The Hundred Women's Records: The Punished Women, Part 3

Chapter 7

of "The Hundred Women's Chronicle" (Chapter 7: The Criminal Woman) In Chapter
7, Governor Yan beats Zhou Shi with a stick; Magistrate Di meets a
lewd woman in the cellar. A handsome and clever young man, clever and obedient, secretly enjoys himself through a secret passage leading to the study.
They crawl in and out frequently, night after day, reveling in their pleasure.
They indulge in debauchery on the bed, peeping through the window, where two officials are hiding.
A summons arrives at the court, and the poor young scholar is left destitute.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Di opens the coffin to examine the body, but finds nothing. Zhou Shi, seeing this, is furious. Beside Bai Shun's corpse, she cries and curses, lamenting the peddler's miserable life, how even in death he was exhumed and his body moved by a corrupt official, his body disfigured beyond recognition, exposed naked to the sunlight, preventing his soul from resting in peace. Zhou Shi also vehemently curses Magistrate Di for abusing his power for personal revenge, arresting people without evidence and illegally torturing them. As she cried and cursed, Zhou suddenly leaped up, pointing her finger at Di Renjie's nose, gritting her teeth and vowing to go to the next higher level of government to sue Magistrate Di.
The situation had escalated to this point, leaving Di Renjie utterly humiliated. He could only endure Zhou's insults, speechless with righteous indignation. He dared not put on airs or feign any more authority. Instead, he instructed his servants: "Use my salary to purchase a new coffin, burial clothes, and paper oxen and horses for the deceased. Give him a proper burial. I will return to the yamen and report the situation to my superiors, awaiting the court's decree!"
With that, amidst murmurs and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Di Renjie sheepishly climbed into his sedan chair. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, still leading the way, impatiently pushed everyone aside. The sedan chair bearers, understanding the situation, lifted Di Renjie, strained their legs, and sped away.
When Zhou returned home, she instructed her mother-in-law to invite a scribe. She dictated the entire story to the scribe, who then drafted a complaint. The next day, carrying the complaint, Zhou hired a sedan chair and went straight to the provincial capital. She struck the grievance drum, and the gatekeepers, hearing the sound, led her into the yamen as required. Governor Yan Liben immediately donned his official robes and began court. Before he could finish reading Zhou's complaint, a messenger dispatched by Judge Di arrived and reported to the governor in detail about the fruitless exhumation and examination of the body. The governor, after reviewing the two reports, sighed and said, "Old Di, you've been shrewd all your life, how could you make such a rash decision?" He pondered for a moment, then wrote his judgment: "Di Renjie, without evidence, arbitrarily detained people and abused his power. The autopsy yielded no results. According to the law: Dismissed from office but retained in service. The county shall compensate Zhou for the whipping injuries at its discretion! Di Renjie shall issue a written apology for the damage to his reputation…"
"Why dismissed but retained in service?" Zhou, determined to reduce Di Renjie to a commoner, argued, "Di, this dog of an official, has committed crimes that, according to the law, warrant dismissal. How can Your Excellency trample on the laws of the Celestial Empire and protect officials?"
"Hmm," the governor murmured, then roared, "Di Renjie is a high-ranking official of the court, even the current emperor holds him in high regard! My judgment is based on reason; how can I tolerate your nonsense? Guards…"
"Present!" the two clerks responded and stepped forward. The governor slammed his gavel down: "This unreasonable wretch dares to disrupt the court! Throw him out with clubs!"
"Your Honor is so unreasonable!" Seeing the constables approaching with clubs, Zhou hurriedly stood up, retreating towards the gate while muttering indignantly, "How can Your Honor treat law-abiding citizens like this? Reason should be given, how can you just beat people like this!"
Remembering her own impropriety, Zhou dared not continue the argument. She was quite satisfied with this outcome. To avoid further beatings, she left the gate and ran away. The constables, too lazy to pursue, cursed a few times and returned to their offices. The governor waved his hand: "Court adjourned." Then, the governor summoned the sedan chair bearers, intending to go to the county to ask Judge Di for clarification.
When the governor arrived at the county office, Di Renjie was discussing something with Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. Upon seeing the governor, Di Renjie rose and instructed his two trusted men, "Well then, that's settled. You two go quickly. Remember, be extremely careful and absolutely do not let that little harlot discover any clues!" Then, Di Renjie turned to the governor: "Your Excellency, please take a seat of honor!"
"Alas," the governor, sitting in the head seat, asked Di Renjie bluntly, "Old Di, forgive my bluntness, but you acted too rashly in this matter, leaving yourself no way out!"
"Your Excellency," Di Renjie persisted, "that little slut is no good. The peddler's death must have involved something illicit. I have already sent men to stake out the pit. Your Excellency, have you not yet eaten?" Di Renjie summoned the cook and ordered several dishes to be prepared immediately. Thus, Di Renjie and the governor began to drink and chat.
