Chapter 73

Chapter 73

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Chapter 73: A Foolish Maid Picks Up an Embroidered Pouch by Mistake; A Timid Young Lady Asks No Questions About Her Tattered Phoenix

Now, while Concubine Zhao was speaking with Jia Zheng, they suddenly heard a loud noise outside. Neither knew what it was. When they hurried to inquire, they found that the window lattice in the outer room had not been properly latched and had fallen down, its hinge dropping loose. Concubine Zhao scolded the maids a few words, then led them herself to set it right before coming back to see Jia Zheng to bed. But no more of this.

Now in Happy Red Court, Baoyu had just gone to bed. The maids were about to disperse and retire when suddenly someone was heard knocking at the courtyard gate. The old serving woman opened the door and found it was Xiaoque, a maid from Concubine Zhao's quarters. When asked what she wanted, Xiaoque made no reply but went straight into Baoyu's room. She found that Baoyu had only just lain down; Qingwen and the others were still sitting by the bed, laughing and chatting. When they saw her come in, they all asked, "What is it? What brings you here at this hour?"

Xiaoque smiled at Baoyu and said, "I've come to tell you some news. Just now our mistress said such-and-such to the Master. You'd better watch out—he may question you tomorrow." With that, she turned and left. Xiren tried to keep her for some tea, but she was afraid of the gate being closed and went straight away.

When Baoyu heard this, it was as if the Monkey King himself had heard the tightening-spell incantation—every limb and organ in his body immediately became uneasy. He thought and thought, but there was nothing for it: he would have to review his books and prepare for an examination tomorrow. If he could answer without mistakes, he might be able to get by even if other matters came up. Having decided this, he hurriedly threw on his clothes and got up to study. He also reproached himself, thinking that these past days he had told himself it would not come up, and sure enough he had let it all grow rusty. Had he known, he should have reviewed a little every single day. Now he took stock: the texts he could recite from memory were only the *Xue*, the *Yong*, and the first two *Lun* of the *Analects*, with their commentaries. As for the first half of *Mencius*, half of it was only half-learned—if asked a line out of the blue, he could not continue the recitation. As for the second half of *Mencius*, he had forgotten more than half. Of the Five Classics, because he had been writing poetry lately, he had read some of the *Book of Songs* and though he did not understand it deeply, he could just manage. The others he did not remember, but fortunately Jia Zheng had never ordered him to read them, so even not knowing them would not matter much. As for the ancient prose—those few pieces he had read several years ago, including the *Zuo Zhuan*, the *Strategies of the Warring States*, the *Gongyang* and *Guliang* commentaries, and essays from the Han and Tang dynasties—there were only a few dozen pieces in all, and in recent years he had not reviewed so much as a single phrase. Though he had browsed through them in his leisure, it had been on a whim; he read and forgot, never having applied himself diligently, so how could he remember? This would be impossible to get by on. Then there were the eight-legged essays, which he had always detested, since they were not the work of the sages and could never illuminate the profound mysteries of the sages—they were merely a ladder for later men to snare fame and fortune. Although Jia Zheng, when he had set out, had selected a hundred or so essays for him to read, Baoyu had only occasionally come across a passage or two, or an opening or transition, that was refined, or flowing, or playful, or moving, and had read them for a moment's interest. He had never once studied an entire essay with care. Now if he reviewed these, he was afraid tomorrow he would be examined on those; if he reviewed those, he feared he would be cross-examined on these. Moreover, even a whole night's work would not allow him to review everything. So his agitation only grew. His own studying was not the critical thing—what mattered was that he was keeping an entire roomful of maids from sleeping. Xiren, Sheyue, Qingwen, and the other senior maids naturally had to stay up, cutting the candle wicks and pouring tea beside him. The younger ones were bleary-eyed, nodding and swaying. Qingwen scolded, "What a bunch of good-for-nothings! You lie around all day and night and still can't get enough sleep. Just because you happen to stay up late once, you put on such airs. If you keep this up, I'll give you a couple of pricks with my needle!"

