by Cao Xueqin
Meanwhile Jia Zheng and the others had escorted the coffin to Iron Threshold Temple and deposited it there, after which the relatives and friends went back. Jia Zheng kept vigil in the outer hall of the temple, Lady Xing and Lady Wang within, lamenting the whole night long.
The next day another sacrifice was to be held and the offerings were being set out when Jia Yun arrived. Having kowtowed before the Lady Dowager’s coffin he ran over to kneel to Jia Zheng and pay his respects, then blurted out the news of last night’s robbery—how everything in the old lady’s rooms had been stolen, how Bao Yong had given chase and killed one of the thieves, and how they had reported this to the authorities. Jia Zheng listened dumbfounded. Their Ladyships overhearing this inside were frightened out of their wits. Speechless, they could only sob.
After a while Jia Zheng asked, “How did you draw up the list of stolen property?”
“As no one at home knew what was there, we haven’t drawn it up yet,” was Jia Yun’s reply.
“So much the better. As our house was searched, to list any valuables would be reprehensible. Tell Lian to come here at once.”
He sent for Jia Lian, who had taken Baoyu and some others to sacrifice elsewhere. And Jia Lian was so frantic when he heard the news that, regardless of Jia Zheng’s presence, he cursed Jia Yun.
“You worthless wretch!” he fumed. “When I trusted you with such an important job, you should have seen to it that the place was patrolled at night. What are you—a zombie? I wonder you have the nerve to come and report it.”
He spat repeatedly in Jia Yun’s face while the young man stood at respectful attention, not daring to say a word.
“It’s no use swearing at him,” objected Jia Zheng.
Then Jia Lian knelt to ask him, “What shall we do, sir?”
“All we can do is report this to the authorities and hope they will apprehend the thieves. The trouble is that we didn’t touch the old lady’s legacy. When you asked for money I thought it wrong to use her silver so soon after her death, meaning to settle accounts and pay the workmen after the funeral. I intended to use what was left to buy land here and in the south near the ancestral graveyard to provide for sacrificial expenses. I don’t really know how much she had left. Now that the authorities want a list of what’s lost, it may cause further trouble to mention valuables. In any case, we don’t know the exact amount of her gold and silver or her clothes and trinkets, and we can’t fake it up. It’s ridiculous, I must say, the way you’ve bungled affairs. What’s come over you? What use is it kneeling there?”
Not venturing to answer, Jia Lian stood up to leave.
“Where are you going?” snapped Jia Zheng.
He turned back to reply, “I’m going to hurry home to straighten things jut, sir.”
When Jia Zheng simply snorted, Jia Lian hung his head again.
“Go in and tell your mother first,” ordered Jia Zheng. “Take one or two of the old lady’s maids with you. Tell them to think carefully then make out a list.”
Jia Lian knew perfectly well that all the old lady’s things had been in the charge of Yuanyang who was dead; so to whom could he apply for information? Zhenzhu and the others would certainly not know. However, afraid to argue, he assented. Then he went inside where he was taken to task again by Their Ladyships, who told him to hurry back and ask the caretakers, “How will you have the face to meet us tomorrow?”
Jia Lian agreed and withdrew to order a carriage for Hupo and the maids. Mounting a mule himself he galloped home accompanied by a few pages. Jia Yun, too cowed to say any more to Jia Zheng, withdrew slowly with lowered head to mount his horse and follow. We can pass over their journey.
When Jia Lian reached home, Lin Zhixiao paid his respects and followed him in to the old lady’s quarters where Xifeng and Xichun were. Though seething with anger Jia Lian could not vent it on them.
He asked Lin Zhixiao, “Have officers been sent to investigate?”
With a guilty conscience the steward knelt down and reported, “The civil authorities have investigated the tracks made by the thieves, and also examined the corpse, sir.”
“What corpse!?”
Told how Bao Yong had killed one of the thieves who looked like Zhou Rui’s godson, Jia Lian immediately summoned Jia Yun, who came in and knelt down too to hear his orders.
