Empress dowager cixi

[xlwoo]

The town was in a far southern province. It took more than a month for the concerned parties to travel the long distance to the capital. When the minister questioned Cabbage, she was consistent with what she had said. The son of the mayor had warned her that if she changed anything in her statement of confession the consequence would be very serious. But he hadn't explained how serious it would have been and Cabbage hadn't doubted it. She really liked him and wanted him to live. The minister had a meeting with his consultants. They all knew that if Cabbage insisted on what she had confessed, they couldn't change the verdict. They had no reason to do so. They should find a way out of it. Everyone in the room put on the thinking cap. All of a sudden, one of the consultants said that he was struck with a wonderful idea.
In a small room of the Judicial Ministry building, a square table stood in the center with two people seated at it opposite each other. One was Cabbage and the other was Yang. They were brought together in this room by the jailers, who told them that the minister gave them the dinner because they would be executed next day. They were supposed to bid eternal adieu to each other at their last dinner party. There were four dishes on the table and even wine was provided. Yang was in total despair and felt that it was unfair to him because he didn't murder anybody. Cabbage hung her head low, ashamed of herself for framing Yang. At first both of them kept silent. No one cared to speak. To break the awkwardness, Yang began, “Cabbage, let's drink farewell. We may meet in next life.” Cabbage could think of nothing to say. So she remained in silence. She realized now that she had been taken in by the son. Perhaps, he had never loved her from the beginning, but why had he wanted her husband out of the way by poisoning him? “Cabbage,” Yang went on, “We will die tomorrow. Can you tell me the truth so that I won't die ignorant?” Cabbage thought what was the use now even if she told the truth. They would be executed next day all the same. So she made no answer, still bending her head low. Yang was a couple of years older than she. They grew up together in the same neighborhood. When in childhood, they played together. Then Yang reached the age to be tutored, he transferred his new knowledge to her by teaching her how to read and write. As her family was not rich, Yang's father didn't consent to their marriage. Then she was married to the late husband. “Did you still remember we read the story West Chamber together?” How could she forget? She recalled many scenes in their childhood and when they had grown up. She almost buried her chin in her chest. “Cabbage, speak to me, please. Let me hear your voice once more before I die.” Yang sounded like begging her. Her tears dripped on her lap. “Don't cry, Cabbage. Talk to me. We have only tonight to live.” Yang said softly. Cabbage sobbed out the words, “I'm sorry.”

[xlwoo]

“No need to say sorry.” Yang sighed. After a while. “Do you hate me?” Cabbage asked bashfully.
“No. Why should I hate you? Everyone will die sooner or later.” Yang said philosophically.
“Because I framed you.” At last she said that.
“So, you did frame me?” Yang said without any surprise. Cabbage nodded.
“Now tell me the truth, please.”
“What's the use now?”
“At least I know the truth before I die.”
After a lot of importunity from Yang, Cabbage told him the truth. Yang sighed and laughed and began to eat and drink. A jailer came into their room, holding a stack of paper in his hand. He told Cabbage to sign on the bottom of the last page. Cabbage didn't know what that meant, but she signed anyway. Why should she care what papers she signed? She would soon die. She cared for nothing any more.
Next day, both of them were brought before the minister. They thought the minister would send them to the execution ground. But the minister asked Cabbage, “Why didn't you tell the truth in the local government? I mean, at least you could do it in the governor's yamen.” Cabbage was confused. She was at a loss to understand what the minister had just asked. This was the ruse they had used to draw the truth out of Cabbage. The minister had hidden himself in the next room with some of his consultants. They had been eavesdropping to what Yang and Cabbage would have said. A consultant had written down all the facts Cabbage had confessed to Yang. The minister issued an order to fetch the mayor, the son of the mayor and the owner of the drugstore, who had sold the arsenic to the son. When the drugstore owner pointed out that it was the son of the mayor, not Yang, who had come to him to buy the arsenic, the son could no longer deny his crime. So the original verdict was invalid. The son was executed. The mayor was removed from his office and exiled to a remote province. Cabbage and Yang were proved not guilty and released. Yang went back to his home in the southern province. He was handicapped on the knees for life.
The case was closed. Many officials in that southern province were either dismissed from their posts or demoted, because they had misjudged a case that had involved two innocent lives. The minister wrote a report to West Empress Dowager. She was interested in the case and curious to see what Cabbage looked like and so summoned Cabbage to her presence. In ordinary circumstances, only courtiers above a certain rank could be present before an empress dowager. Cabbage was a special case. After the interview, Cabbage became a nun.

