Chapter 63

Chapter 63

(Previous chapter | Table of contents | Next chapter)

Chapter 63

A Merry Drinking Bout in the Happy Red Court

A Solemn Funeral Held for a Lustful Daoist

Our story tells how Baoyu went back to his room to wash his hands. After washing, he discussed with Xiren: "When we drink tonight, we'll all have fun and shouldn't stand on ceremony. What should we eat? Tell them to prepare it early." Xiren smiled: "Don't worry. The four of me, Qingwen, Sheyue, and Qiuwen will each contribute five qian of silver, making two liang in total. Fangguan, Bihen, Xiaoyan, and Si'er—the four of them will each contribute three qian, not counting those who have leave to be absent—that makes three liang and two qian in total. I've already given it to Sister-in-law Liu to prepare forty dishes of fruit. I've also spoken with Ping'er, and we've already hidden a fine jar of Shaoxing wine over there. The eight of us are celebrating your birthday all on our own." When Baoyu heard this, he was delighted and said quickly: "Where would they get the money? You shouldn't have made them contribute." Qingwen said: "If they have no money, do we have any? This is just what each person wants to give. Never mind if they steal it—just accept their goodwill." Baoyu listened and laughed: "You're right." Xiren smiled: "If you didn't get a couple of hard words from him every day to bully you, you couldn't get through it." Qingwen laughed: "You've learned bad habits too—you're now an expert at stirring up trouble." As she spoke, everyone laughed. Baoyu said: "Let's close the courtyard gate." Xiren smiled: "No wonder people call you 'Mr. Busybody.' If we close the gate now, people will get suspicious. Better wait a little longer." Baoyu nodded, then said: "I'll go out for a walk. Si'er, fetch some water. Xiaoyan, come with me." With that he walked outside. Seeing no one around, he asked about Wu'er. Xiaoyan said: "I just told Sister-in-law Liu, and she was very pleased. But Wu'er felt wronged and upset that night, and when she went home she fell ill from anger. How could she come? We'll have to wait until she's better." When Baoyu heard this, he couldn't help sighing with regret. He then asked: "Does Xiren know about this?" Xiaoyan said: "I didn't tell her. I don't know whether Fangguan said anything." Baoyu said: "I haven't told him either. Well, I'll tell him myself." With that he came back inside and deliberately washed his hands again.

The lamps had already been lit when a bustle of voices was heard at the courtyard gate. Everyone peeped through the window and sure enough saw Lin Zhixiao's wife coming in with several stewardesses, one of them carrying a large lantern at the front.

Qingwen said with a low laugh, "Here they come to check on the night watch. Once they're out of the way, we can shut the gate."

All those on night duty in Happy Red Court went out to greet them, and Lin Zhixiao's wife inspected them thoroughly.

"None of you are to gamble or drink," she ordered. "Turn in and sleep soundly till dawn. If I hear you've been misbehaving, there'll be trouble."

They all laughed. "Who'd have the nerve?"

"Have you seen if Master Bao is asleep yet?" she asked.

None of them could say.

Xiren quickly nudged Baoyu. He slipped on his shoes and came out to greet her with a smile.

"I'm not in bed yet, Mother. Come in and rest a bit."

He called out, "Xiren, bring some tea."

Lin Zhixiao's wife hurried in, smiling. "Still up? The days are long now and the nights short. You should go to bed earlier so you can get up early tomorrow. If you oversleep tomorrow, people will laugh and say you're no scholar or gentleman but more like some porter."

She finished with a laugh.

Baoyu quickly smiled and said, "You're right, Mother. I always go to bed early. You must have come in every day when I was already asleep without my knowing it. Today I ate some noodles and was afraid they'd lie heavy on my stomach, so I've been amusing myself a while longer."

Lin Zhixiao's wife said to Xiren and the others with a smile, "You should brew some pu'er tea for him."

Xiren and Qingwen hastily smiled and replied, "We brewed a pot of Daughter Tea and he's already had two bowls. Have a bowl yourself, madam—it's all ready."

As she spoke, Qingwen poured out a bowl.

Lin Zhixiao's wife added with a smile, "I've noticed lately that the Second Young Master has changed the way he addresses things. He's taken to calling these young ladies by their names. Even though it's all in this household, they're still people assigned by the Old Lady and the Mistress, and he ought to show proper respect in the way he speaks to them. It would be all right if he occasionally let a name slip out, but if he keeps it up, I'm afraid nephews and cousins will follow his example, and people will laugh and say this family has no respect for their elders."

Baoyu smiled. "You're right, Mother. It's only momentary."

Xiren and Qingwen both laughed. "Don't make him feel bad. Up to now he hasn't called them anything but 'sister.' It's only when he's having fun that he lets a name slip out now and then. In front of others he's just as proper as before."

Lin Zhixiao's wife smiled. "That's good. That's what an educated, well-mannered young gentleman should be like. The more humble and respectful he is, the more respect he shows. These girls were assigned to you by the Old Lady and the Mistress, even if they've been in the family for three or four generations. Even the cats and dogs from the Old Lady's or the Mistress's rooms shouldn't be lightly harmed. This is how a properly brought-up young gentleman should behave."

Having finished her tea, she said, "We'd better let you rest now. We're going."

Baoyu still urged, "Rest a bit longer."

But Lin Zhixiao's wife had already led the others off to check elsewhere.

Here Qingwen and the others hurriedly ordered the gate shut and came back in, laughing.

"That old woman must have drunk a cup here, and then she lectured us at length and put us through our paces," said Qingwen.

