Chapter 12: Thousand-Commander Huang Knowingly Shields Ruffians — Ling Gui Xing Leads a Robbery in Person

Now, after Gui Xing had sent his father-in-law He Da An on his way, he set about arranging the mourning rites for his wife, putting Yugeng Hall back in order, engaging monks and Taoist priests, and preparing forty-nine days of religious services. The ruffians, under the pretext of lending a hand, gathered at the Ling household day and night without rest. Without his wife and sister nattering in his ear, Gui Xing actually found it rather pleasant. On the third day, Jue Xing had Gui Xing go to their usual money shop and draw up bank notes — twenty-six notes in all, large and small. Jue Xing took the one for a thousand taels and went to settle with He Da An. The remaining twenty-five notes, totaling one thousand seven hundred taels — well, it must be said: he pocketed them himself, and managed to earn the gratitude of both sides in the bargain. He still helped himself to free meals at the Ling household. From one direction came the call "worthy nephew," from another "Uncle Nephew-Father," and from yet another a chorus of "Master." Gui Xing found it all very lively and forgot about the dead entirely; day after day the chanting of monks and priests mingled with the sound of merrymaking and drinking. After the third of the seven-day mourning periods, the two coffins were carried to the ancestral burial ground. Gui Xing then took two concubines — a Miss Yang and a Miss Pan. Amidst the funeral observances, they were also drinking wedding wine, so that weeping and laughter, ill omen and good, proceeded side by side.

One day, Zong Kong happened to remember something and said, "I recall that on the sixteenth of the eighth month I saw Liang Han Zhao coming out of the Thousand-Commander's yamen. Could it be that they are now cultivating connections with officialdom, in order to oppose us?" Jue Xing said, "Unlikely! That crowd of country bumpkins — the very sight of an official frightens the words out of them. How would they ever think of cultivating one?" Gui Xing said, "Even so, we cannot be careless. Besides, we were discussing the plan to raid and harvest his rice — we were about to move in a day or two. The Thousand-Commander has jurisdiction over that. The moment we strike, if they report it to the civil yamen, the civil authorities will also call on him to pursue the matter. What are we to do?" Jue Xing said, "No matter! That Huang the Thousand-Commander is most greedy for silver — send him a few taels and he'll be willing to call you his grandfather." Gui Xing said, "But who knows him well enough to make the approach?" Jue Xing said, "I myself am on excellent terms with him — we talk openly about everything. No need to go through anyone else." Gui Xing was delighted and counted out fifty taels of silver for Jue Xing to deliver. Jue Xing said, "No need, no need — those military dogs, the sight of a single copper coin makes their eyes light up with joy. Fifty is far too much; twenty will be plenty. I must save you money where I can — unlike the Chen and He business, where there was no saving to be done." So Gui Xing changed the amount to twenty taels. Jue Xing took it and went off to handle the matter. And indeed — with just twenty taels of silver, Jue Xing purchased the Thousand-Commander Huang outright. He reported back to Gui Xing, who was naturally delighted.

That same night, while the outside rang with gongs and cymbals, within the house the bridal candles were lit. Word of this reached the Liang household. The Ling womenfolk, learning that Gui Xian and her sister-in-law had both taken their own lives, could not help but grieve. But since the two families had become enemies, it was not fitting to go and offer condolences. Ling Shi, thinking of her blood relatives, wept for a time. She then recalled that on the night of the fifteenth, Gui Xian had come secretly to see her, and her parting words had turned out to be a final admonition — remarkable, for so young a person to have thought so far ahead. Later, when Tian Lai came home and spoke of Gui Xian's words, Ling Shi told him what Gui Xian had entrusted to her: that she feared Gui Xing would bring terrible disaster upon himself and had asked them to look after him. Tian Lai too sighed without end. But this is a digression.

