◎The Real Meng!◎
Two years ago, as relations between the North and South Chen families gradually improved, the Third and Second Masters of North Chen invited Chen Laoye for drinks to discuss the future development of both families. The grudges of their ancestors no longer concerned them, and in peaceful times, families needed to unite to prosper.
Given Chen Laoye’s lazy disposition, he didn’t want to go and sent his younger brother Chen Jingshi in his place.
The atmosphere at the dinner was excellent. The three men exchanged toasts and conversed happily. As the revelry peaked, Master Chen the Second called out his eldest son, Chen Pingye.
He had heard that the Meng family had a young daughter who was gentle, virtuous, well-educated, and of marriageable age. He wished to seek her hand for his eldest son.
This young Meng daughter was the niece of Chen Jingshi’s deceased wife Meng—his own niece by marriage. In his tipsy state, Chen Jingshi saw that Chen Pingye was handsome and talented and immediately agreed to act as matchmaker.
With the beautiful vision of a perfect match, the two families soon arranged the marriage.
Chen Jingshi said, “According to the customs of Sheng’an County, the newlyweds should return to the bride’s family together three days after the wedding. But on that day, the Meng family prepared a grand Gui Ning feast, and all the guests had arrived, yet they waited in vain for the daughter and son-in-law to return. They thought some matter had delayed them and waited until dusk.”
“The Meng family went to confront them but were told that the young Meng woman had left early in the morning alone to return to her parents’ home, and no one knew where she had gone. The Meng family sent all their servants to search carefully along the route. After two days of fruitless searching, they had no choice but to report the case to the yamen. Sun Zhixian was a dutiful magistrate and dispatched a team of yamen runners to help the Meng family continue the search. Our Southern Chen family also sent many men—both your father and I went. Meanwhile, the Northern Chen family, who had lost their daughter-in-law, stayed behind closed doors all day, acting suspiciously guilty. It was highly doubtful, but without evidence, Sun Zhixian didn’t dare to search directly, especially since the Northern Chen family had officials in the capital.”
“They searched for over half a month like looking for a needle in a haystack. Only after Sun Zhixian asked a fellow official to notify Old Master Chen the Fourth in the capital did he dare issue a warrant to search Master Chen the Second’s home. Sure enough, they found a female corpse in an abandoned dry well within the inner residence. The weather was hot, and the body had decomposed beyond recognition. They could only identify it as the young Meng woman based on her stature and clothing.”
Chen Jingshi’s face was pained. His regret and guilt over Meng Wan far outweighed his sorrow at having his scholarly rank stripped. A flower-like young woman, his own junior, had her life cut short just like that. He sighed mournfully, “The only regret is, I did not kill the benevolent man, yet the benevolent man died because of me.”
The three children could only sigh in response.
“Ah, why am I telling you three all this?” Chen Jingshi said, then ordered the old servant to fetch a pot of wine and warm it on the small stove.
“You haven’t finished yet. What happened after that?” Ping’an pressed.
“What happened afterward isn’t suitable for your ears,” Chen Jingshi said. “Hearing it will give you nightmares.”
“Hearing only half is more likely to cause nightmares,” Ping’an argued. “If I have nightmares, I’ll cry myself awake, crying half the night, crying half the night…”
“Enough, enough.”
Anyone who had lived in Chen Family Alley knew how much Chen Ping’an could cry. Chen Jingshi indeed couldn’t withstand the threat: “I’m really afraid of you.”
He continued, “Since the corpse had completely decomposed, making identification impossible, and only the stature and clothing matched that of young Meng, Sun Zhixian had the body moved to the mortuary. He then summoned the maids and servants on duty for interrogation one by one. Under threats and intimidation, they confirmed Chen Pingye’s murder of his wife, leading to his imprisonment.”
Chen Pingye claimed that Meng Wan had been unchaste, engaging in adultery before marriage. However, all of Meng Wan’s maids unanimously denied that she had been involved with anyone during her lifetime.
At that time, rumors spread from the provincial level that a Circuit Intendant would soon be conducting inspections of local areas. All prefectures, subprefectures, and counties were urged to swiftly resolve any pending unresolved cases without delay or concealment.
Prefect Guo came down to exert pressure, ordering Sun Zhixian to conclude the case before provincial officials arrived.
Sun Zhixian felt the case was full of doubts and should not be rushed to judgment. Prefect Guo then brought the coroner to the County Yamen, first pressuring the Meng Family to sign the identification document confirming the corpse was indeed Meng Wan. He then ordered the coroner to directly cut open the abdomen of the corpse, from which a barely formed fetus was extracted.
This formed a complete chain of evidence.
“And so it became an ironclad case,” Chen Jingshi said. “The prefectural court ruled that young Meng had committed adultery before marriage and sentenced Chen Pingye to only two years of penal servitude. As for what happened later, you all know—Sun Zhixian, I, and your father all attempted to overturn the case. The province did send officials to re-examine the records, but with both witnesses and material evidence intact, not only was the original judgment upheld, but the county was also held accountable, and we suffered considerable repercussions as a result.”
The room was eerily silent, with only the crackling of the red-hot charcoal breaking the stillness.
A Man asked, “Was it truly impossible for Meng Wan to have committed adultery?”
“Absolutely impossible,” Chen Jingshi replied. “The Meng Family valued their reputation highly. Their daughters, after coming of age, remained in their embroidery towers, never stepping beyond the inner gates. They studied ‘Admonitions for Women’ and ‘Classic for Girls,’ pure as a blank sheet of paper. Anyone who had seen her would vouch for her.”
A Man nodded and added, “I remember when my mother was pregnant with my younger brother, it wasn’t visible even at four months.”
