Chapter 7: 7

 Manager Chen was extremely regretful, he shouldn’t have crammed to the front to enjoy the show and watch Wang Dai Xia be beaten, now great, it’s caused him trouble.

 

Manager Chen was a commoner, he needed to kneel in front of an official, he didn’t have a father who was an official, the bailiff who flatters one’s superiors and trample on one’s juniors didn’t bother giving him a prayer mat.

 

When manager Chen knelt on the very hard ground in response: “Commoner Chen here, I am a manager on Gulouxixie street, early this morning…” Manager Chen’s profession relied on his ability to speak, manager Chen recalled Wang Dai Xia beating him once over in as few words as possible, “...I wanted to wait at the Wang residence’s gate for Wang Qianhu to return from the office to reason things out, in the end I didn’t see lord Qianhu. Wang Dai Xia found the wonton store, warning this commoner to not complain to the lord, then, the embroidered uniform guards came to arrest Wang Dai Xia.”

 

“The commoner’s words are true, I don’t dare lie, the neighbours in Tianshui lane, the boss at the wonton store and the tenant can confirm it’s true.”

 

Chen Qianhu questioned closely: “From when you were beaten, to when you saw Wang Dai Xia at the wonton store again, you didn’t see Wang Dai Xia in between, how long was this period of time?”

 

“Around an hour.” Wang Dai Xia recalled: “When Wang Dai Xia grabbed the commoner onto the horseback, the commoner heard the sound of the evening bells from the close by Longhua temple, the summer evening bells of Longhua temple sound at youmo (6:20pm) a hundred and eight times. When we ate wonton, the sky was already dark, there was a night watchman sounding the clappers to give the time, it was just the first night period, quzheng (7pm).”

 

Chen Qianhu looked at Wang Dai Xia kneeling on the prayer mat, his gaze ice-cold, “From Wangping to Tianshui lane to Daxing academy, you rode a horse to kill my son, the round trip is just exactly an hour. If you’re not the murderer, who is the murderer!”

 

Even Wang Qianhu felt it was hard for his son to prove his innocence, urging he said: “What did you do in this hour? Is there a witness?”

 

Wang Dai Xia hemmed and hawed, showing signs of reluctance, he lowered his head, hands placed at his chest fingers together.

 

Chen Qianhu’s gaze was murderous, “Wang Qianhu, you are a imperial official, you can’t shield a murderer at court.”

 

Wang Qianhu had a face as terrifying as a temple’s guardian deity, he broke out in a lion’s roar: “Unfilial son speak quickly! If you’ve been wrongly accused, your father can still help exonerate you. If you’re really a murderer, this father cannot save you!”

 

Wang Dai Xia put down his hands, he sighed: “As matters stand, I can only be honest.”

 

In the court, magistrate mudfish Wang was exulted, the homicide case can be solved tonight, this year he didn’t have to worry about his evaluation.

 

Wang Qianhu looked at his son unconvinced, “You….you fool!”

 

Chen Qianhu imagined personally carrying out the sentence, making mincemeat out of this kid: Wang Ya Nei, before I cut you a thousand times, you can’t die! 

 

Wei Cai Wei who listened to the hearing outside the court: What is happening? Chen dailang was killed by me! 

 

Wang Dai Xia took a deep breath, having been forced to this stage, he couldn’t not tell the truth, he could only expose the truth, saying: “I left early this morning, everyone guess where I went?”

 

Chen Qianhu said: “You must have snuck to the academy to scout out the place, secretly followed my son, waiting for the opportunity to make a move.”

 

“Wrong, wrong.” Wang Dai Xia shook his head, “I went to Sanlitun, my mother has a farm there in her dowry.”

 

Sanlitun was located to the east of the Dongcheng district of Beijing, because it was exactly three li1 from the inner city’s Chaoyangmen neighbourhood, it was called Sanlitun.

 

Wang Qianhu had a bad premonition: “Why did you go to the farm?”

 

Wang Dai Xia lowered his voice: “I sold the farm. A feng shui astrologer came to me, he said someone set their eyes on that piece of land, they were prepared to pay two thousand and five hundred silvers to buy the farm. At first I wasn’t willing, but recently I needed the money so I arranged for the transaction at the farm today.”

