Chapter 10, Foreigners Act Shamelessly

"Scoundrel!" Yuan Zude, who was tearing at the maid's clothes, was enraged upon hearing this and roared, "Is it the case that anyone can beat the drum and report to the authorities, and I, the master, must immediately ascend to the court? Go tell Master Xie to first give that drum-beater twenty strikes with the warning stick! Let him ruin my refined mood!"

"Make way, open the door, they wish to visit the parishioners who have been wrongfully arrested. Some of the individuals confined in this prison have been baptized by Father Martin and are his parishioners"

"The Double Knife Society?!" Yuan Zude's entire body trembled, and his mind suddenly became clear. The lewd old face of Wu Jianzhang immediately surfaced in his mind. Then, Yuan Zude cried out in his heart, "Oh no! How could I have forgotten about Wu Ashuang's other powerful foreign backer? This old geezer, how is he so closely connected with the foreigners that he can actually summon them to deal with me?"

After being whipped more than ten times, Wu Chaoyue finally turned to Martin and the others, casually conversing with them in English for a few moments. Then he instructed Pan Laotou, saying: "The foreign gentleman wants you to drive the other prisoners out. These nine inmates must be unbound and can only be confined in one cell until they are released"

Wu Chaoyue replied nonchalantly, while Pan Laotou was left utterly confused, questioning, "Believers? I have believers locked up in my prison? I had no idea about that"

Pan Laotou's expression changed dramatically, and he quickly nodded and bowed, saying, "Young Master Wu, rest assured, they will not suffer any more. I understand, I understand."

Startled and trembling, Yuan Zude managed to read through the document, but he was inevitably left feeling dazed and confused, unable to comprehend when his two loyal subordinates had committed such a grave offense, bringing upon him such a catastrophic disaster. The two foreigners, following Wu Chaoyue's instructions, urged him fiercely, saying: "County Magistrate, please hurry and capture the murderer, and immediately release the innocent believers who have been arrested. We have heard that our believers are being subjected to brutal torture in your prison! You must also investigate the instigator of this incident and provide us with an explanation!"

Upon hearing Wu Chaoyue's words, Pan Laotou's expression immediately changed. However, when he saw the three foreigners shouting angrily at him in their incomprehensible language, Pan Laotou no longer dared to hesitate. He promptly stepped forward to lead the way, guiding Wu Chaoyue and the others to the cell where the members of the Shuangdao Society were detained

"Sir, please do not strike! You cannot use the rod of authority!" The constable said with a mournful expression: "The ones beating the drum to report are foreigners! Two foreigners! That is why Master Xie urged you to ascend to the court quickly; otherwise, how would I dare to come and disturb you?"

Yuan Wuba and Xiao Fujian grinned in agreement, just about to step out to allow Yuan Zude to enjoy the newly purchased maidservant. However, as Yuan Zude eagerly began to indiscriminately nibble on the face of the beautiful maidservant, unexpectedly, a constable rushed in from outside, flustered and bowing deeply, saying: "My lord, it is bad news! Someone is beating the drum to report a case! Master Xie sent me here to request that you immediately ascend to the court to inquire into the matter."

Yuan Zude nodded in satisfaction, then turned to his nephew Yuan Wuba, who was standing by to serve him, and inquired about the situation of the members of the Shuangdao Society who had been captured. Yuan Wuba, Wu Chaoyue's old rival, replied with a sinister smile: "Uncle, rest assured, I have already instructed the prison to give them special treatment. Even if those people are released in the future, they will no longer be able to wield axes or knives."

Following the guidance of his Chinese friend Wu Chaoyue, Father Martin did not concern himself with whether the prison warden Pan Jinggui could understand his language. He directly made his request to Pan Jinggui. Father Martin's two American companions also loudly commanded in English, displaying an extremely unfriendly attitude. However, the local tyrant Pan, the warden of the prison, not only did not dare to lose his temper but also kept bowing and scraping, humbly asking Wu Chaoyue, who was standing beside the foreigners, "Young Master Wu, could you please interpret for me what these three gentlemen are saying?"

"It is alright, we have time to wait for your investigation." The two foreign priests, having received Wu Chaoyue's guidance earlier, took back the large piece of paper, walked out of the hall, and sat back down in the grand chairs. They then unfolded the document in front of the gathered onlookers, before turning to the astonished Yuan Zude and saying, "County magistrate, we will wait here, coming every day. Whenever you have clarified the matter, we will leave then"

Yuan Zude laughed heartily upon hearing this, one hand vigorously kneading the maid's undergarments while the other waved as he said, "Alright, you may leave now. Work hard and seize this opportunity to completely eradicate the Twin Sabers Society; the Shanghai docks will be yours! Wu Ashuang, let him go and cry with his precious grandson!"

