39

Wang Xinzhi Dies to Save the Entire Family

Our story takes place in the Qiandao [1165–73] and Chunxi [1174–89] reign periods of the great Song dynasty. After ascending the throne, Emperor Xiaozong honored his father, Emperor Gaozong, as the Imperial Patriarch. Good relations with the Jurchen state had been restored, and all was calm on the four frontiers. Military activities gave way to pursuit of the civil arts, and the emperor shared with the populace the joys of those halcyon days. Every now and then, Emperor Xiaozong escorted his father on excursions by dragon boat on West Lake, where no restrictions whatsoever were imposed on the merchants. Consequently, there was no lack of commoners taking advantage of the emperor’s outing to make a profit. Wine sellers alone numbered over a hundred.

Now, among them was a wine seller with the surname of Song, who, being the fifth born in her family, was known as Fifth Aunt Song. She was famous in the old capital for her delicious fresh fish soup. During the Jianyan reign period [1127–30], she had followed the migratory flow as the emperor moved to the south and by now had established her residence, along with many others, by the Su Dike, to ply her trade.

One day the Imperial Patriarch’s boat was moored by the Su Dike in the middle of a tour of the lake when conversation in the Eastern Capital dialect came into the old emperor’s hearing. He sent an attendant to bring over whoever was talking. It turned out to be an old woman. An old eunuch recognized her to be Fifth Aunt Song of Fanlou in Bianjing, who was known for her delicious fish soup, and reported as much to the emperor’s father, who, overcome with nostalgia at the mention of days gone by, ordered her to bring forward some of her fish soup. Upon finding the taste indeed exquisite, he rewarded her with one hundred in cash. As the story spread all over Lin’an, the rich, the influential, and the royal kith and kin all descended upon her shop to buy her fish soup, bringing the old woman enormous wealth. There is a poem that bears witness:

On another occasion, the imperial boat was passing by the Broken Bridge when the emperor’s father went on shore and took a leisurely walk. His eyes came to rest upon an elegant wineshop. After he sat down, he noticed a white screen on which was written a lyric poem to the tune of “Wind through the Pine Trees”:

The Imperial Patriarch read through the poem and was full of praise. To his inquiry as to the author, the shopkeeper answered, “The poem was written in a moment of drunkenness by Yu Guobao, student at the National University.”

The former emperor said with a smile, “A good poem though it is, the line with ‘leftover wine’ lacks grace.” Thereupon he asked for a brush-pen and amended the line on the screen to read, “Tomorrow I return on the last strength of the wine.” That very day, Yu Guobao was summoned to his presence and made editorial assistant in the Hanlin Academy. Now that the screen in the wineshop had been touched by an imperial brush-pen, visitors flocked to the shop for a look, and, consequently, its sales of wine boomed, making the owner a very rich man. A later poet had this to say about Yu Guobao’s fortunate encounter with the emperor’s father:

There is another poem in praise of the wineshop keeper:

During those peaceful times in the Southern Song dynasty, goodness knows how many people unexpectedly benefited from imperial grace. In the same period, however, there was also a famous man of heroic mettle accomplished in both the military and civil arts who, instead of chancing upon imperial favor, was falsely accused by some vile characters. These false charges led to a great misfortune, however absurd it may sound. This was indeed the work of fate, timing, and luck. Truly,

Our story takes place in the Qiandao reign period. In Sui’an County of Yanzhou, there lived a rich man named Wang Fu, courtesy name Shizhong, who had passed the local examinations. With his wealth and power, he ran the a airs of the region with an iron hand and held the officials under his influence. A true local despot he was. However, he killed someone and, because he came up against a powerful adversary, was banished to Jiyang District⁶ in the far south. However, on the strength of his connections with Zhang Jun, the duke of Wei, he managed to secure a pardon, using the pretext that he would render service to the empire by recruiting for the army. Thus he returned home and managed his assets so efficiently that he regained his prodigious wealth.

This Wang Fu had a younger brother, born of the same parents, named Wang Ge, courtesy name Xinzhi, who had lived with him since childhood. Wang Xinzhi was a man as erudite in learning as he was skilled in martial arts. One day, the brothers got into a dispute while drinking. In a fit of rage, Wang Xinzhi stormed out of the house, saying, “I swear never to return unless I make myself richer by a thousand pieces of gold!” With nothing of value about him other than an umbrella (A hint of his impulsiveness), he thought to himself, “Where to go? I’ve heard that in the region of Huaiqing, farmers and blacksmiths do well. Why don’t I go there and see what will happen?” With no traveling money for the journey, he hit upon a plan. As he had studied since childhood some martial arts using spears, sta s, and fists, he could well roll up his sleeves and make himself look like a martial arts master. Thus, wherever there was a crowd, he would put on a show either with or without his umbrella to function as a spear or a sta . Usually some people would applaud and give money. By not being picky, he was able to scrape a living and buy himself food and wine.

Not many days later, he crossed the Yangzi River, observing the terrain all along the way until he reached Anqing Prefecture. At a place called Madi Slope, about thirty li past Susong, he saw a dilapidated temple standing all by itself in the midst of a stretch of uninhabited hills covered with wood for charcoal. He said to himself, “If I set up a foundry here with a ready supply of charcoal, I’ll be able to corner the market.”

Taking the old temple as his home, he gathered together some local vagrants and had them make charcoal on the hills. With the money from selling the charcoal, he bought iron and set up a foundry. The ironware that they produced was then sold in the marketplace. Each of his employees had a well-defined job, and his combination of kindness and discipline won admiration and respect from all. In a few years, his foundry grew into a prosperous and sizable enterprise. He had his wife brought over from Yanzhou to Madi Slope, where he built a magnificent mansion with a thousand halls and chambers. He also came into ownership of a local wineshop, which yielded him decent profits each year. He learned that in Wangjiang County there was a Tianhuang Lake, about seventy li in circumference, that was teeming with fish and rushes. He acquired the lake as part of his estate and collected fish tax from the hundreds of fishermen who followed his orders.

With his wealth continually growing, he became quite a local tyrant, using his power to make rulings on all matters in the region. When he went out, he would wear a sword or a sabre and was followed by a large retinue, in much the same grand style as would be displayed by an eminent official. Poor people from far and wide flocked to him as to a marketplace. His generosity made them willing to lay down their lives for him. (Such people, with their quickness of action, will be of use.) He also used his wealth to befriend local officials of the county. With those who treated him well, he shared a cup of wine. As for those who set themselves against him, he would ferret out evidence of their misdemeanors. In less serious cases, he would bring them to court to tarnish their names. For greater o enses against him, he would have ruffians do away with them by the roadside and wipe out all traces of the crime. Therefore, all and sundry stood in fear of him and vied with each other to gain his favor. Indeed, he was

Our story forks at this point. Huangfu Ti, the pacification commissioner⁸ for the Yangzi-Huai region, a most generous man much to the liking of the gentry, was recruiting men of bold spirit from all over the land. He grouped the bravest among the recruited into his Army of Loyalty and Justice. They were well supplied with money and provisions and given intensive training from morning till night. Tang Situi, the prime minister, envious of his reputation, wanted to have his protégé Liu Guangzu take over the commander’s post. (Putting personal concerns over and above the interests of the empire is a corrupt practice common among court ministers past and present.) Secretly he bade a trusted subordinate, a censor, to report to the imperial court, accusing Huangfu Ti of wasting money and grain on good-for-nothing hooligans less likely to fight a war than to become a scourge to plague the region. (He does have a way with words.) Consequently, the imperial court removed Huangfu from his post and replaced him with Liu Guangzu. Now Liu Guangzu was a mean and cowardly man bent on ingratiating himself with the prime minister. To bring to naught what Huangfu had done, he dissolved the Army of Loyalty and Justice and sent the men back to the fields, to prevent them from stirring up trouble in the region. What a pity that years of work by Huangfu in training the men into soldiers was now all gone in one day. Some of the soldiers returned to their native villages; others banded together and became outlaws.