Sheyue laughed. "She meant well. She has to keep reminding us from time to time, just to make sure nothing goes seriously wrong."

As she spoke, she began setting out the wine and fruit.

Xiren said, "We don't need to sit around the table. Let's put that pearwood round kang-table on the kang. There'll be more room and it'll be more convenient."

They all agreed and moved it over. Sheyue and Sier went to fetch the fruit, making four or five trips with two large tea-trays to carry it all. Two old women crouched by the brazier outside to warm the wine.

Baoyu said, "It's hot. We should all take off our outer garments."

The others laughed. "You take yours off if you want. We still have to take our turns in proper order."

Baoyu smiled. "Once you start that, we'll be at it till dawn. You know I hate all that formality. I have to put up with it in front of outsiders, but there's no need to torment me now."

They all agreed, "All right, as you say."

So before sitting down, they first busied themselves removing their ornaments and loosening their clothes.

For the time being they changed out of their formal clothes, simply twisting their hair into a loose bun, and wearing long skirts and short jackets all over. Baoyu had on nothing but a crimson cotton-padded singlet, with green twill trousers patterned in ink beneath, his trouser legs hanging loose; he was leaning against a newly made jade-coloured sandalwood pillow stuffed with rose and peony petals of every hue, already matching drinks with Fangguan. Fangguan, who was complaining loudly of the heat, wore only a short lined jacket of jade, red, and russet-brown silk in the "paddy-field" pattern, with a green willow-coloured sash tied round her waist and a red flowered lined skirt beneath, her trouser legs likewise hanging loose. Her hair was plaited all round her forehead into a ring of small braids, gathered at the top of her head into one thick braid the size of a goose's egg, trailing down her back. In her right ear she had only a tiny jade plug no bigger than a grain of rice; on her left ear hung a single large ruby-and-gold pendant the size of a ginkgo nut—all of which made her face seem fairer still, like a full moon, and her eyes clearer still, like autumn water. This set everyone laughing and saying, "Those two really do look like twin brothers."

Xiren and the others poured out the wine one by one. "Wait a bit before we start guessing fingers," they said. "Though we're not formally seated, each of us will just take a sip in turn." So Xiren went first, raising the cup to her lips for a sip, and the rest followed in order, each taking a sip in turn. Then they all sat down in a circle. Little Swallow and Sier could not fit along the edge of the kang, so they brought two chairs and set them near the kang.

The forty small dishes were all of the same pure white Ding-ware porcelain, no bigger than tea-saucers, yet containing every kind of food and delicacy from every corner of the world—north, south, east, west, from the heart of China or from foreign lands; dried or fresh, from water or land—all the delicacies under heaven.

Baoyu said, "We ought to play a drinking game."

Xiren said, "Something refined would be best—no shouting and yelling, or someone will hear us. And besides, we can't read; we don't want anything too literary."

Sheyue laughed and said, "Let's take the dice and play 'Seize the Red.'"

Baoyu said, "That's dull and no fun. It would be better to draw flower-stems."

Qingwen smiled and said, "Yes, I've been wanting to play that for ages."

Xiren said, "It's a good game, but it's no fun with too few people."

Little Swallow said, "If you ask me, we should quietly invite Miss Bao and Miss Lin to come and join us for a round; we can sleep at the second watch, no later."

Xiren said, "If we make all that fuss with the doors, what if the night patrol comes by and asks questions?"

Baoyu said, "What's there to fear? Third Sister is drinking too—we should invite her as well. And Miss Qin."

Everyone said, "Never mind Miss Qin—she's in the Elder Madam's room, making a tremendous racket already."

Baoyu said, "What's there to fear? Go and invite her quickly, then."

Little Swallow and Sier, having got their orders, hurriedly had the door opened and went off in different directions.

Qingwen, Sheyue, and Xiren said to one another, "Those two go to invite them, but I'm afraid Miss Bao and Miss Lin may not come. We'd better go and drag them here, dead or alive." So Xiren and Qingwen at once ordered an old serving-woman to carry a lantern, and off they went again.

Sure enough, Baochai said it was too late at night, and Daiyu said she wasn't feeling well, but the two of them earnestly pleaded, "At least do us the honour of sitting for a while before you go back."

Tanchun, when she heard, was delighted. She thought, "If I don't invite Li Wan and she finds out, that would be awkward." So she ordered Cui Mo, together with Little Swallow, to go again and earnestly invite Li Wan and Baoqin. When they had all assembled, they arrived in turn at Happy Red Court.

Xiren also dragged Xiangling there, dead or alive. Another table was pushed up alongside the kang, and only then could they all sit. Baoyu said hastily, "Sister Lin is afraid of the cold—come over here and sit against the partition." He also placed a back-rest for her to lean on. Xiren and the others all brought chairs and sat along the edge of the kang as her companions. Daiyu, however, kept her distance from the table, leaning against the back-rest, and said with a smile to Baochai, Li Wan, Tanchun and the others, "You people are always scolding others for drinking and gambling at night—now we're doing the same thing ourselves. What will you have to say for the future?"

Li Wan laughed and said, "What harm is there in it? It only happens once a year, on birthdays and festivals—it's not as if we did it every night. There's nothing to fear in that."

As she spoke, Qingwen brought over a bamboo-carved tube containing ivory flower-stem lots, shook it, and set it in the middle. She then took the dice, put them in a box, shook it, and opened it—there were five points, which counted to Baochai.

Baochai smiled and said, "I'll draw first. Let's see what I get." She shook the tube and drew out a stem. Everyone looked and saw that on the stem was painted a peony, inscribed with the four words "Beauty surpassing all flowers," and below it a line of Tang poetry engraved in small characters:

Even without feeling, she still moves the heart.

