The Gentle Crackdown

All the officials and constables in Leung Choi County are corrupt except female constable SHAP YEE MUI, who is very good at Kung Fu. SIR WONG’s house has been broken into. MUI has caught the burglar. Much to her annoyance, the governor, LOW CHOW, and his clerk, SZE KEI WONG, blame her for spoiling their chance of making money. KAM YING, MUI’s mother, brings some soup to pacific CHOW, WONG and others. MOK TAI MO, who is also a constable, advises MUI to be wiser and do what the others do. She refuses, claming that she will never do anything that will ruin the name of his father, whose nickname is “Wonder Cop”. WONG has been beaten by SHUI TUNG LAU, who is from somewhere else, in a couplet competition. LAU’s learning has won him the admiration of the educated locals. Hooligan CHAN CHAT has stolen LAU’s wallet. YIU TAI PING, a head constable, nevertheless, points out that CHAT was only picking it up for LAU.… ...

CHOW is vexed that he has offended WAI. WONG suggests him taking an early retirement and returning to his hometown with sickness as his excuse. The constables find MUI and LAU obstacles to their getting rich plan. They decide to set her up so as to force her to quit. MUI helps out at YING’s restaurant but the clumsy her has made a mess instead. To frame LAU up, PING forces CHAT to pretend to be WONG TAI FU, the robber who has stolen the treasured scroll of CHEUNG YUK, who was also known as the Herbal Saint. MUI has destroyed their plot accidentally. What is more, she comes across the real FU later. Fearing that she will arrest FU and bring trouble to them, PING has a plan in mind. PING has found MUI a job, but YING does not like it. On the other hand, she agrees that he be MUI’s matchmaker. YING and PING introduce Master LAW of Chung Yee Kung Fu Hall to MUI. They laugh their hearts out when they know that it is YING that he likes.… ...

A neighbor of MUI’s asks her to look after his child for a while. It annoys her to the core that the child just cannot stop crying. She can do nothing about it but to play a nursery rhyme with the flute, hoping that this can calm it down. LAU finds the rhyme familiar. He asks MUI about the flute when he sees the eagle carved on it. LAU invites YING to teach him Kung Fu, yet she takes him in on behalf of MUI instead so as to pair up the two youngsters. Under the pretext of learning Kung Fu, LAU tries but fails to find out about YING’s identity from MUI. YING, who sees through LAU’s suspicion, removes his doubts with a trick. PING beats LAU up and drives him out of the county. He is frightened when he learns that LAU is the new governor. To his relieve, LAU claims that he will let bygones be bygones. LAU requests a stock taking of the yamen for a smooth handover and also for the reinstatement of MUI.… ...

When he has come round, he makes it clear to WONG that he is not going to repay the money. What is more, he is reporting the case to Chancellor HO. Fearing that he will lost his job, WONG stops him at once. PING vents his anger on MUI and orders her to catch the tiger on the mountain. Seeing that all officials follow WONG’s head, LAU sends his right hand man, SIU CHUEN, to check out about WONG’s background. An old lady, SAM POR, finds her one thousand cash missing she has come out from the toilet. LAU decides to cross-exam the toilet. The constables are talking about this and the villagers flock to see the cross-examination. SAM POR has her money back. LAU goes with the constables to collect levies of grain crops. The constables are displeased that they cannot earn extra money this time. The local gentries bribe LAU and he takes it all. MUI despises him. LAU offers to collect fewer levies from Sister KWAN.… ...

YING lies to LAU that it was in fact her late husband who was the Hero Thief the Eagle. LAU does not quite believe her. A masked burglar has come for the levies. With the furtive help of YING, MUI manages to fight off the burglar. LAU offers a 300% pay rise to the constables, on the condition that they sign a new contract. After deducting the salary tax, LAU gives the rest to yamen, instead of sharing it among the constables like in the past. The constables realize then that they have been cheated by LAU. CHOW YUK, a villager, alleges that LAM TUNG, who is also a villager, has taken away his ancestral property. TUNG, on the other hand, accuses YUK of breaching the contract. LAU decides that TUNG wins as both witnesses and evidence are available. LAU, however, later tricks TUNG into giving the house and money to YUK for free. YUK is grateful to LAU. All the constables except MUI are sick; MUI is exhausted from running around for work.… ...

The letter was written by Mr LEE, the educational commissioner, of Man Chung College. LAU orders WONG and others to resume work. WONG does not have a clue what is going on. LAU accompanies HO to yamen. LAU has no idea at all as to how to celebrate HO’s 60th birthday. WONG points out that CHIN LEE TUNG and CHIU HING, both are governors, have been coveting for the post of prefecture magistrate, and that they will be happy to see him being eliminated. He further tells him that being greedy and knowing how to flatter others are the keys to success. LAU makes HO very happy on his birthday banquet by letting him win on the Mahjong table. TUNG and HING are angry. MA LAP KWONG, the son of MA YUNG, the military governor, flirts with a civilian girl, WAN CHEE. MUI takes KWONG to yamen. Much to her annoyance, PING releases him after he has found out who he is. LAU uses a trick and both TUNG and HING regard him as their friend.… ...