Jailers are bribed to remove a man’s shackles,
And a clerk is urged to change a confession.
Yuan You invited the jailer Ge Ai to the Great Wave teahouse on the west side of the yamen and chose a secluded table. As the waiter poured the tea, Yuan said, “I’m hoping to get Wu Zhen’s irons removed, and that’s why I’ve invited you here for a talk. About how much would it cost?”
“Oh, I can’t take the sole responsibility for that. You’ll have to ask Master Duan Qinggeng, the supervisor, to come over and discuss it with you.”
“If I wait here, could I ask you to go and invite him? I hope you won’t take offense. Over and above the cost, there’ll be a modest present for you.”
“Very kind of you, I’m sure. Just wait here while I go and find him. I’ll be back soon.”
He bustled out of the teahouse and returned after some time with another man. When Yuan You saw them, he jumped to his feet. Pointing to the man he had brought, Ge Ai said, “Master Yuan, this gentleman is Master Duan Qinggeng, the supervisor of our criminal department.” Pointing to Yuan You, he said to Duan, “This is Master Yuan You.” The two men bowed to each other and sat down. The waiter poured Duan a cup of tea.
After they had exchanged some polite conversation, Yuan You said, “My friend Wu Zhen is being held on opium charges. There’s no one in his family to step forward, so I’ve taken it upon myself to try to get his irons removed. May I trouble you two gentlemen to help? How much would it be, all told?”
“The chief1 was interested in your friend’s money even before he knew of his reputation for wealth,” said Duan Qinggeng. “Since you’re prepared to take this on, you should first understand what he wants. The others, senior and junior jailers, prisoner bosses, prisoners, sailors, and watchmen, the fellows on night duty in the various departments, as well as the guards on the main and secondary gates—those people Ge Ai and I can help you with.”
“When you ask a favor from officials, you start from where you are,” said Yuan You. “Since I sought you gentlemen out, you mustn’t turn me down; please take this on. Once you and I have reached agreement, I shan’t mind what else is involved.”
“Master Yuan, you’re setting us a very difficult task. If you’re entrusting it to us, it will probably cost at least three hundred silver dollars.”
“By rights I ought to accept your offer. But you can deduce the state of my friend’s finances from this fact: when the runners arrested him, he would never have been brought here at all if he’d possessed a hundred taels. You can’t say he has no money, but altogether he can offer about fifty thousand cash for those in the jail, plus an additional ten thousand each for you two gentlemen.”
Duan Qinggeng had still made no comment when Ge Ai replied: “You must be joking, Master Yuan! To be frank with you, when I saw him brought in yesterday, I hunted out all my old pawn tickets. In a word, I alone would want well over a hundred thousand. It’s no easy matter, pulling in a really big fish like this! The big ones in the Customs rarely fall into our hands. You’re talking a few score thousand. Do you really think that will be enough for this deal?”
“No need to lose your temper, Officer Ge. This kind of thing is very hard to calculate. As the saying goes, ‘The greater your wealth, the bigger your troubles.’ At the risk of offending you gentlemen, let me put this to you: if a completely penniless person were in your custody and there was no money to get the irons removed, you surely wouldn’t let him just hang there till he died, would you? It’s not that I’m pleading poverty for my friend Wu Zhen, but he really doesn’t deserve a reputation as a rich man, and he can’t come up with the money. I also cannot promise you any more money on his behalf. I could benefit from this deal myself, but I’m acting as an unpaid negotiator, and I hope you gentlemen will take that into consideration.”
“Officer Ge didn’t lose his temper at all,” said Duan Qinggeng. “That small sum you mentioned would really not be enough to go around. But please don’t take offense.”
“To be quite candid, a few years ago I was investigated myself. I was in Jiangdu jail, where it cost me only twenty thousand altogether. It’s not that I’m unwilling to agree to more in his case, but the truth is, he just can’t raise the money. I hope you will make allowances for that.”
Duan Qinggeng and Mo Ai swore that it was not enough. Yuan You repeated his arguments again and again, before finally settling on eighty thousand as a base figure, plus ten thousand extra as compensation for each of them.
“Although you’ve entrusted this to the two of us, we can’t give it final approval until we know what the warden thinks, after which the others are likely to agree. Let’s meet again after lunch.”
