Chapter 1: The Clamorous Bandits Make Their Opening Move; A Leisurely Prose Sets the Stage

"Hey! Comrades! We've reached the place! Look, the main gate is shut tight — what method should we use to break through?"

"Bah! Fool! These are just two wooden doors — can't we force them open? Come, come, come! Bring me my iron hammer!"1

"BANG! BANG! What a noise!"

"Good, good! The front gate is open! — Ah! This second gate is iron. What shall we do?"

"BOOM!"

"Good, good! That cannon shot means Big Brother Lin has arrived."

"Big Brother Lin! Here are two iron prison doors we can't break open!"

"Hmm! I, Old Lin, have roamed the rivers and lakes for over ten years. I don't believe there's an iron door that can't be broken open. Let me have a look. — Bah! What does this amount to? Quickly bring tallow and firewood. Brothers, all set fire together. When the iron gets hot, it'll soften!"

"Set fire!" Crackle, crackle — sparks flew in all directions.

"The firewood isn't making it red. Quickly bring charcoal!"

"Good, it's starting to turn red. Brothers, attack quickly!" CRASH! CRASH!

"The gatehouse has collapsed. Rush in!"

"Hm! No wonder people say the Liang family has a stone chamber. Indeed, even the doors are made of stone."

"Big Brother Lin! The iron door was opened with fire! I'm afraid fire won't work on this stone door. What's your clever plan?"

"Bah! Brothers all have knives, hammers, axes, and chisels. Why not join forces and press forward? When Lord Ling arrives shortly, if we haven't broken through yet, what reward can we claim!"

"Right! Let's join forces and attack. We're not afraid of bronze walls or iron ramparts!" Busy indeed — knives, hammers, axes, chisels all swinging at once.

"I've made a chip here the size of a fingertip!"

"I haven't moved it even a sesame seed's worth over here!"

"Alas! We've been at this for nearly half a shichen (one hour). I, Old Lin, have robbed and plundered countless hundreds of times, but I have never encountered something so difficult. Brothers, let us not waste our efforts. Find another way — use a rope ladder to climb up!"

"No use! This stone chamber has no courtyard. Even the two windows are only about a foot high and four or five inches wide — no way to get through!"

"Then let's dig a tunnel!"

"Also useless. This prison was built by my late father. He often mentioned that beneath this prison, piles were driven twelve feet deep on all sides!"

"This is truly difficult!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"That's three cannon shots — Lord Ling has arrived!"

"Lord Ling, we can't break open this stone chamber. Please give us your instructions!"

"Ha! You boasted before me, and now you're stuck between a tiger's back and nowhere to go. Do you mean to simply give up?"

"My Lord, please don't be angry! I, Old Lin, still have one clever plan!"

"Say it quickly."

"Fortunately, Your Lordship doesn't want his money..."

"I have mountains of copper and vaults of gold. What would I want his money for? That goes without saying!"

"You only need to end the lives of his whole family. I, Old Lin, have one more clever plan — without needing to break open this prison, we can kill them all, leaving not even a blade of grass!"

"Very well! I originally only wanted to kill his two brothers. But they had no sense whatsoever. There is no choice but to see this through to the end! Old Lin! Go ahead and execute your clever plan!"

"Brothers! Bring firewood and straw, pour tong oil on it, and light it right in front of this door. Bring the bellows over and pump smoke through the door cracks... A-Qi! Can you still use your skill of running across rooftops and scaling walls?"

"Honestly speaking, although I've smoked a couple of pipes of opium, this skill was learned from childhood — how could I ever forget it!"

"In that case, climb up and stuff all the small windows on all four sides with straw, then set fire to them."

"All right, I'll do that."

"Lord Ling! Here is a horse-whip for you. Please sit on the upwind side and watch Old Lin succeed! Brothers, quickly get to work!"

What a spectacle! How so? — Poisonous fog blanketed the sky; thick smoke smothered the ground. Where the wind passed, red flames blazed; when the fire dimmed, black vapors billowed. Those who added fuel threw themselves into the task without a thought for their scorched heads. Those who worked the bellows swung their arms wildly, unmindful of their blistered foreheads. From all four sides, dogs barked and chickens flew; in an instant, the air was filled with ghostly wails and demon cries. The gongs' din shook the earth, yet no official troops came to render aid. Only the cannons thundered ceaselessly as the bandits' momentum grew ever greater. The stench of tong-oil smoke was foul and suffocating, seeping through the cracks of the stone door. The death warrant allowed no mercy — issued from the halls of Yama, King of Hell. Those in the chamber were destined to become wandering ghosts in the underworld. Even if it was not quite like Peking roast duck fresh from the capital's hanging ovens, they would at least become smoked fish in the southern style.

"By now we've been burning for over two shichen (four hours)! It must be past the fourth watch of the night. The people inside that prison cannot still be alive! Lord Ling, shall we disperse?"

"Excellent! As the saying goes, 'Whips strike the golden stirrups as they ring; the men sing songs of triumphant returning.' Let's go! Bring the sedan chair!" With a great commotion, they all dispersed. This dispersal seemed unremarkable — yet it set into motion a great case of nine lives' strange injustice.

Ah! Dear readers, you have seen how I suddenly laid out this scene of bandits carrying out a raid, with no head or tail to it. This Lord Ling who commanded them — a man with mountains of copper and vaults of gold — had no desire for money and only wanted to kill the people in the stone chamber. What was his reason? Readers who have taken this in must surely be puzzled. If I continue telling the story in this headless, tailless fashion, I fear that even after finishing this whole book, you still will not understand! Let me first relate the origins of this story, along with the time period and background of these events, so as to spare readers their confusion.

This story takes place in Guangdong. I have heard people everywhere say that Guangdong has many bandits. That Guangdong indeed has many bandits — I cannot hide this fact on Guangdong's behalf. However, those who become bandits are generally nothing but idle ruffians and desperate young men. There has never been reason for someone who sits on great wealth and holds a distinguished position in the gentry to become a bandit. Yet in this case, a man of considerable wealth did become a bandit. Moreover, though this man was not born into a prominent or illustrious family, he was a licensed scholar who had purchased his way into academic standing and passed himself off as coming from a family of learning. For a man of his standing to have become a bandit — is that not a remarkable thing? Furthermore, this story takes place during the Yongzheng reign period of our dynasty. This Yongzheng Emperor, as the elders tell it, was an enlightened and martial sovereign. He devoted great attention to matters of state and the people's livelihood, and was extremely strict in punishing corrupt and tyrannical officials. Moreover, his insight penetrated ten thousand li — no wickedness escaped his illumination. Even to this day, everyone says that governance during the Yongzheng period was the finest of all. Yet this story later swelled into an enormous case, with corrupt officials spreading throughout Guangdong, plunging it into a darkness no different from a gloomy netherworld. And this occurred neither too early nor too late, but precisely during the sixth and seventh years of the Yongzheng reign — is that not yet another remarkable thing?

To know the full details of this remarkable affair, let me relate them slowly, chapter by chapter, and all will become clear in due course.