Chapter 55

Chapter 55

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Chapter 55

*A foolish concubine, slighted, wrangles with her own daughter over a trifle;

Treacherous servants, taking advantage of their young masters, harbor dark designs.*

Now then: the Lantern Festival had already passed. At present, because the reigning emperor governed the realm with filial piety, there was an Imperial Concubine in the palace who was indisposed. For this reason, all the imperial consorts had reduced their meals and laid aside their adornments. Not only were they unable to visit their families, but all banqueting and entertainments were likewise forbidden. And so this year in the Rong Mansion, too, there was no gathering for lantern riddles.

No sooner had the New Year's affairs been dealt with than Xifeng had a miscarriage. She was confined to the house for a month, unable to manage affairs, and two or three physicians attended her daily with medicines. Xifeng, considering herself strong, though she did not go out, still planned and calculated; whenever something occurred to her, she would send Ping'er to report to Lady Wang. No matter who remonstrated, she simply would not listen. Lady Wang then felt she had lost her right arm—how could one person have so much energy? Whenever any major matter arose, she decided it herself; and as for the household's trivial affairs, she temporarily ordered Li Wan to oversee them in general. Li Wan was one who prized virtue over talent, and she could not but let the servants get out of hand. Lady Wang then ordered Tanchun to join Li Wan in handling decisions, merely saying that after a month, when Xifeng had recovered, matters would be handed back to her. Who would have known that Xifeng, by constitution deficient in blood and qi, and furthermore having been ignorant of self-care since youth, her whole life spent in contention and strife of wits, had drained her mental and physical strength all the more; so although it was but a miscarriage, she had truly become depleted and weak. After a month, she developed an additional complaint of continuous vaginal bleeding. Though she refused to speak of it, when the others saw her sallow, emaciated face, they knew she had neglected her own recuperation. Lady Wang merely ordered her to take her medicine and rest well, and not to trouble herself with matters. She herself also feared developing a serious ailment and becoming a laughingstock, so she thought to secretly rest and recuperate, wishing she could recover her former vigor all at once. Who would have known that only after taking medicine and recuperating continuously through the eighth and ninth months did she gradually begin to recover, and the bleeding slowly stopped too. But this belongs to a later chapter.

Now let us return to the present. Lady Wang, seeing how matters stood, realized that Tanchun and Li Wan could not yet be relieved of their duties. With so many people in the gardens, she feared they might be neglected; she therefore specially invited Baochai and entrusted her to be watchful in every quarter. "The old women are no good—when they have a free moment they drink and play cards, they sleep during the day and play cards at night; I know all of it. When Feng'er was managing things outside, they still had some fear of her; now they'll be looking for opportunities again. Good child, you are a reliable person; your brothers and sisters are all young, and I have no time. Do me the favor of taking charge for a couple of days and keeping an eye on things. If there's anything you think of, come and tell me, before the Old Lady asks and I have nothing to say for myself. If any of those people misbehave, you just speak up. If they don't listen, come back to me. Just see that no major trouble comes of it." Baochai had no choice but to agree.

The season was early spring, and Daiyu had another attack of her cough. Xiangyun, having also been affected by the seasonal air, was likewise confined to bed in Hengwu Garden, with medicine and treatment unceasing day after day. Tanchun and Li Wan lived some distance apart. Since they were now colleagues, things were not as in former years, and it was inconvenient for the people coming and going to report. So the two agreed: every morning they would meet in the three small flower halls on the south side of the garden gate to conduct affairs, and after breakfast they would not return to their rooms until after noon. These three halls had originally been prepared as quarters for the eunuchs on duty during the Imperial Visits; after the visits, they were no longer needed, and only the old women kept watch there at night. Now that the weather was warm, they needed no elaborate furnishing—a simple arrangement sufficed for the two of them to sit and work. There was also a plaque in these halls inscribed with the four characters "Furen Yude"—"Instruct with Benevolence and Virtue"—but the household commonly called it simply the "Council Hall." Now the two of them came there every day at mao zheng and dispersed at wu zheng. The serving women coming and going to report were a constant stream.

