Volume 1: Water City Melody Chapter 57: How to Save Oneself

After keeping the entire magistracy busy for several more days, the newly arrived Magistrate Wei finally announced the closure of official duties on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. Consequently, for the next half month or so, the county office would no longer handle daily affairs, and officials, clerks, and servants alike would disperse, leaving the once bustling compound utterly desolate.

Of course, this did not mean everyone working at the magistracy had gone home. At least one place still had to be manned and guarded: the jail. Although the prison did not currently hold many inmates, the staff dared not let down their guard in the slightest, especially since Zhuang Hong was still locked up inside.

However, unlike ordinary prisoners who were shoved into narrow, cramped, damp, and stinky cells, Master Zhuang's imprisonment environment was far superior. Not only did he occupy a single room the size of three regular cells, but it was fully equipped with bedding, books, and other items for his amusement. Apart from his restricted freedom and inability to leave the cell, Zhuang Hong's quarters looked very much like a guest room in an inn.

Just then, as it was mealtime, a jailer carried an exquisite three-tiered food box into the cell and said with a careful, ingratiating smile, "Master Zhuang, today's dishes are specialties from the Fragrance Pavilion. I wonder if they suit your taste? If not, this humble one will have them prepare another spread."

"Never mind, this will do; make do with it," Zhuang Hong replied. Aside from a somewhat paler complexion, he looked no different than before. With a mere wave of his hand, he dismissed the jailer as if shooing away a servant.

Just as the man breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave, a voice echoed from outside: "This is treating Master Zhuang far too shabbily. New Year's Eve is just a couple of days away; you simply must have some proper fare. I have prepared some authentic Jiangnan delicacies and specifically came to share a drunken evening with you." As the words fell, the visitor arrived. Illuminated by the lantern held by the bailiff nearby, the face of Feng Ping was revealed.

"Very well, it has been some days since I tasted Jiangnan cuisine. Take these and go share them with the brothers outside," Zhuang Hong said with a smile, gesturing toward the food box on the table.

The bailiff and the jailer repeatedly expressed their thanks, joyfully grabbing the food box and scurrying off, not daring to disturb the two dignitaries. They had struck it rich this time; this single set of wine and food was worth three taels of silver, equivalent to a month's salary, and the bill was naturally footed by the Zhuang family.

Feng Ping strolled casually into the cell, taking out the dishes from the food box one by one: Dongpo pork, sweet and sour fish, bamboo shoot and duck soup... Seven or eight dishes were laid out, all of them rich in color, aroma, and flavor, instantly whetting one's appetite. Accompanied by a small jar of top-grade Daughter's Red wine, nothing was left to be desired.

Watching the other man arrange the food and pour the wine, Zhuang Hong maintained a detached expression. It was only when Feng Ping raised his cup in a toast that Zhuang Hong finally spoke: "Surely you haven't come here today just to invite me for a drink? Has some new twist happened outside? Was the trick I taught you seen through by someone?"

Feng Ping downed his wine in one gulp, flashed the bottom of the cup, and sighed. "You guessed correctly. I thought gathering those people would at least force Magistrate Wei to back down in the face of difficulties, but who would have expected him to handle it effortlessly again. Do you know who ruined our good plan?"

"It must be that Li Ling fellow again, right?" Zhuang Hong picked up a small piece of scallion-oil tofu, savored its taste, and sneered. "There is nobody else around Wei Liang who is of any use for now."

"It is indeed that brat. I don't know what methods he used, but he easily frightened those dozen or so families into backing down. Yesterday, I even sent someone to inquire at a few of those households, but they refused to reveal the reason. Tsk, that kid really is a major trouble!"

"Indeed, I underestimated him as well, which is why I stumbled and ended up locked in here. Magistrate Feng, you must be careful not to let him get hold of any leverage against you."

"Rest assured, I am much more cautious than you. Take this time, for instance; I waited until there was nobody left in the office before coming to see you." Feng Ping took another sip of wine, frowned, and said, "We cannot just let this brat strut around arrogantly, can we? Starting next year, he will be holding an official post in the magistracy, and in charge of the household department at that."

"That was predetermined long ago. Why else do you think Wei Liang dismissed everyone in the household department? Wasn't it precisely so that someone he trusts could keep a tight grip on the purse strings? Still, Li Ling is ultimately just a minor character. Our biggest trouble remains Wei Liang."

***

"I know that, of course, but he is the county magistrate and we are his subordinates; what can we do to him? To be honest, he is quite formidable. As soon as he assumed office, he dared to stir up such a commotion without even fearing the chaos it might trigger."

"That just shows we underestimated him too," Zhuang Hong said, draining his wine in one gulp and pouring himself another cup. "He must have backers in the imperial court, which is why he isn't afraid of blowing things out of proportion. We treated him like those previous magistrates, which is why we failed this time. But it doesn't matter; if we cannot deal with him, there are certainly others who can."

"You mean..." Feng Ping pointed upward with his hand, his meaning crystal clear.

"I sent Zhuang Qiang to Hengzhou precisely with this plan in mind."

"But will the higher authorities really be willing to help us deal with him? Didn't you say the magistrate has backers of his own?"

"Even if he has backers, they are far away in the capital. How can distant water quench a near fire?"