Before she finished speaking, there came a thud from the outer room. They hurried to look and found that a little maid had been dozing while sitting up and had bumped her head against the wall. She woke with a start from her dream, and it happened to be just at the moment Qingwen had spoken. She stared blankly, thinking Qingwen had struck her, and began crying and pleading, "Good sister, I won't do it again!" Everyone burst out laughing. Baoyu quickly interceded, "Let her off. You should all have been sent to sleep in the first place. You ought to take turns sleeping too." Xiren said hastily, "Little ancestor, just worry about yourself. In this one night's time, put your mind to these few books. Once you've passed this test, you can attend to whatever else you like—it won't be too late for anything." Baoyu saw that she spoke earnestly and had no choice but to read on. After reading only a few lines, Sheyue brought him another cup of tea to moisten his throat. Baoyu took it and drank. Noticing that Sheyue was wearing only a short jacket with her skirt unbuttoned, he said, "The night is quiet and cold—you really ought to put on a proper outer garment." Sheyue smiled and pointed at the book. "For now, just forget about us and give your mind to this."

Scarce had she finished speaking when Singing Glass came running in from the back room, crying out, "It's terrible! Someone has jumped down from the wall!" When the others heard this, they asked at once where the intruder was and sent people in all directions to search for him. Qingwen, who had been watching Baoyu struggling with his books, fretting all night over his studies with little hope of being ready the next day, had just been trying to think of a plan to help him escape this predicament. This sudden alarm gave her an idea. Seizing the opportunity, she said to Baoyu, "Take advantage of this and pretend to be ill. Just say you've been frightened out of your wits." This was exactly what Baoyu wanted to do, so he summoned the night watchmen at once. They searched everywhere by lantern light but found no trace of anyone. "The young maids must have been drowsy," they said. "They mistook the swaying branches in the wind for a human figure." Qingwen retorted, "Don't talk such nonsense! You haven't searched thoroughly. You're afraid of the consequences and are trying to cover up with this excuse. It wasn't just one person who saw it. Baoyu and the rest of us went out on business and saw it with our own eyes. Now Baoyu's face has turned pale and he's burning with fever. I'm going to the main house to fetch some calming medicine. When the Lady asks about this, I'll have to report it. You can't just dismiss it like that." The others were too frightened to say anything and had to search everywhere again. Qingwen and Glass then went out to get the medicine, making sure everyone knew that Baoyu had been frightened. Lady Wang, upon hearing the news, immediately sent people to attend to him and give him medicine. She also ordered the night watchmen to search carefully and told them to question the menservants on night duty outside the walls of the adjacent garden. The whole garden was ablaze with lanterns and torches, and the commotion lasted all night. By the fifth watch, the stewards were summoned and ordered to conduct a thorough investigation and interrogate all the men and women on night duty, both inside and outside the compound. When the Lady Dowager learned that Baoyu had been frightened, she asked for the full story. No one dared conceal anything any longer and had to tell her everything. The Lady Dowager said, "I expected something like this. The carelessness of the night watchmen everywhere is a minor matter, but I'm afraid they may actually be thieves." At this point, Lady Xing and Madam You came over to pay their respects, while Xifeng, Li Wan, and the other young ladies attended on the Lady Dowager. When they heard her remarks, they all remained silent. Only Tanchun stepped forward and said with a smile, "Recently, because Sister Feng has been unwell, the people in the garden have become much more lax than before. In the past, they would only steal a moment or two here and there, or when keeping watch at night, three or four would gather together to