Chapter Ten: A Knight-Errant Donates Gold to Relieve a Stranger's Need; A Worthy Gentleman Takes His Principles Seriously and Repays the Debt

His spirit towers like the ridge of a cold mountain, upright and unyielding;

His heart's expanse is broad and clear as a ten-thousand-acre sea of glass.

A burning warmth runs through his veins — one cannot but revere it.

A hero's nature:

For a thousand gold pieces he would not hesitate to succor a suffering brother.

He exhales warmth into withered bamboo until its pure notes ring again in contest;

Sympathy needs no vow to bind it.

He takes Ju Meng and Zhu Jia as his lifelong model.

His heart shines bright —

Such a lofty spirit should be sung through all the ages.

— To the tune of "Fisherman's Pride"

The most contemptible thing in a man is a miserly heart. And the most unbreakable thing in a man is also a miserly heart. On his own account, a miser will not willingly spend a single coin, though money be piled as high as a mountain; he will not willingly give away a single grain, though his granary rival the great imperial store of Taicang. On others' account, even when his closest kin or dearest friends are suffering cold and hunger, and a single sheng of grain would outweigh a full dou in value, he will not give that sheng; even when a friend is adrift in calamity and a single coin would be worth ten, he will not give that coin. He would sooner see his hoard overflow to the point where Heaven grows jealous, his servants take advantage, and the savings ground out grain by grain are swept away in one flood, one fire — pillaged by bandits, confiscated by magistrates, swindled by fraudsters. Worse, his line may fail, his fortune revert to distant kin who feel not a shred of gratitude; or his power may crumble and his wealth dissolve and he be left to depend on others who have no obligation to him. Only then does he understand the principle of return, and see that his miserliness profited him nothing.

But the true hero has already seen through all this. He understands that fullness must eventually overflow, that what gathers must eventually scatter. Why cling to great wealth, only to invite others' jealousy and tempt the displeasure of Heaven? Moreover, even tiny insects that move in pairs know to look out for one another — how much more should men, who bear the same teeth and hair, the same flesh and blood, heed one another's cries and not turn away from another's distress?

And so it was that Pei Mian gave his entire fortune to Zhang Jianfeng; Fan Chunren gave grain to relieve Shi Manqing. Manqing was at least an old acquaintance, while Jianfeng was a chance encounter. As for cutting off one's own hair to offer as fodder, to give Fan Kui his fill on a snowy night — that was a household with nothing to spare. Yet because they placed righteousness above material gain, their names stand high through a thousand ages.

A true man weighs his reputation;

Rotting goods and mold — what are those worth?

Long ago, Feng Xuan went to the market to purchase goodwill —

His fame flowed on without limit.

To cut from what one has in order to supply another's lack — that is difficult. To do so for a stranger — even more difficult. To do so for a stranger — that is hard. To do so from poverty, having borrowed to scrape together one's means — that is harder still. For a gallant man of true mettle, none of this is truly hard.

This man lived during the Jiajing reign, in the region along the border of Zhejiang and Zhili, near Pingwang. His surname was Pu, given name Qiren, courtesy name Zhunfu. His father was a grain dealer — they had a house, some fields, some silver. From childhood, Pu Zhunfu was generous and spirited: when his father gave him fruit to eat, he would see a servant boy watching him longingly and simply give it to the servant. His father said: "That was a gift to you — why give it away?" He said: "He wanted to eat it too." Everyone laughed and called him a simpleton; yet his habit of taking money lightly and caring for others was already evident.

Magnanimity is born of heaven's gift;

To aid and rescue others — this was always his heart.

Why must one first mount to a high position

Before sending three days of life-giving rain?

Before he had reached his twentieth year, his parents died one after the other. He spent his silver on their coffins and burial clothes, and built a fine grave mound — lacking only the carved stone rams and tigers. People said: "Young man, the dead are dead — the living must live. Keep back some silver to feed yourself." He said: "I have long years ahead of me; better times will come. In those better times I can have clothes, but I cannot dress my parents; I can have food, but I cannot feed my parents. Then I would regret it too late. Only in the matter of these burial clothes and funeral rites may nothing be spared." People laughed again: "What a fool! When you're destitute, there are the trees on the grave you can chop for firewood to last you a few days. And the plot itself — dig up the bones and you can still sell the land for a few taels. Just watch."

Yet who can know:

A looper caterpillar has its day of stretching out;

The dead beneath nine feet of earth have no day of return.

Do not count the world too frugal —

The grief of wind in the trees deepens with the years.