“Why didn’t you report to the master that Zhou Rui’s godson was one of the thieves and he was killed by Bao Yong?” Jia Lian demanded.
“The night-watchmen thought it looked like him, but as we couldn’t be sure I didn’t report it.”
“You idiot!” swore Jia Lian. “If you’d reported it, I would have brought Zhou Rui back to identify him, to clear the matter up.”
Lin Zhixiao informed him, “The police have taken the corpse to the market-place to see who claims it.”
“Then they’re idiots too!” cried Jia Lian. “Who’s going to ask to have justice done if one of his family has been killed as a robber?”
“Actually, they don’t have to identify him,” said the steward. “I recognized him all right.”
Jia Lian replied thoughtfully, “Yes, wasn’t it Zhou Rui’s godson whom Master Zhen wanted to punish that year?”
“He had a fight with Bao Er, and you saw him yourself, sir.” This made Jia Lian more furious. He wanted to have all the night-watchmen beaten.
The steward begged him, “Please don’t be angry, sir. Which of those watchmen would dare shirk his duty? But the rule of our house is that none of them can enter the inner gate—even we don’t go in unless sent for. Master Yun and I kept a careful check outside and saw that the inner gate was firmly locked. None of the outer gates was opened either. The thieves came from the back passage.”
“Then how about those women inside who were watching during the night?”
He was told that on Xifeng’s orders they had been bound to await his questioning.
“Where is Bao Yong now?” he asked.
“He has gone back to the Garden.”
“Bring him here.”
When servants had fetched him Jia Lian said, “It’s a good thing you were here; otherwise most likely they’d have robbed all our houses.”
Bao Yong said nothing to this, while Xichun was on tenterhooks for fear lest he mention Miaoyu. Xifeng did not dare to speak either.
Then someone outside announced the return of Hupo and the other maids. When they came in all wept together again. Ordered by Jia Lian to ascertain what had been left by the thieves, all they could find were some clothes, some lengths of silk and a money-box—everything else had gone. He thought with desperation of the workmen and the cooks who had not been paid—how to settle with them all tomorrow? He was bemused.
After Hupo and the others had had their cry and discovered all the chests and cases open, unable to remember what they had contained they made up a list at random to send in to the authorities. Then Jia Lian reassigned the night-watch and Xifeng and Xichun retired to their own quarters. Jia Lian could not presume to rest at home and had no time to remonstrate with Xifeng. He mounted a horse and rode back out of the city while she, afraid Xichun might commit suicide, sent Fenger to comfort her.
At the second watch that night, all the inmates of the house were on their guard, too scared to sleep, locking the stable door after the horse had been stolen. But the thieves were set on kidnapping Miaoyu, knowing that there were only weak women in the nunnery. By the third watch when all was still, armed with daggers and narcotic incense they climbed on to the high wall and saw from the distance that there were still lights in Green Lattice Nunnery. One of them slithered down and hid himself beside it.
He waited till the fourth watch, when there was only one lamp left burning inside, and saw Miaoyu on her hassock sitting cross-legged in meditation.
After a while she sighed, “I came from Yuanmu to the capital hoping to make a name; but then I was invited here and couldn’t go anywhere else. Yesterday out of kindness I called on Xichun only to be abused
by that lout, and during the night I had another bad fright. Coming back today I still feel on tenterhooks, unable to concentrate.”
As a rule she meditated in solitude and she was therefore reluctant to call in someone today to keep her company. But by the fifth watch, shivering with cold, she had just decided to summon her maid when a sound outside the window startled her, recalling what had happened the previous night. She called for her women, but not one of them answered. As she sat there, she smelt a whiff of scent which seemed to seep into her brain; and a numbness overcame her, making her unable to move or utter a sound. Panic-stricken then, she saw a man climb in with a gleaming dagger. Although still conscious she could not stir and thinking that he must be going to kill her, she resigned herself to her fate and her fear left her. However, the intruder tucked his knife in the back of his belt to free his hands, then quietly took her in his arms and trifled with her a while. He then picked her up and slung her on to his back. Miaoyu felt as if drunk or deranged. So, alas, this pure-minded girl was drugged by the robber and ravished!