throw dice or play cards—just little amusements to pass the time. But lately they've grown bolder and have actually started gambling, with ringleaders and stakes ranging from thirty to three hundred strings of cash. Just half a month ago, there was even a brawl." The Lady Dowager said, "Since you knew about this, why didn't you report it to us earlier?" Tanchun replied, "I thought the Lady had too much on her plate and hasn't been feeling well these past days, so I didn't report it. I only told the elder sister-in-law and the stewards, and reprimanded them several times. Things have improved somewhat recently." The Lady Dowager said, "You are a young lady and cannot understand the gravity of this matter. You may think gambling is just a trivial affair that might lead to quarrels. But you don't realize that where there is gambling at night, there is sure to be drinking as well. And where there is drinking, the gates are bound to be left unlocked at all hours. People go out to buy things or run errands, and in the still of the night when few are about, it would be easy to hide thieves or to let in ruffians and robbers. What mischief might not be hatched! Moreover, the young ladies in the garden are attended by maids and servants of all sorts, both good and bad. Theft would be a minor matter—if anything worse were to happen, even if they were only slightly implicated, the consequences would be grave. This is not a matter that can be lightly pardoned." Upon hearing this, Tanchun silently returned to her seat. Xifeng, though not fully recovered, felt her spirits flag even more when she heard the Lady Dowager's words. "As it happens, I've been ill," she said quickly. She turned and ordered someone to summon the four wives who managed household affairs, including Lin Zhixiao's wife, and rebuked them severely in the presence of the Lady Dowager. The Lady Dowager ordered an immediate investigation to identify the ringleaders and gamblers. Those who came forward to report would be rewarded, and those who concealed the truth would be punished. When Lin Zhixiao's wife and the others saw that the Lady Dowager was angry, no one dared show favoritism. They hurried into the garden and assembled everyone for questioning. Though there was some attempt at first to deny everything, the truth eventually came to light. Three chief gamblers and eight lesser ones were identified, and over twenty gamblers in total were brought before the Lady Dowager. They knelt in the courtyard, kowtowing and begging for mercy. The Lady Dowager first asked the names of the chief gamblers and the amounts of money involved. It turned out that the three chief gamblers were the wife of a cousin of Lin Zhixiao's wife, the sister of the wife of the Liu family who managed the garden kitchen, and Yingchun's wet nurse. These were the three ringleaders; the names of the others were too numerous to recall. The Lady Dowager ordered that all dice and cards be burned and the money confiscated and distributed among the staff. The ringleaders were each given forty blows of the bamboo and expelled, never to be allowed to enter again. The others received twenty blows each, forfeited three months' wages, and were assigned to the latrine detail. Lin Zhixiao's wife was also severely rebuked. She felt thoroughly humiliated, seeing her own relative causing her to lose face. Yingchun, who was present, also felt deeply mortified. Daiyu, Baochai, Tanchun, and the others, seeing that it was Yingchun's wet nurse who was involved, felt sympathy for her and rose to intercede with the Lady Dowager. "This old nurse has never been one for amusement before," they said. "She must have been feeling playful on a whim. We beg you, for Sister Yingchun's sake, to pardon her this time." The Lady Dowager replied, "You don't understand. These wet nurses, having nursed young masters and mistresses, consider themselves superior to other servants and are therefore more liable to cause trouble. They are worse than anyone else, always stirring up mischief and encouraging their charges to cover up their faults and show favoritism. I have seen it all before. Moreover, if we want to make an example, we have happened upon exactly the right person. Don't interfere. I shall deal with this myself."

