第一○三回

第一○三回 施毒计金桂自焚身 昧真禅雨村空遇旧

话说贾琏到了王夫人那边，一一的说了。次日到了部里打点停妥，回来又到王夫人那边，将打点吏部之事告知。王夫人便道：“打听准了么？果然这样，老爷也愿意，合家也放心。那外任是何尝做得的！若不是那样的参回来，只怕叫那些混帐东西把老爷的性命都坑了呢！”贾琏道：“太太那里知道？”王夫人道：“自从你二叔放了外任，并没有一个钱拿回来，把家里的倒掏摸了好些去了。你瞧那些跟老爷去的人，他男人在外头不多几时，那些小老婆子们便金头银面的妆扮起来了，可不是在外头瞒着老爷弄钱？你叔叔便由着他们闹去，若弄出事来，不但自己的官做不成，只怕连祖上的官也要抹掉了呢。”贾琏道：“婶子说得很是。方才我听见参了，吓的了不得，直等打听明白才放心。也愿意老爷做个京官，安安逸逸的做几年，才保得住一辈子的声名。就是老太太知道了，倒也是放心的，只要太太说得宽缓些。”王夫人道：“我知道。你到底再去打听打听。”

贾琏答应了，才要出来，只见薛姨妈家的老婆子慌慌张张的走来，到王夫人里间屋内，也没说请安，便道：“我们太太叫我来告诉这里的姨太太，说我们家了不得了，又闹出事来了。”王夫人听了，便问：“闹出什么事来？”那婆子又说：“了不得，了不得！”王夫人哼道：“糊涂东西！有要紧事你到底说啊！”婆子便说：“我们家二爷不在家，一个男人也没有。这件事情出来怎么办！要求太太打发几位爷们去料理料理。”王夫人听着不懂，便急着道：“究竟要爷们去干什么事？”婆子道：“我们大奶奶死了。”王夫人听了，便啐道：“这种女人死，死了罢咧，也值得大惊小怪的！”婆子道：“不是好好儿死的，是混闹死的。快求太太打发人去办办。”说着就要走。王夫人又生气，又好笑，说：“这〔一〕婆子好混帐。琏哥儿，倒不如你过去瞧瞧，别理那糊涂东西。”那婆子没听见打发人去，只听见说别理他，他便赌气跑回去了。这里薛姨妈正在着急，再等不来，好容易见那婆子来了，便问：“姨太太打发谁来？”婆子叹说道：“人最不要有急难事，什么好亲好眷，看来也不中用。姨太太不但不肯照应我们，倒骂我糊涂。”薛姨妈听了，又气又急道：“姨太太不管，你姑奶奶怎么说了？”婆子道：“姨太太既不管，我们家的姑奶奶自然更不管了。没有去告诉。”薛姨妈啐道：“姨太太是外人，姑娘是我养的，怎么不管！”婆子一时省悟道：“是啊，这么着我还去。”

正说着，只见贾琏来了，给薛姨妈请了安，道了恼，回说：“我婶子知道弟妇死了，问老婆子，再说不明，着急得很，打发我来问个明白，还叫我在这里料理。该怎么样，姨太太只管说了办去。”薛姨妈本来气得干哭，听见贾琏的话，便笑着说：“倒要二爷费心。我说姨太太是待我最好的，都是这老货说不清，几乎误了事。请二爷坐下，等我慢慢的告诉你。”便说：“不为别的事，为的是媳妇不是好死的。”贾琏道：“想是为兄弟犯事怨命死的？”薛姨妈道：“若这样倒好了。前几个月头里，他天天蓬头赤脚的疯闹。后来听见你兄弟问了死罪，他虽哭了一场，以后倒擦脂抹粉的起来。我若说他，又要吵个了不得，我总不理他。有一天不知怎么样来要香菱去作伴，我说：‘你放着宝蟾，还要香菱做什么，况且香菱是你不爱的，何苦招气生。’他必不依。我没法儿，便叫香菱到他屋里去。可怜这香菱不敢违我的话，带着病就去了。谁知道他待香菱很好，我倒喜欢。你大妹妹知道了，说：‘只怕不是好心罢。’我也不理会。头几天香菱病着，他倒亲手去做汤给他吃，那知香菱没福，刚端到跟前，他自己烫了手，连碗都砸了。我只说必要迁怒在香菱身上，他倒没生气，自己还拿笤帚扫了，拿水泼净了地，仍旧两个人很好。昨儿晚上，又叫宝蟾去做了两碗汤来，自己说同香菱一块儿喝。隔了一回，听见他屋里两只脚蹬响，宝蟾急的乱嚷，以后香菱也嚷着扶着墙出来叫人。我忙着看去，只见媳妇鼻子眼睛里都流出血来，在地下乱滚，两手在心口乱抓，两脚乱蹬，把我就吓死了，问他也说不出来，只管直嚷，闹了一回就死了。我瞧那光景是服了毒的。宝蟾便哭着来揪香菱，说他把药药死了奶奶了。我看香菱也不是这么样的人，再者他病的起还起不来，怎么能药人呢。无奈宝蟾一口咬定。我的二爷，这叫我怎么办！只得硬着心肠叫老婆子们把香菱捆了，交给宝蟾，便把房门反扣了。我同你二妹妹守了一夜，等府里的门开了才告诉去的。二爷你是明白人，这件事怎么好？”贾琏道：“夏家知道了没有？”薛姨妈道：“也得撕掳明白了才好报啊。”贾琏道：“据我看起来，必要经官才了得下来。我们自然疑在宝蟾身上，别人便说宝蟾为什么药死他奶奶，也是没答对的。若说在香菱身上，竟还装得上。”正说着，只见荣府女人们进来说：“我们二奶奶来了。”贾琏虽是大伯子，因从小儿见的，也不回避。宝钗进来见了母亲，又见了贾琏，便往里间屋里同宝琴坐下。薛姨妈也将前事告诉一遍。宝钗便说：“若把香菱捆了，可不是我们也说是香菱药死的了么？妈妈说这汤是宝蟾做的，就该捆起宝蟾来问他呀。一面便该打发人报夏家去，一面报官的是。”薛姨妈听见有理，便问贾琏。贾琏道：“二妹子说得很是。报官还得我去，托了刑部里的人，相验问口供的时候有照应得。只是要捆宝蟾放香菱倒怕难些。”薛姨妈道：“并不是我要捆香菱，我恐怕香菱病中受冤着急，一时寻死，又添了一条人命，才捆了交给宝蟾，也是一个主意。”贾琏道：“虽是这么说，我们倒帮了宝蟾了。若要放都放，要捆都捆，他们三个人是一处的。只要叫人安慰香菱就是了。”薛姨妈便叫人开门进去，宝钗就派了带来几个女人帮着捆宝蟾。只见香菱已哭得死去活来，宝蟾反得意洋洋。以后见人要捆他，便乱嚷起来。那禁得荣府的人吆喝着，也就捆了。竟开着门，好叫人看着。这里报夏家的人已经去了。

