Pan Jinlian discovered that Ximen Qing was having an affair with Li Ping'er, and she was so furious that she couldn't sleep a wink all night. The next day, she heard that Ximen Qing had gone to the yamen, so she rushed to the backyard to vent to Yue Niang: "Li Ping'er has been badmouthing you behind your back! She said you are two-faced and love to put on airs. She even said that you can't help but meddle when it's someone else's birthday. She said, 'Your man got drunk and came to my room. I didn’t do anything to provoke him, yet he embarrassed me for no reason. I couldn't take it anymore and sent his father to the backyard. But then his father didn’t stay in the backyard either and came to my room! We were whispering to each other late at night, almost showing him our hearts!' " When Yue Niang heard this, how could she not be angry? She quickly told Da Jinzhi and Meng Yulou: "You were all there yesterday; I never said anything bad about her. When the servant came in with the lantern, I simply asked, 'Why isn't your father coming in?' The servant said, 'He went to Liu Niang's room.' So I said, 'Your second mother is waiting here; why are you so clueless, not coming in?' I didn't offend her with that! How could she say I'm two-faced and love to put on airs? I really thought she was a decent person, but I didn't expect her to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, badmouthing me to her man behind my back! No wonder she was so determined to run back yesterday. Silly sister, even if your man stays in your room all day, I can't stand it! You have a man to yourself; do whatever you want; I'm not the one left as a widow! When I first married over, this thief had nothing to do with my family, so how did we end up together?" Da Jinzhi advised from the side: "Miss, don't be angry. For the sake of the children, let it go! As the saying goes, the head of the household is like a leaky bucket, holding both good and bad in their heart." Yue Niang said, "No matter what, I will confront her about where I’m being two-faced and where I’m putting on airs!" Pan Jinlian anxiously said, "Sister, spare her! As the saying goes, who among the petty hasn't messed up at some point? She has been sowing discord behind our backs; who among us hasn't suffered from her? There's a wall between us; if I stooped to her level, it would be a disaster! Now she relies on her child to oppress others, putting on a good front! She says that when her child grows up, she will repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge, and we will all starve—did you know that?" Wu Da Jinzhi said, "My goodness, where'd that come from?" Yue Niang said nothing in response.
The poem says:
Ashamed to look at the mirror, lamenting the fading beauty, with a hand resting on her cheek, too lazy to sleep. Her slender waist is accentuated by a wide emerald belt; tears stream down her powdered face as her golden hairpin slips away. Unfortunate in love, she is deeply troubled by her worries; her heart is in turmoil, filled with lingering resentment. When will I be able to summon the east wind to bring my beloved to my side?
Ximen Qing's eldest sister was usually closest to Li Bing'er. She often lacked needles, threads, and shoe uppers, and Li Bing'er always gave her fine silk, handkerchiefs, and even money. One day, she heard about this and hurried to tell Li Bing'er. Li Bing'er was busy making velvet talismans, small rice dumplings, and mugwort tigers for the Dragon Boat Festival. When the eldest sister arrived, Li Bing'er asked her to sit down and asked Yingchun to pour tea. The eldest sister said, "I invited you for tea before, why didn't you come?" Li Bing'er replied, "I was busy making these things for the children." The eldest sister said, "There's something I need to tell you, and I hope it doesn't sound like gossip: have you offended Sister Wu? She complained about you to my mother, saying that you act all serious and put on airs. Now my mother wants to confront you! Don't blame me for telling you, you need to be prepared to respond." When Li Bing'er heard this, she dropped her needle, her arms felt weak, and she was speechless for a moment. She cried to the eldest sister, "Sister, have I ever said anything bad about her? Last night in the backyard, I heard the servant say that her father was coming to my place, so I ran to the front yard and urged him to go back to the backyard. Who else said anything? Why is your mother so unfair to me? Am I really so clueless that I would say something like that? Even if I did say it, who did I say it to? There must be evidence!" The eldest sister said, "She heard my mother say she wanted to settle the score with her, so she panicked. If it were me, I would make sure you two sorted it out face to face!" Li Bing'er said, "I can't outtalk her. I guess I just have to let things play out. She's always plotting against me and your mother all day, and in the end, she will definitely plot against one of us to settle things." After speaking, she cried. The eldest sister comforted her for a while, and Xiaoyu came to invite the sixth sister and the eldest sister to dinner. Li Bing'er put down her needle and thread, went to the backyard with the eldest sister, didn't eat, and fell asleep right after getting back to her room.
Ximen Qing hurried over from the yamen and saw that Li Ping'er was asleep, so he asked Yingchun. Yingchun said, "My mother hasn't eaten all day." Ximen Qing quickly asked, "Why aren't you eating? What's going on?" Noticing her red, tear-streaked eyes, he asked again, "What's wrong? Tell me." Li Ping'er quickly got up, rubbed her eyes, and said, "My eyes hurt; I have no appetite. I don't want to eat today." She didn't mention this matter at all. It's true: what’s in the heart often goes unspoken. There is a poem as proof:
"Don’t think a beautiful woman is always foolish;
Being clever doesn’t bring any gain.