Let us now turn to Ling Shi. One day, having nothing particular to do, she was watching her daughters-in-law rush to finish the winter clothing when a group of tenant farmers came in clamoring: "Mistress Liang! Terrible news! Today a great mob of bandits came and stripped all our fields of grain!" Ling Shi looked — sure enough, they were the tenants from the North Sands plots. She let out a sigh and said, "Since you have encountered bandits and lost your harvest, I will waive this year's rent." The tenants said, "Old Mistress, your compassion is boundless — we thank you deeply for waiving the rent. But the grain we rely on to get through the winter and see in the new year is gone, all of it!" And with that they wept. Ling Shi said, "Go and rest awhile. I will think of some way to provide for you." The tenants thanked her and withdrew.

Ling Shi then summoned Han Zhao and told him what had happened. Han Zhao flew off at once to report the matter to the Thousand-Commander. Huang the Thousand-Commander frowned and said, "As bad luck would have it, I've had a bad stomach today and haven't even eaten. This is public business, so I suppose I must go — but I need to eat something first, or I won't be able to move." Han Zhao said, "If we wait to eat first, the bandits may have gone too far to catch." Huang the Thousand-Commander snapped, "The court does not send its soldiers out hungry — and now you'd have its officials go hungry too?" Frightened into silence, Han Zhao had nothing more to say and withdrew to wait outside. He waited over two full shichen (approximately four hours), before at last he heard the call to ready the horses. After another long wait, the Thousand-Commander finally emerged, mounted his horse, and set off with several dozen soldiers.

Han Zhao followed. He had feared he would not be able to keep up, but to his surprise the Thousand-Commander rode at a leisurely amble — not just Han Zhao, who was over fifty, but even a man of eighty could have followed with ease to spare. By the time they reached North Sands, there was not a bandit to be seen — only the wreckage of trampled crops. And the fields on both sides, which adjoined Ling family land, were still golden with undisturbed grain. The Thousand-Commander asked, "Are these fields on both sides also yours?" Han Zhao said, "Both sides belong to other families." The Thousand-Commander said, "That's strange then! If these were bandits on a raid, why would they draw distinctions? Why strip your fields to the last stalk while leaving the neighbors' untouched?" Han Zhao had no answer. The Thousand-Commander said, "More likely someone to whom you owe a debt came to take the crop in lieu of payment." Han Zhao said, "I owe no debt to anyone — there may be enemies involved, I cannot say." The Thousand-Commander shouted angrily, "If it is enemies, why did you report it as bandits? What an ignorant villager!" With that, he wheeled his horse and rode off. Han Zhao stood there blankly for a moment, then had no choice but to go home and report to Ling Shi. Ling Shi heard him out and likewise could do nothing. Han Zhao said, "Perhaps we should send word to young Tian Lai and ask him to come home and think it over." Ling Shi said, "There is no need. It is nearly year's end, and the sugar shop is at its busiest. Let us not distract him, and besides, even if he came home, he would do nothing but heave a few sighs. He is even more averse to trouble than you and I." And so Han Zhao let the matter rest. Meanwhile Ling Shi arranged to give relief to the tenant farmers, who bowed their thanks and departed. Fortunately, the sugar business had been good in recent years — for a household in more straitened circumstances, this blow would have been ruinous.

But enough of these digressions. Time flies like an arrow; the days pass like a weaver's shuttle. In a blink, the last month of the year was gone and spring had returned, and they were now in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign, the wushen year (1728). Tian Lai had been managing business at the shop and did not return home until New Year's Eve, when he came back with Jun Lai and Yang Fu to celebrate the new year. In Guangdong, the custom of large shops was not to reopen until the twenty-something of the first month, so Tian Lai and his brothers and son were able to linger at home for some days and enjoy the pleasures of family life.

Over at Gui Xing's place, the scene was quite different. A crowd of drinking-and-eating companions — foxes and dogs in a pack — were gambling or drinking all day long, with occasional bouts of banging on gongs and drums for variety, which passed for their most refined entertainment. One morning, several orchids bloomed in pots in the courtyard, and Gui Xing was greatly pleased and decided to hold a drinking party in their honor. He arranged a grand banquet in Yugeng Hall — the same hall they had barely finished fighting in — and sure enough, every ruffian came, every scoundrel gathered. In the midst of the drinking, Gui Xing suddenly set down his cup and sighed. Zong Kong at once began to sway and mince about in an exaggerated manner and inquired: "I ask of you, Uncle-Nephew-Father, wherefore sighest thou suddenly?" Gui Xing burst out laughing: "When did Uncle take to spouting classical language?" Zong Kong chuckled heartily: "I've been spending time near Qu the elder cousin-master, and hearing his constant 'it is so' and 'verily thus,' I've caught a bit of his scholarly air and tried to imitate it. The sentence came out all right classically, except the final particle 'so' didn't quite land." Everyone laughed together. Jue Xing said, "Jokes aside — nephew, what caused that sigh?"

