第四十七回

第四十七回 呆霸王调情遭苦打 冷郎君惧祸走他乡

话说王夫人听见邢夫人来了，连忙迎了出去。邢夫人犹不知贾母已知鸳鸯之事，正还要来打听信息，进了院门，早有几个婆子悄悄的回了他，他方知道。待要回去，里面已知，又见王夫人接了出来，少不得进来，先与贾母请安，贾母一声儿不言语，自己也觉得愧悔。凤姐儿早指一事回避了。鸳鸯也自回房去生气。薛姨妈王夫人等恐碍着邢夫人的脸面，也都渐渐的退了。邢夫人且不敢出去。

贾母见无人，方说道：“我听见你替你老爷说媒来了。你倒也三从四德[1]，只是这贤慧也太过了！你们如今也是孙子儿子满眼了，你还怕他，劝两句都使不得，还由着你老爷性儿闹。”邢夫人满面通红，回道：“我劝过几次不依。老太太还有什么不知道呢，我也是不得已儿。”贾母道：“他逼着你杀人，你也杀去？如今你也想想，你兄弟媳妇本来老实，又生得多病多痛，上上下下那不是他操心？你一个媳妇虽然帮着，也是天天丢下笆儿弄扫帚。凡百事情，我如今都自己减了。他们两个就有一些不到的去处，有鸳鸯，那孩子还心细些，我的事情他还想着一点子，该要去的，他就要了来，该添什么，他就度空儿告诉他们添了。鸳鸯再不这样，他娘儿两个，里头外头，大的小的，那里不忽略一件半件，我如今反倒自己操心去不成？还是天天盘算和你们要东西去？我这屋里有的没的，剩了他一个，年纪也大些，我凡百的脾气性格儿他还知道些。二则他还投主子们的缘法，也并不指着我和这位太太要衣裳去，又和那位奶奶要银子去。所以这几年一应事情，他说什么，从你小婶和你媳妇起，以至家下大大小小，没有不信的。所以不单我得靠，连你小婶媳妇也都省心。我有了这么个人，便是媳妇和孙子媳妇有想不到的，我也不得缺了，也没气可生了。这会子他去了，你们弄个什么人来我使？你们就弄他那么一个真珠的人来，不会说话也无用。我正要打发人和你老爷说去，他要什么人，我这里有钱，叫他只管一万八千的买去，就只这个丫头不能。留下他服侍我几年，就比他日夜服侍我尽了孝的一般。你来的也巧，你就去说，更妥当了。”

说毕，命人来：“请了姨太太你姑娘们来说个话儿。才高兴，怎么又都散了？”丫头们忙答应着去了。众人忙赶着又来。只有薛姨妈向丫鬟道：“我才来了，又作什么去？你就说我睡了觉了。”那丫头道：“好亲亲的姨太太，姨祖宗！我们老太太生气呢，你老人家不去，没个开交了，只当疼我们罢。你老人家嫌乏，我背了你老人家去。”薛姨妈道：“小鬼头儿，你怕些什么？不过骂几句完了。”说着，只得和这小丫头子走来。贾母忙让坐，又笑道：“咱们斗牌罢。姨太太的牌也生，咱们一处坐着，别叫凤姐儿混了我们去。”薛姨妈笑道：“正是呢，老太太替我看着些儿。就是咱们娘儿四个斗呢，还是再添个呢？”王夫人笑道：“可不只四个。”凤姐儿道：“再添一个人热闹些。”贾母道：“叫鸳鸯来，叫他在这下手里坐着。姨太太眼花了，咱们两个的牌都叫他瞧着些儿。”凤姐儿叹了一声，向探春道：“你们知书识字的，倒不学算命！”探春道：“这又奇了。这会子你倒不打点精神赢老太太几个钱，又想算命。”凤姐儿道：“我正要算算命，今儿该输多少呢？我还想赢呢！你瞧瞧，场子没上，左右都埋伏下了。”说的贾母薛姨妈都笑起来。

一时鸳鸯来了，便坐在贾母下手，鸳鸯之下便是凤姐儿。铺下[2]〔一〕红毡，洗牌告幺[3]，五人起牌。斗了一回，鸳鸯见贾母的牌已十严[4]，只等一张二饼，便递了暗号与凤姐儿。凤姐儿正该发牌，便故意踌躇了半晌，笑道：“我这一张牌定在姨妈手里扣着呢。我若不发这一张，再顶不下来的。”薛姨妈[5]〔二〕道：“我手里并没有你的牌。”凤姐儿道：“我回来是要查的。”薛姨妈道：“你只管查。你且发下来，我瞧瞧是张什么。”凤姐儿便送在薛姨妈跟前。薛姨妈一看是个二饼，便笑道：“我倒不稀罕他，只怕老太太满了。”凤姐儿听了，忙笑道：“我发错了。”贾母笑的已掷下牌来，说：“你敢拿回去！谁叫你错的不成？”凤姐儿道：“可是我要算一算命呢！这是自己发的，也怨埋伏。”贾母笑道：“可是呢，你自己该打着你那嘴，问着你自己才是。”又向薛姨妈笑道：“我不是小器爱赢钱，原是个彩头儿。”薛姨妈笑道：“可不是这样，那里有那样糊涂人说老太太爱钱呢？”凤姐儿正数着钱，听了这话，忙又把钱穿上[6]了，向众人笑道：“够了我的了。竟不为赢钱，单为赢彩头儿。我到底小器，输了就数钱，快收起来罢。”

贾母规矩是鸳鸯代洗牌，因和薛姨妈说笑，不见鸳鸯动手，贾母道：“你怎么恼了，连牌也不替我洗。”鸳鸯拿起牌来，笑道：“二奶奶不给钱。”贾母道：“他不给钱，那是他交运了。”便命小丫头子：“把他那一吊钱[7]都拿过来。”小丫头子真就拿了，搁在贾母旁边。凤姐儿笑道：“赏我罢，我照数儿给就是了。”薛姨妈笑道：“果然是凤丫头小器，不过是顽儿罢了。”凤姐听说，便站起来，拉着薛姨妈，回头指着贾母素日放钱的一个木匣子笑道：“姨妈瞧瞧，那个里头不知顽了我多少去了。这一吊钱顽不了半个时辰，那里头的钱就招手儿叫他了。只等把这一吊也叫进去了，牌也不用斗了，老祖宗的气也平了，又有正经事差我办去了。”话说未完，引的贾母众人笑个不住。偏有平儿怕钱不够，又送了一吊来。凤姐儿道：“不用放在我跟前，也放在老太太的那一处罢。一齐叫进去倒省事，不用做两次叫箱子里的钱费事。”贾母笑的手里的牌撒了一桌子，推着鸳鸯，叫：“快撕他的嘴！”

平儿依言放下钱，也笑了一回，方回来。至院门前遇见贾琏，问他：“太太在那里呢？老爷叫我请过去呢。”平儿忙笑道：“在老太太跟前呢，站了这半日还没动呢。趁早儿丢开手罢。老太太生了半日气，这会子亏二奶奶凑了半日趣儿，才略好了些。”贾琏道：“我过去只说讨老太太的示下，十四往赖大家去不去，好预备轿子的。又请了太太，又凑了趣儿，岂不好？”平儿笑道：“依我说，你竟不去罢。合家子连太太宝玉都有了不是，这会子你又填限[8]去了。”贾琏道：“已经完了，难道还找补不成？况且与我又无干。二则老爷亲自吩咐我请太太的，这会子我打发了人去，倘或知道了，正没好气呢，指着这个拿我出气罢。”说着就走。平儿见他说得有理，也便跟了过来。