There was also a note: "All present drink together in congratulation—she is the queen of all the flowers, and may freely command anyone present to compose a poem, a witty remark, or anything else, to accompany the wine."

Everyone looked at it and laughed, saying, "What a coincidence—you really are meant to be matched with the peony!" Then they all drank a toast together.

When Baochai had drunk, she said with a smile, "Fangguan, sing us a song."

Fangguan said, "In that case, let everyone drink a cup first, to make it more enjoyable."

So everyone drank. Fangguan then began to sing: "Where the birthday feast spreads out, the scene was fair..."

Everyone shouted, "Stop that at once! We don't need a birthday song at a time like this—sing us your very best piece!"

Fangguan had no choice but to sing softly a passage from Enjoying the Flowers:

Green phoenix feathers bound to a broom-tick, idly treading Heaven's gate to sweep fallen petals. Look—the wind whirls jade dust and sand. Suddenly beneath that lowest layer of cloud, it's as far away as the horizon beyond the gate. Pray, no more straying a hair's breadth from slaying the Yellow Dragon with your sword, no more selling wine to the poor old man of the East. Turn your eyes toward the rosy clouds with me. Brother Lü, once you've found the man, send word back the sooner the better—if you're too late, you'll make her cherish vain regret beneath the peach blossoms.

The song ended. But Baoyu kept holding the lot, turning it over and over in his mouth, murmuring, "Even without feeling, it stirs the heart." He listened to the tune and stared at Fangguan without a word. Xiangyun quickly snatched it from him and tossed it to Baochai. Baochai then threw a sixteen, which counted to Tanchun. Tanchun laughed and said, "I wonder what I'll get." She reached in and drew one out, glanced at it, then flung it to the ground, blushing. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be playing this game. It was originally a game for men out in the world—there's a lot of vulgar stuff written on these lots." The others didn't understand. Xiren and the rest quickly picked it up, and everyone saw that it bore a spray of apricot blossoms, with the red characters reading "Immortal of the Jasper Pool," and the verse:

*By the sun's edge, red apricots lean upon the clouds.*

The annotation read: "Whoever draws this lot must surely gain a noble son-in-law. Let everyone offer congratulations and drink a cup together." The others laughed and said, "We wondered what it was. This game was originally meant for the women's quarters as amusement. Besides two or three lots with such messages, there's nothing vulgar—what harm is there? We already have an Imperial Concubine in the family. Could you be an Imperial Concubine too? Great fortune! Great fortune!" With that, they all came to toast her. Tanchun absolutely refused to drink, but Shi Xiangyun, Xiangling, Li Wan, and three or four others forced the cup on her, insisting until she swallowed it. Tanchun ordered that this lot be set aside and another drawn instead, but the others absolutely refused to allow it. Xiangyun took her hand and forcibly threw a nineteen, which meant it was Li Wan's turn to draw. Li Wan shook the container, drew one out, and looked at it, laughing. "Excellent. Look at this—this thing actually has some meaning." The others looked at the lot, which showed an old plum tree, inscribed with the four characters "Frosty Morning, Cold Grace," and on the other side, an old verse:

*By bamboo fence and thatched cottage, I rest content with my lot.*

The annotation read: "Drink a cup yourself; the next player throws the dice." Li Wan laughed and said, "How interesting. You all throw the dice. I'll just drink my own cup and ask nothing of your fortunes or failures." With that, she drank her wine and passed the dice to Lin Daiyu. Daiyu threw an eighteen, which meant it was Xiangyun's turn to draw. Xiangyun laughed, rolled up her sleeves, and reached in to draw one out. Everyone looked: one branch showed a spray of crab-apple blossoms, inscribed with the four characters "Sweet Dream, Deep Slumber," and the verse on the other side read:

*I only fear that deep in the night the flowers fall asleep.*

Daiyu laughed and said, "Change the two characters 'deep night' to 'stone cool.'" Everyone knew she was teasing Xiangyun about the incident of her drunken nap in broad daylight, and they all laughed. Xiangyun pointed at the little boat to Daiyu and said, "Quick, get on that boat and be off—stop your chattering." Everyone laughed again. They then looked at the annotation, which read: "Since it says 'Sweet Dream, Deep Slumber,' the one who draws this lot should not drink wine; instead, let the players above and below each drink a cup." Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed, "Amida Buddha! What a wonderful lot!" As it happened, Daiyu was the player above and Baoyu the player below. The two of them poured two cups and had to drink. Baoyu drank half his cup, glanced around to make sure no one was looking, and passed it to Fangguan, who lifted it and drained it in one gulp. Daiyu, busy talking with the others, poured all her wine into the rinsing basin. Xiangyun then took up the dice and threw a nine, which counted to Sheyue. Sheyue drew one out. Everyone looked: one branch showed a spray of rose-of-Sharon blossoms, inscribed with the four characters "Glory at Its Height," and on the other side was written an old verse:

*When the rose-of-Sharon blooms, the flowers' tale is done.*

The annotation read: "Let everyone at the table drink three cups to speed the spring." Sheyue asked what it meant. Baoyu, frowning anxiously, quickly hid the lot and said, "Let's just drink our wine." With that, everyone took three sips to make up the three cups. Sheyue threw a nineteen, which counted to Xiangling. Xiangling drew a spray of twin blossoms, inscribed with "Spring Joined, Blessings Wreathed," and the verse on the other side read:

