Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 93 Lu Daozi Punches Physician Jiang

"I've never borrowed any money from you! Even if I did, there should be a written IOU or a guarantor's signature! Do you have any proof?"

Jiang Zhushan argued frantically.

Zhang Sheng, the "street rat," chuckled and immediately replied, "I, Zhang Sheng, am the guarantor! As for the proof..."

He pulled a crumpled document from his sleeve and waved it in front of Jiang Zhushan. "Isn't this the proof? It's in black and white, and you even have your own signature. How can you deny it?!"

Jiang Zhushan reached out, wanting to take a closer look, but Zhang Sheng immediately pulled the document back into his pocket, not giving him the chance.

Jiang Zhushan was so angry that his face turned as yellow as wax residue.

Physician Jiang was usually a respectable person, having read the classics; he had never been subjected to such filth.

Unable to contain his anger any longer, he jumped up, pointed at the two men, and cursed, "You damned dogs! Where did you two come from? Did you come here specifically to extort money from me?! Do you think I'm easy to bully?!"

How could a scoundrel like Lu Hua be easily dealt with?

Enraged, he threw a punch across the table, striking Jiang Zhushan squarely in the face, instantly twisting his nose to one side and drawing blood.

Not stopping after the beating, Lu Hua swept all the dry items off the table and dumped all the medicinal herbs on the surrounding shelves outside. After dumping them, he kicked the shelves over.

Jiang Zhushan was in so much pain that his vision blurred, and his anger flared even more. He roared, "You scoundrel! How dare you steal my goods?!"

However, he was physically weak, and seeing how powerful the man's fists were, he dared not step forward. Instead, he hurriedly called out to the back hall, "Tianfu'er! Tianfu'er, come out and help!"

The young apprentice was hiding in the back; how could he dare to cause trouble?

Hearing his master call out, he was afraid, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and come out, trembling as he tried to stop him.

Seeing that this half-grown servant dared to step forward, Lu Hua sneered and kicked him aside.

The young apprentice cried out "Ouch!" and lay down in the corner, whether from genuine pain or fear, he just lay there and refused to go forward again.

Seeing how fierce Lu Hua was, Jiang Zhushan was already somewhat afraid.

Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Sheng, the "street rat," stepped forward, dragged Jiang Zhushan out from behind the table, stopped Lu Hua, and pretended to advise him:

"Brother Lu, you've already wasted so much time, so please give him another two or three days to let him gather enough money to repay you."

He then turned to Jiang Zhushan: "Second Brother Jiang, what did you say?"

These two, like a snake in the grass and a rat crossing the street, play the good cop and the bad cop, working together skillfully and using this method countless times with unfailing success.

Jiang Zhushan was both anxious and frightened, and was momentarily stunned. He said, "When did I borrow any money from him? Even if I did borrow from you, you should have reasoned with me and discussed it properly. How could you act so wildly and beat me like this?"

Zhang Shengdao said with a grin, "Second Brother Jiang, you've finally 'seen the bitter fruit' this time! If you had been this easy to talk to earlier, I would have asked Brother Lu to give you some interest, and you would have paid him back in two or three installments. That would have been the right thing to do."

"You just spoke so bluntly, do you think they won't ask you for it anymore?"

Jiang Zhushan covered his nose and caught his breath. After hearing what he said, he gradually realized what was going on.

This is clearly an attempt to extort me! I almost fell into their trap.

His anger flared up again: "I'm furious! I'll take you to the magistrate! We'll go to court and settle this clearly! Who borrowed any money from you!"

"I think you're drunk again this morning! Talking nonsense again!"

Lu Hua suddenly threw another punch, this time even harder, which sent Jiang Zhushan sprawling to the ground, his headscarf falling off and his hair disheveled, looking utterly pathetic.

Unable to tolerate the two men any longer, Jiang Zhushan could only shout loudly, "In broad daylight! There's no law! This is robbery!..." and so on.

Some busybodies had been peeking around outside, and when they heard him cry for help, someone went to report it to the street patrol officers.

