A Dream of Red Mansion

by Cao Xueqin

  Your younger brother Zhou Qiong.

  Having read this, Jia Zheng reflected, “One’s children’s marriages do seem to be fated. I met him last year when he took up a metropolitan post, and as he took up a metropolitan post, and as he was a fellow-provincial and an old friend and I was struck by his son’s handsome appearance I proposed this match at a feast, but said nothing about it to the family as it was not finally settled. When he was transferred to the coast we let the matter drop. Now I have been assigned here and he has sent this request. I consider our families well matched and think this should be a good marriage for Tanchun. However, since the family is not here I must write back to consult them.”

  As he was mulling this over, then gatekeeper brought him a summons to the provincial capital to discuss some business with the governor. He had to make ready at once and proceed to the city to await the governor’s orders.

  Resting in his hostel one day, Jia Zheng started reading through a pile of Court Gazettes on his desk and found a report from the Board of Punishments which dealt with “the merchant Xue Pan of Jinling.”

  “This is disastrous!” he exclaimed. “They’ve referred the matter up!”

  He read carefully through the account of how Xue Pan had killed Zhang San in a brawl, then bribed the witnesses to make it out a case of manslaughter.

  “He’s done for!” he cried, pounding the desk with his fist. He then read on as follows:

  The Garrison Commander of the capital reported: “Xue Pan, a native of Jinling, while travelling through Taiping County put up in Li Family Hostel. He had no previous acquaintance with the waiter Zhang San. On the day in question, Xue Pan ordered the inn-keeper to prepare wine and invited Wu Liang of Taiping County to drink with him. He sent Zhang San for the wine, but it was sour and he called for something better. Zhang San said that once he had bought it they could not change it and, annoyed by his insolence, Xue Pan dashed the wine in the waiter’s face so fiercely that his hand slipped and the bowl hit Zhang San’s temple just as he was stooping to pick up some chopsticks. The skin was broken, blood spurted out, and very soon he died. When the innkeeper could not revive him, he informed Zhang San’s mother, who finding her son dead called in the local bailiff and reported the matter to the county yamen. The report of the post-mortem which they sent to the prefecture omitted to mention that the blow on the temple cracked the skull, making a gash one-third of an inch deep, and that there was another bruise in the small of his back. Apparently Xue Pan’s hand did slip when he threw the wine, and the blow from the bowl accidentally killed Zhang San. So Xue Pan was convicted of manslaughter during a quarrel, and kept in custody until the payment of an indemnity.”

  A careful study of all the statements made by the culprits, Witnesses and dead man’s relatives reveals that they are full of discrepancies. Furthermore, there is this proviso to the ruling on death through brawls: When two men grapple together it is a brawl; only when there is no brawl and the one killed is a stranger to his slayer can it be considered as manslaughter. So we ordered the Garrison Commander to ascertain the true facts and report back.

  Now we hear from the Garrison Commander that it was because Zhang San refused to change the wine that Xue Pan, who was tipsy, seized his right hand and struck him first in the small of the back. When Zhang San cursed him for this, Xue Pan threw the bowl at him, gashing his temple and cracking his skull so that his brains spilled not and he died on the spot. This means that Xue Pan killed Zhang San by striking him with the wine bowl and he should pay with his life. For this crime, the law decrees death by strangulation, pending Imperial review. Wu Liang should be flogged and sentenced to hard labour. The prefectual and county magistrates who sent in false reports....

  Below this was appended: To be continued.

  Since Aunt Xue had enlisted Jia Zheng’s help and he had appealed to the magistrate, if the court was asked to punish these officials he might find himself involved. He was very worried. He picked up the next issue of the gazette, but it was not the right one; and although he looked through the whole pile he could not find the sequel to this report. His heart misgave him. He was brooding over this with growing apprehension when Li Shier entered.

  “Will Your Lordship please go to the government office,” he said. “The drum has sounded twice in the governor’s yamen.”

  As Jia Zheng was too lost in thought to hear him, Li had to repeat his message.

  “What am I to do?” muttered Jia Zheng.

  “Have you something on your mind, sir?”

  Jia Zheng told him what he had read in the gazette.

  “Don’t worry, sir,” Li rejoined. “If this is how the Board’s handled it, Master Xue has got off lightly! Back in the capital, I heard that Master Xue fetched a lot of women to the inn, all drunk and disorderly, and he beat the waiter to death. Not only was the magistrate bribed, they told me, but Master Lian had to spend a lot of money squaring the different yamens before the case was sent up. I can’t think why the Board didn’t get it straight.

  “But even if it’s come out now, officials protect each other. At most they’ll admit that they didn’t get the facts right, for which they will simply be dismissed or penalized. They’ll never own up to having taken bribes. Don’t let it weigh on your mind, sir. I’ll find out more for you presently, but don’t keep the governor waiting.”

  “You don’t understand,” said Jia Zheng. “It’ll be too bad if the magistrate loses his post, and may even be otherwise penalized too, just for doing us a favour.”

  “Well, worrying won’t help. They’ve been waiting outside for a long time; please go now, sir.”

  To know what the governor wanted with Jia Zheng, you must read the following chapter.