Among the dismissed men, I shall now tell of two brothers, Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu, natives of Jingzhou. Both were skilled in the martial arts. The all-too-unexpected discharge order from Liu Guangzu set them discussing whom to go to for help, for they had spent all their pay and had no means of subsistence. Suddenly they recalled Hong Gong the martial arts master, who now ran a teahouse on Granary Lane at the south gate of Taihu County. Formerly also an aide-de-camp in the army, he had been on good terms with them. Why not seek him out and take his counsel about future plans? The two brothers gathered their belongings and made their way to Taihu County to look for Hong Gong. He happened to be in his teahouse when they arrived. After an exchange of greetings and amenities, the visitors explained what they had come for. Hong Gong treated them to a chicken dinner and put them up for the night in a nearby temple, for he thought his own house too small to accommodate guests.

The following day, Hong Gong invited the two men home for breakfast and, producing a letter, said, “I am honored that you came so far to see me. I would keep you longer if I were richer and a better host, but I am recommending you to someone you can go to. I assure you that not only will you find the man to your liking, but you will also gain some modest wealth.”

The two men took their leave with words of gratitude. On the envelope they read, “ To be opened by Twelfth Master Wang Xinzhi of Madi Slope, Susong County.” Following the instructions, they went to Madi Slope and presented Wang Xinzhi with Hong Gong’s letter. Wang Xinzhi opened it and read:

Greatly delighted with the letter, Wang Xinzhi immediately called forth his son Wang Shixiong to greet the visitors. Wine was set out, and a room was prepared for their use. Henceforth, Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu lived in the Wang residence, teaching Wang Shixiong archery, horsemanship, and the use of spears and sta s.

Quite unnoticeably, three months passed by. Wang Xinzhi was to go to Lin’an on business. When the Cheng brothers heard that he was going away, they also stated their intention to leave.

“Where are you going?” asked Wang Xinzhi.

“Back to Taihu to see Master Hong.”

Wang Xinzhi wrote a letter for them to take to Hong Gong and was about to see the Cheng brothers on their way when Wang Shixiong appeared and said to his father, “I haven’t yet mastered the art of using spears and sta s. I would like them to stay a little longer so that they can teach me some more.”

Wang Xinzhi yielded to his son’s wish and said to the Cheng brothers, “My son needs more of your teaching. Please be so kind as to stay for another month or two until I come back to give you a proper send-o .” The sincerity of the request made the Cheng brothers agree to stay.

Wang Xinzhi went to Lin’an and finished his business. Alarmed by rumors that the Jurchens had broken the peace treaty, the emperor was soliciting suggestions of ways to defend the empire. Wang Xinzhi submitted directly to the emperor a memorial in which he strongly criticized all peace initiatives: “Even at a time of peace, the empire will find itself in danger once it relaxes its readiness for war. The Yangzi-Huai region being of great strategic importance in the southeast, dissolving the Army of Loyalty and Justice could not have been a graver mistake.” In conclusion, he said, “Unworthy though I am, I would fain lead all the loyal and brave men throughout the Huai River region in a vanguard contingent to regain the central plains and settle accounts left over for generations. Only in so doing can this humble subject make known his devotion.”

After reading the memorial, the emperor convened a meeting of the Bureau of Military A airs. Now the members of this bureau were a cowardly lot who knew no better than to dig a well only when already assailed by thirst. How could such men have enough vision to remove firewood before the danger of a fire arises? Moreover, who would be willing to break the rules and recommend a commoner? Besides, rumors about the Jurchen onslaught were by no means confirmed. Therefore, they gave the emperor no reply but politely invited Wang Xinzhi to stay in the city to await an opportunity to enter into service. Consequently, instead of hurrying home as planned, Wang Xinzhi stayed on in Lin’an. Truly,

To pick up another thread of our story, having stayed for almost a year in the Wang household, Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu had taught Wang Shixiong everything they knew about martial arts and expected in return handsome gifts of gratitude. Wang Shixiong did indeed wish to o er generous gifts, but his father had not returned. Growing impatient with waiting, the Cheng brothers were determined to go. Wang Shixiong did the best he could to keep them, but in the end, his attempts failed. Caught at a moment when he was out of cash, he scraped together fifty taels of silver and gave each man twenty-five taels and a suit of clothes.

At the farewell dinner table, Wang Shixiong said, “I am greatly indebted to you for your instructions. I should be more generous in my thanks, but my father is still in Lin’an and you insist on leaving. With no access to the family account, I have only my small private savings to o er to you as traveling money. Please come by here again to give me another chance to express my gratitude.”

Greatly disappointed at the meager amount of silver, the Cheng brothers thought to themselves without saying anything out loud, “Master Hong gave us to understand that we were to gain some measure of wealth because the Wang father and son value friendship much more than money. And so we came and stayed for a year. But for us to leave like this is not any better than if we had stayed with the Army of Loyalty and Justice. Had we known earlier, we would have left while Wang Xinzhi was at home, for he at least would have been more generous with traveling money. Now that he is still away and we’ve already had the farewell dinner, we can’t very well stay on even if we want to.” They could do no better than sullenly take their leave.

Before they set out, they asked Wang Shixiong for a letter to Master Hong. Not being much of a scholar, Wang Shixiong handed to them the letter that his father had written before and asked them to send Hong his regards. Wang Shixiong accompanied them part of the way before turning back.

The Cheng brothers walked till they were exhausted. When night fell, they found an inn and poured out their grievances to each other over a cup of wine.

“Wang Shixiong is not a three-year-old child,” said Cheng Hu. “Don’t tell me he can’t take responsibility for a couple hundred in cash! He was just pretending to be poor so as to shortchange us!”

Cheng Biao said, “Granted he shortchanged us, but the boy is at least nice enough. The one to blame is Wang Xinzhi, for he thought nothing of us. In several months’ time, he didn’t even write us a letter. He did leave word that he would compensate us upon his return. But if he chooses to stay there for ten years, are we supposed to wait for that long?”

“These rich local despots are not at all like Lord Mengchang,⁹ who valued friendship more than money. To think that the son has no control over money in his father’s absence! How small-minded!”

“Nor is Master Hong a good judge of character,” said Cheng Biao. “How could he have no other acquaintances to refer us to? Why did he have to send us o to that miserable place in the middle of nowhere?”

And so the complaints went on until late into the night, when, quite tipsy with wine, Cheng Hu suggested, “Why don’t we open the letter from Wang Xinzhi to Master Hong and see what it says?” Thereupon Cheng Biao took out the letter from a bundle, wetted the seal, and opened it. It said,

At the end of the letter was another line in smaller script:

Cheng Hu flared up with rage after reading the letter: “Being such a rich man, he could well have made friends with us by being generous with his gold and silk. After all, we did go to him for help, and, in the future, his path might again cross ours. We were not his hired laborers. What di erence does it make how long we stay? All that talk about not being able to come up with handsome presents because we were anxious to leave was but an excuse. He never intended to give us much!” (A valid point.)

Cheng Hu would have ripped up and burned the letter if Cheng Biao had not stopped him and put the letter back.

“Master Hong did us the favor of recommendation,” he said. “We need to show him the letter to let him know that it wasn’t much of a deal for us.”

Cheng Hu agreed, “Right you are.”

They retired for the night without further ado.

