Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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Chapter Two

Madame Jia Departs This Life in Yangzhou City

Leng Zi Xing Expounds the House of Rongguo

The poem reads:

The outcome of a game of chess is hard to foretell;

The incense burned out and the tea grown cold, yet one lingers still.

If you would know the signs of present rise and decline,

You must ask the cool-eyed onlooker who stands apart.

Now, upon hearing the yamen runners calling for him, Feng Su hurried out, his face wreathed in smiles, to inquire what they wanted. The men only shouted, "Quickly bring out Master Zhen!" Feng Su hastened to explain with an ingratiating smile, "This humble person's surname is Feng, not Zhen. There was only my son-in-law in former days who bore the surname Zhen. He has already left home to become a monk or a Taoist for a year or two now. Could it be that you are asking for him?" The runners said, "We don't know anything about 'real' or 'false.' We come on orders from the Prefect to make inquiries. Since he is your son-in-law, we'll take you along to see the Prefect in person so you can report directly. That will save us running about." With that, they would not let Feng Su say more, but pushed him along and went. Every member of the Feng household was alarmed, not knowing what this portended.

That day, around the second watch, Feng Su was seen returning, beaming with joy. The people crowded around to ask the whole story. He then declared, "It turns out the newly appointed Prefect of this prefecture is surnamed Jia, given name Hua, a native of Huzhou. He was an old friend of my former son-in-law. Just now he passed by our gate and, seeing that maid Yujing buying thread, assumed my son-in-law had moved here. I explained the whole matter to him. The Prefect was moved and sighed several times. He then asked about the little granddaughter, and I told her she was lost while watching the lanterns. The Prefect said, 'It doesn't matter. I will send runners to search for her and will certainly find her.' After some more conversation, when he left he even gave me two taels of silver." When Madam Zhen heard this, she could not help feeling a pang in her heart. Nothing more happened that night.

The very next day, Yu Cun early on sent people ingots of silver and bolts of brocade to thank Madam Zhen. He also sent a confidential letter to Feng Su, asking him to intercede with Madam Zhen to take Yujing as a concubine. Feng Su was overjoyed beyond all bounds, only too eager to curry favor. He pressed the matter with all his might before his daughter, and it was arranged. That very night, Yujing was carried in a small sedan chair into his residence. Yu Cun's delight goes without saying. He gave a hundred taels of gold to Feng Su and sent many additional gifts to Madam Zhen, asking her to live in comfort while they searched for the whereabouts of her daughter. Feng Su returned home without further incident.

Now, this maid Yujing was the very one who had glanced back at Yu Cun that year. Because of a single casual glance, this whole affair had come about—a strange fate beyond her own imagining. Who would have thought that fortune would smile upon her doubly? Hardly had she arrived at Yu Cun's side when, within a year, she bore a son. Then, half a year later, Yu Cun's principal wife suddenly fell gravely ill and passed away. Yu Cun then raised Yujing to be his lawful wife. Truly:

By a single careless move,

One becomes the mistress of the house.

Now, after receiving the silver from Shi Yin in that year, Yu Cun had departed for the capital on the sixteenth day. When the metropolitan examinations came around, he achieved great success—he had passed the palace examination and was appointed to a provincial post. He had now risen to be the Prefect of this prefecture. Though he was highly capable and talented, he was somewhat greedy and harsh. Moreover, he relied on his talents to insult his superiors. All the officials glared at him with hostility. Before a year had passed, his superior found an occasion to submit a memorial impeaching him, charging that he "was craftily deceitful, arbitrarily altered ritual propriety, and while trading on a reputation for honesty and uprightness, secretly allied himself with fierce and rapacious types, causing much trouble in the region and making the people's lives unbearable." The Dragon Countenance flew into a great rage and forthwith ordered his dismissal. When the document from the Ministry arrived, every official in the prefecture rejoiced. Though Yu Cun felt deep shame and resentment in his heart, he showed not a trace of complaint on his face and remained as cheerfully unconcerned as ever. He handed over official affairs, sent the savings he had accumulated over the years as well as his family and servants back to his native place, arranged everything properly, and then, shouldering the breeze and cradling the moon in his sleeves, set off to visit the celebrated scenic spots of the empire.

