Chapter 12: Setting a Trap, Borrowing a Knife to Kill, Cutting Off the Boot Waist, Separating the Boat, Eating Vinegar, and Officialdom Exposed in "The Book of Heaven"

  But he had asked the patrol officer about the details, and knew that this deficiency was sent to Mr. Zhou's hands, so he hated Mr. Zhou into his bones. At that time, he didn't reveal any words or expressions, and after handing over the official business to the patrol officer and sending him away, he was furious and couldn't sleep all night. After careful consideration for a whole night, he finally came up with a plan to take revenge on Mr. Zhou once, in order to vent his hatred.

  During these five days off, all the colleagues in the document came to visit him and comfort him. Zhou Lao Ye was more diligent than others, coming twice a day, morning and evening, saying: "Since the old man didn't come out for two days, all the official business felt very inconvenient, I hope the old man will recover soon and go out early." He and Dai Da Li were perfunctory with each other. When Zhou Lao Ye returned to the courtyard, Liu Zhong Cheng sometimes summoned him and asked about Dai Da Li's illness. Zhou Lao Ye replied: "Dai Mu doesn't have any serious illness. I heard that you wanted to appoint him as an acting official earlier, but later appointed someone else, so he was unhappy in his heart and took sick leave at home. I think this time not letting him go out is your intention of valuing him, because there are many public affairs at the end of the year, and he is familiar with things here, so it's better to keep him inside for a few more months. I have served several superiors before, but none as kind as you, who understand people's difficulties and only hope that they can make contributions. Why worry about not being promoted in the future? Dai Mu doesn't understand this reasoning and misunderstands your good intentions, which will ultimately harm himself."

  Liu Zhongcheng was unhappy when he heard this and said, "I entrusted him with the task, but I haven't spoken to him in person. If he continues to work for me, won't there be opportunities for advancement in the future? How can I not ask him to help me out for a few more months? He's always taking sick leave or vacation time without being ill. Is it that I have no one else to handle matters except for him?" Master Zhou listened but didn't respond. Unexpectedly, Liu Zhongcheng became even angrier as he thought about it. Five days passed, and Dai Dalao's vacation ended. He went to report back to work, and although Liu Zhongcheng hadn't seen him, fortunately, his position hadn't been revoked yet. He continued to go to the office every day to handle matters. After all, he was an old hand at this job, and Liu Zhongcheng couldn't do without him. So even though he wasn't pleased with Dai Dalao, there were still some matters that needed to be discussed with him. When he saw Master Zhou, he noticed that things had changed a lot compared to before and knew that someone must have been slandering him behind his back. He didn't show any emotion but diligently handled his work, not saying an extra word or taking an extra step. When he met his colleagues, including Master Zhou, he was especially friendly, addressing them as brothers and being very lively. Sometimes he even called Master Zhou "Old Master" and said, "Master Zhou is a guest that the Censor-in-Chief invited from the Western Regions. The Censor-in-Chief looks at him with different eyes, so how can we be neglectful of him?" Master Zhou and his group saw Dai Dalao being so accommodating and were willing to get close to him. Master Zhou didn't have any family members living with him and lived in a house on the premises. Dai Dalao would often go to his house to chat and sometimes brought several dishes of home-cooked food from the public hostel, saying that they were made by his concubine. This went on for over two months, during which everyone only saw his good side and not his bad side. Occasionally when the Censor-in-Chief mentioned something, everyone would speak up for Dai Dalao, so his reputation gradually recovered. Moreover, he had been working in the office for a long time, and it wasn't just outsiders who knew him; even the insiders, including the attendants, doorkeepers, and wet nurses, all recognized him. From then on, Master Zhou was more careful in everything he did, having learned from his experience of being taken advantage of by Dai Dalao when he had shown off his seniority in front of him. This was also a sign of his cleverness and cunning.

