The Golden Lotus, Volume 2

by Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng

  Li the Third had an idea. He said to Laijue and Chunhong: “Let us keep this document and say his Excellency would not let us have it. Then we can take it to Chang. If you two don’t care to come with me, I will give each of you ten taels and you can go home and keep your mouths shut.”

  Laijue did not object, but Chunhong would have nothing to do with the scheme. He would not promise anything.

  When they came to the gate, paper money was hanging up and the monks were busy at their prayers. There were many people present. Li the Third went home, but Laijue and Chunhong came in and kowtowed to Uncle Wu and Chen Jingji. They were asked about the document and where Li the Third was, and, before Laijue could say anything, Chunhong handed the letter and the document to Uncle Wu. He told him that Li the Third had offered him ten taels to keep the letter and go to Chang’s place with him. “I told him I would not do anything so shameful,” the boy said, “and came straight to you.

  Uncle Wu went to the inner court. “This young lad is really extraordinarily honest,” he said to Yueniang, “but what a dirty trick of that wicked fellow Li the Third, as soon as he heard of your husband’s death!”

  He went to Ying Bojue. “We have a note,” he said, “showing that Li the Third and Huang the Fourth still owe us six hundred and fifty taels. As Captain He has advised, we will send the note to his office and ask him to make them pay. He will certainly not refuse, seeing that he was the dead man’s colleague.”

  “Li the Third certainly ought not to have done such a thing, but do not make too much of it, Uncle,” Bojue said. “I will go and speak to him about it.”

  He went to Li the Third’s house, and they sent for Huang the Fourth. “You should not have offered the boys money,” Bojue said. “That gave them a hold over you. Now you are like the man who was too slow to catch the fox and only came in for the smell. They are talking about going to the courts, and you know how those officials look after one another. These were in the same office, and you would have no chance at all. Listen to me. Send twenty taels quietly to Uncle Wu. Consider it as money you might have had to spend at Yanzhou. I understand that Ximen’s people are not going on with the business, and all we have to do is to get the document and go and see Chang. You must scrape together two hundred taels and take some food to offer to the dead. Give them the two hundred taels and ask them to make a new arrangement with regard to the rest, telling them that you will pay the balance by degrees as your business progresses. That seems to me to be the best thing you can do and you will save your face at the same time.”

  “You are right, Brother,” Huang the Fourth said. “Brother Li, you were in too much of a hurry.”

  That evening, Huang the Fourth and Ying Bojue went to see Uncle Wu, taking with them twenty taels of silver. They told him they wanted the document and asked his help. Uncle Wu knew that Yueniang did not propose to go any further in the matter, and, when he saw the silver before him, he promised to help them, and accepted it. Next day, Li the Third and Huang the Fourth came to Ximen’s house with two hundred taels of silver and an offering of food. Uncle Wu told Yueniang. The old contract was torn up and a new one made in which it was stated that they owed four hundred taels, which they were to pay in installments. Yueniang forgave them the remaining fifty. The document was given to Ying Bojue and he went with Li the Third and Huang the Fourth to make a bargain with Chang.

  Footnote

  * Filial Devotion.

  CHAPTER 80

  Li Jiao’er Goes Back to the Bawdy House

  Like a woman in wine she swayed

  And thought of the joys of past days.

  The memory of them was beyond endurance.

  There was silence in the high buildings

  The Spring rain was falling.

  At midnight, through the distant window, a dim light flickered.

  She leaned against the pillar, and the breeze blew softly

  She wandered through the passages, and her thoughts were troubled.

  Through the window she could hear the sound of the snuffers,

  But, when she beat upon the railing, no answer came.

