Chapter 94

Chapter 94

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Chapter 94

Madame Jia Holds a Crabapple Blossom Banquet, Suspecting a Portent;

The Loss of Pao-yu's Jade Foretells a Strange Disaster

Lai Ta escorted Ch'in Ch'in out, and after a night without further incident, they awaited Chia Cheng's return in silence. Meanwhile, the nuns and Taoist priestesses, having been brought back to the garden, were overjoyed and wanted to stroll about the various spots in preparation for entering the palace the next day. To their surprise, Lai Ta had instructed the women and pages guarding the quarters to give them food and drink but not allow them to take a single step outside. The girls, unable to make heads or tails of it, had no choice but to sit and wait until dawn. The maids throughout the garden all knew that the nuns had been summoned to prepare for service in the palace, but they could not fully grasp the underlying reasons.

The next morning, Chia Cheng was about to leave his office when documents arrived from two provincial capitals requiring immediate review of construction expenditure accounts. Unable to return home at once, he sent a messenger to tell Chia Lian, "When Lai Ta returns, you must get to the bottom of this matter. Handle it as you see fit—don't wait for me." Chia Lian received the order and was glad on young Ch'in's behalf. Then he reflected, "If I settle this without leaving any trace at all, Father might become suspicious. Better to report to the Second Lady and ask her to decide how to proceed. Even if it doesn't sit well with the master, I won't bear too much responsibility." Having made up his mind, he went inside to see Lady Wang and explained, "Yesterday Father saw that anonymous notice and was furious. He had Ch'in Ch'in and the nuns and priestesses all brought into the mansion for investigation. Today Father has no time to deal with such unseemly matters, so he told me to report to you and said to handle it as I see fit. That's why I've come to ask your instructions, my lady—how should this matter be dealt with?"

Lady Wang, hearing this, said in astonishment, "What is all this? If Ch'in Ch'in has indeed behaved this way, how can he still be considered one of our family? But the person who posted that notice is hateful too—how dare he spread such slanderous talk? Did you ask Ch'in Ch'in whether any of this is true?"

Chia Lian replied, "I just asked him. Think about it, my lady—even if he did it, would anyone admit to such shameful conduct? But I don't believe Ch'in Ch'in would dare do such a thing. He knows those girls were summoned at Her Ladyship's request. If trouble were to come of it, what then? In my nephew's humble opinion, questioning him wouldn't be difficult. But if something comes of it, how would you handle it, my lady?"

Lady Wang asked, "Where are those girls now?"

Chia Lian said, "All locked up in the garden."

Lady Wang asked, "Do the young ladies know?"

Chia Lian replied, "I imagine the young ladies all know it's in preparation for the palace, but nothing else has been mentioned outside."

Lady Wang said, "Very well. These creatures cannot be kept here a moment longer. Originally I meant to send them away, but you all said it was better to keep them. And now see what's happened. Have Lai Ta and his men take them and carefully inquire whether they have family members back home. Find the documents, spend a few dozen taels of silver, hire a boat, assign a reliable person to escort them to their native places, return them along with their documents, and let the matter be settled peacefully. If we press for laicization of all of them just because one or two are no good, that would be too cruel. If we hand them over to the official matchmakers here, even though we wouldn't ask for a price, they would sell them for profit and wouldn't care whether the girls live or die. As for Ch'in Ch'in, give him a severe scolding. Tell him he is not to come here except for sacrificial rites or celebrations, and be careful—if he runs into his father in a rage, he won't be able to escape the consequences. Also inform the accounting office to cancel the record of these expenditures. Send someone to the Water Moon Nunnery to convey the master's order: except for tomb-sweeping and burning paper offerings, if any men from the family go there, they are not to be received. If there is even a whisper of further misconduct, the old abbess herself will be driven out as well."

Chia Lian agreed to everything, then went out and told Lai Ta Lady Wang's instructions: "These are the lady's wishes—she wants you to handle it this way. When it's done, report back to me so I can inform her. Be quick about it. When the master returns, you can also report according to the lady's words."