At first, when the others heard that Li Wan alone was in charge, each secretly rejoiced, thinking that Li Wan had always been generous, kind, and never punished anyone—naturally she would be much easier to get around than Xifeng. With the addition of Tanchun, they supposed she was merely a young lady who had not yet left the women's quarters, and who was by nature the most gentle and placid; therefore none of them took it seriously, and they were even more lax than they had been under Xifeng. But after only three or four days, once several matters had been handled, they gradually perceived that Tanchun's meticulousness was no less than Xifeng's—it was only that she was quiet in speech and mild in temperament. As it happened, for several days in succession there were a dozen or more hereditary officials from princely and noble houses, all of them close friends or family connections of the Rong and Ning Mansions, some being promoted, some demoted, and some with weddings, funerals, or other occasions of celebration or mourning. Lady Wang was kept busy with congratulations, condolences, and receiving and sending off guests, with no one to help her in front. So the two women spent their whole days in the Council Hall. Baochai, for her part, kept watch in the main apartments during the day and only dispersed when Lady Wang returned. Every night, in her spare time before needlework and before retiring, she would ride in a small sedan chair and lead the night watchwomen on an inspection tour of every quarter of the garden. With these three managing matters together, things were handled even more carefully than when Xifeng had been in charge. As a result, all the servants both inside and outside grumbled in secret: "We've just gotten rid of one 'Patrolling Sea Yaksha,' and now we've added three more 'Mountain-Pacifying Sovereigns'—we can't even sneak a drink and some fun at night anymore!"

That day Lady Wang was at a banquet at the Marquis of Jinxiang's mansion. Li Wan and Tanchun had already washed and dressed and seen her out; then they returned to the main hall and sat down. They had barely begun their tea when Wu Xindeng's wife came in to report, "Concubine Zhao's brother Zhao Guoji died yesterday. It was reported to Her Ladyship yesterday, and she said she knew and told us to report to the young ladies and the mistress." Having said this, she stood at attention to one side and spoke no more. At that time there were many people coming and going with reports, all of them curious to see how the two of them would handle affairs: if they managed things well, everyone would settle into a state of respect and awe; but if there was the slightest slip or impropriety, not only would they fail to inspire obedience, but once they had left the inner gate all manner of jokes would be made at their expense. Wu Xindeng's wife already had her own calculations. If Xifeng had been there, she would have eagerly offered a host of suggestions and dug up numerous old precedents for Xifeng to choose from and implement. But now she held Li Wan to be a simpleton and Tanchun to be a young girl, so she merely made this one report to test what ideas the two of them might have. Tanchun then asked Li Wan. Li Wan thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Xiren's mother died the other day, and I heard forty taels of silver was given as a reward. Let's give him forty taels too." Wu Xindeng's wife heard this and quickly assented, took the tally, and was about to leave. Tanchun said, "Come back." Wu Xindeng's wife had to return. Tanchun said, "Don't draw the silver yet. Let me ask you: in previous years, regarding the several old concubines in the Old Ancestral Lady's household, there was a distinction between those who were from the family and those from outside. How much was given when someone from the family died, and how much when someone from outside died? Tell us two examples so we can hear." At this question, Wu Xindeng's wife had forgotten everything and quickly said with an apologetic smile, "This is not a major matter—who would dare to argue over how much is given?" Tanchun laughed and said, "That's nonsense. In my opinion, giving a hundred would be fine. But if we don't follow precedent, not only will you laugh at us, but tomorrow I'll have a hard time facing your Second Mistress." Wu Xindeng's wife said with a smile, "Since you put it that way, I'll look up the old ledgers—I can't recall at the moment." Tched laughed and said, "You've been handling affairs for years and you can't remember? And you come to give us a hard time? Do you always go look things up on the spot when you report to your Second Mistress? If that were the way of things, Sister Feng wouldn't count as formidable—she'd count as generous and kind! Go quickly and find it and show it to me. If you delay another day, not only will it be said that you were careless, but it will look as though we had no minds of our own." Wu Xindeng's wife's face flushed crimson, and she turned and hurried out. The other wives all stuck out their tongues. Meanwhile, other business was reported.

