Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The previous chapter — Table of Contents — The next chapter

Chapter 76: At Convex Jade Hall, Flute Music Brings a Sense of Desolation; At Concave Crystal Lodge, Linked Verses Deepen the Melancholy of Solitude

Let us leave aside Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen, who had taken their leave. Here, the Dowager ordered the encircling screens to be removed and the two tables to be joined into one. The married women attendants busied themselves wiping the tables and arranging the fruit, changing cups and chopsticks, and setting everything out anew. The Dowager and the others had changed their clothes; now, after washing their hands and rinsing their mouths and drinking tea, they resumed their seats, gathered in a circle around her. The Dowager noticed that Baochai and her sister were not among them—she knew they had gone home to enjoy the moon with their family—and that Li Wan and Fengjie were both ill. With four people missing, she felt the gathering had grown considerably colder. The Dowager said with a smile, "In past years, when your masters were not at home, we would invite the Lady Aunt over and have a wonderful time enjoying the moon together—it was always so lively. But then, when I suddenly thought of your masters, I couldn't help reflecting that husbands, wives, sons, and daughters couldn't all be together, and the pleasure would drain away. This year, now that your masters are here, we should all be enjoying a reunion and having a good time—yet we can't very well invite the Lady Aunt and her daughters over for a pleasant chat and laughter. Besides, they've added two more mouths this year, and it would hardly do to leave them and come over here. And to top it off, Fengjie is ill—just her alone, with her chatter and laughter, could fill the place of ten people. It seems nothing in this world is ever perfect." When she had finished, she could not restrain a long sigh, and then ordered large cups to be brought for the heated wine. Lady Wang smiled, "Today, with mother and sons reunited, it's naturally more interesting than in past years. In past years, though there were many of us, it wasn't as good as this year, when our own flesh and blood are all here together." The Dowager said with a smile, "It's precisely for this reason that I'm in such high spirits and want to drink from large cups. You should all switch to large cups too." Lady Xing and the others had no choice but to change to large cups. As the night was deep and they were weary, and could not hold their liquor, they all felt somewhat drowsy—but the Dowager's spirits were not yet flagging, so they had to keep her company in drinking. The Downer then ordered felt mats to be spread upon the steps, and directed that the moon melons, watermelons, and fruits all be carried down, telling the maids and married women to sit in a circle as well to enjoy the moon. The Dowager, observing that the moon had reached the middle of the sky, found it even more brilliant and lovely than before, and said, "With a moon this fine, we must have some flute music." She ordered the girls from the musical troupe to be summoned. The Dowager said, "Too much music would spoil the elegance—just have someone play the flute, from a distance, and that will be enough." As she finished speaking, the woman attendant who accompanied Lady Xing came forward and whispered a few words to her. The Dowager asked, "What is it?" The woman replied, "Just now, when the Master came out, he tripped on a stone and twisted his leg." Upon hearing this, the Dowager quickly ordered two old women servants to go at once to look after him, and also told Lady Xing to hurry over. Lady Xing thereupon took her leave and departed. The Dowager then said, "Madam Zhen, you might as well go home too—I shall be going to sleep." Madam You said with a smile, "I'm not going back today. I shall certainly spend the whole night drinking with the Old Ancestress." The Dowager said with a smile, "That won't do, that won't do. You young married couple—how can you neglect your reunion tonight just to keep me company?" Madam You flushed and said with a smile, "The Old Ancestress is making us sound quite dreadful. Though we are young, we've been married for over ten years, and we're nearing forty besides. What's more, the mourning period hasn't been completed—it's all right for us to keep the Old Ancestress company for one night, but how could we go off to have our own reunion?" The Dowager, hearing this, said with a smile, "That's quite true—I had forgotten the mourning period wasn't over. Your father-in-law has been gone over two years now, and I had forgotten—I deserve a stiff cup of wine as punishment. In that case, don't bother to see anyone off—just stay with me. Tell Madam Rong to escort them, and she can go back at the same time." Madam You assented. Madam Rong answered, and after seeing Lady Xing off, the two of them went together to the main gate and each took her carriage home. So much for this.

