“This official is Xue Tao, Prefect of Jinhua. Where are the special envoys of the Governor, and what urgent business do they bring? Please, come quickly!”
Soon, Jinhua Prefect Xue Tao, lifting his official robes, hurried to the yamen’s main gate. His voice arrived before he did.
“Subordinates Liu Mu and Ruo Feng pay respects to Prefect Xue,” Liu Mu and Ruo Feng said, saluting with clasped fists.
“Prefect Xue, this is an order personally written by Governor Zhu. Please review it. The Governor emphasized that this matter is of utmost importance and urgency. Please execute it immediately upon reading,” Liu Mu said, retrieving a document from his robes and handing it to Xue Tao with both hands, relaying Zhu Ping’an’s instructions.
Given the urgency, Xue Tao didn’t delay. He immediately took the order from Liu Mu and opened it to read.
“Prefect Xue Tao of Jinhua, by order: Immediately deliver Wang Zhi’s mother, Wang Zhi’s wife, and Wang Zhi’s son, detained in Jinhua’s prison, to Zhejiang Army camp commanders Liu Mu and Ruo Feng. No mistakes are permitted!”
After reading, Xue Tao promptly accepted the command. “This subordinate, Xue Tao, Prefect of Jinhua, obeys.”
“Where is the chief of the penal department? Someone, summon the chief immediately!” Xue Tao ordered.
Soon, the chief of the penal department arrived.
“Quickly escort these two generals to the prison to verify the identities of Wang Zhi’s mother, Madam Wang; Wang Zhi’s wife, Madam Wang Zhang; and Wang Zhi’s son, Wang Qiong. Release them from the prison and hand them over to the generals. No errors!” Xue Tao instructed.
“Understood,” the chief replied, accepting the order.
Shortly after, Liu Mu, Ruo Feng, and six Zhejiang soldiers followed the chief to Jinhua’s prison.
“Please, generals, this way. The three prisoners held here are Wang Zhi’s mother, Madam Wang; Wang Zhi’s wife, Madam Wang Zhang; and Wang Zhi’s son, Wang Qiong,” the chief said, leading Liu Mu and Ruo Feng to a cell and pointing to an elderly woman, a middle-aged woman, and a boy about ten years old inside.
Hearing their names called, the elderly woman, the middle-aged woman, and the child in the cell grew tense and fearful. The middle-aged woman pulled the boy into her arms, looking out with wary, frightened eyes.
They were terrified, trembling uncontrollably.
Ever since Wang Zhi became a pirate, their lives had been filled with dread. The silver Wang Zhi secretly sent couldn’t be spent; they didn’t dare wear fine silks or eat lavish meals, fearing suspicion. But no wall is impervious, and when Wang Zhi’s piracy came to light, they were inevitably implicated, arrested by the authorities, and imprisoned. They had been locked up for over five years.
In prison, their fear only grew, constantly dreading the day they’d be dragged out and executed.
Wang Zhi’s piracy was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family. As his closest kin, they had no escape.
They weren’t afraid of death, but they pitied the child.
So young, so innocent. Just five when imprisoned, he’d recently turned ten in the cell, without even a bowl of longevity noodles.
Seeing the jailer and armed Zhejiang soldiers outside, the elderly woman and the middle-aged woman thought their execution day had come. They trembled with fear, tears streaming down their faces.
“Are there identity documents? Please don’t take offense, sir, but Governor Zhu stressed repeatedly that this matter is critical, and no mistakes can be made,” Liu Mu said, glancing at the three in the cell while saluting the chief.
“Of course. The identity documents are in the prison’s archive room. I’ll fetch them shortly,” the chief said, waving off any concern before heading to retrieve the documents.
Soon, Liu Mu received the identity documents for the three and reviewed them carefully: Wang Zhi’s mother, Madam Wang; Wang Zhi’s wife, Madam Wang Zhang; Wang Zhi’s son, Wang Qiong…
Wait.
Something’s off. Wang Zhi’s wife is Madam *Wang Zhang*, and his son is *Wang Qiong*? Why isn’t the wife *Weng Zhang* and the son *Weng Qiong*?
The surnames “Wang” and “Weng” are different. Could there be a mistake? Did Jinhua arrest the wrong people?
Reading the documents and noticing the surname discrepancy, Liu Mu suspected Jinhua might have detained the wrong individuals.
“Sir, why is Wang Zhi’s wife called Madam *Wang Zhang* and his son *Wang Qiong*? Their surnames don’t match Wang Zhi’s,” Liu Mu immediately raised his concern with the chief.
“Oh, General, you may not know, but Wang Zhi’s real name isn’t Wang Zhi. His birth name is Wang Quan, with the nickname ‘Zhi.’ His surname is ‘Wang,’ not ‘Weng.’ Thus, his wife is Madam Wang Zhang, and his son bears the surname ‘Wang.’ When he became a pirate, to conceal his true identity, he adopted his mother’s surname ‘Weng’ and used his nickname ‘Zhi,’ calling himself ‘Weng Zhi,’” the chief explained.
Wang Zhi taking his mother’s surname “Weng” and using his nickname “Zhi” was straightforward. The *Great Ming Code* strictly prohibited overseas trade, decreeing that anyone smuggling forbidden goods like iron, copper coins, or silk would be executed, and building ships with two or more masts was banned.
For colluding with Japanese pirates or engaging in treasonous piracy, the punishment was even harsher: principal and accomplices faced death by slow slicing, and their nine generations—including grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, uncles, brothers, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and even household servants aged sixteen or older—would be executed.
To avoid implicating their families, fake Japanese pirates and smugglers went to great lengths to hide their identities. False names, fake hometowns, and aliases were common, with some even adopting Japanese names.
Throughout history, few criminals used their real names, especially for crimes like piracy that warranted clan extermination.
Liu Mu saluted in gratitude. “Thank you for clarifying, sir.”
“You’re too kind, General,” the chief returned the gesture.
Liu Mu continued verifying the identities of Wang Zhi’s mother, Madam Wang; his wife, Madam Wang Zhang; and his son, Wang Qiong.
After confirming the documents were correct, Liu Mu requested, “Please provide a private room, sir. I need to ask them a few questions individually.”
“There’s an empty cell nearby. You can conduct the questioning there,” the chief replied.
Liu Mu then had Madam Wang, Madam Wang Zhang, and Wang Qiong brought to the empty cell one by one. He asked them politely about their names, addresses, and details about Wang Zhi.
After verification, he confirmed their identities: they were indeed Wang Zhi’s mother, wife, and son.
With that, Liu Mu and Ruo Feng completed the necessary procedures and escorted the three out of the prison.