"The problem is, will the prefectural office risk making an enemy of him just to protect us?"

"It's not about protecting us; it's for their own sake! Do you think all the money I scraped together over the past few years went into my own pocket? Aside from distributing some to those below, well over half of it was used by me to grease the palms of the superiors above. If not for this incident, I might have even stepped up next year and secured a post in the prefectural office."

Hearing this, Feng Ping was inwardly startled. He truly had not expected Zhuang Hong to have such a card up his sleeve, keeping even him in the dark. But there was no time to dwell on that now. He frowned and asked, "Isn't fear of being implicated by you a bit too weak as a reason?"

"Of course there is a more crucial point. Have you forgotten about the yellow hemp tax?" Zhuang Hong chuckled darkly. "That matter was originally brought up by Li Ling to thoroughly pull me down and turn all the townsfolk against me. But he is still too young after all; he doesn't know that some things can be talked about, while others must never be spoken of casually.

"The yellow hemp tax issue may look like a malady confined to a single county, but it actually involves a major affair spanning an entire prefecture and five counties. Before, it didn't matter since nobody knew, but now, it is entirely different."

"Why haven't I noticed any difference? I haven't seen anyone dwelling on it either."

"That is because the time hasn't come yet. But when the yellow hemp tax is collected next April, it will be a completely different story. Since this silver should not be paid entirely by our county alone—and furthermore, we have paid eighteen years' worth in advance—do you think the commoners will agree to keep paying?"

"Of course not," Feng Ping immediately shook his head.

"Precisely. That will inevitably spark chaos, which is definitely something those folks at the prefectural office do not wish to see. Therefore, as long as we make a fuss over this matter, it will be enough to put Wei Liang in an inescapable predicament. Hmph, he thinks he has the overall situation under control, not realizing that he is actually sitting on the edge of a knife. Once the situation changes, the first one to suffer will be this new magistrate!

"Coupled with the connections I have cultivated over the years, the prefectural office will inevitably make a move after the New Year, enough to take over all related cases. By then, overturning my verdict will be as simple as a single word."

***

Feng Ping finally understood his entire strategy. No matter how deep he was in prison, Zhuang Hong remained as steady as a rock; it turned out he had long prepared a backup plan to protect himself. He couldn't help sighing, "With such profound foresight, no matter that you, Clerk Zhuang, have been able to wield wind and rain in this county for ten years without falling. This official is impressed, truly impressed!"

"Hmph... I still suffered a loss in the end. Once I get out, I will certainly make Li Ling regret everything he did!" Gritting his teeth and spitting out these harsh words, Zhuang Hong fiercely clamped down on a piece of Dongpo pork, chewing and swallowing it as if he were devouring Li Ling's flesh.

Yet, behind his confident facade, a trace of hesitation lingered in his heart. He wondered if his younger brother had managed to accomplish the task in the prefectural city. Several days had already passed; surely there ought to be a result by now?

***

Zhuang Qiang could no longer remember how many times he had come to the Shen residence to request an audience. Having spared no expense on bribes—yesterday even delivering a casket of pearls worth five thousand taels of silver—he was still relegated to drinking tea in the gatehouse. Had this happened in the past, the great Master Zhuang would have thrown a fit and forced his way in.

But this time, having received instructions from his older brother, Zhuang Qiang could only swallow his anger, play the humble servant, and beg for an audience day after day.

Fortunately, today Prefectural Judge Shen did not dismiss him with excuses of being tied up with official duties or feeling unwell as before. Instead, he had someone lead him into an inner parlor for a chat. This finally allowed Zhuang Qiang to breathe a sigh of relief, whereupon he produced another ten taels of silver to tip the gatehouse keeper and the guiding servant.

"Humble commoner Zhuang Qiang pays respects to Master Shen, and wishes you an early Happy New Year." Upon seeing Shen Han seated inside the parlor, Zhuang Qiang hurriedly stepped forward two paces, dropped to his knees, and saluted.

Shen Han was in his forties, with a pair of narrow, slanting eyes. At that moment, he was sizing up Zhuang Qiang. After a long silence, he waved a hand. "Rise and speak. You are the brother of Clerk Zhuang in Jiangcheng County?"

"Y-yes. My elder brother was framed a few days ago and cast into the county jail. This time, I have truly reached the end of my rope, which is why I've come to beg the master to save my brother." Feeling the oppressive aura faintly emanating from the other man, Zhuang Qiang felt his heart tighten and dared not utter any idle chatter, cutting straight to the point.

Before he could recount the specific sequence of events, Shen Han cut him off, "I have heard a bit about this matter. It was engineered by Wei Liang, the newly appointed Magistrate of Jiangcheng, wasn't it?"

"Indeed. But my elder brother was wronged! He has always been cautious and diligent in his duties; where could there be any talk of corruption? It is clearly a malicious frame-up... And as for that so-called yellow hemp tax, it is an even greater misunderstanding. I believe that with the brilliance of Master Shen and the other lords at the prefectural office, you will surely see through the flaws in this."

"Yellow hemp tax? What matter is that?" Shen Han genuinely knew nothing about this claim and couldn't help asking out of curiosity. And this single question caused the plan he had previously settled upon to begin wavering...