Though Pu Zhunfu had spent some silver on his parents' burial, he was fortunate in being a clever, resourceful, trustworthy, and generous man — so he was able to keep himself afloat. Yet it was precisely his generosity that made it impossible for him to keep a household together. If he had a few taels of silver and found a friend or relative in the midst of mourning or trouble, truly in dire poverty, he would give it to him. If he had a few strings of cash and saw a friend who had some talent for business but lacked the capital, he would give those too. If he had several rooms to let and a private tutor died leaving only one room which had to be sold for burial costs, leaving wife and children nowhere to stay, he would give them a room to live in. If there was an elderly paternal uncle with no children and nothing left but his solitary person, he would take him in and care for him. If there was an aunt widowed for over twenty years, her ungrateful son refusing to support her, he would take her in to provide for. So his house came to pieces, and people called it a home for the aged and destitute.

One vows to show a sober face to wandering scholars;

A great mansion one is willing to give away without regret.

He had some fields, but a kinsman, Pu Qiliang, having been caught in a storm while transporting white grain to the capital and losing the cargo, could not make up the shortfall and secretly sold Pu Zhunfu's fields to another man. When the buyer came to take possession and the kinsman came to beg forgiveness, Pu Zhunfu simply refused to argue about it. When people urged him to file a lawsuit, he said: "My kinsman was unlucky and ruined himself in public service — by rights I should help him. If he had come to borrow the money, I would have lent it to him. The matter is already done. There's no point pouring money into the courts for nothing." He seemed like a man who feared trouble and officials. Yet when it came to other people's affairs, he was bold and decisive, never showing the least weakness.

The lone tree has deep feelings of kinship;

It would shame me to haggle over fields like the men of Yu and Rui.

Should I let my unyielding spirit bow

And play the timid woman?

Near the village lived a rich widow surnamed Sheng — a woman of good family: her grandfather had been a Filial Pious degree-holder and provincial judge; her husband had been a licentiate. She had been widowed young, with a young son and daughter. There was an ancestral house, two or three hundred mu of fertile fields. A nephew of hers, a worthless man, took advantage of her widowhood and vulnerable status and offered the estate to a vice-commissioner. Eight or nine brutish retainers came, driving two covered boats — boulders heaped at the prow, the "Flying Tiger" banner flying at the stern, "Chen Family" blazoned on two great lanterns, the gangplank run out, three fast oars churning, cudgels and staffs packed close inside, carrying serpents, scorpions, tigers, and wolves. They swept in like a storm and left the whole village — men and women alike — shaking in their shoes; every house was stripped of chickens and dogs before they were through.

With a crashing noise they came ashore. They carried in a plaque inscribed with the commissioner's imposing title, marched straight to the Sheng house, tore down the three or four decade-old plaque commemorating a loyal and upright official of this glorious dynasty, and nailed up the new one in its place. Bringing the nephew along, they announced: "The Chen office has paid the Sheng family one thousand two hundred taels for the house and fields; they are to be taken into possession. The Sheng family must vacate the premises within five days." Then to the neighboring tenants: "Tomorrow the young master will come to stake out the boundary markers — you are to write new tenancy contracts." They summoned the former steward and instructed him to tell the tenants that each mu would henceforth cost one qian in silver, with an additional five fen rent reduction for the eastern section, before they would be allowed to farm. The widow came out to protest, but these arrogant retainers gave her no chance to speak — just told her to move out quickly and not court trouble. Then they leaped onto the boat and were gone, to the beating of a gong.

The gate of the imperial audience hall cannot be reached by a cry;

The wolves and tigers swagger in the open road.

The widow was at once enraged and terrified, with no way out.

The two accountants among her stewards said: "This must be the nephew who offered the estate in tribute. But there is no principle by which someone who received no money should end up penniless, while the one who received money takes the property." The tenant farmers said: "In principle you are right. But these days principle means nothing. As for rewriting the tenancy contracts and paying half a qian per mu on top of the usual — we'd have to pay the middlemen too. Then when the estate passes to some city gentry family and their stewards come out to collect the rent, we'll have to feed and entertain them. In the dead of winter those stewards won't sit at home eating — they'll all be cadging meals at the tenants' houses. First notice, second notice, third notice — the rent collection is never short by a grain. Even in a bad year when the harvest fails, if we're short by a dou or two they'll allow it, but if we fall short by a shi or two, they compound the interest year over year. If you have property, they take the property as security; if you have none, they take your person. If they take your property, at least you can walk away. If they take your person, you owe a helping fee every year. Fall short of that helping fee, and you'll be hauled back and beaten. If you're beaten to death, it's just a household slave who died — you lose your life for nothing. We won't be able to farm in this village any longer."

No need for heaven to send locusts —

The real pest is the human predator.

Wherever he passes, the ground is bare and the village empty;

Far as the eye can see, smoke fades and fires die.

