Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Commandant then ordered his officers to seize Lin Chong and behead him. Lin Chong cried out that he was wronged.

"What business did you have at the headquarters gate?" the Commandant demanded. "You were found with a sharp blade in your hands—how can this not be an attempt on my life?"

Lin Chong replied, "I would never dare enter without your summons. I saw two messengers go into the hall, and they tricked me into coming here."

"Nonsense!" the Commandant shouted. "I have no such messengers in my service! This wretch refuses to accept his sentence." He ordered his men: "Take him to the Kaifeng prefecture. Tell Prefect Teng to interrogate him thoroughly and carry out justice. And seal up that precious sword." The guards received their orders and escorted Lin Chong to the Kaifeng prefecture. As it happened, Prefect Teng had not yet retired from the morning session.

There, crimson silk hangings adorned the walls, and purple sashes framed the hall. Vermilion lacquer crowned the lintel above, and mottled bamboo curtains hung on all sides. The officials maintained their integrity—four lines of the Emperor's edicts were carved on the warning stones. The clerks were scrupulous in their duties—the lacquered placards bore the characters for "Silence" and "Solemnity." The marshal's officers handled confidential matters; the guest registry clerks managed the documents and tallies. The clerks and soldiers carried themselves with gravity, the jailers with stern authority. Attendants carrying rattan canes stood before the steps; guards holding large staves flanked the ranks on either side. In disputes over marriage and property, judgments were rendered as clearly as the jade scales shone; in cases of brawls and wrongdoing, verdicts were decided as brightly as the golden mirror reflected. Though he was but a single prefect of a district, he was truly a father and mother to the people of the four quarters. He made prisoners stand as if upon ice, and caused all men to conduct themselves as though before a mirror. Words could not exhaust the full majesty of the scene—it was as though a hall of living gods had been sculpted into being.

The Commandant's men brought Lin Chong to the prefecture gate. He knelt on the steps while they relayed the Commandant's words to Prefect Teng. The sword, sealed under the Commandant's authority, was placed before Lin Chong.

Prefect Teng said, "Lin Chong, you are a drill instructor of the Imperial Guards. How can you be ignorant of the law? You entered the headquarters with a sharp blade in hand—this is a capital offense."

Lin Chong pleaded, "Your Excellency, mirror of wisdom, I beg you to consider that I am wronged and bear a grievance. Though I am a coarse soldier, I know something of the law. How would I dare enter the headquarters uninvited? On the twenty-eighth of last month, my wife and I went to the Temple of the Mountain God to fulfill a vow. There we encountered the Commandant's young lord, who tried to molest my wife. I drove him away. After that, Marshal Lu lured me to a drinking feast while Fu An went to deceive my wife into going to Marshal Lu's house upstairs to be molest her as well. I went there and stopped them, and gave Marshal Lu's household a thorough thrashing. Though neither attempt succeeded, there are witnesses to both. The next day, I purchased this sword on my own. Today the Commandant sent two messengers to my home to summon me, asking me to bring the sword to the headquarters for comparison. That is why I went with them to the headquarters gate. The two messengers went inside, and then the Commandant came in from outside and contrived this plot to frame me. I beg Your Excellency to act as my advocate."

After hearing Lin Chong's statement, Prefect Teng issued a reply, had shackles and cangues placed on him, and had him thrown into prison. Lin Chong's family brought him meals daily and spent money on his behalf. His father-in-law, Drill Instructor Zhang, also came and spent money both above and below to secure his release.

At that time, there was a court clerk named Sun Ding, a man of the most upright character, deeply devoted to doing good and always seeking to protect others. For this reason, everyone called him "Buddha Sun." He understood the true circumstances of the case and went about the prefecture, explaining the situation and reporting, "Lin Chong has indeed been wronged. He must be protected."

Prefect Teng said, "He has committed such a serious crime! The Commandant has written 'Pursue the charge and convict.' He must be found guilty of entering the headquarters with a blade, intending to kill his superior officer. How can he be protected?"

Sun Ding replied, "This Kaifeng prefecture is not the court's—it belongs to the Commandant."

"Outrageous!" said Prefect Teng.

"Who does not know that the Commandant holds power and relies on his might and influence? Moreover, there is nothing his headquarters does not do. If anyone offends him in the slightest, he sends them to the Kaifeng prefecture. If he wants them killed, they are killed; if he wants them dismembered, they are dismembered. Is this not his own private government office?"

