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18. No Honour Among Officials
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
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18 No Honour Amon g Official s ^ At long last, the time had come for Commander Hu to make his departure from the territory. Of th e thre e hundred an d eighty thousand he claimed i n his inflated account, part of it had been paid, the balance awaited collection upon his return to the Provincial Capital. Though full y satisfied , th e Commande r wa s not entirel y fre e fro m a guilt y conscience. So he released twenty thousand from this sum. Of this, ten thousan d was given to the civil and military members of his entourage — firstly t o secure their gratitude, and secondly to stop them from talking. Though Zhou Yin was out of favour, he was fully involved in the implementation of the whole scheme, so he too was given three thousand. As to the others, they received various amounts of a few hundred to a thousand. Even Unfinished Zhao, who was the least deserving, was awarded a hundred an d fifty . Ther e was the other te n thousand , whic h th e Commander handed to Zhou Yin. He said , 'We i Qiao th e loca l squire demande d thirt y thousan d fro m m e by blackmail. I must say he is most greedy, how can I have this large sum ready in a short while? Now I hand you this ten thousand, please arrange everything for me so as to prevent people from talking idly and accusing us all of being unclean. If it is still not enough, please add another few thousand on my behalf. I simply do not have any more to give.' When Zho u Yin heard this, he thought: 'My mother! If you had handed m e this mone y a fe w day s ago , I would no t hav e aske d We i Qia o t o writ e t o th e Capital! Now that things have come to such a pass, even a larger sum of money 148 Officialdom Unmasked will be of no help. I might as well put it into my own purse. It serves no purpose to give it to Wei Qiao. With this money, I can do other things, or I could just go to Shandong Province. Even if an Imperial Plenipotentiary i s ordered to come an d investigate, it will have nothing to do with me.' Thus makin g u p hi s mind , h e answere d th e Commande r wit h hi s usua l deference an d courtesy , ' I shall do my best i n whatever yo u order. Incidentally , these peopl e hav e softene d thei r stanc e thes e pas t coupl e o f days . I gues s te n thousand will settle the matter. ' 'So you can see that these people are worthless,' observed Commander Hu. 'If you ignore them, even ten thousand is good enough. If you accommodate them, I fear even thirty thousand will not bring the matter to a close.' Zhou Yin had a good laugh in his heart, but said nothing to the Commander . Commander H u continued , 'No w tha t I have spen t thi s money , wher e ar e m y People's Umbrellas ? Though thi s i s but a n empt y honour , the y can' t ver y wel l begrudge me that?' 'Of course,' Zhou Yin answered the Commander . 'If ten thousand taels will fetch me only a few cotton umbrellas, then I'd rather not have them,' observed the Commander . 'I shall tell them it must be made of brocade,' Zhou Yin promised. 'One fro m the city; four from the four villages. There must be at least five.' 'It is not that I particularly want them,' the Commander said defensively. 'It is all for th e sak e o f face. I f my superiors lear n tha t I don't eve n hav e a People' s Umbrella after my huge endeavours, it will be difficult t o explain away my loss of face.' Zhou Yin then took his leave and went out. He reasoned, 'I must discuss this question about the People's Umbrellas with the local gentry. But they all hate th e Commander to his bone marrow. If I speak with them about it, not only will they not listen, they will even have some harsh words for me. Let me first have a talk with Magistrate Zhuang.' He accordingl y paid a call on Zhuan g the Magistrate a t once, and told hi m the purpose of his visit. The Magistrat e said, 'Though I am an official o f this district, I cannot forc e them in a matter such as this. They'll have to be willing. Besides, I can't very well talk with them about it. Go and talk to Shan. He is full of ideas. Perhaps he ca n get hold of several umbrellas and send them across. So long as we can pull wool over the Commander's eyes, the matter may be resolved.' Acting on this advice, Zhou Yin went to seek Magistrate Shan's opinion. Shan suggested, 'Frankly speaking, the Commander must be prepared to pay for th e People's Umbrellas himself, for there i s no one who i s willing to pay th e money. Even then, no one is willing to deliver the umbrellas to him. In my opinion, he should pay for the making of these umbrellas. I shall then hire a few people to deliver them to him. But the deliverymen themselves