The Eleventh Chapter: The Poor Scribe's Miscellaneous Thoughts on Officialdom and the Shape of Things to Come in Red County

  Here is the translation:

  As soon as Qinghai and the old master arrived at Wang Daotai's place, they got into a carriage and drove to the entrance of Changchun Stack. The old master asked the monk to sit in the reception hall while he went in first to report to Wang Daotai. Wang Daotai frowned upon hearing this and said, "What is the point of bringing a monk here? Tell him I'm 'not interested in monks' and advise him to go somewhere else." The old master replied, "He didn't come to beg for alms; he's here on family business." Wang Daotai exclaimed, "How strange! Monks are now getting involved in people's family affairs!" The old master explained, "I heard he's the brother-in-law of Tao Ziyu. When I went to his house, Tao wasn't home, but his wife insisted on following me to see you, sir. Luckily, the monk intervened and managed to persuade her not to come, so I brought him along instead." Before Wang Daotai could respond, the monk had already entered the room.

  Wang Daotai wanted to ignore him, but couldn't bring himself to do so, so he slightly nodded his head and remained seated. The monk came in and bowed respectfully. When asked to sit, he hesitated at first but eventually sat down after seeing Wang Daotai take a seat. Wang Daotai asked, "When did you arrive?" The monk replied, "I arrived yesterday. Tao Ziyu is my sister's husband. I came this time to escort my sister here. Sir, I haven't had the chance to pay my respects in a long while. Last year, when our monks went to Shandong Province, the wife of the current head of the Western Circuit donated over 20,000 taels of silver for good deeds. The wives of the other officials, including Hu, the Grain Official, also donated generously." The monk's intention was to mention a few influential people in Shandong Province to impress Wang Daotai, but Wang Daotai just listened without responding.

  Wang Daotai kept his eyes fixed on something else and occasionally spoke with his attendants. The monk realized things weren't going well and quickly wrapped up his speech, preparing to take his leave. Just as he started to say "My sister's husband has a task...", Wang Daotai stood up and offered him tea, signaling the end of their meeting. When he heard the monk still had something to say, he stopped in his tracks but didn't wait for the monk to finish speaking before saying, "I'm leaving for the Eastern Ocean tomorrow. If I don't find him, I won't have time to wait for him. Luckily, our old master is staying behind and can keep the silver on deposit at the estate; when he arrives, he can collect it himself." After finishing these two sentences, Wang Daotai walked out of the room, waiting to see off his guest.

  As soon as the monk exited the reception hall, Wang Daotai nodded slightly and went back inside.

  Xi Si: an honorific title for the Investigating Censor.

  The monk had no fun, so he got back on the horse carriage. When he saw his sister-in-law, he still had to show off and said that Wang Daotai was very good to him: "As soon as I met him, he knew I wanted to raise funds from him to build a big temple, and before I even opened my mouth, he donated 10,000 yuan. He also invited me to visit Shandong again after the New Year. Originally, he should have come to pay his respects to me, but because he was leaving for the East Ocean tomorrow and was very busy, with many people looking for him, so I stopped by his place and told him not to come." His sister-in-law listened and believed it to be true. She then asked: "How about your brother-in-law's affairs?" The monk said: "Those who hold high positions in the government won't bother themselves with such trivial matters." His sister-in-law became anxious, saying: "So you went there for half a day, but didn't take care of my business at all!" The monk said: "These matters have already been entrusted to Zhou Lao by Wang Daotai, just ask Zhou Lao and it will be fine." His sister-in-law was uncertain, so she could only agree. The monk asked again: "Has your brother-in-law returned or not?" His sister-in-law choked back tears, saying: "There's no sign of him anywhere!" The monk said: "He is a big official, how can he get lost? If we can't find him, as long as I ask the Shanghai Magistrate to send a letter, the officials in the foreign concessions will take care of it and there's no way we won't be able to find him. Sister-in-law, please don't worry."

