第一一一回

第一一一回 鸳鸯女殉主登太虚 狗彘奴欺天招伙盗

话说凤姐听了小丫头的话，又气又急又伤心，不觉吐了一口血，便昏晕过去，坐在地下。平儿急来靠着，忙叫了人来搀扶着，慢慢的送到自己房中，将凤姐轻轻的安放在炕上，立刻叫小红斟上一杯开水送到凤姐唇边。凤姐呷了一口，昏迷仍睡。秋桐过来略瞧了一瞧，却便走开，平儿也不叫他。只见丰儿在旁站着，平儿叫他快快的去回明白了二奶奶吐血发晕不能照应的话，告诉了邢、王二夫人。邢夫人打量凤姐推病藏躲，因这时女亲在内不少，也不好说别的，心里却不全信，只说：“叫他歇着去罢。”众人也并无言语。只说这晚人客来往不绝，幸得几个内亲照应。家下人等见凤姐不在，也有偷闲歇力的，乱乱吵吵，已闹的七颠八倒，不成事体了。

到二更多天远客去后，便预备辞灵[2]。孝幕内的女眷大家都哭了一阵。只见鸳鸯已哭的昏晕过去了，大家扶住捶闹了一阵才醒过来，便说“老太太疼我一场我跟了去”的话。众人都打谅人到悲哭俱有这些言语，也不理会。到了辞灵之时，上上下下也有百十馀人，只鸳鸯不在。众人忙乱之时，谁去捡点。到了琥珀等一干的人哭奠之时，却不见鸳鸯，想来是他哭乏了，暂在别处歇着，也不言语。辞灵以后，外头贾政叫了贾琏问明送殡的事，便商量着派人看家。贾琏回说：“上人里头派了芸儿在家照应，不必送殡；下人里头派了林之孝的一家子照应拆棚等事。但不知里头派谁看家？”贾政道：“听见你母亲说是你媳妇病了不能去，就叫他在家的。你珍大嫂子又说你媳妇病得利害，还叫四丫头陪着，带领了几个丫头婆子照看上屋里才好。”贾琏听了，心想：“珍大嫂子与四丫头两个不合，所以撺掇着不叫他去，若是上头就是他照应，也是不中用的。我们那一个又病着，也难照应。”想了一回，回贾政道：“老爷且歇歇儿，等进去商量定了再回。”贾政点了点头，贾琏便进去了。

谁知此时鸳鸯哭了一场，想到“自己跟着老太太一辈子，身子也没有着落。如今大老爷虽不在家，大太太的这样行为我也瞧不上。老爷是不管事的人，以后便乱世为王起来了，我们这些人不是要叫他们掇弄了么。谁收在屋子里，谁配小子，我是受不得这样折磨的，倒不如死了干净。但是一时怎么样的个死法呢？”一面想，一面走回老太太的套间屋内。刚跨进门，只见灯光惨淡，隐隐有个女人拿着汗巾子好似要上吊的样子。鸳鸯也不惊怕，心里想道：“这一个是谁？和我的心事一样，倒比我走在头里了。”便问道：“你是谁？咱们两个人是一样的心，要死一块儿死。”那个人也不答言。鸳鸯走到跟前一看，并不是这屋子的丫头，仔细一看，觉得冷气侵人时就不见了。鸳鸯呆了一呆，退出在炕沿上坐下，细细一想道：“哦，是了，这是东府里的小蓉大奶奶〔一〕啊！他早死了的了，怎么到这里来？必是来叫我来了。他怎么又上吊呢？”想了一想道：“是了，必是教给我死的法儿。”鸳鸯这么一想，邪侵入骨，便站起来，一面哭，一面开了妆匣，取出那年绞的一绺头发，揣在怀里，就在身上解下一条汗巾，按着秦氏方才比〔二〕的地方拴上。自己又哭了一回，听见外头人客散去，恐有人进来，急忙关上屋门，然后端了一个脚凳自己站上，把汗巾拴上扣儿套在咽喉，便把脚凳蹬开。可怜咽喉气绝，香魂出窍，正无投奔，只见秦氏隐隐在前，鸳鸯的魂魄疾忙赶上说道：“蓉大奶奶，你等等我。”那个人道：“我并不是什么蓉大奶奶，乃警幻之妹可卿是也。”鸳鸯道：“你明明是蓉大奶奶，怎么说不是呢？”那人道：“这也有个缘故，待我告诉你，你自然明白了。我在警幻宫中原是个钟情的首坐，管的是风情月债，降临尘世，自当为第一情人，引这些痴情怨女早早归入情司，所以该当悬梁自尽的。因我看破凡情，超出情海，归入情天，所以太虚幻境痴情一司竟自无人掌管。今警幻仙子已经将你补入，替我掌管此司，所以命我来引你前去的。”鸳鸯的魂道：“我是个最无情的，怎么算我是个有情的人呢？”那人道：“你还不知道呢。世人都把那淫欲之事当作‘情’字，所以作出伤风败化的事来，还自谓风月多情，无关紧要。不知‘情’之一字，喜怒哀乐未发之时便是个性，喜怒哀乐已发便是情了[5]。至于你我这个情，正是未发之情，就如那花的含苞一样，欲待发泄出来，这情就不为真情了。”鸳鸯的魂听了点头会意，便跟了秦氏可卿而去。

