The poem says:
There is someone, with the grace of a begonia, and the lightness of a soaring swallow. Her cheeks flushed with wine, her shy smile brings forth spring.
Endless sorrow for this person, what more can be said of Wushan and Chuyun? The fragrance of the mosquito net fades, the moon through the gauze window is cold, with a desire for tenderness.
To set aside the matter of Jiang Zhushan being adopted into the Li Ping'er family and talk about the brothers Lai Bao and Lai Wang's trip to Tokyo. They hurried along the road and reached Tokyo in just one day, settling down in the city. The next day, they went out to gather information, and the whole street was buzzing about Minister Wang from the Ministry of War, saying that it had been confirmed yesterday, and the imperial decree was issued, stating that executions would take place after autumn. Only the relatives of Commander Yang were still not fully captured, and no conclusion had been reached. Lai Bao and his brother, carrying gifts, hurried over to the Cai residence. They had been there a few times before, so they knew the way well, standing under the Longde Street arch to gather information. Before long, they saw a person in a blue outfit rushing out of the Cai residence and heading east. Lai Bao recognized him as Yang's aide, Yang Ganban, and wanted to stop him to ask about the situation, but fearing that the master hadn't given him permission to talk, he remained silent and let him go. After waiting for a while, they finally reached the gate of the residence, and they deeply bowed to the gatekeeper and asked, "Excuse me, is Master Taishi at home?" The gatekeeper replied, "The master is still at court discussing matters; what do you need to see him about?" Lai Bao asked again, "Is Steward Zhai here? I would like to see him; I have something to report." The gatekeeper said, "Steward Zhai is also not here." Noticing the gatekeeper was being evasive, Lai Bao realized he was looking for a bribe, so he took out a silver tael from his sleeve and gave it to him. The gatekeeper took the silver and asked, "Do you want to see the master or the scholar lord? If you want to see the master, you should look for head steward Zhai Qian; if you want to see the scholar, go to junior steward Gao An; they each handle their own matters. Moreover, the master has not returned from court yet; only the scholar is at home. If you have something to discuss, I can help you summon Steward Gao to meet the scholar as well." Lai Bao replied, "I'm from Commander Yang's household and have something to report to the scholar." Once the gatekeeper heard this, he didn't want to take any chances and quickly went inside to report. After a while, Gao An came out. Lai Bao quickly bowed and handed over ten taels of silver, saying, "I am a relative of Commander Yang, and I came with Yang Ganban to see the master, hoping to ask for a bit of help. We were delayed by lunch on the road and arrived late, not expecting him to arrive first, so we missed him." Gao An accepted the gift and said, "Yang Ganban just left; the master has not yet finished court. Please wait a moment, and I will take you to see the scholar." With that, he led Lai Bao through another gate and into a three-room open hall.
The hall is lavishly decorated, with "Hall of the Scholar's Qin" written on the door, inscribed in the Emperor's own hand.
It turns out that Cai Jing's son Cai You is also a favorite courtier, holding the positions of Scholar of Xianghe Hall, Minister of Rites, and Supervisor of Taiyi Palace. Lai Bao waited outside while Gao An went in to announce him before calling him in. After Lai Bao kneeled, Cai You, wearing splendid attire, sat in the hall and asked, "Where are you from?" Lai Bao replied, "I am a relative of Chen Hong, who is connected to Governor Yang. I came with Yang Gan from the mansion to see the lord and request a favor. Yang Gan arrived first, and I came later." As he spoke, he produced a letter from his sleeve and presented it. Noticing it mentioned "500 stones of white rice," Cai You asked Lai Bao to come closer and said, "Lord Cai has been avoiding people lately due to the censors' accusations. The matters in the palace, including yesterday's interrogations by the Three Law Departments, were all decided by Lord Li. Regarding Yang's situation, news from the palace yesterday indicated that the Emperor has shown mercy and will address it separately. As for those under him who have committed offenses, they will be investigated before any punishment is meted out. You should go and speak to Lord Li." Lai Bao kept bowing and said, "I do not know anyone at Lord Li's residence. I beg you, for Lord Yang's sake, please have mercy on me!" Cai You said, "Go to the North High Slope Gate Tower near Tianhan Bridge and inquire about the current Right Minister and Academician of Zizheng Hall, Minister of Rites, Li Banyan. Everyone knows him! Alright, I still need someone to accompany you." With that, he called a servant to bring a letter and sent steward Gao An along with Lai Bao to see Li Banyan, to speak on his behalf.