那夏家先前不住在京里，因近年消索，又记挂女儿，新近搬进京来。父亲已没，只有母亲，又过继了一个混帐儿子，把家业都花完了，不时的常到薛家。那金桂原是个水性人儿，那里守得住空房，况兼天天心里想念薛蝌，便有些饥不择食的光景。无奈他这一干兄弟又是个蠢货，虽也有些知觉，只是尚未入港。所以金桂时常回去，也帮贴他些银钱。这些时正盼金桂回家，只见薛家的人来，心里就想又拿什么东西来了。不料说这里姑娘服毒死了，他便气得乱嚷乱叫。金桂的母亲听见了，更哭喊起来，说：“好端端的女孩儿在他家，为什么服了毒呢！”哭着喊着的，带了儿子，也等不得雇车，便要走来。那夏家本是买卖人家，如今没了钱，那顾什么脸面。儿子头里就走，他跟了一个破老婆子出了门，在街上啼啼哭哭的雇了一辆破车，便跑到薛家。

进门也不打话，便儿一声肉一声的要讨人命。那时贾琏到刑部托人，家里只有薛姨妈、宝钗、宝琴，何曾见过个阵仗，都吓得不敢则声。便要与他讲理，他们也不听，只说：“我女孩儿在你家得过什么好处，两口朝打暮骂的。闹了几时，还不容他两口子在一处，你们商量着把女婿弄在监里，永不见面。你们娘儿们仗着好亲戚受用也罢了，还嫌他碍眼，叫人药死了他，倒说是服毒！他为什么服毒！”说着，直奔着薛姨妈来。薛姨妈只得后退，说：“亲家太太且请瞧瞧你女儿，问问宝蟾，再说歪话不迟。”那宝钗宝琴因外面有夏家的儿子，难以出来拦护，只在里边着急。恰好王夫人打发周瑞家的照看，一进门来，见一个老婆子指着薛姨妈的脸哭骂。周瑞家的知道必是金桂的母亲，便走上来说：“这位是亲家太太么？大奶奶自己服毒死的，与我们姨太太什么相干，也不犯这么遭塌呀。”那金桂的母亲问：“你是谁？”薛姨妈见有了人，胆子略壮了些，便说：“这就是我亲戚贾府里的。”金桂的母亲便说道：“谁不知道，你们有仗腰子的亲戚，才能够叫姑爷坐在监里。如今我的女孩儿倒白死了不成！”说着，便拉薛姨妈说：“你到底把我女儿怎样弄杀了？给我瞧瞧！”周瑞家的一面劝说：“只管瞧瞧，用不着拉拉扯扯。”便把手一推。夏家的儿子便跑进来不依道：“你仗着府里的势头儿来打我母亲么！”说着，便将椅子打去，却没有打着。里头跟宝钗的人听见外头闹起来，赶着来瞧，恐怕周瑞家的吃亏，齐打伙的上去半劝半喝。那夏家的母子索性撒起泼来，说：“知道你们荣府的势头儿。我们家的姑娘已经死了，如今也都不要命了！”说着，仍奔薛姨妈拚命。地下的人虽多，那里挡得住，自古说的“一人拚命，万夫莫当。”

正闹到危急之际，贾琏带了七八个家人进来，见是如此，便叫人先把夏家的儿子拉出去，便说：“你们不许闹，有话好好儿的说。快将家里收拾收拾，刑部里头的老爷们就来相验了。”金桂的母亲正在撒泼，只见来了一位老爷，几个在头里吆喝，那些人都垂手侍立。金桂的母亲见这个光景，也不知是贾府何人，又见他儿子已被众人揪住，又听见说刑部来验，他心里原想看见女儿尸首先闹了一个稀烂再去喊官去，不承望这里先报了官，也便软了些。薛姨妈已吓糊涂了。还是周瑞家的回说：“他们来了，也没有去瞧他姑娘，便作践起姨太太来了。我们为好劝他，那里跑进一个野男人，在奶奶们里头混撒村混打，这可不是没有王法了！”贾琏道：“这回子不用和他讲理，等一会子打着问他，说：男人有男人的所在，里头都是些姑娘奶奶们，况且有他母亲还瞧不见他们姑娘么，他跑进来不是要打抢来了么！”家人们做好做歹压伏住了。周瑞家的仗着人多，便说：“夏太太，你不懂事，既来了，该问个青红皂白。你们姑娘是自己服毒死了，不然便是宝蟾药死他主子了，怎么不问明白，又不看尸首，就想讹人来了呢，我们就肯叫一个媳妇儿白死了不成！现在把宝蟾捆着，因为你们姑娘必要点病儿，所以叫香菱陪着他，也在一个屋里住，故此两个人都看守在那里，原等你们来眼看看刑部相验，问出道理来才是啊。”

金桂的母亲此时势孤，也只得跟着周瑞家的到他女孩儿屋里，只见满脸黑血，直挺挺的躺在炕上，便叫哭起来。宝蟾见是他家的人来，便哭喊说：“我们姑娘好意待香菱，叫他在一块儿住，他倒抽空儿药死我们姑娘！”那时薛家上下人等俱在，便齐声吆喝道：“胡说，昨日奶奶喝了汤才药死的，这汤可不是你做的！”宝蟾道：“汤是我做的，端了来我有事走了，不知香菱起来放些什么在里头药死的。”金桂的母亲听未说完，就奔香菱。众人拦住。薛姨妈便道：“这样子是砒霜药的，家里决无此物。不管香菱宝蟾，终有替他买的，回来刑部少不得问出来，才赖不去。如今把媳妇权放平正，好等官来相验。”众婆子上来抬放。宝钗道：“都是男人进来，你们将女人动用的东西检点检点。”只见炕褥底下有一个揉成团的纸包儿。金桂的母亲瞧见便拾起，打开看时，并没有什么，便撩开了。宝蟾看见道：“可不是有了凭据了。这个纸包儿我认得，头几天耗子闹得慌，奶奶家去与舅爷要的，拿回来搁在首饰匣内，必是香菱看见了拿来药死奶奶的。若不信，你们看看首饰匣里有没有了。”

金桂的母亲便依着宝蟾的所在取出匣子，只有几支银簪子。薛姨妈便说：“怎么好些首饰都没有了？”宝钗叫人打开箱柜，俱是空的，便道：“嫂子这些东西被谁拿去，这可要问宝蟾。”金桂的母亲心里也虚了好些，见薛姨妈查问宝蟾，便说：“姑娘的东西他那里知道。”周瑞家的道：“亲家太太别这么说呢。我知道宝姑娘是天天跟着大奶奶的，怎么说不知！”这宝蟾见问得紧，又不好胡赖，只得说道：“奶奶自己每每带回家去，我管得么。”众人便说：“好个亲家太太！哄着拿姑娘的东西，哄完了叫他寻死来讹我们。好罢了，回来相验便是这么说。”宝钗叫人：“到外头告诉琏二爷说，别放了夏家的人。”

