by Cao Xueqin
While she was raving like this, Jia Zheng sent for Jia Huan. Serving-women reported to him, “Concubine Zhao is bewitched and Master Huan is looking after her.”
“What nonsense!” scoffed Jia Zheng. “We shall go first then.” So the gentlemen set off.
Concubine Zhao went on raving in the temple and they did not know how to bring her to her senses. For fear of further disclosures Lady Xing said, “Leave some people here to look after her. We’ll go back first. When we reach the city we’ll send a doctor to see her.”
Lady Wang who had never liked Concubine Zhao also washed her hands of her. But Baochai was too kind-hearted to do this, despite the attempt on Baoyu’s life which she remembered, and so she secretly told Concubine Zhou to stay and look after her. The latter, being a good soul, agreed. Li Wan volunteered to stay too but Lady Wang overrode her.
“Do I have to stay here?” asked Jia Huan in desperation as they were leaving.
“Stupid creature!” snapped Lady Wang. “Your mother may be dying. How can you leave?”
This silenced Jia Huan, and Baoyu told him, “Good brother, you mustn’t leave. When I get back to town I’ll send people to see you.”
Then they all went home by carriage, leaving only Concubines Zhao and Zhou, Jia Huan, Yingge and a few others in the temple.
After Jia Zheng, Lady Xing and the others reached home, they went to the old lady’s room and wept. Lin Zhixiao led in the servants to kneel and pay their respects.
“Get out!” ordered Jia Zheng sternly. “We’ll question you tomorrow.”
Xifeng had been feeling too faint that day to come out to welcome them. Xichun met them blushing with shame. Lady Xing ignored her, while Lady Wang treated her as if nothing had happened and Li Wan and Baochai took her hand and said a few words to her.
Only Madam You sneered, “Thank you, miss, for looking after the house the last few days.”
Xichun made no answer, her face flushing crimson as Baochai pulled Madam You’s sleeve and shot her a glance. Then they all dispersed to their own quarters.
Jia Zheng after a cursory look round heaved a sigh but made no comment. He went to sit in his study and summoned Jia Lian, Jia Rong and Jia Yun to give them certain instructions. Baoyu’s offer to keep him company there he declined; and Lan remained with his mother.
After an uneventful night, Lin Zhixiao came to the study first thing in the morning to kneel before his master. Questioned about the theft, he mentioned Zhou Rui’s involvement.
“The police have arrested Bao Er,” he said. “They found on him some of the things listed as stolen. Now they are interrogating him to find out the whereabouts of that gang of thieves.”
“What ingratitude!” thundered Jia Zheng. “Family slaves bringing thieves to rob their masters! Outrageous!” He at once sent men out of the city to tie up Zhou Rui and take him to the police to be cross-examined. Lin Zhixiao remained kneeling before him in trepidation. “Why are you still kneeling there?” Jia Zheng demanded.
“I deserve death. I beg you, sir, to be merciful!”
Just then Lai Da and other senior servants came in to pay their respects and present the accounts for the funeral.
“Give those to Master Lian to check and report back to me.” This order given, Jia Zheng dismissed the stewards.
Jia Lian going down on one knee whispered something to him.
“Rubbish!” replied Jia Zheng sternly. “Though the money for the old lady’s funeral has been stolen, how can we punish our slaves by making them pay instead?”
Jia Lian flushed but dared not argue, and stood up but dared not leave.
“How is your wife?” Jia Zheng asked.
Jia Lian knelt again to reply, “It looks as if she’s past saving.”
“I never guessed our family could go downhill so fast!” Jia Zheng sighed. “Huan’s mother has fallen ill too in the temple, and we have no idea what the trouble is. Do you know?”
Jia Lian did not venture to answer.
“Go and send servants to take a doctor to attend her.”
Jia Lian promptly assented and went off to see that a doctor was despatched to Iron Threshold Temple. To know whether Concubine Zhao lived or died, you must read the chapter which follows.
