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Written by: Realhistories

Category: The Golden Lotus（金瓶梅）

Published: 31 December 2024

Created: 31 December 2024

Hits: 56

The poem says:

Leaning against something, drunkenly searching for old promises without cause,

Yet feeling a melancholy that's hard to shake.

In the quiet pavilion, the deep spring rain falls,

In the distance, dim lights flicker through the curtains at midnight.

As I stand by the pillar, a gentle breeze stirs,

Thoughts swirl in my mind.

Clearly hearing the sound of fabric being cut beneath the window,

I knock on the railing, but there's no answer.

Ximen Qing died seven days ago, and on that day, the sixteen monks from Baoguo Temple were conducting a Water and Land Dharma assembly. Ying Bojue invited Xie Xida, Hua Ziyao, Zhu Shinian, Sun Tianhua, Chang Zhijie, and Bai Laiguang to sit down together. Bojue began, saying, "Ximen Qing has been gone for seven days. We were all quite familiar with him, eating his food, using his things, and even taking advantage of him, borrowing his money. Now that he's gone, can we really pretend we don't know? Even if we try to fool him by tossing some dirt on his grave, when we reach the underworld, the King of Hell will not let us off. Here's the deal: each of us chips in one silver coin, making it seven coins total, to hold a ceremony, buy a scroll painting, and get Master Shui to write a eulogy. We can pay our respects to Ximen Qing's spirit, and maybe even get back some money and mourning clothes. What do you think?" Everyone agreed, so they each handed over their silver coins to Bojue, prepared offerings, bought a scroll painting, and asked Master Shui to write the eulogy. Master Shui, who knew Bojue and Ximen Qing were both shady characters, secretly mocked him and wrote the eulogy. Bojue and the others set up the offerings at the spirit's altar, while Chen Jingji, dressed in mourning clothes, stood by to pay his respects. Bojue led the way, everyone lit incense, but they were all rather rough around the edges and didn't grasp the nuances. Once they lit the incense and poured the wine, they began to recite the eulogy. The eulogy likely went something like this:

In the first year of the Weizhong era, in the Wuxu year, on the fifth day of the second month of Wuzi, on the third day of the beginning of the month, the students Ying Bojue, Xie Xida, Hua Ziyao, Zhu Shinian, Sun Tianhua, Chang Zhijie, and Bai Laiguang respectfully offer sacrifices to the spirit of the late Jin Yi Xi Men Daguoren, with a ceremony of clear wine and offerings, they said: "The spirit was straightforward and steadfast; unafraid of gentleness and unyielding to harshness. Always aiding others with a drop of water, consistently supporting others with brilliance. His pockets were quite full, exuding a lofty demeanor. He lifts spirits in joy and endures through adversity. He resides among the Jin Dang team, keeping treasures at his waist. He has eight corners but does not scratch; encountering lice makes it difficult to bear the itching. The favored young one always follows closely. He has spent nights at Zhangtai, reveling among the willows, and has been wild at Xieguan. Shouldn't you keep your head held high and persevere? Why suffer from an illness that keeps you down? Now that you have stretched out your legs and left the younger generation behind, like a stumbling pigeon, where can you find support? It's hard to enter the fireworks camp and hard to lean on the red walls of the Eight Characters. No longer can we sit together in softness and gentleness; no longer can we ride together and enjoy warmth. Those who abandon will hang their heads in shame, while those who evade will be caught. Now we offer this white wine, followed by a toast. May the spirit remain clear, and may it be accepted and enjoyed." After the ceremony, Chen Jingji came down to reciprocate the courtesy and invited them to eat and drink in the tent, but let's not dwell on that for now.

On that day, when Old Lady Li from the Li family heard that Ximen Qing had died, she quickly made plans and prepared an offering table, asking Li Guiqing and Li Guijie to take a sedan chair to perform the paper-burning ritual. Wu Yueniang did not come out, and Li Jiao'er and Meng Yulou hosted them in the house. Li Guiqing and Li Guijie quietly told Li Jiao'er: "My mother said that since he is already dead, the people in your courtyard don’t need to mourn for so long anymore! As the saying goes, even the longest banquet must eventually come to an end. While you still have things left, secretly let Li Ming send the items back home, just in case something happens. Don’t be silly! There’s a saying: 'Yangzhou may be nice, but it’s not somewhere to linger.' No matter how long it is, you’ll eventually have to move on from the Ximen family." Li Jiao'er took these words to heart.

Unexpectedly, on that day, Han Daoguo's wife Wang Liuer also prepared an offering table, dressed simply, and came in a sedan chair to burn paper for her late husband Ximen Qing. She arranged the offerings in front of the spirit tablet and stood there the entire time. After standing for a long time, no one came out to greet her. It turned out that after Ximen Qing's death, Wang Jing had been sent back home on the seventh day. When the servants saw Wang Liuer arrive, they didn't dare to go in and inform. Lai An, unaware of this, ran to Madam Wu's room and told her, "Aunt Han has come to burn paper for Father; she has been standing outside all day, Uncle asked me to tell Mother." Madam Wu was already upset and snapped, "This good-for-nothing, instead of running errands for me, comes to tell me about Aunt Han. What Aunt? You dog, you keep a man's mistress, causing others to be ruined, father and son separated, husband and wife separated; what are you burning paper for?" Her harsh words left Lai An speechless, and he quickly ran to the spirit tablet. Wu Daifu asked Lai An, "Did you tell them behind?" Lai An couldn't say a word. After asking for a long time, he finally said, "Mother asked me to come out and say something." Wu Daifu hurried in and said to Madam Wu, "Sister, how can you be like this? Don't scold anymore! The ancients said, manners should not be too bad. He gave us a lot of money after all; how can you treat her like this? A good reputation is hard to come by; don't do this. If you don't want to go out, at least let Second Sister and Third Sister entertain her properly; it's the least you can do. Why do this, let people say you're not good?" Madam Wu fell silent after hearing her brother's words. After a while, Meng Yulou came out, returned the greeting, and sat with her in front of the offering table. After just one cup of tea, Wang Liuer felt embarrassed and decided to take her leave. As the poem goes:

Who can draw water from the West River, it's hard to avoid feeling ashamed today.

Li Guiqing, Li Guijie, and Wu Yiner were all sitting in the main room. When they saw Wu Yueniang scolding Han Daoguo's wife, calling her a slut, they felt uneasy and wanted to head home before sunset. Wu Yueniang repeatedly encouraged them, "The staff will be staying here overnight, so you can watch the opera and then leave." Eventually, Li Guijie and Wu Yiner still did not leave, only letting Li Guiqing leave. In the evening, the monks dispersed, and many neighbors, staff, stewards, Qiao Dahus, Wu Dajus, Wu Erjus, Shen Yifus, Huaziyaos, Ying Bojues, Xie Xida, and Chang Zhijes, probably more than twenty people, called in the opera troupe and set up a banquet in the tent for the night. They put on the play "Sun Rong and Sun Hua Kill the Dog to Persuade the Husband." The guests gathered in the room next to the memorial hall, surrounded by the screen, pulled down the curtains, set up the tables, and watched the performance outside. Li Ming and Wu Hui were also helping here and did not go home at night. Soon enough, everyone showed up. Once the rituals were complete, candles were lit in the tent, everyone sat down, music began, and the show began. It continued until the early hours of the morning before the play ended.

After Ximen Qing's death, Chen Jingji and Pan Jinlian were inseparable, either making eyes at each other in front of the spirit tablet or sneaking around behind the curtain. After the guests left and the servants finished their tasks, Pan Jinlian took her chance, pulled Chen Jingji's hand, and said, "Sweetheart, your mother has made your dreams come true today. While your elder sister is in the back, let's go to your room." Chen Jingji happily dashed back to open the door. Pan Jinlian quietly snuck into his room, said nothing, stripped down, lay on the kang, and waited for him. Truly: with the audacity of a lion, there's nothing to fear; the love of a pair of mandarin ducks lasts forever.

It truly is: two years of encounters, one morning as partners; several years of marriage, one day of harmony. One with a willow-like figure swaying, the other with a jade-like form gracefully unfolding. Whispering of the feelings of rain and clouds in each other's ears, sharing vows of loyalty like mountains and seas on the pillow. The oriole indulges, the butterfly gathers, and the enchanting lady flirts with countless charms; the torrential rain puts the clouds to shame, the delicate beauty displays countless attitudes. One keeps calling sweetly, the other embraces and calls out loudly. How much fresh green suddenly transforms into the color of willow, the flower's beauty does not diminish from the old red.

Afterward, Pan Jinlian, fearing discovery, hurried back. The next day, Chen Jingji tasted the sweetness and ran to Pan Jinlian's room early in the morning. Pan Jinlian was still sleeping in her bed, and Chen Jingji peered through the window and saw Pan Jinlian sleeping soundly, her face aglow, and said: "You, in charge of the storeroom, why aren't you up yet! Today, our in-laws are coming to pay respects, and the mistress instructed to clear away the offering tables for Li San and Huang Si from yesterday. Quick, give me the keys." Pan Jinlian quickly had Chunmei give the keys to Chen Jingji, who first sent Chunmei upstairs to open the door. Pan Jinlian then stuck her tongue out from the window, and the two shared a tender moment. Truly, how much fragrant sweetness fills the mouth, with sweet saliva spilling over the heart and soul. There are words to prove it:

I resent the cuckoo's call piercing through the beaded curtain. My heart feels like a needle, my emotions like glue. I see a smiling face, yet worry lingers in her cheeks, spring's slender beauty worn down, the cloud pine and emerald hairpin. Sleeping face flushed, jade reduced and red added. Once brushed by sandalwood-scented lips. Even now, my lips still carry that fragrance, and just thinking of it brings sweetness to my mouth.

After the door of Chunmei Building was opened, Chen Jingji went to attend to the sacrificial rites in front. Not long after, the Qiao family came to pay their respects. Qiao's wife and many relatives finished their offerings before the altar, and Wu Dajiu, Wu Erjiu, and Gan Huojii led them to the tent to entertain. Li Ming and Wu Hui played music to liven up the atmosphere. That day, Zheng Aiyue also came to light incense; upon seeing Li Guijie and Wu Yinjie, she complained that they hadn't informed her of Ximen Qing's death. When she saw that Yue Niang had given birth, she said, "Mother has both joy and sorrow. It’s a shame that father left us too soon; now you have a master, so there’s no need to worry." After the funeral arrangements were made, the guests stayed until evening before they finally left.

The third day of the second month was Ximen Qing's second seven. Wu Daoguan from the Jade Emperor Temple and sixteen Taoist priests recited scriptures and performed rituals at home. That day, He Qianhu from the government organized Liu and Xue, the two ministers, along with military officials like Zhou Shoubei, Jing Duzong, Zhang Tuanlian, and Yun Zhihui to light incense and pay their respects. Yue Niang invited Qiao Dahu, Wu Dajiu, and Ying Bojue to join them, while Li Ming and Wu Hui performed music to entertain the guests in the tent. In the evening, they recited scriptures to help guide the spirits. Yue Niang instructed them to carry Li Ping'er’s spirit bed out to be burned and to move the boxes and cages to the main room. The wet nurse Ruyi and Yingchun stayed behind to help, while Xiuchun was assigned to the room of Li Jiaor. Li Ping'er’s room was locked up tight. Truly: The painted beams and carved rafters are still not dry, and there are no devoted guests in the hall. There is a poem to prove it:

Under Xiang Wang Platform, the water flows gently, a single longing, a double sorrow. The moonlight is not as good as the changes in human affairs; as night deepens, it still touches the powder wall.

Li Ming took the opportunity to help with the rituals to secretly had Li Jiao'er steal things for him, and often didn't return home for two or three days, with only Yue Niang being unaware. Wu Er Jiu and Li Jiao'er had previously had an affair, and no one dared to say anything. On the ninth day, after the three sevens were recited, Yue Niang came out of the dark room, and by the fourth seven, she had stopped reading scriptures. On the twelfth day, Chen Jingji returned after breaking ground. On the twentieth, the funeral was held, but fewer people attended than when Li Ping'er had passed away. During the funeral procession, monks from Bao'en Temple were invited to carry the coffin, who sat in the sedan chair reciting a few lines of scripture. After finishing, Chen Jingji smashed the paper basin, the coffin was lifted, and the family members cried out loudly. Wu Yue Niang sat in the soul sedan chair, followed by guests, escorting the funeral together to the ancestral grave located five miles outside the South Gate for burial. Chen Jingji prepared a piece of cloth and asked Yun to inscribe the spirit tablet, and the Yin-Yang master oversaw the burial. After everyone finished filling the earth, at the altar on the hill for worship, only Wu Da Jiu, Qiao Da Hu, He Qian Hu, Shen Yi Fu, Han Yi Fu, and a few workers were present. Wu Dao Guan left twelve Taoist boys at home to carry out rituals, and after tidying up, they sent the relatives off. Wu Yue Niang kept vigil, and after the funeral was complete and everyone had returned, those who had helped also took their leave to return to the yamen. On the fifth and seventh days, Yue Niang invited Xue Guzi, Wang Guzi, the Master, and twelve nuns to recite scriptures at home to guide the departed souls. Wu Da Jiaozi and the wife of Wu Shun Chen stayed at home to keep her company.

Li Guiqing and Sister Gui whispered to Li Jiao'er, "Your mother said you don’t have anything of value, so don’t waste your time staying here. You don’t have children, so why stay? Now’s the time to take advantage of the chaos and make your escape! Yesterday your second brother mentioned that the Zhang family in town plans to spend five hundred taels of silver to take a second wife and be the head of the household. If you marry into that family, you'll gain status right away. Staying here until you grow old won’t get you anywhere. People in our courtyard always go for the new and follow the crowd, so don’t let this chance slip away." Li Jiao'er took this advice to heart, and after the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, she took her chance to leave without much hassle.

To her surprise, Pan Jinlian told Sun Xue'e that on the day of the funeral, she saw Li Jiao'er and Wu Erjue talking in the little house in the garden. Chunmei also saw Li Jiao'er giving Li Ming a package behind the curtain in the mourning hall, and then Li Ming went home. When Madame Yue found out about this, she gave Wu Erjue a good telling-off and banished him from the backyard. She also instructed the gatekeeper not to let Li Ming come and go. Madame Yue never liked Li Jiao'er, and now she saw her chance. One day, Madame Yue was having tea with Aunt Xue and Meng Yulou in the main room, without even inviting Li Jiao'er. Li Jiao'er got angry, had a big fight with Madame Yue, even hit the spirit tablet of Master Ximen, cried and made a scene until midnight, even thought about hanging herself. The maid rushed to tell Madame Yue. Madame Yue was shocked and talked it over with Aunt Xue, and called the matchmaker from the Li family to get Li Jiao'er sent away. The matchmaker was worried that Li Jiao'er would take off with her clothes and jewelry, so she said, "My family has suffered so many grievances in your house, it’s not easy for her to just up and leave, you should give her a few dozen taels of silver to help her out." Wu Dajue, being an official, didn't dare to offend Madame Yue, so after a lot of back and forth, he finally let Madame Yue give Li Jiao'er her clothes, jewelry, boxes, bed curtains, and daily necessities, and sent her packing, but she wouldn’t let her take Yuanxiao and Xiuchun, the two maids with her. Li Jiao'er insisted on taking these two maids, but Madame Yue firmly refused, saying, "You’re really something, turning good girls into prostitutes." This freaked out the matchmaker, who didn't dare to say another word, and left Madame Yue with a forced smile, and Li Jiao'er took a sedan chair back home.

Ladies and gentlemen, the folks in this courtyard make a living by flaunting their charms, treating makeup and dressing up as their trade; flirting in the morning and playing the field at night; sending one out the front door while welcoming another through the back; ditching old flames and currying favor with new patrons is just human nature. No matter how hard you try to hold onto them, you can’t tame their restless spirits. Whether they're sneaking around while alive or stirring up trouble even after they're gone, they’ll always end up back with their old lovers. As the saying goes, "A snake in a tube is still a snake; a bird out of its cage flies away easily." Here’s a poem to illustrate this:

It’s laughable how fleeting fireworks are, just like how the bridal chamber sees a new groom every night. Two delicate wrists shared among a thousand lovers, and a pair of ruby lips sampled by countless guests. Crafting all sorts of charming facades while harboring a false heart. Even if you've got plans to keep her, you can’t guarantee she won’t think of her old home when it counts. Madam Moon sent Li Jiaor away and cried. Everyone tried to cheer her up; Pan Jinlian said, "Sister, don’t be sad. As the saying goes, marry a loose woman and raise a sea turtle, always wanting to drink but thinking of the ocean. These are just things she did back then, and now it’s got big sister all riled up."

The house is in disarray, and Ping An suddenly reports: "The salt inspector, Old Master Cai, has come and is sitting in the hall. I told him the master has died, and he asked when he died. I said he passed away on the 21st day of the first lunar month, and it has now been seven weeks since then. He asked if a memorial hall has been set up, and I said yes, it's in the back courtyard. He wants to come to pay his respects, so I came to inform you, mother." Yue Niang instructed, "Let your brother-in-law go out to see him." After a while, Chen Jingji, dressed in mourning clothes, went out to greet Inspector Cai. After a while, the offerings were prepared in the back courtyard, and they invited Inspector Cai to pay his respects at the memorial for Xi Menqing. Yue Niang came out in mourning clothes to return the greeting, said little, and had the maid say, "Madam asks you to return to your room." She then said to Jingji, "I previously troubled you at the manor, and now that my duties have ended and I'm returning to the capital, I specifically came to express my gratitude. I didn't expect the old gentleman to..." Then she asked, "What illness did he have?" Chen Jingji replied, "It was phlegm-fire illness." Inspector Cai said, "What a pity, what a pity." He then asked his family to bring two bolts of silk from Hangzhou, a pair of velvet socks, four pieces of dried fish, and four jars of preserved fruits, saying, "Consider these humble gifts as offerings." He also took out fifty taels of silver, saying, "This is the debt of gratitude I owe you. I've saved some of my salary to repay this kindness." He instructed Ping An, "Take these things to the room." Jingji said, "You are too kind, old gentleman." Yue Niang said, "Please, old gentleman, sit in the front hall for a while." Inspector Cai replied, "No, thank you. Just a cup of tea will do." Soon, someone brought tea. After finishing his tea, Inspector Cai got into his sedan chair and departed. Yue Niang received the fifty taels of silver, feeling a mix of happiness and sadness. When Xi Menqing was alive, officials like this would never leave empty-handed. Who knows how long they would drink? Now that Xi Menqing has died, although the family wealth is considerable, there’s no one to keep her company. Truly: One must build friendships for joy and leisure; heaven paints a beautiful landscape.

Li Jiao'er returned home and, upon hearing about this from the earl, told Zhang Erguan, who then brought five taels of silver to let her stay for the night. Zhang Erguan was a year younger than Ximen Qing, born in the Year of the Rabbit, and was thirty-two. Li Jiao'er was thirty-four; Qian Po lied about her age, saying she was six years younger, and the earl went along with the lie. Three hundred taels of silver were spent to take her as a second wife. Zhu Shinian and Sun Guazui still brought along Wang Sanguan and frequently visited the Li family, maintaining a good relationship with Sister Gui, so I won't go into more detail.

