"Indeed these bonzes are very
conscientious!"
Lord Wang pointed out the guilty ones, and caused them to be put in
chains, asking: "Whence come these marks of red and black upon you?"
But the kneeling monks looked at each other and could not answer,
while the whole assembly remained stricken with wonder at this strange
event.
Meanwhile the secretary had gone into the Babies' Chapel and, by dint
of shouting, had roused the two harlots from a heavy sleep.
They quickly put on their garments, and came to kneel before the
Governor, who asked them:
"What did you see during the night? Tell me the whole truth."
Since they had agreed to the mission, the two women rendered a plain
account of the events of that night, showing the pills which the
bonzes had given them, and also their boxes of vermilion and black.
The bonzes, seeing that their schemes were brought to light, felt
their livers turn and their hearts put out of working. They groaned in
their secret despair, while the fourteen culprits beat the earth with
their brows and begged for mercy.
"Miserable wretches, you dare to preach divine intervention, so that
you may deceive the foolish and outrage the virtuous! What have you to
say?"
But the cunning Superior already had his plan. He ordered all the
bonzes to kneel, and said:
"These unhappy ones whom you have convicted are without excuse.
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