Chapter 31: A Case of Earth-Shattering Proportions

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Wu Tiande returned to the inn and slipped in through the window as quietly as a cat. He lit the oil lamp and turned to find his wife, Qin Keqing, fast asleep with her eyes tightly shut.

Seeing her snow-white arm lying so carelessly outside the coverlet, Wu Tiande could not help complaining, “You are a grown woman, yet you are still so careless. You cannot even keep the quilt over yourself properly. What if you catch cold?”

“You only went to use the latrine. How did it take you so long?” Qin Keqing mumbled, her eyes still closed.

Did this sleeping beauty really think he had gone to the latrine?

Suppressing a chuckle, Wu Tiande changed his clothes and slipped beneath the covers. After a vigorous bout of lovemaking, he soon had his wife sighing and moaning softly.

They continued until a guest downstairs could no longer stand the noise and bellowed, “Who the hell is making all that racket? It is the middle of the night! Are people not allowed to get some rest?”

Only then did Wu Tiande chuckle, his movements becoming especially gentle. He needed this encounter to provide himself with an alibi.

Under the Son of Heaven’s feet, just outside the city of Beiping, a robbery and massacre had taken place. The victims had been the rent-collecting party of Ningguo Residence, and even the estate steward had been killed. By any measure, it was a shocking case.

Sure enough, beginning the next day, the entire Shuntian Prefecture was thrown into a state of alarm. Along the road from Wanping to Baoding, numerous constables went back and forth, conducting inspections.

Wu Tiande’s party was small, and women made up a considerable portion of it. They plainly lacked the ability to commit such a sensational crime, so ordinary people naturally did not suspect him.

Even if he was stopped and questioned, Wu Tiande was the Vice Battalion Commander of Tongguan Guard. Without evidence, there was little anyone could do to him.

Whenever this happened, Wu Tiande would curse and rant until the other party apologized first. Only then would he let the matter rest.

After three or four days of searches yielded nothing, the authorities recalled that before his death, Estate Steward Wu Jin'сяo had cursed the bandits, claiming that they had been incited and directed by other estate stewards. Based on this, the Wanping County Government decided to pass the blame elsewhere and reported the matter to the Shuntian Prefecture Government.

The case was simply too serious. It had already exceeded the capacity of the Wanping County Government.

Although Estate Steward Wu had been murdered and the Jia family deserved an explanation, the other estate stewards were hardly insignificant figures either. Most came from the households of princes, dukes, and other nobles in Beiping. If all those stewards were arrested and their property confiscated to compensate Ningguo Residence, the other noble families would certainly object. They had no intention of bearing even the slightest financial loss.

Thus, the matter reached an impasse.

The other noble families refused to accept any losses, while Ningguo Residence could not allow its estate steward to have died in vain. After much deliberation, Wang Xian, the Prefect of Shuntian, could only turn his attention to the bandits.

But the mountains were vast, the ravines deep, and the world was full of people. Where could the bandits possibly be found at such short notice?

Wang Xian intended to delay the matter for as long as possible, but the Rongguo and Ningguo households, backed by the faction of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, began exerting pressure behind the scenes.

The Supervising Censors Liu Mei and Zhang Yi repeatedly impeached Prefect Wang Xian, accusing him of being old and overly cautious, of allowing bandits to prey upon the populace. They further claimed that the drought had brought disaster, particularly around the capital, and that the suffering was caused by corrupt officials who had not been purged, leaving the people embittered and resentful.

Wang Xian felt that the waters surrounding the matter were dangerously murky. Twice he petitioned the Emperor for permission to retire, but both requests were denied.

Left with no alternative, Wang Xian summoned Fu Shi, the Assistant Prefect of Shuntian, and asked him for a solution.

Fu Shi was a former student of Jia Zheng. He understood the hidden twists and turns of the matter better than anyone.

“It may appear that only one estate steward from the Ningguo household was killed,” Fu Shi said, “but neither the Four Princes and Eight Dukes faction nor any of the powerful families in the capital wants such a thing to happen again. If those villains learn from the example and repeat it, how are we all supposed to continue living comfortably in Beiping?”

“That is true,” Wang Xian said after a moment’s thought. “But the estate stewards of the other powerful families refuse to be investigated, the bandits have hidden themselves deep in the mountains, and the Jia family refuses to let the matter go. They have even persuaded the censors to impeach me. Tell me, what am I supposed to do?”

“This case is indeed difficult, but with enough decisiveness, it can still be handled,” Fu Shi replied vaguely.

“How?” Wang Xian said impatiently. “If I lose my office because of this case, you will not benefit either, as Assistant Prefect. Do you think I will write anything favorable about you in my resignation? Think carefully. At a time like this, we are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope. You cannot keep speaking in circles.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Fu Shi said hurriedly.