这里琥珀辞了灵，听邢、王二夫人分派看家的人，想着去问鸳鸯明日怎样坐车的，在贾母的外间屋里找了一遍不见，便找到套间里头。刚到门口，见门儿掩着，从门缝里望里看时，只见灯光半明不灭的，影影绰绰，心里害怕，又不听见屋里有什么动静，便走回来说道：“这蹄子跑到那里去了？”劈头见了珍珠，说：“你见鸳鸯姐姐来着没有？”珍珠道：“我也找他，太太们等他说话呢。必在套间里睡着了罢。”琥珀道：“我瞧了，屋里没有。那灯也没人夹蜡花儿，漆黑怪怕的，我没进去。如今咱们一块儿进去瞧，看有没有。”琥珀等进去正夹蜡花，珍珠说：“谁把脚凳撂在这里，几乎绊我一跤。”说着往上一瞧，唬的嗳哟一声，身子往后一仰，咕咚的栽在琥珀身上。琥珀也看见了，便大嚷起来，只是两只脚挪不动。

外头的人也都听见了，跑进来一瞧，大家嚷着报与邢、王二夫人知道。王夫人宝钗等听了，都哭着去瞧。邢夫人道：“我不料鸳鸯倒有这样志气，快叫人去告诉老爷。”只有宝玉听见此信，便唬的双眼直竖。袭人等慌忙扶着，说道：“你要哭就哭，别憋着气。”宝玉死命的才哭出来了，心想“鸳鸯这样一个人偏又这样死法”，又想“实在天地间的灵气独钟在这些女子身上了。他算得了死所，我们究竟是一件浊物，还是老太太的儿孙，谁能赶得上他。”复又喜欢起来。那时宝钗听见宝玉大哭，也出来了，及到跟前，见他又笑。袭人等忙说：“不好了，又要疯了。”宝钗道：“不妨事，他有他的意思。”宝玉听了，更喜欢宝钗的话，“倒是他还知道我的心，别人那里知道。”正在胡思乱想，贾政等进来，着实的嗟叹着，说道：“好孩子，不枉老太太疼他一场！”即命贾琏出去吩咐人连夜买棺盛殓，“明日便跟着老太太的殡送出，也停在老太太棺后，全了他的心志。”贾琏答应出去。这里命人将鸳鸯放下，停放里间屋内。平儿也知道了，过来同袭人、莺儿等一干人都哭的哀哀欲绝。内中紫鹃也想起自己终身一无着落，“恨不跟了林姑娘去，又全了主仆的恩义，又得了死所。如今空悬在宝玉屋内，虽说宝玉仍是柔情蜜意，究竟算不得什么？”于是更哭得哀切。