Lai Ta, upon hearing this, said, "Our lady is truly a Bodhisatva at heart. Having someone escort these creatures home—since the lady is so kind, we must find a proper person for the job. As for young Master Ch'in, I'll leave him to you, Second Master, to deal with. As for the one who posted that notice, this servant will find a way to track him down and give him a sound punishment."

Chia Lian nodded and said, "Quite right." He immediately dealt with Ch'in Ch'in. Lai Ta also hurriedly led the nuns and priestesses away and set about handling matters according to the plan. That evening, when Chia Cheng returned home, Chia Lian and Lai Ta reported to him. Chia Cheng was by nature a man who preferred to avoid trouble, so upon hearing the report, he let the matter drop.

Only the local idlers, upon hearing that the Chia household was sending out twenty-four girls, were all eager to get their hands on them. But whether those girls could actually return home remained unknown, and it was difficult to predict their fate.

Meanwhile, as Daiyu was gradually improving and there was little to do in the Garden, Zijuan heard that the nuns were being prepared for palace service and, not knowing what it meant, went to Grandmother Jia's quarters to find out. She happened to run into Yuanyang, who had just come downstairs, and sat down with her for a chat. When Zijuan brought up the matter of the nuns, Yuanyang said in surprise, "I haven't heard anything about it. I'll ask Second Lady Wang when I go back." Just then, two women from the Fu Shi household came to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia, and Yuanyang was about to escort them upstairs. But since Grandmother Jia was taking her afternoon nap, the women simply spoke with Yuanyang and left. Zijuan asked, "Whose household sent those women?" Yuanyang replied, "What a nuisance! They have a daughter who is rather pretty, and they go around showing her off as if she were a treasure, always praising her in front of the old lady—how beautiful she is, how good her heart, how proper her manners, how witty her speech, how skilled her needlework, how well she can read and write and do accounts, how filial she is to her elders, and how gentle she is to the servants. They spin this whole tale every time they come, and they're always telling it to the old lady. I find it very tiresome. Those old women are truly a bore. But our old lady actually enjoys listening to that sort of talk. Well, that's the old lady, but then there's Baoyu—he usually finds old women quite disagreeable, yet oddly enough, he doesn't find *their* old women tiresome. Isn't that strange? Just the other day they came again and said that many families have been asking for their daughter's hand, but their master has refused them all, because in his heart he only wants an alliance with a family like ours. With all their flattery and praise, they've quite won over the old lady's heart." Zijuan listened in a daze, then said offhandedly, "If the old lady is so pleased, why not just betroth her to Baoyu?" Yuanyang was just about to explain why not when they heard someone upstairs call out, "The old lady is awake." Yuanyang hurried upstairs.

Zijuan had no choice but to take her leave and return to the Garden. As she walked, she thought to her herself, "Is there really only one Baoyu in this world? You want him, and I want him. And our young lady has become even more infatuated—judging by the look on her face, she's set her heart on Baoyu for certain. All those illnesses she's had over and over again—what else could they be for? This household has enough trouble with its gold and silver without adding some Miss Fu into the mix—that would be even worse. It seems Baoyu's heart is with our young lady, but from what Yuanyang said, he falls for one girl as soon as he sees another. Doesn't that mean our young lady has worried herself for nothing?" Zijuan had been thinking of Daiyu, but as her thoughts went further, she found herself losing her composure too, and tears came to her eyes. If she tried to tell Daiyu not to fret pointlessly, she feared it would only trouble her; yet watching her like this was pitiable. Turn it over this way and that, and she grew agitated. She spat at herself and said, "Why do you worry on other people's behalf! Even if Miss Lin were truly matched with Baoyu, his temperament would be hard to manage. Baoyu's nature is good enough, but he's the greedy sort who bites off more than he can chew. Here I am telling others not to fret, when I'm the one fretting pointlessly. From now on, I'll just devote myself to serving my young lady and let everything else be!" With that thought, her mind felt clear again. She returned to Bamboo Lodge and found Daiyu sitting alone on the kang, sorting through poems and compositions she had written before. When Daiyu looked up and saw Zijuan, she asked, "Where have you been?" Zijuan replied, "I went to visit the girls today." Daiyu said, "You went to look for Sister Xiren, didn't you?" Zijuan said, "What would I want with her?" Daiyu realized the words had slipped out without thinking, and feeling rather embarrassed, she pursed her lips and said, "Who you go looking for has nothing to do with me! Go pour some tea."

