The Deer and The Cauldron

[foxs]

Athlon, Crazee, Kangxi himself said that it would be an easy mission for him. Smurf, I guess it was because everybody else was doing it? I am surprised that an astute Kangxi did not know about it. Or perhaps he did, but he did not care? I guess because he did not have to campaign to be elected 'emperor' ... Ace, thanks for the info. I incorporate your note into my source file, it becomes note 1, hence you will see the notes in this chapter will start with 2. Anh, you are welcome. When are you coming home?

BTW, I used to get 'wuxia xiao shuo' from Qiqi.com, but apparently the site is no longer there. Can anybody tell me other source? I know that I can search it, but since my reading skill is inadequate, it will take me a long time. I think it was Ace who pointed out the site for Jin Yong's work, but I am looking for Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, Huang Yi, etc.

If there is one thing I don't like about Jin Yong's work, it's the reference to classical literature ... oh, and Happy Fourth to those of you in the US.

---

Yangzhou’s banquet was very elegant and very rich in variety. Just the pre-banquet tea, fruits and delicacy were already more than a dozen varieties. Although Wei Xiaobao was born and raised locally, he could not know everything. After drinking a round of tea, the sun was gradually tilting to the west, the sun illuminated the several thousand Chinese peony outside the canopy, like glorious and magnificent luster of gems, just like brocade clothes. But the more Wei Xiaobao looked at it, the angrier he got, thinking about the grudge of the past, when he was beaten and humiliated by the monks of the Temple. Right then and there he was thinking of having all the Chinese peony pulled and burned, but he must have a legitimate pretext to do that.

While he was mulling over this, the Inspector-General Ma You said with a laugh, “Wei Daren, listening to Daren’s accent, it seems that you have lived in Huai Yang region before. Huai Yang’s water and soil is rich, thus it produces talented persons, as well as good flowers.”

The rest of the officials only knew that the Imperial Envoy was a Yellow Banner Manchu, the last several days the Inspector-General heard him speaking, he could detect Yangzhou accent in his speech, thereupon he seized this opportunity to flatter him a little bit.

Wei Xiaobao was thinking about the hateful monks of Chanzhi Temple. “Yangzhou’s monks are no good,” he blurted out.

The Inspector-General was startled, he was not sure what Wei Xiaobao was referring to. The administrative commissioner Mu Tianyan was a very perceptive, as well as highly educated; he interrupted, “Wei Daren’s observation is very true. Yangzhou monks selfishly concerned with gaining advantages for themselves, they fawn on local authorities, humiliate the poor; they were just like that since ancient times.”

Wei Xiaobao was greatly delighted; he laughed and said, “That’s right. Mu Daren is a scholar, you knew that it was written in the books.”

Mu Tianyan said, “Isn’t the story of ‘Jade Green Muslin Covering’ by Wang Bo of the Tang Dynasty set in Yangzhou?”

Wei Xiaobao just loved to hear stories; he hastily asked, “What is the story of ‘yellow cloth’ [huang bu] versus sandy dragon’ [bi sha long, same pronunciation, different characters from ‘Jade Green Muslin Covering’]?”

“The story happened in Yangzhou’s Shita [stone pagoda] Temple,” Mu Tianyan said, “During the early Qian years of the Tang Dynasty, the Shita Temple was called Mulan [lily magnolia] Courtyard. When the poet Wang Bo was young, his family was poor …”

Wei Xiaobao thought, “Turns out this person was called Wang Bo, not a piece of yellow cloth.” He heard Mu Tianyan continued, “… he lived away from home in Mulan Courtyard. The monks in the temple rang a bell to signal meal times, when Wang Bo heard the bell, he went to the dining hall to eat. The monks disliked him, there was one time when everybody ate first, and rang the bell after they all finished eating. Wang Bo heard the bell, he went to the dining hall, but saw that the monks had already dispersed, the food had already been eaten clean …”

Wei Xiaobao slapped the table and angrily said, “Damn monks are so repulsive.”

“That’s right,” Mu Tianyan said, “Just a meal, how much does it cost? At that time Wang Bo was very ashamed, he inscribed a poem on the wall, ‘Attending a lesson from west to east, ashamed returning to black after-meal bell.’”

“What kind of fellow was this ‘Hui Li’ [return black]?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

The numerous officials had been in contact with him these past few days, they knew that the Imperial Envoy was not a scholar; in fact, a lot of famous, rich and honorable banner men did not come from academic field, hence nobody thought it strange. Mu Tianyan said, “Hui Li means monk.”

Wei Xiaobao nodded. “So they are the bald thieves,” he said, “And then what happened?”

Mu Tianyan said, “And then Wang Bo became a high-ranking official, the imperial court sent him to guard Yangzhou, and he returned to Mulan Courtyard. Naturally those monks were fawning on him. He went to see if the poem he inscribed on the wall was still there or not, but he saw a piece of expensive jade green muslin pasted on the wall, covering the two lines of poem he wrote, in order to avoid it being damaged. Wang Bo was deeply moved, he added two more lines after the original poem, ‘Thirty years ago dust covered the surface, only now it is covered with jade green muslin.’”

“Surely he arrested those bald thieves and had them flogged?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

Mu Tianyan said, “Wang Bo was an elegant scholar, he thought that the two lines of poem already ridiculed them, hence he let it pass.”

Wei Xiaobao thought, “If it were me, how could I give up that easily? But if I had to write a poem, I don’t have that kind of skill. Laozi can only defecate, cannot write a poem.”

After the story, the tea was removed and the wine was poured. Wei Xiaobao looked around. He caught Wang Jinbao on separate table was pouring a cup of wine into his mouth; the way he drink was very straightforward. Wei Xiaobao had an idea, “General Wang,” he said, “You told me once that the war-horses that eat Chinese peony are especially full of power and grandeur, didn’t you?” While he spoke, he winked at him.

Wang Jinbao did not understand his intention, “This …” he stammered.

Wei Xiaobao said, “His Majesty selects and uses famous species of good horses: Mongolian horses, Western Region horses, Sichuan horses, Yunnan horses, what have you. His Majesty instructed us to raise those horses carefully, didn’t he?”

Wang Jinbao knew about Kangxi accumulated war horses with diligent care. “Daren is right,” he said.

“You are well acquainted with horses’ character,” Wei Xiaobao continued, “When we were in Beijing, you said that if war-horses are fed Chinese peony, their running speed will double. His Majesty loves horses like this, we as his servants should uphold the Holy Sage’s intention. If we dig the Chinese peony in this place and send it to the Capital, so that the Ministry of War’s carriage manager can feed the horse. When His Majesty finds out, his dragon countenance will surely be very pleased.”

When the people heard this, their countenance looked extremely strange; Chinese peony flowers can strengthen the horse? It was the first time that they heard about it. Looking at Wang Jinbao, they noticed his expression was ambiguous, apparently he disagreed, but did not dare to object blatantly. Yet Wei Xiaobao kept saying His Majesty this and His Majesty that, he was ‘lifting high the Emperor’s hat’; who would dare to show the slightest objection? They all could see that these several thousand famous varieties of Chinese peony would be destroyed in his hands. Henceforth Yangzhou would lose one scenic spot. But why did this Wei Daren hate these Chinese peonies so much? Everybody looked at each other in dismay, nobody could say anything.

Prefectural magistrate Wu Zhirong said, “Wei Daren’s scholarly knowledge is profound, indeed worthy of other people’s admiration. This Chinese peony’s root is called Scarlet Peony. The Compendium of Medical Herbs[2] mentions that its function is to reduce internal blood clot and improve blood circulation. The name Chinese peony [shaoyao] itself has the character ‘yao’ [medicine] in it; apparently the people of old recognized its good medicinal character. When the horse eats Chinese peony, its blood vessels unimpeded, naturally it can run like flying. When Daren returns to the Capital, lowly officer will have all the Chinese peony flowers here dug out and have Daren carry it back to the Capital.”