Here the Lady Dowager still led the others in admiring the osmanthus flowers for a while, then returned to the table to change to warm wine. As they were chatting casually, suddenly from the direction of the osmanthus trees came the sound of a flute—sobbing and sighing, drifting and floating on the air. With the bright moon and clear breeze, the sky pure and the earth clean, it truly made all vexation melt away and every care vanish. Everyone sat up in solemn silence, quietly savoring the music. After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the sound finally ceased, and all praised it again and again. Wine was then poured once more. The Lady Dowager smiled and said, "Was it truly worth listening to?" The others laughed and said, "Truly worth hearing! We never expected anything so fine. We needed the Old Lady's guidance to broaden our minds as well." The Lady Dowager said, "This is still not the best. We must choose the slowest melodies—the slower they are played, the better." Saying this, she took an inner-palace-style walnut and pine nut mooncake she had been eating and ordered a large cup of hot wine to be brought, and had them taken to the flute player, telling him to eat slowly and then carefully play another complete suite. The serving women assented and went off to deliver it. Just then, the two old women who had gone to check on Jia She returned and reported, "His right foot is somewhat swollen and white, but now that he has taken medicine, the pain has eased and it is nothing serious." The Lady Dowager nodded and sighed, "I worry too much. People say I play favorites, and yet I go and do just this." She then related Jia She's joke to Lady Wang, Madam You, and the others. Lady Wang and the others laughed and consoled her, "That was just everyone joking after drinking—it's possible someone wasn't careful. No one would dare say anything against the Old Lady. You should explain it to them yourself." Then Yuanyang came with a soft towel hood and a great cape, saying, "It's late now. I'm afraid the dew will fall and the wind will blow on your head—you'll need these. It's time to rest soon." The Lady Dowager said, "I'm especially happy tonight, and you come to rush me. Am I drunk? I'd rather stay till daybreak!" She ordered more wine poured. Putting on the hood and wrapping herself in the cape, she made everyone keep her company drinking again, trading jokes. Then from the shade of the osmanthus trees came that sobbing, sighing, drifting, floating sound once more—another thread of flute music, indeed more melancholy than before. Everyone sat in hushed stillness. The night was quiet and the moon bright, and the flute's notes were grievous and plaintive. The Lady Dowager, old and flushed with wine, could not help being touched at heart by this music, and tears fell in spite of herself. One and all felt a sense of desolation and loneliness. It was only after a while that they realized the Lady Dowager was moved to sorrow, and they quickly turned to coax her with smiles and comforting words. They ordered warm wine and had the flute stopped. Madam You laughed and said, "Let me try telling a joke to cheer the Old Lady up." The Lady Dowager forced a smile and said, "That's even better—quickly now, let me hear it." Madam You then said, "A family had four sons: the eldest had only one eye, the second only one ear, the third only one nostril, and the fourth was perfectly complete in every way—except that he was mute." Just as she was saying this, they saw the Lady Dowager's eyes already half-closed, as if she were falling asleep. Madam You stopped and, together with Lady Wang, gently roused her. The Lady Dowager opened her eyes and smiled, "I'm not sleepy—just resting my eyes to gather my strength. Go on with your talk, I'm listening." Lady Wang and the others laughed and said, "It's already the fourth watch of the night, and the wind and dew are heavy. Please let the Old Lady rest. Tomorrow we can admire the sixteenth instead—we won't have wasted this moonlit night." The Lady Dowager said, "Is it really the fourth watch already?" Lady Wang smiled and said, "It truly is the fourth watch. The young ladies couldn't keep up and have all gone to sleep." The Lady Dowager looked carefully and saw that indeed they had all dispersed—only Tanchun remained. The Lady Dowager said, "Very well. You can't keep late hours either, and some are frail, some are sick—it's actually a relief that they've gone. Only Third Daughter is pitiable, still waiting here. You go too, and we'll be done." Saying this, she rose, took a sip of clear tea, and there was the small bamboo-chair sedan chair that had been prepared. Wrapping herself in her cape, she sat down, two old women lifted it, and everyone escorted her out of the garden. So much for this.