"Then what do you propose?" Prefect Teng asked. "How should we handle Lin Chong's case and carry out the sentence?"

Sun Ding said, "Judging from Lin Chong's statement, he is an innocent man. The only problem is that they failed to capture those two messengers. Let him confess to the charge of improperly carrying a sword at his waist and mistakenly entering the headquarters. Give him twenty strokes of the heavy rod and exile him to a distant, harsh prefecture."

Prefect Teng already understood the matter. He went before the Commandant several times to explain Lin Chong's account. Gao Qiu, knowing he was in the wrong and unable to overrule the prefect, had to agree. That same day, Prefect Teng returned to his hall, had Lin Chong's long cangue removed, and administered twenty strokes of the heavy rod. He summoned a tattooist to brand Lin Chong's cheek, determined the distance of the place of exile, and sentenced him to Cangzhou prison city. In the hall, they fitted him with a seven-and-a-half-catty iron-leaf body cangue, sealed it with an official seal, issued a warrant, and assigned two escort guards to take him into custody for transport.

The two men were Dong Chao and Xue Ba. Having received their official papers, they escorted Lin Chong out of the Kaifeng prefectural office. A crowd of neighbours and Lin Chong's father-in-law, Instructor Zhang, were waiting at the front of the office. They went together with Lin Chong and the two bailiffs to a tavern beneath the Zhouqiao Bridge and sat down. Lin Chong said, "Thanks to Magistrate Sun's efforts, the beating was not too severe, so I'm able to walk." Instructor Zhang told the tavern keeper to set out wine and fruit for the two bailiffs. After several cups, Instructor Zhang produced some silver and gave it to the two escorts for their expenses. Lin Chong took his father-in-law's hand and said, "Father, upon my head, through the misfortunes of these troubled times, I offended Young Master Gao and suffered this wrongful case. Today I have a request to make of you. Ever since you graciously favoured me by giving me your beloved daughter in marriage, three years have passed, and we have never had the slightest quarrel. We have not been blessed with children, but neither have we ever had a cross word or the least disagreement. Now I have met with this calamity and am being sent to Cangzhou—whether I live or die is uncertain. With my wife at home, my heart cannot rest easy. I truly fear that Young Master Gao will press his suit and force this marriage upon her. Besides, she is still young and must not have her prospects ruined on Lin Chong's account. This is Lin Chong's own decision, forced on me by no one. Today, with our good neighbours as witnesses, I will write out a bill of divorce, allowing her to marry again as she wishes, with no dispute. Then my mind will be at ease, and Young Master Gao will have no cause to plot against her." Instructor Zhang said, "What words are these, good son-in-law? You have met with misfortune through no fault of your own. For now, go to Cangzhou and wait out this disaster. In time Heaven, in its mercy, may release you, and husband and wife can be reunited as before. My family has enough to live on. I will bring my daughter home, along with Jin'er, and care for her in any way needed. Three or five years—I will provide for her. She will not go in or out, and even if Young Master Gao wishes to see her, he will not be able to. Do not worry—leave it all to me. While you are in Cangzhou prison, I will send you letters and clothing regularly. Do not let your thoughts wander—go with an easy mind." Lin Chong said, "I am grateful for your kindness, Father. But I cannot rest easy. I would only waste her time. If you have pity on Lin Chong and grant my request, I can die with my eyes closed." Instructor Zhang would not agree. The neighbours also said this could not be done. Lin Chong said, "If you do not grant my request, then even if I struggle my way back, I vow never to be reunited with my wife." Instructor Zhang said, "If it must be so, then for now let you write it. I will simply not give my daughter in marriage to another." He called the tavern keeper and had him find a scribe. They bought a sheet of paper. The scribe wrote as Lin Chong dictated:

Lin Chong, instructor of the eight hundred thousand Forbidden Troops of the Eastern Capital, having been convicted of a serious crime and sentenced to exile in Cangzhou, with no certainty of survival thereafter, has a wife, Madame Zhang, who is still young. She hereby consents to this bill of divorce, permitting her to marry again as she wishes, with no dispute. This is entirely of her own free will and not the result of coercion. Lest there be no proof hereafter, this document is written as evidence. Date.

Lin Chong watched as the man wrote, then took the brush and placed his signature and thumbprint below the date.

