Er Pai refers to two collections of short stories,each containing 40 pieces. Its writer was Ling Mengchu. The stories of the book came from various sources and were refined and polished by the writer. In subject matter, the book sets its attack against the social evils and malpractices in the background of the social customs. Therefore,it relays a sharp and strong sense of social criticism. Many of the pieces of the book display brilliant characteristics of the time. Some of the stories about love and marriage advocate the concept of equality between men and women ; some depicting,from a positive point of view, the commercial activities of the townspeople of the Ming Dynasty reflect the merchants' desire for profit making and building up wealth. The language of the stories is simple and natural,its narration lively and moving.
This book is edited and translated by the famous translator Wang Guozhen, to introduce Amazing Tales Second Series to the foreign readers.
During the Ming Dynasty, a retired official surnamed Yang in the county of Xindu, in Sichuan Province passed the imperial examination, but later met a violent end. Of wealthy stock, his disposition was one of avarice, fierceness and brutality, which made him a despot of his native place. While serving as subsidiary governor of Yunnan Province, he had a bullying subordinate named Zhang Yin, a grant-aided student. After his father passed away, Zhang Yin started to calculate day and night and began to acquaint himself with local officials so that he might call upon their power to place the concubine and her young son at his mercy. In this way he hoped to seize all his father’s legacy in days to come. Zhang Yin feared that the younger brother might insist on dividing the family fortune between them, so he immediately asked the concubine for the private savings that the old man had left behind. The concubine’s response was “no.” Zhang Yin rummaged through the chests and cupboards but could find nothing. He did not let the matter drop and began to suspect that the money was buried somewhere underground or had been shifted to someone else’s home. Finally, the concubine demanded a split of the family property between the two brothers. Zhang Yin refused. He selected a trusted follower of subsidiary governor Yang, and made a deal through him with Yang in which Zhang promised to pay a reasonable five hundred taels of silver so that Yang would decide the lawsuit in Zhang’s favor. Yang agreed to the terms.
