Once upon a time, Chen Jingji heard Xue Saozi talking about Sun Xue'e. Chen Jingji seized the opportunity and asked Xue Saozi to go to Ximen Qing's house to tell Yuemeng that he didn't want Eldest Sister anymore and wanted to make a complaint, all the way up to the Governor and the Inspector, claiming that when his father was alive, he had received a lot of valuable items like gold and silver jewelry left by his father. Upon hearing this, Yuemeng felt like bad luck just kept piling on: Sun Xue'e had been swindled by Lai Wang'er and had run off, Lai An'er's servant had also run away, and Lai Xing's wife, Huixiu, had also died. Just after the funeral and with the house in chaos, when she heard what Xue Saozi said, she was flustered and called for a sedan chair to head over to Eldest Sister's place. Dai'an had taken all of Eldest Sister's dowry items to Chen Jingji's house. Chen Jingji said, "These are all the dowry items she brought when she married me, and the gold and silver jewelry kept in my house, which all needs to be returned." Xue Saozi said, "Your mother-in-law said that when your father-in-law was alive, he only took these dowry items and didn’t see any other boxes or cases belonging to you."
Jing Ji wanted Yuexiang, the maid from the Moon family, again. Xue Siniang and Dai'an went to talk to Yu Niang. Yu Niang refused to let him have Yuexiang, saying, "This girl is serving in Li Jiao'er's household. I'm keeping her to look after the child later." She gave Zhongqiu to Jing Ji, saying, "She was originally bought to serve the eldest sister." Jing Ji didn't want Zhongqiu either, running back and forth, sending Xue Siniang on errands. His mother, Madam Zhang, told Dai'an, "Brother, go home and talk to the old lady. You have plenty of siblings at home, and you don't need this maid to take care of the child. Since the eldest sister is used to her, and your brother-in-law has used her, why does she insist on keeping her?" Dai'an went home and told Yu Niang about this. With nothing more to say, Yu Niang had to hand over Yuexiang to Jing Ji. Jing Ji was overjoyed to have Yuexiang, saying, "It's like finding something when you weren't even looking, and it didn't take any effort at all!"
As the poem goes:
No matter how sly you are, you'll still have to drink my foot bath water.
Li Zhi County's son, Li Yanei, saw Wu Yueniang and Meng Yulou in the countryside on Qingming Festival. Both were dressed alike and looked quite beautiful; he recognized them as Ximen Qing's wives and concubines. Li Yanei thought she was tall and slender, with a heart-shaped face, beautiful and charming. His wife had died, leaving him a widower. Even though he had tried to find a match through a matchmaker, he was unsuccessful. When he saw Yulou, he felt a spark but didn't know how to approach her or if she was willing to remarry. Unexpectedly, because of the Sun Xue'e incident, the authorities already knew she was associated with Ximen Qing. They were questioning suspects and tracking down the stolen money, wanting them to step forward. Yueniang was scared and didn’t dare send anyone to the authorities. Li Yanei felt disheartened, so he decided to turn in the stolen money, and Sun Xue'e was also sold by the authorities. Later, Li Yanei asked the official He Buwei at the yamen to propose to Ximen Qing's household through the matchmaker Tao Mama, stating that if this proposal went through, they wouldn't hold the county liable and would pay a reward of five taels of silver.
As soon as Mother Tao heard this, she ran happily to the entrance to Master Xi's house. Lai Zhao was standing at the door, and when he saw Mother Tao approaching, he greeted her and asked, "Is this Master Xi's residence?" Lai Zhao then asked, "Where are you from? Master Xi passed away over a year ago; what brings you here?" Mother Tao said, "Could you please let the steward know I'm here? I am a matchmaker from the county, named Mother Tao, sent by the young master to propose a marriage for one of the ladies in your household." Lai Zhao shouted, "You old hag, that's nonsense! Master Xi passed away over a year ago, and there are only two widows in the house, and neither of them will remarry. As the saying goes, widows don't remarry in tough times. As a matchmaker, are you just looking to stir up trouble? You better leave now; if the two ladies find out, they'll give you an earful!" Mother Tao smiled and said, "Steward, as the saying goes, if an official comes, the person is not wrong. If it weren't for the young master's orders, would I dare to come? Whether she decides to marry or not, just let me know so I can report back." Lai Zhao said, "Alright, to make things easier for everyone, please wait a moment; I will go in and report. There are two ladies, one with children and one without; I’m not sure which lady wants to remarry?" Mother Tao said, "The young master said that he saw her on the outskirts on Qingming day; she's the one with a few freckles on her face."
