Crimes & Mysteries

CHAPTER 7Ximen Qing Meets Meng YulouOne day there came to Ximen Qing's house an old woman called Xue. She was a seller of flowers made of kingfisher feathers, and was carrying a box of them. She could not find Ximen, but seeing Daian, asked him where his master was."My father," said the boy, "is in the shop, going through the accounts with Uncle Fu."The old woman went straight to the shop door, pulled aside the lattice, and looked in. Ximen Qing was going through the books with his manager. With a movement of the head she signaled to him to come out. He left the shop at once, and they sought a...

Chapter 5Drunk, the Little King Raises the Gold-Spangled Bed CurtainsLu the Tattooed Monk Throws Peach Blossom Village into Confusion"Sagacious," said the abbot, "you definitely can't stay here. In the Eastern Capital a Buddhist brother of mine, called the Lucid Teacher, is the abbot of the Great Xiangguo Monastery. Take this letter to him and ask him to find you a job. Last night I had a vision and composed a four-line prophetic verse to guide your destiny. You must remember these words."Kneeling before him, Lu said: "I'd like to hear the prophecy."The abbot intoned: "Take action in the fores...

CHAPTER V.FROM CH'UNG-K'ING TO THE CAPITAL OF SSŬ-CH'UAN.Fu-t'ou-kuan—The country and its products—Chinese New Year—Charcoal from bracken—Ramie fibre and grass-cloth—Down a tributary of the T'o—The T'o and its commercial importance—The salt wells of Tsŭ-liu-ching—Sugar and Safflower—The Chêng-tu plain—Beggars—The capital of Ssŭ-ch'uan.In February, 1883, I found myself at liberty to carry out the resolution which I had made to visit Ta-li Fu and the west of Yün-nan—all that remained for me to do was to decide what route I should follow. Mr. Baber's admirable description of that part of Western ...

Chapter 5After Chaos Among the Peaches the Great Sage Steals the PillsIn the Revolt Against Heaven the Gods Capture the DemonsThe story goes on to relate that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a mere monkey devil after all, was quite satisfied that his name was on the register of office without caring about the grading of his job and his own rank, or the size of his salary. The immortal clerks in the two offices in his residence were in constant attendance on him, he had three meals a day and a bed to sleep on at night, and he lived a free and easy life without worries. In his spare time he woul...

CHAPTER 3Lin Ru-hai recommends a private tutorto his brother-in-lawAnd old Lady Jia extends a compassionate welcometo the motherless childWhen Yu-cun turned to look, he was surprised to see that it was Zhang Ru-gui, a former colleague who had been cashiered at the same time and for the same reason as himself. Zhang Ru-gui was a native of these parts, and had been living at home since his dismissal. Having just wormed out the information that a motion put forward in the capital for the reinstatement of ex-officials had been approved, he had been dashing about ever since, pulling strings and sol...

CHAPTER IV.THROUGH NORTH-EASTERN YÜN-NAN TO THE YANG-TSZE.The city of Yün-nan Fu—P'u-êrh tea—Opium-smoking chair-bearers and personal care—Exposure of robbers' heads—Chinese school—Rainbow superstition—Entertainment at Tung-ch'uan Fu—A successful ruse—Stopped by a mountain torrent—Lodged in a byre—On the banks of the Niu-lan River—The Chao-t'ung plain and its lakes—Stories of Lolo bloodshed—Down from the plain—Narrow escape of a porter—Back to Ssŭ-ch'uan—Descent of the Nan-kuang River—Down the Yang-tsze to Ch'ung-k'ing.Yün-nan Fu is a walled city, over three miles in circuit, 6420 feet above t...