The Dreamer Wakes

by Cao Xueqin

  Lady Wang had been sobbing throughout this, without saying a word. Bao-chai had already more or less guessed the truth. Aroma continued to weep inconsolably. Jia Qiang and the other men needed no further orders but set off immediately in several directions to join in the search. It was a sad sight, with everyone in the lowest of spirits and the welcome-home party prepared in vain. Jia Lan forgot his own exhaustion and wanted to go out with the others. But Lady Wang kept him back:

  ‘My child! Your uncle is lost; if we lost you as well, it would be more than we could bear! You have a rest now, there’s a good boy!’

  He was reluctant to stay behind, but acquiesced when You-shi added her entreaties to Lady Wang’s.

  The only person present who seemed unsurprised was Xi-chun. She did not feel free to express her thoughts, but instead enquired of Bao-chai:

  ‘Did Bao-yu have his jade with him when he left?’

  ‘Of course he did,’ she replied. ‘He never goes anywhere without it.’

  Xi-chun was silent. Aroma remembered how they had had to waylay Bao-yu and snatch the jade from his hands, and she had an overwhelming suspicion that today’s mishap was that monk’s doing too. Her heart ached with grief, tears poured down her cheeks and she began wailing despondently. Memories flooded back of the affection Bao-yu had shown her. ‘I annoyed him sometimes, I know, and then he’d be cross. But he always had a way of making it up. He was so kind to me, and so thoughtful. In heated moments he often would vow to become a monk. I never believed him. And now he’s gone!’

  It was two o’clock in the morning by now, and still there was no sign of Bao-yu. Li Wan, afraid that Lady Wang would injure herself through excess of grief, did her best to console her and advised her to retire to bed. The rest of the family accompanied her to her room, except for Lady Xing who returned to her own apartment, and Jia Huan who was still lying low and had not dared to make an appearance at all. Lady Wang told Jia Lan to go back to his room, and herself spent a sleepless night. Next day at dawn some of the servants despatched the previous day returned, to report that they had searched everywhere and failed to find the slightest trace of Bao-yu. During the morning a stream of relations including Aunt Xue, Xue Ke, Shi Xiang-yun, Bao-qin and old Mrs Li came to enquire after Lady Wang’s health and to ask for news of Bao-yu.

  After several days of this, Lady Wang was so consumed with grief that she could neither eat nor drink, and her very life seemed in danger. Then suddenly a servant announced a messenger from the Commandant of the Haimen Coastal Region, who brought news that Tan-chun was due to arrive in the capital the following day. Although this could not totally dispel her grief at Bao-yu’s disappearance, Lady Wang felt some slight comfort at the thought of seeing Tan-chun again. The next day, Tan-chun arrived at Rong-guo House and they all went out to the front to greet her, finding her lovelier than ever and most prettily dressed. When Tan-chun saw how Lady Wang had aged, and how red-eyed everyone in the family was, tears sprang to her eyes, and it was a while before she could stop weeping and greet them all properly. She was also distressed to see Xi-chun in a nun’s habit, and wept again to learn of Bao-yu’s strange disappearance and the many other family misfortunes. But she had always been gifted with a knack of finding the right thing to say, and her natural equanimity restored a degree of calm to the gathering and gave some real comfort to Lady Wang and the rest of the family. The next day her husband came to visit, and when he learned how things stood he begged her to stay at home and console her family. The maids and old serving-women who had accompanied her to her new home were thus granted a welcome reunion with their old friends.

  The entire household, masters and servants alike, still waited anxiously day and night for news of Bao-yu. Very late one night, during the fifth watch, some servants came as far as the inner gate, announcing that they had indeed wonderful news to report, and a couple of the junior maids hurried in to the inner apartments, without stopping to inform the senior maids.

  ‘Ma’am, ladies!’ they announced. ‘Wonderful news!’

  Lady Wang thought that Bao-yu must at last have been found and rising from her bed she exclaimed with delight:

  ‘Where did they find him? Send him in at once to see me!’

  ‘He has been placed seventh on the roll of successful candidates!’ the maid cried.

