The poem says:
In the dream, though briefly seen, upon waking, one realizes it was not real. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, I lean alone, still dressed.
The chilly morning wind blows swiftly, while the moonlight is pale and faint. The empty bed often reaches dawn, my thoughts never return.
Wu Song killed Wang Po and that woman, took their belongings, and escaped to Liangshan. Let's not talk about him for now. Now let's talk about Wang Chao'er reporting to the police. He found that both the front and back doors of Wu Song's house were closed, and Wang Po's house was completely ransacked, with clothes scattered all over the place. It was clear that Wu Song had killed someone and fled. The police opened the door and saw two corpses lying on the ground, covered in blood. The woman's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were stabbed and displayed on the roof of the backyard. Ying'er was scared and hiding in the house. The police asked her what happened, but she just kept crying. The next morning, the case was reported to the county government, and the murder weapon was brought along. The new county magistrate, Li Changqi, was from Zaoqiang County, Zhenzhou Prefecture, Hebei Province. Upon hearing of the murder, he quickly dispatched officers to question the neighbors and the victims, Wang Chao and Ying'er, conduct an on-site investigation, and determine that Wu Song killed Pan Shi and Wang Po in a drunken rage, formally file the case, let the local police handle the bodies, post notices, and arrest Wu Song everywhere. A reward of fifty taels of silver will be offered to anyone who captures him.
Zhang Sheng and Li An from the Garrison House went to Wang Po's house with one hundred taels of silver and saw that both Wang Po and the woman were killed by Wu Song. The county police were in the process of examining the bodies and arresting people. The two returned to the garrison house to report. When Chunmei heard that the woman had died, she cried for several days and refused to eat or drink. The garrison commander was anxious and had people invite a theater troupe to perform for her, but she had no interest at all. So every day, Zhang Sheng and Li An were sent to inquire about Wu Song's whereabouts and report back immediately if they captured him.
Chen Jingji went to Tokyo to retrieve some money, wanting to redeem Jinlian and get married. Unexpectedly, he met his family servant Chen Ding on the way from Tokyo, who informed him that his father was gravely ill: "Grandma asked me to invite you back to take care of the funeral affairs." Upon hearing this, Jingji quickened his pace. Several days later, he arrived at the home of his uncle, Zhang Shilian, in Tokyo. Zhang Shilian had already passed away, leaving only his daughter at home. His father Chen Hong had also died three days ago, and the entire family was in mourning. Jingji paid his respects to his father, then bowed to his mother, Zhang, and his cousin. Zhang saw that he had grown up, and the mother and son cried bitterly, discussing what to do in the future. "Now there are both happy and sad events." Jingji asked, "What happy news? What sad news?" Zhang said, "The happy news is that the court has enthroned a new crown prince and granted a general amnesty; the sad news is that your father died in a distant place, your uncle is also gone, and your cousin is widowed. Living here is inconvenient, and we need to transport your father's coffin back to our hometown for burial." Jingji thought to himself: This round trip to transport the coffin will take at least a few days; I can’t let this delay my marriage to Liu Jie! It's better to first transport the belongings back home, marry Liu Jie, and then come back to transport the coffin. So he said to Zhang, "There are many bandits on the road now; it's not safe to travel. If the coffin and luggage travel together, it will attract attention. What if we encounter bad people? It's safer this way. I will first transport the valuable luggage back, find a place to settle down. Mother, you take Chen Ding, family members, and father's coffin, celebrate the New Year, and return home together after the first month. Stay at a temple outside the city first, then hold a funeral; it's not too late." Zhang, being a woman, didn't see through Jingji's scheme right away, so she packed up the valuable luggage into two large carts, dressed them up with flags to make them look like luxurious carriages. On the first day of the lunar new year, they set off from Tokyo, and in a few days, they arrived at the doorstep of their home in Qinghe County, Shandong. Jingji informed his uncle, Zhang Tuanlian, "Father has passed away, mother is escorting the coffin, and will arrive in a few days. I will take the two carts of luggage back first to tidy up the house." When his uncle heard this, he said, "If that's the case, then I will move back home." He let the family pack up and move. Jingji saw his uncle moving out and was overjoyed, thinking: Finally rid myself of this annoying pest; now I can marry Liu Jie and enjoy life at home.
My father has passed away, my mother still cares for me. I will first get rid of that promiscuous woman, then sue my mother-in-law for the return of my belongings, and get back my things that I left at her place. Who would dare to say no?
