Chapter 7: South Prison

Old Pang's Anping Medicinal Materials Shop was west of the city, and the county yamen lay north. Tongcheng's East-West Main Street wasn't laid out straight — in most places it would run flat and true from the West Gate to the East Gate, but here it curved northward. Seen from the sky, it looked like an arch bridge.

Pang Yu strode down the street with his household servant, head high and chest out. Now that he had a bit of money, he brimmed with confidence — chin up, spirits soaring, a wind in his step.

County towns in this era were generally small. Pang Yu walked along, looking around as he went, and before long the two of them reached County Front Street outside the yamen.

People came and went at the main gate — some in uniforms, some in commoners' clothes. Quite a few Green-Skins loitered around the Eight-Character Wall, sitting or standing. Three or four cages stood in a row by the entrance, each holding a person, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Outside the county yamen's main gate stood the Eight-Character Wall, one panel left and one right. On each panel's top were carved four characters: "All you consume, all you use, is the fat and blood of the people." Likely carved there in the early Ming, they served to remind every official to treat the common folk kindly.

The wall itself was plastered with notices — official announcements, proclamations, exam schedules, imperial examination results, and the like. Whenever the locality had news or the court needed the people to know something, it was posted here.

Pang Yu swept a casual glance over them. The wall held only old notices. Some had been rained on, ink bleeding, paper peeling away — no one bothered with them.

On one notice, a few characters remained legible. It seemed to commend those who passed the Metropolitan Exam. Pang Yu read aloud as he looked, "Nanzhili, Anqing Prefecture, Tongcheng — Guang Shiheng placed Third Class in the Metropolitan Examination, granted Tong Presented Scholar status. Guang Shiheng — what a strange name. Who even has the surname Guang?"

"Young Master, you can really read that many characters?" Beside him, Pang Ding stared at his master in astonishment. "I thought you were just putting on airs."

Pang Yu scoffed. "Your young master can do more than just read. Is there anything I don't understand?"

Just as he was about to enter the yamen, a shout came from behind. "Second Brother, what are you doing out?"

He turned to look. A yamen runner and a man in a Green Robe were hurrying toward him. A smile spread across Pang Yu's face. He cupped his hands, about to salute them, when the runner closed in, grabbed his arm, and said in a low voice, "What are you doing out? The longer you stay home, the better we brothers can deal with that Zhou Family shopkeeper."

This man was Jiao Guozha, Pang Yu's sworn brother. The two were birds of a feather — characters people loathed and ghosts shunned. The old Pang Yu may have been a bit slow in the head, but Jiao Guozha never minded. Three years older than Pang Yu, he was the elder brother. Pang Yu ranked second, and people in the yamen often mocked him as Fool Pang the Second. Jiao Guozha had visited Pang Yu a few days ago, so he already recognized the man.

Pang Yu could only reply, "Staying inside was just too dull. Try it yourself if you don't believe me."

Jiao Guozha laughed. "With your nature, that does figure. No harm in being out. That Shopkeeper Zhou is still in jail. We won't let him out until the Security Period is up. Since you're here today, let's drag him through the Shenming Pavilion first. We absolutely must calculate the medical fees on the high side."

"Naturally we'll calculate them," Pang Yu nodded. "At least make him cough up... a good bit of silver."

Pang Yu couldn't figure out the right number to name. Too high and they'd call him a fool; too low and they'd laugh at him. He had to mumble through it.

The man in the Green Robe beside them was He Xianya, another of Pang Yu's sworn brothers. He'd read plenty of books but never passed the Xiucai exam, and lacked the funds for a Donation Tribute. So he worked as an Auxiliary under Jiao Guozha, sometimes serving as a Litigation Trickster for others. Though older than Pang Yu, an Auxiliary's status was low, so by rank he was Third Brother.

He leaned in and said to Pang Yu, "On this Public Hearing matter, Second Brother, listen to me. That Zhou shopkeeper is still within the Security Period, merely awaiting trial in the South Prison. During the Security Period, your injuries can be deemed light or severe as needed. If he dares talk tough, you find a spot and lie right down. You must insist the head injury has become a Permanent Disability."

"Why?"

He Xianya said with a trace of impatience, "Has Second Brother spent all these years as a yamen runner for nothing? Permanent Disability and flesh wounds are worlds apart. For a flesh wound, ten taels of silver would be generous. If he tangles with you, insist you suffered Internal Injury Spitting Blood on the spot, and that it's a Permanent Disability. Second Brother, remember that."