贾琏到了堂屋里，便把脚步放轻了，往里间探头，只见邢夫人站在那里。凤姐儿眼尖，先瞧见了，使眼色儿不命他进来，又使眼色与邢夫人。邢〔三〕夫人不便就走，只得倒了一碗茶来，放在贾母跟前。贾母一回身，贾琏不防，便没躲伶俐。贾母便问：“外头是谁？倒像个小子一伸头。”凤姐儿忙起身说：“我也恍惚看见一个人影儿，让我瞧瞧去。”一面说，一面起身出来。贾琏忙进去，陪笑道：“打听老太太十四可出门？好预备轿子。”贾母道：“既这么样，怎么不进来？又作鬼作神的。”贾琏陪笑道：“见老太太玩牌，不敢惊动，不过叫媳妇出来问问。”贾母道：“就忙到这一时〔四〕，等他家去，你问多少问不得？那一遭儿你这么小心来着！又不知是来作耳报神的，也不知是来作探子的，鬼鬼祟祟的，倒唬了我一跳。什么好下流种子！你媳妇和我顽牌呢，还有半日的空儿，你家去再和那赵二家的商量治你媳妇去罢。”说着，众人都笑了。鸳鸯笑道：“鲍二家的，老祖宗又拉上赵二家的。”贾母也笑道：“可是，我那里记得什么抱着背着的，提起这些事来，不由我不生气！我进了这门子作重孙子媳妇起，到如今我也有了重孙子媳妇了，连头带尾五十四年，凭着大惊大险千奇百怪的事，也经了些，从没经过这些事。还不离了我这里呢！”

贾琏一声儿不敢说，忙退了出来。平儿站在窗外悄悄的笑道：“我说着你不听，到底碰在网里了。”正说着，只见邢夫人也出来，贾琏道：“都是老爷闹的，如今都搬在我和太太身上。”邢夫人道：“我把你没孝心雷打的下流种子！人家还替老子死呢，白说了几句，你就抱怨了。你还不好好的呢〔五〕，这几日生气，仔细他捶你。”贾琏道：“太太快过去罢，叫我来请了好半日了。”说着，送他母亲出来过那边去。

邢夫人将方才的话只略说了几句，贾赦无法，又含愧，自此便告病，且不敢见贾母，只打发邢夫人及贾琏每日过去请安。只得又各处遣人购求寻觅，终久费了八百两银子买了一个十七岁的女孩子来，名唤嫣红，收在屋内。不在话下。

这里斗了半日牌，吃晚饭才罢。此一二日间无话。

展眼到了十四日，黑早，赖大的媳妇又进来请。贾母高兴，便带了王夫人薛姨妈及宝玉姊妹等，到赖大花园中坐了半日。那花园虽不及大观园，却也十分齐整宽阔，泉石林木，楼阁亭轩，也有好几处惊人骇目的。外面厅上，薛蟠、贾珍、贾琏、贾蓉并几个近族的，很远的也没来，贾赦也没来。赖大家内也请了几个现任的官长并几个世家子弟作陪。因其中有柳湘莲，薛蟠自上次会过一次，已念念不忘。又打听他最喜串戏[12]，且串的都是生旦风月戏文，不免错会了意，误认他作了风月子弟，正要与他相交，恨没有个引进，这日可巧遇见，乐得〔六〕无可不可。且贾珍等也慕他的名，酒盖住了脸，就求他串了两出戏。下来，移席和他一处坐着，问长问短，说此说彼。

那柳湘莲原是世家子弟，读书不成，父母早丧，素性爽侠，不拘细事，酷好耍枪舞剑，赌博吃酒，以至眠花卧柳，吹笛弹筝，无所不为。因他年纪又轻，生得又美，不知他身分的人，却误认作优伶一类。那赖大之子赖尚荣与他素习交好，故他今日请来作陪。不想酒后别人犹可，独薛蟠又犯了旧病。他心中早已不快，得便意欲走开完事，无奈赖尚荣死也不放。赖尚荣又说：“方才宝二爷又嘱咐我，才一进门虽见了，只是人多不好说话，叫我嘱咐你散的时候别走，他还有话说呢。你既一定要去，等我叫出他来，你两个见了再走，与我无干。”说着，便命小厮们到里头找一个老婆子，悄悄告诉，“请出宝二爷来。”那小厮去了没一盏茶时，果见宝玉出来了。赖尚荣向宝玉笑道：“好叔叔，把他交给你，我张罗人去了。”说着，一径去了。

宝玉便拉了柳湘莲到厅侧小书房中坐下，问他这几日可到秦钟的坟上去了。湘莲道：“怎么不去？前日我们几个人放鹰[14]去，离他坟上还有二里。我想今年夏天的雨水勤，恐怕他的坟站不住。我背着众人，走去瞧了一瞧，果然又动了一点子。回家来就便弄了几百钱，第三日一早出去，雇了两个人收拾好了。”宝玉道：“怪道呢，上月我们大观园的池子里头结了莲蓬，我摘了十个，叫茗烟出去到坟上供他去，回来我也问他，可被雨冲坏了没有。他说不但不冲，且比上回又新了些。我想着，不过是这几个朋友新筑了。我只恨我天天圈在家里，一点儿做不得主，行动就有人知道，不是这个拦就是那个劝的，能说不能行。虽然有钱，又不由我使。”湘莲道：“这个事也用不着你操心，外头有我，你只心里有了就是。眼前十月一[15]，我已经打点下上坟的花消。你知道我一贫如洗，家里是没的积聚，纵有几个钱来，又随手就光的，不如趁空儿留下这一分，省得到了跟前扎煞手[16]。”

宝玉道：“我也正为这个要打发茗烟找你，你又不大在家，知道你天天萍踪浪迹，没个一定的去处。”湘莲道：“这也不用找我。这个事不过各尽其道。眼前我还要出门去走走，外头逛个三年五载再回来。”宝玉听了，忙问道：“这是为何？”柳湘莲冷笑道：“你不知道我的心事，等到跟前你自然知道。我如今要别过了。”宝玉道：“好容易会着，晚上同散岂不好？”湘莲道：“你那令姨表兄还是那样，再坐着未免有事，不如我回避了倒好。”宝玉想了一想，道：“既是这样，倒是回避他为是。只是你要果真远行，必须先告诉我一声，千万别悄悄的去了。”说着便滴下泪来。柳湘莲道：“自然要辞的。你只别和别人说就是。”说着便站起来要走，又道：“你们进去，不必送我。”一面说，一面出了书房。

刚至大门前，早遇见薛蟠在那里乱嚷乱叫说：“谁放了小柳儿走了！”柳湘莲听了，火星乱迸，恨不得一拳打死，复思酒后挥拳，又碍着赖尚荣的脸面，只得忍了又忍。薛蟠忽见他走出来，如得了珍宝，忙趔趄着上来一把拉住，笑道：“我的兄弟，你往那里去了？”湘莲道：“走走就来。”薛蟠笑道：“好兄弟，你一去都没兴了，好歹坐一坐，你就疼我了。凭你有什么要紧的事，交给哥，你只别忙，有你这个哥，你要做官发财都容易。”