The following morning, they rose and traveled for another day. On the third day, they arrived in Taihu County and saw Master Hong in his teahouse, where they sat down and exchanged amenities. Hong Gong had a concubine named Xiyi, who was a hard-working woman always busy with weaving, raising silkworms, and other chores for the family. Hong Gong loved her dearly. However, she was so thrifty in managing the household that she would even grudge o ering a cup of water to a guest. During the Cheng brothers’ last visit, she nagged Hong Gong for quite a few days about his having treated them to supper and breakfast even though he had sent them away to a temple for the night. Now that the Cheng brothers were back again, Hong Gong dared not keep them for meals, but, there being no money to give them, he got it into his head to give them some of the few bolts of good silk in the house. Knowing full well that Xiyi would not let him do that, he went without her knowledge to his room and took four bolts. (Being henpecked can be a cause of calamity, as will be shown in this case.) He had barely stepped out the door with the silk in his arms when he ran into Xiyi, who blocked his way and demanded, “Old fool, where do you think you are taking these bolts of silk?”

Realizing he was not to get away with this, Hong Gong had no choice but to plead, “The Cheng brothers are good friends of mine. They came all the way here to say goodbye to me on their way home, and I have nothing to give them as a token of friendship. Just consider this a loan to me. Don’t contradict me.”

Xiyi shot back, “I didn’t work my fingers to the bone weaving those bolts of silk just for them to be given away. If you’ve got silk of your own, go ahead and give it away as favors, but don’t you touch what’s mine!”

Hong Gong insisted, “They came all the way to see me out of the best intentions. I haven’t even treated them to a little wine. How can I grudge them these four bolts of silk? Please, my good woman, let me have my way for once. As soon as they are gone, I’ll give you a decent apology.” With these words, he turned away.

Grabbing his sleeves, Xiyi said, “They may well have come a long way, as you say, but for what purpose? Last time they ate two free meals and this time they are expecting something again. I can’t even bear the thought of using that silk for making clothes for myself. What do you owe them that you have to give it to them? If they want silk, let them come to me!”

Seeing that the woman was unyielding and afraid that the Cheng brothers had been waiting too long, Hong Gong hardened his heart, tore his sleeve free from her grip, and ran into the teahouse.

In desperation, Xiyi screamed, “Shameless scoundrels! They are no relations of ours, and yet they never cease harassing us! They should have known better than to expect much of petty teahouse owners like us! As the proverb says, ‘ To pay someone else’s bills doesn’t make him rich but only makes yourself poorer.’ This old thing is too stupid to know what’s good for him. All he does is bring home good-for-nothings to stir up trouble! If there’s nothing left in your pot, would any of those friends of yours help you out with a handful of rice?” She deliberately stationed herself behind the screen and launched into a torrent of curses.

The Cheng brothers had heard every word she said when she was inside arguing with Hong Gong. Already greatly vexed, they grew more restless upon hearing the renewed tirade. Picking up their luggage, they headed for the door without waiting for a parting word with Hong Gong. Running up to them from behind, Hong Gong said, “My woman has been angry with me these last couple of days. That’s why she’s not too civil in her use of words. Do not take it amiss. Please do accept these four bolts of coarse silk as substitutes for a meal, and don’t reject them for being too humble.” The Cheng brothers turned a deaf ear and adamantly declined the o er. Hong Gong could do no more than turn back with the silk. It was not until Xiyi saw the bolts of silk that she stopped hurling abuse. Indeed,

Granted that it is a virtue for a woman to be hardworking and frugal, she should also show good sense in dealing with people. For example, Xiyi’s stinginess made her husband lose face. It was all very well for her, because she did not have to emerge from her own house, whereas the man had to go out and face the world. How was he to conduct himself? There is no lack of instances where friendship would thus turn into enmity and, eventually, calamity. As the ancients put it so well, “A good wife brings peace to a man’s life; a filial son brings solace to the father’s mind.”

Not to encumber our story with further idle comments, I will now come back to the Cheng brothers. They had expected Master Hong to o er them hospitality as before, so that they could confide in him and ask him to recommend them to a better place before they could work out a plan for themselves. Little did they expect to be given such a tongue-lashing. Thinking of a way to avenge themselves, they remembered Wang Xinzhi’s undelivered letter and wondered about the reference in the letter to fulfilling some promise in the fall. “Wang Xinzhi being the scoundrel that he is, why don’t we make him out to be a conspirator against the empire so as to get even with both of them at the same time? (Too malicious.) What an ingenious plan! Only no fact can very well be established from the letter, unless . . . ” They left Taihu County and went to Jiangzhou, where they found an inn outside the city gate and put away their luggage.

The following day, the two brothers changed their clothes and hung around the gate of the pacification commissioner’s yamen for a while before they returned to have breakfast. “It’s been a long time since we went up Xunyang Tower,” they said. “Why don’t we go there today?” They locked the door and, equipped with some loose pieces of silver, made their way to Xunyang Tower. Atop the tower was a swarming crowd of sightseers. The two of them leaned against the balustrade and admired the view. Suddenly, a man tugged at Cheng Biao’s clothes and exclaimed, “Big Brother Cheng, when did you get here?”

Turning around, Cheng Biao recognized the man to be a detective in the yamen with the nickname Bald Head Zhang. Cheng Biao promptly called forth his brother, Cheng Hu, and, together, the two saluted the officer, saying, “It’s a long story. Let’s sit down together and we’ll tell you over a couple of drinks.”

The three of them sat down around a table and ordered wine.

“I’ve heard,” said Bald Head Zhang, “that you are teaching in the Wang household in Anqing. What great luck!”

Cheng Biao rejoined, “What luck is there to speak of? We almost got ourselves into big trouble!” He lowered his voice to a whisper and continued, “Wang Ge has been a local despot for so long that he has come to plot rebellion. He engaged us to teach archery and the skills of battle to thousands of his followers. Now that they have been well trained, he is planning a rebellion in the fall in alliance with Master Hong Gong of Taihu and asked the two of us to contact former members of the Army of Loyalty and Justice to join the rebellion. We turned him down and fled here.”

Bald Head Zhang asked, “What proof do you have?”

“We have a letter from him addressed to Hong Gong, but we didn’t deliver it,” answered Cheng Hu.

“Where is the letter? Let me see it.”

“It’s at the inn,” said Cheng Biao.

After paying the bill for their round of drinks, the three men went to the inn. Bald Head Zhang read the letter and said, “This is important confidential information not to be divulged to anyone else. I will immediately report the matter to the pacification commissioner. You two will surely be handsomely rewarded.” With these words, he took his leave.

The following day, Bald Head Zhang reported the matter in great secrecy to Liu Guangzu, the pacification commissioner, who promptly brought the Cheng brothers to jail to obtain their depositions, which were then dispatched secretly with all speed to the Bureau of Military A airs along with Wang Xinzhi’s letter of reply to Hong Gong. The members of the bureau were appalled.

“Since Wang Xinzhi is still in the city waiting for an appointment,” they said, “why don’t we arrest him and bring him over for questioning?”

By the time they sent runners to arrest him, he was already gone. Being a man who valued friendship more than money, Wang Xinzhi had made friends with employees in the Bureau of Military A airs who tipped him o as soon as they heard that things had gone wrong. Therefore, he escaped before the night was out. Having failed to seize Wang Xinzhi, the bureau officials became even more nervous and wrote a memorial to the emperor, who then issued a decree for the pacification commissioner to arrest Wang Xinzhi, Hong Gong, and their accomplices. The pacification commissioner, in his turn, passed the decree to arrest the rebels on to Prefect Li of Anqing and, from there, to the counties of Taihu and Susong.