It’s just that she knows the ways of the world,
And it fills her with idle worries."
The elder sister said to Lady Yuexi in the backyard, "Wu Niang just said something, and I asked Liu Niang about it. She was really nervous, crying and saying that you take care of her so well, she doesn’t dare to say such things!" Madam Wu said, "I really don't believe that. Sister Li is such a good person; how could she say such things!" Lady Yuexi said, "I think they both have their quirks. They can't fool men, so they come to the backyard, hoping I'll back them up. I've got my own issues too!" Madam Wu said, "Elder sister, don't mistreat people in the future. Not that I'm gossiping, but Pan Wu Niang is nowhere near as good as her. Li Ping'er is a good person; she has lived in our house for two or three years, and she's got no bad habits."
Just as they were talking, the young musician carried in a blue cloth bundle. Yue Niang asked what it was, and the young musician said, "It's thirty thousand taels of silver for salt. Clerk Han and Cui Ben just returned from beyond the pass, and the master invited them for dinner, so now the silver is packed up. The 20th is an auspicious day; we will send those three to Yangzhou." Wu Da Jinx warned, "Hey, be careful, here comes brother-in-law." Before she finished speaking, Ximen Qing pushed aside the curtain and entered. Wu Da Jinx, Xue Guzi, and Wang Guzi hurriedly ran to Li Jiao'er’s room but were still seen by Ximen Qing. He asked Yue Niang, "Who’s she doing here?" Yue Niang said, "Stop talking nonsense, why insult her? Has she offended you? How do you know her surname is Xue?" Ximen Qing said, "You still don’t know the trouble she’s caused! She hid Chen Shen Zheng's daughter in the temple and had an affair with a young man. She kept it quiet and even took three taels of silver. After the incident, she got caught and was given twenty lashes, and was told to return to secular life and marry. Why hasn’t she gone back to the secular world yet? Should I grab her and take her to the magistrate for more punishment?" Yue Niang said, "Stop spouting nonsense about Buddhism. She is a disciple of Buddhism; she might still have good roots, so why force her to return to secular life? You still don’t know how advanced her practice is!" Ximen Qing said, "Ask her how many men she can entertain in one night?" Yue Niang said, "Cut it out! Don’t insult me again." Then she asked Ximen Qing, "When will we send those three away?" Ximen Qing said, "I just borrowed five hundred taels of silver from Qiao's family; I will also put in five hundred taels. The 20th is an auspicious day, so we will send them off." Yue Niang asked, "Who’s gonna run the thread shop?" Ximen Qing said, "Let Ben Si keep an eye on it for now." After that, Yue Niang opened the box, counted out the silver, and handed it to the three of them, watching them pack up in the shed. Each got another five taels of silver to take home and pack their bags.
Count Ying walked into the tent and saw them packing, and asked, "Brother, what are you doing?" Ximen Qing told Count Ying about the matter of transporting salt to Yangzhou on the 20th. Count Ying said, "Brother, congratulations! You will definitely make a big profit on this trip!" Ximen Qing asked Count Ying to sit down and had tea served. Then he asked, "When will the money from Li San and Huang Si arrive?" Count Ying said, "It will arrive this month. He told me yesterday that Dongping Prefecture sent another two thousand taels for spices and wanted to borrow five hundred taels from you in case of emergency. When this batch of silver arrives, you don't need to do anything; it will all be sent to you." Ximen Qing said, "Look, I am about to go to Yangzhou, and I don't even have enough money for travel expenses. I borrowed five hundred taels from my in-laws; where do I have money to give him?" Count Ying said, "He begged me to tell you, don't trouble yourself running back and forth. If you don't help him, where else can he borrow from?" Ximen Qing said, "Xu Si's shop outside Dongmen owes me money, so I will first take five hundred taels to give him." Count Ying said, "That's the best way." Just as they were talking, Ping An brought in an invitation card and said, "Mr. Xia sent Xia Shou to invite the master to visit tomorrow." After reading the invitation card, Ximen Qing said, "I know." Count Ying said, "I have one more thing to tell you: do you know about Li Guier's affairs? Why hasn't she come?" Ximen Qing said, "She left in the first month, and I don't know when she will be back; I don't know what she did." Count Ying said, "The third one in Wang Zhaoxuan's house is the nephew-in-law of the Sixth Huang Taifu in Tokyo. In the first month, he went to Tokyo to pay New Year's respects, and the father-in-law rewarded them with a thousand taels to celebrate. You don't know how beautiful the niece of the Sixth Huang Taifu is; she's so beautiful that artists only paint half her face because they can't capture her full beauty. You should keep an eye on your household; Lao Sun, Zhu Mazai, Xiao Zhangxian are fooling around in the yard every day, hooked up with the little maid Qi Xiang'er from the Qi family, and even went to Li Guier's house to mess around, taking all the jewelry of Li Guier's daughter-in-law. She was so upset she thought about ending it all. Unexpectedly, a few days ago, on the father-in-law's birthday, her daughter-in-law went to Tokyo to complain; the father-in-law was furious, reported the names of those people to Zhu Taifu, and Zhu Taifu replied to Dongping Prefecture, letting the local authorities arrest them. Yesterday, Lao Sun, Zhu Mazai, Xiao Zhangxian were all arrested from Li Guier's house. Li Guier hid in Zhu Maotou's house next door for a night. Today she's come to ask for your help." Ximen Qing said, "I said they were fooling around in the first month, borrowing money everywhere. That Zhu Mazai even played dumb with me." Count Ying said, "I'll leave first. Li Guier might be coming soon; whether you deal with her or not, she will say I asked her to come." Ximen Qing said, "Let me tell you, Li San, don't promise him first; wait until I get the money from Xu Si." Count Ying said, "I understand." Just as he walked to the gate, he noticed Li Guier's sedan chair at the door; she had already gone inside. Count Ying left.