Leaving aside the matter of Judge Di and the governor, let's turn to Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. As instructed by Judge Di, they rushed to the Zhou family's courtyard gate under cover of night, hiding behind an old locust tree, their eyes fixed on the gate, waiting for the man Judge Di imagined—the adulterer—to knock on the door. Then, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai would pounce and arrest him.
However, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai waited all night, their eyes aching and their bodies exhausted, but they didn't even see a shadow of a man. Looking at the gradually brightening sky, the two trusted men had no choice but to return dejectedly. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai continued this vigil for several days, each time returning empty-handed.
The impatient Mrs. Qiao was no longer willing to wait passively. She wanted to climb over the wall and enter the courtyard to investigate, but Ma Rong stopped her, saying, "Master ordered that we must not enter the courtyard. If Zhou notices something, we might alert the adulterer and he will never show himself again, and the case will be impossible to solve."
"But," Mrs. Qiao said, "it's not a good idea for us to just wait here like this. Since we can't easily enter the courtyard, why don't we climb onto the roof, lift a few tiles, and quietly investigate?"
“This…” Ma Rong still had some doubts. Qiao Tai couldn’t wait any longer and grabbed Ma Rong with her hand: “What are you still standing there for? Let’s go!”
Urged on by Qiao Tai, Ma Rong walked towards Zhou’s house with heavy thoughts. As they approached the house, suddenly, they heard chattering voices coming from inside. Qiao Tai was overjoyed and gave Ma Rong a mysterious smile: “Brother, we’ve been foolishly waiting outside, while that little slut is currently embracing her lover and having a heart-to-heart talk. Alas, all the hardship and suffering we’ve endured these days has been for nothing!”
Two government constables came to the back window and listened carefully. Sure enough, they heard a pair of adulterers laughing and joking while indulging in their debauchery. Ma Rong moistened his hand with saliva and poked a small hole in the window paper, squinting his eyes as he looked inside: “Hehe, so it’s him, the adulterer!”
"Who is it?" Qiao Tai asked curiously, pushing Ma Rong aside. "Let me see! Wow, I never expected a weak scholar to not only seduce respectable women but also have the guts to kill. You can't judge a book by its cover! Brother," Qiao Tai turned his face, gesturing for Ma Rong to climb into the yard, "Brother, you block the doors and windows in front of the house, and I'll make some noise behind it. Let's see how this little slut reacts, and where the adulterer will run!"
"Brother is absolutely right," Ma Rong thought the plan was brilliant and readily climbed into the yard, hiding behind a strange rock. Qiao Tai, behind the house, pretended to be a burglar preparing to break in. He swiftly climbed onto the roof, deliberately making a lot of noise, even kicking a few tiles off the roof, instantly filling the quiet yard with a commotion.
"What's going on?" Zhou's mother-in-law shouted from the outer room, "Who is it?"
"Oh no, there's a thief!" Zhou, who was in the bedroom, was startled and hurriedly pushed Xu Xiaoxiu away. Hearing the noise in the courtyard, Xu Jin was already terrified. Without saying a word, he put on his coat, got out of bed, and slipped into the cellar.
"Damn it," Ma Rong thought, hiding behind a strange rock, excitedly waiting for the moment when the adulterer would push open the door and flee. But after waiting for a long time, the door remained unmoved, and there was no sign of the adulterer. Ma Rong was puzzled: "Why isn't this guy coming out? Is he hiding in Zhou's house and refusing to come out? If so, I should rush in now. No, no," Ma Rong hesitated again: "This Zhou is extremely cunning. Even Master Di fell into her hands. I must not be reckless. If I fail to catch the adulterer Xu Jin, what will become of me? Master Di has his superiors protecting him, he's been dismissed but kept on the job, but who can protect me?"
Although he was certain that the adulterer was inside, Ma Rong could only stare at the door. To keep his job, he dared not rush in and capture the adulterer and his wife. And so, Ma Rong endured the agonizing wait until dawn, but the adulterer still hadn't come out. As the sky gradually brightened, Ma Rong dared not linger. He quietly slipped out of Zhou's residence and reunited with Qiao Tai. The two whispered amongst themselves for a long time, unable to understand how the adulterer had managed to enter Zhou's house after they had been waiting all night.
"Sigh, it's all over," Ma Rong said disappointedly to Qiao Tai, "It's all because you were too hasty, insisting on getting close to Zhou's residence. Now look what's happened, we've really alerted the enemy. How are we going to explain this to the magistrate?"
"We have to explain, even if we can't," Qiao Tai said calmly. Back at the yamen, she proactively admitted her mistake to Magistrate Di. After hearing the account from his two trusted men, Magistrate Di's eyes lit up. He praised Ma Rong, saying, "Young man, the fact that you didn't barge into the house shows you've matured a lot. Even if you had, you wouldn't have caught the adulterer; instead, the little harlot would have had something on us, putting us in an even more passive position. Young man, I know how the adulterer escaped!"