When the other officials heard this, in their hearts they all scolded Wu Zhirong as despicable and shameless, in order to curry favor with a superior officer, he was willing to go as far as destroying Yangzhou’s beautiful scenery. Wei Xiaobao clapped his hands and said, “Wu Daren is capable and experienced. Very good, very good.”

Wu Zhirong felt much honored; he hastily stood up to bow and said, “Thank you for Daren’s compliment.”

The administrative commissioner Mu Tianyan walked out of the canopy toward a cluster of Chinese peonies. He picked a big Chinese peony, as big as a rice bowl, and returned to the table; with both hands he presented the flower to Wei Xiaobao and said with a laugh, “Would Daren please stick this flower on your hat? Lowly officer has a story for Daren to hear.”

Hearing that he was about to listen to another story, Wei Xiaobao received the flower; he saw that the Chinese peony’s petals were dark red, with a yellow line running right the in middle of each petal, it was indeed a tender and beautiful flower, hence he inserted it onto his hat.

Mu Tianyan said, “Congratulations Daren, this Chinese peony has a name; it is called the ‘Gold Band All Around’. It is a very rare variety, there is a writing in the ancient books that whoever can see this ‘Gold Band All Around’, in the future he could be the Prime Minister.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “How can there be such thing?”

Mu Tianyan said, “The story originated during the Northern Song Dynasty. In those days Han Weigong [Duke of Wei], Han Qi, was guarding Yangzhou. In the Chinese peony garden, right here, in front of the Chanzhi Temple, suddenly four big flowers bloomed on one Chinese peony tree, the petals were dark red, with gold thread right in the middle; it was precisely this ‘Gold Band All Around’. This kind of Chinese peony had never been seen before, it was extremely rare. His subordinates promptly reported this, Han Weigong graced the garden with his presence to enjoy the scenery; he was very happy. Seeing there were four flowers, he thought about inviting three guests to enjoy the flowers together.”

Wei Xiaobao took down his hat to look at the flower again; indeed the red and yellow produced stark contrast, it was exceptionally marvelous. The lines of golden stripes may not be found in a hundred flowers.

Mu Tianyan said, “At that time there were two well-known persons in Yangzhou, one was Wang Gui, the other Wang Anshi[3]; both were people of talent and learning, of knowledge and experience. Han Weigong thought, there were four flowers, but only three people; unavoidably ‘everything is fine except for one small defect’. If he were to invite other person, their prestige may not fit the other three. While he was hesitating, suddenly someone came to pay respect to him; it was Chen Shengzhi. He was also a famous scholar. Han Weigong was greatly delighted; the next day he held a big feast in front of the Chinese peony garden. He had the four ‘Gold Band All Around’ flowers picked and inserted into each man’s hat. This story is called ‘The Feast of Four Prime Ministers with flowers on their hats’. These four men later on became Prime Ministers.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “Interesting. These four honorable friends were all famous intellectual, people who could write poem and write essays. Xiongdi cannot be compared to them.”

“That is not necessarily so,” Mu Tianyan replied, “During the Northern Song Dynasty, only intellectuals can become Prime Ministers. Our Great Qing conquered the world on horseback. The ones esteemed the most by His Majesty are brave and cunning heroes and warriors.” Hearing the comment ‘brave and cunning heroes and warriors’, nine characters [you yong you mou de ying xiong hao han], Wei Xiaobao could not help but was very happy. He nodded his head repeatedly.

Mu Tianyan continued, “Han Weigong was conferred the title Duke of Wei Country, it goes without saying. Wang Anshi was bestowed the title Duke of Jing Country, Wang Gui was made Duke of Qi Country, and Chen Shengzhi became Duke of Xiu Country. Not only these four famous feudal officials became Prime Ministers, they were all bestowed the title ‘Country Duke’; not only each one had riches and honor, they also had long life. Wei Daren attained much in your youth, right now you are bestowed the title Bojue [Earl/Count], if you are promoted one more level, you will be Houjue [Marquis]; one more level and you will become Gongjue [Duke]. Even Wang [King] or Qinwang [Prince (royalty)] is just a matter of time.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed aloud and said, “If only it will be according to Mu Daren’s golden mouth, then everybody here will also be promoted and gain wealth.”

All the officials rose and held the wine cups with both hands; they said, “Congratulations to Wei Daren for your upcoming promotions, Gong and Hou for ten thousand generations.”

Wei Xiaobao also stood up and drank the toast together with the numerous officials; he thought, “This official is both scholarly and eloquent, he can tell stories and attract people’s attention. If I call him to Beijing to work for me, I can frequently listen to his stories, won’t it be better than listening to the storytellers? By nature this man is a big king of flattery, he was given the name Mu Tianyan [lit. admiring heaven’s countenance]; clearly he always wanted to have an audience with the Emperor.”

Mu Tianyan continued, “Afterwards Han Weigong led the troops to guard the western border. Seeing him, Western Xia people were scared to death, they did not dare to send any troops to disturb the border. At that time the Western Xia people feared two Song Dynasty ministers, one was Han Weigong, Han Qi; the other was Fan Wenzhenggong[4], Fan Zhongyan. At that time there was a saying, ‘With a Han in the army, western thieves hear it and their hearts tremble; with a Fan in the army, western thieves hear it and were frightened that their guts busted’. In the future Wei Daren will lead the troops to guard the western border, there will be a saying, ‘With a Wei in the army, western thieves see it and hastily kneel down’!”[5]

Wei Xiaobao loved it very much; he said, “These two characters ‘western thieves’ are very clever. Ping Xi Wang that western …” Suddenly he remembered, “Wu Sangui has not yet risen in rebellion; I cannot call him ‘western thief’.” Hastily he corrected himself, “Ping Xi Wang is guarding the western border, we have peace and security without any problem; he has rendered very great merit.”

Wu Zhirong said, “Ping Xi Wang is brave and resourceful, he performs high service through hard work, he was bestowed the title Qinwang, the heir apparent has become the Prince Consort. In the future Wei Daren will have great riches and great honor, will live as long as Mount Nan, definitely you will be no different than Ping Xi Wang.”

In his heart Wei Xiaobao cursed, “Hot piece mama, you want me to be no different than Wu Sangui that big traitor. This old turtle will have his head removed any day, you want me to be the same as him?”

---

[2] Compiled by Li Shizhen, c. 1596.

[3] Wang Anshi (1021-1086), Song Dynasty politician and writer, one of the Eight Giants.

[4] Duke of Wenzheng, ‘wen (culture/literature/gentle) zheng (upright/just)’ being his posthumous title.

[5] In these three phrases, the word ‘tremble’ (han) rhymes with the surname Han, the word ‘busted guts’ (po dan) rhymes with the surname Fan, and the word ‘knee down’ [xia gui] rhymes with the surname Wei.

[Anh Nam]

Thanks Foxs I am coming home in 2 weeks. Here the Fourth of July is just a regular day. My wife and I spent the day in doctors appointments.

[tweety365]

Thanks for the update, foxs! Hope you and your family are enjoying the holiday with lots of good food.

Happy holidays to everyone in the US too!

[ToastedRossi]

Thanks foxs for the translation. You can try this: http://www.my285.com/wuxia/index.htm - it looks like all the Jin Yong novels here are 2nd edition.

Kangxi knows that corruption is very common among his bureaucrats, but he probably doesn't know how involved Wei Xiabao is yet. Poor Wu Zhirong completely misread Xiaobao so that his flattery and bribes fail miserably . The one thing that's a bit unrealistic about the Deer and the Cauldron is that no one trying to sweeten up Xiabao has tried to shower him with women. It doesn't happen in the book for obvious story reasons, but it is his one big weakness.

A rebellion isn't something that you decide on the spot, especially against a strong and powerful goverment.

To add to this, Wu Sangui still hasn't outright declared rebellion. But it's only a matter of time since his only other option is to give up Yunnan.

