CHAPTER 81

Zhao Yuanwai inquires about cause and effect; Second Tiger recognizes Dr. Xu

“WHERE do you come from, monk? And what is your honorable name?” asked the yuanwai.

“I come from the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat on the West Lake. The first character of my name reads Dao and the Second Ji. I am the Ji Dian about whom people often speak. What is the yuanwai called?”

“My surname is Zhao,” replied the yuanwai, “and I am called De zhong. Just now I heard one of my people say that the holy monk has some subtle medicine that can help a difficult birth. If the holy monk can help in this birth, I would be most deeply thankful.”

“I have here a piece of medicine,” said the monk. “If you will take it, dissolve it in hot and cold water, and give it to the mother, the child will come forth naturally.”

Zhao Dezhong took the medicine and gave it to a servant, explaining clearly what the monk had said. In a little while a woman came into the library, exclaiming, “Great happiness for the yuanwai! When the medicine was taken, the child was born. You have a son!”

When Zhao Dezhong heard, he was most happy and said, “Holy monk, you are indeed a good spirit,” and ordered that wine be prepared.

“Outside there are two headmen who came with me. They are waiting at the gate,” explained the monk.

When the yuanwai heard this, he immediately ordered a servant to bring the two headmen inside. Then servants brought food and wine, and everyone sat eating and drinking. “There is something that I truly do not understand,” said Zhou Yuanwai. “Perhaps the holy monk could explain it to me.”

The monk asked what it was.

“In the beginning, I cared only for myself. I thought of myself as an important person, but in fact, my success came about through the efforts of others. I had three wives and three sons, and I was able to support my family. One day I called my three sons together to teach them about the cotton business. I explained to them such things as when prices were high, you might ask the full price of someone unknown to you but give a discount to a valued customer. I did not tell even them, however, that I had quicksilver in the hollow arm of one set of scales so that I could shift as I chose and move the balance to give short weight to a customer. Then one day, a suspicious customer got very angry during the sale of one thousand pounds of cotton. Then he caught a chill and died. I felt guilty and ashamed and changed my ways.

“Less than a month later, my oldest son died and his bride-to-be married someone else. The funeral was hardly over when my second son died as well. Less than two months later, my third son died. My three sons are all dead. Tell me, Monk, how can I become a good man and avoid evil?”

The monk laughed and told him, “Your first son was a taker of drugs. You are lucky that he died. Your second son was headed toward bankruptcy. Your third son would have brought you all sorts of harm through his evil ways and you would have been a friendless beggar in your old age. Heaven is not blind. You have turned toward good ways and this makes you the best of men. Your newborn son will now be a joy to you, and all will be well.”

As Zhao Yuanwai listened, it was as if he were waking from a dream. “Holy Monk,” he said, “you have taught me how to live. Now I have a son and can continue.”

“Your son will lead you toward the light,” the monk said. “You need only keep on in your changed condition.”

“Very well,” said Zhao Yuanwai, “but now please, Holy Monk, keep on eating and drinking.”

When the group had finished eating it was late, and the monk, together with the headmen, were invited to stay the night. In the morning the monk rose as soon as it was light, and the three men went on their way toward Changshan.

At the crossroads just inside the Changshan city walls, they saw near the doorway of a two-story house about twenty waiting men arguing and wrangling among themselves.

“What are you doing here?” the monk asked.

“We are waiting to be examined,” one of the men answered. “Master Xu, who lives here, is a famous doctor. In one day he will see twenty patients but no more. Those who come earliest get to see him. We all came early and have been waiting to be seen, but the master has not yet arisen.”

“Is that so?” asked the monk. “I will go and call him.” With that, he walked into the entrance and shouted, “Hasn’t the master of examinations gotten up yet?”

A doorkeeper came out and said, “Don’t talk nonsense, monk. Where are there any managers of medical examinations?”

“There are people waiting,” said the monk.

“There are no people waiting inside,” said the doorkeeper. “The master is here.”

“Ask him to come out,” the monk said. “I want to be examined for my illness.” Just as he said this, the doctor came out. He was wearing a brilliant blue robe with a silken sash to hold it together and a blue scholar’s kerchief tied over his hair knot. On his feet he wore shoes with a pattern of bamboo leaves. This was the local doctor. He had just arisen, and hearing the shouting, stepped outside. When he saw that it was a poor ragged monk, Dr. Xu asked, “Monk, what is the matter?”

“I want to be examined for my illness,” replied the monk.

The doctor thought to himself, “I will give him a quick examination and that will end this.” He took the monk’s hand and looked at it.

“Don’t look at my hand,” said the monk. It’s not my hands that are bothering me—it’s my head.”

The doctor looked at the monk’s head for some time and then said, “You have no illness, monk.”

“I have!” countered the monk.

“I see that everything is in order, monk—you are not sick!”

