The poem says:
With a smile like a lotus in full bloom, a precious duck flies askew, framing her fragrant cheeks. Her eyes are full of mystery, leaving others guessing.
Her charm is deep and exudes grace, half a letter filled with tender grievances. As the moon moves, the flower shadows will meet again.
It is said that one day, Ximen Qing walked into Yu Niang's room, and Yu Niang told him, "Today, the servant from the Hua family delivered an invitation for you to come for a drink." Ximen Qing looked at the invitation, which read, "Come to Wu Yin's house in the afternoon for a small gathering, hoping you can join us." After a while, Ximen Qing dressed up, took two attendants, mounted his horse, and went straight to the Hua household. Unexpectedly, Huazixu was not at home. His wife, Li Ping'er, was dressed beautifully for summer in a silver hairpin, a gold-inlaid purple jade pendant, a white silk-trimmed shirt, and a skirt with white trim, revealing a pair of small red mandarin duck embroidered shoes. Ximen Qing accidentally bumped into her, not having noticed her. Ximen Qing had been interested in her for a long time; although he had seen her before, he had not looked closely. Today, when he looked at her face to face, he found her complexion to be exceptionally fair. Although she was not tall, she had an oval face and curved eyebrows. Ximen Qing was immediately moved and quickly bowed deeply. Li Ping'er returned the courtesy, turned around, and went inside. A maid with a shaved forehead and short hair came out and asked Ximen Qing to come in and sit down. Li Ping'er was at the corner gate, revealing only half her face, saying, "Master, please wait a moment. He just went out for something and will be back soon." The maid brought a cup of tea, which Ximen Qing drank. Li Ping'er said through the door, "Today, he invited you to drink over there. For my sake, please urge him to return home early. Both servants have gone with him, leaving only these two maids and me at home." Ximen Qing said, "You're right, sister-in-law; Hua Ge's family matters are important. Since you've asked me to, I will definitely accompany Hua Ge and then bring him back."
As they were talking, Huazi returned, and Li Pinger went back to her room. Huazi saw Ximen Qing and greeted him, saying, "Brother Ximen, welcome to my humble home. I had some matters to attend to just now; I hope you can forgive me!" Then the two sat down, and Huazi asked the servant to bring tea. After a while, once the tea was finished, he instructed the servant, "Tell mother to prepare some dishes; Brother Ximen and I will have a few drinks and then leave. Today is June 24th, it's Wu Yiner's birthday in the courtyard; I'd love for you to join the celebration." Ximen Qing said, "Why didn’t you mention it earlier, Second Brother?" and ordered Dai'an, "Quick, go home and grab five taels of silver for a red envelope." Huazi said, "Brother, there's no need to be so polite. How could I dare to accept?" Ximen Qing saw a table nearby and said, "No need to sit here; let's go inside to eat." Huazi said, "I can’t stay long, Brother. Please, have a seat for a bit." After a while, the dishes arrived, with silver high-footed wine glasses, three for each person, and four pancakes. After finishing eating, the leftovers were given to the servants waiting outside.
After a while, Dai'an came back with the money, and they mounted their horses together, going directly to Wu Sima's house to celebrate Wu Yiner's birthday. It was a lively scene with singing and dancing, and they drank late into the night before finally calling it a night. Ximen Qing intentionally got Huazi drunk, and because Li Pinger had asked him before, he accompanied him back home. The servant opened the door and helped Huazi into the guest room to sit down. Li Pinger and the maid came out with a lamp and assisted Huazi into the room.