Lai Zhao went in and told Yueniang, "A matchmaker from the county has come." Yueniang was startled and said, "We never mentioned anything about marriage. How do people outside know?" Lai Zhao said, "I saw her on Qingming day outside the city. She mentioned that you have a few freckles on your face." Yueniang said, "Could Meng Sanjie also have thoughts of marriage? Truly, people's feelings are hard to read!" She walked into Yulou's room and asked, "Meng Sanjie, I have a question for you. There is a matchmaker outside claiming to be the magistrate's son. She saw you on Qingming day and said you are going to get married. Is this true?" Ladies and gentlemen, this is truly a coincidence, as fate has its own mysterious ways. On that day outside the city, Meng Yulou saw the magistrate's son, who was handsome, talented, and of similar age. They both had mutual feelings for each other, but it was left unspoken. However, she did not know if the magistrate's son was already married. She thought to herself, "My husband has passed away, and I have no children. Although Yueniang has children, they will have their own affections in the future. I’m all alone and should find someone to lean on, so I don’t waste my youth." As she was thinking this, Yueniang came to ask her, the same person she had seen on Qingming day outside the city. She felt both happy and shy, and said, "Mother, don't listen to their nonsense. That's not true." Her face turned red instantly.
As the poem goes:
Shyly, I keep my silence before the crowd,
Twirling my hair instead of speaking aloud.
Madam Yue said, "This is a personal matter; I can't interfere." After speaking, she called Zhao: "Go and invite Mother Tao in." Zhao ran to the door and called for Mother Tao, who entered, greeted Madam Yue, and then sat down. A young maid brought tea. Madam Yue asked, "Mother Tao, what brings you here?" Mother Tao replied, "I wouldn't come if there wasn't something. I am here on orders from the county yamen master, who said that a lady from your household is to be married and wanted to discuss the matter." Madam Yue said, "We haven't announced my daughter's engagement yet. How does the county yamen know about this?" Mother Tao explained, "Our master said he saw this lady in person on Qingming Day. She is tall, with an oval face, and a few light freckles on her face. That lady is her." Madam Yue realized they were referring to Meng Sanjie. She then led Mother Tao to Yulou's room and invited her to sit down.
After a while, Yulou came out after getting ready. Mrs. Tao greeted Yulou and said, "This is the young lady, truly living up to her reputation, extremely beautiful, worthy of being our master's main wife." Yulou smiled and said, "Mom, don’t say that. First, tell me how old your master is? Is he married? Are there any other people in the family? What is his name? Is he an official? Just be honest with me, don’t lie." Mrs. Tao said, "Oh dear, oh dear! I am a matchmaker in the county, not like those other matchmakers who lie. I speak the truth in every word, not a lie. Our master is over fifty years old, he only has one son, born in the Year of the Horse, now thirty-one years old, born on the twenty-third day of the first month. He is studying at the Imperial College and is about to pass the imperial examination. He is knowledgeable, skilled in archery, and understands various subjects. His former wife passed away two years ago, leaving only a humble maid in the house. Now he wants to find a wife to be the lady of the house, so he came to propose to your family. If your family agrees to this marriage, our master said, the dowry, burial ground, fields, and food will all be exempted. If anyone bullies you, report to the county, and they will be punished." Yulou asked, "Does your master have children? Where is his hometown? What if he is transferred to a faraway place in the future? My relatives and friends are all here, do I have to follow him?" Mrs. Tao said, "Our master has no children by his side; he's not burdened with any children. His hometown is Zaoqiang County, Zhending Prefecture, Beijing, only about six or seven hundred miles past the Yellow River. There are many fields and properties in the family, numerous livestock, and a large population. The archways in front of the house are all