Gao An agreed and exited the government office with Lai Bao, calling over Lai Wang, who was carrying gifts, and headed to Li Bangyan's house. They happened to arrive just as Li Bangyan was returning from court, dressed in a red robe with a jade belt at his waist, having just seen off a minister before returning to the hall. The gatekeeper announced, "Master Cai sent his steward to see you." First, Gao An was permitted to enter and announce their arrival, and then Lai Bao and Lai Wang were allowed to enter. They knelt at the entrance of the hall, and Gao An presented Cai You's letter and gifts, while Lai Bao also presented his gifts. After reading the letter, Li Bangyan said, "Master Cai is influential and is also a relative of Lord Yang. How can I accept your gifts? Moreover, Lord Yang was already spared by the Emperor yesterday. However, some of his subordinates have faced severe criticism from the Censor, and several will definitely be punished." As he spoke, he had the guards bring over the list sent by the Censor yesterday for him to see. The list stated: "The clerk Dong Sheng, who serves under Wang Fu, the household member Wang Lian, the foreman Huang Yu; the clerk Lu Hu under Yang Jian, the assistant Yang Sheng, the government clerk Han Zongren, Zhao Hongdao, the foreman Liu Cheng, and relatives Chen Hong, Ximen Qing, Hu Si, etc., are all individuals who exploit their positions. We request that the law enforcement issue orders to punish these individuals, either by exiling them to the frontier or imposing the death penalty, to uphold the national law." Upon seeing the list, Lai Bao was so frightened that he kept bowing in fear and pleaded, "I am just a household member of Ximen Qing; I plead for mercy, spare my life!" Gao An also knelt down to plead. Seeing that five hundred taels of silver only bought one name, Li Bangyan saw no reason to refuse. He had a writing table brought over, took up the brush, and changed Ximen Qing's name on the list to Jia Lian, then accepted the gifts. Li Bangyan dismissed Lai Bao and the others and drafted a reply to Cai You, rewarding Gao An, Lai Bao, and Lai Wang with five taels of silver each.
On the way back, Lai Bao thanked Steward Gao for his help and returned to the inn, packed his luggage, paid the room fee, and rushed back to Qinghe County overnight. Upon returning home, he saw Ximen Qing and recounted everything that had happened in Dongjing from beginning to end. Ximen Qing listened, sweating nervously, and said to Pan Jinlian, "We need to send someone to take care of this right away; otherwise, we’re in big trouble!"
The setting sun sank beyond the western ridge, yet it is called forth by the hibiscus. (This is a line of poetry and is not translated.)
At last, Ximen Qing has escaped a calamity. After two days, he no longer closed his door, the garden was still being tended, and he gradually started going out again.
One day, while riding past Lion Street, Dai An saw that a pharmacy had opened at Li Ping'er’s doorstep, stocked with various medicinal herbs, and it seemed to be thriving. He returned to tell Ximen Qing, saying—without mentioning Jiang Zhushan's marriage—“Second Mistress has opened a pharmacy and hired an assistant.” Ximen Qing listened, somewhat skeptical.
One day, in mid-July, the weather was cool, with a gentle breeze and glistening dewdrops. Ximen Qing was riding on the street when he encountered Count Ying and Xie Xida. The two called out to him, dismounted to pay their respects, and asked, “Brother, why haven’t we seen you lately? Our brothers have come to your house several times, but the front door was closed, and we didn’t dare knock, feeling rather puzzled. What have you been up to at home? Has your sister-in-law moved in? You didn’t even invite the brothers to a wedding feast.” Ximen Qing said, “It's a bit complicated. A relative of mine from the Chen family had some trouble, and I’ve been helping him for several days. The wedding's been postponed too.” The Count said, “We brothers didn’t know you were so busy. Since we’ve run into you today, how can we let you leave empty-handed? Please come with us to Wu Yinjie’s house for a few drinks, just to take the edge off.” Before Ximen Qing could respond, they pulled him into the courtyard.
It was just like:
The high terrace opens, and singing courtesans greet, casually boasting of their eloquence and affection.
Delicate hands pass the cup, dividing the bamboo leaves, a curtain of autumn water soaks the peach flute.