Ximen Qing was talking to Chen Jingji, asking him to urge Xu Si to return the money. Just then, Qintong ran over and said, "Ma'am wants you to come over, Li Guifei has arrived." Ximen Qing went to the backyard and saw Li Guifei wearing a brown dress, no makeup, with a white handkerchief wrapped around her head, messy hair, and a pale face. She knelt down and cried to Ximen Qing, "Dad, what should we do? Our family is so unfortunate. We were just sitting at home quietly when disaster struck! That Wang Sanguan, we don't even know him, but Zhu Mazi and Widow Sun brought him to our house for tea. My sister isn't home; I said to ignore them, but my mom's temper is only getting worse. It was the day when you came to our house to celebrate our daughter's birthday. You saw Zhu Mazi following you and then went back, and she said to me, 'Sister, if you don't go out to serve him tea, isn't this deliberately provoking people?' Then she went to find my dad. I locked the door and didn't let them out, but unexpectedly, a group of people came and took all three of them away. Wang Sanguan ran away, so I hid at the neighbor's house. There's a tooth doctor in our house, so I called him to take them away. When they came back, they scared my mom so much that she felt like dying. This morning, the county office officials came with documents to arrest people. Now they want me to go back to the capital city to explain. Dad, please pity me, save me! Mom, please help me beg for mercy!" Ximen Qing smiled and said, "Get up." Then he asked her whose name was on the document. Li Guifei said, "There's also Qixiang's name. He seduced Qixiang and spent money at her house, so he should be arrested too. If our family gets even a penny from him, I'll gouge out my own eyes; if I touch his body, every pore on my body will be covered in sores!" Yu Niang said to Ximen Qing, "Enough, don't let her speak so harshly; you should help her out." Ximen Qing asked, "Was Qixiang caught?" Li Guifei said, "Qixiang is hiding at Wang Huang's house." Ximen Qing said, "Okay, you stay with me for a few days. I'll send someone to the county to assist you." He then called Shutong, "Hurry up and write a letter to Mr. Li, and say that Guifei has been with me all this time; see if she can be pardoned." Shutong agreed and left. Soon after, he came back with a reply from Mr. Li. Shutong said, "Mr. Li said, 'Thanks to you, everything else is negotiable, but this is a document from the capital; the county must arrest people. Out of respect for you, I will give her a two-day extension. If you want her pardoned, you need to go to the capital and talk to the authorities.'" Ximen Qing thought for a moment and said, "Now that Lai Bao is leaving in two days, there's no one to go to the capital." Yu Niang said, "Let's do this: you send those two, leave Lai Bao here, let him go to the capital and explain the situation, and they can catch up later. Just look at how terrified she is." Li Guifei immediately knelt down and bowed to Yu Niang and Ximen Qing.
Ximen Qing summoned Lai Bao and instructed, "You will leave in twenty days; let those two go first. Tomorrow, go to Dongjing to help Guijie with this issue. When you see Master Zhai, tell him... find a way to get the authorities to release him." Li Guijie quickly bowed to Lai Bao. Lai Bao quickly returned the bow and replied, "Guijie, I'll head out now." Ximen Qing had his servant write a letter, thanking Steward Zhai for his diligent work, and enclosed twenty taels of silver to give to him, along with the letter. Li Guijie was delighted and offered five taels of silver for Lai Bao's travel expenses, saying, "When you return, my mother will express her gratitude again." Ximen Qing insisted on giving it to Li Guijie, asking Lady Yuemen to provide another five taels of silver for Lai Bao's travel expenses. Li Guijie said, "This is not appropriate; I asked my father for help, and now I’m asking him to cover travel expenses." Ximen Qing said, "You're teasing me for not having these five taels for travel expenses; I want your silver!" Li Guijie finally accepted it and bowed to Lai Bao once more, saying, "Bao, make sure you don't delay and leave early tomorrow morning." Lai Bao said, "I’ll be leaving at five tomorrow morning."