Chapter 113
Repenting Her Sins Xifeng Seeks Help from a Village Woman
Relinquishing Her Resentment Zijuan Is Touched by Her Besotted Master
Concubine Zhao, throwing a fit in the temple, babbled even more wildly once the main party had left, to the consternation of the few who remained there. When two serving-women tried to lift her up she insisted on kneeling, raving and weeping by turns. Then, grovelling, she begged for mercy.
“You’re beating me to death, Master Red Beard!” she cried. “I shall never dare do such a thing again!”
Presently, wringing her hands, she shrieked with pain, her eyes nearly starting from her head, blood trickling from her mouth, her hair dishevelled. The attendants were afraid to go near her.
By nightfall her voice was so hoarse that she sounded like a ghost wailing. The women, not daring to stay with her, called in a few bold men to keep her company. Sometimes she fainted away then after a while came round, keeping up a commotion all night. The next day she was speechless but with her face contorted kept tearing her clothes and baring her breasts, as if someone were stripping her. Though unable to utter a sound, the poor creature’s agony was painful to witness.
At this critical juncture a doctor arrived. He dared not go near her to feel her pulse but warned them to prepare for the funeral.
AS he rose to leave, the steward who had brought him pleaded, “Please examine her pulse, sir, so that I can report it to our master.”
When the doctor complied the pulse had already stopped beating. Jia Huan hearing this burst out howling, and the others turned all their attention to him, ignoring Concubine Zhao as she lay there dead. Only kindly Concubine Zhou thought to herself, “So this is the end of a concubine! Though she at least had a son. Heaven knows what it will be like when I die!” This reflection pained her.
The steward hurried back to inform Jia Zheng, who sent people to attend to Concubine Zhao’s funeral and keep Huan company there for three days before bringing him back. After the steward’s return the news spread like wildfire that Concubine Zhao had been tortured to death by the King of Hell because she had plotted murder.
Some predicted, “Madam Lian must be done for too, if Concubine Zhao said it was she who denounced her.”
This talk reached Pinger’s ears, increasing her worry, for she saw that Xifeng’s illness really looked fatal. And Jia Lian had recently lost his affection for her—busy as he was, he might at least have shown some concern for her health. Pinger tried to comfort her mistress; but Their Ladyships, though they had been back several days now, merely sent servants to ask after her instead of coming themselves, adding to Xifeng’s wretchedness. And Jia Lian, when he came home, never had a kind word for her.
By now Xifeng’s sole wish was to die and be done with it, and in this state of mind she was assailed by spectres—she saw Second Sister You walking over from the back of the room towards her kang.
“How long it’s been since last I saw you, Sister!” said Second Sister You. “I missed you badly but was unable to see you. Now that you’ve worn yourself out by all your scheming, my chance has come at last. Our husband’s too foolish to feel obliged to you and blames you instead for stinginess and for ruining his career, so that now he can’t hold up his head. This is so unfair that my heart bleeds for you!”
In a daze Xifeng replied, “And I’m sorry now that I was so narrow-minded. Yet instead of bearing a grudge you come to see me!”
Pinger beside her heard this and asked, “What’s that you’re saying, madam?”
Then Xifeng woke up and remembered that Second Sister You was dead and must have come to demand her life. She felt afraid but, not liking to disclose this, forced herself to say, “My mind was wandering. I must h
ave been talking in my sleep. Massage my back for me.”
As Pinger was doing this a young maid came in to announce the arrival of Granny Liu, whom a serving-woman had brought to pay her respects.
Pinger immediately left the kang asking, “Where is she?”
“She won’t presume to come in unless madam sends for her.”
Pinger nodded. Thinking Xifeng too ill to receive visitors she said, “Madam is resting. Tell her to wait outside. Did you ask her business?”
“The others did,” answered the maid. “She’s not here for anything special. She says she only heard the other day about the old lady’s death, or she’d have come earlier.”
Xifeng overhearing them called, “Pinger, come here! Since she’s kind enough to call we mustn’t cold-shoulder her. Go and ask Granny Liu in. I want to chat with her.”