[xlwoo]

“No need to say sorry.” Yang sighed. After a while. “Do you hate me?” Cabbage asked bashfully.
“No. Why should I hate you? Everyone will die sooner or later.” Yang said philosophically.
“Because I framed you.” At last she said that.
“So, you did frame me?” Yang said without any surprise. Cabbage nodded.
“Now tell me the truth, please.”
“What's the use now?”
“At least I know the truth before I die.”
After a lot of importunity from Yang, Cabbage told him the truth. Yang sighed and laughed and began to eat and drink. A jailer came into their room, holding a stack of paper in his hand. He told Cabbage to sign on the bottom of the last page. Cabbage didn't know what that meant, but she signed anyway. Why should she care what papers she signed? She would soon die. She cared for nothing any more.
Next day, both of them were brought before the minister. They thought the minister would send them to the execution ground. But the minister asked Cabbage, “Why didn't you tell the truth in the local government? I mean, at least you could do it in the governor's yamen.” Cabbage was confused. She was at a loss to understand what the minister had just asked. This was the ruse they had used to draw the truth out of Cabbage. The minister had hidden himself in the next room with some of his consultants. They had been eavesdropping to what Yang and Cabbage would have said. A consultant had written down all the facts Cabbage had confessed to Yang. The minister issued an order to fetch the mayor, the son of the mayor and the owner of the drugstore, who had sold the arsenic to the son. When the drugstore owner pointed out that it was the son of the mayor, not Yang, who had come to him to buy the arsenic, the son could no longer deny his crime. So the original verdict was invalid. The son was executed. The mayor was removed from his office and exiled to a remote province. Cabbage and Yang were proved not guilty and released. Yang went back to his home in the southern province. He was handicapped on the knees for life.
The case was closed. Many officials in that southern province were either dismissed from their posts or demoted, because they had misjudged a case that had involved two innocent lives. The minister wrote a report to West Empress Dowager. She was interested in the case and curious to see what Cabbage looked like and so summoned Cabbage to her presence. In ordinary circumstances, only courtiers above a certain rank could be present before an empress dowager. Cabbage was a special case. After the interview, Cabbage became a nun.

[xlwoo]

