19

Li Gongzuo Ingeniously Reads a Dream

Xie Xiao’e Cleverly Snares Pirates

There is an ode that says,

Women scholars hold their own with male peers;

The army counts women among its ranks.

Some may not travel far afield,

Yet their plans have lasting impact.

As we observe the women at their exploits,

We feel ashamed of our lack of depth.

The above lines are in praise of worthy women who are superior to men. As for women well versed in polite letters, there have been Ban Jieyu, Cao Dagu, Yu Xuanji, Xue Tao, Li Jilan, Li Yi’an, and Zhu Shuzhen.1 They could equal the finest scholars, such as Ban Gu and Yang Xiong, and were at least as talented as Lu Zhaoling and Luo Bingwang.2 And then there are the great women warriors, such as Lady Han, the Detachment of Women, Lady Xian of Gaoliang, and Mother Lü of East Sea.3 In strategy, they were the equal of Han Xin and Bai Qi.4 In bravery, they could hold their own with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.5 Some women were also good judges of character, such as Zhuo Wenjun, Hongfu, Wang Hun’s wife, Zhong-shi, and Wei Gao’s mother-in-law, Miao-shi.6 All of them had the discernment to recognize great men before they rose to prominence.

There are women who take revenge on their enemies, such as Sun Yi’s wife, Xu-shi, Dong Chang’s wife, Shentu-shi, Pang Zixia’s wife, Eqin, and Zou Jingwen’s servant’s wife.7 They had the courage and the wisdom to fight and defeat brutal enemies.

Some women, curiously enough, donned men’s attire, such as Mulan of the Former Qin dynasty [350–94], Lou Cheng of Dongyang of the Southern Qi dynasty, Madam Meng of the Zhenyuan period of the Tang, and Huang Chonggu of Linqiong in the Five Dynasties (907–60).8 They were adaptable and skilled at hiding their true nature—so much so that they were even able to serve as government officials without ever being exposed while also preserving their chastity. These accomplishments are beyond the reach of the average man. Nothing could have called for greater ingenuity, and nothing could have been more difficult to accomplish.

Let me now tell of a most remarkable woman, who disguised herself as a man and went through the worst trials and tribulations after calamity befell her. She strained every mental faculty in seeking revenge while preserving her chastity. The likes of such a story had never before been heard of. There is a poem in testimony:

Knights-errant look to the Ancient Sword Spirit,

Who killed her enemies with wisps of smoke,9

And yet, a merchant’s remarkable daughter

Single-handedly avenged two families.

The story goes that in the Yuanhe reign period [806–20] of the Tang dynasty, there lived in Yuzhang Prefecture [in present-day northern Jiangxi] a rich man, Mr. Xie. With an immense family fortune, he kept a low profile and made himself out to be one of the many ordinary merchants in town. He had a daughter, Xiao’e. Her mother died when she was only eight. In spite of her tender age, she was as strong as a man. Mr. Xie betrothed her to a swordsman named Duan Juzhen of Liyang [present-day He County, Anhui]. Duan was a man with a strong sense of loyalty and honor. He associated with men of bold spirit and was also engaged in large-scale business ventures on the waterways of the region. Impressed by his fame, Mr. Xie betrothed his daughter to the man, even though his daughter had not yet come of age. The two families having merged into one, they transported goods on the same boats and traveled between the Wu and Chu regions. All the dozens of men in the two families—including the brothers, sons, nephews, and servants—worked on the boats. The business boomed, and the boats were heavily laden. After several years went by in this fashion, the fame of the Xie family’s boats spread far and wide. (MC: The source of troubles to come.)

At the time of our story, Xiao’e was fourteen years old and not yet one month into her marriage with Duan Juzhen. When their boat reached the mouth of Poyang Lake one day, they found themselves besieged by several pirate boats with armed men on board. The two ringleaders jumped onto the Xie family boat and killed Xiao’e’s father and husband with their swords. Then the other pirates went into action together to finish off everyone else on the boat. Where was one to hide in the confined space of the boat? The few who made it out of the cabin were seized by the pirates and killed. Those who jumped overboard had no chance of survival in the rapid currents, but at least their bodies were spared mutilation. Xie Xiao’e was agile enough to hide behind the rudder while the pirates were on their killing spree, but she lost her footing and fell into the water. The bandits swept the boat clean of all valuables, dumped the corpses into the lake, and rowed off in their own boats, leaving the Xie family boat where it was.

As she floated down the current in a trance, Xiao’e drifted to the side of a fishing boat, as if she was being assisted by divine beings. The fisherman and his wife pulled her up, and on finding her chest still warm, they were relieved that the woman was still alive. They gave her a change of clothes, which were tattered but dry, and laid her flat in the cabin. Soon after throwing up a great deal of water, Xiao’e came to. Realizing that she was in a fishing boat and recalling how her father and husband had been killed, she burst into wails of grief. The fisherman and his wife asked why she was so distraught, whereupon she gave them a full account of how a band of pirates had slaughtered her father, her husband, and everyone else in their family boat. It so happened that the fisherman had benefited many times from the generosity of the famous Mr. Xie and Champion of Justice Mr. Duan. Shocked on hearing of their deaths, he asked Xiao’e to stay on in the boat.