"That is reasonable," Baochai and the others said upon hearing this, and they had no choice but to let the matter drop.

When the Dowager took her afternoon rest, everyone dispersed. Knowing that she had been angered that day, none dared to return home; they could only wait there for the time being. Lady You went to see Fengjie for a chat, but finding herself ill at ease, she proceeded to the garden to seek out the young ladies for conversation. Lady Xing sat with Lady Wang for a while, then also went to the garden to take a stroll. Just as she reached the gate, she saw the young maidservant from the Dowager's quarters—a girl called Silly Big Sister—coming along with a grin on her face. In her hands she held something brightly colored, and as she walked she kept her eyes fixed on it, paying no attention to where she was going. She bumped right into Lady Xing before she noticed her, and only then stopped. Lady Xing said, "You silly girl, what dog-can't-recognize trinket have you got this time, looking so pleased? Let me see it."

This Silly Big Sister was just fourteen or fifteen years old, newly assigned to the Dowager's side to carry water, sweep the courtyard, and do rough work. She was stout and broad-footed, with big feet that made her quick and efficient at coarse tasks. Her mind was dull and simple; she had no knowledge whatsoever, and her words and actions often fell outside the bounds of propriety. The Dowager liked her for her straightforwardness and efficiency, and because her remarks could provoke laughter, she gave her the name "Silly Big Sister." Whenever the Dowager felt bored, she would amuse herself by having the girl around, without the least reserve, and for this reason she was also called "the Foolish Girl." Even when she was discourteous, since the Dowager liked her, the others did not reproach her. The girl took advantage of this: when the Dowager did not summon her, she would go into the garden to play. That day she was catching crickets in the garden when she found a richly embroidered sachet behind a rock. It was exquisitely made and lovely to look at, but what was embroidered on it was not flowers or birds. On one side were two figures naked, intertwined in an embrace; on the other were several characters. This foolish girl did not recognize it as a token of spring passion. She pondered to herself: "Could it be two spirits fighting? Or perhaps a husband and wife quarreling?" She could not figure it out either way. She was on her way to show it to the Dowager, grinning as she looked at it while walking, when she came upon Lady Xing and heard her speak. She laughed and said, "How clever the太太 is—it really is something a dog couldn't recognize. Please have a look,太太." So saying, she handed it over.

Lady Xing took one look and was so frightened that she clutched it tightly. She demanded, "Where did you get this?" Silly Big Sister replied, "I was catching crickets and found it on the rocks." Lady Xing said, "Don't you dare tell a single person. This is no good thing—they'll beat you to death too. Since you've always been simple-minded, just don't mention it again." The girl, thoroughly frightened, turned pale and said, "I won't dare again." She kowtowed and left in a daze.

Lady Xing looked back and saw that they were all young girls, so she could not hand it to anyone. She tucked it into her sleeve, marveling greatly inside, and wondered where this object had come from. Without showing anything in her expression, she went to Yingchun's room. Yingchun was already out of sorts, feeling ashamed because her wet nurse had been found guilty. When she was told that her mother had arrived, she welcomed her into the inner chamber. After tea was served, Lady Xing said, "You're grown up now. When your wet nurse did this sort of thing, you should have spoken to her about it. Everyone else's people are fine, yet it's our people who have done this—what does it mean?" Yingchun lowered her head and fingered her sash. After a long pause she replied, "I told her twice, but she wouldn't listen, and there was nothing I could do. Besides, she's the nurse—she's supposed to tell me off, not the other way around." Lady Xing said, "Nonsense! If she was wrong, you should have corrected her. Now that she's broken the law, you should have asserted your authority as a young lady. If she disobeyed, you should have reported her to me. Now we've let outsiders find out—what does that mean? What's more, if she went around lending money, she might have used clever talk to borrow hairpins and rings and clothing from you as capital. You're soft-hearted and easily swayed—you might well have given her some. If she cheated you out of them, I don't have a single coin. Let's see how you'll manage when the festivals come." Yingchun said nothing, only lowering her head to play with her sash.

Seeing her like this, Lady Xing said with a cold laugh, "It's always your fine brother and sister-in-law—that illustrious pair, Master Lian and the Feng Madam, a couple who overshadow the heavens and cover the earth, attending to everything with the utmost care—yet they have no regard for this one sister of theirs at all. If she were someone born from me, there would be something to be said about it—but there's nothing to be done about it. Besides, you weren't raised by me. Though you weren't born of the same mother as they, you do share the same father. You should look out for each other, to avoid giving others something to laugh about. I suppose nothing in this world can be taken for certain. You were raised by a woman of the Elder Master, and here Tanchun was also raised by a woman of the Second Master—your backgrounds are the same. Now that your mother has died, in the past your two mothers—yours was ten times better than this Concubine Zhao of today. You should be stronger than Tanchun. How is it that you're not even half as good? Who would have thought it—this is truly strange. As for me, I've had no sons or daughters in my life, so I've kept myself clean and above reproach." The married women attending them seized the opportunity to say, "Our young lady is honest and kind-hearted, not like their Third Miss, who is sharp-tongued and always trying to get the better of her sisters. They know their sister is like this, yet they don't show her the least consideration." Lady Xing said, "Even her own brother and sister-in-law are like this—what can anyone else do?"