  Now, let's talk about the situation in Zhejiang Province at that time. The area around Yanzhou was often plagued by bandits who resisted arrest and robbed homes, causing great unrest. The provincial capital had several garrison troops, which were usually led by a deputy governor. The current leader, Hu Hua Ruo, was from Hunan Province and was an old acquaintance of Dai Lian's, having come from the same hometown and graduated in the same year. As it happened, the bandits were gathering in the Tonglu area, but although they were a motley crew, the government troops were afraid to confront them. Whenever they saw the bandits, they would flee without even putting up a fight. There were two types of government troops: the Green Battalion and the Defense Battalion. The Green Battalion was made up of local soldiers who were supposed to be on duty at all times, but in reality, most of them were idle and only showed up when the provincial governor came for an inspection. They would then disperse again after he left. This time, with the bandits causing trouble, they had received a secret order from the provincial governor to defend the city, but the old soldiers were weak and tired, while the new recruits were mostly local thugs who bullied the common people and did all sorts of evil things. As for the officers in charge, they had all risen through the ranks by currying favor with their superiors and had no real ability to lead troops. They spent most of their time smoking opium, playing with children, or attending to trivial matters, and were completely useless when it came to fighting bandits. The Defense Battalion was different. In the past, they had fought against the Taiping rebels and the Nian rebels, and had achieved great victories. After the wars were over, some of the troops were disbanded, but a few battalions were kept as a local defense force. At first, only the bravest and most capable soldiers were retained, while the weak and incompetent ones were dismissed. However, after twenty years had passed, those who had fought in the wars had either grown old or died, and new recruits had been brought in. As a result, the Defense Battalion was no better than the Green Battalion. The leaders of the Defense Battalion were not chosen for their military ability, but rather for their connections and influence. Those who had really fought in battles and achieved victories were often left without a position or a stipend. Some people managed to get by through their connections, but even they became complacent and corrupt after many years in office. As for those who schemed to get this position, it was all about embezzling military funds, and the result was just as bad as the Green Battalion. Hu Hua Ruo, the current leader of the Defense Battalion, was suffering from this very problem.

  Yellow Riding Jacket: a yellow outer garment bestowed by the emperor on meritorious officials; "Barutu": Manchu language, meaning bravery and martial valor, an honorific title conferred by the emperor on meritorious officials.

  At this time, the local officials of Yanzhou and surrounding areas sent urgent reports to the provincial government. The superiors also knew that the military strength in that area was weak and insufficient for defense, so they entrusted Hu Hua with leading six battalions of soldiers to go and quell the uprising. Hu Hua's leadership was actually obtained through his connections in the capital, and he had no strategic mind or discipline. In peacetime, he could still get by, but as soon as there was an emergency, he became flustered and panicked. When the superior officials dispatched him to lead the troops, he became even more anxious and didn't know what to do. Because of his close relationship with Dai Dalin, before receiving the official order, Dai Dalin was the first to come and congratulate him, asking about his well-being and sitting down. He said: "You foolish clown, it's not difficult to defeat the enemy and achieve a great victory. As soon as we report back with news of our triumph, you will be promoted without delay." Hu Hua said: "Old colleague, don't tease me! We know each other well, what else is there to say? You know that when I was trying to get this appointment, I spent a lot of money, and it's only been half a year. The losses from before haven't been made up for yet, and now this unexpected event has occurred. What do you think I'm feeling in my heart? Moreover, this matter of sending troops to fight is not something we can handle. We didn't get any money out of it, but we might as well throw our lives away. As for the talk of achieving merit and getting promoted, let others do that. This kind of benefit is not something I dare to hope for."

