by Cao Xueqin
“Don’t be angry, madam,” urged Mrs. Zhou. “After the merry-making I’ll get the stewards to beat them within an inch of their lives, and we’ll ask who told them to talk in that way about different households. Now I’ve ordered the lights to be put out and the main and the side gates closed.”
Just then a maid arrived from Xifeng to invite Madam You to supper. “I’m not hungry now,” was the answer. “I’ve just had some pastries. Ask your mistress to start without me.” Mrs. Zhou went off to report this to Xifeng.
“Those two women carry on like stewardesses,” she said. “And when we speak to them they treat us like dirt. If you don’t make an example of them, madam, Madam You is going to feel slighted.”
“In that case,” replied Xifeng, “remember those two women’s names, and when this commotion is over have them tied up and sent to the other mansion for Madam You to beat or pardon as she thinks fit.”
This was just what Mrs. Zhou had been hoping for, as she had long been on bad terms with both women. On withdrawing she sent a page with this message to Lin Zhixiao’s wife, and asked her to go straight to see Madam You. At the same time she sent people to have both those women tied up and kept under guard in the stable.
It was dark now and, not knowing what was afoot, Lin Zhixiao’s wife took a carriage to the mansion. She went first to Xifeng’s quarters. But when she announced herself at the inner gate some maids came out to tell her
“The mistress has just gone to bed. Madam You is in the Garden. You can go and see her there.”
So Mrs. Lin had to go to the Garden. When the maids at Paddy-Sweet Cottage announced her, Madam You regretted the trouble she had caused her. Inviting her in she said:
“I only asked for you because I couldn’t find the women on duty. It isn’t all that important. Since you’d left they shouldn’t have called you back again, making a trip for nothing. It’s a small matter and I’ve already set it aside.”
Mrs. Lin responded with a smile, “Madam Lian sent to tell me you had some instructions for me, madam.”
“The idea! I didn’t know you’d left or I wouldn’t have asked for you. Some busybody’s been talking to Xifeng. I suppose it was Sister Zhou. You go back and rest now. It’s of no consequence.”
Li Wan was on the point of explaining, but Madam You stopped her.
Seeing this, all Mrs. Lin could do was leave. But it so happened that on her way out of the Garden she ran into Concubine Zhao.
“Well, well, sister!” cried the concubine with a smile. “Why are you running about here at this hour of the day instead of resting at home?”
Mrs. Lin explained that she had gone home and why she had returned, then gave a detailed account of what had happened.
Now the concubine was naturally officious, and as she kept on good terms with the stewards’ wives, trading information with them, she had a fair idea of what had happened. She told Mrs. Lin what she knew of the whole story.
“So that’s the way it was!” Mrs. Lin laughed. “What a storm in a teacup. If she’s kind she’ll forget it; if she’s mean, at most she’ll just give them a thrashing and have done with it.”
“My dear sister-in-law,” said the concubine, “this may not be serious but it shows how domineering they are, fetching you here for nothing to make an outright figure of fun of you. Go back and rest now; you’ll be busy tomorrow, so I won’t keep you for tea.”
Then Mrs. Lin left and was approaching the side gate when the daughters of those two women came up to her in tears and begged her to help.
“You silly children,” she scolded. “Who told your mothers to get drunk and talk nonsense, landing themselves in trouble? This had nothing to do with me. It was Madam Lian who had them tied up, and now people are holding me to blame too. I’m in no position to help you.”
The two children, being only seven or eight, had no sense and just went on crying and pleading with her.
Unable to shake them off Mrs. Lin exclaimed, “Silly creatures! Why don’t you approach the right people instead of pestering me?” She turned to one girl. “Your elder sister’s mother-in-law Mrs. Fei came here with Lady Xing at the time of her marriage. Get your sister to ask her mother-in-law to enlist Her Ladyship’s help, then your problem will be solved, won’t it?”
The little girl accepted this advice. The other went on pleading.