It so happened that Pu Zhunfu walked over and saw the crowd standing there in a stupor, reading their bitter books. He said: "Gentlemen! Follow my lead and do as I say, and I guarantee the Chen family won't be able to take possession." The crowd asked: "What is your plan?" Pu Zhunfu said: "The Chen office is relying on the county magistrate, who is the vice-commissioner's student — that is how they swagger so. But this magistrate wants to be a good official and is extremely careful to avoid any appearance of partisanship. Tomorrow I'll give him a sharp lesson from the start — we'll crowd into the county court and file a complaint, and the magistrate will certainly hear our case. I only need you all to lend me your support." The crowd said: "We're afraid of stirring up trouble." Pu Zhunfu said: "If trouble comes, I'll take full responsibility." The crowd said: "Fine talk today, but tomorrow you may not be willing to step forward." Pu Zhunfu said: "How could I say such a thing and not mean it? When I say charge, you charge; when I say stop, you stop — just don't beat anyone in a vital spot."

The Ten Thousand Arrows lay in ambush at Maling;

The reduced campfires lured the reckless enemy on.

The next day, sure enough, one large boat came with five or seven covered boats in its wake. Inside sat a young Master Chen, accompanied by two courtesans and two flattering companions, drums and gongs beating, making toward the village. This young master —

[To the tune of "Yellow Oriole"]: Time-dressed in dark silk gauze, a light gown beneath, and a lovely little peach-blossom face; a jade ring sitting low on a smart black cap; socks pulled straight, his step lightly swaying, his crimson shoes dragging slowly — all studied elegance. How affected, how tedious — but he thought himself quite the figure.

He was there on the boat dallying with one of his courtesans —

[Same tune, continued]: Two lush branches of blossom sway in the east wind, bending the willow boughs, swaying and drifting back and forth. Leaning by the flower's tip, he plucks; then probing at the flower's heart, he teases — mad abandon beyond all remedy. How ravishing — companions of reed and jade, for all the fine talk of dear intimacy.

As for the two flattering companions —

[Same tune]: Shoulders hunched like Mount Tai, dangling limp as boiled shrimp; before a word is spoken, already crying "Wonderful!" Fanning along in rhythm with the singing, shuffling back and forth, murmuring low as if afraid someone might hear — each call of "Uncle!" makes you wonder if he is playing steward or fool.

First, the steward came ashore and called on the tenants to come welcome the young master. Pu Zhunfu led the sixty or seventy men assembled there and went down to the bank. He had already had some men loosen the mud on the bank nearby. The young Master Chen had fortunately not yet come ashore; he was leaning against the cabin window with one of his courtesans, watching. Pu Zhunfu faced him and called out: "What kind of gentleman are you, daring to seize another family's fields?" The young master was just beginning to redden in anger and demand the name of this presumptuous man, when Pu Zhunfu shouted: "Strike!" The people on the bank raised a shout, and clods of mud came raining down like hail.

As when Chong'er fled to Wei and the villager pelted him with a clod —

A worthy shame, self-brought upon oneself.

The covered boats quickly punted away to the far shore — though not before catching half a boatload of mud. The large boat could not be moved so quickly; the men at the stern rowed frantically with two oars but couldn't shift it an inch. The fore and aft mooring ropes hadn't been untied; all the shutters were already smashed to pieces. The cups, bowls, flower vases, and incense burners on the tables were all broken. There was nowhere to hide from the blows. Pu Zhunfu ordered: strike only the young master and the servants who abetted the wrong; do not touch the companions or the two courtesans. The companions promptly hid themselves behind the courtesans. One of the stewards said to the young master: "They are all watching you. Quickly take off your cap and remove your outer robe, and come to the stern." The young master complied, clambered to the stern, grabbed hold of an oar, and posed as a ferryman. The stern mooring rope was cut with a knife; the bow mooring rope was shaken violently until it snapped; they made it to the far shore.

Pu Zhunfu had already had the new plaque beaten to splinters against the side of the boat.

Send back the brand-new plaque he brought —

It is like last year's peach-wood door charm, already expired.

The young master, once he had escaped to shore, immediately dictated a complaint accusing the village of violent assault and plunder. But Pu Zhunfu had already gone with the assembled tenants straight to the county court to present their grievances. The county magistrate already knew of the Chen family's long history of arrogant conduct. When Pu Zhunfu presented his case and the crowd raised their cries — explaining that the Chens had bullied the Sheng widow, taken her property without right, and extorted excessive rents from the tenants — the magistrate immediately sent men to arrest the Chen servants, pacified the crowd, and ordered them to resume possession of their land. Now the young master could not press his complaint about the assault; he came to argue about the purchase contract. The magistrate said: "The estate of a widow and orphans — no contract was signed by the widow herself. This is obviously a forced tribute. The servants responsible will certainly be dealt with." The young master said: "Please consider my father's face." The magistrate said: "It is precisely out of respect for my teacher." After repeated pleading, the magistrate punished only the middlemen and the Sheng nephew severely, thus cutting off the path of forced tribute. By this one action, Pu Zhunfu had ensured the young master could not take possession, had made the man suffer a loss, and had put one of his boats out of commission. He had tried to taste mutton and come away reeking of sheep.