 

Wang Qianhu stood up raising his voice, “Your mother’s dowry is under the madam’s care, how did you get the deed?”

 

“Of course I stole it...I took it.” Wang Dai Xia quibbled: “It’s the inheritance left behind for me by mother, I have the right to it, stepmother has no right to interfere.”

 

“I’ll kill you unfilial son!” Wang Qianhu rushed over raising his foot, Mu Baihu held him firmly back by the waist, urginging: “Lord calm down! Maybe the second young master had no other choice, he was in difficulty and really needed money, ask him thoroughly first.”

 

Wang Qianhu only felt his heart ache, holding his chest he said: “What difficulties can this waste of space have, he must have lost in gambling, selling the farm to pay his gambling debts.”

 

“That’s not possible!” Wang Dai Xia said: “My gambling skills are good, i lose less then I win, if you don’t believe me ask the casino.”

 

He really was a hopeless case! 

 

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Even Mu Baihu didn’t know how to exonerate the young Ya Nei this time, “Second young master don’t talk so much, see how angry your father is.”

 

Chen Qianhu who was watching this “benevolent father and filial son” act from the side waved his hand, saying: “If Wang Qianhu wants to educate his son, he can do it at home, this is a court, a place to question criminals--- Wang Dai Xia, you wen to sell your land at Sanlitun, this all happened in the morning, my son died in the evening.”

 

Wang Dai Xia said: “Sanitun is far, I sold the land in the afternoon, signed the contract, some of my mother’s dowry trunks were still at the farm, I rented a house near Sanlitun and moved the dowry there, I was busy until the afternoon before returning to the city, I passed through Tianshui lane, seeing a new lock had been placed at the front door, the neighbours said manager Chen had rented out the house, I didn’t even go home, I went directly to Gulouxixie street to bring him back, I wanted him to find the tenant to vacate the house, that house can’t be rented out.”

 

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Chen Qianhu said: “You beat manager Chen up, then rode your horse back to the academy to kill my son.”

 

“I didn’t.” Wang Dai Xia said: “Didn’t I just get two thousand and five hundred silvers? After I beat manager Chen up, I went to Shichahai district’s Hongxiu brothel, I gave two thousand silvers to redeem Miss Ying Ying, the remaining five hundred silvers were deposited at the Santong private bank on Gulouxixie street, I promise, this is a five hundred silver banknote which has just been drawn up by the bank, there’s a date on the banknote.”

 

Wang Dai Xia took out a banknote from his bosom, constable Wu placed the banknote on a tray, presenting it to Wang qinghu and Chen qinghu, then gave it to mudfish Wang.

 

Wang Dai Xia said: “Hongxiu brothel and Santong bank are in the Wanping county of the northern city, redeeming someone and depositing money, it took exactly an hour, when I left the bank I went home and saw manager Chen eating wontons by the roadside so I went to warn him not to complain to my old man, the female brothel keeper at Hongxiu, Gui Nu, Miss Ying Ying, shopkeeper and assistants at the bank can testify for me.”

 

Hearing this, mudfish Wang ordered the bailiffs to go their separate ways to bring the witnesses to court for questioning.

 

Chen Qianhu was skeptical, ordering his subordinate embroidered uniform guards to follow the yamen’s bailiffs to bring the witnesses back.

 

Wang Qianhu also didn’t trust the embroidered uniform guards, worried the embroidered uniform guards would threaten the witnesses to slander his son, and split the northern city military into groups to follow the embroidered uniform guards and bailiffs to bring the witnesses for questioning.

 

At this moment the officers and men in the court went their separate ways like a swarm of bees to arrest the people, most people had left.

 

Manager Chen rubbed his numb knees from kneeling, “Magistrate, since it has nothing to do with this commoner, commoner asks to be excused.”

 

Mudfish Wang said: “Stay within the yamen, you can’t leave, wait until the others are questioned before you leave.”

 

He couldn’t get away, but it was better than kneeling, mudfish Wang limped away, he went to a small room in the west side to wait.