He had just finished writing in the room and was about to hand the document to his father-in-law when his wife arrived, weeping and crying to the heavens. Her maid Jin'er, carrying a bundle of clothes, had followed her all the way to the tavern. Lin Chong rose and greeted her. "My wife," he said, "I have something to tell you. I have already spoken to your father. Because of my misfortune and this wrongful case, I am going to Cangzhou, and whether I live or die is uncertain. I truly fear that I will waste your youth. I have already written a few words here. I beg you, do not wait for me. If there is a worthy man, marry again—do not ruin your fine prospects for Lin Chong." When the woman heard this, she began to weep. "Husband, I have not been stained in the slightest—how can you divorce me?" Lin Chong said, "My wife, I mean well. I fear that in the end we will both waste each other's lives, and I will have cheated you." Instructor Zhang said, "My child, rest easy. Although your husband insists, I will never allow you to marry another. Let him go with a mind at ease. Even if he does not return, I will provide for you for life—you need only remain faithful." The woman, hearing these words, choked with grief. She looked at the letter and at once collapsed in a dead faint, her cries cut off. It was impossible to tell how her five organs fared, but her four limbs lay still. She was like:

A precious jade from荆 Mountain shattered—pitiful, after years of marriage begun with bound hair;

A treasured mirror's flower broken—in vain ninety days' match with the Lord of Spring.

Her flowery face lay fallen, like the peony of the Western Garden leaning on a crimson railing;

Her orchid lips were silent, like Guanyin of the Southern Sea entering meditation.

Last night the east wind raged through the small garden, and the river plum was blown down across the ground.

Lin Chong and Instructor Zhang revived her. It was some time before she came to, and even then she could not stop weeping. Lin Chong took the divorce document and gave it to Instructor Zhang. Among the neighbours, several women came to comfort Lin Chong's wife and helped her home. Instructor Zhang said to Lin Chong, "Go and fight for your future—come back and we will meet again. Your wife and I will bring her home tomorrow and keep her in my household until you return and you are reunited. Go with an easy mind—do not worry. If anyone is travelling that way, send letters as often as you can." Lin Chong rose, thanked his father-in-law, and took leave of him and the neighbours. He shouldered his bundle and went off with the bailiffs. Instructor Zhang and the neighbours made their way home. That is another story.

Now the two escort guards took Lin Chong to the official's office and placed him in custody. Dong Chao and Xue Ba each returned home to pack their belongings.

Dong Chao was at home tying up his bundle when a tavern keeper from the wine shop at the lane entrance came and said, "Master Dong, an official is in my shop asking to speak with you."

Dong Chao asked, "Who is it?"

The tavern keeper said, "I don't know him. He simply said to ask the Master to come."

In those days, the people of Song called all guards "Duan Gong." Dong Chao went straight to the tavern with the wine shop keeper. He entered the private room and saw a man sitting there, wearing a head kerchief with a swastika pattern and a black silk jacket over the top, with black boots and clean white stockings below. Seeing Dong Chao, the man hastily made a bow and said, "Master Duan, please sit."

Dong Chao said, "I have never had the honor of meeting you before. I don't know why you've summoned me."

The man said, "Please sit, and you'll know in a moment."

Dong Chao sat opposite him. The tavern keeper spread out cups on the table and brought vegetables, fruits, and appetizers, setting out a full spread.

The man asked, "Where does Master Xue live?"

Dong Chao said, "Just in the lane up ahead."

The man called the tavern keeper, asked for the address, and said, "Go and invite him here for me."

The tavern keeper left for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and soon Xue Ba arrived at the private room.

Dong Chao said, "This gentleman wishes to speak with us."

Xue Ba said, "May I ask your honor's name?"

The man again said, "You'll know in a moment. For now, please drink."

The three sat down and the tavern keeper poured the wine. After several cups, the man drew ten taels of gold from his sleeve and placed it on the table, saying, "Each of you two Masters take five taels. There is a small matter I need your help with."

The two said, "We've never met your honor before. Why would you give us gold?"

The man said, "Aren't you two heading to Cangzhou?"

Dong Chao said, "We two have been sent by the prefecture to escort Lin Chong all the way there."

The man said, "In that case, I need your help. I am Lu Qian, a trusted retainer of Grand Marshal Gao."

Dong Chao and Xue Ba made obeisance and said, "What sort of men are we, to presume to sit at the same table as you?"

