Chapter 24: Shi Zhi Bo Takes Counsel at the Tianhe Trading House; Ling Guixing Spends the Night at the Governor's Yamen

Now, when Liang Tianlai had steadied himself from his grief, he had no choice but to hire bearers to carry Zhang Feng's body back to the Tianhe trading house and have him coffined and laid out. He was overcome with both fury and sorrow, and fell ill himself. As it happened, his son Yangfu had arrived from Tancun and attended to him for several days, calling a physician. This doctor was surnamed Cheng, with the style name Wanli; he and Tianlai were friends from childhood — they had played together as boys and had even studied music and song together when young. As they grew older, each went his own way in life. Tianlai was often in Nanxiong, and later opened his sugar trading house; Doctor Cheng Wanli was from a family of medical heritage, and when he came into that inheritance he began practicing medicine, setting up the Yongji Hall pharmacy on Diliufu street. Ever since Tianlai had fallen into this disaster, Cheng Wanli had often come to inquire after him. Now, knowing that Tianlai was ill, he naturally applied himself wholeheartedly to the treatment, and urged him not to give way to grief — the great injustice would surely be redressed in time.

Tianlai took the medicine for several days and gradually began to recover, but was still not well enough to go out. He sent someone to invite He Jiechen and Shi Zhi Bo to come and take counsel. Jiechen had no particular ideas. Zhi Bo said: "I heard that when Judge Jiao held that hearing, Zhang the righteous man was squeezed to death by the clamps, and I was furious enough to die myself. I came once to visit Brother Liang, but hearing he was ill, I did not want to disturb him. In my opinion we must file again at the Governor's yamen. We cannot stop until this injustice is cleared. What began as seven bodies and eight lives is now eight bodies and nine lives!" Tianlai sighed: "That is true enough — but two days ago my son came and brought word from my mother at home: she says I am to stop filing. I hear that Ling Guixing has been spending money on this affair with both hands open, and has already spent several tens of thousands. How can we match him? These days the world only cares about money — reason counts for nothing. That is what my mother says, and I have thought it over myself many times. The saying goes: 'The yamen gate opens wide in eight directions — if you have reason but no money, do not enter.' From the moment this disaster struck me, although you have generously waived your writing fee, still, in one single day at home I had to bury seven people, and then there were all the payments at every yamen. Even though I could not match Guixing's reckless spending, I have already spent a great deal, and lately I have felt things growing tight. Yesterday I needed to move a shipment at the trading house and required one thousand five hundred taels of silver — I don't know how much trouble it took to scrape that together. If things stand this way, Guixing and I are truly like an egg against a stone. Even so, I cannot simply hand over nine lives for nothing. So I have been thinking left and right, and it made me ill — fortunately I have recovered through your kindness, and today I have specially invited you to take counsel. Perhaps I should change my approach from now on — just keep pressing the county court to pursue the bandits. When the bandits are caught, they will themselves implicate him, and then he will have no way to wriggle out. I don't know whether this approach is viable." Zhi Bo said: "You have already passed through three yamen courts. To suddenly give up now — would that not mean all the prior effort is wasted? And what if the bandits are caught but won't implicate him — what then? Besides, there is no guarantee the bandits will ever be caught at all. The saying goes: 'To catch the thief, first catch the king.' If Guixing is not first brought down through proper charges, I dare say this case will never see a day of resolution." Jiechen said: "Then according to your view, Master, where should we file?" Zhi Bo said: "Naturally, at the Governor's yamen." Jiechen shook his head: "No, no — I have heard that Ling Guixing has long had acquaintance with a cousin of Provincial Governor Xiao. I've forgotten the man's name, but I know his surname is Li. Those two have become very close. Most likely each has his own purpose — Guixing cultivates him to have powerful backing in times of need, while this Li fellow, knowing Guixing is a wealthy household, hopes to squeeze money from him. I also heard that this Li person, in front of Governor Xiao, went so far as to recommend Guixing's scholarly talent; the Governor sent for a sample of his writing, read it with great pleasure, and through Li's matchmaking, took Guixing on as a personal disciple. Guixing then paid his tuition call with a string of aloeswood court beads, a coral finial for a cap, and two other gifts. My household's young servant knows Guixing's Xilai, which is how I know these details. Do you think a complaint against him would get anywhere?" Zhi Bo said: "Never mind whether it gets anywhere or not — let us file and see. Moreover, Governor Xiao has a very good reputation for governance. Perhaps he would not shield his disciple — that is not impossible. If the complaint truly makes no headway, we can deliberate further. That is my view — I wonder what Brother Liang thinks?"