One day, he happened to travel to the Weiyang district and learned that the Salt Commissioner appointed for this year was Lin Ruhai. This Lin Ruhai, whose given name was Hai and courtesy name was Ruhai, had been a former Palace Scholar (Tanhua) in the last examination and had now risen to the post of Censor of the Imperial Censorate (Lantai Si Dafu). A native of Gusu, he had been specially appointed by imperial decree as the Imperial Inspector of Salt, and had been in office barely a month. Now, Lin Ruhai's ancestors had been enfeoffed as titled nobles. By the time of Ruhai, five generations had passed. Originally, the title was to be inherited for only three generations, but because the present emperor's grace and virtue surpassed those of previous dynasties, an additional favor was granted, and Ruhai's father inherited yet another generation. As for Ruhai himself, he entered officialdom through the examination system. Though his family was one of noble rank, it was also a family of letters and learning. Unfortunately, the branches of the Lin family were not numerous, and descendants were few. Though there were several collateral lines, they were all distant relations of Ruhai's—there were no close agnatic kin. Now Ruhai was already forty years of age and had only a three-year-old son, who had unfortunately died the previous year. Though he had several concubines, since fate had denied him a son, nothing could be done about it. Now only his principal wife, Madam Jia, had borne him a daughter, whose milk name was Daiyu and who was five years of age. Having no son, the couple treasured her as a precious jewel. Seeing that she was intelligent, bright, and refined, they also wished to have her learn to read and recognize a few characters—merely as a pretense of raising a son, to relieve the desolation of their childless household.

Yucun had caught a cold and fallen ill at an inn. It was nearly a month before he began to recover. Partly from physical exhaustion and partly from running short of traveling funds, he was looking for a suitable place to rest for a while. As it happened, two old friends were living in the area, and when he learned that the Salt Commissioner was looking to hire a private tutor, Yucun enlisted their help and secured the position, thus solving his immediate need for a livelihood. The happy circumstance was that there was only one girl student, along with two maidservants attending her. The girl was still very young and extremely frail, and there was no set quota for her lessons, so the work was very easy.

Another year passed in this fashion. Then, unexpectedly, the girl's mother, Lady Jia, fell ill and died. The young student tended her during her illness, administered her medicines, and mourned with the deepest grief during the mourning period, and was about to leave the school to seek employment elsewhere. Lin Ruhai, however, wished his daughter to observe the mourning period while continuing her studies, so he persuaded her tutor to stay on. Recently, the girl, overwhelmed by sorrow and already naturally delicate and prone to illness, had suffered a relapse of her old ailment and had not attended lessons for several days. With time hanging heavy on his hands, Yucun took to going out for a stroll whenever the weather was fine and mild after his meals.

One day, he wandered out of the city by chance, wishing to enjoy the rustic scenery. He happened to walk to a place where hills embraced the water and dense groves of tall bamboo grew, and there, half-hidden, he caught sight of a temple. The lanes leading to it were dilapidated, the walls and enclosures were crumbling. Above the gate hung a plaque bearing the three characters "Temple of Penetrating Wisdom," and beside the gate was a pair of old, tattered couplet scrolls bearing the lines:

"When there is surplus behind, one forgets to hold one's hand back;

When there is no road ahead, one thinks of turning around."

Yucun read these lines and reflected: "The words are simple enough, but their meaning is profound. I have visited famous mountains and great monasteries, but I have never come across sentiments like these. There must be someone here who has learned wisdom through bitter experience. Why not go in and see?" With this thought, he entered, but there was only a decrepit old monk cooking porridge. Yucun paid him no mind. But when he tried to engage him in conversation, the old monk was both deaf and muddle-headed, his teeth gone and his tongue dull, and his answers bore no relation to the questions.

Yucun grew impatient and came back out, meaning to go to a village wine shop and buy himself three cups to enhance the rustic mood. He was strolling leisurely toward the shop when he saw a man who had been drinking at a table rise up, laugh loudly, and come out to greet him, exclaiming, "What a remarkable coincidence! What a remarkable coincidence!" Yucun looked closely and recognized him: it was Leng Zixing, who traded in antiques in the capital and whom he had known there in former days. Yucun had always admired Leng Zixing as a man of real ability and accomplishment, while Zixing for his part had been glad to associate himself with Yucun's scholarly reputation, so the two had always gotten along most congenially. Yucun smiled and asked, "When did you arrive, old friend? I had no idea. Meeting you today is truly a remarkable stroke of fate!"