*On the branch that shares one stem, the flowers are just opening.*

The annotation read: "Congratulate the one who drew it with three cups, and let everyone drink a cup in accompaniment." Xiangling then threw a six, which meant it was Daiyu's turn to draw. Daiyu thought silently to herself, "I wonder if there's something good that I might draw." She reached in and took one out, and saw that it bore a spray of hibiscus, inscribed with the four characters "Wind and Dew, Pure Sorrow," and the old verse on the other side read:

*Blame not the east wind—sigh for yourself.*

The annotation read: "Drink a cup yourself; the Peony drinks a cup in accompaniment." The others laughed and said, "This is perfect. Besides her, no one else is worthy of the hibiscus." Daiyu herself smiled. She then drank her wine and threw a twenty, which meant it was Xiren's turn. Xiren reached in and drew one out—a spray of peach blossoms, inscribed with the four characters "The Other World of Wuling," and the old verse on the other side read:

*Peach blossoms red—once more a year of spring.*

The note read: "One cup for the apricot blossom, one cup for those sharing the same birth year, one cup for those sharing the same birth hour, and one cup for those sharing the same surname." Everyone laughed and said, "This round will be lively and amusing." They counted, and Xiangling, Qingwen, and Baochai all shared his birth hour; Daiyu shared his birth hour; there was no one sharing his surname. Fangguan hurriedly said, "My surname is also Hua—I'll keep him company with a cup too." So everyone poured wine. Daiyu then said with a laugh to Tanchun, "You're destined to marry a distinguished husband—you're the apricot blossom, drink up quickly so the rest of us can drink." Tanchun laughed, "What kind of nonsense is this? Sister-in-law Li, give her a slap on my behalf." Li Wan laughed, "She hasn't got a distinguished husband and gets beaten instead—I can't bear it either." Everyone laughed at this.

Xiyao was just about to throw the dice when someone was heard knocking at the door. The old servant hurried out to ask, and it turned out to be a maid sent by Aunt Xue to fetch Daiyu. Everyone asked what time it was. The maid replied, "It's past the second watch—the clock has struck eleven." Baoyu still didn't believe it and asked to look at the clock himself. It was already the first quarter-hour past midnight. Daiyu then stood up and said, "I can't hold on any longer—I still have to take my medicine when I get back." Everyone said, "We should all be leaving too." Xiyao and Baoyu wanted to keep the others. Li Wan and Baochai all said, "It's too late at night—this is already an exception." Xiyao said, "In that case, let everyone have one more cup before leaving." As she spoke, Qingwen and the others had already filled the cups. Everyone drank, and then ordered the lamps to be lit. Xiyao and the others escorted them all the way across the river by the Qinfang Pavilion before returning.

After closing the door, they resumed the drinking game. Xiyao and the others poured several large cups and arranged various fruits and dishes on a tray for the old nannies below to eat. After they had all had a bit to drink, they played finger-guessing and sang little songs. By then it was already the fourth watch. The old nannies drank openly and stole slyly on the side; the wine jars were empty. Everyone was amazed when they heard this, and then they washed up and went to sleep. Fangguan's cheeks were flushed like rouge, and her brows and eyes had gained even more charm. Unable to move, she fell asleep on Xiyao. "Good sister, my heart is beating so fast," she said. Xiyao laughed, "Who told you to drink so recklessly?" Xiao Yan and Si'er, unable to move, had already fallen asleep. Qingwen kept calling out. Baoyu said, "No need to call—let's just rest haphazardly." He himself took the red fragrant pillow, tilted his body, and fell asleep. Seeing that Fangguan was very drunk and afraid she might vomit in her sleep, Xiyao gently got up, supported Fangguan to lie beside Baoyu, and let her sleep there. She herself lay down on the opposite couch.

Everyone slept soundly, oblivious to all. When dawn came, Xiyao opened her eyes and saw the bright sky. "We're late!" she said hurriedly. She glanced at the opposite bed and saw Fangguan with her head resting on the edge of the kang, still asleep. She quickly got up to wake her. Baoyu had already turned over and woken up. "We're late!" he said with a laugh, and pushed Fangguan to get up. Fangguan sat up, still dazed, rubbing her eyes. Xiyao laughed, "Have you no shame? You got drunk and just lay down anywhere without thinking." Fangguan looked around and realized she had been sleeping on the same couch as Baoyu. She hurriedly got down with a laugh and said, "I don't even remember drinking." Baoyu laughed, "I didn't know either. If I had, I would have smeared black ink on your face." As he spoke, the maids came in to help them wash and dress. Baoyu laughed, "I imposed on you last night—I'll host a return feast tonight." Xiyao laughed, "Enough, enough—don't make a fuss tonight, or people will talk." Baoyu said, "What's there to fear? It's only been twice. We can be considered seasoned drinkers now. How did we finish that whole jar of wine? It was truly fun, but now it's gone." Xiyao laughed, "That's what makes it fun. If you carried on until you'd had enough, there'd be no aftertaste. Last night everyone got carried away—Qingwen even forgot to be shy. I remember she sang a song." Si'er laughed, "Sister, you forgot—even you sang a song. Who at the table didn't sing!" Everyone blushed and covered their mouths with both hands, laughing uncontrollably.

