Chapter 14: CH 14

Chen dianshi did not know that Official Cui had two Furen, so he roared with laughter when he heard Cui Xie’s words: “Of course, it is a natural principle for the elder brother to discipline his younger brothers. How can your parents hold hatred for this?”

夫人(fū ren): the mistress/wife, also a general term to refer to an official’s wife/madam.

Dianshi: official title; this type of official is in charge of arrests and prisons under the county magistrate. If the County Deputy and Official Registrar is absent, they are in charge of the office’s proceedings

When the thief appeared on the court, he dared to slander his master, showing just how arrogant he usually acted. Of course, a plank beating would be in order to teach him a lesson before reviewing the case.

The red bamboo stick inscribed with the punishment that was held in Chen dianshi’s fingertips loosened and fell to the ground crisply. The sound of the plank and the stick landing sounded at the same time, a ‘cracking’ noise heading towards Cui Ming’s bottom. Cui Ming screamed “AH’ several times, bursting into tears, “Da-ren, this little one did not lie. My Furen is the second Madam, the Eldest Young Master is born from the late first Furen, Eldest Young Master…”

Cui Xie, who was sitting on the chair, gripped the chair’s arm and heavily tapped the handrails. He angrily said: “Da-ren, please gag this evil servant’s mouth immediately and prevent him from slandering my mother! He long wanted to ruin my reputation, but that’s not all. My mother is the daughter of the Chief Registrar of the Temple of Heavenly Perpetuity*, a conferred fifth rank yiren. She was gentle and virtuous, how could they treat me poorly just because I am not my stepmother’s biological son?”

Da-ren: honorific term used to call government officials and someone of higher rank

*The Temple of Heavenly Perpetuity is now known as the White Cloud Temple, otherwise known as the ‘The First Temple under Heaven’. It was founded in the mid 8th century during the Tang dynasty, a state-sponsored abbey with elite clergy. It became the headquarters of the Quanzhen movement (school of Daoist thought) later on in history. Under the Ming, monks from the Zhengyi school took over operations of the abbey , but continued Quanzhen traditions and ordination ceremonies.

Yiren: title for fifth rank officials; means pleasant

How could they not? What stepmother under the heavens would love the previous Furen’s progeny…Chen dianshi bittersweetly smiled in his heart, but his face was etched and tense. He ordered someone to gag Cui Ming’s mouth and to give him 50 strokes of the plank.

He did not want to learn of the Cui family’s domestic matters in the inner courtyard and directly asked Cui Xie if this servant started a rumor to slander their master, in addition to stealing and selling off the master’s property. After this oral confession was written down and the trial’s contents were recorded by the yamen’s book office, they gave it to Cui Xie to read over it again. Afterward, they asked him to sign underneath.

yamen: administrative government office of a local bureaucrat/official

Fortunately he had read the 《Four Books》earlier this morning and the cover of the book had contained the original owner’s name written on it. When he signed it, he opened the PDF file and copied the signature. He then dipped his thumb in cinnabar, pressing the fingerprint onto the confession documents.

Cui Ming had been pampered and spoiled at home for many years. After the planking, his entire person was paralyzed. But, the book office was neither compassionate nor patient with him. They shoved a pen into his hands and ordered him to sign. He struggled and refused to sign, even pulling out that he was the Second Manager of the Cui household and that the Cui couple would mete out justice on his behalf.

Chen dianshi was still impatiently waiting to welcome the Imperial envoy to the yamen today and had no time to listen to Cui Ming’s gibberish. With a flick of his sleeve, he directly waved at the workers to drag him away: “Detain him in the jail first, and later on, wait for the Senior Official (Magistrate) to interrogate him.

After he was dragged down, Chen dianshi asked for the witnesses to be sent up to the court hall, in addition to the evidence brought by Cui Xie brought—recording all of these confessions one by one.

While the rest only explained what they saw, on the other hand, the coachman that was suspected to have stolen and sold off Cui Xie’s belongings spared no effort throwing the entire black pot onto Cui Ming. He reported how Cui Ming had entered many prostitution establishments in the capital and had eaten dishes of top-notch noodles worth a dozen or more so taels of silver.

