It is told that in the southern district of Kaifeng Prefecture there was a wealthy householder named Fu Ren, who kept a first-rate horse.
One day Fu Ren rode the horse out to his farmstead to collect rents, and on arriving sent his servant Xingfu to ride it back home. Halfway there Xingfu dismounted to rest. A fellow named Huang Hong, who said he came from the southern district and was riding a scrawny mule, saw Xingfu and also got down to rest, then came over and said, "Where are you coming from, brother?" Xingfu said, "I've just taken my master to the farmstead to collect rents." The two sat down on the grass to chat, and before they knew it a long time had passed. Suddenly Huang Hong hatched a scheme and said, "Brother, that horse of yours is nice and sleek." Xingfu said, "Do you know horses, sir?" Huang Hong said, "I used to deal in them." Xingfu said, "My master bought this horse not long ago at a high price." Huang Hong said, "If you don't mind, brother, let me try him out." Xingfu, suspecting no harm, let him ride. In a moment Huang Hong was up in the carved saddle; he rode off half a li and never turned back. Alarmed, Xingfu ran after the horse. Seeing him coming, Huang Hong whipped the horse on and flew off down a shortcut. Just like that, the fine horse was swindled away by a crook. Stunned and helpless, too late for regrets, Xingfu could only ride the old mule back to the farmstead to report to his master and accept the blame. Fu Ren, furious, gave Xingfu a sound beating and ordered him to lead the mule straight to the prefecture and file a complaint. Lord Bao happened to be sitting in court, and Xingfu went in to lodge his complaint. Lord Bao asked, "Where are you from?" Xingfu said, "My name is Xingfu, from the southern district, a servant in Fu Ren's household. I have a complaint to present.
Complaint concerning a horse stolen on the road: I had the misfortune to meet a scoundrel who, pretending he wished to buy the horse, took it for a trial ride of half a li, then whipped it off to parts unknown, leaving only the mule he had been riding in its place. Who the rider was, no one knows; but in a peaceful and orderly age, how can such a swindler be tolerated? I beg that he be pursued.
Lord Bao asked the swindler's name. Xingfu said, "We met just once on the road; I don't know his name." Lord Bao scolded, "You country fellows have no sense! With no trace of the other party, how can you come to file a complaint?" Xingfu pleaded, "I've long heard that Your Excellency is a master at solving cases without a lead, so I've come to appeal." Lord Bao instructed him, "I'll set a plan in motion — we'll see how your luck holds. Go home, and come back in three days to hear it." Xingfu kowtowed and left. Lord Bao had Zhao Hu lead the mule into the stable and give it no fodder for three days, until the starving mule was braying and kicking up a din.
After three days Xingfu came to see Lord Bao. Lord Bao had the mule brought out and sent Xingfu out of the city with Zhang Long following behind, instructing them to act according to plan: lead the mule back to the spot where the horse had been swindled, set it on the road, slacken the reins and let it go where it would; whenever they came to grass, the two of them were to block it and shout it on. The mule headed straight down the road home without need of the whip. They followed it forty li to a place called Huanglang Village. In the village stood a tile-roofed house and a thatched hut; the mule ran straight to that house, went right into the thatched hut and brayed. Huang Hong came out, saw his own mule had come back, and was secretly delighted. Meanwhile Zhang Long and Xingfu made inquiries at a neighbor's house nearby, and saw Huang Hong brazenly leading a horse off to graze it up in the hills. Zhang Long promptly took Xingfu to identify it. The moment Xingfu saw the horse he stepped up, seized the reins and led it away. Huang Hong was about to snatch it back when Zhang Long grabbed him with one hand, and they marched man and horse together all the way back to the prefecture to see Lord Bao. Lord Bao said angrily, "You wolf-hearted, tiger-gutted wretch, have you never heard of me, Bao? Swindling travelers out of their horses on the road — what punishment do you deserve?"
Caught in the act and in the wrong, Huang Hong had no answer. Lord Bao ordered Zhang Long to flog him severely and put him in the cangue for public display; his mule was confiscated by the court, and after seventy strokes of the cane he was driven out. Xingfu, who should not have let a stranger try the horse, was also punished in proportion, and then took the horse home from the court. Lord Bao wrote his judgment: "Upon investigation, Huang Hong, a scoundrel, turned wicked at the sight of the horse, fancying himself a judge of horses like Bole; Xingfu, an ignorant lad, trusted a stranger and never reckoned on treachery like Zhao Gao's. Little did he know one does not lend one's horse — and so it was swapped away for a mule. He had neither caught the man nor learned where he lived. By good fortune a beast knows its way, and following the road ran the culprit down. The crime has earned its due; there is no escaping the law. Let him be punished severely and fairly, as a lesson to those who come after: do not learn to swindle horses."