Meanwhile, as the serving women were clearing away the cups and plates, they found that a small teacup was missing. They searched everywhere without success and asked everyone, "Someone must have broken it by accident. If it was left somewhere, tell me so I can take the pieces in as evidence—otherwise they'll say it was stolen." Everyone said, "Nothing was broken. Perhaps one of the young ladies' attendants broke it—who can say? Think carefully, or go ask them." This reminded the woman in charge of the household stores, who laughed and said, "That's right—I remember now, it was Cui Lü who had it. I'll go ask her." She went to look for her, and had just descended the covered path when she met Zijuan and Cui Lü coming along. Cui Lü asked, "The Old Lady has dispersed—do you know where our young lady has gone?" The woman said, "I've come asking where a certain teacup has gone, and you ask me about your young lady." Cui Lü laughed and said, "I had just poured tea for our young lady to drink, and when I turned my eyes back for a moment, even our young lady was gone." The woman said, "The Mistress just said they've all gone to sleep. You don't know where she's gone off to amuse herself—you don't even know about it yet." Cui Lü said to Zijuan, "There's no way she quietly went off to sleep. She must be walking about somewhere. Now that the Old Lady has dispersed, she may have hurried ahead to see her off—who can say. Let's go look for her up ahead. Once we find our young lady, naturally your teacup will be found too. You can look again first thing tomorrow—what's the rush?" The woman laughed and said, "Once we have a lead, there's no need to rush. I'll come ask you for it tomorrow." With that she went back to continue checking the tableware. Here Zijuan and Cui Lü then went toward the Lady Dowager's quarters. So much for this.

It turned out that Daiyu and Xiangyun had not gone to sleep after all. Daiyu, seeing so many people in the Jia household enjoying the moon, and the Lady Dowager lamenting that there were fewer people than in former years and that the celebration lacked its old liveliness, had also mentioned how Baochai's family had gone off to enjoy the moon together as mother, daughters, and brothers. Unable to contain her feelings at the scene, she had gone to lean against the railing and weep. Baoyu, on the other hand, had been so distressed by Qingwen's grave illness that he had lost interest in everything else; after Lady Wang repeatedly urged him to sleep, he finally went. Tanchun had also been vexed by recent household matters and had no leisure for enjoyment. As for Yingchun and Xichun, though they were present, they had never been particularly close in any case. So Xiangyun alone remained to comfort Daiyu. "You are a sensible person," she said. "Why torment yourself like this? I'm just like you, but I'm not as narrow-minded. Besides, you're often ill—you ought to take better care of yourself. What I can't stand is Sister Bao—every day she talks of how close we all are, and she already said that this year at Mid-Autumn we would all enjoy the moon together and definitely form a poetry club and compose linked verses. But today she's abandoned us and gone off to enjoy the moon on her own. The club is dissolved, the poems are abandoned. Instead it's her father, uncle, and cousins who are having a fine time together. You know what well Emperor Taizu of Song said: 'How can I allow others to snore beside my own couch?' Since they won't compose, let's we two link verses together and shame them tomorrow." Seeing Xiangyun speak so encouragingly and not wishing to dampen her high spirits, Daiyu said with a smile, "Look at all this noise and commotion here—how could anyone feel poetic?" Xiangyun laughed. "Enjoying the moon from the mountaintop is fine, but it can't compare with enjoying it near water. You know that at the foot of this slope is the edge of the pond, and in the hollow near the water is the Concave Crystal Pavilion. You see, there was real learning behind the design of this garden. The high point of the mountain is called Convex Emerald, and the low hollow near the water is called Concave Crystal. The characters *tu* and *ao* are rarely used in ordinary writing. Now that they've been used directly as names for pavilions and halls, they feel all the fresher and avoid the commonplace. You can see that these two spots—one above and one below, one bright and one dark, one high and one low, one of mountain and one of water—were actually designed specifically for moon-viewing. Those who love the lofty mountain and the small moon come here; those who love the bright moon and clear waves go there." She added, "Only the common people pronounce these two characters as *wa* and *gong*, which makes them sound vulgar and so they are seldom used. Only Lu Fangweng used the character *ao* in the line 'An ancient inkstone slightly concave gathers much ink,' and someone even criticized him as being vulgar—isn't that ridiculous?" Lin Daiyu said, "It's not just Fangweng who used them—too many ancient people used them as well. For instance, Jiang Yan's 'Moss Rhapsody,' Dongfang Shuo's 'Classic of Marvels,' and even the painting records that tell of Zhang Sengyou painting the Yicheng Temple—too many examples to list. It's just that people today don't know and mistakenly treat them as vulgar characters. To tell you the truth, I'm the one who proposed these two characters. That year when we were testing Baoyu, he had suggested several names—some were kept, some were revised, and some had not yet been decided. Later the rest of us worked out the ones that still had no names, added the sources, and wrote down the locations of the buildings, and all of it was taken in to show the Elder Sister. She brought it out again and had it shown to Uncle. Who would have expected that Uncle would take such a fancy to it? He said, 'Had I known it would turn out like this, I should have had all the girls compose them that day—wouldn't that have been fun?' So everything I proposed was used without a single character changed. Now let's go have a look at the Concave Crystal Pavilion."