里面金桂的母亲忙了手脚，便骂宝蟾道：“小蹄子别嚼舌头了！姑娘几时拿东西到我家去。”宝蟾道：“如今东西是小，给姑娘偿命是大。”宝琴道：“有了东西就有偿命的人了。快请琏二哥哥问准了夏家的儿子买砒霜的话，回来好回刑部里的话。”金桂的母亲着了急道：“这宝蟾必是撞见鬼了，混说起来。我们姑娘何尝买过砒霜。若这么说，必是宝蟾药死了的。”宝蟾急的乱嚷说：“别人赖我也罢了，怎么你们也赖起我来呢！你们不是常和姑娘说，叫他别受委屈，闹得他们家破人亡，那时将东西卷包儿一走，再配一个好姑爷。这个话是有的没有？”金桂的母亲还未及答言，周瑞家的便接口说道：“这是你们家的人说的，还赖什么呢。”金桂的母亲恨的咬牙切齿的骂宝蟾说：“我待你不错呀，为什么你倒拿话来葬送我呢！回来见了官，我就说是你药死姑娘的。”宝蟾气得瞪着眼说：“请太太放了香菱罢，不犯着白害别人。我见官自有我的话。”

宝钗听出这个话头儿来了，便叫人反倒放开了宝蟾，说：“你原是个爽快人，何苦白冤在里头。你有话索性说了，大家明白，岂不完了事了呢。”宝蟾也怕见官受苦，便说：“我们奶奶天天抱怨说：‘我这样人，为什么碰着这个瞎眼的娘，不配给二爷，偏给了这么个混帐糊涂行子。要是能够同二爷过一天，死了也是愿意的。’说到那里，便恨香菱。我起初不理会，后来看见与香菱好了，我只道是香菱教他什么了，不承望昨儿的汤不是好意。”金桂的母亲接说道：“益发胡说了，若是要药香菱，为什么倒药了自己呢？”宝钗便问道：“香菱，昨日你喝汤来着没有？”香菱道：“头几天我病得抬不起头来，奶奶叫我喝汤，我不敢说不喝，刚要扎挣起来，那碗汤已经洒了，倒叫奶奶收拾了个难，我心里很过不去。昨儿听见叫我喝汤，我喝不下去，没有法儿正要喝的时候儿呢，偏又头晕起来。只见宝蟾姐姐端了去。我正喜欢，刚合上眼，奶奶自己喝着汤，叫我尝尝，我便勉强也喝了。”宝蟾不待说完，便道：“是了，我老实说罢。昨儿奶奶叫我做两碗汤，说是和香菱同喝。我气不过，心里想着香菱那里配我做汤给他喝呢。我故意的一碗里头多抓了一把盐，记了暗记儿，原想给香菱喝的。刚端进来，奶奶却拦着我到外头叫小子们雇车，说今日回家去。我出去说了，回来见盐多的这碗汤在奶奶跟前呢，我恐怕奶奶喝着咸，又要骂我。正没法的时候，奶奶往后头走动，我眼错不见就把香菱这碗汤换了过来。也是合该如此，奶奶回来就拿了汤去到香菱床边喝着，说：‘你到底尝尝。’那香菱也不觉咸。两个人都喝完了。我正笑香菱没嘴道儿[2]，那里知道这死鬼奶奶要药香菱，必定趁我不在将砒霜撒上了，也不知道我换碗，这可就是天理昭彰，自害其身了。”于是众人往前后一想，真正一丝不错，便将香菱也放了，扶着他仍旧睡在床上。

不说香菱得放，且说金桂母亲心虚事实，还想辩赖。薛姨妈等你言我语，反要他儿子偿还金桂之命。正然吵嚷，贾琏在外嚷说：“不用多说了，快收拾停当，刑部老爷就到了。”此时惟有夏家母子着忙，想来总要吃亏的，不得已反求薛姨妈道：“千不是万不是，终是我死的女孩儿不长进，这也是自作自受。若是刑部相验，到底府上脸面不好看。求亲家太太息了这件事罢。”宝钗道：“那可使不得，已经报了，怎么能息呢。”周瑞家的等人大家做好做歹的劝说：“若要息事，除非夏亲家太太自己出去拦验，我们不提长短罢了。”贾琏在外也将他儿子吓住，他情愿迎到刑部具结拦验[3]。众人依允。薛姨妈命人买棺成殓。不提。

且说贾雨村升了京兆府尹[4]兼管税务，一日出都查勘开垦地亩，路过知机县，到了急流津。正要渡过彼岸，因待人夫，暂且停轿。只见村旁有一座小庙，墙壁坍颓，露出几株古松，倒也苍老。雨村下轿，闲步进庙，但见庙内神像金身脱落，殿宇歪斜，旁有断碣，字迹模糊，也看不明白。意欲行至后殿，只见一翠柏下荫着一间茅庐，庐中有一个道士合眼打坐。雨村走近看时，面貌甚熟，想着倒像在那里见来的，一时再想不出来。从人便欲吆喝。雨村止住，徐步向前叫一声：“老道。”那道士双眼微启，微微的笑道：“贵官何事？”雨村便道：“本府出都查勘事件，路过此地，见老道静修自得，想来道行深通，意欲冒昧请教。”那道人说：“来自有地，去自有方。”雨村知是有些来历的，便长揖请问：“老道〔二〕从何处修来，在此结庐？此庙何名？庙中共有几人？或欲真修，岂无名山；或欲结缘〔三〕[7]，何不通衢？”那道人道：“葫芦尚可安身，何必名山结舍。庙名久隐，断碣犹存。形影相随，何须修募。岂似那‘玉在中求善价，钗于奁内待时飞’〔四〕之辈耶！”

雨村原是个颖悟人，初听见“葫芦”两字，后闻“玉钗”〔五〕一对，忽然想起甄士隐〔六〕的事来。重复将那道士端详一回，见他容貌依然，便屏退从人，问道：“君家莫非甄老先生么？”那道人从容笑道：“什么真，什么假！要知道真即是假，假即是真。”雨村听说出贾字来，益发无疑，便从新施礼道：“学生自蒙慨赠到都，托庇获隽公车[11]，受任贵乡，始知老先生超悟尘凡，飘举仙境。学生虽溯洄[12]思切，自念风尘俗吏，未由再觐仙颜。今何幸于此处相遇，求老仙翁指示愚蒙。倘荷不弃，京寓甚近，学生当得供奉，得以朝夕聆教。”那道人也站起来回礼道：“我于蒲团之外，不知天地间尚有何物。适才尊官所言，贫道一概不解。”说毕，依旧坐下。雨村复又心疑：“想去若非士隐，何貌言相似若此？离别来十九载，面色如旧，必是修炼有成，未肯将前身说破。但我既遇恩公，又不可当面错过。看来不能以富贵动之，那妻女之私更不必说了。”想罢又道：“仙师既不肯说破前因，弟子于心何忍！”正要下礼，只见从人进来，禀说天色将晚，快请渡河。雨村正无主意，那道人道：“请尊官速登彼岸，见面有期，迟则风浪顿起。果蒙不弃，贫道他日尚在渡头候教。”说毕，仍合眼打坐。雨村无奈，只得辞了道人出庙。正要过渡，只见一人飞奔而来。未知何事，下回分解。

