Chapter 21: Framed

The two Yamen runners¹ wore cold sneers on their faces. They didn’t bother to give chase, seemingly unafraid that Zhao Mengcheng might escape.

Wang Ming shuddered, his hands trembling as he pulled at Zhao Mengcheng. He kept muttering, “This is bad, this is bad. It’s all over now.”

Zhao Mengcheng patted his hand and stepped forward. “I am Zhao Mengcheng. May I ask what this is about?”

He truly couldn’t imagine how he could have provoked anyone from the Yamen.

“You’ll find out what it’s about once you’re at the Yamen.” The runners clearly didn’t want to say much, stepping forward to take him away.

“Officer, I’ve watched this child grow up. He’s been a law-abiding man since he was small. Please, could the two of you show some leniency?”

As the Old Village Chief spoke, he pressed money into their hands.

The runners accepted it as a matter of habit, but still said, “We’ll allow you to say a few words to your family, but don’t think about running. Otherwise, if Lord Huang investigates, your whole family and the entire village will suffer.”

These words sent a shiver through the watching villagers.

“Mengcheng, what should we do? What on earth happened?” Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang were frantic with worry.

The runners had arrived early in the morning. Since Zhao Mengcheng wasn’t home, they had to wait for a while. It was lucky the Old Village Chief had heard the news and come to keep them company, otherwise the three children wouldn’t have been able to handle it at all.

Wang Ming had come early to transport the Dried Tofu, but his legs turned to jelly the moment he saw the runners. He had hoped to tip Zhao Mengcheng off so he could flee, but he was one step too late.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t answer them. Upon entering the house, he saw three panicked little faces. Zhao Chun and the others were clearly terrified, throwing themselves into his arms and weeping.

“Don’t be afraid. It must be a misunderstanding. I’ll be back soon,” Zhao Mengcheng could only offer this comfort.

Zhao Chun sniffled and shouted, “I want to go with Dad!”

Zhao Mengcheng pressed down on his eldest son’s shoulders. “While I’m away, you must help me take care of the house. Can you do that?”

Accepting the heavy responsibility, Zhao Chun gritted his teeth and shouted, “I can!”

“A-Mao, Xin-xin, listen to your big brother. Be good and wait at home for Dad to return,” Zhao Mengcheng instructed.

Zhao Mao nodded vigorously, his eyes glaring with hatred at the runners by the door. Zhao Xin, however, gripped his sleeve in fear, refusing to let go. “Dad, you have to come back quickly. I’m scared.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked at the Old Village Chief. “Uncle, please look after my home while I’m gone.”

The Old Village Chief nodded immediately. “Don’t you worry. I’ll take some people later to pull some strings. I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t suffer in there.”

Then he asked with deep concern, “Who exactly did you offend to be reported to the authorities?”

The word for “official” had two mouths²; commoners never dared to actually go to the authorities. It was a place that devoured people and money.

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes darkened as he whispered, “Perhaps it’s the secret recipe.”

The Old Village Chief’s mouth fell open. He realized the situation immediately, his expression turning solemn. “I’ll go and find out the details right away.”

“Are you done yet? Let’s go, don’t waste our time,” the runners outside urged impatiently.

Zhao Mengcheng looked at the three tearful little ones, stroking each of their heads to soothe them before turning to follow the runners.

“Dad!” the three children chased after him.

Zhao Mengcheng only waved his hand. The Old Village Chief had people hold the children back to keep them from making things worse.

After walking a distance, Zhao Mengcheng could still faintly hear the children’s crying. His heart felt heavy and somber. He only wanted to do business and earn money to support his family, yet someone insisted on making things difficult for him.

The two runners glanced at him occasionally, though they didn’t put him in chains or a wooden collar³.

Zhao Mengcheng spoke up, “Brothers, could you tell me who exactly went to the Yamen to accuse me? It would help me to have some idea of what I’m facing.”

As he spoke, he slipped them a piece of broken silver.

