A Dream of Red Mansion

by Cao Xueqin

  “Is it Baoyu?” he asked in amazement.

  The other made no answer, looking torn between grief and joy.

  “If you are Baoyu, what are you doing here, and in this costume?” Jia Zheng asked again.

  Before Baoyu could reply, a monk and a Taoist priest appeared, each taking one of his arms. “Your worldly obligations have been fulfilled,” they declared. “Why delay your departure?” Then all three of them glided ashore.

  Though it was slippery underfoot, Jia Zheng hurried after them but could not overtake them. However, he heard one of them chant:

  My home is Blue Ridge Peak,

  I roam the primeval void.

  Who will go with me to keep me company,

  Returning to the Great Waste of infinity!

  Jia Zheng pursued them round a slope, only to find they had vanished. Limp and out of breath, his heart misgave him. Turning, he found that the page had followed him.

  “Did you see those three men just now?” Jia Zheng asked.

  “Yes, sir. As you were running after them I came too. But then I lost sight of those three.”

  Jia Zheng was tempted to go on, but in the white wilderness there was no one in sight. Marvelling, he had to mm back.

  When the servants returned and found their master gone, the boatman told them that he had gone ashore in pursuit of two monks and a Taoist priest. They followed his footprints in the snow and, seeing him approaching in the distance, went to meet him and escorted him back to the boat. After he had sat down and caught his breath he told them of his encounter with Baoyu. They suggested searching the vicinity.

  “You don’t understand,” he sighed. “I saw them with my own eyes, they were not apparitions. And I heard them chanting a most occult poem. When Baoyu was born with jade in his mouth, I knew it was uncanny and boded no good; but because the old lady doted on him we brought him up all these years. As for the monk and the priest, I have seen them three times. The first time was when they came to explain the miraculous nature of the jade; the second time, when Baoyu was so ill and the monk took the jade in his hand and intoned some incantation to cure him; the third time, when he brought back the jade and I saw him sitting in the front hall, then all of a sudden he vanished. Although that increased my misgivings, I thought Baoyu fortunate to have the protection of these Buddhist and Taoist saints. Little did I know that Baoyu was a spirit who had come to earth to undergo certain trials, and who managed to fool the old lady for nineteen years! Only now is it clear to me.” He shed tears.

  “If Master Bao was really a Buddhist saint, he shouldn’t have become a juren,” they objected. “Why take the official examination then leave?”

  “You don’t understand that all the stars in the heavens, the saints in the mountains and the spirits in caves have each their own different nature. Baoyu never showed any inclination to study, yet he’d only to glance at a book to master it. By temperament, too, he was different from other people.” He sighed again.

  They consoled him with talk of Jia Lan’s success and the improvement in the family’s fortunes. Then Jia Zheng went on with his letter, describing this incident and urging the family not to grieve. He sealed the letter and sent it off with a servant, then continued on his way. No more of this.

  Aunt Xue, after hearing of the amnesty, told Xue Ke to raise loans in various quarters until she had enough to ransom her son. The Board of Punishments sanctioned this and after receiving the money issued an order for Xue Pan’s release. We need not dwell on their family reunion with its natural intermingling of joy and sorrow.

  “If I ever run amuck again,” swore Xue Pan, “may I be killed and disembowelled!”

  His mother stopped his mouth. “Just make up your mind to it instead of raving. Why must you swear such a blood-curdling oath?” she scolded. “Now I’ve a proposal to make. Xiangling’s had so much to put up with.

  Thereupon they started addressing her as the young mistress, and none of the household objected.

  Then Xue Pan went to thank the Jia family, and Aunt Xue and Baochai went over too. When all were assembled and they had talked for a while, Jia Zheng’s messenger arrived and presented his letter, announcing that the master would soon be home. Lady Wang made Jia Lan read the letter out, and when he reached the passage describing the encounter with Baoyu the whole family wept, Lady Wang, Baochai and Xiren being the most affected. They discussed Jia Zheng’s injunction to them not to mourn for Baoyu because he was a reincarnated spirit.