Bao arrived with a letter at Han Daoguo's place on Lion Street. Wang Luer was sewing small clothes in the house and saw Bao from the window, quickly saying, "What brings you here? Please, come in. He's not at home; he went to the tailor's to pick up some clothes and will be back soon." Then she called Jin'er, "Hurry and go to Xu Cai's house across the street and call your father over! Tell him Master Bao is here." Bao said, "I came to tell you that I have to leave tomorrow, and there's another troublesome matter. The household head asked me to go to Tokyo to help Sister Li Guifang in the courtyard. He just bowed deeply to me in front of my father, repeatedly asking for my help. I will leave early tomorrow morning. Let Han Huo and Cui Da Guan go first; I'll catch up with them on my way back." Bao asked again, "Sister-in-law, what are you making?" Wang Luer said, "It's the small clothes he wears." Bao said, "Don't send him too many clothes. The places we're going are all fabric shops; what's there to worry about not having clothes to wear?" Just then, Han Daoguo arrived. The two greeted each other, recounted the previous matters, and then said, "I will go to Yangzhou to find you tomorrow. Where?" Han Daoguo said, "The old man instructed us to stay at Wang Boru's brokerage on Matou. He said that the deceased old man and his father were friends, his store is spacious, many merchants stay there, and it's safe to leave things there. Just go there to find us." Bao said again, "Sister-in-law, I will go to Tokyo tomorrow. Do you have anything to send to your sister at the mansion?" Wang Luer said, "Nothing, just two pairs of hairpins made by her father and two pairs of shoes. Could you please ask Uncle Bao to take them for her?" She packed the things and handed them to Bao. While letting Chunxiang watch the dishes and prepare the wine, Wang Luer quickly set aside her work to prepare the table with wine and dishes. Bao said, "Sister-in-law, you don't have to bother; I won't sit. I have to go home and pack my luggage; I will leave early tomorrow morning." Wang Luer smiled and said, "Oh, why are you so polite! Since you are a partner, we should send you off properly with a few drinks." Then she said to Han Daoguo, "You are really honest! The table is not stable; you should help support it and let Uncle Bao sit down. Don't just stand there like it's nothing." So she brought the dishes, poured wine for Bao, and Wang Luer also sat with them, the three of them drinking together. After drinking a few cups, Bao said, "I'm going home. It's late; I'm afraid the house will be locked." Han Daoguo asked, "Have you arranged everything for your shop?" Bao said, "I have arranged everything for tomorrow morning. I handed the keys and account book of the shop to Ben Si, so you don't have to go there again. Rest at home; it's good to rest up for the journey." Han Daoguo said, "The partner is right; I will hand it over to him tomorrow." Wang Luer poured another glass of wine and said, "Uncle Bao, just have this last glass; I can't keep you any longer." Bao said, "Sister-in-law, since you want me to drink, then heat it up again." Wang Luer quickly poured the wine back into the pot, let Jin'er heat it up, poured it into a cup, and handed it to Bao with both hands, saying, "I don't have any special dishes to go with your drink." Bao said, "Sister-in-law, you're too polite; home-cooked meals are fine." He picked up the wine glass and clinked it with Wang Luer, drank it all in one go, and then bid farewell and left. Wang Luer handed her daughter's shoes to him and said, "Uncle Bao, please trouble yourself to ask how the child is doing in the mansion, so I can feel a bit more at ease." The couple saw him off together.
Lai Bao went home to pack up his luggage and left for Tokyo the next day. Wu Daju came to Ximen Qing and said, "The official documents from Dongping Prefecture have arrived, appointing us as the overseers for the repair of the community warehouse. The imperial edict has been issued, mandating completion by June. After completion, you’ll be promoted. If the project isn't completed on time, it will be investigated by the inspector. Can you lend me some money for the project, brother-in-law? I will repay you in full once the project funds are received." Ximen Qing replied, "How much do you need? Just take it." Wu Daju said, "Brother-in-law, please give me twenty taels." The two went to the backyard together, told Yuexiang, and asked her to bring out twenty taels, which he received, and then they had tea. Since there were guests in the backyard, they stepped outside. Yuexiang asked Ximen Qing to stay in the hall to drink with Daju. While they were drinking, Chen Jingji walked in, greeted Wu Daju, and said, "Xu Si's family outside said they need another two days." Ximen Qing said, "Nonsense! I’m waiting for the money! Go scold that kid like you usually do!" Jingji nodded in agreement. Wu Daju invited him to sit down and join them for a drink.