Zixing said, "I got home at the end of last year, and now I'm on my way back to the capital. I made a detour here to look up an old friend and say a word to him. Out of friendship, he's asked me to stay on a couple of extra days. I have no urgent business anyway, so I'll linger a couple of days and set out around the middle of the month. Today my friend was occupied, so I came out for a walk to stretch my legs—and what a coincidence to run into you!" Even as he spoke, he invited Yucun to sit at his table and ordered fresh wine and dishes to be brought. The two chatted casually as they drank, catching up on what had happened since they had last met.

Yucun asked, "Has there been any interesting news in the capital lately?"

Zixing said, "Not much news, actually. But there has been a small strange occurrence in the family of your honorable clansman."

Yucun laughed. "I have no relatives in the capital. How could there be?"

Zixing smiled. "But you share the same surname—are you not of the same clan lineage?"

Yucun asked whose family it was.

Zixing said, "The Jia family of the Mansion of Duke Rongguo. I hope that doesn't offend your dignity?"

Yucun laughed. "So it's that family. In fact, our branch of the Jia clan has not been small in numbers. Since Jia Fu of the Eastern Han dynasty, the lineage has flourished, with branches in every province. Who could trace them all in detail? As for the Rongguo branch, we are indeed of the same genealogy. But they are so exalted and illustrious that we have never presumed to claim kinship with them, and so over the years we have grown increasingly distant and reluctant to acknowledge the connection."

Zixing sighed. "Don't talk like that, sir. Nowadays both the Ningguo and Rongguo mansions have declined—they are not what they once were."

Yucun said, "In their day, the households of both Ningguo and Rongguo were extremely large. How have they declined?"

Leng Zixing said, "Indeed—it's a long story."

Yucun said, "When I was in Jinling last year, wishing to visit the remains of the Six Dynasties, I entered the Stone City and passed by their old residence. To the east of the street stood the Ningguo Mansion, to the west the Rongguo Mansion. The two mansions, connected together, occupied more than half the length of the street. Although the front gates were deserted and no one was about, when one looked over the enclosing walls, the halls, chambers, and pavilions inside were still imposing and grand, and even in the gardens behind, the trees and rockeries still had a lush, verdant, well-watered appearance. How could one take this for a declining household?"

Leng Zixing laughed. "For a man with the degree of jinshi, you really don't understand! As the ancients said: 'A centipede, though dead, does not fall stiff.' Although they are not as prosperous as in former years, they are still quite different from ordinary official families. Today their numbers multiply daily, their affairs increase daily, and among masters and servants, high and low, there are plenty who live in ease and honor, but not a single one who plans or manages. Meanwhile, their daily expenses and elaborate style of living cannot be cut back. So the outward appearance has not yet collapsed, but the inner resources have been completely exhausted. But that is still a minor matter. There is a greater one: who would have expected that in a family of such wealth and distinction, a lineage of learning and letters, the descendants would actually grow worse with each generation?"

When Yucun heard this, he was astonished. "In a family so steeped in learning and propriety, how could they fail in educating their children? I cannot speak of other houses, but I had always heard that the Ningguo and Rongguo mansions were the most successful in raising their sons."

Zi Xing sighed, "I was just speaking of these two families. Let me tell you about them: In those days, the Duke of Ningguo and the Duke of Rongguo were brothers born of the same mother. The Duke of Ning was the elder and had four sons. After the Duke of Ning died, Jia Daihua inherited the official title and also fathered two sons: the elder, named Jia Fu, died when he was only eight or nine years old, leaving only the second son, Jia Jing, to inherit the title. Now he is wholly devoted to the Daoist path, loving nothing but the smelting of elixirs and the refining of mercury; all else he pays no mind to. Fortunately, he had a son in his early days, by the name of Jia Zhen, and since his father's heart was set solely on becoming an immortal, the official post was left to him to inherit. His father, moreover, was unwilling to return to his native home, but instead lingered in the suburbs of the capital, consorting with Daoists in wild abandon. This Master Zhen has fathered a son, now sixteen years old, named Jia Rong. As for Old Master Jing, he takes no interest in anything at all. This Master Zhen is the last man who would bend his mind to study—he gives himself over to nothing but reckless pleasure and has turned the entire Ningguo Mansion upside down, yet no one dares to restrain him. Now let me speak of the Rong Mansion—listen carefully, for the extraordinary matter I mentioned just now originates from there. After the Duke of Rong died, the eldest son, Jia Daishan, inherited the official title and took as his wife a daughter of the Marquis Shi family, an old hereditary house of Jinling. They had two sons: the elder, Jia She, and the second, Jia Zheng. Now Daishan has long since passed away, but the Dowager is still alive. The elder son, Jia She, inherited the official title, while the second son, Jia Zheng, had been passionately fond of books since childhood and was his grandfather's favorite. He had originally intended to rise through the imperial examinations, but unexpectedly, when Daishan lay on his deathbed, he submitted a memorial to the throne, and the Emperor, moved to honor the meritorious service of his late minister, immediately ordered that the eldest son inherit the post and inquired whether there were other sons. When they were presented at court, the Emperor graciously granted this Old Master Zheng an additional appointment as a Secretary in the Ministry, ordering him to enter the Ministry for training. He has since been promoted to the rank of Department Director. Old Master Zheng's lady, of the Wang family, bore her first son, named Jia Zhu, who entered school at the age of fourteen and married and fathered a child before twenty, only to die of illness soon after. Her second child was a young lady, born on the first day of the New Year—that was strange enough. But then, to everyone's greater astonishment, she bore yet another son. The moment he emerged from the womb, he had a lustrous piece of five-colored jade in his mouth, inscribed with numerous characters. So he was given the name Baoyu. Would you say that is not a new and extraordinary affair?"