“We’ve gone over my offer in great detail, and it’s all settled,” said Yuan You. “Don’t try to angle for any more. Not another penny can be added.”
“You’re a tough bargainer and no mistake! You don’t give an inch. Anyway, whether we succeed or not, let’s meet after lunch and try to work out a settlement.”
They said good-bye and were about to part when Yuan You said, “Just one moment. There’s another small concern that I have, and I’d like you to bend the rules for me.” They asked what it was, and Yuan You went on, “Wu Zhen is an addict, and if I go with someone to an opium den and heat up a couple of pellets and bring them to the prison so that he can get by for a while, I wonder if you gentlemen would be willing to give them to him?”
“We’d be reluctant to refuse any request you might make, no matter how difficult,” said Ge Ai. “Master Duan, you don’t smoke, so why don’t you go back to the criminal department and wait there while I go with Master Yuan? I’ll be back soon.” Duan Qinggeng took his leave of Yuan You and left the teahouse.
Yuan You paid for the tea and left with Ge Ai, who led him to an opium den on the south side of the teahouse and invited him to sit down on an opium couch. He then called out “Opium here!” A waiter promptly handed him some Chaozhou tobacco and asked, “How many would you like?”
“Four, please.” The waiter came back with four packets of opium and laid them on a dish. He also poured out two cups of tea. Ge Ai lay down on the bed and said, “Have a smoke.”
“I don’t smoke,” said Yuan You, “but you go ahead.” Ge Ai made four pellets and wrapped them up in the packets, then smoked the rest of the opium. Yuan You paid the bill and they left together, with Ge Ai carrying the packets of opium. They had no sooner reached the gateway of the yamen than they noticed Wu Zhen’s page, Fazi, lurking about hoping for news of his master. At sight of Yuan You, he came running up.
“Master Yuan, do you know where my master is?”
“This is Wu Zhen’s page,” Yuan You explained to Ge Ai. “I would like to have him accompany me into the prison. His master can give him instructions, so that he can go home and find some way to deal with this.” Ge Ai gave his permission, and Yuan You told Fazi, “Come with me to see your master.” Ge Ai led the way into the prison.
When Fazi saw Wu Zhen beneath the eaves of the registration office, his face covered in blood, his arms and legs shackled, he felt a stab of grief and began to cry. “Master, whatever happened to you?” he sobbed.
“Now, don’t be silly!” said Wu Zhen, weeping at the sight of his page. “You don’t need to ask me. You can get the full story from Master Yuan.”
Yuan You told Wu Zhen what Ge Ai and Duan Qinggeng had said, everything but the agreed-upon amount, about which he was purposely vague. “I’d be ever so grateful, Brother, if you’d impress on them that the sooner it’s done the better,” said Wu Zhen.
Yuan You turned to Ge Ai: “Could you please bring me a bowl of boiled water?” Ge Ai picked up a bowl and went off to the kitchen to fetch the water. With the bowl in one hand, he took two pellets from one of the packets and put them in the water, then stirred the mixture with his fingers, held it to Wu Zhen’s mouth, and told him to drink. For Wu Zhen, it was like the elixir of immortality, and in two or three gulps he had finished it.
“I have two more pellets on me,” said Ge Ai. “I’ll give them to you later.” Wu Zhen nodded, then called Fazi to his side and whispered something in his ear. Fazi nodded.
After Yuan You had taken leave of Wu Zhen, he reminded Ge Ai of their meeting after lunch at the Great Wave; whoever arrived first would wait there for the others. Leaving the prison with Fazi, he told the boy to go home and have lunch, then come back that afternoon to the Great Wave to find out what had happened. Yuan You went home, had his lunch, and then went on to the teahouse to await the response from Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai.
Meanwhile Ge Ai had sought out Duan Qinggeng and reached an agreement with him. The two men went first to the criminal department, where they explained the arrangement clearly to everyone, including the chief officer, messengers, clerks, runners, detectives, gatekeepers, servants, umbrella men, and bearers. Then they went to the prison and explained it clearly to everyone there, including junior and senior guards, prisoner bosses and prisoners, as well as a jail supervisor and all the jail staff. After that, they had lunch at a restaurant. Ge Ai then went to the opium den to satisfy his habit, while Duan Qinggeng went straight to the teahouse, where he drank a cup of tea as he waited.