After a few days of recuperation, Xiao’e felt that she had regained her health. With her quick mind, she noticed that the fisherman and his wife were not doing a brisk business. “How can I put them to extra trouble?” she thought. “I should thank them and say good-bye to them. I’ll go ashore by myself and beg for food along the way while looking for a place to settle down.” So she bade them farewell and begged for food as she went along.

She found herself at a Miaoguo Nunnery in Shangyuan County, Jianye [present-day Jiangning County, Nanjing], where the abbess, Jingwu, was impressed by her articulateness. Out of sympathy for her misfortunes, the abbess kept her in the nunnery, meaning to make her a disciple. Willing to join the Buddhist order, Xiao’e said, “I have nowhere to go. Why wouldn’t I want to spend the rest of my life as a Buddhist nun? But as long as I haven’t avenged my father and my husband, I can’t take the tonsure. (MC: Her mind was already made up at that time.) I’ll just take things as they come and wait for a couple of years before I decide what to do next.”

Henceforth, she begged for alms outside during the day and returned to the nunnery in the evening. Every morning and evening, she intoned the sutras with Jingwu the abbess. As she kept her head bowed before the Buddha’s statue, she prayed silently for retribution.

One night, she saw her father in her dream. “You should know the name of my murderer,” said he. “Remember this riddle: A monkey in the middle of a cart; grass atop an east gate.” Before she could ask further, her father let go of her and disappeared. She woke up with a violent sob. She still remembered the words she had heard in the dream, but their meaning eluded her. Several days later, her husband, Duan Juzhen, appeared to her in another dream, saying, “My killer’s name is also in a riddle: Crossing the field; husband for one day.”

After having these two dreams, Xiao’e said to herself, “The departed souls have not perished and were able to manifest themselves to me. But why didn’t they just tell me the names straight out? Why the riddles? (MC: The departed souls do have a roundabout way of doing things, making up riddles like this. But only thus can Xiao’e’s steely resolve be made clear.) Maybe that’s because heavenly mysteries are not to be revealed lightly. There must be an answer to each of the riddles. I don’t have a clue, but there’s no lack of wise people in the world. I must have the riddles solved, whatever it takes.”

Thereupon, she went to Jingwu’s room and told her about the dreams. Then she wrote the two riddles on a piece of paper and hid it on her person. “I’m going out to beg for food,” she told Jingwu. “I’ll ask everyone I see to help me solve the riddles.”

Jingwu said, “There’s an eminent monk in the nearby Waguan Monastery. His Buddhist name is Qiwu. He’s a fountain of knowledge, and he associates regularly with officials and the elite. If you show him the riddles, he’ll surely be able to solve them for you.”

Heeding the advice, Xiao’e went straight to Waguan Monastery and asked to see Qiwu. After saluting the monk in the Buddhist fashion, Xiao’e said, “A cruel injustice was done to me, after which I was given two riddles in my dreams. The riddles contain the names of the culprits. My wits are too dim to puzzle them out, so I’m here to seek help from Your Reverence.” So saying, she produced the sheet of paper from her sleeve and gave it to the monk with both hands.

The monk looked at the riddles for a while before he shook his head and said, “I have no clue, but I have many visitors here. I’ll remember your riddles and seek advice from everyone I see. If someone more accomplished than I solves them, I’ll let you know.”

With another salute, Xiao’e said, “I’m ever so grateful to Your Reverence for going out of your way to help me.”

Henceforth, while begging for alms from street to street, Xie Xiao’e also sought help for answers to the riddles. Monk Qiwu, for his part, also consulted all his visitors about the riddles. (MC: What a thoughtful man Mr. Qiwu was!) From time to time, Xiao’e went to the monastery to check if Qiwu had an answer for her. Years went by in like fashion, but the riddles remained unsolved.

Storyteller, if no one could solve the riddles, what purpose did the dreams serve?

Gentle reader, please be patient. There is a right time for everything. Xie Xiao’e’s time had not yet come at this point, which accounts for the way things were with her. When the right time comes, coincidences will happen.

To get on with our story, in the spring of the eighth year of the Yuanhe reign period [806–21], Judge Li Gongzuo of Hongzhou completed his term of office and left Jiangxi on a small boat, heading in an easterly direction.10 On reaching Jianye, he moored the boat and went on a tour of Waguan Monastery. Monk Qiwu, an old friend of his, greeted him and took him to a gazebo, where they looked out into the distance and chatted about things past and present. In the midst of their conversation, Monk Qiwu said, “You, sir, are a man of great learning. Please solve two riddles for me.”

Li Gongzuo said with a laugh, “Your Reverence, your eagerness to learn shouldn’t have made you stoop to such child’s play.”

“It’s not child’s play. Let me tell you the reason. A widow Xie Xiao’e who lives nearby showed me two riddles and often comes here to check if I’ve found answers to them. She says that the riddles involve the characters of her enemies’ names. I haven’t been able to figure them out. I’ve shown them to all my visitors, but in vain, and many years have gone by. That’s why I need your help.”

“Please write the riddles down. I’ll try and guess.”

Monk Qiwu picked up a writing brush and wrote out the two riddles. Li Gongzuo looked them over and said, “They should be solvable. I wonder why no one has been able to figure them out.” He read the characters out loud over and over again, nodded his head a few times, leaned against the windowsill, and traced the characters in the air with a finger. After another few moments of silent reflection, he clapped his hands and said, “I’ve got it! I shouldn’t be wrong!”

Monk Qiwu asked to be enlightened, but Li Gongzuo said, “I can’t disclose the answer yet. Please bring the widow here. I’ll explain to her.”