Without waiting for Chen dianshi to ask, he directly cursed: “In addition to the Young Master’s monthly allowance of fresh vegetables, fish and meat, there was also eleven or twelve taels of silver, superior-grade silk robes, matching sachets, jade pendants, pen, ink, paper and inkstones…If Cui Ming had not stolen them on the road, where could he take out so much money for him to splurge!”

According to the great Ming law code, stealing more than a dozen coins was enough to be declared guilty and convicted. Cui Ming had actually been greedy for more than twenty or thirty taels of silver. If he really stole and sold his master’s property to acquire personal wealth, compared with an ordinary person’s crime of stealing, his crimes were two grades more severe. He would be lucky if he could survive the punishment of being banished 3,000 miles away.

Chen dianshi received the testimonies, imprisoned the prisoner, and warned the witnesses to stay in the county, for the time being, they would be called to testify again in the future. All that was left was for the yamen runners to collect evidence from the Cui Residence and the places mentioned by the coachman in the capital. These matters were no longer related to the plaintiff, Cui Xie.

Chen dianshi stepped down from court and mildly said, “Young Master Cui can return to the residence with peace of mind. The evidence, in this case, is solid, these official da-ren and honoraries will mete out the proper justice for you.”

In the end, the Imperial envoy had not arrived yet and Chen dianshi was determined to have good dealings with him in the future, so he simply held Cui Xie’s hand and led him out of the Second Court affectionately.

Upon exiting, a minor official, as if his feet had been caught on fire, rushed into the courtyard and exclaimed: “Fourth Senior Official, the Imperial envoy arrived! The Imperial envoy has entered the city from the west gate and is approaching our yamen very soon!”

Chen dianshi’s brows furrowed—finally here! In order to welcome the Imperial envoy, the County Magistrate and County Deputy had begun making the preparations first thing in the morning, waiting outside of the city on standby. After waiting for so long, the Imperial envoy finally arrived in the city! He flicked his sleeves and smoothed out his governmental robes, sternly reprimanding: “Why can’t you keep your calm, just where has your usual tolerance disappeared to? Still not ordering the runners to open the main gates and prepare the refreshments to welcome our guests?!”

Chen dianshi efficiently arranged his panicking subordinates with just a few words. Swiveling around, he regretfully said to Cui Xie, “This official is taking people to meet the Imperial envoy at the moment. My junior nephew* can first take these people home and we will talk when my junior nephew is free next time.”

Here, Chen dianshi is referring to Cui Xie as ‘junior nephew’ a term of affection. It means that he wants to get close and is willing to do so.

Cui Xie perfectly understood and saluted the dianshi, leading his procession away with the yamen runners.

Unexpectedly, the minute they exited the yamen’s corner gates, they bumped into a crowd of yamen runners on the street, ceremonially leading a green palanquin who was closely followed by two small, blue palanquins. There was also a team of horses sporting fresh uniforms, the scene looking exactly like it was from a TV drama, the entire procession guarded by jinyiwei.

Picture of palanquin:

Jinyiwei: Jinyiwei: means the ‘Embroidered Uniform Guard’; and was essentially the imperial secret police that served the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. They are given the authority to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecutions with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating, and punishing anyone, including nobles and the emperor’s relatives. The guards would usually don a distinctive golden-yellow uniform with an identifiable plaque hanging near his torso and carrying a special blade weapon. 

Someone next to him murmured: “Jinyiwei…didn’t little official Cui say he had been injured handling Imperial court matters and was even involved with the jinyiwei or something? These jinyiwei are coming to our Qian’an, are they related to you?”

How was that possible? He only ran into someone handling the case and was rescued, but hadn’t really helped much.