〔一〕 “说这”，原作“这说”，从各本改。

[2] 没嘴道儿——嘴头没准儿，品尝不出味道的好坏。

[3] 具结拦验——由死者亲属出具保证文书阻拦官府验尸，表示对死因不怀疑、不告发。

[4] 京兆府尹——掌治京师的府一级行政长官，在清称顺天府尹，正三品。

〔二〕 “老道”，原作“道老”，从各本改。

〔三〕 “结缘”，原作“庐缘”，从程乙本改。

[7] 结缘——佛家语。意谓现世去恶行善，积德修福，可结来世因缘，得到超度；世人给寺庙募捐布施也叫结缘。

〔四〕 “玉”“钗”对联，原作“玉在匮中求售价，钗在匣中待时飞”，藤本同。程乙本上联作“玉在中求善价”，下句同。据第一回及程乙本上联改。

〔五〕 “玉钗”，原作“宝钗”，程乙本作“钗玉”，据改。

〔六〕 “甄士隐”，原作“甄隐士”，从各本改。

[11] 获隽公车——即获公车之隽，是会试得中的意思。公车：原为官署名，汉代以公家车马送应举的人，后因以“公车”为入京应试举人的代称。隽：通俊，才智出众。

[12] 溯洄——这里是追念往昔的意思。

CHAPTER 103. Jin-gui dies by her own hand, caught in a web of her own weaving Yu-cun encounters an old friend in vain, blind to the higher truths of Zen

Jia Lian gave Lady Wang a full account of Jia Zheng’s misfortune. The next day he paid another call at the Board of Civil Office, and on his return reported once more to Lady Wang, assuring her that he had done his utmost to put in a word for Jia Zheng in the right quarters.

‘So you’re sure the news is genuine?’ she asked. ‘Well, I dare say your Uncle Zheng will be none too displeased. In fact it will come as something of a relief to us all. He was never really suited to a provincial posting, and if he had not come home now I’m afraid those rascals would one day have ruined him altogether!’

‘How is it that you are so well informed in this matter?’ asked Jia Lian.

‘Ever since your uncle Zheng has been at this post,’ replied Lady Wang, ‘not a penny has been remitted. On the contrary. He has been secretly sending here for considerable sums. You have only to look at the way the servants’ wives are already decking themselves out in all sorts of fancy gold and silver ornaments to know what’s been going on. It’s obvious that their husbands have been making money behind your uncle Zheng’s back. He just lets them get away with it. If it had gone any further, not only would he have lost his job but the inherited family rank might have been forfeited as well!’

‘You’re quite right, Aunt,’ said Jia Lian. ‘I confess that I was very shocked when I first heard the news. But now that I know the full facts of the case I feel considerably easier about it. It will be much better for Uncle Zheng this way. He will be able to work here in the capital in peace and quiet for a few years, without endangering his reputation any further. I think even Grandmother will be quite relieved when she hears the whole story. But I feel you should break it gently to her all the same.’

‘I will,’ said Lady Wang. ‘You had better go now and see what else you can find out.’

Jia Lian was on his way out when one of Aunt Xue’s old serving-women came running past in a great lather. She went directly into Lady Wang’s apartment and without any preliminary courtesies burst straight out with: ‘Our Madam says I’m to tell Your Ladyship there’s terrible trouble at home again! Things have come to a pretty pass this time and no mistake!’

‘What sort of trouble?’ asked Lady Wang.

‘Oh, something terrible! Just terrible!’

‘You stupid old creature!’ exclaimed Lady Wang with a snort of exasperation. ‘If something serious has happened, for goodness’ sake try to tell me what it is!’

‘Master Ke’s away and we haven’t got a man in the house! It’s a crisis and we just don’t know what to do! Please will Your Ladyship send one or two of the Masters over to sort it out for us!’

Lady Wang still had not the slightest idea what she was talking about.

‘Sort out what in heaven’s name?’ she asked impatiently.

‘It’s Mrs Pan! She’s dead!’ blurted out the old woman at last.

‘Pfui!’ exclaimed Lady Wang when she heard this. ‘So that baggage is dead! Is that what all the fuss is about?’

‘But it wasn’t reg’lar, Your Ladyship. I mean, the way she died. Such a to-do! Please, Your Ladyship, send someone over right away!’

She set off back to the Xue compound. Lady Wang was both annoyed and amused:

‘Honestly, what a hopeless old woman! Lian, go and have a look will you? It’s a complete waste of time trying to make head or tail of anything that old creature says.’

The first part, about ‘going and having a look’, failed to reach the old woman’s ears. She only caught the words ‘a complete waste of time’ and went running home in a great huff to Aunt Xue, who was anxiously awaiting her return:

‘Well, who is Lady Wang going to send?’

The old woman sighed demonstratively:

‘Fat lot of use family are at a time of crisis, I must say! Her Ladyship wouldn’t lift a finger for us! All she did was call me a stupid creature!’

This seemed to make Aunt Xue angry, and she became rather flustered:

‘If Her Ladyship wouldn’t help, what about our own Mrs Bao?’

‘I didn’t even bother to tell her,' replied the old woman. ‘How could she be expected to stand up for us if Her Ladyship wouldn’t?’

Aunt Xue spat at her, and cried indignantly:

‘Are you out of your mind? Her Ladyship is one of the Jias; but Bao-chai is my own child. She wouldn’t let me down!’

The distinction suddenly seemed to dawn on the old woman.

‘Lawks! I’d better go back and find her right away!’

As they were speaking, Jia Lian came in. He paid his respects to Aunt Xue, and after expressing his condolences went on to explain to her:

‘When Aunt Wang heard that Mrs Pan was dead, she questioned your serving-woman but was unable to extract any sense from her at all. Aunt was very worried and sent me to find out what was going on and to give you a hand. If anything needs doing, Aunt Xue, just let me know and I’ll do what I can.’

Aunt Xue had been working herself into a state of great indignation with the old woman, and had become so distraught she could do nothing but weep. On hearing Jia Lian’s words she became articulate once more:

‘I’m most obliged to you, Lian. I was sure my sister would stand by me. I’m afraid this old woman completely misunderstood you, and gave me a totally misleading impression. Now, please sit down and let me tell you the whole story.’

After a slight pause she continued: ‘How shall I put it …? Well, in a nutshell, my daughter-in-law did not die a natural death.’