湘莲见他如此不堪，心中又恨又愧，早生一计，便拉他到避人之处，笑道：“你真心和我好，假心和我好呢？”薛蟠听这话，喜的心痒难挠，乜斜着眼忙笑道：“好兄弟，你怎么问起我这话来？我要是假心，立刻死在眼前！”湘莲道：“既如此，这里不便。等坐一坐，我先走，你随后出来，跟到我下处，咱们替另喝一夜酒。我那里还有两个绝好的孩子[17]，从没出门。你可连一个跟的人也不用带，到了那里，服侍的人都是现成的。”薛蟠听如此说，喜得酒醒了一半，说：“果然如此？”湘莲道：“如何！人拿真心待你，你倒不信了！”薛蟠忙笑道：“我又不是呆子，怎么有个不信的呢！既如此，我又不认得，你先去了，我在那里找你？”湘莲道：“我这下处在北门外头，你可舍得家，城外住一夜去？”薛蟠笑道：“有了你，我还要家做什么！”湘莲道：“既如此，我在北门外头桥上等你。咱们席上且吃酒去。你看我走了之后你再走，他们就不留心了。”薛蟠听了，连忙答应。于是二人复又入席，饮了一回。那薛蟠难熬，只拿眼看湘莲，心内越想越乐，左一壶右一壶，并不用人让，自己便吃了又吃，不觉酒已八九分了。

湘莲便起身出来，瞅人不防去了，至门外，命小厮杏奴：“先家去罢，我到城外就来。”说毕，已跨马直出北门，桥上等候薛蟠。没顿饭时工夫，只见薛蟠骑着一匹大马，远远的赶了来，张着嘴，瞪着眼，头似拨浪鼓一般不住左右乱瞧。及至从湘莲马前过去，只顾望远处瞧，不曾留心近处，反踩过去了。湘莲又是笑，又是恨，便也撒马随后赶来。薛蟠往前看时，渐渐人烟稀少，便又圈马回来再找，不想一回头见了湘莲，如获奇珍，忙笑道：“我说你是个再不失信的。”湘莲笑道：“快往前走，仔细人看见跟了来，就不便了。”说着，先就撒马前去，薛蟠也紧紧的跟来。

湘莲见前面人迹已稀，且有一带苇塘，便下马，将马拴在树上，向薛蟠笑道：“你下来，咱们先设个誓，日后要变了心，告诉人去的，便应了誓。”薛蟠笑道：“这话有理。”连忙下了马，也拴在树上，便跪下说道：“我要日久变心，告诉人去的，天诛地灭！”一语未了，只听“”的一声，颈后好似铁锤砸下来，只觉得一阵黑，满眼金星乱迸，身不由己，便倒下来。

湘莲走上来瞧瞧，知道他是个笨家，不惯捱打，只使了三分气力，向他脸上拍了几下，登时便开了果子铺[18]。薛蟠先还要挣挫起来，又被湘莲用脚尖点了两点，仍旧跌倒，口内说道：“原是两家情愿，你不依，只好说，为什么哄出我来打我？”一面说，一面乱骂。湘莲道：“我把你瞎了眼的，你认认柳大爷是谁！你不说哀求，你还伤我！我打死你也无益，只给你个利害罢。”说着，便取了马鞭过来，从背至胫，打了三四十下。薛蟠酒已醒了大半，觉得疼痛难禁，不禁有“嗳哟”之声。湘莲冷笑道：“也只如此！我只当你是不怕打的。”一面说，一面又把薛蟠的左腿拉起来，朝苇中泞泥处拉了几步，滚的满身泥水，又问道：“你可认得我了？”薛蟠不应，只伏着哼哼。

湘莲又掷下鞭子，用拳头向他身上擂了几下。薛蟠便乱滚乱叫，说：“肋条折了。我知道你是正经人，因为我错听了旁人的话了。”湘莲道：“不用拉别人，你只说现在的。”薛蟠道：“现在没什么说的。不过你是个正经人，我错了。”湘莲道：“还要说软些才饶你。”薛蟠哼哼着道：“好兄弟。”湘莲便又一拳。薛蟠“嗳哟”了一声道：“好哥哥。”湘莲又连两拳。薛蟠忙“嗳哟”叫道：“好老爷，饶了我这没眼睛的瞎子罢！从今以后我敬你怕你了。”湘莲道：“你把那水喝两口。”薛蟠一面听了，一面皱眉道：“那水脏得很，怎么喝得下去！”湘莲举拳就打。薛蟠忙道：“我喝，喝。”说着说着，只得俯头向苇根下喝了一口，犹未咽下去，只听“哇”的一声，把方才吃的东西都吐了出来。湘莲道：“好脏东西，你快吃尽了饶你。”薛蟠听了，叩头不迭道：“好歹积阴功饶我罢！这至死不能吃的。”湘莲道：“这样气息，倒熏坏了我。”说着丢下薛蟠，便牵马认镫[19]去了。这里薛蟠见他已去，方放下心来，后悔自己不该误认了人。待要挣挫起来，无奈遍身疼痛难禁。

谁知贾珍等席上忽不见了他两个，各处寻找不见。有人说：“恍惚出北门去了。”薛蟠的小厮们素日是惧他的，他吩咐不许跟去，谁还敢找去？后来还是贾珍不放心，命贾蓉带着小厮们寻踪问迹的直找出北门，下桥二里多路，忽见苇坑边薛蟠的马拴在那里。众人都道：“可好了！有马必有人。”一齐来至马前，只听苇中有人呻吟。大家忙走来一看，只见薛蟠衣衫零碎，面目肿破，没头没脸，遍身内外，滚的似个泥猪一般。

贾蓉心内已猜着九分了，忙下马令人搀了出来，笑道：“薛大叔天天调情，今儿调到苇子坑里来了。必定是龙王爷也爱上你风流，要你招驸马去，你就碰到龙犄角上了。”薛蟠羞的恨没地缝儿钻不进去，那里爬的上马去？贾蓉只得命人赶到关厢[20]里雇了一乘小轿子，薛蟠坐了，一齐进城。贾蓉还要抬往赖家去赴席，薛蟠百般央告，又命他不要告诉人，贾蓉方依允了，让他各自回家。贾蓉仍往赖家回复贾珍，并说方才形景。贾珍〔七〕也知为湘莲所打，也笑道：“他须得吃个亏才好。”至晚散了，便来问候。薛蟠自在卧房将养，推病不见。

贾母等回来各自归家时，薛姨妈与宝钗见香菱哭得眼睛肿了。问其原故，忙赶来瞧薛蟠时，脸上身上虽有伤痕，并未伤筋动骨。薛姨妈又是心疼，又是发恨，骂一回薛蟠，又骂一回柳湘莲，意欲告诉王夫人，遣人寻拿柳湘莲。宝钗忙劝道：“这不是什么大事，不过他们一处吃酒，酒后反脸常情。谁醉了，多挨几下子打，也是有的。况且咱们家的无法无天，也是人所共知的。妈不过是心疼的缘故。要出气也容易，等三五天哥哥养好了出的去时，那边珍大爷琏二爷这干人也未必白丢开了，自然备个东道，叫了那个人来，当着众人替哥哥赔不是认罪就是了。如今妈先当件大事告诉众人，倒显得妈偏心溺爱，纵容他生事招人，今儿偶然吃了一次亏，妈就这样兴师动众，倚着亲戚之势欺压常人。”薛姨妈听了道：“我的儿，到底是你想的到，我一时气糊涂了。”宝钗笑道：“这才好呢。他又不怕妈，又不听人劝，一天纵似一天，吃过两三个亏，他倒罢了。”