Now Hong Gong, with a good many informants in Taihu County, got wind of the arrest warrant and took flight. But Wang Ge could hardly get away on short notice, encumbered as he was by his enormous assets. At the time, the post of Susong County magistrate was vacant. Temporarily in charge was He Neng, the county sheri . Upon receipt of the order, he led more than two hundred locally recruited men and headed in the direction of Madi Slope. Before he had covered ten li on horse, Sheri He thought to himself, “I’ve heard that the Wang father and son are valiant fighters, with as many as a thousand foundry workers and fishermen in their employment. Am I not risking my life for nothing?” So thinking, he consulted his officers and led the men to a secluded place in the valley, where they stayed for several days before returning to report to Prefect Li, “Wang Xinzhi is indeed plotting a rebellion. His manor is heavily armed in preparation for resisting arrest. Being greatly outnumbered, we had to withdraw. I plead that a more competent commander be sent so that the operation can be successful.” Prefect Li believed his story and summoned Commander Guo Ze for a consultation.

“Wang Xinzhi has indeed been playing the local despot for quite some time in defiance of the authorities,” said Guo Ze. “But as for the charges of rebellion, the facts have not yet been established. If he resisted arrest, why did the troops not su er casualties? In my humble opinion, there is no need to resort to force. Unworthy as I am, I would be willing to go there to see how things are. If no incriminating evidence is found, I will ask him to come to the yamen to defend himself. If he refuses to come, we will still have time to get rid of him.”

“That is indeed a most sensible suggestion,” said Prefect Li. “Please be good enough to take on this mission. Be sure to take note of every detail. Let nothing escape your eyes.”

“I understand.”

Prefect Li continued, “How many men do you need?”

“About ten of my men will be enough.”

Prefect Li o ered, “I will also give you someone to assist you.” So saying, he summoned Constable Wang Li, who came in, called out a greeting, and stood to one side. Pointing at him, Prefect Li said, “This is a brave man. You will find him useful in all situations.”

As a matter of fact, Guo and Wang Xinzhi were old friends. He had meant to go by himself to o er some advice to Wang Xinzhi to help him out. Little did he expect that the prefect would send Wang Li along. If Wang Li, emboldened by the prefect’s trust in him, tried to make a show of his abilities, Guo Ze would not have much of a chance to do as he pleased. Yet, afraid that rejecting the man would incur the prefect’s suspicions, he could do no better than accept the o er. Disheartened, he took his leave.

The following morning, as soon as he was ready to be on his way, Wang Li went to press Guo Ze to set out on the journey. “We need to bring along the arrest warrant. If Wang Xinzhi comes to us, fine. If not, I have with me a hemp rope to put around his neck. The law is the law. We’ll get him even if he flies into the sky!”

Already much vexed, Guo Ze rejoined, “Though I do have the warrant with me, we needn’t produce it right o . We’d better tailor our strategy to the actual circumstances.”

Under Wang Li’s insistence on seeing the warrant, Guo Ze had no choice but to show it to him. When Wang Li tried to grab it, Guo Ze withdrew his hand and slipped it into his own sleeve. That very day, Guo Ze and Wang Li mounted their horses, left the city with a retinue of fewer than twenty men, and headed for Susong.

In the meantime, Wang Xinzhi, back at home from Lin’an, had learned about the arrest order from the Bureau of Military A airs. Wondering how all this commotion could have arisen, he remained undisturbed, believing that there was no evidence of rebellion against him. When County Sheri He led soldiers to arrest him, he was warned in detail ahead of time, though they never actually came. Surely, his spies were put to work this time as well. When he learned that Commander Guo had been sent from the prefecture with a retinue of fewer than twenty men, he warned himself that this could be a ruse to trap him. He alerted his retainers, and preparations got under way. At the same time, he ordered his son Wang Shixiong to lie in ambush with some able-bodied men to be ready for a fight the moment the government troops arrived.

Now, Shixiong’s wife, who was the daughter of Zhang Silang, a salt merchant of Taihu, was a most wise woman. Seeing her husband in battle attire, she asked him what was going on. Upon learning the truth, she went out of her room and said to Wang Xinzhi, “Father-in-law, your reputation as a chivalrous hero has incurred the displeasure of the authorities over the years. If you have no intentions of rebelling, the authorities should know. The best course now is for you to go out and explain yourself. Charges against you will be largely dismissed, and the whole family may be left unharmed. If you are guilty of resisting arrest, what were false charges could become substantiated, and you will never be able to talk yourself out of them. Regrets will be too late by then.” (What happens later bears out her prediction.)

Wang Xinzhi dismissed her by saying, “Commander Guo is an old friend of mine. He will surely have an idea for me.” His daughter-in-law’s advice was thus brushed aside.

In the meantime, Guo Ze arrived at Madi Slope. He headed straight for Wang Xinzhi’s house, only to find Wang Xinzhi already at the gate, waiting for him.

“I did not know earlier that the commander was coming to this remote place,” said he, “or I would have gone forward a long way to meet you.”

Guo Ze said, “I have indeed no other choice but to pay you this visit. You will surely forgive me.”

After an exchange of greetings, they stepped into the main hall and took their seats as host and guest. While engaged in conversation, Guo Ze noticed a constant stream of men coming and going in the hallways amid a conspicuous display of shining swords and spears. Terrified as he was, he refrained from speaking his mind, because Wang Li had planted himself firmly by his side.

“Who is this?” asked Wang Xinzhi.

Guo Ze answered, “This is Constable Wang, sent by the prefect.”

Wang Xinzhi rose and saluted Wang Li, saying, “Please forgive me for any lack of respect.” Wang Li was forthwith invited to sit down in a small chamber on one side of the hall, attended to by a steward. The rest of the men in Guo Ze’s retinue were led to an empty room by the gate. In a short while, a rich banquet was laid out on three tables, one for Guo Ze as the guest of honor, one for Wang Xinzhi as the host, and another one for Wang Li. The rest of the followers enjoyed the banquet to the full, eating meat by the plate and drinking wine by the jar.

In the course of the banquet, Wang Xinzhi drew Guo Ze into his study and asked him about the purpose of the visit. Making no mention of the arresting order, Guo Ze said, “The prefect is convinced that the case against you is all trumped up and therefore sent me here to o er you some advice. If you refuse to come with us, you would be inviting suspicion. But if you are willing to go to the prefect’s yamen to defend yourself, I will do everything I can to clear your name.”

“Please enjoy the wine for now,” said Wang Xinzhi. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Guo Ze was sincere in his desire to help Wang Xinzhi. Now that Wang Li was out of earshot, he pressed Wang Xinzhi to come to a decision, but the urgency in his tone made the latter grow even more apprehensive. As it was a steaming hot day in the sixth month, Wang Xinzhi asked Guo Ze to take o his robe and drink to his heart’s content, but Guo declined. Wang Xinzhi did not let him go, despite his repeated attempts to extricate himself, but kept filling the wine vessels and plying the guest with wine. It was already three in the afternoon, but the banquet, which had started at nine in the morning, still showed no signs of coming to an end. Afraid that Wang Xinzhi might keep him for the night because evening would soon be setting in, Guo Ze made up his mind and, rising from his seat, said, “Every word I said was utterly sincere, without the slightest intention to deceive you. Make a decision as soon as possible whether you are following my advice or not, so as not to cause any undue delay for either side.”

In a slightly inebriated state, Wang Xinzhi said, calling Guo Ze by his courtesy name, “Xiyan, you are an old friend. I will not hide anything from you. I am innocent. I am being falsely accused for reasons beyond my imagination. I would willingly go to pay my respects to the prefect, but I fear that he would try to ingratiate himself to his superiors and convict me anyway, without bothering to find out the truth. Even mice and sparrows love life. How can human beings not cherish their lives? I have here four hundred in paper currency. Please use it to get me two or three more months’ time. I will also appeal to some powerful people in Lin’an to ask a favor from the Bureau of Military A airs on my behalf. Only after this has been settled by the highest authorities will I dare to venture out. Please don’t turn me down, if only for our old friendship’s sake.”