The earl, Li San, and Huang Si borrowed five thousand taels from Xu Neixiang, and Zhang Erguan chipped in another five thousand, using the money to sort out provisions for Dongping Prefecture. They rode fine horses every day, hanging out in the courtyard. After hearing about Ximen Qing's death, Zhang Erguan spent over a thousand taels to leverage his connections to find Zheng Huangqin from the Tokyo Privy Council, then talked to Grand Commandant Zhu about wanting to take over Ximen Qing's role in the criminal court. Once he got home, he bought land and built a house.

The count flattered Zhang Erguan every day, telling him all about the affairs of Ximen Qing's household, saying, "Ximen Qing has a young wife named Pan Jinlian, who is the sixth in order. She is exceptionally beautiful, as if she stepped out of a painting! She is proficient in the four arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; her handwriting is good, and she plays the pipa exceptionally well. She is not yet thirty this year, and she is more beautiful than those actresses." Upon hearing this, Zhang Erguan felt a stirring in his heart and particularly wanted to marry her, so he asked, "Isn't she the wife of Wu Dalang, who used to sell pancakes?" The count replied, "That's her. After Ximen Qing died, she has been a widow for several years, but I don't know if she would be open to remarrying." Zhang Erguan said, "Please help me find out. If she wants to get married, you tell me immediately, and I will marry her." The count said, "I have an acquaintance at Ximen Qing's house named Laijue; I will have him find out. If Pan Jinlian wants to marry, I'll let you know. Marrying her is much better than marrying an actress! Ximen Qing went to great lengths to marry her. As for women, each has her own fate; only those with good fortune can marry her. If you gain power and marry her, enjoying happiness together, that would be called a fulfilling life. I will have Laijue secretly inquire; as long as she has any intention of marrying, I will use sweet words to win her over, and you can spend a few hundred taels of silver to bring her home and enjoy her well!"

Ladies and gentlemen, those who love to flatter others in this world are all petty people. At first, Ximen Qing treated the count exceptionally well, better than a real brother, providing him with good food, drink, and clothing every day. Not long after Ximen Qing died, while his body was still warm, the count started getting involved in such unscrupulous behavior. This truly illustrates the saying, "It's hard to paint a tiger's bones after painting its skin." A poem best describes him: "Once, our bond was as precious as gold and jade, full of schemes to serve one another, never to be taken lightly. But since Ximen's death, they've all sought concubines for their beds."

Details

Written by: Realhistories

Category: The Golden Lotus（金瓶梅）

Published: 31 December 2024

Created: 31 December 2024

Hits: 55

It is said that that guy Ximen Qing deceived his wife and then went to the pavilion to drink with Wu Dajiu, Ying Bojue, Xie Xida, and Chang Zhijie. The wives of Jing, Zhang, Qiao, Cui, Wu, and Sister Duan also sat there for a while and left only after finishing the sweet dumplings. That day, Wu Dajinzi even went back with Wu Shunchen's wife. Ximen Qing also gave two taels of silver to the invited performer Wang Huangqin for their performances, with plenty of food and drink provided. The four performers and several young entertainers were still singing and pouring wine in the pavilion. The Count asked him, "Have you sent a gift for Brother Hua's birthday tomorrow?" Ximen Qing replied, "I've sent it early." Dai An said, "Brother Hua has already sent someone to deliver the invitation." The Count said, "Are you going tomorrow? I can give you a ride." Ximen Qing said, "We'll figure it out tomorrow; you can just go ahead." After a while, the four performers left, and Li Ming and the others came up to sing. Ximen Qing dozed off in his chair. Wu Dajiu said, "Bro, you look worn out; let’s head out." So they stood up to bid farewell. Ximen Qing insisted on keeping them until the second watch of the night before they finally called it a night. Ximen Qing first saw off the performers, giving Li Ming and the others two cups of wine each and six coins as tips. Before they left, Ximen Qing called Li Ming and instructed, "On the 15th, I want to invite Zhou Ye, Jing Ye, and He Laodai; please help me line up four performers ahead of time, don’t let it slip." Li Ming knelt and asked, "Father, which four do you want to invite?" Ximen Qing said, "Fan Baijian's boy, Qin Yuzhi's girl, plus a Feng Jinbao who sang at He Laodai's a few days ago, and add a Lu Sai'er, get them all to come." Li Ming nodded, "Got it," bowed his head, and left.

Ximen Qing returned to the backyard and entered Lady Yuemen's room. Lady Yuemen told him, "Today, Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Jing were in a bit of a mood, so they stayed until very late before leaving. During the banquet, they kept thanking me, saying, 'Thanks to you, sir, for looking after us. We won't forget you in the future if there are any benefits.' They mentioned they’d be heading to Huai'an next month to push for grain transport." She also said, "Mrs. He had quite a bit to drink today and really took a liking to Sister Liu. She even took her for a stroll in the garden and up the hill. They received a lot of gifts today." After that, Ximen Qing went to rest in the main room. In the middle of the night, Lady Yuemen had a dream and told Ximen Qing the next morning, "I think I saw Mrs. Wang in a big red velvet robe during the day, so I dreamt that you found a big red velvet robe in Sister Li's trunk and gave it to me. But Pan Liu grabbed it and wore it, which made me really mad. I said, 'You can take her fur coat, but why take this robe!' She got angry and tore a big hole in the robe. We had a big argument and I woke up. It was just a silly dream." Ximen Qing said, "It's nothing, I'll find you a robe to wear tomorrow. As the old saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night."

The next day, Ximen Qing had a headache and was not in the mood to go to the yamen. After washing up, he sat in the study. Yuxiao brought him a half bowl of milk and some medicine. Ximen Qing was lying on the bed, letting Wang Jing massage his legs. When Wang Jing saw Yuxiao, he left. Yuxiao fed Ximen Qing the medicine, and Ximen Qing asked him to take a pair of gold-inlaid hairpins and four black silver rings to Lady Lai's room. Yuxiao understood the master's orders and quickly sent them over, just like he did for Lai Weng's wife. After dropping off the items, he came back to Ximen Qing and said, "She accepted them and will bow to you another day." Then he took the empty bowl and left. Lady Yuemen asked Xiaoyu to make some porridge, but when it was time to eat, Ximen Qing still hadn’t shown up.

Wang Jing had brought something to Ximen Qing along with his sister Wang Luer, and also invited Ximen Qing to his home. Ximen Qing opened the paper package and found a lock of shiny black hair cut from his wife, wrapped in colorful thread tied in a concentric knot, which was made very delicately. There was also a pair of purple and gold embroidered mandarin duck sachets filled with melon seeds. Ximen Qing gazed at them for a long time, feeling very happy; he placed the sachet on the bookshelf and tucked the concentric knot into his sleeve. While he was lost in thought, Wu Yueniang suddenly arrived, pulled back the curtain, saw him lying on the bed, and Wang Jing was massaging his legs. She said, "Why are you just staying out here and not coming in? The porridge is ready inside. What’s wrong? You seem so listless." Ximen Qing said, "I don't know what's wrong; I just feel restless, and my legs are hurting." Yueniang said, "Maybe it's just spring fatigue. Take your medicine and rest up." She invited him into the room, let him eat porridge, and said, "It's the New Year festival; you should perk up. Today is Hua Da Jiu's birthday; you should go visit him. If not, why not call Ying Erge to keep you company?" Ximen Qing said, "He's not here either; he's off celebrating Hua Da Jiu's birthday. Get some snacks and drinks ready; I'll head over to the lamp market to find his second uncle to hang out with." Yueniang said, "Ride over there; I’ll have the maids tidy up." Ximen Qing ordered Dai'an to prepare the horse, followed by Wang Jing, dressed up, and headed to Lion Street Lamp Market. The lamp market was buzzing with people, bright lights, and a lively vibe. In peaceful times, good winds blow and luxurious fabrics compete for attention. Ao Mountain soars high into the blue sky; where doesn’t a visitor come to see?

Ximen Qing had finished watching the lantern festival, dismounted at the door of the house, and went inside to sit down. Wu Erjia and Ben Si hurried over to greet him. The shop was doing a brisk business. Lai Zhao's wife, Yizheng Qing, was already boiling water and brewing tea in the study. Before long, Wu Yueniang instructed Qin Tong and Lai An to bring two boxes of snacks, dishes, and vegetables. There was also bean wine brought from the south, which they opened and placed upstairs, inviting Wu Erjia and Ben Si to drink in turns. From the window of the building, one could see the lantern market, with people coming and going in an endless stream.

After dinner, Ximen Qing asked Wang Jing to call Wang Liu'er. Upon hearing that Ximen Qing had arrived, Wang Liu'er quickly tidied up the room, set out the food, and waited eagerly. Ximen Qing instructed Lai Zhao, "Leave this table of food and wine for Wu Erjia and Ben Si to stay and eat here tonight; there's no need to take it back." He also sent Qin Tong with a cask of wine to Wang Liu'er's house. Ximen Qing rode straight to Wang Liu'er's house. Wang Liu'er, looking beautiful, came out to greet him, performing four kowtows in greeting.

Ximen Qing said, "You're being too polite. You didn't come either time I invited you." Wang Liuer said, "You're right. No one else comes to my house. These days, I've been feeling unwell, can't eat, and just can't get myself to do anything." Ximen Qing asked, "Are you missing your husband?" Wang Liuer said, "No way! It's just that you haven't been here recently, and I'm worried you might have someone else in your heart." Ximen Qing smiled and said, "That's not true! I've been busy with a banquet at home." Wang Liuer said, "I heard you had guests over at your house yesterday." Ximen Qing said, "Yeah, my mother-in-law had a couple of drinks with someone, so we need to return the favor." Wang Liuer asked, "Who did you invite?" Ximen Qing then went through the list of guests he invited. Wang Liuer said, "It looks like you only invited important guests, not us regular folks." Ximen Qing said, "It's okay. Tomorrow, on the sixteenth, there'll be another round of drinks, and I will invite the wives of you fellows. You must come then, don't refuse again." Wang Liuer said, "If you send me an invitation, I'll definitely be there." Then, Wang Liuer talked about how her younger sister scolded Shen Erjie a few days ago, complaining that everyone was picking on her. She didn't want to go that day, but everyone persuaded her, and she ended up being scolded and crying for a long time. Everyone felt embarrassed. Later, her parents sent a box and a couple of silver coins to comfort her, and that was that. It turned out that her younger sister had such a bad temper, really acting tough because of her connections. Ximen Qing said, "You have no idea how sharp her tongue can be; she can make people cry just by talking. If she tells you to sing, just sing for her—why risk making her mad?" Wang Liuer said, "Oh, she scolded me to my face, and I cried for a long time. She crashed at my place overnight, and I only sent her off in the morning." After a while, the maid brought tea. Old Feng Po came over to pay her respects to Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing gave her three or four silver coins and said, "Since your mother passed away, you haven't come by my place." Wang Liuer said, "She has no one to rely on, how can she relax? She often drops by to keep me company."

After a while, Wang Liu'er invited Ximen Qing to sit down inside and asked, "Dad, have you had lunch?" Ximen Qing replied, "I had a little porridge at home in the morning, and just now I had two snacks with your second uncle, so I'm not hungry now." Saying this, Wang Liu'er set the table and brought out the wine. Wang Liu'er asked Wang Jing to open the wine jar and poured wine for Ximen Qing. Wang Liu'er asked, "Did you see the things I crafted? I made them using my own hair, and I hope you like them." Ximen Qing said, "Thank you." After a few drinks, seeing that there was no one else in the room, Ximen Qing took out the Hu Seng medicine, a type of traditional medicine, from his sleeve, put it on himself, tied it with a silk ribbon, and swallowed it down with wine. Wang Liu'er gently touched him, and Ximen Qing suddenly felt a rush of excitement, his face flushed. Ximen Qing embraced Wang Liu'er, drinking and having fun together.

As night fell, Mrs. Feng made leek and pork pancakes, and they each had two. The two of them went to the warm kang (a heated bed) in the inner room, drew back the brocade curtains, undressed, and settled into bed. Wang Luer knew that Ximen Qing liked to have the lights on while having intimate relations, so she moved the lamp to the bedside table, closed the paper door, freshened up, slipped off her pants, got into bed, and embraced Ximen Qing, sleeping for a while. Ximen Qing was overwhelmed with desire as he thought about the wife of He Qianhu, Mrs. Lan. He shouted, "You miss me, you naughty girl?" Wang Luer replied, "Of course I want you, as long as you are good to me. If one day you get tired of me and ignore me, I wouldn't know how to go on. Who knows my suffering? Even if my husband comes back, I don't want to tell him. He is out there doing business and making money; wouldn't he think of his wife? Would he think of me?" Ximen Qing said, "My good child, if you’re truly devoted to me, when he comes back, I will help you find a new man; you just have to wait for me." Wang Luer said, "Okay, when he comes back, you can help me find a new man, or let me stay outside, or even take me into your home, it's all up to you. I've given myself to you; I will listen to everything you say." Ximen Qing said, "I know." The two of them made love a few more times until they could barely move. Ximen Qing embraced Wang Luer and slept until the third watch before getting up. Ximen Qing got up, dressed, and washed up. Wang Luer opened the door and called for the maid to bring more food and wine, and joined Ximen Qing for a few more drinks. After getting drunk, Ximen Qing pulled out a note and handed it to Wang Luer: "Go to Mr. Gan's shop and pick whatever style you want." Wang Luer thanked him over and over and saw him off.

Wang Jing was holding a lantern, while Dai An and Qin Tong led the horse. It was probably around three in the morning, with dark clouds overhead and the moonlight hazy. The streets were cold and deserted, punctuated only by the barking of dogs. As they approached the stone bridge, a sudden gust of wind swept through, and a dark figure emerged from under the bridge, rushing towards Ximen Qing. The horse startled, and Ximen Qing shivered as he whipped it. The horse galloped back home, while Wang Jing with the lantern struggled to keep up. Ximen Qing got off the horse, his legs feeling weak, and was helped into Pan Jinlian's room.

Lost people meet at the fifth intersection,

In the cold mist, hungry ghosts collide with Zhong Kui.

Jinlian was waiting for Ximen Qing on the kang. When she heard him return, she quickly got up to help him undress. Ximen Qing was heavily intoxicated, and Jinlian didn’t dare to question him. With one arm around her shoulder, Ximen Qing hugged her and mumbled, "You little demon, I got drunk today and collected money from ten shops, and now I want to sleep." Jinlian helped him onto the kang to lie down. Ximen Qing fell into a deep sleep, impossible to wake. Jinlian took off her clothes, got into bed, and touched Ximen Qing, finding him soft and flaccid, wondering where he had been. She was burning with desire, a restless itch inside her... She asked Ximen Qing, "Where is the aphrodisiac?" After nudging him for a while, she finally managed to wake him. Ximen Qing drunkenly cursed, "You little demon, always asking such silly questions! Do you want me to tire you out again? You're too lazy to move today! The medicine is in the box in my sleeve; go get it and take it. If it can get me hard, then you’ve got some skills!" Jinlian took out the box from his sleeve, finding only three or four pills left. She poured a cup of wine, took one pill herself, and had three pills left. Worried the effect might not be strong enough, she used wine to wash down the remaining three

It suddenly shot out, like mercury pouring from a bottle, and Jin Lian couldn't catch it with her mouth, spilling everywhere. At first, it was semen, but then it just wouldn't stop, and soon it was all blood. Ximen Qing had already fainted, his limbs had gone limp. Jin Lian panicked and quickly fed him red dates. After he exhausted himself, he started to bleed; once the blood stopped flowing, he became cold. It took a long time before it finally stopped. Jin Lian was in a complete panic, holding Ximen Qing and asking, "Brother, how do you feel?" Ximen Qing woke up for a moment and replied, "I feel so dizzy and my head is heavy; I don't know what's going on." Jin Lian asked, "Why did you bleed so much today?" She was too afraid to mention all the medicine he had taken. Ladies and gentlemen, a person's vitality is limited, while the lust in this world knows no bounds. As the saying goes: "Those who indulge deeply in desires have shallow vitality." Ximen Qing only knew how to seek pleasure, not realizing that one day he would run out of oil and his lamp would go cold, and his essence would be exhausted, leading to his demise. Just like the saying at the beginning: "The beauty at eighteen has a figure like dough, wielding a sword at her waist to slay foolish men. Though you might not see heads roll, it subtly teaches you that your very essence will run dry."

The next morning, Ximen Qing woke up and combed his hair. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and almost toppled forward. Luckily, Chunmei was quick on her feet and caught him before he could fall. He sat in the chair for a while to collect himself. Jinlian anxiously asked, "You must be feeling really weak. Sit down first, eat something, and then you can go out later." She instructed Qiujie, "Go to the kitchen and get a bowl of porridge for him." Qiujie went to the kitchen and asked Xue'e, "Is the porridge ready? The master felt dizzy this morning and even fell; now he wants to eat porridge." When Yu Niang overheard this, she stopped Qiujie and asked what had happened. Qiujie told Yu Niang about Ximen Qing feeling dizzy and falling while combing his hair. Yu Niang was alarmed and quickly told Xue'e to hurry up with the porridge, then ran to Jinlian's room to see Ximen Qing. She saw Ximen Qing sitting on the chair and asked, "Why do you feel dizzy?" Ximen Qing replied, "I’m not sure what’s going on; I just felt dizzy all of a sudden." Jinlian said, "Chunmei and I caught him just this morning; otherwise, his body would have been in trouble!" Yu Niang said, "It's probably because you came home too late yesterday and drank too much." Jinlian asked, "Where did you go to drink yesterday? You came back so late?" Yu Niang said, "He drank with his second uncle in the shop yesterday." After a while, Xue'e cooked the porridge and had Chunmei bring it to Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing ate half a bowl but then lost his appetite, so he put down the bowl. Yu Niang asked, "How do you feel?" Ximen Qing said, "I'm fine, just feeling a bit weak and lazy to move." Yu Niang said, "You shouldn't go to the yamen today." Ximen Qing said, "I’m not going. Later, I will go to the front and have my brother-in-law write invitations. On the fifteenth, we will invite officials such as Zhou Juxuan, Jing Nangang, and Mr. He to drink." Yu Niang said, "You still need to take your medicine today, so drink some milk first and then take it. You've been working too hard recently." She asked Chunmei to call Ruyi to squeeze some milk and give it to Ximen Qing in a bowl, then let him take the medicine before getting up to go to the front. Chunmei supported him, but just as they reached the garden gate, he felt dizzy again, swaying and unable to stand, almost falling. Chunmei had to support him back. Yu Niang said, "I think you should take a couple of days to rest. Forget about the guests for now; that can wait. Stay in the room and rest well for two days, don't go out." She said, "What do you want to eat? I'll have someone make it for you." Ximen Qing replied, "I’m not in the mood to eat anything."

Looks like there's nothing to translate here!