Tianlai sighed deeply and was silent. Zhi Bo said: "It is not that I wish to deliberately fuel the lawsuit between these two households. Besides, Brother Liang's mother has counseled against further filing, and we are only newly acquainted — why should I interfere? I speak only because the dead cry out for justice and I cannot bear to remain indifferent." Jiechen pondered and said: "Could it be that this affair has mistakenly placed suspicion on Guixing? No solid evidence against him has ever been produced—" Zhi Bo said: "Brother He, you are being too cautious. The Liang and Ling families are relatives — why would Zhang Feng go to all this trouble to testify? Is that not evidence? Moreover, he came to give warning before the event, not after — is that not genuine? If Guixing had truly been wrongfully accused, someone from the Ling family would long since have come forward to argue the point — why the utter silence? And Guixing stands on the high ground of reason, able to go to court and state his case — so why fabricate a forged promissory note to muddy the waters? And why bribe so widely? With all of this, to say there is still no solid evidence would mean the only admissible proof would be Guixing's own confession!" Tianlai, hearing all this, said resolutely: "I will certainly go and file one more petition at the Governor's yamen. I ask you to take the trouble once more, Master." Zhi Bo drew a blank petition from his sleeve and said: "I have already written it." Tianlai took it and read: the opening words were "Complaint regarding the suppression of a witness and the burial of injustice — gold readily fabricates, nine lives impossible to redress — ghosts weep and gods grieve — beseeching rescue and justice for the dead." He said: "I will go and submit this tomorrow. From this day forward, my resolve is fixed — even if I must petition to the very heavens, I will not rest until this injustice is cleared!" The company talked on for a while and then dispersed.

The next day, Tianlai took his petition and went to the Governor's yamen to have it stamped and registered. But the registry, upon seeing that his petition implicated even the Provincial Judge, was so frightened they nearly swallowed their tongues and refused to stamp it. Tianlai was at a loss, and hurried to find Zhi Bo to explain. Zhi Bo said: "This is a small matter. The day after tomorrow is the first of the month; the Governor will come out to offer incense. Go and intercept his sedan chair and present it in person!" Tianlai followed this advice and waited until the first, rising well before dawn and taking up his position beside the Lord Guan temple. When Governor Xiao had completed his incense offering and was about to mount his sedan, Tianlai surged forward, left hand holding the petition, right hand gripping the sedan pole, and knelt on both knees calling out injustice. The guard-escort attending the chair immediately pinned Tianlai to the ground; the civil and military officials accompanying the incense procession were startled. Among them, the Panyu magistrate recognized the man as Liang Tianlai and was even more alarmed, his heart pounding wildly, thinking to himself: "This time I am finished!" Prefect Liu and Judge Jiao also felt uneasy. The guard-escort took the petition from Tianlai's hands, passed it into the chair, and Governor Xiao read it, then folded it and placed it in his sleeve. The escort pushed Tianlai to one side; to the sound of several clanging gongs, Governor Xiao departed. The civil and military officials also gradually dispersed.

Although Tianlai had intercepted the chair and presented his petition, he felt as if in a dream — the Governor had not said a single word of response, and he had no idea what this meant. He stood dazed for quite some time, watching as the officials left, some in processions, some in chairs, some on foot, until all had scattered. He was still standing there in a stupor, wondering: "Was my petition accepted or not? I cannot fathom it." He could only go back to Zhi Bo and tell him what had happened. Zhi Bo said: "It has been accepted. Brother Liang, go home and wait for good news." Tianlai was overjoyed, thinking that this revenge was finally at hand and Ling Guixing's days were numbered.