Without a moment’s delay, Monk Qiwu asked an acolyte to go to Miaoguo Nunnery and bring Xie Xiao’e over. When she arrived, Monk Qiwu said to her, “Please greet this gentleman. He can solve your riddles.”

And so Xiao’e went up and greeted the visitor.

“Tell me first why you want to solve the riddles,” said Gongzuo.

Xiao’e broke down in sobs and could not get a word out for quite a while. Eventually, she said, “My father and my husband were both killed by pirates. Some time after that, I had a dream in which my father said to me, ‘The name of my killer is hidden in this riddle: A monkey in the middle of a cart; grass atop an east gate.’ Then I had another dream in which my husband said to me, ‘My killer’s name is also in a riddle: Crossing the field; husband for one day.’ I’m not smart enough to puzzle them out. I ask everyone I see, but I still get nowhere. Many years have gone by, but without knowing who the killers are, there’s no way for me to seek revenge. This is my deepest regret.” (MC: Poor thing!) With that, she burst into tears again.

With a smile, Li Gongzuo said, “Don’t be upset. From what you said, I’ve solved the riddles.” Xiao’e stopped crying and asked for enlightenment. Li Gongzuo announced, “The one who killed your father is Shen Lan. The one who killed your husband is Shen Chun.”

“How did you deduce that, sir?” asked Xiao’e.

Li Gongzuo explained, “As for ‘a monkey in the middle of a cart,’ if you remove the top and bottom horizontal lines from the character for ‘cart’ (車), you get the character申 (shen), which means ‘monkey’ in the twelve-animal zodiac—hence, a monkey in the middle of a cart. As for ‘grass atop an east gate,’ if a grass radical sits on top of the character for ‘gate,’ add the character for ‘east’ to the character for ‘gate’ and you get the character 蘭 (lan). Now, the other riddle. ‘Crossing the field’ means striking through the character for ‘field’ (田), so you get 申 (shen) again. As for ‘husband for one day,’ add the character for ‘one’ to the top of the character for ‘husband’ (夫), then add ‘day’ (日) to the bottom part of 夫, and you get the character 春 (chun). Clearly, Shen Lan killed your father, and Shen Chun killed your husband. I’m quite sure!”

Monk Qiwu, listening off to one side, rubbed his hands and cheered, “What a revelation for a mystery that remained unsolved for years! All thanks to Mr. Li’s unrivaled intelligence!”

Sobbing in even greater grief, Xiao’e said, “If not for you, sir, I’d still have no clue as to my enemies’ names and therefore would disappoint my father and my husband in the netherworld.” After she kowtowed her thanks, she asked for a writing brush from Qiwu and wrote the names of Shen Lan and Shen Chun on a ribbon attached to the inside of her garment. (MC: Frightening.) Then she unstitched the ribbon, turned it inside out, and sewed it up again.

“Why did you write the names down?” asked Li Gongzuo.

“Now that I know who they are, I swear to hunt them down, even though I’m but a woman, and kill them, wherever they are, so that justice can be done.”

Li Gongzuo turned to Monk Qiwu and exclaimed, “How admirable! But this isn’t going to be easy.”

Monk Qiwu commented, “Nothing is too hard for someone who has such determination. Over the past few years, I’ve gained a good idea of this woman’s tenacity. She does not speak lightly.”

At this point, Xiao’e said to Qiwu, “Please tell me this gentleman’s name. I’ll never forget him.”

“He’s Mr. Li the Twenty-Third, Judge of Hongzhou, Jiangxi.”

Xiao’e prostrated herself on the ground in a Buddhist salute while reciting lines from the scriptures and then rose and bade the two elders a tearful farewell.

After having a few drinks in Monk Qiwu’s room, Li Gongzuo took leave of him, reboarded his boat, untied the mooring rope, and set sail for home.

Let us follow another thread of the story and come back to Xiao’e. From the day she learned the killers’ names from Judge Li, she was determined to hunt down the two men. Because it was unseemly for a woman to travel alone, she hit on an idea and used all her savings from years of begging alms to buy a man’s outfit. Calling herself “Xie Bao,” she also bought a sharp knife and hid it in her clothes. (MC: Frightening.) She thought, “The pirates we ran into must have worked on the river before. So that’s where I should go to make inquiries.”

Day in and day out, she hung around the wharf and hired herself out to boatmen who were looking for help. While on board, she gave her all and never loafed on the job. (MC: She has a purpose in mind.) So she became popular as a hired hand, and she was not picky. She took all job offers. Soon, she got to know all those who worked on merchant boats. When she went to the lavatory, she took extra care not to give herself away. Wherever her boat went, she would go ashore and make inquiries all around. Several years went by with no progress.

One day, the merchant boat on which she worked moored at Xunyang Prefecture [in present-day northern Jiangxi]. She went ashore and saw a poster on the bamboo gate of a house that read, “Help Wanted.” Xiao’e asked a neighbor, “What kind of family is this?”

“This is the Shen family. The master of the house is Squire Shen Lan. He’s often away, doing business on the rivers. There are only women in the house, with no helpful male servants to look after things. That’s why they’re hiring.”

The name Shen Lan rang a bell for Xiao’e. She thought, “So, this name is for real! Can he be the killer?” To the neighbor, she said, “I’d like to have the job. Could you please take me to them?”