Prefect Wang Xian was his immediate superior. Wang might have been helpless before the Four Princes and Eight Dukes faction, but dealing with a mere Assistant Prefect of Shuntian was well within his power. Fu Shi understood that much.

Therefore, he steeled himself and advised, “The other powerful families in the capital only want to ensure that the matter does not reach their own doors. The Ningguo household only wants to recover its losses. As for who actually committed the crime and who bears the blame, that is not truly important.”

Wang Xian stared at him in shock. “Are you suggesting that we kill innocents and claim military merit? This would not be a matter of three or five people. It would take dozens, perhaps even hundreds, to bear such a charge.”

At the end of the day, Ningguo Residence had lost no more than the annual rent from one or two estates. If the constables of Shuntian Prefecture acted under the pretext of collusion with bandits, stormed one or two villages, and used the seized wealth to compensate Ningguo Residence, there would likely be more than enough.

But doing so would mean fabricating a wrongful case out of thin air, leaving countless people homeless and tearing families apart. If the censors of the Metropolitan Censorate learned of it afterward, would they not impeach Wang Xian all over again?

If he was going to be impeached regardless, why commit an act so contrary to Heaven’s law?

Seeing Wang Xian hesitate, Fu Shi continued to guide him. “Those bandits dared to attack Ningguo Residence’s rent-collection convoy. Clearly, they are a vicious and ruthless gang. With the limited strength of our prefectural government, we may not be able to deal with them. We will have no choice but to seek assistance from the Metropolitan Garrison and ask them to send troops to capture the criminals.”

If the Metropolitan Garrison took action, destroying one or two villages would be effortless. And afterward, if the censors wished to impeach someone, they would first have to blame the commander of the Metropolitan Garrison for poor control and for allowing his soldiers to kill innocents and claim military merit. The pressure on Wang Xian, as head of the Shuntian Prefecture Government, would consequently be much lighter.

“That will do,” Wang Xian said amiably. “Why do you not make the journey on my behalf, Assistant Prefect Fu?”

Fu Shi hurriedly replied, “Your subordinate understands. Please rest assured, Your Excellency.”

Once the Metropolitan Garrison became involved, the deadlock was quickly broken.

They employed overwhelming force and stormed a village, throwing every able-bodied man in it—more than a thousand in all—into prison. The wealth they seized amounted to over a million in silver. A small portion was selected as compensation for Ningguo Residence, while most of the rest found its way into the hands of the Metropolitan Garrison commander’s office and certain officials of the Shuntian Prefecture Government.

As for the village’s women, children, and elderly—several thousand people in total—they were classified as relatives of criminals and sold into slavery by the authorities.

Concerned about public opinion, however, the authorities did not dare sell them openly in Beiping. The various districts and counties under Shuntian Prefecture had limited capacity to absorb so many people, and there was also the risk that word would spread. Thus, all the captives were transported to Baoding Prefecture, where they were put up for sale.

Baoding Prefecture was the political, military, economic, and cultural center of the Northern Zhili Province. It shielded the capital and overlooked the Central Plain. Not only was it heavily garrisoned, but it was also home to the office of the Governor-General of Zhili, making it the center of power governing the heartland around the capital.

Academies stood everywhere within the city, and the literary atmosphere was flourishing. Commerce was equally prosperous, with caravans from north and south converging there. The ringing of camel bells mingled with the cries of vendors, giving the ancient city both the majesty of a military stronghold and the vitality of a thriving metropolis.

Yet when several thousand elderly, women, and children poured into its orderly streets and alleys like a muddy tide, even the city of gray brick and dark tiles became unbearably crowded.

In every street and lane, ragged children could be seen chasing one another and playing. Elderly people crouched in corners, clutching tattered bundles and gazing blankly at their surroundings.

The slave brokers, with their keen noses, came swarming from every direction like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.

They dressed in relatively respectable silk jackets and waved folding fans in their hands, their sharp eyes sweeping over the crowd. At times they would squat down and question a child; at others they would grab a woman by the arm and haggle in a low voice, spittle flying as they spoke.

The thresholds of the teahouses and wine shops were nearly worn through. Not only did the slave brokers meet there to conduct their transactions, but curious townspeople and small-time peddlers also crowded around to watch.

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The sugar figurine sellers, dough figurine makers, and fried-dough-stick vendors shouted their wares one after another. Their cries mingled with the brokers’ haggling, the children’s wails, and the old people’s coughing, creating a boiling stew of chaos that left the entire city of Baoding in a feverish uproar—lively, yet infused with an indescribable restlessness and agitation.

This was the scene Wu Tiande and his party encountered upon entering Baoding.