"How did he escape?" the two men asked simultaneously, "Please instruct us, sir!"
"In my opinion, it should be like this!" Magistrate Di explained his analysis to his two men. Then, he instructed them to continue their reconnaissance that night, but today's target was no longer the Zhou family's house, but the Xu family's residence, which was separated from the Zhou family's by only a wall: "You two should do it like this, like this, understand?"
"Understood!" Ma Rong and Qiao Tai obeyed. In the middle of the night, Qiao Tai, still disguised as a thief, deliberately clumsily climbed onto Xu Jin's study. After yesterday's fright, Xu Jin was already a nervous wreck. Hearing the noise on the roof, the handsome young man was so terrified that he covered his head with the blanket, not daring to move an inch. The unaware old scholar Xu Jin came out to catch the thief, but seeing the gentleman on the roof, even the old scholar was like a lame man shouting – he dared not climb onto the roof to fight the thief. Seeing this, Qiao Tai chuckled coldly, then reached out and removed the tiles, creating a large courtyard in the study. Qiao Tai leaned down and looked into the study; Xu Jin, covered by the blanket, was trembling!
"Young scholar," Qiao Tai leaped into the house and grabbed Xu Jin, "Heh heh, stop this! If you want to live, hand over the money now!"
"Sir, spare me!" Xu Jin pleaded desperately, "I'm just a poor scholar, I have no money at all!"
"You bastard, you dare to harm my son? I'll fight you to the death!" The old scholar could no longer stand idly by. He flung open the door, grabbed a fire poker, and was about to rush into the study when Ma Rong, who had arrived shortly after, grabbed him. "You old codger, what makes you think you can hurt my brother? I'll teach you a lesson!"
Ma Rong pretended to subdue the old scholar, while Qiao Tai, under the pretext of looking for money, began rummaging through the study. Following Master Di's instructions, Qiao Tai searched for silver while stomping heavily on the floor. Suddenly, when Qiao Tai's large foot landed on the floor beside the bed, it made a dull thud. Qiao Tai was overjoyed and squatted down. He saw a loose stone slab under the bed and lifted it up with a sudden burst of strength. "What's this?"
"This, this," Xu Jin gasped, seeing the thief had found the secret passage for their tryst. "This is just a vegetable cellar, there's no silver inside. Please cover it up!"
"You audacious thieves! With Lord Di here, how dare you act so presumptuously? Surrender now and beg for his mercy!" Just
as Qiao Tai was about to jump into the cellar to investigate, a commotion arose outside the study. It turned out that Magistrate Di, as arranged beforehand, had arrived at the Xu residence on time. The officials pretended to capture Ma Rong and shoved him aside. The old scholar, finally freed, first thanked the magistrate, then led Lord Di into his son's study, pointing at Qiao Tai and saying, "Sir, this is also a thief. Seize him quickly!"
"Don't rush," at this point, Lord Di was more interested in the cellar than the thief. Qiao Tai stepped forward and reported, "Sir, you are indeed a prophet. I have already discovered the entrance to the tunnel. Please inspect it, sir."
"Ah," judging from Qiao Tai's tone, this was no thief at all, but clearly a government detective. Old Scholar Xu seemed to understand something. Seeing his son Xu Jin's appearance and the open cellar door, the old scholar explained: This cellar was originally used to store valuables, but after the family's fortunes declined, there was nothing of value left to store, and the cellar was abandoned.
"It can't be abandoned," Master Di chimed in, "Sir, your son is very clever and knows how to make use of things. Now, this cellar has come in handy. Look," Master Di said, pulling on a rope, and a melodious copper bell rang out from the dark cellar. Master Di smiled at the officials, "Why don't you light the lanterns for me? I'm thinking of making a quick visit to the next room, hehe!"
"Yes," the officials obeyed. One of them, carrying a large red lantern, was the first to jump into the cellar. For safety's sake, Qiao Tai was the second to jump in. Di Renjie glanced at the young scholar: "What, don't you want to come with me to meet your lover? Hehe," he said, letting out another cold laugh. With the help of the others, he clumsily crawled into the cellar, and with Qiao Tai's assistance, he passed through the narrow tunnel. The official carrying the lantern had already pushed open the cellar cover in Zhou's room and was the first to climb up. Zhou had already heard the commotion next door clearly. Just as she was at a loss, she saw the official carrying a large red lantern, his face covered in yellow mud, grinning as he crawled out of the cellar: "You little slut, hello there! Our Master Di has come to see you, hehe!" After saying that, the official put the lantern on the floor, bent down, and reached out to pull Di Renjie out of the cellar. Emerging from the cellar, Di Renjie dusted himself off and addressed the stunned Zhou Shi, saying, "Old acquaintance, we meet again. What are you planning to offer this county magistrate?"
Given the current situation, what else could the little harlot possibly say? We'll find out in the next chapter.

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The Hundred Women's Records: The Punished Women, Part 3

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