Ximen Qing rose. He left a card for Cui. Xia took him to the gate and waited till he had mounted his horse. Ximen Qing went back to Captain He’s house. He was waiting to entertain him. Ximen told him that Xia had promised that his house should be free the following month. The Captain was delighted. “It is all due to your good offices,” he said.
After dinner, while they were playing chess in the great hall, a servant came and said that a number of presents had come from the Imperial Tutor’s comptroller Zhai. They had been taken to Cui’s house, and the Secretary had sent them on. Ximen Qing looked at the list. A roll of gold silk, a roll of patterned hempen material, a pig, a sheep, a jar of palace wine, and two boxes of cakes. All these were set down upon the card, and at the end of the list was written: “Your kinsman Zhai Qian makes most humble salutation.”
“Your master has troubled himself once again on my account,” Ximen Qing said to the servants who brought the things. He accepted the gifts, wrote a return card, and gave two taels to the servant and five qian to each of the porters. To the servant he said: “You will understand that, as I am a stranger here and not versed in the usual customs, I am ashamed to offer such a reward.” The man kowtowed and accepted the money.
Wang Jing, who was standing beside his master, whispered: “I was told to go to the palace to see Han Aijie. I have brought something for her.”
“What have you brought?” Ximen asked him.
“Two pairs of home-made shoes,” Wang Jing said.
“That is not enough,” Ximen said. He told Daian to look in his chest and take out two jars of rose-flower biscuits. He gave them to Wang Jing, with a card of thanks for the presents, and the boy put on black robes and went to the Imperial Tutor’s palace with the servant.
Ximen wrote a card and sent it, with the sheep and a jar of wine, to Secretary Cui. He told a servant to offer the pig, a jar of wine, and the boxes of cakes to the eunuch. “We are such good friends,” Captain He said to him, “that really there is no need for you to do anything of the sort.”
Wang Jing came to the palace, and was received by Han Aijie in the great hall. She was dressed so exquisitely that she looked like a tree of jade, not at all like the girl who had lived with her mother at Qinghe. She had grown taller. She asked the boy many questions about her family, and gave him some food. She thought Wang Jing’s clothes were very thin. She brought a blue silk gown, lined with fur, and gave it to him with five taels of silver. When the boy got back, he showed the cloak to Ximen Qing.
Captain He and Ximen were playing chess, when, suddenly, there was shouting outside. The doorkeeper came in and said: “His Lordship Xia has come to call.” He handed one card to Ximen Qing and another to Captain He. They hurried to the great hall to meet Xia. He thanked him for the expedition with which he had settled the question of the house. Xia presented gifts to each of them, and they thanked him cordially. Then he gave ten taels of silver to Ben the Fourth, Daian, and Wang Jing. They had tea, and Xia asked if he might see the old eunuch, but He said:
“His Excellency is at the Palace now.” Then Xia presented a red card.
“Please give my humble respects to his Excellency,” he said. “I am sorry I am too late to see him.” He took leave of them.
Captain He immediately sent him a present in return. It was getting late. Captain He entertained Ximen Qing in one of the small rooms in the garden. During the meal, the boys sang for them, and it was the second night watch before they went to bed.
Ximen Qing had not forgotten what had happened the night before. He told Wang Jing to bring his bedclothes to the study and sleep there. In the middle of the night the boy went to him. They kissed each other and he found the boy’s lips very fragrant.
The next morning, Ximen was up before dawn and joined Captain He. They went together to the Palace to wait for the opening of the East Gate. After a while the gates of the Throne Hall were swung open, and they heard the sound of gongs and cymbals. Then the Gate of Heaven was opened, and they caught a glimpse of the most glorious and august diadem. The Son of Heaven was returning from the altar of the south, and all his officers, civil and military, waited to receive him. Gongs were beaten and bells rung, as the Emperor came back to his palace to receive the homage of his officers. Clouds of incense streamed towards the skies. The great ceremonial fans waved to and fro.
His Majesty ascended the throne, and the cracking of whips gave the signal for silence. The officers, holding their tablets of office before their breasts, made five salutations and kowtowed three times before the throne, doing homage to the Sacred Majesty.
Then, from the palace, came an officer and spoke the words of the Emperor that all might hear them.
“We have reigned for twenty years,” he said, “and at last We have completed the building of the Genjue. Heaven has been Our helper. Now as We enter upon another new year, We pray that the good fortune Heaven has bestowed Upon Us, may be shared by you.”