Yu Niang walked behind Jinlian and began to question her: "Was Ximen Qing drunk when he came back yesterday? Did he drink? What did he say to you?" Jinlian, upon hearing this, wished she had more mouths to repeat her words a thousand times: "Sister, you're wronging me! He came back late, so drunk he couldn't even bow, and asked me to pour him a drink. I made him tea to drink instead of wine, saying there was no alcohol left, and then sent him off to bed. Ever since you said those words, who would dare to deal with him? It's so embarrassing! I'm worried something might happen outside, and we'd be none the wiser. As for the house, there really is nothing going on!"

Yue Niang and Yulou sat together, calling for Da'an and Qintong, asking them, "Where was your dad drinking yesterday? Tell the truth, or else if we find any issues, we'll blame you two!" Da'an stubbornly insisted they drank at Lion Street with Uncle Er and Ben Si, not anywhere else. Later, they asked Wu Er Uncle, who said, "Brother-in-law only had a little to drink with us and then left." Wu Yue Niang was furious upon hearing this, gave Da'an and Qintong a good scolding after Er Uncle left, even wanting to give them a whack. The two were scared and quickly confessed: "Yesterday, we drank at Han Daoguo's wife's house!"

Upon hearing this, Pan Jinlian became anxious and said, "Sister just blamed me, truly wronging the innocent while letting the guilty off the hook! We all have our reputation, why would we think about this every day?" She continued, "Sister, ask these two boys again. A few days ago when you went to He Qianhu's house to drink, his father also came back at that time. Where else could he have been? Who visits so late during New Year's?" Da'an, fearing Qintong would spill the beans, couldn't hold back and confessed to the affair with Mrs. Lin. Yue Niang finally believed and said, "I thought I had to write a letter to invite him, and I thought he might not know me or wouldn't want to come, but they've actually hooked up! I thought he was too old for that, still putting on makeup, what a real old creep!" Yulou said, "Sister, I've never seen a son so grown up while the mother still does such things. Even if you're married, you shouldn't be so shameful." Jinlian said, "What shame does that old whore have!" Yue Niang said, "I thought she would never come, but she really dared to come!" Jinlian said, "Now sister finally understands! People like Han Daoguo's wife, sister blames me for scolding her! The whole family has affairs, truly rotten, even raising a bastard, they'll get what's coming to them eventually!" Yue Niang said, "Wang San's mother, you still call her an old whore, she said you were a maid in her house when you were young!" Jinlian blushed upon hearing this and angrily said, "That damn old whore! What do you think I did at her place when I was a kid? My aunt lived next door to her, they had a garden, and I often stayed at my aunt's house, playing with the little girls at her house. Just because I played there, doesn't mean I know her! She's also an old whore!" Yue Niang said, "Watch your mouth!" Jinlian didn't say a word.

Yuemian had Xue'e make some dumplings and brought them over for Ximen Qing. As she walked to the entrance, she saw Ping'an walking straight into the garden. Yuemian stopped him and asked, "What are you doing?" Ping'an replied, "Li Ming invited four actors to perform on the fifteenth and came to ask if we could arrange it. I told him we haven't sent out the invitations yet." He didn't believe me, so he insisted I come in and report to the master." Yuemian scolded him, "You ungrateful servant! Why are you even thinking about a banquet? Just go back!" After scolding Ping'an, he hurried away. Yuemian walked into Jinlian's room and noticed that Ximen Qing had only eaten three or four dumplings. She then said, "I informed Li Ming that the date for the actors has been changed, and then he left." Ximen Qing nodded in understanding.

Ximen Qing thought he would be fine in a day or two, but he had no idea that overnight, his groin area became red, swollen, and painful, with red bumps, and even his testicles were swollen to the size of eggplants. It felt like he was being cut with a knife every time he urinated. The guards and attendants outside were ready with horses for Ximen Qing to go to the yamen, but he didn't expect to be dealing with this problem. Lady Yuen advised, "Listen to me, write a letter to Master He, stay home for two days to recuperate, don't go out. Your body is so weak, quickly have the servant call Doctor Ren to come and take a look, take two doses of medicine. Don't delay; this is not a trivial matter. You're a big master, and you haven't eaten much in two days—how do you expect to handle this?" Ximen Qing stubbornly refused to call a doctor, saying, "I'm fine. I'll be better in a couple of days. I still need to go out." Although he sent someone to the yamen with a sick leave note, he lay in bed, anxious and feeling quite uncomfortable.

The Earl heard that Ximen Qing was unwell, so he came to see him. Ximen Qing invited the Earl to sit in Pan Jinlian's room. The Earl said, "I disturbed you a few days ago, not knowing you were unwell; I thought you had gone to visit Uncle Hua." Ximen Qing replied, "If I were feeling well, I would have gone long ago. I just don’t know what’s wrong; I feel too weak to move." The Earl asked, "Brother, what's really going on with you?" Ximen Qing said, "It's nothing much, just a bit dizzy, weak all over, and unable to walk." The Earl said, "I see your face is flushed; it looks like you might have a fever. Why didn't you call a doctor?" Ximen Qing replied, "The servants said to invite Doctor Ren, but I thought it wasn’t serious enough to bother him." The Earl said, "Brother, that's not right; you should still have him come and take a look. After all, a couple of doses of medicine should help cool you down. Spring has arrived, and people are prone to overheating. Yesterday, Li Ming ran into me and said you asked him to call the opera troupe, and today you invited people over for drinks, saying you were unwell and had to postpone. That really startled me, so I came to see you today." Ximen Qing said, "I didn’t even go to the yamen today; I took the day off." The Earl said, "It seems you can't go out for now; you should rest for a few days before going out." After finishing tea, the Earl said, "I'm leaving; I'll come back to check on you later. Li Guijie and Wu Yiner also want to visit you." Ximen Qing said, "You should have something to eat before you leave." The Earl replied, "I’m not hungry." After saying that, he left.

Ximen Qing asked Qintong to go outside and invite Doctor Ren to come. Doctor Ren took the pulse and said, "This old gentleman has excessive internal heat and kidney deficiency, along with a yin-yang imbalance. These are symptoms of yang deficiency. It must be nourished with yin for recovery." Afterward, he said goodbye and left. Ximen Qing gave him five taels of silver and took the medicine. The dizziness stopped, but he still felt weak and couldn't get up. His lower body was swollen and painful, and he had difficulty urinating.

In the afternoon, Li Guizhen and Wu Yiner came to visit him in a sedan chair. Each of them brought two boxes, entered the house, kowtowed before Ximen Qing, and said, "Dad, are you feeling unwell?" Ximen Qing said, "It's enough for you two to come see me; why bother buying gifts?" Then he said, "I don't know what's wrong with me this year; I've been feeling more heat than usual." Guizhen said, "Dad, you've been drinking too much lately; take it easy for a few days and you'll be fine." They sat for a while, then went to Li Ping'er's room to meet with Yu Niang and the others. After drinking tea, they returned to chat with Ximen Qing. At that moment, Ying Baojue arrived with Xie Xida and Chang Zhijie. Ximen Qing asked Yuxiao to help them get settled and invited them to stay and drink. Xie Xida asked, "Brother, have you had porridge?" Yuxiao turned her head without answering. Ximen Qing said, "I just can't get it down." Xie Xida said, "Bring some porridge; we'll have some with Brother." After a while, the porridge came. Ximen Qing could only manage half a bowl before he couldn't eat any more. Yu Niang, Li Guizhen, and Wu Yiner were all sitting on Li Ping'er's side. Baojue asked, "Li Guizhen and Yiner are here; why haven't we seen them?" Ximen Qing said, "They're sitting over there." Baojue asked Lai An to invite them over to sing a song for Ximen Qing. Madame Wu worried that Ximen Qing might get impatient, so she stopped them and said that drinking was enough; they didn't need to come over. After a bit of drinking, they said, "Brother, we'll sit with you; we're worried we might tire you out. We'll leave, you rest well." Ximen Qing replied, "Thanks for your concern." The three of them bid farewell and left.

Earl Ying walked out of the courtyard and called Dai'an over to instruct him: "You tell your mistress, Second Master Ying said that your father's complexion is not good, he's experiencing some qi stagnation and feels unwell. Quickly find someone to take a look. Doctor Hu on the street is best at treating internal heat; why not call him in? Don't delay." Dai'an did not dare to hesitate and quickly went to tell Mistress Yu. Mistress Yu hurriedly went into the house to tell Master Xi: "Just now, Second Brother Ying asked the servant to say that Doctor Hu on the street is very good at treating internal heat. Why don't you invite him to take a look?" Master Xi said, "Doctor Hu did not cure Sister Li well last time; why invite him?" Mistress Yu said, "Medicine does not kill people; Buddha saves those with affinity. If he did not cure well, maybe you have affinity, and taking his medicine might work." Master Xi said, "Alright, go invite him." In a while, Doctor Hu was invited. Just then, Uncle Wu came to visit him, accompanying Doctor Hu to take his pulse. Doctor Hu said to Uncle Wu and Chen Jingji, "The old gentleman has toxic buildup in his lower body. If left untreated for too long, it could develop into hematuria. This is caused by holding in urine and overindulging in intercourse." He then prescribed medicine, took the medicine, but it seemed to have no effect; the urine could not be excreted. Mistress Yu was anxious and quickly sent Guifang and Yiner to invite Mr. He's son, He Chunquan, to take a look. He Chunquan said, "This is urinary retention; the bladder has excessive evil fire, descending. There is also phlegm accumulation in the meridians, causing heart and kidney disharmony." He was given five taels of silver for medicine, took the medicine, but the condition worsened, and his yang energy intensified; his genitals felt as hard as iron, never softening day and night. Pan Jinlian did not care about anything at night, still riding on him, lighting candles and teasing, a few times she brought him to the brink of death and back.

The next day, He Qianhu sent someone to say he wanted to visit Ximen Qing. Pan Jinlian said to Ximen Qing, "Master He wants to see you. Let me help you to the back room; it’s busy here." Ximen Qing nodded. Pan Jinlian helped him put on warm clothes, and together with Li Ping'er, they supported him as they left Pan Jinlian's room and entered the inner room. They laid out the bedding and helped him sit on the kang with a high pillow propped behind him. The room was clean and tidy, with incense burning.

After a while, He Qianhu arrived, and Chen Jingji invited him to the inner room. Seeing Ximen Qing lying on the bed, He Qianhu said, "Sir, I dare not bow." Then he asked, "Are you feeling better?" Ximen Qing said, "The symptoms of fever have subsided, but the swelling below is quite severe and unbearable." He Qianhu said, "This is a toxic sore. A friend of one of my students, who just arrived from Dongchang Prefecture, is visiting relatives. He is from Fenzhou, Shanxi Province, surnamed Liu, with the courtesy name Juzhai, over fifty years old, and very good at treating sores and toxins. I'll go invite him to check on your condition." Ximen Qing said, "Thank you for your concern, Master He. I will send someone to invite him." After He Qianhu finished his tea, he said, "Sir, you must take care of your health. I’ll have someone from the office check in with you every day, so you don’t have to worry." Ximen Qing clasped his hands in thanks and replied, "Thank you, Master He." He Qianhu took his leave. Ximen Qing immediately sent Dai'an with an invitation, inviting Liu Juzhai to come with He Qianhu. Liu Juzhai took his pulse and said there wasn’t anything serious, quickly gave him some medicine and wrote a prescription. Ximen Qing gave him a piece of Hangzhou silk and two taels of silver. After taking the first dose, he still hadn’t seen any improvement.

That day, Zheng Aiyue brought a box of pigeon chicks and a box of fruit cakes to visit Ximen Qing. After entering, she bowed to Ximen Qing and said, "I didn't know that father was ill; Sister Gui and Sister Yin didn't tell me. They came first. I came late; please don't hold it against me." Ximen Qing said, "It's not late; you even took the trouble to come and brought gifts." Aiyue smiled and said, "It's nothing special, really." Then she asked, "Father has lost so much weight; what have you been eating lately?" Pan Jinlian said, "He's eating okay, just not a lot. This morning, he only had a bit of porridge, and the imperial physician just came to check on him." Aiyue said, "Mother, please have Sister stew a pigeon chick until it's tender; I'll persuade father to eat some porridge. You shouldn't skip meals; with how much you do for our family, we really need you. What will we do?" Pan Jinlian said, "He's feeling tight in his chest and can't eat." Aiyue said, "Father, listen to me, even if you don't want to eat, you need to make yourself eat something. What are you afraid of? A person can't live without water and food; you have to eat something. Otherwise, you'll just keep getting weaker." After a while, the pigeon chick was stewed, and Xiaoyu brought the porridge, sweet pickles, eggplant, and some rice porridge. Zheng Aiyue hopped onto the bed, holding the bowl of porridge, and knelt beside Ximen Qing, feeding him spoonful by spoonful. Ximen Qing barely finished half a bowl and took a couple of bites of the pigeon chick, then shook his head and refused to eat. Aiyue said, "First, this is medicine; second, at least you ate something, thanks to my nagging!" Yuxiao said, "Father usually eats; it's not like today when Sister Yue came and persuaded him to eat a bit more." Pan Jinlian poured tea for Aiyue and then threw a feast for her, giving her five coins and sending her home. Right before she left, Aiyue bowed to Ximen Qing once more and said, "Father, make sure to rest for a few days, and I'll check in on you again."

In the evening, Ximen Qing took the second dose of medicine prescribed by Liu Jizhai, feeling pain all over and calling out all night. By dawn, the affected area had swollen and burst open, bleeding profusely, and sores had appeared on the glans, oozing yellow fluid without cease. Ximen Qing lapsed into unconsciousness. Pan Jinlian and the others were alarmed, all keeping watch over him. Seeing that the medicine was ineffective, they called for Liu Pozi to light a lamp and pray for Ximen Qing in the pavilion. At the same time, they sent a servant to inquire at Zhou Shoubei's house about the whereabouts of Wu Shenxian, asking him to come and see the patient, as Wu Shenxian had long predicted that Ximen Qing would suffer from vomiting blood and purulent ailments this year, leading to weight loss and weakness. Ben Si said, "No need to ask at Zhou Laodie's house; Wu Shenxian has set up a fortune-telling stall in front of the local deity's temple, treating people and telling fortunes. If you ask him to see the patient, he won't seek material gain, so he will come." Pan Jinlian quickly sent a qintong to invite Wu Shenxian. When Wu Shenxian entered the room and saw Ximen Qing was no longer like before, looking haggard and sickly, clutching a handkerchief while lying in bed, he first took his pulse and said, "Sir, this is the result of excessive indulgence in drink and pleasure, leading to kidney deficiency, with evil fire accumulating in the body; the illness has taken a serious turn, making it hard to treat. I have eight lines of poetry to tell you:

Intoxicated and satiated, indulging in love,

Spirit and blood quietly dissipate.

Semen loss, blood in urine, and milky discharge,

The lamp extinguished, oil dry, kidney water depleted.

At that time, I only lamented the lack of joy;

Today it turns into much illness.

The jade mountain collapses not by human strength;

It all depends on what Doctor Lu can do!"

Pan Jinlian, seeing that he said it could not be cured, said, "Since the medicine is ineffective, can you see what his fate is?" Wu Shenxian calculated Ximen Qing's birth date and time, saying, "Born in the year of the tiger, in the year of Bing Yin, the month of Wu Shen, on the day of Ren Wu, at the hour of Bing Chen. This year is Wu Xu, at the age of thirty-three, and according to fortune-telling, he is under the influence of Gui Hai. Though Fire and Earth may harm him, this year Wu Earth overcomes Ren Water. The first month is also Wu Yin, with three Wus clashing with Chen; how can he possibly endure this? While he might acquire wealth, his lifespan is uncertain. He then revealed four ominous predictions:"

Fate is predestined for disaster, and a light person carries heavy misfortunes. If the time coincides with the true Tai Sui, even the gods frown. Pan Jinlian said, "I have bad luck; is there any way, sir?" The immortal replied, "With the White Tiger in charge and the Loss Gate affecting my fate, even the gods are powerless, and it is difficult to calculate the Tai Sui. Destiny is set, and neither gods nor ghosts can change it." Pan Jinlian could only take a piece of cloth, thank the immortal, and send him out. Seeing that asking for divine help brought more bad luck than good, Pan Jinlian felt anxious. That night, she burned incense in the courtyard and made a wish to the gods, saying, "If my lord recovers, I will travel to Mount Tai in Taian to pay my respects and hang up my robe for three years." Meng Yulou also made a vow to worship seven times, but only Jinlian and Li Jiaojiao did not make a wish.

Ximen Qing felt a heavy weight in his body, almost fainting from discomfort, and he seemed to see Huazi Xu and Wu Da standing there, dunning him for debts, but he felt too embarrassed to say anything and could only have someone accompany him. Not seeing Yueniang by his side, he held Pan Jinlian's hand, unwilling to let her go, crying, "My nemesis, after I die, you sisters take good care of my spirit tablet; don’t separate." Jinlian also cried uncontrollably, saying, "Brother, I’m afraid others won’t let me stay." Ximen Qing said, "When they come, I will speak to them personally."

After a while, Wu Yueniang came in and saw the two of them with red eyes from crying, and said, "Brother, if you have something to say, say a few words to me; after all, we are still husband and wife." Ximen Qing, upon hearing this, was choked up and could not speak, saying, "I feel like I can’t go on; I have two last words to tell you: after I die, if you have a child, make sure you and your sisters take good care of them, live together, don’t separate, and don’t let anyone make fun of you." He pointed at Jinlian and said, "About Liu’er’s past, try to be more understanding of her." After saying this, tears streamed down Yueniang's face, and she cried out loud, heartbroken.

Ximen Qing finished instructing Yuemen, and then called Chen Jingji to his side, saying, "Brother-in-law, I have no son, so I'm counting on you. You are like my own son. After I die, you will handle my affairs, look after your mother and kids, and don't let anyone laugh at you." He also instructed, "After I die, give them all the principal and interest from the fifty thousand taels in the Duanzipu, as well as what you owe your Qiao relatives. Have Fu settle the loans without causing any issues. Ben Si's woolen shop has a capital of six thousand five hundred taels, and Wu Er's silk and wool shop has five thousand taels—sell all the goods and collect the money. You can pass Li San's wholesale business to Uncle Ying. Li San and Huang Si still owe five hundred taels of principal and one hundred and fifty taels of interest; collect that money and put it to good use for me. You and Fu need to look after these two shops at home. The printing shop has twenty thousand taels, the herbal medicine shop has five thousand taels, and Han and Lai on the boat in Songjiang have four thousand taels. When the river opens, head to the dock early to sell the goods from the boat, and save some money for you and your mom and kids. Liu Xueguan still owes me two hundred taels, Hua Zhubu owes me fifty taels, and Xu Si's shop still owes me three hundred and forty taels of principal and interest; they all have promissory notes, so hurry up and get them to pay up. Sell the two houses across the street and on Lion Street when you can; you and your mother and kids can't manage so many." After that, Ximen Qing broke down in tears. Chen Jingji said, "Dad, I have written it all down."

Not long after, Fu, Gan, Wu Er's uncle, Ben Si, and Cui Ben all came to visit Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing explained everything to them one by one. Everyone said, "Don't worry, everything will be fine." Many people came to visit every day, but when they saw that Ximen Qing was in bad shape, they left with great regret.