The neighbor said, “The Shens need help badly. They’ll surely take you. But I expect you to treat me to a meal.”

“Of course!” said Xiao’e.

After asking for Xiao’e’s name and address, the neighbor led her to the Shen house. A man emerged from inside. You may ask, how did he look? Behold:

A grotesque face, sunken in the middle;

A pointed chin with a few brown whiskers.

His cheekbones protruded;

His thick eyebrows sat atop bloodshot eyes.

He talked like a tiger roaring;

His voice shook the cold, rainy, wind-blown air.

He walked like a wolf running;

His long shadow stirred dragons and snakes to action.

From afar, he could pass

As the exorcist at a funeral.

Up close, he was more like

A fierce guardian spirit at a temple gate.

Xiao’e was appalled. “Surely this man has the look of a murderous bandit!” She told herself to watch this man carefully. (MC: She did keep her eyes open.)

“Mr. Shen,” said the neighbor, “you’re hiring, and this Xie Bao, a native of Jiangxi, like us, wishes to enter your service.”

Shen Lan asked, “What experience does he have?”

Xiao’e answered, “I’m a boat hand for hire. They all know me at the wharf and on the boats around these parts. You can go ask people about me, sir.”

Shen Lan’s house being not far from the wharf, all three of them walked to it. When asked about Xie Bao, all the boatmen praised him for his hard work, discretion, devotion, and honesty—all good qualities. Shen Lan was greatly pleased. There, at the wharf, Xiao’e borrowed paper, ink, a brush pen, and an ink slab from a broker whom she knew and drew up a contract, with the neighbor serving as the go-between. The contract was then given to Shen Lan for safekeeping.

Shen Lan took Xiao’e and the neighbor back to his home and set out wine in the go-between’s honor. On being told to keep them company, Xiao’e went to the kitchen and offered her services, carrying this and that and delivering wine and dishes to the table. All this she did with the ease borne of practice. Shen Lan gave her an advance on her wages of two taels of silver and paid the go-between two maces of silver. Xiao’e weighed out two maces from her own savings and gave the money to the neighbor. Overcome with joy, the neighbor said his thanks and took himself off. Shen Lan then led Xiao’e to see his wife, Lin-shi. And so Xiao’e became a domestic servant in the Shen residence.

Judging from the way Shen Lan did things, Xiao’e gathered that he was no decent sort. Believing that the names she had heard in her dreams could not have been revealed to her without a reason, she knew this man was most likely her enemy. But she needed to make her way into his good graces so as to find out the truth and take action when the opportunity presented itself. Therefore, she obeyed his every command with never a complaint. (MC: Ingenious.) As for Shen Lan, as fate would have it, he took a great liking to Xiao’e the moment he laid eyes on her. As she proved herself so useful to him, he became all the more fond of this servant. He never budged an inch from Xie Bao’s side. He consulted Xie Bao on every matter, entrusted to Xie Bao every job that he wanted to do, and put all his property at Xie Bao’s disposal. In short, Xiao’e had become Shen Lan’s closest confidant, and she was the one who handled all his money and valuables. Thus it was that she saw in the house the fine clothes and prized possessions that had been looted from her family. Indeed, as the saying goes, “The sight of the saddle reminds one of the horse; the sight of the object recalls the owner.” Each time she came upon one of the looted items, she would sob for a long time if no one was around. She was by now fully convinced of the accuracy of her dream. Never for a moment did she forget the heinous crime, but afraid that she would arouse his suspicions, she grew even more careful.

Then she heard that Shen Lan had a cousin, known as Second Master, who lived in Dushupu across the river. Xiao’e thought, “Could he be Shen Chun? Since my first dream has been borne out, the solution for the second one shouldn’t be off the mark either. But I can’t very well ask his name, or I’ll arouse suspicions. I need to think of a way to make him come here, so that I can find out his name.”

After Xiao’e entered Shen Lan’s service, Shen Lan went more than once to Second Master’s home and stayed for about a month each time. And each time, he returned home laden with riches (MC: All spoils from piracy), which he gave to Xie Bao for safekeeping. But Second Master had never made an appearance there. Sometimes, Shen Lan said he would take Xie Bao on a business trip, but surmising that it must be business of a dubious nature, Xiao’e always declined, citing the demanding schedule of household chores. Shen Lan, for his part, worried about his family every time he went away. Since he needed Xie Bao to take care of his family in his absence, he dropped the idea of taking Xie Bao on his travels. So every time he went away, he left his wife, Lin-shi, with Xiao’e. One or two maids stayed with the mistress at all times, and Xiao’e slept in an outer chamber, from which she took care of household affairs. Whatever job Lin-shi had for her, she humored her by obliging. Everyone in the household liked her and looked up to her as a most reliable and resourceful person.

Storyteller, you are quite mistaken! Since Xiao’e was disguised as a man, why would Shen Lan leave him, a bachelor, at home in the company of his wife? Wouldn’t he be afraid of a scandal?

Gentle reader, let me explain. Shen Lan was a bandit who valued money above all else. Such people don’t care a thing about proper etiquette. What’s more, Xiao’e, as circumspect as she was, had already passed Shen Lan’s test as to her honesty and discretion. Since he did not need to worry on that score, he went away feeling absolutely safe.