I like how the high officials coach each other on the methods of taking bribes - how does one get into that conversation?

It's pretty much the way that China operated in the Imperial eras. Cultivating guanxi is the preferred way of doing business, and the most common way to cultivate it is to give out bribes or grant favors. Those who are unwilling to operate under this understanding generally end up like Zhao Laingdong and languish at the lower ranks. Even with an effective emperor like Kangxi, corruption remains rampant until Yongzheng becomes emperor.

[Drak17]

Lol! That's just like Wei Xiaobao! Taking revenge for what had done to him. I read the last update and this and saw how Xiaobao still hold grudges of the Temple for what they done to him. Haha.

@foxs. I agree with you on JY part of including a lot of classical literature in his novels. I think this part was cut out from the DOMD 2008 series, because I didn't see it lol.

I found this site a while back, it's of Huang Yi novelist. http://www.shuku.net:8080/novels/huang/huang.html
I can't read Chinese but based on the HTTML and the given "/novels/huang/huang" clues, I'm sure it is Huang Yi works, lol.

I tried finding Gu Long's and Liang Yusheng novels, but no luck yet ;[.

[owlHoot]

Thanks Foxs! Hmm being fawn over seems dangerous, it make WXB less guarded..I guess maybe someone would start to backstab him soon lol

[DGSDfans]

BTW, I used to get 'wuxia xiao shuo' from Qiqi.com, but apparently the site is no longer there. Can anybody tell me other source? I know that I can search it, but since my reading skill is inadequate, it will take me a long time. I think it was Ace who pointed out the site for Jin Yong's work, but I am looking for Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, Huang Yi, etc.

Hi Foxs, thanks for translating this story.

The most complete wuxia xiaoshuo I can find is here: http://www.bookcool.com/online/wuxia/

And the 3rd edition of Jin Yong novels is here: http://www.wzgzs.net/%E9%87%91%E5%BA...3%81%E9%9B%86/
I don't check the chapters in detail, but from the afterword seems all is the 3rd edition.

Do you think later you will translate this additional part of the Deer and the Cauldron? --> 康熙朝的机密奏折
http://www.wzgzs.net/%E9%87%91%E5%BA...%AE%B0/051.htm

[ToastedRossi]

And the 3rd edition of Jin Yong novels is here: http://www.wzgzs.net/%E9%87%91%E5%BA...3%81%E9%9B%86/
I don't check the chapters in detail, but from the afterword seems all is the 3rd edition.

3rd edition! I just skimmed the ending for HSDS, and it's definitely the 3rd edition - I've been looking for it for a while now.
Thanks!

[foxs]

Anh, just enjoy your time. 2 weeks will end before you know it. Tweety, thanks, I did not eat too much. In here the fireworks start at 10pm, because the sun is still up at 9pm, and I had to work the next day. Toasted, Drak, DGSDfan, thanks for the links. I clicked 'em, and was surprised to see the pop-ups. I guess computer games nowadays are a lot different than when I was young. Drak, it is Huang Yi. Try Toasted's link for other writers. Fan, about the 3rd edition, we'll see, OK? No promise. But if you already read it, why do you want me to translate? Owl, I was afraid about the same thing. Of course I know how the story ends, but if I didn't, I would be very wary of people who bootlick too much.

---

Mu Tianyan usually paid closed attention to what’s happening in the imperial court, just a few days ago he saw the imperial bulletin that the Emperor has issued the imperial decree of border defense removal. He immediately foresaw that Wu Sangui would be in deep trouble. Right now, seeing Wei Xiaobao’s countenance slightly changed, his suspicion was confirmed and he understood it clearly. He said, “Wei Daren is promoted by the Emperor himself, he is the trusted aide that the Holy Sage depends on, the pillar of the imperial court, the ridgepole and beams of the nation. Ping Xi Wang, on the other hand, while his official ranking right now is high, in the end he cannot be compared to Wei Daren. Wu Fuzun [prefectural magistrate] comparison is not too correct. Wei Daren’s ancestor was Tang Dynasty’s Zhongwu Wang [lit. loyal martial/military king] Wei Nie; who once destroyed four hundred and eighty thousand foreign troops, whose prestige shook the western frontier. When Zhu Ci rebelled that time, he sent people to invite Wei Zhongwu Wang to send troops into battle together. Zhongwu Wang was loyal to the Emperor and was not double-minded, how could he be willing to do such treason and heresy? Immediately he had the rebel thief’s envoy beheaded, and then he sent his troops to help the imperial court defeat and pacify the rebel thieves, hence he set up great merit. Wei Daren appearance is stately, his good fortune great, incomparable; in all likelihood, he inherits Wei Zhongwu Wang’s good fortune.”

Wei Xiaobao smiled and nodded. Actually, he did not even know his own surname; it was only because his mother’s name was Wei Chunfang that he went by his mother’s surname. It had never occurred to him that surname Wei had this kind of high-profile persona, this administrative commissioner even said with conviction that he was his own ancestor. It seemed that the administrative commissioner was determined to ‘paste gold onto Wei Xiaobao’s face’. From the tone of his voice, it seemed that he already figured out that Wu Sangui was about to revolt. This man’s ability and wisdom was really amazing.

Being refuted by him, Wu Zhirong was dissatisfied, but he did not dare to openly contradict his senior; he said, “I heard that Wei Daren is a Plain Yellow Banner man.” His implication was clear: he was a Manchu, how could he have anything to do with Wei Nie of the Tang Dynasty?

Mu Tianyan laughed and said, “Wu Fuzun only knows one does not know two. The present Holy Sage reigns the world; toward the millions of people all over the world, he treats everyone equally favorably. Manchu and Han are one family, why make any distinction between the two?” This argument was actually rather forcing the logic, but Wu Zhirong did not dare to argue. He thought that if he spoke several more sentences, he might very well offend the Imperial Envoy; hence he repeatedly stated his agreement.

Mu Tianyan said, “Ping Xi Wang is our Yangzhou’s Gaoyou [county] man, do Wu Fuzun and Ping Xi Wang belong to the same family?”

Wu Zhirong was really not from Gaoyou, hence he did not have any relationship with Wu Sangui, but at that time Wu Sangui’s power and influence was overpowering, hence he hurriedly borrowed the influence and claimed some honor due to his surname Wu. He said, “According to genealogy, lowly officer is one generation younger than Ping Xi Wang; I should call Wangye my uncle.”

Mu Tianyan nodded, no longer paid him any attention. He said to Wei Xiaobao, “Wei Daren, although this ‘Gold Band All Around’ Chinese peony is not as rare as it was during the Song Dynasty, yet it is in full bloom like this, it is also exceptionally rare. Today Wei Daren arrived and enjoy the flower when it is in full bloom, this is not a coincidence; it must be the Heaven’s will. Lowly officer has a tiny bit of idea, would Daren listen to me?”

“Laoxiong, please give your advice,” Wei Xiaobao said.

“Giving Advice, these two characters, how can I dare?” Mu Tianyan said, “The root of the Chinese peony indeed has some medical benefit. Daren wants to use it to feed the horse, if it is further refined by drug store, the effect will be even more powerful. Lowly officer will order my men to procure a large quantity of it, and will have medicine expert in Beijing process it. As for the Chinese peony in this place, to think that they have merit in announcing the good news to Daren, is it possible to leave them behind? When the day come in which Wei Daren takes command to destroy the thieves, and you are bestowed the title Wang [king], just like Han Weigong, Wei Zhongwu Wang, you can come back here to enjoy the flower. At that time I am sure the ‘Gold Band All Around’ will be in full bloom again to welcome the noble; won’t that be a beautiful thing indeed? In lowly officer’s opinion, in the future there will be an opera developed based on this story.”

Wei Xiaobao was happy and excited, “Are you saying that there will be an actor playing me in the opera?”