A runner bit it to confirm it was real, then tucked it into his robe. “I heard you’re on good terms with Dahu, so I’ll do him a favor and give you a few hints.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes flickered as the runner continued, “It’s about your time as an accountant in town. Someone accused you of having dirty hands.”

An accountant?

Zhao Mengcheng knitted his brows. How was that possible? The original owner had been completely framed. The matter of the false accounts wouldn’t stand up to an investigation. It was only because the original owner’s wife had panicked and the Zhao Family had no power that they had been forced to accept the loss.

But for the other party to take this to the Yamen now was like an old man looking for a rope to hang himself, simply asking for death.

Zhao Mengcheng immediately realized there was someone behind this, using the false accounts as a pretext to force him into submission.

Seeing him fall silent, the runners felt it was strange. Usually, any commoner being arrested would be trembling and weeping, but this Zhao Mengcheng was remarkably calm.

Walking between the two of them, he didn’t look like he was being escorted under arrest, but rather like he was being protected.

This case might not go so smoothly, the runner suddenly thought.

Zhao Mengcheng was taken directly to the courtroom. The plaintiff was none other than Boss Ma, the man who had hired him as an accountant, only to frame him for false accounts, swindle the original owner’s years of savings, and indirectly cause the destruction of his family.

Boss Ma had a long horse-face and a miserable look about him. At this moment, his eyes were shifting, not daring to look at Zhao Mengcheng.

“Lord, Zhao Mengcheng has been brought in.”

Changhe Town’s County Magistrate⁴, Lord Huang, was a short, stout man. Sitting high above, they possessed quite a bit of dignity. “Zhao Mengcheng, do you plead guilty?”

Zhao Mengcheng performed the proper salutations before standing to ask, “May the Lord judge clearly. This humble citizen has always been law-abiding and has never done anything against his conscience. I truly do not know what crime I have committed.”

Lord Huang’s brows shot up. “A plaintiff has come to accuse you, stating that during the three years you were employed as an accountant, you committed internal theft and embezzled over two hundred taels of silver. Do you plead guilty?”

“Over two hundred taels? This Zhao fellow is truly greedy.”

“No wonder it’s come to court. That’s a massive amount of silver.”

The Wang Family had followed close behind. Having just arrived at the Yamen gates, they argued back upon hearing the comments. “My brother isn’t that kind of person! He must have been framed!”

“Silence!”

Lord Huang struck the gavel⁵. “Zhao Mengcheng, do you plead guilty?”

“I do not,” Zhao Mengcheng said clearly. “I report to the Lord, I have grievances to voice.”

Boss Ma grew anxious and said repeatedly, “Lord, this man is most skilled at artful speech and distorting the facts. That is two hundred taels of silver, more than half a year’s income for my shop! You must seek justice for me!”

“Look here, this is a signed confession in black and white. A few months ago, Zhao Mengcheng admitted to making false accounts. I was fooled by him then, thinking he had only embezzled five taels. Who would have thought he had actually stolen two hundred?”

As he spoke, he pulled a piece of paper from his robe, which clearly bore a thumbprint.

Zhao Mengcheng’s heart sank. That was the document the original owner had signed when he was framed. Now, it had become evidence of a crime.

“Lord, you cannot tolerate such a morally corrupt villain!” Boss Ma jumped in agitation.

Lord Huang snorted. “Whether it is right or wrong, I will make a judgment after he has finished speaking.”

Hearing this, Zhao Mengcheng felt slightly more at ease. He had previously inquired about Lord Huang, the local official of Changhe Town, and knew that while he might not be perfectly incorruptible, he was a man who could distinguish right from wrong and was not a corrupt official who disregarded human life.

“I thank the Lord for allowing me to voice my grievances.”

Zhao Mengcheng spoke clearly, “Three years ago, Boss Ma hired me as the shop’s accountant. Though I was called an accountant, I was actually required to help with inventory and sales as well. One person was doing the work of three.”