  The conversation split into two parts. Let's talk about Wang Daotai sending the monk back, and the housekeeper came to report: "That Zhou Taiye who came a few days ago is here again." Wang Daotai frowned upon hearing this and said: "I don't have time to meet him now." The housekeeper said: "Zhou Taiye knew that you would be leaving tomorrow, so he rushed over yesterday morning and sat in the servants' quarters, insisting that someone go up to respond on his behalf. He waited until 2 am before being chased away by the servants. Today, he came again. He says that you personally agreed to help him with a matter and speak on his behalf to the Shanghai Magistrate, so he wants to hear back about it." Wang Daotai said: "He's trying to get me involved in his affairs, but I've already told him what I can do for him. Whether or not I say something is up to me, and whether or not he gets assigned a task is up to the Shanghai Magistrate. Even if the Magistrate wants to help me out, there's no guarantee that he'll assign Zhou Taiye a task right away. You tell him not to keep bothering me and to go to the yamen to make his case instead." The housekeeper said: "This kind of person is impossible to deal with! When he came to pay his respects earlier, you shouldn't have seen him at all. Even if you did see him, you shouldn't have promised him anything." Wang Daotai sighed and said: "You people don't understand! These poor candidates have been waiting for years, but they haven't gotten a single appointment. They're struggling to make ends meet at home. In the past, when I was an official, I didn't bother with them, but now that I'm in this position, I have to think about their situation. When Zhang Langzhai was the Governor of Shandong, I served under him. He had a habit of assigning tasks to people who came to pay their respects, no matter how unpleasant they were. Some people he didn't want to give tasks to would still get treated with courtesy when they met in person. He said: 'I don't have any tasks to assign them, but if I show them a cold face, will they be able to survive? So let's give them some hope first.' This is what he told me personally, so that's why I'm following his example." The housekeeper said: "From what I've seen, this Zhou Taiye has a serious opium addiction. He spends all day and night smoking, and doesn't have time to go to the yamen to make his case. These past two days, he's been coming here and constantly asking to leave to go smoke." Wang Daotai said: "Smoking opium isn't actually harmful. Nowadays, who among officials doesn't smoke opium? I've been smoking since I was in my 20s, when I first started out as a minor official. I would stay up all night and then go hang out at the Governor's residence early in the morning. Later on, when I was waiting for an appointment in the provincial capital, it was always like this. Some officials don't know about this and say that certain people are diligent in their work. From my time as a county magistrate to now, when I've been promoted to Circuit Intendant, it's all thanks to smoking opium and being the first one to arrive at the yamen. When Zhou Taiye comes, you can casually mention this to him, and tell him that if he goes to the early morning sessions at the yamen a few times, his superiors will take notice of him and assign him tasks. I'm about to leave, so I don't have time to deal with him."

  Red Dot: refers to an official's appointment document, because the date and name on the document are circled with a red pen.

  Zuoza: refers to assistant officials in government offices.

  The steward reluctantly retreated. Zhou Taiye was waiting for a message in the gatehouse and hurriedly asked, "What did the master instruct?" The steward was not in a good mood and said, "The master has said that you young masters are always unwilling to diligently attend to official duties, so it's not your turn for an assignment." Zhou Taiye said, "My goodness! To be honest, I've been suffering from this opium addiction. Ever since I took those two puffs, I haven't been able to get up early again." The steward said, "If you can't get up early, then maybe you're sleeping late? Our master has a method to teach you." He recounted what Wang Daotai had said and added, "I guarantee that if you follow it, you'll be promoted to Daotai in the future!" Zhou Taiye said, "You're making fun of me when I'm desperate. Don't joke around with serious talk." The steward's face turned stern and he said, "What I said is not a joke. Who has the time to make fun of you?" Zhou Taiye saw that things were not going well and quickly put on a smiling face, saying, "Elder brother's words are all golden and precious. I'm just confused, so my words came out wrong and I've already offended someone. It's really my fault! Elder brother, please don't take it to heart!" He made another deep bow. The steward ignored him.

  Zou Taigong was at a loss, sitting stupidly for half a day. Suddenly, he came up with an idea and took advantage of the commotion to slip away, rushing back to his own home. The place was barely habitable, renting half a floor from someone else's house, just enough space for him and his wife to temporarily settle down. Two wooden boards supported a bed, next to which stood a portable stove, while his wife's dowry chests were empty, not even one or two left. His wife had not combed her hair in over a month, with wisps of hair flying about, and her clothes were tattered and worn out. Her appearance was worse than that of the lowest-ranking old maidservant in the grand mansion, truly pitiful for someone who had become a taigong's wife! Moreover, both the old couple loved to smoke, but the husband had been unemployed for years, unable to support themselves, let alone indulge in opium, which would only lead them further into poverty.

  Now, Mr. Zou returned home and didn't speak to his wife. He rummaged through the trunk for half a day but couldn't find anything. His wife asked him, but he didn't respond. Later, she saw what was going on and knew he wanted to pawn something. She said, "You've already pawned all my belongings! Can't you spare me now? I'm wearing the only clothes I have left, and the food in my belly is all I have. If you're capable, take me to the pawnshop too! I don't want to live this life anymore!" As she spoke, she began to wail and cry bitterly.