"Mr. County Magistrate, please apprehend the murderer immediately and release our parishioners!" The two foreign gentlemen shouted in unison, their demeanor so fierce that they hardly resembled aggrieved parties reporting a grievance; they were even more terrifying than the malevolent spirits in the eighteen layers of hell!—Of course, this was merely the case for our unfortunate County Magistrate Yuan Zude.

"I served as a trainee warrior." A member of the Twin Blades Society quickly said, "Last year, during the pirate disturbances, I worked as a trainee warrior for a few months to defend against pirates. Later, when the pirates were captured and the militia was disbanded, I started working with Brother A Yuan.

Yuan Zude's complexion began to pale, and his enthusiasm waned as he hurriedly pushed away the beautiful maid who had been tormented to the point of suffering. He stood up and asked the equally pale Xiao Fujian and Yuan Wubai, "When did you offend the foreigners? Did I not repeatedly warn you? In Shanghai, anyone can be provoked, but one must never provoke the foreigners"

"They reported Chen Ming, Brother Chen, and Yuan Wu." The constable pointed at the small Fujian named Chen Ming and Yuan Wubai, with a mournful expression, and said, "They accuse Brother Chen of unlawfully obstructing their missionary work, assaulting and killing believers, colluding with Yuan Wu to arrest innocent believers, and they want you, Your Honor, to take their side!"

What made Yuan Zude even more anxious was yet to come. When he changed into his official robes and entered the main hall, the area outside the county office was already a sea of people, filled with curious onlookers from Shanghai. Two foreign gentlemen, with blonde hair and blue eyes, were seated in two grand chairs outside the hall, dressed in black long robes, casually crossing their legs. In front of them lay a large sheet of complaint paper—one can only imagine the scene of petitioners seeking redress, while also overlooking the arrogant demeanor of these two petitioners. Meanwhile, Yuan Zude's assistant, Xie Shiye, was leading several bailiffs in bowing and making respectful gestures to the two foreign gentlemen, continuously pleading with them to enter the hall to discuss matters, rather than allowing so many common people to gather on the street. Unfortunately, the two foreign gentlemen paid no heed and kept calling out in broken Chinese for the crowd to come and look at their complaint paper.

Although he knew that Wu Chaoyue had no authority over him, Pan Laotou still nodded and hurriedly agreed, then arrogantly ordered the guards to lock up those few prison bullies in other cells. Wu Chaoyue personally untied the nine unfortunate compatriots who had been implicated by him, shedding tears as he spoke in Cantonese: "Brothers, I am sorry for getting you into trouble. But it’s alright, I have already sought help from the foreigners to rescue you, and you will no longer suffer."

Upon witnessing this scene, Yuan Zude's heart inevitably trembled even more. He quickly instructed Yuan Wuba to take people to disperse the onlookers. However, when Yuan Wuba and the constables went to drive away the crowd, both foreigners stood up, grabbing hold of Yuan Wuba and the others, and scolded in broken Chinese: "What are you doing? What do you want to do? Are you trying to deceive the people? You cannot let them leave; they must see clearly why we are filing a complaint!"

"Very good." Wu Chaoyue revealed a sinister smile and instructed in Cantonese, "Remember, you are still practicing bravery, and you are still in the midst of it! Also, what is your name?"

Yuan Wuba was completely at a loss and could only turn his pleading gaze towards Yuan Zude in the main hall. Yuan Zude, feeling helpless, could only nod in agreement, urging Yuan Wuba to abandon the action of expelling the common people. He then struck the gavel and shouted, "Proceed with the session"

"Open the door, I am Father Martin from the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and I wish to visit the parishioners whom I have baptized"

Wu Chaoyue nodded expressionlessly and said, "Take us to see the nine people who were captured yesterday, those nine members of the Shuangdao Society."

"Foreigners?!" Yuan Zude, along with Xiao Fujian and Yuan Wubai, were taken aback. Then, Yuan Zude not only lost all traces of anger on his face but also asked anxiously, "Who are they reporting? What is the reason for their complaint?"