“How silly can you get?” snapped Mrs. Lin. “If she goes and asks, the whole business will blow over. They can’t just let her mother off and have yours beaten, can they?” With that she went off in her carriage.
So one of the small girls went to ask her sister to speak to old Mrs. Fei. This Mrs. Fei, as Lady Xing’s personal maid at the time of her marriage, had once been of some consequence, but as Lady Xing had recently lost favour with the Lady Dowager her servants had lost some of their authority too; thus they were always eager to find fault with the upper servants of Jia Zheng’s household. Old Mrs. Fei, presuming on her age and Lady Xing’s backing, had taken to drinking and cursing people at random to work off her resentment. The Lady Dowager’s grand birthday celebrations had filled her with envy as she watched other people showing off their administrative ability and ordering their underlings about; but no one in Jia Zheng’s household paid much attention to her spiteful scolding and aspersions. The news now that Zhou Rui’s wife had had a the old lady and liked to throw her weight about keeping her husband under her thumb, getting Lady Wang worked up, and showing no respect at all for the real mistress of the mansion. Later, they even brought charges against Lady Wang, alleging that she and Xifeng had set the old lady against Lady Xing. So even if Lady Xing had been strong-minded, as a woman she could not help bearing a grudge, and recently she had come to detest Xifeng. When Mrs. Fei told her this tale she made no comment.
The next morning she went to pay her respects to the Lady Dowager. The whole family had come to feast and watch operas, and the old lady was in high spirits. As no distant relatives had been invited, only junior members of the family, she came out in informal dress to receive their salutations in the hall, reclining on a couch in the middle furnished with a pillow, back-rest and foot-stool. Seated on low stools around the couch were Baochai, Baoqin, Daiyu, Xiangyun, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun. Jia Bin’s mother had brought her daughter Xiluan too, Jia Qiong’s mother her daughter Sijie, and about twenty other grand-nieces of different ages had assembled as well.
As Xiluan and Siqi were good-looking, well-spoken girls a cut above the others, the Lady Dowager was delighted with them and made them also sit in front of her couch where Baoyu was massaging her legs. Aunt Xue had the seat of honour, the others sitting down in a row on each side according to their ages and the seniority of their family branch. In the corridor outside the portiere the male members of the clan also sat in due order.
First the women of the clan, row by row, paid their respects; then the men. By the time the old lady on her couch told them to desist, they had all gone through the ceremonies.
Then Lai Da led the other stewards and servants to kowtow, kneeling from the ceremonial gate to the hall. They were followed by their wives, then the maids from various apartments. This went on for the time it would take for two or three meals, and after that many bird-cages were brought into the courtyard and the birds let loose. Jia She and the others burnt incense and paper money to sacrifice to Heaven, Earth and the God of Longevity; and only then did they start to watch operas and feast. Not until the interval did the old lady retire to her room to rest, enjoining the others to enjoy themselves. She also told Xifeng to keep Xiluan and there to have a good time for a couple of days. Xifeng went out to inform the girls’ mothers, and as they owed much to her they agreed with alacrity. And the girls were only too glad to amuse themselves in the Garden, and spend the night there.
That evening when the time came for the party to break up, Lady Xing in front of everyone approached Xifeng with a smile to ask her a favour.
“Last night I heard you were angry and sent Stew
ard Zhou’s wife to have two old women tied up—I don’t know what they’d done wrong. By rights I shouldn’t ask to have them let off, but it seems to me the old lady’s birthday is surely the time to give alms to the poor and aged, yet here we are punishing old folk instead. So if you won’t give me this face, do at least let them off for the old lady’s sake!” After this speech she went off in her carriage.
Mortified at being addressed like this in front of so many people, Xifeng flushed crimson, quite put out for a moment. Then she turned with a cold laugh to Mrs. Lai and the stewards’ wives.
“How extraordinary!” she said. “Yesterday some of this household annoyed Madam You of the other mansion, and not wanting her to take offence I left her to deal with the culprits. It wasn’t because they had offended me. Who’s been telling tales again?”
Lady Wang asked what all this was about, and Xifeng reported what had happened the previous day.