  One said, “If he’d become an official then had the misfortune to get into trouble and ruin the family, that would have been worse. It’s better to have produced a Bodhisattva, thanks to the virtue of our master and mistress. In fact, Lord Jing of the East Mansion practised alchemy for more than ten years yet never became an immortal. It’s harder still to become a Bodhisattva! If you look at it this way, madam, you’ll feel better.”

  Lady Wang confided tearfully to Aunt Xue, “I don’t blame Baoyu for deserting me, it’s my daughter-in-law’s cruel fate that upsets me most. When they’d only just been married a couple of years, how heartless it was of him to abandon her!” This made Aunt Xue’s heart ache too.

  Baochai, weeping, was oblivious to all around her; and as the men of the family had withdrawn to the outer apartments, Lady Wang went on, “He kept me on tenterhooks all those years, till he got married and passed the examination and I was pleased to hear that Baochai was pregnant. To think it should end like this! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have found him a wife or ruined your daughter’s life!”

  “This was their fate,” Aunt Xue answered. “What else could families like ours have done? It’s lucky that she’s with child. If she gives birth to a son, he’s bound to make good and all’s well that ends well. Look at your elder daughter-in-law: now Lan’s juren and next year he’ll be a court scholar—doesn’t that mean that he’ll become an official? After all that bitterness, she’s having a taste of sweetness now to reward her for her goodness. You know my daughter, sister. She’s not flighty or petty-minded; you needn’t worry about her.”

  Lady Wang, convinced of the truth of this, reflected, “Baochai was always a quiet, unassuming child with simple tastes; that’s why this has happened to her. It seems that everyone’s lot in life is predestined! Though she wept so bitterly, she retained all her dignity and even tried to console me—she’s really one in a thousand. What a pity, though, that a boy like Baoyu lost out on his share of good fortune in this dusty world!” Comforted by these reflections she went on to consider Xiren’s case and thought, “The other maids are easily disposed of: the older ones can be married off and the younger ones kept here to wait on Baochai. But what’s to be done about Xiren?” As there were others present, she decided to discuss this with Aunt Xue that evening.

  Aunt Xue did not go home that day, staying with her heart-broken daughter to comfort her. However, Baochai showed her usual good sense, saying that it was no use complaining as Baoyu had been someone quite unique and this had been fated to happen. When she spoke so reasonably her mother, much relieved, went over to tell Lady Wang what she had said.

  Lady Wang nodded. “I wouldn’t deserve such a good daughter-in-law if I hadn’t done some good deeds!” she sighed, giving way to grief again.

  Aunt Xue consoled her for a while then raised another question. “Xiren’s only the shadow of her old self, what with pining for Baoyu,” she said. “The proper wife should stay at home as a widow, and sometimes a concubine wants to do the same; but in Xiren’s case, her relationship with Baoyu was never made public.”

  “Exactly,” said Lady Wang. “This is just what I wanted to talk over with you. If we dismiss her, I’m afraid she’ll be unwilling, or threaten to kill herself; but I doubt whether my husband would agree to keeping her on. That’s our dilemma.”

  “I’m sure he would never agree, especially as he doesn’t know her position and thinks her simply a maid, with no reason to stay on here. You’ll have to get one of her family to come, ins
ist on them finding her a respectable husband, then give her a generous dowry. Being a sensible girl and still young, she should realize that she hasn’t served you for nothing and that you’ve treated her quite handsomely, sister. I shall have a good talk with her too. Even after you’ve sent for one of her family, you needn’t tell her about it until a good match has been fixed up and we’ve made sure that the family’s well-off and the man’s presentable. Then we can send her away.”

  “That’s an excellent idea. Otherwise, if I let the master dispose of her off-hand wouldn’t that be the ruin of her?”

  Aunt Xue nodded her agreement and after some further talk went to see Baochai. Finding Xiren still in tears there she tried to console her; and the good-hearted girl, not being acrimonious, agreed to all she said,

  “It’s good of you to talk like this to a serving-maid, madam,” said Xiren. “I should never dream of disobeying the mistress.”

  Aunt Xue felt even more drawn to her, finding her so submissive. Baochai also spoke of a woman’s duties in life, and so they found themselves in complete accord.

  A few days later, Jia Zheng arrived home and all the men went out to welcome him. By now Jia She and Jia Zhen were also back and, meeting again, they described their experiences since parting. But the women of the house, when they saw Jia Zheng, could not help grieving at the thought of Baoyu.

  Jia Zheng urged them not to be distressed, telling Lady Wang, “This was fated. From now on those of us outside will have to manage the family affairs with your assistance inside, on no account letting things slide as we did before. The different households can see to their own affairs; there is no need for a general manager. You can decide, as you think right, on everything done in our family’s inner apartments.”

  When Lady Wang told him that Baochai was with child and suggested dismissing Baoyu’s former maids, he simply nodded in silence.

  The next day Jia Zheng went to court to ask the chief ministers how he should express his gratitude for the Imperial favour while still in mourning. They petitioned the Emperor on his behalf, and the Sovereign in his great goodness granted him an audience. When Jia Zheng had expressed his thanks and received various instructions, the Emperor asked what had become of Baoyu and marvelled at the account which Jia Zheng gave him.

  The Emperor decreed, “The brilliance of Baoyu’s writing must be due to his being an immortal. Were he at court we could have promoted him. Now, since he would never accept a noble rank, let him be given the title ‘The Immortal of Literary Genius.’“

  Jia Zheng kowtowed his thanks and withdrew, to be welcomed home by Jia Lian and Jia Zhen. When told of the Emperor’s decree, the whole household was overjoyed.

  Jia Zhen reported, “The Ning Mansion has been cleaned up, and with your permission we shall move over now. Sister Xichun can have Green Lattice Nunnery in the Garden for her devotions.”

  Jia Zheng made no comment, but after a pause he urged them to do their best to repay the Imperial favour.

  Then Jia Lian informed him that his parents were willing to marry Qiaojie to the Zhou family. Jia Zheng, who had heard the previous night of all that had happened to her, said, “That’s for the Elder Master and Elder Mistress to decide. We shouldn’t despise country people, providing they are honest folk and their son is studious and seems promising. Not all the officials at court are city bred, are they?”

  “No, sir,” agreed Jia Lian. “But as my father is growing old and suffers from chronic asthma, he hopes to live quietly for a few years, leaving you in overall charge.”

  “I only wish I could live as a recluse in the country myself,” Jia Zheng answered. “But I haven’t yet repaid our Sovereign’s great kindness.” With that he went inside.

  Jia Lian sent for Granny Liu to tell her the match was agreed on, after which she called on Lady Wang to predict that now they would win official promotion and all the family’s sons and grandsons would prosper.

  Just then, a maid announced Xiren’s sister-in-law, from whom Lady Wang elicited that some relatives had proposed a match for Xiren with a certain Jiang family in the south city who owned houses, land and shops. The prospective bridegroom was a few years older but he had never been married and, as far as appearances went, was one in a hundred.

  Lady Wang was favourably inclined and replied, “You can agree to it. Come back in a few days’ lime to fetch your sister-in-law.” She also sent to make inquiries and, on being assured that it would be a good match, informed Baochai and asked Aunt Xue to break the news gently to Xiren.

  Xiren was desolated yet dared not disobey. She remembered, that year Baoyu called on her family, she had sworn to them that she would rather die than be redeemed and go home. “Now the mistress is set upon this,” she thought. “If I ask to stay they’ll say I have no sense of shame; yet I really don’t want to leave here!” She started sobbing. When Aunt Xue and Baochai reasoned with her she reflected, “If I died here that would be a poor return for Her Ladyship’s kindness. I’d better die at home.” So suppressing her grief she bade them all farewell, heart-rending as she found it to leave the other maids.

  She mounted the carriage determined to kill herself, and when she saw her brother and sister-in-law she could not speak for sobbing. Her brother showed her one by one the betrothal gifts sent by the Jiang family as well as the dowry he had prepared, telling her which items had been given by Lady Wang, which they had bought themselves, so that Xiren was even more at a loss for words. After a couple of days at home she thought, “My brother’s done things so handsomely, how can I cause him trouble by killing myself in his house?” In a dilemma, she felt her heart would break yet had to bear up.

  The day came to fetch the bride, and not being the type to make a scene however wronged she felt, she let herself be carried off in the sedan-chair, deferring her decision till her arrival. However, once over their threshold, she found that the Jiangs had made scrupulous preparations according to all the correct wedding etiquette, and as soon as she entered the house she was addressed by the maid-servants as “Mistress.” All treated her so well that, once again, she did not like to bring trouble on them by committing suicide there. That night she wept and refused her husband’s advances, yet he very tenderly deferred to her wishes.

  The next day when her chests were opened and he saw his old scarlet sash, he realized that this was Baoyu’s maid. At first he had thought her one of the old lady’s attendants, never dreaming that she was Xiren. Now, abashed by the memory of Baoyu’s past friendship with him, he treated her even more kindly, deliberately showing her the pale green sash which Baoyu had given him in exchange. Only then did Xiren understand that he was Jiang Yuhan. Convinced that their marriage must have been predestined, she told him how she had meant to kill herself. Deeply impressed by her loyalty, Jiang Yuhan showed her even more consideration so that Xiren felt she had really nowhere to die.

  Now, Honourable Readers, though certain things are predestined and “cannot be helped,” it is wrong for sons of concubines or ministers of vanquished states as well as for men of principle and chaste women to keep using this phrase as a handy excuse. That was why Xiren was ranked in the Third Register. As a former poet passing the Temple of Lady Peach-blossom wrote:

  Since time immemorial, the hardest thing is to die;

  It is not the Lady of Xi alone who was broken-hearted.

  But let us leave Xiren embarking on a new life and return to Jia Yucun, who had been found guilty of embezzlement and condemned to punishment. He was pardoned under the general amnesty, but ordered back to his native place and reduced to the status of a common citizen. Haying sent his family home first, he was making his way there with a baggage-cart and a page when, by the Ford of Awakening in the Stream of Rapid Reversal, he saw a Taoist priest emerge from a thatched shed to greet him. Recognizing his old friend Zhen Shiyin, he promptly returned the greeting.

  “How have you been, worthy Mr. Jia?” asked Shiyin.

  “So you are Master Zhen, Immortal One!”
replied Yucun. “How is it that last time we met you refused to recognize me? Later I was very worried to hear that your temple had been burned down. Now that I am lucky enough to meet you again, I am sure your virtue must be even greater. As for me, owing to my own inveterate folly, I’ve now been reduced to this.”

  “Last time you were a high official, so how could a poor priest claim acquaintance with you? As an old friend I ventured to offer you some advice, but you ignored it. However, wealth and poverty, success and failure are predestined. How amazing that we should meet again today! My humble temple is not far from here. Would you care to come for a chat?” Yucun agreed willingly.

  They walked offhand in hand, followed by the page with the cart till they reached a thatched temple. Shiyin invited Yucun in to sit down, and a boy served tea.

  Asked how he had come to renounce the world, Shiyin said with a smile, “It’s easily done, with the speed of thought. Coming from the great world, sir, don’t you know of a certain Baoyu who used to live in the lap of luxury?”

  “Of course I do! Recently it has been rumoured that he has entered Buddhist orders too. I met him several times, but never dreamed he would take such a decision.”

  “That’s where you were wrong! I knew his strange story in advance, and had already met him at the time when the two of us talked before the gate of my old house in Renqing Lane.”

  “How could that be?” exclaimed Yucun in surprise. “With the capital so far from your honourable district!”