People are like this, but the ways of heaven are different. Jing Ji had one hundred taels of silver and an additional ten taels as a thank-you gift for Wang Po when he arrived at the door of Wang Po's house on Zishi Street. To his surprise, he saw two corpses lying at the street corner, with two crossed spears atop a lantern, and a notice posted on the door that read: "Murder case in this county: the culprit Wu Song, killed Pan Shi and Wang Po; anyone who catches him will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver." Jing Ji looked up in shock. Two people emerged from the house, shouting, "Who are you? What are you staring at?" and tried to catch him. Frightened, Jing Ji bolted and dashed to a tavern by the stone bridge. He saw a person wearing a cloth cap and a blue quilted jacket chasing after him, saying, "Hey there, you’ve got some nerve, what are you doing here?" Jing Ji turned around and saw that it was a familiar face—Yang Erlang with iron fingernails. The two greeted each other. Yang Erlang asked, "Long time no see, where have you been?" Jing Ji explained how his father had died in Tokyo and how he was returning home. "I just saw the deceased; she was my father-in-law's Pan Shi. I never expected she’d be murdered. I only found out what happened after seeing the notice." Yang Erlang said, "It was her nephew Wu Song, back from exile, who killed her for some unknown reason, and he didn’t spare Wang Po either. There is still a girl in his family who has been raised at my uncle Yao Erlang's house for three or four years. After he killed someone yesterday, he ran off, and we don’t know where he went. My uncle took the girl to the county and married her off. These two bodies have been lying here for quite a while, and the local police have been keeping watch over them, not knowing when they’ll catch Wu Song." After speaking, Yang Erlang invited Jing Ji to have a drink at the tavern. Seeing the woman dead left Jing Ji feeling upset, and he couldn’t bring himself to drink. After a few drinks, he decided to leave.
It's getting dark. I, Chen Jingji, bought some paper money near Wang Po's house on Zishi Street, by the stone bridge from a distance, shouting at Pan Jinlian's soul: "Sister Pan, I have brought paper money to burn for you. I came too late to save you, and I'm so sorry! You were a good person in life, and now a benevolent spirit in death. I hope you can bless me to catch Wusong and avenge you! I need to see him executed with my own eyes to fulfill my wish!" After saying this, he wept as he burned the paper money, closed the door, and went back to sleep in his room. In a daze, he dreamed of Jinlian in white, her clothes soaked in blood, crying and saying, "Brother, I died miserably! I was hoping to be with you, but you didn't come, and Wusong killed me. Now even the underworld won't take me in. I roam during the day and search for water at night. Luckily you sent paper money. But the enemy hasn't been caught yet; my body is still exposed on the street. Out of compassion for our past, please buy me a coffin for burial; don't let me lie exposed in the wilderness forever." Jingji cried and said, "Sister, I know I should bury you, but I'm afraid my wicked mother-in-law will find out and make things hard for me. Sister, go to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion and find Chunmei to help you bury." Jinlian said, "I went to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, but I was stopped by the gatekeeper. I have to slowly plead with them." Jingji cried and wanted to talk to her, but was jolted awake by the smell of blood emanating from her; it was just a dream. He heard the drum strike again at three in the morning, thinking, "Strange! I distinctly dreamed that Sister Six was lamenting to me, asking me to bury her. I don't know when I can catch Wusong; it's truly heartbreaking!" Endless sorrow in the dream, as I sat alone in an empty room, crying until dawn.
The county has been hunting for Wu Song for over two months now, but they still haven't managed to catch him. Word has it he escaped to Liangshan and became a bandit. The local community has reported to the authorities that the bodies of the two deceased need to be claimed by their families for a proper burial. Wang Po's body was claimed for burial by her son Wang Chao, but no one has claimed Pan Jinlian's body. Chunmei from the government office has been sending Zhang Sheng and Li An to the county every few days to check for updates. They all come back saying the killer's still at large, the bodies are still at the scene, guarded by locals, and no one dares to touch them. It was not until the Chinese New Year, one night in early January during the New Year festivities, that Chunmei had a dream. In her dream, she saw Jinlian with her hair all messed up, covered in blood, crying out, "Sister Pang, my dear sister, I died so tragically! My body is exposed on the street, exposed to the wind and rain, trampled by people and animals, with no one to claim it. I have no one left; if you still remember our bond as mother and son, please buy me a coffin and bury me properly!" After saying this, she just kept crying. Chunmei tried to hold her and ask more questions, but she broke free, woke up startled, realizing it was just a dream. She woke up crying, her heart racing with unease.