must be ranking officials, so you should just recruit a few of the officers from your naval establishment and tell [3.136.154.103] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 22:22 GMT) No Honour Among Officials 149 them to pretend the y are the local gentry. There i s no way the Commander ca n tell the difference. ' After agreeing on some details, Zhou Yin left and reported to the Commander. The umbrellas would be ready in three days. On the third day, everything was made ready for a glorious departure. Some of the Commander's men arcived early at Magistrate Shan's place dressed as the local squires. To add to the number o f people, Shan recruited som e of the merchant s who normally had business dealings with him, such as the proprietor o f the ric e shop, the accountant o f the grocery store, plus two clerks, etc. They all travelled in Magistrate Shan's small sedan chairs, and went out of the city supported by a troupe of musicians blowing horns and beating drums. Behind them followed th e bearers of the People's Umbrellas. These men arcived at a tent which was heavily decorated, and they all alighted from thei r seda n chairs . The Commande r wor e hi s ful l regali a an d greete d hi s well-wishers wit h a few pleasantries . Thes e me n the n knel t o n th e re d carpet s already spread out for the purpose and performed their kowtows. The Commander invited them to go on board his ship for tea but they all declined the honour ou t of modesty. At the same time, the cannons on all the vessels were fired. With th e cannons an d th e lou d music , playe d simultaneousl y b y th e musician s an d th e soldiers, even the skies began to tremble. Commander Hu then returned to his ship in his large sedan chair accompanied by his personal guards. Unexpectedly, when the sedan chair reached the gangplank, a group of people in hemp mourning garments and carrying paper money rushe d to the riverbank and started to cry and wail. When the Commander's guards and the yamen's attendants saw this, they rushed forward shouting and cursing, at the same time wielding the rods and whips in their hands. But these people were not in the least intimidated. They cried and shouted their abuses. Though it could not be heard clearly what these intruders were saying, one or two sentences could be discerned. The y seeme d t o complain , 'Th e soldier s are th e bandits ! They hav e made our lives most bitter!' As thes e me n prostrate d themselve s o n th e ground , the y slowl y burn t th e paper money and uttered their complaints unhurriedly, not in the least perturbed by the beatings and rebukes they received. At th e tim e countles s people had assemble d t o watch th e spectacl e o n th e pier. It was not tha t th e Commander di d not hear the words of abuse shouted a t him, but fortunately, he was a most magnanimous man, and he pretended that he heard and saw nothing. Once he got on board, he gave orders for his ship to cast off and leave the pier. When th e official s fro m th e prefecture an d distric t came forward t o see th e Commander off, the y saw all these people gathered at the pier and asked what the matter was. On bein g told , Magistrat e Zhuan g asked hi s me n angrily , 'Wh y didn' t yo u fc-f#^*&.&4* •MA [3.136.154.103] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 22:22 GMT) No Honour Among Officials 151 disperse the crowd? Now that we have so many people assembled here, what would the Commander thin k when he sees it?' Then he shouted, 'Manacle the Distric t Chief!' When th e Distric t Chief sa w that Magistrat e Zhuan g was angry, he a t onc e separated the crowd and seized the man in heavy mourning and making the most noise. When this man was brought before Magistrate Zhuang, he struck the District Chief's head with his mourning rod and cried, 'My mother and brother were killed by them. My house was destroyed by fire. What do 1 want my life for? What kin d of big official i s he? I shall match my life against his!' Magistrate Zhuang was then still standing on the pier and heard everything . He knew of course that the words were directed at him, but, angry though he was, he decided t o be a little more forgiving. S o he ordered the District Chief not t o engage in an argument but just chase these people away. Armed with this order, the District Chief and seven or eight yamen attendants dragged away the demonstrators, but the crying and curses continued. The Commander' s shi p sailed further an d further away . After a few days, he arrived back in the Provincial Capital, by which time it was already near the end of the year. By convention, h e was obliged t o make his report t o the Governor , after which there were a number of banquets given by his colleagues to welcome him home. And the New Year called for further busy engagements. It is always the same, so there is no need to give a detailed description of these happenings. It mus t no w b e said tha t whe n Da i Dali was informed o f Commander Hu' s return, he immediately went to pay a courtesy call. The Commander first thanke d him fo r th e service s he ha d rendered , the n h e spok e of his dissatisfactio n wit h Zhou Yin. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Dai Dali too spoke badly of Zhou Yin. However, i n spit e o f th e join t effort s o f th e Commande r an d Da i Dal i t o block Zhou Yin's advancement, Governor Liu still remembered his friendship with Zhou Yi n and hi s effort s an d hardship s i n th e campaign . Fo r thes e reasons , h e refused to remove Zhou's name from the list of recommendation for promotion. In the circumstances, Zhou was recommended but it was in the nature of things that no result would be known for a long time. A year passed easily. By now it was already the beginning of the Fifth Moon . One day, Governor Liu was meeting with his senior staff when the Telegram Office sent i n a copy of a telegram. It reported tha t tw o high officials wer e sent by th e Emperor a s Imperia l Plenipotentiaries . The y wer e alread y statione d i n Fujia n Province with their entourage . When the staff heard the contents of the telegram, the Lieutenant-Governo r said, 'Nobody has been charged in Fujian Province, why send the Plenipotentiaries there to investigate?' The Provincia l Judge, who ha d bee n Secretar y i n th e Gran d Council , wa s familiar with this kind of operation. After thinkin g for a little while, he opined , 'The way I look at it is that the object of the investigation is not Fujian Province . All along, an Imperial Plenipotentiary may be often sent ostensibly to investigate 152 Officialdom Unmasked Shanxi Province whereas the real target is Shandong Province. This way, Shandong will be off it s guard. Once th e Plenipotentiar y arrive s in Shandong, he will stay put. On the other hand, it is not necessary to wait until the Plenipotentiary arrives. If one has friends on the inside, they will most certainly give advance warning by letter.' Governor Li u observed , 'Ther e i s nothing i n ou r Zhejian g Provinc e whic h attracts criticisms.' So the meeting came to an end. Two days later, Governor Liu received a letter from the Capital. It was written by a Secretary o f the Gran d Counci l who was on friendly term s with him . Th e letter stated clearly that three Censors had submitted three sets of charges which resulted i n th e Plenipotentiarie s bein g sen t t o Zhejian g Provinc e t o mak e investigations. It was only then that Governor Liu became alarmed . On th e secon d da y he receive d th e Imperia l Edict , which pointe d ou t tha t two unnamed Plenipotentiaries had been sent to make investigations in Zhejiang Province. It was not disclosed what the subject matte r of the investigations was. Though some of the provincial officials knew, they were unsure. After a few days, the Secretary wrote another letter, giving a general picture about the investigations. Though n o detail s wer e given , th e Governo r alread y ha d a fair ide a abou t th e whole affair . By the end of the Sixth Moon, the Plenipotentiaries had arrived at the Qin g River. Civil and military officers wer e dispatched to greet them. By th e middl e o f th e Sevent h Moon , th e Imperia l Envoy s ha d arrive d a t Hangzhou City . A s the y wer e approachin g th e city , al l civi l official s fro m th e Governor downward s an d th e militar y fro m th e Militar y Governo r downward s went t o th e grea t hall , ther e t o mak e preparation s fo r payin g obeisanc e t o Hi s Majesty when the Envoys arrived. In a shor t while , th e hootin g o f the ships , larg e an d small , coul d b e hear d coming from a distance. When th e soldiers lining up on either sid e of the rive r fired a fusillade, tw o tugboats were seen towing the twenty-od d larg e and smal l passenger vessels occupied by the Imperial Plenipotentiaries and their entourage. When the vessels came to a halt at the pier, three shots of the cannons were fired. The tw o Plenipotentiarie s i n plain clothe s entere d thei r grea t seda n chair s and were carried ashore. There they emerged from th e sedan chairs and stood o n either sid e of the alta r table . All official s o f sufficiently senio r ranks , both civi l and military, knelt down together . With the Governor and Military Governor at the head of the rest, they reported their name s an d office s an d performe d th e kowtows , whic h wa s suitabl y acknowledged by the Plenipotentiaries . All th e rituals having been performed, th e tw o great officials wer e taken t o their temporary residence. Their missio n was of the utmos t importance . Because the