Cui Xie shook his head and led the group of people to speed up to walk towards the other side of the main street. However, it was difficult for to turn a palanquin around corners and even the yamen runners guarding the entrance had to help them carry it. After such a ruckus, the riders on top of the horses finally noticed Cui Xie and the others. Someone galloped and broke away from the ceremonial procession, shouting: “Who dares to block the yamen’s gates? Leave quickly!”

The yamen runners closest to the rider quickly turned around and replied: “This Young Master came to the yamen to file a complaint. He is the son of Official Cui in the Ministry of Revenue, Cui Xie. He had brought many witnesses and they were just about to leave.”

Cui Xie could not help but look up. That jinyiwei was wearing a black gauze official’s cap and he was wearing a brightly-colored crimson yesa. His appearance was somewhat familiar and seemed to be one of the two jinyiwei who had inspected Cui Xie’s carriage in Tongzhou. The man was a little surprised when he caught sight of Cui Xie and inquired: “Little Official Cui, what matter are you here to complain for?”

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I imagine the jinyiwei would have a hat like the first picture, but his uniform would be a mix of the second and third picture.

yesa: Ming Dynasty one-piece robe with a cross-collar top and a large pleated skirt.

While they were talking, the yamen runners who had been leading the way split into two sides. The green palanquin was carried to the front of the yamen’s entrance and a soft and meticulous voice sounded out from the interior. With a bit of playfulness, the voice asked: “Young Mater Cui? The righteous benefactor who aided the jinyiwei in the capture of the White Lotus Society’s demon Patriarch Xu? That high-minded and righteous Cui Xie, who had been inflicted with serious injuries and still bravely fought a bloody battle?”

…Who?

From the well craftsman to the neighbors to Cui Yuan to Pengyan and even to Cui Xie himself, it was difficult to associate him with the phrase ‘brave and strong hero’. For the unrelated yamen runners, they were even more confused, standing there in place for a long time and unable to make sense of the situation.

That jinyiwei leaped off the horse, saluted the palanquin on one knee, and replied, “Indeed, this is the patriot Cui Xie.”

Behind, a jinyiwei adorned with green-jade-colored robes rode up to the front on horseback, the robes in his chest area embroidered with valiant scenes of warriors and battle-scenes. He halted his horse and lowered his head to tell the other jinyiwei who had been talking with Cui Xie: “Military Officer Dong, you can withdraw first. Young Master Cui is not the type to commit a violent crime.”

These few words were very gentle, and the voice was quite familiar, it seemed that it was Colonel Xie.

Cui Xie quietly raised his head to take a peek, a bright and dazzling green-jade colored yesa appeared into view. The yesa’s front was not as empty as last time, instead embroidered with valiant brocaded embroidery. Colonel Xie straightened up in his saddle to look at him right away, the corners of his mouth still lifted into a smile. With a slight smile and his mild and cheerful expression, it did not seem like he was escorting an Imperial envoy, but was instead on a peaceful autumn trip.

I imagine Colonel Xie’s dress to be similar to this, except the brocade work and color is slightly different.

Reminder:

Colonel Xie is in charge of a qianhu office. The Ming Dynasty had multiple marshal offices and administrative offices set up under high commanderies. Qianhu, is one of many types of administrative titles given to senior and junior commanders to take care of. There were a total of 17 Qianhu offices, or chillarchies, each office and their colonel in command of 1,000 households.

He took a deep look at Cui Xie and leaned sideways towards the palanquin window and said, “Gao gonggong, there are many eyes outside. Let us talk after entering the yamen.”

Gonggong is how to refer to a taijian. Eunuchs, who were men that were castrated, are not the same as taijian as taijian refers to specific positions in the Imperial palace and government which were occupied by men that were castrated

The person in the palanquin lifted the curtain and laughed: “There is no hurry, which one is that Cui patriot? Since this fortuitous opportunity has appeared, and we have conveniently come across this patriot in front of the yamen, I want to have a glimpse of this Cui hero’s elegant and graceful bearing.”

Colonel Xie replied, “Gonggong, please take a look, this is that Cui hero. Despite his small stature, he is agile and powerful. In Tongzhou that day, he desperately fought and wounded that demon Xu’s pride. As such, that demon lost the power to resist and it was easy for this official to arrest him.”