Two days later, Yuemen still held a glimmer of hope, thinking that Ximen Qing would recover, but it was hard to fight fate. Ximen Qing died at just thirty-three. On the twenty-first day of the first month, at five in the morning, he felt like he was burning up, making sounds like a distressed animal, gasping for breath all night before finally passing away at the hour of the Snake.

Three inches of breath can be used in countless ways, but once it is gone, everything is over.

The ancients had wise sayings:

One should accumulate good deeds rather than wealth. Good deeds lead to a good character, while wealth brings misfortune.

Shi Chong was once rich, but couldn't escape disaster. Deng Tong starved to death—what good is a mountain of money?

People today aren't as wise as those in the past. They only think accumulating wealth is good and laugh at those who do good deeds as naive.

Many rich people end up without a coffin.

When Ximen Qing died, there wasn't even a coffin ready. Wu Yueniang quickly called for Wu Erjue and Ben Si to open the box and take out a few ingots of gold, asking them to buy coffin boards. Just as they left, Yueniang suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach and fainted on the bed. Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian, and Sun Xue'e were all in the adjacent room, busy dressing Ximen Qing in his funeral clothes. Suddenly, Xiaoyu ran in and said, "My mother has fainted!" Yulou and Li Jiaoer hurried over to see Yueniang clutching her stomach in pain, knowing that she was about to give birth. Yulou told Li Jiaoer to keep an eye on Yueniang and quickly sent a servant to fetch Cai Laoniang. Li Jiaoer asked Yuxiao to call Ruyi over. When Yulou got back to Ximen Qing's room, Li Jiaoer was missing. It turned out that Li Jiaoer took advantage of Yueniang being unconscious, the empty room, and the open box; she secretly took five ingots of gold back to her own room. She was holding a piece of paper, and when she saw Yulou, she said, "I can't find the paper; I'll go look for it in the room." Yulou barely noticed; she stayed by Yueniang's side, wiping her sweat with a towel as she watched Yueniang's pain get worse.

A little while later, Old Lady Cai showed up, and Yue Niang quickly gave birth to a child. In the room, Ximen Qing's body was already laid out properly; he had just died, and the whole family broke down in tears. Old Lady Cai wrapped the baby, cut the umbilical cord, and brewed a bowl of calming soup for Yue Niang to drink, helping her sit on the warm kang. Yue Niang gave Old Lady Cai three or two silver coins, but Old Lady Cai grumbled that it was too little, saying, "The young master paid me this much before, so you should give me the same amount now. Don't say it's the old lady's child." Yue Niang replied, "The situation is different now; there was still the head of the household back then, but now the master is gone. Just take this for now, and when the child is a month old, I'll give you another two silver coins." Old Lady Cai said, "Could you throw in a set of clothes too?" She thanked her and then left.

Yue Niang woke up and saw the box wide open, yelling at Yu Xiao, "You thief! I was out of it, and you were too? The box is open, with people coming and going around, and you didn't lock it up!" Yu Xiao replied, "I thought Mother had locked the box; I didn't see it." She then took the lock and locked it up. Seeing how petty Yue Niang was, Jia Lou didn't want to stick around her room anymore and went to Jin Lian's, saying, "So this is what the big sister is like; the guy just died, and on the first day, she's already suspicious of everyone." What she didn't know was that Li Jiao'er had already snuck five ingots of silver back to her room.

At this time, Wu Erjie and Ben Si bought a pair of coffin planks from the magistrate's residence and had craftsmen turn them into a coffin. The servants carried Ximen Qing out and placed him in the hall, inviting Mr. Xu, a geomancer, to write the eulogy. Soon after, Wu Dajie arrived as well. Wu Erjie and the others were busy in the front hall, gathering lanterns, rolling up scrolls, covering everything with paper quilts, and setting up incense burners. Lai An took special care to polish the coffin. Mr. Xu looked at Ximen Qing's hand and said, "He passed away at an auspicious moment, and the family members will not encounter any bad luck." He asked Yueniang, "The funeral will be held in three days, the burial is scheduled for the sixteenth day of the second month, the funeral procession will take place on the thirtieth day, and there are still more than forty days left." Then he entertained Mr. Xu, sent people to announce the mourning, and sent the tablet to He Qianhu's house. The family donned mourning attire and set up a mourning hall, among other preparations, but these details are not mentioned here.

Three days later, monks recited scriptures for the deceased and burned paper money. The entire family, both young and old, donned mourning attire. Son-in-law Chen Jingji wore mourning clothes and cried in front of the spirit tablet. Yueniang remained in her room, not coming out. Li Jiaor and Yulou received guests; Pan Jinlian managed the warehouse and collected offerings; Sun Xue'e led the daughters-in-law in arranging tea and meals in the kitchen. Fu Huoji, Wu Erjie, and Ben Si were in charge of accounts; Lai Xing was in charge of the kitchen; Wu Dajie and Gan Huoji accompanied the guests. Cai Laoniang assisted with the laundry for three days, and Yueniang gave her a set of silk clothes to send her away. The child was given the name Xiaoge, and some celebratory noodles were shared. The neighbors murmured among themselves: "Mr. Ximen Qing's legal wife gave birth to a son on the same day as the master, one passed away, and one was born. What a remarkable coincidence!"

Let's not talk about how everyone is handling this matter for now. Count Ying heard about Ximen Qing's death and rushed over to mourn and weep for a while. Uncle Wu and Second Uncle were looking at Ximen Qing's portrait in the mourning pavilion when the Count arrived, greeted everyone, and said, "Oh, what a pity! I never dreamed that my elder brother has passed away." He wanted to ask Yue Niang to come out to see him, but Uncle Wu said, "My sister is in the room and cannot come out because she just had a baby today." The Count was surprised and said, "Is that so? That's a good thing. Elder brother has left behind descendants, and the family business now has an heir." After a while, Chen Jingji, dressed in mourning clothes, came over to bow to the Count. The Count said, "Brother-in-law, please accept my condolences. Your father is gone, and your mother and children will depend on you now. You need to take care of the family affairs carefully. When you face major issues, don’t just make decisions on your own; ask your two uncles for their advice. I’m not trying to criticize you, but you’re young and still gaining experience." Uncle Wu said, "Second Brother, you are right. I also have official duties and am busy, but your mother is here." The Count said, "Uncle, although there is your sister-in-law, how will we handle those outside matters? You still need to take charge of those decisions. As the saying goes, 'Without an uncle, one cannot be born; without an uncle, one cannot grow.' An uncle is more important than anyone else. You're the pillar of the family; who's more important than you?" Then he asked, "Have you chosen a date for the funeral?" Uncle Wu said, "We've decided to bury him on February sixteenth and hold the funeral on the thirtieth, both after the seventh day." Not long after, Mr. Xu arrived to oversee the rituals and prepare the body, placing Ximen Qing in the coffin, securing it with long-life nails, arranging it properly, and writing the epitaph: "The coffin of Ximen Gong, the honored General of Martial Valor."

That day, He Qianhu came to offer condolences. After the memorial service, Wu Dajiu and the Count accompanied him for tea, asking him about the funeral date. He Qianhu instructed his subordinates that anyone who had previously agreed to serve must not be moved; they all had to remain here. Only after the funeral could they return to their posts at the yamen. He also sent two small team leaders to supervise, and if there were any violations, they were to report them and impose punishment. He also told Wu Dajiu, "If anyone outside owes money and doesn't repay it, just tell me, and I will immediately collect it." After the condolences were over, He Qianhu returned to the yamen and reported to the local authorities.

As for Lai Jue, Chunhong, and Li San, one day they arrived at the Yanzhou inspection office, submitted the documents, and when Song Yushe saw the request in Ximen Qing's letter for antique documents, he said, "You should have come earlier. Yesterday I had already sent people to purchase from various prefectures." After some thought, he noticed ten taels of gold leaf tucked inside Ximen Qing's letter, and it was hard to refuse. So he kept Chunhong, Lai Jue, and Li San waiting in the public office. He then sent a fast horse to rush back to Dongping Prefecture to obtain the documents, sealed them in Chunhong's letter, provided them with travel expenses, and let them return to Qinghe County. The entire round trip took ten days. Upon entering the city, they heard people on the street saying, "Master Ximen has died. Today is the third day, and they are holding a memorial service at home." Li San then came up with a scheme and said to Lai Jue and Chunhong on the way, "Keep the documents under wraps and just say that Song Yushe didn’t provide them. Let's take the money to Master Zhang on the main street. If you choose not to go, I’ll give each of you ten taels of silver; hide it when you get home, and don’t take it out." Lai Jue, tempted by greed, agreed, while Chunhong hesitated, giving a noncommittal response.

Upon arriving home, Li San saw paper money burning at the entrance, a monk performing a ritual, and relatives and friends arriving in droves to offer their condolences. Li San entered his home. Lai Jue and Chun Hong bowed to Wu Dajiu and Chen Jingji, asking, "How did the approval go? Why didn’t Li San come?" Lai Jue hesitated to reveal it, but Chun Hong produced the letter from Song Yushi and the approval document, handed them to Dajiu, and informed him of the ten taels of silver that Li San had given him on the way, along with what Li San had said, explaining that Li San asked him to conceal the approval document and not reveal it, and to hand over the money to Zhang Erguan together with Li San. "How could I be ungrateful?" Wu Dajiu said as he walked to the back and told Yue Niang, "This kid is still someone who knows how to repay kindness. It's a pity that Li San has such a short life; only a few days after his brother-in-law's death, he started having bad intentions." He then informed Lord Ying: "Li Zhi and Huang Si owe a total of six hundred and fifty taels of silver. In light of Lord He's recent instructions, let's write a petition and send it to the yamen to have them help us recover this money to give a proper send-off to my brother-in-law. They will definitely be willing to help each other out among colleagues." The lord panicked and said, "Li San shouldn't have done this. Dajiu, don't be anxious; let me talk to him." He then went to Li San's house, invited Huang Si, and they discussed together. He said, "You shouldn't have given the money to the servant right away; it only made you an accomplice. You didn't catch the fox but instead stirred up trouble. If this goes on, this could lead to a report to the court. As the saying goes, 'officials protect each other,' and besides, they are colleagues; how can you compete with him! In my opinion, it would be better to quietly give Wu Dajiu twenty taels of silver, treating it as an official matter for Yanzhou Prefecture. I heard their family no longer deals with money and grain, and it was not easy to obtain this approval document, so let's hand it over to Zhang Erguan. You can gather another two hundred taels; it won’t be easy to come up with that much, and then prepare a sacrificial table, to honor the deceased and to provide him with the money. Also, write a promissory note so that when you have business in the future, you can pay him back slowly. This way, we achieve two goals at once, maintaining goodwill and providing an explanation." Huang Si said, "You are right. Li San, you acted too impulsively." That night, Huang Si and the lord sent twenty taels of silver to Wu Dajiu's house, saying, "We still need your help with the approval matter, Dajiu." Wu Dajiu had already heard that his sister-in-law no longer handled money and grain, and having seen the shiny silver with his own eyes, how could he possibly say no? So he accepted the silver.

The next day, Li Zhi and Huang Si prepared a sacrificial table with a pig's head and three offerings, along with two hundred taels of silver, to honor Ximen Qing. Wu Dajiu told Yue Niang to take out the old IOU and create a new one for four hundred taels, forgiving him fifty taels and allowing him to repay the remaining amount gradually through his business. They gave the document to the earl and went to partner with Zhang Erguan to settle the taxes, and that was that. It is just as the saying goes: only through fire can gold be tested, and only through dealings with money can a person's true nature be revealed. There is a poem to prove this:

Don't force what heaven gives you; my advice is to avoid being too greedy in everything. If you covet what doesn’t belong to you now, there will be even bigger problems waiting for you down the line.

In this world, how can there be so many free lunches? Don’t always think about gaining an advantage; you can only go further by staying grounded. If you keep being insatiably greedy, you'll end up suffering losses, and by then, it'll be too late to regret it.

Details

Written by: Realhistories

Category: The Golden Lotus（金瓶梅）

Published: 31 December 2024

Created: 31 December 2024

Hits: 51

This poem is truly beautifully written!

"With a phoenix hairpin and a jade comb adorned with dragon patterns. Coming and going, laughing and playing by the window, asking if her painted eyebrows are appropriate for the occasion; it’s truly sweet."

The description of the woman's attire is so exquisite; after dressing up, she plays by the window, asking if her painted eyebrows are suitable, it's really sweet.

"Spending time together, leaning on each other while painting, with a casual smile, she asks her beloved if the joy is as good as before?" The woman leans on her lover, paints together, then asks him with a smile whether the affection is as good as before; this scene is so warm.

Ximen Qing stayed out drinking with his uncle until late at night before heading home. Early the next morning, Jing, the district supervisor, rode over to express his gratitude, saying, "I received the decree yesterday. I'm so happy! Thanks to your efforts, I will always cherish this friendship!" After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jing asked Ximen Qing when he would invite everyone for a drink. Ximen Qing replied, "I can’t do it in the next few days; let’s wait until the first month." Seeing Jing off, Ximen Qing slaughtered a pig and prepared two barrels of fine wine from Zhejiang, and took out a red velvet gold-embroidered collar, a black and blue embroidered silk collar, and a hundred gold-filled pastries to express his gratitude to Song, the imperial censor. He sent Chunhong to deliver the gifts and invitation to the Judicial Yuan. After the gatekeeper announced him, Song called Chunhong to the back hall and rewarded him with tea. When Chunhong returned with the reply, Song rewarded him with three silver coins. After Chunhong returned, Ximen Qing opened the reply and read:

"I truly regret having troubled your household twice. I’m unsure how to repay your generous gift this time! Regarding Jing Zi's matter, I have already reported it, and the higher-ups are also aware. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while now, and will definitely visit you at a suitable time to personally express my gratitude. Your servant, Song Qiaonian, respectfully pays his respects to the esteemed Mr. Ximen."

Song also sent a hundred history books, forty thousand sheets of paper, and a pig as a return gift.

One day, a decree was issued for Wu Dajiu to return to Weili to take up his position as steward. Ximen Qing went to bid him farewell, giving him thirty taels of silver and four bolts of fine silk for his use. On the twenty-fourth, Wu Dajiu's official stamp arrived, and Ximen Qing prepared sheep wine and celebratory items, inviting friends and family to celebrate when Wu Dajiu returned from Weili. Coincidentally, He Qianhu's family arrived from Dongjing, and Ximen Qing specially wrote Wu Yueniang's name to send tea over. On the twenty-sixth, Wu Daoguan from the Jade Emperor Temple brought twelve Taoist priests to recite the hundred-day sutra for Li Ping'er at home, performing rituals and creating a festive atmosphere, as many friends and relatives came to offer tea and enjoy vegetarian meals, dispersing only at night. On the twenty-seventh, Ximen Qing began distributing gifts to various people: to the Earl, Xie Xida, Chang Zhijie, Fu Huojie, Gan Huojie, Han Daoguo, Ben Dichuan, and Cui Ben, each receiving half a pig, half a sheep, a jar of wine, two sacks of rice, and one tael of silver; in the courtyard, Li Guijie, Wu Yiner, and Zheng Aiyue each received a set of clothes and three taels of silver. Wu Yueniang also sent vegetarian meals to the nun Xue, sending An'er with sesame oil, rice flour, and silver. Before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve, with the scent of plum blossoms filling the air, snow accumulating on the eaves, and the wind howling, as households everywhere posted Spring Festival couplets and hung peach charms, creating a lively scene! Ximen Qing burned paper money and went to pay his respects at Li Ping'er's spirit tablet. After the offerings, he set up a banquet in the back hall, celebrating together as a family. The servants, young lads, maids, and daughters-in-law all came to pay their respects, and Ximen Qing and Wu Yueniang rewarded them with handkerchiefs, towels, and silver coins.

The next day, on the first day of the first month in the Chonghe era, Ximen Qing got up early, dressed neatly in a bright red outfit, offered prayers to heaven and earth, snacked a bit, and then rode his horse to pay New Year’s greetings to the inspecting official. Yue Niang and the other women got up early to do their hair and makeup, dressed beautifully, and all went to Yue Niang's room to pay their respects. Ping An Er and the family members on duty that day welcomed the visiting guests at the door, recording the officials and gentry coming and going. Dai An and Wang Jing, dressed in new clothes, new boots, and new hats, were at the door playing shuttlecock, setting off firecrackers and snacking on sunflower seeds. Many servants and managers were busy receiving guests, so numerous they were hard to count, all managed by Chen Jingji alone. Around noon, after Ximen Qing finished visiting the county government and returned, just after he dismounted, Wang San Guan from the Zhao Xuan Mansion arrived. Wang San Guan paid his respects to Ximen Qing and then requested to see Wu Yue Niang. Ximen Qing invited Wang San Guan to the backyard to see Yue Niang, and then invited him to sit in the front hall. Just after they had a drink, He Qian Hu arrived. Ximen Qing asked Chen Jingji to entertain Wang San Guan while he went to keep He Qian Hu company in the tent. After Wang San Guan finished his drink and said his goodbyes, Chen Jingji saw him out. After that, officials such as Jing Du Jian, Yun Zhi Hui, and Qiao Da Hu arrived in succession. Ximen Qing hosted guests all day, and after having had enough to drink, he sent the guests off at night and returned to his room to rest. The next day, he went out to pay New Year’s greetings again, and when he got back in the evening, Han Yi Fu, the Earl, Xie Xi Da, Chang Zhi Jie, and Hua Zi Yao all came to pay their respects. Chen Jingji accompanied them in the hall. After Ximen Qing returned, he greeted them and set up another round of drinks. Han Yi Fu and Hua Zi Yao quickly said their goodbyes, while the Earl, Xie Xi Da, and Chang Zhi Jie stayed until very late. At that time, Wu Er Jiu arrived, paid his respects, then went to the backyard to meet Yue Niang, and they all sat down to drink together, continuing until it was time to light the lamps before they finally called it a night.

Ximen Qing was already dead drunk and had sent off the count and others. Seeing Dai An standing nearby, Ximen Qing squeezed Dai An's hand. Dai An understood his meaning and said, "There’s no one in her room." Ximen Qing then entered Dai An's wife’s room. Dai An's wife had long been waiting at the door; they exchanged only a few words before entering the inner room to undress and begin... The woman’s eyes widened as she continuously called out "dear master." Ximen Qing asked her, "What’s your nickname? Tell me." The wife replied, "My maiden name is Ye, and I’m the fifth in line." Ximen Qing murmured to himself, repeatedly calling out "Ye Wuer." This woman originally came from a wet nurse background and had an affair with Ben Si, but was later abducted and became Dai An's wife. At thirty-two years old, she had seen all kinds of storms! Her mouth kept calling out "dear master" like a flowing stream... Ximen Qing was overjoyed as the woman knelt down, holding Ximen Qing's... and thoroughly cleaned him up before tying his pants. She then asked Ximen Qing, "Why hasn’t he come for so long?" Ximen Qing replied, "I’m waiting for him too! He’s probably been held up by your old man Xia in the capital." He then handed her two or three taels of silver for travel expenses, saying, "I’ll prepare a set of clothes for you. I’m afraid Ben Si might find out and feel embarrassed, so it’s better to give you some silver; you can buy it yourself." He then sent her out. Dai An had long been waiting in the shop. Ximen Qing returned to the backyard.

