Li Er
李二
“The Witness Who Changed His Mind”
His Story
Chapter 86, in Gao E’s continuation. Li Er keeps the Li family inn, where Xue Pan killed a pot-boy named Zhang San in a quarrel over a jug of wine. The Xue family, through Xifeng and Jia Lian, spends several thousand taels buying the magistrate.
At the retrial Li Er is asked whether he saw with his own eyes Xue Pan smash the bowl into the man’s head — as he had sworn at the inquest. He says he was at the counter, heard a shout, ran in and found Zhang San on the floor unable to speak; ask the men who were drinking. Pressed on the contradiction he says: 小的前日唬 昏了乱说 — your servant was frightened out of his wits the other day and talked nonsense. The verdict comes out as an accidental blow.
In Xiang Li's Hands
He kneels, mouth open, eyes wide and rolled up and away, thin beard, topknot tied with a dark red band whose ends fly out behind him. Pale blue-grey robe, wine-red lining pooling on the floor. A document lies unrolled in front of his knees, columns of small writing and a red seal.
Behind him, drawn in pale outline like something showing through a wall, four large characters: 明镜高悬 — the bright mirror hangs on high, the plaque nailed up over every magistrate’s bench. She puts the motto of impartial justice behind the man at the moment he perjures himself, and does not draw the magistrate at all.
The Calligraphy
李二 — surname and a number, the way a small tradesman is called in the street, two characters low at the right and the shortest inscription in this block.
Connections
- Xue Pan 薛蟠 — killed Zhang San in his inn, and is acquitted of murder on the strength of the retracted testimony.
- Zhang San 张三 — the pot-boy at his inn, dead of a blow to the crown of the head.
- Wu Liang 吴良 — drinking with Xue Pan that day, and changes his story in the same courtroom.
- Xue Ke 薛蝌 — arranges the bribes that make both retractions possible.
Dream of the Red Chamber
Xiang Li painted all 413 characters of the novel between 1975 and 1985, the first person to complete the entire cast. See the whole collection · Chinese Empresses