That day, Ximen Qing was taken to Wu Yin'er's house by his companions and drank heavily all day. It wasn't until evening that he staggered out a bit tipsy. As he rode his horse toward Dongjie Street, he met Mrs. Feng, hurrying along. Ximen Qing stopped his horse and asked, "How is Erniang doing at home? I will go see her tomorrow." Mrs. Feng said, "What kind of question is that? The marriage that was about to happen has been messed up by someone." Ximen Qing was shocked and exclaimed, "She didn’t actually get married, did she?" Mrs. Feng said, "Erniang asked me to bring the invitation to your house several times, but I never saw you; the door was always shut. She told the official to hurry up, and you ignored her. Now someone else has swooped in, what else can you say?" Ximen Qing asked, "Who?" Mrs. Feng then recounted how a woman had been possessed by a fox spirit in the middle of the night, nearly died from it, how she sought treatment from Jiang Zhushan, took his medicine and recovered, how she chased after him until they became a couple, and how Erniang gave him three hundred taels of silver to open a pharmacy, from beginning to end. Ximen Qing was originally not interested, but after hearing it, he was so furious he started stomping his feet in frustration on his horse and shouted, "What a disaster! I wouldn't care if she married someone else, but how could she settle for that short winter melon!" And so, he rode his horse all the way back home. His mind was racing with thoughts of betrayal.
Just as he dismounted and entered the courtyard, he saw Wu Yueniang, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, and Ximen Dajie skipping rope under the moonlight in the courtyard. When Ximen Qing returned, Yueniang, Yulou, and Dajie all stepped back. Only Jinlian did not move, still leaning against a pillar picking up shoes. Ximen Qing, who was inebriated, yelled at her, saying, "You idle women are so bored, what are you skipping rope for?" He even kicked Jinlian twice. When he returned to the room, he did not go to Yueniang's room to change his clothes, but went directly to a study room in the west wing, asked for bedding, and slept there. He scolded the maids and servants, with a bad expression on his face. The women stood together, all extremely frightened, not knowing what was going on. Wu Yueniang complained to Jinlian, "When you see him drunk, you should stay away. You were still smiling and picking up shoes in front of him, letting him berate you like he was catching locusts." Yulou said, "It's fine if he scolds us, but why scold Dajie as an idle woman? It's really rude!" Jinlian replied, "I’m the one everyone picks on in this house! Three women are here, but he only kicks me. Who is favored?" Yueniang got angry and said, "Why don’t you just let him kick me as well? You are not favored, who is favored? You really don't know what's good for you! I don't say anything, and you just keep on blabbing!" Jinlian saw Yueniang was angry and quickly explained, "Sister, it's not like that. He doesn't know why, he just vents his anger on me. Even if he looks at me with his eyes open, he would still beat me to death!" Yueniang said, "Who let you provoke him? If he’s not going to hit you, is he going to hit a dog instead?" Yulou said, "Dajie, let's ask a servant boy where he went to drink today? He was fine in the morning, how did he come back like this?" After a while, Dai'an was called over, and Yueniang scolded him, "You rascal! If you don’t fess up, I’ll have the servants give you and Ping'an a good thrashing, each receiving twenty lashes." Dai'an said, "Mother, don't beat me, I'll tell the truth. Father drank with Uncle Ying at the Wu family today. After they dispersed, they met Feng Mama at the East Street intersection. She said Hua'er married Doctor Jiang in the city because Father didn't go. Father was fuming all the way home." Yueniang said, "That brazen woman, taking advantage of her husband's death to remarry, and coming back to vent her anger on others." Dai'an said, "Hua'er didn't marry Doctor Jiang, Doctor Jiang pursued her. Now Hua'er has given him money, and he opened a very profitable pharmacy. When I tell Father, he won't believe it." Meng Yulou said, "How long has her husband been dead? She hasn't even completed the mourning period and she's already remarried, that’s just wrong!" Yueniang said, "In this day and age, what does it matter if it's right or wrong? Marrying someone before the mourning period is over, she's not the only one! Those women who are out drinking and sleeping around, what’s left of their chastity?" Dear readers, with those words, Yueniang stepped on some toes—Meng Yulou and Pan Jinlian both remarried before completing the mourning period, and after hearing these words, they felt embarrassed and quickly retreated to their rooms.
It is:
Unpleasant things often happen, but you can share them with others.
