Another consequence of the delay was that Jia Zheng found himself running short of cash. He was obliged to write a letter and have it delivered to the yamen of Steward Lai’s son, Lai Shang-rong, who happened to be a mandarin in the vicinity, asking him for a loan of five hundred silver taels. The servant entrusted with this mission was told to bring the money and overtake Jia Zheng further along the canal.
A few days and a dozen or so li later, the servant reappeared and came on board the boat with Lai Shang-rong’s reply. The letter was full of tales of woe of one sort or another, and enclosed fifty taels of silver. Jia Zhen was furious, and without a moment’s hesitation ordered the servant to return:
‘Take him back his money this instant! And he can have his letter too! Tell him not to bother!’
The poor servant did as he was ordered and returned to Lai’s yamen. Lai, perturbed at having both his letter and his paltry offering returned, and knowing that he had behaved meanly, made up another package, this time enclosing an additional hundred taels, and begged the servant to take it back with him to Jia Zheng. But despite Lai’s pleas and blandishments, the man absolutely refused, and returned to the boat empty-handed.
Lai Shang-rong was most apprehensive about the consequences of this episode, and immediately wrote to his father at Rong-guo House, advising him to take some leave and if possible to buy his way out of service. When Steward Lai received his son’s letter, he asked Jia Qiang and Jia Yun to plead with Lady Wang for his release. Jia Qiang knew quite well that it would be futile even to try; he let a day go by and then gave a false report that Lady Wang had refused his request. So Lai took a few days’ leave, and meanwhile sent a messenger to his son’s yamen, advising him also to plead sick and relinquish his official post. Lady Wang knew nothing whatsoever about all these goings-on.
Jia Yun was most disappointed to hear Jia Qiang turn down Lai’s request. It (or, rather, the commission it might have brought) had seemed his last chance of recouping the enormous gambling losses he had incurred over the past several days. His only other hope was to apply to Jia Huan for a loan. But Jia Huan was in no position to act as his creditor, having himself never had a penny of his own, and having already squandered his mother’s savings. If Yun failed to raise a loan, he did however succeed in stirring Jia Huan to fresh thoughts of revenge. Memories of Xi-feng’s cruelty still rankled in Jia Huan’s mind; and with Jia Lian away, he was more than ready to vent some of his spleen on Qiao-jie. The loan-seeking Jia Yun seemed an ideal accomplice.
‘You’re not a boy any longer, Yun!’ he grumbled provocatively. ‘Why come asking for a loan from a pauper like me when there’s a chance of making a nice little profit?’
‘Tell us another!’ replied Yun. ‘We’ve just been having a bit of a lark. I never saw any chances for profit passing us by.’
‘What was that a day or two ago about a Mongol prince wanting to buy himself a concubine? Why not talk it over with Dumbo, and offer the prince Qiao-jie?’
‘This may make you cross when I say it, Uncle Huan,’ replied Jia Yun. ‘But I’d better say it all the same. Supposing the prince did buy a concubine from our family, he’d probably never want anything more to do with us afterwards.’
In response to this, Jia Huan whispered something in Jia Yun’s ear and Yun nodded casually, judging the proposal to be a passing whim of Huan’s and not worthy of serious consideration. At that very moment Wang Ren happened along.
‘What are you two plotting?’ he asked. ‘Trying to keep me in the dark, are you?’
Jia Yun communicated to him, sotto voce, the substance of Jia Huan’s scheme, and Wang Ren clapped his hands enthusiastically.
‘Bravo! A capital idea! Lucrative too! But can you really pull it off? If you’ve the guts to go through with it, I’ll back you up. Don’t forget I’m her uncle. It’s my decision, after all. You just put the plan to Lady Xing, Huan, old chap, while I have a word with Dumbo. If the aunts start asking questions, we must be sure to back each other up with the same story.’
