the ins and outs of official circles, and just happened to be the brother of the legal secretary at the Prefect’s yamen. If the County Magistrate wanted to ensure that the document he had written would not be sent back by the Prefect, the secretary was indispensable.
“Have them prepare my horse,” he said.
“May I ask where you are going?”
“To Laizhou Prefecture.”
“May I ask the purpose of the trip?”
“I want to see Excellency Cao and demand justice for the people of Gaomi County!”
With no attempt to maintain decorum, the secretary reached down, picked up the document, and scanned it quickly.
“Is this telegram intended for the eyes of Excellency Yuan?”
“Yes, and I’d like you to put a final touch to it.”
“Eminence, my eyesight and hearing are beginning to fail me. My mind is not as sharp as it once was, and at this rate I am afraid I will do you a disservice. I beg you to release me from my duties so I can return to my native home to live in retirement.” With an awkward little laugh, he reached into his sleeve and extracted a letter, which he laid on the table. “My letter of resignation.”
The Magistrate merely glanced at the letter and, with a sarcastic laugh, said:
“It seems the monkeys are abandoning the tree even before it falls.”
Rather than lose his temper, the secretary laughed politely.
“Tying two people together does not make them husband and wife,” the Magistrate said. “Since you desire to leave, trying to stop you would be meaningless. Do as you please.”
“I thank you for your generosity.”
“After I return from Laizhou, I shall see you off with a banquet.”
“I thank you for your kindness.”
“You may go,” the Magistrate said with a wave of his hand.
The secretary made it only to the door before turning to say:
“Eminence, I am only an advisor, but if you want my opinion, you must not go to Laizhou and you must not send this telegram.”
“And why is that?”
“I humbly submit, Your Eminence, that you are in the service of your superiors, not the people. A conscience has no place in the life of an official. You must choose one over the other.”
With a snide grin, the Magistrate replied:
“Well spoken and very incisive. If you have anything else to say, now is the time.”
“Arresting Sun Bing and quickly bringing him to justice is Your Eminence’s only path to survival.” The secretary’s eyes flashed as he went on, “But I know you cannot do it.”
“And so you are leaving,” the Magistrate said, “not to return home to live in retirement, but to steer clear of trouble.”
“Your Eminence is very perceptive,” the secretary remarked. “In truth, if you could abandon your personal feelings for Sun Bing’s daughter, capturing him would be as easy as turning over your hand. And if you did not want to do so yourself, I, your humble servant, would gladly render his services.”
“Do not trouble yourself!” the Magistrate said coldly. “You may leave.”
Grasping his hands in a salute, the secretary said:
“Very well, then, farewell, Your Eminence. I wish you well.”
“Take care of yourself, Yamen Secretary,” the Magistrate said before shouting out the door: “Chunsheng, ready my horse!”
————
2
————
At high noon the County Magistrate, in full official regalia, rode his young stallion out of town through the north gate, accompanied by his trusted personal attendant Chunsheng and his messenger, Liu Pu. Chunsheng, astride a powerful black mule, and Liu Pu, on his black mare, fell in close behind the County Magistrate’s white horse. After being stabled through a long winter, the animals were energized by the broad expanse of fields and the scent of spring in the air. They kicked their hind legs in frisky abandon and whinnied excitedly. Liu Pu’s mare nipped at the rump of the Magistrate’s horse, which bolted forward. The rough road surface had begun to thaw and was now coated with a layer of black, gummy mud that made for tough going. The Magistrate leaned forward in the saddle and held tightly to the horse’s untidy mane.
After heading northeast for an hour, they crossed the fast-flowing Masang River and entered the broad expanse of Northeast Township. Gentle golden early afternoon rays of sunlight fell on dry, withered grass and on the downy green sprouts just now breaking through the surface. Startled jackrabbits and foxes leaped and bounded out of the path of the horses’ hooves. As they rode along, the travelers could see the raised roadbed of the Jiaozhou-Jinan rail line and the railroad workers laying track.