There came out from among a group of high officials, one whose ceremonial boots trod proudly, whose sleeves waved in the breeze. This was Cai Jing, the Chancellor, Minister of the Left, President of the Board of Civil Service, Imperial Tutor and Duke of Lu. Carrying his ivory tablet low before him, he knelt down upon the golden steps.
“May Your Majesty live forever! In awe and humility, we kowtow before the Son of Heaven. As Your Majesty has said, you have governed this Empire for twenty years. During those years the Empire has enjoyed peace and prosperity, and the harvests have been plentiful. Heaven has observed Your Majesty’s conduct, appreciated Your Majesty’s labors, and given many signs of favor. There has been no war or disturbance upon the frontier, and people from all lands have come to pay tribute before Your Heavenly Throne. Your Majesty’s palace is as a mountain of silver towering in the sky, and Your Majesty’s capital of jade is unique in all the world.
“The Most Precious and Sacred Will is expressed in Your Majesty’s exalted palace; purple candles have been burned in the palace of Heaven. How fortunate are we, that we should live in a world so blessed.
“The relations between Your Majesty and the people are perfect. We pray that You may be spared to live as the mountains, that the light of the sun and the moon may always shine upon us. Your Majesty’s graciousness is beyond our power to express: we can only enjoy the blessings that come to us through it. We offer Your Majesty our most humble congratulations and praise.”
There was a long delay. Then the Emperor’s word was announced to them again.
“You, Our worthy officers, have offered Us your praises. Once again, We appreciate your loyalty and fidelity. We are content. It is Our purpose upon the first day of the New Year to change the title of Our reign to the first year of Chonghe. This We shall duly make known to Heaven. There shall be a general amnesty throughout the Empire, and reward for all those who serve Us.”
After listening to this, the Chancellor withdrew.
“It is his Majesty’s command,” the herald said, “that if anyone has any business to bring forward, he shall do so now. Otherwise his Majesty will retire.”
A man stepped out of the crowd, wearing a scarlet gown, with a jade clasp to his girdle, and a golden fish as his badge of office. He lowered his ivory tablet and bowed towards the Emperor, then knelt upon the golden steps.
“Zhu Mian, Grand Marshal, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Guard, presents twenty-six magistrates to Your Majesty. Inspection has been made of their work, and the question of their promotion or dismissal determined. They have come to the Capital to obtain their new commissions, and since I dare not myself make the decision, I bring them before Your Majesty and await Your Majesty’s command.
The twenty-six magistrates knelt down behind the Grand Marshal.
After a while, the Imperial Decree issued. “Let them be given their commissions in accordance with precedent.”
Marshal Zhu retired.
The Emperor waved his arms, and the officers withdrew. His Majesty went into the palace.
Ximen Qing returned to Captain He’s place and spent another day there. The next day, they went together to their headquarters and secured their documents. Ximen went to say good-bye to Zhai, then went back to pack up his luggage, so that he would be ready to return to Qinghe with Captain He.
That evening, the old eunuch entertained them to dinner. He bade his nephew consult Ximen Qing in all things, and not make any decisions for himself.
On the twentieth day of the eleventh month, they set out for Qinghe, with more than twenty servants following them. They traveled upon the high road to Shandong. It was the season of greatest cold and every drop of water was frozen. They saw nothing but barren hills and deserted paths. Upon the withered trees only the blackbirds sat in the feeble sunshine. Snow and frozen clouds hung above the river. Over one hill they went, and found another one before them. They passed one village, and came to another. When they had crossed the Yellow River and had come to a town on the other side, they were suddenly overtaken by a violent windstorm.
Not this the roaring of the tiger
Or the muttering of the dragon.
The cold air stung their faces; the sharp wind
Pierced their very hearts.
There was at first no sign of its coming
But soon the mist and cloud were swept away.
It rocked the trees and made mad the sea
It hustled the pebbles and urged the stones
And the skies were dark.
The high trees moaned without ceasing
And the lonely goose lay broken in the ditch.
The sand drove across the ground
The dust screened the sky.
The small stones were flung about as in a whirlwind
And the dust was as the dust set up
By millions of soldiers on the march.
This tempest was so violent
It smashed the trees on the frontier of hell
And carried away the dust from the palace
Of the god of the underworld.
Chang E, the angel of the moon,
Shut the doors of her palace in haste.
Liezi, walking in the skies,
Called out for help.