“At the time, we agreed on a monthly wage of one tael of silver. Although it was tiring, the pay was on time for the first two years, so I continued to work. Who could have known that in the third year, he would start withholding my pay? The wages from the beginning of the year hadn’t been paid even by the start of the third month.”

Boss Ma jumped up. “So you embezzled the shop’s money! Fine! I hired you as an accountant because I thought you were honest, but who knew you were this kind of person? How could you do this to me?”

Lord Huang also knitted his brows.

Zhao Mengcheng did not let the interruption stop him. He continued, “I had four mouths at home waiting to be fed. After waiting for two months, I finally couldn’t wait any longer and brought it up with Boss Ma. He said he was temporarily short on cash and would definitely make it up to me the following month.”

“I believed him then and worked for another month. Little did I know that instead of my wages, I would receive his false accusations.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes reddened, his face full of grief and indignation. “On the sixth day of the third month, Boss Ma suddenly brought people to lock me up. Without any evidence, he claimed I had made false accounts to embezzle money from the shop. However, at that time, he didn’t say it was two hundred taels, but five.”

“I hadn’t done it, so I wouldn’t admit to it. He kept me locked up and sent people to my home. My wife had never been to school and was illiterate. She was terrified by their aggressive behavior and took out all the family’s savings, saying she was willing to pay to ransom me back.”

“Not only that, Boss Ma forced me to press my thumbprint to a confession. My family was so frightened that I had no choice but to pay the money to end the disaster and admit to it.”

Having said this, Zhao Mengcheng fell to his knees with a thud. “Lord, you must seek justice for me!”

“If I had known that Yunniang would die because of this, I would have stayed locked up until death rather than admit to something I never did.”

“Lord, I wish to accuse Boss Ma of intentionally framing me, plotting for my money, and taking a life. He caused the death of my wife!”

The onlookers were in an uproar, pointing and whispering at Boss Ma.

Wang Ming shouted even more furiously, “You beast! You’re the one who killed my sister-in-law!”

Boss Ma panicked and repeatedly denied it. “Pure nonsense! Lord, this man is an expert at turning black into white! I am the master and he is the servant. Why would I frame him over a few taels of silver?”

“Besides, his wife fell and died on her own. What does that have to do with me? He is just making wild accusations.”

He held the paper high again. “Lord, please look. This is the thumbprint he pressed himself. It is evidence in black and white. He cannot just talk his way out of this with a few empty words.”

Lord Huang had already seen the evidence, but seeing Zhao Mengcheng’s sincere and sorrowful expression, he still asked, “Zhao Mengcheng, the court relies on evidence. Do you have any witnesses or physical proof?”

Zhao Mengcheng shook his head. “Only Boss Ma and his two nephews know about this. My late wife is dead, so there are no other witnesses.”

Hearing this, Boss Ma became smug. “He is just making excuses. Lord, if you do not believe me, you can call my two nephews to court. They are honest, law-abiding people and would never do the dirty things he claims.”

Wang Ming was extremely anxious. Forgetting his fear, he shouted, “They are your nephews! Of course they will speak for you!”

Boss Ma scoffed. “Both witnesses and physical evidence are against him, yet he still will not admit it. Are we supposed to just believe his mouth? Lord, do not let his pitiful appearance deceive you.”

“Lord, I do not just have his signed confession. I also have the ledgers from these past years. One look will show his intentional falsification of accounts and embezzlement. Handwriting cannot be faked, after all.”

Lord Huang glanced at Boss Ma, then looked at Zhao Mengcheng with a touch of pity. “It is indeed tragic that your wife died, but if you cannot produce evidence, I can only pass judgment according to the law.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked up. “Lord, I have no witnesses, but I do have physical evidence.”

“Then present it quickly,” Lord Huang said.

Zhao Mengcheng looked at Boss Ma instead. “The physical evidence is in Boss Ma’s hands.”

Lord Huang frowned, and Boss Ma scoffed even harder. “Bullshit! You are just a cornered dog snapping at anyone.”

“Lord, the evidence is within the ledgers Boss Ma presented.”