In the meantime, with time on her hands, Xiao’e went out to cultivate friendships with the neighbors, bringing them wine and meat and spending freely on them. (MC: Meticulous in detail throughout.) And in return, they enjoyed her company. Xiao’e also went out of her way to befriend those few among the neighbors who were of bold spirit and knew how to get things done. She gave them money if they were poor or pledged brotherhood with them. She was generous with Shen Lan’s ill-gotten wealth. Shen Lan’s money came easy, and he trusted her. Since he never bothered to check the ledgers, Xiao’e was only too glad to dispense favors left and right. Her mind preoccupied with exacting revenge, she thought it necessary to cultivate friendships as best she could. But not having established Shen Chun’s identity, she wanted to keep her secret to herself, for fear that her enemy would get wind of it and give her the slip. For this reason, even though she had several opportunities to act when Shen Lan was home, she restrained herself and preferred to wait and bide her time. (MC: Meticulous and merciless, too.)

Two more years elapsed in like manner. Suddenly, one day, a servant announced, “Second Master north of the river is here!”

Lo and behold: A hulk of a man came in, followed by a group of men who were also strongly built. “Where’s my big brother?” asked the leader.

Xiao’e replied, “Big Master is inside. Let me, Xie Bao, go and bring him out.”

Xiao’e went in and reported to Shen Lan. Shen Lan came out to the hall and said, “You haven’t come for so long, Second Brother! What brought you here? And you brought so many brothers along. What’s up?”

Second Master said, “I caught two big carp today, each weighing twenty catties. I wouldn’t presume to keep them for my own dinner table, so I bought a jug of wine and came to share the fish with you.”

“Thank you so much for your kindness, Second Brother. Such large fish are rare. We’ve been enjoying blessings from the gods for so many years. I propose to offer the fish and the wine, plus some chicken, meat, and fruit, to the gods first, to thank them for their blessings. (MC: What kind of gods are they?) We can enjoy the food and wine after that. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be much fun to have only fish to go with the wine. What’s more, with so many brothers present, how could I eat a free meal without paying anything? What do you say, Second Brother?”

The men all clapped their hands and cheered, “Well said! Well said!”

Shen Lan called for Xie Bao and made him greet Second Master. To his cousin, he said, “This is a servant I hired. He’s very honest, hardworking, and reliable. He’ll do the shopping for us.”

Xiao’e obediently went off to do his bidding. Before long, a fine spread was laid out on the table. Shen Chun commented, “He’s indeed a capable man. No wonder Big Brother has no worries about home when traveling. It’s because he leaves his family in such capable hands!”

As the men all broke into praise, Shen Lan told Xie Bao to put the offerings in front of the image of a guardian god. Shen Chun said, “We should all have our names written down so that the god will know who we are when we pray. But we’re almost illiterate. This isn’t a job for us.”

Shen Lan said, “Xie Bao writes a good hand.”

“He can also write?” asked Shen Chun. “He’s a rare find! A rare find!”

Xiao’e walked up and, equipped with paper and brush pen, began to write down their names. As was only to be expected, Shen Lan and Shen Chun headed the list, followed by the others, one by one. Xiao’e committed the names to memory as she wrote (MC: Frightening.) and learned, for sure, that Second Brother was none other than Shen Chun.

After the prayer service was over, the offerings were taken away but, after some rearrangments, were laid out on the table again. While the men fell to with gusto, Xiao’e, with her plan in mind, eagerly wrote down all the other names on a piece of paper and hid it. She said to herself, “What a wonderful man, that Judge Li! He has a spiritual connection with the other world, and he was right on target when he solved the riddles. And it was thanks to the unperished spirits of my father and my husband that Heaven gave him inspiration. Now that both my enemies are here, my wish will be fulfilled.”

She rushed to wait on the men. She picked large bowls and kept refilling them with wine for Shen Lan and Shen Chun. Being heavy drinkers, both were delighted by her attentiveness. They downed one bowl after another, little suspecting any ulterior motive on her part. When afternoon gave way to evening, the bandits went their separate ways, all rolling drunk.

Shen Chun was the only one to spend the night in his cousin’s house. Xiao’e filled a bowl to the brim with warm liquor and, offering it to Shen Chun, said, “In the two years that I, humble Xie Bao, have been in this house, I haven’t had an opportunity to serve Second Master. Today, let me ‘present Buddha with borrowed flowers,’ as the idiom goes, and offer you an extra toast.” Then she refilled another bowl and offered it to Shen Lan, saying, “Big Master, please play his drinking companion.”

Shen Chun exclaimed, “You’re a fine one, Xie Bao! (MC: Yes, a fine one indeed!) You do know the right things to say when pressing wine on people!”

“Let’s not disappoint him in his good intentions,” said Shen Lan. “Let’s drink as much as we can.” While he told Shen Chun about Xie Bao’s many good qualities, Xiao’e offered one toast after another, each time saying a few self-deprecating words, and insisted that they drain the bowls. The two men drank themselves silly. As a matter of fact, this region along the river did not produce good wine. What those bandits usually drank was liquor of inferior quality, but what Shen Chun had bought that day so that they could thoroughly enjoy themselves was very strong stuff. Having tossed down such large quantities of it, they were bound to get drunk.