After Ximen Qing clarified everything, he was about to take his leave. Li Ping'er came out to thank him and said, "My husband is so irresponsible; his drinking has caused so much trouble. Thanks to you for taking him back for my sake, please don’t think poorly of me, sir." Ximen Qing quickly bowed and said, "I wouldn't dare, sister-in-law. I will definitely remember what you instructed and accompany Hua Ge back home! It's not just you who is worried; I also feel like I didn’t handle things well. Just now, Hua Ge was at his home, and those people were pestering him. It took a lot of effort for me to persuade him to come out. When we reached the door of Zheng Aixiang's house, Hua Ge wanted to go in, and I had to stop him several times, urging him: 'I'm afraid sister-in-law is worried at home.' Only then did I manage to bring him back home. If he had gone to the Zheng family, he wouldn't have returned all night. Sister-in-law, I shouldn't say this, but Hua Ge is too foolish. You are still young; how can you allow him to be out all night like this? What kind of thing is this!" Li Ping'er said, "Exactly, he always behaves recklessly outside and doesn't listen to advice. It makes me so angry I could just scream. If the respected sir sees him in the yard in the future, please, for my sake, advise him to come home early. I will definitely repay your kindness and never forget it." Ximen Qing was very shrewd; having mixed in the world of pleasure for many years, he had seen everything. Today, Li Ping'er was clearly giving him the green light, so how could he not appreciate it! Thus, he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, where are you saying this from! It's nothing for friends to help each other. I will definitely advise him kindly; you can count on me." Li Ping'er thanked him again and asked a young maid to bring him a cup of nut tea. After Ximen Qing finished the tea, he said, "I will head back now, sister-in-law, take care at home." Then he took his leave and went home.
From then on, Ximen Qing secretly planned to win over this woman and often had Count Ying and Xie Xida get Huazi Xu drunk in the courtyard to spend the night. He would take the opportunity to linger at Li Ping'er’s doorstep. Li Ping'er often stood at the door with two maidservants. When Ximen Qing saw her, he pretended to cough, sometimes walking to the east, sometimes to the west, or standing across the street, his eyes constantly darting toward the door. When Li Ping'er saw him approaching, she quickly ducked inside, and after he left, she peeked out to see. The two exchanged glances, and their feelings were already mutual. One day, Ximen Qing was standing at the door when he suddenly saw the little maid Xiuchun come to invite him. Ximen Qing deliberately asked, "What does your sister want me for? Is your father home?" Xiuchun replied, "My father is not home; my mother asked Brother Ximen to ask you something." Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing hurried over and sat in the guest room. After a while, Li Ping'er came out, offered a deep bow, and said, "Not long ago, I was very grateful for your help, which I will always cherish. He went out yesterday and hasn’t come back since; I wonder if you have seen him?" Ximen Qing said, "He was drinking with three or four friends at the Zheng family yesterday. I had a little matter to attend to and came over. I didn't go in today, so I don't know if he is still there. I was worried it would upset you, so I urged Huage to come home early." Li Ping'er said, "Exactly, I am furious with him for ignoring my advice and messing around outside instead of taking care of home." Ximen Qing said, "As for Huage, he is not a bad person, just this one flaw." As he spoke, the little maidservant brought in tea, and Ximen Qing drank it. Worried that Huazi Xu might return, Ximen Qing didn’t want to overstay his welcome and got ready to leave. Li Ping'er repeatedly urged him, pleading with Ximen Qing, "No matter where you are, please persuade him to come home early. I’ll make sure to repay your kindness and will never forget it!" Ximen Qing said, "Sister-in-law, rest assured, I have a great relationship with Huage!" After saying this, Ximen Qing went home.
The next day, Huazi Xu returned home, and his wife scolded him right away: "You spend all your time fooling around outside. Thanks to Ximen Qing next door for bailing you out a few times and bringing you home. You should hurry up and get him a little something to show your appreciation; don’t let him feel unappreciated!" Huazi Xu hurriedly bought four boxes of gifts and a jar of wine and had his servant Tianfu deliver them to Ximen Qing's house. Ximen Qing accepted the gifts and also tipped Tianfu generously. Wu Yueniang asked Ximen Qing, "Why did the Hua family send you gifts?" Ximen Qing replied, "A few days back, Hua Erge had a birthday and got pretty drunk, so I helped him back home; I usually also give advice to him not to spend the night outside and to return home early. His wife thanked me for this, so they sent gifts to express their gratitude." Upon hearing this, Wu Yueniang laughed and said, "My brother, you can't even manage yourself, yet you have the gall to tell others to go home! You spend all your time away from home with a mistress, and you still have the nerve to advise others!" She then asked, "You didn’t accept the gifts for free, did you? Whose name is on the invitation? If it’s his wife’s name, write an invitation today to ask her over for a visit, so the Hua family can easily come to our house. If it’s his own name, whether you invite him is up to you; I won’t get involved." Ximen Qing said, "It’s Hua Erge’s name; I’ll have him over for dinner tomorrow." The next day, Ximen Qing indeed hosted a banquet for Huazi Xu, and the two of them drank the whole day away. When he returned home, Li Ping'er said, "You better not forget your manners. They sent us gifts and invited you to dinner, so you should also invite them for a meal another day as a thank-you gesture."