With that, the two of them walked down the slope together. After just one turn they came to the edge of the pond, where a stretch of bamboo railings connected along the bank and led all the way to the Lotus Fragrance Arbour. Because these rooms nestled in the embrace of the mountain, they served as the retirement quarters of the Convex Emerald Mountain Villa; being situated in a hollow near the water, the plaque over the door read "Concave Crystal Stream Pavilion." As there were few rooms here and they were low and small, only two old women were on night duty. Having learned that the people at Convex Emerald Mountain Villa were on call and that nothing concerned them, these two old women had shut the door after bringing mooncakes, fruits, and food and wine for a reward; having eaten and drunk their fill, they had long since put out the lamp and gone to sleep. When Daiyu and Xiangyun saw that the lamp was out, Xiangyun said with a smile, "It's just as well they're asleep. Why don't we enjoy the moon from the covered gallery here, near the water?" The two of them then sat down on two mottled bamboo stools. Above, the sky displayed a single bright moon; below, the pond mirrored a single water moon—above and below vying in brilliance, as though they found themselves within a crystal palace in the realm of the shark-folk. A gentle breeze passed, and the surface of the pond rippled with fine creases of emerald, truly making one's spirit clear and one's mind pure. Xiangyun laughed, "Wouldn't it be nice to be sitting in a boat drinking wine right now? If it were like this at my house, I'd get into a boat at once." Daiyu said with a smile, "As the ancients rightly said, 'If you seek perfection in everything, where is the joy?' I say this is fine as it is—why insist on getting into a boat?" Xiangyun laughed, "Having gained the Long region, one looks toward Shu—that is only human nature. You see, those old people were right. Tell a poor family that wealthy families have everything their hearts desire, and they won't believe you when you say that even the wealthy cannot have everything go as they wish. They must experience it themselves before they understand. Take the two of us—though our parents are no longer with us, we still count ourselves among the wealthy, and yet we too have many things that don't go as we wish." Daiyu said with a smile, "It's not just you and I who lack contentment—even the Old Lady, Lady Madam, Baoyu, Tanchun, and the maids—whether matters great or small, justified or not—the principle that each cannot have their heart's desire is the same for all. How much more so for us, who are but sojourners and guests in a strange place!" Xiangyun, fearing that Daiyu might be moved to sadness again, quickly said, "Let's not talk of such things—let's compose poetry instead."

Just as they were talking, they heard the melodious notes of a flute rising. Daiyu laughed, "Today the Old Lady and Lady Wang are in good spirits. That flute is played quite delightfully—it really adds to our enjoyment. Since we both love five-character lines, let's do a five-character regulated verse."

Xiangyun asked, "What rhyme scheme shall we use?"

Daiyu laughed, "Let's count the upright bars of this railing—from this end to that. Whatever number the last bar is, that's the rhyme we use. If there are sixteen bars, we start with the 'First Xian' rhyme. Isn't that original?"

Xiangyun laughed, "That is rather ingenious."

So they both rose and counted from one end to the other, reaching thirteen.

Xiangyun said, "It turns out to be the 'Thirteenth Yuan' rhyme. There are few words in this rhyme category—writing a regulated verse might force us to stretch the rhymes. You'll have to start with the first line."

Daiyu laughed, "Let's test who's stronger and who's weaker. It's just that we have no paper and brush to write it down."

Xiangyun said, "That doesn't matter—we can write it up tomorrow. I doubt we have even that much wit left."

Daiyu said, "Let me start with a ready-made common saying." She recited:

On the fifteenth night of the Mid-Autumn moon,

Xiangyun thought for a moment, then said:

A pleasant outing rivals the Lantern Festival. The sky is brilliant with the Dipper and the Spoon,

Daiyu laughed:

And the ground resounds with pipes and strings everywhere. In how many places do they wildly pass the cups?