Zi Juan was secretly amused as she went out to pour the tea. She could hear a great commotion in the garden but had no cause what it might be. While pouring the tea, she told someone to go and find out. When that person came back, he reported, "A few of the crabapple trees in Happy Red Court had withered, and no one had bothered to water them. Yesterday when Baoyu went there, he noticed what looked like buds on the branches. No one believed him and paid no attention. Then suddenly today the crabapple trees burst into magnificent bloom. Everyone was astonished and rushed to look. Even the Old Lady and Lady Wang were lured over to see the flowers. So the First Madam has ordered the gardeners to clear away the dead leaves and withered branches in the garden, and that is why these people are being summoned."

Daiyu also heard the news. Knowing that the Old Lady had come, she changed her clothes and asked Snow Goose to go and find out. "If the Old Lady has come, let me know at once." Snow Goose had not been gone long before she came running back. "The Old Lady and Lady Wang and quite a number of others have arrived. They asked the young lady to go over at once." Daiyu glanced at herself in the mirror, smoothed her hair, and leaning on Zi Juan, went to Happy Red Court. She found the Old Lady already seated on the couch where Baoyu usually slept.

Daiyu stepped forward. "I pay my respects to the Old Lady." Then she withdrew and greeted the two Madams Xing and Wang. After that she came back to exchange greetings with Li Wan, Tanchun, Xichun, and Xing Chuanxian. Xifeng was the only one absent because of illness; Shi Xiangyun had been taken home when her uncle was transferred back to the capital; Xue Baoqin was staying with her elder sister; and the Li sisters had moved out with their aunt because there was so much happening in the garden. So the only people Daiyu saw today were these few.

After some general conversation and pleasantries, they discussed the strange flowering of the crabapple trees. The Old Lady said, "These flowers should bloom in the third month. Although it is now the eleventh month, the season is late, so it is still more like the tenth month. This is the sort of weather we have in the Little Spring, so it is not surprising that the flowers have opened because it is warm."

Lady Wang said, "The Old Lady has seen so much that she is bound to be right. There is nothing strange about it."

Madam Xing said, "I heard that these trees had withered for a whole year. Why should they bloom out of season now? There must be some reason."

Li Wan said with a smile, "What the Old Lady and Lady Wang have said is true. But in my foolish opinion, this must be an omen that some good fortune is coming to Baoyu—the flowers are giving us advance notice."

Tanchun said nothing, but she thought to herself: "These flowers cannot be a good omen. As a rule, those who go with the current flourish, while those who go against it perish. When plants sense the turn of fate and bloom out of season, it must be a portent of evil." But she kept her thoughts to herself.

Daiyu alone, hearing that this was a good omen, was moved in her heart and said happily, "There was once a family of farmers who had one bramble tree. When the three brothers divided their property, the tree withered. Later, the brothers were so touched by this that they agreed to live together again, and the tree revived. So we see that plants are affected by human beings too. Now that Second Brother is studying seriously and his uncle is pleased, that tree has come into bud again."

The Old Lady and Lady Wang were delighted. "Miss Lin's analogy is very apt and most interesting," they said.

Just then Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Huan, and Jia Lan all came in to see the flowers. Jia She declared, "In my opinion, that tree should be cut down. It must be some flower demon at work."