Suddenly P'ing'er came in with a smiling face, saying she had personally come to invite everyone who had been at the table the night before: "I'm hosting a return feast today—not a single one can be missing." Everyone hurriedly offered her a seat and tea. Qingwen laughed, "What a pity he wasn't there last night." P'ing'er quickly asked, "What did you do last night?" Xiyao said, "I can't tell you. Last night was extremely lively—even when the Old Lady and Lady Wang led everyone to play in the past, it couldn't compare to last night's fun. We finished a whole jar of wine, and everyone drank so much they forgot their shame and started singing for no reason at all. It was past the fourth watch before we dozed off every which way." P'ing'er laughed, "Fine! You asked me for wine and didn't even invite me, and now you're telling me about it just to make me angry." Qingwen said, "He's hosting a return feast today—he'll definitely come to invite you. Just wait." P'ing'er asked with a smile, "Who is 'he'? Who is 'he'?" Qingwen, hearing this, chased after her laughing and hitting her, saying, "You with your sharp ears, hearing everything." P'ing'er laughed, "I have business now and can't talk with you. I'll send someone to invite you later—if a single one of you doesn't come, I'll come knocking on your door." Baoyu and the others tried to keep her, but she had already left.

Here Baoyu had just washed and was drinking tea when his eye fell upon a sheet of paper pressed beneath the inkstone. He said, "It's not a good idea to let things get shoved around carelessly like this." Xiren, Qingwen, and the others at once asked, "What is it now? Who's been at fault again?" Baoyu pointed. "What's that under the inkstone? It must be someone's keepsake that they forgot to put away." Qingwen hurriedly opened the inkstone and drew out a calling card, which she handed to Baoyu. It was a pink note-paper on which was written: "The Outsider outside the Threshold, Miao Yu, respectfully and reverently bows to your fragrant birthday from afar." When Baoyu had read it, he jumped up in great agitation and asked, "Who took this in? And why wasn't I told?" Xiren, Qingwen, and the others, seeing his agitation, had no idea whose card this could be, and they all pressed the question together: "Who took in a card yesterday?" Sier came flying in, laughing. "Yesterday Miao Yu didn't come herself; she just sent a woman with it. I put it there, and then one round of drinks and I forgot all about it." The others said, "We were wondering who it could be, carrying on so over nothing. It's hardly worth it." Baoyu quickly ordered, "Fetch some paper at once." Paper was brought and the ink ground. But when he looked at the three words "Outsider outside the Threshold," he couldn't think of what title to use in reply that would match it. He held his pen and fell into a reverie, but after a long time still couldn't come up with an idea. Then he thought, "If I ask Baochai, she'll certainly criticize it as eccentric. Better ask Daiyu."

With this thought, he tucked the card into his sleeve and went straight to find Daiyu. Just after passing the Pavilion of Seeping Fragrance, he saw Xiuyan approaching from the opposite direction, walking with a fragile, tottering gait. Baoyu hurriedly asked, "Where are you going, Sister?" Xiuyan smiled. "I'm going to find Miao Yu for a talk." Baoyu was astonished. "She's so eccentric and doesn't fit in—ten thousand people don't meet her approval. So she actually thinks highly of you. She must know you're not one of the common herd like the rest of us." Xiuyan smiled. "She may not truly value me, but I was her neighbor for ten years, separated by just one wall. She was cultivating herself at the Temple of Coiled Incense, and my family was poor; we rented a room in her temple. I lived there for ten years and used to go to the temple to keep her company when I had nothing to do. All the characters I learned were taught by her. She and I were friends in poverty, and she was half my teacher too. Then because we went to stay with relatives, I heard that because she didn't fit in and the powerful couldn't tolerate her, she came here. And now by heaven's arrangement we've met again, and our old feelings haven't changed. She holds me in even higher regard than before." Baoyu listened as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt, and said with a delighted laugh, "No wonder your manner and speech are so lofty, like a wild crane among idle clouds—you have a real foundation. Just now I was struggling with a matter connected with her and was about to ask someone else's advice. And now I've met you—what a heaven-sent coincidence! Please help me." As he spoke, he took out the calling card and showed it to Xiuyan. Xiuyan laughed. "Her temper really can't change—she's just born eccentric and perverse. I've never seen anyone put a sobriquet on a calling card. As the saying goes, 'Neither monk nor layman, neither woman nor man'—what kind of principle is that?" Baoyu said hastily with a laugh, "You don't know, Sister. She doesn't count herself among these people at all—she's someone beyond the world. It was only because she found I had a little bit of understanding that she sent me this card. I couldn't think of what title to use in reply, so I was at a loss. I was just about to go ask Sister Lin when I happened to meet you." After Baoyu said this, Xiuyan looked him up and down carefully for a long time before smiling and saying, "No wonder they say 'To hear about someone is not to see them.' No wonder Miao Yu sent you this card, and no wonder she gave you those plum blossoms last year. Since she's like that, I can't but tell you the reason. She often says: 'From the Han, Jin, Five Dynasties, Tang, and Song onwards, there have been no good poems—only two lines are good: "Though you may have an iron threshold that lasts a thousand years, in the end you must face a dirt bun."' So she calls herself 'the person outside the threshold.' She also often praises Zhuangzi's writings as the best, so she sometimes calls herself 'the Eccentric.' If her card had said 'the Eccentric,' you would reply with 'the Worldling.' The Eccentric—she calls herself a solitary, odd person, and if you modestly call yourself a bustling person of the world, she'd be pleased. Now she calls herself 'the person outside the threshold,' meaning she has stepped beyond the iron threshold. So if you just write 'the person inside the threshold,' that will suit her perfectly." Baoyu listened as if he had been doused with the finest ghee, and with an exclamation of "Aiya!" he laughed and said, "So that's why our family temple is called the 'Iron Threshold Temple'—there's a reason for it. Please go ahead, Sister, and let me go write the reply." Xiuyan then went off to Green Lattice Nunnery on her own. Baoyu returned to his room and wrote the card, on which he put only the words: "The Person inside the Threshold, Baoyu, having purified myself, respectfully bows." He took it himself to Green Lattice Nunnery and slipped it through the crack in the door before coming back.