 

A person couldn’t possibly bribe a female brothel keeper and a bank shopkeeper within the same hour, even though the witnesses had yet to arrive at the yamen, but mudfish Wang already knew Wang Dai Xia couldn’t be the murderer.

 

Mudfish Wang said: “Everyone rest first, I already ordered people to prepare midnight snacks and tea to entertain everybody.”

 

Wang Dai Xia stood up from the prayer mat, saying like it had nothing to do with him: “I haven’t drank the yamen’s tea, I should have a proper taste today.”

 

“I’ll kill you dining, wining, whoring and gambling unfilial son!” Wang Qianhu couldn’t help it anymore, he rushed over foot raised, “You wasted two thousand silvers on a prostitute, our Wang family’s reputation is completely ruined!”

 

Wang Dai Zia was used to being hit by his father, he was already prepared, Wang Qianhu’s flying kick, he somersaulted three times, avoiding the kick, until he reached the foot of the wall, he said: “I haven’t visited a prostitute! I only redeemed Miss Ying Ying, she is an artisan who sells art not her body, Chen dailang had repeatedly harassed her, Chen dailang and I fought over her before, that’s the only history we have.”

 

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Wang Dai Xia pointed at the sitting statue like Chen Qianhu saying: “Since I’m on your list of suspects, I assume Chen dailang’s servant has already spoken of Miss Ying Ying, at the end of the month Hongxiu brothel was going to sell off her virginity, the customers were falling over each other to bid for her, Chen dailang placed the highest bid, three hundred silvers, he said he had to have her. Miss Ying Ying asked me to help her out of prostitution so I sold the farm at Sanlitun to redeem her.”

 

The believe that the culprit had been found was immediately dashed, Chen Qianhu took his anger out on Wang Dai Xia, “Two thousand silvers can redeem the number one artisan of Hongxiu brothel? You’re spouting nonsense!”

 

Wang Dai Xia said: “Miss Ying Ying had personally saved more than five thousand silvers over the years, she was about to redeem herself, but the female brothel keeper quoted seven thousand silvers, she still needed two thousand that’s why I sold the farm urgently.”

 

Wang Dai Xia again took out another piece of paper, “See, this is the debt agreement given to me by Miss Ying Ying, she said when she has the money she’ll pay me back. The remaining five hundred silvers at Santong bank, I don’t plan to use it, once she’s paid me back, I will buy back the farm at Sanlitun.”

 

“You believe the words of a prostitute?” Wang Qianhu was seething with anger, “Two thousand silvers to help a prostitute? You’ve been played as a fool by the prostitute, completely under her control! You might as well visit a prostitute instead!”

 

Wang Dai Xia said with no sense of shame: “Is there a father who teaches a son like this? What do you mean I might as well visit a prostitute? It’s been eleven years since my mother passed away, if she knew, she would be so angry the coffin lid wouldn’t hold!”

 

Wang Qianhu almost fainted on the spot in anger.

 

The people watching outside the court roared with laughter, commenting: “Wang Ya Nei’s reputation is not in vain, two thousand silvers to help a prostitute.”

 

“Miss Ying Ying now has her freedom, doesn’t that mean we won’t have a chance to be intimate with her?”

 

“Prostitutes love money, young ladies love good-looks, you think a famous courtesan would be lacking two thousand silvers? She must have been attracted by Wang Ya Nei’s charm, feel out his sincerity. If you ugly thing took two thousand silvers to her, Miss Ying Ying might not even glance at you.”

 

Wei Cai Wei heard this, she immediately felt the pure white mourning cloth on top of her head had changed to a lush green2, so her dead husband had this kind of love debt in his youth! 

 

Man! How many “surprises” do you have that I don’t know about!

 

Cut it, hurry! 

 

A dandy beyond redemption, just cut it to wipe out your descendants!

 

1 Approximately 500m.↩

2 Wearing a green hat means one has been cuckolded. The source is a story from the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang enacted a law, which required men who worked in the prostitution trade to wear green hats. Later, it became common to say about men whose wife had an affair, that she made her husband wear a green hat.↩

 

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