“The young master,” Hou Shen said the next day as soon as Mei Qing arrived at the station. “After I returned home yesterday, I specially sought out several elders to inquire about what you mentioned. One of my senior uncles recalled hearing about a man named Liu Qu, who might be related to that scarred Liu.”
“Oh?” Mei Qing was somewhat surprised. “That’s fortunate. Please tell me more.”
Hou Shen chuckled, “When it comes to sneaking around and breaking in, naturally we are quite familiar with such matters. My senior uncle mentioned that Liu Qu and his elder brother, Liu Na, were experts in tunneling and city excavation. Liu Na was skilled at crafting and appraising objects, and together they had been involved in many significant endeavors. Three years ago, there were whispers that the two brothers had been hired for a major job, after which they both vanished. My senior uncle knows Liu Na well and mentioned that he seemed to have fallen seriously ill and might not have much time left. If the young master wishes to meet him, we should hurry.”
Mei Qing nodded thoughtfully before voicing his concerns, “Would it be against the rules for us to go see him?”
Mei Qing was thinking that although Hou Shen had once been a thief, he had since gone straight, and as a thousand-household commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, meeting a thief might raise suspicions.
Hou Shen winked and said, “Who said you had to wear that flying fish uniform? Didn’t you meet that scarred Liu and even arranged his funeral? You could be considered good friends, so visiting him shouldn’t be inappropriate, right?”
“Master Mei… Ah, please forgive me for not being able to rise and greet you in person. I heard from Brother Hou that you know something about my unworthy younger brother. Is that truly the case?” The man lying on the bed was emaciated, his eyes sunken, his face yellowish, and his voice weak. He could barely speak a few words before breaking into a fit of coughing.
Mei Qing and Hou Shen had traveled a hundred miles to reach this small village at the foot of a mountain where they finally met Liu Na. Although they had heard that Liu Na’s health was failing, seeing him in person was still disheartening. Mei Qing couldn’t help but recall the sight of the scarred Liu on his deathbed and reflect on his own experiences of late—each event something he could never have imagined in his dreams. He couldn’t help but sigh at the impermanence of life.
“Mr. Liu,” Mei Qing said, “I did indeed have a friend surnamed Liu, who had some connection with me before his passing. However, whether he was your younger brother, I cannot be certain.” Mei Qing did not hide anything and recounted all the circumstances of his acquaintance with the scarred Liu, including arranging his funeral and burning the wooden box and porcelain items. However, he omitted mentioning the peculiarities of the inkstone, the subsequent deaths, and the exhumation of the scarred Liu’s coffin.
“Alas, retribution, retribution…” After Mei Qing finished speaking, Liu Na weakly closed his eyes. Two streams of cloudy tears slowly trickled from the corners of his eyes. His lips trembled slightly as he sighed deeply. Then, slowly opening his eyes, he said to Mei Qing, “Since you and Brother Hou have come here, you naturally understand what my brother and I do. You were able to see my unworthy younger brother off on his final journey, a kindness for which Liu Na is profoundly grateful. Young master, I wonder what else it is that you require of me?”
Upon hearing this, Mei Qing hesitated slightly and asked, “Mr. Liu, how is it that as soon as I mentioned it, you knew that the scarred Liu was your younger brother? There must be something behind this…”
Liu Na gave the faintest shake of his head. “Liu Na is but a petty thief; I hardly deserve to be addressed as ‘Mr.’ Young master, please just call me by my name. This tale, however, is a long one.”
With that, Liu Na shifted slightly, turning his head a bit, and catching his breath, he slowly began recounting the story of his and his brother’s experiences.
Originally, Liu Na and Liu Qu were natives of Taiyuan. They had not originally been known by these names; they had changed them after turning to a life of crime.
“What we were originally called need not be spoken of,” Liu Na continued, “for it would only dishonor our ancestors. Although our Liu family was not a prominent one, we were well-off. However, because we were born into the lowly artisan class, despite our wealth, we were constantly bullied…”
Liu Na was referring to the hereditary artisan households under the Ming dynasty, who were required to register separately and whose descendants were obligated to continue in the same trade. Even if later generations became wealthy, they could not change their status. The children of such households were born into a lower social standing, with little hope of rising in life, and were often looked down upon.
“My father did not accept this fate,” Liu Na continued. “He insisted that my brother and I study, believing that one day things would change. But the unpredictable nature of life proved true in the form of a sudden calamity!”
“Our family had a precious heirloom porcelain piece, said to be from the Chai kiln of the Five Dynasties—a rare treasure. Although our ancestors had endured many hardships, they had never lost it. Unfortunately, one day, my father, after drinking too much, let slip its existence, and someone overheard.”
“There was a local county magistrate named Zhou Daya, known for his greed. Upon hearing this news, he sent men to force my father to hand over the treasure. My father refused. But Zhou Daya then had someone accuse my father of conspiring with thieves, and he was thrown into prison. The next day, we heard that my father had committed suicide in fear of the charges.”