  Magistrate Dai said, "The order has been passed down from above, and you must make an effort to go." Hu Huaruo said, "I won't go! My body is not capable of withstanding hardship. If I were to lose my life, wouldn't that be a waste? As for the rewards and honors, I am not interested in them. When the official document arrives, I will resign from this position and return it to the superior, asking him to appoint someone else." Magistrate Dai said, "This is not a good idea to decline. Fortunately, the place is just a gathering of mobs, and there's nothing too serious going on. You only need to think about not shouldering this heavy responsibility. In fact, I have an idea: you can request that one person accompany you to the imperial court, and all matters will be entrusted to him. Whether things go well or badly, it won't concern you." Hu Huaruo hastily asked, "Who is it?" Magistrate Dai replied, "It's Zhou, who works with me on document cases." Hu Huaruo said, "I also know this person. I've heard he used to be a secretary for the Censor-in-Chief." Magistrate Dai said, "That's exactly why he has influence in front of the Censor-in-Chief, and no one can surpass him. Now that the superior has ordered you to go to Yanzhou to suppress the bandits, if you were to decline, it would be seen as evasive, and the superior might not accept your resignation. It's better to follow my humble opinion." Hu Huaruo asked, "What do you suggest?" Magistrate Dai said, "For now, just wait for the official document to arrive. Then, you can go to the imperial court and request a few capable attendants to accompany you. First, put Zhou's name on the list. The superior won't refuse. Zhou wants to be in good standing with the Censor-in-Chief, so he'll definitely agree to go. When he comes to pay his respects, you can entrust all matters of suppressing the bandits to him. If things go smoothly, everyone will save face; if not, you can just shift the blame onto Zhou. The Censor-in-Chief won't be able to say anything since it's Zhou who handled it. At that time, you can request to resign and ask the superior to appoint someone else. Even if the superior is dissatisfied with your performance, at least seven-tenths of the fault will be reduced." Hu Huaruo listened to his words and suddenly realized their wisdom. He smiled and said, "Old colleague, this plan is excellent! I'll definitely follow it."

  Here is the translation:

  At this point, Dai Dalu asked for another favor and said: "In the future when you return victorious, please put in a good word for me with Mr. Liu, and ask him to mention my name." Hu Huaruo said: "That's only natural. But if things don't go well, I'll be scolded by my seniors." Dai Dalu had not yet responded when suddenly an official came to report: "There is urgent business at the Institute, please come immediately." Dai Dalu could only stand up and bid farewell. Hu Huaruo immediately got into his sedan chair and headed to the Institute. Upon entering the office, he handed in his name card, and was immediately summoned inside. At that moment, Liu Zhongcheng was discussing with him the matter of Yanzhou Prefecture, ordering him to lead six battalions to suppress the bandits there at once, saying: "The situation there is extremely urgent. Elder brother, take six battalions first. If they are not enough, quickly send a telegram to me and I will dispatch more troops to support you. Today, because of the urgency of the matter, I asked elder brother to come here for a discussion, and afterwards we will complete the formalities."

  Hu Hua Ruo repeatedly agreed, and after Liu Zhong Cheng finished speaking, he continued to say: "I'm afraid I won't be able to do a good job and will disappoint your trust. Moreover, there are very few capable people under my command, so now I'd like to ask you to assign a few more people to go with me." Liu Zhong Cheng said: "Whoever you want to call, just call them to come." Hu Hua Ruo said: "I know that Zhou Ling, the clerk in charge of documents here, is very experienced. He used to be stationed in the big camp and had experience. With him going, I can entrust everything to him." Liu Zhong Cheng asked: "Can he handle it?" Hu Hua Ruo replied: "This person is someone I know well." Liu Zhong Cheng said: "If he can handle it, that's best. Fortunately, there are no major events here, so I'll let him follow you. Who else do you want?" Hu Hua Ruo then reported another candidate for the position of Tongzhi, surnamed Huang and named Zhongji, and a candidate for the position of Xianzhang, surnamed Wen and named Xishan. In total, there were three people, including Zhou Lao Ye. Liu Zhong Cheng agreed to all of them and immediately called for someone to summon the three to come and see him.

