Chapter 114: Sign Language and Qi Cai

Di Ying curled his lip at the mention of Xu Lang.

He had never held much affection for foreigners, especially those from the Wa islands—with their bow-legs, short stature, and penchant for eating raw food. The very idea of allowing them to serve as officials in the Great Xia Dynasty went against his core principles. It was not that he feared they would steal knowledge, but rather that he worried about cultural encroachment or, worse, their tendency to claim everything for their own.

A general is the soul of his troops, and the troops are the courage of the general. If a general leads his troops for too long, they cease to be the Emperor’s soldiers and become the general’s own. This was the greatest reason emperors throughout history had been wary of their commanders. By the same logic, if a county magistrate were to subtly corrupt the education of the people under his rule, the future would be grim. Many ministers had tried to stop various emperors from such appointments, but to no practical effect.

Di Ying knew he could not change that on a grand scale; he could only manage his own "patch of land." He instructed Qian Wu to fetch the translators specialized in sign language employed by the provincial government.

Three arrived: Zhu Xiang, Ren Lin, and Luan Chao.

Ren Lin was a woman, roughly thirty years old. Zhu Xiang was around twenty, and Luan Chao was nearing forty. In an era where financial constraints made even basic literacy difficult for the average person, it was rare to find anyone—let alone someone with the education and dedication to learn sign language—who cared for the disabled. That Ning Prefecture could produce three such people was clearly a consequence of the recent string of cases.

Di Ying looked at the plump Ren Lin. "How many cases involving crimes by the deaf and mute have you participated in as a translator?"

Without hesitation, Ren Lin replied, "One hundred and twenty-six cases, involving four hundred and fifty-one people. Of those, one hundred and seventy-three were deaf or mute."

"You have a fine memory," Di Ying praised with a faint smile.

Ren Lin’s round, fair face creased with pleasure at the compliment. "I learned sign language specifically to help those people. When I realized they were committing crimes so recklessly, I was heartbroken. That is why I kept such detailed records of every single case."

Di Ying nodded slightly. He turned to Zhu Xiang. "Translator Zhu, what about you? How many have you been involved in?"

"Reporting to the Magistrate: because I am young and have only been employed by the province for three months, I have participated in fewer. There were nineteen cases, involving... perhaps thirty-two deaf or mute offenders," Zhu Xiang replied respectfully.

Di Ying noticed the hesitation and the use of the word "perhaps" when Zhu Xiang reported the count. It was clear that the young man was merely interested in sign language itself, not particularly devoted to the grim task of translating for criminals. This was to be expected; the young often harbor a stronger disdain for those who break the law.

"Luan Chao, what about you? Are the remaining cases all ones you participated in?" Di Ying asked.

Luan Chao nodded, offering only a simple "Yes."

Di Ying leaned back in his chair, resting his hands comfortably on his stomach, and asked with a smile, "Then, who among you can tell me the reason behind these deaf and mute individuals committing these crimes?"

The three were stunned.

Ren Lin spoke first. "Magistrate, haven't those cases all been closed? Are the reasons not clearly recorded in the files? It is nothing more than greed. Whether it be robbery, theft, or burglary, it is all for money or valuables. They lack the ability to survive, so they take risks. After all, they must stay alive."

"Oh?" Di Ying let out a soft sound as he watched the other two nod in agreement. "To my knowledge, the 'Disability Shelters' established by the province are not overly harsh. Especially for the deaf and mute—they may not hear or speak, but they have hands and feet. As long as they complete the tasks assigned by the shelter, survival is not an issue. Why would they risk severe punishment, or even their lives, to commit illegal acts?"

"This..." The three were stumped.

After a few moments, Ren Lin spoke again. "Magistrate, we are only responsible for translation—to facilitate communication between the two parties. We have not studied the underlying causes."

Di Ying understood. He thought back to the minor trouble Peng Liang and the guards had faced earlier due to the chatter of passersby. He signaled for Ren Lin to stay and had Xu Four take the other two outside.

Once the door was closed, Di Ying raised a finger to his ear, then held his palm vertically, tracing a wave-like motion from top to bottom. He then placed his left palm across his chest, slapped his chest with his right palm, and struck the side of his left palm with the back of his right. Finally, he opened both palms, joined the heels, and shaped his fingers into a bud, closing them pair by pair starting from the pinkies, before clenching his fists and striking them together.

"What does this mean?" he asked Ren Lin.

"Listening to the wind, intercepting, protecting the flowers as they bloom and fall, bearing fruit?" Ren Lin pondered. "Put together, it should mean: the wind is coming, we must quickly protect the flower beds, or the wind will blow them away, and no fruit will be produced."

Di Ying nodded noncommittally. He sent Ren Lin out and had Xu Four bring in Zhu Xiang. He performed the same sequence of gestures for him.

Zhu Xiang interpreted, "Listening to the waves—there is a beach, the waves are blocked. The seawater blooms like flowers, but alas, it is a fleeting sight, like an Epiphyllum, gone in an instant. The waves behind surge forward and collide with the ones in front."

Di Ying nodded again, dismissed Zhu Xiang, and brought in Luan Chao. Luan Chao was completely baffled by the series of gestures. "Magistrate, are you... just making random movements? They don't form any sentences."

Di Ying waved his hand, signaling for Luan Chao to leave and to take the others with him.

He hadn't been making random movements. He had simply performed gestures that a normal person might make, based on a normal person's understanding. Yet, those three had interpreted them in three entirely different ways.

Di Ying pondered for a moment and asked Liu Liu, who was standing by, "What is your guess?"

Liu Liu had been mulling it over for a while. "Are you telling me to listen to all the gossip on the streets? The talk of others? And then to have a firm mind and pick out the most useful parts? To summarize, it means: don't listen to the nonsense of others; it is most useful for our own people to stick together."

"Exactly! That's about what I guessed," Shi Shi chimed in. "It means as long as my heart is firm, it doesn't matter what others say."

Chang Jiu added, "The Magistrate is likely illustrating that the ten fingers are of different lengths. If one listens to rumors, it is easy to be picked off one by one. One must hold to their original intent and stay united to have true strength."