薛蟠睡在炕上痛骂柳湘莲，又命小厮们去拆他的房子，打死他，和他打官司。薛姨妈禁住小厮们，只说柳湘莲一时酒后放肆，如今酒醒，后悔不及，惧罪逃走了。薛蟠听见如此说了，要知端的——

[1] 三从四德——施于妇女的封建礼教。从：服从；听从。三从：未嫁从父，既嫁从夫，夫死从子。见《仪礼·丧服·子夏传》。德：道德规范。四德：妇德（品德），妇言（辞令），妇容（仪态），妇功（女工）。见《周礼·天官·九嫔》。

〔一〕 “铺下”，原无，从各本补。

[3] 告幺（yāo腰）——斗牌时，洗完牌，由头家掷骰子，或每人先翻一张牌，按点数的多少起牌。因“幺”点次序最先，故称这种按点起牌叫“告幺”。

[4] 十严——亦云“得等”。即斗牌时牌已配齐，只等所需的最后一张牌出现，便可放牌获胜，谓之“十严”。

〔二〕 “妈”字原无，从各本补。

[6] 把钱穿上——旧时使用的制钱，中有方孔，为便于携带和保存，多用绳穿起来。

[7] 一吊钱——旧时制钱一个叫一文，一千文叫一吊（也叫“一串”）。各地并不一致，也有一百文作一吊的。

[8] 填限——也作“填馅”，代人受过、白白充当牺牲品的意思。

〔三〕 “邢”字原无，从各本补。

〔四〕 “贾母道：‘就忙到这一时’”，原作“贾母忙道：‘那在这一时’”（“那在”旁添），各本均有小异。此从甲辰、俄藏本改。

〔五〕 “还不好好的呢”，原作“还不生气的呢”，或系下文有“生气”二字而致误，今从各本改。

[12] 串戏——即扮演戏剧。非职业演员参加演戏也叫串戏，或称“客串”。

〔六〕 “乐得无可不可”，底本原文为“无可不可”，又在“无”前旁添“竟觉”二字。蒙府、戚序、俄藏本均同底本原文。此从梦稿本改。

[14] 放鹰——这里是打猎的别称。猎人出猎，常放出驯养的猎鹰捕取猎物。

[15] 十月一——北京口语，即十月初一。清·福格《听雨丛谈》：“今京师展祀先垅，春以清明，秋以七月望，冬以十月朔……故祭以此三时，最为允当。”

[16] 扎煞手——也作“扎撒手”、“扎手”。扎煞，即双手张开的样子，指遇到难处没有办法。

[17] 绝好的孩子——这里指男妓，也称“相公”或“相姑”。

[18] 开了果子铺——比喻脸上被打得青紫红肿，像陈列着五颜六色果品的果子铺一般。

[19] 认镫——镫：挂在马鞍两旁的踏脚。认镫：脚尖踏进马镫，在这里即“上马”的意思。

[20] 关厢——指城门外的大街和附近地区。

〔七〕 “并说方才形景。贾珍”，原无，从蒙府、戚序本补。

CHAPTER 47. In pursuit of love the Oaf King takes a fearful beating And from fear of reprisal the Reluctant Playboy makes a hasty getaway

HEARING that Lady Xing had arrived, Lady Wang at once hurried out to meet her.

Lady Xing had come over to see if there had been any change in Faithful’s attitude. She was ignorant of the fact that the secret was now out and that Grandmother Jia knew everything. The first she heard of it was when quietly informed by some of Grandmother Jia’s women as she entered the old lady’s courtyard. She would have liked to turn back, but by then it was already too late: she had already been seen and announced by the servants inside, and when her sister-in-law Lady Wang came out to meet her, she was obliged to go in with her and pay her respects to Grandmother Jia. Finding that her greetings were received by the old lady in stony silence, she was covered with shame and confusion.

By this time Xi-feng had slipped out on pretext of other business and Faithful had gone off to her own room to nurse her anger alone. Fearing that their presence might add to Lady Xing’s embarrassment, Aunt Xue, Lady Wang and the rest also, one after another, withdrew. When she saw that she and Lady Xing were alone together, Grandmother Jia at last broke her silence.

‘I hear you have been playing the matchmaker for your husband,’ she said. ‘I must congratulate you on your wifely virtue – though I must say, I think that in this case you are carrying wifeliness a little far. You have children and grandchildren of your own now: why should you be frightened of his temper still at your age? Yet they tell me that you positively encourage his excesses.’

Lady Xing blushed crimson with embarrassment.

‘I have tried several times to dissuade him, without success. I am sure you must realize that I have acted against my will in this matter.’

‘You did what you were told, all the same,’ said Grandmother Jia sharply. ‘Would you do what you were told if he asked you to kill someone? Just reflect for a moment. There is only your sister-in-law, poor, simple soul – she is always ailing from something or other – to worry about the responsibilities of this household. It’s true that she has Lian’s wife to help her, but she has so much to do that she hardly knows which way to turn – always “putting the rake down to pick up the broom”. And I have to cut down on all my activities nowadays. So if there is ever anything that your sister-in-law and Feng have overlooked, Faithful is the only one left to make sure that my needs are attended to. She is a child who notices things. If she sees that I lack something, she will either ask for it herself or have a word with one of the other two and make sure that I get it. Think of all the hundreds and thousands of things there are to be done in this household. If I hadn’t got Faithful, how could the other two avoid overlooking something once in a while? So what would you have me do then? Would you expect me to start worrying about all these things myself? Should I have to start calculating what I needed every day and go running off to the other two to ask them for it? Of all the girls I’ve ever had, Faithful is the only one left me now who is a bit older and more responsible than the rest – who understands my little ways and knows how I like things done. There’s a genuine bond between us – for example, she would never take advantage of our relationship, as some girls would, to ask other people for clothes or money for herself. One consequence of this is that not only Feng and your sister-in-law, but everyone else in the household, from the highest down to the lowest, is able to trust her. It means that quite apart from the fact that I have someone I can rely on, Feng and your sister-in-law are saved a great deal of worry; because with a girl like that to look after me, I don’t suffer when they occasionally forget something, and that keeps me in a good temper. If Faithful were to leave me now, who would you get for me to put in her place? And even if you could find such a jewel, she’d need to have a tongue in her head too. She’d be no use to me if she didn’t have my Faithful’s gift for expressing herself. As a matter of fact I’ve been thinking of sending someone round to your husband to tell him that if he would care to buy himself a girl, he’d be very welcome to do it with my money. I don’t mind if it costs me eight thousand – ten thousand even – but if it’s this girl of mine he wants, I’m afraid he can’t have her. Tell him that if he wants to be a dutiful son, he’ll be doing more for me by leaving me my Faithful, to serve me during the few years that yet remain, than if he were to come over and wait on me in person, morning, noon and night. It’s turned out very conveniently, your coming over just now: you’ll be able to take this message back to him yourself and I can be sure of its being properly delivered.’

She called for the servants.

‘What’s happened to everybody? We were just in the middle of a nice chat when suddenly everyone went away.’

The maids, with answering cries, went off to look for the others. Soon all had been reassembled except Aunt Xue, who showed some resistance to the summons.

‘I’ve only just got back,’ she said. ‘What’s the point of going out again?’

‘Have a heart, Mrs Xue!’ said the maid. ‘Her Old Ladyship is in a passion. If you don’t come, no one else will ever shift her out of it. If it’s the walking that bothers you, I’ll carry you there on my back!’