  ‘But has he been found?’

  The maid was silent. Lady Wang sat down again.

  ‘Who came seventh?’ asked Tan-chun.

  ‘Mr Bao.’

  As they were talking they heard a voice outside shouting:

  ‘Master Lan has passed too!’

  A servant went hurrying out to receive the official notice, on which it was written that Jia Lan had been placed one hundred and thirtieth on the roll.

  Since there was still no news of Bao-yu’s whereabouts, Li Wan did not feel free to express her feelings of pride and joy; and Lady Wang, delighted as she was that Jia Lan had passed, could not help thinking to herself:

  ‘If only Bao-yu were here too, what a happy celebration it would be!’

  Bao-chai alone was still plunged in gloom, though she felt it inappropriate to weep. The others were busy offering their congratulations and trying to look on the cheerful side:

  ‘Since it was Bao-yu’s fate to pass, he cannot remain lost for long. In a day or two he is sure to be found.’

  This plausible suggestion brought a momentary smile to Lady Wang’s cheeks, and the family seized on this opportunity to persuade her to eat and drink a little. A moment later Tealeaf’s voice could be heard calling excitedly from the inner gate:

  ‘Now that Mr Bao has passed, he is sure to be found soon!’

  ‘What makes you so sure of that?’ they asked him.

  ‘There’s a saying: “If a man once passes the examination, the whole world learns his name.” Now everyone will know Mr Bao’s name wherever he goes, and someone will be sure to bring him home.’

  ‘That Tealeaf may be a cheeky little devil, but there’s something in what he says,’ agreed the maids.

  Xi-chun differed:

  ‘How could a grown man like Bao-yu be lost? If you ask me, he has deliberately severed his ties with the world and chosen the life of a monk. And in that case he will be hard to find.’

  This set the ladies weeping all over again.

  ‘It is certainly true,’ said Li Wan, ‘that since ancient times many men have renounced worldly rank and riches to become Buddhas or Saints.’

  ‘But if he rejects his own mother and father,’ sobbed Lady Wang, ‘then he’s failing in his duty as a son. And in that case how can he ever hope to become a Saint or a Buddha?’.

  ‘It is best to be ordinary,’ commented Tan-chun. ‘Bao-yu was always different. He had that jade of his ever since he was born, and everyone always thought it lucky. But looking back, I can see that it’s brought him nothing but bad luck. If a few more days go by and we still cannot find him – I don’t want to upset you, Mother – but I think in that case we must resign ourselves to the fact that this is something decreed by fate and beyond our understanding. It would be better not to think of him as having ever been born from your womb. His destiny is after all the fruit of karma, the result of your accumulated merit in several lifetimes.’

  Bao-chai listened to this in silence. Aroma could bear it no longer; her heart ached, she felt dizzy and sank to the ground in a faint. Lady Wang seemed most concerned for her, and told one of the maids to help her up.

  Jia Huan was feeling extremely out of sorts. On top of his disgrace in the Qiao-jie affair, there was now the added humiliation of having to watch both his brother and nephew pass their examinations. He cursed Qiang and Yun for having dragged him into this trouble. Tan-chun was sure to take him to task now that she was back. And yet he dared not try to hide. He was altogether in a state of abject misery.

  The next day Jia Lan had to attend court to give thanks for his successful graduation. There he met Zhen Bao-yu and discovered that he too had passed. So
now all three of them belonged to the same ‘class’. When Lan mentioned Bao-yu’s strange disappearance, Zhen Bao-yu sighed and offered a few words of consolation.