“That’s right,” Mu Tianyan said, “Naturally there will be an elegant, attractive young actor playing the role of Wei Daren. But there will also be actors with white beard, black beard, ‘big flower face’ [referring to lots of makeup], and ‘white nose [cunning/sly person] little clown’ playing us, the officials.” The government officials roared into laughter.

Wei Xiaobao laughed and asked, “What will this story called?”

Mu Tianyan turned to the inspector-general Ma You and said, “For that, please Futai [inspector-general (old)] Daren pick a good name.” He noticed that the inspector-general has been very quiet, he thought that they must not give him a cold shoulder.

Ma You laughed and said, “Wei Daren will be bestowed the title Wang in the future, how about this opera is called ‘Wei Wang inserts the flower on his hat’?” The numerous officials voiced their approval together.

In his heart Wei Xiaobao was delighted, he no longer desired to haggle over the old grievance of the past. He thought, “Laozi will never be a prime minister, or destroying western thieves. Being a wangye just for fun, perhaps I can, but if I pulled these Chinese peonies, I am afraid I will bring bad omen.” Looking at the flower garden, he saw that there were at least several dozen more of ‘Gold Band All Around’; he thought, “How can there be this many prime ministers? Could it be that all of you will become prime ministers? Futai or Fantai [vassal state governor (old)], there is still hope. This Wu Zhirong has a thief head and dog brain, no matter what he won’t be a prime minister. In the future, the ‘white nose little clown’ must be playing his role.”

He was fully aware that this administrative commissioner spoke in a roundabout way, spending a lot of effort planning his speech, his main intention was to save these several thousand Chinese peonies in front of he Chanzhi Temple. This was government official trick that was passed through in front of everybody; it was called ‘flowered sedan chair people lift the people’, since you have lifted me up, I cannot be obstinately clinging to my own way. He could not make these Yangzhou officials lose face. Thereupon he no longer mentioned anything about the Chinese peony. He laughed and said, “In the future, if there is indeed an opera like that, we can’t watch it anyway. Right now, why don’t we listen to songs first?” The numerous officials voiced their approval at once.

Wu Zhirong had already prepared everything, he issued the order, from outside the canopy they could hear the tinkling noise of girdle ornament, followed by a whiff of perfume. Wei Xiaobao’s spirit was aroused; he thought, “There’s a beauty I can look at.”

Sure enough, a woman gracefully walked into the flowered canopy, paid her respect to Wei Xiaobao and with a delicate voice she said, “May Imperial Envoy Daren and all Daren have ten thousand good fortune and peace like gold. Xiao Nuzi [little/lowly woman] will serve by singing a song.” The woman was approximately thirty years old, her attire was gorgeous, but her facial features were only average.

The flute player started to blow the bamboo flute, and she sang. The song she sang was Du Mu’s [(803-852) Tang Dynasty poet] two-stanza Yangzhou poems: “There are faint green mountains and far green waters, And grasses in this river region not yet faded by autumn; And clear in the moon on the Twenty-Four Bridges, Girls white as jade are teaching flute-music[6].” “With my wine-bottle, watching by river and lake, For a lady so tiny as to dance on my palm; I awake, after dreaming ten years in Yangzhou, Known as fickle, even in the Street of Blue Houses.[7]”

The flute was melodious, the singing voice winding amidst the music; it was very pleasant to listen to. But looking at this courtesan, Wei Xiaobao felt rather impatient.

When the woman finished singing, another courtesan walked in. This woman was around thirty-four or thirty-five years old, her bearing was elegant, her voice was even more trained, she was able to sing the most complicated melody. Her voice remained even while the pitch and rhythm were dynamically rising and falling. The song she was singing was Qin Guan’s poem, ‘Watching The Waves’[8]; “The stars divide the Niu [ox] and Dou [big-dipper] constellations, the horizon borders Huai River and the ocean, Yangzhou’s ten thousand wells raised to prominence. Flowers along the streets emitted its fragrance, at the hawk’s cry the people arise, ten li of Vermillion curtain brought the spring breeze. Hero’s aura like a rainbow, dragging the spring’s gold and purple out, flying pass each other over the canopy. The lane enters hanging down poplar, painting of a bridge running north and south behind the bluish-green smoke.”

The poem was definitely sung very beautifully, but listening to it, Wei Xiaobao was extremely bored; he could not help but yawning loudly. The ‘Watching The Waves’ was only sung halfway, Wu Zhirong was very perceptive, seeing the Imperial Envoy was not interested, he waved his hands, the courtesan immediately stopped singing, saluted, and withdrew. With a forced laugh Wu Zhirong said, “Wei Daren, these two courtesans are the most well-known in Yangzhou, they were singing about the liveliness of Yangzhou. I wonder what does Daren think?”

It never occurred to him that for Wei Xiaobao to listen to songs, first, the singer must be young and good-looking, second, the song must be romantic and simple, third, the way she sang it must be flirtatious. That day when Chen Yuanyuan sang about the downfall of the country, she had the gorgeous appearance, plus she added explanation to the verses all the way through before he could finish listening to the ‘Yuanyuan Song’. Right now these two courtesans’ appearance was mediocre, their expression stiff, and he did not have any idea what they were singing about. He was only yawning; it could be considered that he was being extremely polite.

Hearing Wu Zhirong’s question, he said, “Not bad, not bad, it’s just that they are a bit too old. This kind of aging goods and old stock, Xiongdi does not have much appetite.”

“Yes, yes,” Wu Zhirong said, “Du Mu was a Tang Dynasty man, Qin Shaoyou was a Song man, indeed they are too old-fashioned. There is one new poem, written by a new poet, called Zha Shenxing; he made his name not too long ago. He was writing about the charm of Yangzhou’s farmer family girl; it’s really fresh, really fresh.” Signaling with his hand, he ordered his attendant to summon another courtesan.

When Wei Xiaobao talked about ‘aging goods and old stock’, he was referring to the courtesans, but Wu Zhirong thought that the songs and poems were too old-fashioned. Wei Xiaobao did not have the slightest idea about the Du Mu or Qin Shaoyou that he was talking about, he did understand, however, about ‘the charm of Yangzhou’s farmer family girl; it’s really fresh, really fresh’. He thought, “Since it’s about a very fresh Yangzhou’s farmer family girl, there is no harm in taking a look.”

When the courtesan entered the flowered canopy, it would be alright if Wei Xiaobao did not look at her, but as soon as he looked, he could not stop anger from rising in his breast, malicious intent arose to the edge of his guts, ready to flare up. Turned out this courtesan, perhaps she was not quite fifty yet, but for sure she was way over forty; there were graying hair on her temples, lots of wrinkles on her forehead. Her eyes should be big and round, but they were thin instead, her mouth should be small, but it was huge instead. Seeing this courtesan was holding a pipa, Wei Xiaobao’s anger ablaze; he thought, “Someone like you wants to copy Chen Yuanyuan!”

Soon the strings were plucked, like the sound of jade or leaping pearls, singing oriole or twittering swallow; it was very pleasant to hear. And then she sang, “Reflection of distant mountain on Huai River so bluish-green, overflowing water on Huai River so clear. Inverted image enters the tower, the entire fence is draped with flower. Who would have guessed that outside the marketplace fence and gate the reed hut is still there? When the woman with light makeup appears, her dark green skirt drags a long tail.”

Her singing voice was simple yet elegant, each line was accompanied by beautiful segment of pipa melody; sometimes it sounded like gurgling water, other time it sounded like the ringing of silver bells. On the final line ‘her dark green skirt drags a long tail’, the pipa was diminishing into soft ritardando. None of the government officials did not feel ‘their heart untroubled, their spirit pleased’. Some closed their eyes in concentration, some shook and swayed their heads in keeping with the music. When last note of the pipa vanished, the government officials cheered together.

Mu Tianyan said, “Good poem, good song, good pipa. It is indeed chaste tree branch hairpin and plain cloth skirt does not cover ‘divine fragrance, national grace’ [i.e. outstanding beauty]. It doesn’t matter if it is a poem or a song, natural beauty can be seen from simplicity and elegance. This is a first class skill.”