‘Get along with you, little monkey!’ said Aunt Xue, laughing. ‘A few hard words won’t hurt you.’

She went with the maid nevertheless. On her arrival she was cordially welcomed by Grandmother Jia.

‘What shall we do?’ said the old lady. ‘Shall we play cards? Come and sit by me, Mrs Xue. You haven’t had much practice. If the two of us sit together, there will be less chance of Feng confusing us.’

‘Yes,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘You will have to keep an eye on my hand and help me out a bit. Is it to be just the four of us, or shall we have one or two more?’

‘Just us four, surely?’ said Lady Wang.

‘No, let’s have one more,’ said Xi-feng. ‘It will make it more interesting.’

‘Go and call Faithful, someone,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘She can sit below me. Mrs Xue’s eyesight isn’t too good. Faithful will be able to keep an eye on both our hands.’

Xi-feng laughed.

‘I know you can read and write,’ she said to Tan-chun. ‘I suppose you haven’t learned how to tell fortunes too, by any chance?’

‘What a strange question!’ said Tan-chun. ‘You should be concentrating all your energies on winning some of Grandma’s money, not thinking about having your fortune told.’

‘I thought you might be able to tell me how much I’m going to lose today,’ said Xi-feng. ‘No question of winning anything. Look how Grandma’s got me ambushed on every side before we’ve even started playing!’

Presently Faithful arrived and sat in the place below Grandmother Jia. Xi-feng sat below Faithful. A red blanket was spread over the table, the cards were shuffled, the players cut for deal, and the game began.

After they had been playing for some minutes, Faithful noticed that Grandmother Jia had a nearly full hand and only needed a Two of Coins to go out. She made a sign to Xi-feng, whose turn it was to discard. Xi-feng pretended to be in great doubt as to what she ought to play.

‘I’m sure Aunt Xue is hanging on to the card I want. I’d better let her have this one, and then perhaps she’ll part with it.’

‘I’m sure I haven’t got anything you want,’ said Aunt Xue.

‘I’d need to look at your hand before I believed that,’ said Xi-feng.

‘You’re very welcome to,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘Come on, now! Put that card down and let’s see what it is.’

Xi-feng laid the card down in front of Aunt Xue: Two of Coins.

‘It’s no good to me,’ said Aunt Xue, ‘but I’ve an idea your grandmother may be going out now.’

‘Oh, no!’ cried Xi-feng in mock dismay. ‘It’s a mistake. I didn’t mean to discard that one.’

But Grandmother Jia, with a crow of triumph, had already thrown down her cards.

‘You dare take that back! You shouldn’t make mistakes!’

‘I told you I needed a fortune-teller,’ said Xi-feng. ‘Well, I played the card, so I suppose I’ve no one but myself to blame.’

‘I should think so too!’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘Give yourself a good hard slap on the face if you want to know where the fault lies!’ She turned to Aunt Xue. ‘You mustn’t think I’m grasping, Mrs Xue. I don’t play for the money; but I do so enjoy winning!’

‘Of course,’ said Aunt Xue. ‘No one would be so idiotic as to suppose that you played for the money.’

Hearing this, Xi-feng, who had meanwhile been counting out the money she had lost, abruptly stopped, and threaded the coins back onto the string.

‘Right!’ she said, speaking to the others present. ‘That settles it! She doesn’t play for the money, she just enjoys winning. Well I am mean and grasping, I’m afraid, and when I lose, I like to know how much. But if that’s the way she feels, back it all goes again!’

When Grandmother Jia played cards it was her unvarying custom to let Faithful shuffle for her. She had been talking to Aunt Xue throughout Xi-feng’s bit of by-play, but broke off when she became aware that Faithful had made no move.

‘Come child,’ she said. ‘You’re not too upset to shuffle for me, are you?’

Faithful took up the cards with a laugh.

‘No, only Mrs Lian hasn’t paid up yet.’

‘Oh, hasn’t she?’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘She’ll be lucky if she gets away with that!’ She called one of the junior maids to her. ‘Take that string of cash from in front of Mrs Lian and bring it here.’

The little maid did as she was bid and laid the money on the table beside Grandmother Jia.

‘Please let me have it back,’ Xi-feng pleaded, ‘ – so that I can give you the right amount.’

‘Feng really is rather mean,’ said Aunt Xue jokingly. ‘It’s only a game, after all.’

Xi-feng stood up and, laying a hand on Aunt Xue’s arm, pointed out to her the wooden chest in which Grandmother Jia kept her money.

‘You see that, Aunt? I don’t know how much of my money has at one time or another found its way in there. Before I’ve been playing half an hour, my money in the chest begins calling to my money on the table to come and join it. All I have to do now is wait until it’s called it all in, then the game will be over and Grannie will be in a good temper again and I shall be able to go and get on with my work.’

By the time she had finished saying this, Grandmother Jia and all the others present were laughing. They were still laughing when Patience, fearing that her mistress might have insufficient money by her, came in bringing another string of cash.

‘Don’t put it down in front of me,’ Xi-feng told her. ‘Put it down beside Her Old Ladyship, so that all my money can go into the chest together. We don’t want the money in the chest to have to go through the business of calling for it all over again.’

This made Grandmother Jia laugh so much that she scattered the cards she was holding all over the table.

‘Tear her mouth!’ she said to Faithful, giving her a playful push.

Patience laid the money down as she was bidden, and after laughing a while with the others, went out again. On her way out of the courtyard she ran into Jia Lian, who was just about to enter the gate.

‘Where’s Lady Xing?’ he asked her. ‘Sir She has sent me to look for her.’

‘She’s been standing in there with Her Old Ladyship for the last half hour,’ said Patience. ‘She hasn’t dared to move yet, but I dare say she’ll get away as soon as she can. Her Old Ladyship has been in quite a tizzy this morning, but thanks to the Mistress, who’s been all this time humouring her, she’s gradually beginning to calm down a bit.’

‘Oh well, when I go in I shall say that I’ve come to find out if Her Old Ladyship is going to Lai Da’s place on the fourteenth, so that I know whether or not to have the carriages ready,’ said Jia Lian. ‘I can mention that Lady Xing is wanted as an afterthought. And after that perhaps I shall stay on and chaff the old lady a bit for a few minutes. That should be all right, shouldn’t it?’

‘If you’re asking my opinion, I think you’d do much better not to go in at all,’ said Patience. ‘Everyone’s been in trouble with her today – even Her Ladyship and Bao-yu. If you go in now, you’ll walk straight into it.’

‘Oh, surely it’s all over now, isn’t it?’ said Jia Lian. ‘Surely she’s not going to start all over again? It’s nothing to do with me, in any case. And Sir She did ask me to go and fetch Mother myself. If he finds that I’ve sent someone else to do it, he’s in such a bad temper already, that he’ll probably use that as an excuse to take it out on me.’

He began to go in, and Patience, to whom this sounded reasonable enough, turned back and followed him in across the courtyard. Entering Grandmother Jia’s outer door, Jia Lian crossed the reception room on tiptoe and peered into the inner room at the back. He could see his mother standing there.

Xi-feng, who had sharper eyes than the rest, spotted him at once and made a sign to him not to enter and another sign to Lady Xing indicating that she was wanted outside. Lady Xing could not simply walk out, so she filled a cup with some tea and set it down in front of Grandmother Jia. This caused the old lady to turn round; and as Jia Lian chanced at that very moment to be looking in at the doorway and was unable to withdraw his head in time, she caught a momentary glimpse of him before he disappeared.

