The poem says:
In the small courtyard, the leisurely steps of jade tiles,
Half-clusters of orchids in the wall's corner.
In the courtyard, there are daylilies and pomegranate flowers,
Many children are fond of picking and planting.
Do not let the wind blow or the rain beat down,
Heaven will provide protection and shelter.
Don’t let them turn into azaleas,
With their colors faded and fragrance lost.
Chen Jingji and Pan Jinlian felt deeply troubled. Let's talk about Ximen Qing again. He went to attend a banquet hosted by the two officials, Huang An. Riding a horse, accompanied by the book boy Dai An and a few others, he arrived at the mansion of Eunuch Liu. Someone had already informed them, and the two officials, Huang An, hurriedly dressed up to welcome him. Eunuch Liu, the landlord, also came out to greet him. Ximen Qing dismounted, and Eunuch Liu took hold of him, smiling and saying, "The three of us have been waiting for you for a long time, and you just arrived." Ximen Qing replied, "Thanks to the invitation of the two old gentlemen, I should have come earlier, but there was something at home that delayed me, causing you to wait for a long time; please forgive me." The three exchanged pleasantries and entered the main entrance. In the main hall, Ximen Qing first paid his respects to Chief Huang, then to Chief An and Eunuch Liu, and the four sat down as guests and hosts. Ximen Qing was invited to take the seat of honor first, followed by Eunuch Liu. Eunuch Liu insisted otherwise, saying, "I am the host; the two guests who have come from afar should sit first." Chief An said, "You should take the seat of honor." Ximen Qing added, "In terms of age, Eunuch Liu should sit first." Eunuch Liu declined but said to the two officials, Huang An, "Then I will be presumptuous." He sat in the second seat. The two officials, Huang An, took the seat of honor. A group of young performers approached to bow and pay their respects, serving tea on the sides, and the duty officer brought up wine. The two officials, Huang An, rose to their seats. The young performers held wooden clappers, lutes, strings, and flutes, tuned the instruments, and performed a piece titled "Yichun Lament: Rain in Qingyang" softly. After singing, Eunuch Liu raised his glass in a toast. Chief An said, "This song is sung beautifully; it must have been sung by a peerless talent. And the voice was clear and resonant, echoing through the hall, truly extraordinary!" Ximen Qing remarked, "This is not surprising; today we have the two virtuous chiefs, Huang An, and Eunuch Liu as the host, this is indeed rare!" Chief Huang laughed and said, "It's not surprising either. Eunuch Liu goes in and out of the imperial palace, seeing the emperor every day; isn't that a noble person? Old Ximen, with a fortune of thousands of gold, as wealthy as the ancient Ta Zhu Gong, isn't that a rich man? Wealth and nobility are both present; this is what is truly rare!" The four laughed heartily. The duty officer poured wine again, and they had another round. The young performers played the jade flute, producing a melodious and graceful sound, matching the rhythm, and sang a piece titled "Gumei Wine: Peach Blossom Creek, Willow Waist." After singing, the guests praised again, and everyone happily drank and enjoyed themselves, leaving it at that.
Chen Jingji was seething with anger because things didn't work out with Jinlian. Seeing Ximen Qing drinking late and not returning home, he sneaked around to the back of the tent to spy. It turned out that Jinlian had been troubled by Jingji and was feeling miserable. She was hiding in a secluded place, propping her chin on her hand, sighing and lost in her thoughts. Unexpectedly, Jingji stumbled over without realizing it, saw Jinlian in the dark, and felt a surge of desire. He bravely walked up to Jinlian from behind, hugged her, kissed her, and said, "My dear from a past life! Meng San'er almost drove me crazy." Jinlian was caught off guard and turned around to see Jingji, feeling a mix of shock and joy, scolding, "You little thief, you scared me to death. Let go quickly, what if someone sees us!" Jingji refused to let go and reached out to untie Jinlian's belt. Jinlian pretended to resist, but Jingji swiftly yanked the belt loose. Jinlian exclaimed playfully, "You thief, you've got some nerve! How dare you treat me like this!" Jingji pleaded repeatedly, "My dear from a past life, even if you want to cook my liver in soup, I am willing to give it to you. Please, let's make this happen." As he spoke, he was already exposed and began to touch Jinlian's skirt. Jinlian blushed, her desire building. Initially pretending to be unwilling, she couldn't help but reach out to touch when Jingji touched her. Jingji took the opportunity to lift Jinlian's skirt... Afraid of her hair getting messy and being seen by others, Jinlian pushed him away, saying, "Let's just get through this time, next time we meet, it's up to you." The sounds of heavy breathing and kisses filled the air as the two tangled for half an hour. Suddenly, they heard noises and voices next door, so they hurriedly pulled apart.
