with a red face hurrying towards the broken wall and calling, “Master! come at once! Your wife has trouble with a man in the temple.”
Lin Chong quickly inquired where they were, and Jin Er replied, “She was just at the bottom of the Wu Yue Pavilion in the temple when a cheeky fellow stopped her, and would not let her go.”
Lin Chong hurriedly said to Lu Da, “Please excuse me, sir; I will come back very soon.” He ran towards the broken wall and jumping over, hastened to the Yue Temple followed by the maid. Upon reaching the Wu Yue Pavillion, he saw several men with bows, blowpipes, and sticks covered with lime for catching birds, standing inside the railings. On the staircase to the upper chamber was a young man, preventing his wife to proceed, and saying to her, “Come with me upstairs as I have something to say to you.”
Lin Chong’s wife blushingly replied, “How dare you speak to me in this way, in broad daylight?”
Lin Chong hurried forward, caught hold of the man, and pulled him away, saying; “You should be severely punished for molesting a respectable woman like this.” He was on the point of hitting him, when he recognized him as Master Gao, the adopted son of the Marshal of the Imperial Guard, Gao Qiu.
Now sometime before Gao Qiu having no child of his own, had adopted his cousin, and was very fond of him, but Master Gao used the influence of this official for the sole purpose of debauching the people’s wives. The people at the court were afraid of his power, and dared not oppose him; nevertheless, they nicknamed him “Heavenly King of Pleasure.”
When Lin Chong saw who it was, he became cautious. Master Gao saw that he was restraining himself, and not knowing that the woman was Lin Chong’s wife, asked, “Why do you interfere in my affair? You are going too far!”
Men standing round saw the danger of a row, and came forward saying, “Drill Instructor, please excuse him for if he had known that she was your wife he would not have intruded.”
But Lin Chong’s anger had not entirely subsided, and he glared at Master Gao, who left the temple and rode off.
Just then Lu Da arrived, armed with his monk staff, and accompanied by the vagabonds, and said he had come to fight for Lin Chong.
Lin Chong explained what had occurred, and said that he had let Master Gao off this time as he did not wish to annoy Gao Qiu. He referred to the old saying, “Fear not the authorities, except those that have authority over you.”
“You are afraid of the Marshal of the Imperial Guard,” said Lu Da, “but I am not. If I had met that young rascal I would have given him three hundred blows with my staff.”
Lin Chong saw that Lu Da was drunk so he said, “What you say is all right. These men persuaded me to let him off.”
“If you have any further trouble please tell me, and I will help you,” said Lu Da. They then all departed, but Lin Chong was rather troubled in his mind.
Master Gao was infatuated with the wife of Lin Chong, but had submitted to Lin Chong’s interference, and led his followers away, but as he returned to his official residence he was in low spirits. During the next few days his followers kept out of his way as they found him upset, and quite unable to attend to business. But one man, an idler named Fu An, nicknamed “Stinking Dickhead,” understood his master, and waited upon him. One day as Master Gao was sitting idly in the library he entered and remarked, “You are not looking well these last few days, and there must be something worrying you.”
“And don’t you know the reason?”
“I think I can guess what it is,” replied Fu An. “You are thinking of the wife of Lin Chong. Am I right?”
Master Gao laughed, “You have guessed correctly, but I have no means of getting her.”
“There is no difficulty. You are afraid of Lin Chong because he is a hero, and therefore you dare not belittle him. But never mind that, because he is in your employ, and he would not dare to offend your father, the Marshal of the Imperial Guard. If he made a slight mistake he could be banished, or if a serious error he would be ruined for life. I have a plan by which he could be implicated.”
Master Gao after hearing this said, “I have met many nice young women and girls, but I particularly love this one, and since I saw her, my mind has not been at peace. How could you implicate him? If applicable I will handsomely reward you.”
“I have an intimate friend Lu Qian who is very friendly with Lin Chong. Tomorrow you can hide yourself in Lu Qian’s house. He would arrange a feast, and invite Lin Chong to it. He however is to be told to lead Lin Chung to the Fan Inn for wine. Then I will go to Lin Chong’s home, and tell his wife that her husband, while drinking wine at Lu Qian’s house suddenly became ill and fell down unconscious. I will tell her that she had better go at once as it might be serious, and I will bring her to Lu Qian’s house. There when she sees you so well dressed, and listens to your flattery, she will become amenable to your suggestions as she is of an unstable disposition. What do you think of my plan?”
Master Gao was pleased, and said, “This evening I will send for Lu Qian.”
Now Lu Qian’s house was in the same alley as the house of the Marshal Gao Qiu of the Imperial Guard. The next day the plan was explained to Lu Qian who agreed to act his part. Although he was a friend of Lin Chong yet he would do this treacherous thing in order to ingratiate himself with the more influential Master Gao.
Lin Chong had been depressed in spirits for some time, and had not gone out of doors. But one day about ten o’clock in the morning he heard a man at the street door call out, “Is the Drill Instructor in?” Upon going to the door he saw Lu Qian and asked what he wanted.
“I have specially come to see you as I have not seen you for a long time.”
“I have been much depressed,” said Lin Chong, “and therefore have not been outside.”
“Come with me,” said Lu Qian, “and a few cups of wine will drive your cares away.”
Lin Chong invited him to come inside, and after a few cups of tea he told his wife that he was going with Lu Qian for some wine. She asked him not to drink too much, and to get back as soon as possible. The two men then left the house, and after strolling about for a little time Lu Qian suggested that instead of going to his home they would go to the Fan Inn for the wine. This was agreed to, and at the inn they sat in a small apartment where the waiter brought wine and fruit. While they were chatting Lin Chong sighed, and Lu Qian asked why he did that.
“You do not understand,” said Lin Chong, “that although I have ability I have not yet found an employer who appreciates my skill. I have to submit to the injustices and vile tempers of mean fellows.”
“Although there are several drill instructors yet there is not one equal to you in ability. The Marshal of the Imperial Guard treats you well so whose vile temper have you to submit to?”
Lin Chong then told of the affair he had with Master Gao some time ago, while Lu Qian pressed him to drink more wine. Lin Chong drank about nine cups of wine, left the room, and then the inn, for the lavatory. He was returning to the inn when he met his maidservant Jin Er who said that she had been looking for him. Upon Lin Chong asking why, she explained, “You had been gone with Lu Qian less than half an hour when a man rushed into your house, and spoke to your wife, ‘I am a neighbor of Lu Qian, and your husband is drinking with him. I saw your husband fall down senseless. You had better go there at once.’ Your wife asked our neighbor Madame
