Nine Lives of Unjust Suffering Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Minor Disputes Lead to a Breach; With Tigerish Greed, Kwai-hing Plots His Scheme

Zong-kong, seeing that Kwai-hing was already enraged, added fuel to the fire: “When I heard him say those things, I couldn’t stand it for your sake. I argued with him, and the brothers and their father nearly came to blows with me. All the neighbors came to mediate, but even then, he continued to humiliate you in front of everyone!”

Kwai-hing roared, “Whether in the provincial capital or in Nanxiong, who doesn’t know that Leang Chiu-tai was raised up by my father’s patronage? How dare Leang Tin-loi be so insolent! I cannot coexist with him under the same sky!” He immediately prepared to go to the city to confront Tin-loi.

Zong-kong quickly stopped him. “Why be so hasty? If you go now, first, those brothers and their father are like wild bulls—they cannot be reasoned with. Second, you are a refined scholar; there is no need to bicker with them. It would ruin your reputation. Why not have others vent your anger for you?”

“How?” Kwai-hing asked.

Zong-kong bowed his head in thought for a moment. “I remember the mountain plot where Leang Chiu-tai is buried was a gift from you. It originally belonged to the Ling family. Why not have our Ling kinsmen take a coffin there, dig up his remains, and bury our own in that spot?”

“Digging up a grave to expose a coffin… I fear that is against the law,” Kwai-hing hesitated.

“If you fear the law,” Zong-kong suggested, “we only need to dig up the ‘Tian-gang’ (the top layer of the grave mound) without reaching the actual coffin. What can he do to us? At the very least, we’ll cause a massive scene.”

“I doubt anyone would be willing to do such a thing,” said Kwai-hing.

“My brother, Hoi-shun, is a bold and ferocious man. If you give him a little something, he won’t refuse.”

“But where will we find a dead body?”

Zong-kong laughed. “You are too kind-hearted! Why do we need a body? We just need a random empty coffin.”

Kwai-hing smiled. “Very well, Uncle, go and handle it. Whatever expenses you incur, come to me for the funds.”

Zong-kong didn’t waste a second. He found Hoi-shun and told him the plan. They immediately recruited a dozen hoodlums and procured a cheap, thin-wood coffin. Hoi-shun dressed in white mourning clothes, and the ruffians carried the empty coffin straight to the Leang family graveyard. There, they began hacking down trees and digging into the grave mound with reckless abandon.

Now, Leang Chiu-tai’s grave was adjacent to the Leang residence, situated just behind the vegetable garden. That day, Tin-loi’s servant, Kei-fu, was watering vegetables when he saw the chaos. He rushed to tell the old matriarch, Lady Leang. Shocked and furious, Lady Leang went to the back gate. Seeing that it was her own cousin Hoi-shun leading the group, she screamed, “What are you doing? Have you no respect for the King’s law?”

Before she could finish, Hoi-shun, wielding a bamboo pole and roaring like thunder, lunged toward her. “You old hag! This is Ling family land! My nephew Kwai-hing gave it to me to bury my wife. What business is it of yours to stop me?”

Tin-loi’s uncle, Hon-chiu, lived nearby and came out to mediate upon hearing the noise. Seeing him, Hoi-shun left Lady Leang and charged at Hon-chiu. Hon-chiu was a law-abiding villager and, seeing Hoi-shun’s unreasonable violence, quickly retreated. Hoi-shun and his thugs continued their desecration for a while, left the empty coffin behind, and scattered.

Zong-kong then drew up an itemized list of expenses and went to Kwai-hing to collect the money. Kwai-hing saw the total was exactly fifty taels of silver and paid it in full. Zong-kong kept more than half for himself to show off to his wife, as was his habit.

Having survived the New Year, Zong-kong’s pockets were empty once again. He returned to Kwai-hing and said, “That stone room of the Leang family is blocking your path to fame and wealth; it truly keeps me from peace. Last night, I devised a brilliant plan that will force Leang Tin-loi to offer that room to you with both hands.”

“What plan does my Uncle have?” Kwai-hing asked.

Zong-kong replied, “That stone room faces an earthen hill. We can level a patch of ground in front of that hill, set up a wooden board, and paint a White Tiger on it, facing the Ming-tang (the ‘bright hall’ or front courtyard) of his house. There is an old proverb: ‘When the White Tiger guards the Ming-tang, several will die within the year.’ Once they fear for their lives, they will be desperate to sell.”

Kwai-hing commanded, “Then go and see to it, Uncle.” Zong-kong immediately went to the foot of the hill and erected a board five or six feet wide, featuring a White Tiger painted with bared fangs, unsheathed claws, and a lashing tail—a terrifying sight.