Cui Xie lowered his head silently and knelt to the ground, bowing lowly, and said, “Greetings to these da-ren.” His neighbors behind him were even more frightened and after catching sight of these big figures, they trembled and immediately fell to kneel on the ground.

Gao gonggong, with an expression like he was treating a close friend or relative, personally alighted from the palanquin. He supported Cui Xie up with one arm and said with a smile: “This hero, please rise. Hero Cui did not forget his nation, fighting to the blood against the demon. After hearing about your righteous deeds, His Majesty praised you for being a loyal and righteous character, how can this one receive your bow?”

Actually, they don’t address the Emperor like that, but they say shengshang (basically means deity on top). It is a way court ministers or courtiers to address the current Emperor. However, as there is already a lot of pinyin going on, I do not want to confuse you guys!

The more he looked at Ci Xie, the more satisfied he came and he sighed: “Truly one cannot judge a person by appearance. I only heard that Hero Cui was young, but did not expect him to be so handsome and refined looking. Such a young man, who can draw blood and wounds with the demon, a person with high martial prowess—truly like those young heroes since ancient times.”

Cui Xie had just reversed black and white in the court hall earlier, hearing someone extolling his actions without end made him unable to think of something to say. Listening to this sincere praise, his face felt a little hot.

‘颠倒黑白’ or  ‘reverse black and white’: idiom; meaning to distort the truth or misrepresent facts

That could not be considered all his merit, but the merit should be attributed to the actions of Colonel Xie, the others, and the merit of those countless movies and TV dramas related to the White Lotus Society in later generations.

He immediately clarified the facts, but Colonel Xie refuted: “Young Master Cui does not to be so humble. When the demon took you as a hostage that day, your bumps and rolls were all just in the right place. If it was not for your actions that broke the bridge of that demon’s nose, making it impossible to open his eyes and breathe easily, I would not have captured him so smoothly. Cao gonggong is commending you for your deeds. Just accept them with peace of mind.”

Didn’t Colonel Xie promise that he would not give commendations to him if he were to stay alive?

Commendations or jingbiao were plaques and plates awarded by the government recognizing loyal, filial, and righteous people.

Cui Xie gave Colonel Xie a bewildered look, but Colonel Xie did not seem to pick up his hint, grinning, “Young Master must be extremely overjoyed. Since it is so, why not quickly return to the residence to sweep it and prepare an incense burner table to receive the Imperial decree?”

County Magistrate Qi Sheng also rushed over with the County Deputy at this time, hurriedly coming up to compliment a few words and ordering his servants: “Young Master Cui has never witnessed such a major event, you must take people over to help with the arrangement, do not dally.”

Cui Xie hurriedly said his farewells to everyone present and went back to receive the Imperial decree.

Unexpectedly, Cao gonggong held onto his hand and did not let go: “Young Master Cui does not need to hurry. This official just heard that you came to the yamen to file a complaint? Who are you accusing? If there are any grievances, just tell them here and the County Magistrate will call the shots for you—there are people the perpetrator cannot afford to offend at present. There is also the jinyiwei and this official here. We will not let a righteous hero to fall prey to a villain’s clutches.”

Cui Xie graciously said: “Many thanks for gonggong’s kindness. My neighbors in Qian’an county are honest and upright, no one has ever bullied me. This incident was solved with the help of my neighbors, who captured an abusive and scheming thief. Chen dianshi has already detained him in the county jail.”

County Magistrate Qi nodded his head profusely and the corner of Chen dianshi’s mouth was slightly raised. He lowered his head to hide the blatant joy twinkling in his eyes.

Cao gonggong smiled faintly and meaningfully uttered: “It turns out to be such a trivial matter. These thieving servants who have stolen from their master, it would not be considered too much if they were killed. Since Young Master Cui has delivered this person here, they will be sentenced according to the empire’s laws, and the righteous will not be wronged.”

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