Chapter 413 — One Cauldron

Wei Quan had no sooner stepped through the gate of the He house than he saw Madam He's third brother, fists flying, chasing He Qingyuan round and round the grape trellis, He Qingyuan puffing and blowing like a bellows.

He Hao had long since vanished somewhere out of sight; Young Madam He, propped up by her own serving woman, stood in great agitation on the steps of the west wing, crying shrilly, "Stop it! Stop it!" Madam He, meanwhile, sat on the curved bench beneath the veranda of the main hall with the wife of her eldest brother from her natal family, sobbing and cursing He Qingyuan as "a dirty old lecher" and "an old reprobate who won't lie down and die." The brother of Madam He's who was jail warden had not come; apart from one nephew who ambled along behind He Qingyuan and the others calling out, "Uncle, say what you have to say, only don't hurt Uncle-in-law," the rest of the brothers and nephews behaved as though there were nothing at all to see in the courtyard, and gathered round Madam He to comfort her.

Wei Quan hunched his shoulders and made to slip away.

But He Qingyuan's eyes were sharp; he caught sight of Wei Quan at once and shouted at the top of his voice, "Bairui, come and lend a hand!"

He dared not offend Madam He's family, and he dared not offend He Qingyuan either.

He stepped forward and made a bow with hands clasped to Madam He's third brother, addressing him with great respect as "Third Uncle-in-law, sir."

Madam He had no intention of divorcing He Qingyuan; how could her family truly lay hands on their own son-in-law?

If not for this Wei Quan, would a man of He Qingyuan's years have learned from others to keep a woman on the side?

At the sight of him Madam He's third brother was filled with fury; without a word he drove his fist straight into Wei Quan's face.

Taken utterly off guard, Wei Quan yelped "Ai yo!" and, clutching his face, staggered and went down on the ground.

"A perfectly good family fortune, ruined by vermin like you who bring disorder into a house!" At the sight of him Madam He's third brother's face went dark with rage; snorting with anger, he straddled Wei Quan's body and gave him a sound drubbing about the head and face.

He Qingyuan had barely shaken off the brute and was still in a state of shock himself; how could he spare a thought for Wei Quan? He hid himself far off beside the screen wall and bawled for the guards: "Are you all dead? A pack of good-for-nothings who do nothing but eat!"

Several guards came running out, their faces wreathed in fawning smiles, and behind them came He Hao, who had not shown himself until now.

If not for the little brat telling tales, how would he have failed to get his beauty and then had his own brother-in-law come knocking at his door?

Cursing, "Little wretch, you're glad to see your father beaten, are you?" He Qingyuan raised his hand and slapped He Hao across the face.

Young Madam He gave a scream.

He Hao squealed like a stuck pig.

Madam He forgot her weeping and cursing; she bellowed, "He Qingyuan, how dare you strike my son — I'll fight you to the death!" and, gathering up her skirts, came charging out from beneath the veranda of the main hall.

He Qingyuan gave a shudder of fright. He was just wondering whether he might slip out first and lie low somewhere when he saw a woman come mincing and swaying out from behind the screen wall.

He recognized her as Wei Quan's woman, and could not help starting; he said in a low, stern voice, "How did you get in here?"

The woman had been bred in a pleasure house; she had been with Wei Quan only two or three months, and Wei Quan had no thought of taking her home as a wife, so that though she now belonged to the Xuanqing Sect she still kept the ways of the house. Hearing him, she first threw He Qingyuan a flirtatious glance, then said, "I've come looking for my man! The young gentleman of your household knew me and let me in." Then, fawning, "What's happened to you, my lord? The whole street is crowded at your gate..."

Had the He family not been the greatest gentry in these parts, with men posted at the gate, the crowd would long ago have pressed right up against the door.

He Qingyuan went purple with rage. In his heart he blamed Madam He for showing him not the least wifely consideration, for making him the laughingstock of Qingyuan County, and he bawled toward the gate: "How do you keep that gate of yours? Sweet or stinking, you let them all in! Have you too much idle time on your hands, that you want to be sold to the salt works to dry salt?"

As he spoke, a hubbub rose outside, and a dozen constables came charging in, fierce and savage, and surrounded the courtyard on every side.

Everyone in the courtyard stood frozen.

Madam He stood dumbstruck in the middle of the courtyard, her brother's fist halted in midair, and the whole crowd that had followed at Madam He's heels were utterly at a loss. In that great courtyard there was nothing to be heard but Wei Quan's moaning.

In the midst of this uncanny hush, the constable of Qingyuan County came in, treading warily, together with the county registrar.

They were all old acquaintances, and everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.

Madam He's fourth brother even went up to meet them with a smile: "Your Honor, you remember me, surely? I'm the third son of the jail warden's family. What's happened, that you should trouble yourself to come in person? This is our brother-in-law's house..."

While he was speaking, He Qingyuan had already slipped him a bank draft for fifty taels.

But the registrar, who only yesterday had been drinking with them at a singsong house, now turned on them and knew them not; he not only flung the draft back in He Qingyuan's face but put on a great show of righteous indignation, his face dark as he shouted: "The Son of Heaven breaks the law and is judged like any commoner! The He family has been in league with bandits, terrorizing the countryside — never mind that you are kin to the jail warden, even were you kin to the magistrate himself, there is no earthly reason to let you go." That said, he shouted at the constables: "What are you waiting for? Bind these accomplices!"

The people in the courtyard were struck dumb.

The constables, though, rushed in like wolves and tigers, seizing everyone they saw, whether of the He family or of Madam He's natal family.

At once the courtyard rang with the panicked shrieks of the women.

Madam He's fourth brother, in a frenzy, protested, "What is the meaning of this? How could we possibly be in league with bandits..."

Even if they had committed some offense, there was surely no reason to arrest the women of the household along with them.

The registrar sneered.

The jail warden had charge of vice, robbery, and prisoners, and was the constable's direct superior; in ordinary times this constable had taken no small amount of gifts from the He family, and seeing how things stood he pointed at the sky, hinting that rather than waste breath arguing here with the registrar, he had best go speak with the father-and-mother official of the county.

He Qingyuan and Madam He's fourth brother both nodded gratefully to the constable, but their hearts were burning with anxiety; dimly they felt that this was no simple matter.

Then across the courtyard came the frightened cry of Wei Quan's woman: "What are you arresting me for? I only came to watch!"

Wei Quan too said, "We only came to stop the fight — you've got the wrong people!"

The constable seizing them said coldly, "Our orders are to take every living thing in this courtyard. Whatever grievance you have, save it for the county jail."

Madam He's family had been clerks and under-officials for generations; there was no one in the Qingyuan County offices, high or low, whom he did not know. Yet not only did the constable speak in this stiff, hard way — there was not a single familiar face among those around him.