When this conference was over, Wang Ren went to find Dumbo, while Jia Yun went to impart the good news to Ladies Xing and Wang, adding many an enticing embellishment. Lady Wang made a note of the proposal, but was somewhat sceptical. Lady Xing on the other hand, when she heard that her brother knew, seemed in favour of the idea and sent for Dumbo to supply her with more details. Dumbo had already been briefed by Wang Ren (and had needless to say been offered his cut in the profits from the enterprise), and therefore when summoned to his sister’s apartment he knew what to say:
‘This prince is a very important man. Of course, what you’re being asked to consent to is not for her to become a proper wife exactly; but as soon as she goes to him I can guarantee that brother-in-law will get his job back and the family as a whole recover a bit of its old pull.’
Lady Xing had no real mind of her own. She was taken in by Dumbo’s story and invited Wang Ren to come and talk the matter over with her. Wang Ren’s enthusiastic support for the project finally swayed the balance. She communicated her consent to Jia Yun, while Wang Ren went ahead at once and sent word to the prince’s palace.
The prince for his part was unaware of all this behind-the-scenes activity. He was merely planning to despatch some of his ladies to examine the girl’s physiognomy and suitability to enter his harem. Jia Yun managed to have a word with the ladies in private before-hand:
‘None of the girl’s own family know the truth about this. So far as they are concerned, the prince is thinking of taking the girl as one of his wives. Once she is installed, everything will be all right, have no fear. Her grandmother has given her consent, and her uncle Wang Ren is acting as go-between.’
The ladies agreed to co-operate. Jia Yun went to give Lady Xing the latest news, and informed Lady Wang of the ‘match’. Li Wan and Bao-chai had no inkling of the truth and received the news of the princely ‘wedding’ with pleasure.
On the day appointed, several splendidly attired palace ladies arrived, and were received and entertained for a while by Lady Xing. They were soon aware that the lady with whom they were dealing was of considerable rank, and were most respectful towards her. As the terms of the transaction had not been finally agreed upon, Lady Xing had said nothing to Qiao-jie but had merely informed her that some relatives had come to call and asked her to go out and see them. Qiao-jie, who was little more than a child, and too young to suspect anything, went with her old nanny and Patience, who felt a little uneasy and insisted on accompanying her charge. The minute Qiao-jie entered the room the two palace ladies began subjecting her to a penetrating scrutiny, ogling her entire person, top to toe. They then rose to their feet, took her by the hand and looked her over once more, after which they sat down again for a few minutes and then left. Qiao-jie was most embarrassed by all this staring, and when she returned to her room she sat puzzling it over to herself. She could not recall ever having seen these ‘relatives’ before, and said as much to Patience, who for her part, as soon as she had seen the way the two women were carrying on, had guessed the truth.
‘They’re obviously examining her with a view to marriage,’ she thought to herself. ‘But with Mr Lian away from home, the responsibility for this rests with Lady Xing, and I’ve no idea which family is involved. A family of the same rank as ours would never go in for all this staring. Anyway, those women didn’t look as if they came from one of the royal princely establishments. There was something rather outlandish about them. I’d better not say anything to Qiao-jie for the present, but wait until I know more myself.’
Patience set about discovering the truth of the matter, and since the maids and serving-women concerned had all worked under her at one time or another in the past, they were well disposed and immediately gave her the information she wanted. She was horrified, and racked her brains for some means of averting this catastrophe. She still thought it wiser to say nothing to Qiao-jie, but hurried over to inform Li Wan and Bao-chai, begging them to lay the matter before
Lady Wang.
Lady Wang herself had already sensed that there was something amiss, and had said as much to Lady Xing. But Lady Xing was quite taken in by her brother and Wang Ren, and instead of paying any heed to Lady Wang’s words, rather suspected some ulterior motive in her opposition to the scheme.
‘The girl is of age,’ she replied. ‘With Lian away from home, the decision in this matter is mine. And besides, my brother and the girl’s own uncle have both looked into it thoroughly. Surely they know the truth. I am very much in favour of the idea. And you needn’t worry; if anything should go wrong, Lian and I are not going to start laying the blame at your door.’
Lady Wang made some perfunctory reply, but was secretly furious with Lady Xing. She took her leave and went back to tell Bao-chai what had been decided. She wept as she spoke, and Bao-yu tried to console her.
