from Longgan County, Deshun Army. A man named Qiao Lizheng from Zhuanglang asked him to deliver a bundle to Chongguang Temple in Xinfan County. Someone was robbed on the road. Li Bing came to our office to report the case. He found the right place, as our office was responsible for the matter. What was it? Arresting people. But he met the wrong people. The clerk he met was someone from Chai Yao and Bi Xi. County Lieutenant Chai Yao was in charge of thieves and lawsuits, as well as police patrols, theft, smoking bans, and fire prevention. Chai Yao was born into a poor family and had previously served as a village chief. He was not very literate, but he was quite good at dealing with scoundrels. Being able to deal with scoundrels who rob people on the road is a skill. Otherwise, the county lieutenant would have to lead his men to fight the scoundrels in person, or even go to the thieves' lair. Our county government would be too disrespectful. If the people outside saw this, who would be able to tell which of the two fighting groups was the thief and which was the official? Zhiyin, don't you think so?
Family disgrace shouldn't be aired in public, but since we've met, we'll share our feelings today. In truth, no one in this office respects Chai Yao. He was made a county lieutenant, a local tyrant, simply because all the previous county magistrates hadn't been from Yizhou or the surrounding counties. The robbery of postman Li Bing wasn't a big deal. According to the division of labor, Chai Yao couldn't be called upon to personally investigate. Chai Yao handed the case over to the yamen runner Bi Xi. Bi Xi didn't go into the mountains to arrest anyone. There was no need to expend the effort. Bi Xi knew Xiong San, and the two had a close relationship. Bi Xi and Xiong San were both originally from Pi County. After arriving in Xinfan, one became a yamen runner, the other a thief. Bi Xi didn't arrest Xiong San because, firstly, Xiong San never killed anyone when he robbed; and secondly, Xiong San paid tribute to Bi Xi every year, and even paid tribute four times a quarter when the "harvest" was good. Bi Xi and Xiong San had an agreement: if Xiong San stole anything, he would list the items and report them to Bi Xi. Xiong San stole ten strings of cash and had to give eight to Bi Xi. Bi Xi then returned six of the eight strings to the owner to settle the matter. Once the matter was settled, Bi Xi would get two strings and Xiong San would get two strings. It wasn't as if Bi Xi hadn't done nothing. Giving the money to the owner wasn't enough to settle the matter. Even after the fire was out, there were still ashes, right? The ashes had to be swept away and the case closed. For every case involving the recovery of ten strings of cash, one string of cash had to be paid. This was the rule established by the county lieutenant, Chai Yao. Xiong San, Bi Xi, and Chai Yao formed a local gang, with Chai Yao at the head. So Bi Xi didn't arrest Xiong San; he was waiting for him to hand him the contents of the bag himself.
If the successive magistrates of this office had known about this practice, they would have jailed them long ago. However, the local tyrants' strength lies in their boldness, their ability to deceive their superiors and conceal the truth from their subordinates. Once the case was withdrawn from the signing office, no one mentioned it, so how could the magistrate know? I guarantee that no successive magistrates in this office knew about the activities of this group of local tyrants. Family disgrace should not be aired in public. But today, we must make this matter clear. After the postman Li Bing was kidnapped, Bi Xi waited for Xiong San for over ten days, but Xiong San did not come. Believing Xiong San had broken the rules, Bi Xi sent a yamen runner to the village to extort Xiong San's father. The Xiong family was originally a butcher's family, and Xiong San's father, a butcher who sold pigs and meat, had previously relied on his son's connections to the yamen to avoid paying taxes. This time, the runners came to collect the taxes, claiming they wanted five years of exemption money. Xiong San's father said he would discuss this with his son. Upon learning of this, Xiong San was deeply disturbed and sent a brother to deliver money to Bi Xi. Xiong San gave Bi Xi six strings of cash. According to the rules, Bi Xi was supposed to give three strings of cash to Chai Yao. Chai Yao, however, told Bi Xi that Xiong San had robbed a postman and, instead of handing over the goods, had presented the money, indicating the items were worth a lot. Chai Yao ordered Bi Xi to send someone to confront Xiong San. How could Xiong San dare to come? They had also summoned Nian Erlang, the mountain robber, and executed him. But Xiong San decided to return home, first to bring his father to the mountains, and then to send someone to test Bi Xi's composure. So, in late February, Xiong San returned to his hometown, intending to take his father away. However, Bi Xi, accompanied by a detachment of yamen runners, was already waiting for him at his doorstep. Xiong San was apprehended and brought to the court, where he was tried by none other than Chai Yao. Xiong San said nothing, but Chai Yao knew everything. It turned out that Chai Yao had secretly kept the case files whenever he withdrew a case from the court. Now, to convict Xiong San, all he had to do was copy down the crimes. As a result, Xiong San was sentenced to death. But how could Chai Yao have the power to execute someone? The case file must be reviewed by me and then sent to the Chengdu Prefecture Criminal Division for review before Xiong San can be executed. This period will last about twenty days. The Taoist priest in black also came to see me during this period.
The black-robed Taoist, holding a silver-handled donkey-tail whisk, claimed to be from Hanzhou, a native of Mount Zhongnan, and a member of the Wu family. These three identities were enough to intimidate the Xinfan officialdom, so there was no need to mention his real name. I received him near the stone inscription of the officialdom. At that time, the Taoist said, "You must recover the stolen property of postman Li Bing. Bring the bundle to me within ten days and I will reward you with 20,000 strings of cash."
When I heard the word "缗" after "twenty thousand," I felt a sudden surge of heat, my heart sinking, and I nearly vomited. When I came to my senses, I was sweating profusely. The Taoist in black pointed his whisk at the stone and asked, "What are the words engraved on this stone?"