In a short while, Wu's wife brought the old ledgers. Tanchun looked them over: two from the family had each been given twenty taels, and two from outside had each been given forty taels. There were also two others from outside: one had been given a hundred taels and one sixty taels. The reasons were noted beneath both entries: one was for transporting parents' coffins from another province, with an additional sixty taels given; the other was for purchasing a burial plot, with an additional twenty taels given. Tanchun then passed them to Li Wan to read. Tanchun said, "Give him twenty taels of silver. Leave the ledger here; we'll examine it carefully." Wu Xindeng's wife then left.

Suddenly Aunt Zhao walked in. Li Wan and Tanchun quickly offered her a seat. Aunt Zhao opened with: "The people in this house have trampled me underfoot and think nothing of it—fine enough. But you, miss, ought to think about it too. You ought to stand up for me." Even as she spoke, tears and mucus began to flow. Tanchun said quickly: "Who are you talking about, Auntie? I don't understand at all. Who's trampled you underfoot? Tell me and I'll stand up for you." Aunt Zhao said: "You, miss, are trampling me right now—and who would I tell!" Hearing this, Tanchun stood up hastily. "I wouldn't dare." Li Wan also stood up to placate her. Aunt Zhao said: "Do sit down and listen to me. I've been burning away like a lamp in this house for all these long years, and I have you and your brother besides. Now I'm not even as good as Xiren—what face do I have left? Even you have lost face, let alone me!" Tanchun smiled. "So that's what this is about. Let me tell you, I wouldn't dare violate any rule or principle." She sat down again, opened the account book and showed it to Aunt Zhao, reading the entries aloud as she went. "These are the old rules handed down from our ancestors. Everyone follows them—am I the one to change them? And it's not just Xiren. When Huan'er takes a concubine from outside in the future, she'll be treated the same as Xiren. This isn't a matter of anyone competing for greater or lesser status—there's no question of face or no face. She's the Lady's bondmaid; I'm simply following the old rules. If you say I've done well, then I'm receiving the grace of our ancestors and the Lady's grace. If you say I've done unfairly, then she's muddled and doesn't know her own good fortune—and she can complain all she likes. When the Lady gives away houses to people, I have no special face; when she gives me nothing, I have no lack of face either. Let me say this: while the Lady is away, Auntie would do well to rest quietly and conserve her strength. Why trouble yourself needlessly? The Lady is devoted to me with all her heart, but you've caused trouble again and again, and it's made her heartsick more than once. If I were a man and could go out into the world, I'd have left long ago to make a name for myself—then I'd have had my own way of doing things. But I'm only a girl; I have no business speaking out of turn. The Lady knows all this full well. Now, because she thinks highly of me, she's entrusted me with managing the household. I haven't done a single good deed yet, and here you come first to humiliate me. If the Lady were to find out, she might find it too difficult for me and take the management away from me—then I'd truly have lost face, and you'd truly have lost face too!" Even as she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Aunt Zhao had no answer to this and could only say: "The Lady dotes on you—all the more reason you should pull us up a little. You only know how to curry favor with the Lady and forget about us." Tanchun said: "How have I forgotten? How am I supposed to pull you up? You should ask yourselves that. Which master doesn't cherish the people who work hard and prove themselves? Which decent person needs to be pulled up by someone else?" Li Wan, sitting nearby, kept trying to mediate: "Auntie, don't be angry. You can't blame the girl—she wants it in her heart, but how could she say it with her mouth?" Tanchun said quickly: "Even this elder sister-in-law is muddled. Who am I pulling up? Since when do young ladies pull up bondservants? How they fare is for you to know—what does it have to do with me?"