“Humph,” Wei Xiaobao snorted; he asked the courtesan, “Do you know the song ‘Eighteen Touches’? Sing it for me.”

As soon as the government officials heard the request, their countenance turned pale. The courtesan’s countenance changed even more. Suddenly tears streamed down her face; she turned around and ran out. ‘Crash’, the pipa in her hands fell to the ground, the courtesan did not even pick it up, she continued running out.

Wei Xiaobao laughed heartily and said, “You can’t sing the song, I won’t punish you; why are you so scared?”

The ‘Eighteen Touches’ was actually an extremely obscene folk song, it is about touching eighteen parts of a woman’s body, each touch was accompanied by a metaphor to describe it. Although all the government officials had heard this song, but in this grand feast of distinguished assembly, who dared to mention it openly? Wouldn’t that be a major disgrace to their reputation as government officials? The courtesan’s pipa playing skill and her singing voice had a long standing reputation in Yangzhou. Not only she was good at singing poems, she was also good at composing poems, her fame spread among the high-ranking court officials. Even Yangzhou’s rich merchants and powerful families could not casually see her. Wei Xiaobao’s request was a major humiliation to her.

---

[6] A Message To Han Cho The Yangzhou Magistrate, http://www.shiku.org/xlib/lingshidao/hanshi/dumu.htm

[7] A Confession, from the same web site.

[8] Qin Guan (1049-1100), Song Dynasty Poet. I found an English version (Translated by Laijon Liu), but it seems to be a different poem. Perhaps Mr. Liu was translating the essence, while I translate it literally?
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/qin-g...ing-the-waves/

[Anh Nam]

Thanks Foxs

[muliono]

" aging goods and old stock" hahaha... ouch.

Thank you Foxs!! Btw, what's the difference between 2nd edition and 3rd edition? Different endings? Extra epilogue?

[ToastedRossi]

Thanks foxs for the translations. Here we have another example of squandering a chance to get into Wei Xiaobao's good books by plying him with pretty girls. In the defence of the Yangzhou officials, they had no way of knowing his tastes so offering him the "best" entertainers seemed like a good idea. I especially pity that last courtesan - how can she possibly compare to Chen Yuanyuan?

I totally forgot about the popups - if you're using Firefox, Adblock Plus will get rid of them. Other browsers should have similar add-ons.

Thank you Foxs!! Btw, what's the difference between 2nd edition and 3rd edition? Different endings? Extra epilogue?

Of all the longer Jin Yong works, the Deer and the Cauldron is the least changed in the 3rd edition. He got rid of a few villanous lamas, and that's really about it. In the Afterword, he stated that he originally wanted to make major changes, but decided against doing that. It's for the best since the idea of making Wei Xiaobao a better person would have worked against the novel.

DGSDfans' link earlier is to the new historical note on Kangxi at the end, but it doesn't affect the actual story.

[DGSDfans]

Fan, about the 3rd edition, we'll see, OK? No promise. But if you already read it, why do you want me to translate?

Thanks Foxs. My Chinese is limited and better to read the translation. BTW, hope somebody will also translate The Young Flying Fox (Feihuwaizhuan) and Sword Stained with Royal Blood (Bixuejian). Read somewhere, the 3rd edition of SSWRB really better than the previous edition.

[DGSDfans]

Of all the longer Jin Yong works, the Deer and the Cauldron is the least changed in the 3rd edition. He got rid of a few villanous lamas, and that's really about it. In the Afterword, he stated that he originally wanted to make major changes, but decided against doing that. It's for the best since the idea of making Wei Xiaobao a better person would have worked against the novel.

Jin Yong worry young people imitate Xiaobao attitude, and originally for the 3rd edition he want to give some bad luck to Xiaobao (in the end some of the women leave him, he lose big in gambling etc). But many people (one is Zhang Jizhong) advice him not to change the story since people understand it's just a story. So not much change in the 3rd edition.

[foxs]

Anh, you are welcome. Muliono, Toasted, Fans, there is a thread in the Wuxia Fiction forum dedicated to 3rd edition changes. You might want to check it out.

---

Mu Tianyan said in a low voice, “If Wei Daren loves to hear folk songs, we’ll find someone who can sing, so you can enjoy it.”

“Even the ‘Eighteen Touches’ she couldn’t sing, this old wh0re is really disappointing,” Wei Xiaobao said, “Next time I’ll take you to Lovely Spring Courtyard at Ming Yu Alley, the prostitutes over there know a lot of folksongs.” As soon as those words came out of his mouth, he immediately felt it was improper; he thought, “No matter what I cannot invite him to Lovely Spring Courtyard. Luckily there are a lot of brothels in Yangzhou; for nine brothels with big names, there are nine brothels with small names. Any courtyard will provide the amusement.” Lifting up the wine cup, he laughed and said, “Let’s drink, let’s drink.”

When the civil government officers heard his vulgar talks, they all felt embarrassed, they all raised their cups and drank, pretending not to hear anything. The military government officials, however, were delighted; they thought that the Imperial Envoy Minister was somewhat like-minded with them.

Right this moment, he saw a yamen bailiff walked out of the flowered canopy with lowered head. Wei Xiaobao only saw his back, but his heart was moved, “This man’s back looks very familiar; who is he?” But the bailiff never returned. After a while, Wei Xiaobao forgot all about him.

After drinking several more cups of wine, Wei Xiaobao felt that socializing with these civil government officials was dull and boring; since there was no opera and no gambling, he was extremely bored. To amuse himself, he sang the ‘Eighteen Touches’ in his heart, “One touch, two touches, touching the end of Jiejie’s [older sister, used in more intimate way] hair.” Unable to endure the boredom anymore, he stood up and said, “Xiongdi has enough wine, I’ll take my leave now.” He bowed with cupped fist toward the inspector-general, the administrative commissioner, the chief police officer, and other high-ranking officials before walking out. All the government officials also arose and send him off, out of the flowered canopy until he sat on a large sedan chair.

Wei Xiaobao returned to his field headquarters and told his personal guards that he wanted to rest; any guest, no matter who, must not be allowed to see him. Entering his bedroom, he changed into a set of tattered clothing. Several days ago he ordered Shuang’er to go to the marketplace to buy a set of old clothing. He tore the clothing in several place, trampled it on the ground, and poured some lantern oil on it, so that the clothes were unbearably filthy and greasy. His hat, shoes and socks, even the string tying his braid were all exchanged with shabby, low-quality goods. From the wood burning stove he grabbed a handful of ashes, diluted it with water, and smeared it all over his face, his arms and hands. When he looked in the mirror, his appearance had indeed returned to that of the little servant at Lovely Spring Courtyard many years ago.

Shuang’er helped him changed; she laughed and said, “Xianggong, in the opera there is the Imperial Envoy Minister Bao Longtu[9] took a disguise to make private investigation; I wonder if he’d look like you?”

“More or less,” Wei Xiaobao replied, “But Bao Longtu was born with dark skin, he did not need to rub ashes on his face.”

“Is it all right if I go with you?” Shuang’er asked, “You are going alone, if something bad happens, no one is going to help you.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “The place that I am going to, a good looking young lady like you must not go.” Finished speaking, he hummed the song, “One touch, two touches, touching the side of my good Shuang’er’s cheek …” Reaching out to her, he stroked her face. Shuang’er blushed and giggled, she stepped away to evade.

Wei Xiaobao took a big wad of banknotes and stuffed it into his pocket, he also took a bundle of loose money, grabbed Shuang’er, and lightly kissed her face, before he slipped out from the back door.

The personal guard on guard duty at the back door shouted, “What are you doing?”

Wei Xiaobao said, “I am the He Family’s wet-nurse’s son’s older [male] cousin’s younger sister’s husband. Do you understand the family relationship?” The personal guard was startled; before he was able to figure out the family relationship, Wei Xiaobao had already slipped out of the door.