  Among the three, Zhou was a servant in the courtyard and was immediately summoned. After meeting, Liu told him the reason and asked him to go together to suppress the bandits. Zhou listened and modestly declined twice. Later, seeing Hu Huaruo's enthusiastic flattery, he said some words of "longing for great talent, this time's matter must be borrowed heavily". Zhou thought that if he won and returned, it would be a shortcut to promotion. Thinking of this, his heart was already filled with joy, and he involuntarily agreed. Hu Huaruo was naturally delighted. Not long after, the other two arrived. Liu ordered them, and none of them refused. Hu Huaruo stood up and bid farewell, telling the three to prepare quickly, as they would set out tonight, and official business would be made up for later. The three stood up and responded. Liu sent off Hu Huaruo, asking him on the way: "What tasks will you assign to the three of them?" Hu Huaruo replied: "Huang will be in charge of grain supplies, Wen's literary skills are excellent, he can be dispatched to follow the camp, Zhou has the deepest experience, I plan to entrust him with managing the camp affairs." Liu listened without comment and sent Hu Huaruo off at the second gate. The three, Zhou, Huang, and Wen, didn't wait for Liu to send off the guest, slipped out, and waited outside to take over the shift from the commander. Hu Huaruo ordered them to quickly pack their luggage, receive their salary, each paid for three months, and immediately had someone deliver it. The three listened to this and again bowed in gratitude, sending off Hu Huaruo as he got into his sedan chair.

  Here is the translation:

  Just then, Old Master Zhou returned to the topic at hand. The fellow officials had already received the news and came over to offer their congratulations, saying: "To defeat the enemy on horseback is a rare opportunity that comes once in a thousand years. For you to go now is no different from ascending to heaven! In a few days, the red flag will report victory, and those like Sima and Huang will be at your beck and call. At that time, you'll rise straight up and be separated from us by a gap as wide as clouds and mud. It's truly something to envy and admire!" Old Master Zhou said: "This is still due to the support of the Provincial Governor and the promotion of the Commander-in-Chief, as well as the favor shown me by all of you fellow officials. If I can just live up to expectations this time and succeed by luck, it will be a great stroke of good fortune. How dare I harbor extravagant hopes?" Everyone said: "What are you talking about!" Just then, while they were being modest, Dai Dalie walked over, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him into a nearby room where public affairs were handled, saying: "I have something to tell you." Old Master Zhou said: "I'm deeply grateful for your instruction! But I don't know what it's about?" Dai Dalie said: "It's about that Commander Hu you're going to see. This man is not only from the same hometown as my brother, but also from the same year, and we've worked together before. Although he's already passed his prime, my brother is very familiar with him and knows his temperament well. Now that you're following him, I'm taking the opportunity to remind you of something. As they say, 'to speak without hiding anything' is in line with the principles of our friendship." Old Master Zhou said: "I'm truly grateful for your reminder, elder brother!" Dai Dalie said: "Don't be polite. This Commander Hu is a timid person who hesitates and is indecisive about everything. If you're working under him, you can only take charge on your own initiative. If you have to ask for his instructions before doing anything, it will take a hundred years to succeed. Moreover, military affairs are constantly changing, and there's no time to hesitate. Remember my words: when the time comes, you should attack or defend as needed. Although he's a commander, since he's entrusted you with full authority, you should take advantage of the situation and act on your own initiative. As they say, 'when the general is away from court, there are times when one cannot obey the king's orders.' If you can do this, he will respect you even more and say that you're capable of handling things. But if you let him have his way in everything, he'll certainly look down on you as worthless."

  Mr. Zhou was deeply moved by his words, and it was a heartfelt gratitude that came from the bottom of his heart, not just empty talk. The two men chatted for a while longer about other things. Mr. Zhou hurried back home to pack his bags. Before nightfall, Hu Hua Ruo sent someone to deliver official documents and also sent three months' worth of salary, which was 200 taels of silver per month, totaling 600 taels for three months, due to the war efforts. Mr. Zhou settled the accounts with the person who came, packed his bags, and carried them all the way to the dock outside Hou Chao Gate. Huang and Wen had just arrived as well. After waiting for a while, they saw Hu Hua Ruo approaching with lanterns and torches, followed by a swarm of people. Once on board, everyone gathered together. Hu Hua Ruo ordered the boat to set off immediately. The boatman replied, "It's not good to travel at night, even if we do set off, we won't be able to cover much distance. Why don't we wait until midnight when the moon comes up and the tide rises? We can take advantage of the tide's momentum and go a long way quickly, saving our laborers' energy as well?" The officer on the bow of the boat came in to report this to Hu Hua Ruo, who didn't say much. The officer retreated, and...