Aunt Zhao, furious, demanded: "Who asked you to pull up anyone else? If you weren't managing the household, I wouldn't come to you. Now you say one thing and it's one thing, say two things and it's two things. Your uncle just died and you gave thirty or forty taels extra—would the Lady have stopped you? Clearly the Lady is a good lady; it's you who are sharp and mean. It's a pity the Lady's kindness has nowhere to be applied. Don't worry, miss—your money won't be needed for this. When you're married someday, I'll still expect you to look out for the Zhao family. Now you haven't grown your feathers yet and you've already forgotten your roots—you just fly off to the highest branch!"

Before she had finished, Tanchun was already white with fury, choking and sobbing. "Who is my uncle? My uncle was just promoted to Imperial Inspector of the Nine Provinces at the new year—where does this other uncle come from? I've always been respectful according to principle, and these are the relatives that respectfulness produces! If that's how it is, why did Zhao Guoji stand up and go to school with Huan'er when he went out? Why wasn't the uncle's prerogative applied then? Why come at this? Who doesn't know I was born of a concubine? You have to find some excuse every two or three months to stir things up thoroughly, as if afraid people don't know, deliberately making a show of it. I don't know who's losing face for whom! It's a good thing I understand—anyone who was muddled and ignorant of principle would have flown into a rage long ago."

Li Wan desperately tried to calm things, while Aunt Zhao kept on nagging.

Suddenly someone announced, "The Second Mistress has sent Miss Ping with a message." When Concubine Zhao heard this, she stopped speaking mid-sentence. Miss Ping entered, and Concubine Zhao at once put on a smiling face, offered her a seat, and then quickly asked, "How is your Mistress? I was just about to go and pay my respects, but I simply haven't had the time."

When Li Wan saw Miss Ping come in, she asked her why she had come. Miss Ping smiled and said, "My Mistress says that Concubine Zhao's brother has passed away, and she fears that the young lady and the other young ladies may not be aware of the old precedent. According to the established rule, only twenty taels of silver are provided. She asks the young lady to decide whether a little more might be added."

Tan Chun had already wiped away her tears. She said sharply, "Why add more at all? Was anyone born after twenty-four months in the womb? Or is he someone who followed his master into battle and carried him on his back to safety? Your mistress is really quite clever—she wants me to set a new precedent so she can play the generous one, spending money that Madam doesn't care about, and winning people's gratitude. Tell her I dare not add or subtract, and I won't come up with any such scheme. If she wants to show favor and dispense charity, let her do so when she's well again and comes out—she can add as much as she likes then."

When Miss Ping had first arrived, she had already half understood the situation. Now, hearing these words, she understood even better. Seeing the anger on Tan Chun's face, she dared not treat her as she would on ordinary cheerful occasions, but stood to one side with her hands lowered, silently attending.

Just then, Baochai also came from the upper rooms. Tan Chun and the others quickly rose to offer her a seat. Before anyone could speak, another stewardess came in to report on some matter. Since Tan Chun had just been weeping, three or four young maids came in carrying a wash basin, towels, a hand mirror, and other toilet articles. Tan Chun was sitting cross-legged on a low couch. The maid carrying the basin walked up to her and knelt on both knees, holding the basin high. The two other young maids also knelt nearby, holding the towels, the hand mirror, and the cosmetics. Miss Ping, seeing that Shushu was not there, stepped forward to roll up Tan Chun's sleeves and remove her bracelets. She then took a large towel and spread it over the front of Tan Chun's robe. Tan Chun then reached out her hands to wash her face in the basin.

The stewardess reported, "Reporting to the young lady and the young ladies: the annual school expenses for Master Huan and Master Lan, to be drawn from the family school."

