Chapter 413 — One Cauldron

The heart of Madam He's fourth brother sank.

Anxiously he looked toward He Qingyuan, whose face was full of shock and agitation. He could only smile ingratiatingly at the registrar and say, "Your Honor, you see, our sister-in-law and our sister are only weak women..."

The Registrar showed no courtesy at all. Face cold, he said, "Did I not say so just now? Every living thing in this courtyard is to be taken to the yamen. Are you not a living thing?"

Madam He's fourth brother's eyes went round as bronze bells. But reflecting that he stood under another man's roof, and that a wise man does not eat the loss before his eyes, and that his eldest brother was outside pulling strings, he lowered his head and withdrew.

Madam He's third brother did not see it that way. He rounded on He Qingyuan: "What have you done? You have dragged our family down with you into ruin. When we see Eldest Brother, you will take my fists first."

But when he entered the jail of Qingyuan County, he could not say a word — Madam He's brother, the one who served as Scribe, had been locked into the county yamen's jail ahead of them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Madam He wept and threw herself toward him.

"You ask me — who am I to ask?" The Scribe's face was frost-bound as he stared at He Qingyuan. "Whom have you offended? Even the County Magistrate will not speak of it!"

"We merchants set store by harmony and the making of money. How could I have offended anyone?" As He Qingyuan spoke, a flash of insight struck him. "Is it you who offended someone? To command the County Magistrate himself — I know I have no such ability to offend a man like that!"

The two fell to quarreling, each cutting in upon the other.

Wei Quan, his face beaten black and blue and swollen like a pig's head, quietly drew aside a jailer he knew and pressed a piece of silver into his hand. "Be good to me, brother. Let me out? You know yourself that I am merely acquainted with these two families."

They had been locked up the moment they came in. They had not yet been brought before the court.

The jailer tucked the silver at his waist and glanced at He Qingyuan and his brother-in-law, still quarreling fiercely. He lowered his voice: "If there is anyone else you can entrust with a message, I will pass it on for you. Beyond that, there is nothing I can do. This case is being jointly handled by men sent down from the prefecture — even the constables were sent from the prefecture. The County Magistrate too must stand aside."

Fine and well at home, and he had come to break up a quarrel.

Now look — he had got himself tangled up in it too.

If they truly clapped the charge of "consorting with bandits, bringing harm to the village" upon him, then even if he were not beheaded, he would be exiled.

Wei Quan's guts turned green with regret.

Then came the clang of the jail door, and several unfamiliar constables marched in, driving ahead of them Madam He's sister-in-law and her nephews and nieces.

"Father!"

"My lord!"

"Sister-in-law!"

The cell broke into weeping and wailing, one crying out over another, all in an uproar like a vegetable market.

Wei Quan could not help but tremble.

What was this?

Were they to seize the house, destroy the family, and exterminate the clan?

The He family were no more than country gentry, and Madam He's natal family no more than hereditary clerks — were they of a rank to warrant such a thing?

"Whom on earth has the He family offended?" In the height of summer, Wei Quan felt as though he had fallen into a pit of ice, his teeth chattering.

* * *

Far away in the capital, Song Yan stood before his great desk practicing his regular script.

Xia Lian entered softly, bowed to Song Yan, and said with great care, "Everyone over in Qingyuan County has been arrested. Lord Liu asks how the report is to be written to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review."

Song Yan set down his brush, took the handkerchief Wu Yi handed him, and wiped his hands. "The men are all to be exiled to the Xining Guard. The women are all to be struck from the registers and sold to the entertainment houses."

Xia Lian was not surprised. He assented in a low voice and withdrew.

Song Yan thought a moment, then instructed Wu Yi, "Go and call Lu Ming here."

Wu Yi had served Song Chu for some days now, and knew that the more light and easy Song Yan appeared, the more vexed he was at heart.

He withdrew from the study, quaking with fear.

After a while, Lu Ming arrived.

Song Yan said, "You are to escort those people from Qingyuan County to the Xining Guard. Whatever you do, do not let that fellow called Wei Quan and He Hao die on the road. I hear tell that out in the northwest there are times when they have not even a camp whore, and so they take whatever comely-faced ones they can find to make do. These two will serve nicely."

Lu Ming bowed his head and assented.

Song Yan's hatred was still unappeased. A perfectly good brush he snapped in two, and went off to the Bishui Pavilion.

*

Posting a rough draft first; will fix the typos later.

o(n_n)o~