approved by the government, quite impressive. Now, marrying a lady to be the main wife, when he becomes an official, the lady will become a respected wife, riding in a luxurious carriage, very impressive!" Meng Yulou was moved by Mrs. Tao's words and asked Lanxiang to prepare the table and serve some tea and snacks for Mrs. Tao. Then she said, "Baoshan, don’t mind me asking so many questions. Matchmakers like to lie, and I'm afraid of being deceived." Mrs. Tao said, "Good lady, everyone is different; good influences bad. I promise I’m not lying; I just follow the rules. If you agree, write a marriage letter for me to bring back to my master." Yulou took out a piece of red cloth and asked the shopkeeper to write the horoscope. Wu Yueniang said, "You were introduced by Xue's wife as a matchmaker at first; now call Xue's wife to come, and both of you bring the marriage letter to make this proposal official and binding." After a while, Daian called Xue's wife to greet Mrs. Tao. The two of them took the marriage letter and left the West Gate of Qing's house to go to the county to report to the master. One is an ice vendor, the other a matchmaker; two mouths, over forty teeth, this duo will surely convince Chang'e from the Moon Palace to marry and the goddess from Mount Wu to wed King Xiang.
On the way, Aunt Tao inquired of Aunt Xue, "Are you the original matchmaker for this young lady?" Aunt Xue replied, "Yes." Aunt Tao asked, "Before she married into the Ximen Qing family, which family did she come from? Was this her first marriage or a remarriage?" Aunt Xue then recounted how Ximen Qing married Yulou from the Yang family. Then, seeing the wedding invitation stating "Female, thirty-seven years old, born on the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month," she said, "I'm afraid the master will find her too old; what are we going to do? He's only thirty-one years old, that's six years his senior." Aunt Xue said, "Let's take the wedding invitation and consult a fortune teller to see if the birth dates are compatible. If they don't match, we can just shave off a few years; it’s not really lying."
As they walked, they only saw a fortune-telling stall on the south side of the road, with a green cloth tent displaying two lines of text: "Zi Ping pushes the rich and the poor, the iron pen judges honor and disgrace; when someone comes to tell the fortune, speak frankly without holding back." Under the tent was a table with a fortune teller sitting inside. Two matchmakers stepped forward to pay their respects, and the fortune teller invited them to sit. Mrs. Xue said, "There's a lady's fortune we need you to read." She took out some money from her sleeve and said, "Please don’t mind the small amount; just take it for now, we didn't bring much money when passing by." The fortune teller said, "Please provide the eight characters." Mom Tao handed him the marriage certificate, which had the lady's birthday and age. The fortune teller said, "This marriage is feasible." He calculated with his fingers and shook the abacus, saying, "This lady is thirty-seven years old this year, born on November 27th. It is the month of Jia Zi, the day of Xin Mao, and the hour of Geng Zi, indicating an Indirect Wealth structure. The lady's fate is currently in a retrograde phase, currently in the Bing Shen luck. Bing combines with Xin to thrive; she will have great power in the future, destined to be the mistress of the house. Although there are many husband stars in the four pillars, this indicates a wealth-oriented fate, which can help her husband prosper and be loved by her husband. Has she faced any disasters in the past two years?" Mrs. Xue said, "She has already lost two husbands." The fortune teller said, "If she has endured those hardships, things will improve moving forward." Mrs. Xue asked, "Will she be able to have kids later on?" The fortune teller said, "She will be able to have children, and will have a son at the age of forty-one to take care of her in her old age. She will have a life filled with good fortune, wealth, and honor." He then penned four lines of commentary:
Graceful like a Jiangnan plum blossom, adorned with layers of red silk and painted brows.
Able to read the horse's head rising with the sun, shedding the tiger skin and moving freely.