In the backyard, Aunt Yu, Miss Yang, Miss Li, Miss Meng, Miss Pan, Miss Li, and the eldest sister were all in Sister Yue's room, accompanying Guifei to drink. First, Aunt Yu played a tune "Zhang Sheng Visits the Pagoda" on the pipa. Miss Meng poured wine and passed her some food, saying, "You've been singing all day, and you still say I don’t care." Miss Pan held a piece of meat up to her nose to tease her. Guifei called for Miss Yuxiao, "Pass Aunt Yu's pipa to me; let me sing a song for you and Aunt Yu." Sister Yue said, "Guifei, you're still all worked up; why don’t you take a break from singing?" Guifei replied, "It's okay. I know my parents are helping me get in good with people, so I'm not in a hurry." Miss Meng laughed and said, "Miss Li Guifei is still a naive and innocent young girl, who's a bit shy. When she first arrived, she looked worried and couldn't even drink tea. Now she's fine, laughing and talking." Guifei gently strummed the strings and sang a song.
While singing, the zither boy came back. Sister Yue asked, "Has your uncle left?" The boy said, "Uncle has left." Madam Wu said, "We're worried your brother-in-law might walk in; let's hide quickly." The boy said, "Father went to the fifth sister's room." Upon hearing this, Miss Pan was fidgeting, wanting to leave but feeling embarrassed. Before she could move, Sister Yue said, "He's gone to your room; go there. Quit acting all shy like a little wife." Miss Pan exclaimed, "Oh!" stood up, tried to act tough, but hurried off.
Ximen Qing took the aphrodisiac and had Chunmei take off her clothes while he was already lying in bed. Pan Jinlian saw this and said with a smile, "My dear husband! You are so proactive today, you didn't even wait for me before getting into bed. We were drinking in the backyard, and Li Guizhi poured us a lot of good wine. I stumbled my way over here all alone in the dark." She called to Chunmei, "Pour me a cup of tea." Chunmei quickly poured her tea. Jinlian drank the tea, gestured to Chunmei, and she understood. Someone had already prepared hot water in the adjacent room, adding sandalwood and alum. She took a bath. Under the lamp, she untied her hair, leaving only a golden hairpin, reapplied lipstick in front of the mirror, with tea in her mouth, she walked over. Chunmei brought her slippers from the bedside for her to change into, then closed the door and left. Jinlian moved the lamp to the nearby table, lowered half of the canopy, took off her red trousers, revealing her bare skin... She glanced at Ximen Qing and said, "I bet you took some monk's potion, making it so big, determined to bully me. Good wine and good meat, the Wang family has had enough. You've shown off in front of someone else, now you're left with nothing but scraps and come crawling to me. Do you think it's easy for us women? You still say you're not biased! Just the other day when I wasn't home, San'er somehow sneaked that thing into his room. He pretended to have nothing to do with it when doing that with him at night! You, you're just a useless thing. Think about it, it would be better if I ignore you for a hundred years!"... And then... a steamy night under the lamp. Unexpectedly, a white cat crouched nearby saw the movement, pounced up, not knowing what it was, and scratched with its claws. Ximen Qing was on top, still playing with a gold-plated crow fan to tease the cat. Jinlian snatched the fan and hit the cat hard, driving it out of the canopy. She said to Ximen Qing, "Annoying ghost! You're unbearable like this, still teasing the cat, what if it scratches your face or something? Alright, I'm not doing this anymore!" Ximen Qing said, "Little demon, you're still trying to be cute!" Jinlian said, "Why don't you let Li Ping'er serve you? I'm the one letting you mess around in here. I don't know what you ate, messing around all day, and it just never ends."... Ximen Qing laughed and said, "Wu'er, let me tell you a joke - it's what Ying Erge said: When a guy dies, the King of Hell throws a donkey skin on him and turns him into a donkey. Later, the judge checked the household registration and found that he still had thirteen years of life, so he let him go back. His wife saw that his whole body had changed, only that thing was still a donkey, not changed back, the man said, 'I'll go back to the underworld to change.' His wife freaked out, saying, 'My brother, if you go back, you probably won't come back, right? Let me endure it slowly.'" Jinlian listened, laughed, and hit him with the fan handle, saying, "No wonder Ying Huazi's wife is used to that donkey business."
"You foul-mouthed jerk, I’m done with you! I’ll give you a punch!"
The two had a passionate encounter for over an hour... The next morning, after getting up to freshen up, Chunmei helped him put on his clothes. Han Daoguo and Cui Ben were already waiting outside. Ximen Qing burned paper, getting ready to head out. He handed two letters to them: "One to be delivered to Matou in Yangzhou, to be handed to Wang Boru; one to be delivered to the city of Yangzhou, to check on Miao Qing's whereabouts and get back to me as soon as you can. If the money is not enough, I will send someone again." Cui Ben said, "What about Master Cai's letter?" Ximen Qing replied, "Master Cai's letter hasn't been written yet; just wait a bit before sending it out." The two bid farewell and left. Ximen Qing dressed smartly and went to the yamen to see Xia Tixing, thanking him for the invitation yesterday. Xia Tixing said, "Today, I am here to see you on behalf of Qu Changguan, and there are no other guests." After the matter was settled, everyone went home. At this time, a bailiff in green clothes rode a fast horse, carrying a package, and arrived sweating profusely. He got off his horse and asked, "Is this the house of Magistrate Ximen?" Ping An asked, "Where are you from?" The man bowed and said, "I am sent by Supervisor An to bring gifts for the master. Supervisor An and Supervisor Huang from the brick factory are now at the house of Master Hu in Dongping Prefecture drinking, and they stopped by to pay their respects to the master first, to see if the master is at home." Ping An asked, "Do you have a visiting card?" The man took out a card and gifts from the package and handed them to Ping An. Ping An took them in to show Ximen Qing, and the card listed: two pieces of Zhejiang silk, four pounds of Hubei cotton, one fragrant belt, and an ancient mirror. Ximen Qing ordered, "Pack up five taels of silver, write a reply and send him back, saying I'm at home waiting for Supervisor An." The man quickly left.