王夫人即传了鸳鸯的嫂子进来，叫他看着入殓。遂与邢夫人商量了，在老太太项内赏了他嫂子一百两银子，还说等闲了将鸳鸯所有的东西俱赏他们。他嫂子磕了头出去，反喜欢说：“真真的我们姑娘是个有志气的，有造化的，又得了好名声，又得了好发送[6]。”旁边一个婆子说道：“罢呀嫂子，这会子你把一个活姑娘卖了一百银子便这么喜欢了，那时候儿给了大老爷，你还不知得多少银钱呢，你该更得意了。”一句话戳了他嫂子的心，便红了脸走开了。刚走到二门上，见林之孝带了人抬进棺材来了，他只得也跟进去帮着盛殓，假意哭嚎了几声。贾政因他为贾母而死，要了香来上了三炷，作了一个揖，说：“他是殉葬的人，不可作丫头论。你们小一辈都该行个礼。”宝玉听了，喜不自胜，走上来恭恭敬敬磕了几个头。贾琏想他素日的好处，也要上来行礼，被邢夫人说道：“有了一个爷们便罢了，不要折受他不得超生。”贾琏就不便过来了。宝钗听了，心中好不自在，便说道：“我原不该给他行礼，但只老太太去世，咱们都有未了之事，不敢胡为，他肯替咱们尽孝，咱们也该托托他好好的替咱们服侍老太太西去，也少尽一点子心哪。”说着扶了莺儿走到灵前，一面奠酒[7]，那眼泪早扑簌簌流下来了，奠毕拜了几拜，狠狠的哭了他一场。众人也有说宝玉的两口子都是傻子，也有说他两个心肠儿好的，也有说他知礼的。贾政反倒合了意。

一面商量定了看家的仍是凤姐、惜春，馀者都遣去伴灵。一夜谁敢安眠，一到五更，听见外面齐人。到了辰初发引，贾政居长，衰麻[8]哭泣，极尽孝子之礼。灵柩出了门，便有各家的路祭，一路上的风光不必细述。走了半日，来至铁槛寺安灵，所有孝男等俱应在庙伴宿，不题。

且说家中林之孝带领拆了棚，将门窗上好，打扫净了院子，派了巡更的人到晚打更上夜。只是荣府规例，一、二更，三门掩上，男人便进不去了，里头只有女人们查夜。凤姐虽隔了一夜渐渐的神气清爽了些，只是那里动得。只有平儿同着惜春各处走了一走，咐吩了上夜的人，也便各自归房。

却说周瑞的干儿子何三，去年贾珍管事之时，因他和鲍二打架，被贾珍打了一顿，撵在外头，终日在赌场过日。近知贾母死了，必有些事情领办，岂知探了几天的信，一些也没有想头，便嗳声叹气的回到赌场中，闷闷的坐下。那些人便说道：“老三，你怎么样？不下来捞本了么？”何三道：“倒想要捞一捞呢，就只没有钱么。”那些人道：“你到你们周大太爷那里去了几日，府里的钱你也不知弄了多少来，又来和我们装穷儿了。”何三道：“你们还说呢，他们的金银不知有几百万，只藏着不用。明儿留着不是火烧了就是贼偷了，他们才死心呢。”那些人道：“你又撒谎，他家抄了家，还有多少金银？”何三道：“你们还不知道呢，抄去的是撂不了的[9]。如今老太太死还留了好些金银，他们一个也不使，都在老太太屋里搁着，等送了殡回来才分呢。”内中有一个人听在心里，掷了几骰，便说：“我输了几个钱，也不翻本儿了，睡去了。”说着，便走出来拉了何三道：“老三，我和你说句话。”何三跟他出来。那人道：“你这样一个伶俐人，这样穷，为你不服这口气。”何三道：“我命里穷，可有什么法儿呢。”那人道：“你才说荣府的银子这么多，为什么不去拿些使唤使唤？”何三道：“我的哥哥，他家的金银虽多，你我去白要一二钱他们给咱们吗！”那人笑道：“他不给咱们，咱们就不会拿吗！”何三听了这话里有话，便问道：“依你说怎么样拿呢？”那人道：“我说你没有本事，若是我，早拿了来了。”何三道：“你有什么本事？”那人便轻轻的说道：“你若要发财，你就引个头儿。我有好些朋友都是通天的本事，不要说他们送殡去了，家里剩下几个女人，就让有多少男人也不怕。只怕你没这么大胆子罢咧。”何三道：“什么敢不敢！你打谅我怕那个干老子么，我是瞧着干妈的情儿上头才认他作干老子罢咧，他又算了人了！你刚才的话，就只怕弄不来倒招了饥荒。他们那个衙门不熟？别说拿不来，倘或拿了来也要闹出来的。”那人道：“这么说你的运气来了。我的朋友还有海边上的呢，现今都在这里看个风头，等个门路。若到了手，你我在这里也无益，不如大家下海去受用不好么？你若撂不下你干妈，咱们索性把你干妈也带了去，大家伙儿乐一乐好不好？”何三道：“老大，你别是醉了罢，这些话混说的什么。”说着，拉了那人走到一个僻静地方，两个人商量了一回，各人分头而去。暂且不题。