Chapter 36

General Governor Zuo finished his task in the northwestern provinces and was summoned to the capital. First, he was given the title of a prime minister. Then he was appointed to be a secretary. Everyday he went on duty in the office of the Secretarial Bureau. Other secretaries held him in certain esteem due to his fame. But he was not a modest man. He boasted a lot about his fighting merits in the northwestern provinces. So by degrees he lost the deference of his colleagues. Everyone wished that he would soon retire since he was already seventy, though still in a comparatively good health.
The division of the garrison of the Forbidden City had an infamy for bad discipline and inability to fight. Zuo arrived in the capital, bringing a division of his own troops. He offered to Prince Yihuan, who was in charge of the garrison division, that he could send his trainers to drill the garrison division. Yihuan took his offer as a disdain to his garrison division. He declined of course. Then Secretary Zuo proposed to fix the dikes of the Yongding River near the capital, using his division. So the Secretarial Bureau consented to his proposal.
After the decease of East Empress Dowager, West Empress Dowager began to establish her sole and total authority. Since Governor Li of Zhidi Province had been the Two River General Governor and still had some influence in the Yangtze River area, she wanted to erase his roots there. The best way was to make Zuo the Two River General Governor, because Zuo always opposed what Governor Li did. So Zuo left the capital for the south of Yangtze River. The head of the Two River Army Supplies General Bureau was the brother-in-law of Governor Li. Li had appointed his marital relative as the head when he had been the Two River General Governor there. His brother-in-law was a power-maniac. He didn't know anything about war, but he always bragged that he would be a good general if he could command armies in any war. He neglected his duties. He let all the defensive devices along the Yangtze River go into a state of uselessness. When the officers in charge reported the situation, he ignored the report and didn't have them fixed. As West Empress Dowager got a report about it, she removed him from his office.
Governor Zuo's guards were all generals, who were faithful to him. Once Zuo sent one of his generals to the Financial Official, whose position was the second in rank under the governor. So he thought that his rank should be above a guard from the governor's yamen. When the guard didn't show due respect to him, he went to complain to Zuo, who told the guard to apologize to the Financial Official. The Financial Official was jocund because the governor saved his face. When he took his leave, the guards were standing in a row to give him a farewell salute. They were all dressed in the uniform of a general, whose rank was higher than that of the Financial Official. The Financial Official was embarrassed. This was a frequently-told joke about Zuo.

[xlwoo]

Chapter 36

General Governor Zuo finished his task in the northwestern provinces and was summoned to the capital. First, he was given the title of a prime minister. Then he was appointed to be a secretary. Everyday he went on duty in the office of the Secretarial Bureau. Other secretaries held him in certain esteem due to his fame. But he was not a modest man. He boasted a lot about his fighting merits in the northwestern provinces. So by degrees he lost the deference of his colleagues. Everyone wished that he would soon retire since he was already seventy, though still in a comparatively good health.
The division of the garrison of the Forbidden City had an infamy for bad discipline and inability to fight. Zuo arrived in the capital, bringing a division of his own troops. He offered to Prince Yihuan, who was in charge of the garrison division, that he could send his trainers to drill the garrison division. Yihuan took his offer as a disdain to his garrison division. He declined of course. Then Secretary Zuo proposed to fix the dikes of the Yongding River near the capital, using his division. So the Secretarial Bureau consented to his proposal.
After the decease of East Empress Dowager, West Empress Dowager began to establish her sole and total authority. Since Governor Li of Zhidi Province had been the Two River General Governor and still had some influence in the Yangtze River area, she wanted to erase his roots there. The best way was to make Zuo the Two River General Governor, because Zuo always opposed what Governor Li did. So Zuo left the capital for the south of Yangtze River. The head of the Two River Army Supplies General Bureau was the brother-in-law of Governor Li. Li had appointed his marital relative as the head when he had been the Two River General Governor there. His brother-in-law was a power-maniac. He didn't know anything about war, but he always bragged that he would be a good general if he could command armies in any war. He neglected his duties. He let all the defensive devices along the Yangtze River go into a state of uselessness. When the officers in charge reported the situation, he ignored the report and didn't have them fixed. As West Empress Dowager got a report about it, she removed him from his office.
Governor Zuo's guards were all generals, who were faithful to him. Once Zuo sent one of his generals to the Financial Official, whose position was the second in rank under the governor. So he thought that his rank should be above a guard from the governor's yamen. When the guard didn't show due respect to him, he went to complain to Zuo, who told the guard to apologize to the Financial Official. The Financial Official was jocund because the governor saved his face. When he took his leave, the guards were standing in a row to give him a farewell salute. They were all dressed in the uniform of a general, whose rank was higher than that of the Financial Official. The Financial Official was embarrassed. This was a frequently-told joke about Zuo.