Ximen Qing prepared dishes and wine, and by noon, two officials arrived in a sedan chair with canopies, in grand style. They first sent in their greeting tablets, one was "Shi Sheng An Chen Bai", and the other was "Shi Sheng Huang Bao Guang Bai". Both of them were dressed in official robes with blue cloud and white pheasant feather patterns, wearing black gauze hats and black boots. After disembarking from the sedan chair, they politely entered the door. Ximen Qing went out to greet them, bowed in the hall, exchanged formalities, and then they sat down as host and guests: Huang took the left seat, while An took the right, and Ximen Qing sat in the main seat with them.
At first, Huang greeted with a bow and said, "I have long admired your reputation; I apologize for my tardiness." Ximen Qing said, "Not at all! I appreciate your visit; I should have come to see you sooner. May I inquire your name?" An said, "My brother Huang's name is Taiyu, derived from the phrase 'step on the great and illuminate with heavenly light'." Huang asked, "May I ask for your name?" Ximen Qing said, "I am called Si Quan, as it is said that my small estate has four wells." An said, "Yesterday I saw Brother Cai; he mentioned that both he and Song Songyuan have visited your residence." Ximen Qing said, "I am grateful for Mr. Yunfeng's guidance; he is also an elder in our county, how could I dare to neglect! I learned in the capital that Lord Feng has received a promotion, and I have yet to have the opportunity to congratulate him in person." He then asked, "When did you return to the capital?" An said, "Since bidding farewell at your mansion last year, I returned home to marry and celebrate the New Year, and came to the capital in the first month. I am serving as a principal in the Ministry of Works. I have been tasked with supervising the transport of imperial timber to Jingzhou, thus, I made this visit!" Ximen Qing said, "Thank you very much!" Afterward, he invited them to make themselves comfortable and had the servants prepare the banquet.
Mr. Huang was about to get up, but Mr. An said, "To be honest with you, Mr. Huang and I have to go to the Hu's mansion in Dongping for a banquet. We just passed by your mansion, so we came to visit. We will disturb you another day." Ximen Qing said, "Since you are going to Mr. Hu's place, it's quite a distance. Even if you two gentlemen are not hungry, your attendants will still need to eat, right? I have prepared a simple meal here to treat your attendants." So, they first distributed the snacks from the sedan chair. The banquet was set up in the hall, with all sorts of delicacies, soups, rice, snacks, and seafood laid out. Ximen Qing poured wine from a small golden bell, each person only toasted three cups, and then had the servants clear the banquet to serve the attendants. After a while, the two officials bid farewell and got up to leave. Mr. An said to Ximen Qing, "I have a small gathering tomorrow and would like to invite you to meet with Mr. Huang and our colleague, Liu Lao Taijian, at his manor. Would you honor us with your presence?" Ximen Qing said, "Since you have invited me, I will definitely go!" After speaking, he saw them off until they got into the sedan and left.
At this time, Xia the Magistrate sent someone to invite Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing said, "I will go now." While instructing to prepare the horse, he changed his clothes in the backyard, came out, and rode the horse. Dai'an and Qintong followed, and they headed straight to Xia the Magistrate's house. Upon arriving at the hall, they paid their respects and said, "Just now, Mr. An and Mr. Huang from the Ministry of Works came to visit. I had them sitting for a while before they left. Otherwise, I could have come earlier." After speaking, he was led to the main hall, where two tables stood. Ximen Qing sat on the left, with Mr. Ni, the guest from the west, sitting beside him. During the banquet, everyone chatted and asked, "What is the name of the old gentleman?" Mr. Ni said, "My name is Ni Peng, with the style name Shiyuan and the pseudonym Guiyan. I currently teach at the prefectural school under Mr. Xia, instructing his son. I am truly grateful for your kindness." As he spoke, two young performers approached, bowed, and began to sing, play instruments, and drink...