Wu Tiande did not know what to say. The case involving Estate Steward Wu of Ningguo Residence and the others had clearly been orchestrated by the stewards of other estates, who had incited the bandits. Yet, in order to close the case quickly, the Shuntian Prefecture Government had colluded with the Metropolitan Garrison, casually seized an estate, and presented it to their superiors as a solved case.

Was there truly any law left in the world?

“My lord, please, have mercy. Buy our whole family,” an old grandmother pleaded when she saw Wu Tiande’s party approaching in their carriage. “I may be old, but I can still work. My daughter, Liu, is nimble and diligent as well. We are not the sort of people who shirk or deceive.”

She had been driven to desperation. Her family was full of old and young, and her daughter Liu had given birth to two children. Whatever slight beauty she might once have possessed had long since faded, leaving her unable to attract any wealthy householders.

But if they could not find a rich family willing to buy them all, who knew what those heartless constables would do with them next? Surely they would not separate a family of several souls and send each member in a different direction?

Wu Tiande had originally intended to avoid trouble and walk past with his heart hardened. He had plenty of silver, but there were too many villagers who had suffered this undeserved calamity. He could save this family, perhaps, but not the next.

Seeing that Wu Tiande seemed unwilling, the old grandmother turned toward the carriage door. She did not know whether there were women inside, but she called out, “Madam, Grandmother, if you cannot take us all, then at least buy my daughter, my granddaughter, and me. We are honest and upright people, simple and kind by nature, diligent and hardworking. We certainly will not disappoint you.”

Behind the carriage curtain, Qin Keqing lowered her eyes to look at the old grandmother standing beside the carriage. She appeared to be around seventy years old and wore a blue cotton garment washed so often that its color had faded. The fabric was coarse, but it was clean enough.

Her face was covered in wrinkles carved by wind and frost. When she smiled, those lines gathered like blooming chrysanthemums, revealing the plain sincerity peculiar to country folk. Her hair was neatly combed and coiled with a simple wooden hairpin. A few gray strands hung beside her temples, lending her an even more genuine and familiar air.

Most striking were her eyes. They were not large, but they were bright, carrying a trace of timid ingratiation while concealing a deep reserve of resilience and sincerity. She clutched her little granddaughter’s hand tightly. Her knuckles were thick and rough, unmistakably those of someone who had labored for many years, yet the way she shielded the child was deeply touching.

As Qin Keqing looked at her, most of the displeasure she had felt at having her carriage stopped gradually faded.

“Elder, you said you wish to sell your daughter and granddaughter,” Qin Keqing asked. “Does your son-in-law agree?”

“What say does he have in the matter?” the old woman sighed bitterly. “The soldiers of the Metropolitan Garrison seized him long ago. They said he was being sent to the coal mines of Western Hills for labor reform. I fear we will never see him again in this life.”

At this, her daughter Liu could no longer hold back her tears and began to sob quietly.

Only then did Wu Tiande suddenly understand why the Metropolitan Garrison had become involved.

So Prince Wang Teng wanted to expand coal production in preparation for future market demand, yet could not find enough free labor in such a short time. He had therefore been willing to fabricate a wrongful case and send thousands of able-bodied men to work in the Western Hills coal mines.

And Wang Teng’s actions had even received the full cooperation of the Shuntian Prefecture Government.

When officials and gentry showed no mercy, treating all living things as mere straw dogs, the saying was evidently more than an empty phrase.

Seeing that the young woman inside the carriage appeared to be wavering, the old grandmother quickly swallowed and lowered her voice, her tone filled with entreaty.

“They say that good people receive good rewards. If you, young mistress, are willing to take us in, you will have accumulated immeasurable virtue. In the future, you will surely be blessed with a house full of children and grandchildren, and blessings as inexhaustible as the waters of the Eastern Sea! Our whole family will be grateful for your great kindness. We would gladly serve you as oxen or horses and would never dare slacken in the slightest. Please show us mercy and give us a way to live!”

Qin Keqing hesitated. After all, these people were relatives of convicted criminals. What if they truly had connections with the bandits? Would that not bring disaster upon her own head?

Moreover, even if she were to buy people, purchasing the woman alone would be sufficient. Once brought in, she could immediately begin working. As for the children and the elderly, raising the young would cost too much, while the old could not perform heavy labor—and in a few years, she would have to pay for a cheap wooden coffin besides. However one looked at it, it was not a worthwhile bargain.

Only when another villager was purchased and, while bidding farewell to the old grandmother, said, “Grandmother Liu, perhaps we will meet again someday,” did Wu Tiande suddenly realize the truth.

Could it be that the old woman before them was actually a famous figure from the original story of The Dream of the Red Chamber?

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