Zhao Mengcheng spoke clearly. “Lord, you may not know, but I have a habit when keeping accounts. After finishing each step, I place a small ink dot at the end to distinguish it.”

“Whether the ledgers Boss Ma presented are real or fake can be determined with a single check.”

Boss Ma’s expression changed slightly.

Lord Huang looked at the Yamen Runners. Someone brought the ledgers forward, and he flipped through them one by one.

Boss Ma grew panicked and shouted, “Maybe he planned to embezzle the money long ago, so he intentionally messed with the ledgers, marking some with black dots and others not. He was setting a trap for me!”

Lord Huang closed the ledgers and gave Zhao Mengcheng a meaningful look. “Is there any other evidence? This alone is hardly enough to prove your innocence.”

Boss Ma felt slightly relieved and instinctively looked toward the exit.

Zhao Mengcheng caught his gaze and looked out, but there were too many onlookers crowded at the door for him to identify a specific target.

“There is more evidence.”

Zhao Mengcheng began, “In January, the total purchase price was thirty-four taels of silver, and the total sales were forty-six taels. After deducting wages, the profit was eleven taels. In February, the purchases were forty-four taels, sales were fifty-eight taels, and the profit was fourteen taels. In March…”

Boss Ma hurriedly interrupted, “I told you to give evidence! What is this nonsense? Do not try to stall for time!”

Lord Huang waved a hand. “Continue.”

Zhao Mengcheng continued reciting from memory. Soon, Boss Ma realized what was happening.

He was reciting the shop’s transaction records for the past three years.

Zhao Mengcheng finished in one breath. “Lord, the shop’s business has always been mediocre. The best time is the beginning of the year, with profits of over ten taels. The worst is mid-year, with only five or six taels.”

“Adding it all up for the entire year, the total profit does not exceed one hundred taels of silver.”

“Boss Ma claims I embezzled two hundred taels, but I only worked in his shop for a total of two and a half years. For six months of that, I did not even receive my wages. Is it possible that Boss Ma ran his shop and gave all the profits to me?”

At this point, Lord Huang also realized something was wrong.

He had not initially noticed the profits of that small shop, but after hearing Zhao Mengcheng recite the accounts, he felt deceived. Such a small shop could earn a hundred taels a year at most, yet Boss Ma accused Zhao Mengcheng of embezzling two hundred.

Two hundred taels was the entire profit of the shop for two years. It would mean the owner had not made a cent for two years before noticing.

This was not only a false accusation against Zhao Mengcheng, but it also treated them, the County Magistrate, like a fool. Lord Huang felt a surge of anger.

“Ma Ping, what else do you have to say?”

Boss Ma realized things were going south and stammered to defend himself, “L-Lord, the accounts he recited are fake. You must look at the ledgers.”

“No, no, no, you must look at the ledgers without the black dots. The ones with black dots are the fake accounts he made on purpose. Lord, you cannot let him deceive you!”

Lord Huang sneered and threw the ledgers directly in front of him. “Take a good look for yourself.”

Boss Ma picked them up with trembling hands, and his face instantly turned pale.

None of the ledgers had any black dots.

Boss Ma pointed at Zhao Mengcheng. “You tricked me! You did this on purpose!”

Zhao Mengcheng looked at him. “I guessed that Boss Ma must have hired someone to forge the accounts. I do not know who it was, but they imitated my handwriting perfectly. Unfortunately, you did not care enough about the fake accounts to look closely, which is why you have exposed yourself.”

Boss Ma’s face turned pale and then flushed. He shouted repeatedly, “Lord, the ledgers are real! I was tricked by him…”

Lord Huang’s patience reached its limit. He slammed the gavel. “Enough! I am neither blind nor deaf. First, you committed extortion through framing, and now you bring a false accusation to this court. Your audacity is intolerable by law. Confess the truth at once!”

“I am the victim here! Lord, the ledgers are real. I fell for his trap!” Boss Ma struggled desperately.