‘Mother, don’t distress yourself. Nothing will come of this scheme. Whatever happens is already written in Qiao-jie’s destiny anyway, so please don’t try to interfere.’
‘Don’t be such an idiot!’ exclaimed Lady Wang. ‘Once they’ve agreed to this match, they’ll be here any day to fetch her away! Patience is right, your cousin Lian will blame me for this when he comes back! I would want the best for any member of the family, and especially for Qiao-jie, for her parents’ sake. Think of the other girls. We arranged Xiu-yan’s marriage to your cousin Ke, and now look how happy they are together! And the Mei family into which Bao-qin has married are by all accounts very comfortably off, so there’s no need to worry about her. Xiang-yun, I know, has not been quite so fortunate. That match was her own uncle’s idea in the first place, and it would have turned out well if her husband had not fallen ill of a consumption and died. Now the poor girl has vowed to spend the rest of her days a widow. If Qiao-jie falls into bad hands, I shall never forgive myself!’
As she was speaking, Patience came in to consult with Bao-chai and also to learn the results of Lady Wang’s meeting with Lady Xing. Lady Wang told her what Lady Xing had said. After a thoughtful silence, Patience fell to her knees.
‘Qiao-jie’s whole future now depends on you, ma’am!’ she pleaded. ‘If we deliver her into the hands of those people, it will mean a lifetime of suffering for her. And what do you think Mr Lian will say when he comes home?’
‘You are an intelligent girl,’ said Lady Wang. ‘Stand up now and listen to what I have to say. In the last resort, Qiao-jie is my sister-in-law’s granddaughter, not mine. If Lady Xing wants to take a decision, how can I stand in her way?’
‘There is really no cause for concern,’ insisted Bao-yu. ‘The important thing is to have a clear perception of destiny.’
Patience was afraid that Bao-yu would start raving again and commit some indiscretion, and she remained silent. She had said all that she wanted to say to Lady Wang, and now returned to her own apartment.
Lady Wang’s mental distress had brought on a pain in her heart. She summoned a maid to assist her and leaning heavily on her arm struggled back to her own room and lay down. She did not ask Bao-yu and Bao-chai to accompany her, saying that she would feel better after a sleep. But she found it impossible to shake off her troubled mood, and later when she heard that old Mrs Li had called, could not bring herself to rise from her bed and entertain her. Then Jia Lan came in to pay his respects and to deliver a message:
‘A letter has come from Grandfather. The boys at the gate have brought it in. Mother was going to give it to you, but as my Grandmother Li has just come, she asked me to bring it instead. Mother will be coming over shortly to talk to you, and bringing my Grandmother Li.’
He handed Lady Wang the letter. Lady Wang asked him, as she took it from him:
‘Why is your grandmother here?’
‘I don’t know myself,’ replied Lan. ‘I just heard say that there’s a letter from Cousin Qi’s fiancé’s family, the Zhens.’
Lady Wang knew that Li Qi had been promised to Zhen Bao-yu, and that the betrothal had already been sealed with the customary gift of tea. It must be that the Zhens wanted to proceed with the wedding, and old Mrs Li had come to discuss some last-minute details. She nodded, and opened the letter from Jia Zheng:
The canal is congested with boats bringing back the army from its successful campaign on the coast, and my progress has thereby been greatly delayed. I have heard that Tan-chun’s husband is travelling to the capital with his father, and wonder if you have heard anything from them? A day or two ago I had a letter from Lian, telling me of brother She’s illness. Is there any more news?
The time is drawing near for Bao-yu and Lan to sit their examinations. They must study diligently and on no account must they be allowed to fritter their time away. It will be a few days before I can reach Nanking with Mother’s coffin. I am in good health, so don’t worry about me.
Please pass on my instructions to Bao-yu and Lan.
Zheng.
Dated the __ day of the __ month
PS Rong will be writing separately.
After reading the letter, Lady Wang handed it back to Jia Lan, saying:
‘Give this to Bao-yu and tell him to read it. And then give it back to your mother.’