None of Yangzhou’s main streets and small alleys that he did not know thoroughly, so much so that he would not get lost even if he was blindfolded. Not too long afterwards he had already reached the Ming Yu Alley by the bank of Shouxi Lake; faintly he heard from behind the doors everywhere the sound of pan pipes, drum, string and woodwind instruments, intersperse with the sound of finger-guessing game, of singing, and people shouting ‘Six!’ When these sounds entered his ears, he felt it was ten times better than listening to great immortals’ heavenly music; there was an unspeakable comfort and joy in his heart.

When he arrived at the Lovely Spring Courtyard, he saw that the gate and the front courtyard were just as before, there was no difference from when he left many years ago. He quietly walked around to the side, pushed open the side door, and slipped in. He tiptoed toward his mother’s room. Peeking inside, he did not see anybody, hence he knew that his mother was accompanying a guest. He mused, “Hot piece mama, I wonder which pest is visiting my Mama this time to be my foster father tonight.”

Entering the room, he saw the bedclothes was the same as he remembered it, it’s just that it looked a lot more worn-out. He mused, “Mama’s business is not too good, my foster fathers are not too many.” Turning sideways, he saw his own little bed was still standing against the wall. In front of the bed there was his own pair of old shoes. The bedding on the bed had been washed and starched clean. He walked over and sat down on the bed. Seeing his old bamboo-green long gown was folded neatly on the corner of the bed, there was a tinge of regret in his heart, “Ma is waiting for me to come back. Damn it, Laozi is living merrily in Beijing, I did not send anybody to deliver money to Ma. I really don’t have a good heart.” He reclined on the bed, waiting for his mother to come back.

The rule in the brothel was that if the patron wanted to stay overnight, another fine, clean and big room would be prepared for them. The prostitutes’ own rooms were smaller, and rather simple and crude. Young and beautiful, popular prostitutes would have comparatively better accommodation. Women like Wei Xiaobao’s mother, Wei Chunfang, for example, their age was not young anymore, business was scarce; naturally the brothel proprietress treated them very carelessly, their rooms were made of thin boards.

Wei Xiaobao lay down for a while. Suddenly he heard someone in the adjacent room was shouting in stern voice, it was the brothel proprietress’ voice, “Laoniang [old lady, referring to self] bought you with white shining silver, you use all kinds of excuses, always refuse to receive patrons. Humph, do you think I bought you to put you in the courtyard to be Bodhisattva Guanyin that we offer sacrifice to, so that we will look good? Beat her; beat her well for me!” Right away there was the sound of whip lashing on flesh, the cry of pain, the weeping, and the cursing noises mixed into one.

Wei Xiaobao was accustomed to hear this kind of noise since he was little; he knew that the brothel proprietress had just bought a young girl, forced her to receive a patron, and whipped her for a while. It was quite common. If the young woman still refused, pricking her fingernail with needle, branding her skin and flesh, all kinds torture could be used on her one by one. This kind of sound never failed to absent in the brothels. It’s just that he had left for a long time that this time he heard the noise again, he felt he was reliving past experience. Toward the young girl, however, he did not feel any pity.

The young girl cried and said, “Just beat me to death; I won’t receive any patron even if I am dead, I’d rather bash my head against the wall and let you see!”

The brothel proprietress instructed the ‘turtle slave’ to beat her fiercely. After twenty, thirty lashes, the young girl was still crying and shouting that she would not give in. The turtle slave said, “We can’t beat her anymore today, let’s talk it over again tomorrow.”

The brothel proprietress said, “Drag this little s1ut out.”

The turtle slave helped the young girl out. A moment later he came back. The brothel proprietress said, “This s1ut is impossibly stubborn, we must use soft technique, give her Mi Chun [lit. confused/lost spring] wine.”

The turtle slave said, “She won’t drink wine.”

“Idiot!” the brothel proprietress said, “Put the Mi Chun wine inside the meat. That will do the trick.”

“Yes, yes,” the turtle slave said, “Qi Jie [seventh (older) sister], you are just amazing!”

Wei Xiaobao peeped through a crack on the wooden partition, and saw the brothel proprietress in front of the cupboard, took out a bottle of wine, and poured a cup, which she then gave to the turtle slave. He heard her saying, “Have Chunfang accompany those two gongzi [young master] drink. The money they bring is indeed not a few. They said they want to stay overnight in the courtyard, waiting for a friend. This kind of young, inexperienced people would not fancy Chunfang, later I will talk to them, to see if they want to ‘comb the covering’ of this s1ut. If we are lucky, I won’t be surprised if we’ll swindle three, four hundred taels from them.”

The turtle slave laughed and said, “Congratulations Qi Jie on ushering in wealth and prosperity; I will also hold on to your good fortune, striking my gambling debt in one stroke.”

The brothel proprietress cursed, “Lowly road kill [orig. lowly embryo, a corpse who died along the road], painstakingly we earn several taels, and you lost it all in thirty-two domino tiles. This is not good, watch out or I’ll cut your turtle tail.”

Wei Xiaobao knew that Mi Chun wine was a type of drug wine, those who drink it will lose their conscience. All brothels used this kind of drug toward young prostitutes who were unwilling to receive guests. When he was little, he thought this was very mysterious, but now he realized that it was no more than knockout drug mixed into the wine; to him this matter became very ordinary. He thought, “Today my foster fathers are two young gongzi? What kind of fellow are they? I must take a look.”

He quietly slipped away toward the Sweet Nectar Hall, where they usually received rich merchant or grand guests. He stood on the round stone block outside the hall where he used to stand and peeked inside. In the past, whenever there was a grand guest coming to visit the brothel, he would always stand on this round stone block to peep inside, right here the crack on the window was especially big, when he looked inside, he could get a very clear view. The guests usually sat with their side to the window, hence they never saw any shadow outside the window. He had peeped several hundred times before, and had never bumped into a nail.

He felt the red candle inside the room was burning hot, his mother’s face was covered in makeups, she wore a pink satin gown, and a red flower on her head; she was pouring wine for the guests with a smile on her face. Wei Xiaobao took a good look at his mother; he thought, “Turns out Ma is already old; she won’t be in this business for long, only blind pest like these two rookies can possibly call her to accompany them drinking. Ma’s folksong is also not too pleasant to hear; if it were me who visited the courtyard, if she were not my Ma, even if I lose twelve-hundred taels I would not have called her.”

He heard his mother said with a laugh, “When two gongzi drink this cup, I will sing ‘Lovesickness Before Dawn’ tune to accompany you downing your wine.”

Wei Xiaobao sighed inwardly; he mused, “Ma’s folksongs are very limited; if not ‘Lovesickness Before Dawn’ [orig. thinking of each other at the fifth hour (between 3-5am)], then it must be ‘One Straight Black Bamboo Sprout’, or ‘One Folding Fan Seven Cun Long’, or ‘One Person Fanning Two Persons Cool Down’. She never wanted to learn some more. As a prostitute, she is not diligent.” Suddenly he had a brainwave and almost burst out laughing, “In learning martial art I am not diligent either; turns out my lazy character I inherited from Ma.”

Suddenly he heard a tender and delicate voice saying, “No need!” As soon as these three words [bu yong le], Wei Xiaobao’s entire body shook, he almost slipped down from the stone block. Slowly he squinted and saw a slender jade-white hand holding a wine cup; his eyes traced the delicate hand through the sleeve and up to the face. He saw the side of a pretty face; who else but Ah Ke? Wei Xiaobao’s heart leaped in joy, the surprise and delight in his heart was hard to suppress. “How could Ah Ke be in Yangzhou?” he mused, “How could she come to the Lovely Spring Courtyard and called my Ma to accompany her drinking? She’s a woman dressed as a man and did not call anybody else but only my Ma, she must be eager to see me. Turns out in the end she still has conscience, she remembered that I am her husband who has bowed to the heaven and the earth with her. Aha! Wonderful, wonderful! You and I, husband and wife are having reunion, today we can have wedding festivities [orig. bridal room and ornamented candles], I will wrap my arms around you …”

Suddenly he heard a male voice, “Right now Wu Xiandi [worthy brother surnamed Wu] is not drinking anything, but when those Mongolian friends arrived …” Wei Xiaobao’s ears were buzzing; immediately he knew things were far from good. Before his eyes the sky spun and the earth went around, for a moment his eyes were blurry; he closed his eyes and calmed himself. When he opened his eyes and looked at the young master who was sitting by Ah Ke, who else but Taiwan’s Er Gongzi [second young master] Zheng Keshuang?