Xiangyun laughed, "This line—'In how many places do they wildly pass the cups?'—has some flavor. This must be matched well." She thought a moment, then laughed:

In what household is the gate not opened? The light breeze cuts keenly,

Daiyu said, "Your match is better than mine. But the next line is too commonplace—you should put more force into it."

Xiangyun said, "With many lines and a risky rhyme, one needs to elaborate a bit. Even if there's something good, save it for later."

Daiyu laughed, "If there's nothing good later, let's see if you blush."

She continued:

The fine night scene is warm and bright. They mock the old man over the mooncake,

Xiangyun laughed, "This line is no good—you made it up. You're using a common thing to stump me."

Daiyu laughed, "I told you you haven't read enough. Eating mooncakes is an old allusion. Check the Tang histories before you speak."

Xiangyun laughed, "That can't stump me either. I have a match." She continued:

They smile at the green boy over the melon. The fragrance is fresh—the jade osmanthus blooms,

Daiyu laughed, "The melon-splitting line is truly your fabrication."

Xiangyun laughed, "Tomorrow we can look it up together and check. For now, let's not waste time."

Daiyu said, "Even so, the next line isn't good either—you shouldn't just stuff in phrases like 'jade osmanthus' and 'golden orchid' to get by." She continued:

The color is vigorous—the golden day-lily flourishes. Candles illuminate the jade banquet,

Xiangyun laughed, "'Golden day-lily' was an easy score for you—it saved you so much effort. Such a convenient rhyme fell to your lot, just don't write it as a flattery to the throne. Besides, your next line is also just filler."

Daiyu laughed, "If you hadn't said 'jade osmanthus', would I have forced 'golden day-lily' as a match? Besides, I needed something more elaborate to suit the scene."

Xiangyun had no choice but to continue:

Goblets and counters are scattered through the splendid garden. Divided into teams, they honor a single command,

Daiyu laughed, "The next line is good, but harder to match." After thinking a moment, she continued:

The dice-throwing hears the three announcements. The dice show red like dots,

Xiangyun laughed, "'Three announcements' is interesting—it actually turns the vulgar into the elegant. But the next line goes back to dice again." She continued:

The flower-pass drums clamor noisily. The clear light sways through the courtyard,

Daiyu laughed, "That matches well. But the next line slips again—you keep stuffing in romantic scenes as filler."

Xiangyun said, "We still haven't mentioned the moon. We should embellish a bit, or we'll stray from the theme."

Daiyu said, "Let's keep it for now and polish it tomorrow." She continued:

The pure light joins with heaven and earth. There is no distinction between guest and host in reward and punishment,

Xiangyun said, "Why keep talking about them? Better to talk about us." She continued:

In composing poetry, we order elder and younger. Conceiving thoughts, we lean on the railing,

Daiyu said, "Now we can bring ourselves into it." She continued:

Sketching scenes, we lean by the door. The wine is finished but the feeling remains,

Xiangyun said, "It's getting late." She continued:

The watch is far spent and the music is hushed. Gradually the laughter and talk grow still,

Daiyu said, "You can see it gets harder with each step." She continued:

Only frost and snow traces remain. The morning dew gathers like fungi on the steps,

Xiangyun laughed, "How does this line rhyme? Let me think." She stood up, clasped her hands behind her back, thought a moment, and laughed: "Enough—fortunately I thought of a character. I almost lost." She continued:

The evening smoke settles on the sunset hahaber tree. The autumn torrent pours the stone's marrow,

Daiyu, upon hearing this, couldn't help but rise and cry out in admiration. "You mischievous devil—you really did save the best. Only now you use the character 'hūn'—how did you think of it?"

Xiangyun said, "Fortunately, yesterday I saw this character in the literary selections of various dynasties. I didn't know what tree it was, so I looked it up. Bao-chai said there was no need to look it up—it's what people commonly call 'opens at dusk, closes at dawn.' I didn't quite believe her, so I checked after all, and she was right. It seems Bao-chai knows an awful lot."

Daiyu laughed, "Using 'hūn' here is quite fitting—that will do. It's just that the 'autumn torrent' line was wonderfully conceived. Just this one line, and all the others should be crossed out. I'll have to rouse my spirits to match it, but I can never equal this line." After thinking a moment, she said:

The wind-blade leaves gather at the cloud's root. The star of the jade consort stands alone, pure,

Xiangyun said, "That match isn't bad either. But your next line slips too—fortunately it's emotion within the scene, not just using 'jade consort' as filler." She continued:

The silver toad's breath exhales and inhales. The medicine is pounded by the spiritual hare,

Daiyu said nothing but nodded, then after a long while recited:

The man speeds toward the Moon Palace,

inviting the Herd-boy by crossing the Dipper.

