10 Results with the "Wu Jianren" tag

九命奇冤 (Nine Lives of Unjust Suffering) By Wu Jianren (吳趼人) Set in the Guangdong province during the Yongzheng era, the story begins with a horrific crime: the Liang family is brutally murdered when their home is set ablaze. Nine lives are lost in the inferno, but the tragedy doesn’t end there. The local wealthy gentry and corrupt officials conspire to bury the truth, framing…

Nine Lives of Unjust Suffering Chapter 1: A Chaotic Outcry, The Bandits Strike First, A Slow Unfolding: The Prologue Begins “Hey! Mates! We’ve reached the spot! Look, the main gate is bolted tight. How do we break in?” “Bah! You fool! It’s just two wooden doors—you think we can’t smash through that? Come, come! Hand me my sledgehammer!” Crash! Boom! “What a racket!” “Success!…

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…

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 false promissory note that reads: ‘In the 48th year…

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 heartless, godless wretch! How dare you tell me this…

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 away the entire harvest of taro plants belonging to…

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 had used a silken scarf to hang herself. Her…

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. What is there to fear?” He had barely finished…

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, now free of the “nagging” of his wife and…

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 is my nephew; surely he won’t dare harm me.…