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was the Double Ninth Festival in September. Huazi Xu, seizing the opportunity of the holiday, invited over two courtesans and sent an invitation to Ximen Qing to check out the chrysanthemums, also inviting four others: Ying Bojue, Xie Xida, Zhu Shinian, and Sun Tianhua to accompany them. Everyone enjoyed admiring the chrysanthemums, beating drums, and drinking wine; it was a blast. The poem goes:
The black rabbit cycles swiftly like arrows, and the festive season is back again.
A thousand branches of red trees adorn the autumn scenery, while three paths of yellow flowers emit a unique fragrance.
The folks in black hats who usually climb up high are nowhere to be found, yet I still think of holding wine with the beautiful lady.
The elegant curtains and doorways exchanged secret glances; from now on, our affection will not be forgotten.
That day, everyone kept drinking until late at night when Ximen Qing suddenly got up to relieve himself. To his surprise, Li Bing'er was peeking behind the screen, and they ran into each other. Ximen Qing had no time to dodge. Li Bing'er went to the door in the west corner and quietly let Xiuchun walk to Ximen Qing's side, whispering, "My mom asked me to tell you to drink less and head home early. At night, my mother wants to talk to you." Ximen Qing was thrilled. After he came back, he didn't touch another drop of alcohol, despite being urged by others, pretending to be drunk and refusing to eat. By eleven o'clock in the evening, Li Bing'er kept pacing outside the curtain, pretending to doze off when she spotted Ximen Qing sitting there. Ying Bojue and Xie Xida sat there like they were glued to their chairs. Zhu Shinian and Sun Tianhua couldn't take it anymore and left, but the two of them remained motionless. Li Bing'er was really anxious. Ximen Qing tried to sneak away but was stopped by Huazixu: "I didn't host you well today. Why don't you sit for a while longer?" Ximen Qing said, "I'm drunk and can't eat." Then he put on an act of being drunk and was helped home. Ying Bojue said, "What’s up with him today? Why isn’t he drinking? He gets drunk after a little. Since the host is so enthusiastic and the two ladies are tired, let’s ring the bell a few times and call it a night." Li Bing'er heard this outside the curtain and cursed under her breath, "What a shameless jerk!" She quietly told the servant Tianxi to fetch Huazixu and instructed, "If you want to drink with these people, go drink in the courtyard, don’t make a scene at home. It’s late at night; I don’t have time for this nonsense!" Huazixu said, "I’ll take them to the courtyard in a moment; it’s not cool to hang out in the house, so don’t bother me anymore." Li Bing'er said, "You go, I won't bother you anymore." When Huazixu heard that, he quickly told everyone, "Let’s go to the courtyard." Ying Bojue said, "Really? Don’t lie to me. Go check with Sis-in-law, then we’ll head out." Huazixu said, "We just agreed in the room; let me come back tomorrow." Xie Xida said, "Then let’s go, I can’t take Huazixu’s nagging anymore. Big brother, you’re impatient; let’s go quickly." So, even the two singers joined them in the courtyard. At this point, it was already 2 AM, and Tianfu, Tianxi, and others followed Huazixu to Wu Yiner's place to keep drinking.
