When the conversation had gone this far, Yu Miaomiao already knew she had been deceived.
But she still couldn’t bring herself to fully accept it.
She had just given away two hundred strings of cash! That was no small sum!
Whoever handed out a sum like that, their heart would inevitably hold on to some last thread of hope. She asked in a trembling voice: “Is there a Master Huang at the county yamen then? The one who came earlier — could that Master Huang be from the county yamen attached to the prefectural seat…”
The fair-complexioned Master Huang frowned: “What do you mean ‘this Master Huang’ and ‘that Master Huang’?”
Zhù Ying, seeing that Yu Miaomiao was already starting to flounder, stepped forward and clasped her hands in greeting: “May I ask what has brought you here, sir?”
A man behind Master Huang frowned: “Aren’t you going to invite your guests to sit?”
Zhù Ying thought for a moment: “Please, be seated.”
The serving boy, seizing his moment, slipped in a word: “Honored guests, please sit — I’ll bring tea and refreshments right away.” And slipped out like a wisp of smoke.
Host and guests sat down. It was again the man who had asked about sitting who spoke first: “We’ve come on behalf of our own families’ relatives — to put our heads together and work out whether there’s any path forward, even if it costs some silver, to get them out. What’s this? You’re not willing?”
Yu Miaomiao and the others said nothing. Master Huang sensed something was off and asked: “What’s the matter?”
The two sides probed and questioned each other. Master Huang and his companions went through considerable trouble to verify their own identities. Then Zhù Ying recounted what had happened to Yu Miaomiao.
Everyone said: “You’ve been swindled — they prey on families caught up in lawsuits, targeting people who are panicked, pretending they can help while cheating them out of their money.”
Yu Miaomiao’s voice held a note of despair: “I do know something about the way yamen business works. What he told me was all sound and reasonable.”
“That’s exactly how they swindle people — they pick on those who are half-informed and think themselves knowledgeable! If you’d questioned us that carefully before, you wouldn’t have lost money that was meant to save your lives! What’s hard about sounding convincing? If it made no sense, who would fall for it? Anyone can talk a good game on paper! Everything he told you may have been true — except the man himself was a fraud. What use is that? Only someone who can actually get things done is real! Only someone who can truly deliver results is the genuine article!”
Yu Miaomiao was bitter as gall. Even Zhang Xiangu, looking at her, felt pity, and said: “Whatever plan you have, sir, please put it forward — blaming anyone right now is pointless…”
Zhù Ying stepped in front of her mother to cut off the remark, and clasped her hands toward Master Huang: “Their nerves are in a state — I’ll apologize on their behalf for any discourtesy. May I ask what guidance you have for us?”
What guidance could there be? Master Huang said: “At a moment like this, stop running all over the place. Sit still and wait.”
Zhang Xiangu interjected: “And the money? Is it just gone, fed to the dogs? What’s the best way to get it back so we can actually get things done… can we file a complaint? Would the prefectural seat handle it?!”
Zhang Xiangu was a forceful woman who spoke fast and with a country accent. Master Huang and the others were already on edge; hearing her rapid-fire speech only grated further on their nerves, and the displeasure on their faces deepened several shades: “Where did this foolish woman come from?! You want to die? Your household is already in the middle of a lawsuit — do you want to tell the authorities that you tried to bribe someone and got swindled? You want to turn yourself in?”
Zhù Ying said to Zhang Xiangu: “Take Godmother back inside — leave the outside to me.”
Zhang Xiangu was never entirely easy about leaving her daughter alone. She had raised this daughter in a contradictory fashion — using her like a son on one hand, while on the other hand worrying precisely because she was a girl. It was full of tension and contradiction. Zhù Ying firmly pushed all three women into the inner room, told Huajie: “Elder Sister, keep an eye on those two!” Latched the door behind them, turned back to Master Huang, and said: “Please forgive the scene.”
Master Huang looked her over — half-grown as she was, at least she acted with some decisiveness — and reproached her: “You’re not so young anymore. Why do you let those women run amok?” He then said: “I can see your mother isn’t in a good state — you’d better look after her. We’ll pool our money; if things go well we’ll bring Yu Ping out at the same time. If it’s per head or they can’t manage it, that’s down to his luck. As for getting the money back through the courts — don’t even raise the subject for now. Don’t create new complications!”