Before long, several constables arrived with sticks. Seeing the clinic in a mess and the three still arguing, they grabbed a rope and tied up Lu Hua, Zhang Sheng, and Jiang Zhushan together, then dragged them to the county government office.

Lu Hua and Zhang Sheng were tied together. They looked at each other and smiled.

That's it!

The three were pushed and shoved by the constables as they walked down the street, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

Jiang Zhushan, bruised and swollen, with disheveled hair, continued to protest his innocence: "Officer, please be wise! It was these two scoundrels who tried to extort money and commit the crime..."

The constables wouldn't listen to his explanations. They simply shouted, "If you have something to say, go to the hall and say it!"

Lu Hua immediately shouted, "Paying back debts is a matter of course! This Physician Jiang is refusing to pay his debts and is even falsely accusing an innocent person!"

Zhang Sheng immediately chimed in, "Exactly! The IOU is right here in black and white; the truth will be revealed in court!"

Just as Jiang Zhushan and his two companions were being taken away, someone had already informed Ximen Qing of the matter.

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing immediately sent his trusted servants to instruct the local officials and also sent a name card to Lord Xia of the Judicial Commissioner's Office.

The bailiffs then escorted Jiang Zhushan, Lu Hua, and Zhang Sheng to the Provincial Criminal Court.

When Xia, the judicial chief, entered the courtroom, he read the petition submitted by the local authorities and first summoned Jiang Zhushan to come forward.

"Is the one kneeling Chiang Wen-hui?"

"How could you borrow money from Lu Hua and not only refuse to repay it, but also resort to violence and assault on your creditor? This is utterly despicable!" said Magistrate Xia in a deep voice.

Jiang Zhushan knelt below the hall, kowtowing and saying, "Your Honor, please see the truth! I don't know this person at all, and I've never borrowed any money from him. Yesterday, these two men barged into the clinic and immediately began extorting money. When I tried to reason with them, they wouldn't listen to reason, kicking and hitting me, and even stealing and smashing all my medicinal herbs and goods..."

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, his forehead covered in bruises from the beating, and his nose crooked; he looked truly pathetic.

However, Magistrate Xia refused to listen to his side of the story and instead asked Lu Hua, "What do you have to say?"

Lu Hua kowtowed and said, "Reporting to your Excellency, three years ago, this Physician Jiang lost his wife and had no money for the funeral, so he borrowed thirty taels of silver from me. Now, three years have passed, and he has been delaying repayment. Yesterday, I learned that he opened a shop and made a fortune, so I went to collect the money. But he insulted me in every way, accusing me of stealing his goods. The loan agreement is here, and Zhang Sheng is the guarantor. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Excellency!"

He then took out the crumpled document from his bosom and presented it with both hands.

Zhang Sheng kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I, Zhang Sheng, am indeed the guarantor."

The bailiffs presented the document to the court. Magistrate Xia unfolded it and glanced at it casually. It read:

Jiang Wenhui, a doctor in this county, has borrowed thirty taels of silver from Lu Hua through guarantor Zhang Sheng. The borrower agrees to pay the principal and interest at a monthly rate of 3%, to cover his expenses. The principal and interest are to be repaid by the following year, with no shortfall. To preserve this record, this IOU is hereby issued.

After reading it, Magistrate Xia slammed his fist on the table in a rage: "Here we go again! There's a guarantor and a loan agreement right here, in black and white. How dare you deny it? The way you nitpick over words makes you look like a debt-dodging scoundrel!"

Having received Ximen Qing's order, he ignored Jiang Zhushan's rebuttal and immediately commanded his men, "Choose a large board and take him away for a good beating!"

Three or four fierce-looking yamen runners rushed forward and, without a word, dragged Jiang Zhushan to the ground, wielding two fire-and-water clubs that flew up and down.

At first, Jiang Zhushan cried out for justice, but after being struck several times with the water and fire sticks, he could no longer utter a sound.

They beat him until his skin was torn open and blood was everywhere.

Xia, the magistrate, then waved his hand and said coldly, "Send two constables with a white warrant to escort Jiang Zhushan home and return him to Lu Hua with a fine of thirty taels of silver. If he refuses, take him back to the yamen and imprison him to await trial!"

.........