Lu Qian said, "You both know that Lin Chong is an enemy of the Grand Marshal. I have the Grand Marshal's orders to give you these ten taels of gold. I hope you two will accept. You need not go far—just find a lonely spot up ahead, finish off Lin Chong there, and write a report of his death on the spot. Then come back. If the Kaifeng prefecture raises any objections, the Grand Marshal will handle it himself. Nothing will go wrong."

Dong Chao said, "I'm afraid this won't do. The Kaifeng prefecture's orders only say to deliver him alive—they never told us to kill him. Besides, he's not even a large man. How can we do this? If anything goes wrong, it could be troublesome."

Xue Ba said, "Old Dong, listen to me. If Grand Marshal Gao told us to die, we'd have to obey him. Never mind that this official has given us gold as well. Don't say any more—let's divide it between us and do him a favor. In the future he may look after us. Ahead there are plenty of dense, wild pine forests. No matter which spot, let's just finish him off."

Xue Ba then took the gold and said, "Rest assured, sir. At most it's five stages, at worst two, and it will be done."

Lu Qian was greatly pleased and said, "Master Xue, you really are straightforward! When you arrive at the destination, make sure to bring back the brand on Lin Chong's face as proof, and I'll give you two another ten taels of gold in thanks. I'll be waiting for good news—don't fail me."

In those days, anyone sentenced to penal transportation or exile in the Song dynasty was tattooed on the face. Because people disliked the term, it was simply called "stamping the golden seal."

The three drank a while longer. Lu Qian paid the bill, and they left the tavern and went their separate ways.

Now Dong Chao and Xue Ba divided the gold between them, took it home, gathered their luggage and bundles, took up their water-and-fire staffs, and went to the official's office to collect Lin Chong. They set out under guard. They left the city that same day and stopped some thirty li outside the city.

In those days, innkeepers along the roads did not charge guards escorting prisoners for lodging. Dong Chao and Xue Ba took Lin Chong to an inn and spent the night there. The next day at dawn, they lit a fire, ate breakfast, and set out on the road to Cangzhou.

It was the sixth month—the height of summer heat. When Lin Chong had first been caned, he had felt nothing. But after two or three days, the sweltering weather caused his caning wounds to flare up. Having just been caned, he could barely move one step at a time on the road.

Xue Ba said, "How unreasonable! Cangzhou is over two thousand li from here. How will you ever get there at this pace?"

Lin Chong said, "I suffered some wrong at the Grand Marshal's residence and was caned only a few days ago. The caning wounds have opened up. In this heat, I beg you both to bear with me, step by step."

Dong Chao said, "Walk as slowly as you like—just stop whining."

Xue Ba muttered and grumbled all along the way, saying, "Bad luck for us, running into a demon like you!"

The sky grew late again, and they saw:

The fire-wheel sinks low, the jade mirror is about to rise.

From afar, cooking smoke rises from the wilds; nearby, the wattle gate is half-shut.

A monk retreats to an ancient temple; among cloudy forests, crows are seen returning.

A fisherman rests by the shady bank; in wind-trees, cicadas still cry.

Cattle and sheep hasten from the heat; weary donkeys and horses rest on the steaming road.

