Debt resolution is a hot topic in today's society. The Mao Dun Literature Prize-winning work "White Gate Willow" by the renowned author Liu Sifen vividly depicts a fascinating story of debt resolution by the Qinhuai River during the late Ming Dynasty, which is quite intriguing. As we celebrate the Spring Festival, we offer this tale for the amusement of our readers.

债务人：冒襄，字辟疆，复社四公子之一
债权人：张秀（苏州土豪）等
债权人代理“律师”：郝思平，苏州讼棍
债务人授权代理：钱谦益，东林党领袖，曾任礼部右侍郎
质押：董小宛，明末秦淮名妓

This story begins with Mao Xiang's failure in the imperial examination. It was widely known that Mao Xiang was about to marry Dong Xiaowan, who was heavily in debt. The creditors, seeking to exploit the situation, pressed Mao Xiang for repayment and attempted to extort money from him. When no agreement was reached regarding the debt, the creditors detained Dong Xiaowan, leading to a crisis. At this point, the renowned scholar Qian Qianyi from Jiangnan decided to intervene and resolve the matter.

Thus, Qian Qianyi arrived with three large ships near the dock by Dong Xiaowan's home. The shore was crowded with three to five hundred people, some of whom were creditors and the thugs they had hired. Dong Xiaowan's boat was anchored in the distance, with five or six strong men standing by with sticks, ready to row away if the debt negotiations turned unfavorable.

Previously, Mao Xiang had sent his agent and sworn brother Liu Lüding to negotiate with the creditors, but these creditors—"all local tyrants, fierce and cunning. They were convinced that Mao Xiang was a wealthy man and intended to extort a large sum from him. After several days of negotiations, no agreement on the repayment plan was reached. Liu Lüding, growing impatient and relying on his official status, slammed the table to intimidate them. This move backfired. The creditors, clearly prepared, immediately scattered, and even took Dong Xiaowan with them as they left..."

The issue is that Mao Xiang also did not have much money, and his failure in the imperial examinations meant he could not receive financial support from his family. The seven hundred taels of silver and several catties of ginseng he offered were actually provided by a certain Minister Liu and General Chen. In other words, Mao Xiang had no room for negotiation. Therefore, before Qian Qianyi negotiated with the creditors on behalf of Mao Xiang, he clarified two basic facts: first, to successfully resolve the debt, it was necessary to persuade the other party to reduce the interest; second, the other party had a litigious and cunning individual named Hao, who was extremely difficult to deal with.

面对对方几百人的大场面，钱谦益会怎么做呢？

First Move: Strike the Mountain to Startle the Tiger

Qian Qianyi first had his student Gu Ling step forward. Gu Ling shouted loudly to the shore: "Listen, everyone on the shore: Today, the esteemed elder Mr. Qian Muzhai from Yushan has come here specifically to mediate the debt disputes between the Dong family and all of you. Mr. Qian's reputation is long-standing and his credibility is well-known, so I need not elaborate further. His agreement to oversee this matter is truly a blessing for our community. Everyone can rest assured that all will be satisfied and each will receive their due! Now, please first invite Miss Dong onto the boat to speak."

Qian Qianyi, a renowned scholar from Jiangnan with a prestigious reputation and deep connections with the government, could somewhat intimidate the crowd when facing them. However, would the creditors really comply just by relying on his authoritative appeal and empty words? As expected, the voices from the shore were—"No, we can't hand the person over to him!" "We will never release the person until the debt is fully repaid!" "We are not three-year-old children, who would be fooled by this!"

The second strategy: Divide and conquer.

The creditors' reactions were also within Qian Qianyi's expectations, and he quickly arranged the second move. Gu Ling loudly addressed the creditors again: "If you all insist on settling the debts first, that can be done. Now, there are three boats here. For the sake of expediency, we have decided to settle the debts simultaneously—those who owe less than twenty taels can go to the boat on the left, where Mr. Qian Zunwang will handle the payments; those who owe between twenty and sixty taels can go to the boat on the right, where Mr. He Shilong will handle the payments; and those who owe more than sixty taels, please board my boat, where Mr. Qian himself will personally handle the payments. Please proceed!"

Divide their forces and defeat them one by one. The question is, will the creditors comply? As a result, there was a clamor on the shore, with the creditors declaring that they would only board the ship if they were promised the original principal and interest payments.

The third strategy: Capture the leader to capture the followers.

After two exchanges, Qian Qianyi realized that a direct confrontation was inevitable. He once again asked Gu Ling to inform the creditors to send two representatives to board the ship for discussions. Thus, two representatives from the creditor's side appeared: one was Zhang Xiu, a wealthy merchant from Suzhou, and the other was Hao Siping, a litigation master. Upon meeting Qian Qianyi, Zhang Xiu appeared timid and hesitant, while Hao Siping was calm and alert, his eyes keenly observing the surroundings as soon as he entered the cabin.

Qian Qianyi, observing the situation, quickly formed a plan. He went straight to the point, stating that it was impossible to disburse the funds according to the originally agreed principal and interest, as Mao Xiang did not have that much money, and he hoped the two would agree to a reduction. Zhang Xiu first complimented Qian Qianyi, then argued that the debt agreement was mutually agreed upon at the time, and reducing it would be unreasonable and could have a negative impact.