From this point on, people understood: the reason Pu Zhunfu had allowed his own fields to be sold without legal protest was not inability — it was simply that he made light of wealth and placed righteousness above all.

One day, on a short-haul grain run, Pu Zhunfu was collecting a debt in the city when he met the local ward headman surnamed Dai, who had come to pay his quota levy and had the money cut from his person by a pickpocket. With no way to submit the payment, and fearing official punishment and the morning roll call, the man was in a great panic. Pu Zhunfu, seeing this and learning the reason, reached into his own pockets and produced six or seven taels to hand over to him on the spot, saving the man a beating.

Not even the waters of the West River are needed —

A dry fish has already been brought back to life.

This ward headman was a man of some means who valued his dignity. Grateful for Pu Zhunfu's help, he said: "As a rule, the hundred-household chiefs who come to see the ward headman all complain and plead poverty, trying to squeeze him for one or two qian of their household levy — who knows how many times they go back and forth. That this man should be so generous — he is a good man." When he got home he immediately returned the silver. Pu Zhunfu said: "There was no hurry — why be so hasty?" He invited the headman to stay for a meal, preparing everything himself. The ward headman, knowing that Pu Zhunfu's marriage plans had never come to anything — being too particular to take just any match — said: "Brother, you are past twenty — why have you still not married? I see that the short-haul grain trade can feed you but not make a home. I have a few taels of silver to lend you without interest — take it and do business somewhere a bit farther out." The next day, he sent someone to bring Pu Zhunfu to his home, counted out two hundred taels, and said: "If you think this too little to turn about, in ten days or so I can scrape together another hundred for you."

Long sleeves make for easier dancing;

The precious sword is best given to a man of valor.

Pu Zhunfu chose an auspicious day, tucked the silver around his waist, hired a boat, and set out for Changzhou. Passing Wujiang and approaching the Five Dragon Harbor, he saw a boat moored sideways at the bank, with three men weeping in each other's arms. Three or four others were sitting or lying on the ground, groaning. Pu Zhunfu said: "These men have clearly been robbed. I wonder where they were heading. The weather is cold, their clothes have been stripped — if they don't freeze to death they'll fall ill. They must be helped." The boatman said: "We've just set out and already we meet this bad omen. Best to ignore them and go on." Pu Zhunfu shouted: "I told you to stop — why are you still rowing?" The boatman had no choice but to pull in. Pu Zhunfu jumped ashore and asked. The men turned out to be examination candidates from Fujian — one surnamed Lin, one Huang, one Zhang. They told him they had been robbed here: their luggage was gone, their servants were beaten and wounded, their clothes were stripped from their backs, and they had no means to continue to the capital or return home. Hence they wept.

Pu Zhunfu asked: "Gentlemen, how much silver would each of you need to get to the capital?" Candidate Lin said: "Thirty taels for travel expenses per person. And now that our clothes and bedding are gone, another ten or more taels." Pu Zhunfu said: "Then do not worry yourselves, gentlemen — it is all on me." He immediately bought some low-grade spirits at a nearby village to warm them from the cold, and gave them his own bedding to shield them from the wind.

A night of storm on the green-wood road —

Who takes pity on Fan Shu's cold?

He gave his cloak and pushed forward his food —

Such virtue one could engrave on the heart.

In Suzhou, at the Changmen Gate, he found them lodgings. He bought blankets and wool; had silk and cotton made up into bedding; had three sets of clothes made for the three candidates. Since they had lost their travel passes, he went to the prefectural office to obtain replacement documents. And he gave them thirty taels each for travel expenses. The three men asked for his name and address, saying: "We will certainly repay this one day." They parted. The three men were like:

A wounded bird escaping a pellet, soaring once more high on its spreading wings.

As for Pu Zhunfu himself — he was like:

Feng Xuan returning after purchasing goodwill,

Silently packing up his lute.

For now, it was back to short-haul grain dealing as before. Returning home, he happened to meet Ward Headman Dai, who said: "Brother Pu, why are you back so quickly? How much grain did you trade?" Pu Zhunfu said: "At Five Dragon Harbor I met three candidates on their way to the metropolitan examinations who had been robbed of everything — luggage, travel money, all of it. I gave them the greater part of the silver and am back to doing short-haul work as before."

Another man hearing this would certainly think: "This fellow can't hold a story straight — he probably spent it on pleasure houses or gambling, and now makes up this lie." But Ward Headman Dai believed him to be a man of true gallantry and harbored not the slightest suspicion. He simply said: "My other hundred taels are ready — come and get them for your trade." Pu Zhunfu did not decline, and went at once to collect them.

Giving and receiving, giver and receiver both forgot themselves —

Their hearts shone clear from a distance, one to the other.