Seeing that Fangguan had combed her hair and coiled it into a bun, adorned with flowers and jeweled ornaments, he hastily ordered her to change her attire. He also told her to shave off the short hair around her head, exposing the bluish-green scalp, and to part the top of her head down the middle. "In winter," he said, "you can wear a big sable 'sleeping rabbit' headband. On your feet, wear tiger-head cloud-patterned five-colored small combat boots. You can either let your trouser legs hang loose or simply wear clean stockings with thick-soled embroidered shoes." He added, "The name Fangguan isn't good. It would be more distinctive to change it to a man's name." So he changed it to "Xiongnu" (literally "Male Slave"). Fangguan was thoroughly pleased and said, "In that case, take me out with you when you go out. If anyone asks, just say I'm a page like Mingyan." Baoyu laughed, "But people will be able to tell." Fangguan said, "I say you have no talent. There are several native tribesmen in our household right now—just say I'm a little native tribesman. Besides, everyone says my sidelocks look handsome when I wear them hanging down. Don't you think that is clever?" Baoyu, hearing this, was delighted beyond expectation and said with a laugh, "That is indeed very good. I have also often seen officials and other men who keep followers of the races of foreign captives sent as tribute, valuing them for their ability to endure wind and snow and their skill with horses. Since that is the case, let's give you a barbarian name: 'Yelü Xiongnu.' The two syllables of 'Xiongnu' also connect to the Xiongnu, both being names of the Quanrong. Moreover, these two peoples have been a plague upon the Central States since the time of Yao and Shun, and the Jin and Tang dynasties suffered greatly from them. Fortunately, we are blessed to be born in the present age, as descendants of the great Shun, where the sacred virtues of Shun—his merit, benevolence, and filial piety—shine brilliantly to heaven, enduring as long as heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, and countless ages. Thus the petty troublemakers of every previous dynasty, in this present day, without a single spear or arrow being employed, have by Heaven's will folded their hands, bowed their heads, and come from afar to submit. We ought to treat them with contempt and bring glory to our lord and father." Fangguan laughed and said, "If that's the case, you should go practice archery and horsemanship, learn some martial skills, stand up boldly, and capture several rebels yourself—wouldn't that be loyalty and service? Why borrow us? You flap your tongue and amuse yourself with play-acting, yet call it praising merit and virtue." Baoyu laughed, "So you don't understand. Now the four seas pay homage and the eight directions are at peace; for a thousand years, ten thousand years, there will be no need for military preparedness. Even though we are merely jesting and laughing, we should offer praise, so as not to be undeserving of the peace we enjoy." Fangguan, hearing this, felt it made sense, and the two of them considered it perfectly fitting. Baoyu then called her "Yelü Xiongnu."

As it happened, both mansions of the Jia family had slaves captured by their ancestors in former years and given as servants, but they were only kept to tend horses and were of no great use. Xiangyun, who had always been unusually fond of playful pranks, also loved martial attire. She often girded herself with a sash and wore narrow-sleeved garments. Seeing recently that Baoyu had dressed Fangguan as a man, she dressed Kuiguan as a young lad too. Kuiguan already habitually shaved her short hair, which made it convenient for applying stage makeup and greasepaint on her face, and her hands and feet were nimble besides—dressing her this way saved an extra step. Li Wan and Tanchun, seeing this, were delighted and ordered Baochin's Duguan to be dressed as a small boy as well, with two little buns on his head, a short jacket, and red shoes. Only lacking face paint, he looked exactly like a page boy from the opera stage. Xiangyun changed Kuiguan's name to "Da Ying." Because her surname was Wei, she called her Wei Daying, which suited her own taste, secretly alluding to the phrase "only a great hero can show his true colors"—why must one paint one's face red and powder it white to be a man? Duguan was extremely small in stature and age, and also extremely clever and quick, hence the name Duguan. People in the garden also called him "A-Dou" or "Fried Beans." Baochin, on the contrary, said that names like "Qin Tong" (lute page) and "Shu Tong" (book page) were too common, and that the character "Dou" (bean) was far more distinctive, so she changed it to "Dou Tong" (Bean Page).

After the meal, Ping'er returned the invitation, saying that the Red Fragrance Garden was too hot, so several tables of fresh wine and delicacies were set up in the Elm Shade Hall. Happily, Madam You had also brought her two concubines, Peifeng and Xieyuan, over to amuse themselves. These two concubines were also young, lively women who did not often come over. Now that they had entered the garden and encountered Xiangyun, Xiangling, Fangrui, and the other girls, it proved true that "like seeks like" and "things of a kind flock together." They were seen laughing and chatting without end, paying no attention to where Madam You was, leaving everything to the serving maids to attend to, while they joined everyone in merrymaking. At one point they arrived at Happy Red Court, and suddenly heard Baoyu call out "Yelü Xiongnu." Peifeng, Xieyuan, and Xiangling burst out laughing together and asked what this meant. Everyone also tried to call this name, but some mispronounced it or forgot the words, until someone even called out "Wild Donkey," which made everyone in the garden who heard it collapse with laughter. Baoyu, seeing that everyone was making fun of her, feared she might be demeaned and hastily said, "In the West Sea, Frisia, they say there is a star-glass gemstone. In their native barbarian language, star-glass is called 'Wendulina.' Now I will compare you to it—shall I change your name to 'Wendulina'?" Fangguan, hearing this, was even more pleased and said, "Let it be so, then." So she was called by this name. But everyone found it too difficult to pronounce, so they reverted to a Chinese name and simply called her "Glass."

