The Old Woman, Drunk, Beats Tang Niu’er; Song Jiang in Anger Kills Yan Poxi

An old-style poem says: The fortunes of the Great Song are about to decline; heroes rise in every corner of the land. The signs appear in Shandong, matching the thirty-six Heavenly Spirits in the sky. Auspicious air gathers around Yuncheng; there Song Gongming is born. His bearing is uncommon, his face strange; one day he will shake the world. In youth he read widely in classics and histories; as a man he became a petty clerk in the yamen, handling criminal cases. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust—he has them all; he once received sacred books from the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens. He roams the rivers and lakes, making friends with heroes, saving people in danger, mixing kindness with authority. Later he goes to Liangshan Marsh; embroidered banners flutter by the cloud-and-water shore. The Protector of Righteousness who carries out Heaven’s will— he is the Heavenly Chief Star come down to earth. Now, after Song Jiang had finished speaking with Liu Tang in the restaurant, he wrote a reply and gave it to Liu Tang, then saw him downstairs......