‘I suppose it was suicide?’ ventured Jia Lian. ‘Was it despondency at Cousin Pan’s imprisonment that drove her to take her own life?’

‘If only it had been! Alas, no. Let me explain. For several months she’d been rampaging about the whole time, barefoot and with her hair in a terrible state. When she heard that Pan was facing a death sentence, after an initial fit of weeping she began painting herself up dreadfully with rouge and powder. Any remonstrations on my part would only have led to more atrocious scenes, so I tried to turn a blind eye. Then suddenly one day, for some reason unknown to me, she came and asked me if she could have Caltrop to keep her company. I said to her: “You’ve already got Moonbeam. Do you really need Caltrop as well? You’ve never liked her, so why go asking for trouble?’ But she insisted, and I had no choice but to send Caltrop over to her room. The poor girl didn’t dare disobey my orders and she went, ill though she was.

‘Funnily enough, my daughter-in-law treated her very well. I was delighted; and although Chai suspected some ulterior motive, I was prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, a few days ago, Caltrop fell ill again, and Jin-gui cooked her some soup. She even made a point of serving it to her with her own hands. Poor Caltrop! There was the most unfortunate accident. Jin-gui dropped the soup just as she was coming up to the bedside, scalded herself and broke the bowl as well. I would have expected her to have blamed Caltrop; but no, she wasn’t in the least angry, just went off at once to fetch a broom, swept up the pieces and gave the floor a good clean. Afterwards the two of them still seemed on friendly terms.

‘Then yesterday evening she told Moonbeam to go and make two bowls of soup, which she said she would drink with Caltrop. It was a little later that we heard this terrific hullabaloo coming from her apartment. First Moonbeam started screaming her head off, then Caltrop screamed too and staggered out, leaning on the wall for support and calling for help. I went in at once and found Jin-gui writhing on the floor, with blood streaming from her nose and eyes; she was clutching feverishly at her stomach with both hands, and kicking both feet in the air. I was scared out of my wits. I asked her to tell me what had happened, but she was too far gone to answer, and after a few more minutes of agony she died. It looked very much like a case of poisoning to me.

‘Then Moonbeam started wailing again and laid hold of Caltrop, claiming that it was her doing. But I hardly think Caltrop is that sort of person. Besides, she was almost too ill to get out of bed; how could she have had the strength to do such a thing? Moonbeam insisted, however, and still insists, that Caltrop is the culprit. My dear Lian! What was I to do? In the circumstances I had no choice but to tell the old women to bind Caltrop, to hand her over to Moonbeam and to lock them both in the room. Bao-qin and I have been up all night keeping watch, and we sent word to you the moment the gates were opened this morning. Lian, you know about such things. What’s the proper course of action for me to take?’

‘Do Jin-gui’s family know yet?’ asked Jia Lian.

‘I thought it better to try to disentangle the whole affair ourselves before letting anyone know.’

‘I would advise you to report what’s happened to the authorities first and let them reach their own conclusions. It’s only natural that we should suspect Moonbeam, but they might ask what Moonbeam would have stood to gain by poisoning her own mistress. And in a way it might almost seem more plausible to them that Caltrop should have done it.’

As they were speaking, some serving-women from Rong-guo House came in to announce the arrival of Bao-chai. Jia Lian decided that, although strictly speaking she was his younger cousin’s wife, he need not withdraw; after all, she was also his cousin and he had known her from childhood. She greeted her mother and Jia Lian, and went in to sit with Bao-qin in the inner room. Aunt Xue joined her there and told her the story.

‘Surely, by binding Caltrop we are virtually admitting her guilt?’ was Bao-chai’s immediate response. ‘If Moonbeam made the soup, then she should be bound. And we must let the Xia family know, and report the death to the authorities.’

This seemed logical enough to Aunt Xue. She asked Jia Lian for his opinion:

‘Chai is absolutely right. I’d better go and have a word with someone at the Board of Punishment, to make sure there’s no trouble at the inquest. But I think it will be a bit hard to justify releasing Caltrop if we then bind Moonbeam instead.’

‘I never wanted to bind Caltrop in the first place,’ said Aunt Xue, ‘but I was afraid that this unjust accusation, coming on top of her illness, might drive her to desperate measures. She might try to commit suicide, and then we’d have another death on our hands. It was for her own safety that I tied her up and handed her over to Moonbeam.’

‘Quite,’ said Jia Lian. ‘But still, we have rather played into Moonbeam’s hands. I think our principle now must be that, if one of them is bound, both must be bound; if one is set free, both must be set free. They were both present at the time of Jin-gui’s death. Meanwhile we must send someone to comfort Caltrop.’

Aunt Xue told her serving-woman to open the door of Jin-gui’s apartment and go in, while Bao-chai ordered some of her own women to accompany them and help them tie up Moonbeam. When they arrived they found Caltrop sobbing her heart out and Moonbeam gloating over her. Moonbeam fought back tooth and nail when they laid hands on her, but the women were too strong. After much shouting from Moonbeam they tied her up, and left the door open so that the two suspects could be more conveniently watched over.

Word had already been sent to Jin-gui’s family. The Xias had originally lived outside the capital, but recently their circumstances had become much reduced, and partly for this reason, partly to be near Jin-gui, they had moved into town. Jin-gui’s father was already dead, and the only surviving members of her family were her mother and her newly adopted brother, Xia San, a ne’er-do-well who had succeeded in squandering what remained of the family’s resources. Now that they were living in town, he became a frequent visitor at the Xue household. Jin-gui was a fickle creature, little suited to the role of the faithful, pining wife. Her failure to entrap Xue Ke had left her ravenous for the slightest morsel, and now even this adopted brother of hers seemed an acceptable means of assuaging her desire. Xia San, however, was a trifle on the slow side, and although he sensed her intentions soon enough, held back from steering his craft directly into her capacious harbour. Jin-gui paid more and more frequent visits to her family, taking with her presents of money to pave the way for Xia San’s eventual capitulation.

On the day in question, the day after Jin-gui’s sudden death, he was eagerly awaiting one of these visits, and when the Xue servants arrived, he assumed that they had been sent by his sister to deliver one of her little parcels. When they told him instead that she was dead, and that it was, by all accounts, a case of poisoning, he flew into a storm and began ranting and raving at them. Mrs Xia, when she heard the news, wept volubly:

‘She was doing quite nicely for herself there! What could she possibly want to go and take poison for? It must have been one of them that did it!’

Still weeping and protesting loudly, she called Xia San to accompany her, and set off at once on foot, without waiting to send for a carriage. The Xias were originally business-people with little breeding, and now that they were poor had no residual concern for appearances. Xia San went ahead, and his adoptive mother followed him out of the gate, weeping and wailing all the while, accompanied by a lame old serving-woman. She eventually hailed a rickety old cart that was passing in the street, and it carried them at full speed to the Xue compound, where she went in without a word of greeting, sobbing, ‘My child! My darling!’