When Lady Leang saw this, she was both furious and distressed. She summoned Hon-chiu to consult. Hon-chiu suggested, “Why don’t we paint a Pixiu on our back wall to block it?”

“We have no other choice,” Lady Leang sighed. “Let it be so!” They called for a craftsman to paint a Pixiu on the wall.

A Note to the Readers: You must know that these matters of fortune-telling, Feng Shui, White Tigers, and Pixiu are all absurd and baseless. Why narrate them? Because the people’s intelligence at that time reached only this far; they believed these things were divine and mysterious. Since they acted this way, I must narrate it as such. It is not that I, as an author of reformed novels, believe in these superstitions—do not misunderstand my intent.

Zong-kong, having painted the White Tiger, kept a daily watch, expecting the Leang family to be living in constant fear. One day, seeing a mason leaving the Leang residence, Zong-kong asked, “What repairs are being done at the Leang house?”

The mason replied, “Not repairs. Because someone painted a White Tiger facing their courtyard, they had me paint a Pixiu on the back wall to counter it.”

Zong-kong asked, “Is it finished?”

“Just finished today,” said the mason. Zong-kong was stunned. He then asked, “Can a Pixiu truly counter a White Tiger? And what can counter a Pixiu?” The mason replied that he did not know.

Frustrated, Zong-kong returned home. The more he thought, the more his anger boiled. Suddenly, “rage rose from his heart, and malice grew in his gall.” He rounded up a dozen thugs and rushed to the back of the Leang residence. Without a word, they attacked the wall, and with a thunderous crash, it collapsed.

Lady Leang rushed to the back and saw Zong-kong leading the mob. She cried out, “What grudge do I have with the Ling family? Time and again you harass me! Before, Hoi-shun desecrated the graves, and I let it pass, but now you bring the chaos to my very doorstep!”

Zong-kong, offering no explanation, hurled a broken brick at her face. Lady Leang dodged it, but it shattered a large goldfish bowl. Seeing the broken bowl gave Zong-kong a new malicious idea. He ordered the thugs to throw the debris into the Leang’s fish pond to fill it up, shouting, “Lately, the children of Tam Village have been suffering from measles! The Feng Shui master says this wall of yours is harming the little ones. I am tearing it down to remove a public evil. Even if you take me to court, I do not fear losing to you!”

Lady Leang tried to stop them, but her eldest daughter-in-law, her grandson’s wife, and her granddaughter Kwai-sim held her back and guided her inside. After wreaking havoc and looting many plants and trees, Zong-kong and his mob finally scattered.

When Lady Leang heard the voices outside grow silent, she crept to the back for a look. Seeing the place in ruins—the fish pond half-filled with debris and the flower pots and stands overturned—she couldn’t help but wail in grief. Her daughter-in-law, Lady Liu, was at a loss and immediately sent the servant Kei-fu to the provincial capital to fetch the brothers. Upon hearing the news, Tin-loi and Kwan-loi were shocked and immediately hired a fast boat to return home.

As soon as Lady Leang saw them, she cried out, “What did you two do while you were away to offend the Ling family so? They have caused such a mess! Since you brothers caused this, you must handle it. I am nearly seventy and haven’t many days left, but you two still need to live a peaceful life!”

Though Tin-loi and his brother had heard a summary from Kei-fu, they still didn’t understand the full details. They questioned Lady Liu, who recounted everything. Tin-loi went to the back to inspect the damage and said in a rage, “This is intolerable! Tomorrow, I will go to the Panyu County Yamen and file a complaint! I’ll ask the officials to inspect the site and force them to pay for the damages!”

“Forget it!” Lady Leang pleaded. “Have you not heard the saying, ‘The Yamen gates open wide in the shape of the character for Eight; if you have the right but no money, stay away!’ In wealth and influence, how can you possibly compete with Ling Kwai-hing? Is suffering this insult not enough? Must you go and ask to lose a lawsuit as well? I only wish to know how you offended him to cause such trouble.”

Tin-loi explained the incident regarding Zong-kong’s attempt to buy the stone room. Lady Leang could only sigh. Lady Liu said to Tin-loi, “Mother does not want a lawsuit. You must not disobey her and cause her further distress. We must simply accept this bad luck, call for men to repair the damage quickly, and return to the sugar firm to tend to the business.”

“Our daughter-in-law is right,” Lady Leang added. “We must simply keep our distance from these ruffians from now on.” Tin-loi had no choice but to hire craftsmen to repair the grave, replant the trees, and rebuild the back wall. A few days later, as they prepared to return to the capital, Kwan-loi suggested, “There is an outstanding debt in Tea Village. Why don’t we collect it before we head back?” Tin-loi agreed, and the two set off toward Tea Village.