‘Who’s that outside?’ she said. ‘It looked like one of the boys peeping in there just now.’

‘Yes,’ said Xi-feng, quickly rising to her feet and going over to the doorway, ‘I thought I saw someone’s shadow there just now.’

Jia Lian walked smiling into the room.

‘I’ve come to ask if you are going on the fourteenth, Grandma, so that I shall know whether to get the carriages ready or not.’

‘In that case why didn’t you come in straight away,’ said Grandmother Jia, ‘instead of lurking around outside?’

‘I could see that you were playing cards,’ said Jia Lian with a somewhat artificial smile. ‘I didn’t like to interrupt you. I was hoping to get my wife to come out so that I could ask her.’

‘And what is there so extraordinarily urgent about this that you needed to ask her now?’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘If you’d waited until she got home, you could have asked her all you wanted to then. Why this extraordinary conscientiousness all of a sudden? Eavesdropping is what you were up to more likely, or spying for somebody else. Whatever it was, you gave me a nasty turn, creeping around in that sneaky, underhand way. Disgusting creature! Your wife will be with me a long time yet playing cards. Better get back to that Zhao Er woman while you have the chance and carry on where you left off with your plans for poisoning her!’

The others all laughed.

‘It was Bao Er’s wife, my old love, not Zhao Er’s,’ said Faithful, laughing.

‘That’s what I said, didn’t I?’ Grandmother Jia snapped. ‘Well, “Zhao” or “Bao” or brown cow – how can I be expected to remember such things? The very mention of them makes me feel angry. There were three generations of the family above me when I came to this household as a young bride, and now there are three generations below me, and I’ve seen many shocking and many wicked and many peculiar things during the fifty-four years since first I came here, but this sort of thing is simply outside my experience. Now be off with you!’

Jia Lian bolted, not daring to say a word. Patience, who had been standing meanwhile outside the window, quietly mocked him as he came out:

‘I told you so, but you wouldn’t listen. You walked straight into the net, didn’t you?’

Just at that moment Lady Xing came out.

‘This is all Father’s doing,’ said Jia Lian. ‘Now we have to face the consequences.’

‘Unfilial wretch!’ said Lady Xing. ‘Some people would die for their fathers, but you – a few harmless words and you are already whining and complaining. What’s the matter with you? You haven’t been hurt yet – though I should look out, if I were you: Father’s been pretty angry these last few days.’

‘Come on, you must hurry back, Mother,’ said Jia Lian. ‘He sent me to fetch you a long time ago.’

He saw his mother out of the main part of the mansion and round to Jia She’s quarters next door. Lady Xing then gave her husband, in briefest possible outline, a report of what had happened; and since it was now evident that nothing more could be done about Faithful, Jia She had to put up with his mortification as best he could. He did, however, from that day onwards, discontinue all duty calls on his mother on the pretext of being ill. Lady Xing and Jia Lian were sent to make the mandatory calls on her in his stead.

Meanwhile his agents scoured the market for likely girls. A suitable one was eventually purchased for the sum of five hundred taels – a seventeen-year-old girl called Carmine, who was duly installed in his room. But that is another part of our story.

The card-game continued until dinner-time, and it was not until after dinner that the company finally broke up.

Of the day or two which followed these events our story preserves no record.

The fourteenth came. Before it was yet daylight, Lai Da’s wife came round once more to renew her invitation. Grandmother Jia responded enthusiastically and, taking Lady Wang, Aunt Xue and the young people along with her, spent a considerable part of the day in the Lai family’s private garden.

Lai Da’s garden was not, of course, to be compared with Prospect Garden; nevertheless it was spacious and well-made, and among its pools, rocks, trees and pavilions were to be found several features of striking interest or beauty.

The menfolk who were gathered in the reception hall at the front or ‘outer’ part of the establishment included Xue Pan, Cousin Zhen, Jia Lian, Jia Rong and a number of the more closely related members of the Jia clan outside the immediate family. Jia She was conspicuously absent. Young Lai had also invited some of his office-holding colleagues and a few young men of good family as congenial company for the Jias.

One of these last was a young gentleman called Liu Xiang-lian whom Xue Pan had met on some previous occasion and hankeringly remembered ever since. The discovery that he was a keen amateur actor – one, moreover, who specialized in romantic roles – had led Xue Pan to jump to the wrong conclusion and assume that he must share the same ‘wind and moonlight’ proclivities as himself. Eager to make his closer acquaintance but hitherto denied any opportunity of doing so, he was overjoyed at finding him among the company on this occasion and consequently in a state of excitement which rendered his behaviour extremely unpredictable.

Cousin Zhen had also heard of Liu Xiang-lian and admired him. Today, under pretext of being a little drunk, he had taken the liberty of asking him to perform for them, and Liu Xiang-lian, supported by the hired professional players, had obliged by appearing on the stage in two operatic numbers. When he rejoined the company, Xue Pan took the opportunity of moving over to his table and began plying him with all sorts of questions and insinuations.

Liu Xiang-lian was a young man of excellent family who, having lost both his parents in early youth, had failed to complete his education. He was of a dashing, impulsive nature, impatient of niceties. His chief pleasures were exercising with spear or sabre, drinking, and gambling; but he was not averse to gentler pastimes: he frequented the budding groves and could play on both the flute and the zither. Because he was so young and handsome, many who did not know him mistakenly supposed that, being an actor, he must have the usual actor’s propensities. Lai Da’s son Lai Shang-rong had been a good friend of his for years and it was only natural that he should invite him on this occasion to help him entertain his guests. Under these circumstances Liu Xiang-lian was prepared to put up with a certain amount of drunken horseplay; but Xue Pan was too much for him, and soon his attentions were becoming so distasteful that Xiang-lian resolved to leave at the earliest opportunity in order to escape from them. Before he could break away, however, Lai Shang-rong detained him.

‘Bao-yu gave me a message for you just now. He said that though he saw you briefly when he arrived, with so many other people around, he didn’t have a chance of talking to you properly. He’s most anxious that you should stay on so that he can talk to you afterwards. If you are really set on going, wait while I call him out and you can have a word with him now. What you do after that is your own affair: I certainly shan’t try to detain you.’ He called a waiter to him: ‘Look inside and get hold of one of the old women. Tell her to have a quiet word with Master Bao to say that he’s wanted here outside.’

After about the time it would take to drink a cup of tea in, Bao-yu appeared.

‘Here you are, Uncle Bao!’ said Lai Shang-rong when he had joined them. ‘I leave Xiang-lian in your hands. I’ve got to go and look after my guests now.’

With that he left them.

Taking Xiang-lian by the hand, Bao-yu led him into a study at the side of the hall where they sat down together.

‘Have you visited Qin Zhong’s grave recently?’ said Bao-yu.

‘Certainly I have,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘The other day I was out hawking with a few of the others and happened to notice that we were only half a mile or so away from it. It occurred to me that it might not have stood up to all that heavy rain we had in the summer, so I left the others and went off to have a look. As a matter of fact it had been washed away a bit; so the day after I got back I scraped a few hundred cash together, went back first thing next morning, hired a couple of labourers, and got it patched up again.’