While she was speaking, Li Wan and old Mrs Li came in and paid their respects. They seated themselves, and old Mrs Li spoke about the Zhens and Li Qi’s wedding. They discussed this for a while, and then Li Wan asked Lady Wang:
‘Have you read Father’s letter?’
‘I have.’
Jia Lan handed the letter to his mother, who read it herself and said:
‘Tan-chun has been away for over a year and not once come home. It will be such a relief for you now that they are moving up to the capital.’
‘Yes,’ replied Lady Wang. ‘I was in some pain just now, but this piece of news has made me feel much more comfortable. We still don’t know when they’ll be arriving, mind you.’
Old Mrs Li asked how Jia Zheng’s journey had been, while Li Wan turned to Jia Lan and said:
‘I hope you have taken note of what your grandfather says in his letter? The examination is drawing closer, and he is very concerned about you both. You’d better hurry and take the letter for Bao-yu to read.’
‘Please tell me,’ enquired old Mrs Li, ‘how it is that the two of them can take the second examination without having acquired their first degree?’
Lady Wang explained:
‘Before he set out on his posting as Grain Intendant, my husband arranged for the purchase of the Licentiate degree for the two of them.’
Old Mrs Li nodded, and Jia Lan went off with the letter to find Bao-yu.
Having taken his leave of Lady Wang earlier, Bao-yu had returned to his apartment, where he picked up his copy of the ‘Autumn Floods’ chapter from Zhuang-zi and began reading it with fascination. When Bao-chai came out from the inner room and saw him so totally absorbed in his reading, she wandered across and glanced at the book’s title. It disappointed her greatly that it should be a Taoist classic.
‘Still the only thing he takes seriously is nonsense like this about “quitting the world and rising above the mortal plane”,’ she reflected to herself. ‘He’s truly a hopeless case!’
It seemed futile to remonstrate with him, so she just sat by his side, gazing at him reproachfully. Observing her expression, Bao-yu asked:
‘What’s all this about, then?’
‘Since we are husband and wife,’ she replied, ‘I should be able to look to you for lifelong support. Our life together should be built on something more than the passion of a moment. Glory and wealth are as insubstantial as a cloud – that I can understand. But since ancient times, what the sages have prized most has always been virtue, not …’
Before he had heard her out, Bao-yu put his book down, smiled and said:
‘You talk of virtue and the sages of ancient times. But do you know that the sages also held up as an ideal the “heart of a new-born child”? What virtues has the new-born child? None, only a complete absence of k
nowledge, of consciousness, of greed, of envy. All our lives we sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of greed, hatred, folly and passion. The great question is, how to rise above all this, how to escape the net of this mortal life? “This floating life, with its meetings and partings” – I can see now why in all the ages since it was first uttered the true meaning of this expression has never been fully grasped. As for your “virtue”, who has ever attained the true pristine state of virtue?’
‘What the ancients meant by the “heart of a new-born child”,’ retorted Bao-chai, ‘was a heart full of loyalty and filial devotion, not this mystical, escapist notion of yours. The Emperors Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius – they all spent their lives improving the lot of mankind. Their “heart of a new-born child” was simply their spirit of compassion and concern for others. Whereas yours, it would seem, leaves you so blissfully unconcerned that you would be willing to forsake your own family. It doesn’t make any sense to me.’
Bao-yu nodded and smiled:
‘Yao and Shun were not able to prevail upon Chao-fu or Xu You to abandon their mountain retreats; nor could King Wu or the Duke of Zhou induce Bo Yi and his brother Shu Qi to involve themselves in the world …’
‘You are becoming more and more absurd!’ interrupted Bao-chai. ‘If all the men of old had been hermits like those four you mention, then there would never have been sages like Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius. And besides, it’s ridiculous to compare yourself with Bo Yi. Both he and Shu Qi lived in the declining years of the Shang dynasty, and their lives were beset with difficulties of one kind or another. So they had a good pretext for escaping their responsibilities. But your case is totally different. Ours is a golden age, and we ourselves have received numerous favours from the throne, while our ancestors enjoyed lives of luxury. And you yourself have been treasured all your life, both by our late grandmother, and by Mother and Father. Reflect a little on what you said just now. Don’t you think that I’m right?’