  The Chief Examiner presented the successful candidates’ compositions to the throne, and His Majesty read them through one by one and found them all to be well balanced and cogent, displaying both breadth of learning and soundness of judgement. When he noticed two Nanking Jias in seventh and one hundred and thirtieth place, he asked if they were any relation of the late Jia Concubine. One of his ministers went to summon Jia Bao-yu and Jia Lan for questioning on this matter. Jia Lan, on arrival, explained the circumstances of his uncle’s disappearance and gave a full account of the three preceding generations of the family, all of which was transmitted to the throne by the minister. His Majesty, as a consequence of this information, being a monarch of exceptional enlightenment and compassion, instructed his minister, in consideration of the family’s distinguished record of service, to submit a full report on their case. This the minister did and drafted a detailed memorial on the subject. His Majesty’s concern was such that on reading this memorial he ordered the minister to re-examine the facts that had led to Jia She’s conviction. Subsequently the Imperial eye lighted upon yet another memorial describing the success of the recent campaign to quell the coastal disturbances, ‘causing the seas to be at peace and the rivers to be cleansed, and leaving the honest citizenry free to pursue their livelihood unmolested once more’. His Majesty was overjoyed at this good news and ordered his council of ministers to deliberate on suitable rewards and also to pronounce a general amnesty throughout the Empire.

  When Jia Lan had left court and had gone to pay his respects to his examiner, he learned of the amnesty and hurried home to tell Lady Wang and the rest of the family. They all seemed delighted, though their pleasure was marred by Bao-yu’s continued absence. Aunt Xue was particularly happy at the news, and set about making preparations for the payment of Xue Pan’s fine, since his death sentence would now be commuted as part of the amnesty.

  A few days later it was announced that Zhen Bao-yu and his father had called to offer their congratulations, and Lady Wang sent Jia Lan out to receive them. Shortly afterwards Jia Lan returned with a broad smile on his face:

  ‘Good news, Grandmother! Uncle Zhen Bao-yu’s father has heard at court of an edict pardoning both Great-uncle She and Uncle Zhen from Ning-guo House, and restoring the hereditary Ning-guo rank to Uncle Zhen. Grandfather is to keep the hereditary Rong-guo rank and after his period of mourning will be reinstated as a Permanent Secretary in the Board of Works. All the family’s confiscated property is to be restored. His Majesty has read Uncle Bao’s composition and was extremely struck by it. When he discovered that the candidate concerned was Her Late Grace’s younger brother, and when the Prince of Bei-jing added a few words of commendation, His Majesty expressed a desire to summon him to court for an audience. The ministers then told him that Uncle Bao had disappeared after the examination (it was I who informed them of this in the first place), and that he was at present being looked for everywhere, without success, whereupon His Majesty issued another edict, ordering all the garrisons in the capital to make a thorough search for him. You can set your mind at rest now, Grandmother. With His Majesty taking a personal interest in the matter, Uncle Bao is sure to be found!’

  Lady Wang and the rest of the family were delighted and congratulated each other on this new turn of events.

  Meanwhile Jia Huan and his accomplices were still on tenterhooks, searching everywhere for Qiao-jie, who having left the city with Patience and Grannie Liu had meanwhile arrived in the village and been installed in Grannie Liu’s best room, specially cleaned out for the occasion. Although their daily diet was simple village fare, it was wholesome and clean, and with little Qing-er to keep them company they had relatively few cares. There were a few quite well-off families in the village, who when they heard that there was a Miss Jia staying at Grannie Liu’s insisted on coming to have a look for themselves. They all waxed eloquent on the subject of her fairylike appearance and sent presents of fruit, fresh produce and game. In fact, Qiao-jie’s presence caused a considerable stir. The richest family were the Zhous, whose wealth was composed partly of money and partly of extensive holdings of land. They had one son in the family, a cultivated, fine-looking lad of fourteen, who had studied with a family tutor and had recently passed the preliminary Licentiate exam. When his mother set eyes on Qiao-jie she was lost in admiration.

  ‘What a pity!’ she thought to herself, with a deep inner sigh of regret. ‘A boy from a country family like ours would never be thought fit for such a well-bred young lady.’ She stood there for some time deep in thought, and Grannie Liu soon guessed what was on her mind.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ she said. ‘Why don’t I propose the match for you?’

  Mrs Zhou laughed:

  ‘Don’t go making fun of me! A great family like theirs, stoop to the likes of us!’

  ‘Well, it’d do no harm to suggest it,’ replied Grannie Liu. ‘And we shall see.’