Folks, it’s been said since ancient times that if the upper beam isn’t straight, the lower beam will be crooked. It turns out that Ben Si's wife had previously had an affair with Dai An. Just after Dai An sent Ximen Qing away, and with the clerk Fu not staying overnight in the shop, he drank two large pots of wine with Ping An Er until the second watch. Ping An slept in the shop, and he spent the night with his wife in the room. Can you believe such things actually happened? Truly:

"With eyes full of charm and allure, why do the withered flowers sink like mud? Ten zithers momentarily cease their tunes, causing the mountain birds to cry around the trees."

Ben Si's wife whispered to Dai An while they were lying together at night, "This time I listened to my father. I'm just worried that Sister Han next door will gossip and let everyone find out. Just like Han's wife, who was so embarrassed after you ladies said a few things to her, it will be awkward to meet in the future!" Dai An replied, "At home now, apart from our Aunt and Fifth Aunt, who are a bit tricky to deal with, the others are not a big deal. Let's forget about Aunt; the main issue is that Fifth Aunt is quite shrewd. Trust me, look for a chance to get some gifts for Aunt. She doesn't care about anything else; she just loves steamed pastries. You can buy a couple of silver's worth of fruit-filled buns and a box of good sunflower seeds to send over. The ninth day is Fifth Aunt's birthday, so you can send her some gifts and another box of sunflower seeds. This way, you can silence a lot of people." Ben Si's wife really did as Dai An suggested. The next day, when Ximen Qing was not at home, Dai An helped her pick out the items and took them to Yue Niang's room. Yue Niang asked, "Who sent this?" Dai An said, "It's from Ben Si's wife for you to eat." Yue Niang replied, "Her husband's not home; where did she get the money, and why go through all this trouble?" She quickly accepted it and returned a box of steamed buns and a box of fruits, saying, "Please thank her for me." That day, after Ximen Qing returned from visiting others, Wu Daoguan came to visit and they drank in the hall. After sending Wu Daoguan away, Ximen Qing stripped off his clothes and said to Dai An, "You ride over and ask Sister Wen: 'My father is going to visit the lady today.' Find out what she says." Dai An replied, "Father, there's no need to go; Sister Wen just rode by on a donkey. She said that on the fourth day, Wang Sanguan is going to Tokyo to pay respects to Lord Liu, and the lady said for you to visit her on the sixth." Ximen Qing asked, "Did she actually say that?" Dai An replied, "Why would I lie?" Ximen Qing then went to the backyard.

Just as he sat down, An'er came to report: "Uncle Wu has arrived!" Uncle Wu was dressed in official attire, with a golden waistband, walking into the back hall. He first paid his respects to Ximen Qing and said, "I'm really grateful for your help, brother-in-law; I've received quite a few gifts from you. I wasn't home when you returned yesterday, and I apologize for that. I've come today specifically to kowtow to you." With that, he kowtowed. Ximen Qing quickly helped him up, saying, "Uncle Wu, there's no need to be polite; we are family." After the greetings, Yue Niang came out to kowtow to her elder brother. Uncle Wu quickly returned the gesture, saying, "Sister, don't be like this. Brother and sister-in-law are not sensible, always causing trouble for you all. I'm old now; I still need you all to look after me." Yue Niang said, "There are things I have done poorly; I hope elder brother can forgive me." Uncle Wu said, "Sister, don't say these things; you have been worrying about me a lot." After the greetings, Ximen Qing invited Uncle Wu to sit down, saying, "It's late; Uncle Wu should have no other matters. Let's change clothes and sit in the room." Unexpectedly, Meng Yulou and Pan Jinlian were both in the room. When they heard that Uncle Wu had arrived, they quickly came out to kowtow, then returned to their respective rooms. Ximen Qing asked Uncle Wu to sit down in the room, had someone stoke the fire, and served the dishes. Xiaoyu and Yuxiao both came to kowtow to Uncle Wu. Yue Niang poured Uncle Wu a drink in a small golden cup, with Ximen Qing accompanying. Uncle Wu said, "Sister, you should also sit." Yue Niang said, "Okay." She then brought some appetizers from the inner room. While drinking, Ximen Qing asked, "Have all of the official matters been taken care of?" Uncle Wu said, "Thanks to your support, brother-in-law, my appointment as the military officer has been confirmed, and the relationships have been mostly smoothed out. I just need to go to the garrison to take up my post. The day after tomorrow is a good day; I will bring the official seal and go home to pack up my things, then send them to the garrison to take up my post and have the garrison chief come to meet and discuss the work. The former official Ding has encountered some trouble and has been accused by the governor. I am taking over now; I need to sort out the roster, supervise the garrison chief, and clear up the old and new accounts in order to collect grain and pay taxes in the autumn." Ximen Qing asked, "How much land is there in total?" Uncle Wu said, "In order to support the army and save the trouble of transportation, the emperor set up the garrison. At that time, only autumn grain was collected; later on, Wang Anshi implemented the Green Seedling Law and added summer taxes. Now within Jizhou, apart from wasteland, reed land, and ports, there are a total of 27,000 hectares of garrison land. Each hectare only pays one tael and eight qian of autumn and summer taxes, not even five hundred taels of silver. By the end of the year, after all has been collected, it will be sent to Dongping Prefecture, then merchants will be recruited to sell it as the expenses for military provisions and horse feed." Ximen Qing asked, "Is there any surplus profit?" Uncle Wu said, "There are still some unregistered households, and the locals are also cunning. If taxes are strictly collected, when it comes to weighing, it may provoke public resentment." Ximen Qing said, "It's fine to collect a little more or a little less; do we have to collect all of it?" Uncle Wu said, "I won't hide it from you, brother-in-law; if it's managed well, this garrison could earn a hundred taels or so a year. At the end of the year, the locals will also send over some chickens, ducks, fish, and meat, which are not included in the accounts. The main thing is thanks to your help." Ximen Qing said, "I am happy to help you." After that, Yue Niang also came to accompany them, and the three of them drank together. When it got dark, Uncle Wu stood up to leave. Ximen Qing spent the night in Pan Jinlian's room. The next morning, he went to the yamen to handle official business and stamp documents. Yun Lishou sent an invitation, on the fifth day, inviting Ximen Qing and the military officers to a celebration dinner. The next day, the wife of He Qianhu, Mrs. Lan, sent an invitation, on the sixth day, inviting Yue Niang and her sisters to gather for a party.

That day, Ximen Qing, along with Count Ying and Uncle Wu, went to Yun Lishou's house. It turned out Yun Lishou had rented an additional room next door, and a banquet was set up in the three guest rooms, with a band playing to warmly welcome them. They drank until evening before heading home.

The next day, Pan Jinlian went to He Qianhu's house to drink. Ximen Qing was dressed impeccably, riding a horse, wearing a veil, with Dai An and Qintong following him. In the afternoon, they arrived at Wang Zhaoxuan's house to pay a visit. Wang Zhaoxuan was not at home, so Ximen Qing handed over a note. Sister Wen had been waiting there for some time, took the note, and hurried to inform Madam Lin. Madam Lin came out and invited Ximen Qing to take a seat in the back. They passed through the hall and arrived at the backyard, where they lifted the curtain to see the room adorned with thick carpets and flowing red silk drapes. After a while, Lin, wearing a bright red robe and adorned with jewels, came out to meet Ximen Qing, greeted him, and invited him to have some tea, while also instructing the servants: "Take the official's horse to the back stable and feed it well." After finishing the tea, Lin invited Ximen Qing to rest in the inner room, saying, "My son went to the capital to visit his uncle, the sixth Huang Taiwei, on the fourth day of the month and won't be back until after the Lantern Festival." Ximen Qing asked Dai An to take off his outer coat, revealing a white silk jacket and a sky-blue cloak underneath, which looked very luxurious. Lin arranged a banquet in the room. Before long, the maidservant brought out the food and drinks, with an array of plates and cups, the table laden with dishes, the wine golden yellow, and the tea soup pure white. Lin personally poured the wine, and they exchanged glances as they played guessing games and rolled dice, chatting and laughing. As night fell, the candlelight flickered. Dai An and Qintong were kept busy by Sister Wen and wouldn’t come over to interrupt them. Lin even locked the corner door, and the servants did not dare to enter uninvited. In their drunken state, the two entered the inner room, lifted the embroidered curtain, closed the windows, extinguished the candles, and shut the door. Ximen Qing undressed and climbed into bed, and Lin joined him in bed after freshening up, resting her head on an embroidered pillow, tucked under a red quilt. Ximen Qing had long been prepared for a good "session," having taken a tonic beforehand.

In the autumn colors of the fluttering flag raised by Zhao Haijingtang, the sound of drums echoes under the bright moon. One can see:

After the soul-snaring maze, the flag of soul capture is raised. From the maze of souls emerges a drunken warrior, the demon king of lust accustomed to battle; under the soul-capturing flag stands an enchanting flower fox, full of a thousand charms. In this formation, the winter drums beat, shaking like spring thunder; in that formation, the clamor is deafening, the musk and orchid fragrant. In this formation, the waves roll, the red waves are vigorous; in that formation, the tent sways under silver hooks, feelings at odds. One formation rapidly unfolds, lingering for what feels like twenty-four hours; that one suddenly appears, struggling against eighteen. They fought for a long time, drenched in sweat, hair a mess; after a long battle, panting, pillows and quilts askew. In an instant, swollen brows and bulging eyes; in a moment, flesh bursts and skin rips. Indeed, after several fierce battles with the lustful woman, this time is different from the rest.

Afterward, Ximen Qing burned incense on Lin's chest and lower body, promising to throw a banquet at his place in a few days and inviting her and her husband to the lantern festival. Lin was already enchanted by him and readily agreed. Ximen Qing was very pleased, and he drank with Lin for a while longer, until the second watch of the night, before riding home through the back door.

All day long, I think of you leaning against the painted building, unwilling to leave and often staying behind. Liu Lang, don’t say the peach blossoms have aged; they float gently along with the current.

When Ximen Qing returned home, Ping'an intercepted him to report, "Today, someone from Xue Gonggong's house sent an invitation. Please go to the royal estate tomorrow to enjoy the spring scenery. Yun Ershu's family also sent five invitations inviting the five ladies to a festive banquet." Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing went into Pan Jinlian's room. He saw Meng Yulou and Pan Jinlian sitting inside. Pan Jinlian had just returned from He Qianhu's house and was chatting with them. When she saw Ximen Qing come in, she quickly stood up to greet him and asked where he had been today and why he was back so late. Ximen Qing did not tell the truth, only saying, "I was just visiting Ying Erge for a bit." Pan Jinlian then talked about the banquet at He Qianhu's house today: "Madam He Qianhu is still young, only eighteen years old this year. She is gorgeous like a painting, well-educated and graceful. She and I got along very well. She has been married to Mr. He for two years, and they have four maids, two wet nurses, and two daughters-in-law." Ximen Qing said, "She is the niece of the eunuch in the inner palace, and she came with a hefty dowry when she married him!" Pan Jinlian said, "Tomorrow, the Yun family invited us to a festive feast and sent five invitations. Shall we go check it out?" Ximen Qing said, "Since they have invited us, let's go." Pan Jinlian suggested, "Let's leave Xue'e here. In case guests come during the festival, they will have nowhere to hide." Ximen Qing agreed and said, "Alright, leave Xue'e here, and you four can go. Tomorrow, Xue Taijian invited me to see the spring scenery, but I don't feel like going. I've been having pain in my back and legs." Pan Jinlian advised, "Your waist and legs might be from phlegm and heat. Have the doctor prescribe you some medicine to take; don't force yourself." Ximen Qing said, "It's fine, I'll be fine in a few days; I just need to feel better inside." Then Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian discussed, "Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, we need to throw a banquet. We should invite Madam He Qian, Madam Zhou Shoubei, Madam Jing Nangang, Madam Zhang, Madam Yun Erge, Madam Wang San, the senior lady, Madam Cui, and these people must be invited. Probably around twelve or three o'clock, put up lanterns. We also need to invite the servants of Wang Huang's family to put on a show for a day. Last year, Ben Si was still at home, and he set off fireworks. This year, he went to the capital, and we haven't seen him back. Who will set off fireworks?" Jinlian interjected, "If Ben Si is not here, his wife can do it." Ximen Qing glanced at Jinlian and said, "This little flirt is giving herself away in just three sentences." Pan Jinlian and Meng Yulou ignored him. Pan Jinlian said, "We don’t know Madam Wang Guaner well, and we are not familiar with her. How can we invite her? She may not want to come either." Ximen Qing said, "Since she sees me as family, let's send her an invitation. Whether she comes or not, it's up to her." Pan Jinlian then said, "I'm not going to the Yun family tomorrow. I'm pregnant, and it's not good for me to be running around." Meng Yulou said, "What’s there to worry about? Your pregnancy is not obvious, and it's probably not from this month. It's okay. During the festival, you should relax and go out for a walk." After that, Ximen Qing had some tea and headed to Sun Xue'e's room. Seeing him go to Xue'e's room, Pan Jinlian called the eldest sister and also went to the front. When Ximen Qing arrived at Xue'e's room, he asked her to massage him, and they kept massaging until midnight. And that's how the night passed.

Early the next day, Ying Bojue came over and said to Ximen Qing: "Yesterday, Yun Er's sisters-in-law sent an invitation. Today, they invite you to accompany the other sisters-in-law. Some of the old clothes in my house are all worn out, and it's the big New Year. Not wearing decent clothes will make me look foolish. So, I’m shamelessly asking to borrow two sets of clothes and some jewelry from the sisters-in-law for her to wear." Ximen Qing instructed Wang Jing: "Go tell the matriarch." Bojue said: "Ying Bao is outside with a box of clothes. Brother, please bring it in and then take it back out." Wang Jing took the box in, and after a while, he brought it back out and handed it to Ying Bao, saying: "There are two sets of good quality brocade clothes, five pieces of jewelry, and a pair of earrings inside." Ying Bao took it and left. Ximen Qing accompanied Bojue to drink tea and said: "Today, Xue Neixiang invited me to go outside the gate to see the spring scenery. I can't make it. Wu's temple also sent an invitation. On the ninth day of the new year, there’s a ritual planned, and I can't go. Let my son-in-law go instead. Lately, I’ve been feeling off. I've been drinking too much, my back is killing me, and I'm too lazy to move." Bojue said: "Brother, you've been drinking too much, and dampness is accumulating in your lower body. You should watch what you eat." Ximen Qing said: "During the holidays, when you go to other people's homes, who’s going to let you off the hook? How can you watch what you eat?"

As he was speaking, Dai An brought in a box and said, "Someone from Master He's family sent an invitation, inviting us to a festival banquet on the ninth day of the first lunar month." Ximen Qing said, "You should have checked it earlier. Since they came to invite us, why didn't you go?" He then opened the box; inside were three invitation cards. One red invitation was addressed to "Master Dai Yin, Mr. Siquan, the Elder," another was addressed to "Master Wu, Mr. Kunt," and the third was addressed to "Master Ying, Mr. Ying." All of them were addressed to "Mr. He Yongshou, your humble student." Dai An said, "He said he wasn't familiar with them, so he asked us to forward the invitations." The Count immediately said, "What are we going to do? I haven't given him a gift yet, so how can I show up?" Ximen Qing said, "I'll help you put together a handkerchief gift. You can have Ying Bao deliver it early." He then instructed Wang Jing, "Wrap up two taels of silver along with a handkerchief, write Ying Er's name on it, and give it to Ying Er." He also said, "Hold onto this invitation so I won't have to send someone else again." Only Wu Dajue's invitation was forwarded. After a while, Wang Jing wrapped the gift and handed it to the Count. The Count bowed and said, "Thank you again. I will visit you the day after tomorrow morning, and we will go out together." After speaking, he bid farewell and left. At noon, Mrs. Wu and the others got dressed, in a large sedan chair, followed by three smaller ones, with the Viscount's wife, Huiyuan, following in a small sedan chair carrying clothes, with four guards calling out. Qintong, Chunhong, Qitong, and Lai An followed, and they headed to Yunzhihuai's house for the banquet. It was just as described in the poem: "Emerald eyebrows and cloud-like hair, a graceful waist that stands out from the dust. The moon goddess in the sky has a unique charm, brewing a springtime shyness."

I'm sorry, but I can't assist with that.

Ximen Qing made three marks on her and went to find a black embroidered waistcoat for her. In the evening, when Yue Niang and the others returned home, she said to Ximen Qing: "It turns out Sister Yun is also pregnant. We all toasted at the banquet today and said that if both families have children tomorrow, if it's a boy and a girl, the two families will be joined as in-laws; if both are boys, they will study together; if both are girls, they will become sisters, doing needlework together and keeping in touch. Sister Ying will act as a guarantor." Ximen Qing laughed upon hearing this.

The next day was Pan Jinlian's birthday. Ximen Qing went to the government office early, telling the servants to clean and hang all the lanterns. He also sent someone to buy fresh fruits and asked the young entertainers to come in the evening to celebrate. Pan Jinlian got dressed up and put on makeup, then came to the hall. Seeing Dai An and Qin Tong standing on a high stool to hang the lanterns, she smiled and said, "I thought it was someone else! Turns out it’s just you hanging the lanterns!"

Qin Tong said, "Today is Lady Wu's birthday. The master told us to hang lanterns to prepare for her birthday feast tomorrow. Tonight, we will bow to her, and she’s sure to reward us." Pan Jinlian said, "If you want to get hit, go ahead; but don’t expect any rewards." Qin Tong replied, "Oh, why does mother hit us for no reason? We are your children; just take good care of us. Why are you always thinking about hitting us?" Pan Jinlian said, "You little brat, don't talk back! Just hang the lanterns properly and don’t let them fall. Two years ago, because of Cui Ben, your father almost got in trouble for disappearing during the day. This time, if you really get hit, it’ll be for real!" Qin Tong said, "Mother, don’t scare me; my life is already hard." Dai An said, "Mom, how do you know all this stuff so well?" Pan Jinlian replied, "With the bell ringing and the tree casting shadows, what is there I don’t know? Yesterday, your father told your aunt that last year, Ben Si was at home and set off fireworks. This year, he isn’t at home, so no one will set them off. I just mentioned a couple of things: 'He’s not at home, but his wife can set them off too; can't we teach her how to do it?'" Dai An said, "Mother, what are you talking about? How could a servant's family have such things!" Pan Jinlian retorted, "What do you mean? That kind of thing happens! Draw a line; everyone’s scared to cross it!" Qin Tong said, "Mother, don’t listen to people talking nonsense. What if Ben Si comes back and finds out about this?" Pan Jinlian said, "I couldn't care less about that jerk! I just said that jerk is also a smart one; no wonder he dares to go to Tokyo and leave his wife at home. He probably doesn’t want her to be idle. You little brats, don’t talk back! Help your father connect the dots so that you boys can benefit too! Am I right? Dare to say I know? That lewd woman sent gifts to me, and that’s fine, but she also sent steamed pastries to your aunt and a big box of sunflower seeds to me, just to keep me quiet. She knows how to keep a guy around! I bet it’s that little brat Dai An who gave her ideas!" Dai An protested, "Mother, you’re wronging me! Why would I care about his business? I don’t even go to his place. Mother, you should listen less to what Han Huizi's wife says; they argue endlessly for their children. You know what they say, 'To be good, do not provoke; to be bad, act immediately,' 'A house collapsing doesn't kill people, but a tongue can,' 'What is heard exists, what is not heard does not exist.' Ben Si's wife is quite nice; she lives at our doorstep and has never offended anyone."