Zhù Ying said: “I understand the logic. I can tell what’s urgent and what can wait. We won’t let it out and spoil everyone’s plans.”
Master Huang managed a strained smile, and from his sleeve produced half an ingot of silver: “I didn’t bring much with me on short notice — you’re likely short of funds right now. Use this first. We have other matters — we’ll take our leave.”
Zhù Ying said: “Sir, please hold on a moment — just a few more sentences. There are a few things I’d like to ask, for the sake of the women’s peace of mind. Otherwise I can’t manage this household of them on my own.”
Master Huang said: “What do you want to say?”
“There are a few things I’d like to ask, because I’m afraid that what we’ve heard from people outside may be garbled and cause trouble. We’re ordinary people — we’ve never been able to see even a county magistrate whenever we liked, let alone an imperial envoy. Such a great official coming all this way seems worth understanding. And there’s the witchcraft case — that’s a serious matter too. It mustn’t be allowed to interfere with what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Master Huang, finding some merit in the question, showed a little more patience: “Because he’s a senior official from the Ministry of Justice, and because he’s an old retainer from the late emperor’s household.”
“Oh?”
“Still not clear? Prosecuting criminals and managing punishments is his official responsibility. The case of the substitute prisoner was processed through his own hands — he signed the documents, he passed the sentence, he confirmed the identity. And then, right there on the execution grounds, the switch was discovered! A public slap across the face in broad daylight — how could he endure that?”
All the severity and swift action that followed was partly because those officials and clerks had it coming — and partly because he was furious.
As for the witchcraft case: Chancellor Chen had been married twice. His first wife was a well-matched spouse of equal standing; but her family had committed a serious offense, she had died shortly after, and the eldest son had been implicated and sent back to his home region to tend ancestral graves and study. His second wife also bore him a son, and the one Chancellor Chen reported to the court as his designated heir was this second wife’s son.
But the wheel of fortune had turned: the first wife’s family had come back into favor and been cleared of their crimes! By the proper order of legitimate seniority, it was the first wife’s son who ought to inherit. Having tried every means to block this without success, the second wife’s son had turned to his trump card — cursing! He paid enormous sums to gather a company of Taoist priests and spirit-mediums, setting up a great ritual array to curse the first wife’s son to death.
Master Huang said: “All of that is affairs of the great — not our concern. The imperial envoy is close to His Majesty; Chancellor Chen is a powerful minister. The envoy wishing to keep a closer eye on things for His Majesty’s sake is only human nature. But you’re right — don’t touch on anything that might provoke his sensitivities.”
Zhù Ying had learned everything she needed to know. She did not accept Master Huang’s silver: “For the expenses at hand, we still have enough. Accepting your money without my mother’s knowledge — I’m afraid she’d reproach me for it.”
Master Huang had no interest in pressing it on her. The group took their leave in haste.
……
Zhù Ying returned to the room. Yu Miaomiao was sitting in a daze on the bed. Huajie held her hand with worried eyes. Zhang Xiangu stared at her daughter, wanting to say something but for once holding it back.
Just a moment before, she had said bitterly: “You burden! Grown capable now, have you!” Huajie had replied: “It’s a good thing Sanlang has grown capable — without that capability, our days ahead would be even harder to get through.” That had left Zhang Xiangu speechless. Now Zhù Ying was back in the inner room, and all three women looked over at her.
Zhù Ying said: “Why is everyone looking at me?”
She was actually seething inside, and in her fury let out a cold laugh. Seeing this look — so unlike her usual self — Zhang Xiangu grew a little worried, though the words she managed to produce were not particularly kind: “Have you lost your mind or gone stupid? What are you laughing at?”
Huajie soothed: “Everyone is anxious, and no one meant anything unkind. We’re stuck here in this place, and it’s cousin-brother and Uncle Zhū who are counting on us — who else is there to go after them?”
Zhang Xiangu said: “Let whoever will, will!” She said it, but still couldn’t stop worrying about her husband — and worrying that her daughter was too invested in rescuing everyone and would end up suffering for it.