Yu Cun laughed, "Truly extraordinary. I suspect this person is no ordinary being."

Zi Xing said with a cold laugh, "Everyone in the world says the same, and so his grandmother dotes on him as though he were a precious jewel. When he turned one year old, Old Master Zheng wished to test what ambitions he might have in the future, so he placed before him an endless array of objects from the world and let him grasp at them. Who would have thought that he would reach for nothing at all, but only seized hold of rouges, powders, hairpins, and rings? Old Master Zheng flew into a rage and declared, 'This will be a drunkard and womanizer!' and from that time on took a great dislike to him. Only the Old Dowager Lady Shi still treats him as the very root of her being. And here is another strange thing: now that he is seven or eight years old, though he is exceptionally mischievous, in shrewdness and cleverness a hundred boys are not worth one of him. And the things he says are most peculiar. He declares, 'Girls are made of water, and men are made of mud. When I see girls, I feel refreshed; when I see men, I find them foul and revolting.' Do you not find it amusing? He is无疑 a womanizer beyond a doubt!"

Yu Cun, with a grave and stern expression, hastily interrupted him, "You are wrong! It is a pity that you do not know this person's origins. I suspect that Old Master Zheng, too, has mistakenly judged him to be a lecher and a rake. Had he not read widely and gained knowledge of the world, combined with the effort of extending his knowledge and investigating things, the power of comprehending the Dao and penetrating the mysteries, he could not have understood."

Zi-Xing, seeing that he spoke with such gravity, hastily asked him to explain. Yu-Cun said, "Heaven and Earth produce humanity, and apart from the two categories of the supremely good and the supremely evil, the rest are not vastly different. The supremely good are born in response to the cosmic order; the supremely evil are born in response to calamity. When the cosmic order arises, the age is well-governed; when calamity arises, the age is imperiled. Yao, Shun, Yu the Great, Tang of Shang, King Wen, King Wu, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, Mencius, Dong Zhongshu, Han Yu, Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, Zhang Zai, and Zhu Xi—all were born in response to the cosmic order. Chi-You, Gong-Gong, Jie of Xia, Zhou of Shang, the First Emperor of Qin, Wang Mang, Cao Cao, Huan Wen, An Lushan, Qin Hui, and the like—all were born in response to calamity. The supremely good cultivate and bring order to the world; the supremely evil disturb and throw the world into chaos. Lucid, clear, spiritual, and refined—this is the upright energy of Heaven and Earth, which the good receive. Cruel, perverse, and errant—this is the wicked energy of Heaven and Earth, which the evil receive. Now, in this era when the cosmic order is exalted and the mandate endures, in an age of peace and non-action, those who receive the lucid, clear, spiritual, and refined energy are found everywhere—from the imperial court down to the common fields, they are beyond counting. The surplus of this refined energy, having nowhere to go, becomes sweet dew and gentle breezes, pervading and irrigating the four seas. As for that cruel, perverse, and errant wicked energy, it cannot spread and overflow under the bright sun and daylight; instead it congeals and fills up the deep valleys and great ravines. Occasionally stirred by the wind or urged by the clouds, if a trace or half-thread of it happens to leak out by mistake, and by chance encounters the refined energy passing by, the upright will not tolerate the wicked, and the wicked in turn envies the upright. The two cannot yield to each other, just like wind, water, thunder, and lightning underground—once they meet, they cannot dissolve one another and cannot give way to one another. They must clash and surge forth before they are exhausted. Therefore this energy too must be lodged in human beings, to be vented completely before it disperses. Those men and women who happen to be born with this energy: on the highest level they cannot become benevolent men and principled gentlemen, and on the lowest level they cannot become great villains or great evildoers. Placed among ten thousand people, their intelligence, talent, and spiritual refinement are above ten thousand people, yet their perverse, deviant, unreasonable, and unnatural manner is below ten thousand people. If they are born into a family of dukes and nobles or the wealthy, they become passionate romantics and devoted lovers. If they are born into a family of scholars and poets of modest means, they become recluses and men of superior talent. Even if by chance they are born into a family of humble fortune and cold station, they can never become common servants or sturdy menials, to be driven and harnessed by the vulgar—they are bound to become extraordinary actors or celebrated courtesans. Men of former times such as Xu-Yu, Tao-Yuanming, Ruan-Ji, Ji-Kang, Liu-Ling, the two Wang and Xie clans, Gu-Kaizhi, Chen Shubao, Emperor Ming of Tang, Emperor Hui of Song, Liu Tingzhi, Wen Tingyun, Mi Fu, Shi Manqing, Liu Yong, and Qin Guan; in more recent times such as Ni Zan, Tang Yin, and Zhu Zhishan; and further, Li Guinian, Huang Fanchuo, Jing Xinmo, Zhuo Wenjun, Hong Xue, Xue Tao, Cui Ying, and Chao Yun—all these are people who would be the same no matter what age they were born into."