‘That explains it,’ said Bao-yu. ‘Last month, when the pods were beginning to form on the lotuses in Prospect Garden, I picked ten of them and sent Tealeaf to offer them at his grave. When he got back, I asked him if the rains had damaged it at all, and he told me that not only had it not been damaged, but that it was in even better condition than it had been the time before. I knew from that that some friend must have been there recently and restored it. I wish I weren’t so cooped up all the time at home. I can never do anything I want to by myself. The slightest move I make is sure to be seen and reported, and either I’m physically prevented from going where I want to or else lectured at until I promise not to go. It’s useless for me ever to say that I’m going to do anything, because I know that I shan’t be allowed to. I can’t even spend my own money in the way I want.’

‘This thing at least is something you don’t need to worry about,’ said Xiang-lian, ‘with me outside to look after it for you. Anyway, it’s the thought that counts. It’s enough to know that you would do it yourself if you could. I’ve already put aside the money for his anniversary on the first of next month. You know how broke I always am. I never have any savings because as soon as I’ve got any money I spend it all. Well, this time I thought I’d better not take any chances, so I put some by well in advance, so as not to have to stretch my hands out helplessly when the time comes.’

‘I was going to send Tealeaf round to see you about that,’ said Bao-yu, ‘but you never seem to be at home; and you’re such a rolling stone that no one ever knows where to look for you.’

‘Don’t bother to try,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘This is a matter in which each of us does what he can. Anyway, I shall be going away quite soon. It will probably be three or four years before I come back again.’

‘Why?’ said Bao-yu in some agitation.

‘That’s something you’ll know soon enough when the time comes. I must be going now.’

‘Must you?’ said Bao-yu. ‘I so seldom get a chance of seeing you. Can’t we leave together in the evening?’

‘I’m afraid it’s that cousin of yours,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘The usual problem. If I stay any longer, there’s sure to be some kind of trouble. I’d much better go now and avoid it.’

Bao-yu reflected for some moments.

‘Yes, I suppose in that case you’d better. Only, if you really and truly are going away for a long time, do please let me know before you start. Please don’t just slip away without telling me.’

His eyes brimmed over with tears.

‘Of course I’ll come and say good-bye to you,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘As long as you promise not to tell anyone.’ He stood up to go. ‘You go in again now. Don’t try to see me out.’

He left the study and made his way to the main gate: but there, unfortunately, was the very person he was trying to avoid.

‘Who’s let my little Liu get away?’ Xue Pan bawled.

Xiang-lian’s eyes flashed angrily. In other circumstances he would have laid him out there and then with a single blow of his fist; but reflecting that to do so now would be interpreted by the others as drunken brawling and would moreover be embarrassing to his host, he restrained himself with some effort.

Xue Pan, in whose besotted eyes he appeared as a coveted treasure that was moving at last within his grasp, lurched towards him, smiling happily, and gripped him firmly by the arm.

‘Where are you off to, little pal?’

‘Just going out for a stroll,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘I’ll be back again directly.’

‘It won’t be any more fun here without you,’ said Xue Pan. ‘Do stay a bit longer – just to show me that you care for me, eh? If it’s business that’s taking you away, don’t worry, leave it to me! I don’t care how important it is – whether it’s a career you’re after or making a pile – with me for a pal you’ll have no more to worry about!’

Angered and revolted by his odious intimacy, Xiang-lian quickly thought of a plan for disposing of him. Drawing him aside to a spot where they could not be overheard, he pretended to question his sincerity.

‘Are you really so fond of me, or are you just pretending?’

Xue Pan was almost beside himself. His eyes became tiny slits of pleasure:

‘How can you ask such a question, my dear? Pretending? May I die this instant if I am!’

‘Good. This place here is not convenient. We’d better go in again now and sit with the others for a bit. Then I’ll leave, and you can leave a bit after me and follow me back to my place. We’ll make a night of it. I’ve got a couple of very nice little boys there who’ve never been “out” before; so you needn’t bring anyone with you: all the service we’ll need is there already.’

Xue Pan was by now so delighted that his drunkenness had already half left him.

‘Do you mean this?’

‘What a person!’ said Xiang-lian. ‘One opens one’s heart to you and you don’t trust them.’

‘No, no, no,’ said Xue Pan hurriedly. ‘I trust you. I’m no fool. There’s only one thing, though: I don’t know where you live. If you leave before I do, where am I to look for you?’

‘My place is outside the North Gate,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘Do you think you can tear yourself from home and spend a whole night outside the city?’

‘What do I need a home for if I’ve got you?’ said Xue Pan.

‘All right,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘I’ll wait for you on the bridge then, outside the North Gate. We’d better get back to the party now. Don’t forget: wait a bit after I’ve gone before going yourself; then no one should suspect anything.’

‘Yes,’ said Xue Pan, ‘yes.’

The two of them then went in again and resumed their places. Xue Pan found waiting difficult and kept his eyes constantly on Xiang-lian, watching for him to go. At the same time he began, in joyous anticipation of the pleasures in store, to drink with greater and greater abandon, not waiting for the wine to be offered, but stretching out rudely to left and right of him and plying himself from the wine-kettles of his neighbours. Soon he was very drunk indeed.

Xiang-lian now rose to go and succeeded in slipping out of the main gate unobserved. First he gave an order to his page Almond, who was waiting there:

‘You go home now. I have some business outside the city to attend to. I’ll be back later.’

Then he vaulted into the saddle and rode off until he came to the North Gate of the city. Passing through, he rode on till he came to the bridge, where he halted and took up his station to wait for Xue Pan’s arrival.

After the time it would take to eat a meal, he caught sight of Xue Pan hurrying along in the distance. His mouth was open, his eyes were staring, and his head turned from side to side as he looked anxiously about him, for all the world like one of those little clapper-drums that children twirl upon a stick. So intent was he on scanning the remoter parts of the landscape that he failed to take note of what was nearer at hand and rode right past Xiang-lian without seeing him. Xiang-lian, who for all his loathing could not but laugh at this, gave his horse rein and followed after. Presently Xue Pan began to notice that he was getting into the open country and brought his horse round about. As he did so, he found himself almost face to face with Xiang-lian.

‘I knew you wouldn’t fail me,’ he cried delightedly.

Xiang-lian smiled back.

‘Let’s go on a bit further – just in case anyone is tracking us.’

He trotted on ahead and Xue Pan followed, keeping as close to him as he could. Presently, having satisfied himself that the country ahead was quite deserted, Xiang-lian dismounted near the edge of a reed-filled dyke and tied his horse up to a tree.

‘You get down too,’ he called pleasantly to Xue Pan. ‘Let’s first swear an oath that if either of us is unfaithful to the other or betrays our secret to anyone, it shall happen to him as the oath shall say.’

‘Yes,’ said Xue Pan. ‘Good idea!’

He dismounted eagerly, tied his horse to another tree, and straightway knelt down and began his oath:

‘If ever, in the days to come, I prove unfaithful or betray this secret to another, may Heaven and Earth destroy –’

He got no further. At that point there was a great thump! and the sensation of being hit on the back of the neck by an object like a large iron hammer. Everything became suddenly black, except that the darkness was filled with a confusion of flying stars, and he collapsed forwards helplessly upon the ground.

Xiang-lian stepped up and surveyed him from above. Someone not used to taking punishment, he concluded. It would be unwise to use too much force on him. Turning him over, he performed, with a few deft flicks over Xue Pan’s face, the operation which is described in the profession as ‘opening up the fruitshop.’

At first Xue Pan struggled to get up, but Xiang-lian lashed out with his foot and sent him sprawling once more upon his back.