Wei Xiaobao’s mother Wei Chunfang said with a laugh, “Since Xiao Xianggong [little/younger ‘young master’] does not drink, Da Xianggong [big/older ‘young master’] must drink one more cup.” While pouring a cup of wine for Zheng Keshuang, her butts sat on Zheng Keshuang’s lap.

“Hey,” Ah Ke said, “Show some respect.”

Wei Chunfang laughed and said, “Aiyo, Xiao Xianggong’s face is too tender, you cannot bear to see this kind of teasing. After this you should come here every day to have fun, I am afraid you will not like it if people do not flirt with you enough. Xiao Xianggong, let me get a young miss to accompany you, what do you say?”

“No, no, don’t!” Ah Ke busily said, “You sit nicely on the side!”

Wei Chunfang laughed and said, “Ah, you are jealous! You blame me for accompanying Da Xianggong and not you.” She stood up, and sat on Ah Ke’s lap.

---

[9] ‘Bao the Dragon Image’, fictional name used for Bao Zheng (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty. Justice Bao stories were based on this character.

[Anh Nam]

Thanks foxs This is getting interesting.

[smurf120]

WXB can really do whatever he wants in front of the other officials - funny how he got into better graces with the military officials. That Mu fella is really talented with the boot-licking - he may be even higher level than WXB since he is an intellectual.

The story is getting exciting - can't believe first of his ladies to meet ma is Ah Ke.

[crazee]

Wow...so finally XB's back home.
He must have missed his home so much and sigh.....Ah Ke and the stupid Zheng again.....

Thanks foxs..

[didilung]

WXB was one of my favorite wuxia, i had read many times in other translation (not english one) or watch tv adaptation. And i must say that your translation is the best one. Thank you very much foxs.

In my opinion, most of wuxia has rival enemy which has powerful kungfu, usually the hero will learn ultimate kungfu and defeat the villain. But in WXB story, seem like Ah ke is the ultimate kungfu and the stupid Zheng is the rival.

[foxs]

Anh, you are welcome. Smurf, the basic concept was that military officers were usually uncouth men. Crazee, luckily this time they won't have too much screen time. Didilung, thank you, glad you like it ... (I really do, this is not lip service like WXB ... support like yours is what makes me continuing)

---

When Wei Xiaobao saw that, he was irritated, but amused at the same time. He thought, “Unexpectedly there is such thing in the world, my wife came to patronize [‘visit a prostitute’] my Mama.”

He saw Ah Ke stretched out her hand to push. Wei Chunfang could not stand, she spun and fell on her buttocks. Wei Xiaobao was enraged; he thought, “Little wh0re, you pushed your mother-in-law; so lacking in manners!”

But Wei Chunfang was not angry, with a giggle she stood up and said, “Xiao Xianggong is afraid of disgrace; how about you come and sit on my lap?”

Ah Ke angrily said, “Not good!” [A bit of explanation: when asking ‘is it alright?’, Chinese use the phrase ‘hao bu hao?’ (good or not good)] She turned to Zheng Keshuang and said, “I want to leave! We can meet people any place, but why did you insist on this place?”

Zheng Keshuang said, “We have agreed to meet here; we won’t leave until we meet. I did not know that this is actually a dirty place. Hey, I want you to sit properly.” The last sentence was directed toward Wei Chunfang.

The more Wei Xiaobao thought, the angrier he got; he mused, “That day in Guangxi by the River Liujiang, you pleaded laozi to spare your dog life, you swore a heavy oath that you would not speak to my wife even for one word. Today, in spite of everything, you came together to patronize my Mama. Patronizing my Mama is still alright, but you have spoken I don’t know how many thousand words, tens of thousand words. That day I did not cut your tongue, it was really laozi’s biggest blunder.”

Wei Chunfang was in high spirit, she reached out to wrap her arm around Zheng Keshuang’s neck. Zheng Keshuang pushed her arm away and said, “Wait for us outside. The two of us brothers have something we need to discuss, don’t come in before I call you.”

Wei Chunfang had no choice but to leave the room. Zheng Keshuang lowered his voice, “Ke Mei [younger sister, term of endearment], small disturbance must not harm big scheme, if we want to accomplish big thing, we have to endure small inconvenience.”

Ah Ke said, “That Prince Galdan is not a good person, why would he want us to meet him here?”

Hearing the words ‘Prince Galdan’, Wei Xiaobao mused, “That Mongolian scoundrel is also coming; marvelous, marvelous. Most likely they are going to discuss rebellion plan. Laozi can move an army and send a general to catch them in one net.”

He heard Zheng Keshuang said, “These days Yangzhou’s security is so tight. If the guests to the inns and hotels are not frequent visitors, the yamen and local military troops would ask endless questions. If we reveal the least bit of our background, it would not be good at all. This brothel does not have any officers come to harass us, it is much safer for us to stay here. You and I are still alright, but Prince Galdan and his party, a group of Mongolians’ appearance will be too conspicuous. Besides, with your appearance like an immortal, if we stayed in an inn, all Yangzhou’s men would want to come to see you. Sooner or later something bad will happen.”

Ah Ke let out some soft giggles, “You don’t need to be oily-mouthed and smooth talker to fawn on me.”

Zheng Keshuang stretched out his arm around her shoulder, and landed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth. He said with a laugh, “When was I ever be oily-mouthed and smooth talker? If there was any immortal as beautiful as you, those Lu Chunyang, Iron Crutch Li, and the others would not want to descend to the world, all deities would stay in Heaven, unable to take their eyes off my little treasure.”

“Pfft,” Ah Ke stifled her laughter, and lowered her head. Wei Xiaobao’s rage shot to the heavens, he could not endure it anymore; his hand reached his dagger, he was ready to charge inside. Immediately he had a second thought, “This fellow’s martial art skill is stronger than mine. Ah Ke will definitely help him. If I rush in, this adulterous couple will surely murder her own husband. In the world, people can be anything, except big wanderer with martial art skill.” Thereupon he struggled to suppress his anger, and had no choice but to close his eyes so that he would not see the intimacy of those two people.

He heard Ah Ke said, “Gege [big brother, term of endearment], actually …” As soon as she said this word, ‘Gege’, Wei Xiaobao’s heart was filled with bitterness and anger. “Damn it,” he mused, “No sense of shame at all; you even call him ‘Gege’.”

He did not hear the rest of Ah Ke’s words, but he heard Zheng Keshuang said, “He is in the open, while we are in the dark. Galdan’s warriors are really formidable; leave it to me, this time we will definitely stab several open holes on his body.”

“That fellow really bullies intolerably,” Ah Ke said, “If this hatred is not avenged, all my life I won’t be happy. Did you know that I originally did not want to acknowledge my father? It was simply because he promised that he would send eight martial art experts to accompany me dealing with this matter that I finally agreed to acknowledge him.”

Wei Xiaobao said in his heart, “Who offended you? If you want revenge, you can simply tell your husband. Nothing is impossible, you did not need to acknowledge Wu Sangui, that big traitor as your father.”

Zheng Keshuang said, “It’s really not difficult to stab him dead, it’s just that the Tatars officers and men are taking strict precautions. After assassinating him, to withdraw and escape alive is not too easy. We have to think an entirely different strategy before we make our move.”