To pick up the thread of the story: the company was at that moment in the Elm Shade Hall, ostensibly drinking wine but really having a merry time, with the singing-girls beating the flower drum. Ping'er had gathered a peony, and some twenty people played the game of passing the flower as their forfeit, making for a lively round. Then someone came in to report that two women from the Zhen household had arrived with some things to deliver. Tanchun, Li Wan, and You-shi went out together to the council hall to see them, and the others took the opportunity to stretch their legs. Peifeng and Yuanyang went off together to play on the swings, and Baoyu said, "You two get on, and I'll push you." Peifeng was alarmed. "Oh no, don't cause trouble for us. Better let that 'wild donkey' come and push." Baoyu laughed quickly. "Dear sisters, don't carry on like that. Someone might overhear and learn to call him that." Yuanyang added, "I'm laughing so hard I've gone limp. How can I swing? If I fall off, I'll spill my guts." Peifeng chased after her to swat her.

While the laughter and horseplay were still going on, several servants from the Ning Mansion came rushing up in a state of agitation. "The old master has become an immortal!" they gasped. Everyone was thunderstruck. "He was perfectly healthy — no illness at all. How could he just die like that?" The servants said, "The old master had been cultivating himself every day. His practice must have been perfected, and he has ascended to the heavens." When You-shi heard this, and saw that Jia Zhen, his son, Jia Lian, and the others were all away from home, she found herself with no reliable man to turn to and was at once thrown into a flurry of activity. She hurriedly took off her ornaments and ordered the servants to go ahead to the Abbey of True Perfection and lock up all the Taoist priests there, to be interrogated when the master returned. Then she quickly drove out of the city in a carriage with Lai Sheng and a retinue of family servants and wives. She also summoned a court physician to examine the body and determine what the illness had been. The doctors, seeing that the man was already dead, realized there was no pulse to feel. They knew that Jia Jing's "guiding of the breath" techniques were all humbug — that he had been observing the stars and worshipping the Dipper, keeping vigil on *gengshen* days, and consuming cinnabar elixirs, all of which were vain and foolish exertions that had overtaxed his mind and wasted his strength, ultimately costing him his life. Now that he was dead, his belly was hard as iron, and his face and lips were burnt to a purplish crimson, cracked and wrinkled. They reported to the ladies, "He has died of swelling caused by swallowing gold and cinnabar in accordance with the doctrines of the Mystery Sect." The Taoist priests, in a panic, replied, "It was the new-formula elixir the old master had secretly prepared that did the harm. We disciples had tried to persuade him that his practice was not yet perfected and he should not take it. We never expected that tonight, during his *gengshen* vigil, he would secretly swallow it and ascend to immortality. This must be the result of his devout pursuit of the Way — he has already crossed the sea of suffering, shed his mortal husk, and freed himself." You-shi paid no attention to this. She merely ordered them locked up and left the matter for Jia Zhen to settle, while sending a fast horse to carry the news. At the same time she saw that the place was too cramped for a lying-in-state and, in any case, the body could not be brought into the city. She had it encased in shrouds and carried in a soft sedan chair to the Temple of Iron Threshold. A quick calculation showed that Jia Zhen could not arrive for at least half a month. As the weather was extremely hot and they could not possibly wait, she took charge herself and ordered an astrologer to select a date for the encoffining. The coffin had been prepared years earlier and stored at the temple, which was most convenient. After three days she began the mourning rites and started the performance of the rites while awaiting Jia Zhen.

In the Rong Mansion, Feng-jie was unable to go out, and Li Wan had to look after the younger sisters and cousins. Baoyu, having no understanding of such matters, had to entrust the outside business for the time being to several of the household's second-ranking stewards. Jia Fen, Jia Guang, Jia Heng, Jia Ying, Jia Chang, and Jia Ling were each assigned their duties. Since You-shi could not go home, she had her stepmother come to the Ning Mansion to keep house. Her stepmother brought along her two unmarried younger daughters, and only then felt at ease with the living arrangements.

And to resume: when Jia Zhen received the news he promptly asked leave, as Jia Rong too was a man of official rank. The Board of Rites, seeing that the present emperor prized filial piety and fraternal love above all, dared not act on its own authority but memorialized the throne for instructions. The Son of Heaven, in fact, was surpassingly benevolent and filial, and he was especially generous to the descendants of meritorious ministers. On reading this memorial he at once inquired what office Jia Jing had held. The Board of Rites replied on his behalf: "He was a jinshi. His father's rank had already been conferred on his son, Jia Zhen. Because of his advanced age and frequent ill health, Jia Jing had been living quietly at the Zhenyuan Temple outside the capital. He has now died of illness at the temple. His son Zhen and his grandson Rong are at present following the imperial cortege during the state mourning and have therefore asked leave to return and prepare the body for burial."

On hearing this, the emperor promptly issued an additional edict of grace:

"Although Jia Jing, being a commoner, has rendered no service to the state, in consideration of his father's merits I hereby confer on him the rank of the fifth grade. Let his sons and grandsons escort the coffin to the capital through the Northern Gate and prepare it for burial in their private residence. Apart from allowing them to complete the mourning rites and escort the coffin back to their ancestral home, let the Imperial Catering Office make offerings for him according to the established precedent. Let all princes and officials of the court below them be permitted to offer sacrifices and condolences. This is my will."