Carrying Miaoyu to the back wall of the Garden, this thief fixed up a rope-ladder and climbed over to where his mates had a carriage waiting. They laid Miaoyu inside it, then carrying lanterns inscribed with official titles called upon the guards to open the street gates and hurried to the city gate just as it was due to open. The officers there, assuming that they were going out on official business, did not even challenge them. They whipped their horses on to Twenty-li Slope to join the rest of their gang, then made their way by different routes to the south coast.
Whether Miaoyu lived on in shame after being kidnapped, or whether she resisted and was killed we cannot venture to say, not knowing the sequel.
Another of Miaoyu’s attendants in Green Lattice Nunnery had been sleeping in the back room at the fifth watch when she heard a call from in front and supposed that her mistress was too restless to meditate. Next, she heard what sounded like a man’s footsteps and a window being opened. She wanted to get up and investigate, but felt too listless even to call out. Hearing no summons from Miaoyu she waited till dawn by which time her head had cleared. Throwing on some clothes she got up then and called the deaconess to prepare tea and water. When she went to the front, however, Miaoyu had vanished without a trace and the window was wide open. Remembering the noises during the night, she had misgivings and wondered, “Where can she have gone so early?”
Going out of the courtyard to have a look, she found a rope-ladder by the wall and on the ground a pouch and dagger sheath.
“Mercy on us!” she cried. “Some thief must have drugged us last night!” She frantically called to the others to get up and make a search. The gate of the nunnery was still locked.
“We must have been overcome by charcoal fumes so that none of us could get up,” said the serving-women. “But what do you want us for so early in the morning?”
“Our mistress has disappeared.”
“She’ll be meditating in the hall.”
“You’re still dreaming! Come and look!”
In bewilderment they opened the nunnery gate and made a search of the whole Garden. Drawing a blank and assuming that Miaoyu had gone to see Xichun, they knocked at the inner gate and were once more roundly abused by Bao Yong.
They explained, “Sister Miaoyu disappeared last night so we’ve come looking for her. Please be good enough to open the gate to let us ask whether she’s here or not.”
“That mistress of yours brought in thieves to rob our family,” he swore. “Now she’s gone off with them to enjoy the loot.”
“Amida Buddha! What a thing to say! Aren’t you afraid of going to the Hell Where Tongues Are Cut Out?”
“Shut up!” he fumed. “If you go on making a row I’ll beat you up.”
“Please tell them to open the gate,” they begged, “We just want to have a look. If she isn’t there we won’t trouble you again, sir.”
“If you don’t believe me, go ahead and look. But if you don’t find her you’ll have to answer for it.”
With that he called people to open the gate and Miaoyu’s attendants trooped into Xichun’s compound.
Xichun was feeling anxious and depressed. She wondered, “After Miaoyu left so early, can she have heard what that fellow Bao said? If she’s offended she may never come back, and I shall be left friendless. I’m really in a fix now, with my parents dead and my sister-in-law against me. The old lady used to be good to me but now she’s gone too, leaving me all alone. What’s to become of me?”
She mused, “Cousin Yingchun died through cruel treatment; Cousin Xiangyun’s husband is dying of consumption; and Cousin Tanchun has gone so far away. This was their fate, they had no say in the matter. Miaoyu’s the only one who’s completely free, free as a cloud or wild crane. How I do envy her! But how can the daughter of an official family do as she pleases? I’m in disgrace now because of this robbery. How can I look people in the face again? And I doubt whether Their Ladyships understand me, so I’ve no idea what the future holds for me.”
She decided to cut off her hair and become a nun. When Caiping and the others saw what she was doing they hastily intervened, but not before half of it had been snipped off.
“Before one trouble ends, another starts!” exclaimed Caiping frantically. “What shall we do?”
As they were crying out in consternation, Miaoyu’s attendants arrived in search of her. When Caiping knew their errand she gave a start.
“She left first thing yesterday morning and hasn’t been back,” she told them.