“Men, beat him! Beat him until he confesses!” Lord Huang roared, throwing down a command token.

Two Yamen Runners immediately stepped forward to pin Boss Ma down. They stripped his pants right there in court and began the caning.

Boss Ma wailed, clutching his head and trying to look outside, but he could see nothing. In the next moment, his cries turned into ghostly howls.

Zhao Mengcheng followed his gaze. This time, he indeed spotted a man in the crowd. Judging by his attire, he was a servant of a wealthy family, and he was currently covering his face as he hurried away.

Zhao Mengcheng committed the man’s build to memory.

“I confess! I confess!”

Boss Ma was not a tough man. After only a few strikes, he repeatedly begged for mercy. “Lord, I was blinded by greed. I heard that Zhao Mengcheng got a Tofu Secret Recipe and made a lot of money. Seeing that he was timid and fearful, I thought I could squeeze another sum out of him. That is why I came up with this plan.”

“I was wrong. I was truly just momentarily confused when I did this. I beg for your mercy, Lord.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes were cold. He knew someone must have instigated Boss Ma, but unfortunately, Boss Ma would rather take the blame himself than name that person.

“Lord, please grant me justice,” Zhao Mengcheng said with a bow.

Lord Huang was furious. “You scoundrel! As an employer, you framed your accountant and coveted the Zhao Family secret recipe. You dared to play tricks before me and indirectly caused the death of Zhao Mengcheng’s wife. Your crimes are doubled!”

Wang Ming and the others wanted nothing more than to throw rotten eggs. “What a heartless dog! To do such a wicked thing!”

“Ma Ping, did you think your clumsy tricks could deceive Lord Huang? In your dreams! With Lord Justice⁶ here, he will surely uphold the law for me,” Zhao Mengcheng shouted.

Lord Huang’s ears perked up, quite pleased with the title of Lord Justice. He said solemnly, “As long as I am here, I will never allow anyone in Shanghe Town to commit crimes or bully others through their influence.”

Only now did Boss Ma feel true fear. If he had known it would end like this, why would he have listened to that person and come to the yamen to sue Zhao Mengcheng?

He had thought victory was certain, that he would get the money and the other person would get the secret recipe. He never expected Zhao Mengcheng to reveal the truth with just a few words.

Boss Ma was filled with regret. The old Zhao Mengcheng had been honest and cowardly, always trying to please him. Even when framed, he would not have dared to make a sound. The couple would have paid the money and bowed to thank him.

Who could have known that after a few months, Zhao Mengcheng would develop such a sharp tongue?

He turned to look at Zhao Mengcheng and was shocked to find that in just a few months, the man had completely changed. He was as calm and composed as a scholar, with no trace of his former cowardice.

Boss Ma begged repeatedly, “Mengcheng, for the sake of the years we have known each other, forgive me this once! I was truly just confused. I will never do it again. I beg you to let me go this time.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked at his tearful, snotty face and felt only hatred. “I could forgive you, but who can bring Yunniang back to life?”

“Your wife fell and died on her own! You cannot blame me for that!” Boss Ma shouted.

Zhao Mengcheng said indifferently, “Indeed, I cannot blame you for that. But now that you have broken the law, it is no longer up to me.”

“I believe the Lord will handle this impartially.”

Lord Huang nodded. “Criminal Ma Ping, you first committed extortion and illegal detention of a commoner, then brought a false accusation to court, showing contempt for the law. You refuse to repent and have shown utter lack of benevolence. Your crimes are doubled.”

“You are sentenced to forty heavy strokes⁷, three years in prison, and the forfeiture of half your property. Fifty taels shall be paid to Zhao Mengcheng as compensation. This sentence is to be carried out immediately.”

Before the words had even faded, Zhao Mengcheng knelt and shouted, “The Lord is wise!”

Wang Ming finally had a moment of wit and knelt down to shout along, “The Lord is wise! You are the Lord Justice of our Changhe Town!”

“The Lord is wise!”

“Lord Justice!”

