Chapter 75: Honor Is What I Desire

(I have something this afternoon, so I'm posting the 4 p. m. chapter early.)

"Chief! Heifu, Chief!"

On the twentieth day of the twelfth month, during the lower-market hour (3 to 5 p. m.), in the bustling streets of Anlu County's evening market, the newly minted Second-Rank Heifu, a clay-red kerchief wrapped around his head, strode briskly ahead.

Behind him, the frail Quji, a First-Rank man from Zhaoyang Village, chased after him relentlessly, calling out Heifu's name at the top of his lungs as he went.

Heifu, however, had no intention of stopping, until a crowd cutting through the alley ahead blocked his path and forced him to halt.

Quji seized the chance to dart in front of him, blocking his way, panting heavily. Then he bowed deeply to Heifu and said, "Quji thanks the Chief for lending me money to relieve my urgent need, but you left this left half of the contract with me…"

With that, he respectfully presented the debt contract, written in seal script, with both hands!

It turned out that just moments before, because Quji could not pay the fine totaling 4,032 coins for the three jia, he had been taken by the County Prison Clerk to the County Works Office, where he was to sign a document and perform over a year of penal labor for the authorities.

Just as Quji was about to sign, unexpectedly, Heifu, the Chief of Huyang Village who had personally arrested him that day, suddenly arrived, saying he was willing to lend Quji the money so he could pay the fine immediately and avoid the labor.

Heifu even had several minor clerks witness it on the spot and signed a debt contract with Quji: Heifu kept the left half, Quji the right. Yet as they left the office, Heifu stuffed the left half into Quji's hand as well, then strode away…

How could Quji not understand Heifu's intent? But he was an honest man, incapable of such a thing, so he chased Heifu the whole way. Now that he had finally caught up, he insisted on returning the left half of the contract to Heifu.

Quji said from the heart, "I understand the Chief's meaning, but I too have a sense of shame. To be fined for breaking the law is only right and proper. How could I let the Chief use his reward money for catching bandits to pay my penalty? Rest assured, Chief, though my family is not wealthy, within three to five years, saving up over four thousand coins to repay is absolutely no problem!"

Heifu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Though Quji looked sickly, he had a stubborn streak — he adamantly refused money given to him! Well, so be it. It seemed he truly was a good man, and Heifu's help had not been wasted.

So Heifu pushed Quji's hand back again and said earnestly, "Quji, I want to pay this for you because this whole matter started because of me. You witnessed the grave robbers committing their crime but feared retaliation from the village clerk and the criminals in cahoots — that is only human, nothing shameful. That's why you sent an anonymous letter; it was a last resort. You yourself did nothing wrong; it's just that the laws and ordinances do not permit it, and the penalty cannot be reduced or waived."

He continued, "I am but a petty grain-measure clerk, my words carry little weight. I cannot change the prison aide's ruling, much less the articles of law. I can only start by changing what I myself can do. So I took it upon myself to pay to spare you this calamity. The reason I publicly declared this money a loan was also to avoid trouble. Consider these four thousand coins the reward you deserve for reporting the crime — do not refuse it again!"

A public servant paying out of his own pocket to absolve a criminal was one thing; lending money to another person was another. Heifu was exploiting a loophole in the law.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Quji was even more deeply moved. He bowed again and said, "Chief Heifu is not only a brave man and a capable official, but also a man of honor! How could I take a man of honor's wealth for nothing?"

As he spoke, he again tried to thrust the contract into Heifu's hand.

Heifu was growing a bit annoyed. He wanted to shove him aside but feared injuring this sickly fellow. Steeling himself, he simply snatched the left half of the contract, walked over to the owner of a food stall who was watching the excitement, and said to him, "Shopkeeper, a light, if you please!"

Then, under Quji's astonished gaze, under the shopkeeper's bewilderment, and before the eyes of the entire marketplace crowd, Heifu casually picked up a burning stick from the food stall's stove and set the wooden contract in his hand alight…

As the reddish-yellow flames slowly crept up the contract, the tongues of fire devouring the black characters written upon it, Quji cried out in alarm, "Chief Heifu, what are you doing?"

This was an IOU for four thousand coins — burned just like that? Did Chief Heifu not care at all?

Heifu, however, burst into hearty laughter. He raised the burning contract high so Quji could not reach it, and only when it was fully ablaze and nearly scorching his fingers did he drop it to the ground.

Quji scrambled over frantically to salvage it, but it was too late. The surface of the contract had almost entirely turned to black charcoal; the writing was completely illegible. It was destroyed.

"Quji, from this day forward, we owe each other nothing! Farewell!"

With these words, Heifu cupped his hands in salute to Quji, passed through the crowd of onlookers, and strode away in triumph!

Quji could only stare blankly at the left half of the contract, now reduced to charred cinders. A long moment later, he knelt and bowed his head to the ground in the direction Heifu had gone!

"Chief Heifu's great kindness, Quji shall never forget as long as he lives!"

By now, not just the patrons around the food stall, but people from half the marketplace had been drawn over, pointing and whispering about Quji, who was kneeling and bowing his head to the ground…

"Young man, what exactly just happened here?" someone asked curiously.

Quji picked up the left contract, burned beyond recognition, carefully tucked it into his bosom, and only then rose, dusting the dirt from his clothes. He loudly addressed the surrounding crowd: "Let all of you good folk know — just now, Heifu, the Chief of Huyang Village, performed a deed of honor!"

…

News in the marketplace always travels fast. By the grain-pounding hour (5 to 7 p. m.), as the evening market ended and the market-goers returned home one after another, the honorable deed of Huyang Village Chief Heifu had already spread through half of Anlu County town.

Heifu — a name that, a few months ago, had gained some small renown in Anlu County for subduing three bandits barehanded and seizing their blades. Now, just as the county folk were about to forget the exploits of that "brave warrior," he appeared before them again with a new identity and a new story!

Everyone was saying: he entered the city alone and answered all twenty legal questions perfectly, astounding the government office!

He took up his post in a red headband, discerned the subtle from a single anonymous letter, followed the clues, and uncovered a major case!

He led his men on a night dash and, beside a dark and terrifying tomb, caught a gang of grave robbers red-handed!

He waited by the stump for the rabbit, braving the cold wind, and caught the village gatekeeper who was stealing from his own watch, ridding Anlu County of a great rat.

And now, he had used his own reward money to help Quji, the First-Rank man who had made an anonymous report yet was punished, pay off his fine…

"Truly a generous and honorable good Chief!"

Everyone who heard of Heifu's deeds, whether they knew him or not, could not help but raise their thumbs in praise.

The age of the Warring States esteemed men of honor and acts of honor above all. Confucius spoke of achieving benevolence; Mencius spoke of choosing honor. As Meng Ke said, "Life is what I desire; honor is also what I desire. If the two cannot both be had, I will forsake life and choose honor…"

Not only did the Confucians exalt honor thus, but even Qin, which did not venerate Confucianism, was deeply influenced by this ethos. Those men of resolve willing to die for honor — their names could be long extolled. Such was the fashion of the age.

And so, from this day forward, the name Heifu was etched as an indelible impression in the minds of the people of Anlu County…

After nightfall, Heifu's reputation for "generosity and honor" even reached the ears of several officials in Anlu County…

(End of chapter)