[xlwoo]

Governor Yan was summoned to the capital. He was a man of moral integrity, never taking briberies. He did everything by the book, seldom cutting the slacks. There was a lot of malpractice and abuse of law in Internal Revenue Ministry. So West Empress Dowager put Yan there as the minister in the hope that he would make some reforms. On the day of the interview, West Empress dowager told Minister Yan that if he had any problems, he could directly report to her and she would always support him in his performance of his duties. Minister Yan was grateful for the trust and vowed to do his best up to her expectation.
The eldest son of Yan was an official in the capital. Yan stayed with his son to save money for the government, because otherwise the government should find him a residence. Minister Yan was well-known for his strictness. All the officials in the Internal Revenue Ministry warned each other to be extra careful. The very next day he went to his yamen and on the very first day he wanted to check all the general ledgers. Usually a new minister would rest a few days at home after his appointment. When he did go to his yamen he would take time to get familiar with everything in the yamen before he really started on his routine obligations. But that was not the way with Minister Yan. He used a Chinese abacus to confirm that all the entries, the revenue and the expenditure, were correct.
There were two offices in the Internal Revenue Ministry. The South Office dealt only with the finance of the Mandarin Clan, which was not so significant. The North Office managed all the fiscal business throughout the country. As this was an important branch, all the officials working there were from the Mandarin Clan. But it was known that officials of the Mandarin Clan were not so versed in math and calculation as officials of the Han Clan. So things there were really done by clerks, who could be from the Han Clan. What was the use to have officials there? Minster Yan suggested to West Empress Dowager that officials of the Han Clan should be appointed in that office.

[xlwoo]

Governor Yan was summoned to the capital. He was a man of moral integrity, never taking briberies. He did everything by the book, seldom cutting the slacks. There was a lot of malpractice and abuse of law in Internal Revenue Ministry. So West Empress Dowager put Yan there as the minister in the hope that he would make some reforms. On the day of the interview, West Empress dowager told Minister Yan that if he had any problems, he could directly report to her and she would always support him in his performance of his duties. Minister Yan was grateful for the trust and vowed to do his best up to her expectation.
The eldest son of Yan was an official in the capital. Yan stayed with his son to save money for the government, because otherwise the government should find him a residence. Minister Yan was well-known for his strictness. All the officials in the Internal Revenue Ministry warned each other to be extra careful. The very next day he went to his yamen and on the very first day he wanted to check all the general ledgers. Usually a new minister would rest a few days at home after his appointment. When he did go to his yamen he would take time to get familiar with everything in the yamen before he really started on his routine obligations. But that was not the way with Minister Yan. He used a Chinese abacus to confirm that all the entries, the revenue and the expenditure, were correct.
There were two offices in the Internal Revenue Ministry. The South Office dealt only with the finance of the Mandarin Clan, which was not so significant. The North Office managed all the fiscal business throughout the country. As this was an important branch, all the officials working there were from the Mandarin Clan. But it was known that officials of the Mandarin Clan were not so versed in math and calculation as officials of the Han Clan. So things there were really done by clerks, who could be from the Han Clan. What was the use to have officials there? Minster Yan suggested to West Empress Dowager that officials of the Han Clan should be appointed in that office.

[xlwoo]

When Minister Yan sent for the head of the North Office and asked him how many taels of silver were in the silver warehouse to that date, he replied that they hadn't counted yet. It was a wrong answer. Actually, no one would count the taels of silver everyday. There was a logbook there to write down the numbers of silver taels coming in and going out, and the totals each day. It showed that he knew nothing about his duties. Minister Yan decided to send for the clerk doing the logging, but he was on the sick leave. So Yan called in an aide of the head official. The aide took care of internal revenue. When Minister Yan questioned him how much he had gotten by then, he put down a stack of revenue books that he had brought in before Yan, stating that all were here that Yan wanted to know. He meant that Minister Yan should look into these books himself to get the answer he wanted. So far so ridiculous. Patiently, Yan said, “Just tell me.” The aide said that since he didn't know how to use an abacus he couldn't add up. Yan suppressed his wrath and told him coldly that he was fired. The aide left nearly in tears.
The Internal Revenue Ministry had also three warehouses to store silver taels and other stuffs. Stationary Warehouse held paper, ink bars, brushes and minerals using as coloring in paintings, and other things, such as sandalwood, yellow wax, vermilion and small green stones to be ground into powder as coloring material. Satin Warehouse had scrolls of satin, silk and brocade stocked there as rewards to courtiers. Silver coming from all the provinces was kept in the Silver Warehouse, a piece of silver worth ten taels. Although there were sentinels guarding the warehouses, things were often stolen, especially from the silver warehouse. Who could get into the silver warehouse as there were more guards than at other two warehouses? It was rumored that whenever silver transported from any province reached the warehouse, some carriers were hired to carry the silver pieces into it. The carriers were young and strong. They were stripped naked every time they went in or came out so that they could not hide silver pieces in their clothes. But they developed a skill to stuff the silver pieces into their anuses the last time they came out of the silver warehouse. They had been practicing the skill at home by stuffing pebbles of the similar size into their anuses. It was said that the most skillful would hold eight pieces of silver at a time. That was eighty taels. One tael of silver was worth one thousand coins of bronze and a piece of bean curd cost only a couple of coins at that time.