Ximen Qing spent the night in the front room. The next morning, he arranged for his brother-in-law Chen Jingji to work in the garden with Ben Si, managing the accounts, and then had him watch the main gate. Ximen's sister spent her days drinking with the others and returned to the front room at night. Chen Jingji worked in the garden every day, never daring to enter the main hall unless summoned, and had the servants bring him his meals, so none of Ximen Qing's wives had ever seen him.
One day, Ximen Qing was not at home; he had gone to see off He Qianhu from the Judicial Office. Yueniang felt that Chen Jingji, who was in charge of the construction, was working very hard, and she had not properly entertained him. She said to Meng Yulou and Li Jiaor, "If I look after him, it would be said that I am meddling too much; if I don't look after him, I would feel guilty. He is in your home, waking up early and sleeping late every day, working so hard to help your family; who will take a moment to comfort him?" Yulou said, "Sister, you are the one in charge of the household; if you don't worry, who will worry?" So Yueniang instructed the kitchen to prepare a table of wine, food, and snacks, and invited Chen Jingji to have lunch at noon. Chen Jingji left the project to Benshi to watch and went to the backyard to see Yueniang, paid his respects, and sat down beside her. Xiaoyu served tea, set the table, and served the dishes and wine. Yueniang said, "Brother-in-law works hard every day; I want you to sit down and relax. Today your father is not at home, so I prepared some wine as a little treat for you." Jingji said, "I’m grateful for your kindness; there is no hardship, you are so thoughtful!" Yueniang drank with him for a while. Yueniang asked Xiaoyu, "Invite the eldest girl." Xiaoyu said, "The eldest girl is playing cards; she will come soon." After a while, the sound of cards being played drifted in from the room. Jingji asked, "Who is playing cards?" Yueniang said, "It's the eldest sister and Yuxiao playing." Jingji said, "You see, you called her, and she still didn’t come; she is playing cards in the room." After a while, the eldest sister came out from behind the curtain, sat down across from her son-in-law, and they drank together. Yueniang asked the eldest sister, "Does Brother-in-law Chen play cards too?" The eldest sister said, "He knows a bit." Yueniang only knew that Jingji was her daughter's husband, but she did not know that this young man was well-versed in poetry, chess, and all sorts of games.
**Since childhood, he’s been clever and charming, a true charmer.**
**He loves to wear green and silver, skilled in both board games and chess.**
**Playing the pipa, zheng, xiao, and guan, excelling in archery and horseback riding.**
**But there’s one thing he can’t resist: the sight of a beautiful woman.**
Yuemen said, "Since brother-in-law knows how to play cards, why not play together?" Jingji replied, "You and elder sister can play; I won't participate." Yuemen responded, "We are all family, what's there to be afraid of?" Saying that, they entered the room, only to see Meng Yulou playing cards on the bed with a red felt cloth, and when she saw Jingji enter, she started to get up to leave. Yuemen said, "Brother-in-law is not a stranger; just say hello." She turned to Jingji and said, "This is your third sister." Jingji quickly bowed deeply, and Yulou returned the gesture. Then Yulou, elder sister, and Jingji played cards together, while Jingji watched from the sidelines. After a while, the elder sister lost, and Jingji joined in. Yulou played a good card; Jingji played a bad card; Wuyuemen couldn't play a matching card no matter what. At this time, Pan Jinlian lifted the curtain and stepped in, wearing fresh flowers on her head. Smiling, she said, "So it's Brother Chen!" Chen Jingji was startled; seeing Pan Jinlian, his heart raced. **Five hundred years of grudges meeting, thirty years of love suddenly encountered.** Yuemen said, "This is Fifth Sister; brother-in-law should also greet her." Jingji quickly bowed deeply, and Jinlian returned a salute. Yuemen said, "Fifth Sister, come and see, this guy has beaten us all." Jinlian approached, one hand holding the bed, the other holding a round fan, pointing at Yuemen and saying, "Elder sister, this card shouldn't be played like this. Switch these two cards, and won't that be a winning hand? You can still beat Brother Chen and Third Sister." Everyone was having a great time when Dai'an came in carrying a package and said, "Master has returned." Yuemen hurriedly had Xiaoyu escort Chen Jingji out through the side door.