Gui Xing said, "My only regret is that stone hall of Tian Lai's, which has ruined my feng shui. Without that obstruction, I would have passed the examinations two years ago. Once I had the juren degree, I was sure to pass the jinshi as well, and after that I could have been the top graduate. Just think — how could this year's dingwei top scholar (the Yongzheng fifth year dingwei top scholar Peng Qifeng) have ended up being someone like 'Peng Qifeng'?" Jue Xing said, "No need to fret! He cannot hold on to that stone hall forever. Since this is not a provincial examination year, let us do our utmost this year to get it away from him. And if we cannot get it away, we will tear it down by force. I guarantee that next year, jiyu, my worthy nephew will pass as top provincial graduate, and the year after, in gengxu, will sweep the capital examinations to become Grand Scholar Number One. I raise a cup to toast you now in advance!" He drained his cup. The ruffians broke into cheers again. Gui Xing said, "My luck really is worse than other people's. Look at today — the flower pots are all crude common ware. The South Xiong Guangyuan shop used to have twenty-four jade and stone flower pots, and also a full suite of huali wood tables and chairs — but Tian Lai has taken them. If they were here, wouldn't this gathering be far more splendid?" Zong Kong bellowed out, "If they were goods from the Guangyuan shop, both families had a right to use them! Who does he think he is to take them? Come on, come on — brothers, help me go and fetch them back!" He made to leave at once.

Jue Xing said, "Wait a moment, nephew! Since this is the case, write a note saying you are borrowing them. If he agrees, this will be our 'Liu Bei borrowing Jing Province.' If he refuses, we will go and take them — first courtesy, then force. He can hardly blame us for that." Gui Xing was delighted; he wrote a note and sent Xi Lai to borrow the items. Xi Lai was gone a long time, then returned and said, "He refused, refused outright. He says the things are all in the city, borrowed by someone else." Zong Kong leaped up and made to go take them by force. Jue Xing said, "All of you, wait. Let me arrange this. The worthy nephew must lead the way — go first, knock on the door, say you are there partly to pay a New Year's call and partly to ask in person about borrowing the items. Once you have led the way, there will be no trouble afterward. If we send others, they may well go to the yamen tomorrow and file a case — how could we manage that? Though I doubt they would dare, still, one cannot afford not to account for that possibility." Gui Xing said, "If I go in person, how does that make all trouble disappear?" Jue Xing said, "If the worthy nephew goes in person, how could they bring a case? And even if they did file a suit, you simply say that we are close cousins, all playing around, nobody covets their things — the suit then becomes a joke."

Zong Kong jumped up: "Brilliant, brilliant! When my Uncle-Nephew-Father becomes Emperor one day, he must make you military advisor." Jue Xing said, "Nonsense!" Zong Kong said, "Scholar rises to Prime Minister, Prime Minister rises to Emperor — what's so strange about that? Say no more, Uncle-Nephew-Father — let's go." He grabbed Gui Xing's arm and off they went. The mob of ruffians surged along with them. Only Jue Xing stayed behind to watch the house. They all swept up to the Liang family gate. Gui Xing said, "If they see how many of us there are, they certainly won't open the door. You all stand quietly on both sides; the moment I get the door open, rush in all at once." Everyone nodded in agreement. Gui Xing went and knocked on the door. Qi Fu called out to ask who it was. Gui Xing said, "It's me!" Qi Fu, recognizing Gui Xing's voice, was badly frightened and dared not open the door; he ran inside to report. Ling Shi and the others were also startled.

Would the door be opened or not? Read on to the next chapter.