Truly, “Without coincidence, there would be no story.” As fate would have it, the enemies met on a narrow path. The brothers walked ahead, paying no mind to their surroundings, but Zong-kong spotted them. He wondered, “This is the main road to Tea Village; what are they doing there?” He rushed to Kwai-hing’s house, shouting, “Nephew! This is bad! Leang Tin-loi and his brother are going to the Yamen to sue us!”

Kwai-hing was startled. “How do you know?”

“I saw them heading toward Tea Village. Surely they are going to find someone to write their legal petition!”

Before Kwai-hing could respond, a voice from the side spoke up: “Relax, relax! They are certainly not going to write a petition.” Zong-kong looked up and saw Kwai-hing’s cousin, Au Cheuk-hing.

This Au Cheuk-hing was a “disgrace to the literati.” He ran a small private school for children to scrape by, but his true passion was befriending local guards and yamen runners, inciting lawsuits, and twisting the truth. Because he was somewhat clever, Ling Kwai-hing and the others admired his “resourcefulness” and gave him the nickname “The Rival of Zhuge Liang” (after the legendary strategist).

Zong-kong asked, “Cousin! You are always so divine in your predictions; do you know what they are doing in Tea Village?”

Cheuk-hing replied, “The Tea Village area is home to many merchants from the Suzhou faction. Most of them deal in sugar and have dealings with the Leangs. They are surely just going there to collect a debt.”

Zong-kong clapped his hands and said, “Right you are! Why don’t we intercept them halfway, snatch their silver, and crush their spirits? Our Nephew here has a fortune of millions and doesn’t care for the money, but if we seize it, it will buy a round of wine for us poor brothers. What do you think, Nephew?”

Kwai-hing replied, “Robbing people on the open road is not only forbidden by the King’s law, but any bystander who sees it would surely intervene out of a sense of injustice.”

“We’ll just bring more men,” Zong-kong argued. “What is there to fear?”

Kwai-hing shook his head. “No, no. It’s not right.”

Then Cheuk-hing spoke up: “Even with more men, if you are in the wrong, it’s useless. However, I have a plan that will make Tin-loi offer up every tael of silver in his possession with both his own hands. And if he doesn’t, we can take it by force, and no one will dare to step in and stop us. What’s more—after it’s over, Tin-loi won’t even dare to utter a single word of complaint!”

Zong-kong was overjoyed and asked, “What is this brilliant plan?”

What kind of clever scheme has Cheuk-hing devised? Listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

The Grave Desecration (掘墳 – Juéfèn): In the Qing Dynasty, desecrating a grave was one of the most serious crimes, often punishable by death. Zong-kong’s “clever” workaround—only digging the top layer (Tian-gang)—is a legal loophole intended to humiliate the Leangs without technically committing a capital offense.

The Empty Coffin: Leaving an empty coffin on someone’s land is a “death curse” and a profound psychological attack. It signals that the aggressor is ready for a funeral—either theirs or the victims’.

White Mourning Clothes (素服 – Sùfú): By wearing mourning clothes, Hoi-shun is performing a “fake funeral” to claim the land. It’s a classic tactic of the “Ground-Crawling Centipede” to make a criminal act look like a family dispute.

The Patronage Lie: The conflict is fueled by the false belief that Leang Chiu-tai was a “charity case” of the Lings. This strike at the grave is Kwai-hing’s way of saying, “I gave you this land, and I can take it back.”

White Tiger (白虎 – Bái Hǔ): In Feng Shui, the White Tiger represents the West and can be a protective symbol, but when “positioned against” a house, it is considered a predatory “killing energy” (Sha Qi) that brings death and misfortune.

Pixiu (貔貅 – Píxiū): A mythical hybrid creature known for its ability to ward off evil spirits and attract wealth. It was the traditional “shield” used to counter the aggressive energy of a tiger.

The “Measles” Excuse: Zong-kong uses a classic tactic of the “Ground-Crawling Centipede”—claiming his criminal trespassing is actually an act of “public service” for the health of the village children. This makes it harder for the victim to seek legal recourse in a community-focused society.

Ming-tang (明堂): The “Bright Hall” is the open space in front of a house or grave. In Feng Shui, it must be kept clear for good fortune to accumulate. By placing a terrifying image there, Zong-kong is “polluting” the family’s spiritual well.

The Yamen Gates (衙門八字開): Lady Leang’s proverb refers to the layout of government offices. The walls flared out like the character for “eight” (八), which also looked like an open mouth. The saying implies that without money for bribes, the “mouth” of justice will never speak for you.

Au Cheuk-hing (The “Rival of Zhuge”): In Chinese literature, Zhuge Liang is the ultimate symbol of wisdom. Giving a villain like Au this nickname is satirical. He is a “pettifogger”—someone who uses a little bit of education to manipulate the legal system for the wealthy.