When Guan Zhong and Bao Shu were friends in poverty —

Though worlds apart in time, I imagine they shared the same spirit.

Pu Zhunfu was originally a man of ability: seeing that Ward Headman Dai trusted him so, he went into business for himself and turned a profit without a single setback. As for the three candidates — they could not stop thinking of Pu Zhunfu. "If he had not given us travel money that day, how could we have reached the capital and achieved what we have achieved? If he had not made us clothes, we would have frozen to death and never become officials." The three of them deliberated: one or two of them should go to find him somewhere in the Zhejiang-Zhili border region and look after him.

The grace goes deep — it lodges in the lungs and liver;

Gratitude need not wait for morning or evening to be felt.

The wish to offer a Suihou pearl

In return for that warm, lingering feeling.

As fate would have it, Huang was selected as a bureau chief in the Ministry of War; Lin was selected for the Hanlin Academy. Only Zhang obtained a posting — through others' efforts on his behalf — as prefectural judge in Changzhou. This region — between the two major circuits — was a most difficult place: besides the governor-general and the supervising censor, one also had to answer to the military circuit, the grain transport circuit, the education circuit, the salt circuit, and the inspectors of transport, of the blue waters, of the river, and of the metropolitan area — each one able to cite and censure. To be praised was to receive more praise; to be censured was to be finished. It was extremely hard to hold such a post. Yet Zhang took it, driven solely by his eagerness to repay a debt of gratitude. Before he set out, Lin and Huang both sent gifts and letters entrusting him with the care of Pu Zhunfu, and saw him off at the city gate with a suburban farewell banquet. They said: "Pu Zhunfu is a friend of adversity — today we ask you, elder brother, to look after him in our name. In future we will watch over your affairs too. He may come as a commoner — do not let it stand in the way of treating him with special courtesy." Judge Zhang said: "This is my own affair — I will do my utmost."

Of all the places I carry gratitude,

I dare not for a moment engrave less than the full weight upon my heart.

Judge Zhang arrived at his post in Changzhou. Those who are adept at currying favor never lose an opportunity to blow on a cold stove — he was not one to be deterred. Letters came at his examination success, letters came at his arrival in post; after resting for half a year or three months, they would be at his door seeking advantage. Pu Zhunfu, being a man of the commercial world, was not in that habit. His wish to repay was also mild; he had never sought out the gazettes or looked at the official selection announcements. Changzhou lay on his route of travel, but he did not know that the prefectural judge was his former candidate Zhang. Judge Zhang, not seeing Pu Zhunfu come, sent a man with twenty-four taels of silver, two bolts of Lu-region silk, his own letter of invitation, and letters from Lin and Huang, to seek him out. The man was told to look in the grain trading offices — after two days of searching he found his way to the house, but Pu Zhunfu was not at home. Asking the neighbors: "He's usually out on the rivers, rarely home." "When does he come back?" "A man who is always on the road — how can you say when?" "Ask his household." "The man is past thirty, not some examination degree-holder — just a merchant. He insists on some distinguished family, won't marry a remarried widow or a country girl. So he's drifted along with no wife, and the iron general bars the gate." The messenger had no choice but to report back.

I take myself for a phoenix-nestling in a cinnabar cave,

Content to perch only in a green parasol tree.

I will not stoop to the thorny thicket

To settle my talons.

Judge Zhang shook his head in disbelief: "Your search was off-target. How could a man who could produce over a hundred taels still be without family and household in middle age?" He was about to write a letter and ask his fellow examination graduate Shen to seek Pu out, when the circuit inspector commissioned him to audit the grain accounts in Wujiang. When he arrived in Wujiang, he posted an order to begin the audit. At this time there was a severe drought and locust plague throughout Zhejiang and Zhili, and grain prices had risen sharply — the grain dealers were all making fat profits. Pu Zhunfu had brought five or seven hundred shi of rice down from the Tuanfeng area. Entering the Jingkou passage, he heard that Ward Headman Dai's son had run into trouble. He told his assistant to stay with the boat and went home himself to help sort things out. Ward Headman Dai's son, Dai Zan, had been assigned as an accounting clerk at the Wujiang treasury. The departing county magistrate had, when he went up to the capital for his triennial audience, drawn some silver from the treasury and used paper receipts in his own name as security. He had also advanced the upcoming year's stipends for office workers — partly as a gesture of goodwill, partly to get a fee deducted at source, which could serve as funds for the journey to the capital. But unexpectedly, the acting official who took over — a third-rank prefect — was afraid from the start of having to clean up after two other officials' messy accounts. When the previous magistrate left, he simply audited the clerk's books. The paper-receipt security: "I won't be responsible for picking up someone else's loose ends," he said, and refused to write it off. The advance stipends: "That's food from my own rice bowl — how dare he eat from it," he said, and refused to clear them from the accounts. Everything was charged as embezzlement by the clerk — he was to be held responsible and sentenced to military exile.