Miss Ping said first, "What's your rush? Can't you see with your own eyes that the young lady is washing her face? Instead of waiting on her outside, you come in to speak first. Do you act so blind even before the Second Mistress? The young lady may be kind and lenient, but if I go back and report to the Second Mistress that none of you have any respect for the young lady, and you all suffer for it, don't blame me."

The stewardess was frightened and said with an apologetic smile, "I was careless." As she spoke, she hastily withdrew.

While Tan Chun was smoothing her face, she said coldly to Miss Ping, "You arrived one step late, and there's something even funnier: even someone as experienced as Sister Wu didn't check the facts before coming to muddle us. Fortunately, we questioned her, and she actually had the face to say she had forgotten. I told her—if she forgets to report to your mistress too, will she go look it up again? I doubt your mistress would have the patience to wait for her to go find out."

Miss Ping quickly smiled and said, "If he does this once, I guarantee the tendons in his legs will be broken in two. Don't believe them, miss. They see that the Elder Mistress is a Bodhisattva, and that you are a modest young lady, so they take advantage and come here to muddle through."

As she spoke, she turned toward the door and said, "You can carry on with your wild behavior for now. When the Second Mistress has fully recovered, we'll settle accounts."

The stewardesses outside the door all laughed and said, "Miss, you are the most perceptive person. As the saying goes, 'Each man must answer for his own sins.' We wouldn't dare deceive the young ladies. Now the young ladies are honored guests. If we truly provoked them, we'd die without a burial ground."

Miss Ping said coldly, "So long as you understand." Then she turned to Tan Chun with a smile and said, "The young lady knows that the Second Mistress has always had so many affairs to manage that she can't possibly oversee everything, and it's inevitable that some things slip through. As the saying goes, 'The spectator sees most clearly.' These past few years, the young lady has observed with a cool eye. If there are places where something should be added or subtracted that the Second Mistress has overlooked, the young lady should go ahead and make the adjustment. In the first place, it would benefit Madam's affairs, and in the second, it would not be unworthy of the regard the young lady shows our mistress."

Before she had finished speaking, Baochai and Li Wan both laughed and said, "What a good girl! No wonder Sister Feng dotes on her! Even though there was nothing that needed adding or subtracting, now that you've put it that way, we really must find two things to consider carefully, so as not to waste your words."

Tan Chun said with a laugh, "I was full of anger and needed someone to vent it on. I was just about to take it out on your mistress, and then she sent you here to say all these things, leaving me with no idea what to do."

As she spoke, she called the stewardess back in and asked, "What is this annual silver for Master Huan and Master Lan at the family school used for?"

The stewardess replied, "Each year at the school, for refreshments or for buying paper and writing brushes, each person has eight taels of silver at his disposal."

Tan Chun said, "All the young masters' expenses are drawn from the monthly allowances received by each household. Master Huan's two taels are drawn by his mother the concubine. Master Baoyu's two taels are drawn by Xiren in the Old Lady's quarters. Master Lan's are drawn by the Elder Mistress's household. Then why does each person get an extra eight taels for the school? So the reason they go to school is for these eight taels of silver! From today on, this item is abolished. Miss Ping, go back and tell your mistress what I've said—this item must be eliminated."

Miss Ping smiled and said, "It should have been eliminated long ago. Last year the Second Mistress said she would abolish it, but with all the year-end busyness, she forgot."

The stewardess could only assent and left. Then a stewardess from the Grand View Garden brought in the meal boxes.