"Then why are the foreigners suing you?" Yuan Zude asked sternly, while Xiao Fujian and Yuan Wubai shook their heads in unison, indicating that they did not know. Yuan Zude, feeling helpless, could only curse the accomplices and henchmen for bringing trouble upon him, while hastily changing into official robes in preparation for the court session.

......

After much effort and in a lowly tone, Yuan Zude earnestly requested the two foreign gentlemen to repeat themselves. Only then did he barely manage to understand their meaning. Immediately, Yuan Zude turned his furious gaze towards Yuan Wuba, who, while wiping his cold sweat, whispered, "Sir, no, I did not randomly arrest anyone. Yesterday, I followed your instructions and apprehended nine members of the Shuangdao Society."

Having said that, the two foreign priests crossed their legs again to escape the disaster, while Wu Dasa, the sycophant of Wu Chaoyue, brought over a teapot and snacks, grinning as he invited the two foreign priests to eat and drink. Upon witnessing this scene, Yuan Zude felt utterly bewildered, internally crying out: "Mother! So foreigners can also act shamelessly? When the common people of the Qing Dynasty act shamelessly, I can have someone drive them away with a stick, but when foreigners act shamelessly, do I dare to have someone hit them? Would my people dare to hit them?"

While Wu Jianzhang was troubled in the customs office about how to clean his precious grandson, the other behind-the-scenes big boss, Yuan Zude, the county magistrate of Shanghai, was in the back hall of the county office, laughing heartily while embracing a beautiful maid. He said to Xiao Fujian, the leader of the Bird Party who had come specifically to report on last night's achievements: "Last night went quite well, but it's a pity we couldn't take the opportunity to eliminate Liu Lichuan and directly cut off Wu Ashuang's left and right arms. This is something that I, as an official, find somewhat regrettable"

As Wu Chaoyue remembered the name of his fellow townsman in the cell, Yuan Zude had also made up his mind in the county hall. Knowing that the foreign deity from the old Wu family was not to be trifled with, he decided to employ the Qing officials' most adept skill of procrastination and evasion. He politely addressed the two foreigners, saying, "Gentlemen, I have understood your matter. I will conduct a thorough investigation and will certainly provide you with justice. However, this will require some time, so I kindly ask you to return for now and I will inform you once I have clarified the situation."

......

A foreigner arrogantly raised the legal document that had just been deliberately shown to the public. Yuan Zuduo stepped forward personally and carefully took the document to examine it closely. However, he found the handwriting on the document to be extremely poor, written in a vernacular he had never seen before. The content accused Chen Ming, the leader of the Shanghai underworld known as "Little Fujian," of colluding with Yuan Wubai, the head of the Shanghai county, to violently beat and coerce innocent workers at the Shanghai docks into abandoning their study of the Bible. It also stated that three baptized innocent believers had been killed, twelve injured, and nine devout believers had been wrongfully arrested due to the abuse of power. The document demanded that Yuan Zuduo immediately release the innocent believers, arrest the perpetrators, and compensate the believers for their losses. Finally, there were two signatures in foreign languages that Yuan Zuduo could not understand, one in Prussian and the other in Belgian.

"No, we haven't provoked the foreigners, have we?" Xiao Fujian and Yuan Wubai shouted in protest, both saying: "My lord, even if we had a hundred times the courage, we would not dare to provoke the foreign devils"

Overly agitated, the two foreigners inadvertently incorporated some of their native language while shouting, which essentially resulted in a failure to communicate. However, the more they did so, the more alarmed Yuan Zude became, who did not understand the foreign language, his voice trembling as he politely said: "Gentlemen, please show me your documents."

"As long as you understand," Wu Chaoyue said with a cold snort, "I might as well make it clear to you that this time I have teamed up with the foreigner against Yuan Zude. We will not rest until one of us is dead! Tell me, in the struggle between Yuan Zude and the foreigner, who do you think will lose?"

The matter is not yet resolved. As I was preparing to leave the prison, Wu Chaoyue called Pan Laotou before him and said: "Pan Laotou, let's not beat around the bush. I know that the actions of these individuals may not have been your intention; someone must have coerced you into this. I do not hold it against you. However, do not blame me for not warning you. This incident has already involved foreign nationals, and they are extremely angry, even threatening to send warships into the Huangpu River. When the time comes, they will certainly pursue the culprits who brutally beat and tortured these converts. Your backers will definitely seek a scapegoat. Who do you think that unfortunate scapegoat will be?"