It is always said that acting officials make a killing —

How is this different from robbing on behalf of others?

Let them go off to receive a science-board promotion;

They squeeze their interest only from the clerks and scribes.

Pu Zhunfu came to negotiate on behalf of Dai Zan, arguing: "The stipends needed to be paid in any case — they were merely paid somewhat early. Now offer to cover the stipend shortfall yourself. For the paper-receipt security, let the clerk repay it with an additional twenty percent penalty, and ask the prefect to accept this in lieu of forcing repayment." While discussions were still under way, the young Master Chen — who had a grudge against Pu Zhunfu for leading the protest that shamed him and ruined his ship — had been waiting for an opportunity to settle scores, but had not dared while the old county magistrate was still in post. Delighted that the magistrate was gone, he found out about Pu Zhunfu's grain boat approaching Wujiang and sent men to intercept it. He denounced him for illegal profiteering, smuggling, and trading outside permitted zones. The prefect had Pu Zhunfu arrested and put two sealed strips on the boat. They wanted to have the cargo confiscated; now they came to negotiate a price — not to benefit the people, but to open a path of extortion for themselves.

By lucky coincidence Judge Zhang arrived. After completing official business, as he was seeing the prefect out, he said: "There is a man here called Pu Qiren — would the honored colleague be kind enough to look into his matter?" The prefect took the word "look into" in the wrong sense. He came out and said to his trusted clerk: "Is there a local magnate here called Pu Qiren?" The clerk said: "He is currently detained in our lockup on charges of illegal trade." The prefect said: "Perhaps the circuit inspector wants him. Prepare an escort order for tomorrow and deliver him to the circuit inspection hall." The next morning when the escort order came out, Pu Zhunfu said: "I am precisely wanting to see the higher authorities. My boat is a Hubei boat with traffic permits from Wuhu and Xushu — the prohibition is on goods sold out of the local zone, not goods brought in from other zones." But the escort officers had already clapped an iron chain on him. By the time he reached the hall, the bailiff's fees and passage money had already cost him five or seven thousand copper coins. They were still demanding beating-money, so much per blow. He went in, presented the escort papers, and the guard announced: "Pu Qiren delivered!" Judge Zhang quickly raised his eyes — and saw Pu Zhunfu with chains around him, kneeling in the courtyard.

The judge immediately said to the escort officers: "Who told you to bring him in chains? You'll get short shrift! Close the gates quickly — remove the chains and fetch Master Pu a proper cap and gown." He came down from the hall himself and pulled Pu Zhunfu up by the arm, drawing him back into the inner hall. Pu Zhunfu recognized him as the candidate Zhang.

Lamenting, like a caged ape without hope —

Who would reveal the injustice of the Job's-tears?

Little did one know that the one now sitting in the south-facing seat

Would prove to be an old friend and benefactor.

A retainer went outside to borrow a cap and a robe, and brought them to Pu Zhunfu. Pu Zhunfu said: "I am a prisoner — I dare not." Judge Zhang said: "The county magistrate brought this about through a misunderstanding of my inquiry after you, Elder Brother — please do not hold it against anyone." Pu Zhunfu said: "It is true that I was detained because of selling grain. I was just escorted here from the lockup." Judge Zhang said: "Whatever the matter, I am here." He insisted on seating them as guest and host. He sent a tael of silver to have the county prepare a proper meal. He said: "Brothers Lin and Huang send their regards — they sent gifts and letters through a man who came looking for you some time ago. You were not at home, and they heard you have no wife. Is this so?" Pu Zhunfu said: "It is true — I do not." Judge Zhang said: "When did you lose your spouse?" Pu Zhunfu said: "I have never married." Judge Zhang said: "How remarkable. What is the reason?" Pu Zhunfu said: "In truth, I could not attain what I aimed for, and scorned what was within reach — and so I have let the years slip by." Judge Zhang said: "Then you have wasted over ten years of your best youth. I will ask brother Shen to find you a fine match — there must be a worthy companion for you."

Your talent matches that of Liang Hong the hermit —

You should be paired with a Meng Guangde.

Take up the brush toward the spring mountain,

And she will break into a lovely smile.

He also said: "If anything is on your mind, come and tell me. I have already instructed the gatekeepers to bring in your card at once." Pu Zhunfu said: "There is a matter I did not dare to raise so abruptly." Judge Zhang said: "Speak freely." Pu Zhunfu said: "At thirty I had no wife — how could I have spare money to give away? The truth is that the capital came from my elder sworn-brother Dai of Zhicheng, who lent it to me. When I gave it away, he voiced no objection, and afterward lent me capital again. So whatever generosity I showed, Dai Brother was its enabler. Without his loan, though my heart was willing, I had nothing to offer. Now his son is a treasury clerk, and the previous official's withdrawals and the disbursement records are being held against him and used to charge him with embezzlement. If Your Honor can clear this injustice, it would truly be repaying the source of that gift. I am not fabricating a story to seek personal advantage." Judge Zhang said: "Dai Brother's matter and Elder Brother's matter — send me a formal petition tomorrow and I will immediately clear both your names. Beyond this, should there be any matter of the greatest importance, do not hesitate to bring it to me. I will cover the cost of setting you up with property and a wife."