The next day, Chunmei called Zhang Sheng and Li An and instructed them, "Go to the county office and find out if the bodies of the two deceased are still in the morgue." Zhang Sheng and Li An agreed and went. Soon after, they returned and reported, "The killer has already gotten away. The bodies have been under guard for a while now, and it’s not convenient. The families need to claim them for burial. Wang Po's body has been taken by her son, but Pan Jinlian's body hasn’t been claimed and is still in the center of the street." Chunmei said, "Since that's the case, I need you to help me with this. I’ll make it worth your while." The two knelt down and said, "Madam, as long as you speak a few good words on our behalf in front of our husband, we’ll be grateful. We’ll do anything for you!" Chunmei went to her room and took out ten taels of silver and two pieces of cloth, handing them to the two men, saying, "The deceased woman was my own sister, married to Ximen Qing, and was killed today. Don’t let my husband know. Use this money to buy a coffin and bury her somewhere suitable outside the city. I will reward you again." The two said, "No problem, we will go now." Li An said, "The county might not let us claim the bodies. We may need a letter from our husband to show to the county official." Zhang Sheng said, "Just tell them that Madam is her sister, married in the mansion. The county official won’t dare to say no." So they took the silver and went to the yamen. Zhang Sheng said to Li An, "It seems that this deceased woman and Madam have lived together in Ximen Qing's house and had a good relationship, that's why Madam is so concerned. After she died, Madam cried for three or four days, didn't eat or drink, and even asked our husband to invite a theater troupe to perform for her, but she was not happy. Now that no one is claiming the body, Madam will surely want to bury her. If we do this right, she’ll put in a good word for us with our boss, which will be our lucky star. Now our boss listens to her in everything; even the other wives have to step back." After speaking, the two men handed over the document to claim the body, saying that Madam's sister in the mansion had come to claim the body. They spent six taels of silver, bought a coffin, dug up Pan Jinlian's body, put the heart back into her belly, sewed it up, wrapped it in cloth, and placed it in the coffin. Zhang Sheng said, "Let's bury her in the Xianghuo Courtyard of our master; there is space there." They called two servants, carried the coffin to the Xiangfu Temple, and told the abbot, "This is the sister of the Madam in the mansion, looking for a place to bury her." The abbot didn’t want to take any chances and found a place under a poplar tree at the back of the temple to bury her. After the burial, they returned to the mansion and reported to Chunmei, "After buying the coffin, we have four taels of silver left." Chunmei instructed, "You’ve worked hard. Give two taels of silver to the abbot for chanting and prayers for her, then take another two taels of silver, one for each of you, as travel expenses." The two knelt down and declined, saying, "If Madam is willing to speak well of us in front of our husband, we’ll be grateful. We can’t accept money for this stuff." Chunmei said, "I am rewarding you; if you don't accept it, I will be angry." The two had no choice but to accept the money. The two men drank at the yamen, praising Madam for her kindness. The next day, Zhang Sheng gave the silver to the abbot for chanting, and Chunmei gave five qian of silver to buy paper money to burn for Jinlian; everything went off without a hitch.
Chen Ding had his father's coffin and family brought from Tokyo to the outskirts of Qinghe County, temporarily placed at Yongfu Temple, where they planned to chant scriptures before the burial. Chen Jingji heard that his mother, Zhang, and family members had arrived at home, and his father's coffin was resting at Yongfu Temple outside the city, with all the luggage unloaded. He went to pay his respects to his mother. His mother scolded him, saying, "Why didn't you come out to greet me?" Jingji replied, "I was feeling unwell, and there was no one at home to help out." Zhang asked, "Where's your uncle? Why isn't he here?" Jingji said, "As soon as he saw you were coming, Mom, he hurried back home." Zhang said, "Let him stay there for now; why rush to move back?" At this time, Zhang's younger brother, Zhang Tuanlian, came to see his sister. The two sisters cried, reminisced, and drank together, but I'll skip the details.
The next day, the Zhang family asked Jingji to take five taels of silver and some joss paper to Yongfu Temple to perform a ritual for his father. Jingji rode his horse on the street and met two friends, Lu Dalang and Yang Dalang, who greeted each other. The two friends asked where he was headed, and Jingji said his father's coffin was in the temple, and tomorrow would be the seventh day since his father's passing. His mother asked him to give money to the monks for the ritual. The friends said they didn't know his father's coffin had arrived, and they hadn't been able to pay their respects. They also asked when the burial would take place. Jingji said the funeral would take place in a day or two. After saying goodbye to his friends, Jingji stopped Yang Dalang and asked about his father-in-law Pan Jinlian's body, which was missing. Yang Dalang said, "Half a month ago, because Wu Song could not be captured, the county magistrate ordered each family to retrieve the bodies of the deceased for burial. Wang Po took her son with her. Pan Jinlian's body was left for three or four days, and later the local authorities provided a coffin and sent someone to bury it at Yongfu Temple, just outside the city." Jingji quickly realized that Chunmei had arranged for Pan Jinlian's body to be buried by the local authorities. He then asked Yang Dalang how many Yongfu Temples were there outside the city, and Yang Dalang said there was only one outside the South Gate, which was associated with Zhou Xiulao. Jingji felt a surge of joy at the coincidence that Liu Jie was buried there too.