Zi-Xing said, "According to what you say, 'If they succeed they become kings and nobles; if they fail, they become rebels.'"

Yu-Cun said, "Precisely the meaning. But you do not know—since I was dismissed from office these past two years, I have traveled through several provinces and have also encountered two extraordinary children. So just now, when you mentioned this Bao-Yu, I guessed with eight or nine parts of certainty that he too belongs to this category. To go no further, in the city of Jinling itself, the Zhen family—the imperial commissioner's residence and the Directorial Academy of the Province of Jinling—are you aware of it?"

Zi-Xing said, "Who does not know of them! This Zhen household and the Jia household are old relatives and have been friends for generations. The two families are in constant contact and are exceedingly intimate. Even I have had dealings with them for no short time."

Yu-Cun said with a smile, "Last year when I was in Jinling, someone also recommended me to take a teaching position in the Zhen household. I went in to observe their circumstances, and who would have thought that though their family was so illustrious and wealthy, they were yet a family that valued and practiced propriety—truly a rare household to serve. But this one student, though only at the elementary stage, was more exhausting to teach than one preparing for the civil examinations. And what is even more ridiculous—he said, 'I must have two girls to keep me company while I study; only then can I recognize the characters and my mind becomes clear—otherwise I am confused in my own thoughts.' He also frequently said to the young servants who attended him, 'The word "girl" is of the most exalted and most pure—more honored and incomparable even than the two precious titles of Amitabha Buddha and Primordial Heavenly Lord! You with your foul mouths and stinking tongues must never take these two words lightly—this is most important. Whenever you must speak them, you must first rinse your mouth with clean water and fragrant tea. If you make a mistake, there will be matters such as having your teeth drilled and your cheeks pierced.' He was violent, irritable, stubborn, and foolish in all sorts of unusual ways. But the moment school was dismissed and he went in to see the girls, his gentleness, warmth, intelligence, and refinement were completely transformed into another person. Therefore his father had also severely beaten him several times, but to no avail—he simply could not be changed. When the beating became too painful, he would cry out 'Elder sister!' and 'Younger sister!' in disorder. Later he heard the girls inside making sport of him: 'Why, when you are beaten to the point of pain, do you insist on calling us sisters? Could it be that you want the sisters to plead for you and beg for mercy? Are you not ashamed?' His reply was most ingenious. He said, 'In the extremity of pain, calling out "elder sister" and "younger sister" might perhaps relieve the pain—I called out once and indeed found that it did not hurt anymore, and so I discovered a secret method: whenever the pain is at its worst, I call out for the sisters.' Do you not find this ridiculous? And because his grandmother was blind with her doting love, she repeatedly disgraced the teacher and blamed the father on account of the grandson. For this reason I left the position. Now I hold a teaching position in the household of the Censor of Salt, the Lin family. You see, such young masters are certain to be unable to uphold the foundation laid by their grandfathers or to heed the admonitions of their teachers and elders. It is only to be regretted that their several sisters are all exceptional."