Guo Ze had no intention of accepting the money, but, afraid that Wang Xinzhi would suspect something and change his mind, he put on a smile and said, “Being a friend, I am naturally in your service. Why bother with gifts? I will accept this for the moment, but I’ll return it intact to you later.”

He held out his hand to take the bills, little knowing that Constable Wang was standing outside the window and had heard Wang Xinzhi o ering money to Guo Ze. Angry that he was not o ered any bribe, he banged at the window and roared in his drunken state, “A fine commander you are! The Bureau of Military A airs acted on the imperial decree and ordered our yamen to arrest the rebel, but you are taking a bribe to grant him more time! Who else would dare do such a thing?”

It turned out that Wang Shixiong and his men were lying in ambush right behind the wall. At these words, they leapt out and bound Guo Ze with a rope.

“My father was such a good friend of yours,” Wang Shixiong shouted angrily. “How could you try to coax my father into the yamen to his death while the imperial decree is hidden on you all this time! Why?”

Wang Li, on the other side of the window, was aware that things had gone wrong and took to his heels, only to be stopped by a big man with a sword. Named Liu Qing but better known as Thousand Catty Liu, the man was Wang Xinzhi’s most trusted retainer. “Where do you think you’re going, you scum?” he thundered.

Wang Li pulled out his sword from his waist and tried to fight his way through, but Liu Qing struck him on his left arm. He ran away in pain, with Liu Qing following close on his heels. Loud cries were heard from outside the manor, for Wang Xinzhi’s retainers were cutting down Guo Ze’s men, killing all of them. Struck a second time on his shoulder, Wang Li knew that he could not possibly make his way out. He threw himself upon the ground at the blow and feigned death. He was then dragged away with a hook and thrown onto the pile of corpses by the wall. In the main hall, with Wang Xinzhi in his seat, Wang Shixiong brought forth Guo Ze, and a body search produced the warrant from his sleeve. Wang Xinzhi read the documents and fumed with anger. As he gave the order to decapitate Guo Ze, the latter kowtowed and begged for his life, saying, “This has nothing to do with me. It was County Sheri He’s false report of your resisting arrest that stirred the prefect’s anger. I came here on orders from above, not out of my own free will. If I can be allowed to verify the truth with County Sheri He face to face, I will have no regrets if I die.”

“All right then,” said Wang Xinzhi. “I’ll save your donkey head, if only to provide a witness against that dog of a county sheri .” He ordered that Guo Ze be locked up temporarily in a side room and that Wang Shixiong go to the charcoal hill and the foundry to assemble all able-bodied men to await further orders.

Now, the charcoal hill was inhabited mostly by timid peasants. At word of the Wang family’s rebellion, they fled to less accessible regions of the mountain. But, most of the men in the foundry being ruffians, about three hundred of them gathered at the first call and went to the Wang manor, where oxen and horses were slaughtered in preparation for a feast for the new army. The Wang family was in possession of three fine horses capable of covering hundreds of li daily and worth a thousand pieces of gold each. Each had its own name. They were called

Wang Ge also had a long-standing friendship with four remarkably valiant men. Who were they?

The foursome had also come to the manor and ate and drank to their hearts’ content until the fifth watch struck. When the men were all well warmed with wine and food, Wang Xinzhi dressed himself up in battle attire. How dashing he looked!

Wang Xinzhi mounted Barbarian Lady, led by Liu Qing, another nonetoo-gentle type. How did he look?

Wang Xinzhi led a hundred men as the vanguard. Dong Three, Dong Four, and Qian Four-Two led three hundred as the main force, whereas Wang Shixiong, riding Piebald Girl, followed by Gong Four-Eight on Smarty with Commander Guo under his guard, brought up the rear with over one hundred men. After all the tasks and responsibilities had been properly assigned, three shots were fired, and the regiment set out to Susong to capture County Sheri He. Indeed,

By the time they were about five li from the city, the sky had become su used with light. Qian Four-Two ran up to Wang Xinzhi and said, “Why all this fanfare if we’re only after a county sheri ? It would suffice to have several men charge in, tie him up, and bring him over.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Therefore Wang Xinzhi called the procession to a halt, and, leaving Qian Four-Two with the troops to pitch camp, he himself led Dong Three, Dong Four, Liu Qing, and about twenty other men to press ahead. Approaching the city, they saw a group of children by the moat singing, with their arms locked together:

And so the singing went on. When Wang Xinzhi whipped his horse forward to yell at them, they suddenly disappeared from view. Misgivings began to cross his mind. It was already time for the morning court session when they arrived at the county yamen, but all was quiet, with nothing astir. Wang Xinzhi was about to dismount, when an old gatekeeper on night duty emerged, humming a tune. With one sweep of his arm, Liu Qing grabbed him and asked, “Where is County Sheri He?”

“He went to East Village yesterday on some official business and has not returned.”

Wang Xinzhi made the old man lead them out through the east gate. About twenty li later, they came upon a big temple called the Temple of Lord Fuying. Services at the temple, the largest of its kind in the entire county, were most devout and prayers most e ective.

The old gatekeeper pointed at the temple and said, “Officials on business trips always stay here. You can go in and ask about the sheri .”

Wang Xinzhi dismounted and entered the temple. The caretaker was scared out of his wits at the awe-inspiring sight of heavily armed men on strong horses. He fell on his knees to greet the men. At Wang Xinzhi’s inquiry about the sheri , he said, “The sheri did indeed spend the night here, but he left on his horse this morning at the fifth watch. I have no idea where he went.” Only then did Wang Xinzhi believe the gatekeeper. He released the old man and had lunch in the temple. His men were sent out to search for the sheri , but to no avail. At about three in the afternoon, his patience wore out. At his order, the temple was burned down to the ground. (What does this have to do with the temple god?)

On the way back, Liu Qing suggested, “Even though the sheri can’t be found, his wife and children are in the yamen. If we take them as hostages, surely the sheri will show up.”

Wang Xinzhi nodded his approval.

When they came up to the east gate, evening had not set in, but the city gate was closed. The fact was that Constable Wang Li had not died, but fled back in pain to the city and reported everything to the military inspector. The inspector was so mortified that all color drained from his face. On the one hand he ordered that the city gate be closed against a possible attack, and on the other, he reported the matter to the prefect, requesting that troops be dispatched to capture Wang Xinzhi the rebel and murderer. Seeing that the city gate was closed, Wang Xinzhi was about to set the gate on fire, when a gust of eerie wind swept down from the top of the city gate. It was a hair-raising terror of a wind. Even the horse Barbarian Lady reared and, neighing in fright, recoiled a few steps. With a loud cry, Wang Xinzhi fell from the horse to the ground. Truly,

With alacrity, Liu Qing raised him up, but he was found to be in a speechless, unconscious state, as if a spell had been cast over him. The best Liu Qing could do was to lift him onto the saddle and lead the horse onward, with Dong Three and Dong Four guarding him left and right. When they reached the south gate, they joined Wang Shixiong and twenty to thirty men with lit torches. They went another two li before Wang Xinzhi came to.

“How strange!” he said. “I saw all too clearly a god tens of feet in height with a head like a wheel and dressed in a white robe over a gold cuirass. He was sitting on the city wall with his feet reaching the ground. Numerous celestial soldiers were gathered around him. On the banners was written ‘Lord Fuying.’ With his left foot, this god kicked me o my horse. He was probably blaming me for having burned down his temple. Let’s bring our main force here tomorrow and attack the city during broad daylight. We’ll see what happens.”