  One the seventh day after Ximen Qing’s death, sixteen Buddhist monks came to hold a service. Ying Bojue brought together Xie Xida, Hua Tzu¯-yu, Zhu Shinian, Sun Tianhua, Chang Zhijie, and Bai Laiguang, and they all sat down. Bojue said to them: “His Lordship is dead, and this is his first week’s mind. We were his friends. He gave us food, money, things for our use, and now and again he lent us money. Now he is dead, and it is impossible for us to ignore the fact. If we throw a little dust, it will get into people’s eyes. If we do nothing, he will certainly want to know why, when we come to meet him before the face of the god of Hell. I suggest that we all contribute one qian of silver. There are seven of us and that will make seven qian. With that, we can buy presents and a scroll and get Master Shui to write something appropriate upon it. Then we will go and make our offering to the dead and, in return, we shall get a mourning handkerchief that will cost them at least seven fen. What do you think?”

  “It is an excellent idea, Brother,” they all agreed. They gave their money to Ying Bojue to buy the things that had been agreed upon and left it to him to make the necessary arrangements. Shui was quite well aware that Ying Bojue had been one of Ximen’s companions in evil doing, and the panegyric he composed was full of satire. In due course Bojue and the rest brought their presents and set them out before the body. Chen Jingji, in mourning robes, received them. Bojue, as the leader, was the first to offer incense, and the others followed him. As none of them knew how to read, they had no idea what the panegyric said. So, when they made the offering of wine, they produced it and handed it over to someone else to read.

  In the first year of the reign of Chonghe [it said], being the year Wuxu, in the second month, Wuzi, and the third day, Gengyin, we, Ying Bojue, Xie Xida, Hua Ziyu, Zhu Shinian, Sun Tianhua, Chang Zhijie, and Bai Laiguang reverently lay our offering of wine and food before the coffin of his Lordship Ximen, officer of the Royal Guard, and say:

  He who is dead was a man of unimpeachable honor all his days. He never sacrificed the weak, nor did he surrender to the strong. He was a man of firmness and determination. He gave water to those who thirsted and distributed the essence of his glorious being to those in need of it. His chests and boxes were mighty: his appearance was elevated and proud. Whenever he came upon pleasant things, he rose to meet them; and when he came upon things that were dark, he withdrew. He lived in the company of silken trousers, and stored his wealth in the treasury of the loins. He had eight horns and needed not to scratch or dig; and when he came upon a flea or a louse, the itching was more than he could stand.

  Now we humble fellows received many kindnesses at his hands. We were forever going with him to the chamber under the loins; we slept with him among the willows, and joyed with him among the flowers. We hoped that he might long lift his crest and fight valiantly. How could we foretell that he would suffer from this fatal sickness? Now his limbs are outstretched and he is gone; we are left behind trembling like doves upon our feet. We have no place to go; the camp of mist and flowers seems remote from us. No longer can we draw near to the red walls of the bawdy house. No longer can we go to battle with the tender jade. We cannot go hand in hand to warm and fragrant places. For him our heads are bent and our limbs weakened; he has made us lonely beyond all power to tell.

  Now we have come to offer wine as milk and food. His spirit knows what we do, so we invite it to come here and partake of these our offerings.

  After this, Chen Jingji came and made a reverence to express his thanks. Then he took them to the temporary building and entertained them to a substantial meal.

  This day, the old procuress Li heard of Ximen’s death and sent Li Guijie and Li Guiqing with offerings to lay before his body. Wu Yueniang could not come out, and they were entertained by Li Jiao’er and Meng Yulou.

  “Mother says,” the two girls told Li Jiao’er, “that now his Lordship is dead ther
e is no sense in your staying here any longer. You are one of us. The proverb says: However large the arbor, no party can last forever. Mother says: Give your things to Li Ming and don’t be silly about it. Yangzhou is a pleasant place, but one can’t live there forever. Sooner or later, you will have to leave here.” Li Jiao’er considered the matter.

  The same day, Han Daoguo’s wife, Wang Liu’er, came to burn some paper offerings for Ximen Qing. She was dressed in mourning. She set the things upon the table and stood waiting for a long time, but nobody came to greet her. The fact was that Wang Jing had already been dismissed, and the boys were all unwilling to tell their mistress that Wang Liu’er had come. Only Laian did not know this, and he went to Yueniang’s room and said: “Aunt Han has come to burn paper offerings for my father. She has been standing there a long time, and Uncle Wu said I was to come and tell you.”