The atmosphere was still lively, and Jin Lian was full of romantic feelings. At that moment, the bookboy Dai An stumbled in, drunkenly shouting and holding Ximen Qing's hat and box. Wu Yueniang heard him and knew Ximen Qing had returned, so she hurriedly sent Xiao Yu out to check. The bookboy Dai An said, "The master will be here soon; we were afraid it would be late, so we came back first." Before long, Ximen Qing dismounted and entered the door, already drunk, heading straight to Wu Yueniang's room. He wrapped his arms around Wu Yueniang and wanted to go to bed with her. Wu Yueniang, wanting him to come back tomorrow to take the medicine and sleep together according to the lunar calendar, didn't keep him, saying, "I'm not feeling well today; you should go to another room." Ximen Qing laughed, "I know you don't want me to stay because I'm drunk. Alright, I won't make you angry; I'll go and come back tomorrow night." Wu Yueniang replied with a smile, "I really am feeling a bit unwell; I'm still on my period. Who doesn't want you? Come back tomorrow night." Ximen Qing then went to Pan Jin Lian's room. Jin Lian, still feeling unfulfilled after the gathering, returned to her room, lay on the bed, and when she saw Ximen Qing walk in, she quickly got up and greeted him with a smile, "You've only just come home at this hour after drinking." Ximen Qing ignored her, wrapped his arms around her, kissed her several times, and then reached down to touch Jin Lian's private parts, saying, "You little enchantress, who's been on your mind? You're all wet down there." Jin Lian felt a little flustered, didn't reply, just smiled and pushed Ximen Qing away to freshen up. That night, Ximen Qing and Jin Lian shared another passionate moment, but we'll leave it at that.
Furthermore, the next day Wu Yueniang got up. It was the twenty-third day of the lunar month Renzi. After getting ready, she instructed Xiaoyu to set up the incense table, placed the incense holder on top, lit the incense, and put a volume of the "White Robed Guanyin Sutra" on top. Yueniang knelt facing west and worshiped after lighting the incense, opened the scripture, recited it once, bowed once, recited it twenty-four times, and bowed twenty-four times, completing the ritual. She then took out the herbal pills from the box, worshiped four times, and prayed: "I, Wu, rely on the heavens, rely on Master Xue and Master Wang's prescription, pray for blessings, and give birth to a child soon." After the prayer, Xiaoyu brought hot wine and poured it into a wine cup. Yueniang took the wine cup, mixed the medicine with one hand, knelt to the west, swallowed the herbal pills first, then took the herbal powder, noticing a slight fishy taste in her throat. Yueniang held her breath and downed the wine in one gulp, and worshiped four times. She stayed in that day, sitting in her room.