Ximen Qing dismounted and entered the door; first, he went to take a look at the garden, and then he went to Pan Jinlian's room. Jinlian hurriedly welcomed him, helped him take off his clothes, and said, "You came back early today after seeing off the promotion of the official at the magistrate's office." Ximen Qing said, "The magistrate congratulated Qianhu on his promotion, and we went to the outskirts to see him off together. I received an invitation, so I had to go." Jinlian said, "You haven't drunk; let the maid bring wine." After a while, the dishes and wine were ready. While drinking, they talked about the beam-raising ceremony at the garden pavilion the day after tomorrow, where many friends and family would come to celebrate, so the chef had to prepare a banquet. Before long, it got dark. Chunmei lit the lamp, and the two went to bed to sleep...
Ximen Qing asked, "Who did you have a fight with?" The woman said, "That day, after you came in, the woman upstairs got mad at me, saying I talked back to her and scolded me for being ungrateful. I thought about it. How did I end up being disliked like a toad with a skin disease?" Ximen Qing said, "I'm not angry. That day, Ying Er and the others took me to Wu Yiner's house for a drink. On the way back, I met Feng Mama, and she told me, which made me angry. If she had married someone else, I wouldn't have cared, but that Dr. Jiang, he's so short—why doesn't he just lose his manhood? What ability does he have? Let him come in, give him some money, and set up shop right in front of me!" The woman said, "You still have the nerve to say that! What did I say back then? First, sow the seeds before eating. You didn't listen, just kept asking Big Sister. As the saying goes: Don't count on others or you'll end up losing out. You messed up—who are you going to blame for that?" Ximen Qing was enraged by the woman's words, saying, "Let her be, let that shameless woman talk. Don't expect me to pay attention to her tomorrow!"
Ladies and gentlemen: Since ancient times, slander has harmed people, whether between ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, or brothers. Even someone as virtuous as Wu Yueniang, when Ximen Qing heeded Pan Jinlian's provocations, ultimately became enemies, so others should take extra caution! From then on, Ximen Qing and Yueniang were angry and didn't speak to each other when they met. Yueniang didn't care where he went or when he would return; even when he entered the room to get something, she only let the maids respond to him and ignored him. Both of them felt distant from each other.
**When the first cart tips over, many more will follow.**
**Clearly pointing out the road to Pingchuan, yet mistaking sincere advice for malicious words.**
It is said that since Ximen Qing and Li Ping'er had a falling out, Pan Jinlian noticed that Ximen Qing favored her and felt pleased. She dressed beautifully every day, trying to win Ximen Qing’s favor. After meeting Chen Jingji once, she found him handsome and clever, and started to have feelings for him. However, she was too afraid to act on her feelings. So, when Ximen Qing was not at home, she had her maid summon Chen Jingji to her room, served him tea, and played chess together.
One day, Ximen Qing's new pavilion was completed, and relatives and friends came to congratulate him, bringing gifts and fruit baskets. Many craftsmen received rewards. Ximen Qing entertained guests in the hall until noon, after which everyone dispersed. Since he had woken up early, Ximen Qing went back to the courtyard to take a nap. Chen Jingji went to Jinlian's room to ask for some tea. Jinlian was lying on the bed playing the pipa, and she said, "You’ve been drinking all this time without eating anything; why are you still coming to my room asking for tea?" Jingji said, "Sister-in-law, I've been busy since midnight; I haven't had time to eat!" Jinlian asked, "Where is your father?" Jingji replied, "My father is sleeping in the backyard." Jinlian said, "Since you haven't eaten, call Chunmei to bring me the leftover steamed pastry for you to eat." The young man set four plates of snacks on Jinlian's kang table and dug in. Seeing Jinlian playing the pipa, he smiled and asked, "Sister, what tune are you playing? Why don’t you sing a little something for me?" Jinlian laughed and said, "Okay, Chen brother, I’m not your servant; why would I sing for you? Wait until your father wakes up, and let’s see if you dare to tell him!" Chen Jingji smiled and quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, "Sister, please have mercy on me; I won't dare anymore!" Jinlian laughed. Since then, the young man and the woman grew closer, drinking tea, eating together, coming in and out, talking, laughing, hugging, without any hesitation. Since she saw Chen Jingji as a son, Li Ping'er turned a blind eye to her untrustworthy son-in-law's antics at home.
Only knowing how to gather honey from flowers, yet unaware for whom the sweetness is intended.