That evening the three of them entered an inn in a village. Once inside their room, the two guards set down their staves and unstrapped their bundles. Lin Chong also undid his package. Before the guards could say a word, he took some loose silver from his bundle and asked the innkeeper to buy wine and meat, and to get rice as well, then laid out a meal and invited the two escorts to sit and eat. Dong Chao and Xue Ba called for more wine and drank Lin Chong under the table, then threw him down beside the cangue. Xue Ba heated a pot of boiling water, brought it over, and poured it into a foot basin. "Instructor Lin," he called out, "wash your feet and sleep well." Lin Chong struggled to rise, but the cangue hindered him—he could not bend his body. Xue Ba said, "I'll wash them for you." Lin Chong quickly said, "That won't do." Xue Ba said, "A traveler on the road can't be so particular." Lin Chong, unaware of the plot, simply stretched out his feet. Xue Ba pressed them down hard into the scalding water. Lin Chong cried out, "Ai-ya!" When he jerked them back, his feet were red and swollen. Lin Chong said, "I don't deserve such trouble." Xue Ba said, "I've only ever seen criminals waiting on guards—when has a guard ever waited on a criminal? With good intentions I tell him to wash his feet, and he turns around complaining that it's too cold or too hot—no good deed goes unpunished!" He muttered and cursed half the night. Lin Chong didn't dare say a word in return; he just lay down by himself. The two of them poured out the water, replaced it with fresh, and went outside to wash their feet and settle in. They slept until the fourth watch, when none of the other guests had yet risen. Xue Ba got up, heated water for noodles, and made a fire to prepare breakfast. Lin Chong woke up dizzy—he couldn't eat and couldn't walk. Xue Ba took up the water-and-fire staff and urged him to set out. Dong Chao untied a pair of new straw sandals from his waist—the ear-loops and laces were braided from hemp—and told Lin Chong to put them on. When Lin Chong looked, his feet were covered all over with scald blots. He tried to find his old straw sandals, but where could he get them? With no choice, he put on the new ones. He asked the innkeeper to reckon up the wine bill, and the two guards led Lin Chong out of the inn. It was the fifth watch. Before Lin Chong had gone two or three li, the blots on his feet were burst by the new straw sandals, blood streaming down, and he could no longer walk, crying out without cease. Xue Ba cursed, "Walk fast if you're going to walk—if I get a staff through you, you won't walk at all!" Lin Chong said, "Your honors, please be merciful. How would I dare to dawdle and delay the journey? It's truly that my feet hurt too much to walk." Dong Chao said, "I'll help you along." Supporting Lin Chong, they managed another four or five li. Seeing that he truly could not go on, they looked ahead and saw shrouded in mist and smoke a fearsome stretch of forest. Behold:

Layer upon layer of withered vines like rain-soaked feet,

Tall, dense branches like heads of clouds.

No one knows when the sky and sun last shone here,

Only the ceaseless grief of wronged souls endures.

This forest was famously known as "Wild Boar Forest." It was the first perilous stretch on the road from Dongjing to Czhou. In Song times, anyone with a grudge who gave the guards some money could have a man brought here—no one knows how many good men met their end within. Today the two guards led Lin Chong rushing into this forest. Dong Chao said, "We've walked since the fifth watch and haven't covered ten li—at this rate, how will we ever reach Czhou?" Xue Ba said, "I can't walk anymore either. Let's rest in the forest for a while."

The three of them hurried inside, undid their bundles and luggage, and piled everything at the base of a tree. Lin Chong cried out, "Ai-ya!" and slumped against a great tree. Then Dong Chao and Xue Ba said, "Take one step, wait one step—you've worn us out. Let's sleep a bit before we go on." They set down the water-and-fire staffs, threw themselves down beside the tree, half-closed their eyes, and called out from the ground. Lin Chong said, "What are you doing, your honors?" Dong Chao and Xue Ba said, "We were just about to sleep, but there's no lock on you here, and we're afraid you'll run off—that's why we can't sleep in peace." Lin Chong replied, "I am a man of honor. Since I've already accepted this sentence, I would never run away in my whole life." Xue Ba said, "How can we trust your word? To set our minds at ease, we'll have to tie you up." Lin Chong said, "If you must tie me, tie me—what could I possibly say?" Xue Ba untied the rope from his waist and bound Lin Chong's hands and feet tightly to the tree along with the cangue. He and Dong Chao leaped up, turned around, picked up the water-and-fire staffs, and looked at Lin Chong. "It's not that we want to finish you off," they said. "Ever since we set out, that Lu Yuhou came with Grand Marshal Gao's orders: he told us to finish you here and return at once with the gold seal to report back. Even if we dragged it out a few more days, it would still be your death sentence. We'll do it right here today—that'll make it easier for us to get back sooner. Don't blame us two brothers—it's an order from above, and we have no choice. You should know: this day next year will be the anniversary of your death. We've been given a deadline too, and need to report back early." When Lin Chong heard this, tears poured down like rain. "Your honors," he said, "I have no old grudge or recent grievance with you two. If you could save me, I would never forget it, in life or in death." Dong Chao said, "What nonsense! We can't save you." Xue Ba raised the water-fire staff and swung it down toward Lin Chong's head. Pitiful—the hero could only wait to die. As the verse says:

"For ten thousand li along the Yellow Springs there is no inn—

Tonight, into whose home will your three hun souls fall?"

What became of Lin Chong's life—that you will hear in the next chapter.