Ximen Qing acted drunk and came home, entering Pan Jinlian's room. As soon as he took off his clothes, he went to the front garden to wait for Li Ping'er to arrive. After waiting for a long time, he heard a door close from the other side. After a while, the maid Yingchun tiptoed along the wall, mimicking a cat's meow. Upon seeing Ximen Qing sitting in the pavilion, she passed him a message. Ximen Qing pulled a table over to use as a stool to climb the wall, and a ladder had already been set up on the other side. Li Ping'er had sent Huazi Xu away and had taken off her hat, let her hair down, and was heavily made up, standing in the corridor. When she saw Ximen Qing coming, she was thrilled and quickly ushered him into the room. The room was brightly lit with candles, and a table had been set with dishes and wine, and the pot was filled with fragrant wine. Li Ping'er raised a toast to Ximen Qing and bowed deeply: "I have always been grateful to you, sir, and you have gone to great lengths to return the favor, which makes me feel uneasy. Today I made some wine myself and invited you over to express my feelings. I also ran into those two shameless guys who just wouldn't leave, which drove me up the wall. I just sent them to the courtyard." Ximen Qing said, "I’m afraid Hu Erge will come again, right?" Li Ping'er replied, "I told them not to come tonight. Both little servants went along. There's no one home, just these two maids and Mama Feng keeping an eye on the door; she has been my trusted confidante since I was little. Both front and back doors are securely closed." Ximen Qing was overjoyed to hear this. The two then sat side by side, clinking cups and chatting as they drank. Yingchun poured wine beside them, and Xiuchun served dishes back and forth. As the drinks flowed, the air was filled with the fragrance in the brocade tent, the mandarin duck quilt was spread out, and coral was arranged decoratively. The two maids cleared away the wine table and closed the door behind them as they left. The two then went to bed together.
It turns out that the windows of the wealthy have two layers; the outer layer is a window, and the inner layer is a lattice. Li Ping'er sent the maid out, closed the two inner lattice windows, and lit the lamp inside, making it impossible for anyone outside to see inside. Yingchun, who is seventeen this year and very sensible, saw the two having a secret meeting and quietly walked to the window, using her hairpin to poke a hole in the paper screen to sneak a peek inside. What were the two of them up to? All that could be seen was:
Under the dim yellow light, inside the gauze curtains, the two were whispering sweet nothings, wrapped in each other’s embrace. One delicate arm swayed gently, while the other lifted a golden lotus foot. One sang like a warbler, while the other murmured softly. It was like Junrui meeting Yingniang, and like Song Yu secretly meeting the goddess. Vows of eternal love still echoed in their ears; their feelings were deep and hard to part with. After a moment of intimacy, the waves of passion rolled as their skin touched; after a long while, the two curled up together, their eyes cast down.
It was just like: the red waves rolling, a spark of connection igniting within; the curtain pulled back with silver hooks, the two arched brows framing a jade-like face. Three kisses deepened their bond, leaving their bodies tingling with stolen sweetness.
The two were lost in each other's affection, unaware that Yingchun was watching clearly from outside the window and listening intently. She heard Ximen Qing ask Li Ping'er about her age, and Li Ping'er replied that she was twenty-three. Then she asked Ximen Qing how old his auntie was, and Ximen Qing said she was twenty-six. Li Ping'er said, "So she is three years older than me. Tomorrow I will bring a gift to visit your auntie; I’m just worried it might feel a bit awkward to get close." Ximen Qing replied, "My auntie is really easygoing." Li Ping'er then asked, "When you used to come here, did your auntie know? If she asks about you, what will you say?" Ximen Qing said, "My auntie lives in the fourth room of the back courtyard, while the fifth wife, Pan Jinlian, lives in the independent small building in the front garden; she doesn’t concern herself with me." Li Ping'er asked again, "How old is your fifth wife?" Ximen Qing said, "She is the same age as my auntie." Li Ping'er said, "That's awesome! If you don’t mind me being a bit low-key, I will take your fifth wife as my sister. Tomorrow I will measure your auntie's and fifth wife's feet and personally make two pairs of shoes to show my appreciation." As she spoke, she took off two gold hairpins from her head and gave them to Ximen Qing, saying, "Don’t let Huazi Xu see them in the courtyard." Ximen Qing replied, "I understand." The two were entwined in affection until the early hours of the morning.
