“You really are a clever one!” The gatekeeper looked Mr. Sullivan up and down again, his face full of disdain. “The archer William Sullivan, right?! I’ve made a note of it! If needed, someone will definitely inform you. Now hurry up and get on with your business, don’t waste time loitering here!”

“Ah, ah, Second Master, take care, Second Master, take care!” Mr. Sullivan bowed twice more, backing away as he left. Only after he had retreated past the mouth of the alley did he wipe the greasy sweat from his forehead and mutter under his breath, “What a character! Isn’t he just a gatekeeper for a salt smuggler’s family? Acting all high and mighty! If you’ve got the guts, go flap your wings in front of the magistrate’s office and see if you don’t get skinned alive!”

After cursing, he continued his measured stride, strolling leisurely toward the next alley.

He had only taken three or five steps when suddenly a harsh clanging of a gong sounded behind him. Immediately after, a minor runner from the yamen named Frank Thompson came panting after him. From a distance, he bent over, bracing one hand on his own knee, and shouted loudly, “Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Sullivan, something terrible has happened. You need to get to Mule and Horse Alley, quick, Zhu, Albert Brooks has been possessed by a ghost!”

“Nonsense!” Mr. Sullivan quickly glanced at the nearby high-walled courtyard and scolded in a low voice, “The sun’s only just set, where would a ghost come from?! What’s really going on? Isn’t Mule and Horse Alley your second uncle’s responsibility? Why do you need me?”

“Second Uncle, Second Uncle’s been taken hostage by Albert Brooks, the knife’s right at his throat!” The minor runner Frank Thompson gestured at his own throat, his voice breaking into a sob, “There’s already blood! Albert Brooks is speaking in a northern accent now, none of us can understand him. That’s why we need you to step in!”

“Troublemaker!” Mr. Sullivan cursed under his breath, not sure if he was scolding the troublemaking Albert Brooks or the minor runner dragging him into this, “Did you report to the magistrate? What did he say?” (Note 4)

The minor runner Frank Thompson dropped to his knees, banging his head against the gong with a loud clang, “I’ve already reported to Lord Mahama! He’s gathering men right now! He ordered me to find you! You speak the northern dialect and you know Albert Brooks. Please, go talk to Albert Brooks, calm him down, don’t let him harm my second uncle! I’m begging you, please save my second uncle! I’ll kowtow to you right here!”

“Get up, get up, what are you doing?!” Mr. Sullivan had no way out, so he braced himself and stepped forward, helping Frank Thompson up from the ground. “Old Li and I have been through life and death together, of course I can’t just stand by and watch him in trouble. But you have to tell me, what exactly happened? That butcher Albert Brooks is a well-known coward, you can’t get a word out of him even with three sticks, how did you and your uncle push him to this point?!”

“It—it’s because of a butcher’s knife! Wuwu, wuwu!” The minor runner Frank Thompson sobbed as he pulled Mr. Sullivan along, striding quickly toward Mule and Horse Alley. “The day before yesterday, Second Uncle was short on cash, so he collected three months’ worth of sharpening fees from him all at once! Who would have thought that today the prefect would order all knives to be confiscated. Albert Brooks went to ask Second Uncle for a favor, but Second Uncle didn’t have time for him, so he tapped him lightly on the head with an iron ruler. Then he just fainted, wuwu. Then Second Uncle told Senior Brother Sun to pick up the knife! Before Senior Brother Sun could even bend down, suddenly he was possessed by a ghost. He jumped up and kicked Senior Brother Sun flying. Then he grabbed Second Uncle, held the knife right to his throat!”

Note 1: Archer, a minor official in the old yamen, responsible for maintaining public order and collecting taxes, similar to a modern urban management team leader.

Note 2: Qianshou, commoners, lowly people, derogatory.

Note 3: Baiyuan and xiaolaozi are both auxiliary minor officials, assisting archers in their duties. They are temporary workers, like auxiliary police. Baiyuan ranks slightly higher than xiaolaozi.

Note 4: Kongmu, a senior minor official in the yamen, similar to an office manager or secretary to a leader. The rank isn’t high, but the power is considerable. Some can even influence a whole prefecture’s judicial, administrative operations, and talent selection.

Chapter 003 Albert Brooks

“Troublemaker!” Mr. Sullivan frowned slightly, cursing quietly again. Possessed by a ghost? It was clearly his colleague, David Thompson, who was in charge of the east side of town, who had pushed Albert Brooks to the brink!

A butcher’s knife isn’t like an ordinary kitchen knife. According to the rules set by Mahama Kongmu, the sharpening fee is sixty wen per month. That Mr. Thompson collected three months’ sharpening fee from Albert Brooks all at once, that’s a hundred and eighty wen. And after only three days, they want to take the knife back. Not only will the rental fee not be refunded, but after this whole mess, if he wants to rent a knife again, he’ll have to pay all over again. No wonder Albert Brooks is desperate! Anyone else would probably want to have a word with Mr. Thompson too—you can’t just let that much money go down the drain for nothing!

The minor runner Frank Thompson shivered at the scolding, his sobs immediately quieting down. With red eyes, he defended himself, “I—my second uncle didn’t mean to knock him out. It’s just—he refused to hand over the knife no matter what, so my second uncle just, just tapped him lightly on the head!”