[xlwoo]

Minister Yan wanted to have a look into these warehouses, which were situated at three different locations. He went to the Stationary Warehouse first. When he got there, the official in charge accompanied him to go around. He had intended to match entries in the logbook with the storage, but when he stepped beyond the gate of the warehouse, he was stunned to find the place in a real mess. The floor was covered with a thick layer of all sorts of colorful things. Those recognizable were specks of minerals and fragments of paper mixed with dust. When he was hesitating to tread on the carpet of sundries, the official went in first, crunching noises heard under his feet. Yan followed suit. Some stacks of paper were yellowed, being stored there for a long time. Yan asked, “Did anyone come to inspect before?” The official answered, “Yes. But the routine is that they only check if the windows are secured or the roof doesn't leak.” Suddenly a mouse ran across before them. The official shrugged. Yan turned about and left the place. He didn't have the slightest notion how to clean the place and still save all the useful things. Next place was the Satin Warehouse, inside which there were rows after rows of racks holding scrolls with dust on them, too. At least it looked better than the inside of the Stationary Warehouse. Yan contemplated to send a clerk over to count the scrolls to see they matched the numbers in the logbook. The Silver Warehouse was the last location he visited. He wanted to check the scales there, because it was said that the weights used on the scales were not all standard, some lighter and some heavier. When the silver pieces came in, they would put on heavier weights so that more taels were needed. Say, if one hundred taels were required to log in, but when the weights were heavier than the standard ones, one hundred taels might only weigh ninety taels and so ten extra taels must be put on the scales to make them look exactly one hundred taels. When the silver pieces were given out, they used lighter weights so that when only ninety taels were put on the scales, the reading would be one hundred. Yan had the weights measured and they were not standard. He had the non-standard weights confiscated and the officials in charge arrested and put into jail of the Judicial Ministry. All in all many incompetent officials were removed from the Internal Revenue Ministry.

[xlwoo]

Minister Yan wanted to have a look into these warehouses, which were situated at three different locations. He went to the Stationary Warehouse first. When he got there, the official in charge accompanied him to go around. He had intended to match entries in the logbook with the storage, but when he stepped beyond the gate of the warehouse, he was stunned to find the place in a real mess. The floor was covered with a thick layer of all sorts of colorful things. Those recognizable were specks of minerals and fragments of paper mixed with dust. When he was hesitating to tread on the carpet of sundries, the official went in first, crunching noises heard under his feet. Yan followed suit. Some stacks of paper were yellowed, being stored there for a long time. Yan asked, “Did anyone come to inspect before?” The official answered, “Yes. But the routine is that they only check if the windows are secured or the roof doesn't leak.” Suddenly a mouse ran across before them. The official shrugged. Yan turned about and left the place. He didn't have the slightest notion how to clean the place and still save all the useful things. Next place was the Satin Warehouse, inside which there were rows after rows of racks holding scrolls with dust on them, too. At least it looked better than the inside of the Stationary Warehouse. Yan contemplated to send a clerk over to count the scrolls to see they matched the numbers in the logbook. The Silver Warehouse was the last location he visited. He wanted to check the scales there, because it was said that the weights used on the scales were not all standard, some lighter and some heavier. When the silver pieces came in, they would put on heavier weights so that more taels were needed. Say, if one hundred taels were required to log in, but when the weights were heavier than the standard ones, one hundred taels might only weigh ninety taels and so ten extra taels must be put on the scales to make them look exactly one hundred taels. When the silver pieces were given out, they used lighter weights so that when only ninety taels were put on the scales, the reading would be one hundred. Yan had the weights measured and they were not standard. He had the non-standard weights confiscated and the officials in charge arrested and put into jail of the Judicial Ministry. All in all many incompetent officials were removed from the Internal Revenue Ministry.