Ah Ke said, “Father promised to send people to kill him was not entirely for my sake. He wants to deploy his troops to attack the Tatars, and this man is a major roadblock. He instructed me that I should never let Ma know, I suspect he has his own selfish reason.”

“Have you told your Ma?” Zheng Keshuang asked.

Ah Ke shook her head, “I did not,” she said, “In this kind of matter, the more secretive the better. You never know, Ma might say something to stop me. If I did not obey her, that won’t be good. I might as well not say anything to her.”

Wei Xiaobao wondered, “Who is it that she wants to assassinate? Why is this person a roadblock to Wu Sangui’s plan of deploying his troops?”

He heard Zheng Keshuang said, “These days I am watching his coming and going, the security is indeed very tight, it is very difficult to come near him. I gave it a lot of thought, this fellow is a lecher, someone disguised as a courtesan might be able to get very close to him.”

“A lecher?” Wei Xiaobao wondered in his heart, “Is he talking about Futai [inspector-general]? Or Fantai [vassal state governor]?”

“Only if Shijie and I disguise ourselves,” Ah Ke said, “But I don’t want to disguise myself as that kind of lowly woman.”

“Or we attempt to bribe the cook,” Zheng Keshuang said, “Put some poison in his wine.”

Ah Ke hatefully said, “Killing him by poison, my anger cannot be vented. I want to chop his hands, to cut his tongue that always talks nonsense to me! That little demon, I … I hate him!”

As soon as the three words ‘that little demon’ entered his ears, Wei Xiaobao’s head spun. Instantly he understood; he said repeatedly in his heart, “Turns out you want to kill your own husband.” Although he knew that Ah Ke wholeheartedly leaned toward Zheng Keshuang, he had never imagined that she hated him that much. “When did I ever offend you?” he wondered in his heart.

This doubt was instantly answered, as he heard Zheng Keshuang said, “Ke Mei, this fellow is infatuated with you, he has never dared to offend you the least bit. I know the reason you wanted to kill him is because you want to vent my anger. You have this kind of affection to me, I … I really don’t know how to repay you.”

Ah Ke said in a gentle voice, “I hate him more for humiliating you one part compared to him humiliating me ten parts. If he beats me, curses me, I look at Shifu’s face, and swallow my hatred, but toward you he … he repeatedly treated you that rude. When I remember it, I really wish I could make mincemeat of him.”

“Ke Mei,” Zheng Keshuang said, “How about if I repay you right now?” His right arm also reached out to embrace her body. Ah Ke’s face looked so lovely and bashful, she buried her head in his bosom.

Wei Xiaobao’s heart was aching, angry, and bitter at the same time. Suddenly his head was jerked back, somebody grabbed his braid. He was greatly shocked; immediately afterwards somebody twisted his ear. He was about to scream when a voice that he was very familiar with spoke near his ear in a low voice, “Little b@stard, come with me!” [the word here is ‘wang ba dan’ – turtle (derogatory way) egg]

In all his life, he could not remember how many hundreds or thousands times he has heard this scolding ‘little b@astard’; without thinking he obeyed immediately. The grabbing of his braid and the twisting of his ear was executed very skillfully; it was also something that he could not remember how many hundreds or thousands times he has had his braid pulled and his ear twisted like that. He knew it was his mother Wei Chunfang.

The two of them arrived at her room. Wei Chunfang kicked backward to slam the door closed. As soon as she released his braid and ear, Wei Xiaobao called out, “Ma! I am back!”

Wei Chunfang stared at him for quite a long time. Suddenly she threw herself onto him and hugged him tightly, while crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “Haven’t I come back to see you? Why are you crying?”

Still sobbing and sniffling, Wei Chunfang said, “Did you die? Where did you go? I looked for you everywhere inside and outside Yangzhou, I beseeched the deity and worship Buddha, I don’t know how many times I raised my prayers, how many times I knocked my head. Dear Xiaobao, finally you return to Mother’s [‘niang’] side.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “I am not a child anymore, I went out to roam outside, you don’t have to worry.”

With tears still in her eyes, Wei Chunfang’s eyes were blurry. She saw her son had grown tall, his build was thick and solid, she was very happy. She broke into crying again and scolded him, “You little b@stard, without saying anything to your Niang, you went away that long. This time if I don’t ferociously feed you sautéed bamboo shoots in meat, little b@stard won’t know his laoniang’s fierceness.”

The so-called ‘sautéed bamboo shoots in meat’ was spanking of his bottoms by feather duster with bamboo stick handle. Wei Xiaobao has not had that in a very long time. Upon hearing his mother, he could not help but laughing in amusement.

Wei Chunfang also laughed. She took out her handkerchief to rub the mud and filth from his face. After wiping for a while, she looked down and saw the front lapel of her new satin gown was stained with tears and snoot, plus a lot of charcoal ashes from her son’s face; she could not help but feeling upset. ‘Slap!’ she heavily struck his face and scolded him, “This is my new clothes, I just sewed it to celebrate the New Year three years ago, I haven’t worn it quite several times yet. Little b@stard, you came back is not a good thing, you made your laoniang’s new clothes dirty. How am I going to accompany the guests?”

Seeing how his mother treasuring the new clothes, making noises with flushed face and looked very angry, Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “Ma, don’t worry about your new clothes. Tomorrow I am going to have a hundred new clothes sewn for you, they will be ten times better than this one.”

Wei Chunfang angrily said, “Little b@stard can only talk big; what kind of skill do you have? Looking at your revolting behavior, can you get rich outside and come back here?”

Wei Xiaobao said, “Riches, I haven’t gotten any, but my gambling luck has been good, I won some money.”

Wei Chunfang had a 30% confidence in her son’s ability to cheat in gambling; she held out her palm and said, “Give it to me! When you have a bit of money in you, not too long afterwards you would spend it all.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “This time I won really big, too big that no matter what I cannot spend it all.”

Wei Chunfang raised her palm and slapped him again. Wei Xiaobao ducked, the palm missed. He thought, “As soon as she sees me she wants to beat me. I have the Princess in the north, and my laoniang in the south.”

He was just putting his hand into his pocket to get some money out when the turtle slave outside called, “Chunfang, the guests want you. Come quickly!”

“I am coming!” Wei Chunfang said. She walked over to the table and picked the mirror box, hurriedly put up some cosmetics in front of the mirror inside the lid of the box. “Just lie down here,” she said, “When Laoniang is back, I want to examine you carefully. You … you must not go away!”

Wei Xiaobao saw his mother’s eyes were brimming with concern, she was afraid that he would be gone missing again, thereupon he laughed and said, “I am not leaving, don’t worry!”

“Little b@stard,” Wei Chunfang cursed again, but her face looked happy. Brushing off her clothes, she left the room.

Wei Xiaobao lay down on the bed, pulling the quilt to cover himself. He only lay down for a moment, Wei Chunfang was back in the room, carrying a wine pot. Seeing her son was lying on the bed, she was relieved. She turned around to go out. Wei Xiaobao knew that Zheng Keshuang ordered her to get more wine. Suddenly he had an idea. “Ma,” he said, “Are you getting some wine for the customer?”

“Right,” Wei Chunfang replied, “Just lie down nicely for me, when Ma returns, I will swindle something good for you to eat.”

“Get some more wine,” Wei Xiaobao said, “Let me drink some.”

“Gluttonous ghost,” Wei Chunfang scolded him, “Little child is not supposed to drink wine.” She took the wine pot away.

Hastily Wei Xiaobao peeked through the wooden partition. Seeing nobody in the adjacent room, like an arrow he dashed out of the room and entered the adjacent room, opened the cupboard and took the brothel proprietress’ bottle of Mi Chun wine, returned to his own room and hid the bottle underneath the quilt. Pulling the cork out, he said in his heart, “Zheng Keshuang you little b@stard [the word here is ‘za zhong’ – mixed breed], you want to put poison in my wine, today laozi will strike first and gain the upper hand!”