  There was a type of large boat on the Qiantang River, specifically for carrying officials and dignitaries, called "Jiangshan boats". The women on these boats were all dressed up with makeup and flowers in their hair. Normally, they would sit at the bow of the boat, enticing young masters to come aboard and play; when there was an official mission, they would attend to it in the cabin. There was a slogan on the boat that referred to these women as "zhāo pái zhǔ" (招牌主), meaning living signboards that could attract customers. These boats only carried officials and not goods. Another type of boat that could carry goods had deeper cabins, but the layout on deck was the same as the Jiangshan boats, and were also called "Jiangbai boats". Apart from these, there were only the "Yiwu boats" with two entrances. The Yiwu boats also carried passengers and goods, but without women attendants. At this time, the soldiers under Hu's command were all on "cannon boats". Because he himself loved comfort, he had specially asked the county to charter a Jiangshan boat for him. The county was willing to oblige, knowing that he still had attendants and advisors, so they chartered two more Jiangbai boats. As a result, Hu was on the Jiangshan boat, while the three attendants, Zhou, Huang, and Wen, as well as Hu's two advisors, were divided among the two Jiangbai boats. Some people mentioned that the Jiangshan boats were also called "Jiuxing fishing boats". This was because in the previous dynasty, Zhu Hongwu had conquered the country and banished Chen Youliang's family to these boats, treating them like official courtesans. Therefore, the people on these boats today are still descendants of Chen Youliang's followers, and no one else can claim to be part of this group.

  Let's talk about something else. So, on that day, when Hu Hua got on the "Jiangshan boat", after all the attendants withdrew, the "signboard master" of the boat came up and presented him with a bowl of swallow's nest soup. As the commander-in-chief, he was used to playing around in Jiangdu for a long time, and after getting on the boat, everything was paid for by the imperial family's money, so he spent freely without restraint. All the rules were followed, and there was no need to mention it.

  As for the three attendants, two of them, Wang and Zhao, sat in two "Jiangbai boats". Among the five people, only one, Huang Zhong, had a family and was living in Hangzhou. Another old man, surnamed Wang, with the courtesy name Zhongxun, was an elderly person who was addicted to opium, and his addiction was severe. He smoked from morning till night, and from night till dawn, but still couldn't get enough. Where would he have time to go whoring?

  So these two people can be excluded, no need to count them in. The remaining three people were: the first one, Wen Xishan, a Manchu with a young age and a handsome face, wearing clean and elegant clothes. Not only women liked him when they saw him, but even men couldn't help but admire him. Because he was the seventh son, everyone respected him as "Wen Qiye". Another old man, surnamed Zhao, had a nickname that originally meant "補蓼" (supplementing lotus), but later became "不了" (can't be done). He was only in his early twenties and had left his family to come to this place from afar. It's true that he had the feeling of not seeing women for three years, and even when he saw a water buffalo, he thought it had beautiful eyebrows.

  Finally, let's talk about Zhou Laoye. This person has been introduced before, so you already know him roughly. His personality was like what the new scholars called "骑墙党" (riding on the wall party): when meeting serious people, he would be serious; when encountering fun-loving friends, he would join in and drink with them. He was extremely sociable outside, so everyone liked him. However, there was one bad habit that he had since birth and wouldn't change for his whole life: he looked at copper coins as too valuable. Except for giving money to women, not a single coin would be wasted. When leaving, Hu Hua gave him 300 silver coins, but he didn't bring any on the boat, instead entrusting them to friends to keep outside, preparing to collect interest later.

  His intention was that this time, following Hu Hua out to suppress bandits, he would inevitably have two battalions under his command. With soldiers came salaries, and with salaries came opportunities for him to embezzle. If there were shortages of 1,000 or 800 coins, he could still borrow from Hu Hua. Dai Dalu said that he was hard to deal with but not soft-hearted; as they were familiar with each other, what he said must be true.

