Currently, you are facing a far greater danger than Xiangjun because Ruan has deemed you an enemy. So, I implore you to take my advice and leave here as soon as possible!”
Hou Fangyu thanked Yang Wencong, stood up and took his leave. When he came back to the hotel, Hou recounted the bitter experience of Li Xiangjun to Su Kunsheng and told him that the followers of Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng were hunting down and arresting the members of the Donglin Party and the Restoration Society. Thus, they decided to leave Nanjing the following day to evade the arrest.
The next morning, Hou and Su left the hotel and made ready to leave the city. As they walked down the streets and passed by a bookstore, they noticed an advertisement promoting the new printing of a collection of the Restoration Society’s literary works, complied by Wu Yingji and Chen Zhenhui. Hou was thrilled to catch sight of the names of his old friends and so he entered the bookstore. Cai Yisuo, the owner, mistook him for a customer and greeted him hurriedly. Hou Fangyu told the man, “I am not here to buy books; I would like to inquire about two people”.
“Who do you inquire about”, asked Cai Yisuo.
“Wu Yingju and Chen Zhenhui. They are both my good friends”.
“Well, they both happen to be here now, compiling their articles”.
With these words, the owner of the bookstore guided Hou Fangyu and Su Kunsheng to the backyard.
As it happened, Ruan Dacheng was roaming streets at that time. He had been promoted to Assistant Minster of Defense and was rewarded by Emperor Hongguang with a robe embroidered with jade belts. Ruan exulted at his promotion and rewards and could not wait to go out in a sedan chair to show off his power and prestige. Passing by the bookstore, Ruan caught sight of the names of Wu Yingji and Chen Zhenhui in the advertisement. The names reminded him of the humiliation he had suffered at Imperial Academy and his anger was greatly enflamed. Ruan summoned an audience with the local magistrate and said, “The owner of this bookstore audaciously defies the law! He is utterly disrespectful of the orders of the Emperor. How dare he ask members of the Restoration Society to select and edit literary articles when there is a court order out to arrest them?”
Soon, Cai Yisuo was brought in front of Ruan, who said to the man, “How dare you print this collection of the Restoration Society’s works? Do you know what crime you commit?”
“I have not violated any law,” said Cai. “The collection was compiled based on the best papers of the provincial imperial examination and a collection is subject to compilation by order of the imperial court every year.”
“The imperial court has been sent out to arrest members of the Restoration Society and you are so audacious as to invite these criminals to select their articles for printing! Stop playing games and tell me the truth!”
“The printing of this book really has nothing to do with me. These scholars have come here by themselves and are now selecting their articles in the bookstore”, said the bookshop owner.
Ruan Dacheng was pleased to hear that Wu Ying ji and Chen Zhenhui were still in the bookstore and decided to take this opportunity for revenge. Ruan ordered the local magistrate and his men to surround the bookstore and arrest its owner. He then dispatched his attendants to denounce Wu Yingji and Chen Zhenhui to the Jinyi Wei (literally the "Brocade-Clad Guards", the personal guards of the Ming emperors, tasked with watching over the officials) and asked them to make the arrest. Shortly afterwards, a commander and his troops arrived at the bookstore. They not only arrested Wu Yingji and Chen Zhenhui, but also Hou Fangyu. This came as a very pleasant surprise for Ruan Dacheng.
Wu Yingji, Chen Zhenhui and Hou Fangyu were sent under escort to the Imperial guards for imprisonment. Ruan confidently drew up a list of the Donglin Party and the Restoration Society members. He then gave orders to Ma Shiying to present a memorandum to the emperor requesting that the people on the list be arrested and the leaders of the Donglin Party executed. The weak emperor approved this memorandum and in no time armed guards could be found all over the capital. The founding members of the Donglin Party, the scholars of the Restoration Society and even sympathizers like Liu Jingting and Su Kunsheng were tracked down, arrested and sent to prison. As a result, honorable scholars and celebrities were forced to return to their hometowns or to seek refuge in the forests. Nanjing city had become Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng’s domain.