subject matte r of their investigatio n was a local affair, th e Head District Magistrate was obliged to exercise extreme caution . [3.136.154.103] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 22:22 GMT) No Honour Among Officials 153 Because the Emperor had personally instructed the m not to have any regard for persona l feeling s o r relations bu t t o mak e a thorough investigation , stric t measures of security were taken. First, none of the officials who came to call would be received. Second, all members of the entourage were prohibited from going out or meeting with visitors. Immediately behind the main gates, a police officer and a trusted clerk were stationed there from mornin g till night to make sure that all people entering or leaving were vetted, and a record was kept for the purpose. When thi s informatio n wa s spread abroad , al l the officials i n the provinc e were frightened ou t of their wits. On th e next day, the Plenipotentiaries ordered the Head District Magistrat e to have ready ten sets of new implements of torture, plus chains, rods, planks and squeezing rods. Not one must be lacking. The order was followed by another order for thirty pairs of handcuffs, fetters , ten wooden hooks and four cages. These had to be made throughout the night and delivered to the residence first thing in the morning. When the officials o f the province heard this even their souls fled fro m their bodies! After th e implements of torture were completed, nothing was heard for two days. The officials i n the province were even more perplexed. On the third day, an official documen t was suddenly issued to the Governor. The contents were generally this: 'We are here on Imperial command to make investigations. This is a request to the Honourable Governor to act according to the lists and remove all the officials named therein from their posts and assignments and hold them in custody, etc., etc.,' There was a list of names attached to the letter. It included: two substantive Intendants o f Circuit, namely , Nin g Shaota i an d Jin Quyan, t o b e dismisse d forthwith; two expectant Intendants of Circuit, namely, the Chief of the Payments Bureau, and Intendant Hu (who was Commander Hu of the Defence Force), to be removed from thos e assignments forthwith; fiv e Prefects ; fourteen Sub-Prefects , Assistant Prefects and District Magistrates, including Magistrate Zhuang of Jiande District, were also dismissed forthwith an d to be kept in the custody of the Head District Magistrate . Ther e wer e other s wh o were awarde d differen t kind s o f treatment and these included petty officials an d military officials . There was yet another list. It was for the arrest of a number of persons, namely, two bad characters who were private secretarie s to some officials, on e of whom was eve n o n th e Governor' s staff ; thre e doorkeepers , tw o of whom wer e th e Lieutenant-Governor's me n and one was on the Salt Comptroller's staff. Other s implicated were local squires and clerks in the districts. In all, there were a hundred and fifty-odd o n this list. It is impossible to remember them all. Governor Li u was not unduly concerne d excep t tha t his own personal staf f was on the arrest list. This was a tremendous loss of face for him. Secondly, all the senior officials wer e implicated one way or the other, so he knew this time it was an uncommonly serious business. On the other hand, the document made no mention whatsoever of the facts 154 Officialdom Unmasked which formed th e basis of their investigations. As the matter was in the hands of the Imperial Envoys, no one would dare raise any objections or queries. The only action which the Governor could take was to follow the instructions he was given. When the news was proclaimed, every official in the whole province was seized with fear . Eac h hel d a handfu l o f swea t i n hi s palms ; an d thei r attempt s a t discovering more intelligence proved to be futile. As to the tw o Imperial Envoys, the securit y at thei r residenc e was suddenly relaxed after their official instruction s had been proclaimed. Some of their senior officials occasionall y went out to visit friends i n the evening. But they were still confined t o the residence during the day. Everyone tried to cultivate a relationship with a member of the Imperial Envoys' staff. Since they were permitted to go out visiting, so there were numerous return calls from peopl e claimin g t o be relatives o r fellow candidate s a t previous civi l examinations. At first, the associations were limited to dinners and wine drinking, then these were extended to exchange of gifts. As a result, more and more people visited the Plenipotentiaries' residence. The two great officials simpl y pretended that they knew nothing and let their subordinates