  At this moment, Wen Qiye and Zhao Er were both on the same boat. Wen Qiye had already given orders to the sailors before boarding, instructing them to keep a distance from the other boats. The people on the boat understood that they had received an important guest. As soon as he boarded, it happened that there was a "host" named Yu Xian on the boat, who was someone Wen Qiye had invited over before. Now that they had met again, they were especially friendly. When Wen Qiye returned from speaking with the leader of the fleet, Yu Xian hurried over to help him remove his hat and belt, change his clothes, and take off his boots, not even letting the steward do it. Then, Yu Xian personally brought over a bowl of swallow's nest soup for Wen Qiye to drink from her hand. The two of them sat together on the kang, holding hands, while Zhao Er looked on with envy, thinking: "These people are so sycophantic, they fawn all over those in power." Just then, someone placed a covered bowl in front of him, startling him. When he looked up, it was Yu Xian's younger sister, Lan Xian, who had brought him a bowl of swallow's nest soup. Why? It turned out that the people on the boat had initially seen his plain clothes and thought he was a lower-ranking person compared to Wen Qiye's fine attire. Later, when Wen Qiye's steward went to the back to rinse some water, the boat owner found out that he was actually the leader's teacher, so they hastily brought him a bowl of swallow's nest soup as well. However, most of the swallow's nest had already been served to Wen Qiye, leaving only a small amount of dregs. The boat owner was at a loss for what to do when the steward suggested: "Just add some hot water and sugar, and it'll be fine." Inspired by this suggestion, they prepared another bowl according to the recipe and had Lan Xian bring it in. Zhao Er was overjoyed when he saw it. Fortunately, he had never tasted swallow's nest soup before, so now he found it sweet and delicious. Moreover, Lan Xian kept winking at him and making eyes, leaving him bewildered and unable to tell whether what he was drinking was swallow's nest or sugar water.

  Honorable officials, do you know that Wen Qi's indulgence is a wealthy indulgence. The indulgence of Tao Ziyao mentioned earlier in the book was also a wealthy indulgence after earning money. But this Zhao Naile, as a friend, followed his master out on this trip and only earned ten or eight taels of silver as salary, where did he get the money to indulge? Therefore, his indulgence can only be considered a poor indulgence. Having said that, it is clear that this article is not a repetitive one.

  Let's talk about something else. So, Zhao couldn't finish the bowl of sugar soup, not a single drop was left. After finishing, he didn't sleep and instead made a ruckus with Lan Xiang in the cabin. At this time, Wen Qiye and Yu Xiang were quietly in the ear room, not making a sound. They waited until the second half of the night when someone said the tide had come. The sailors on the boat all stood at the bow waiting. From far away, they heard the sound of drums and gongs getting closer and louder, until it sounded like thousands of horses and soldiers rushing over. With one movement, the bow of the boat was pushed forward twice. The sailors used poles to push the bow and turned the boat with the tide, going a long distance in an instant, already leaving the riverbank more than ten miles behind. At this time, everyone on board was woken up by the tide. Before long, it was dawn, and the boat set off as usual. Wen Qiye had gotten up and saw that it was still early, so he went back to the ear room to sleep, with Yu Xiang following him in to attend to him. At first, they could still hear Wen Qiye and Yu Xiang talking, but later there was no sound. Zhao couldn't finish his fun with Lan Xiang for half the night, and after the boat set off, Lan Xiang was called by the sailor to go sleep at the back of the boat and didn't come out again. In the middle cabin, only Zhao was left, feeling lonely and desolate. Whenever he thought about Yu Xiang's attitude towards Wen Qiye, or Lan Xiang's appearance, his heart felt like it had fifteen hanging buckets, up and down, in a mess.

