An extortion, and a new customer
施猴以許枕潘曾充府書，熟悉衙門，信以為實。當各送給番銀八十元而散。朱光旋用番銀一百五十元向施猴轉販煙土十塊，帶至他處賣與不識姓名人得利五十元。
While Shi Hou and his compatriots were storing opium in the grass shack, a neighbor named Zhu Guang (captured) along with the cashiered Quanzhou Prefecture clerk Xu Zhenpan learned of the Shi clan’s collusion with foreigners to smuggle opium for great profit, and came up with a plan to cheat them. Xu and Zhu traveled together to Shi Hou’s grass shack and Zhu Guang deceitfully told Shi Hou that the county inspectors had ordered him along with Xun Zhenpan to arrest Shi Hou, but if Shi could offer some money Xu and Zhu could get them out of the problem.
Shi Hou knew that Xu Zhenpan had worked in the Quanzhou prefect’s office and was familiar with the government office, so he believed the story and gave Zhu and Xu $80 each in silver and they departed. Soon after, Zhu Guang returned to the grass shack and used $150 in silver to buy 10 bricks of opium, which he resold at various places along the coast for a profit of 50 silver.
Source: Junji chu Hanwen lufu zouzhe (Grand Council Chinese-Language Palace Memorial Copies, often cited as LFZZ), Beijing: First Historical Archives, 03–4007–048, DG 18.10.29.
RETURN TO THE CASE AGAINST SHI HOU
