Chapter 13: Zong-kong and Cheuk-hing Recommend Assassins; A Direct Assault and a Narrow Escape When Lady Leang and her sons heard that Kwai-hing was at the door, they hesitated for a long time, paralyzed by indecision. Finally, Lady Leang spoke: “Let him in. I will ask him myself why he persists in this vendetta. He…
Chapter 12: Commander Huang Favors the Thugs; Ling Kwai-hing Leads a Brazen Robbery After settling with his father-in-law, Ling Kwai-hing turned the “Hall of Abundant Harvest” into a site for a massive forty-nine-day funeral rite. Beneath the banner of “helping out,” his gang of thugs swarmed the house day and night, drinking and feasting. Kwai-hing,…
Chapter 11: A Violent Riot in the Hall of Abundant Harvest; Au Cheuk-hing Fattens His Pockets Twice Over Seeing the situation turn dire, Kwai-hing sent Hei-loi to fetch the “strategist” Cheuk-hing while he consulted Zong-kong. Before Cheuk-hing arrived, Zong-kong tried to bolster Kwai-hing’s courage: “She took poison herself! We didn’t force it down her throat….
Chapter 10: A Double Bereavement Brings Trouble to the Scoundrel; A Cunning Mediator Profits from a Settlement Kwai-hing rushed into the inner chambers to find the servants in a chaotic panic. Lady He beckoned him, crying, “Hurry, Husband! Something has happened to Sister!” Kwai-hing reached Kwai-sin’s room and was met with a horrific sight: Kwai-sin…
Chapter 9: A Virtuous Mother Pitied in Poverty; A Silken Scarf Ends a Noble Life The mention of “Zong-kong” made Lady Zheng’s eyes snap open with fury. “What has that devil done now?!” she demanded. The servant Kei-fu reported that Zong-kong had led dozens of men to Yellow Mud Ridge to dig up and carry…
Chapter 8: Clarifying Debts of Gratitude and Grudges; A Bitter Family Quarrel and a Mother’s Broken Heart When Lady Zheng learned that Yi-hang had followed Kwai-hing’s orders to beat Leang Tin-loi, her fury knew no bounds. Disregarding all propriety, she slapped him across the face, grabbed his collar, and refused to let go, wailing: “You…
Chapter 7: Forging a Three-Thousand Debt to Steal Three Hundred Silver; The Thugs Succeed While the Village Elder Suffers Au Cheuk-hing addressed Kwai-hing: “If we simply round up a mob to rob them on the road, bystanders will intervene, and it will ruin the Ling family’s reputation. I have a plan. We shall write a…
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…
Chapter 5: Family Ugly Scenes Over Daily Bread; Stirring Up Trouble Between Relatives Ling Kwai-hing’s ancestral home was in Mude-lisi, but his father’s wealth had allowed them to build a grand mansion in the provincial capital. Kwai-hing spent most of his time in the city under the guise of “studying,” but after the Feng Shui…
Chapter 4: Anxiously Awaiting the Results as if Boiling; Casual Talk and Tall Tales About Feng Shui In the year of Bing-wu (1726), the results of the Guangdong provincial examinations were scheduled to be posted on the ninth day of the ninth month. By the eighth day, Ling Kwai-hing was already in a frantic state….