Ximen Qing came out of Pan Jinlian's room and asked the servant to write thank-you dinner invitations to be sent to Huang and An. After the servant left, Ying Bojue arrived. Ximen Qing greeted him and Ying Bojue said, "Brother, when did you come back from Liu's house after drinking yesterday?" Ximen Qing replied, "Thanks to the two of you for your kindness, I had quite a bit to drink, and the journey home was long, so I came back late. I was drunk at the time and just got up." Da'an served breakfast, and Ximen Qing and Ying Bojue ate together. At that moment, someone announced that Huang and An had arrived. Ximen Qing got himself ready, told the servants to tidy up, and went out to welcome them. Ying Bojue quickly stepped aside. Huang and An got out of the sedan together. Once inside, they exchanged greetings, sat down, and had tea. Huang and An said, "We disturbed you last night." Ximen Qing said, "Thanks for your kindness; I was just about to come and thank you two old gentlemen, but I didn't expect you to come first!" An said, "You didn't seem to enjoy yourself enough last night; why did you leave?" Ximen Qing said, "I was already drunk at that time, and when I was leaving, Liu Gonggong poured me a good ten glasses of wine. I nearly lost my lunch on the way back. I finally made it home and I'm still feeling a bit dizzy today." Everyone laughed for a while, shared a few more cups of tea, chatted, and then Huang and An bid farewell. Ying Bojue also made up an excuse to head home. Ximen Qing had a meal at home, then took a sedan chair to pay them a visit, wrote two invitation cards with red envelopes, instructed Da'an to prepare two gifts, and personally sent them to their homes. And that's how the day went by.
Ximen Qing returned home, and Wu Yueniang had already tidied up the bed and was waiting for him to come in. After Ximen Qing entered the room, Yueniang asked Xiaoyu to prepare wine and dishes, warm wine, and they sat down together. Ximen Qing said, "I had a drink yesterday, and you wouldn't let me stay overnight. You pretended to be unwell. What are you playing at this time?" Yueniang said, "I'm not pretending; I really don't feel well. How can there be suspicion between husband and wife?" After drinking over ten cups of wine and having some fish, duck, and cured meat, Ximen Qing stopped eating. Yueniang cleaned up the leftovers. Xiaoyu scented the bedding, and they took a bath, got undressed, and climbed into bed. The details of what happened next are unnecessary. This time Wu Yueniang was lucky to have good news, and coincidentally, her period arrived, and the two were intimate, resulting in pregnancy. As the poem says: "Flowers bloom together, lotus blossoms side by side, with belts and rings, hearts entwined."
The next day, Ximen Qing got up and washed up, and Yueniang prepared lamb wine, eggs, and foods good for the kidneys for him to eat, then sent him off to the yamen. When Ximen Qing returned from the yamen, he went to see the child in Li Ping'er's room. Li Ping'er held the child and said to Ximen Qing, "I had some wishes that I didn't fulfill a few days ago, and I’ve been bleeding a lot when I go to the bathroom. I have to fulfill my vows both morning and night, but you're so busy, you have no time." Ximen Qing said, "Since you want to fulfill your vows, I'll let Daian go invite Wang Guzi to come and discuss with her; just do something good." So he called for Daian and asked him to invite Wang Guzi over. Daian agreed and went to invite Wang Guzi.
