“Trust me, Toanio.” The next day, as Wang prepared to leave the Shi Men family home, Goat Toanio gave him an ounce of silver.
"Later, when you have everything ready, I will give you more." For the housewives, they should be careful dealing with various shamans and Nikouw. It's people like Wang Nikouw, who use their positions of influence, that are more often false than genuinely authentic. All sorts of miracles and wonders they promise, whether in treating people, locating lost items, foreseeing and improving fortunes, or casting spells to make husbands more affectionate and so on, most of it is just empty talk. Such subtle scams have often occurred anywhere in the world, at any time. As usual, when the Lantern Festival season arrives, there is hustle and bustle within the Shi Men household. Coincidentally, the Lantern Festival also happens to be Madam Peng's birthday, making the celebration within the Shi Men family exceptionally grand.
Four singing girls were called in, and Shi Men even honored the guests by inviting twenty stage performers from Prince Goan's Palace who also lived on Lion Street. For this performance, he built a stage on the west side connected to the reception room at the front of the house. The classic story of the "West Pavilion" was played and the day was also filled with the burning of firecrackers and fireworks, under the supervision of Pen Se and the young master Chen, Shi Men's son-in-law. Fireworks were set off outside the gate, attracting a large crowd of spectators. Shi Men himself did not care for all the fuss. He preferred to stroll through the Lantern Market with his two friends, Ying Po Kui and Cia Si Ta, then he would separate and retreat to the room of Wang Liok Hwa, his lover.
In the first month of the new year, two significant events occurred in Shi Men's life. First, when his wives went to visit the Kiao family mansion, their wealthy neighbors. They also brought along little Kwan Ko, who was carried by his nursemaid, Yu I. When his wives were at the Kiao mansion, they were warmly welcomed. The Kiao family also only had a three-month-old daughter. Kwan Ko was then laid by Yu I not far from the hostess's baby girl. When the women returned to the room after having a meal together, they found that the two children had come closer to each other and were playing with their hands and feet.
The women laughed at this and they all agreed with the opinion that it was a sign from Heaven that the two children were destined for each other. They agreed that the two children should be betrothed. Goat Toanio immediately sent a servant to fetch red silk and with this silk, they decorated the front room walls of the Kiao family mansion as a sign that something joyous had occurred. The next day, the Kiao family sent valuable engagement gifts to the Shi Men family. Shi Men was shocked and disagreed with the decision made by his wives about the engagement of his son.
"It cannot be denied that our neighbor, the Kiao family, is rich and respected," he said to Goat Toanio. "However, Kiao is just a commoner, without rank or position, making him unworthy of becoming part of the Shi Men family who are officials and noblemen."
Presumably, Shi Men's objections and disapproval must have reached the Kiao family's ears because two days later, the Kiao family visited the Shi Men family and Grandmother Kiao mentioned in their conversation that one of her nieces had become a concubine to the Second Prince. This statement was a hint that the Kiao family's status was higher than the Shi Men family's. The second incident that befell the Shi Men family was related to Shi Men's position as an assistant judge. One day, Shi Men received an urgent invitation from Judge Cia, his colleague. Shi Men quickly went to his colleague's house and they immediately got engrossed in serious discussion in Judge Cia's room, a private conversation.
"Damn it, Shi Men, we're in big trouble this time!" said the host with a pale face.
"What's wrong?" asked Shi Men, also startled and anxious at the usually calm colleague's condition.
"This morning I received a visit from the District Commissioner Li and he informed me that the Governor's Office in Shantung has sent a report to the Capitol accusing us of misconduct and suggesting we be dishonorably discharged. He brought a copy of the report. Here's the letter."
With trembling fingers, Shi Men accepted the somewhat worn report and read its contents. The more he read, the paler his face became. There, Governor Ciong reported to the Palace that Judge Cia and Assistant Judge Shi Men were unfit for their positions. Judge Cia was said to be a person who liked to accept bribes, resulting in unjust court decisions, favoring the wrong and punishing the right, and was incapable of managing the judiciary, cruel to defendants who may not even be guilty if they were unable to pay his bribes. As for Shi Men himself, it was said that he liked to use his money to toy with officials,
Associate with the lowly and the underworld, even like to exploit criminals to impose his will, a person who is completely uneducated thus ignorant and illiterate about laws, a person who only cares about his personal enjoyment, famous for being generous in brothels, has many concubines and lets his concubines sell their beauty on the street in an unseemly manner. The report concluded with a request that both local officials be fired, even prosecuted if there were evidence of misconduct to serve as an example for other officials. With a pale face and eyes wide with anxiety, Shi Men looked at his colleague. However, his mind was working and he furrowed his brow, thinking.
"What now?" Judge Cia said with a trembling voice. "There's only one way and we need to act quickly" said Shi Men.
"We must seek the Prime Minister's help to save ourselves."