At this moment, Qian Qianyi brought up the Ming Dynasty's legal statutes and said, "According to the national laws: the interest on private loans must not exceed three percent per month. Looking at these debts now, many have interest rates as high as four or five percent; moreover, some even compound the interest into the principal, calculating over several years, so that borrowing one could result in paying back a hundred. This is utterly excessive! If we do not reduce these rates, how can this be justified!"

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, the monthly interest rate was indeed limited to three percent, and violators were to be punished with forty lashes; there were also provisions prohibiting the compounding of interest, with violators to be charged with corruption and punished with one hundred lashes. However, in practice, these laws had long become a dead letter, and few lenders adhered to them. Zhang Xiu immediately fell silent upon hearing this, because what Qian Qianyi said was the official rhetoric used by the authorities to suppress lenders. Qian Qianyi had influence locally and was closely connected with the government. If things were to be taken seriously, it would indeed be troublesome.

Seeing Zhang Xiu was stunned, Qian Qianyi was about to continue his argument when unexpectedly, the lawyer Hao Siping beside him spoke up: "Mr. Qian's view is quite right! Looking at the debt records, the interest rates are indeed set too high and should be reduced. Not only should they be reduced, but in fact, the practice of lending money often helps the powerful families to expand their control and damages the livelihood of the common people. There are many accumulated malpractices, and it should be strictly prohibited!"

Then, he shifted his tone: "However, it must be said that this matter actually cannot be prohibited, why? Because the rich are the mothers of the poor; when the poor are in trouble, they must seek help from the rich. And it is through the accumulation of time that the rich can have surplus. This relationship between the poor and the rich is like the left and right hands of a person; if the right hand is not rich, it cannot help the left. If lending is prohibited, making the rich no longer wealthy, it would be like cutting off the right hand, rendering the entire nation incapacitated! Moreover, the laws of the state are fundamentally for the benefit of the people. Now, with consecutive years of bad harvests and continuous warfare, the number of poor people is increasing while the number of rich people is decreasing; there are more borrowers and fewer lenders. If we still cling to the meager profit of three percent, it will inevitably discourage lenders, who will then seek other avenues for their money. In this way, the rich may not be greatly affected, but the poor will have nowhere to borrow, and their livelihoods will be completely cut off! This is the great harm of reducing interest rates, and I hope the elder will think twice about it!"

What a lawyer, who theoretically reversed the situation, arguing that lending money at high interest rates was to protect the interests of the poor, and that reducing interest rates would harm the people! Would Qian Qianyi theoretically compete with the lawyer and defeat him? No. Qian Qianyi asked Hao Siping, "Are you a 'Zhuangyuan'?" In the Suzhou area, lawyers are graded, with the lowest level called "Dama" and the highest level called "Zhuangyuan". Hao Siping thought his speech had moved the other party and modestly replied, "I dare not."

Qian Qianyi asked again, "How much principal and interest does the Dong family owe Mr. Hao?" Hao Siping replied, "The Dong family has no debt dealings with me." Qian Qianyi: "Then why are you here today?" Hao Siping felt something was wrong: "This—they invited me here to assist in this matter, so..." "Nonsense!" Qian Qianyi slammed the table, his dark face instantly covered with a frosty layer, "Since you have no debt dealings with the Dong family, you should stay away. Yet you forcefully intervene, stir up trouble, and even resort to kidnapping to coerce, acting recklessly to this extreme! Clearly, you are a cunning and unruly villain. If not severely punished, where is the law!"

Then, from inside the cabin, a thunderous response echoed, and immediately the door curtain was lifted. Four men dressed as constables pounced out fiercely like wolves and tigers. With a flick of the iron chains in their hands, they ensnared Hao Siping's neck.

The fourth strategy: Divide and conquer once again.

After restraining the litigator, Qian Qianyi turned his attention to the creditor Zhang Xiu, who was already "shaking uncontrollably like a sieve." Qian Qianyi spoke to Zhang Xiu in a gentle and kind manner: "I understand that this matter is entirely the result of the mischief caused by this scoundrel surnamed Hao, and it has nothing to do with you. However, if you continue to hold the hostage, you will inevitably be implicated. Now, please go and instruct your servant to bring the hostage onto the boat. We can discuss the matter further at our leisure."

Zhang Xiu dared not disobey any further and called upon his subordinates to escort Dong Xiaowan onto the boat. Since Zhang Xiu was the leader of the creditors and Dong Xiaowan was under the custody of Zhang Xiu's family servants, despite some creditors disagreeing and causing a commotion, Zhang Xiu's family members actually helped to fend off the creditors and successfully sent Dong Xiaowan onto the boat. The pledge was thus released at this point.

At this moment, it was Zhang Xiu's turn to face a dilemma. Qian Qianyi began to persuade Zhang Xiu: "Brother, I have always known you to be a trustworthy gentleman, and it's easy to discuss matters with you. However, the people on the shore are of mixed character, and it's inevitable that one or two might be..."