Chapter 23: Squire Zhang Pays a Visit, and Monk Hui Tells Tales

Fan Jin held a book in his left hand with his right hand clasped behind his back, strolling through the garden to enjoy the scenery.

Suddenly, a servant approached to report, "A guest has arrived!"

Fan Jin quickly set down his book and went out to greet him, only to see Squire Zhang striding forward. Squire Zhang was dressed in his usual attire—a black gauze cap, a light-colored round-collared robe, and black boots with white soles—his face filled with a look of profound shame.

"Brother Fan, I am truly mortified!"

Zhang Jingzhai, half-sincere and half-evasive, raised his sleeve to cover his face and sighed, "To think that such a black sheep would emerge from my own clan, engaging in the bullying of the innocent and the oppression of the local people!"

"I have come specifically to offer my apologies to you, Brother Fan!"

Fan Jin was left speechless. He wanted to say that this was clearly not an apology, but a deliberate attempt to cause him trouble. It was obvious that the Zhang family’s moral fiber was rotten, yet this performative display made it seem as though Zhang himself were the victim.

Fan Jin hesitated for a moment. Adhering to the principle that one should be lenient whenever possible, he stepped aside to avoid the formal gesture of apology.

"As far as I am concerned, it is not much of a bother, but you must reconcile this with the primary victim."

He glanced at Monk Hui, who stood there like an iron tower, his forehead bandaged, keeping his eyes downcast. Fan Jin purposefully said, "Monk Hui, this is Master Jingzhai from the Zhang family's main branch."

"Come to think of it, he is your neighbor. In terms of both reason and etiquette, you should offer him a greeting."

Monk Hui thought to himself, *What kind of interesting person is this Zhang fellow? Hardly worth my greeting!* Immediately, he remembered the trouble he had faced the day before, which had been orchestrated by the Zhang family’s tenants. To suggest that the Zhang household was completely unaware of these dealings was simply preposterous. Had it not been for the intervention of Scholar Fan to protect him, he would likely be in a prison cell right now, lamenting behind iron bars.

"I am the monk official Hui, greetings to you, Scholar Zhang!" Monk Hui offered a perfunctory salute.

Squire Zhang’s expression stiffened. He had not expected to face the aggrieved party directly, and he felt a flash of irritation. He offered a slight bow and muttered a few conciliatory words, hoping to gloss over the matter.

Fan Jin understood that one should not push too hard. Although he had the backing of Education Commissioner Zhou, he knew the Zhang family was a powerful, deeply rooted clan in Nanhai County. If he could not pull them up by the roots, fighting them would achieve nothing and only ruin their relationship.

Moreover, the residence he currently occupied was a gift from Zhang Jingzhai himself. If they were to fall out, who knew what rumors of ingratitude might be spread about him?

Therefore, Fan Jin laughed heartily, "Brother Zhang, there is no need to blame yourself. Every great tree has withered leaves; which prominent clan does not have a few degenerate descendants?"

He didn't care much, as it wasn't he who had nearly ended up behind bars. If Monk Hui had been ruined and imprisoned, it would have been due to his own poor luck; if he managed to escape, it was a favor owed to Fan. Regardless, it was absolutely impossible for him to turn against a century-old Nanhai family like the Zhangs for the sake of Monk Hui.

Seeing an exit, Squire Zhang took it immediately, though he still said humbly, "It is, after all, my Zhang family that acted with impropriety in this matter."

Fan Jin gave Monk Hui a meaningful look. The monk understood immediately. He thought to himself, *If I follow Master Fan diligently from now on, why should I worry about not enjoying wealth and prosperity?* He decided to simply sell the plot of land behind his house to the Zhang family to put an end to the disaster.

With that thought, Monk Hui offered to sell the land.

"To be honest with you, Scholar Zhang, the land behind my house is not ancestral property, so it is not impossible to sell. It is just that your tenants claimed it was for a geomantic gravesite, which inconvenienced me, not to mention they were unwilling to offer a fair price."

Upon hearing this, Squire Zhang was delighted. Purchasing that land had been his wife’s idea; he simply hadn't realized his nephew had handled it so clumsily. Squire Zhang immediately took fifty taels of silver from his sleeve and ceremoniously placed them in Monk Hui’s hands.

He feigned generosity, saying, "In that case, I will trouble Master Hui to handle the transfer of the title deed another day."

Monk Hui had not wanted to sell the land originally simply because the price was too low. Now that he had received such a large sum, he was secretly pleased. He hurriedly agreed and stepped back. As a commoner, he had always believed in the creed that the people should not fight the officials, and the wealthy should not fight the authorities. Since the money was in his hand, there was no reason to persist.

Squire Zhang stayed a while longer to chat with Fan Jin, seeking his advice on scholarly matters, and reminded him not to forget their visit to the Gaoyao Magistrate in three days. Fan Jin wore a forced smile and agreed to everything.

"In that case, we shall meet again in three days," Squire Zhang said.

Had Fan Jin not been highly regarded by Education Commissioner Zhou, Zhang would never have made this trip, lest he lose face. However, Zhang Jingzhai was a man who knew how to bend and stretch; to be a mere licentiate and yet secure a substantive position as a magistrate showed just how profound his schemes were.

***

After Squire Zhang left, Fan Jin summoned Monk Hui and asked, "Is this how all the squires in the city operate?"

When they could not buy land, they resorted to coercion and murder. This was not just arrogance; it was tyranny, the behavior of a local despot. People often spoke of magistrates who confiscated families' wealth or prefects who destroyed entire clans, but few paid attention to these entrenched "local tigers."

Monk Hui usually performed funeral rites for the wealthy in the city and knew many of their dirty secrets. He curled his lip.

"In this Nanhai County, from the top of the city to the bottom, which squire is a decent person?"

"They are all sons of bitches!"

"Take that Squire Zhang just now—he has done plenty of spineless things!"

"And look at Squire Zhou’s family in the west of the city; the filth and rot there..."

Seeming to realize that Fan Jin was now a member of the squire class himself, Monk Hui changed his tone and began gossiping about the various families in the city.

Fan Jin listened, and to his surprise, the conversation eventually turned to his good friend Wei Haogu. He immediately pressed for the full story.

Monk Hui spilled the beans as if pouring peas from a bag, "That Squire Zhang has a niece. Her parents once asked me to act as a matchmaker. I had originally arranged for her to marry the third son of the Feng family, a famous wealthy household in the west district. But the Zhang family blocked it, insisting she marry Young Master Wei instead, claiming he was a scholar who could write poetry!"

"Bah! Just because he can write a few sour poems, he looks down on people?"

"..."

"Now, the second daughter of the Zhou family is about to be betrothed, and who knows what evil schemes the Zhang family will cook up to force her onto someone else!"

Fan Jin felt a headache coming on. No wonder this man was such close friends with Butcher Hu; they were clearly birds of a feather. He had met Wei Haogu’s wife, and the couple was respectful and deeply in love. Yet, in Monk Hui’s mouth, it sounded as if she had been abducted.

Fan Jin privately concluded that the reason for Monk Hui’s resentment was simply that the Zhang family had interfered, causing him to lose a hefty matchmaker’s fee. Now, with the Zhou family’s daughter still looking for a suitor, he was spreading rumors before anything had even happened.

Fan Jin glared at him and snapped, "Keep that gossiping mouth of yours shut, or don't come crying to me when you get punished for it later!"