Mrs. Xue asked the master, "Sir, what does ‘watching the horse’s head rise with the sun and shedding the tiger skin at will’ mean? We don't understand, could you explain it?" The master said, "'Horse's head' refers to this girl marrying a husband born in the year of the horse, who is her benefactor and will bring her good fortune. 'Tiger skin' refers to her previous husband, born in the year of the tiger, who loved her, but she was merely a concubine. In the future, she will rise all the way to the age of sixty-eight, have a son, then pass away peacefully in old age, having grown old with her husband." The two matchmakers said, "The man she is set to marry is indeed born in the year of the horse, but he might be a bit older, which might not be suitable. Could you please make him a few years younger?" The master said, "Then let’s adjust it to the year of Dingmao, making him thirty-four." Mrs. Xue asked, "Is thirty-four a good age for someone born in the year of the horse?" The master said, "Ding fire meets Geng metal; when fire meets metal, it refines, ensuring great achievements—this is just right." So, it was adjusted to thirty-four.
After the two matchmakers thanked the official and left the fortune-telling stall, they went straight to the county yamen. After being announced by the gatekeeper, the yamen official called in the two matchmakers, Tao and Xue, who kowtowed and paid their respects. The yamen official asked, "Where is this woman from?" Mother Tao said, "She was introduced by the matchmaker over there." Then she explained the details of the marriage proposal and said, "This young lady is very good, though she is a bit older. We do not want to make decisions without your approval, sir. Here is the marriage contract." So she handed over the marriage contract. After reading the marriage contract, Li, the yamen official, said, "She is two or three years older; that is acceptable." Mrs. Xue interjected, "Sir is right; as the saying goes, if the wife is two years older, it's like finding treasure; if the wife is three years older, it's like a mountain of gold. This young lady is beautiful, gentle in nature, and manages household affairs in an orderly manner; no need to say more." The yamen official said, "I have already met her; there’s no need to see her again. Just choose a good day and auspicious time, and proceed with the tea ceremony." The two matchmakers asked, "When will the new bride come to serve?" The yamen official said, "Let’s not waste any time; come back tomorrow and inform her family." Each of them was rewarded with two taels of silver for travel expenses. The two matchmakers left happily. Li, the yamen official, was overjoyed to see the marriage settled. He immediately called the corridor officer He Bowei to discuss and informed his father, County Magistrate Li. County Magistrate Li asked the fortune-teller to choose the wedding date on the eighth day of the fourth month, and the bride to enter the door on the fifteenth day. Then he took out the silver and entrusted He Bowei and Xiaozhang to prepare tea, wine, and other gifts, but I won’t elaborate on that here. The two matchmakers conveyed the date to Ximen Qing's family the next day and told this matter to Lady Yuelou and Lady Yulou. It is true that marriage is predestined from past lives, as if sowing jade in Lantian.
On the eighth day of April, the county yamen prepared sixteen plates of tea cakes, a pair of gold hairpins, a gold crown, an agate belt, a pair of silver bracelets, and other jewelry, two grand red silk robes, four sets of embroidered clothes, thirty taels of silver, and various other fabrics and cotton, totaling over twenty loads. Two matchmakers followed, and the steward, He Bunwei, carried the gifts, arriving at Master Ximen's house to present the tea ceremony gifts.