After bidding farewell to his friend, Jingzhi arrived at Yongfu Temple in the city. Rather than going to see his father's coffin first, he asked the abbot where the woman who was recently buried by the Prefectural Governor's Mansion was laid to rest. The abbot said she was buried beneath the white poplar tree behind the temple; she was said to be the younger sister of the mansion's mistress. Jingzhi first brought money and offerings to Pan Jinlian's grave to pay his respects, burned paper money, and cried, saying, "Sister, your brother Jingzhi has come to burn paper money for you, hoping you can rest in peace and have resources when you need them." After paying his respects to his sister, he then went to his father's coffin to burn paper offerings and gave money to the abbot for chanting on the twentieth day to pray for his father. The abbot accepted the money and began preparing vegetarian meals. Jingzhi returned home to inform his mother. On the twentieth day, the entire family went to the temple to burn incense, select an auspicious date for the burial, and transfer his father's coffin to the ancestral grave. After the burial was completed, the mother and son continued their lives, and the matter passed.
As for Wu Yueniang, as the weather warmed in early February, Meng Yulou, Sun Xue'e, Ximen Dajie, and Xiaoyu went out together to see the commotion. Suddenly, they saw a group of people following a very fat monk, who balanced three copper Buddha statues on his head, with many lanterns hanging from his body, wearing apricot-colored robes, and walking barefoot, with his ankles sinking into the mud. At that time, a few lines of poetry praised such wandering monks:
Sitting in meditation, teaching the scriptures; furrowing brows, practicing the ways of the Buddhas; begging for food, establishing the rules of the Dharma. Selling staffs and ringing bells in the daytime, wielding spears and sticks at night. Sometimes knocking their heads at doorsteps, and complaining of hunger in the streets. Emptiness is form, form is emptiness; who sees sentient beings leaving the earth? Coming and going, coming and going, who has ever led them to the Western Pure Land?
The monk saw the ladies and greeted them, saying, "Esteemed benefactors, you were all born in wealthy families and are all destined to become Buddhas in the future. I hail from Mount Wutai, seeking alms to construct temples and merit halls for the Ten Kings. I hope that all donors will be generous and accumulate virtue." Upon hearing his words, the ladies instructed Xiaoyu to bring a monk's hat, a pair of monk's shoes, a string of copper coins, and a bushel of rice to him. Madam Yue had always taken pleasure in giving alms and had prepared these items in advance. After Xiaoyu brought them out, Madam Yue instructed her, "Call the monk over and give him these items." Xiaoyu playfully pretended and shouted loudly, "Hey monk, come over here! Our lady is giving you so many things, you should bow!" Madam Yue scolded, "You little rascal, stop talking nonsense! He is a disciple of the Buddha. By speaking ill of the Buddha, you have no idea how much negative karma you're racking up!" Xiaoyu laughed and said, "Madam, that monk keeps eyeing me suspiciously!" The monk received the items with gratitude. Xiaoyu said, "This monk is really impolite. He greets everyone else but not me." Madam Yue said, "Silly girl, stop talking nonsense! He is a disciple of the Buddha; you're not worthy of his attention." Xiaoyu asked, "Madam, he is the son of the Buddha, but who is the daughter of the Buddha?" Madam Yue replied, "Nuns are the daughters of the Buddha." Xiaoyu then asked, "Like Xue Nun, Wang Nun, and the Grand Master, they are all daughters of the Buddha, but who is the son-in-law of the Buddha?" Madam Yue couldn't help but laugh and scolded, "You little chatterbox!" Xiaoyu said, "Madam only scolds me, but this monk keeps looking at me." Meng Yulou said, "He looks at you, perhaps he recognizes you and wants to guide you." Xiaoyu said, "If he wants to guide me, I will go." Everyone laughed. Madam Yue said, "You silly girl, always running your mouth about the Buddhist teachings!" The monk accepted the alms and left. Xiaoyu said, "Madam blames me for scolding him, but look, as he walked away, he still shot me a look." At this time, a poem praised Madam Yue's act of kindness:
As a widow, years of reading scriptures deepen,
Turning away from selfish desires, steering clear of worldly sin.