Furthermore, Pan Jinlian sent Ximen Qing away and slept until noon. Upon waking up, she couldn't be bothered to comb her hair and worried about what others might think of her. When invited by Madame Yue to eat, she declined, saying she wasn't feeling well. It wasn't until later in the day that she finally came out of her room and went to the backyard. Since Ximen Qing was not home, Madame Yue wanted to hear Xue Guzi teach Buddhism and recite the Diamond Sutra. They set up a prayer table in the sunny room, lit incense, and sat down facing each other. Miaoqu and Miaofeng, two disciples, stood on either side, chanting sutras together. Dajinzi, Yang Guiniang, Wu Yuemei, Li Jiaor, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, Sun Xue'e, and Li Guijie gathered around them to listen to the recitation. Firstly, Xue Guzi began:
They say lightning is easy to extinguish, but the fire from flint is hard to put out. Fallen flowers will never return to the tree, and flowing water will never return to its source. Luxurious halls and embroidered pavilions will all vanish like the empty sky; high-ranking officials and extreme wealth will disappear like a dream. Gold and jade are just sources of trouble; red makeup and light clothing are all just worldly expenses. The happiness of family life doesn’t last a hundred years, and in darkness, there are a thousand layers of suffering. One day, lying on the pillow, life will end in the underworld. Historical fame is empty and false, and the bones buried in the earth are weak. Hundred acres of farmland will be fought over by children; a thousand boxes of silk and satin will not be divided after death. In the prime of youth, white hair will creep in; once you celebrate, mourners will soon follow. Suffering, suffering, suffering! Life returns to dust, and the cycle of reincarnation can’t be escaped; endlessly changing faces and identities. Homage to the boundless realm of Dharma, the past, present, and future of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
The supreme, profound, and subtle Dharma is hard to find, even in countless kalpas. Now that I’ve heard and accepted it, I vow to grasp the true meaning of the Tathagata.
Wang Guzi asked, "How did Shakyamuni Buddha, the father of all Buddhas and the founder of Buddhism, renounce his worldly life? I’d love to hear you tell the story." Xue Guzi then began to recite the Five Offerings:
Sakyamuni Buddha, the Brahma Prince, renounced his kingdom and the snowy mountains, cutting his flesh to feed the eagles and magpies. Only through cultivating the Nine Dragons spitting water to achieve a golden body can one attain the Great Vehicle of the South, the Great Awakening of Sakyamuni. Wang Guzi continued, "Since we’re discussing Sakyamuni Buddha, how did Guanyin Bodhisattva cultivate to achieve such magnificent transformations and possess such immense power? I’d like to hear more..."
Xue Guzi was about to continue singing when Ping'an hurriedly ran over and said, "Inspector Song sent two bailiffs and a messenger to deliver gifts." Madame Yue was worried and asked, "Your father went to the Xia family to drink, who sent them to deliver gifts?" Just as she was speaking, Daian rode back on a horse, carrying a package, and said, "It's okay, I took the letter to tell father. Let the messenger in first and treat him to some wine and food." Daian put down the package, took the letter, and rode quickly to the Xia family to inform them that Inspector Song had sent gifts. After reading the letter, it listed: "one fresh pig, two barrels of fine wine, four sheets of paper, and a small book," signed by "Student Song Qiaonian respectfully." He quickly ordered, "Tell Shu Tong to hurry back with my official seal and reward the messenger with three taels of silver, two handkerchiefs, and give each person who carried the gift box five qian." Daian went home to find Shu Tong, but couldn't find him. Chen Jingji was not at home either, drinking with his buddies, so Daian had to find handkerchiefs and silver from the back. Because there was no one to seal them, he sealed them himself and had his friends write a note, a total of three packages. Then he asked Ping'an, "Where did you go?" Ping'an said, "When my brother-in-law was at home, he was still here. Later, when my brother-in-law went out to get money, he disappeared." Daian said, "Quit the nonsense; that brat is probably off messing around somewhere!" Just as he was anxious, he saw Chen Jingji and Shu Tong riding back on a donkey. Daian scolded them a few times, had them write an official certificate, and sent the gifters away. Daian said, "This damn brat, sneaking around to earn money for a mistress. Father is not at home, no one is in charge at home, and he's off keeping a mistress! Father didn't ask you and your brother-in-law to go out and get money, why did you follow him? Just wait until I tell Dad about this!" Shu Tong said, "Report? Am I scared of you? It's none of your business if you don't say." Daian said, "You little punk, you wanna bet me?" He kicked Shu Tong to the ground, and the two rolled into a ball. Daian gave him a good thrashing, spat, and then stopped, saying, "I'll go fetch my father and settle the score with that cheating woman when I come back!" He rode away.
In the back, Madam Yue served the two sisters some tea and snacks, and listened to their chanting of Buddhist scriptures. Pan Jinlian kept tugging at Yulou and Li Bing'er, worried about Madam Yue's reaction. Madam Yue said, "Sister Li, if he calls for you, go with him. So he doesn't get anxious and cause a fuss here." Li Bing'er finally went with him. Madam Yue shot her a glance and said, "Once you pull the radish, the soil gets loose. Let him go, so he doesn't scurry around like a rabbit here. He wasn't really here to hear any Buddhist teachings anyway."