Outside, the rooster crowed, and dawn broke on the horizon. Ximen Qing, fearing that Huazi Xu would return, quickly got dressed and climbed over the wall. The two agreed on a secret signal: if Huazi Xu was not home, the maid would cough from the wall or toss a tile first to confirm that no one was there before climbing over. Ximen Qing would use a ladder to scale the wall. The two communicated secretly through the wall, having an illicit rendezvous, completely under the radar—how could the neighbors possibly know? As proof, here's a poem:
The moon sets, flowers shade, and the night drags on,
Meeting feels like a dream in Gaotang.
In the deep night, I secretly illuminate the silver jar,
Still fearing the foolish servant peering at the light through the cracks.
Ximen Qing climbed over the wall and returned to Pan Jinlian's room. Jinlian had not yet gotten up and asked him, "You were gone again yesterday, didn't come back until morning, and didn't say a word to me." Ximen Qing replied, "Hua Erge sent a servant to invite me to drink in the courtyard. I only came back in the middle of the night." Although Jinlian acted like she believed him, she still had her doubts. One afternoon, after lunch, she and Meng Yulou were doing needlework in the garden pavilion when suddenly a tile fell right in front of them. Meng Yulou was too focused on her shoes to notice, while Pan Jinlian looked around and caught a glimpse of a pale face appearing on the neighboring wall before it vanished. Jinlian quickly nudged Meng Yulou, pointed, and said, "Sister, look, that's the big maid from the Hua family next door. She probably climbed the wall to see the flowers, saw us here, and went back down." After that, she fell silent. In the evening, Ximen Qing returned from socializing and entered Jinlian's room. Jinlian changed his clothes for him and asked him. He skipped dinner and tea, staggering towards the garden instead. Pan Jinlian watched him closely. After a while, she saw the maid from before show her face on the wall, and Ximen Qing climbed over the wall using a ladder. Li Ping'er was waiting for him on the other side, and the two slipped back into their secret rendezvous…
Pan Jinlian returned to her room, tossing and turning, couldn't sleep until it was almost dawn. At that moment, Ximen Qing arrived, pushed open the door, and saw Pan Jinlian lying in bed, ignoring him completely. Ximen Qing felt a little guilty and cautiously sat down by her bedside. When Pan Jinlian saw him, she suddenly sat up, grabbed his ear, and yelled at him, "You heartless bastard! Where did you run off to yesterday? You made me furious all night! I can't take your crap anymore! Just tell me the truth, how many times did you sneak around with that shameless woman from the neighboring Hua family? Spill the beans, and I’ll let you go! If you dare to hide a single word, the second you walk out tomorrow, I’ll scream and shout, making sure you, the heartless bastard, won't have a place to hide! You actually let that man stay in the yard at night while trying to seduce his wife! You're gonna regret this! Yesterday during the day, I was playing in the garden with Meng San, and we saw that girl from her family sneaking a peek over the wall; turns out that shameless woman sent her to try to seduce you! You really lied to me!"