Then Madam You said with a smile, “I had no idea of this. And you needn’t have meddled.”
“I wanted to save your face,” retorted Xifeng. “That’s why I left you to deal with them—that seemed only reasonable. Just as, if someone in your place offended me, stands to reason you’d send her to me to deal with, however much of a favourite that servant might be. I don’t know what busybody went and reported this as if it was something of consequence, just to prove her loyalty.”
“But what your mother-in-law said is right,” put in Lady Wang. “Your cousin Zhen’s wife isn’t an outsider, so such formalities are uncalled for. The old lady’s birthday is the important thing. You’d better let them off.”
She turned and gave orders for both old women to be released.
More mortified than ever, in her frustration Xifeng could not hold back her tears. But not wanting anyone to see her weep, she went back in a pique to her room. However, it so happened that the Lady Dowager sent Hupo to fetch her. When Hupo saw her she exclaimed in surprise:
“What’s come over you suddenly? The old lady wants you.”
Xifeng hastily wiped her eyes, washed and powdered her face, then went over with Hupo.
The Lady Dowager asked her, “How many of those families who sent presents the other day sent screens?”
“Sixteen families,” replied Xifeng. “There are twelve big screens and four small ones for kang. The big screen sent by the Zhens south of the Yangzi has twelve red tapestry scenes from the opera Every Son a High Minister on one side and on the other gilded depictions of the character ‘Longevity’ in various styles of calligraphy. That’s the best of the lot. Then there’s a glass screen from the family of Admiral Wu of Canton which isn’t bad.”
“In that case don’t dispose of those two, but store them in a safe place,” the old lady said. “I want to give them as presents.”
As Xifeng assented, Yuanyang suddenly stepped forward to stare at her.
“Don’t you know her?” asked the old lady. “What are you staring for?”
“I’m wondering why her eyes are so swollen,” answered Yuanyang with a smile.
The Lady Dowager told Xifeng to come closer and looked at her hard.
Xifeng tried to laugh it off.
“My eyes were itching so I rubbed them,” she said.
Yuanyang chuckled, “Has someone been provoking you again?”
“Who would dare?” retorted Xifeng. “Even if someone did, I wouldn’t dare cry on the old lady’s birthday.”
“Quite right,” agreed the Lady Dowager. “I’m just going to have my supper. You can wait on me, then take what’s left for yourself and Chen’s wife. Then you two must help the two nuns to pick some Buddhist beans only by riches and rank and unlikely to think much of them; but if I hear of anyone showing them the least disrespect, there’s going to be trouble!”
The woman assented and was about to leave when Yuanyang said, “I’ll go. The people there wouldn’t pay any attention to her.”
She went straight to the Garden, going first to Paddy-Sweet Cottage. Finding neither Li Wan nor Madam You there, she questioned the maids who told her that they were with Tanchun. Yuanyang went On to Morning Emerald Hall and, sure enough, found all the inmates of the Garden there chatting. At sight of her they pressed her to take a seat.
“What brings you here at this hour?” they asked.
“Can’t I come and enjoy myself as well?” Yuanyang chuckled before giving them the old lady’s message.
Li Wan hastily stood up to hear it, then sent for the chief servants from each household and ordered them to pass on these instructions.
Madam You remarked, “The old lady really thinks of everything. Even ten of us healthy young people put together aren’t up to her.”
Li Wan said, “Xifeng’s devilish clever, she comes closest to her; but the rest of us can’t hold a candle to her.”