  The neighbors thought someone had died in their house because of her heartbreaking crying. They rushed over to see what was happening, but Mr. Zou didn't care; he just searched the whole house for something to pawn. Later, he found a package on the bed with two clothes inside. He wanted to take it away, but his wife saw him and stopped him, saying, "I only have one bamboo shirt and one skirt left! If you take those too, I won't be able to go out!" Mr. Zou didn't listen and took them away.

  His wife was a woman after all and didn't have the strength to fight back. She lay on the floor, crying and wailing until midnight. The landlord was disturbed by the noise and told him to move out the next day, so his wife finally stopped crying.

  Here is the translation:

  Just then, Zou Taiye picked up his bundle and walked into a pawnshop. The shopkeeper opened it and took a look, only willing to lend 400 copper coins. Zou Taiye frowned and asked him to lend two more, and finally got 450 coins. He hid the pawn ticket, wrapped the money in a handkerchief, and walked to Daxiang Village, wanting to buy a catty of honey dates and a box of mountain tea cakes as gifts. After calculating the cost, he found that he didn't have enough money, so he only bought 10 taels of honey dates and a catty of cloud crackers. He asked the shop assistant to wrap them in bigger paper, saying it would look better as a gift. After paying, he still had several dozen coins left over. Zou Taiye was extremely happy, holding the gifts with both hands, and walked straight to Wang Daotai's mansion. When he arrived at the gatehouse, he put the honey dates and cloud crackers on the table. The steward thought they were something he had bought for himself and felt a bit displeased, thinking: "This man is so tactless, not considering whether we are busy or not, just coming to bother us." He sat still, not even looking at Zou Taiye. Only when Zou Taiye put the gifts on the table with a smile did he say: "I know I've disturbed you gentlemen many times before, and it's really not right of me. But since we get along well, I wanted to give you something small as a token of our friendship. Tomorrow, you'll be attending the official's trip to Dongyang, and we'll have to part ways soon. This little gift is just in case you get hungry on the boat."

  Chaofeng: Originally an official title, later also referred to as a wealthy and influential person.

  The housekeeper knew that the package contained pastries, so he quickly stood up and said: "Master Zou, this is a trivial matter, why bother you with it again? Besides, your health isn't great, how can I have the face to accept it from you?" Master Zou said: "We're family brothers, what's the need for such words? As long as older brother doesn't treat me like an outsider and graciously accepts it, I'll be at ease." The housekeeper heard this and knew he wouldn't take it back, thinking: "How can I just accept his gift for nothing?" So he had to ask him to sit down again and they chatted for a while. Master Zou wanted to ask him to speak on his behalf in front of the superior, but it wasn't convenient to bring it up at the moment. However, they were leaving tomorrow, and if he missed this opportunity, he would be doomed to starve. But saying so would be embarrassing. Fortunately, this gentleman also knew that Master Zou's gift was meant for a favor, but since he didn't mention it first, I couldn't bring it up myself, or else people would think I only recognize gifts.

  Two people were turning their heads when a person walked in. The butler hurriedly stood up and whispered to the man, who then walked in. Mr. Zou was struggling to find something to say, fortunately, he recognized the person and asked: "Isn't this Mr. Zhou?" The butler said: "Yes." Mr. Zou said: "He will definitely follow the master to Dongyang tomorrow, right?" The butler said: "Haven't you seen the news? He was transferred by the governor of Zhejiang and will go to Hangzhou after we leave." Mr. Zou said: "If he doesn't go, who will follow the master? Isn't there one less person in the entourage?" As soon as he said this, Mr. Zou's luck changed, and the butler suddenly realized: "Yes! This morning, someone mentioned that Mr. Zhou is not going, and we lack a capable person. Wait a minute, I'll go and test the waters for you, and ask Mr. Zhou to put in a good word. If Mr. Zhou speaks up, it's likely to be 60-70% successful." Mr. Zou was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "Thank you, brother, for promoting me! If we can work together as colleagues, that would be the best!"