By this time, Suyun had already had a small dining table carried over, and P'ing-erh was busy bringing in the dishes. T'an-ch'un said with a smile, "If you've finished your business, be off with you. What are you fussing about here?" P'ing-erh smiled. "I wasn't doing anything in the first place. The Second Mistress sent me over, partly to talk, and partly because she was afraid the people here might be inconvenienced. She meant me to help the young ladies wait on the old lady and the young mistresses." T'an-ch'un then asked, "Why not bring Miss Pao's rice to eat here together?" The maids, hearing this, hurried out under the eaves and told the women servants to say, "Miss Pao is now eating in the main hall. Tell them to send the rice here." When T'an-chun heard this, she called out loudly, "Don't you go ordering people about at random! Those are all the senior women stewards who manage important affairs. You order them about asking for rice and tea—you don't know the least bit of rank! P'ing-erh is standing right here—you call her to go." P'ing-erh quickly answered and went out. The women servants hastily pulled her aside, smiling. "Why should a young miss need to go call? We've already sent someone." As they spoke, they spread a handkerchief on the stone ledge and said, "The young miss must be tired from standing so long. Rest a bit here in the shade of the sun." P'ing-erh sat down. Two old women from the tea room brought a cushion and spread it beneath her, saying, "The stone is cold. This is perfectly clean—please sit on it, young miss." P'ing-erh smiled and said, "Thank you." Another one brought out a bowl of fine fresh tea and said with a quiet smile, "This isn't our ordinary tea. It's meant to serve the young ladies. Please moisten your lips with it." P'ing-erh quickly half-rose to accept it. Then, pointing at the women servants, she said quietly, "You're going altogether too far. She's a young lady—she won't put on airs or lose her temper. That's because she has self-respect. But you take that as a sign to look down on her and take advantage of her. If she ever really loses her temper, at worst they'll call you rough and careless, and you'll be the ones who suffer for it. If she so much as plays the coquette, the old lady gives her a little way, and even the Second Mistress doesn't dare do anything about it. Yet you have the nerve to look down on her like this. That's like an egg smashing itself against a stone." Everyone said hastily, "When have we ever dared to be so bold? It's all because of Aunt Chao making trouble." P'ing-erh also said quietly, "Enough, good sisters. 'When the wall topples, everyone pushes.' Aunt Chao has always been somewhat unreasonable—when anything goes wrong, they blame it on it. You've always had no respect for anyone and your scheming is formidable—don't I know that after all these years? If the Second Mistress were even slightly less capable, she would have been brought down by you ladies long ago. Even so, whenever she gets the slightest opening, she makes things difficult for you—several times she's just missed catching you out. Everyone says she's formidable, and you're all afraid of her, but I'm the only one who knows that in her heart she's not exactly unafraid of you either. The other day we were discussing this very point here—if things can't go smoothly from beginning to end, there are bound to be two or three flare-ups. That Third Young Miss, though she's only a young lady, you've all underestimated her. Among all the Second Mistress's sisters-in-law, she's the only one the Second Mistress is even slightly afraid of. And yet here you are now, not taking her seriously at all." Just as they were speaking, Ch'iu-wen came along. The women servants hurried to greet her and said, "Please rest a bit too, young miss. They're laying the meal inside. Wait until they clear the dining table before you go back and report." Ch'iu-wen smiled. "I'm not like you people. I can't wait." With that, she was about to go straight up to the hall. P'ing-erh called out, "Come back quickly!" Ch'iu-wen turned around and saw P'ing-erh. She smiled. "What are you doing here, acting as some kind of outer guard?" As she spoke, she turned and sat down on P'ing-erh's cushion. P'ing-erh asked quietly, "What did you come to report?" Ch'iu-wen said, "To ask when Pao-yu's monthly allowance and our monthly wages will be issued." P'ing-erh said, "That's no great matter. Go back quickly and tell Hsi-jen this from me: no matter what happens, don't report anything today. If you report one matter, I'll veto it. If you report a hundred matters, I'll veto every one." Ch'iu-wen, hearing this, asked quickly, "Why is that?" P'ing-erh and the women servants quickly explained the reason to him, adding, "She's just looking for a few serious cases involving people of some standing to make an example of, to serve as a warning to everyone. Why should you be the first to run against this nail? If you go and tell them, and they take you as an example or two, that will be awkward with the old lady and the old mistress. But if they don't take you as an example, people will say she's showing favoritism to one side, that she's afraid only of those who have the old lady's and the old mistress's backing, and won't dare touch them—and that she's only making scapegoats of the weak. Listen to me: even in the Second Mistress's own affairs, she still has to veto two or three things before she can silence everyone's talk." When Ch'iu-wen heard this, he stuck out his tongue and smiled. "It's a good thing Sister P'ing is here, or I'd have been sent away with a face full of dust. I'll go and let them know right away." With that, he got up and left.