Jia Lian had gone to enlist support at the Board of Punishment, and Aunt Xue, Bao-chai and Bao-qin were holding the fort on their own. Mrs Xia’s dramatic entry quite nonplussed them, and at first they were too frightened to say anything. Bao-chai and Bao-qin withdrew to the inner room. When Aunt Xue tried to reason with the intruders, Mrs Xia completely ignored her.

‘What good has my daughter ever had from this family of yours?’ she cried. ‘Day and night she’s had to put up with beatings and abuse. In the end you decided to separate her from her husband come what may, and even managed to get my son-in-law locked up in prison. You and your daughter were comfortable enough, thanks to all those important relatives of yours, but my daughter’s very existence was still a thorn in your flesh, so you wanted to get rid of her for good and finally found someone to poison her. Poisoned herself indeed!’

She lunged at Aunt Xue, who backed out of her way, exclaiming:

‘Mrs Xia! Kindly go and examine your daughter for yourself and speak to Moonbeam first, before making such wild accusations!’

As Xia San was still there in the room, lurking in the background, Bao-chai and Bao-qin were unable to come to Aunt Xue’s defence and could only remain anxiously closeted in the inner room. By a fortunate coincidence, however, Lady Wang had just sent Zhou Rui’s wife over to see how things were. When she came in and saw this elderly woman abusing and threatening Aunt Xue, she deduced that it must be Jin-gui’s mother and approached her at once:

‘Would you be Mrs Xia, ma’am? I suppose you know that Mrs Pan took poison? That’s how she died, and it has nothing whatever to do with Mrs Xue. There is really no call for you to slander her in this way!’

‘And who might you be?’ asked Jin-gui’s mother.

Aunt Xue, her confidence a little restored by the arrival of reinforcements, answered for Mrs Zhou:

‘This good woman works for our relations the Jias.’

‘Oh! Does she now?’ sneered Mrs Xia. ‘We all know about your wonderful relations! No doubt it’s thanks to them that you managed to get your own son locked up in gaol. And now I suppose you are hoping to get away scot-free with the murder of my daughter too!’

She seized Aunt Xue.

‘Out with it!’ she cried. ‘How did you do it? Let me see the body.’

Zhou Rui’s wife attempted to pacify her:

‘By all means. Go and have a look. But kindly take your hands off Mrs Xue!’

She finally succeeded in pulling Mrs Xia away from Aunt Xue. Xia San now emerged from the shadows to leap to his mother’s rescue:

‘Think you can attack my mother like this and get away with it just because you’re one of their servants?’

He threw a chair at Mrs Zhou, which luckily missed. The servants who were with Bao-chai in the inner room heard this rumpus break out and came hurrying in to see what was happening. Fearing that Mrs Zhou might come off worst in the fray, they all surged forward and tried to calm the combatants down. Their threats and cajolements were in vain: mother and son merely grew more strident in their protestations and more desperate in their actions.

‘We don’t need reminding how powerful your Rong-guo relations are! What do we care! Now that Jin-gui’s gone, we might as well fight it out to the death!’

Mrs Xia charged at Aunt Xue again with all her might. Despite their numbers, the servants could not withstand her. As the saying goes:

If a man stakes all on his attack, Ten thousand men won’t hold him back.

It was at this moment of crisis that Jia Lian returned, accompanied by seven or eight servants. Seeing how things stood, he ordered his men to drag Xia San outside, and told the ladies to stop fighting at once:

‘Surely you can settle your differences in a more civilized fashion? Now, tidy the place up. The officers from the Board of Punishments will be here any minute to conduct the inquest.’

Mrs Xia had been in full spate when Jia Lian made his entrance. She was somewhat overawed by this strange gentleman with his retinue of servants, some of whom were already barking orders while others stood respectfully to attention, and she wondered which member of the Jia family it could be. Then she saw her adopted son taken away, and heard that the Board of Punishments had been informed and would shortly be holding an inquest, which ruined all her plans. She had originally intended to inspect her daughter’s corpse, create a terrific fuss and go crying for justice; but now they had beaten her to it, and the wind was quite taken out of her sails. Aunt Xue for her part was too frightened to do anything. It was Mrs Zhou who said to Jia Lian:

‘These people barged in, and without so much as a look at Mrs Pan this lady began to slander Mrs Xue. We tried to talk some sense into her, but then this ruffian butted in, and started using the most dreadful language in front of the young ladies. What a shocking way to carry on!’

‘There’s no point arguing with him now,’ replied Jia Lian. ‘It would only be a waste of time. When they question him under torture, he’ll remember soon enough that the inner apartments are strictly reserved for women and that he has no right to be in here. His mother could surely have come to inspect her daughter’s corpse by herself. It will look extremely suspicious to the authorities, very much as if he had come to rob the place.’

Jia Lian’s men managed by one means or another to keep Xia San under control outside, while Mrs Zhou, emboldened by the presence of so many Jia supporters, began denouncing Mrs Xia in earnest:

‘Really, madam, you should know better. You should have found out the facts when you arrived. Your daughter must have poisoned herself. The only other person it could have been is Moonbeam. Why go slandering without bothering to find out the truth and without so much as seeing the corpse for yourself? Do you think ours is the kind of family to stand by and let a daughter-in-law die without discovering the cause of her death?

‘Moonbeam and Caltrop have both been bound. Your daughter had asked for Caltrop to move into her room earlier, because she said she wanted to keep an eye on her illness. That’s why Caltrop was also there at the time of Mrs Pan’s death. We were hoping that you could be present at the inquest and hear the officer establish the truth of the matter.’

Jin-gui’s mother knew that she was beaten, and she followed Zhou Rui’s wife into Jin-gui’s apartment. She saw her daughter’s corpse lying stiff on the kang, the face caked in dry blood, and at once broke down and began sobbing. Moonbeam, seeing someone from ‘her side’, cried out:

‘Madam was so kind to Caltrop! She even shared her own room with her! But Caltrop grabbed the first chance that came along of poisoning her!’

The Xue family and servants raised a cry of protest:

‘Nonsense! Who was it cooked the soup that Mrs Pan drank before she died? You!’

‘I cooked it and served it,’ said Moonbeam, ‘but then I had to go out on an errand. Caltrop must have got up and put poison in the soup while I was out.’

Before Moonbeam could finish speaking Jin-gui’s mother lunged at Caltrop and could only be restrained by the concerted efforts of the servants. Aunt Xue spoke next:

‘This looks very much like a case of arsenic poisoning to me. We certainly don’t keep any arsenic in the house. Whoever it was that did this must have commissioned someone else to buy the poison in town. The truth will come out at the inquest. Well, we’d best tidy her up and lay her out properly now in readiness for the officer from the Board of Punishments.’

The old serving-women came forward, lifted Jin-gui up and laid her out.

‘With so many men about,’ said Bao-chai, ‘you had better clear away all those women’s knick-knacks.’