Chen Jingshi said, “In Da Yong, women’s clothing is loose, and it’s quite normal for a pregnancy not to show until four or five months.”
A Man said, “So, that female corpse might not have been Meng Wan at all, but just an innocent pregnant woman, right?”
Ping’an looked up in surprise. A Man’s words were like a sudden revelation, clarifying the entire case.
Chen Jingshi said, “Yes, we all suspected that, and even Sun Zhixian kept searching for the real ‘Meng.’ But searching without any clues was like fishing for a needle in the ocean.”
A Man frowned in frustration—it was indeed very difficult.
Ping’an’s heart raced. What was like fishing for a needle in the ocean to others was not so for him.
Because according to the “Records of Traitors,” the first memorial impeaching Chen Yan originated from a skeleton washed up in the river in front of the Chen Family’s gate, which uncovered a murder case. Even the minor officials who knew about it were silenced, with the body hidden in the wasteland behind the side gate of the County Yamen, only discovered during the retrial.
If the skeleton from the riverbed was also a victim of the North Chen Family, perhaps that was the real Meng!
…
Ping’an returned home with a heavy heart. Gazing at the small river cutting through Chen Family Alley, he descended the moss-covered stone steps to the riverbank and walked along the path by the water.
Children from Jiangnan were accustomed to water from a young age, and he was no exception. Just as a few children younger than him were washing their feet in the river, no one would criticize them.
Two or three women gathered together, watching their children while washing clothes. Not every household in Chen Family Alley could afford servants. With men tending to be indolent, women were left with endless household chores.
When they saw Ping’an, they all looked up and teased: “Our Little Number One Scholar is back!”
Ping’an called out “aunties” a few times but had no mind to joke with them, heading straight home instead.
If Meng Wan’s remains were really in this river, how could he find them? Should he tell the adults that Meng Wan had appeared to him in a dream? Would they need to send people to dredge the river?
Except for his grandfather, no one would believe such childish ghost stories.
A Man was still immersed in shock about the case: “An Ge’er, do you think those important officials in the province wouldn’t consider things even us children can think of?”
Ping’an shook his head: “I don’t believe it.”
“Why would they ignore so many suspicious points?” A Man asked again.
Ping’an thought for a moment: “Probably because they don’t want to admit their mistakes.”
The Circuit Intendant officials were sent down by the Provincial Surveillance Office. Once a case was closed, how could they allow it to be reopened? If it were proven to be a wrongful conviction, it would not only damage the officials’ reputations but also bring punishment from the court.
Xiao Fulu asked puzzled: “Sister, An Ge’er, why are we asking about adult matters?”
Ping’an looked at his small hands and short limbs.
Yes, why indeed? He couldn’t even manage his own father properly, yet he wanted to interfere with Meng Wan who was a complete stranger to him.
But he was already here – carrying memories from another life, holding the script of this current existence. He had to watch as Meng Wan sank to the river bottom bearing false charges, watch as the murderer remained at large, watch as those who caused all this prospered in their official careers, watch as good people’s kindness was trampled upon.
Should he do nothing? That wouldn’t do. Even a small butterfly flapping its wings could cause a hurricane. Though his arms and legs were short, surely they were stronger than a butterfly’s wings.
…
Back home, Ping’an recited a passage from the Three Character Classic and followed his Mother in reading two poems from the Book of Songs.
“Large rats, large rats, do not eat our millet! Three years we have served you, but you will not care for us.”
Ping’an listened carefully as his Mother explained the poem’s meaning – comparing corrupt officials who imposed heavy taxes to greedy large rats, fed by the people yet indifferent to their suffering. This made him think again of Meng Wan’s case.
If swapping the pregnant female corpse was to frame Meng Wan for adultery and reduce the sentence, then what was Chen Pingye’s motive for murder in the first place? Though the man had a bad nature, he wasn’t a psychopath who killed randomly…
While Ping’an was lost in thought, he saw his Old Dad return from the Literary Gathering, bringing along a tube of high-quality dried persimmons, several bags of candied fruit, and having picked up the Ruyi South Pearl Hairpin that Lin Yuebai had custom-ordered at Mengxiang Study.
“I got it back for you before we go to the County Yamen the day after tomorrow,” Chen Yan said, seeking credit. “Aren’t we perfectly in sync?”
Lin Yuebai smiled and asked: “How did you know I would wear it the day after tomorrow?”
Chen Yan said: “South pearls of this quality are too plain – they don’t suit you at all.”
Lin Yuebai was shrewd. When going to see the magistrate’s wife, dressing modestly and simply would never be a mistake.
Ping’an poked his head over: “Why are we going to the County Yamen the day after tomorrow?”
“The yamen is on break. Sun Zhixian has invited our family to admire chrysanthemums and drink wine,” Chen Yan said.
Sun Zhixian certainly had refined tastes.
Ping’an complained: “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I need to prepare.”
Both husband and wife laughed: “What do you need to prepare?”
“Didn’t you say they have eight children?” Ping’an said.
“Yes,” Chen Yan said, “Seven adults and one child.”
Ping’an replied, “I need to prepare gifts for them… Stop laughing, this is really important!”
Lin Yuebai finally managed to suppress his laughter: “There’s still tomorrow. Ask Jiu Huan to accompany you to the market to choose something—there’s always enough time.”
Ping’an nodded. He really needed to prepare carefully. Having transmigrated into an ordinary commoner, and a child at that, opportunities to meet the county magistrate didn’t come often.
He racked his brains for half the night and finally came up with a brilliant idea. Whether he could overturn Meng Wan’s wrongful conviction would depend on the day after tomorrow!