Jia Zheng said, "If we do not regard it as strange, its strangeness will die of itself. There is no need to cut it down. Let it be."

When the Old Lady heard this, she said, "Who is talking such nonsense here? When people have good fortune, what is strange or not strange about it? If this is a good thing, you can all share in it. If it is a bad thing, I alone will bear it. No more of this talk!"

Jia Zheng dared say nothing more and left sheepishly with Jia She and the others.

The Old Lady, in high spirits, sent orders to the kitchen to prepare a banquet quickly so that everyone could enjoy the flowers. She called out, "Baoyu, Huan, and Lan—each of you must write a poem to celebrate this occasion. Miss Lin has only just recovered, so do not trouble her. If she feels up to it, she can make some corrections for you." Then she said to Li Wan, "You must all stay and drink with me." Li Wan assented and said with a smile to Tanchun, "This is all your doing." Tanchun replied, "Even if we were not asked to write poems, how could you blame us?" Li Wan said, "Wasn't it you who started the Crabapple Poetry Club? Now that crabapple tree wants to join the club too." Everyone laughed at this.

The dishes were soon served. As they drank, each tried to amuse the Old Lady by making cheerful remarks. Baoyu came forward, poured out some wine, and then standing up, composed four lines. He wrote them down and read them aloud to the Old Lady:

Why did the crabapple suddenly wither away?

Why does it burst into bloom today?

It must be to foretell long life for Lady Wang,

As the returning yang outpaces the plum blossom's sway.

Jia Huan also wrote a poem and read it out:

When plants meet spring, they should sprout anew,

But the crabapple bloomed before its time was due.

How many strange things happen here on earth—

In winter's month, it flowered in our household, true.

Jia Lan wrote out his poem in formal regular script and presented it to the Old Lady, who told Li Wan to read it:

Its charming hues congealed, it withered before the spring,

Moistened with frost, it bloomed after snowfall's sting.

Say not this flower's knowledge is shallow and slight—

It flourishes to grace the cups of our delight.

When the Old Lady had heard this, she said, "I don't understand poetry very well, but it seems to me that Lan's poem is the best. Huan's is not so good. Come, all of you, and eat."

Seeing how pleased the Old Lady was, Baoyu became even more elated. Then he thought: "The year that Qingwen died, that crabapple tree died too. Now that the crabapple has revived, everyone in our courtyard should naturally be well. But Qingwen cannot come back to life like this flower." His joy suddenly turned to sorrow.

Then he remembered what Qiaojie had said the other day about Xifeng wanting to bring Wuer into the household to fill Qingwen's place. Perhaps this flower had bloomed for her sake—that was possible too. And so his grief turned back to joy, and he went on chatting and laughing as before.

Grandmother Jia remained seated for a while longer, then leaning on Pearl, she went back. Lady Wang and the others followed along. They saw P'ing-er come forward with a cheerful smile and say: "Our mistress knows that the Old Lady is enjoying the flowers here. She couldn't come herself, so she sent your bondservant to wait on the Old Lady and the ladies. She also sent two pieces of red silk for Master Pao to wrap these flowers in, as a congratulatory gift." Hsi-jen came over to receive them and presented them to Grandmother Jia. The old lady laughed and said: "That Feng girl always does things in such a way that it's both dignified and fresh—very amusing indeed!" Hsi-jen said to P'ing-er with a smile: "Go back and thank the Second Mistress on behalf of Master Pao. If there's joy, let everyone share it." Grandmother Jia laughed when she heard this: "Ai-ya, I had forgotten—though Feng-er is ill, she still thinks of these things. She sends her gift at just the right moment." As she spoke, the whole party followed her away. P'ing-er said privately to Hsi-jen: "Our mistress says that these flowers blooming is strange. She wants you to cut a piece of red silk and hang it on them, and then it will come true as a happy event. After this, don't go around telling people about it as some strange occurrence." Hsi-jen nodded in agreement and saw P'ing-er out. No more of this.