  Chapter 100

  By Frustrating Jingui Xiangling Makes a Worse Enemy of Her

  Baoyu Grieves Over Tanchun’s Departure to Marry Far from Home

  Jia Zheng remained so long with the governor that the attendants outside started speculating what the reason could be; and when Li Shier could get hold of no information, he remembered the ominous report in the Court Gazette and began to be really worried. At last Jia Zheng emerged, and Li escorted him back. On the way, when no one else was near, he asked:

  “Was it urgent business that kept you there so long, sir?”

  “Nothing of consequence,” replied Jia Zheng with a smile. “The garrison commander of Haimen is related to the governor and has written recommending me to him. For this reason, the governor paid me some compliments and said, ‘Now we are relatives too.’“

  Pleased and emboldened by this, Li urged him to agree to the garrison commander’s proposal. However, Jia Zheng was still afraid that he might be implicated in Xue Pan’s case. Being so far away, cut off from news and in no position to cope with emergencies, on his return to his office he lost no time in sending a servant to the capital to find out the situation and tell the Lady Dowager about the garrison commander’s proposal. If she agreed to it, Tanchun could be sent to him.

  The servant travelled post-haste to the capital. Having made his report to Lady Wang, he found out from the Ministry of Civil Affairs that Jia Zheng was in no trouble—only the magistrate of Taiping County had been dismissed from his post. He sent word of this to Jia Zheng to relieve his mind, then stayed on to await further developments.

  Now Aunt Xue had spent huge sums bribing the yamens dealing with Xue Pan’s case to bring in a verdict of manslaughter, not murder. She had planned to sell a pawnshop to raise the ransom for him; but now that the Board of Punishments had unexpectedly reversed the verdict, had to spend still more on bribes, all in vain—Xue Pan remained sentenced to death and immured in prison pending the Major Sessions in the autumn. Aunt Xue wept day and night for rage and grief.

  “Brother was born ill-fated,” Baochai kept telling her to comfort her. “Inheriting so much property, he should have lived quietly, minding his own business. Instead he carried on scandalously down south, behaving so disgracefully over Xiangli
ng. It was only because of his powerful connections and money that he got away with killing that young gentleman. He should have turned over a new leaf then, and taken good care of you; but here in the capital he carried on just as before. Goodness knows how often he’s provoked you, mother, how many tears he’s made you shed.

  “Then you got him a wife, and we thought we could all live in peace; but it was his fate to marry such a shrew that he left home to avoid her. As the proverb says, ‘Foes are fated to meet’—before very long he killed a man again!

  “You and Cousin Ke have done all you could for him: spending money and begging this one and that one to help. But there’s no escaping fate, and he brought this on himself. People bring up children as props for their old age, and even the son of a poor family will work to support his mother. What good is one who squanders his whole inheritance and breaks his old mother’s heart?

  “Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but the way brother behaves he isn’t your son but your enemy. If you don’t wake up to this, you’ll keep crying from dawn till dusk, from dusk till dawn, and have more to put up with from sister-in-law as well. As for me, I can’t always be here to smooth things over, for though Baoyu’s a simpleton he won’t let me stay here. But it makes me so worried seeing you like this!

  “The other day the master sent to tell us how alarmed he was after reading the Court Gazette: that’s why he sent a servant to see to things. I’m sure lots of people are anxious over this trouble brother’s made. I’m lucky to be so close to you still. If I heard this news far away, I’d worry myself to death thinking about you! So do calm down, mother, and while brother’s still alive check up on the various accounts. Get the old accountant to reckon up how much is owed to us and how much we owe, so as to see how much money there is left.

  “These days we’ve been so upset about your brother,” said Aunt Xue tearfully, “whenever you came, if you weren’t consoling me I was telling you what had happened in the yamen; so I didn’t let you know. We’ve already lost the title of Court Purveyor in the capital, and we’ve sold two of our pawnshops—the proceeds went long ago. We still have one pawnshop left, but its manager has absconded with several thousand taels, for which we’re suing him. Your Cousin Ke outside asks every day for more money, and we must have spent tens of thousands from our funds in the capital. We can only make up the deficit by drawing silver from our clan funds down south and by selling our houses there. But only the other day we heard a rumour that our clan pawnshop in Jinling has been confiscated too, because it went bankrupt. If this is true, what’s your poor mother to live on?” She broke down and sobbed.

  “It’s no use worrying about money matters, mother,” said Baochai, in tears herself. “Cousin Ke will see to them for us. But how hateful of those assistants! When they see us come down in the world they strike out on their own; and some of them, so I’ve heard, help other people to squeeze us. This shows that all these years the only friends brother had made are wine-and-meat ones, not one of whom stands by him in time of trouble.

  “If you’re fond of me, mother, take my advice and now that you’re old take better care of your health. I can’t believe you’ll ever go cold or hungry. What little clothing and furniture there is here, you’ll simply have to let sister-in-law do as she likes with. I don’t suppose the servants want to stay on, so if they ask to leave just let them go. Poor Xiangling has had a hard life; you’ll have to keep her with you. If you’re short of anything. I’ll provide it if I can—I don’t imagine Baoyu will object. Xiren is a good sort too. When she heard of our family trouble she spoke of you with tears. He’s not upset, not knowing that anything’s amiss. If he knew, he would be frantic...”