Wang Shixiong said, “Father, you may not know that Qian Four-Two was afraid that he might be implicated and left us after some kind of an agreement with the men, for, after his departure, many of the men also went away one after another. Two-thirds of the men are gone. It would be best if we return home before deciding what to do next.” Wang Xinzhi’s heart sank at the news.

When they arrived at their main camp, Gong Four-Eight gave the same report. As Guo Ze was still in chains, Wang Xinzhi pulled out his sword in a moment of blinding rage and cut Guo Ze in half. He led the men back to Madi Slope, but along the way many more of them deserted. Upon arrival at his residence, a count showed that only sixty men were left.

With a sigh, he said, “I have always been a man of loyal devotion, and yet I’ve been framed for reasons quite unknown to me. My plan was to capture the county sheri to find out the truth behind all this and to avenge myself. Then I would have used money from the treasury to recruit brave men to wipe out all those corrupt officials in the Yangzi-Huai region and establish a name for myself throughout the land. After that I would have submitted myself to the grace of the imperial court and entered into the service of the empire to establish a career of eternal glory. It is a matter of fate that I have ended up in failure like this.”

He turned to Gong Four-Eight and the others and continued, “I am grateful to you, my brothers, for having followed me all the way, but I cannot bear the thought of implicating you. Since a death sentence awaits a criminal like me anyway, I am already as good as dead. Why don’t you all bind me up and deliver me to the authorities? At least you’ll get yourselves out of trouble.”

In unison, Gong and the other men said, “What kind of talk is this, Older Brother! You have taken good care of us. How can we turn our backs on you now that disaster has struck? We are together in life or in death. Please do not take us for Qian Four-Two.”

Wang insisted, “Though it is as you say, staying at Madi Slope means certain death, for there is no retreat once government troops are here. Most government operations fade away after a brave beginning. Let us flee from here. Should heaven take pity on me and allow my family line to continue, this region will still belong to my o spring. Otherwise, my soul will never get to revisit this place.”

With these words, tears gushed from his eyes. Wang Shixiong burst into loud sobs. Gong and the others also wept so bitterly that they could not raise their eyes.

“I’m afraid,” said Wang Xinzhi, “that government troops will arrive by dawn. We must lose no time. There are some fishermen by Tianhuang Lake who can be counted upon to give us refuge for the time being.” So saying, he took out all the valuables he had with him and gave half to the Dong brothers, telling them to go to Lin’an as merchants under assumed names to spread the word that Sheri He had wronged Wang Xinzhi, who was by no means a rebel against the empire. The two of them were to explain the case to everyone they encountered and lament the injustice. The other half of the valuables he gave to Gong Four-Eight, telling him to take his three-year-old grandson into hiding in Wu Prefecture. (Preserving the family line. Sensible.)

“The authorities,” he continued, “will only expect me to go north to contact the Jurchens. They would never suspect that I’m still around. When the hue and cry is over, go to Sui’an County in Yanzhou and look for my older brother, Wang Shizhong, who will surely keep my son.” He then gave the three fine horses to the three men. Gong objected, saying, “These horses are so unusual in their coat and color that they’ll easily give us away. We can’t ride them.”

“If they are left to other people,” said Wang Xinzhi, “no good will come out of it.” Raising his sword, he killed the three horses in three sweeping strokes. Then he set fire all around the manor. As the merciless flames roared and leapt with fury, he bade a tearful farewell to Gong and the Dong brothers by the light of the fire. Seeing that her three-year-old son had been taken from her, Shixiong’s wife, Zhang-shi, broke into wails of grief and threw herself into the fire. Had Wang Xinzhi followed her advice, things would not have come to this. Truly,

Wang Xinzhi was consumed with grief, but nothing could be done. As daybreak was drawing near, he told the men that those not wishing to follow him were free to do whatever they wished. Taking his wife, his son, Liu Qing, and about thirty of his most trusted men, he headed straight for Tianhuang Lake, Wangjiang County. Once there, they boarded five fishing boats and rowed their way into the depths of the reeds for shelter.

To follow another thread of our story, Prefect Li of Anqing was greatly alarmed at the report from Susong County and promptly reported the matter to his superiors. At the same time, he issued to the various counties orders that they recruit militia to wipe out the rebels. Liu Guangzu, pacification commissioner of the Yangzi-Huai region, gave the matter more importance than it warranted in his report to the imperial court. The emperor accordingly issued a decree to the Bureau of Military A airs to assemble troops from various counties so that the joint e ort would stop the rebellion from spreading. Liu Guangzu thus gathered together four to five thousand men from various counties. Having learned that Wang Xinzhi had burned down his estate and fled to Tianhuang Lake, Liu Guangzu ordered his troops to advance by land as well as water. The Pingjiang region also received orders to use military force to stop the rebels from escaping. The commanders, being no more than petty officers such as sheri s, were a fainthearted lot, for they had all heard of Wang Xinzhi’s legendary bravery and the large size of his forces. The ground troops pitched camp outside Wangjiang City and the marines stationed themselves in a cove on the lake. They looted the local residents’ homes and whiled away their time consuming the provisions. Not one of them dared venture out to capture the rebels.

More than twenty days elapsed without any sign of movement on the lake. Several of the more courageous men went out on a reconnaissance mission in a small boat. They saw continuous smoke rising from amid the reeds and heard the dull thunder of drums from afar. They dared not draw near for a closer look but turned back the way they had come. Several days later, the smoke stopped and so did the drumming. At the report of the scouts, the commanders ordered the boats out of the cove, and, with a great fanfare of gongs and drums, the soldiers advanced into the lake, waving banners and uttering loud battle cries. All small fishing boats had moved out of their way. As the men searched among the reeds where smoke had been seen, not even the trace of a footprint was to be found. All that could be seen were a few broken boats with the wooden planks charred black by piles of smoldering wood chips and grass roots. On the islet were two or three big drums with halfstarved sheep tied to them. It was, in fact, the sheep’s hooves that had been hitting the drums and the smoldering wood chips that had been giving o the smoke. Wang Xinzhi had gone east down the river quite some time before. (Wang Ge being such an able military strategist, the imperial court would have been able to benefit considerably from his service. What a pity!)

Afraid of being held accountable for Wang’s escape, the officers had to give chase. As they came to the mouth of the river, they saw five fishing boats moored by the riverbank, with a man standing on one of them. The boats were recognized as ones from Tianhuang Lake. As they drew near for some questioning, the man on the boat said with tears in his eyes, “I am Fan Su, a native of Sichuan. I came here to do some peddling. After my business was done, I took a big boat with a fellow villager. We came here three days ago and ran into these five fishing boats. There were many strong men on the boats, saying that Twelfth Master Wang wanted to exchange the five small boats for our big ones for his men. I refused, but they pulled their flashing swords on me. So I had to let them have their way. Now, you tell me, how can I cross the river in such a tiny boat? I’ll have a hard time trying to find another boat!”

The two officers took each other’s counsel and said, “That Twelfth Master Wang must have been Wang Xinzhi. So his troops have already dispersed. Since all who remain with him are on those two boats, he will be easily taken. Let’s go ahead with no fear.”

When they came to Caishi Cli , they saw an array of numerous battleships on the river. It turned out that Taiping Prefecture had sent out officers, who led their soldiers in blocking all the waterways out of Caishi and questioning all boats passing by so as to intercept Wang Xinzhi the rebel in flight. Having ascertained each other’s identity, commanders from both sides met.

The commander from Anqing said, “Wang Xinzhi has fled from the lake onto the river and taken two big boats by force so as to accommodate his family. He must have come this way, but why haven’t we seen him, though we are on his trail?”