且说包勇自被贾政吆喝派去看园，贾母的事出来也忙了，不曾派他差使，他也不理会，总是自做自吃，闷来睡一觉，醒时便在园里耍刀弄棍，倒也无拘无束。那日贾母一早出殡，他虽知道，因没有派他差事，他任意闲游。只见一个女尼带了一个道婆来到园内腰门那里扣门，包勇走来说道：“女师父那里去？”道婆道：“今日听得老太太的事完了，不见四姑娘送殡，想必是在家看家。想他寂寞，我们师父来瞧他一瞧。”包勇道：“主子都不在家，园门是我看的，请你们回去罢。要来呢，等主子们回来了再来。”婆子道：“你是那里来的个黑炭头，也要管起我们的走动来了。”包勇道：“我嫌你们这些人，我不叫你们来，你们有什么法儿！”婆子生了气，嚷道：“这都是反了天的事了！连老太太在日还不能拦我们的来往走动呢，你是那里的这么个横强盗，这样没法没天的。我偏要打这里走！”说着，便把手在门环上狠狠的打了几下。妙玉已气的不言语，正要回身便走，不料里头看二门的婆子听见有人拌嘴似的，开门一看，见是妙玉，已经回身走去，明知必是包勇得罪了走了。近日婆子们都知道上头太太们四姑娘都亲近得很，恐他日后说出门上不放他进来，那时如何担得住，赶忙走来说：“不知师父来，我们开门迟了。我们四姑娘在家里还正想师父呢，快请回来。看园子的小子是个新来的，他不知咱们的事，回来回了太太，打他一顿撵出去就完了。”妙玉虽是听见，总不理他。那经得看腰门的婆子赶上再四央求，后来才说出怕自己担不是，几乎急的跪下，妙玉无奈，只得随了那婆子过来。包勇见这般光景，自然不好拦他，气得瞪眼叹气而回。

这里妙玉带了道婆走到惜春那里，道了恼，叙了些闲话。说起“在家看家，只好熬个几夜。但是二奶奶病着，一个人又闷又是害怕，能有一个人在这里我就放心。如今里头一个男人也没有，今儿你既光降，肯伴我一宵，咱们下棋说话儿，可使得么？”妙玉本自不肯，见惜春可怜，又提起下棋，一时高兴应了，打发道婆回去取了他的茶具衣褥，命侍儿送了过来，大家坐谈一夜。惜春欣幸异常，便命彩屏去开上年蠲的雨水，预备好茶。那妙玉自有茶具。那道婆去了不多一时，又来了个侍者，带了妙玉日用之物。惜春亲自烹茶。两人言语投机，说了半天，那时已是初更时候，彩屏放下棋枰，两人对弈。惜春连输两盘，妙玉又让了四个子儿，惜春方赢了半子[10]。这时已到四更，天空地阔，万籁无声。妙玉道：“我到五更须得打坐一回，我自有人服侍，你自去歇息。”惜春犹是不舍，见妙玉要自己养神，不便扭他。

