The poem says:
Everyone has a beginning; I hope you can see it through to the end.
Years have passed since we parted; how can we expect old kindness?
To start anew and forget the old is something a gentleman would still criticize.
Though my body is far away, how could I forget you, even for a moment?
Having received so much, I won’t take it lightly; I often think of you.
Ximen Qing has transformed the garden, busy with it for the past six months; the renovations and painting are complete, and it looks brand new. In the past few days, Qing has just been drinking and hasn’t done anything else of importance.
In early August, Xia Tixing celebrated his birthday, and Ximen Qing hosted a banquet at his newly purchased estate, inviting four opera singers, a band, and acrobats. Around the hour of Si (around 10 AM), Ximen Qing rode over. Wu Yueniang stayed at home, preparing food and snacks, and took Li Jiaor, Meng Yulou, Sun Xue'e, her older sister, and Pan Jinlian to take a stroll in the new garden. This garden, with flowers, trees, and pavilions that seemed endless, was truly a wonderful place! In front was a five-zhang-high wall, surrounded by more than twenty wall panels. In the center was an archway, with several pavilions and towers nearby. There were rockeries, flowing water, bamboo, and pine trees, everything one could wish for. The tall structures were referred to as "Tai," while those that were tall but not steep were called "Xie." Each season offered different scenery: in spring, visitors could admire the peach and plum blossoms at Yan You Tang; in summer, the lotus flowers at Lin Xi Guan; in autumn, the yellow chrysanthemums at Die Cui Lou; and in winter, the white plum blossoms in Cang Chun Ge. Delicate flowers surrounded the paths, fragrant trees concealed the carved railings, and the willows swayed in the wind like a woman's arched eyebrows, while the begonia flowers in the rain resembled a young girl's tender face. The lights in front of Yan You Tang illuminated the flowers, making them seem to bloom and not bloom; the white apricot flowers behind Cang Chun Ge were half open and half closed. By the lake, golden flowers had just begun to bloom, and the precious railings had just sprouted stone spikes. Purple swallows flitted between the curtains; yellow orioles sang sweetly, flying over the lush green shade. There were moon windows, snow caves, water pavilions, wind pavilions, wood-scented arbors intertwined with thorny vines, with thousand-leaf peach blossoms and early spring willows growing in harmony. Pine tree walls, bamboo paths, winding streams, square ponds, banana plants and palms by the steps, and pomegranate trees facing the sun. Fish swam through the waterweeds, while butterflies danced among the flowers.
It’s truly remarkable how it resembles "beautiful peonies unfolding like a Bodhisattva's face and juicy lychees lifting the head of a spirit king"!
Wu Yue-niang brought several women with her; some were strolling along the flower path, while others were playing a grass-picking game on the lawn. Some leaned against the railing to enjoy the scenery, tossing red beans into the goldfish pond; others rested on the railing to look at the flowers, laughing and startling the butterflies. Yue-niang walked up to the highest pavilion, called Wo Yun Pavilion, and resumed her chess game with Meng Yu-lou and Li Jiao-er. Pan Jin-lian, Ximen Da-jie, and Sun Xue-e watched from below the flower tower. In front of the tower were peonies, paeonies, crabapples, roses, fragrant wood, as well as hardy bamboo and snow-resistant pines. Flowers bloomed year-round, offering beautiful scenery that was endless to admire. After a while, food and drinks were served, with Wu Yue-niang at the head of the table and Li Jiao-er sitting opposite her, while Meng Yu-lou, Sun Xue-e, Pan Jin-lian, and Ximen Da-jie took their seats on either side in order. Yue-niang said, "I forgot to invite my brother-in-law to join us." She then asked Xiao Yu to invite Jing Ji. Shortly after, Jing Ji arrived, dressed in a sky-blue hat, a purple silk robe, and pink shoes. He came forward to greet everyone and sat next to Da-jie. Everyone drank and chatted, while Wu Yue-niang resumed her chess game with Li Jiao-er and Ximen Da-jie. Sun Xue-e and Meng Yu-lou went upstairs to enjoy the view. Only Jin-lian remained by the flower pond in front of the rocks, using a round fan to flutter after the butterflies. Jing Ji quietly approached her from behind and said, "Wu-niang, you can't catch butterflies; let me help you. This butterfly is fluttering up and down, restless, like a rolling drum." Jin-lian turned her head and glared at him, scolding, "You reckless scoundrel, are you trying to get yourself killed? I know you don't care about your life anymore!" Jing Ji laughed and moved closer to her, leaning in to kiss her. Jin-lian pushed him away. Yu-lou saw this from the flower tower and called out, "Fifth sister, come here; I have something to say to you." Jin-lian abandoned Jing Ji and went upstairs. Though she didn’t catch the butterflies, she had set up a secret meeting.
Wild bees and roaming butterflies are sometimes seen, flying into the pear blossoms, lost to sight.
Jing Ji watched Jinlian leave, feeling downcast as he returned to his room. He wrote a poem called "The Song of the Laurel" to lift his spirits:
I saw her with a flower branch tilted, with no makeup on her ruby lips, yet they seemed painted. When we met the other day, it seemed like there was a secret affair, but I didn’t perceive any such thing. Wanting to see her, have I truly seen her? It seems she’s turning me down, but she’s not really turning me down. When will we meet again? If we don’t meet, I’ll still think of her; if we do meet, I’ll still think of her.
Moreover, Wu Yueniang and the others are drinking in the garden. After finishing drinking at Xia Tixing's estate, Ximen Qing was on his way home and passed by Nanwazi Alley. He recognized the rascals there, who were called "daozis" in the Song Dynasty, now known as "guanggun" (bachelors). Among them were two, one named Lu Hua and the other Zhang Sheng, who often received support from Ximen Qing and were involved in petty thefts. When Ximen Qing saw them gambling, he reined in his horse and approached them. The two quickly knelt down and said, "My lord, where have you come from?" Ximen Qing replied, "Today is Xia Tixing's birthday, and he is holding a banquet at his estate. I have a small favor to ask." The two responded, "Whatever you say, my lord, we've benefited so much from you. We would go to great lengths for you, even if it meant dying a thousand deaths!" Ximen Qing said, "In that case, come to my house tomorrow. I need to talk to you about something." The two said, "No need to wait until tomorrow; you can tell us now!" Ximen Qing leaned in and whispered about Jiang Zhushan wanting to take over Li Ping'er: "As long as you help me with this, it will be fine!" He took out four or five taels of silver and handed it to them: "Take this to drink. As long as you handle this matter well, there will be a reward." Lu Hua refused to take it: "Have I not received enough grace from you? If you ask us to go to the East Sea to pluck dragon horns or to the West Mountain to fetch tiger teeth, we would go; this is just a small task! I cannot accept this silver." Ximen Qing said, "If you won't take it, then I won't bother you." Dai An took the silver, and Ximen Qing rode away. Zhang Sheng stopped Lu Hua: "Lu Hua, don't you understand his temperament? If you don't take it, it seems like we are refusing." He took the silver and bowed, saying, "Just wait at home; I promise you'll have something to smile about in a couple of days." Zhang Sheng said, "I just hope my lord can take me to Xia Tixing tomorrow; that would satisfy me." Ximen Qing said, "That’s no problem." Later, Ximen Qing indeed sent Zhang Sheng to the garrison to become a personal attendant, but that is another story, which I will not mention for now. The two rascals pocketed the silver and went right back to gambling.
Ximen Qing rode his horse home, the sky was almost dark. When Pan Jinlian and the others heard him coming back, they all hid behind the house, with only Jinlian organizing some things in the yard. Ximen Qing did not go to the backyard but went straight to the garden. He saw Jinlian tidying up in the pavilion and asked, "What have you been up to while I was out?" Jinlian smiled and said, "Today, we opened the door with the eldest sister and took a look. I didn't think you'd be back so soon." Ximen Qing said, "Today, Lord Xia went all out and invited four opera troupes to the estate, but only five guests were invited in total. I was worried the journey would take a while, so I came back a bit earlier." Jinlian helped him out of his clothes and said, "You haven't had any wine, have you? Call the maid to bring some wine." Ximen Qing instructed Chunmei, "Clear the other dishes and just leave a few plates of fruit, and then bring over a pot of grape wine." He sat in a chair and saw Jinlian wearing a sandalwood-colored silk blouse with a five-colored gauze collar. She was wearing a white silk pleated skirt with a red satin border at the hem and white silk high-heeled shoes, a silver wire hair bun on her head, and a gold-inlaid emerald plum hairpin. She looked even more tempting with her rosy lips and fair skin. Ximen Qing was instantly smitten; he held Jinlian's hand, embraced her, and kissed her. After a bit, Chunmei brought over the wine, and they took turns sipping and feeding each other. Jinlian lifted her skirt and plopped down on his lap, feeding him wine and then giving him a fresh lotus seedpod to eat. Ximen Qing said, "This lotus seedpod is super bitter, why would you eat it?" Jinlian said, "You're so lucky, you never eat what I give you!" She then fed him a fresh walnut and finally called it quits. Ximen Qing wanted to have some fun with Jinlian's chest. Jinlian took off the gold jewelry on her collar, bit it with her mouth, untied her blouse, showing off her fair and full chest. Ximen Qing touched and licked it for a long time; they flirted and played around, enjoying a passionate moment together.
After Ximen Qing felt pleased, he said to Jinlian, "Let me tell you something, I promise to make you laugh tomorrow. Guess what, Jiang Taiyi opened a medicine shop. Tomorrow, I promise to make him look like a fool!" Jinlian asked what happened. Ximen Qing detailed the encounter with Lu Zhishen and Zhang Wenyan outside the door today. Jinlian laughed and said, "You’re really going to get into trouble tomorrow, aren’t you?" She then asked, "Isn't Jiang Taiyi the one who often comes to our house to treat illnesses? I find him quite humble; he always bows his head when he sees people, looking so pitiful. How can you treat him like this?" Ximen Qing said, "You can’t see his true nature. You say he bows his head, but he's actually peeking at your feet!" Jinlian said, "You silver-tongued devil! Would he really peek at someone's wife's feet? I don't believe it; he's a scholar, would he do such a thing?" Ximen Qing said, "You've been deceived by his appearance. He is the kind of person who looks mature on the outside but is cunning on the inside." The two laughed and talked for a while, then stopped drinking, packed up, and went back to their rooms to sleep.
It is said that Li Ping'er married Jiang Zhushan about two months ago. At first, Jiang Zhushan tried to please Li Ping'er by buying some aphrodisiacs and other items, wanting to win her over. However, Li Ping'er had experienced a lot with Ximen Qing, and these things meant nothing to her. She gradually grew tired of Jiang Zhushan and smashed and threw away those items. She said, "You useless thing, you're weak, yet you buy these things to play with me! I thought you were worth something, but you’re just a worthless waste!" She often booted Jiang Zhushan out to sleep in the shop at night. Li Ping'er was always preoccupied with Ximen Qing, refusing to let Jiang Zhushan into her room. She constantly nagged about settling accounts and going over the books every day.
Zhushan was seething with anger, sitting behind the small counter in the shop when he suddenly saw two people stumbling as they walked in, their eyes as wide as saucers, and they dropped heavily onto the stools. One of them spoke first and asked, "Do you have dog treasure in your shop?" Zhushan chuckled and replied, "Stop joking! I only have cow gallstones; why would I have dog treasure?" The person asked again, "If there's no dog treasure, ice flakes will do; take some out for me to see, I want to buy a few taels." Zhushan said, "The medicine shop only has ice flakes, which are genuine imports from Persia; where would I get ice flakes?" The other person said, "Ignore him; his shop has only been open for a few days, how could he possibly have those two kinds of medicine? Let's cut to the chase. Brother Jiang, stop playing dumb! Three years ago, your wife passed away, and you borrowed thirty taels of silver from this Brother Lu, with interest that’s surely piled up by now, so it's time to settle up. We came in here looking for it right away; you just married a new wife and opened this shop, so we were afraid you might not have the money to repay, which would make us look bad, so we started with some polite conversation. If you don’t play your cards right, you’ll have to repay that money!"
When Zhushan heard this, his eyes widened in shock as he said, "I never borrowed any money from him!" The man replied, "You didn’t borrow money, yet you're here asking for money? As the old saying goes, a fly doesn't land on a clean egg, so stop arguing!" Zhushan said, "I don’t even know you. On what basis are you asking for my money?" The man said, "Brother Jiang, you really are confused! As the old saying goes, officials are not poor, and debtors are not rich. Remember when you were broke and selling ointments everywhere? Wasn’t it thanks to Brother Lu that you got help? Now that you’ve become successful, you can’t forget your benefactor!" The man continued, "My surname is Lu, and my name is Lu Hua. You borrowed thirty taels of silver from me for your wife’s funeral, and with interest, it totals forty-eight taels. You can't get away without paying me back!" Zhushan hurriedly said, "I never borrowed money from you! Even if I did, there should be a promissory note and witnesses!" Zhang Sheng said, "I'm the witness!" Saying this, he pulled out a promissory note from his sleeve and showed it to Zhushan. Zhushan was so furious that his face went pale and he shouted, "You two bastards! Who do you think you are to come and extort me?" Upon hearing this, Lu Hua was furious and threw a punch over the counter, hitting Zhushan squarely in the face, breaking his nose and scattering the herbs on the counter everywhere. Zhushan yelled, "You thieves! How dare you take my stuff!" He called out for Tianfu to help him, but Lu Hua kicked him away. Zhang Sheng pulled Zhushan out from behind the counter, blocking Lu Hua and advised, "Brother Lu, you’ve waited so long; give him a few more days to gather the money to pay you back. Brother Jiang, what do you plan to do?" Zhushan said, "When did I ever borrow money from him? Even if I did, we should discuss it properly; how can it be so unreasonable?" Zhang Sheng said, "Brother Jiang, you finally see the light. If you had said this earlier, I would have had Brother Lu lower the interest a bit, and you could pay him back in installments. Why are you being so stubborn? Do you think he won’t dare to ask you?" Zhushan, exasperated, said, "This is driving me crazy! I’ll go report to the authorities! I never borrowed money from him!" Zhang Sheng said, "You’re drunk again!" Before Zhang Sheng could finish, Lu Hua threw another punch, knocking Zhushan to the ground, almost falling into the roadside drain, his hair disheveled and his hat dirty. Zhushan cried out, "Your Honor!" but the neighborhood watch captured him and tied him up. Li Ping’er heard the commotion outside, peeked out from behind the curtain, and saw Zhushan being taken away, her eyes widening in anger. She called for Mama Feng and had the pharmacy's sign taken down. A good amount of herbs from the shop were also taken. Then she closed the door and sat down at home.
Someone told Ximen Qing about this, and he immediately sent someone to notify the officials. The next morning, Zhu Shan was brought to the court. Ximen Qing also wrote a letter to Lord Xia regarding this issue. Early the next morning, Judge Xia took his seat, reviewed the petition, called Zhu Shan, and asked, "Are you Jiang Wenhui? Why did you borrow money from Lu Hua and not repay it, and even hit him? What a scoundrel!" Zhu Shan replied, "I don’t know this person, nor have I borrowed money from him. I tried to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen and ended up hitting me, stealing my medicinal materials." Judge Xia asked Lu Hua, "What’s your side of the story?" Lu Hua said, "He definitely borrowed my money for his wife's funeral, and it has been three years without repayment. Today I heard he has taken a concubine and is doing very well in business, so I came to ask for my money back, but he cursed me, saying I was stealing his things. I’ve got a loan receipt, and Zhang Sheng can back me up. Please take a look, Your Honor!" As he spoke, he took out the loan receipt from his pocket and handed it to Judge Xia. Judge Xia unfolded it and saw that it stated:
The borrower, Jiang Wenhui, is a doctor in this county. Due to the death of his wife and lack of funds for the funeral, with the guarantor Zhang Sheng, he borrowed thirty taels of silver from Lu Hua, with a monthly interest rate of three percent, for immediate expenses. It is agreed that the principal and interest will be repaid by the following year, without any shortfall. To prevent any future arguments, this loan receipt is hereby kept as a record.
After reading it, Judge Xia banged his fist on the table in anger and said, "Such a thing exists! With a loan receipt and a witness, he still denies it! This guy is just making excuses; he’s obviously a deadbeat!" He commanded his subordinates, "Bring out the big stick and give him a good whacking!" Without further ado, several bailiffs held Zhu Shan down and gave him thirty hard whacks, leaving him bruised and bloody. At the same time, they dispatched two people with documents to escort Zhu Shan home, demanding he cough up thirty taels of silver to pay Lu Hua back, or he’d end up in jail.
Zhushan was beaten so badly that he could barely stand. He returned home, crying and pleading with Li Ping'er for money to pay back Lu Hua. However, Li Ping'er slapped him and shouted, "You shameless fool, where are you going to get any money? I’ve known for a long time that you’re a debtor; I must have been blind to marry such a worthless loser!" The yamen runners outside heard the commotion and kept urging, "If Jiang Wenhui doesn't have money, stop dawdling and hurry to report to the yamen!" Zhushan tried to calm the yamen runners while begging Li Ping'er again. Kneeling on the ground, he cried, "Just consider it doing good deeds and give him these thirty taels of silver! If I don’t pay back the money, they’ll beat me to a pulp! I might as well just die!" Li Ping'er had no choice but to take out thirty taels of silver for him. Zhushan handed the money to the yamen runner, gave it back to Lu Hua, and tore up the IOU, finally putting the whole thing to rest.
Lu Hua and Zhang Sheng took the thirty taels and headed straight to Ximen Qing's house to report. Ximen Qing welcomed them under the awning and went over everything in detail. Ximen Qing was thrilled and said, "You guys really helped me out; it’s worth it!" Lu Hua handed the silver to Ximen Qing, but he firmly refused, saying, "You keep it and buy some drinks; consider it my thanks. There will be more matters to trouble you in the future." After thanking him several times, the two left with the silver.
**Often taking advantage of the good and bullying the kind, as if it were just a passing storm.**
After Jiang Zhushan handed over the silver to the court, he returned home. His wife didn't let him stay at all, saying, "Just pretend that I have contracted a sweating illness and asked you for thirty taels of silver to buy medicine. Hurry up and move out! If you delay any longer, even my two rooms won't be enough for you to repay your debts!" Jiang Zhushan knew he couldn't stay any longer, so he tearfully endured the pain in his legs and found another place to live. His wife left behind the medicinal herbs, medicine grinder, medicine sieve, and medicine box that originally belonged to Jiang Zhushan, urging him to leave quickly, and the two of them started arguing. When Jiang Zhushan left, his wife even had Mrs. Feng scoop a basin of water to splash on him, cursing, "You're lucky to be getting out of my sight!" Jiang Zhushan was driven away that day. This woman's heart was set on Ximen Qing, and when she heard that there was nothing wrong at Ximen Qing's house, she regretted it greatly. She couldn't eat, stopped dressing up, and spent her days waiting by the door, hoping for Ximen Qing to come, but he never showed up.
**Words spoken on the pillow remain, but now love has been lost.**
**The person in the room is nowhere to be seen, and silence devours the soul.**
Not mentioning how Jiang Zhushan's wife thought about Ximen Qing, one day, Ximen Qing's servant rode past Jiang Zhushan's house and saw that the front door was tightly closed, and the medicine shop was closed as well, looking desolate. He returned and told Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing said, "That little guy (Jiang Zhushan) must be seriously ill, lying in bed at home. He'll probably be stuck in bed for about half a month before he can get back to work." So he forgot about it.
One day, on the fifteenth of August, Wu Yueniang celebrated her birthday, and many guests came to the house, sitting in the main hall. Ximen Qing didn't want to talk to Yueniang, so he went directly to Li Guijie's house in the courtyard and instructed the servant, "Ride back later and come pick me up in the evening." He then invited Ying Bojue and Xie Xida to play a game of chess. That day, Guiqing was also at home, and the two sisters joined them in toasting. After a while, everyone went to the courtyard to play pitch pot.
Around sunset, Da'an came to pick up Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing was in the backyard, and when he saw Da'an, he asked, "Is everything okay at home?" Da'an said, "Everything is fine at home. The guests in the main hall have all left, leaving only the older women and the mistress. The mistress invited them to the back. Today, Flower Erniang from Lion Street sent a birthday gift: four plates of fruit soup, two plates of longevity peach noodles, a piece of cloth, and a pair of shoes made for the mistress. The mistress gave Old Feng a silver coin and said that father was not at home, so she did not invite them in." Ximen Qing saw Da'an's red face and asked, "Did you go drink?" Da'an said, "Just now, Erniang asked Feng Mama to call me over to drink. I said I didn't want to, but she insisted I drink two cups, so my face turned red. Now Erniang regrets it, crying and begging me. A few days ago, I told father about this, but he didn't believe it. After coming out of the judicial office, he sent Jiang the doctor away. Erniang regrets it very much, wanting to marry father; she's lost a lot of weight lately and is begging me to invite father over no matter what to hear his opinion. If father agrees, I'll go back and tell her." Ximen Qing said, "That woman, why is she bothering me now that she's married? Since that's the case, I won't be able to go. Tell her to prepare some tea and gifts, choose a good day, and have her carried over." Da'an said, "Understood. She's waiting for me to go back and give her an answer; let Ping'an and Huatong serve father here." Ximen Qing said, "Go ahead, I know." Da'an left the courtyard and went straight to Li Ping'er's place, telling her Ximen Qing's words. Li Ping'er was overjoyed, saying, "Good brother, thanks to you for helping me talk to father, this matter is settled!" Then she personally cooked and entertained Da'an, saying, "There's no one at your mother's place; you must come tomorrow to help me take care of Tianfu and have things moved over." The next day, five or six movers were hired, and it took four or five days to move everything. Ximen Qing didn't tell Wu Yuemeng, and everything was piled up in the newly built flower-playing building. August 20th was chosen; a large sedan was prepared, a red cloth, four pairs of lanterns, and Da'an, Ping'an, Huatong, and Lai Xing were sent to carry the sedan, and it was only in the afternoon that Li Ping'er was brought into the house. Li Ping'er let the two maids and Feng Mama go first, and when they returned, she got on the sedan. The house was entrusted to Feng Mama and Tianfu to take care of.
That day, Ximen Qing did not go out, waiting at home in his new pavilion, dressed in a long gown for Li Pinger's arrival. Li Pinger's sedan chair stopped at the gate, but no one came out to greet her for quite a while. Meng Yulou came upstairs and said to Wu Yueniang, "Sister, you are the mistress of the house. She is already at the gate. If you don't go out to greet her, how can we avoid making her angry after this? Her father is sitting in the pavilion, and the sedan chair has been waiting at the gate for so long, with no one going out to greet her. How can we face her after this?" Wu Yueniang thought about going out to greet her, feeling a mix of anger and pride. She didn't want to go out, but she was afraid that Ximen Qing would get angry. After hesitating for a long time, she finally mustered the courage and walked out to greet her. Li Pinger went straight to Ximen Qing's new room, where her maids Ying Chun and Xiu Chun had already prepared the room, waiting for Ximen Qing to arrive at night. Unexpectedly, Ximen Qing was angry because of previous matters and still hadn't visited her room. The next day, Li Pinger was brought out to meet in Wu Yueniang's room and was ranked as the sixth mistress. Three days later, a banquet was held for guests and relatives, but Ximen Qing still hadn't visited her room. On the first night, he went to Pan Jinlian's room first. Jinlian said, "She is a newcomer, and on the first day you are already neglecting her room?" Ximen Qing said, "You don't know that this woman has a fiery temper. Let me give her a few days of discipline before approaching her." By the third day, after the guests departed, Ximen Qing still did not go to her room, but went to rest in Meng Yulou's room. Seeing that Ximen Qing had not come to her room for three consecutive days, Li Pinger sent her maids to bed early that night, then cried bitterly, and in despair, she used a foot strap to hang herself, ending her life.
**Entwined in love yet at odds beneath the canopy, the wronged soul first arrives at the Nine Springs.**
Two maids woke up, and the room was dimly lit. They got up to light the lamp and were shocked to find the mistress hanging there! Startled, they hurriedly ran to the next room to call Chunmei: "Our mistress is hanging herself!" Upon hearing this, Jinlian rushed over to see the mistress wearing a red dress hanging stiffly. She and Chunmei quickly cut the rope and rescued the mistress. After a while, the mistress spat out some saliva and woke up. She immediately told Chunmei, "Quickly go and fetch your father!" At that moment, Ximen Qing was still drinking in Yulou's room. Yulou advised Ximen Qing first: "You married her, but you haven't visited her room in three days. How can she not be upset? Just like when we do this, there must be reciprocity; you can't just leave her hanging all night." Ximen Qing said, "Let's go in three days. You know how women are, always keeping an eye on other options. When they think of this, she's probably feeling neglected. After her husband died, we have been in contact all along, and she hasn't told me anything? In the end, she even found Jiang Taishi! Am I not as good as that guy? Why is she looking for me again today?" Yulou said, "You misunderstood; she was also deceived." Just then, there was a knock on the door. Yulou asked Lanxiang to inquire, and it was Chunmei inviting Ximen Qing: "Madam is hanging in the room!" Yulou urged Ximen Qing, "I told you to check on her, but you didn’t, and now look what’s happened!" So, with a lantern in hand, Ximen Qing hurried to Liuniang's room. Wu Yueniang and Li Jiaor heard about it and quickly got up to Liuniang's room. Seeing Jinlian holding Liuniang, they asked, "Sister Wu, did you give her ginger soup?" Jinlian said, "I gave it to her when I rescued her." After Liuniang calmed down after a bit, she finally broke down in tears. Yueniang and the others finally felt relieved, comforted her, let her sleep, and then went back to their rooms to rest.
The next day, at noon, Li Bing'er only drank some porridge. Ximen Qing said to Li Jiao'er and the others, "Don't believe that shameless woman's nonsense, playing dead to frighten people. I can’t deal with her! Wait for me to go to her room at night, see her hang herself with my own eyes, or I'll give her a good thrashing! This lowly woman! Who does she think I am?" Everyone felt a pang of worry for Li Bing'er upon hearing this. In the evening, Ximen Qing grabbed a horsewhip and headed to Li Bing'er's room. Yulou and Jinlian told Chunmei to shut the door and keep everyone out, and they all stood by the door, quietly eavesdropping.
Ximen Qing went in and saw Li Bing'er lying on the bed crying. When he came in, she didn't get up, which made him feel uncomfortable. He first sent the two maids to an empty room. Ximen Qing walked to a chair and sat down, pointing at Li Bing'er and scolding, "You shameless woman! Since you're guilty in your heart, why did you come to my house to try to hang yourself? You should just go to that little guy; who asked you to come here? I didn't harm you, so why are you crying like a baby? I've never seen anyone hang themselves before, but today I guess I will!" So, he took out a rope and threw it in front of her, asking her to hang herself. Li Bing'er remembered Jiang Zhushan saying that Ximen Qing was a wife-beater, specializing in bullying women. She thought that she was unlucky in her life, and today she fell into a pit again, so she cried even more sadly. Ximen Qing was furious and ordered her to get off the bed, strip, and kneel. Li Bing'er hesitated, unwilling to strip. Ximen Qing pulled her down to the ground, took out a whip from his sleeve, and lashed her a few times. Li Bing'er then reluctantly took off her clothes and knelt on the ground. Ximen Qing sat down and asked Li Bing'er from beginning to end, "I told you to wait; I had things to deal with at home. Why didn't you listen to me and rushed to marry that quack Jiang? If you marry someone else, I wouldn't even care! What’s so great about that little guy? You brought him in, gave him money to open a shop, and made money under my nose!" Li Bing'er said, "It's too late for me to regret. It's because you were gone for so long and didn't come back. I kept thinking about you, and my feelings changed. Later, there were seductresses pretending to be you in the Qiao Imperial Garden, coming in the middle of the night, draining my spirit, and leaving at dawn. You can ask Lao Feng and the two maids if you don't believe me. After being drained half to death, I called Jiang the quack to see me. I felt like I was caught in a sticky trap. He said you had something at home and went to the capital, so I had no choice but to do this. Who knew he was a fraud and was reported to the authorities? I bit my tongue and lost a few taels of silver, and he drove me out." Ximen Qing said, "He said you wrote a petition accusing me of taking a lot of your things. Why did you come to my house again today?" Li Bing'er said, "I didn't do that. If I did, my body would rot!" Ximen Qing said, "Even if you did, I'm not afraid. You say you have money, find another man quickly; I can't stand you! To tell you the truth, the two people who beat the quack before used this method. Using a little strategy, they made him desperate. If they slightly manipulate the situation, they will also report you to the authorities and ruin your family." Li Bing'er said, "I know it was you. Have mercy on me. If you take me to the wilderness, I will die." Ximen Qing's anger gradually subsided. He asked again, "Adulteress, come here, I ask you, who is better, me or the quack?" Li Bing'er said, "How can he compare to you! You’re the sky, and he’s just dirt; you’re in the sky, he’s underground. Not to mention you, even the richest man in the world, if he could compare to you, I wouldn't be so infatuated with you. You are like my medicine; once you touched me, I think of you day and night." This statement aroused Ximen Qing's old feelings; he was extremely happy, tossed the whip aside, pulled up Li Bing'er, dressed her, hugged her, and said, "My dear, you’re right. Indeed, that guy is no match for me!" He immediately called for Chunmei, "Quickly set the table, go grab some food and drinks!" It's like the sun rising in the east and rain falling in the west, saying it's heartless but actually has feelings.
Poetry stands as proof.
When the jade is sliced, she becomes infatuated. Without a hint of shame, she turns around and embraces him.