When this decree was issued, not only did the Jia family express their gratitude, but all the ministers in court raised a continuous chorus of praise. Jia Zhen and his son rode post-haste through the night. On the way they met Jia Bin and Jia Huang with mounted household guards galloping toward them. Seeing Jia Zhen, they both dismounted from their saddles and kowtowed. Jia Zhen hastily asked what they wanted. Jia Bin replied, "Our sister-in-law was afraid that you and your nephew would come and leave the old lady unattended on the road, so she sent us two to escort her."

Jia Zhen praised them profusely and asked how matters were being managed at home. Jia Bin told him how they had arrested the Taoist priests, how they had moved the coffin to the family temple, and how, fearing there would be no one to receive guests in the house, they had installed the mothers-in-law and the two concubines in the main reception rooms. Jia Rong, who had dismounted in the meantime, smiled at his father when he heard that the two concubines had come. Jia Zhen said several times, "Well done," then whipped his horse and rode on without stopping at any inn, changing horses through the night and galloping without rest. By the time they reached the capital it was the fourth watch. The night watchmen, upon hearing of their arrival, roused everyone. Jia Zhen dismounted and, together with Jia Rong, wept loudly. They crawled on their knees from outside the main gate all the way to the coffin, knocking their foreheads on the ground and weeping blood, and did not stop until dawn, when their throats were hoarse.

Madam You and the others all came to pay their respects. Jia Zhen and his son hastily changed into mourning garments and prostrated themselves before the coffin. But since they had to manage affairs, they could not keep their eyes and ears closed to everything; they had to restrain their grief somewhat in order to direct the others. First they related the imperial edict to all their relatives and friends, then they sent Jia Rong ahead to the house to arrange for the lying-in-state. Jia Rong lost no time but rode home at full gallop. He ordered the front hall cleared of tables and tables, the partition doors taken down, mourning curtains hung, and a shed for drummers and a memorial archway set up before the gate. Then he hurried in to see his maternal grandmother and the two concubines.

The truth was that old Lady You, being advanced in age, loved to sleep and was always dozing off. The second and third concubines were working with the maids when he came in, and they all complained of being bothered. Jia Rong looked at the Second Concubine and said with a grin, "Second Auntie, you've come again. Our father has been thinking of her."

You Erjie blushed and scolded, "You young rascal! If I didn't give you a few good tongue-lashings every couple of days, you'd become quite unbearable. You've lost all sense of propriety. You're supposed to be a young gentleman from a great family, studying your books and learning your manners every day—and yet you're not even up to the standard of a petty household."

As she spoke she grabbed an iron and brought it down on his head. Jia Rong, terrified, clutched his head and threw himself into her arms begging for mercy. You Sanjie came forward and pinched his lips, saying, "When Elder Sister comes home, we'll tell her."

Jia Rong knelt on the kang and begged for mercy with a smile, and the two women burst out laughing. Jia Rong then snatched some cardamom seeds from the Second Aunt to eat. She chewed a mouthful and spat the dregs all over his face. He licked them up with his tongue and ate them. The maids, unable to bear the sight, laughed and said, "You're in deep mourning, and your grandmother has just fallen asleep. Those two may be young, but they're still your aunts. You have no respect for the mistress at all. If we report this to the master, you'll be in serious trouble."

Jia Rong left his aunts and started kissing the maids. "My precious, you're right. Let's make those two jealous."

The maids pushed him away and cursed, "You little wretch! You've got a wife and maids of your own, but you only pester us. Those who know you call it fun, but those who don't—especially those dirty-minded, rotten-souled gossips who love to meddle and wag their tongues—will spread it all over, and then everyone in the whole household will know and talk about the disorder in our quarter."

Jia Rong laughed. "Every branch of the family keeps to its own affairs. That's quite enough to manage. From ancient times to the present, even the Han and Tang dynasties were called 'the filthy Tang and the stinking Han'—and that was the case even with them, let alone a family like ours. Who doesn't have some scandal? Don't make me say it. Even the master of the East Mansion, formidable as he is, Master Lian still carries on with that little concubine. And Lady Feng, for all that she's so strong-willed, Master Rui still has his eye on her. There's nothing I don't know about!"

While Jia Rong went on talking nonsense and inventing stories at will, his mother woke up, asked how he was, and said, "It's very kind of our Old Ancestress to take all this trouble, and we're sorry that you two aunties should have been put out. We menfolk are all most grateful. When this business is finished, our whole family must come to kowtow to you."

Old Mother You nodded. "You're good children, and you know what's right. Relatives should behave like that."

She asked, "How is your father? When did he get the news and arrive?"

Jia Rong smiled. "He has only just arrived. He sent me first to see how you were, and then he's begging you to stay until the business is finished."

As he said this he winked at his second aunt, and Second Sister You bit her lips and laughed in spite of herself. "You monkey with the gift of the gab!" she muttered. "Are you trying to get us to stay on to be your father's mother-in-law?"

Jia Rong teased his mother again. "Don't worry. My father has been worrying about you two aunties all this time, looking for two fathers-in-law with the right family background, rich, young and handsome, to marry you off to. For some years he couldn't find the right men, but the other day he just happened to spot one on the road."

Old Mother You took this seriously and asked whose son he was, but the two sisters dropped their work and laughing ran after Jia Rong to hit him.

"Don't believe this thunder-struck boy, Mother!" they cried.

Even the maids chimed in, "The Lord of Heaven is watching, mind your thunderbolts!"

Then a servant came in to report that the business was finished and asked young master Rong to go out and see to it and report back to the master. Jia Rong went off with a grin on his face.

What happened next will be told in the next chapter.

Previous Chapter　Table of Contents　Next Chapter