The commander at Caishi stamped his feet in alarm and exclaimed, “I’ve been taken in by that cunning scoundrel! Tw o days ago, at about eight in the morning, two big boats carrying a family did indeed pass by. A man, all dressed up, complete with an official’s cap and waistband, approached me, calling himself Wang Zhongyi, an official from Sichuan, and said that he was on his way to the capital for reappointment, as his previous term of office had expired. Now that I think about it, the characters for the name Wang Zhongyi, with a few strokes added, can be rearranged into those for Wang Ge. That man was indeed none other than the rebel himself! But he’s gone now, and I have no idea where.”

The commanders consulted each other and, realizing that there was no way they could hide the fact that they had lost Wang Xinzhi, could come up with no better plan than to report the facts to their superiors. Growing even more suspicious at Wang’s elusiveness, their superiors requested that the Bureau of Military A airs o er a reward for his capture and put up portraits of Wang Xinzhi everywhere. Whoever captured Wang Xinzhi would be rewarded with ten thousand strings of cash and a promotion of three grades. Whoever captured one of his family members would be rewarded with three thousand strings of cash and a promotion of one grade.

In the meantime, the two boats carrying Wang Xinzhi sailed down to Lake Tai. A few days later, as word reached him that government troops were hot on his trail, he knew he could not hide there any longer and had the boats scuttled and sunk to the bottom of the lake. He then entrusted his family to the care of a fisherman to whom he gave a sizable amount of gold and silk, and promised to come back for them in a year. At the same time, he told Liu Qing and his son Wang Shixiong to take less-traveled roads to Wuwei Prefecture and give themselves up to the transport commissioner. Wang Shixiong was to explain that his father had no intention of rebelling but was the victim of a frame-up by County Sheri He Neng. He was also to plead that the authorities take him under guard to get his father in his hiding place in the capital, so as to avoid dispatching troops and incurring much expense. Having been told firmly by his father to go without delay, for the sake of protecting the entire family, Wang Shixiong had no alternative but to do as he was bidden. After reading Wang Shixiong’s confession and questioning him on details, the transport commissioner had him taken under guard to Lin’an to arrest Wang Xinzhi while, at the same time, notifying the Bureau of Military A airs and other yamen.

Wang Xinzhi, all by himself now that he had made arrangements for his family, changed clothes and headed straight for Lin’an. After staying for several days outside the city without hearing anything about his son, Shixiong, he remembered that Bai Zheng, magistrate of the north district, was an old acquaintance of his. So he went to Bai Zheng’s residence at night and knocked on the door for an audience. The sight of Wang Ge so frightened Bai Zheng that he tried to slip away, but before he could do so, Wang grabbed him and said, “Please have no fear. I am here to surrender myself, not to implicate you.”

Only then did Bai Zheng calm down. “The authorities are after you,” he said. “Why are you here?”

After giving him a full account of the false charges against him, Wang Xinzhi said that if Bai Zheng were to assist him in clearing his name with the emperor, he would leave the world without regrets. Bai Zheng kept him for the night. The following morning, Bai Zheng made a report to the Bureau of Military A airs, and Wang Xinzhi was imprisoned at the Court of Judicial Review. To questions from the prison officials as to his family’s whereabouts and his collaborators’ names, he answered, “My wife and children all perished in the fire. The only one spared was my son Shixiong, who knows nothing about all this, for he has been traveling on business for many years. My followers are all local residents and have fled for their lives, and I do not remember their names.” No more information was obtained from him despite severe torture. (Brave man.)

Now Bai Zheng, instead of claiming a reward and a promotion, took pity on Wang Xinzhi and helped him in every way to make his life in prison easier. The most extraordinary news of Wang the Rebel’s surrender spread throughout the city of Lin’an. As word reached the Dong brothers, they also came to secretly o er bribes on his behalf. (Important.) By the time all officials high and low throughout the yamen had been bribed, Wang Xinzhi began to find himself treated a little better. While in prison he wrote a memorial to the emperor to the following e ect:

After reading the memorial, the emperor ordered the prefecture of Jiujiang to send Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu under guard to the capital for questioning at the Court of Judicial Review. (Fair.) The report from the transport commissioner of Wuwei Prefecture arrived at the same time as Wang Shixiong. The day of the joint trial witnessed quite some activity. We hardly need say how grief-stricken the Wang father and son were at their reunion. The all-toounexpected sight of the Cheng brothers as the accusers staggered them and revealed to them the cause of all the trouble they had gone through.

During the trial, the Cheng brothers said nothing, referring only to Wang Xinzhi’s letter to Hong Gong as evidence.

In defense of himself, Wang Xinzhi said, “The reference in the letter to the meeting in the fall was about my plans to buy lakes in Taihu County. There was nothing more than that.”

“Hong Gong is at large,” said the judge. “How are you going to produce a witness?”

“I have heard that Hong Gong is now living in Xuancheng. If he can be brought here, everything will be clarified.”

Not in a position to make a ruling on the spot, the judge ordered that the four men be placed under separate supervision. At the same time, he issued a subpoena to Ningguo Prefecture. In a couple of days, Hong Gong was brought to the capital under guard. Liu Qing bribed the guard and told Hong Gong how Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu had been the cause of everything. Confident that he was not to be convicted, Hong Gong entered the court with great composure. He related everything in order, starting from his recommendation of the Cheng brothers, to his invitation to Wang Xinzhi to see the lakes. He also gave an account of how the Cheng brothers were sour at the meagerness of the compensation they received from the Wang family and how they refused his o er of silk. He went on to say that the Cheng brothers kept Wang Xinzhi’s letter of reply to him and, out of spite rather than anything else, devised this scheme to lay false accusations against innocent men. His deposition in court was duly recorded, and the Wang father and son and the Cheng brothers were brought out from jail to testify. Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu had nothing to say for themselves to contest the veracity of Hong Gong’s statement. Wang Xinzhi, for his part, related how County Sheri He had stopped midway and enraged the authorities by falsely charging him with resisting arrest. Since repeated questioning failed to produce any discrepancies in the accounts, the judge, having already accepted bribes, was determined to give a lenient sentence. The verdict read,

The verdict was submitted to the emperor, who gave his approval. As soon as he got wind of it, Liu Qing sent word to Wang Ge in prison before the news was announced, advising the latter to commit suicide by taking poison. Wang Xinzhi’s death bore out the rhyme chanted by the children at the Susong city gate. Wang Ge was the twelfth child in the family, a fact hinted at by the line “There is a Wang of two times six.” The line “Who crossed the river in a stolen boat” was a reference to his taking the two boats by force. As for “How many days to go after that? A cup of warm wine will mark his end,” Wang Xinzhi did indeed wash the poison down with warm wine, bearing out the prediction. According to the ancients, children’s rhymes are, in fact, prophecies by the heavenly god of the planet Mars, who assumes a child’s shape. Even though Wang Xinzhi did not accomplish great deeds, the authorities made a mountain out of a molehill by moving troops through several prefectures, thus making Wang’s name known throughout the capital and even to the emperor. It was not by accident that children’s rhymes emerged to make prophecies about his end.

Let us not digress but come back to the story. After Wang Xinzhi’s body was examined by the coroner of the Court of Judicial Review, the head was cut o and hung up on the city gate. Liu Qing hid the body, stole the head in the middle of the night, and buried them about ten li away from the north gate of Lin’an. The following day, he told Dong Three about the site before he turned himself in to the Court of Judicial Review. Not only did he confess to having been responsible for all the killings, but also to having quietly buried his master. (Had he not done so, the case would never have been closed.) No amount of torture could make him reveal the site of the burial place. Unable to take any more torture, he died that very night in jail. A later poet had this to say in praise of him:

With Liu Qing’s death, the Court of Judicial Review brought the case to a close. Wang Shixiong and the Cheng brothers were released from prison and sent on their way into exile. The Dong brothers having already bribed the floggers, Wang Shixiong su ered not even a scratch on his skin. Cheng Biao and Cheng Hu, however, su ered a severe beating. The escorting guards were also bribed into tormenting the Chengs all along the journey. (Hurrah!) They had covered only half the distance when Cheng Biao died of illness. Cheng Hu was taken farther and was never heard from again. The heavily bribed guard escorting Wang Shixiong released him when they had gone only three to four hundred li. Wang Shixiong thus began the life of an anonymous itinerant performer of martial arts and peddler of medicine, but of this, no more need be said.