Now on that day Pao-yü had been resting at home wearing a round-collared fur jacket. When he saw the flowers blooming, he kept going out to look at them, admire them, sigh over them, and cherish them. Countless feelings of sorrow and joy, of parting and reunion, all became bound up with these plants. Suddenly he heard that Grandmother Jia was coming, so he went to change into a fox-fur jacket with arrow-sleeves and put on a surcoat of fox-leg fur, then came out to welcome her. In his haste to change, he had not put on the Magic Jade. Later, after Grandmother Jia had gone, he changed his clothes again. Hsi-jen noticed that Pao-yü was not wearing the jade around his neck and asked: "Where's that jade?" Pao-yü said: "In all the confusion of changing just now, I took it off and left it on the k'ang table. I didn't put it on." Hsi-jen looked back at the table but there was no jade there. She searched everywhere but could find no trace of it. Hsi-jen broke out in a cold sweat all over. Pao-yü said: "Don't panic. It must be somewhere in the room. Just ask the others." Hsi-jen thought that She-yüe and the others had hidden it to tease him, so she said to them with a smile: "You little minxes, there must be some limit to your fun. Where did you hide this thing? If it really gets lost, none of us will survive it!" She-yüe and the others said with grave faces: "What kind of talk is that! Fun is fun and joking is joking—this is no laughing matter, and you shouldn't talk carelessly. You must be confused yourself. Think—where did you put it? And now you're trying to shift the blame onto others." When Hsi-jen saw how serious they looked, she realized they weren't joking and became anxious: "Heaven and Buddhas, little ancestor, where on earth did you put it?" Pao-yü said: "I clearly remember leaving it on the k'ang table. Just look for it." Hsi-jen, She-yüe, and Ch'iu-wen dared not let anyone else know and secretly searched everywhere. They turned the place upside down for half a day without the slightest result. They even ransacked boxes and trunks—there was simply nowhere else to look. Then they began to suspect that someone who had come in earlier must have picked it up. Hsi-jen said: "Who came in here who doesn't know that this jade is as precious as life itself? Who would dare take it? At any rate, don't spread the news yet. Hurry and ask everywhere. If one of the girls picked it up to tease us, kowtow to them and get it back. If a young maid stole it and it's found out, don't report it to the higher-ups—whatever it takes, offer them anything to get it exchanged back. This is no small matter. If this really gets lost, it's even more serious than losing Master Pao himself." Just as She-yüe and Ch'iu-wen were about to go out, Hsi-jen hurried after them with further instructions: "Don't ask the ones who were eating here first. If you can't find it, you'll stir up more trouble, and that will be even worse." She-yüe and the others followed her instructions and went around asking in different places. No one knew anything, and everyone was alarmed. When She-yüe and the others came back, they stood dumbfounded, staring at each other. Pao-yü was also struck with terror. Hsi-jen was so distressed she could only weep dry-eyed. There was nowhere to search, and they dared not report it. The people in Happy Red Court were so frightened they were like wooden statues molded from clay.

Everyone was standing there in a daze when the people who had heard the news began arriving from all directions. Tanchun ordered the garden gates shut, then directed an old serving-woman with two maids to search every corner of the grounds. At the same time she had word spread through the crowd: whoever found the jade would be handsomely rewarded. The first thing everyone wanted was to clear themselves of suspicion; the second was the promise of a large reward. They flung themselves recklessly into the search, leaving no place untouched—even the privies were searched. But the jade proved elusive as a sewing needle. A whole day passed, and not a trace of it could be found.