"Zixing said, 'Even within the Jia household, the three young ladies who remain are quite exceptional. The eldest daughter of the Honorable Zheng, named Yuanchun, was selected for the imperial palace on account of her virtue, filial piety, talent, and moral character, and has been appointed as a Lady-in-Waiting. The second young lady is the former wife of the Honorable She, and is named Yingchun. The third young lady is a concubine's child of the Honorable Zheng, and is named Tanchun. The fourth young lady is the full sister of Lord Zhen of the Ning household, and is called Xichun. Because the Old Lady of the Shi family dotes on her granddaughters exceedingly, they all study together here under their grandmother's roof, and by all accounts each of them is remarkable.'

Yucun said, 'What is even more curious is that in the customs of the Zhen family, daughters' names are also given after the same characters used for sons' names, unlike other households who employ such gaudy characters as 'spring,' 'red,' 'fragrant,' and 'jade.' How is it that the Jia household also delights in such conventional practice?'

Zixing said, 'Not so. It is only because the eldest young lady of the present generation was born on the first day of the first month of the year, and was therefore named Yuanchun; the others then followed the character 'spring.' As for the generation above, their names were indeed derived from the same characters as their brothers. Here is proof: the wife of your honorable employer Lord Lin of the present day is the full sister of Lords She and Zheng of the Rong household. Before her marriage, she was called Jia Min. If you do not believe me, you may verify this when you return home.'

Yucun slapped the table and laughed, 'No wonder! When my female student reads any book in which the character 'min' appears, she always pronounces it as 'mi,' and every time it is thus. When she writes the character 'min,' she also leaves out one or two strokes. I have long harbored some suspicion in my heart. Now that you have spoken, there can be no doubt as to the reason. No wonder my female student's speech and manner are of a different kind altogether, not the same as women of the present day. I surmised that her mother must have been extraordinary, and only then could she have such a daughter. Now I know she is a granddaughter of the Rong household, and indeed it is not so remarkable after all. But what a pity that she passed away just last month.'

Zixing sighed, 'Of the four sisters, this one was the youngest, and she too is gone. Of the sisters of the elder generation, not one remains. One can only look to the younger generation and wonder what manner of sons-in-law they will have.'

Yucun said, 'Indeed. Just now you spoke of the Honorable Zheng, who has a son born with jade in his mouth, as well as a frail grandson left by his eldest son. Does the Honorable She really have no worthy sons?'

Zixing said, 'After the Honorable Zheng had his son with the jade, his concubine bore another son, but I cannot say whether he is good or bad. At present he has two sons and one grandson, but what the future holds cannot be known. As for the Honorable She, he also has two sons. The eldest is named Jia Lian, who is now about twenty years of age. He married a niece of Lady Wang, wife of the Honorable Zheng, in a match between close kin, and has now been married two years. This Master Lian has purchased the rank of a Sub-Prefect. He too is unwilling to study, but he is shrewd in worldly affairs and eloquent in conversation. For this reason he now lives in the household of his uncle, the Honorable Zheng, and helps manage the family's domestic affairs. Who would have known that since he married his lady, not a single person from top to bottom fails to praise his wife, and Master Lian has been cast a bowshot behind her. They say her appearance is of the utmost beauty, her conversation lively and sharp, her mind exceedingly subtle and thorough—she is, in fact, a woman whom not even one man in ten thousand could match.'

Yucun listened and laughed, 'You see, my earlier words were not mistaken. All those we have just been speaking of are likely people who come from that single path of the dual endowment of the upright and the deviant—it cannot be known for certain.'

Zixing said, 'Deviant or upright, you have been busy reckoning other people's accounts. You might as well have a cup of wine.'

Yucun said, 'Indeed. We have been so engrossed in talk that I have drunk several cups too many.'

Zixing laughed, 'Speaking of other people's idle affairs goes well with drinking—what harm is there in having a few extra cups?'

Yucun looked out the window and said, 'The sky is growing dark. They will be closing the city gates soon. We might as well enter the city slowly and continue our conversation—there is no harm in that.'

Thereupon the two men rose and settled the bill for the wine. Just as they were about to leave, they heard a voice calling from behind, 'Brother Yucun! My congratulations! I have come specially to bring you glad tidings.' Yucun hastily turned his head to look—

Who it was, you will hear in the next chapter."