I said, "It is easy to abuse the people, but it is hard to deceive God."
The Taoist in black said, "Okay. I'll come find you in ten days."
Dr. Zhao was silent for a moment, then sighed. His face, stained gray with worry, seemed covered in a veil. It was as if the words he had just spoken weren't just a repetition, but had been forced into his throat by the black-robed Taoist priest. A moment later, his face took on a different expression, as if he had become another person. He said, "A county magistrate is a county magistrate, and a prefectural magistrate is a prefectural magistrate. They seek reputation and are held accountable for their actions. A county magistrate knows county affairs, and a prefectural magistrate knows prefectural affairs. A magistrate has responsibilities and responsibilities. Everything you should know is what you should know, and everything you shouldn't know is what you shouldn't know. The worst thing is that there are things you should be in charge of, but can't, and someone forces you to do so, and you have to. And the things you have to do are things you know nothing about, because someone keeps you in the dark and uses you like a fire tong, and you have to accept them. I studied hard for ten years, passed the imperial examination twice, and waited three years for a position, only to be offered a county magistrate. I've never seen 20,000 strings of cash, not even 10,000. Is 20,000 strings of cash money? What can be counted in 10,000 strings of cash isn't money, it's power. But that's not the power of a county magistrate. May I ask how much is the monthly salary of the Privy Councilor of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries? How much is the monthly salary of the Regulations Office of the Three Departments? What's in that bundle that could be worth 20,000 strings of cash? If we can't recover it, will he want us to pay him 20,000 strings of cash, or will he want our lives?"
Meng Quan said, "That's absolutely right."
Therefore, the baggage must be recovered within ten days. After the black-robed Taoist left, Dr. Zhao immediately interrogated Xiong San, but Xiong San denied having robbed the baggage from the postman Li Bing. He summoned Li Bing again and confronted Xiong San. Li Bing met Xiong San and said that the thief who robbed him was not this man, but someone with black hands. At that moment, Li Bing looked at Xiong San carefully and said, "No, look at his hands, they are as white as pig's trotters. He doesn't look like a thief." After the confrontation, Li Bing left the office and returned to live in the village nunnery. Dr. Zhao went to find the city dweller Lao Si. It turned out that Dr. Zhao had been the magistrate of Xinfan County for the past two years. Although he didn't know about the activities of the three local tyrants, he did have his suspicions. The case files that Chai Yao had dismissed amounted to a hundred, and Dr. Zhao had seen several of them. Dr. Zhao had heard of the black bear demon Xiong San harming people, but he had previously regarded it as a folk legend. After Bi Xi, the yamen runner, apprehended Xiong San, his numerous crimes were written down on a single case file. Doctor Zhao immediately understood: Xiong San's previous escape from justice was not unrelated to the corrupt practices of the yamen staff. If they were looking for the bundle, they couldn't trust a snake like Chai Yao or a rat like Bi Xi. They couldn't use anyone from Xinfan County. Furthermore, if the person who stole the bundle wanted to exchange the items for cash or banknotes, they could only go to the Chengdu pawnshop. Doctor Zhao then summoned Lao Si, a local resident.
The fourth brother, surnamed Zou, was from Xinfan County and had been a bandit under Nian'er. After Nian'er's execution, he fled to Chengdu and took over the house of Zhang Guafu on North Street in Dadong City, where he started a donkey and horse trade. He wielded influence in Chengdu, so vast that he monopolized both the night and monthly markets, rivaling even the foreman of the government office. Moreover, his knowledge of local affairs rivaled even that of the military officer. More importantly, Dr. Zhao could control the fourth brother. The Xinfan County jail held the fourth brother's two brothers, Zhang Tan and Yang Jiulang. Two years prior, during their return home, they severed the tendons of a farmer, claiming that the farmer had leveled the fourth brother's ancestral grave with their fields. The yamen officers arrested them, brought them to the government office, and after investigation and trial, sentenced them to ten years in prison. According to the fourth brother's rules, he was obliged to rescue the brothers from prison. If he failed, he would pay a monthly bribe to the prison warden to ensure their proper living. Doctor Zhao knew that the fourth brother loved two things, money and power. Now that he couldn't get his brother out of jail, it didn't hurt his momentum. But if he could get his brother out, his momentum would grow. Of course, he wouldn't treat him badly in terms of money. Doctor Zhao sent the fourth brother to find the bag and promised him 800 strings of cash, fearing that the fourth brother had never seen so much money. But the fourth brother laughed after hearing what he said, saying that the thief didn't have black hands, but had a red birthmark on his right hand. He was afraid that it would be inconvenient to steal, so he had to wear gloves, and he usually wore gloves when touching bags. It's not difficult to find this kid, but 800 strings of cash is too little. The fourth brother said, "Give me 2,000, and I will bring him here within ten days."
Afterwards, Dr. Zhao said, "If the fourth brother had really brought Feng Xie here, perhaps so many people wouldn't have died. However, even if the fourth brother had brought Feng Xie here, the black-robed Taoist wouldn't believe that Feng Xie had taken the bundle. Even if I believed the fourth brother's claim that it was Feng Xie, the black-robed Taoist wouldn't have believed it. He wouldn't believe a commoner's words no matter what. He doesn't believe anything. Not to mention that the fourth brother is a gangster. Ask him if he trusts me, the county magistrate? Does he trust the Xiantai and the prefect of Chengdu?"
Meng Quan asked, "May I ask what's in that bundle?"
Dr. Zhao raised his shackled hands, wiped his face, and then, with a shamefaced expression, said, "I don't know."
Meng Quan asked, "Why did you instruct Zhang Tan to kill Chai Yao from prison?"
Dr. Zhao said, “I don’t know.”
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