Jianghu Qimen Lu

The gates of Daming Temple were completely surrounded by the Yangzhou magistrate and his men, as impenetrable as an iron barrel. It turned out that the peasant woman mistakenly believed that Wuyingjian had been kidnapped by the female "bandit" Xiangquan, and further assumed that all the monks in Daming Temple were accomplices of the bandits, and that her second daughter must also be imprisoned by Xiangquan and her gang! She thus saw Wuyingjian, that devil, as a pitiful little "fugitive" at their mercy.

Upon hearing her complaint, the magistrate of Yangzhou County believed that Daming Temple, hailed as the premier temple in Huaidong, was a truly renowned ancient temple. He was astonished that its abbot had colluded with bandits, turning the temple into a den of iniquity! He thought that if he could promptly quell this banditry and report it to the court, wouldn't that be a monumental achievement? So he rallied his friends and gentry, drawing upon all the wealthy merchants, gentry, and commoners in Yangzhou. Those with manpower contributed men, and those with money contributed money. He also added his own militia, which he had regularly trained. Finally, he gathered a motley crew of over five hundred men, euphemistically calling themselves "bandit-suppressing soldiers." They arrived at the gates of Daming Temple in a flurry, giving everyone quite a shock.

The magistrate was emaciated and sickly-looking. Although only in his forties, he resembled a starving old man reincarnated! He exuded an aura of insatiable greed and decay! He had a notorious nickname: "Unapproachable Ghost." This wasn't a name given to him for nothing; whenever there was any trouble in Yangzhou, he would relentlessly extort money from the people! The wealthy were especially his targets! His taxes were truly numerous and varied! Take this bandit-hunting operation, for example. He levied three taxes on the people: First, a tax on weapons. You can't fight bandits empty-handed; you need weapons, swords, and spears, right? Second, a tax on armor and helmets. The third, and most important, was a tax on provisions. An army marches on its stomach! Without enough food, forget fighting bandits; even marching would be difficult! The magistrate demanded all three taxes be paid that very day! Because he was afraid of being exposed the next day—leading a motley crew with no fighting ability whatsoever, driven entirely by monetary gain, to the temple gate with a show of force, hoping to rely on their numbers to scare the bandits half to death and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

But what if the bandits remain unmoved and unfazed, and instead become exceptionally fierce, slaughtering your side until they are routed and flee in disarray?

By then, you wouldn't even be able to ask the common people for a single coin; you'd be lucky to escape being beaten and verbally abused! Therefore, all three taxes had to be paid on the same day! Whoever refused to pay? Fine, the older ones would be immediately arrested and imprisoned! The younger ones would be immediately conscripted into the "bandit suppression army"! And you know what? The county magistrate was surprisingly efficient. Amidst the fierce shouts and curses of the three shifts of constables, the people of Yangzhou rushed back and forth to the county government office. Although they looked utterly miserable, most of them had paid their taxes within half a day! To make a show of it, the county magistrate sent the county clerk to remain in the office to continue collecting taxes, while he himself led over five hundred men in a grand procession towards Daming Temple!

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the mountain gate, a dwarf dressed as a girl ran out, saying he had important news to report. The guiding peasant woman recognized him immediately and said to Magistrate Gui Nan Na, "Reporting to Your Honor, he is the suspect in the murder of my second daughter. Arrest him quickly!" At Magistrate Gui Nan Na's command, two constables rushed forward, ready to shake their chains and seize Wu Ying Jian. He grew agitated, pointing at the peasant woman and shouting, "How can you not distinguish between good and bad people! I didn't kill your second daughter! Actually, I'm the most innocent one! The Red Flower Society and the Southern Fist School, led by Fragrant Fist and Stinky Feet, are now major criminals hunted by the imperial court! They are rebellious organizations dedicated to overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming! Everyone has the right to kill them. What wouldn't they do? After I was captured by them, I was subjected to severe torture. How could I have had the opportunity to harm your second daughter! Besides, as a Green Standard Army soldier under Zhang Kuang, the Governor-General of Zhejiang, how could I possibly break the law?! Your second daughter was probably killed by the bandits of the Red Flower Society!"