  The next day, after the boat stopped, Wen Qiye arranged a table of eight big and small dishes for Yu Xian, inviting only a few colleagues from the two boats, without inviting the leader. Wang and Huang did not ask to accompany them with flowers, and Zhou Lao Ye also thought it was unnecessary. Wen Qiye said: "You don't bring a companion, it's too cold." Zhou Lao Ye had no choice but to bring a small "flower master" named Zhao Di from his boat. As for Zhao Le, he didn't need to be asked, and as soon as he sat down, Lan Xian was already sitting behind him. Wen Qiye still felt it was too cold and secretly called the two "flower masters" from the leader's boat to come over and sit beside him. When all the big and small bowls were served, the companions around the table, starting with the host, each toasted a cup of wine. After finishing their drinks, Yu Xian hugged her pipa and sang a song called "First Emperor". Wen Qiye accompanied her on the drum board. After Yu Xian finished singing, Lan Xian continued to sing a small tune while making eyes at Zhao Le. From time to time, Zhao Le turned his head to look back at him, and they were both applauded by everyone. Wen Qiye insisted that Zhao Le should arrange a meal for him. Zhao Le calculated the money in his pocket and found it was only enough to buy wine, not enough to buy food, so he firmly refused to arrange a meal. Lan Xian couldn't persuade him, so she had to order a set of wine on his behalf.

  Flower companion: flower, beauty; flower companion, a type of bar girl.

  Here is the translation:

  Zhao couldn't help but want to turn over the table again, so he urged everyone to eat quickly. After finishing the meal, they cleared away the remaining dishes. Huang and Wang wanted to go ashore to relieve themselves, but Zhao wouldn't let them, saying: "I'm someone who rarely hosts a banquet, how can you two not show your faces?" Huang and Wang had no choice but to relieve themselves on this side of the boat. The rules on the "Jiangshan Boat" were that hosting a meal cost eight dollars, having a simple meal cost six dollars, and hosting wine only cost four dollars. Zhao had only three dollars and eight cents left in his pocket, as well as over ten copper coins. He borrowed three more cents from his colleague Wang Zhonglu, making it eleven cents in total, and also got one dollar from the steward of Wen Qiye's household. After settling the bill, the banquet was already set up. Zhao sat in the host seat, feeling quite pleased with himself. Huang and Wang still didn't call for a toast. Old Master Zhou still called out to Zhaodi. Because Zhaodi was only eleven years old, when they first boarded the boat, the ship owner's wife had said to Old Master Zhou: "As long as you're willing to take care of him, we won't dare ask for payment." So Old Master Zhou had made up his mind and insisted on calling out to Zhaodi. As for Wen Qiye, it goes without saying that he had his own Yu Xian, as well as the two "signboard masters" from the boat, making a total of three people. When Wen Qiye hosted the meal, he heard that the commander was playing cards on the boat, so he dared to call over the "signboard masters". Originally, they had been instructed to wait until the commander woke up and then go to attend to him, with the two sisters taking turns serving him so as not to leave him feeling lonely. But who knew that Commander Hu's card game lasted for three hours before he finally fell asleep? On this side, Wen Qiye had eaten two rounds of food, and after drinking several cups of wine, he was getting quite drunk. When someone from the commander's boat came over to inform them that "the commander is awake", asking him to send one of his sisters over, who knew that Wen Qiye would refuse to let her go?

  Take a nap while sitting down.

  The two "signboard masters" on the boat were sisters: the elder sister was called Longzhu, now 18 years old; the younger sister was called Fengzhu, now 16 years old. The two of them had a beauty that could sink fish and geese, and a charm that could shame the moon and flowers. They were truly talented people. Whenever officials came to travel, they would specifically request this boat. In fact, Hu's relationship with Longzhu was not ordinary. The county magistrate had a good understanding of his intentions, so he had already reserved this boat for him at the dock. After Hu boarded the boat, whenever he wanted tea or water, it was always Longzhu who served him personally. If Longzhu happened to have something to do, Fengzhu would take her place. Because Fengzhu was also 16 years old now, Hu had long been harboring a desire to slowly deploy his "one arrow, two hawks" strategy. Therefore, the two sisters were both people he cherished in his heart, and except for when they were sleeping, one of them always had to be by his side.