Li Wan grew anxious. "This is no laughing matter," she said. "I am going to say something that may seem rude." "What is it?" they asked. Li Wan replied, "Things have come to such a pass that we can no longer stand on ceremony. Now, in this garden, apart from Baoyu, there are only women. I must ask all the elder sisters, younger sisters, and young ladies to have their attendant maids undress so that everyone may be searched. If nothing is found, then we must have the maids search the old serving-women and the rough-work girls as well." The others said, "That makes sense. With so many people and so many hands, there is all manner of confusion—fish and dragons mixed together. This way, at least, you can clear yourselves." Only Tanchun said nothing. The maids, for their part, were all eager to prove their innocence. It was P'ing-erh who set the example. "Let the search begin with me," she said. So each woman undid her own garments, and Li Wan searched them all hastily and thoroughly. Tanchun reproached Li Wan: "Elder Sister-in-law, you are imitating those worthless creatures! If someone stole that object, would they be foolish enough to keep it on their person? Besides, this thing may be a treasure in the household, but out in the world, those who do not know its worth would consider it a worthless trinket. Why steal it? I suspect someone is playing a malicious trick." When the others heard this, and remembered that Huan-erh was not present—that the day before he had been running all through the rooms—they all suspected him, though none dared say so aloud. Tanchun went on: "The only one who would play such a trick is Huan-erh. Send someone to fetch him quietly, coax him in private, get him to produce it, then frighten him into keeping his mouth shut. That will settle the matter." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Li Wan said to P'ing-erh, "This business still needs you to handle it properly." P'ing-erh assented and hurried off. In a short while she returned with Huan-erh. The others pretended that nothing was amiss. They had a pot of tea brewed and placed in the inner room, and everyone deliberately made conversation and drifted away. The original plan had been for P'ing-erh to coax him, so P'ing-erh smiled at Huan-erh and said: "Second Brother's jade is missing. Have you seen it?" Jia Huan's face flushed purple with anger. He glared at her and said: "Someone loses a thing, and you call me in for questioning—suspect me! Am I some convicted thief?" Seeing his reaction, P'ing-erh dared press no further and said with an ingratiating smile: "It's not like that. We only feared that Third Young Master might have taken it to frighten the others, so I asked casually whether you had seen it, to help them in their search." Huan-erh retorted: "His jade is on his own person—whether he has seen it or not, you should ask him, not me. He has plenty of people waiting on him hand and foot! When he gets something, no one comes asking me; but the moment something is lost, they come asking me!" With that he rose and started to leave. The others could not very well detain him.

Baoyu, however, was the one who grew agitated. "This cursed thing is nothing but trouble. I don't want it anymore. Stop all this fuss. Once Huan-erh leaves, he'll be sure to raise such a racket that the whole courtyard will know. Won't that make matters worse?" Xiren and the others were so distraught they wept. "Little ancestor!" they cried. "You may think it no great matter that the jade is lost, but if those above find out, the rest of us will be crushed to powder and bones ground to dust!" And they burst into loud wailing.

The others were all the more distressed. They knew the affair could not be concealed and had no choice but to agree on a story to report to the Lady Dowager and the others. Baoyu said: "There's no need to discuss it. Just say plainly that I smashed it." P'ing-erh replied: "My master, how glibly you speak! When those above ask why you smashed it, those servants will die too. And if they start asking about the broken fragments, what then?" Baoyu said: "Then say I lost it when I went out the other day." After some thought, the others decided this story might just pass. But there was the problem that he had not attended school these past two days, nor gone anywhere else. Baoyu said: "How could I not have gone out? The day before last I went to the Prince of Nan-an's mansion to hear opera. Say I lost it that day." Tanchun said: "That won't do either. If you lost it the day before last, why didn't you report it at the time?"

While they were racking their brains, trying to concoct a plausible lie, they heard the voice of Concubine Zhao, weeping and shouting as she came toward them: "You lose your own precious thing and don't look for it yourselves—instead you have people secretly interrogating Huan-erh behind my back! I've brought him here. Go ahead, all you lot floating together on the same water—kill him or cut him to pieces, as you please!" She gave Huan-erh a shove. "You're a thief—confess at once!" This infuriated Huan-erh so much that he too burst into tears and cries.