As the few of them knelt, the surrounding crowd followed suit, shouting their praises. As for the limp Ma Ping being dragged away for his punishment, no one cared about him now.

Lord Huang was swept away by the scene, feeling quite a bit of pride in his heart. He actually stepped down personally to help Zhao Mengcheng up. “In the future, if you have any grievances, come to me for justice. With me here, I will not allow any demons or monsters to cause trouble.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked deeply grateful. “Thank you, My Lord. If not for your brilliance today, I’m afraid I would have suffered a great injustice.”

Lord Huang smiled and patted his shoulder in a show of humility. “Was that calligraphy at Yingbin Lou written by you?”

“It was.” Zhao Mengcheng hadn’t expected the County Magistrate to have seen that piece of writing.

Lord Huang offered a compliment. “It is well-written, though your wrist strength is slightly lacking. You need to practice more.”

“I shall follow your teachings. I will certainly practice hard every day once I return home,” Zhao Mengcheng said quickly.

Lord Huang grew even more satisfied. “That is the way. It is fine to make a living through small business when your family is poor, but only studying to enter officialdom is the righteous path. Do not stray from it.”

This was well-intentioned advice, but Zhao Mengcheng did not plan to follow it. He only said, “I am dull-witted. I studied for many years without making a name for myself. I cannot compare to a scholar as talented as you, My Lord.”

Lord Huang’s smile widened. “True, studying does require natural talent.”

When Zhao Mengcheng emerged from the yamen, Wang Ming and the other two immediately surrounded him. There were also several people from Qingshan Village nearby who had followed him out of concern.

“Brother, I knew you’d be fine!” Wang Ming hugged him tightly, laughing.

Zhao Mengcheng felt helpless. He wondered who it was that had wanted him to run away earlier.

“Lord Huang is wise, and my name has finally been cleared. I’ve made everyone worry this time.”

Most of those who had followed were villagers involved in the tofu business. Hearing this, they chimed in, “That horse-faced man was too wicked. He’s barely human. Fortunately, the County Magistrate wasn’t fooled by him.”

“Let’s head back first. I’m afraid the children are waiting anxiously at home,” Zhao Mengcheng said, his mind on his kids.

“Yes, yes, let’s get home quickly. I need to go buy a pig’s trotter to make rice noodles for you,” Auntie Wang said.

The crowd gathered around Zhao Mengcheng as they began the walk back.

Meanwhile, a strange face had appeared at the Zhao Family home.

Since Zhao Mengcheng had been taken away, the three children had been sick with worry and completely listless. Zhao Chun had taken his younger siblings to the village entrance.

The Village Chief tried to persuade them to go home and wait, but the children wouldn’t listen. They simply crouched under the large willow tree, seemingly determined to wait until their father returned.

The Village Chief could do nothing with them. Fearing that those who went to town wouldn’t know how to handle things, he gave a few instructions and then rushed toward the town with Liu Bingkun. He had gone home to get some money, preparing for the worst-case scenario.

If something really happened to Zhao Mengcheng, having silver would at least ensure he didn’t suffer too much.

Zhao Chun stared down the road with longing.

Zhao Mao leaned against him and asked, “Brother, can’t we go too?”

“We can’t make Dad worry. We’ll wait here at home,” Zhao Chun said, gritting his teeth.

Zhao Mao’s face was scrunched up. “If only I were already grown up and an official. Then I’d see who would dare to make things difficult for my dad.”

Normally, Zhao Chun would have mocked his brother for wanting to be an official, but he wasn’t in the mood. In fact, he was thinking the same thing deep down. If he grew up to be a Great General, who would dare bully his father?

Just then, a man appeared.

“You must be Zhao Mengcheng’s children. Your father owes a massive debt, and if he can’t pay it back, he’ll have to go to prison.”

The man, who had a face like a skinny monkey⁸, gave a short laugh. “Why don’t you sell me the Tofu Secret Recipe? That way, you’ll have the money to bail your father out.”

Translator’s Notes