  The housekeeper went in and found Old Master Zhou, first telling him the news, just saying that it was his own fellow villager, asking him to take care of it thoroughly. Old Master Zhou said: "This is our own business, I must do my best to help you, but the time is too urgent, leaving tomorrow, it would be better if he came two days earlier." The housekeeper said: "He has been running here for these two days, and Shanghai Dao has also helped him deliver a note." Old Master Zhou said: "The adult has already helped him deliver a note, asking him to wait for two days, naturally there will be a way out, why must he suffer this time?" The housekeeper said: "People are in the right place. Our master is not Shanghai Dao's superior, just a fellow official from another province, and they are actually short-handed, while we are just supplementary. Honestly speaking: if you submit 100 such notes, at that moment, the face value will be cashed out, but who will recognize you when you turn your back? Isn't it just deceiving children?"

  Here is the translation:

  Mr. Zhou heard this and thought it was not bad, but he couldn't stay there with the steward chasing after him, so he went to see Mr. Wang Daotai. Just as he arrived, Mr. Wang Daotai spoke up first, saying: "You're not going with me, which really puts me in a difficult position. There are some things that they can't handle, what am I supposed to do?" Mr. Zhou replied: "I'm grateful for your support, sir, and I should have accompanied you to the East Ocean to repay your kindness. However, Zhejiang Liu Zhongcheng has already been appointed, and friends have written letters urging me not to delay any further. I'm also unable to do anything about it, so I can only report back to you later, sir." Mr. Wang Daotai asked: "Who is the person you're thinking of?" Mr. Zhou hastily replied: "It's that Zhōu Diānshǐ who comes every day. This man seems capable of handling tasks." Mr. Wang Daotai said: "This person is quite amusing. He used to work in Shandong, and I happened to meet him when I was on a business trip there. We became acquainted, and he even asked me to help him with some matters several times. It's been over 20 years since he passed away. At the time of his death, I helped out with the funeral expenses and gave him two taels of silver. After that, we lost touch. This time in Shanghai, I don't know how he found out about me, but he comes every day to pester me." Mr. Wang Daotai said this while the steward was standing below listening. When he finished speaking, he turned to the steward and asked: "Isn't it true that this person has a severe opium addiction?" The steward who had received the honey dates and cloud-patterned pastries from Zhōu replied: "In the past, his opium addiction was not small, but now that he wants to work, he's been trying to quit smoking for the past two days." Mr. Wang Daotai said: "Quitting opium is just talk; if you really want to quit, why didn't you do it earlier? Why wait until now? Although I know him, taking him abroad is different from working in the interior. If things don't go well, we'll become a laughingstock for foreigners!" The steward hastily interjected: "Mr. Zhōu has been in Shanghai for many years and has come into contact with many foreigners on the foreign concessions. He's familiar with everything, but he just hasn't handled any matters before."

  The king's face sank and said, "I need to be at ease before entrusting him with a task. I know what he can and cannot do, but you all seem to understand!" The steward was disappointed and retreated. The king said, "It's laughable that they're using their energy for this." Old Master Zhou hurriedly mediated, saying, "They just want to help him because they pity him, so let's just assign him a task to learn from." The king said, "I'm still worried about sending him out. There are many people at the manufacturing bureau, and Zheng someone mentioned yesterday that more than 20 committee members and clerks need to be replaced due to some matter. I'll write a letter for him to try his luck." Old Master Zhou saw that the king had agreed to write the letter and didn't dare say anything else. He was happy that the king usually dictated letters to him, so he immediately walked over to the desk, picked up the pen, and started writing. After finishing, he showed it to the king, who had no comments. Old Master Zhou then handed the letter to the steward.

  Here is the translation:

  First, the butler bumped into a nail and came out in a huff, storming into his own room and sulking. Mr. Zou saw that he was not in a good mood and was secretly worried. Later, after a while, Old Master Zhou came out and handed him a letter, explaining the situation. Mr. Zou had originally been unwilling to curry favor with Old Master Zhou, but at this point, he was overcome with gratitude and immediately came over to pay his respects. He had previously made inquiries and knew that Old Master Zhou was a newly appointed county magistrate, so he repeatedly called out "Honorable Uncle" and referred to himself as "Your humble servant", saying: "Your humble servant is deeply grateful for your patronage!" He also whispered in the butler's ear, saying that he didn't dare be presumptuous, implying that he wanted to invite Old Master Zhou to a gathering at Yashuyuan that evening. The butler relayed the message. Old Master Zhou said: "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm really busy today. The governor is leaving tomorrow and Tao Ziyao just sent another letter asking me to take care of some business for him, so I don't know how I'll get everything done. Let's put it off until another day."