The two quickly gathered their money and valuables, gold bars and jewelry, hundreds of ounces of silver, and with these highly valuable items, Lai Pao and a trusted envoy from Judge Cia immediately set off for the Capitol. The envoy from Judge Cia was named Shia Sou. The trusted men used a carriage and traveled day and night quickly, and upon arriving in Kai Hong Hu, the eastern Capitol, they quickly met with Ti-Ciangkun, the head of the Prime Minister's Palace guards. When Ti-Ciangkun read Shi Men's letter, he comforted the two envoys. He was still grateful to Shi Men for sending the beautiful girl Mei Li who is now his second wife, and he knew what to do to save Shi Men and Judge Cia, especially seeing how the two had brought an extraordinary amount of gifts.
"Don't worry," he said. "Governor Ciong's report hasn't arrived here yet. If the report comes, I will be able to persuade the Prime Minister to delay and freeze the report for some time. Governor Ciong has stepped down from his position, so the report has no value and doesn't need to be forwarded to the Palace. Therefore, go home and tell your masters that I guarantee the report will not reach the Palace."
The two immediately returned home and delivered the extremely good news to their respective masters. Thus, the power of money once again showcased its victory and superiority. Woe to the nation and state if the government is controlled by officials who always only consider benefits for themselves like merchants. The capital of these officials is their position, forgetting that their position is actually a gift from the people! Without the people, there would be no officials, and after gaining the people's trust to hold power, they even abuse that power, not to protect the people but to oppress the people!
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Just as the Chief Guard Ti promised to the two envoys, a few months later. The governor of Shantung named Ciong retired and the position of governor for that province was replaced by Sung Pan. He was related to the Prime Minister's son. When the new Governor Sung was heading to the Capitol where he would take up his new post, he met another high-ranking official who was also heading to his job as Head of Salt Affairs in Huai.
The two officials happened to pass through the city of Ceng-Ho-Sian and Governor Sung, who had received a message from Chief Guard Ti, did not forget to stop by Shi Men's house. For the Head of Salt Affairs who was still the adopted son of Prime Minister Cai and named Cai Shen, Shi Men was no stranger. The visit of the two eminent guests attracted the attention of the city residents, and boosted Shi Men's reputation. How the wealthy man had now become an important person, they thought, such that the two high-ranking nobles needed to stay and delay their journey. Of course, Shi Men felt happy and honored, so he welcomed them extravagantly, not sparing any expense.
It wasn't just the two nobles he entertained, but also all their followers and guards. And when the two guests continued their journey, Shi Men provided them with many gifts. The visit of these two alone had drained a portion of Shi Men's wealth, no less than a thousand ounces in total. Governor Sung left Shi Men's house first. Master Cai Shen, persuaded by Shi Men, agreed to spend the night at his house and the host prepared the most luxurious lodge for him. More than that, when Cai-Taijin entered the lodge slightly tipsy, at the front door he was greeted by two extremely beautiful girls with sweet smiles.
Of course, this was a very pleasant surprise for the nobleman. In his half-drunk and happy state, he then used a writing tool to compose a poem on the wall, with beautiful handwriting praising the host's kindness and the beauty of the two girls. They were deliberately brought from the most renowned leisure houses in the city by Shi Men. Shi Men was not a fool who liked to waste money just like that. All these extremely royal receptions had been carefully calculated by him. Cai-Taijin was the head of salt affairs controlling the distribution and trade of government salt. On this good occasion, Shi Men introduced Lai Pao as his trusted assistant and requested that in his name, Lai Pao could be given a salt quota as the sole agent for the Ceng-Ho-Sian area and its surroundings.
On this request, Cai Shen agreed with a smile. Shi Men also smiled victoriously. The allotment for just one month would bring in profits nearly enough to cover all the expenses he had spent that day! The next day, Shi Men escorted his distinguished guest to the city gate and as a final salute, he invited his guest to enjoy a farewell meal that he had prepared at the Yung-Hok-Si Temple. After enjoying the meal and exchanging farewell greetings, the entourage of Cai-Taijin departed and exhausted, Shi Men rested in the now quiet temple.
- Toanio - An honorific typically used to address a respectable elder or superior.
- Nikouw - A term referring to individuals who possess a spiritual or mystical position in society, often shamans or spiritualists.
- Lantern Festival - A Chinese festival celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, marking the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.
- Ying Po Kui and Cia Si Ta - The names of Shi Men's friends.
- Wang Liok Hwa - A character in the story, presumably Shi Men's lover.
- Goat Toanio - A character in the story, possibly a family member or close associate of Shi Men.
- Madam Peng - A character in the story, presumably Shi Men's wife.
- Shantung - A coastal province of eastern China, also known as Shandong.
- Prime Minister's Palace - The official residence of the nation's Prime Minister.
- Kai Hong Hu - A location, possibly an important city or district.
- Ti-Ciangkun - The head of the Prime Minister's Palace guards.
- Mei Li - A character in the story, who became the wife of Ti-Ciangkun.
- Lai Pao - A character in the story, presumably a trusted subordinate of Shi Men.
- Shia Sou - A character in the story, a trusted envoy of Judge Cia.
- Ceng-Ho-Sian - A city within the story's setting.
- Sung Pan - The new governor of Shantung.
- Cai Shen - The Head of Salt Affairs and the adopted son of the Prime Minister.
- Cai-Taijin - Another name or title for Cai Shen.
- Yung-Hok-Si Temple - A temple in the story's setting. This is where Shi Men prepared a farewell meal for Cai-Taijin.