Her body resembles the moon in the sky,
Not allowing a single cloud to come by.
Yuemen and her friends were chatting at the front door when they suddenly saw Xue Sao walking by with a flower basket. Xue Sao greeted them. Yuemen asked, "Where are you going? Why don't you come in and sit for a while?" Xue Sao said, "I've been really busy lately and haven't had the time. These days, the son of Zhang Erlaodi from the main street is marrying the Xu family's niece from the north. Wensao and I arranged this marriage. Yesterday was the third day of the wedding, and they held a big banquet. I was so busy that even the prefect's mansion sent for me, and I couldn't leave. I hope she isn't angry." Yuemen asked, "Where are you going now?" Xue Sao said, "I need to talk to you about something." Yuemen said, "Come in and talk." Then she invited Xue Sao to sit down in the inner room and have tea. Xue Sao said, "Did you know that your relative from the Chen family passed away in the capital last year? Your mother-in-law had her brother-in-law come over and brought back the coffins of both the old and the young. Since the first month, they've been reciting scriptures at home, and now the grave has been properly taken care of. I heard you knew about this. Why didn't you burn some paper money and pay your respects?" Yuemen said, "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known; no one mentioned it to me. All I know is that the Pan family was killed by her younger brother and buried alongside Wang Pozi, but I don't know the specifics."
Xue Sao said, "You know, everyone has their time to be born and their time to die. Wu Niang, because of those matters, went away and can't return. She didn’t follow the rules and got into trouble, so it’s probably for the best that she’s gone. If she had been at home, her little uncle wouldn’t have killed her, right? It’s all just karma. Thankfully, our second young mistress, Chun Mei, didn’t care about the feuds between those families; she spent her own money to buy a coffin and buried Wu Niang's body. Otherwise, her body would be left in the wilderness, and her little uncle couldn't be caught—who would even care?" Sun Xue'e said on the side, "How long has Chun Mei been at the Prefectural Office? She’s still so young! She can even spend her own money to buy a coffin to bury Wu Niang, and the Prefect doesn’t seem to mind. Who exactly is Chun Mei?" Xue Sao said, "Ah, you still don't know, the Prefect is really fond of her; he spends time in her room every day and hangs on her every word. After he married her, he saw how beautiful and clever she was, so he let her stay in the three rooms of the West Wing and even gave her a maid to serve her. The master stayed in her room for three days in a row and even made her seasonal clothes. He threw a three-day banquet and even gave me some silver and a piece of cloth as a reward. His grandmother is in her fifties, blind, and doesn’t handle the household anymore. The Second Mistress in the East Wing had a baby girl; even though she’s the steward, she’s only focused on the baby. Now, Chun Mei has the keys to the storeroom, and the Prefect really listens to her."
Xue Sao said again, "As for money, does she really need any more money?" Neither Lady Yu nor Xue E said anything. After a while, Xue Sao got up to leave. Lady Yu instructed, "Come back tomorrow, I'll prepare an offering table, a piece of cloth, and some spirit money for you to take to help Big Sister burn paper for her father-in-law." Xue Sao said, "Aren't you going?" Lady Yu replied, "Just tell her I'm under the weather; I'll pay my respects to my in-laws another day." Xue Sao agreed, "Tell Big Sister to wait for me, I'll come after I finish eating." Lady Yu asked, "Where are you going now? Forget about the Prefectural Governor's Mansion." Xue Sao said, "I have to go, or she'll get angry. Her servant has already called me several times." Lady Yu asked, "What did she call you for?" Xue Sao said, "Madam, you don't know. She's four or five months pregnant now, the master isn't too fond of her, and he asked me to go, promising to reward me." Xue Sao left with a flower basket. Xue E said, "That old gossip didn't speak a single truthful word! She got pregnant after being with the Prefectural Governor for so long, and there are so many women around him; could it be she was the one who seduced him? That's just too much!" Lady Yu said, "She still has the main wife, and there's a mistress who has given birth to a daughter in the house." Xue E said, "Really! It's just like the saying, a small ripple can cause big waves." If Xue E hadn't said these things today, it would have been in line with the saying: a hook and line dropped from the sky, attracting trouble on the ground. There is a poem as proof:
I once served by the lord's side in the past,
Who would have known things would change so fast.
All matters in the world are predestined,
Don't scoff at how busy life can be.
