Now, the head constables of Zhenjiang Prefecture put the chains on Qin Yuanliang, Ma Zhaoxiong, Lei Ming and Chen Liang. The four did not dare resist arrest; they could only go along, and together they all came to the Zhenjiang prefecture yamen. First the four were held in the runners’ lockup while the constable who had made the arrest went in to report. The prefect took his seat in court at once, and the three squads of strongmen, black-robed runners and constables shouted to proclaim the court’s authority. “Bring up the robbers,” the prefect ordered. The officers marched the four men in, announcing: “Qin Yuanliang, Ma Zhaoxiong, Lei Ming and Chen Liang, who robbed the inn at Jinsha Ridge with torches lit and weapons drawn, carried off goods and valuables, killed a household servant and abducted the concubine of an official on his way home from his post — the four of them, brought before the court!”

When the four heard this, they were so frightened that the color drained from their faces, and they knelt below the bench. The prefect struck the sounding block. “The four of you — what are your names?” Qin Yuanliang and the others each answered and gave his name. “Qin Yuanliang,” said the prefect, “at the inn at Jinsha Ridge you and your gang carried off Lord Luo’s concubine, killed a household servant and made off with gold, silver and valuables. How many of you were in it together? Tell the truth, and quick! Spare this court the trouble of questioning you over and over again, for by then your skin and flesh will have suffered, and you’ll confess all the same.” Qin Yuanliang and the other three shuffled half a step forward on their knees and kowtowed. “Your Honour above us, we humble men have always been decent, law-abiding folk who keep to our place and mind our own business. We have always made our living as armed escorts. As for what Your Honour says about robbing and killing with torches and weapons at Jinsha Ridge, we know nothing about any of it. We have never in our lives done anything against the law. We beg Your Honour to let your brush spare our lives1. We are truly wronged.” At this the prefect said, “You lot must be old hands at thieving, to dare twist and wriggle like this in this court. Ask you nicely with folded hands and you’ll never own up. Here — drag them down and beat them!” “Your Honour, hold back the thunder of your anger a moment,” said Qin Yuanliang. “We humble men have something to plead. You say we robbed with torches and weapons — what proof is there? If Your Honour puts us to harsh torture, you could make us confess to high treason: when we can’t bear the pain any longer, we’ll confess to anything. We beg Your Honour to hang your bright mirror high2.” “You robbed the inn,” said the prefect, “and Lord Luo has reported that you gave your own names. And you still dare to wriggle?” “Your Honour, see this clearly,” said Chen Liang. “If we had really done the job at Jinsha Ridge, how could we have gone and given our own names? Consider it, Your Honour: some robbers must bear us a grudge and passed themselves off under our names. I have lived in Zhenjiang Prefecture for many years. If Your Honour doesn’t believe me, ask the officers below the bench. If we had ever done anything here, Your Honour’s officers would have taken us long ago.” The prefect thought the matter over: better to send a dispatch reporting to Chancellor Luo first, wait for the Chancellor’s reply, and then decide what to do. With that, he gave the order: “Put the four in fetters and lock them up for now.” Meanwhile he rewarded Miao Pei with two hundred taels of silver and sent him away, and at once had his secretary3 draw up a dispatch to go to the capital, stating that four men had now been arrested but had not yet confessed, and asking His Excellency for instructions. Chancellor Luo thought: “Never mind whether they did it or not. Have the prefect send them to the capital under guard and execute them on the spot. That will make an example of them, and after this no more robbers will dare bully my son.” With that he sent the prefect a dispatch at once, ordering Zhenjiang Prefecture to send the four robbers to the capital under escort and hand them over to the Ministry of Justice to be punished according to the law.

On receiving the dispatch, the prefect at once sent for two escort officers and ten constables, had four wooden cage carts built, and sent Qin Yuanliang, Ma Zhaoxiong, Lei Ming and Chen Liang to the capital, with an official dispatch to be handed in at the Ministry of Justice along with them. They had only just reached Lin’an when they happened to meet Ji Gong. Ji Gong stepped to one side and looked at them for a long while, and only then did the monk come over. When Lei Ming and Chen Liang saw Ji Gong, Chen Liang said, “Master, you’ve got to find some way to save us!” “You’ve run into a terrible disaster,” said the monk, “and for the moment this monk hasn’t got the time. Don’t be afraid, any of you. Wait till you get to the Ministry of Justice and we’ll see. Heaven looks after good people.” With that the monk simply went off. The escort officers brought the four men to the Ministry of Justice and handed over the dispatch and the prisoners. The runners on duty that day took charge of the prisoners and passed the dispatch up. When Lord Lu, the Minister of Justice, had read it, he took his seat in court at once. The officers brought Lei Ming and Chen Liang up before him, and when Lord Lu questioned them, the four men told the plain truth, just as before.