At this time, the servant came in to report: "Uncle Chang Er and Uncle Ying Er are here." Ximen Qing hurried out to greet them. Ying Bojue said, "The other day, Xie Zichun came to drink; did you solve the matter I mentioned about Huang Si and Li San?" Ximen Qing said, "How am I supposed to have money?" Ying Bojue said, "Brother, you promised the other day; why are you backing out? Brother, don't hide it from me; your family is so wealthy, and you say you have no money? Just gather some money and give it to him!" Ximen Qing ignored him and just shot a disapproving look at Chang Zhijie. Chang Zhijie said, "I haven't come for several days; brother, is the young master doing well?" Ximen Qing said, "I have been paying attention; just now, Li's wife wanted to make a vow, so I had to invite Wang Guzi to perform some rituals." Ying Bojue said, "Generally, wealthy families hope for their descendants to thrive. To raise a child well, you must protect them well. Just like planting crops, you must water them often when they first grow, so you can look forward to the autumn harvest. The young master is a priceless gem, a jewel in the palm, and must be taken care of well. Children face challenges at three, misfortunes at six, and dangers at nine, as well as diseases such as rashes and smallpox. Brother, I'm not saying this to you; for the young master, of course, you should do some good deeds for him, accumulate blessings. If the wife has any wishes, it’s best to fulfill them early to ensure the young master grows up safe and healthy." Just as he was speaking, Dai'an came back and said, "Wang Guzi is not in the temple; she went to Wang Shangshu's mansion. I searched for her at Wang Shangshu's mansion for quite a while before I finally found her. I explained it to her, and she came." Ximen Qing continued to talk with Bojue and Zhijie, sat down together, and the servant brought tea. Bojue spoke, "Thanks to your generosity, brother; because my house is small, I didn’t want to impose too much; it would be rude. Today, I’ll tell you, if you’re free the day after tomorrow, I hope you and Brother Chang can go to the suburban garden together to play for a day, to strengthen the brotherly friendship." Chang Zhijie echoed from the side, "Brother Ying has a kind heart; brother will definitely agree, absolutely will not refuse." Ximen Qing said, "If there's nothing tomorrow, no problem, just feeling a bit embarrassed." Bojue said, "I have so many chopsticks at home; drinking a glass of wine today is nothing." Ximen Qing said, "In that case, I won't go." Bojue said, "There’s one more thing—if we’re going to the suburbs, we need to bring along a couple of opera singers to make it fun." Ximen Qing said, "No problem, I’ll get someone to call Wu Yiner and Han Jinchuan." Bojue said, "That would be great, but it's troubling brother again." Ximen Qing immediately called Qintong and asked him to call Wu Yiner and Han Jinchuan to go to the suburban garden tomorrow morning to sing. Qintong nodded and headed out.
In a short while, Wang Guzi entered the hall and greeted Ximen Qing, "Donor, what instructions do you have for me today? I had some business at Wang Shangshu's residence, so I just managed to get away." Ximen Qing said, "A few days ago, I made a vow for my son, and I have been very busy and have not yet fulfilled it. Thanks to heavenly blessings, he is growing day by day. Firstly, I want to repay the Buddha, and secondly, I want to ward off disasters and prolong life, so I invited Master to discuss." Wang Guzi said, "The young master is a precious child, all thanks to the blessings of the Buddha. Donor, you may not know, in our Buddhist scriptures, there are yakshas and rakshasas in the world who like to eat people, causing infertility, harming unborn children, and taking lives—these are all the work of evil spirits. Since the young master wishes to do good, he must recite scriptures and chant Buddha; other methods are not effective." Ximen Qing asked what merits are best, and Wang Guzi said, "First, recite the 'Medicine Master Sutra' and dedicate it; then print two copies of the 'Dharani Sutra.' The merits are immeasurable." Ximen Qing asked, "When should we begin reciting the scriptures?" Wang Guzi said, "Tomorrow is a good day; let's carry out the vow at my temple." Ximen Qing nodded and said, "I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you."
After Wang Guzi finished speaking, she walked to the back room and saw Wu Yueniang and six sisters all in Li Ping'er's room. Wang Guzi greeted each of them. Yueniang said, "I need your help to perform a safety ritual for the young master. When do you plan to start the ritual?" Wang Guzi said, "Let's pick an auspicious day, and we'll perform the ritual in my temple." Xiaoyu brought tea, and they drank it. Li Ping'er said to Wang Guzi, "Master, I have one more favor to ask." Wang Guzi said, "Whatever it is, just say it, don't be polite." Li Ping'er said, "Since I became pregnant, I have not been feeling well. When you write the memorial tomorrow, could you please add a line to bless me with safety? If you can, I will thank you separately." Wang Guzi said, "That's easy enough; we can add it when writing the memorial."
It is true:
Misfortunes arise from accumulated wrongs; blessings come from heaven with their own roots.
On this occasion, Li Ping'er wanted Aunt Wang to include a line wishing her safety in the memorial she was preparing for the official. Aunt Wang agreed without hesitation, saying it would be easy to include it when writing the memorial. This was no trouble at all for Aunt Wang.