Yet in the meantime, Ling Guixing, having arranged Zhang Feng's death by the clamps, considered that a major threat had been removed. He thought that if Tianlai filed further appeals, he could only go as high as the Governor's yamen, where there was already protection in place; and without a witness, Tianlai might not dare to file again in any case. So he took Juexing and Zongkong back to Tancun, gathered Lin Dayou, Ling Meixin, and all the rest, and set out a great banquet at Yukeng Hall to celebrate, capping it with a theatrical troupe invited to perform. Day after day the wine flowed in delight.

One evening, as the lamps were being lit, a runner from the Sande Inn suddenly came rushing in to say that an official from the Governor's yamen had come to the inn to request the master's presence on some matter — he had come specially to give notice. Guixing was puzzled. In a moment one of the Governor's standard-bearers arrived and said: "Master Ling! The Governor requests your presence — you must come to the provincial city today. The South Gate is being left open specifically to await you." Guixing was baffled and asked: "Do you know what it concerns?" The standard-bearer said: "I do not." Guixing had no choice but to agree, gave the standard-bearer a tip for tea, and consulted with Juexing. Juexing said: "My dear nephew, just go. If by noon tomorrow you have not returned, I will come into the city to find you." Guixing said: "Could this be about the lawsuit?" Juexing said: "Even if it is, there is no cause for alarm — people inside will look after you. When you are before him, you need only adapt to circumstances." Guixing, with no alternative, took Xilai and boarded a boat for the provincial city.

By the time he entered the city, it was past the second watch (around ten o'clock at night). Guixing made his way to the Governor's yamen, and as he approached the main gate, he ran into Li Feng head-on. This Li Feng was Governor Xiao's cousin — the very man Guixing had been cultivating. Li Feng saw Guixing and grabbed him by the arm, leading him to his own room. Guixing said: "Wait a moment — the Governor sent for me." Li Feng said: "The meeting can wait. I have something to tell you first." He pulled Guixing straight into his room and said: "This affair of yours has created a great commotion. Today when the Governor went out to offer incense, Liang Tianlai intercepted his sedan chair and filed a complaint. The petition writing is truly formidable — it drags in Judge Jiao as well, accusing him outright of 'suppressing a witness and burying injustice.' When the Governor returned, he was furious enough to die, and berated me terribly. He was about to immediately dispatch orders to the prefecture and county to conduct his own personal hearing. It was only through my repeated argument — saying that this was one party's account and it would be better to summon the Ling party to hear their side — that, after much persuasion, he finally agreed. He then sent someone to your inn to fetch you; learning you were not there, he had to send someone racing to your home county. Right now he is in a rage with liver-fire flaring up, lying in bed — you must not go in and provoke his anger further. The standard-bearer sent to fetch you I have already spoken to — I told him simply to report that you were ill at home. You need not go in at all. Stay with me tonight and let us work out a long-range plan together." Guixing, hearing all this, stared blankly, his hands and feet turned to ice — he could not utter a single word. Li Feng comforted him at length, then told him which advisors in the yamen favored what kinds of gifts, one by one, instructing him to prepare them all, and added: "Let us hope his liver-fire does not quickly subside — that will give us more room to maneuver."

That night, how could Guixing close his eyes? At daybreak he took his leave of Li Feng, exited the yamen, and returned to the Sande Inn. He sent three separate times for Juexing, and only with great difficulty brought him at noon. Guixing told him everything, one detail after another, as a nursing infant clings to its nurse, begging for a way forward. Juexing said: "For now, let us plan around sending gifts — tell me, do you remember the list of gifts Li Feng mentioned last night?" Guixing said: "I have the list right here." He handed it to Juexing. Juexing read it over and said: "Those items we have at home need not be bought; those we lack, buy them immediately." They busied themselves in great haste, each attending to a part. The next day, the gifts were entrusted to Li Feng to deliver on their behalf. As luck would have it, Governor Xiao's liver-fire condition did not readily improve, and in the meantime all official business was handled by the various advisors and by Li Feng — who made full use of every opportunity. After several days, a written ruling was posted at the front gate that nearly put Liang Tianlai in his grave — and brought him back to life again.

What did the ruling say? Read on to the next chapter.