The Jade Monarch could hardly stay
On the summit of the Koulkun Mountains.
Heaven and Earth alike
Were in a mad confusion.
Ximen Qing and Captain He were in sedan chairs, wrapped in rugs and blankets. The wind was so fearful that they could not advance even a single step. It was late, and they feared that highwaymen might come out from the woods and attack them. Ximen Qing sent some of his men forward to try to find a shelter for the night, saying that they would go on again when the wind abated. It was some time before a place was found. Then they discovered an old monastery with a few bare willow trees outside it. The walls were half in ruins.
The walls and the memorials were covered with rank grass
The corridors and the ancient sanctuaries were on the point of falling.
The monks at midnight had no light.
When the moon had set, it made the heart grieve
To see the monks at meditation.
The two officers hastened there. It was called the Temple of the Yellow Dragon. There were only a few monks, engaged in meditation without fire and without light. The rooms were nearly all in ruins, and many of them were patched with boards.
The abbot came to welcome them and made a fire to make them some tea. Hay was brought for their horses. When the tea was ready, Ximen Qing took from his bag preserved chicken, meat, cakes and fruit, and Captain He and he made their supper on this food, together with some porridge that the abbot prepared for them. They stayed the night in this place.
The next day, the wind had stopped and the skies were clear. They gave the monks a tael of silver, and set out again.
CHAPTER 72
Pan Jinlian Quarrels with Ruyi’er
They flourish their arms and shrug their shoulders
Sometimes warm and sometimes cold.
Even a eunuch may raise a family
And a stone virgin bring forth a child.
Loss of power is the one thing to escape.
To some, their own children are not so much to be loved
As other people’s children.
Father and Mother are not of great account
At any moment their own children
May pass them by.
While Ximen Qing was away, Wu Yueniang was a little anxious. There were so many ladies in the household, and she was afraid there might be trouble. She exhorted them all to keep the peace, and made sure that the main gate was closed and the back door locked, every night. The ladies stayed at home, doing needlework. Whenever Chen Jingji had to go to the inner court for clothes or anything, Yueniang took care that either Chunhong or Laian went with him. She was particularly careful about the closing of doors and windows and made quite sure that everything was safe.
Pan Jinlian could see nothing of Jingji.
One day, the nurse, Ruyi’er, gave her an opportunity to make trouble. Yueniang took some of Ximen Qing’s clothes, shirts, and underclothes to Ruyi’er, and told her and Madam Han to wash and iron them. Chunmei was washing at the same time, and she sent Qiuju to borrow the dolly pin. Ruyi’er and Yingchun were using it, and they would not give it up. “You borrowed it only the other day,” Ruyi’er said, “and here you are, after it again. We have all these shirts and clothes of our master’s to do while Madam Han is here.”
Qiuju, in a very ill humor, went back and said to Chunmei: “You are always sending me there to borrow things, and now they won’t lend me the dolly pin. Yingchun was willing enough. It was Ruyi’er who wouldn’t do it.”
“What’s that?” Chunmei cried. “Why shouldn’t we borrow a lamp in the daytime? She won’t lend us a dolly pin, won’t she? Here I am with Mother’s foot binders to wash. What am I going to beat them with? Go to the inner court and borrow one from somebody else.”
Jinlian was washing her feet in her room. She overheard this. She hated Ruyi’er and was glad of the opportunity to make trouble. “How dare that strumpet refuse to lend us the dolly pin?” she cried. “Go yourself. And, if she makes any bones about it, curse her well. That ought to settle her.”
Chunmei dashed away like a whirlwind. “Who is the stranger in this house?” she said, “are you or are we? You refuse to lend me this dolly pin. That means, I suppose, that there is a new mistress here now.”
“If I hadn’t been using it,” Ruyi’er said, “I shouldn’t have kept it.”
She got angry in her turn. “The Great Lady,” she said, “thought that, with Sister Han here, it was a splendid opportunity to get these shirts and trousers washed. I told Qiuju she could have the dolly pin as soon as I had finished with it. Then she went and told you I wouldn’t lend it to her. It was a lie. Yingchun heard what I said.”
Jinlian came along. “Now, woman,” she said, “don’t try any tricks on me. Since your mistress died, you have been taking her place in this apartment. You are washing his Lordship’s clothes. I suppose you are trying to make out that, if you didn’t, nobody else would. We might all be dead, and you the only one to attend to his clothes. I know. You think you will be able to score over the rest of us. But you needn’t think you’re going to frighten me by games of this sort.”
