“Honorable young master, did you see these things yourself?” asked Qin Yu.
“This toady is always showing how addle-brained he is by his talk,” Qin Da said. “That was the Tang Dynasty. This is the Song Dynasty. How could I have seen these things with my own eyes?”
“But there is one person now before the eyes of men who is more beautiful than Yang Gueifei,” said Qin Yu. “Truly she is one of the few beneath heaven. There is not another such in the world. Since the time when I was born, I have seen only one such beautiful woman. She is neither tall nor short, fat nor thin, with eyebrows and eyes and everything else of great beauty.”
Qin Da was not a good person at all. When he heard these words, his eyes became fixed and staring and he quickly spoke up. “Qin Yu, where did you see her?”
Qin Yu replied, “At the gate of our estate there is a man named Wang Xing, who has spread his carpet and displayed there the fruit that he sells. He lives in the city. One day this small person, myself, went to buy two chairs of hard yellow cedar. I wanted to hire someone to take them to my home for me, but there was no suitable person around. I therefore went to the home of Wang Xing to ask him to carry them. Just as I knocked, his wife was leaving the house. When this small person saw her, he knew beyond any doubt that hers was a very rare beauty. She was at the highest level among beautiful women. Since the day that I saw her, I have wanted to tell the young master about her, but there was no suitable time. She is just right for you.”
“Impossible!” Qin Da said, “I would like to have her, indeed, but it is not an easy matter. Can I simply say that someone in Wang Xing’s home belongs to me? Do you know of any way to drop this beautiful woman into my hands? I would certainly give you much silver for your efforts.”
Qin Yu replied, “If the young master wants this beautiful woman, it is not difficult. If you can spend two hundred ounces of silver, this toady has a suitable plan that will ensure this beautiful woman will be in your hands today. If only you, young master, will give me the two hundred ounces of silver, I will put my plan into operation for you.”
Qin Da said, “Go to my treasury, get the silver, and bring it here.”
When the two hundred ounces of silver was in his hands, Qin Yu came close to Qin Da and told him his plan. When Qin Da heard it, he laughed loudly, “Ha, ha! You just go and call him.”
After that, Qin Da simply followed Qin Yu’s plan. Without any further words, Qin Yu went outside to look and saw that Wang Xing had just finished arranging his produce. “Our young master has asked me to come and call you,” said Qin Yu.
Wang Xing quickly asked Guo Four to watch his fruit for him and went inside with Qin Yu. Wang Xing was smiling and thinking that he would probably sell enough fruit to earn several ounces of silver. It must have seemed to him that the young master wished to buy the best-quality fruit. They hurried on until they came to a palatial studio in a flower garden. There, Wang Xing saw that the Demon of Doom, Qin Da, was just sitting down on the veranda with several of his attendants standing on either side of him.
Wang Xing immediately went forward and said, “The small person whom the honorable young master has called is here. What may I do?”
Qin Da asked, “Wang Xing, what people do you have at home and how old are you? Speak the truth!”
Wang Xing did not know what this was all about, but promptly replied, “Since the honorable young master asks, in my home there are only this insignificant person, who is twenty-two years old; my mother, who is fifty; and my wife of nineteen. There are only three of us at home.”
When Qin Da heard this, the rascal gave a wild laugh and said, “Wang Xing, I have heard it said that your wife is not bad-looking. I will give you two hundred ounces of silver for her and you may get another. Bring your wife here and give her to me.”
Hearing these words, Wang Xing felt a cold chill, and he thought to himself: “If I refuse, they will beat me to death.” So, trying to guess the thoughts in Qin Da’s mind, Wang Xing said, “Honorable young master, you are above me, and I, beneath, beg for your kindness. My wife is nothing but someone who takes care of my old mother. After my mother dies, I will send my wife to the honorable young master, but I would not dare to accept the two hundred ounces of silver you offer.”
When Qin Da heard the words of Wang Xing, he was about to say, “Go! Be off with you!”
But Qin Yu came to him and said, “Honorable young master, do not listen to this kind of talk. This is clearly just a pretense. His mother is just now fifty and will probably live another thirty years. Then he will send his wife to you to take care of in her old age.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Da suddenly became very angry and cried out, “You dog head, you dare try to deceive the one who is master of your household, and to his very face! You are being quite vexatious. Come, my men, seize him, tie him, and hang him up for me!”
Qin Da’s wicked thugs tied Wang Xing and hung him up. Qin Da then said, “Qin Yu, what do you suggest? Suppose you trick his wife into coming here. I will have her look at him to get her consent to stay with me.”
Qin Yu rolled his eyes. This was just as he had planned. He went outside and, calling three of the other rogues together, instructed them in several sentences. They then hired a sedan chair and two of the three men carried it. The third went with them to Wang Xing’s home and knocked at the gate. Wang Xing’s mother came out of the house immediately and asked, “Who is there at the gate?”
The third man then said, “Old lady, you do not know me. My name is Zhang. There is a little problem at Prime Minister Qin’s flower garden. I am a good friend of Elder Brother Wang. Early today, just as Elder Brother came and spread out his fruit, he fell down flat; froth began to come from his mouth, and he lost his understanding of things. We carried him into the flower garden and asked a doctor to look at him. The doctor said that Brother Wang’s illness is extremely serious. The doctor wants to speak to a near relative of Wang before treating him. Elder Brother Wang said that I should bring his wife.”
The old lady said, “Perhaps it would be good for me to go to see him.”
The man said, “Old lady, at your age if you go to see him, you might be quite shocked. Also, leaving the young wife here at home alone might not be fitting.”
The old woman replied, “What, then, is best?” She went back into her house to talk the matter over with her daughter-in-law, Wu Shi.
Wu Shi was a person who understood about three-fourths of what she heard. When she heard that her husband was ill, her heart was in turmoil. She quickly changed her clothing, saying, “Your daughter will go and see.” Outside, she said a few polite words to the waiting people and got into the sedan chair.
At Prime Minister Qin’s estate she was taken into the flower garden. The sedan chair was put down. When the curtain of the chair was pulled up, she looked out and saw the young master sitting under the roof of the high veranda. Qin Da had dressed with especial care for his meeting with Wu Shi. The kerchief on his head was shaped into the form of a regal scepter from which hung a number of gaudy streamers. His loose robe was embroidered with flowers and bordered with gold. He sat with his feet propped up, showing the white soles of his shoes. The bulbous chin of his repulsive face was thrust out at her. His cruel eyes staring at her made him seem like the image of an evil demon that had somehow come to life.
After Wu Shi had looked at him she asked, “Young master, who are you? Why have you tied up my husband?”
One of the men who was standing at Qin Da’s side said, “This is our young master, no less than the honorable son of Prime Minister Qin. Are you not going to bow your head to him?”
Before Wu Shi could reply,