Shen Lan, dead drunk and feeling hot, could hardly walk. So he took off his clothes and lay down right there in the courtyard. Shen Chun was also sleepy, but since his legs could still carry him, Xiao’e helped him into one of the rooms and laid him down on the bed. Then she entered the interior of the house to check how things were. It so happened that Lin-shi got a whiff of the aroma of the wine while preparing the meal in the kitchen, and so she drank one or two bowls of it with her supper. The two maids who brought the wine to the men’s dining table also stole some for a taste. How much liquor could a woman hold? All three of them were stretching and yawning as if they had been visited by the Monkey King’s sleep bugs.11 Seeing this, Xiao’e thought, “If I don’t act now, when will I have another chance?” Then again, she thought, “The women don’t matter. But if Shen Chun isn’t fast asleep, he’ll be hard to deal with.” She picked up a padlock and locked the door of the room where Shen Chun was sleeping. (MC: She does take care of the minutest details.) Then she went to the courtyard, pulled the knife from her clothes, and cut off Shen Lan’s head.

She would have liked to kill Shen Chun as well but thought better of the idea because she was, after all, a woman, and Shen Chun had been able to walk before he went to sleep. If he was not dead drunk, it would not be wise to provoke him. Instead, she quickly went out of the house and shouted to the neighbors, “Please help me capture a bandit!”

The neighbors were all her friends. Having heard her cries, they came to her and asked, “Where’s the bandit? We’ll help you get him!” (MC: The friendships have not been cultivated for nothing.)

“He’s no ordinary bandit,” said Xiao’e. “He’s a big bandit leader who kills indiscriminately. His loot and his weapons are all here. I’ve gotten him drunk and locked him in a room. Please help me capture him.”

The neighbors, including those busybodies whose friendship Xiao’e had cultivated, said, rubbing their hands in excitement, “Who’s that bandit?”

“My master and his cousin are both bandits. Their enormous wealth is all loot.”

One of the neighbors said, “You live in the house, so it’s no surprise that you know what goes on there. But without a victim, we can’t make a rash move.”

“I’m a victim. My father and another family member, plus tens of members of both clans, were killed by these bandits. Some of the gold and silver vessels in the house bear the name and other marks of our two families. They’re easy to recognize.”

An older and wiser neighbor said, “I believe you. There’s indeed something questionable about the Shens. Shen Lan is often away, and they’re not engaged in any business, but they suddenly became fabulously rich. We haven’t been able to find any evidence against them, and we were afraid of their viciousness, which is why we haven’t dared say anything. But now, with little brother Xie as witness, let’s help him capture Shen Lan and his cousin and deliver them to the yamen for the authorities to investigate.”

“I’ve already killed one of them,” announced Xiao’e. “You need only help me capture the other one.”

On hearing that one of the men was already dead, the neighbors realized that this case must be reported to the authorities. Because all those present were Xiao’e’s friends and quite a few among them hated Shen Lan, they entered the gate of the Shen house with lit torches in hand. There, in front of everyone’s eyes, lay Shen Lan’s dead body in a pool of blood. Then they opened the door of the room where Shen Chun was and found him snoring thunderously in his sleep. As they tied him up with a rope, he said, struggling, “Big Brother, don’t kid me!” The neighbors called him a bandit, but their curses fell on deaf ears, for he remained asleep. They tied him up tight and, together, barged into the women’s quarters.

Not having drunk much, Lin-shi woke up quickly and rose in alarm. At the sight of the torch-carrying men, she thought it was a robbery and said, “So here come robbers to hit another robber.” (MC: The gods this family prays to do work wonders, speaking through Lin-shi’s mouth like this!)

This remark further convinced the neighbors of the truth of Xie Bao’s accusations. They barked, “Nonsense! Who’s robbing you? Your husband’s crimes have come to light!”

As they trussed up Lin-shi and the two maids, Lin-shi said, “My husband and his cousin are the guilty ones, not me!”

The neighbors countered, “This isn’t for you to say. You can explain to the authorities.”

Afraid that, with many men in the house, some of the looted items might disappear, Xiao’e had taken the precaution of putting her family’s valuable items in a safe place and locking them up. (MC: Again, meticulous.) She planned to ask the local headman to put a seal on them the next day and then seek justice from the yamen authorities.

The commotion lasted the whole night through. The next day, the suspects were taken to the yamen of Xunyang County. With Prefect Zhang presiding over the court session, the local headman and the neighbors brought the suspects into the courtroom. Holding a written complaint in her hand, Xiao’e charged the bandits with murder and robbery. By this time, Shen Chun had sobered up and realized that his crimes had come to light. Seeing that the plaintiff was Xie Bao, he thought that Xie Bao must be in possession of his cousin’s secrets. With no inkling as to the real reason behind it, he cried out, “These are all lies that the hired hand fabricates about his master!”

Pointing at Shen Chun, Xiao’e said to the prefect, “He and his cousin are the ringleaders. Ten years ago, they killed tens of people from the Xie and Duan families from Yuzhang. How can he deny that?”

The prefect said, “Is it possible that, as a hired hand in his family, you were in this together? And you’re now charging him with a crime only because he has somehow treated you unfairly?”

“I’ve been working for his family for only two years. That crime was committed ten years ago.”

The prefect pressed further, “But how did you learn about this? What evidence do you have?”

“Items looted from the Xies and the Duans are still in his house. They constitute sufficient evidence.”

“Who are you to the Xie family? How do you know those are looted items?”

“Mr. Xie was my father, and Mr. Duan was my husband.”

“But you’re a man. How could you have had a husband?”