Before she finished speaking, someone reported, "Second Master Lian's wife has arrived." Lady Xing listened, gave two cold laughs, and ordered someone to go out and say, "Please go back and tend to your illness—I don't need you waiting on me here." Then a maidservant from Tanchun came to report that "the Old Lady is awake."

Lady Xing had just risen and gone to the front of the house. Yingchun saw her to the courtyard gate before returning back inside. Xiuji then said, "See what I mean? The other day I reported to you, miss, that the pearl-inlaid gold phoenix had somehow vanished. I told you about it, and you didn't even ask a single question. I said the old nanny must have taken it to pawn for money to gamble with, but you wouldn't believe me. You just said Siqi had put it away. I asked Siqi—though she's ill, her mind is still clear. She said she hadn't put it away; it's still in the box on the shelf, kept there temporarily in case you might want to wear it on the fifteenth of the eighth month. You should have asked the old nanny, but you were too soft-hearted to risk upsetting anyone. Now I'm afraid it's lost for good. When everyone else wears theirs tomorrow and only we don't, what will that look like?"

Yingchun said, "Why bother asking? Naturally he took it to borrow for a moment. I only thought he'd quietly taken it out and would quietly return it again within an hour or so, and that would be the end of it. Who knew he'd forget? Today it's all come out into the open, and asking him about it won't help."

Xiuji said, "Forget? How could he have forgotten! He's tested your character thoroughly, miss, and that's why he's done this. Now I have an idea: I'll go right to Second Lady Wang's room and report this matter to her. Either she'll send someone to demand it back, or she'll take the easy way and give a few strings of cash to make up for it. How about that?"

Yingchun said hastily, "Stop, stop, stop. Let's not stir up trouble. Better to do without it than to cause a fuss."

Xiuji said, "How can you be so weak, miss? If we're going to avoid trouble all the time, eventually someone will cheat even you. I'm going." With that she started to leave. Yingchun said nothing more and let her go.

Now, it happened that Wang Zhu'er's wife—Yingchun's wet nurse's daughter-in-law—had come to ask Yingchun to intercede for her mother-in-law, who had gotten into trouble. Hearing them talking about the gold phoenix, she didn't go in. It was also because Yingchun was so timid by nature that they never took her seriously. But now seeing Xiuji determined to report the matter to Xifeng, she reckoned there would be no escaping it, and since she herself had a favor to ask of Yingchun, she had no choice but to come in. With a forced smile she first said to Xiuji, "Miss, don't go making trouble. The gold-wired phoenix was really our old nanny's doing—she's muddled in the head. She lost some money gambling and had nothing to recoup herself with, so she borrowed it temporarily. She said she'd redeem it within a day or so, but she never managed to win back her losses, so it's been delayed. As luck would have it, someone let the cat out of the bag today, and now there's this whole affair. Even so, after all it's the mistress's property—we wouldn't dare delay forever; we'll redeem it in the end. Now I'm asking you, miss, to remember the bond of having nursed you from childhood and go to the old lady to plead for mercy and get her out."

Yingchun said first, "Good sister-in-law, abandon this fantasy right now. If you're waiting for me to plead for you, you'll wait till next year and it still won't do any good. Just now even Baochai, Daiyu, and the others all pleaded with the old lady, and she wouldn't listen—how much less would she listen to me alone? I'm ashamed enough as it is without going to get a snub."

Xiuji then said, "Redeeming the phoenix is one matter, and pleading for mercy is another—don't mix them up. If the miss doesn't go to plead, does that mean you won't redeem it? Sister-in-law, you'd better bring the phoenix back first, and then we'll talk."

Wang Zhu'er's wife saw that Yingchun had flatly refused her, and that Xiuji's words were so sharp she had no answer. She was momentarily put out, and knowing full well that Yingchun was always easygoing by nature, she turned on Xiuji: "Miss, don't be so high and mighty. Take a good look at your whole household—whose wet nurse or nanny doesn't benefit from serving the young masters and mistresses? Why is it that only we have to be so exact, so rigid—while you people are allowed to secretly cheat us? Since Miss Xing arrived, the lady ordered that we save one tael of silver a month to send to the aunt. With Miss Xing's expenses added on this side, we're actually short one tael of silver. We're always short of this or lacking that—isn't it us who supply it? Who else would go and get it? We just make do and get along. By now, at the very least, that comes to thirty taels. All this money we've put in—is it just going down the drain?"