Pang Yu understood. The Security Period existed to protect the victim — mainly because some injuries aren't clear at first, like internal damage. So they set an observation period for the injury, called the Security Period. Sentencing for light and severe injuries was completely different. If the case went to court during the Security Period, he could threaten Shopkeeper Zhou at any time with a worsening of his condition.

Once he grasped it, Pang Yu nodded. "Since we're fighting this lawsuit, we must win. I'll leave the matter in your hands, brothers. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do."

Seeing Pang Yu nod, He Xianya breathed a sigh of relief. This Pang Yu had always been a bit foolish, often doing unexpectedly stupid things. Add a whack on the head this time, and he seemed even more foolish — he'd even shaved his beard. If Pang Yu couldn't understand, his own job as legal advisor would be exhausting.

So He Xianya continued, "Listen, both of you brothers. I've inquired clearly these past few days. That Zhou family is originally from Shaanxi, here only a little over two years. He's irascible by nature — the neighbors normally dare not cross him. I hear he has relatives in Fengyang Prefecture who also run a paper business. Judging by the shop's stock and the size of the storefront he rents, I reckon we can squeeze fifty or sixty taels out of him, maybe even a hundred or so."

Hearing that amount, Pang Yu felt it wasn't much money at all. He'd netted over twenty taels just from breaking off an engagement. He couldn't help sighing, "Not much, is it."

He Xianya said in surprise, "That's already quite a lot. Second Brother, what do you mean... sell his daughter too?"

Pang Yu mused, "Selling the daughter works too, depends on the price... Hey! Don't you go egging me on to do bad things. Let me tell you, I'm not doing bad things ever again in this life. Besides, how much is a daughter worth? I used to run big businesses — you think I'd care about buying and selling one or two women?"

He Xianya took no stock in that. Pang Yu had always done brainless things before; his "big business" was nothing more than extorting a few extra maces of silver. He just figured Pang Yu's foolish streak was acting up again.

Jiao Guozha, however, had already spoken fiercely: "Our Second Brother is the ruthless one — even a hundred taels won't satisfy him. Hmph, some outsider living in Tongcheng dares strike our Second Brother? We'll see to it this grandson of a turtle loses a layer of skin. Come on, let's go into the jail and turn up the heat on him."

Pang Yu left Pang Ding outside and followed Jiao Guozha into the county yamen. Passing through the main gate, Pang Yu was rather surprised. A government gate ought to be imposing and stately, knocking two or three notches off a petitioner's confidence before they even entered. In reality, it was shabby — wooden beams and plaques with old paint peeling off, a thoroughly dilapidated sight. The Ming saying that officials don't repair yamens was truly well-earned.

Beyond the main gate lay a Corridor. To the right was the Runner Room, to the left the Yamen Runner Room. The ground was paved with bluestone slabs. People came and went through the Corridor — most of the runners and corvée laborers had a shifty, wretched look. They showed no particular warmth toward Pang Yu; some even shot him a glare and walked on.

Behind the Yamen Runner Room was the county yamen's jail, usually situated in the southwest corner of the yamen's Main Hall. That's why in the Ming, the jail was also called the South Prison. Pang Yu was on sick leave anyway, so he didn't want to go further inside and risk running into the squad leader or the Document Receiving Official — hard to explain if they questioned him. The two turned left at the Ceremonial Gate and headed to the jail.

Rounding the corner, Pang Yu saw the South Prison's tall, grey-brick compound wall. A Cold Atmosphere hit him head-on. Above the gate were written the two characters for "Prison," and above them was carved the image of a Bixie. It was said the Bixie was one of the dragon's sons, fond of lawsuits, and thus often carved on prison gates. To Pang Yu, its appearance wasn't much different from a tiger's head.

At the prison gate stood a small Sentinel Room. In front sat a Jailer and six or seven Auxiliaries, all with crooked brows and slanted eyes, their grins carrying the prison's gloom. In the Ming, there weren't many official Jailer posts, but Auxiliaries were plentiful. In large counties like Suzhou and Songjiang, various jail personnel alone numbered over a hundred. Those with official posts were called Jailers; these Auxiliaries were called Minor Jailers or Wild Jailers.

At the prison gate, a woman in yellow knelt before the jailers. Her red skirt spread wide on the ground, and a bamboo basket sat beside her.

She was saying, "I beg you, kind sirs, please. I only want to bring my father some food."

The moment Pang Yu heard her voice, he recognized who it was. "The Zhou family daughter."