Then lunch arrived for Baochai, and Ping'er hurried in to serve. By now Aunt Zhao had already left, and the three of them ate on the plank bed. Baochai faced south, Tanchun faced west, and Li Wan faced east. All the married servants waited quietly in the corridor. Inside, only the maids who constantly attended them were present to serve; no one else dared to enter on their own. These women whispered among themselves, "Let's all save ourselves trouble and not entertain any ungrateful schemes. Even Widow Wu just made a fool of herself—what face do we have compared to her?" They murmured quietly like this, waiting for the meal to finish so they could present their reports. All was silent inside; one could not even hear the sound of bowls and chopsticks. After a while, a single maid lifted the portière high, and two others carried the table out. In the tea room, three maids had already been waiting with three washbasins of water. Seeing the dining table carried out, the three went in, and presently came out again with the washbasins and spittoons. Then Shushu, Suyun, and Ying'er entered, each carrying a covered bowl of茶 on a tea tray. When the three of them emerged, Shushu ordered a young maid, "Attend to them properly. We're going to eat now and will relieve you. Don't go sitting idly off somewhere." Only then did the married servants slowly and meekly come forward one by one to make their reports, not daring to be as careless and disrespectful as before.

Tanchun's anger had just begun to subside when she said to Ping'er, "There's a major matter I've wanted to discuss with your mistress for some time, and it happens to have occurred to you just now. Come as soon as you've finished eating. Miss Bao is here too. The four of us will discuss it, and then we'll ask your mistress in detail whether it can be done or not."

Ping'er promised to return. Xifeng asked, "Why were you gone so long?" Ping'er smiling recounted what had just happened in detail. Xifeng said with a laugh, "Good, good, good! What a fine Third Miss! I said she was no disappointment.—It's only a pity her fate is thin, that she wasn't born from the mistress's womb." Ping'er said, smiling, "You're talking nonsense too, madam. Even if she wasn't born of the mistress, who would dare look down on her and treat her any differently from the others?" Xifeng sighed, "You don't understand. Although legitimate and illegitimate children are the same, with girls it's not like with sons. When it comes to marriage in the future—there are certain frivolous people these days who first inquire whether a girl is legitimate or illegitimate, and many refuse to take an illegitimate daughter. They don't know that as long as the person is good, an illegitimate daughter is a hundred times better than a legitimate one. In the future, who knows which ill-fated man will ruin his prospects by fussing over legitimate versus illegitimate birth; and who knows which fortunate man will get a good wife by not caring about it?" Then, turning to Ping'er with a smile, she added, "You know how many ways I've found to economize these past few years. There's probably not a single person in this whole household who doesn't hate me behind my back. I'm now riding a tiger—although I see through things, there's nothing I can do about it for the moment. In the second place, what goes out of this household is more than what comes in. For all matters great and small, we still follow the old rules established by the Ancestress, yet the income from our estates each year is less than before. If we economize any more, outsiders laugh at us, the old lady and the mistress suffer hardship, and the servants complain of being cheated and treated meanly. If we don't act soon to put economy measures in place, in a few more years everything will be lost!"

"Precisely," said Pinger. "Think of all that still lies ahead — three or four young ladies to settle, two or three young masters, and the Old Lady's funeral. Those are the great events yet to come."