When Ximen Qing heard this, he was so scared that he quickly knelt down and forced a smile, saying, "My little sweetheart, don't be angry! To tell you the truth, she asked about your ages and wants to come tomorrow to measure shoe sizes to make each of you a pair of shoes. She wants to recognize you as her older sisters and is willing to be the younger sister." Pan Jinlian said, "I don't want that shameless woman to call me sister or younger sister! She seduced someone else's man and now comes to curry favor; I'm no pushover, how could I let you pull any tricks on me!" Saying this, she yanked down Ximen Qing's pants and saw that he was all soft and limp, with a silver support still on it. She asked, "Be honest, how many times with that shameless woman?" Ximen Qing said, "Just once." Pan Jinlian said, "You swear, just once? It was all soft and limp, like snot or something! Can't you have a bit of manliness?" As she spoke, she yanked off the silver support and scolded, "Shameless thing, a weasel visiting a chicken for New Year's—there's no good intent there! So you secretly took this thing out to fool around with that shameless woman!" Ximen Qing, smiling, said, "My little fairy, that woman is dead. She repeatedly asked me to bring things back. Tomorrow she will come to bow to you and also make you shoes. Yesterday, she had a maid pretend to be from the Wu family. Today, she asked me to deliver this pair of longevity hairpins to you." After saying this, he took off his hat, removed the hairpins from his head, and handed them to Pan Jinlian. Pan Jinlian took a look and saw that they were two exquisite longevity hairpins made of jadeite and gold, very delicate, straight from the palace. Pan Jinlian felt very pleased and said, "Since that's the case, I won't hold this against you. You go over there; I'll keep an eye on you two and let you have your fun. What are you thinking in your heart?" Ximen Qing happily embraced her and said, "My treasure, this is great! Raising kids isn't just about money; it's all about the connection. Tomorrow I will buy you a beautiful outfit as a token of my gratitude." Pan Jinlian said, "I don't believe your sweet words. If you want me to help you out with this, you must promise me three things." Ximen Qing said, "Whatever you want." Pan Jinlian said, "First, you are not allowed to go to her house; second, you must listen to me; third, if you sleep with her, you must tell me when you come back, you can’t hide a thing from me." Ximen Qing said, "No problem, I will do as you say."
Not provided.
From then on, every time Ximen Qing returned from Li Ping'er, he would tell Pan Jinlian, "Li Ping'er is really fair-skinned and pristine, her body is soft and supple, her skills in bed are exceptional, and she can drink well. We would lay out a fruit platter in the tent, play cards and drink, often until midnight." He then took something out of his sleeve to show Pan Jinlian, saying, "This was drawn by her husband's court artist; we lit a lamp and used it as a reference." Pan Jinlian took it, unfolded it, and looked at it. It contained verses as proof:
"The inner court's brocade is adorned with flowers, and the satin ribbon of the toothpick is beautifully arranged. The large green and small blue are intricately painted in gold, embedded neatly in the square. The woman rivals the goddess of Wushan in beauty, the man resembles the gentleman Song Yu, both are accustomed to sparring in the tent. Its name is explained in twenty-four characters, spring feelings stir the heart."
Pan Jinlian read it from beginning to end, unwilling to part with it, and handed it to Chunmei, saying, "Keep it well in my box, take it out to look at when there's nothing to do." Ximen Qing said, "Look at it for a few days and then return it to me. This is her treasure; I borrowed it to show you and still need to return it to her." Pan Jinlian replied, "How did her belongings end up in my house? I didn't ask for it from her. I wouldn’t give it back even if you killed me." Ximen Qing said, "Hey, don’t be such a drama queen!" As he spoke, he tried to snatch it away. Pan Jinlian said, "If you try to take it, I’ll just rip it up; no one will get to see it." Ximen Qing laughed, "I have no way then, do as you wish. You can return it to her after looking at it; she has another rare item, and I’ll bring it by tomorrow." Pan Jinlian said, "You little troublemaker, who raised you to be so good? If you bring it, I’ll return the painting to you." The two quarreled for a while longer. At night, Pan Jinlian burned incense in the room, lit a silver lamp, dressed beautifully, and together with Ximen Qing, they unfolded the painting and enjoyed each other's company in the silk tent.
As the saying goes: witchcraft and the supernatural have existed since ancient times. After Pan Jinlian had Liu the Blind perform rituals, it wasn't long before Ximen Qing went from anger to affection, from sorrow to joy, and no longer dared to interfere with her. As the saying goes: even if you're as wicked as a ghost, you still drink the water used to wash feet. There is a verse to prove it:
I remember when we first encountered each other in the study, the traces of clouds and rain are little known.
At dawn, the phoenixes rest on the double pillows, the silver lamp is trimmed, casting a dim light.
Thinking of the past, my thoughts are tangled; tonight I joyfully take to the skies.
Endless joy in our highs and lows, from now on, we will never be apart.