Yu Miaomiao had cried herself out a while ago; her eyes were dry now, and she asked: “Sanlang, what did Master Huang say?” Zhù Ying repeated it all.
Yu Miaomiao said: “We can’t wait here. Go back, sell the house, sell the land, and scrape together another sum. Without the money in hand, I can’t rest easy — even if it’s not a full two hundred strings, we must scrape together at least another hundred. Sanlang, let’s go back first…”
Yu Miaomiao was not a poor woman, but most of her assets were tied up in property, farmland, and stored valuables. Her ready cash was not much, and now that she’d been cheated out of two hundred strings, scraping together another two hundred would mean either borrowing or selling off possessions.
Zhang Xiangu tried to dissuade her: “Madam, don’t you want to think this over a little more? Spending like this — how will you live afterward?”
Yu Miaomiao said: “Sister, people are what matter most. Just now I was too hasty and let myself be cheated out of that money — delaying A’Ping and Sanlang’s father’s affairs. Don’t worry — your family’s matter, I will also put in money for. I won’t let Sanlang work for nothing.”
“Madam, speak plainly! When have we ever been after your money?! Taking in a son-in-law was your idea — you insisted on it! It wasn’t like my girl and I came begging at your door! We kept our distance — your money is yours to spend however you like, and we haven’t said a single word about it!”
“As for my own husband — if it costs ten strings to get him out, I’ll smash the pots and sell the pan to get it. Twenty strings, I’ll go beg in the streets. Beyond twenty strings, I won’t spend a single coin more on him. I’ll take a sickle and cut some grass from the hill behind the house myself, and weave a mat to wrap him in and bury him! And don’t you go getting on your high horse either — your nephew isn’t settled yet and you haven’t got the power to take on my husband’s affairs on top of it!”
Zhang Xiangu was worked up to the point where her hands were gesturing emphatically — she was truly agitated!
Huajie soothed: “Don’t say things you’ll regret.”
Zhang Xiangu was miserable and bitter. She said to Huajie: “Good girl, us poor people’s lives aren’t worth much. Empty out everything in the whole household and you’d get ten strings at best — past that number, we’re just not good enough for the price of a life!”
She pulled Zhù Ying toward her: “But this child of mine — I wouldn’t trade her for any amount of money. You keep Sanlang with you to give you courage — to put someone out in front as your face when you need it. Why do you think we followed behind the prison wagon when we came? Going back and forth — run into a highway robber on the road and your money’s gone, and I’m not going to say anything about that since it’s not my money anyway. But this child is my own flesh and blood! You can’t use her like that! I’m worried sick about my husband — but if something were to happen to my child, that wretch can just carry his own fate! Live or die — it’s his own lot to bear!”
Yu Miaomiao said: “Good sister, I wasn’t guarding against you — it’s just that… ah. This money has mostly been in my hands to manage, and I know it better. I understand how deeply you love your child. I’m a mother too — is Sanlang not my child? But right now, A’Ping and Sanlang’s father are the backbone we depend on. Without them, Sanlang is still young and not grown — who will this whole household lean on? Even if we don’t concern ourselves with them and just go home and shut the door, will things be any better for us?”
That last point deflated Zhang Xiangu too: “You’re right, there has to be someone to depend on…”
Huajie said softly: “Sanlang?”
Zhù Ying silently grimaced at the corners of her mouth. Fine. So her father Zhū Shenhan and Yu Ping were the pillars of their respective families. The ones everyone depended on!
And yet right now these two pillars — far from being anyone’s support — needed the people out here to go and rescue them. And among those out here, Yu Miaomiao had until now had the most ideas, but now she too had gone limp.
Master Huang’s words rose unbidden in her mind: Only someone who can truly deliver results is the genuine article!
“Who depends on whom?” Zhù Ying said. “It’s never been anything more than this.”
The invisible rope that had been binding her these past days snapped apart, strand by strand.
“Sanlang?”
Zhù Ying stood up and said: “It’s dark now — we can’t go anywhere. When daylight comes, I’ll have a plan.”
Huajie called again: “Sanlang?”
Zhù Ying said: “I won’t abandon any of you.”