Xiangyun, also gazing at the moon, nodded and chanted:

Riding the raft to await the Imperial Grandson—

the waxing and waning of the wheel cannot be fixed.

Daiyu laughed, "You're using *bi xing* again!" and chanted:

The dark and bright phases—the soul remains hollow in the void.

The water-clock's sound is running dry.

Just as Xiangyun was about to continue, Daiyu pointed to a dark shadow in the pool and said, "Look—what is that in the water, like a person in the shadows? Could it be a ghost?"

Xiangyun laughed, "There you go seeing ghosts again. I'm not afraid of ghosts—let me hit it." She bent down, picked up a small stone, and tossed it into the pool. It struck the water with a splash, and the moon's reflection shattered into a great circle, then gathered together again several times. From within the dark shadow came a loud cry, and a great white crane flew up and headed straight for the Lotus-Scented Pavilion.

Daiyu laughed, "So it was him! I never would have guessed—it really gave me a start."

Xiangyun laughed, "This crane is interesting—it actually helped me!" and chanted:

The window lamp's flame has grown dim.

A cold ford—the crane's shadow crosses.

Lin Daiyu listened, called out "Bravo!" and stamped her feet. "Incredible—this crane really helped him! That line is even better than 'autumn rapids.' What can I match it with? For 'shadow,' only 'soul' will do. Besides, 'a cold ford—the crane crosses'—how natural, how ready-made, how vivid and fresh! I could put down my pen right now."

Xiangyun laughed, "If everyone thinks carefully, it will come. Otherwise, we can leave it for tomorrow."

Daiyu gazed at the sky and paid her no mind. After a long while, she suddenly laughed, "Don't be so smug—I have mine now. Listen." She recited:

The cold moon buries the flower's soul.

Xiangyun clapped her hands and praised, "Truly excellent! Nothing else could match it. 'Buries the flower's soul'—wonderful!" Then she sighed, "The poem is indeed original, but it's too desolate. You're ill right now—you shouldn't write such excessively strange and haunting lines."

Daiyu laughed, "How else could I surpass you? I haven't gotten the next line yet—I spent all my effort on this one."

Before she finished speaking, someone turned out from behind the rockery beyond the railing and laughed, "Fine poem, truly fine poem—but far too mournful. No need to continue. If the rest goes on like this, it will actually diminish these two lines and seem forced and labored."

The two started in alarm. Looking closely, it was not someone else—it was Miaoyu. Both were astonished and asked, "How did you get here?"

Miaoyu laughed, "I heard everyone enjoying the moon and playing beautiful flute music, so I came out to enjoy the clear pool and bright moon as well. I wandered here by chance and suddenly heard the two of you chanting poetry together—it was extraordinarily refined and elegant, so I stopped to listen. But just now, hearing those lines, though good, were too desolate and mournful. This also has to do with a person's fate and destiny, so I came out to stop you. Now the Dowager has long since dispersed, and everyone in the garden must be fast asleep. Your maids don't even know where to find you. Aren't you afraid of the cold? Quickly come with me to my place for a cup of tea—it will probably be dawn by then."

Daiyu laughed, "Who would have thought it's already this late?"

The three of them then went together to Green Lattice Nunnery. Inside, the shrine flame was still blue-green, and the incense in the burner had not yet burned out. Several old nuns were already asleep, and only a little maid was dozing with her head bowed on a rush cushion. Miaoyu roused her and had her brew tea fresh.

Suddenly there came a knock at the door. The little maid hurried to open it and found Zijuan, Cui Lü, and several old nuns, who had come searching for the two sisters. Upon entering and seeing them drinking tea, they all laughed, "What a search we've had—we walked the entire garden and even went to the Concubine's place. We finally went to look in the small pavilion at the foot of that hillside, and it happened that the night watchmen there had just woken up. We asked them, and they said there were two people talking under the shed outside the pavilion, and then a third person joined them, and they heard them say they were all going to the nunnery. So we knew you were here."

Miaoyu quickly ordered the little maid to lead them to sit and rest and drink tea there. She herself took out brush, inkstone, paper, and ink, had the two of them recite the poem they had just composed, and wrote it out from beginning to end.

