nt
to the string of the bell, mentioned in the former section, which he
pulled. According to the custom of the country, he was conveyed to a place
at the distance of ten days journey, where he was committed to prison for
two months; after which he was brought before the viceroy of the province,
who represented to him, that he had involved himself in a situation which
would tend to his utter ruin, and even the loss of his life, if he did not
speak out the real truth: Because there were ministers and governors
appointed to distribute justice to all strangers, who were ready to see him
righted; and if the nature of the wrongs, which he had to represent, did
not appear such as to entitle him to this application to the emperor, he
would assuredly be put to death, as a warning to others not to follow his
example. The viceroy, therefore, advised him to withdraw his appeal, and to
return immediately to Canfu. The rule on such occasions was, that, if the
party should endeavour to recede after this exhortation, he would have
received fifty blows of a bamboo, and have been immediately sent out of the
country: but if he persisted in his appeal, he was immediately admitted to
an audience of the emperor. The merchant strenuously persisted in his
demand for justice, and was at length admitted to the presence of the
emperor, to whom he related the injustice of the eunuch, in taking away his
goods by force. Upon this, the merchant was thrown, into prison, and the
emperor ordered his prime minister to write to the governor of Canfu, to
make strict inquiry into the complaints which he had exhibited against the
eunuch, and to make a faithful report of all the circumstances; and he, at
the same time, gave similar orders to three other principal officers, to
make the same inquiry, all separate and unknown to each other.

These officers, who are called of the right, of the left, and of the
centre, according to their ranks, have the command of the imperial forces,
under the prime minister; they are entrusted with the guard of the emperors
person: and when, he takes the field, on any military enterprise, or on any
other account, these officers are stationed near him, each according to his
rank. All of these made accordingly the strictest inquiries into the
allegations of the merchant, and all separately gave in their reports,
assuring the emperor that these complaints were just and well-founded: and
these were followed and confirmed by many othe