Before she had finished, Xiuji spat and said, "What do you mean, 'thirty taels down the drain'? Let me settle accounts with you—what things has the miss ever asked for?"

Yingchun, hearing this daughter-in-law airing Lady Xing's private grievances, quickly stopped her: "Stop, stop, stop. If you can't bring the gold phoenix back, there's no need to drag in all sorts of other complaints and make a racket. I don't want the phoenix anymore. Even if the ladies ask, I'll just say it's lost—it won't affect you in any way. You might as well go out and rest a while." She called for Xiuji to pour some tea.

Xiuji, both angry and anxious, said, "Even if you're not worried, miss, what about us? We've lost the miss's things, and now she's trying to claim the miss spent their money and wants to make it balance out. What if the ladies ask why the miss spent all that money—will they say we were taking advantage of our position? That would be terrible!" Even as she spoke, she began to cry.

Siqi couldn't bear to listen anymore and forced herself to come over to help Xiuji confront the daughter-in-law. Yingchun couldn't stop them from arguing and so picked up a copy of the *Tractate on Actions and Their Consequences* to read.

The three of them were still locked in a tangled dispute when, as it happened, Baochai, Daiyu, Baqin, Tanchun, and others, fearing that Yingchun might feel distressed that day, had all agreed to come and comfort her. They walked into the courtyard and heard two or three people arguing. Tanchun peered through the gauze window and saw Yingchun leaning on the bed reading a book, as though she had heard nothing of it. Tanchun smiled. The little maids hurriedly raised the bamboo screen and announced, "The young ladies are here." Only then did Yingchun set down her book and rise. The married woman, seeing that people had come and that Tanchun was among them, stopped of her own accord without anyone having to urge her, and seized the opportunity to leave. Tanchun sat down and asked, "Who was just talking here? It sounded like a quarrel." Yingchun said with a smile, "Nothing was said. It was just them making a mountain out of a molehill. No need to ask." Tanchun said, "I just heard something about a 'gold phoenix hairpin,' and then something about 'having no money and only asking us servants for it.' Who asked a servant for money? Could it be that Elder Sister asked a servant for money? Doesn't Elder Sister receive the same monthly allowance as the rest of us, the same household expenses?" Sqi and Xiuju said, "What the young lady says is right. All the young ladies are the same. Which young lady's money isn't spent as the old nurses and nannies see fit? Even we don't know how the accounts are reckoned—when something is needed, one simply says so. Now he insists that the young lady has overspent and that he has had to make up a great deal from his own pocket. In truth, when did the young lady ever ask him for anything?" Tanchun said with a smile, "Since Elder Sister didn't ask him for anything, it must be that we others asked him for it! Call him in—I want to question him." Yingchun said, "That's ridiculous. You have nothing to do with this. Why drag you into it?" Tanchun said, "Not at all. Elder Sister and I are the same. What concerns Elder Sister concerns me as well. If he speaks against Elder Sister, he speaks against me. If someone on my side has a grievance against me, Elder Sister hearing of it would feel the same grievance against Elder Sister—it's the same principle. We are the mistresses; naturally we don't bother ourselves over such trifling matters of money. If we think of something and want it, that's only natural. But I wonder why the gold filigree phoenix hairpin has gotten mixed up in this." Old Mrs. Wang's daughter-in-law, fearing that Xiuju and the others might expose her, hurried in to cover the matter with talk. Tanchun understood her intent perfectly and said with a smile, "You are all being foolish. Since your mistress has already been found at fault, take this opportunity to beg the Second Mistress to use some of the money that hasn't yet been distributed to redeem the hairpin, and the matter will be settled. This is different from before, when nothing had come out and everyone kept quiet to save face. Now that face has been lost, even if there were ten offenses, only one person would be punished—there's no such thing as cutting off two heads. If you listen to me, go and speak to the Second Mistress. Raising a great clamor here—how can that be allowed?" The married woman, having had her real ailment exposed by Tanchun, had nothing to deny, but she did not dare go to Phoenix to confess. Tanchun said, "If I hadn't heard it, so be it. But since I have heard it, I cannot but help you sort this out." Unknown to the others, Tanchun had already given a sidelong glance to Shishu, who had slipped out.