  The two of them left it at that and went their separate ways.

  Grannie Liu was concerned to know the latest developments at Rong-guo House and sent Ban-er into town to find out. He reached Two Dukes Street to find a throng of carriages outside the two mansions, and stationed himself close by to glean what news he could. This is what he overheard:

  ‘Both families have had their ranks restored and all their confiscated property returned. Things are looking up for them again. But young Bao-yu has disappeared without trace after passing his exams.’

  Ban-er was delighted to hear of the family’s restoration to favour and was just setting off home to carry the good news back to his grandmother when he saw several horses pull up outside the gates. The riders dismounted and the gatemen saluted with one knee on the ground:

  ‘Welcome home, sir! And congratulations! How is Sir She’s health?’

  ‘Better,’ replied the young man who had first dismounted. ‘And he has received His Majesty’s gracious permission to return home.’ After a short pause he asked: ‘What are those men doing over there?’

  ‘His Majesty sent an official here with a decree. They require a member of the family to receive back all the confiscated property.’

  The young master strode in cheerfully, and Ban-er, concluding that it must be Jia Lian, did not wait for any further news but hastened home to inform Grannie Liu. A smile spread across the old lady’s face when she heard, and she went at once to tell Qiao-jie and congratulate her on the good news.

  ‘We owe everything to you, Grannie,’ said Patience with a grateful smile. ‘Without your help Miss Qiao-jie would never have lived to see this happy day.’

  Qiao-jie herself was even more excited. Presently the messenger who had been sent with a letter to Jia Lian returned.

  ‘Mr Lian says he is extremely grateful. He asks me to escort Miss Qiao-jie home at once, and to give you this handsome reward.’

  Grannie Liu was highly satisfied that all had turned out for the best, and she sent someone to fetch two carts. When she asked Qiao-jie and Patience to make use of them for their return journey, they seemed reluctant to leave. They had grown accustomed to Grannie Liu’s home, and little Qing-er was in tears because her new friends were being taken from her. Grannie Liu, seeing how attached they had become to one another, told Qing-er that she could travel with them in the carts into town. And so they hurried back to Rong-guo House.

  It will be remembered how Jia Lian, on hearing of his father’s grave illness, had hurried to his place of exile. When father and son met there was a tearful scene, which we need not describe in detail. Jia She gradually recovered his health, and when Jia Lian received a letter with the latest (and none too cheerful) news from home, he asked his father for permission to return. On his way he heard of the amnesty, and two days later arrived home on the very day that the Edict was delivered to Rong-guo House – at the very moment
in fact when Lady Xing was wondering who could receive the Edict on behalf of the family. Jia Lan was now theoretically entitled to perform this function, but he was rather too young. Then Jia Lian’s arrival was announced. He exchanged greetings with them all, and the reunion was an occasion for expressions of both sorrow and joy. There was no time for much talk, however, and Jia Lian hurried to the main hall to make his kowtow to the Imperial emissary, who enquired after Jia She’s health and said:

  ‘Tomorrow you must proceed to the Imperial Treasury to receive your compensation. The Ning-guo residence will be restored to your family.’

  The men rose to their feet, and the emissary took his leave. Jia Lian saw him off to the front gate, where he noticed a couple of country carts pulled up. The gatemen were refusing to allow the carts to stop there and a noisy argument was taking place. Jia Lian realized at once that these must be the carts bringing his daughter home and began shouting angrily at the gatemen:

  ‘You pack of misbegotten curs! While I was away you turned on your own masters and drove my daughter from home. Now you want to prevent her from returning! Are you trying to take vengeance on me?’

  The servants had been dreading Jia Lian’s return, since he would be sure to find out sooner or later what had occurred in his absence and would certainly punish them for their part in it. It still came as something of a shock to them to hear him speaking like this so soon, as if he had already discovered everything (how this could be they did not understand). They rose to their feet and protested:

  ‘While you were away, sir, some of us were sick, some were away on leave; it was all the doing of Master Huan, Mr Qiang and Mr Yun, sir, it had nothing to do with us.’