Ge Ai went on to the teahouse and chatted with Duan while they drank their tea. Yuan You arrived, greeted them, and joined them at their table. “After we left you yesterday, we went to the criminal department and spoke to the chief,” said Duan Qinggeng. “The first words out of his mouth were a request for two hundred thousand from your friend. I kept on stressing the eighty thousand. Gifts to the messengers on the gate would, in the usual way, be in addition to that. There are also the senior and junior guards and the various expenses inside the jail, which would also be in addition. Please take that into consideration.”
“I cannot go beyond the figure we spoke of before lunch. It cannot be increased.”
Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai shook their heads. “We can’t help you with that figure. If you think we haven’t tried our best, you should find someone else.” They stood up to go.
Yuan You held them back. “Do sit down, please! You’re taking me for a novice. If you two won’t act on the sum we spoke of, it would be no use asking a thousand other people. Oh well, it can’t be helped, I suppose. Wu Zhen’s a friend of mine, so apart from not taking a commission for myself, I’ll increase the amount by ten thousand out of my own pocket, whether or not he takes over the debt in the future. Now, be reasonable, gentlemen. We should all resign ourselves to the fact that this is a very small pig we’re dealing with and be a little more lenient.” But Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai merely shook their heads and refused. They hung on for another four hours, until Yuan You added another ten thousand, and they finally accepted. After arranging that the money be handed over that evening outside the yamen, Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai took their leave.
At this point Fazi came up and asked if there was any news. “What did your mistress say when you got back?” asked Yuan You.
“She said she hoped you would handle everything, sir.”
“Well, now that we know how much the criminal and prison departments will need, I wonder whether your family has thought of how to pay it.”
“The mistress would like to invite you over to our house to discuss it.”
Yuan You paid the bill and accompanied Fazi to Wu Zhen’s house. He was asked to take a seat in the reception room, where Fazi offered him tea and tobacco before going to the rear quarters and passing on the news to his mistress. Wu Zhen’s wife, Mistress Wang, came out and greeted Yuan You, then took a seat to one side. “I am most grateful to you for all your efforts,” she said.
“Your husband and I have been friends for a long time. Now that he’s been framed and is in serious trouble, it’s my duty to do what I can to help. He asked me again and again to take action, and I’ve negotiated a base figure for the two departments of a hundred thousand cash. Miscellaneous expenses, extra compensation, and gratuities add up to another eighty thousand. We’ve agreed to hand over the money this evening, which will allow him to be freed from his shackles.”
“To be frank with you,” said Mistress Wang, “my husband puts on a good show, but there’s nothing behind the facade. He has a runner’s job at the Customs, but it’s a job in name only. He has always liked to go out and play around, leaving no money with his family, and now because of this sudden turn of events he’s in trouble. Our son is still young. My husband’s family has never been on good terms with him, and now they’ll not only ignore him, they’ll be sniggering at him behind his back. On my side of the family, there’s no one capable of taking charge. When I heard the news yesterday, I was panic-stricken. I had nowhere to turn for help, I didn’t know what to do, and I spent the whole night in tears. Then before lunch today Fazi came back and told me that you had kindly put yourself out to help us. I at once sent the jewelry and clothes in the house to the pawnbroker’s in return for a hundred thousand.” She called to the maid to bring out the packets of money and put them on the table. “Here is a hundred thousand. Do take it. As for the balance, I’ve just now been talking to a cousin on my mother’s side about a loan, and I would ask you to wait until tomorrow, if you’d be so kind as to come back again. I implore you, sir, to discuss this with the prison staff. It’s vital that the shackles be removed today. As you know, my husband is slight and weak, and in addition he has an opium habit. He’ll never survive such harsh treatment.”
“Set your mind at rest, Sister-in-Law. One way or another, I’ll get them to remove the shackles today so that he won’t have to suffer another night of pain. It’s important that you tell Fazi to take food, drink, and opium to the jail.”
“I’ll send him off at once. Thank you for handling these matters for us.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“There’s one other thing I’d like to ask you. I’ve heard that this affair with my husband occurred because someone in a certain establishment tried unsuccessfully to get a loan from him and then conspired with other people against him. Do you know the details? Is there any way of getting him off?”