  Yueniang was still very angry with Wang Liu’er. She said to the boy: “Go away, slave! What do you mean by talking to me about Aunt Cunt or Aunt Devil? She is a husband-stealing whore, one of those creatures who bring families to destruction. She separates father from son, husband from wife, and then has the audacity to come here and offer her cuntish paper offerings!”

  Laian did not know what to do. He went back to Uncle Wu, who asked him if he had spoken to the ladies. Laian made a face, and waited for a moment before he replied. Then he said: “All I got from the Great Lady was curses.” Then Uncle Wu himself went to see his sister.

  “What is this?” he said. “You ought not to use such language. It has always been conceded that though a man may himself be bad, the ceremonies he performs are none the worse for that. This woman’s husband has a lot of your money and, if you behave like this to her, your good name will suffer. You must not do it. If you don’t feel like going out to her yourself, tell the Second Lady or the Third to entertain her. Why make such a fuss about it? It may make people think very badly of you.”

  Wu Yueniang said nothing, but sometime later Meng Yulou went out to receive Wang Liu’er. They sat down and drank tea, but Wang Liu’er realized what was intended, and went away as soon as she could.

  Guijie, Guiqing, and Wu Yin’er were in the upper room while Yueniang was calling Han Daoguo’s wife every possible kind of whore, and they thought it likely that her remarks might be intended to apply to them also. Before sunset the two sisters prepared to go home, but Yueniang said: “There will be many people here tonight. Stay and watch the puppet plays and go home tomorrow.”

  Guijie and Wu Yin’er decided to stay, but Guiqing went home. In the evening, when the monks had done, more than twenty of Ximen’s relatives and friends assembled. The puppet players came, and, while the party was proceeding in the temporary building, they played How a Dog Was Killed to Teach a Lesson to the Husband. The ladies sat in the hall in which the coffin lay. The lattice was drawn across, and their tables were placed near the screen.

  Li Ming and Wu Hui were there, and did not go away that night. The guests, when they arrived, first made an offering to the dead. Then they sat around the tables, and candles were brought. It was the third night watch before the play was finished.

  After Ximen Qing’s death, Chen Jingji joked and trifled with Pan Jinlian every day. Sometimes, even before the coffin, they exchanged meaningful glances. Sometimes they made merry behind the screen. Now, when the guests were going away, and the ladies withdrawing to the inner court, Jinlian came close to Jingji and pinched him. “My son,” she said, “tonight your mother will give you what you want. Your wife is here, so you must come to my place.”

  Jingji was delighted. He went to open the gate, and Jinlian ran through the darkness to her room. They did not utter a word, but undressed and lay down on the bed. Jingji did everything to her perfect satisfaction.

  For two years they had known each other

  And now today they come together

  And their eager love is satisfied at last.

  She gently moves her slender hips

  He hastens to extend the precious scepter.

  Then, ears pressed close to listen, they speak their love

  Pledging their troth eternally upon the pillow.

  She lets the butterfly possess her

  Most exquisitely giving proof of her delight.

  The rain is furious, the clouds submissive.

  She plays a thousand, nay ten thousand, loving tricks.

  “Darling,” he whispers once and once again,

  “My own heart,” she answers, with a warm embrace.

  The willow now puts forth new foliage

  And the blossom retains its brilliant redness.

  When they had done, Jinlian was afraid someone might come, and hurried again to the inner court. Next morning, the young man came very early to her room. She was still in bed and he peeped through the window. The red bedclothes covered her like a crimson cloud, and her cheeks were like jade.

  “Oh, what a splendid housekeeper you are,” he cried. “Not out of bed yet! And today our kinsman Qiao is coming to make his reverence to the dead, and the Great Lady says we are to get rid of the food that Li the Third and Huang the Fourth offered yesterday. Get up and let me have the key.”

  Jinlian told Chunmei to go and open the door upstairs; she put her lips to the window and the young man kissed her.

  They hate to hear the cuckoo through the lattice of pearl

  For their hearts are sewn together as by a needle

  And their love bound as things are bound by glue.