While Pinger went off on this errand Xifeng was about to close her eyes when she saw a man and a woman approaching as if they meant to get on to her kang. At once she called out to Pinger, “Where has this man burst in from?”
She called twice, and Fenger and Hongyu came running in.
“Do you want something, madam?” they inquired.
Opening her eyes she saw no strangers there and realized what had happened, though unwilling to admit it.
She asked Fenger, “Where is Pinger?”
“Didn’t you tell her to go and fetch Granny Liu, madam?”
Xifeng forced herself to keep calm and said nothing as Pinger and Granny Liu came in with a little girl.
“Where is Madam Lian?” asked the old woman. And when Pinger led her to the kang she announced, “I’ve come to pay my respects, madam.”
Xifeng opened her eyes and felt a pang of distress. “How are you, granny?” she responded. “Why haven’t you been to see us for so long? How big your grand-daughter’s grown!”
Granny Liu was grieved to see how wasted Xifeng had become, and how unclear in her mind. “Madam!” she exclaimed. “It’s only a few months since last I saw you, and now you look so ill! It was very bad of me not to call earlier to pay my respects.”
She told Qinger to curtsey, but she simply giggled. Xifeng took a fancy to the little girl and handed her over to the charge of Hongyu.
“We villagers don’t fall ill,” said Granny Liu. “When we feel poorly we just pray and make pledges to the gods—we never take medicine. I daresay, madam, this illness of yours was brought on by evil spirits.”
At this tactless remark Pinger nudged her secretly. Granny Liu took the hint and said no more; however, this coincided with Xifeng’s own view.
“Granny,” she said with an effort. “You’re old and experienced. What you said is quite true. Did you hear of the death of Concubine Zhao whom you met here?”
“Amida Buddha!” exclaimed Granny Liu in surprise. “She was in good health—what did she die of? I remember she had a young son. What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be all right,” said Pinger. “The master and mistress will take care of him.”
“Well, miss, you never know. However bad your child may be, he’s your own flesh and blood; it’s different if he’s a stepson!”
This touched Xifeng on the raw and set her sobbing. They all tried to comfort her. Qiaojie came to the kang when she heard her mother weeping and took her hand, shedding tears too.
“Have you greeted granny?” sobbed Xifeng.
“Not yet,” said the child.
“She’s the one who gave you your name, so she’s your godmother in a way. You should pay your respects to her.”
Qiaojie went over to do this but the old woman hastily stopped her.
“Amida Buddha!” she cried. “You mustn’t do that to the likes of me! I haven’t been here for over a year, Miss Qiaojie. Do you still remember me?”
“Of course I do. When I saw you that year in the Garden I was still small. The year before that when you came, I asked you for some green crickets but you didn’t bring me any. You must have forgotten.”
“Ah, miss, I’m in my dotage. If it’s green crickets you want, our village is swarming with them, but you never go there. If you did, you could easily get a whole cartful.”
Xifeng suggested, “Well, take her back with you.”
Granny Liu chuckled, “A delicate young lady dressed in silks and brought up on the fat of the land, how could I amuse her in our place? And what could I give her to eat? Do you want to ruin me?” Laughing at the idea she went on, “I know what: I can arrange a match for her. Though we live in the country, we have big money-bags there too who own thousands of acres of land and hundreds of cattle, not to mention pots of silver. They just don’t have gold and jade knick-knacks like yours. Of course, madam, you look down on such families. But to us farming folk they seem to be living in heaven!”
“Go and fix a match then,” said Xifeng. “I’ll agree to it.”
“You must be joking! Why, a lady like you would most likely turn down even big official families; how could you agree to marry her to country folk? Even if you did, the mistresses wouldn’t agree.”
Qiaojie, not liking this talk, went off to chat with Qinger. Finding each other’s company congenial, they soon became good friends.
Fearful that Granny Liu might tire Xifeng out with her loquacity, Pinger tugged at her sleeve and said, “You mentioned Her Ladyship whom you haven’t seen yet. I’ll go and find someone to take you there, to make your trip here more worthwhile.”