Profound is the debt for a single meal —

To repay it, should one spare a thousand in gold?

Though the washerwoman sought no reward,

Han Xin carried that purpose in his heart.

The next day, both submitted their petitions. Judge Zhang took the prefect aside and explained: "The rice came from Chu, with customs tax receipts from various passes — this is not goods sold out of the local zone. The one who filed the complaint should be severely punished to stop the practice of blocking grain imports. As for Clerk Dai's paper-receipt security — there is a disbursement ledger as proof. This is what departing officials always do. It only requires Your Honor to add the labor of collecting the repayment. Since there are signed receipts for the stipends, these are not the clerk's embezzlement. Both these petitions are well-founded — Your Honor might act on them." The prefect went back and immediately had Pu Zhunfu's grain boat released. The proposed confiscation came to nothing, and the man who filed the complaint was beaten and put in the cangue. For Dai Zan: the paper-receipt security was collected and remitted; the advance stipends were entered in the disbursement register. Not only was there no talk of military exile — not a single additional question was asked. The Dai family also saved the surcharge they had planned to pay and the bribe they had intended to give. The prefect, furthermore, was afraid Pu Zhunfu might release a red mouse — send a complaint against him — so he had Dai Zan smooth things over, and offered assistance to Judge Zhang in providing money toward Pu Zhunfu's marriage.

A superior speaks with warmth in spring,

And the dried-up yellow turns green again.

Graduate Shen, eager to please this fellow-graduate-who-was-now-his-superior, sent out a matchmaker to find Pu Zhunfu a wife. By chance, word came of the Sheng widow's daughter — now seventeen years old. The widow, grateful for Pu Zhunfu's kindness, agreed at once, with no thought of gift requirements.

In years gone by, when righteous deeds were done,

The red thread of heaven was already tied.

Judge Zhang often sent retainers to inquire about matters. Pu Zhunfu said: "The honorable judge's court is a court of the law — I dare not come, and dare not make requests." Judge Zhang felt greatly uncomfortable with this, and borrowed two hundred taels from Graduate Shen to send Pu Zhunfu for betrothal gifts and wedding expenses. Graduate Shen, having lent two hundred, certainly spoke of it as four hundred — as one does. Everything was carried out as instructed.

From that day on, though Pu Zhunfu had come late to marriage, he at last obtained a woman of distinguished family and rare beauty.

The bright moon had long smiled at an empty bed,

The silk quilt there in vain.

Now the lovely one, newly gained,

Shines lovelier than the lotus.

Word came from the south, where troops were posted, that someone had brought a cartload of Job's tears — and someone reported it as a cart of pearls and rare rhinoceros horn, drawing him into unjust suspicion. Judge Zhang knew Pu Zhunfu's character: he was not eager for money, and would not lightly come to trouble others. So the judge sent things to him directly. Even the smallest matter brought at least a hundred taels' worth of profit; business that came to his door was easy to negotiate, with no risk of the client going elsewhere — and the amounts kept growing. Pu Zhunfu, for his part, was careful not to damage Judge Zhang's reputation, and dared not arouse anyone's resentment, but did accommodate three or four matters — enough to accumulate over a thousand taels.

In former times, Pu Zhunfu had no household — head and heels were never at rest on the Suzhou-Hubei waterway, always abroad. Now, past thirty with a beautiful young wife — you cherish me, I cherish you. The rivers suddenly seemed dangerous; he had no wish to venture out, and only sent off the capital in others' hands. The ancestral house had long been neglected and had fallen into disrepair — now the front hall and back tower were rebuilt from scratch. The two mu of fields his kinsman had sold were bought back. The arrogant young Master Chen of former days — his father died in office; all those who had been coerced into surrendering their land and property, or forced to give up their children in lieu of payment, now came to file complaints. Entangled in lawsuits, the family's resources were exhausted, and in the end they sold their remaining land to Pu Zhunfu, who bought it at full price.

What is taken against principle is hard to keep;

What comes in through crooked means must go out the same way.

The changes of the world come in an instant —

Let the covetous man take heed.

In former times Pu Zhunfu had been a man who spun things about; now he had become a country squire.