Xifeng laughed. "I've thought of that too, and I believe we'll manage. When Baoyu and Cousin Lin marry, there will be no need to draw on the public funds — the Old Lady has her own private savings for that. The Second Young Lady belongs to the other household, so she doesn't count. The remaining three or four — seven or eight thousand taels apiece at most, let us say. Huan's marriage will cost no more than three thousand; if that's not enough, a little can be saved from somewhere else to make up the difference. When the Old Lady's affair comes, everything will be in readiness — only incidental expenses will be needed, and three or five thousand taels at the outside will cover them. If we go on being economical, we shall manage bit by bit. What I dread is some fresh crisis arising out of the blue — that would be disastrous. But let's not worry about the future now. You have your meal first and then hurry off to hear what they are discussing. This is just the opportunity I've been waiting for. I've been fretting at having no one to lean on! There's Baoyu, but he is not the sort of person to be any use here; even if I won't him over, he would be no help. The First Lady is a Buddha — no use either. The Second Lady is even less use, and besides she doesn't belong to this household. The Fourth Miss is too young. Young Lan is even younger. As for Huan, he's a singed kitten frozen stiff — all he does is wait for a warm hearth to creep into. To think that the same mother's womb could produce two creatures so utterly different — it fills me with indignation! Then there's the question of Cousin Lin and Cousin Bao. They two would be the ones to turn to, but unfortunately both are relatives and can't very well be asked to manage our domestic affairs. Besides, one is a beauty-lamp that would go out if you so much as breathed on it; the other has made up her mind to the principle of 'Keep your mouth shut if it doesn't concern you, and shake your head three times if asked.' You can't press her very hard either. That leaves only the Third Miss. She has both wit and tongue; she is one of our own people too, and Lady Xing is fond of her. The coolness she shows is all because of that old creature, Concubine Zhao; at heart she is just as fond of Baoyu. She's not like Huan, who is really hard to love! If it were left to me, I'd have turned him out long ago! Now that she has shown this initiative, I should work with her and make her my right-hand woman. Then I should no longer be isolated. By every law of Heaven and conscience, with her to help us we should have less worry, and it would be good for Lady Xing's affairs too. But to look at it from a selfish, calculating point of view, I've been rather too ruthless; I ought to draw back and reconsider. If I press too hard and make people hate me to the limit — they smile but hide a knife — the two of us, with only four eyes and two hearts between us, might be caught off guard and come to grief. At this critical moment, if she steps forward to take charge, the others may forget their old grudges against us for the time being. There's one more thing. I know you are very sensible, but I'm afraid you may find it hard to swallow, so let me warn you: though she is a young lady, she understands everything, she is simply careful in what she says. And being better read than I am, she is even more formidable. As the saying goes, 'To catch bandits, first catch the king.' Now if she wants to set an example, she will certainly start with me. If she vetoes any of my proposals, you must not argue — the more respectfully you agree with her veto, the better. Don't think of saving my face, for if you stand up to her it will go badly."

Before she could finish, Pinger laughed. "You really do think people are fools! I'd already acted on that before you started giving me these instructions."

Xifeng laughed. "I was afraid you had only me in your eyes and no one else, which is why I had to warn you. But since you've acted already, you understand even better than I do. Are you getting impatient again, throwing 'you' and 'I' about like that?"

"Why do you keep saying 'you'?" cried Pinger. "Won't you listen? Is this mouth for nothing? Want another beating? Haven't you had enough of this face?"

Xifeng laughed. "You little minx, how many more times do you want to weigh me up? Look at me in this state, and you still come to tease me! Come and sit down — there's nobody about, so it's only sensible for us to eat together."

Just then Feng'er and three or four other little maids came in and set up the small kang table. Xifeng ate only bird's nest gruel with two dishes of choice vegetables — her regular daily allowance of dishes had already been cut. Then Feng'er brought Pinger's four dishes to the table and served her rice. Penger knelt on one knee by the edge of the kang, with the lower half of her body still standing below it, and kept Xifeng company while she ate. After attending to her when she had rinsed her mouth, Pinger gave Feng'er some instructions and then went on to Tanchun's quarters. She found the courtyard quiet, the others having already dispersed.

What happened next will be told in the following chapter.