  Zou Taiye saw that Zhou Laoye was unwilling to go, so he had to make small talk and said: "Since the master is not willing to show his face, I will come again in a few days to invite you." Zhou Laoye said: "We have known each other for a long time, why must we be polite?" At this point, Zou Taiye asked the steward to borrow a square horse jacket and went to pay his respects to Wang Daotai. Wang Daotai exhorted him with a few words, telling him to do his job well. Zou Taiye stood up and responded with a few "yeses", then retreated. The next day, he went to the East Ocean Wharf to see him off, and returned to the manufacturing bureau to submit a letter.

  Here is the translation:

  Yesterday evening, Old Master Zhou received a letter from Tao Ziyao, inviting him to have a drink at Yipinxiang and discuss some important matters. Old Master Zhou was initially too busy to attend, but since he had already transferred the silver to the Zhuang family, he thought it would be better to meet with Tao Ziyao in person to settle the matter. So, he made time to go to Yipinxiang.

  It turned out that Tao Ziyao had a fight with his wife the previous day and slipped out of Yipinxiang. He didn't return home for the night, partly because he was angry and partly because he met a friend on the way who invited him to spend the night at a private residence. The next day, they parted ways at 10 o'clock, and Tao Ziyao took a nap until 4 o'clock before returning to his lodgings.

  His wife had already made a scene, and his brother-in-law had returned from paying respects to Wang Daotai. Tao Ziyao was blaming his brother-in-law for going to pay respects to Wang Daotai, which he thought was unnecessary. His brother-in-law got angry and threw off his hat, revealing a shaved head.

  Just then, Wei Huanyan came looking for him and pushed all the blame onto Qiu Wuke's shoulders, saying that he had two contracts and wanted him to pay up. Tao Ziyao became anxious and said, "One of the contracts is fake! It was just prepared for a lawsuit. How can you good friends bully me like this?" Wei Huanyan replied, "When it comes time to pay up, you can't just say it's fake! Since your signature is on the contract, you have to think of a way to get out of it."

  At that moment, Tao Ziyao was anxious and wanted to ask Old Master Zhou for advice. His wife had initially been angry with him for not returning home for the night, but when she saw him being bullied by others, she eventually calmed down and stopped quarreling with him.

  Get into trouble.

  At that time, Tao Ziyao was furious and invited Wei Huanran, his elder brother-in-law, to come with him. They went together to Yipinxiang. Before long, Zhou Lao came with a letter. The three of them met and chatted for a while. Zhou Lao first explained that the silver was stored in the warehouse. Tao Ziyao then pulled Zhou Lao outside to the foreign platform, leaned against the railing, and told him all about it. Zhou Lao said, "This matter, you have made a big fuss!" Tao Ziyao said, "Don't talk about these things, just ask you to think of a way for me, I am willing to share the benefits with you, why should we let them have it cheaply?" Zhou Lao listened and was moved in his heart, saying, "The two of them helped your brother-in-law, how can they not get anything? It's not easy to settle this matter!" Tao Ziyao said, "What do you think, elder brother?" Zhou Lao said, "We'll see what happens, we can't predict it." At that time, they sat down and ordered food. The monk ordered Mazhu soup, stir-fried winter mushrooms, vegetarian dishes, and noodles. In front of people, he had to follow the Buddhist rules and would not break his precepts. The others were meat dishes, no need to elaborate. Only Zhou Lao ordered a bowl of soup, saying that he had something to do and couldn't sit for long. At that time, on the table, Zhou Lao was thinking in his heart and didn't mention this matter. After finishing the soup, he stood up and bid farewell. Tao Ziyao repeatedly reminded him, and Zhou Lao promised to send someone to deal with this matter tomorrow. They parted ways.

  Here, Tao Ziyao again entrusted Wei Fanren to vouch for him. Wei Fanren said: "Not only is the two-part contract from the five departments your own handwriting, but also the one-part contract that was later made, in duplicate, with one copy taken by the five departments and the other copy being handled by me on your behalf, and there is also a receipt written by Zi Weng for the borrowed silver." Tao Ziyao listened to this and became even more anxious, saying: "All of these are fake! Only the first contract, which dealt with 22,000 taels of silver worth of goods, is real." Wei Fanren said: "Don't be anxious, I'm not asking you for money now. We're all good friends, sharing fortune and misfortune together. The money that comes in from above won't stop at just 22,000 taels; this kind of unexpected windfall will also depend on your brother Zi Weng to share the luck." Tao Ziyao saw that the conversation had relaxed a bit, since he had already entrusted Old Master Zhou, and didn't say much more, but asked him: "When you see Brother Wu Ke, please speak well for me and explain that I don't have any great benefits in this matter; it's just that he is taking care of my brother." Wei Fanren could only agree. After finishing their meal, they each went their separate ways.