  He looks upon her smiling face

  Its dimples rival the dainty eyebrows.

  How delicate those tender fingers.

  The ornaments of jade release their hold

  And the dark hair falls tumbling.

  The languid air gives place to passion

  And the paleness changes to a rosy flush.

  He touches her sweet lips

  And the fragrance of them stays upon his own.

  Even the memory of that touch

  Brings sweetness to his mouth.

  Chunmei opened the door and Jingji went to the outer court to watch the table being properly cleared. Then the food came from Qiao. Both Qiao himself and his wife offered it to the dead man. The two uncles Wu and Clerk Gan took the guests to the temporary building and there entertained them. Li Ming and Wu Hui played and sang.

  This day, Zheng Aiyue came to make her offering. Yueniang asked Yulou to give the girl a mourning dress. Then she went to join the ladies. When she saw Guijie and Wu Yin’er already there, she said: “Why didn’t you tell me? If I had known, I should have been here before. A nice pair you are, not to say a word to me about it!”

  When she found that Yueniang had a baby, she said: “Now, mother, you have both joy and pain together. It is indeed sad that my father should die so young, but at least you now have a son to support you, and you need not worry any more.”

  Yueniang gave the girls mourning, and kept them until the evening.

  The next day was the third of the second month, the second week’s mind for Ximen Qing. Sixteen monks came from the Temple of the Jade King. Captain He invited the two eunuchs, Liu and Xue, Major Zhou, General Jing, Captain Zhang, Yun Lishou, and other military officers, to go with him and offer food and a panegyric to their dead colleague. There was nobody to stop them and, dressed up like a lot of monkeys, they burned incense and kowtowed. Chen Jingji made a reverence to them in return. They were entertained and then went away.

  Yueniang knew only too well that, of all the people who knew Ximen Qing, officers, friends, and servants alike, there were very few who were not seeking their own ends. She could trust none of them. But she believed Shutong to be honest and reliable, and appointed him to attend upon Li Jiao’er, giving him the keys of the Sixth Lady’s rooms.

  The water flows peacefully below the Xiang Wang Tai.

  From the same love there spring two kinds of sadness.

  The moon knows not the changes of mortal life

  And in the
depth of night

  Still casts her beams upon the whitewashed walls.

  Li Ming pretended to be helping Ximen’s people, but secretly told Li Jiao’er to give him the things she was going to take away with her. He stayed for two or three days and did not go home. Yueniang knew nothing of this. The others were unwilling to mention the matter to her, for Li Jiao’er had not been guiltless in her dealings with the younger of Yueniang’s brothers.

  The ninth day of the month was the third week’s mind, and again there was a religious service. There was none for the fourth week. On the sixteenth, Chen Jingji went to attend the digging of the grave. On the thirtieth, Ximen Qing was buried. There were many paper offerings, and a good number of people attended, but it was not such a magnificent occasion as when Li Ping’er was taken out to be buried. The Abbot of the Temple of Eternal Felicity officiated. He sat in a sedan chair and recited the scriptures in a loud voice. Then Chen Jingji broke a paper bowl and the coffin was taken out. The members of the household set up a wailing, and Yueniang, in her sedan chair, followed close behind the coffin. Then came the chairs of the other ladies. The body was taken straight outside the city and buried. Chen Jingji offered a roll of silk to Yun Lishou and asked him to complete the tablet. Xu, the Master of the Yin Yang, directed the funeral. It was sad to see how few people made offerings at the graveside. Uncle Wu, Qiao, Captain He, Uncle Shen and Uncle Han were the only ones to do so, except for Ximen’s clerks. Abbot Wu left twelve young monks to perform the ceremony of the return; the tablet was set up in the upper room, and Master Xu purified the house. Then the relatives and friends went away.

  Every day Yueniang and the others, dressed in their mourning, made offerings before the tablet. After the first visit to the grave, the soldiers went back to the office. For the fifth week’s mind, Yueniang sent for the nuns Xue and Wang, and the Abbess and twelve nuns came to speed Ximen Qing on his way to paradise.