  “Don’t tell him, there’s a good child,” Aunt Xue cut in. “He nearly died because of Daiyu, and he’s only just recovering. If he’s upset and anything happens to him, you’ll have more to worry about and I shall have fewer people to whom to turn.”

  “That’s what I think,” answered Baochai. “That’s why I never told him.”

  Just then they heard Jingui storm into the outer room.

  “I want to die and be done with it!” she shrieked. “My man’s as good as dead! We may as well make a scene, all going to the execution ground for a show-down!”

  She banged her head on the partition until her hair was all tousled. Aunt Xue could only glare in rage, unable to get a word out. It was Baochai who begged Jingui to be reasonable.

  “Dear sister-in-law!” sneered Jingui. “You’re no longer part of this household. You’re living in comfort with that husband of yours, but I’m all on my own—I needn’t care about appearances!”

  She threatened to rush out, back to her mother’s home. Fortunately there were enough of them there to restrain her and talk her round so that, eventually, she left off storming. But Baoqin was so terrified that she kept out of her way.

  Whenever Xue Ke was at home, Jingui would rouge and powder her face, paint her eyebrows, deck her hair and dress up like a vamp. She kept passing his room, coughing deliberately; and though well aware that he was inside, she would make a point of asking who was there. When they met, she would ogle him and ask coyly after his health, simpering and pouting by turns. The maids who saw her hastily scurried away. But disregarding appearances, she set her whole heart on enticing Xue Ke, to carry out Baochan’s plan.

  Xue Ke did his best to avoid her, but when they happened to meet he made a show of cordiality for fear that otherwise she might make a scene. And Jingui, besotted by her infatuation, indulged in the wildest fantasies which blinded her to his real attitude to her. She noticed, though, that Xue Ke left his things in Xiangling’s keeping and that she was the one who washed and made clothes for him; while if Jingui chanced to find them talking together, they hastily parted company. This made her jealous. Not liking to vent her anger on Xue Ke she focused it on Xiangling. But afraid to offend him by quarrelling openly with her, she hid her resentment. One day Baochan came to her, smiling all over her face. “Have you seen Master Ke, madam?” she asked.

  “No,” said Jingui.

  “I told you not to believe that strait-laced pose of his,” chuckled Baochan. “That time we sent him wine, he said he couldn’t drink; but just now I saw him going to see the mistress, red in the face and tipsy. If you don’t believe me, wait at our courtyard gate for him to come out. You can intercept him then and challenge him to see what he has to say.”

  Provoked by this Jingui answered, “He won’t be coming out yet a while; and he’s such a cold fish, why should I challenge him?”

  “That’s no way to look at it, madam. If he’s well-disposed, we’ll know what to do. If not, we’ll make other plans.”

  Convinced by this, Jingui sent her off to keep watch till he came out, then opened her dressing-case and eyed herself in the mirror. Having rouged her lips and selected a flowered silk handkerchief she left her room, rather flustered, as if she had overlooked something.

  She heard Baochan outside saying, “You’re in high spirits, Master Ke, today. Where have you been drinking?”

  Taking her cue, Jingui lifted the portiere and stepped out.

  “Today is Mr. Zhang’s birthday,” Xue Ke was telling Baochan. “They forced me to drink half a goblet. Even now my face is still burning....”

  Jingui interposed, “Of course other people’s wine tastes better than ours at home!”

  At this taunt, Xue Ke blushed even redder. Stepping over quickly he countered with a smile, “How can you say such a thing, sister-in-law!”

  Seeing them talking together, Baochan slipped inside.

  Jingui had meant to make a show of annoyance, but now his flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes and appealing expression had melted her anger away.

  “You mean you were forced to drink?” she asked with a smile. “Of course. I can’t drink,” he said.

  “It’s best not to drink—much better than landing in trouble through drinking like your cousin, so that when you take a wife she becomes a lonely grass wid
ow like me, poor thing!” She shot him a sidelong glance, blushing as she spoke.

  Shocked by these improper advances, Xue Ke decided to leave her; but she forestalled him by seizing hold of him.

  “Sister-in-law!” he spluttered, trembling from head to foot. “Remember who you are!”

  “Just come on in,” she answered brazenly. “I’ve something important to tell you.”

  This clash was cut short by the announcement behind them: “Madam! Xiangling is here.”

  With a start Jingui turned to see Baochan watching them from under the raised portiere. She had called out this warning at sight of Xiangling. The shock made Jingui let go of Xue Ke, who took this chance to escape.

  Xiangling had not noticed them until Baochan called out. Horrified by the sight of Jingui trying desperately to tug Xue Ke into her room, her heart went pit-a-pat and she wheeled away, leaving Jingui rooted to the spot in furious consternation as she stared after Xue Ke’s retreating figure. With a curse she went back to her room then in frustration, and from that day on she hated Xiangling to the marrow of her bones. Xiangling had just passed the inner gate on her way to call on Baoqin when this sight frightened her away.