Wu Chaoyue was too lazy to pay him any mind and simply chattered away in English to Father Martin and the others. Immediately, Father Martin and the others began to shout loudly at Head Prison Guard Pan. Wu Chaoyue then translated, saying that if they did not open the door soon, these foreign gentlemen would go to the county office to seek justice from Yuan Zude. Upon hearing this, Head Prison Guard Pan was greatly alarmed and could only hastily order the guards at the gate to step aside and let them through, respectfully inviting Martin, Wu Chaoyue, and the others inside, while also kindly saying, "Young Master Wu, please inform the three foreign gentlemen that it is both smelly and dirty inside, and we apologize for the inconvenience."

"We are here to seek justice!" The constables in the county office struck their wooden staffs and shouted, yet their imposing presence was far from its usual authority. Meanwhile, the two foreigners swaggered into the main hall without kneeling, directly confronting Yuan Zude and roaring, "County Magistrate, we accuse you! We accuse your subordinates of colluding with the Shanghai mob to beat and kill our congregants, and of arbitrarily arresting innocent members of our faith. We demand that you release them immediately and punish the perpetrators!"

The nine members of the Double Knife Society had long recognized Wu Chaoyue, the young master Sun. Overcome with emotion, they wept loudly while untying each other and cleaning the dirt off their bodies. Wu Chaoyue, meanwhile, instructed his followers to bring fine food, clothing, and medical supplies, and continued speaking in Cantonese: "Brothers, you must remember, if you ever go to court in the future, you must firmly assert that you were baptized the day before yesterday and are members of the faith, and that the person who baptized you was Mr. Martin, a priest from America! As long as you stick to this point, you will definitely be able to get out, and the authorities will absolutely not dare to do anything to you!"

Pan Laotou's expression changed, and he nodded and bowed even more as he said, "Young Master Wu, I understand. You can rest assured that in the future, whenever your people come to deliver meals or medicine, as long as they are not from Yuan Wuba, I will definitely let them pass immediately, let them pass immediately"

The ability to speak several languages brings certain advantages. Wu Chaoyue spoke in the hometown Cantonese left by her previous master, which others present could not understand. However, the nine members of the Guangdong-based Shuangdao Society understood her perfectly. While they nodded vigorously, they also cried as they recounted Wu Chaoyue's instructions in Cantonese, committing them to memory. Wu Chaoyue, choked with emotion, thanked them once again, promising to send someone daily to deliver food and medicine for their injuries, and after much admonition, she finally stood up again

Little Fujian quickly nodded repeatedly and said, "Rest assured, benefactor, there will be opportunities. Liu Lichuan has already made enemies with all the gangs in Shanghai. As soon as he shows his face outside, we will receive news immediately, and we can take him down right away! Moreover, Captain Yuan has already captured several of his most capable subordinates yesterday, so he is now isolated and helpless. It would be easier to eliminate him than to kill a chicken."

The nine unfortunate members of the Twin Sabers Society, now utterly bloodied and disfigured, were tied next to the toilet. Several of them were covered in excrement, while in the cell, there were also several burly prisoners, all with blood on their hands, clearly having just engaged in a fight, and evidently the local bullies of the prison. Wu Chaoyue, seeing this, was infuriated. He snatched a whip from a guard and without a word began to lash at those bullies. The bullies, terrified, dared not retaliate, all looking fearfully at the foreigner brought by Wu Chaoyue, dodging and confused about what was happening.

"Originally, the plan was to take the opportunity to eliminate Liu Ayuan, but unfortunately that bastard ran away too quickly." Xiao Fujian stated honestly, "More than twenty people couldn't block him, and he managed to escape by climbing over the wall, so we only killed three of his subordinates. However, he did get slashed on the head, so he should be seriously injured."

Wu Chaoyue nodded in satisfaction and then invited Martin and the others to leave with him. However, just as he was about to take a step, Wu Chaoyue suddenly had a thought and turned back to ask the nine fellow townsmen in Cantonese: "Brothers, among you, is there anyone who has served in the military? Even if it's just in a militia, having even one would be good."

"If we don't eliminate him and only inflict some injuries, what use is that? In a few days, he will recover and will still oppose us." Yuan Zude reprimanded, then coldly laughed and said, "Remember, when striking a snake, aim for its seven inches! Eliminating Liu Lichuan is equivalent to severing Wu Ashuang's hands and feet in Shanghai, and gouging out his eyes in Shanghai. Only then will Wu Ashuang be unable to stay in Shanghai, and your Bird Party will be able to monopolize the golden nest of the Shanghai docks!"