Daiyu, seeing that she was in unusually high spirits today, smiled and said, "I've never seen you so happy before. I wouldn't presume to ask, but would you be willing to give some instruction? If it's not good enough, then burn it; if it can be corrected, please do correct it."

Miaoyu laughed, "I wouldn't presume to offer careless criticism. But you already have twenty-two lines. I suspect that since your two brilliant lines have already been set, if you continue, you may not have the strength for more. I would like to add the tail to the dog, but I fear I might tarnish it."

Daiyu had never seen Miaoyu write poetry before; seeing her so happy now, she quickly said, "If that's truly the case, even our poor lines might be carried along to look better."

Miaoyu said, "Now for the conclusion, it should ultimately return to the original nature of things. If we abandon genuine feeling and real events and go chasing the strange and curious, we would lose the character of our ladies' quarters on the one hand, and on the other, it would have nothing to do with the theme."

Both said this was absolutely right.

Miaoyu then took up her brush and finished it in one stroke, handing it back to the two of them. "Don't laugh. In my view, it must be like this—only then can the tone be turned around. Though the preceding lines are mournful, it won't matter much."

The two took it and looked. They saw her continuation:

Incense tracings are consumed in the golden tripod,

grease ice clings to the jade basin.

The widows' weeping grows with the flute,

the coverlets are warmed by serving maids.

Empty curtains hang with patterned phoenixes,

idle screens hide painted mandarin ducks.

Heavy dew—the moss grows slicker,

thick frost—the bamboos are hard to grasp.

Still pacing the winding marsh,

still climbing the desolate plain.

Bizarre rocks—gods and ghosts grappling,

grotesque trees—tigers and wolves crouching.

The tortoise-dragon screens let the morning light filter through; the lattice walls hold the dawn dew gathered thick.

A thousand trees in the forest stir with birds; a single ape cries out in the valley.

When the forked path is well known, who forgets the way? When the spring is understood, no one asks its source.

The bell rings at the temple among green bamboos; the cock crows at the village of fragrant rice.

With inspiration, what sorrow could follow? Without grief, how could the mind be troubled?

Refined feelings can only be sent forth alone—elegant taste, to whom can it be spoken?

All night long, do not say you are weary—let us brew tea and discuss these things in greater detail.

Postscript: "The above: A linked verse composed on the spot at the Grand View Garden on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in thirty-five rhymes." Daiyu and Xiangyun both praised it endlessly, saying, "This shows we have been leaving what is near to seek what is far. Here is a true poet-immortal among us, yet every day we go off to talk about poetry on paper!" Miaoyu smiled and said, "We can polish it further tomorrow. Right now I think dawn is nearly here—we really should rest." Lin and Shi, upon hearing this, rose to take their leave, leading their maids out. Miaoyu saw them to the door and watched them go far off before closing the gate and coming in. No more of this.

Here Cui Lü said to Xiangyun, "There are people waiting for us to go to sleep at the Elder Master's wife's place. Where should we go now?" Xiangyun smiled and say, "Tell them on your way and tell them to go to sleep. If I go over there, I might disturb the patient. It would be better to go and make a racket at Miss Lin's place in the middle of the night." With this, they all walked to the Bamboo Lodge, where half the people had already gone to sleep. The two went inside, removed their ornaments and loosened their clothes, washed their faces and rinsed their mouths, and only then got into bed to rest. Zijuan lowered the silk bed-curtain, moved the lamp, closed the door, and went out. Who would have known that Xiangyun suffered from the habit of being unable to sleep in an unfamiliar bed—though she lay on the pillow, she simply could not fall asleep. Daiyu, for her part, was one who often suffered from insomnia due to a deficiency of blood and vital energy, and today she had missed her usual time for sleep, so naturally she could not sleep either. The two of them tossed and turned on their pillows. Daiyu therefore asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?" Xiangyun smiled and said, "I have my trouble sleeping in strange beds, and besides I've passed my usual hour for sleep—I'll just lie here for a while. Why can't you sleep either?" Daiyu sighed and said, "My inability to sleep isn't just today—in the course of a whole year, I probably manage to get a full night's sleep only about ten nights altogether." Xiangyun said, "That's because of your illness, so..." What she said next, let us hear in the following chapter.

Previous chapter　Table of Contents　Next chapter