“At the time, my brother and I were still quite young and unaware of the depths of human malice. Our mother sent us away in secret that very night. When we tried to find out more a few days later, we learned that Zhou Daya had decided to eliminate our entire family. He fabricated further charges, confiscated all our property, and sentenced our entire household to exile. During the journey, a band of mountain bandits ambushed the convoy and killed every member of our family in the forest.”
As Liu Na recounted this, even his sallow face flushed slightly, and his cloudy eyes burned with pain and fury. He broke into a fit of coughing, which lasted a long time before finally subsiding.
After catching his breath, Liu Na continued, “My brother and I, both barely teenagers, wandered from place to place, enduring untold hardships. Eventually, an old thief took us in, and that was how we came to follow this path.”
Liu Na’s eyes took on a distant look as he recalled, “Perhaps it was because we carried the blood of artisans in our veins. Although we had shown no particular talent for studying, we quickly learned the ways of thievery. I had always enjoyed digging and tunneling, and I picked it up easily. My younger brother was drawn to small, delicate things and became especially skilled in mechanisms. Moreover, since our family had once been well-off and collected various items, he developed a keen eye for antiques and curios. Thus, working together, we proved to be a formidable pair.”
“When the old thief eventually passed away, we felt our skills were sufficient, and we decided to return for revenge. Upon returning home and making inquiries, we learned that Zhou Daya had actually been promoted to prefect due to his flattery of his superiors. Hmph! Such is the world—those who are kind and honest are never protected by heaven, while those who are ruthless and devoid of conscience often rise to power and wealth. Heaven has always been blind!”
Liu Na clenched his teeth, tears streaming from his eyes, muttering something unintelligible before continuing bitterly, “Since heaven would not act, we took matters into our own hands. Surprisingly, our revenge was easier than expected. We did a little reconnaissance, figured out the layout of Zhou Daya’s mansion, and I tunneled in while my brother struck. We looted his treasure house effortlessly and obtained a ledger detailing all his corrupt dealings.”
“Unexpectedly, Zhou Daya was cunning. As soon as he realized the ledger was missing, he abandoned his post and tried to flee. Fortunately, we discovered this quickly and intercepted him on the road, bringing him to our father’s grave, where we carved out his heart to avenge our family. How ironic! He had hoarded a warehouse full of gold and silver but couldn’t even afford a piece of meat while alive. When he died, he was wearing nothing but a tattered robe, with no one by his side. Ha! How laughable!”
“As for his treasures, aside from the Chai kiln porcelain we had taken from our family, we considered the rest ill-gotten gains and quietly distributed them among the poor. Only the Chai kiln porcelain we brought to our family grave. After the ceremony, my younger brother, without a word, took a shovel and smashed our ancestral treasure into pieces!”
Upon hearing this, Mei Qing couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah!” Among the world’s famous kilns, the five renowned ones were Ru, Guan, Ge, Jun, and Ding—but not Chai. This was not because Chai porcelain was not valuable, but rather because there were virtually no authentic pieces of Chai kiln porcelain remaining in the world.
Since no genuine Chai kiln pieces remained, there was no point in listing Chai among the famous kilns. And precisely because of this, the Chai kiln’s rarity and value were even more emphasized.
If anyone else had claimed to possess a Chai kiln piece, it would likely have been a forgery. But Liu Na’s younger brother, Liu Qu—the scarred Liu—was someone Mei Qing knew well for his expertise in porcelain. Thus, the Chai kiln porcelain must have been authentic beyond doubt.
Yet Liu Qu had destroyed it with a single strike of the shovel, a shocking act indeed.
Liu Na’s voice was hoarse as he continued, “I was so stunned I shouted at my brother, asking why he had destroyed our ancestral treasure. He replied, ‘Our entire family was wiped out because of this object. It cannot be worn, nor can it be eaten. What use is it other than to bring harm? It is better destroyed than left in the world to cause more suffering.'”
Mei Qing was left speechless. As someone raised among antiques and from a wealthy background, he had always considered rare and precious artifacts—paintings, calligraphy, and ceramics—extremely valuable, often worth a fortune. But now, hearing the scarred Liu’s words, he found himself at a loss for words. What made these objects so valuable if they could neither be worn nor eaten and were of no practical use?
Liu Na continued, “I had thought that after avenging our family, my brother and I could live peacefully somewhere with the savings we had accumulated over the years. But alas, my younger brother developed a strange obsession. Whenever he heard of someone possessing valuable porcelain, he would go to great lengths to steal it, only to discard it after a few days’ enjoyment.”
Mei Qing couldn’t help but shudder. No matter how you looked at it, the scarred Liu’s behavior had become excessively extreme.
Liu Na slowly shook his head, “I repeatedly tried to reason with him, but he would never listen. I thought, since I couldn’t persuade him, I might as well help him. After all, I still had some skills and could at least ensure he wouldn’t be caught easily. But in the end, it was precisely because of this that we met our greatest misfortune.”
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