do as they pleased. Amongst the entourage was a Bannerman called Lada who held the rank of a Second Secretary i n the Board of Punishments. H e was a disciple of the senior Plenipotentiary and their relationship was so congenial that they could be compared with milk and water. One o f the expectant Circuit Intendant s i n Hangzhou City was in charge of defence at the city gates. His name was Guo Fu, and he passed the examination to become a Provincial Graduate at the same time as Lada. He too was a disciple of the senior Plenipotentiary . Now th e senio r Plenipotentiar y wa s a Bannerma n currentl y occupyin g th e post of the President of the Board of War, holding the concurrent post of Chief of the Imperial Household. The present mission was assigned to him in accordance with the Emperor's wish to grant him an opportunity to enrich himself. The Emperor said, 'This man is careful i n the discharge of his duties. He has suffered muc h hardship here for many years. This time I send him out so that h e might make a few taels.' When th e Imperia l Appointmen t reache d him , h e firs t pai d a cal l o n th e senior eunuc h t o ascertai n th e Emperor' s tru e intentio n i n sending him o n thi s mission. 'The One Above had wanted to send some other person on this task,' reported the eunuch. 'But you and I are like members of the same family, how can I allow a good assignment t o go to another person ? So I begged th e Lord Buddha for th e post to be given to you.' When th e senior Plenipotentiary heard this, he was naturally very grateful . 'They have created so much trouble down there that this cannot be treated as a small matter,' the senior Plenipotentiary remarked. 'It seems to me it is a most difficult matte r to handle. May I seek your instructions as to the true intention of the One Above?' [3.136.154.103] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 22:22 GMT) No Honour Among Officials 155 The eunuch snorted laughingly and said, 'What is so difficult t o handle? The Lord Buddha has always said, "In all the eighteen provinces under heaven, there is not a single official wh o is clean. But if the Censor does not say anything, then I shall pretend to be muddle-headed. If the Censor brings charges, and great official s are sent to make investigations, resulting in the punishment of a few people, then it i s another inciden t resolve d a s far a s I am concerned. Th e forme r one s hav e gone, the newcomers will arcive. Can one really succeed in punishing one person so as to warn a hundred others?" This then is true wisdom and vision. When yo u go to Zhejiang Province , in spite of the difficulties involved , there is still a good way, which I shall teach you. Just pull your bowstring but do not let fly any arrows. This way His Majesty's benevolenc e toward s you will not b e wasted; more, your reputation will be enhanced an d no one will curse you behind you r back. Also, you will gain substantial benefits. You are not young anymore and your son is still small. Now tha t th e On e Abov e bestow s thi s kindnes s upo n you , ar e yo u no t going to take the opportunity to grab a few taels?' Firmly remembering th e advice , th e senio r Plenipotentiar y lef t th e Capita l for Hangzhou . When i n his temporary residence, he followed th e eunuch's advice up to the hilt. In spite of the general panic he created, in reality he just sat in his residence sniffing from his snuff bottle or smoking opium. Other than that he did absolutely nothing. When h e was free, he an d a few members of his staff would indulge i n singing to pass the time . Not onl y did he not hol d cour t o r examine an y of th e people under arrest, he had not even read one word of the files presented to him. This mundane task he simply delegated to his subordinates. The deputy Plenipotentiary who accompanied him belonged to the Han race. He ranked below his chief, so he was not prepared to go over his superior's head in the discharge of his duties. Of the staff who had come on this mission, very few understood anything about investigations or paid any attention to official matters. Moreover, when they saw the way the senior Envoy behaved, they were at a loss as to what they ought to do. There wa s onl y Lada , wh o wa s i n leagu e wit h hi s mento r th e senio r Plenipotentiary, who in turn treated him as his confidant. Lada also had a partner in expectant Circuit Intendant Gu o Fu. Guo Fu had not been given any officia l assignment fo r seve n o r eight years because of his incompetence . Hi s prospect s were therefore blacker than coal. But, heaven never blocks a person's path forever! As it happened, the trouble in Zhejiang Province offered him an opening because he was the disciple of the senior Plenipotentiary . On th e firs t da y he wen t t o pay