“Don’t talk about her, poor thing,” put in Yuanyang. “These last few years she may have made no mistakes that the old lady knows of, but she’s offended goodness knows how many other people. Well, it’s hard to please everybody. If you’re too honest and don’t know any tricks, your father and mother-in-law will think you a simpleton and the household won’t respect you. If you’re full of tricks, you’ll please some and offend others. In our family especially, this new lot of ‘mistresses’ promoted from slaves are so puffed up they all think they can do as they like. If they’re in the least dissatisfied, they gossip behind people’s backs or stir up trouble. So as not to upset the old lady, I haven’t breathed a word about this to her. If I did, none of us could have a single day of peace! I shouldn’t be saying this in front of you, Miss Tanchun, but when someone complains on the sly that the old lady dotes on Baoyu, that doesn’t matter—it counts as natural partiality. But when the old lady shows her fondness for you, I hear the same person complain. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Tanchun said with a smile, “There are plenty of silly people; don’t take it so seriously. It seems to me humble households are better off having fewer people even though they’re poorer, because parents and children enjoy themselves together, laughing and joking. In a big family like ours, outsiders think our wealthy young ladies must be very happy. Little do they know the unspeakable troubles we have here, much worse than anywhere else.”
“Other people don’t worry as much as you, third sister,” said Baoyu. “I’m always urging you not to listen to that vulgar talk or think about those vulgar matters. Just enjoy your wealth and high rank. You’re luckier than us men who can’t enjoy a quiet, leisurely life, but have to muck about.”
“Who can compare with you, with not a care in the world?” asked Madam You. “All you do is play around with your girl cousins, eating when you’re hungry, sleeping when you’re tired and going on like this year after year, taking no thought at all for the future.”
“Every day I spend with my cousins is all to the good,” he answered. “When I die that’ll be the end. Who cares about the future?”
The others laughed.
“You’re talking nonsense again,” teased Li Wan. “Even if you were good for nothing and stayed here all your life, these girls would get married and leave the family, wouldn’t they?”
“No wonder people say you belie your handsome looks,” chuckled Madam You. “You’re really and truly a fool.”
“A man’s fate is uncertain,” Baoyu quipped. “Who knows when he will die? If I died today or tomorrow, this year or next, I’d die content.”
The others hastily stopped him.
“He’s raving again,” they said. “We mustn’t talk to him. If we do, he talks like a fool or a lunatic.”
“Don’t say such things, Cousin Bao,” Xiluan put in. “When all your sisters and cousins here have left to get married, the old lady and the mistress are bound to feel lonely too; then I’ll come and keep you company.”
Li Wan and Madam You laughed.
“You’re talking nonsense too, child. Are you never going to get married? Whom are you trying to fool?”
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br /> Xiluan blushed and lowered her head.
It was then already the first watch, so they all went back to their own rooms to rest.
Yuanyang, when she reached the Garden gate, saw that the side gates were closed but not yet bolted. There was nobody about, and the only light apart from the faint moonlight was in the gatehouse. As she was all alone and had not brought a lantern, and as she walked quietly, no one in the gatehouse had noticed her approach. Happening just then to want to relieve herself, she left the path and walked across the grass to the back of a rockery under a large fragrant osmanthus. She had just skirted the rockery when the rustle of clothes made her start with fright, and looking in that direction she saw two people who at sight of her ducked behind some rocks under the trees. But Yuanyang had seen in the moon-light that one of them, a tall, buxom maid in a red skirt with loosely tied hair, was Siqi from Yingchun’s apartments. Assuming that she and another girl were also relieving themselves here and had dodged out of sight to frighten her for fun, she called out laughingly:
“Siqi, if you don’t come out quickly and try to scare me, I’ll scream and have you caught as a thief. Fancy a big girl like you fooling about at this time of the night.”
Yuanyang was only teasing to get her to come out. But Siqi, having a guilty conscience, thought she had been caught red-handed and was afraid Yuanyang’s shouts would alert other people, which would be even worse. As Yuanyang had always treated her well, better than the other girls, she ran out from behind the tree to catch hold of her arm.
“Good sister,” she begged, dropping to her knees. “Do keep quiet for goodness’ sake.”
Puzzled by this, Yuanyang pulled her up to ask, “What do you mean?”
Siqi blushed crimson and burst into tears. Then Yuanyang remembered that the other figure had looked something like a young man, and she guessed more or less what had happened. She flushed up to her ears, quite consternated. Presently, taking a grip on herself, she asked softly:
“Who was he?”