Here they were chatting, when suddenly Ping'er walked in.

Baochai clapped her hands and laughed. "Third Sister, do you have the Taoist magic to summon gods and spirits?"

Daiyu smiled. "This isn't Taoist sorcery. It's the most refined military strategy — what they say: 'In defense, be a maiden; in attack, be a hare.' A brilliant tactic of striking when least expected."

The two of them teased her. Baoxai gave them a meaningful look, signaling them to stop, and changed the subject.

When Tanchun saw Ping'er arrive, she asked, "Is your mistress any better? She's truly muddled from her illness — nothing is on her mind, and she's let us be treated with such injustice."

Ping'er hurriedly said, "What injustice has the young lady suffered? Who would dare give the young lady any grief? Quick, tell me."

At that moment, Wang Zhuer's daughter-in-law, panicking, came forward and called out to Ping'er, "Sit down, miss, and let me explain and tell you."

Ping'er said sternly, "When the young lady is speaking here, is it proper for someone like you to butt in! If you knew propriety, you should be waiting outside. When you're not summoned, you don't come in. When has there ever been a rule allowing an outsider's daughter-in-law to come uninvited into the young ladies' quarters?"

Xiuju said, "You don't know — there's no propriety in this house. Anyone who feels like it just comes in."

Ping'er said, "It's all your fault. The young lady is good-natured, so you should have driven her out, then gone and reported to the mistress."

When Wang Zhuer's daughter-in-law heard Ping'er's words, she flushed red and withdrew.

Tanchun continued, "Let me tell you. If anyone else had offended me, that would be one thing. But now that Wang Zhuer's daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, relying on being nursemaids and taking advantage of Second Sister's good nature, have secretly taken jewelry to gamble, and moreover forged accounts and calculated schemes, threatening and pressing to seek favors, and have been shouting and making a scene in the bedroom with these two maids — and Second Sister simply cannot control them — so I couldn't bear to watch and asked you to come and inquire: Are they people from beyond heaven who don't understand reason? Or is someone directing them — first subduing Second Sister, and then coming for me and Fourth Sister?"

Ping'er hurriedly said with a smile, "Why does the young lady say such things today? How could our mistress bear such a thing!"

Tanchun said coldly, "As the proverb says, 'Creatures of the same kind feel for one another,' and 'When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.' Naturally, I am somewhat alarmed."

Ping'er said, "As for this matter, it's still not a major issue and is very easy to handle. But she is the young lady's wet nurse's daughter-in-law. What does the young lady think should be done?"

At this moment, Yingchun had been reading stories from the *Tractate of the Most Exalted on Action and Response* with Baoxai, and had not even heard Tanchun's words. When she suddenly heard Ping'er speak this way, she smiled and said, "Ask me — I have no method either. Their faults are of their own making, and they'll reap what they've sown. I can't seek favors for them, nor will I harshly reproach them. As for the things that were secretly taken — if they're brought back, I'll accept them; if not, I don't want them. If the mistresses ask, I can cover it up and gloss over it — that would be their good fortune. If I can't cover it up, there's nothing I can do. There's no reason for me to deceive and wrong the mistresses on their behalf — I'll have to speak plainly. If you say I'm good-natured and lack decisiveness, then if you have some fine plan that satisfies all sides and doesn't anger the mistresses, go ahead and handle it as you will — I know nothing about it."

Everyone who heard this burst into laughter.

Daiyu said with a smile, "Truly this is 'talking of karma while tigers and wolves stand upon the steps.' If Second Sister were a man, how would all these people in the household be governed and controlled?"

Yingchun said with a smile, "Exactly. Even many men are like this — how much more so me?"

Before she finished speaking, another person entered. Who it was, we do not know — listen to the explanation in the next chapter.