“Fifth Lady,” Ru
yi’er said, “it is really nothing of the sort. If the Great Lady had not given me orders, you don’t think I should have taken it upon myself?”
“You wicked bone,” Jinlian cried, “you have far too much to say. I ask you: who was it served his Lordship with tea in the middle of the night? Who made his bed for him? Who asked him for a new dress? You think I don’t know the games you play with him on the sly. But I do know, and I’m not afraid to say so.”
“My mistress died, even though she had borne a son,” Ruyi’er said. “What chance have I against you?”
This made Jinlian wild. Her face, which was already red, became redder. She ran forward, caught Ruyi’er by the hair, and thumped her in the belly. Fortunately, Madam Han was there to separate them. Jinlian went on cursing. “You shameless strumpet! You husband-stealer! We have been neglected long enough, and now you try to get our husband away from us. What are you doing here at all? Even if you are Laiwang’s wife come to life again, I’m not afraid of you.”
Ruyi’er cried. She put her hair straight. “I have not been long in this household,” she said. “I don’t know anything about Laiwang’s wife. I only know I came here as a nurse.”
“If you are a nurse, you should behave as a nurse,” Jinlian said. “Why do you set the whole place on its head like a disturbing spirit? I know what I’m about, and I’ll see you don’t get away with it.”
Meng Yulou came from the inner court. “Sister,” she said, “I asked you to play chess with me. Why didn’t you come? What is the matter?” She pulled Jinlian away to her own room.
When they had sat down, she asked Jinlian what was wrong. The woman was now calmer. Chunmei brought them tea.
“See!” Jinlian said. “That strumpet has made my hands quite cold. I can’t lift my cup. I was in my room, making a pattern for my shoes, when your maid came for me. I told her I was going to lie down and rest a while before I came. I lay on the bed, but did not go to sleep. Chunmei was washing my skirt, and I told her she might as well wash my foot binders too. A few moments later, I heard a great to-do, and found that Qiuju had gone to borrow a dolly pin, and the woman wouldn’t lend it to her. She said we had had it the other day, and she wasn’t going to lend it to us again because she was washing his Lordship’s clothes. That annoyed me, and I told Chunmei to go and curse her. You see, she has been misbehaving herself for some time, and I was determined to teach her a lesson. What sort of a woman does she think she is? His Lordship never married her. She is worse than Laiwang’s wife, and I wasn’t going to forgive her. She wouldn’t give way, and I gave her a real good cursing. If Madam Han hadn’t been there to stop me, I would have pulled the strumpet’s guts out. The Great Lady is very much to blame. You remember how she spoiled Laiwang’s wife by being too indulgent. When I had a row with her, all the blame fell upon me. The Great Lady even went so far as to say I was responsible for Laiwang being kicked out. Now she is dealing with this woman as she dealt with Laiwang’s wife. If the woman is a nurse, let her mind her own business. We are not going to let her carry on before our very eyes. We are not going to have dust thrown in our eyes. The shameless hussy! Her mistress is dead, but she still stays on in that apartment. Every time he comes home, he goes and bows to the portrait and mumbles something or other. Nobody knows what he says. During the night he asks for tea and this strumpet ups and gets it for him. Then she pulls the bedclothes over him, and they start their tricks. It is the maids’ business to serve tea. Why should she take it upon herself? Why did she ask him for a new dress? The shameless fellow went to the shop immediately and got a roll of silk for her. You remember the last week’s mind for Li Ping’er. He went there to burn some paper things for her. The maid and this strumpet were lying on the same bed, playing knuckle-bones. Did he say a word to stop them? Not he! He said: ‘You can have the food and wine that have been offered to the dead lady.’ That’s how he treats them. One day I overheard the strumpet saying: ‘I wonder what is keeping his Lordship so long. We must be ready for him.’ I went in, and she was alarmed and didn’t say any more. What a woman! The rascally strumpet! But he is so anxious for fresh meat he will take anything that comes along. He never troubles whether it is good or bad. The lustful fellow! The strumpet says her husband is dead; but who was that fellow with a baby in his arms looking around the gate the other day? She is deceiving us. She is like Li Ping’er come to life again, quite a changed woman. And the Great Lady spends all her time in her own room and acts as though she were deaf and dumb. Whenever we go and say anything to her, she says: ‘You are mistaken.’ “
The Golden Lotus, Volume 2 Page 34