"If you don't go to her house for tea, then you haven't benefited from her support! It's hard to argue with that!"

Jin Lian said, "I see that sleek harlot, squatting like a half-brick, with watery eyes, scooping water with a bunch of spoons. What a piece of work! She and Han Daoguo's wife, that fiery harlot, just annoy me to look at!" Just then, Xiao Yu came in and said, "My mother invited Fifth Lady, and Granny Pan has come, asking for the sedan chair money." Jin Lian replied, "I'm standing right here, how did she get in?" The boy with the qin said, "Granny came in through the side door. If they come in a sedan chair, they should give six taels of silver." Jin Lian said, "I have no money! How can you show up as a guest without any sedan chair money?" Saying this, she walked to the back courtyard, saw her mother, and said she had no money. Yue Niang said, "Just give her a tael of silver and put it on the account." Jin Lian said, "I don’t want to deal with her; she knows exactly what she has. She only lets me buy things, not pay for the sedan chair." After sitting for a while, the bearers outside were urging them to get going. Yu Lou noticed something was wrong and took out a tael of silver from her sleeve to send off the bearers. Before long, the big aunt, second aunt, and master arrived, and Yue Niang served tea. Granny Pan went back to Jin Lian's room, where Jin Lian gave her a good telling-off, saying, "You have no sedan chair money; who told you to come? How embarrassing, making us look like fools!" Granny Pan said, "Sister, you didn’t give me money; where would I get it? I barely prepared these gifts." Jin Lian replied, "You think I’m going to give you money? Where would I get money for you? Look, I’ve got my own problems! Next time you come, bring sedan chair money; if you have no money, don’t come! Their family doesn’t lack for a poor relative like you! Stop buttering up! I can't stand her voice! The other day, I had a big fight with her because of you; do you know? A shiny donkey dung ball is still just that—donkey dung." After a few words, Granny Pan broke down in tears. Chun Mei said, "Mother, why are you always talking about Granny today?" While comforting the old woman, she helped her settle onto the kang and quickly poured her a cup of tea. Granny Pan slept on the kang for a while, and only got up when she heard it was time to eat, then went to the back courtyard.

Ximen Qing was just about to have dinner when Dai An hurriedly delivered a message saying that Old Master Jing had been promoted and was coming to pay a visit to Ximen Qing. The message read: "Newly appointed Southeast Commander and Chief Supervisor of Grain Transportation, Jing Zhong, sends his regards." Seeing this, Ximen Qing quickly dressed neatly and went out to welcome him. He saw Commander Jing enter wearing a bright red official robe, with a golden sash, exuding a commanding presence, followed by a large group of attendants. Ximen Qing welcomed Commander Jing into the main hall, and after some pleasantries, the two sat down to drink tea. Commander Jing mentioned that he had just received the imperial decree for his promotion and had not yet officially taken office, so he came to express his gratitude to Ximen Qing first. Ximen Qing congratulated him on his rise, calling it a sign of great talent, and that he would share in the glory, promising to visit and congratulate him another day. Then, Ximen Qing warmly invited Commander Jing to stay for dinner, instructing his servants to prepare fine wine and dishes. Commander Jing repeatedly declined, saying he had other matters to attend to and would visit another day. However, Ximen Qing insisted, having the servants help Commander Jing change into something more comfortable, and commanded that good food and wine be served, with a charcoal fire lit and warm curtains drawn, setting a lively atmosphere. While they were drinking, two young actors, Zheng Chun and Wang Xiang, arrived and bowed to Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing asked why they had come so late and inquired about the name of another young actor Zheng Chun was with. Zheng Chun replied that it was Wang Xiang, who was Wang Gui's brother. Ximen Qing then had the instruments brought out and asked the two young actors to perform a play. Afterward, he dismissed Commander Jing's attendants. Commander Jing expressed his apologies for disturbing Ximen Qing and felt bad for being treated by him, insisting on bowing in gratitude. Ximen Qing suggested that another day, he would invite Commander Jing to his home to visit his mother and enjoy the lanterns together. Commander Jing agreed. The two then chatted about that General Zhou hadn't been promoted, with Commander Jing saying he had heard that General Zhou would not be promoted until March. Ximen Qing nodded in understanding. Before long, Commander Jing said his goodbyes, and Ximen Qing escorted him out.

At night, Pan Jinlian raised a glass to Ximen Qing, while the young performers sang in the back hall. After Ximen Qing finished his drink, he headed to Pan Jinlian's room. Lady Yu, Grandma Pan, Sister Yu, and two maidservants were drinking in the upper room. Pan Jinlian kept Ximen Qing company while drinking, and they seemed quite close. Later, Grandma Pan arrived, and Jinlian suggested she rest in Li Ping'er's room. Pan Jinlian went on drinking and enjoying herself with Ximen Qing.

Pan Laolao arrived at Li Ping'er's room, and Ruyi and Yingchun invited her to sit on the heated kang. Pan Laolao first went to pay respects to Li Ping'er's memorial tablet, saying that her sister had gone to a better place. Then she sat on the kang and chatted with Ruyi and Yingchun about Li Ping'er, saying that Li Ping'er was blessed, as Ximen Qing treated her so well and even arranged such an elaborate funeral for her. Ruyi mentioned that when it was Li Ping'er's birthday, Pan Laolao didn't come and instead invited twelve Taoist priests to perform rituals. Pan Laolao explained that she couldn't come because no one was home at that time. She then asked about Miss Yang, and Ruyi said that Miss Yang had passed away, as she hadn't come since Li Ping'er began chanting sutras before the New Year, and they had all gone to pay respects at Miss Yang's grave. Pan Laolao was very saddened, saying she didn't even know that Miss Yang had passed away. Ruyi poured Pan Laolao a glass of sweet wine. She then praised Li Ping'er, saying that she was kind-hearted, hospitable, and always treated her well whenever she visited, even giving her things to take home. In contrast, her own daughter was very unkind to her, not giving her a dime, and even the coat she was wearing was given by Li Ping'er. Her daughter even scolded her about the money for the sedan chair. Pan Laolao said she wouldn’t go there anymore and would just stay with her daughter. Ruyi mentioned that Wu Niang had been studying and learning to read since she was young, to which Pan Laolao added that Wu Niang started school at the age of seven, attended for three years, wrote well and understood some poetry and songs.

As they were speaking, the doorbell rang. Ruyi asked, "Who is it?" The maid Xiu Chun said, "Why don't you go see?" Xiu Chun came back and said, "It's Sister Chunmei." Ruyi quickly pulled Granny Pan and whispered, "Granny, Chunmei is here." Granny Pan said, "I know she and my rival are on the same page." Chunmei came in, saw everyone drinking with Granny Pan, and said, "I came to visit Granny and brought some dishes and a bottle of wine to share with her." Ruyi asked her to sit down, and Chunmei hiked up her skirt and plopped down on the kang. Yingchun sat next to her, Ruyi sat on the right, and Granny Pan sat in the middle. Granny Pan asked, "Are your parents asleep?" Chunmei said, "They just went to bed. I came to see Granny." She instructed Xiu Chun, "Could you call Qiuju to bring everything over? I've already got it ready." Xiu Chun left, and a while later, Qiuju brought the dishes, while Xiu Chun brought a jug of Jinhua wine. Chunmei told Qiuju, "Just stay in there and keep an eye on things, and come get me if you need me." They set the food and wine on the kang table, which was filled with roast duck, ham, seafood, and more. Xiu Chun closed the door, joined everyone at the table, and started pouring the wine.

Chunmei first respectfully poured a drink for Pan Laolao, then went on to toast Ruyier, Yingchun, and Xiuchun. She also picked some delicious food from the plate and gave it to Laolao and everyone, saying, "Laolao, these are all good dishes, please try them." Pan Laolao said, "My sister, I’m old; I can’t eat too much." Then, Pan Laolao complained, "Your mother has never treated me this kindly. Sister, you are filial; you will definitely be rewarded in the future. But my husband has no conscience or loyalty. I’ve worried about him and advised him countless times, but it’s all been in vain. Thanks to you, I came to your house asking for food, and yet you take such good care of me!" Chunmei said, "Laolao, you’re only seeing one side of the story. My mother is a strong-willed person, not as wealthy as Liuniang; she doesn’t have any money of her own. You say she is unfilial to you; others do not know, but I do. Although my father has money at home, my mother doesn’t even look at him. If she needs something, she just asks him directly. She’s not like some people who hoard things and look down on others, and even talk bad about them! That’s really unfair to her, Laolao. I do protect her, you know? We need to be fair here!"

Ruyi said, "I was mistaken about Fifth Sister. Since ancient times, blood is thicker than water. If she can't be filial to her grandmother, who else can she be? As the saying goes, you have to save face for your mother; a tree can bloom a thousand peach blossoms. In the future, when you have money, Fifth Sister will be like someone who has lost her own mother, with no relatives left." Grandma Pan said, "I take it one day at a time; who knows if I’ll die today or tomorrow? I won't hold it against her anymore." Chunmei noticed Grandma Pan had already had two cups of wine, so she called Yingchun over and said, "Bring the dice." After a bit, they brought out a cup containing forty dice. Chunmei first played with Ruyi, then with Yingchun, with all bets on the wine. One cup for you, one for me, and before long, they finished off a pot of wine. Yingchun then brought half a jar of Magu wine, and they finished that too. Around 2 AM, Grandma Pan could no longer hold on and dozed off, and everyone finally dispersed.

Chunmei went back to her room, pushed the door open, and stepped into the courtyard. She saw Qiujun sitting on a stool against the wall in the well-lit room, eavesdropping on the people inside and mimicking their voices. Just as she was really getting into it, Chunmei suddenly approached her and slapped her hard, scolding, "You little sneak, what are you eavesdropping on?" Qiujun was startled and said, "I was dozing off; who's eavesdropping? Why’d you hit me?" The people inside heard and asked Chunmei who she was talking to. Chunmei said, "No one; I told her to close the door, and she didn't move." So, she covered for Qiujun. Qiujun rubbed her eyes and closed the door. Chunmei climbed back onto the kang and fell asleep.

And it was just like this:

The crow lingers on the fading scenery, while the cuckoo cares nothing for the twilight.

A night passed. The next day was the birthday of Pan Jinlian. Fu, Gan, Mrs. Ben, Mrs. Cui, Sister Duan, Mrs. Wu Shunchen, Sister Zheng, and Mrs. Wu Erjin all arrived. Ximen Qing, having invited Uncle Wu and Count Ye, dressed neatly and rode horses to the banquet at He Qianhu's residence. That day, many officials and opera troupes were present, and General Zhou was also there drinking. In the evening, Ximen Qing went to bed with Ruyi in the front yard.

On the tenth day of the lunar month, Ximen Qing posted invitations to the wives of officials to come and drink. Yue Niang asked Ximen Qing, "Since we'll be out enjoying the lanterns on the twelfth, why don't we also invite Meng Daiyi and my sister so they won't feel left out?" Ximen Qing said, "We should have done that earlier." He told Chen Jingji to write two more invitations for the boy to deliver. Pan Jinlian listened nearby, feeling uneasy, and went back to the room to hurry Pan Laolao out. Yue Niang said, "Mother-in-law, why are you in such a hurry? You can stay another day if you want." Jinlian said, "Sister, it's the New Year, and there's no one to look after their children at home. Let her go." Yue Niang quickly packed two boxes of snacks and tea, gave her some money for a sedan chair, and sent her away. Jinlian said to Li Jiao'er, "Tomorrow she's inviting those wealthy aunts to see the lanterns. An old woman, looking around suspiciously—if we don't send her away, what is she doing in the house? She says she's a guest, but she doesn't have nice clothes to wear; she says she's here to light the fire, but she doesn't look like it. It's really getting on my nerves." Ximen Qing had Dai'an send two invitations to invite Lady Lin from Xuanfu and Lady Huang from Wang San. He also invited four singers from the courtyard: Li Guier, Wu Yiner, Zheng Aiyuer, and Hong Sier, as well as the three young actors Li Ming, Wu Hui, and Zheng Feng. Unexpectedly, on that day, Ben Si returned from Beijing, dressed to the nines and handed Ximen Qing a reply letter from Commander Xia. Ximen Qing asked, "Why haven't you come for so long?" Ben Si explained that he had caught a cold in Beijing and only returned on the second day, "thanks to Commander Xia's care." Ximen Qing still handed him the keys to the velvet-lined shop. He also opened another shop for him to sell silk and satin, waiting for the cargo ship from Songjiang to arrive and unload at his place on Lion Street so they could sell everything together. He also asked Ben Si to get two sets of fireworks ready for the guests to enjoy on the twelfth.

Count Ying brought Li San before Xi Menqing and made some polite small talk. After sitting down and finishing tea, Li San finally spoke up: "Brother Xi Men, I have a business proposition I’d like to discuss with you. What do you say?" Xi Menqing asked, "What kind of business?" Li San explained, "The government is planning to collect antiques from various places, and we need a total of several thousand taels of silver, with our share for Dongping Prefecture set at twenty thousand taels. We’re still waiting on the approval from the inspector. Now there’s a Zhang Er in the city, who has already put in two hundred taels and wants to get in on this deal, trying to raise ten thousand taels. After chatting with my second uncle, I thought it would be good to partner with you. If you’re up for it, Zhang Er will pitch in five thousand taels, and you’ll match that, and we can do this together. Just the four of us—me, my second uncle, Brother Huang, and a couple of his guys—we’d split the profits eighty-twenty. What do you say?"

Ximen Qing asked, "What kind of antique is it?" Li San replied, "Elder brother, you might not know yet, but the newly constructed Genyue in the imperial city has been renamed Shouyue. Many pavilions, towers, and other structures have been built on it, including the Shangqing Baolu Palace, Huizhen Hall, Xuan Shen Hall, and Lady Anfei's dressing pavilion. They all require rare birds and beasts, Shang and Zhou bronze artifacts, Han seals, Qin incense burners, Xuan Wang stone drums, various bronze vessels, and other precious treasures. This is a grand project that will naturally incur significant costs!" After listening, Ximen Qing said, "If I were to partner with others, I might as well do it myself; I can definitely cover this expense." Li San said, "It would be even better if you take care of it all; then we wouldn't need to talk to the people over there. Just the three of us—me and Second Uncle—would suffice." The count asked from the side, "Elder brother, should we find someone else to help?" Ximen Qing replied, "When the time comes, we can have Ben Si help us out with errands." Ximen Qing then asked, "Where's the approval document?" Li San said, "It's still with the inspector and hasn't been issued." Ximen Qing said, "No problem, I'll have someone write a letter and send a gift to ask Song Songyuan for help getting it." Li San said, "If we can get the approval document, we mustn't delay. This matter requires speed; whoever gets the document first can make money first. What if someone else gets there first?" Ximen Qing laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? Even if it falls into someone else's hands, I can still get it back from Song Songyuan. I even know Governor Hu." So Ximen Qing kept Li San and the count for dinner and agreed, "I'll write the letter now and send someone to deliver it tomorrow." Li San added, "There's one more thing: Song Songyuan isn't at the inspection office at the moment; he went to Yanzhou to investigate a case a few days ago." Ximen Qing said, "Then you should go to Yanzhou with the messenger tomorrow." Li San replied, "No need to be so troublesome; it only takes five or six days round trip. Elder brother, just send a steward to meet me. Once he gets the letter, he can stay at my place for the night, and we can head out early tomorrow." Ximen Qing said, "Song Songyuan doesn't trust others; he trusts Chunhong the most, so let's send Chunhong and Laijue." Ximen Qing then called for Chunhong and Laijue, instructing them to stay at Li San's house with him for the night. The count said, "This is the best approach; we need to get things done early; opportunities always favor the prepared." After that, Li San and the count finished dinner and took their leave. Ximen Qing immediately asked Chen Jingji to write a letter, enclosing ten taels of gold as well, which he handed to Chunhong and Laijue, instructing, "Travel safely and hurry back once you get the approval. If the document arrives at the government, ask Song Songyuan for a receipt, and then request it from the government." Laijue said, "No need to instruct me, my lord; I know Xu Canyi from Chongzhou and I'm familiar with the process." So the two of them set off with the letter and the gift money to Li San's house.

Eleven days later, Lai Jue, Chunhong, and Li San hired a carriage and headed to Yanzhou Prefecture. Meanwhile, Ximen Qing hosted a banquet for guests at home on the twelfth. He stayed home that day and invited Wu Dajiu, Xie Xida, and Chang Zhijie as guests, enjoying the lanterns and drinks in the pavilion that evening. The servant of Wang Huang's family arrived early in the morning carrying boxes, and as the guests arrived, they began to welcome them with gongs and drums. Zhou Shoubei's wife did not come because her eyes were uncomfortable, and she sent word. Only the wives of Jing Tongzhi, Zhang Tuanlian, and Yun Zhijiang, as well as Qiao's mother-in-law, Cui's mother-in-law, Aunt Wu, Aunt Meng, and others arrived first. However, Mrs. Lin, He Qianhu's wife, and Mrs. Wang Sanguan had not yet arrived. Ximen Qing sent Paijun, Daian, and Qintong to check on them several times, and also sent Wensao to urge them. At noon, Mrs. Lin arrived in a large sedan chair, followed by a small sedan chair. After exchanging greetings, Ximen Qing greeted Mrs. Lin and asked why Mrs. Wang Sanguan had not come. Mrs. Lin replied, "The child is away, and there’s no one at home." Only Mrs. He Qianhu arrived in the afternoon, sitting in a large sedan chair carried by four people, with a servant following in a small sedan chair, Paijun carrying a suitcase, and two blue-clothed men supporting the sedan chair, who dismounted at the second gate. With the sound of drums and gongs ahead, Wu Yueniang and the sisters welcomed them outside the ceremonial gate. Ximen Qing quietly hid in the West Wing room, lifted the curtain to take a sneak peek, only to see Lan, a girl under twenty, tall and dressed lavishly, with pearls and jade adorning her head, wearing phoenix hairpins and a large red robe adorned with colorful floral patterns and four mythical beasts, a jade belt inlaid with gold, and a floral blue skirt, walking gracefully, leaving a trail of fragrance.

