Original Text
In Jinan Prefecture there was a vice prefect named Wu, whose nature was upright and unyielding. At that time, there was a corrupt and despicable custom in officialdom: when officials embezzled funds or misappropriated public money, their superiors would shield them, and the resulting deficits would be apportioned among subordinate officials to repay on their behalf, with none daring to refuse. When the superior assigned this matter to Lord Wu, he refused to accept it; when coercion was applied, he still would not yield, and the superior, enraged, berated him. Lord Wu retorted harshly, saying, "Though my rank is low, I am still an official appointed by the imperial court. If I have committed a crime, you may impeach and punish me, but you must not insult me! If you wish to kill me, then kill me, but I will never use the salary granted by the court to repay another's ill-gotten gains!" Seeing this, the superior changed his attitude and comforted Lord Wu with gentle words. People often say that one cannot walk the straight path in this world, but in truth, it is people themselves who refuse to walk it—how can they blame the world for lacking a straight path? At that time, in Gaoyuan County, there was a man named Mu Qinghuai, who was possessed by a fox spirit. He would often speak with impassioned eloquence in company, but people could only hear the fox's voice, never see its form. Once, he happened to come to Jinan and was chatting with friends when someone asked him, "The fox spirit knows all things, so tell us, how many officials are there in Jinan Prefecture?" He answered promptly, "One." Everyone laughed at this. When asked why he said so, he replied, "Though there are seventy-two officials in the entire prefecture, the one who truly deserves the title of official is only Vice Prefect Wu!"
At that time, the prefect of Tai'an Prefecture, Zhang Gong, was nicknamed "The Stake" by the people because of his stubborn and unyielding nature. Whenever high-ranking officials came to Mount Tai, they demanded laborers, horses, sedan chairs, and other provisions from the local populace, causing great hardship. Zhang Gong abolished all such provisions. When some officials asked him for pigs and sheep, he replied, "I myself am a sheep or a pig; please slaughter me to feast your attendants." The high officials could do nothing against him. Since taking office far from the capital, Zhang Gong had been separated from his wife and children for twelve years. When he first arrived in Tai'an, his wife and son came from the capital to visit him, and the family reunion was joyful. After six or seven days, his wife casually remarked during conversation, "You are as poor as ever now; are you growing senile? Why do you not make some provision for your descendants?" Zhang Gong flew into a rage, cursed his wife, ordered his servants to bring a club, and forced her to lie down and receive a beating. His son threw himself over his mother, weeping bitterly, and begged to be punished in her stead. Zhang Gong beat them severely before stopping. His wife then took their son and returned home by carriage, swearing, "Even if he dies here, I will never come again!" The following year, Zhang Gong died in office. It must be said that Zhang Gong was a veritable Dong Xuan of his time, preferring death to compromising his principles. Yet, after years of separation, how could a single word provoke such violent rage from a husband toward his wife? Was this in accord with human nature? Nevertheless, that Zhang Gong could exercise such stern authority over his own wife makes him even more remarkable than the gods and spirits.
Commentary
This passage, through the mouth of a fox, praises the incorruptible and upright character of Assistant Prefect Wu of Jinan, while simultaneously condemning the collective corruption of officialdom. What is astonishing and thought-provoking is that in those days, the method used to remedy "deficits and embezzlement" was for colleagues to collectively compensate on behalf of the offender; though somewhat inconceivable, it ultimately harmed only the officials themselves. The fox declares, "Although there are seventy-two officials in the entire prefecture, only Assistant Prefect Wu can truly be called an official," reflecting the reality that in the official circles of that time, there were exceedingly few who were competent and free from greed. In the appended section, Prefect Zhang of Taizhou is depicted with the same incorruptible and resolute character as Assistant Prefect Wu of Jinan, employing a similar technique of contrast; through the conflict between Zhang and his wife, it extols Zhang's rare but slightly flawed integrity.