His confident pronouncements were actually meant for the magistrate and his troops. Sure enough, when Gui Nan Na heard that these bandits were the infamous Red Flower Society, an anti-Qing and Ming restoration organization, and the renowned Southern Fist School of martial arts from Jiangnan, he was overjoyed, knowing his chance for promotion and wealth had arrived! He hurriedly asked, "How did you get captured here? And how did you escape?" Wu Ying Jian immediately recounted the whole story. Gui Nan Na, upon hearing that the Emperor was currently serving as an official in Gushan, Hangzhou, was even more surprised and delighted, believing his opportunity to shine had come! He quickly sent Wu Ying Jian to Hangzhou to report the situation, while he temporarily besieged Daming Temple, refusing to engage in battle until the imperial army arrived, then they would join forces to capture the rebels! If they succeeded, he would finally gain recognition, and Emperor Qianlong would surely reward him handsomely! So he quickly had Wu Ying Jian mount his personal steed and ride swiftly to Hangzhou to request reinforcements.

The peasant woman protested loudly, "No matter what he says, he should at least know where my second daughter is! Don't let him leave! I haven't gotten any answers yet!" The magistrate, Gui Nan Na, rebuked her sharply, "Is your family's affair more important, or the affairs of the nation? How can you not distinguish between priorities and the relationship between interests! War is about to break out; a woman like you would be better off leaving now, lest you be caught in the crossfire!" The peasant woman was stunned. She had thought that the magistrate had brought his troops here in such a grand manner to seek justice for her, but instead of arresting the suspect, Wu Ying Jian, and getting answers, he had released him and told her to temporarily retreat! Was this not completely against all reason?! The peasant woman, Bu Tong, knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, pleading, "Your Honor, you can't handle this case so carelessly! My second daughter is still missing, neither alive nor dead, her whereabouts unknown! Your Honor, you must do me justice!" Upon hearing this, Gui Nan Na flew into a rage, shouting, "You scoundrel! How dare you accuse me, the magistrate, of handling cases carelessly! Fine! Fine! I'll show you just how careless I can be—" Suddenly, he drew his sword, and with a flash of white light, plunged it into her chest! Blood gushed out, and the peasant woman, her face filled with terror, murmured, "You…" She collapsed to the ground, instantly dead. The soldiers were all startled, staring in utter astonishment at their magistrate, thinking, "How could you kill her?!"

Gui Nan Na coldly asked the clerk, "Do you think she deserves to die?" The clerk, sporting a mustache, grinned wickedly and obediently replied, "She deserves to die! Of course she deserves to die!" Gui Nan Na's eyes flickered, and he asked again, "Do you know why the magistrate killed her?" The clerk's smile faltered, and he cautiously said, "Well... she kept babbling on and on, like a crow cawing in your ear. Of course, Your Honor, you had to kill her!" Gui Nan Na let out a shrill laugh and clapped his hands, saying, "Good! No wonder you became the magistrate's clerk! That's certainly a reason to kill her!" Suddenly, his eyes flashed with a fierce light as he glared at the clerk, like a mad dog with bloodshot eyes, and said, word by word, "When the higher authorities inquire about this case, I expect you to answer in the same way!" Cold sweat beaded on the clerk's forehead. He didn't bother to wipe it away and hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir!"

In the blink of an eye, Xiangquan led his men to the mountain gate. When they saw the peasant woman's body lying at Guinan's feet, Xiangquan pointed his finger and cursed, "You corrupt official! Not only did you release the murderer Wuyingjian, but you also killed the plaintiff! What are you trying to do? Don't you have any sense of justice? If you don't serve the people, who are you to be an official?"