‘You were willing, just as much as I was,’ Xue Pan muttered plaintively. ‘You had only to say so if you weren’t. Why fool me into coming out here with you and then beat me up?’

He began cursing him obscenely.

‘You blind iniquity!’ said Liu Xiang-lian. ‘You don’t know who you’re dealing with. You should be begging for mercy right now, not swearing at me. You’re not worth killing, though. I’ll just give you a little lesson.’

He picked up his horsewhip and turning Xue Pan on his face once more, proceeded to deal him thirty or forty cuts along the length of his body, from his shoulders down to his calves. Xue Pan was by now half sober, and finding the pain unbearable, began to roar.

‘Look at you!’ said Xiang-lian contemptuously. ‘I should have thought you could take your medicine a bit better than that.’

He took him by the left leg and dragged him a few steps to where the reeds began, in the stagnant ooze of the dyke, so that he was coated from head to foot with the liquid mud.

‘Now,’ he said, ‘do you know who I am?’

As Xue Pan merely lay in the mud whimpering and made no reply, he threw away his whip and gave him a few thumps with his fist. Xue Pan rolled about and bellowed:

‘You’ve broken my ribs. I know you’re straight. It was the others who told me you weren’t. I shouldn’t have listened to them.’

‘Leave the others out of this,’ said Xiang-lian. ‘I’m talking about now.’

‘Now?’ said Xue Pan. ‘Now I know you’re straight. I know I was wrong. What more can I say?’

‘You’ll have to talk a bit prettier than that before I’ve finished with you,’ said Xiang-lian.

‘Old pal –’ Xue Pan began, whimpering.

Xiang-lian dealt him another thump with his fist.

‘Ow! Old chap –’

Two thumps this time.

‘Ow! Ow! Sir, then. Please sir, forgive me for being so blind. From now on I shall honour you and fear you.’

‘Now drink some of this water,’ said Xiang-lian.

Xue Pan knitted his brows with disgust:

‘But this water is really filthy. I couldn’t get it down.’

Xiang-lian raised his fist threateningly.

‘I’ll drink,’ said Xue Pan hurriedly. ‘I’ll drink.’

He bent down and drank a mouthful of the water at the base of the reeds; but before he could swallow it, there was a great retching noise and he vomited up all that he had recently eaten and drunk.

‘Filthy pig!’ said Xiang-lian. ‘Now eat that up and I’ll let you off.’

Xue Pan began kotowing to him.

‘Please, for your soul’s sake, earn a bit of merit: don’t try to make me do that! I couldn’t do that if you killed me.’

‘This stench is poisoning me,’ said Xiang-lian; and leaving Xue Pan, he unfastened his horse, led it off a few paces, vaulted into the saddle, and galloped away.

Observing with relief that Xiang-lian had really gone, Xue Pan, cursing his folly for having been so egregiously mistaken in his man, attempted to struggle to his feet; but every part of him was hurting so much that it was impossible for him to rise.

Meanwhile, back at the party, Cousin Zhen and the others, suddenly noticing that the two of them were missing, sought them for a while without success. Someone did say that they thought they might have gone out of the North Gate; but Xue Pan had told his pages not to follow him, and they were all in such dread of their master that none of them dared go out there to look. In the end Cousin Zhen became so uneasy that he sent Jia Rong with some of the boys to track them down.

Their trail led them through the North Gate and about two thirds of a mile along the road which crosses the bridge outside it. There, suddenly, they caught sight of Xue Pan’s horse, tied up to one of the trees at the side of a reed-filled dyke.

‘Good!’ they said. ‘Where the horse is, the rider must be.’ And all of them went over to where the horse was standing.

As they did so, they heard someone groaning among the rushes; and there, when they went to look, was Xue Pan, his clothes torn, his face cut and swollen almost beyond recognition, and so besmirched with mud from head to foot that he had more the appearance of an old wallowing sow than of a human being.

Jia Rong had little difficulty in guessing what had happened. Slipping from his horse, he ordered the servants to help Xue Pan to his feet.

‘Tireless in the pursuit of love, Uncle!’ he said cheerfully, while they struggled to do his bidding. ‘This time it’s led you into the reeds of the marshes. I suppose the Dragon King must have taken a fancy to you and carried you off to be his son-in-law. To judge from appearances, I should say that you must have got caught up on his horn!’

Xue Pan wished that the earth would open and swallow up his shame.

As there was clearly no question of getting him onto his horse, Jia Rong told one of the boys to hurry back to the street outside the North Gate and hire a carrying chair. When Xue Pan had been helped into this, they had him carried into the city, themselves accompanying him on horseback. Jia Rong mischievously proposed that they should take him back to the Lais’ house to rejoin the party: but Xue Pan entreated so piteously and begged him so earnestly not to tell anyone of his plight, that Jia Rong relented and allowed him to go back home alone.

Jia Rong himself returned to the party to report back to his father. From his account of the state Xue Pan had been in when they found him Cousin Zhen deduced that he must have been beaten up by Liu Xiang-lian but appeared remarkably unconcerned, for he merely laughed and observed that ‘he could do with the lesson’. It is true that he went to inquire after him in the evening, when he got back home from the party; but Xue Pan was by that time nursing his injuries in bed and declined to see him on the grounds that he was feeling too ill.

When Grandmother Jia and her party had got back to their several apartments, Aunt Xue and Bao-chai found Caltrop with her eyes all swollen from weeping. On discovering the cause, they rushed in to look at Xue Pan. Fortunately he appeared to have no bones broken, but his face and body had taken a terrible battering. Torn between maternal anguish at his plight and anger at the folly which had occasioned it, Aunt Xue inveighed against Xue Pan and Xiang-lian by turns. She wanted to tell Lady Wang and get her to have Xiang-lian arrested, but was dissuaded from doing so by Bao-chai.

‘It’s not important enough for that, Mamma. The two of them had been drinking and fell out over their cups, that’s all there was to it. Whenever that happens, it’s always the drunker of the two who gets the worst of it. Besides, everyone knows what a lawless, ungovernable creature Pan is. It’s only because you’re his mother that you feel differently. If it’s satisfaction you want, that can easily be arranged. Just wait a few days until Pan is better and can get about again. I’m sure Mr Zhen and Mr Lian and the other menfolk will be unwilling to pass over this in silence. Probably they will get up a little party and ask this person to it and make him apologize to Pan in front of everyone and admit that he was to blame. But if you insist on making an issue of it now and telling Aunt about it, you will make it appear that you are so blind to Pan’s faults that you allow him to go around provoking other people, but that as soon as someone stands up to him, you fly up in arms and use our relations’ influence to oppress them.’

Aunt Xue at once saw the force of this.

‘You are quite right, my child. I was being silly.’

‘Dear Mamma! But now you are being sensible. He doesn’t fear you, and he won’t listen to anyone else. He just goes on getting worse and worse. One or two good, sharp shocks like this might bring him to his senses.’

Meanwhile Xue Pan lay on the kang in his bedroom, cursing Xiang-lian by every name he could think of and calling on his boys to smash up his house, to beat him to death, to have the law on him. Aunt Xue shouted to them that they were to do no such thing. To Xue Pan she explained that Xiang-lian was in any case beyond the reach of his vengeance.

‘Xiang-lian behaved very badly because he was drunk. When he came to himself afterwards he was very sorry; and now, because he is afraid of the consequences, he has fled the country.’

When Xue Pan heard that, he –

But you shall learn that (if you wish) in the following chapter.