  Here is the translation:

  It's just that Zhou Lao Ye, whose single name is Yi Zi, courtesy name Guo Fu, was originally a trial official in Shandong. This time he followed Wang Dao Tai out, and initially said they would go to Dong Yang together. Coincidentally, Zhejiang Governor Liu Zhong Cheng had a document recommending him. He used to be a house guest at Liu Zhong Cheng's home and served as a western-style teacher, so Liu Zhong Cheng promoted him. He got this opportunity and thought that being a trial official was just a miscellaneous position, afraid of not getting a good assignment. Fortunately, he was good at socializing, and all the remittance shops were his fellow townspeople, everyone was on good terms with him. So he went to discuss with them, wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to donate for the position of county magistrate. Sure enough, they all agreed, some donated 200, some 100, some 50, and they quickly collected the money and filled out the application form at the donation office. From then on, his social circle expanded, and he became more influential, every day attending social events outside, getting to know several major compradors in foreign firms. One day, while chatting casually, he heard people mention that the person who had been cheated by Tao Zi Yao was the nephew of a military uniform comprador he had recently befriended, whose name was Wang Er Tiao. Zhou Lao Ye and Wang Er Tiao were distantly related, so they became especially close. Wang Er Tiao's intention was to get close to him because he was a favorite of the Zhejiang Governor, in order to pave the way for future business opportunities, without any other motives. With this good friend, Zhou Lao Ye's handling of Tao Zi Yao's case became much easier.

  Xishi: In ancient times, a teacher hired by a family to teach or manage accounts.

  He also mentioned that he had disturbed Tao Ziyao's One Fragrance Inn the night before and had been busy all night. The next day, after sending off Wang Daotai, he went straight to Wang Erdao's place of business and brought up this matter, asking him to help out. Wang Erdao immediately agreed and said: "Our nephew, he came to this foreign firm last year to do business, it was my uncle who stood as guarantor, I'm sure a word from me will settle the matter. As for the one surnamed Wei, he's also an acquaintance, no need to worry." After Old Man Zhou left, Wang Erdao indeed called his nephew over and said: "We're all people of face, let's not tear down someone else's wall." Qiu Wukuo told his uncle all the details. Wang Erdao said: "In that case, it doesn't hurt to give a discount to the one surnamed Tao either. But I've already promised Zhou, so when I tell him, just have the one surnamed Tao bring out a few and we'll go through the motions." Qiu Wukuo didn't dare disobey his uncle's words, so he agreed and took his leave, returning home to inform Wei Huanchen, waiting for his uncle's mediation, it seemed that things wouldn't end in nothing. Wei Huanchen stomped her foot and said: "This matter has been botched, how can we let him know about it!"

  That night, Wang Er diao came to Wannian Spring and invited Zhou Lao Ye to come over. He told him, "Go tell Tao Zi Wong that I've taken care of all the matters for him. However, there are two people, Wu Ke and Wei Fan Rong, who have also helped him out a lot and spent some unjust money. Please convey my thanks to them and compensate them a bit." Zhou Lao Ye was deeply grateful.

  When he returned, he informed Tao Zi Yao and discussed with him how much to give to Wu Ke and Wei Fan Rong. Tao Zi Yao only agreed to give each of them 1,000 yuan. Zhou Lao Ye said, "At least split it in half for them, so they won't have any complaints later." But Tao Zi Yao was reluctant.

  Zhou Lao Ye kept arguing with him until he finally agreed to give each of them 2,000 yuan. However, he also gave Zhou Lao Ye an additional 1,000 yuan on the side. Zhou Lao Ye thought it was a small amount and asked him to lend him another 1,000 yuan, which Tao Zi Yao reluctantly agreed to.

  Zhou Lao Ye took the 4,000 yuan in silver notes and went back to find Wang Er diao, handing over the matter clearly. Tao Zi Yao's fake receipts were all taken back. They just had to wait for the machine to arrive before they could ship it out to Shandong.

  At that time, Wu Ke was afraid of his aunt's orders and didn't dare say anything more. Only Wei Fan Rong still felt resentful in his heart and couldn't think of a way to deal with it himself. He instigated his new sister-in-law, saying, "Tao Zi Yao has money now. This person is ruthless and would be happy to take advantage of him."

