評論
打印
"the Hsueeh family have plenty of money， so that if your Worship adjudicates that they should pay five hundred， they can afford it， or one thousand will also be within their means； and this sum can be handed to the Feng family to meet the outlay of burning incense and burial expenses. The Feng family are， besides， people of not much consequence， and （the fuss made by them） being simply for money， they too will， when they have got the cash in hand， have nothing more to say. But may it please your worship to consider carefully this plan and see what you think of it？"
"It isn't a safe course！ It isn't a safe course！" Yue-ts'un observed as he smiled. "Let me further think and deliberate； and possibly by succeeding in suppressing public criticism， the matter might also be settled."
these two closed their consultation by a fixed determination， and the next day， when he sat in judgment， he marked off a whole company of the plaintiffs as well as of the accused， as were mentioned by name， and had them brought before him. Yue-ts'un examined them with additional minuteness， and discovered in point of fact， that the inmates of the Feng family were extremely few， that they merely relied upon this charge with the idea of obtaining some compensation for joss-sticks and burials； and that the Hsueeh family， presuming on their prestige and confident of patronage， had been obstinate in the refusal to make any mutual concession， with the result that confusion had supervened， and that no decision had been arrived at.
Following readily the bent of his feelings， Yue-ts'un disregarded the laws， and adjudicated this suit in a random way； and as the Feng family came in for a considerable sum， with which to meet the expense for incense and the funeral， they had， after all， not very much to say （in the way of objections.）
With all despatch， Yue-ts'un wrote and forwarded two letters， one to Chia Cheng， and the other to Wang Tzu-t'eng， at that time commander-in-chief of a Metropolitan Division， simply informing them： that the case， in which their worthy nephew was concerned， had come to a close， and that there was no need for them to give way to any extreme solicitude.
This case had been settled through the exclusive action of the young priest of the Hu Lu temple， now an official Retainer； and Yue-ts'un， apprehending， on the other hand， lest he might in the presence of others， divulge the circumstances connected with the days gone by， when he was in a state of penury， naturally felt very unhappy in his mind. But at a later period， he succeeded， by ultimately finding in him some shortcoming， and deporting him to a far-away place， in setting his fears at rest.
But we will put Yue-ts'un on one side， and refer to the young man Hsueeh， who purchased Ying Lien， and assaulted Feng Yuan to death.
He too was a native of Chin Ling and belonged to a family literary during successive generations； but this young Hsueeh had recently， when of tender age， lost his father， and his widowed mother out of pity for his being the only male issue and a fatherless child， could not help doating on him and indulging him to such a deGREe， that when he， in course of time， grew up to years of manhood， he was good for nothing.
In their home， furthermore， was the wealth of a millionaire， and they were， at this time， in receipt of an income from His Majesty's privy purse， for the purvey of various articles.
This young Hsueeh went at school under the name of P'an. His style was Wen Ch'i. His natural habits were extravagant； his language haughty and supercilious. He had， of course， also been to school， but all he knew was a limited number of characters， and those not well. The whole day long， his sole delight was in cock-fighting and horse-racing， rambling over hills and doing the sights.