As they were tidying up, a little crumpled paper package came to light beneath the mattress on the kang. Jin-gui’s mother spotted it and picked it up to inspect it more closely. It was empty and she threw it down again. Moonbeam saw it, however, and cried out:

‘Look! There’s evidence! I recognize that package. A few days ago we were having a lot of trouble with mice, and when Mrs Pan went on one of her trips home, she asked her brother to buy some poison. It was in that package. I remember her putting it away in one of her jewellery boxes when she got back. Caltrop must have seen it there and used it to poison Mrs Pan. If you don’t believe me, have a look in the jewellery box and see if there’s any left.’

Jin-gui’s mother did this. She opened the jewellery box, which was empty save for a few silver hairpins.

‘What has become of all her jewellery?’ said Aunt Xue in surprise.

Bao-chai told the servants to open the trunks and cupboards. All were empty.

‘Who could have taken all these things?’ she asked. ‘We had better question Moonbeam.’

Jin-gui’s mother seemed to become very apprehensive all of a sudden.

‘Why should Moonbeam know about my daughter’s things?’ she protested.

‘Come, ma’am,’ put in Zhou Rui’s wife, ‘that’s hardly a very sensible question. Miss Moonbeam was with Mrs Pan all the time. Of course she’d know.’

Moonbeam could see she was cornered, and would have to tell the truth:

‘Madam used to take things with her whenever she went home. There was nothing I could do about it.’

A roar of indignation burst from the Xue camp:

‘So that’s it! Really, Mrs Xia! A fine mother you are! You talk your daughter into stealing our things; and then when the supply runs out, you force her to commit suicide so that you can blackmail us! They’ll be very interested to hear that at the inquest!’

‘Go outside,’ said Bao-chai, ‘and tell Mr Lian that the Xias must on no account be allowed to leave.’

Jin-gui’s mother was now in a state of extreme trepidation, and cursed Moonbeam roundly:

‘You little hussy! You scandal-monger! When did my daughter ever steal any of their things?’

‘Stealing’s nothing,’ retorted Moonbeam coolly, ‘compared to murder; and I don’t mean to let myself be called a murderer in order to cover up for a thief.’

‘If we can find the missing things, we’ll know who the murderer is,’ said Bao-qin. ‘Someone quickly go and find Lian. He can ask that Xia fellow about the buying of the arsenic. They’ll want to know about that at the inquest.’

Jin-gui’s mother began to panic:

‘Moonbeam must be possessed to speak such nonsense! When did my daughter ever buy arsenic? If you ask me, it was Moonbeam herself!’

‘That’s going too far!’ cried Moonbeam wildly. ‘I’m not taking that – not from you! Why, it was the two of you who were always telling Mrs Pan to stand up for her rights! It was you who advised her to make life unbearable for Mr Pan’s family, and then, when they were ruined, to walk off with every last button in the house and find herself a decent husband! Do you deny that?’

Before Jin-gui’s mother could reply, Zhou Rui’s wife cried with glee:

‘Denounced by one of your own servants! Well, what have you got to say for yourself now?’

Jin-gui’s mother cursed Moonbeam again, and gnashing her teeth said bitterly:

‘Haven’t I treated you well? Are you trying to drive me to the grave? At the inquest, I shall testify that it was you who did it!’

Moonbeam glared at her angrily and then turned to Mrs Xue:

‘Please release Caltrop, ma’am. There’s no sense in harming an innocent person like this. I shall tell the whole truth at the inquest.’

Bao-chai immediately instructed the servants to release Moonbeam instead, and said:

‘Come on, Moonbeam, you’ve always been a straightforward girl. Don’t let yourself get involved in underhand dealings. You’ll only suffer for it. If you’ve something to say, then go ahead and say it. Tell us the truth, and the whole affair can be cleared up once and for all.’

Moonbeam was terrified of being tortured at the inquest, and finally gave in:

‘Every day Mrs Pan used to complain about the way life had treated her. “Why was I born to such á stupid mother?” she’d say. “Instead of showing me some sense and marrying me to Master Ke, she went and chose his half-baked booby of a cousin! I’d gladly die if I could only spend one day with Master Ke!” And then she’d always say how she hated Caltrop. I didn’t pay much attention at first, and later when I began to notice how friendly she was being to Caltrop I supposed that Caltrop must have somehow earned her way back into her good books. I thought Mrs Pan made the soup for her as a kind gesture. Then I discovered that she had something quite different in mind! Something horrible!’

‘That makes no sense at all!’ interrupted Jin-gui’s mother. ‘If you are implying that she intended to do away with Caltrop, then how do you account for the fact that she ended up swallowing the poison herself?’

Bao-chai turned to Caltrop:

‘You tell us what happened yesterday, Caltrop. Did you drink any of the soup?’

‘A few days ago,’ began Caltrop, ‘when I was so ill that I could hardly lift my head, Mrs Pan offered to bring me some soup. I didn’t dare refuse, and I was struggling to sit up when she had an accident on the way and spilt the soup all over the floor. It was a lot of trouble for her, cleaning it all up, and I felt very bad to have been the cause of it. Then yesterday she offered me some soup again, and though I didn’t think I’d ever be able to swallow any of it, I decided I ought to try. I was just getting ready to drink some when I started feeling dizzy. I vaguely remember seeing Moonbeam clear the soup away, and thinking to myself what a relief it was not to have to drink any. But then, just as I was dozing off again, Mrs Pan came over and asked me to try some after all. She was drinking a bowl herself. I tried my hardest and managed to swallow a few mouthfuls.’

‘There you are!’ cried Moonbeam, hardly giving Caltrop time to finish. ‘Now let me complete the picture for you. Yesterday Mrs Pan told me to make two bowls of soup, one for her and one for Caltrop. I was pretty fed up, that Caltrop should be thought important enough for me to have to wait on her. So I deliberately put an extra dollop of salt in one of the bowls, and made a secret mark on the side, intending to give that bowl to Caltrop. As soon as I had brought the soup in, Mrs Pan told me to go and send the boys for a carriage, as she was planning to go home on a visit. I went out, and when I’d done my errand I came back to find Mrs Pan sitting with the salty bowl in front of her. I was afraid that if she tasted how salty it was she would be very cross with me. I was wondering what to do, when luckily Mrs Pan left the room for a moment to relieve herself, and I was able to change the bowls round. It must have been fated that I should do so. When Mrs Pan came back, she took the salty soup to Caltrop’s bedside and begged her to try some, drinking some from her own bowl (the one originally intended by her for Caltrop) at the same time. Caltrop didn’t seem to notice the salt, and they both finished their bowls. I was laughing to myself, thinking what a rough palate Caltrop must have. I didn’t realize then that Mrs Pan had plotted to poison Caltrop and had sprinkled arsenic in her soup while I was out of the room. And then later while she was outside, I changed the bowls round. And she never noticed. As the saying goes:

It all fell out as Providence planned; The sinner died by her own hand!’