As the old woman rose to leave. Xifeng asked, “What’s the hurry? Sit down. Let me ask you: how are you making out these days?”
Her heart brimming over with gratitude Granny Liu answered, “If not for you, madam... “She pointed at her granddaughter then went on, “Her dad and mum would have starved. Now, though life on a farm is hard, we’ve bought quite a few mu of land and sunk a well. We grow vegetables and fruit too, and make enough from them to feed ourselves. The last couple of years, besides, you’ve given us clothes and material from time to time so that in our village we count as quite well-off. Amida Buddha! The other day when her dad came to town and heard that your family here had been raided, I nearly died of fright! Luckily others told me it wasn’t this house, and that set my mind at rest. We learned later that the master had been promoted, and I was so pleased I wanted to come to offer congratulations, but what with all the field work I couldn’t get away.
“Then yesterday we heard that the old lady had passed away. I was getting in beans when they brought me word, and it shocked me too much to go on. I broke down there in the field and cried my heart out! I told my son-in-law, ‘I shall have to leave you to your own devices. Whether it’s true or not, I must go to town to have a look.’ My daughter and son-in-law aren’t lacking in gratitude either. They both cried over the news, and this morning before dawn they sped me on my way. I didn’t know anyone in town to ask, so came straight to your back gate and saw that even the door gods were pasted over. That gave me another fright! When I came in and looked for Zhou Rui’s wife she was nowhere to be found, and a little girl told me she’d been driven out for doing something wrong. I had to wait around till I met someone who knew me before I could get in. I’d no idea that you were so ill too, madam.” By now she was shedding tears.
Pinger, concerned for her mistress, pulled Granny Liu to her feet before she could finish.
“After talking so long you must be parched,” she said. “Let’s go and have some tea.” She took her to the maids’ quarters leaving Qinger with Qiaojie.
“I don’t need any tea,” Granny Liu assured her. “But please, miss, get someone to take me to pay my respects to Her Ladyship and to weep at the old lady’s shrine.”
“There’s no hurry,” Pinger replied. “You can’t leave town today anyway. Just now I was afraid you might say something tactless and set our mistress weeping again: that’s why I hustled you out. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Amida Buddha! I know how thoughtful you are, miss. But what’s to be done about madam’s i
llness?”
“Does it look serious to you?”
“Maybe it’s wrong to say so, but it does.”
Just then they heard Xifeng calling, yet when Pinger went to her bedside she remained silent. As Pinger was questioning Fenger, Jia Lian came in. After a cursory glance at the kang he entered the inner room without a word and plumped himself down, glowering. Qiutong alone went in to serve him tea and wait on him, but the others could not hear what they were saying. Then Jia Lian called for Pinger.
“Isn’t your mistress taking medicine?” he asked.
“What if she isn’t?”
“How should I know?” he retorted. “Bring me the key of the chest.”
As he was in a temper she did not venture to question him but went out and whispered something to Xifeng. When the latter said nothing, Pinger brought in a casket and put it before Jia Lian, then turned to go.
“What the devil’s your hurry?” he demanded. “Who’s going to give me the key?”
Suppressing her annoyance she took it out of the casket and opened the chest. “What do you want taken out?” she asked. “What is there?”
“Say plainly what you want,” she sobbed angrily. “Then we can die content!”
“What is there to say? You were the ones who brought all the trouble on us. Now we’re four or five thousand taels short for the old lady’s funeral, and the master told me to raise some money from the title-deeds of the family land—but what is there left? Do you want us to default? I should never have taken on this job! All I can do is sell the things the old lady left me. Are you against that?”
Pinger was sulkily turning out the chest when Hongyu darted in. “Quick, sister!” she cried. “Madam’s in a bad way!” Ignoring Jia Lian, Pinger hurried out to discover Xifeng clawing the air with both hands. Restraining her, she wept and cried for help. Jia Lian coming out to have a look stamped his foot.
“Now this!” he groaned with tears. “I’m finished!” Just then Fenger announced, “They’re asking for you outside, sir.” And Jia Lian had to leave.