The Missing Seal
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There was a corrupt magistrate in a county near Shanghai in the Ming dynasty. He was very concerned when word came that an imperial inspector was coming to his county. Not far from Shanghai, in the city of Suzhou, there was a well-known thief who was said to be able to scale walls without a noise and fight like a thunderbolt. After much thought, the magistrate decided to seek the thief’s help. A messenger was dispatched with costly gifts. The thief came immediately.
“What can I do for you, Your Honor?”
“The imperial inspector has come. I have a hunch he’s going to make trouble for me. I want you to go to his yamen and take his official seal from him. Without the seal, he can’t perform his official function and will lose his job. I’ll give you 100 ounces of gold for your work.”
“No problem, Your Honor. I’ll get it for you.”
Later that night the thief returned with the seal and the magistrate was delighted.
“You did a wonderful job!” He said, giving the man the gold as he had promised. “You’d better leave as soon as possible. There is no point hanging around here.”
“Your Honor, I’d like to offer you a word of advice before I leave.”
“What is it?”
“I think Your Honor is up against a very capable man. When I was hidden on top of the beam in his office, I noticed how quickly the inspector reviewed the documents and wrote down his instructions. I can tell he is a sharp-witted man. I think it is best for you to hand back the seal to him tomorrow. Just tell him it was found by your night patrol and the thief had run away. Even if the inspector suspects something, he would think twice before picking on you. He would understand if somebody could steal the seal from his room, he could also have him killed.”
“It doesn’t make sense to return the seal,” said the magistrate. “The seal means authority. If he gets it, he can do whatever he likes with me.”
The following day the inspector discovered his seal was missing. He ordered a search, but to no avail. “The county magistrate must have something to do with it,” the inspector said to himself. “Knowing I am not his friend. This is his territory. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to place spies around me. But I’ll get him just the same.”
He locked the seal box and put it back, and told his subordinates not to breathe a word about the theft. He did not go to work for the next few days on the pretext of being sick. The magistrate was laughing in his sleeve. Protocol required him to pay a visit to the imperial inspector. When he called upon him, the inspector seemed in good mood. The two chatted over a cup of tea. The magistrate was embarrassed that the inspector was totally unsuspecting and hospitable. Suddenly a servant rushed in.
“Fire, Your Honor, fire!”
The inspector jumped down from the couch, grabbed the seal box, and handed it to his visitor. “We must get out. Take care of this for me.”
Caught off guard, the magistrate left the yamen with the seal box in his possession. The fire was extinguished. Fortunately only the kitchen was damaged. The yamen’s main office was intact. The magistrate realized that the fire was a set-up and the inspector had given him the seal box deliberately. If he returned it empty, he would undoubtedly be incriminated.
The next day the inspector came to work. The magistrate brought back the seal box. The inspector opened it in the presence of all officials and took out the seal which the magistrate had put back and affixed it on a number of documents.
Upon his departure, the inspector made a full report to the provincial governor about the theft. Shortly afterwards the magistrate was removed from office.
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I-Am-Coming
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Wise Proverbs
- He who inflicts much injustices is doomed to destruction.
- 多行不义必自毙。
- A bad beginning makes a bad ending.
- 不善始者不善终。
- Evil will be recompensed with evil.
- 恶有恶报。
Editor Says:
If the magistrate had returned the seal, it might have served his purpose. A veiled threat could be more effective than an outright challenge. It would leave his opponent to imagine what more he was capable of.