On the fifteenth day, the county office dispatched numerous helpers to move Meng Yulou's bed, curtains, dowry boxes, and baskets. As she looked on, everything in her room was taken away. When Ximen was alive, he gave the eight-step colored lacquer bed to the eldest sister, and Yue gave her the inlaid bed from Pan Jinlian's room. Yulou brought Lanxiang along, leaving Xiaoluan and Yue to look after the children. Yue did not want to, saying, "How can I leave your maidservant in your room? The children have Zhongqiu, Xiuchun, and the wet nurse to look after them." Yulou left behind a pair of silver Huizu pots for the children to play with and took everything else away. In the evening, a large sedan chair, accompanied by four pairs of red lanterns and eight attendants, arrived to escort her to the wedding. Yulou donned a golden crown adorned with pearls and beads, and a bright red robe with wide sleeves. She first worshipped Mr. Ximen's ancestral tablet, and then bowed to Yue. Yue said, "Meng Sanjie, you are so heartless! You left me alone; who will accompany me?" They both cried heartily. Then everyone in the house sent them out of the gate. The matchmaker assisted her in donning a red silk and gold embroidered headdress, holding a golden baby bottle. As a widow, Yue couldn’t leave the house, so she asked her eldest aunt to accompany them and sent them to the county office. Passersby remarked, "This is Ximen’s third concubine, marrying the son of the county magistrate. Today is a good day; she has married into a good family." Some praised her, while others criticized her. Those who spoke positively said that Ximen was upright and now that he had passed away, his widow was living properly, with a son, and all the women in the house had found their own paths, which was good. Those who spoke negatively, the neighbors talked and pointed fingers, saying, "Ximen's concubine has also remarried. When he was alive, he did all sorts of illegal and immoral things, was greedy and lecherous, and deceived other people's wives and daughters. Now that he's dead, the wives have remarried, the escapees have fled, the mistresses are keeping their lovers, and the thieves are thieving, all scattered. As the saying goes, what goes around comes around; karma hits fast!" Others were gossiping, but we won’t delve into that here.
Aunt Meng brought the bride to the county yamen, prepared the bridal chamber, and stayed to attend the wedding banquet. Master Li gave Aunt Xue and Mama Tao each five taels of silver as well as some additional rewards and sent them off. That night, the two got married and enjoyed their wedding night. The next day, Lady Wu sent over tea and food. Miss Yang had already passed away, and Aunt Meng, Second Aunt, and another Aunt Meng all came to the county yamen to bring tea. Master Li arranged to invite relatives, friends, and female guests to the three-day wedding banquet, erected a colorful canopy, laid out banquet tables, and hired a theater troupe to perform. Lady Wu also arrived at the yamen that day, wearing a head full of pearls and emeralds, a red robe with wide sleeves, a flower-patterned skirt, a golden belt, and rode in a sedan chair. But when she entered the backyard, no one was there to welcome her. She remembered the lively times when Ximen was still alive, when the sisters would go to banquets at other people's homes, chatting and laughing together, with not enough room to sit. Now, there was no one left. She threw herself in front of Ximen's spirit tablet, unable to contain her sorrowful tears. After crying for a while, she was comforted by the maid Xiaoyu. Let's put aside Lady Wu's worries for now. Master Li and Yulou were truly a perfect match, both in talent and looks. They spent every day in newlywed bliss, inseparable. The more he gazed at Yulou, the more he admired her. He also saw that Yulou had brought two maids, one named Lanxiang, eighteen years old, who could play music; and one named Xiaoluan, fifteen years old, both beautiful. Master Li felt a surge of happiness. There's a poem that captures this:
Celebrating the union of beauty and talent,
A heavenly match that deserves to be celebrated.
Meeting at the Wu Mountain at age twelve,
Both hearts hoping to share a lifetime together.
There was a maid in the mansion, in her thirties, named Yuzaner, who loved to dress up in an eye-catching way. She wore a wig on her head, a golden hairpin, a green and red outfit, and embroidered shoes with twelve-inch heels. In front of others, she always put on a show of superiority. Before the master married Yulou, she fawned over him every day, being very attentive and respectful. But since Yulou arrived and saw how close the master and Yulou were, she started to sulk.