About a year after this, a letter came from Deputy Ministry Chief Huang to Judge Zhang: "In the matter of Brother Pu's family and household, you have already done your duty. In the matter of his advancement, let me offer my arm — you may advise him to come north." It was Deputy Chief Huang who arranged for Pu Zhunfu to purchase a student qualification through contribution, found a fellow-provincial to vouch for him, paid the registration silver, moved the documents from the local jurisdiction, obtained ward and neighborhood certificates, and asked Judge Zhang to send Pu Zhunfu to the capital. But Pu Zhunfu, with a beautiful wife, substantial property, a front garden and back pond, was perfectly content and had no wish to leave home. Now he was bundled onto the bench, so to speak — Judge Zhang assembled two or three more commissions worth five or six hundred taels in all, to give Pu Zhunfu as household-settling money and travel expenses. Previously Pu Zhunfu had worn a plain commoner's cap; now he wore a proper scholar's cap. Before, he had gone before officials with a round cap and official collar, with only a certificate from the Bureau of Rites classifying him as a Confucian commoner; now he was a proper student of the Northern Directorate.

Yet gold in abundance can change a man's very appearance —

Why cling to the cold lamp, sinking in the sea of studies?

Pu Zhunfu never forgot his debt to the Dai family, and arranged for Dai Zan to accompany him north to the capital with two credits toward his qualification.

Arriving in the capital, Brothers Lin and Huang came immediately to call. Hanlin Academician Lin spoke at length of what he himself had contributed. This academician had a close relative who was director of education for South Zhili. He had also offered Pu Zhunfu a place to register a student, but Pu Zhunfu had given the place to Ward Headman Dai's second son, Dai Ying, who was thus enrolled in the academy. But his debt was still not fully repaid. Pu Zhunfu now brought up the old story and introduced Dai Zan to Brothers Lin and Huang, who both treated him with courtesy. Pu Zhunfu's capital expenses, his academy registration fees — all came from Deputy Chief Huang's pocket. Within a year, the two men worked on his behalf and obtained a review of his service record, reclassifying it as completed. By this time four years had quietly passed since Pu Zhunfu had befriended the three men in their hour of need. Academician Lin, upon leaving the academy at the end of his posting, received an appointment as Supervising Censor for Zhejiang. Deputy Chief Huang was transferred to the post of Bureau Chief in the Verification Department of the Ministry of Personnel. A Ministry of Personnel official speaking to Ministry of Personnel matters was easiest of all. The two contribution candidates were evaluated and passed — Pu Zhunfu received the post of county vice-magistrate, Dai Zan that of sub-district director. These were not posts of purple and gold seal, but they were positions of authority over the people.

With both money and influence, there was nothing that could not be arranged. The two men duly waited for their placements. Then Academician Lin — when his turn for assignment came — was posted to Zhejiang for supervisory inspection. He went to Deputy Chief Huang's lodgings and said: "This time the burden should shift to me. But since I am inspecting Zhejiang, I cannot properly recommend a Zhejiang posting for someone. I leave that in your hands." Deputy Chief Huang proved skilled at pulling strings: one post of grain-management county vice-magistrate in Wucheng, one post of constabulary sub-district director in Changxing. The two men received their appointment documents, bowed their thanks to Deputy Chief Huang, and left the capital. Deputy Chief Huang also sent several earnest letters of recommendation to the garrison circuit, the financial circuit, and four prefects on their behalf. Such was the weight he placed on friendship — he would not spare even a word on behalf of a snake or a crow.

Leaving the capital, they stopped to visit Judge Zhang in Changzhou. Since Pu Zhunfu had gone to the capital, Zhang had kept a steady stream of messengers bringing gifts and looking after him. This time he gave them funds for the journey to their posts. The two men returned home, paid their respects to relatives and ancestors, made quite a show of themselves, and then took their families by water to their posts, presenting their letters of recommendation. A Ministry of Personnel letter — was there anyone who would not receive it with deference? Flattering remarks flowed from the brush, and one could not help but slip free of difficulties. When Censor Lin arrived for his inspection visit, there were choice assignments. Their superiors knew they had connections with the circuit inspector and favored them accordingly. In their posts, the two men each accumulated five or six thousand taels. When their terms ended, through the exertions of these three men, Pu Zhunfu was further appointed as assistant prefect of Mianyang, and Dai Zan as registrar of Chenzhou. The three friends continued to look after them without cease.

But in the end these two knew how to read good fortune and bad: "Better to pocket some silver and call it done. Day after day kneeling and bowing before others — it is not equal to a winter's stove with bones charring and cheap spirits and yellow chicken; a summer's green trees and water chestnuts and lotus, green water-caltrops and white lotus root." Both retired and returned home in contentment.

In sum, a man of true character is one who dares. When poor, he dares to give away wealth. When successful, he dares to give up official position. Both come from a single thing: the ability to take wealth lightly. And so Pu and Dai are both men rarely seen in this world. As for the generous repayment offered by the three gentlemen — it was not more than was fitting.