“Your Honor, I am in fact a woman, not a man. When the bandits killed members of our two families, I fell into the water and was rescued. Later, my father and my husband appeared to me in my dreams and told me the names of their killers, but these were contained in two riddles that I failed to solve. I asked for enlightenment everywhere, without success. Luckily, Judge Li of Hongzhou solved them and came up with the names Shen Lan and Shen Chun. So I disguised myself as a man and went everywhere to hunt down the two culprits. On arriving in this county, I saw a ‘Help Wanted’ poster and, after inquiring, learned that Shen Lan was the hirer. I purposefully applied for the job and entered his service. I took note of his frequent absences from home, and I came upon our families’ belongings. No doubt remained in my mind that he’s the bandit who killed my father, but I didn’t think it prudent to take action without establishing Shen Chun’s identity as well. Yesterday, he appeared for the first time for a feast. So I killed Shen Lan with a knife, reported to our local headman, and captured Shen Chun with the help of neighbors. Everything I’m saying is true.”

Intrigued by the deposition, the prefect asked, “What were the riddles?”

After Xiao’e told him the riddles, the prefect continued, “Why are the answers ‘Shen Lan’ and ‘Shen Chun’?” Whereupon Xiao’e repeated Li Gongzuo’s explanations.

The prefect repeatedly nodded his head and said, “Yes, yes. Brilliant! What a powerful mind Mr. Li has! He’s a friend of mine. (MC: It’s a good thing Mr. Li was involved.) I believe what you said. But you’ve been posing as a man for quite some time now. Why hasn’t anyone seen through your disguise?”

“Bearing the burden of my plan for revenge, I had my heart in my mouth day and night. I just couldn’t afford to be found out. Should any telltale signs give me away, how was I going to get revenge?”

The prefect marveled inwardly, “What a determined woman this is!” He then called forth the local headman and the neighbors and questioned them, whereupon they told the prefect in detail that there had always been something suspicious about Shen Lan’s comings and goings, that Xie Bao had been hired two years earlier, about the killing of Shen Lan the previous night, about the capture of Shen Chun and Shen Lan’s family members, and about how they had delivered the suspects to the yamen.

“Where are the looted items?” asked the prefect.

Xiao’e replied, “He entrusted them to me. I locked them up and put a seal over them last night with our headman.”

Right away, the prefect ordered the police to take Xiao’e and the headman to Shen Lan’s house and seize all the looted items. They were found to be worth tens of millions. Xiao’e recorded the value of each item in a ledger, down to the last penny, and promptly delivered the ledger to the yamen.

The enormous wealth convinced the prefect that Shen Chun and his cousin were indeed bandits. He put Shen Chun under torture and applied the finger-squeezer to Lin-shi. Both confessed. The prefect asked about their cohorts, but Shen Chun refused to give him the names, whereupon Xiao’e retrieved from her sleeve the strip of paper bearing the names of the other bandits and presented it to the prefect, saying, “The names of all the rest of the gang members are here.”

“How did you learn such details?” asked the prefect.

“They told me to write the names down yesterday when they prayed to their god. I then wrote down the names from memory. Every name is there.”

The prefect was even more impressed with her efficiency in getting things done. He verified the addresses of the men with Shen Chun and matched them with the names one by one. He sent Shen Chun to jail and ruled that Li-shi and the maids be sold by the government. Then he called the arrest officers into action and ordered them to bring all the suspects to court. The officers got hold of every one of the gang members, like catching turtles trapped in a jar (MC: Thanks to Xiao’e’s ingeniousness.). None had anything to say in defense of himself. The prefect sent every one of them to death row, to be with Shen Chun. To Xiao’e he said, “The guilt of the men having been established, no more need be said about them. However, you acted on your own and killed a man without reporting in advance to the yamen. Therefore, you’re also guilty of a capital crime.”

“Having already obtained vengeance, I have no regrets if I die.”

The prefect continued, “Although that’s what the law says, you’re to be commended for your filial piety and moral rectitude. The law is not applicable to you in your case. Let me appeal to the emperor and ask for an imperial pardon.”

Xiao’e kowtowed in gratitude.

When the prefect ordered that Xiao’e be released on bail for the time being, Xiao’e said, “Now that my identity has been revealed, I can’t share quarters with men any longer. I wish I could go to a nunnery to await further sentencing.”

“Good point, as usual,” said the prefect. So he ordered that Xiao’e be taken under guard to a nearby nunnery and be held in detention there while awaiting an imperial decree.

The prefect’s memorandum on the case contained the following:

Xie Xiao’e, in her determination to seek revenge, was able to communicate with the departed souls of her father and her husband in her dreams and had the riddles solved after many years had elapsed. This case of revenge in fact involves felonies. It is proposed that she be pardoned for her act of unauthorized killing and that she be commended for her moral fortitude.

The fourth month of the twelfth year of the Yuanhe reign period

The imperial decree, when it arrived, read: “On account of her outstanding moral fortitude, Xie Xiao’e is hereby granted exemption from the death sentence. A memorial archway is to be erected in her hometown. Shen Chun is to be executed forthwith.” Soon, the decree arrived at Xunyang and was read out in the courtroom. The prefect ordered that Shen Chun and the other convicts on death row be brought to the courtroom, where he dictated the words to be inscribed on the criminals’ name plaques. With the name plaques attached to their backs, each plaque stating the condemned person’s name and offenses, the criminals were taken under guard to the public square for execution.