“I am sick,” said the monk, “and not only that, you are sick as well. However, I have no way of curing your sickness.”

“What illness do I have?” asked the doctor.

“There is a devil in your belly,” answered the monk.

“Monk, you are talking nonsense!” the doctor said in an annoyed tone.

“Nonsense!” exclaimed the monk. “Now we have a disagreement that we must take to the yamen to be resolved.” With that statement he grasped the doctor by the sash and dragged him away.

The crowd tried to stop him. “What is the argument?” they shouted.

“Pay no attention,” said the monk. If the monk could not drag someone off, no one could. He was very strong. He went straight to the Chang-shan yamen, where he called out, “Your Honor, lord of the night and day, hear my grievance!”

Just as the officers were about to stop the monk, the prefect recognized Ji Gong and ordered that the Widow Son be taken from the audience chamber. He then said, “Please sit down, holy monk.” He also recognized Doctor Xu, who had been at the yamen previously to treat illnesses. “What problem does the holy monk have with Dr. Xu?”

“Since Your Honor asks,” replied the monk, “I will tell you. Last night I was sick while I was at the house of Zhou Yuanwai. He noticed that I was sick and told me to see the famous Dr. Xu. I walked twenty li by myself to reach the town walls of Changshan and went to Dr. Xu’s house. It was too expensive to hire a horse—they wanted six strings of cash to start with, and twenty-four strings to go as far as Wu Lipai. I said that it was too much, that I would walk. Zhou Yuanwai gave me fifty pieces of silver. When I got to Dr. Xu’s house this morning, he asked me whether I had silver. I said that I did, and took out the fifty pieces of silver on the table. He took the money and looked at me, said I was not sick, and told me to go. I asked him to return my money. He would not give it to me. That is my complaint against him.”

When the prefect heard what the monk had to say, he thought it very strange and asked, “Doctor Xu, why did you cheat the monk out of his money?”

“A doctor would not dare to do such a thing,” replied Dr. Xu, “and I truly did not do such a thing. I rose a little late. Just as I got up, I heard someone shout from outside that he was sick. I stepped outside and saw a monk, who asked me to examine him. He was not sick, but he said that he was and that I was sick, too, that I had a demon in my belly. He complains that I took his money, but I never saw any of his money.”

“He says that he did not take my money, but he has it in the top of his gown,” the monk countered. “Have him untie his sash and look.”

“Dr. Xu, untie your sash,” the prefect ordered. The doctor did so and a piece of paper fell to the floor. He stooped to pick it up, but the monk snatched it up first, exclaiming, “Look, your honor!”

The prefect took it and read, “Lei Ming and Chen Liang, two outlaws of the Greenwood, closely associated with the Tangled Hair Ghost.” After looking at it, the prefect asked, “Dr. Xu, where did you get this? Where did it come from?”

“I picked it up,” answered the doctor.

“You just got up this morning! Where did you pick up?” asked the prefect.

“I picked it up in the courtyard,” responded the doctor.

“How could that have happened so conveniently!” exclaimed the prefect.

“Your Honor,” said the monk, “call Widow Son into court.”

The prefect had the widow summoned. As soon as she saw the doctor, she exclaimed, “Brother Xu, you are here!”

“And why are you here, Madam?” the doctor asked.

“Widow Son,” asked the prefect, “How do you know the doctor?”

“In answer to your honor,” the widow replied, “When my husband was alive, he kept a medicine shop. The doctor was his sworn brother. When my husband was sick, he attended him. When he died, Dr. Xu helped me with the funeral. Afterward I said to him, ‘I am grateful for your help. However, I have something to ask you. Please do not visit me. Do not come to my house.’ From that time on he did not come to the house. This is how I knew him.”

The monk then asked that Second Tiger be brought into the audience chamber. When he came into the audience chamber, he exclaimed, “Uncle Xu, you are here!”

“Second Tiger,” said the prefect, “Dr. Xu was your elder brother’s sworn brother. Why do you call him uncle?”

“That’s right,” answered Second Tiger. “Dr. Xu was my elder brother’s sworn brother. Before, I used to call him brother, but since I borrowed money from him several times I have called him uncle. I asked to borrow ten strings of cash and he lent me ten strings of cash. Then I asked for eight thousand cash and he lent me eight thousand. I couldn’t call him brother after that, so I call him uncle.”

“Have them all taken out of the hall,” suggested the monk. After they were gone, the monk said, “Now bring in Second Tiger alone.”

When Second Tiger returned alone, the monk addressed him. “Second Tiger, Dr. Xu has just made a full confession. Will you talk now? Otherwise the prefect will have you squeezed.”

The prefect thought that this was a good idea and was about to have Second Tiger squeezed between boards when he started to talk. “You need not punish me. I will tell you all.” Then he told the whole story of what had happened from beginning to end.