Her beauty is enchanting, her figure is just the right height. She moves with a lively demeanor, her delicately arched eyebrows gracefully frame her face; her bright, alluring phoenix-like eyes seem to gaze at passersby. Her gentle voice is as melodious as an oriole singing in the sunlight, her tender waist like a willow swaying in the wind. She is truly born from the ranks of exquisite beauty, yet she despises extravagance, having grown up among jewels and gems, unable to appreciate the beauty of simplicity. The begonia flowers are in full bloom, yet she pays no mind to how many bloom at night; the willow catkins are scattered, yet she does not know the essence of spring. As she moves with the grace of a lotus flower, she exudes the grace of a celestial being; as she gracefully adjusts her skirt, she resembles the demeanor of the Water Moon Guanyin. Indeed, she surpasses flowers in understanding and jade in fragrance.

Ximen Qing stared in astonishment, his mind adrift, feeling a stirring in his heart even before their meeting. Soon, Yueniang and the others welcomed the Lan family into the back hall. After the formalities, they invited Ximen Qing to pay his respects. Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing hurriedly adjusted his attire and bowed, feeling as if he had stepped down from a realm of jade trees and celestial maidens, bowing deeply, his heart racing, unable to keep his composure. After the formalities, Yueniang first invited them to drink tea in the pavilion, then music filled the main hall, and seats were arranged in order, with Madam Lin seated at the head table. That day, they staged "Little Tianxiang's Midnight Offering," and after two acts, Li Guijie, Wu Yiner, Zheng Yueer, and Hong Si'er came out to sing lantern verses.

In the room, Ximen Qing drank and listened to music with Wu Dajiu, Ying Bojue, Xie Xida, Chang Zhijie, Li Ming, Wu Hui, and Zheng Feng, while frequently glancing toward the entrance of the hall. To be honest, the moon always has its phases, good times are fleeting, and excessive joy brings sorrow; this is simply the way of nature. Ximen Qing only knows how to vie for power and indulge in wine and pleasure, yet he remains oblivious to the cycle of justice and the certainty of retribution, as his time approaches.

As evening fell, the lights were lit, and the actors continued to sing on stage. Before midnight, Ximen Qing dozed off at the table with everyone. The Count playfully teased him, saying, "Brother, why are you so uninterested today, just snoozing?" Ximen Qing replied, "I didn't sleep well yesterday, and I don't know why today, I just feel tired and want to sleep." At that moment, four actors stepped off the stage, and the Count asked Hong Sier and Zheng Yuer to continue playing, while Wu Yiner and Li Guijie were responsible for pouring wine.

Just as it was lively, Daian suddenly came to report, "Madame Wang and Mrs. He have left." Ximen Qing quickly jumped up and sneaked to the second gate to watch them leave. The ladies came out to bid them farewell, and fireworks were set off in the front yard. Madame Lan donned a vibrant red mink coat, while Madame Lin wore a white silk coat with a mink cape, adorned with gold bracelets and jade pendants. The servants held lanterns and escorted them to the sedan chairs. Ximen Qing watched eagerly, itching to go with them immediately. When Madame Lan left, he sneaked back through the side passage. It was a coincidence that Bao Yu's wife happened to come back from the backyard at that time, and when she opened the door, she ran into Ximen Qing and couldn't avoid him. It turned out that Ximen Qing had long had his eye on this wife; although she was not as beautiful as Lai Wang's wife, Song Shi, she could be considered the second most beautiful woman. So, fueled by alcohol, he hugged her and kissed her in the room. This wife had been mistreated and thrown out from the Wang family, and now encountering this situation, she had no reason to refuse. She kissed Ximen Qing willingly. The two undressed and shared a passionate encounter on the kang. It was truly a case of indulging one's desires before encountering the real thing. As the poem goes:

The lamp and moonlight bath the jade pot, casting clear reflections on green pearls. Don’t say the gentleman will always have a wife; let one seek love beneath the mulberry tree.

Details

Written by: Realhistories

Category: The Golden Lotus（金瓶梅）

Published: 31 December 2024

Created: 31 December 2024

Hits: 64

The poem goes:

Plum blossoms, like snow, adorn the year's end anew. At the month's end, pure flowers dance with colors, light petals flutter in the wind, half embracing the fragrance, not as unruly as the willow blossoms.

The shadows of two sparrows can be likened to a snow-clad maiden. Once, in the light of six flurries, they were companions, seeking fragrance atop a hundred flowers, competing like two lovebirds.

Scholar Wen visited Ximen Qing but was unsuccessful; he felt quite embarrassed and quietly moved back to his old residence. Meanwhile, Ximen Qing became a guest of honor at ten academies; let’s put that aside for now.

One day, Scholar Shang came to bid farewell to Ximen Qing, as he was heading to the capital for the imperial examination and wanted to borrow a suitcase and a wool coat. Ximen Qing invited him for tea and casually brought up Qiao the wealthy and Yun Lishou: “Both are my old friends; one has become a righteous official, and the other has inherited his ancestral position, and now both are in charge of their respective affairs. I’d like to write them a couple of congratulatory notes. Do you know anyone skilled in this? If you could help me write them, I’d be sure to reward you generously!” Scholar Shang smiled and replied, “No need to be formal. I have an old classmate named Nie Lianghu, who now works at the arsenal, teaching and nurturing talent; he is particularly good at this. Just have him write it directly, and I’ll help you get in touch.” Ximen Qing quickly thanked him. After finishing tea, Scholar Shang left. Ximen Qing immediately prepared two pouches, placed five taels of silver inside, and asked the qin boy to deliver the congratulatory phrases, felt coat, and suitcase to Scholar Shang. Two days later, the congratulatory phrases were written and delivered. Ximen Qing hung them on the wall and, upon seeing the beautiful calligraphy and flowing prose, was absolutely delighted.

At this time, Count Yu arrived and asked Ximen Qing, "When will the matter of Qiao the Rich and Yun Ergo be done? Is the congratulatory message ready? Why haven't we seen Mr. Wen in the past few days?" Ximen Qing said, "Don't even get me started on Mr. Wen; he's nothing but a scoundrel!" Then he told Count Yu the whole story. Count Yu said, "I knew he was a braggart, too hypocritical. You should have seen through him sooner; otherwise, he would have led our children astray." He then asked Ximen Qing, "Who wrote the two congratulatory messages?" Ximen Qing said, "Yesterday, Shang Jurén came to me, saying his friend Nie Lianghu is a good calligrapher, so I had him write it. The articles have already been delivered. Take a look!" Then he took Count Yu to see them, and Count Yu praised them enthusiastically, saying, "All the messages have been sent, so send them over right away and get everything ready." Ximen Qing said, "Let's pick a good day to send them out tomorrow."

As they were talking, someone came to report: "Old Xia has come to say goodbye, saying he’ll be leaving on the sixth." He is not at home, so he asked me to let Old He know to send someone over to keep an eye on things." Ximen Qing noticed the invitation said, "The late-born Xia Cheng'en bows and thanks." Ximen Qing said, "Let’s send two gifts of cash and silk, one for Scholar Shang too." He instructed the qin boy, "Hurry and buy it, have your brother-in-law wrap it nicely, and write the invitation to send over." Ximen Qing kept the count in the study for dinner, when suddenly Ping’an’er hurriedly brought three invitations: "Councilor Old man Wang, Military Preparations Old man Lei, and Doctor Old man An have arrived." Ximen Qing looked at the invitations: "Wang Boyan, Lei Qiyuan, An Chen bow." He quickly dressed up. The count commented, "Brother, you have matters to attend to, I’ll take my leave first." Ximen Qing said, "I’ll catch up with you tomorrow." While getting dressed, he went to greet them. The three officials entered, each one politely stepping back for the others. Once in the main hall, after some pleasantries and chatting for a while, Doctor An said, "Lei Donggu, Wang Shaohua, and I have come to disturb you again: the new Dali Temple Chief Zhao Dayin from the Zhejiang government, we’d like to use your place to throw a banquet in celebration. The invitations have already gone out, scheduled for the ninth, with five tables of wine and dishes; we have already contacted the opera troupe. We wonder if you will agree?" Ximen Qing said, "The old gentleman has instructed, I will certainly do my best." Doctor An had the servants bring out a couple of taels of silver, which Ximen Qing had the servants accept, then he saw them out. Lei Donggu told Ximen Qing, "A few days ago, Qian Yunye wrote saying that Sun Wenxiang is your associate; I’ve already taken him off the list, but I hadn’t mentioned it to you before." Ximen Qing said, "Yes, thank you for your trouble; I’ll definitely swing by to thank you another day." Lei Bingbei said, "There is no need for formality between us." After saying this, he got into the sedan chair and left. It turned out that since Pan Jinlian took charge of the finances, she set up her own accounts. Every day when the little servant came back from getting groceries, he had to show them to her before he could pay. She didn't count the money herself, only letting Chunmei count it and keep the accounts. The little servants were scolded harshly by Chunmei; if they made even the tiniest mistake, they’d get reported and face Ximen Qing’s wrath. So the little servants all grumbled that spending money with the Third Mistress was the toughest.

The next day, after the yamen session, Ximen Qing said to He Qianhu, "The Xia family has already left. Has the governor sent someone to keep an eye on their house?" He Qianhu replied, "Yes, someone had been sent there yesterday, and I have already dispatched someone." Ximen Qing said, "Let's go take a look together today." So the two of them rode to the Xia family. There was already no one at home, only a servant waiting at the door. The two officials dismounted and entered the main hall. Ximen Qing took He Qianhu on a tour, then they came to the front pavilion and saw a bare patch of land with no flowers or plants. Ximen Qing said, "Governor, let’s hire a few gardeners tomorrow to plant some flowers, plants, and trees, and renovate this pavilion." He Qianhu replied, "It’s already been decided. In the spring, I will renovate it and construct three covered rooms, and then invite the governor to relax." After looking around, he told the household staff to clean up and close the doors properly. In a few days, he would write a letter to the master in Tokyo to arrange for the family to join him before the New Year. Ximen Qing bid farewell and returned home. He Qianhu went back to the court. He moved in several days later, but I won't elaborate on that part.

As soon as Ximen Qing got home, he dismounted and saw He Jiu delivering a bolt of cloth, some side dishes, and a jar of wine, saying it was a gesture of thanks. Then, someone from Liu Neixiang sent over a box of candles, twenty tablecloths, eighty incense sticks, a box of high-quality spices, a jar of homemade wine, and a fresh pig. Upon entering, the staff from Liu Gonggong's household knelt and bowed, saying, "Master, please come by more often; these are just small gifts, please accept them graciously." Ximen Qing said, "A few days ago, I visited the old gentleman recently without any reason; why send such valuable gifts again?" He instructed his servants, "Quickly accept them and thank the steward properly." After a while, a young servant brought a cup of tea; Ximen Qing drank it and rewarded the servant with five coins, returned the calling card, and sent them away. He then invited He Jiu inside. When he saw He Jiu, Ximen Qing took his hand, and He Jiu quickly knelt down and bowed, saying, "Thanks to your great kindness, my brother and I are able to survive; I am truly grateful!" He wanted to bow again to show respect, but Ximen Qing wouldn't allow it and pulled him up, saying, "Old Jiu, we are old friends, no need to be so polite." He let He Jiu sit down, but He Jiu said, "I'm just a lowly person; how could I possibly sit?" and stood to the side. Ximen Qing also stood, shared a cup of tea with him, and said, "Old Jiu, why do you go through the trouble of sending gifts again? I really can't accept them. If anyone gives you trouble, just come to me, and I'll sort it out for you. If the county sends you on any errands, I can speak to Old Li for you." He Jiu replied, "Thanks to your grace, I understand. I am older now, and I've handed over the errands to He Qin." Ximen Qing said, "That's good, that's good; it's nice to have some free time." He then said, "Since you insist so much, I will accept this wine, but you should take the cloth back; I won't keep you for dinner." He Jiu expressed endless gratitude and took his leave.

Ximen Qing sat in the hall, looking at the gifts: fruit boxes, red packets, wine, calligraphy and paintings, as well as the money everyone sent. He first sent Dai An to deliver the gifts to Qiao Dahuzi, and then let Wang Jing send them to Yun Lishou. Dai An came back and said that the Qiao family had given five coins. Wang Jing came back from Yun Lishou's house, saying that Yun Lishou had treated him to tea, and also gave him a piece of fine blue cloth and a pair of silk shoes, and brought back a pair of visiting cards, which read "I apologize for the intrusion," meaning "I have rudely disturbed you; I will visit again another day." Ximen Qing was very pleased, went to eat in Lady Moon's room, and said to Lady Moon, "Ben Si has left, Wu Er uncle is selling goods on Lion Street, I have some free time today, so I'm going to pay him a visit." Lady Moon said, "You can go; if there’s food and drink, have the servants let us know." Ximen Qing said, "I understand." He had a horse saddled, put on his felt hat, wore sable ear muffs, a green velvet coat, and soap boots, took Qin Tong and Dai An, and went straight to Lion Street. When he arrived at Wu Er uncle's shop, he saw Wu Er uncle and Lai Zhao busy selling satin, wool thread, and cotton; the shop was packed. Ximen Qing dismounted, looked around, and walked to the back room to sit down in the warm room. Wu Er uncle came over and bowed, saying, "I make about two or three taels of silver a day." Ximen Qing also instructed Lai Zhao's wife, "Don't neglect Uncle Er's daily meals." Lai Zhao's wife said, "I make sure to serve meals and drinks every day; I wouldn’t dream of neglecting it."

Ximen Qing noticed the sky was overcast, with dark clouds gathering and a bone-chilling wind, as if it was about to snow. He suddenly remembered he needed to go to Zheng Yue'er’s house, so he said to the qin boy, "Ride home and get my fur coat, and by the way, ask your aunt if she has some food and drink to bring back for my second uncle." The boy agreed. After a while, he returned with a mink fur coat and a box of food and drink. Ximen Qing and his second uncle drank three glasses of wine in the house and instructed, "Second uncle, you can stay here tonight and eat slowly. I’ll head home first." Then he put on his blindfold, rode his horse, and, accompanied by Dai An and the boy, went directly to Zheng Yue'er’s house. When they reached the east street corner, heavy snow began to fall.

The snow fell softly in the harsh cold, just right. Fluffy and soft, it fell in pieces, as big as a palm. He saw bamboo shoots in the woods getting crushed beneath it. But someone remarked, "There are still too few disasters and obstacles." Gathering around the red stove with animal charcoal, he wore a mink fur embroidered coat. Holding a plum blossom, he sang that it was a national auspice, not worrying about the common people's troubles. High up lived a recluse, writing many poems.

Ximen Qing stepped on the snow and arrived at Zheng Ai Yue'er’s house, dismounting at the door. The maid quickly went in to report, "Sir has arrived!" Zheng Mama came out to greet him, bowing in the hall, and said, "Thank you for your generous gift a few days ago; Yue'er is still bothering you at the mansion, and both Aunt and Third Sister sent her flowers and a handkerchief." Ximen Qing replied, "It was a wasted trip that day." After sitting down, Ximen Qing instructed Dai An, "Take the horse to the back courtyard." Zheng Mama said, "Please, sir, sit in the bright room at the back. Yue'er just got up to comb her hair; she said you came yesterday and served you all day, so today she feels a bit unwell and got up late." Ximen Qing went to the bright room at the back and noticed the curtain was half-drawn, with a large brass basin on the floor filled with burning charcoal. He sat on a chair. Zheng Ai Xiang'er came out first to greet him and served tea. Then Ai Yue'er came out, dressed to the nines. She smiled and bowed to Ximen Qing, saying, "Father, I came late that day; I played too long in front, and then Aunt invited me to dinner, so I got home after midnight." Ximen Qing laughed and said, "Little smooth-talker, you and Sister Li Gui were quite the loud card players." Zheng Ai Yue'er replied, "What can I say? He just loves to chat! He even spoke ill of me at the banquet! That day, Zhu Mazi got drunk and tried to take me home. I said, 'My dad didn’t send a lantern; Jiang Pangzi is hanging out in the gutter—what a stench!'" Ximen Qing said, "Yesterday I heard Hong Si'er say that Zhu Mazi was with Wang Sanguan again, inviting Rong Jiaor to the street." Zheng Yue'er said, "He only stayed one night at Rong Jiaor's house, burned a stick of incense, and then left. He’s still at Qin Yuzhi’s place now." After a bit of chatting, she said, "Dad, don’t stay out in the cold; come on inside and sit down."

Ximen Qing returned to the room, took off his mink coat, and sat around the stove with the two girls, the room filled with a delicious aroma. After a while, the maid brought in three bowls of steamed buns filled with yellow chives and meat along with some small dumplings. The two sisters accompanied Ximen Qing, each eating a bowl of buns. Ai Yue'er served Ximen Qing half a bowl more. Ximen Qing said, "I had planned to come by and sit with you, but I didn't expect it to start snowing." Ai Yue'er said, "Why didn't you come see me a couple of days ago? I waited all day yesterday but didn't see you." Ximen Qing replied, "Two guests came to the house yesterday, and I was too busy to come over." Ai Yue'er said, "I want you to buy me some mink fur so I can make a scarf." Ximen Qing said, "No problem, yesterday, a guy named Han returned from Liaodong and brought me some good mink fur. Neither of you has a scarf, so we can make one for each of you tomorrow." Ai Xiang and Ai Yue'er quickly got up to bow. Ximen Qing instructed, "Don't mention this to Sister Gui or Sister Yin." Zheng Yue'er said, "I understand." Then she added, "The day before yesterday, Sister Li Gui saw Wu Yin'er spending the night at my place and asked me when she came. I didn't keep it from her; I said, 'Yesterday we invited Lord Zhou, and the four of us sang here all day. Dad said Wang Sanguan was here, so it wasn't appropriate to invite you.' She didn't say a word." Ximen Qing said, "That was a good response to her. The day before yesterday, Li Ming, I didn't want him to come and sing either, but he insisted several times, begging your dad. Later, for your third aunt's birthday celebration, Sister Gui sent a gift to apologize, and your mother mentioned it, but I ignored her. Yesterday, I even kept Sister Yin here to let her know." Ai Yue'er said, "I didn't know it was my third aunt's birthday; I must have seemed rude." Ximen Qing said, "Tomorrow, your old dad will host a banquet, so you and Sister Yin can come and sing for the day." Ai Yue'er said, "As you command, Dad, I'll go."

After finishing their conversation, the young women brought out the ivory 牌 and played cards with Ximen Qing on the heated bed. Aixiang joined them at the table. After a while, the food and drinks arrived. Aixiang and Aiyue took turns pouring wine for Ximen Qing, and the sisters performed a song together. After singing, the sisters brought out the dice and played a game of chance with Ximen Qing. After a few rounds of drinks, Ximen Qing spotted a painting called "The Beauty of Aiyue" hanging on the screen beside the bed in Zheng Aiyue's room, which featured an inscribed poem:

There is a beauty who stands apart from the rest, a gentle breeze lightly brushes her pomegranate skirt. Flowers bloom in the golden valley come March, the moon moves through the flower shadows at ten at night.

The jade snow spirit connects with Zhong Yan, Qiong Lin's talent and beauty surpass Wen Jun. Young love deserves admiration; don’t let your heart wander and entrust it to the clouds.