Li Zheng was just about to mediate when a maid announced, "The Mistress is coming." At this, Xiren and the others felt they had nowhere to hide, and Baoyu hurried out to greet her. Concubine Zhao, for the moment, dared not say anything either and followed them out.

Lady Wang saw that everyone wore looks of alarm and terror, and only then believed what she had just heard. "Has the jade really been lost?" she asked. No one dared to speak. Lady Wang walked into the room and sat down, then summoned Xiren. Terrified, Xiren knelt at once, choking back tears, ready to make her report.

Lady Wang said, "Get up. Quickly have people search thoroughly. If everyone rushes about in a panic, things will only go wrong." Xiren could barely speak through her sobs. Baoyu, afraid that Xiren might truly tell all, interjected, "Mother, this has nothing to do with Xiren. I lost it the other day on my way home after watching a play at the Prince of Nan'an's mansion."

Lady Wang said, "Why wasn't a search made that day?"

Baoyu said, "I was afraid they would find out, so I didn't tell them. I had Ming outside search everywhere."

Lady Wang said, "Nonsense! Isn't it Xiren and the others who help you change your clothes? When a young master returns from going out, if even a handkerchief or purse is missing, they must ask for an explanation—how much more so when this jade disappears! How could they not ask about it!"

Baoyu had no reply. When Concubine Zhao heard this, she grew elated and hastened to chime in, "If something is lost outside, they blame Huan'er too!" Before she could finish, Lady Wang scolded her, "We are discussing this matter here. Don't you go on about irrelevant things!" Concubine Zhao dared say nothing more. It was Li Zheng and Tanchun who gave Lady Wang a truthful account of everything. Lady Wang, in her distress, burst into tears and resolved to report the matter to Grandmother Jia to question those people who had come over from Lady Xing's side.

Xifeng, though ill, had also heard about Baoyu's lost jade. Knowing that Lady Wang had come and that she could not avoid the encounter, she took Feng'er's arm and came to the garden. It happened just as Lady Wang was getting up to leave. Xifeng, in a frail and delicate manner, said, "I wish you peace, Madam." Baoyu and the others came over to pay their respects to Xifeng.

Lady Wang said, "Have you heard about this too? Isn't it a strange business? It was lost in the blink of an eye, and now it can't be found no matter how hard we search. Think about it—from the old lady's maids down to your Ping'er, whose hands are not light-fingered, whose heart is not scheming? I shall report this to the old lady and have a proper investigation. Otherwise, this is the very root of Baoyu's life that has been severed."

Xifeng replied, "There are so many people in our household with so many hands. As the saying goes, 'You may know a man's face but not his heart'—there is no guarantee who is trustworthy. But once a fuss is made, everyone will already know. If the person who stole the jade finds out that Madam is investigating, knowing full well he would die without a burial place, in his desperation he might destroy it to cover his tracks. What then? In my foolish opinion, we should simply say that Baoyu was never particularly attached to it anyway, and that losing it is not a serious matter. We must all be more careful and not let the Old Master or the Old Lady know. Having said this, we can secretly send people to make inquiries everywhere, coax the truth out, and then the jade can be recovered and the crime properly established. What does Madam think?"

Lady Wang was silent for a long while before saying, "Although what you say has some reason, how can we hide it from the Master?" She called Huan'er over and said, "Your Second Brother's jade is lost. I merely asked you one question, and yet you started making a fuss. If this becomes public and someone destroys that thing, I'll see whether you'll live or die!" Jia Huan was so frightened that he burst into tears. "I dare not make a fuss again," he sobbed. When Concubine Zhao heard this, she dared say nothing more.

Lady Wang then instructed everyone, "Presumably there are places that haven't been searched yet. The jane was safe and sound in the house—how could it fly away anywhere? Only, no one is to spread the word. I give Xiren three days to find it for me. If it isn't found in three days, it probably can't be hidden anymore, and none of us will have any peace." With that, she told Xifeng to go with her to discuss the investigation with Lady Xing. But no more of this.