(check the following link to see my new book published:
http://www.allbook-books.com/html/ro...long_poems.htm )

[xlwoo]

Being scholars, the critique officials set their hearts on beautiful wording in their reports, but most admired among the average courtiers was the humorous style. A Mandarin Clan nobleman opened a casino. In the collection of the gambling debts owed to him, he had a gambler beaten to death. The corpse was left there for three days without anyone daring to bury it. So a critique official sent in a report, saying, “It is totally reasonable and rightful for a nobleman to kill a common gambler. This Critique Official can't have the audacity to protest it. But thinking of our kind-hearted ancestors who always showed mercy even to birds and animals, this Critique Official can't help feeling that a body exposed on the death spot for days and pecked by the famished vultures is not what our ancestors would expect of us. So this Critique Official beg to have the local government to inter the body in a proper manner so that people will think that Empress Dowager are kind even to the dead.” He didn't complain about the killing, but about the exposure of the corpse. As a result, the nobleman was deprived of his title and was no more a nobleman, just a man.
There was another report to accuse two courtiers, stating that the first one had no other merits than took no briberies and the other courtier had no other merits than took briberies It meant that one courtier was useless, though free from corruption and the other courtier was useless and greedy. So the result was that the first courtier was demoted and the second courtier was removed.

[xlwoo]

Being scholars, the critique officials set their hearts on beautiful wording in their reports, but most admired among the average courtiers was the humorous style. A Mandarin Clan nobleman opened a casino. In the collection of the gambling debts owed to him, he had a gambler beaten to death. The corpse was left there for three days without anyone daring to bury it. So a critique official sent in a report, saying, “It is totally reasonable and rightful for a nobleman to kill a common gambler. This Critique Official can't have the audacity to protest it. But thinking of our kind-hearted ancestors who always showed mercy even to birds and animals, this Critique Official can't help feeling that a body exposed on the death spot for days and pecked by the famished vultures is not what our ancestors would expect of us. So this Critique Official beg to have the local government to inter the body in a proper manner so that people will think that Empress Dowager are kind even to the dead.” He didn't complain about the killing, but about the exposure of the corpse. As a result, the nobleman was deprived of his title and was no more a nobleman, just a man.
There was another report to accuse two courtiers, stating that the first one had no other merits than took no briberies and the other courtier had no other merits than took briberies It meant that one courtier was useless, though free from corruption and the other courtier was useless and greedy. So the result was that the first courtier was demoted and the second courtier was removed.

[xlwoo]