By this time, Xiao’e had resumed her female attire. In white mourning clothes, she watched the execution of Shen Chun and then went back to the yamen to thank Prefect Zhang. When the prefect ordered that she be escorted to her hometown in a grand procession complete with artificial flowers and percussion music, she said, “My father and my husband having both passed away, even though I’m ever so grateful to you, sir, for having obtained an imperial pardon for me, I won’t accept any fanfare.”

All the more impressed by her sense of decorum, the prefect ordered that a woman serving in the yamen accompany Xiao’e home. Then he issued a separate order for the erection of a memorial archway in Xiao’e’s honor.

The news caused great excitement in Yuzhang County. Members of the clans of Xiao’e’s father and husband, as well as other relatives, came to greet her. When their conversation turned to past events, everyone lamented in grief and gaped in amazement. Not a day went by without matchmakers from leading families in the area flocked to Xiao’e’s door out of admiration for her fame, but Xiao’e vowed not to remarry, saying, “I disguised myself as a man for years out of necessity. If I remarry, where’s my chastity as a woman? I’d rather die than remarry.” (MC: It may be quite a challenge to be a husband to such a woman.)

With more and more matchmakers pestering her, her impatience got the better of her. She thought, “I wanted to be a nun when I was in Miaoguo Nunnery and didn’t take the tonsure only because I had not yet exacted vengeance. Now that my mission has been accomplished, why don’t I join the Buddhist order and spend the rest of my days in the nunnery? I’d better take the tonsure now so as to put an end to their hopes.” (MC: An even tougher decision to make.) So thinking, she cut off her hair-bun with a pair of scissors and shaved off the rest of her hair with a razor. Putting on the hempen cape of an itinerant nun, she bade her relatives farewell and took to the road in search of the Way. After she left her hometown in this manner, without any fanfare, the local inhabitants admired her all the more, and her name spread wider, but enough of this.

In the sixth month of the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe reign period, Li Gongzuo was summoned by the imperial court, and he set out for Chang’an the capital. When passing Sibin, he went to visit Shanyi Nunnery, whose abbess Dade was well versed in Buddist scriptures and whom he had met many times. When Abbess Dade led him into the reception hall, he saw that there were tens of newly recruited disciples standing on both sides of the abbess’s seat, all with shaved heads and looking solemn and dignified. (MC: Quite a sight to see!) One of the novices looked hard at Li Gongzuo and asked the abbess, “Might this gentleman be Judge Li of Hongzhou?”

The abbess nodded. “Yes, it’s him. How did you know?”

Dissolving in tears, the novice said, “It’s thanks to Judge Li’s kindness that I was able to avenge my family.” Tearfully, she stepped forward and saluted Mr. Li in gratitude.

Li Gongzuo did not recognize her. He rose from his seat in surprise, returned the salute, and said, “I don’t know you. What kindness did I do?”

The novice replied, “I’m Xiao’e, the widow who begged for alms in Waguan Nunnery. You, sir, solved two riddles for me and figured out the names of two criminals: Shen Lan and Shen Chun. Have you forgotten that, sir?”

Li Gongzuo searched his memory, and a dim recollection of the event came back to him. But unable to recall all the details, he asked what the riddles were. Upon Xiao’e’s recitation of the riddles, the memory suddenly flashed back to him. He said, “I’d forgotten about this. Now that you mention it, yes, I do remember now. Did you do anything about it? Did you find the two men?”

Thereupon, Xiao’e told him in detail about how she had disguised herself as a man, entered Shen Lan’s service, and captured Shen Chun and the other gang members and about the trials and tribulations she had gone through. “I have nothing with which to repay you for your kindness, sir,” added she. “From now on, I’ll chant the sutras and pray for the Buddha’s blessings for you.”

“I wonder what could have led to this chance meeting of ours here,” remarked Li Gongzuo.

“Well, after the revenge was complete, I shaved off my hair, put on a mendicant nun’s cape, and went to Ox Head Mountain in my quest for the Way. There, I practiced austerities for a year under the eminent abbess Jiang at Dashi Nunnery. I was ordained at Kaiyuan Nunnery at Sizhou in the fourth month of this year and came here. I never expected to be able to meet my benefactor. This is indeed a blessing from heaven!”

Li Gongzuo said, “Since you’re ordained, what’s your Buddhist name?”

“I dare not forget my past, so I’m still using my old name.”

With a sigh, Li Gongzuo said, “Such a determined woman has no equal under heaven! It was quite by chance that I figured out the names of the two criminals, but she persevered in her investigations and eventually hunted them down and won revenge for herself. In addition, she managed not to let anyone see through her disguise as a man among the motley crowds of hired laborers and servants. Wasn’t that a formidable challenge? It behooves me to spread the word about her virtues.”

Moved to tears, Xiao’e took leave of Li Gongzuo and returned to Ox Head Mountain. From there, she took a skiff and traveled through the southern regions, and no one knew what happened to her later. “The Biography of Xie Xiao’e” was written by Li Gongzuo and passed down to later ages, as it was included in Extensive Gleanings of the Reign of Great Tranquility.12

As the poem says,

Her heart frosty as her knife and hard as iron,

Her spirit will not perish even after ten thousand years.

With the will to fill the East Sea with West Hill rocks,

She harbored hatred that burned with fury.

Another poem says,

Her dreams revealed cosmic secrets;

Heaven showed her its mysteries.

With the riddles revealed, she got her revenge;

Truly, the dead souls didn’t return in vain.