  The new sister-in-law personally went to the warehouse to find Tao Zi Yao. He was afraid of his wife finding out, so he let the new sister-in-law go to the bottom floor room. The new sister-in-law first talked about the previous agreement regarding the spinning head, but when she saw that it wasn't working, she started talking about dismantling the spinning head.

  As they sat for a long time, Tao Zi Yao was afraid his wife would get suspicious, so he urged her to leave. At one point, he couldn't think of anyone else, so he said, "If you have anything to say, just ask Wei Lao Ye to convey it." The new sister-in-law was delighted.

  After that, the two of them never met again, and both sides were mediated by Wei Fan Rong, who ran back and forth between them, conveying messages for many days. Wei Fan Rong said, "The new sister-in-law insists on 3,000 yuan; if you don't agree, she'll come to the warehouse tomorrow to settle it with you!"

  Tao Zi Yao was anxious and begged Wei Fan Rong to try to reduce the amount a bit. After some discussion, they finally agreed on 2,000 yuan. Wei Fan Rong took the money, but in reality, he only gave the new sister-in-law 500 yuan. Tao Zi Yao also thanked him for another 500 yuan, making a total of 2,000 yuan that he had unexpectedly gained.

  His heart was now at ease. Afterward, when the machine arrived, whether or not Tao Zi Yao would take his family to Shandong to deliver it, or if Wu Ke's branch would do something, as the writer of this book, I couldn't help but conclude this case first, lest the reader become bored.

  Mr. Zhou unexpectedly received 1,500 yuan and considered it a windfall, so he immediately headed to Zhejiang Province. After arriving at the provincial capital, he followed the usual protocol and met with Liu Zhongcheng, an old acquaintance. The next day, Mr. Zhou went to thank him for entrusting him with handling documents and also took on duties related to foreign affairs. He then paid his respects to various officials and colleagues, which kept him busy for many days before he finally finished. Everyone knew that Mr. Zhou had a prior relationship with Liu Zhongcheng, so they looked at him differently. At the same time, there was another person in charge of handling documents named Dai Dalin, who was a first-place finisher in the imperial examination and a candidate for the position of prefect. He worked under Liu Zhongcheng but wasn't just a newcomer; he had been obedient to Liu's words and plans for some time. None of the other officials could surpass him, making him the most favored person in the yamen. Although Mr. Zhou was an old acquaintance of Liu Zhongcheng, Dai Dalin always acted as if he were his senior and didn't take Mr. Zhou seriously. Mr. Zhou knew that his qualifications were still shallow, so he yielded to Dai Dalin in all matters and temporarily didn't compete with him.

  One day, a vacancy occurred in the county magistrate position. Liu Zhongcheng intended to have Dai Dalie act as the interim official and mentioned it to the provincial governor, saying: "Dai has followed me through thick and thin for so long; let's assign this position to him." The governor agreed. However, this was merely a discussion between the two officials and had not yet been officially confirmed. At that time, there was a police officer standing nearby who overheard their conversation. After the meeting ended, he rushed to the document office where Dai Dalie worked and delivered the news, saying: "Today, the governor discussed it with the provincial governor in person; the appointment will likely be announced tonight." Dai Dalie was naturally delighted when he heard this. His colleagues came one after another to congratulate him, and even Zhou Laoye had to follow suit and offer his congratulations.

  It was after lunch on a certain day that Liu Zhongcheng suddenly summoned Zhou Lao to his presence and said, "In the past, Dai Mou has been the most reliable person in charge of documents. No matter what official business it is, as long as he handles it, he is meticulous and has never made any mistakes. I have worked hard for him for many years, and I intend to give him a promotion, so that he can go out and gain some experience. After that, you gentlemen must be extra careful." Zhou Lao listened and thought for a moment before responding, "Your Excellency's words are well-taken. Dai Mou is indeed an old hand at official business. Not only is he already over 50 years old, but when it comes to writing memorials, no matter how many thousands of characters they contain, he can write them from start to finish without a single error, and he does so quickly and efficiently. We several officials are far inferior to him in this regard. Although it's not easy to say this, for the sake of the overall situation, we really cannot do without him here. Currently, both Hunan and Guangdong provinces have been reprimanded by their superiors due to errors in their memorials or incorrect headings. Now that the end of the year is approaching and there are many things to attend to, if Dai Mou were to be sent out, even if we officials were extremely careful, I fear that some mistake might still occur, causing delays in Your Excellency's official business. It's true that Dai Mou has worked hard for many years, and it would be a kindness on your part to grant him a promotion. However, from the perspective of official business, we really cannot do without him." Liu Zhongcheng listened to these words and thought they made sense: "Zhou is an old colleague of mine from my time in the western provinces, and his words are reliable. Now that our superiors are being so strict, if Dai Mou were to go out and make some mistake, it would be a problem." After thinking for a moment, he said, "Fortunately, I haven't yet spoken to him about this promotion. Why don't we just give the position to someone else? Let him focus on his work for now, and once others have become more familiar with official business, we can give him a good position next year." Having said that, he ordered the notification of the appointment to be sent out: "The position in such-and-such county will not be given to Dai Mou. Wait until tomorrow when we go to court, and we'll discuss it further and appoint someone else." Zhou Lao and the others finished speaking and withdrew.