  He woke up from his nap and didn't see the shadow of his sister, called out twice but no one answered. He got up alone and sat for a while, then walked back and forth with his hands behind him, taking two laps, feeling very impatient in his heart. He tilted his ear to listen, and vaguely heard the sound of boxing coming from afar. After listening again, there was a loud voice singing Beijing opera, singing "Wu Long Temple", just as he sang "I built Wu Long Temple for you, I spent a lot of silver for you" two sentences, couldn't tell whose voice it was at first. He listened again and suddenly heard a burst of laughter, which turned out to be Longzhu, not someone else. Hu Tongling had a lot of doubts in his heart, wondering who was singing on the boat. Then he heard the person on the boat sing: "Raise your hand and punch him." After finishing this sentence, everyone cheered, and it was clear that Zhao Wucheng's voice was mixed in. Hu Tongling only realized at this point that the one who sang earlier was not someone else, but Wen Qiye, and he couldn't help but get angry, his face burning with rage, and he smashed a teacup on the table to pieces. After stopping for a while, no one came over yet. It turned out that everyone on the big boat, including the boss, the employees, the attendants, and the officials, had all gone to the other boat to watch the excitement, leaving no one behind. Hu Tongling was furious at this time, unable to hold back his anger, and took a chair in his hand and threw it out of the window. Fortunately, the people on the neighboring boat heard the commotion and rushed over to see what was happening, only to find that the leader was angry. They were originally mutually acquainted with each other, so they hurriedly ran to Wen Qiye's boat and told him what had happened. Everyone was frightened. Zhao Wucheng usually feared his master like a tiger, but when he heard this news, he quickly called for the withdrawal of the performance. However, Wen Qiye had drunk several more cups and shouted: "I am not subject to his control! They think it's fun to be in charge, why can't we have fun as attendants?" While speaking, he stretched out both hands and pressed down on Longzhu's sister's clothes. Later, after being persuaded by Longzhu with many good words, he left Fengzhu behind, but not before Wen Qiye had a tantrum, saying that Longzhu was the leader's favorite, "You rotten girls only know how to fawn over the master, you don't put us in your eyes!"

  Longzhu didn't dare to retort and hastily returned to his own boat. Only then did he see that the leader's face had turned pale with rage. A ship owner, three or four clerks, were kneeling on the ground kowtowing. Hu Tongling scolded the ship owner and asked, "Which county is in charge of this place?" He ordered the officer, "Take a note and send these good-for-nothings to the county office!" At that moment, Longzhu came over, but it was not easy for him to try to curry favor or make excuses. The things they had done on Wen Qi's boat and Wen Qi's words after he got drunk had all been heard by Hu Tongling, so he was both angry and jealous, and the situation was getting out of control. Later, fortunately, a clever officer saw that the matter was not going to be settled, so he came up with a plan and ran over to help Hu Tongling kick the ship owner a few times, saying, "If you have something to say, go to the county office to talk about it, sir doesn't have time to chat with you." As he spoke, he took all those people to the bow of the boat, so that Longzhu could be alone in the cabin serving Hu Tongling and slowly helping him calm down. At first, Hu Tongling was still angry and didn't want to talk to Longzhu, but he couldn't resist Longzhu's flattering words, and eventually softened up. Hu Tongling lay on the opium couch smoking, while Longzhu stood beside him lighting his pipe. Hu Tongling asked him, "Why were you getting along with Wen Lao Ye on that boat and didn't come over? Do you think I'm not as good-looking as Wen Lao Ye? If so, then I don't want you to serve me opium anymore." Longzhu heard this and hastily made excuses, saying, "The 'boss' of their ship invited me to play, so I missed serving you, sir. I didn't see Wen's shadow at all." Hu Tongling said, "Don't try to deceive me. It was all heard by me, do you still want to deny it?" On the one hand, he spoke with Longzhu, and on the other hand, he recalled his jealousy from earlier and hated Wen Lao Ye even more, saying, "At what time, when serving which duty, they were indulging in wine and pleasure. This is unbearable!" Just because of this, Hu Tongling and Wen Lao Ye had countless troubles arise due to Longzhu, and even Zhou Lao Ye and Zhao Tongling were involved. To know the details, please listen to the next part of the story.