In the meantime, the Dong brothers put together their money and went to Suzhou, where they found Gong Four-Eight and took the child. Then they proceeded to Lake Tai, where they found the fisherman who was sheltering the other members of the Wang family. Dressed as servants, Dong Three, Dong Four, and Gong Four-Eight escorted the family all the way to Wang Ge’s brother’s residence in Sui’an County, Yanzhou Prefecture. (Wang Ge is surrounded by men willing to die for him, as is shown throughout the story.) Upon learning the details of the case, the brother, Wang Fu, was overcome with emotion and arranged housing for the newcomers. Gong Four-Eight and the Dong brothers relocated their families to live nearby. With Wang Fu as their patron, no one in the region dared raise any objections.

Six months later, when the excitement about the whole a air had died down, Wang Fu sent Gong and Dong Four to Madi Slope to dispose of Wang Xinzhi’s estates. They discovered that the foundry was operating as before and were told, upon inquiries, that Qian Four-Two had taken over Wang Xinzhi’s business. Of the local residents, only the fishermen on Tianhuang Lake refused to obey.

Dong Four said in indignation, “That traitor does know how to take advantage of people! How does he reconcile that with his conscience? I am going to avenge my brother Wang Xinzhi even if I have to die for it.” So saying, he took up his sword and was on his way out to kill Qian when Gong Four-Eight stopped him.

“Don’t do this,” he admonished. “Since he is quite established here, the local people will be on his side. You’ll be outnumbered and laughed at. It’s best for us to report to Wang Fu before deciding on the next step.”

The two men went to Susong. Little did they realize that they were passing by the residence of the late Commander Guo Ze. A man who recognized Dong Four wagged his tongue and commented to Guo Xing, servant of Commander Guo, “That short, fat man is Dong Xue, otherwise known as Dong Four, a trusted henchman of Wang Xinzhi’s.”

At these words, Guo Xing thought to himself, “How can I not avenge my master?” He waited till the unsuspecting Dong Four passed by before he struck a mighty blow against Dong’s back. As Dong fell to the ground, Guo Xing yelled, “I have caught a murderer in the service of rebel Wang Xinzhi!”

Four or five men ran out of the house, and neighbors also swarmed to the scene. Gong was so scared he dared not try to rescue Dong Four but took to his heels. Guo Xing had the local headman tie up Dong’s hands behind his back and shave his head clean. Beaten with a cudgel every step of the way, he was brought to the Susong County yamen. As the new county magistrate had not assumed office and Sheri He was already dismissed, sitting in office was the chief clerk, who dared not make decisions on his own but sent the men to Prefect Li in Anqing. Prefect Li was still bitterly upset at having been reprimanded by his superiors for his exaggeration of Wang Xinzhi’s case. Now that Wang’s name was brought up again, he was so vexed that his head started to ache. Angry at the local headman for being so meddlesome, he said, “Wang’s murder case was already settled according to imperial decree. Guo Ze’s death has already been avenged. Why stir up all this trouble again? The chief clerk and the escort guard should have known better than to send the man here!” And so he ordered the release of Dong Four. Guo Xing and the others, thus rebu ed, went their separate ways. Dong Four, injured by the beatings, went back in pain to Sui’an County.

Let us turn now to Gong Four-Eight, who returned before Dong Four and gave Wang Fu a detailed report on how Qian had taken over the enterprise and how Dong Four was captured by Guo. Anticipating that Dong Four would be sent to the prefect, Wang Fu was about to send a messenger to Anqing to use bribery on his behalf (It takes money to use bribery. This has always been so. What are the poor to do?) when all of a sudden, a hairless Dong Four ran in and told his story, saying that if it had not been for Prefect Li’s clemency, he would not be alive.

“Judging from the prefect’s tone,” said Wang Fu, “I believe that the case is closed. Though Brother Dong Four had a rough time, he brought us good news.”

A few days later, Wang Fu led about twenty household servants to Madi Slope and asked to see Qian Four-Two. How would Qian dare to show his face when he heard that Wang Fu himself was here? He took his wife and children and fled before the night was out, leaving behind all the estates.

“These ill-gotten goods are not to be used,” said Wang Fu. He gave all that was left behind to the local residents, who were free to take whatever they wanted. Even the houses were torn down. Then he bought timber, baked bricks, and made tiles for building another house. An inventory was taken of the foundry, and the whole business was returned to the Wang clan. Then Wang Fu went to Tianhuang Lake and distributed cotton cloth and money among the fishermen to win their hearts. Thus, Tianhuang Lake, with a circumference of seventy li, remained the property of the Wang family. Through some acquaintances, he bribed high and low throughout the prefectural yamen and got himself a business license in his name. After a tenmonth stay in Madi Slope, during which he settled everything (Wang Fu is also an able man), he returned to Sui’an, leaving behind two servants in charge of the business.

Soon thereafter, Emperor Zhezong died. Upon assuming the throne, the new emperor issued a decree for a general amnesty. It was only then that Wang Shixiong gathered enough courage to return home. He paid a tearful visit to his uncle Wang Fu in Sui’an, from whom he learned that members of the family were all well. He saw his mother again. His son, now quite grown up, had been named Wang Qianyi by Wang Fu. Joy and grief intermingled in Wang Shixiong’s heart. Several days later, he asked for his uncle’s permission to go with Dong Three to Lin’an to bring back his father’s remains for a proper burial.

“This is an act of filial piety,” said Wang Fu. “Of course I will not stop you from going. But if you go, go soon and come back early. There are vacant lots on Wujiang Mountain nearby with good locations for graves. I’ll make arrangements for the burial for you ahead of time.”

Wang Shixiong and Dong Three left. The journey was uneventful. In a couple of days, they were back with Wang Xinzhi’s remains, which were then encoffined, and a day was chosen for the funeral.

After the ceremony, Wang Fu said to his nephew, “Even though the business in Madi Slope is doing well, it was there that your father met his misfortunes, and many of your father’s enemies live there, too. Gong and the Dong brothers are easily recognized there. That’s not the place for you. A long time ago, your father took o ense at an idle remark of mine and resentfully went o to Madi Slope, and that led to this series of fateful events. Now I am going to give over to you all my business here, partly because it has been quite established, and partly because you can look after your father’s grave here so that down in the Nine Springs your father may lay aside his grievances. As for the business in Madi Slope, I will move there with my family, for no one can do any harm to me there.”

Wang Shixiong thanked his uncle, and that very day, Wang Fu handed over to Wang Shixiong all of the account books of the estates in Sui’an. Leaving half of the servants behind, he took his family to Madi Slope. Henceforth, the Wang family split into two branches, one based in Sui’an and one in Susong, which stayed in close contact with each other. Through his uncle’s wealth, Wang Shixiong won the admiration and esteem of all. His wife having died by throwing herself into a fire, he stayed a widower for the rest of his life and devoted himself to the education of his son. Later, Wang Qianyi passed the imperial examination for military officers at the provincial level and rose to be commander of the imperial guards. The family line after him thrived. Thus this story is called “Wang Xinzhi Dies to Save the Entire Family.” A later poet had these lines in praise of him: