The words say:
A graceful beauty and a talented scholar, naturally paired. In the Orchid Hall, a lavish feast, with candlelight shining brightly.
Several embroidered red silks, precious cosmetic seals, and golden ducks burning incense. Clearly, amidst the waves of the lotus pond, there is a pair of mandarin ducks.
- From the tune "In the Fragrant Courtyard"
Ximen Qing stayed home to complete sewing clothes within two days. On the twelfth day, the Qiao family sent someone to extend an invitation to their guests. In the morning, Ximen Qing first sent over a gift. That day, Lady Yueliang, her sisters, and Aunt Xiang rode in six sedan chairs to the Qiao family. Sun Xue'e remained at home to keep an eye on things. Nurse Ruyi carried the official son while Hui Xiu, Lai Xing's wife, followed to assist with folding clothes, and they also had two small sedan chairs.
When Ximen Qing was at home, he directed Ben Si to call in the fireworks people, hang lanterns in the hall and the shed, and also sent the servants to the Wang family to arrange for the opera troupe. In the afternoon, he went to Jinlian's room. Jinlian was not at home, and Chunmei was on the side serving tea and food. Ximen Qing said to Chunmei, "On the fourteenth, we will be inviting many official wives. All four of you should dress up nicely and go out with your mother to toast; it's a nice thing." Chunmei leaned on the table and said, "If you want to call them, call the other three out; I won't go." Ximen Qing asked, "Why don't you go?" Chunmei said, "The women have new clothes to accompany the official wives; it's better. We all look like charred buns; it's just too embarrassing to go out and be laughed at." Ximen Qing said, "You all have clothes, jewelry, pearls, jade, and fresh flowers." Chunmei said, "It's okay to wear something on our heads, but we only have a few old clothes to wear; how can we have the face to see people! It's just too embarrassing!" Ximen Qing laughed and said, "I understand you; you're just being stubborn because your sisters got new clothes. It's okay, I'll call Zhao the tailor to come. Big Sister and the four of you will each have three sets made: a set of satin clothes and a brocade vest." Chunmei said, "I don't want to be the same as them. I want you to make me a white silk jacket to wear with the big red brocade vest." Ximen Qing said, "If you're okay with it, I'll make one for your Big Sister too." Chunmei said, "Big Sister only needs one jacket; I don't have one, and she wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it." Ximen Qing then opened the door, chose five sets of satin clothes, two sets of brocade vests, and a piece of white gauze to make two white gauze jackets. Big Sister and Chunmei had big red brocade vests, while Yingchun, Yuxiao, and Lanxiang had blue and green ones; all the clothes were made of red satin with gold-lined jackets, emerald green borders, and long trailing skirts, making a total of seventeen pieces. He called for Zhao the tailor to tailor the clothes. He also asked for a piece of yellow gauze for the skirt waist, all lined with Hangzhou silk. Chunmei was finally pleased, spending the whole day drinking and having fun with Ximen Qing in the room, and that's all there is to say.
Furthermore, Wu Yueniang and her sisters arrived at the Qiao family's residence. Mrs. Qiao had invited Mrs. Shang, Mrs. Zhu, Mrs. Cui, as well as two nieces—Miss Duan and Zheng Sanjie, Wu Shunchen's wife. They also invited two courtesans to play music and sing during the banquet. Upon hearing that Yueniang and her sisters had arrived, they hurried out to welcome them and then exchanged greetings in the rear hall. Mrs. Qiao called Yueniang "Miss," while Li Jiaor and the others were called Second Miss, Third Miss... in order of seniority, following the naming convention from Wu Yueniang's side. After greeting Mrs. Shang, Mrs. Zhu, Miss Duan, and Mrs. Zheng approached to pay their respects. Everyone took their seats in order. Tea was served by the servant girl, and Mr. Qiao came out to express his thanks. Mrs. Qiao invited everyone to change clothes and then served tea and snacks for the guests. The wet nurse and Huixiu stayed inside to look after the young master while they had their own plans. After finishing their tea, everyone moved to the main hall, where peacock paintings adorned the screen and hibiscus flowers were embroidered on the carpet. Four tables were set up, with Yueniang seated at the head, followed by Mrs. Shang, Wu Yueniang's mother-in-law, Mrs. Zhu, Li Jiaor, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, and Mrs. Qiao, seated according to their rank. There was another table for Miss Duan and Mrs. Zheng, totaling eleven people. The two courtesans sang on the side. The dishes were served, starting with crystal goose, which Yueniang rewarded with two taels of silver; the second dish was braised pig's trotter, for which Yueniang rewarded with another tael of silver; the third dish was roast duck, for which Yueniang also rewarded with a tael of silver. Mrs. Qiao stepped down to offer a toast, first to Yueniang and then to Mrs. Shang. Yueniang then went to change clothes and freshen up.
Meng Yulou also followed down to Madam Qiao's bedroom and saw Nurse Ruyi watching over the little boy on the kang. The little boy was lying on a small mattress on the kang. Qiao's eldest daughter was also lying beside him. The two little ones were playfully hitting each other. When Lady Qiao and the guests came in, Lady Wu remarked with a laugh, "Lady Qiao, come and take a look, these two children really look like a young couple." Lady Qiao laughed and replied, "Yes, the children are lying on the kang, waving their hands and kicking their feet. They hit each other; they are truly a natural pair." Madam Qiao and the guests all came in. Lady Wu brought this up. Madam Qiao said, "Everyone, listen, how could our humble family even think of matching your esteemed family?" Lady Moon said, "Don't say that, who do you think my sister-in-law is? Who is Zheng Sanjie? We are so close; even my children wouldn’t tarnish your daughter. Why do you say that?" Yulou pushed Li Ping'er and said, "Sister Li, what do you say?" Li Ping'er just smiled. Lady Wu said, "If Lady Qiao isn’t on board, I’ll be upset." Mrs. Shang and Mrs. Zhu both said, "It's really hard for Lady Wu to have a kind heart; Lady Qiao, don't refuse." They inquired, "Was your eldest daughter born last November?" Lady Qiao said, "My child was born on June 23rd, just five months old, really a natural pair." Everyone fell silent and took Madam Qiao, Lady Moon, and Li Ping'er to the front hall, where they exchanged clothing right then and there. The two courtesans sang and played. Then they told Madam Qiao about this, brought out fruit baskets and three red ribbons for toasting. Lady Moon told Dai'an and Qintong to rush home and inform Ximen Qing. Then they brought two barrels of wine, three pieces of satin, red and green velvet with gold thread flowers, and four large shell-inlaid fruit boxes. The two families hung red banners and toasted at the table. The hall was aglow with candlelight, the flower lanterns shone brightly, the musk was fragrant, and the laughter was continuous. The two courtesans, with their red lips slightly parted and white teeth gleaming, lightly played the pipa, embraced the jade guzheng, and sang songs.
Wu Yueniang, Madam Qiao, and Li Ping'er, the three of them, wore flowers and red clothes. They exchanged toasts and bowed to one another. Then they rearranged their seats and started drinking together. In the kitchen, there were snowflake cakes filled with sweet stuffing and topped with the character "longevity," as well as a soup called "double happiness and abundant lotus." Yueniang sat in the main seat and was very happy. She called for Dai'an and rewarded him with a large piece of red cloth. The cooks were also rewarded with a piece each. Everyone bowed deeply in gratitude. Madam Qiao stayed in the back hall, laying out a variety of small dishes and snacks. They likely ate until around eleven at night before Yueniang and the others took their leave and said, "You must come to my house tomorrow, sister-in-law." Madam Qiao said, "Thank you for your hospitality, but my husband is worried he might feel out of place at the banquet. I will come to your house another day." Yueniang said, "That's fine, sister-in-law. There won't be anyone else there, so please don’t feel like a stranger." Then she asked Madam Jia to stay and said, "You don't have to go today. Come with Madam Qiao tomorrow." Madam Jia said, "Madam Qiao, on any other day, you don't have to come. But the fifteenth is your sister-in-law's birthday, so you must come!" Madam Qiao said, "Sister-in-law, the fifteenth is a joyous day. How could I not go!" Yueniang said, "If you don’t come, Madam Jia, I’ll leave it in your hands." In this way, Madam Jia was persuaded to stay, and then Yueniang bid farewell and returned home in her sedan chair.
There were two household servants in front carrying two large red lanterns to lead the way, followed by two young servants, also carrying lanterns. Wu Yueniang walked at the front, while Li Jiaor, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, and Li Ping'er walked side by side in the middle. Ruyi and Huixiu followed behind. The wet nurse carried the little master, wrapped snugly in a red silk quilt to keep him warm, with a copper brazier placed at his feet. The young servants flanked them on both sides. When they arrived at the door of the house and got off the sedan chair, Master Ximen Qing was drinking in the main room. Once they entered, they all greeted him before sitting down. The maidservants came to pay their respects. Wu Yueniang first told Master Ximen Qing about the marriage arrangements discussed at today’s banquet. Master Ximen Qing asked, "Who were present at the banquet today?" Wu Yueniang said, "There was Madam Shang, Madam Zhu Xuban, Madam Cui, and two nieces." Master Ximen Qing said, "Let the marriage go ahead, but the gifts are a bit sparse." Wu Yueniang said, "The key factor was my sister-in-law. She saw their newly adopted daughter and our child sleeping in bed, covered with blankets, teasing each other, and that’s when they invited us over to discuss the marriage at the banquet. I even sent a servant to let you know that the flowers and fruit baskets have arrived." Master Ximen Qing said, "Let the marriage go ahead, but the gifts are a bit sparse. Although the Qiao family is well-off, they are merely wealthy merchants from the county town, dressed in casual attire. How can we mingle with them when they’ll be wearing those little hats at the wedding tomorrow? It’s not exactly dignified. A few days ago, Zhang from Jingnangang repeatedly tried to arrange a marriage with our family, saying his daughter is only five months old, the same age as our child. I turned them down because I suspect their child is illegitimate. Unexpectedly, the marriage was arranged with the Qiao family." Pan Jinlian interjected, "You suspect their child is illegitimate, but whose child isn’t illegitimate these days? Talk about bad luck running into the birthday star—don’t hold it against me for being short, and I won’t hold it against you for being short."
When Ximen Qing heard this, he was furious and scolded, "You shameless hussy, get lost! What are you interrupting for while adults are talking? What makes you think you have any right to speak?" Jinlian's face flushed with embarrassment as she hastily backed away and said, "Who says I have any right to say anything? As if I have any right to speak!"
Today, Pan Jinlian saw that Yue Niang was getting betrothed to Qiao Dahu's family at the banquet, and Li Ping'er was also wearing red and flowers while toasting, and she felt a surge of anger. When she returned home, she was scolded by Ximen Qing a few times, which made her even angrier, and she ran to Yue Niang's room to cry. Ximen Qing asked, "Why didn't Da Jizi come?" Yue Niang replied, "Qiao's family is meeting many official wives tomorrow, so she might or might not come. I left Da Jizi there, asking her to come together tomorrow." Ximen Qing said, "I told you the seating arrangement at the banquet was difficult, and it will be even harder to get along tomorrow." Just then, Meng Yulou also came over, saw Jinlian crying, and said, "What are you crying for? He just said a few words." Jinlian replied, "You were there too; what bad things did I say? He said that the children from other families are illegitimate, and I said that Qiao's children are also illegitimate, born at home. This truth can't be hidden; can it deceive people? What a misfortune, he scolded me with his eyes wide open. It hurt my feelings so much. Who am I to speak? Let him get his comeuppance tomorrow! What kind of big kid still wets the bed? Getting betrothed for no good reason, having money but no place to spend it, what a disappointment! It's fine now that they are betrothed, but what if they regret it tomorrow? People put on a nice front when getting betrothed, but it won't be the same in a few years!" Yulou said, "People's hearts have changed now; they don't do this anymore. Besides, it's still early. The child is still young, why worry? It's just for socializing and mutual comparison." Jinlian said, "Even if it's just for show, I shouldn't have to put up with this nonsense!" Yulou replied, "Who told you to speak without thinking? If he doesn't scold you, who will he scold?" Jinlian said, "Am I wrong? Isn't she the legitimate wife? Qiao's children are also illegitimate, and there's also Qiao Laotou's genes. Your child doesn't even know who the father is!" Yulou listened and said nothing. After sitting for a while, Jinlian returned to her room.
Li Ping'er saw Ximen Qing coming out and quickly greeted Lady Yu, saying, "I’m sorry to trouble you, Sister, with the child." Lady Yu smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Are you happy?" Li Ping'er replied, "I’m happy to share in Sister’s joy." After exchanging greetings, the three of them sat down to chat. At this time, Sun Xue'e and the eldest sister came to pay their respects to Lady Yu and also greeted Li Jiao'er and Li Ping'er. Xiaoyu brought tea over, and as they were drinking, Li Ping'er's maid Xiu Chun came to invite her, saying, "The young master is looking for you in the room; Master asked me to invite you over." Li Ping'er said, "The nanny was in such a rush that she didn’t know how to bring him inside. Hurry, I’m worried the child doesn’t have a light." Lady Yu said, "When I came in, I asked him to take the child into the room, worried it was getting late." Xiaoyu said, "Just now, Ruyi carried him, and An came with a lantern to send him back." Li Ping'er said, "That's good." So, Li Ping'er bid farewell to Lady Yu and returned to her own room. Seeing Ximen Qing in the room, the little master was sleeping in the nanny's arms. Li Ping'er said, "Why didn't you tell me before you brought him here?" Ruyi replied, "Madam saw An carrying a lantern, so she came over while the light was on. The little master cried for a bit before he finally fell asleep." Ximen Qing said, "He fussed for a while before falling asleep." After Li Ping'er spoke, she smiled at Ximen Qing and said, "Today the child has been betrothed; thank you for your hard work, let me pay my respects to you." With that, she knelt down and bowed her head in respect. Ximen Qing was grinning from ear to ear; he quickly helped her up and let her sit down. Then he called Yingchun to pour the drinks, and the two of them toasted together.
Pan Jinlian stormed back into the room, feeling frustrated. She knew that Ximen Qing was with Li Ping'er. When Qiuju finally opened the door, she immediately slapped Qiuju twice, shouting, "You little maid! Why didn’t you open the door sooner? What were you doing? I don’t have time for your nonsense!" She then flopped down onto a chair. Chunmei came over and served her tea on her knees. Pan Jinlian asked her, "What’s that little maid doing in here?" Chunmei replied, "She's sitting in the courtyard. I urged her for a long time, but she just brushed me off." Pan Jinlian said, "I know she's angry with both of us. When Lord Dang left scraps, she learned to take it out on me too." She wanted to hit Chunmei but didn’t want Ximen Qing to overhear. Not saying anything just made her more upset. So she wiped off her makeup, Chunmei made the bed for her, and then she climbed into bed.
The next day, Ximen Qing went to the yamen. Pan Jinlian had Qiuju kneel in front of a large pillar. When Qiuju's hair was messy from kneeling, Pan Jinlian told Chunmei to take off Qiuju's pants and prepare to hit her with a large board. Chunmei said, "This clean girl, you want me to take off her pants? That'll dirty my hands!" So she told Huatong to take off Qiuju's clothes. Pan Jinlian scolded and beat Qiuju, saying, "You cheap maid, when did you become so arrogant? Others spoil you, but I won't. Sister, you know I've seen the world, so just behave yourself. Why show off for no reason? Sister, don't rely on your age; I will keep an eye on you tomorrow!" She scolded and beat Qiuju, making her scream like a pig being slaughtered. Over on the other side, Li Ping'er had just woken up and was watching the wet nurse put the official's son to sleep, only to scare him awake again. She clearly heard Jinlian beating and scolding the maid loudly, but she didn't say a word, tightly holding the official's son in her arms. She then asked Xiuchun to tell Pan Jinlian not to beat Qiuju, as the official's son had just fallen asleep after drinking milk. Jinlian heard this and beat even harder, saying, "You cheap maid, even with a thousand knives in your body, you still beg for mercy. This is my temper—the more you cry, the more I will beat you. Do you want to delay passersby because of you? Others beat the maid; why do you interfere? Good sister, tell the master not to beat me again!" Li Ping'er clearly heard that she was being scolded, her hands cold with anger; she could only swallow her anger and bite her tongue. She hadn’t even had her morning tea, dozing off in bed with the official's son in her arms.
When Ximen Qing returned home after work, he entered the house to see the official's son. He saw Li Bing'er, her eyes red from crying, lying on the bed, and asked, "Why haven't you combed your hair yet? Let's go talk in the main room. Why are your eyes so red from crying?" Li Bing'er did not mention Pan Jinlian scolding her, only saying, "I'm feeling unwell." Ximen Qing said, "Qiao Qinye sent your birthday gift: one piece of cloth, two jars of Southern wine, a plate of longevity peaches, a plate of longevity noodles, and four types of appetizers. Additionally, there are two plates of sweet dumplings, four plates of candied fruit, four plates of fruit, two strands of pearl lights, two sheepskin lights, two bolts of red satin, a green satin hat adorned with the Eight Auspicious Symbols in gold, two pairs of men's shoes, and six pairs of women's shoes. We haven't even visited their home yet, and they've already sent gifts for our child. Now, go to the main room to discuss this." He sent a Kongsao and Qiaotong to deliver the gifts. The elder aunt arrived first and said that Qiao Qinye can't come tomorrow, and will come the day after tomorrow. There is a Lady Qiao Wutai in their family who is very happy to hear about the marriage with our family! She will also come to visit on the fifteenth, so we need to send her a formal invitation." Li Bing'er slowly got up to fix her hair and went to the backyard to greet the elder aunt. Kongsao was having tea in Yu Niang's room, and the gifts were laid out in the main hall for everyone to see. Kongsao and Qiaotong were then sent off, each receiving two handkerchiefs and five taels of silver, and a reply was written to send them off. As the poem goes: Ximen is rich and arrogant, marrying off his child. Wealth is like dung, bringing shame upon future generations.