Here Li Wen and the others were all discussing the matter when they had the garden watchmen summoned. They ordered the garden gates locked and sent quickly for Lin Zhixiao's wife, telling her secretly to instruct both the front and back gates that for three days, no matter whether male or female servants, those inside could move about but were not to be allowed out. They were to say that something had been lost inside the grounds, and only after the item had been accounted for would people be let out. Lin Zhixiao's wife assented and said, "A few days ago my household also lost something of no great consequence. Zhixiao insisted on finding it. He went into town and looked for a fortune-teller who reads characters, a man known as Iron-Mouthed Liu. The fellow took a character and read it most clearly. When we went back and searched again, we found it right away." Xiren, hearing this, implored Lin Zhixiao's wife, "Good Mrs. Lin, go out quickly and beg Master Lin to ask on our behalf." Lin Zhixiao's wife assented and went out. Xing Xiuyan said, "If you're talking about fortune-tellers outside, they're no use. When I was in the south, I heard that Miao-yu can use the planchette. Why not trouble her to inquire? Besides, I've heard that this jade originally possessed some divine quality—surely it can be divined." Everyone was astonished. "We see her often enough, but we've never heard her mention such a thing." Sheyue quickly asked Xing Xiuyan, "I suppose she wouldn't consent if anyone else asked her. Good miss, let me kowtow to you—please go. If you find out, I shall never forget your kindness as long as I live." She was about to prostrate herself when Xing Xiuyan hastily stopped her. Dai-yu and the others all urged Xing Xiuyan to go quickly to Green Bower Hermitage. Meanwhile, Lin Zhixiao's wife came in and said, "Great joy, young ladies! Zhixiao had the character read and came back to say that the jade cannot be lost—in the end someone will return it of their own accord." The others heard this with half-belief and half-doubt, but Xiren and Sheyue were overjoyed. Tan-chun asked, "What character did he have read?" Lin Zhixiao's wife said, "He had a lot to say—I couldn't memorize it all—but I recall he picked the character *shang*, meaning 'to bestow a gift.' That Iron-Mouthed Liu didn't even ask questions, he just said, 'You've lost something, haven't you?'" Li Wen said, "That's already good." Lin Zhixiao's wife continued, "He also said that above in the character *shang* is a small *xiao* and below is a *kou* meaning 'mouth'—this object can very well be placed in the mouth. It must be a pearl or a precious stone." The others, hearing this, praised him, "A true immortal! What else did he say?" Lin Zhixiao's wife said, "He said that below, the *bei* character, when split apart, becomes the character *jian* meaning 'see'—so isn't it 'not seen'? And above, the word *dang* is split—he said to go quickly to a pawnshop and search there. Add the character for 'person' to *shang* and you get *chang*, meaning 'repay.' So long as you find the pawnshop, there will be someone; and once there's a person, the item will be redeemed and brought back—isn't that 'repaid'?" The others said, "In that case, let's start with the nearest ones. We'll search every pawnshop—we're bound to find it. Once we have the object, it'll be easier to question people." Li Wen said, "So long as we recover the object, it doesn't matter if we don't question anyone. Sister Lin, please take the trouble to go quickly and tell this to the Second Mistress, and report it to the Old Lady to set her mind at ease at once. Tell the Second Mistress to send people to investigate immediately." Lin Zhixiao's wife assented and left.

The company felt somewhat reassured and waited in a daze for Xing Xiuyan to return. While they were waiting in a daze, they saw Mingye, who attended Bao-yu, beckoning outside the gate, calling for a little maid to come out quickly. The little maid hurried out. Mingye said, "Go in quickly and tell our Second Master and all the ladies, the ladies and young ladies inside—there is great joy." The little maid said, "Just say it quickly—why so long-winded?" Mingye laughed and clapped his hands. "I'll tell you, miss, and when you go in and report it, both of us will get a reward. Guess what—it's about that jade of the Second Master Bao. I've received sure news." What happened will be told in the next chapter.