  That night, it was the day when several friends in the literary circle gathered together to celebrate Dai Dalin's appointment. Zhou Laoye also contributed a share of money for the celebration. Earlier, Liu Zhongcheng had spoken with him, but he didn't say anything and just smiled along with the crowd, raising his glass to congratulate Dai Dalin. At this time, Dai Dalin was beaming with pride. After drinking over ten cups of wine, he was slightly drunk and said to the crowd: "We're all colleagues who work together, but I never thought that Brother Liu would let me take the lead." The crowd replied in unison: "This is because Commander Liu admires your great talent, so he specially left this position for you to showcase your economic skills." Dai Dalin said: "What economic skills? It's just that the Emperor has shown me special favor and wants to promote me." The crowd said: "Who knows, maybe by the end of the year, you'll be promoted again!" Dai Dalin said: "We'll see about that, but I hope all of you will also get promotions like me!" The crowd replied: "This is a blessing from above, and we brothers are still young and inexperienced. How can we compare to your seniority?" Zhou Laoye also joined in the flattery, but was secretly amused by it all. Before long, the banquet dispersed, and it was already past midnight.

  Dai Dalin returned home and asked his servant, "Has the plaque from the provincial governor's office been sent out?" Dai Dalin thought that although it was the provincial governor's order, it wouldn't be so quick, so he didn't pay much attention to it. After a night passed, on the second day, until 10 o'clock, there was still no news about the plaque being hung out. Dai Dalin couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. After lunch, there was still no news. Dai Dalin said to his servant, "Don't worry about it?" The servant didn't dare speak, thinking to himself: "My master's connections are reliable, if he had this intention, it wouldn't be in vain." He also thought: "I hope I won't be robbed by someone with a big hat? However, there are many vacancies in Zhejiang Province, and they might not necessarily choose me. In short, the police officer who sent the message definitely wouldn't deceive me." For a moment, he was like an ant on a hot pot, unable to eat or drink, restless and uneasy, until evening arrived. The servant went out again to ask around, and soon returned with his head hung low in disappointment. Dai Dalin quickly asked: "What's the matter?" The servant didn't dare hide it and replied: "It seems that yesterday the police officer was just joking, it wasn't true!" Dai Dalin heard this and still wanted to hold on, asking: "Are you sure you didn't mistake another vacancy?" The servant said: "The police officer came to deliver the message in front of me, I clearly heard him, how could I have mistaken it?" Dai Dalin asked: "Who was appointed instead?" The servant replied: "It's someone surnamed Kong, reportedly from the military affairs office." At this point, Dai Dalin had a fat vacancy snatched away from him, and he was so angry that he couldn't bear it. He took five days off, sat in his government office, and refused to see guests.

  A narrow escape from failure just when success seems within reach.

  Later, Liu Zhongcheng remembered him because of a public matter and asked what illness he had contracted. He truly recalled it and dispatched the same police officer who had reported the good news to visit him at his residence. The police officer saw him and truly comforted him, saying: "That day, the minister clearly stated that you were entrusted with this task, how did you discuss it with Zhou for half a day and change your mind?" Dai Dalu hastily asked: "What did Zhou say about me?" The police officer said: "He spoke very highly of you, sir." He then told Dai Dalu everything that Zhou had discussed with Liu Zhongcheng. After all, Dai Dalu was a man of great wisdom and insight. Upon hearing these words, he suddenly realized: "I see! I see! My good opportunity was ruined by his few words!" He further inquired: "When did he speak to the minister?" "Why didn't he say a word that evening at the banquet? This person is really so treacherous and despicable!" After thinking about it, he couldn't help but grit his teeth with hatred: "I must take revenge on him, only then will I show off my skills!" To know what happens next, please listen to the next chapter.