They pondered the details of Moonbeam’s story, and it impressed them as both plausible and consistent. Caltrop was duly released, and they helped her back into bed.

Jin-gui’s mother, meanwhile, growing more and more fearful with every minute, was racking her brains for some way of rebutting Moonbeam’s accusations. After a good deal of discussion Aunt Xue and the other members of the family concluded that under the circumstances Xia San was the one who should be held responsible, as Jin-gui’s accomplice. They were still debating heatedly how to deal with the matter when they heard Jia Lian call from outside:

‘No more chatter! Get the place looking decent. The officer from the Board is on his way.’

Mrs Xia and her son were frantic. It seemed inevitable that they would come out badly at the inquest. At last Mrs Xia begged Aunt Xue:

‘Please accept my humble apologies. It seems my daughter was misguided in her ways, and that she has met the end she deserved. If there is an inquest, it will look bad for your family too. I beg you to let the matter drop!’

‘That is out of the question!’ objected Bao-chai. ‘It has already been reported. We can’t let it drop now.’

Mrs Zhou offered her services as a mediator:

‘The only way the matter could be dropped would be if Mrs Xia herself were to go forward and ask them to dispense with the inquest. In that case we wouldn’t raise any objections.’

Xia San, who was being held outside, agreed after a certain amount of intimidation from Jia Lian to intercept the officer and make a written request for suspension of the inquest. The others all approved this course of action. Aunt Xue gave orders for a coffin to be purchased and for all the other funeral arrangements to be seen to. But at this point our narrative turns elsewhere.

Jia Yu-cun had recently been promoted to the post of Mayor of the Metropolitan Prefecture, with additional duties as Collector of Taxes. He went out one day on a tour of inspection of the agricultural area newly brought under cultivation, and his route took him through the shire of Innsite. When he came to the riverside hamlet of Rushford Hythe, he halted his sedan at the water’s edge and waited for his servants to catch up with him, when they would all take the ferry to the other side. He noticed a small broken-down temple on the outskirts of the village, with a few gnarled old pine-trees poking their branches up through the ruins. Stepping down from his sedan, he wandered over at a leisurely pace and strolled into the temple. The gilt was peeling from the statues, and the courtyard was in a state of extreme dilapidation. At one side stood a broken stone tablet with a worn and barely legible inscription. Yu-cun was crossing the rear courtyard towards the back hall of the temple when he saw, in the shade of a cypress tree, a lean-to shed with a thatched roof, and inside the shed a Taoist monk, seated with his eyes closed, deep in meditation. Going closer and gazing into the man’s face, Yu-cun was struck by a strange familiarity, a feeling of having seen him somewhere before – though where he could not for the moment recall. His attendants were about to wake the Taoist rudely from his meditations, but Yu-cun stopped them and, advancing respectfully, addressed him with the words:

‘Venerable Master!’

The Taoist opened both eyes a slit and gave a faint smile.

‘What brings you here, sir?’

‘A tour of inspection has led me to these parts,’ replied Yu-cun. ‘Seeing your reverence so rapt in meditation, and deducing from this the profundity of your spiritual attainments, I most humbly crave from you some words of truth.’

‘There is ever a whence, and always a whither.’

Yu-cun sensed something very mysterious about the old man. Making a deep bow, he enquired:

‘From which monastery does your reverence hail? What is the name of this temple where you have made your hermitage? How many live here? If it is a life of pure contemplation that you seek, surely one of the sacred mountains would be a more conducive dwelling place? And if it is good works that you wish to perform, would not the busy thoroughfare be more appropriate?’

‘A bottle-gourd is ample for my needs,’ replied the Taoist. ‘Why build my hut on some famous mountain? As for this temple, only a crumbling tablet of stone remains to point to its long-forgotten origins. And why should I strive to do good works, when body and shadow suffice? I am no “jewel in the casket” biding “till one should come to buy”, no “jade-pin in the drawer hid, waiting its time to fly”.’

Yu-cun had always been a smart fellow. The reference to ‘the bottle-gourd’ and to his own couplet (written when he had been a poor lodger at the Bottle-gourd Temple in Soochow) at once brought to mind his neighbour from days gone by, old Zhen Shi-yin. Scrutinizing the Taoist again, he recognized him and saw that his old benefactor’s face had not changed. He dismissed his attendants.

‘Tell me the truth, sir,’ he enquired confidentially, when they were alone. ‘Are you not old Mr Zhen?’

A faint smile crossed the old man’s face.

‘What is truth, and what fiction? You must understand that truth is fiction, and fiction truth.’

Yu-cun’s certainty was increased by the fact that the old man’s words contained a pun on their names, Zhen being homophonous with ‘truth’, and Jia with ‘fiction’. He bowed afresh and said:

‘When your great generosity enabled me to travel to the capital, I enjoyed good fortune, and thanks to your blessing obtained the highest distinction in my examinations and was appointed to the very district to which you yourself had moved. That was where I first learned that you had achieved enlightenment and had renounced the world, to soar in the realm of the immortals. Although I sought anxiously to trace your whereabouts, in the end I came to the conclusion that a common layman such as myself, soiled with the dust of this mortal world, would never be granted another chance to behold your holy face. How blessed I am indeed to have encountered you again! I beg you, holy sir, to relieve my benighted ignorance. If you deign to accede to my request, allow me to provide for you and accommodate you in my humble abode close by in the capital, that I may derive daily benefit from your wisdom.’

The Taoist rose to his feet and returned the bow.

‘Beyond my prayer-mat,’ he replied, ‘I know nothing. Of what Your Honour has just spoken I have understood not a single word.’

He resumed his sitting position. Yu-cun began to have misgivings.

‘But surely,’ he thought to himself, ‘it must be him? The face, the voice are so familiar! After these nineteen years his complexion is quite unchanged. It must be that he has achieved a high degree of spiritual cultivation, and is therefore reluctant to reveal his former identity. He considers himself a new man. But he is my benefactor. Now that I have found him again, I must think of some way to show my gratitude. If material things cannot move him, still less I suppose will any mention of his wife and child.’

After reflecting thus, Yu-cun spoke:

‘Venerable Sir, I understand that you are reluctant to reveal your former condition. But can you not vouchsafe your disciple some sign of recognition?’

He was about to prostrate himself when his attendants came to announce that it was getting late and he should cross the river at once. Yu-cun was hesitating, when the Taoist spoke to him again:

‘Cross with all speed to the other side, Your Honour. We will meet again. Delay now, and a storm may arise. If you really deign to come again, I look forward to seeing you here by the ford another day.’

He closed his eyes and was lost once more in his meditations. Yu-cun, with some reluctance, bade him farewell and made his way out of the temple. He had reached the bank of the river and was preparing to board the ferry and make the crossing, when he saw a man running towards him at full pelt.

To learn who it was, please turn to the next chapter.