Pan Jinlian pulled Li Ping'er out the door and said, "Eldest sister, your business is doing well, nothing has happened at home, but you let the family make a fuss for no reason. Why are they making a fuss over there? Let's go out for a walk and see what the eldest sister is doing in the room." They walked out of the hall together. They saw lights on in the side room, and Eldest Sister and Jingji were arguing inside about losing money. Jinlian knocked on the window and said, "Why aren't you listening to the scriptures instead of arguing?" Chen Jingji came out, saw the two of them, and said, "So it's Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister who have come. If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have been so angry. Please come in." Jinlian said, "You have some nerve to scold people!" After they went in, they saw Eldest Sister arranging shoes under the light. Jinlian said, "It's so late, are you not feeling hot arranging shoes?" Then she asked, "What are you two arguing about?" Chen Jingji said, "You should ask her. My father told me to go out and get some money, gave me three pieces of silver, and asked me to bring back a few pieces of embroidered handkerchiefs. But when I got there, I found that the money in my sleeve was gone, so I couldn't buy them. When I got home, she accused me of having a mistress, scolded me all day, and made me swear in anger. Unexpectedly, the money was swept out from the ground by the maid while sweeping the floor. She took the money and didn't give it to me, but asked me to buy the handkerchiefs again tomorrow. Sisters, who is in the wrong after all?" Eldest Sister scolded, "You little thief, stop arguing! If you're not keeping a mistress, why did you take Shu Tong with you for no reason? Just now, you told Daian not to make a fuss! You two must have been keeping a mistress together. You only came back so late, where did you get the money?" Jinlian asked, "Where's the money?" Eldest Sister said, "The maid just swept it out, and I've got it." Jinlian said, "It's okay. I'll give you some money, and you can also bring back two embroidered handkerchiefs for me tomorrow." Li Ping'er asked, "Brother-in-law, there are also sellers outside, can you bring back a few for me?" Jingji said, "There's a Wang family in the Handkerchief Lane outside the gate, specializing in various styles of embroidered handkerchiefs and handkerchiefs with gold and jade inlays, as many as you want. Tell me what color and style you want, and I'll bring them back for you tomorrow." Li Ping'er said, "I want one in old yellow with green phoenix embroidery." Jingji said, "Sixth Sister, old golden yellow is not very eye-catching." Li Ping'er said, "Don't worry about me. I also want one with silver red satin embroidered with jiangya seawater inlaid with eight treasures, and one with shiny sesame flower embroidered with gold." Jingji said, "Fifth Sister, what style do you want?" Jinlian said, "I don't have much money, I just need two pieces. I want one with jade-colored satin embroidered with gold." Jingji said, "You're not older, so why do you want something like this?" Jinlian said, "Mind your own business! I can't wear it now, but I'll keep it for later." Jingji said, "What color do you want?" Jinlian said, "I want a purple grape-colored Sichuan satin handkerchief. It has gold and jade inlays, ten kinds of brocade, concentric knots, and a square victory - a pair of happy encounters inside the square victory, with tassels and pearls on both sides." Jingji listened and said, "Oh my god! Do you want anything else? It's like when a melon seed seller opens a box and sneezes — it makes a big mess." Jinlian said, "Stop talking nonsense. Buy what you like with the money; everyone likes different things, do you have to interfere?" Li Ping'er took out a silver piece from her purse and gave it to Jingji, saying, "Fifth sister's money is also in it." Jinlian waved her hand and said, "Let me give it to him." Li Ping'er said, "Just let brother-in-law handle it, to save us the hassle!" Jingji said, "Even with Fifth Sister's money added, there's still plenty left." He weighed it, one tael and nine mace. Li Ping'er said, "Give the rest to the eldest sister to bring back two pieces." Eldest Sister quickly thanked her. Jinlian said, "Sixth sister helped you buy the handkerchiefs, take out the three pieces of silver, and you two can play cards and bet on drinking money. If it's not enough, let Sixth Sister chip in, and tomorrow when your father is not at home, we'll buy roast duck and white wine." Jingji said, "Since Fifth Sister said so, let's take it out." Eldest Sister gave the money to Jinlian, who gave it to Li Ping'er to keep. They brought out the cards and played under the light. Jinlian helped Eldest Sister from the sidelines and quickly won three games against Jingji. Suddenly they heard a knock on the door outside, Ximen Qing had returned, so Jinlian and Li Ping'er went back to their rooms.
Jing Ji stepped out to greet Ximen Qing and said that Xu Si's money would be sent in two hundred and fifty taels the day after tomorrow, and the remaining amount would be paid back next month. Ximen Qing muttered a few curses, having had a bit too much to drink, and didn't bother going to the back courtyard but headed straight to Jin Lian's room.
It goes like this:
There’s a desire to welcome her husband; what’s there to fear if the flowers don’t bloom tomorrow?