Xichun inside asked hastily, “Where has she gone?” Then the women described the noises during the night, the charcoal fumes which had overcome them and Miaoyu’s disappearance this morning, as well as the sheath and rope-ladder they had found. Xichun was alarmed, not knowing what to make of this. Recalling what Bao Yong had said, she felt sure the thieves had seen Miaoyu and returned last night to kidnap her. If that were so, proud and chaste as she was, she would surely take her own life.
“Did none of you hear anything else?” she asked. “We did. But though we were awake we couldn’t utter a sound. Those thieves must have drugged us with narcotic incense. Most likely Sister Miaoyu was drugged too and unable to cry out. In any case, with all those thieves threatening her with swords and clubs, she wouldn’t dare make a sound.”
At this point Bao Yong bawled from the inner gate, “Hey, you there! Drive out those dirty nuns, quick! Hurry up and lock the gate.”
Caiping, afraid she might be blamed for admitting them, urged the women to leave and ordered servants to lock the inner gate. By now Xichun was feeling more wretched than ever. However. Caiping and the rest reasoned with her and persuaded her to dress her half-shorn hair. They agreed to keep this to themselves and feign ignorance of Miaoyu’s kidnapping, not taking any action till the return of the masters and mistresses. Xichun was even more determined now to enter a convent, but no more of this for the moment.
Jia Lian on his return to Iron Threshold Temple reported how he had cross-examined the night-watch, made out a list of the lost property and notified the police.
“What did you list?” asked Jia Zheng.
Jia Lian showed him a copy of the list of things which Hupo remembered.
“Regarding the gifts from the Imperial Consort, we have noted them,” he said. “We left out certain other things which ordinary families are not supposed to have. As soon as it’s time for me to stop wearing mourning I shall go and get people to make a careful search, and we should be able to recover them.”
Jia Zheng nodded his approval but said nothing. Jia Lian went in then to see Their Ladyships.
“Better urge the master to go home early,” he suggested. “Or everything will be at sixes and sevens.”
“That’s right,” agreed Lady Xing. “Staying here we’re on tenterhooks.”
“We juniors can’t propose this,” he added. “But if you do, madam, the Second Master is bound to fall in with your wishes.”
Lady Xing and Lady Wang talked it over and decided to go back.
The next morning Jia Zheng, who was also worried, sent Baoyu to request Their Ladyships to go home that day and return a few days later. He had assigned stewards to take charge in the temple and hoped they would assign their serving women different duties. Then Lady Xing instructed Yingge and some other maids to keep watch by the coffin, and put Zhou Rui’s wife and some matrons in overall charge. All the rest of the servants were to accompany them home. Carriages and horses were hastily made ready while Jia Zheng and the others bid farewell with lamentations to the old lady’s coffin.
As they rose to leave, Concubine Zhao remained prostrate. Thinking she was still mourning, Concubine Zhou went to help her up and found that she was foaming at the mouth, her eyes staring blankly, her tongue lolling out. They were staggered by the sight and Huan started howling. Concubine Zhao regaining consciousness cried, “I’m not going home! I’m going south with the old lady.”
“There’s no need for that,” the others expostulated. “I’ve served the old lady all my life,” she said. “The Elder Master wouldn’t take no for an answer, and tried all sorts of tricks to get hold of me. So I asked the sorceress Ma to help me get my own back, spending all that silver for nothing—neither of them was killed. Now I’m going back, I don’t know who’ll plot against me again!”
All knew that Yuanyang’s spirit must have taken possession of her. Their Ladyships stared at her speechlessly. It was Caiyun who interceded, “Sister Yuanyang, you died of your own accord and Concubine Zhao had nothing to do with it. Please let her be.” In Lady Xing’s presence she dared not say any more.
“I’m not Yuanyang,” protested Concubine Zhao. “She’s long since gone to the immortals’ realm. The King of Hell has sent to arrest me, to try me for practising witchcraft with that priestess Ma.” Then she screamed, “Good Madam Lian! Don’t denounce me to the King of Hell! Bad as I was I must have done a bit of good as well. Dear madam, kind madam! I didn’t mean to kill you. I was muddled for a while and did what that old bitch said.”