One day, the young master was reading in the study, and Yuzan'er made him a cup of good tea, carrying a tray of tea and smiling as she entered the study. Eventually, the young master grew tired of reading and fell asleep on the desk. Yuzan'er called out, "Master, who else is as caring for you as I am, specially brewing tea for you? Your newly wedded wife is still sleeping in bed; why isn't she coming to serve you tea?" Seeing the young master asleep, she called out again, "Master, are you too tired? How can you sleep in broad daylight? Wake up and drink tea!" The young master was jolted awake by her voice, and when he saw her, he snapped, "You annoying servant girl! Put down the tea and get out of here!" Yuzan'er felt her face flush with anger as she slammed the teacup onto the table, went out, and muttered, "It's like a dog biting Lu Dongbin, failing to recognize a good person’s kindness! I kindly brought you tea early in the morning, but you scolded me. As the saying goes, 'Beauty is a treasure in the family, but it can bring trouble.' I am ugly; you must have been blind when you picked me." The young master heard this, got furious, and kicked her twice. Yuzan'er turned a shade of gray from anger, stopped bothering to dress up or make tea. She deliberately found fault with Yulou, didn't refer to her as mother, just called her by her name, and even sat on Yulou's bed when no one was around. Yulou completely ignored her. She also confided to Lanxiang and Xiaoluan, "Don’t call me sister; call me Aunt. I have a master-servant relationship with your mother!" She also said, "You can call me that in private, but don't do it in front of your father. You follow me every day; you must be attentive. If you don’t listen to me, I’ll make sure you regret it!"
Later on, after being ignored by him several times, she started to become lazy, not getting out of bed until noon, not cooking or cleaning. Yulou told Lanxiang and Xiaoluan, "Don't bother with Yuzaner anymore; you two go cook and serve your father." Yuzaner became even angrier; she hit Xiaoluan in the kitchen and scolded Lanxiang, "You little hussy, you little vixen! Everything has its order. Should I come first, or should your mother come first? You and your mother are taking advantage. Not serving the master is fine! When I used to serve the master, his mother never said anything bad about me. You just got here and you're already calling me by my name. Who do you think you are, anyway? Before you came, I shared a bed with the master every day, sleeping in late; we were very affectionate. Everything in this house has gone through my hands, hasn’t it? Since you came, you ruined my happy days and pushed me into the side room, sleeping coldly, and I can no longer enjoy the master's love. I have no one to tell my troubles to. You were a concubine at Ximen Qing's house too, called Yulou, right? I knew that! When you come to my house, we should all try to get along a little. Why are you acting so high and mighty, barking orders around? Who do you think you are to control me?" Yulou heard this in the room; her face turned green with anger, but she didn't dare to tell the master.
One day, the weather was very hot, and the young master decided to take a bath, so he asked Yuzaner to fetch hot water and bring the bathtub into the room so he could bathe with Yulou. Yulou replied, "Have Lanxiang fetch the water instead; don’t let her go." The young master disagreed, saying, "I want her to go; don’t spoil her." Seeing that the young master wanted to bathe with Yulou made Yuzaner very angry. She slammed the bathtub down on the ground, filled a big pot with boiling water, and muttered to herself, "This woman is really difficult and strange, always making trouble for me! She loves to bathe for no reason, like how I can sleep with the master for months without bathing and still be clean. Only she knows how to deliberately pick on me!" She muttered and left. Yulou heard it but didn’t say anything. The young master was very angry after hearing Yuzaner’s words, didn’t finish bathing, put on his shoes, picked up his cane, and was about to go out. Yulou stopped him and said, "Don’t mind her; don’t get angry with her. If you go out with a hot body and catch a cold, it won’t be good." The young master couldn’t bear it, saying, "Leave me alone! This girl is too unreasonable!" He yanked Yuzaner’s hair, dragged her across the floor, and mercilessly beat her with the cane. Despite Yulou’s attempts to intervene, he still beat her twenty or thirty times. Panicking, Yuzaner knelt down and pleaded, "Master, please don’t beat me. I can tell you don’t want me anymore; just sell me!" The young master became even angrier and beat her again. Yulou advised, "Since she wants to leave, don’t beat her; don’t ruin your health." The young master then ordered the servants to call Tao Mama and have Yuzaner taken away to be sold.
**Poem:**
After the birds sing, people are happy,
But what of the crow's cawing?
Those who see it say much, those who hear it spit,
All because there are too many mouths in front of people.