Another funny report was a self-criticism from a deputy minister. This deputy minister was known as a man of gallantry. He had been twice sent to the southern provinces as an examiner to supervise the local government test. The first time he was in Zhejiang Province. When the test was over, the examiners were permitted to relax for a few days before they should report back in the capital. The deputy minister rented a pleasure boat on the Fuchun River for sightseeing. There was always a girl or two on that sort of boat to wait on the patrons. People on the boat usually wore no shoes. The girl was also bare-footed. Her feet were of a natural size. Many foreigners know that in old China women had small deformed feet by binding their feet very tight when really young. As the body grew up, the growth of the feet were encumbered, thus deformed into a triangular shape. In reality, the small deformed feet on a woman were only prevalent in Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. It might be originated a little earlier. Only girls of the Han Clan in the middle class families and above the middle class had kept the bad habit to deform their feet. The girls of the Mandarin Clan or of other minorities never did that. Even girls of the Han Clan in poor families didn't do that, either, because they must help their families with work. How could they work with small deformed feet? Some ancient scholars described the women standing on their small deformed feet as the twigs of the weeping willows swaying in the breeze. This deputy minister was a man of the Mandarin Clan and loved natural feet of a woman. Besides, girls in the southern provinces were known to be gentle and delicate while girls in the north to be buxom and robust. Many men in the north liked girls in the south, for a change. So the deputy minister liked the boat girl very much and wanted to buy her as his concubine. But he could not take the girl with him to the capital, because the purchase of a girl to be his concubine would paint a dark color on his character and reputation. So he paid the family beforehand and told them to bring the girl to his residence in the capital a month later. But the girl was never delivered. He didn't know why and he couldn't report to any yamen. He felt like a fool being cheated out of his money.

[xlwoo]

The second time he went to Fujian Province as an examiner. After the test was over, he detoured to the Fuchun River on his way back to the capital in hopes that he might come across the girl he had paid for, but no such luck. Anyway, he met another girl on another pleasure boat. She was tall and fair-skinned, with only a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. He fell in love with her at the first sight. He bought her as his concubine. But this time he took her along, afraid to lose her like the last time. However, he knew that any critique official could write a report to criticize him for it when they learned it. He didn't want to hide his beloved like stolen merchandise. So he thought that it would be better to criticize himself before anyone else did. His self-criticism report went like this, “This deputy minister had five brothers who were all deceased and had no sons to last their lineage. This deputy minister has only two sons and two sons are not enough to be adopted by five brothers' families for the lineage purpose. Therefore, this deputy minister bought a girl of eighteen on the way back. As this deputy minister is known as honest and upright, it is not fair if when other courtiers have faults this deputy minister reports and when this deputy minister has faults himself, he doesn't report. This deputy minister beg to be punished for that.”
West Empress Dowager had never read such a report before during the twenty years she had stayed in power. She gave it to the secretaries for a discussion. One of the secretaries never liked the deputy minister and proposed to remove him from the post and others never specifically liked him and agreed. So West Empress Dowager approved their proposal. The deputy minister lost his title and post. He didn't care and moved out of the capital to live in a secluded place with his girl. Happy ever after?

[xlwoo]

The second time he went to Fujian Province as an examiner. After the test was over, he detoured to the Fuchun River on his way back to the capital in hopes that he might come across the girl he had paid for, but no such luck. Anyway, he met another girl on another pleasure boat. She was tall and fair-skinned, with only a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. He fell in love with her at the first sight. He bought her as his concubine. But this time he took her along, afraid to lose her like the last time. However, he knew that any critique official could write a report to criticize him for it when they learned it. He didn't want to hide his beloved like stolen merchandise. So he thought that it would be better to criticize himself before anyone else did. His self-criticism report went like this, “This deputy minister had five brothers who were all deceased and had no sons to last their lineage. This deputy minister has only two sons and two sons are not enough to be adopted by five brothers' families for the lineage purpose. Therefore, this deputy minister bought a girl of eighteen on the way back. As this deputy minister is known as honest and upright, it is not fair if when other courtiers have faults this deputy minister reports and when this deputy minister has faults himself, he doesn't report. This deputy minister beg to be punished for that.”
West Empress Dowager had never read such a report before during the twenty years she had stayed in power. She gave it to the secretaries for a discussion. One of the secretaries never liked the deputy minister and proposed to remove him from the post and others never specifically liked him and agreed. So West Empress Dowager approved their proposal. The deputy minister lost his title and post. He didn't care and moved out of the capital to live in a secluded place with his girl. Happy ever after?