“You’re quite right. Give me one more day, and I’ll be able to tell you all the details. Now I must hurry off to settle that matter with the two departments so that he can be freed from his shackles. Tomorrow morning I’ll go and see the clerk in charge of the case and ask him if there is anything he can suggest. After that, I’ll come back and report to you.”
Mistress Wang knelt down before him. “We’re utterly dependent on your kindness! If by some chance you manage to get my husband off so that he can return home, I shall thank you most humbly again.”
“Please get up, Sister-in-Law. I’d feel awkward returning your gesture. Your husband and I are very good friends, and you don’t need to be so polite. I’ll do the best I can.” He picked up the money, took his leave, and left the house.
He went first to the money shop, where he had the money checked and rearranged into strings of nine hundred and twenty cash each,2 then wrapped the strings up in heavy paper. The rest of the money he put in his own purse.
At the yamen, he found Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai standing in the gateway and arranged to meet them in a quiet place. “Here’s seventy thousand,” he said. “I’ll be responsible for delivering the rest to you before lunch tomorrow. I hope that you’ll release him from his shackles today.”
“Just as you say.” Yuan You then produced the packages of money and went with the other two to the money shop, where once more the clerk was asked to check the money.
“Master Yuan, why did you do them up in strings of nine hundred and twenty?” asked Duan Qinggeng as he accepted the money.
“There’s nothing irregular about it. In big dealings at the Customs, they always use that method. In a small transaction like this, let’s just say that we’re in your debt.”
“You’re being too tough, sir. You’re making things very difficult for us.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve put you to any inconvenience. But nowadays there are plenty of prisoners in shackles. You may well catch a wild pig that will be the answer to all your prayers.”
Duan Qinggeng and Ge Ai clucked in disapproval but gathered up the money anyway. “It’s getting late,” they said, “and the magistrate will soon close down for the day. It wouldn’t be convenient to invite you in now. We’ll hurry back and release Wu Zhen from his shackles. When you come to the prison tomorrow to visit your friend, you’ll be pleased.”
Yuan You bowed and thanked them, then asked which clerk was in charge of the case. “My colleague Bian Zhichi is handling it,” said Duan Qinggeng. Yuan You asked where Bian lived and then took leave of them and went back and spent the night with Paria.
Early the next morning he went to Bian’s house and invited him to a teahouse, where they drank tea and exchanged pleasantries. “You’re handling my friend Wu Zhen’s case,” said Yuan You, “and I’ve come specially to beg you to find some way to save him. Naturally there will be a modest reward.”
“Your friend was brought before the court yesterday. He testified that Bao Guang and other runners had listened to someone called Wu who had a grudge against him, and that the runners and this Wu had then banded together to frame him. His Honor got so angry on hearing this that he ordered your friend to be given thirty blows to the face and held in prison. To be frank, Bao Guang and his men are in high favor at present, and the magistrate listens to them. Only if your friend has inside connections can he be acquitted. If you have no strings to pull, even if there really was a frame-up, the magistrate won’t listen to you. If your friend continues to testify as he has done so far, he’ll suffer no end of abuse.”
“We’re entirely dependent on your kind efforts. My friend has entrusted me with the contemptible sum of eight thousand cash for you and the copyist, in the hope that you will think of some way to save him.”
“As the old saying goes, ‘Beat, but don’t imprison.’ If your friend is hoping to walk away free and clear, that’s impossible. You’ll just have to tell him that when the case comes under review, he should testify that he used to smoke opium because of an illness, but after hearing of the strict ban, he had begun to cut down when, to his great surprise, he was investigated and arrested. If he testifies like that, he should be able to lessen the punishment he’s subjected to. Generally, in cases like this in which someone is caught in the act, he can consider himself lucky to get off with a sentence of exile. Since you have asked me, I shall do my best to help, but I wouldn’t presume to accept the very generous sum you offered.” Yuan You realized the sum was too small and increased it to ten thousand, which Bian accepted.
“I wonder if I could also trouble you for the runners’ charge with the comments attached, as well as the text of the court examination,” said Yuan You.
“I’ll have fair copies made and sent to you today.” When the two men had eaten their breakfast, Yuan You paid the bill and arranged with Bian to meet at the same place the following day, when he would give him the money. Then the two men left the teahouse and went their separate ways.
If you are wondering what happened, please turn to the next chapter.