After Ximen Qing finished reading the poem, he asked, "Is the Sanquan Master Wang Sanguan's pseudonym?" Zheng Aiyue quickly replied, "That was his old name. He doesn't go by Sanquan anymore; he decided to change it to Xiaoxuan. He said, since he learned from his father 'Siquan', how could he still be called 'Sanquan'? He was afraid his father would be angry, so he changed his name to Xiaoxuan." As she spoke, she took a pen and crossed out the character "San." Ximen Qing was very happy and said, "I didn't know he changed his name." The girl said, "I heard him tell someone else, and that's how I found out. He said his deceased father was named Yixuan, so he changed his name to Xiaoxuan." Aixiang left, leaving only Aiyue to accompany Ximen Qing. The two sat together, drank and played dice, chatting about Mrs. Lin and how charming she was: "I was drinking at her house, and that day Wang Sanguan asked me to meet her in the backyard. It was her idea to have Wang Sanguan acknowledge me as his adoptive father, to have me take him on as my adopted son, and to have me educate him into adulthood." The girl clapped and laughed, "I’ve paved the way for you; tomorrow, even Wang Sanguan's wife might not dare to defy you." Ximen Qing said, "Tomorrow I will first burn incense for him. In the first month, I will invite him and Wang Sanguan's wife to my house to see the lanterns and drink; let's see if he comes." The girl said, "Dad, you have no idea how beautiful Wang Sanguan's wife is; even a lantern beauty can't compare to her charm. She's only nineteen, widowed at home, and Wang Sanguan never comes home. Dad, if you make an effort, she will definitely be yours." As they talked, they held each other close. The maid brought in many fruits, and the girl personally served Ximen Qing wine, even playfully feeding him honey cakes with her tongue... The two were deeply in love, burning with desire, and about to make love. The girl went to the back, Ximen Qing went to change clothes, and found that the snow was coming down even harder. Returning to the room, the maid helped him out of his shoes and socks, and he got into bed first. When the girl finished bathing and came back, she closed the door, and the two got into bed together. The charming spring scene is so captivating, stirring deep desires in tender hearts. As proof, here is a poem:

How captivating is the charming spring scene, still incredibly enchanting,

Stirring up butterflies, with fragrant hearts soft and full of desire.

The gathering and parting are untrustworthy, existing only in dreams, rising with the remnant candle illuminating the red gauze. Throughout history, many have been brought together by love; who says the path to the balcony is blocked? The two enjoyed each other's company for a while and only got up late at night. After grooming and dressing, the maid brought wine and dishes, and they had a few more drinks. Ximen Qing asked Dai An, "Do you have a lantern and an umbrella?" Dai An replied, "The boy with the qin has gone to get them." Only then did Ximen Qing take his leave, with the madam and the girls seeing him off and watching him mount his horse. Zheng Yue'er shouted, "If father wants to call me, come early." Ximen Qing replied, "I understand." He rode out with an umbrella, riding home through the snow. He only mentioned to Wu Yueniang that he had been drinking with Wu Erjiu on Lion Street, without bringing up anything else.

The next day was the eighth, and Ximen Qing heard that He Qianhu's luggage had all been moved to the Xia family, so he sent over four boxes of pastries and a gift of five taels of silver. At that time, Ying Bojue arrived. Seeing that the snow had stopped and it was very cold, Ximen Qing invited him to warm himself by the fire in the study, asking a servant to bring food to cook porridge for him, then said, "Yesterday, the gifts and silver from Qiao's family and Yun Erge were sent over. I also included two taels of silver as your courtesy gift. Don't worry about it; just wait for the invite to come and have a drink." Ying Bojue thanked him and then asked, "What did Lord An and the others come for yesterday? Who were those two?" Ximen Qing replied, "Those two are Lei Bingbei and Wang Shensi, both from Zhejiang, wanting to host a banquet here. Tomorrow, we will invite Governor Zhao Ting from Hangzhou, who has just been promoted to Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple; he is their superior, so we cannot neglect to invite him. The total gift money is just three taels." The earl said, "Civil officials are all very particular; what can three taels do! Brother, you will inevitably need to supplement some." Ximen Qing said, "Lei Bingbei asked about Huang Si's uncle, Sun Wenxiang, and even inquired about his exoneration yesterday." The earl remarked, "You say he's not careful, but he still remembers and insists on throwing this banquet."

The Earl told Yingbao: "Go and call that person to see your father." Ximen Qing asked: "Who?" The Earl said: "A young man, also from a wealthy family background; his parents have both passed away, and he has worked for the imperial family since he was a child. He is already married, but because he couldn't get along with others on the farm, he left and is now looking for work. He and Yingbao are friends, and he asked Yingbao to help him find a job. This morning, Yingbao told me that he wanted me to recommend him to you, father. I told him I wasn't sure if your father would be interested." Then the Earl asked Yingbao: "What's his name? Let him in." Yingbao said: "His surname is Lai, called Lai You'er." Lai You'er came in, bowed on the ground, and stood outside the curtain. The Earl said: "Just look at his build and strength; he should have no problem with lifting and moving tasks." He asked: "How old are you?" Lai You'er said: "I am twenty years old." The Earl asked again: "Do you have any children with your wife?" Lai You'er said: "Just the two of us." Yingbao said: "Honestly, his wife is only nineteen and is skilled at cooking, sewing, and making clothes; she can do it all." Ximen Qing noticed Lai You'er with his head bowed, appearing honest and respectful, and said: "Since you were recommended by Yingbao, you can work for me." Then he instructed, "Choose a good day, draft a contract, and let them move in." Lai You'er bowed again. Ximen Qing asked Qintong to take Lai You'er to the backyard to meet with Lady Yue and the others. Lady Yue gave Lai You'er the room that used to belong to Lai Wang. The Earl sat for a bit before heading home. Yingbao and Lai You'er wrote a contract of indenture, handed it to Ximen Qing, and Ximen Qing changed his name to Lai Jue.

Since the day Madam Ben's daughter married into the Xia family, she has been shopping for various things every day, sending Ping An and Lai An, the painter's child, on errands. The stewards at Ximen Qing's house often drink with Ping An in Ximen Qing's room. Madam Ben has a good temper; whatever dish or tea she wants is prepared immediately. Even when Madam Ben returns from the shop and sees them, she remains unfazed. So today, with her not at home, who would help her with the work? Dai An and Ping An spend the most time in his room.

On the ninth day, Ximen Qing invited Doctor An, Councilor Wang, Military Commissioner Lei, and Governor Zhao for drinks; the details of that day need not be elaborated. Early that morning, the Jia couple moved in. His wife bowed to Yue Niang and the others in the yard. Yue Niang saw that she wore a purple silk jacket, a blue cloth vest, and a green skirt. She was petite, had an oval face, wore makeup, and had bound feet. After a few questions, Yue Niang discovered that she was skilled in various needlework techniques. Yue Niang named her Hui Yuan and assigned her to take turns cooking with Hui Xiu and Hui Xiang.

One day, Miss Yang passed away. An Tong'er came to deliver the news of her passing. Ximen Qing prepared a ritual table, offerings, and a meal, and also set aside five taels of silver for funeral expenses. Wu Yueniang, Li Jiaojiao, Meng Yulou, and Pan Jinlian all took a sedan chair to the north to burn joss paper and pay their respects. Qin Tong'er, Qi Tong'er, Lai Jue'er, and Lai An'er followed the sedan chair, leaving the house empty. Ximen Qing was in the study of the shop across the street, watching the furrier and Yueniang work on a mink collar. They first made one and sent it to Zheng Yue'er in the courtyard, and also gave her ten taels of silver as a festival gift. The Zheng family treated Dai An to a banquet and gave him three taels of silver. After Dai An returned, he told Ximen Qing, "Aunt Yue asked me to thank you. She was concerned when you didn't visit a few days ago. She gave me three taels of silver." Ximen Qing said, "You keep it." He then asked him, "Ben Si is not at home; what were you doing just now coming out of her room?" Dai An replied, "After Ben Si's daughter got married, there was no one to help her, so she often asks me to buy things for her." Ximen Qing said, "Since there's no one to help her, you should lend her a hand more often." Then Ximen Qing quietly whispered to Dai An, "Take your time telling her, just say... Dad wants to see you, how would you feel about that? See how she responds. If she agrees, ask her for a handkerchief for me." Dai An said, "Got it." He agreed to Ximen Qing. When Ximen Qing returned home, he saw Wang Jing bringing a golden red tiger and four pairs of golden-headed silver hairpins from the silver shop, handing them to Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing set aside two pairs in the study and took the rest into Li Ping'er’s room, giving the red tiger to Ruyi and also giving her a pair of hairpins, and another pair to Yingchun. The two accepted the gifts and hurriedly bowed. Ximen Qing asked Yingchun to serve the rice. After a while, the rice was served, and once they finished eating, Ximen Qing returned to the study. Dai An approached him slowly, and seeing Wang Jing beside him, he said nothing. Ximen Qing asked Wang Jing to go back and pour tea. It was only then that Dai An spoke up, "I have already followed your instructions and told her. She smiled and said she would serve you tonight and asked me to bring this handkerchief to you." Ximen Qing saw a square handkerchief made of red silk brocade, wrapped in red cotton paper, and catching a whiff of its fragrance, he felt delighted and quickly tucked it away. Just then, Wang Jing entered with tea. Ximen Qing drank the tea and then headed over to check on the craftsmen at work.

Suddenly someone came to announce, "Uncle Hua has arrived." Ximen Qing said, "Please ask him to come in." Hua Ziyao entered the study, bowed, and then sat down to express his gratitude for Ximen Qing's past kindness. After a brief chat, Huatong brought in tea. Hua Ziyao said, "There’s a guest outside with five hundred bags of Wuxi rice. The river has frozen, and he is eager to sell it and return home. I thought of you, brother-in-law; maybe you could buy it and offer him a fair price." Ximen Qing replied, "What would I want that for? The river is frozen now, and no one wants it. When spring comes and the boats return, the price will be even lower. Besides, I don’t have any cash on hand right now." He then told Dai An, "Clear the table and see what dishes we have." Then he told Huatong, "Go invite your second father to keep your flower father company." After a while, the count arrived. The three of them gathered around the stove for drinks, and they made some pancakes to munch on. After some time, a disciple of Wu Daoguan, Yingchun, came to deliver festival gifts. Ximen Qing invited him to drink together. He also gave him Li Ping'er’s hundred-day offerings and some silver. They drank until sunset, and Hua Ziyao and Yingchun left first. After Gan the assistant closed the shop, he also came over to drink, playing dice and guessing coins with the count until the lanterns were lit up. Wu Yueniang and the others' sedan chairs returned, bringing news. The count asked, "Where did the ladies go today?" Ximen Qing said, "Miss Yang has passed away; today marks the third day of mourning, and I've set up a memorial table and offerings. They all went to pay their respects." The count said, "She lived to a ripe old age." Ximen Qing replied, "About seventy-five or seventy-six years old. Without sons or daughters, she relies on her nephew for support. For the past few years, I have been helping her prepare her necessities." The count said, "Good, good, the old lady managed to save some money; that’s a good thing. Brother, you are accumulating virtue and doing good deeds." After a few rounds of drinks, the count and Gan the assistant took their leave. Ximen Qing got up and told young Wang Xian, "Keep an eye on the candles." Wang Xian replied, "Understood," as he closed the door.

Ximen Qing saw that there was no one around, so he sneaked over to Ben Si's house. Ben Si's wife was standing at the door, and when she heard the door creak across the way, Ximen Qing came out of the darkness. The woman quickly opened the door, Ximen Qing went in, and the woman quickly closed the door and said, "Please, come in and have a seat." There was a small compartment in the inner room, with a small kang bed that was warm with a fire, a lit lamp, and the edge of the kang was brushed snow white. The woman wore a turquoise hairpin, a purple silk jacket, a blue silk shawl, and a jade-colored silk skirt. She greeted Ximen Qing and quickly poured tea for him to drink, whispering, "Don't let the neighbor Han's wife know." Ximen Qing replied, "It's fine; it's dark, and she won't see a thing." Then, he hugged the woman, kissed her, pulled over a pillow, took off his clothes, and on the edge of the kang... Once they had straightened their clothes, Ximen Qing pulled out five or six taels of silver coins and two pairs of gold hairpins from his sleeve to buy her flowers. After the woman thanked him, she quietly saw Ximen Qing out. Dai An was waiting in the shop, and when he heard the door open, he opened it, let Ximen Qing in, and no one was the wiser. Later, Ximen Qing went there often. As the saying goes, "If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it yourself." Unfortunately, Han’s wife caught sight of them, and later, Jinlian found out too, but she kept quiet. On the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, Qiao Dahuzi invited guests to drink, and Ximen Qing went with Ying Bojue and Wu Dajiu. That night, many people gathered to drink and watch the show, and they didn't disperse until late. The next day, families hosted banquets, but let's not get into the details.

Cui Ben set off with two thousand taels of Huzhou silk early in the twelfth month, hired a boat to load the goods, and hurried to the Linqing dock. He asked his assistant Rong Hai to guard the cargo while he went home to get money, disembarking at his doorstep. The young musician said, "Big Brother Cui is here, please come to the hall and sit. My father is in the room across the hall; I'll go fetch him." The young musician went to the other room but didn't see Ximen Qing, so he asked Ping An, who said, "My father might have gone to the backyard." The young musician went to the upper room to ask Yue Niang, who said, "Goodness, your father left early this morning and hasn't come back yet!" The young musician searched all the rooms, the garden, and the study but couldn't find him. The young musician shouted from the front door, "Help! I can’t find my dad anywhere! It’s broad daylight and there’s no one around! Big Brother Cui has been waiting for so long." Dai An clearly knew the truth but pretended not to. When Ximen Qing unexpectedly walked into the hall and saw Cui Ben, he bowed and handed him the account book, saying, "The boat has arrived at the dock; we paid a little less tax silver. I set off on the first day of the twelfth month and separated from them in Yangzhou. They went to Hangzhou, while I stayed at Miao Qing's house for two days." He then said, "Miao Qing spent ten taels of silver to help me marry a girl from a Qianhu family in Yangzhou, sixteen years old, named Chu Yun. She's stunningly beautiful and can sing and dance beautifully. Miao Qing is raising her at home, preparing her dowry and making clothes. In spring, let Han and the others bring her on the boat to keep me company." Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing was overjoyed and said, "Just bring her over on your boat. Why go through the trouble of preparing clothes and dowry? Does my family lack these?" He couldn't wait to fly to Yangzhou immediately to bring this beauty back. Indeed, it's hard to tell the deer apart in Zheng, and the butterfly dream of Zhuang Zhou is a mystery. There is a poem to prove it:

I heard there's a cloud over Yangzhou; I casually rely on the green bird's words for the truth. Little did I know that good things are all kept apart; I try to ask the owner about the plum blossoms.

Ximen Qing had dinner with Cui Ben, gave him fifty taels of silver as tax money, and wrote a letter to the treasurer asking for help. After Cui Ben took his leave, he went to report back to the Qiao household. Ping An saw that Ximen Qing did not cause trouble for the young musician and said, "My son, you don't know how lucky you are. Your father is in a good mood today; otherwise, he would have given you a beating." The young musician laughed and said, "Only you understand my father's temper."

After the goods were unloaded, it was already the end of the month. Ximen Qing was busy at home preparing holiday gifts when suddenly the Jing supervisor sent a messenger with a note, asking, "The memorial from Song Daxun has been in the capital for several days; I wonder if the decree has been issued yet? Please send someone to check at the inspection office." Ximen Qing immediately sent someone, giving them five taels of silver to check at the inspection office. Indeed, the official report from the capital arrived yesterday, and a copy was made for Ximen Qing. It was written on it:

Censor Song Qiaonian of Shandong submitted a report, stating that his impeachment of certain local officials, in line with tradition, aims to inspire the populace and strengthen the emperor's authority. He believed civil officials should pacify the people, while military officers should fend off rebellions, which is essential for maintaining local peace and protecting the people's lives. If officials are unsuitable, it can lead to governance chaos, suffering for the people, and unrest in the country. Song Qiaonian was tasked with inspecting Shandong and other regions, carefully assessing local officials' performance, the people's grievances, and the status of supervisory and defense officials. He then reported his findings to the court, providing a detailed analysis of each official's strengths and weaknesses, and gaining a clear understanding of the overall situation. As his term comes to an end, he is now relaying these findings one by one. He found that the Left Governor of Shandong, Chen Sizhen, is loyal and dependable, skilled at calming the people; the Intendant, Zhao Ne, is strict and well-respected by the community; the Deputy Military Commander, Lei Qiyuan, enjoys strong support from both the military and civilians, and his subordinates acknowledge his capabilities; the Prefect of Jinan, Zhang Shuye, is quite capable and well-suited for a local leadership role; the Prefect of Dongping, Master Hu, is known for his integrity in office and genuine concern for the people. All of these officials deserve promotion and should be utilized effectively.

He also found that Feng Tinghu, the Left Assistant Minister, was old and in poor health, yet still greedy; Xu Song, the Prefect of Dongchang Prefecture, turned a blind eye to his concubine's embezzlement and bribery, spreading rumors and slandering throughout the government, plundering the people's resources, and having a very bad reputation. These two individuals should be immediately dismissed. He also found that Zhou Xiu, the Commander of the Left Army, was broad-minded, experienced, and well-respected by soldiers, and that criminal activity had diminished; Jing Zhong, the Commander of the Jizhou Army, was young and talented, excelling in both civil and military affairs, strong in combat and commanding with strict discipline, and able to resist foreign invasions. These two individuals should be promoted and utilized. Wu Kai, the Thousand Households of Qinghe County, was very talented, understood the strategy of defense, won many battles in leading troops, had sufficient food and supplies, and was well-respected by soldiers, serving as the protector of the region and a bulwark for the nation. He should be especially promoted to motivate other officials. If the Emperor adopts my suggestions and implements these measures, then there will be no vacant official positions, the people will be motivated to work hard, local governance will be proper, and wise governance will endure. After the memorial was submitted, both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War expressed their agreement and reported it to the court. The court also approved this proposal.

Ximen Qing was very happy after reading the official notice. He took the official notice and walked to the backyard, saying to Pan Jinlian, "The memorial from Song Yushi has arrived; your brother Wu Dajiu has been promoted to the position of Deputy Commander, responsible for managing the garrison. Zhou Shoubei and Jing Daren have also been promoted. Hurry and send someone to invite Wu Dajiu to share the good news." Pan Jinlian said, "You go invite him; I will have someone prepare food and drinks. I'm worried he might need some money once he takes office." Ximen Qing said, "No worries, I can lend him a few taels of silver." Soon, Wu Dajiu was invited. Ximen Qing showed him the official notice. Wu Dajiu expressed his gratitude to Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian, saying, "Thanks to my brother-in-law and sister's help, I will never forget your kindness." Ximen Qing said, "Dajiu, if you need any funds for the banquet once you’re in office, just let me know." Wu Dajiu thanked him again. So, they held a celebration in Pan Jinlian's room, with Pan Jinlian also present. Ximen Qing asked Chen Jingji to make a copy of the official notice for Wu Dajiu, and then sent Dai'an to deliver the official notice to Jing Zhong and Zhou Xiu to share the good news. I advise you not to waste time studying stones; travelers on the road are like carved inscriptions.