his respects, the messag e transmitte d fro m inside was that th e Plenipotentiaries were not receiving any visitors. He did no t know what had happened until he had established a relationship with Lada. Once the relationship was established, the two men easily warmed towards each other. On th e senio r Plenipotentiary' s instruction , Lad a succeede d i n obtainin g Intendant Guo's service as a middleman. Each day they met two or three times, as 156 Officialdom Unmasked a resul t an y actio n o f th e Plenipotentiarie s o r happening s i n thei r temporar y residence soon reached the ear of the Provincial Governor . One day the Governor called a meeting of his senior officials. It fell upon th e highly experienced Provincia l Judge to offer a definite view . He observed, 'Sinc e Intendant Gu o i s the senior Plenipotentiary's disciple, sooner or later he will be taken care of by his mentor. So you should take the initiative and offer Intendan t Guo som e benefit . Thi s way , Intendan t Gu o wil l b e gratefu l t o yo u fo r you r patronage and serve you in every way. Secondly, the Plenipotentiary will see that you do this out of your high regard towards him so he will be obliged to bear i n mind your friendly gesture. Thirdly, since Intendant Guo is on friendly terms with a membe r o f th e Plenipotentiaries ' entourage , w e ca n us e hi m a s a lin e o f communication. Fortunately, there were some vacancies in the Payments Bureau, the Militar y Secretaria t an d th e Defenc e Force . None o f these vacancie s hav e been filled. Why not give him a couple of assignments?' The Governo r full y agree d wit h thi s suggestio n an d gav e hi s consen t immediately. Now Intendant Guo had suffered ba d fortunes for a number of years and his personal finances were beginning to tighten. Being very short of funds, h e could not find a way to entertain his fellow examinatio n candidate Lada so tha t the latter might put in a few good words for him before the Plenipotentiaries. Just at that time, two letters written on red papers arcived! Now the poor man had not seen a red letter for many years and now he suddenly received two! When he had read tha t h e wa s given tw o assignments , on e o n th e Payment s Burea u an d th e other on the Military Secretariat, his joy knew no bounds! Being by nature a man of moral integrity , h e devote d himsel f t o serving Governor Li u and exerte d hi s best efforts fo r his superior. On the following day, he informed Lada about his good fortune. Lada implicitly understood. On returning to the residence, he reported the latest development t o the senio r Plenipotentiary , wh o als o understoo d th e tru e meanin g o f thes e assignments. In the evening, when no one was about, he invited Lada over and personally gave him such-and-such instructions . Lada replied , ' I wil l mos t certainl y d o m y utmos t fo r you . Ther e i s on e consideration, and it is we should passively await their initiatives. Wait for the m to com e an d see k ou r advice . We'll b e debasin g ourselve s i f we make th e firs t move.' 'How true! ' exclaimed th e Plenipotentiary . ' I shall leav e the matte r t o you . Anything may be negotiated! ' The next day Governor Liu made the excuse that he was ill and arranged t o see Intendant Gu o i n private. As they were talking, i t was announced tha t th e dismissed Commander H u of the Defence Force sought an interview . Governor Li u stared angril y an d said , 'D o I have th e tim e t o se e him? I'v e already said I'm not seeing any visitors today, have you no ears?' The servant who made the announcement said, 'Commander Hu says he is on urgent official business. ' [3.136.154.103] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 22:22 GMT) No Honour Among Officials 157 'What urgent official business? Tell him to look for Dai Dali,' commanded the Governor. Turning to Intendant Guo , the Governor slowly came to the purpose of this meeting. He asked, 'When do you think the Plenipotentiaries' investigations will be concluded ? Afte r i t i s all over , I must invit e the m ove r fo r a chat . Whe n I sought an audience with His Majesty in the Capital a few years ago, I met the two gentlemen several times. I hear one of them is your mentor.' Intendant Guo said, 'This is so. As to the investigations, there have been no movements ove r th e pas t tw o days. There i s a member o f their entourag e wh o comes to see me every day. If you have anything, I can ask him.' The Governor said, 'There is nothing that worries me personally. It is just that if the matter grows out of hand, the n th e total situation i n the province will be adversely affected. I t will then be difficult fo r the future generations of provincial officials her e t o perform thei r duties. I am concerned wit h everyone, not mysel f alone.' Intendant Gu o was most impressed with this speech. Recalling how warml y he was treated, he was determined to reciprocate the Governor's kindness. 'Please let me know what your desire is,' Intendant Guo said earnestly. 'I shall do my utmost wherever I can. I am sure Lada too is willing to help.' In reply, Governor Liu said, 'There is no reason for him to trouble himself for nothing. Speakin g frankly, I only need t o broach th e subject an d th e necessar y funds will come forward. It is Zhejiang Province which is being investigated. It is therefore Zhejian g Province's money which will be spent. It matters not whethe r the amoun t i s a few tael s mor e o r a few tael s less . All I want i s for everyone' s reputation be preserved. When you see Lada, perhaps you can obtain a copy of the charges. Also, I may help them in their investigations. ' Immediately on leaving the Governor, Intendan t Guo went to see Lada and repeated what the Governor had said. When Lad a hear d this , he sai d with a smile , 'He i s the hea d o f th e whol e province and has to bear the responsibility of everything. So how can he say it has nothing to do with him?' Intendant Gu o argued, 'This is not what he meant. He is simply saying tha t most of the older staff had been engaged by his predecessor.' 'If they are not good, then he should not have kept them in office,' observe d Lada. 'Wh y di d h e no t dismis s them ? Now tha t th e investigation s hav e bee n launched, even though he is not himself guilty of corruption, it will be difficult fo r him to avoid being dealt with on failing to discharge his responsibilities.' Intendant Guo pleaded, 'Our Governor Liu is a man of honesty and integrity. Why must you be so strict on him? As the common saying goes, "Leave the matter be if you can." In a word, if you can help him he certainly will not forget it. ' 'My friend, I cannot blame you,' said Lada. 'Out of your gratitude, you naturally hope nothin g wil l happen t o him . Bu t th e Imperia l Envoy s have mad e suc h a public showing of coming here, are they to furl their flags, to stop their drums, and not even ask one question?' 158 Officialdom Unmasked Intendant Guo replied, 'At the end, they must give a proper account. Perhaps the matter could be resolved by punishing a few key culprits.' Lada remarked, 'I n th e end , th e smalle r th e post , th e wors e th e fat e whic h awaits th e occupant . Don' t I understand eve n thi s much ? Now becaus e o f ou r friendship, I shal l shar e thi s burde n wit h you . Secondly , yo u fea r tha t i f thi s Governor i s removed , yo u ma y no t b e abl e t o retai n you r newl y acquire d assignments, is that not so?' At these words Intendant Guo blushed and stammered a few words to hide his embarrassment. Lada said, 'It is not up to me to decide. Let me report to my superiors and then inform you. ' 'Of course , 'sai d Intendan t Guo . 'Bu t please le t m e know th e detail s of th e charges.' 'There i s no har m i n that, ' Lada promised. 'Bu t som e of my colleagues ar e bent o n findin g faults . They ar e bound t o say I have received a bribe from you . Isn't that hateful? ' 'Governor Li u ha s sai d tha t i t i s only righ t a toke n shoul d b e give n upo n receipt of a copy of the charges,' promised Intendant Guo . Seeing that they were in agreement, Lada took Intendant Guo into his private quarters and whispered, 'I can't deceive you, the total sum has to be this much,' — in so speaking, he put up two fingers. 'Twenty thousand,' said Intendant Guo . 'The difference i s between the sky and the earth!' said Lada. 'Two hundred thousand,' came the reply. Lada shook his head and said, 'This is only ten percent. ' 'How?' Intendant Guo asked . 'The sum is two million!' Lada said. On hearing this, Intendant Guo was speechless for half a day. Lada knew that he thought the sum asked for was too much, so he said, 'This is not my affair, an d you are merely a middleman. One asks, and the other may or may not agree. Why should you and I worry?' 'Since you have named the price, I shall certainly bring it to the notice of the Governor, but can you not let me have a look at the charges first?' Intendant Guo asked. 'I alone cannot decid e on a matter lik e this, but since we are friends, I shall take it upon myself to let you see it. First, you must give me fifty thousan d an d I shall copy it for you. If my colleagues should complain, I shall deal with them. ' After much bargaining, a sum of twenty thousand was agreed on. Lada insisted on a debit note from Intendan t Guo; he had no choice but to comply. Having received the debit note, Lada took out the charge sheet from a box. When Intendan t Gu o sa w it, he stuc k out hi s tongue i n astonishmen t an d was unable to withdraw it for half a day. ...