正要歇去，猛听得东边上屋内上夜的人一片声喊起，惜春那里的老婆子们也接着声嚷道：“了不得了！有了人了！”唬得惜春彩屏等心胆俱裂，听见外头上夜的男人便声喊起来。妙玉道：“不好了，必是这里有了贼了。”正说着，这里不敢开门，便掩了灯光。在窗户眼内往外一瞧，只是几个男人站在院内，唬得不敢作声，回身摆着手轻轻的爬下来说：“了不得，外头有几个大汉站着。”说犹未了，又听得房上响声不绝，便有外头上夜的人进来吆喝拿贼。一个人说道：“上屋里的东西都丢了，并不见人。东边有人去了，咱们到西边去。”惜春的老婆子听见有自己的人，便在外间屋里说道：“这里有好些人上了房了。”上夜的都道：“你瞧，这可不是吗。”大家一齐嚷起来。只听房上飞下好些瓦来，众人都不敢上前。

正在没法，只听园门腰门一声大响，打进门来，见一个梢长大汉，手执木棍。众人唬得藏躲不及，听得那人喊说道：“不要跑了他们一个！你们都跟我来。”这些家人听了这话，越发唬得骨软筋酥，连跑也跑不动了。只见这人站在当地只管乱喊，家人中有一个眼尖些的看出来了，你道是谁，正是甄家荐来的包勇。这些家人不觉胆壮起来，便颤巍巍的说道：“有一个走了，有的在房上呢。”包勇便向地下一扑，耸身上房追赶那贼。这些贼人明知贾家无人，先在院内偷看惜春房内，见有个绝色女尼，便顿起淫心，又欺上屋俱是女人，且又畏惧，正要踹进门去，因听外面有人进来追赶，所以贼众上房。见人不多，还想抵挡，猛见一人上房赶来，那些贼见是一人，越发不理论了，便用短兵抵住。那经得包勇用力一棍打去，将贼打下房来。那些贼飞奔而逃，从园墙过去，包勇也在房上追捕。岂知园内早藏下了几个在那里接赃，已经接过好些，见贼伙跑回，大家举械保护，见追的只有一人，明欺寡不敌众，反倒迎上来。包勇一见，生气道：“这些毛贼！敢来和我斗斗！”那伙贼便说：“我们有一个伙计被他们打倒了，不知死活，咱们索性抢了他出来。”这里包勇闻声即打，那伙贼便抡起器械，四五个人围住包勇乱打起来。外头上夜的人也都仗着胆子，只顾赶了来。众贼见斗他不过，只得跑了。包勇还要赶时，被一个箱子一绊，立定看时，心想东西未丢，众贼远逃，也不追赶。便叫众人将灯照看，地下只有几个空箱，叫人收拾，他便欲跑回上房。因路径不熟，走到凤姐那边，见里面灯烛辉煌，便问：“这里有贼没有？”里头的平儿战兢兢的说道：“这里也没开门，只听上屋叫喊说有贼呢。你到那里去罢。”包勇正摸不着路头，遥见上夜的人过来，才跟着一齐寻到上屋。见是门开户启，那些上夜的在那里啼哭。

一时贾芸、林之孝都进来了，见是失盗。大家着急进内查点，老太太的房门大开，将灯一照，锁头拧折，进内一瞧，箱柜已开，便骂那些上夜女人道：“你们都是死人么！贼人进来你们不知道的么！”那些上夜的人啼哭着说道：“我们几个人轮更上夜，是管二三更的，我们都没有住脚前后走的。他们是四更五更，我们的下班儿。只听见他们喊起来，并不见一个人，赶着照看，不知什么时候把东西早已丢了。求爷们问管四五更的。”林之孝道：“你们个个要死，回来再说。咱们先到各处看去。”上夜的男人领着走到尤氏那边，门儿关紧，有几个接音说：“唬死我们了。”林之孝问道：“这里没有丢东西？”里头的人方开了门道：“这里没丢东西。”林之孝带着人走到惜春院内，只听得里面说道：“了不得了！唬死了姑娘了，醒醒儿罢。”林之孝便叫人开门，问是怎样了。里头婆子开门说：“贼在这里打仗，把姑娘都唬坏了，亏得妙师父和彩屏才将姑娘救醒。东西是没失。”林之孝道：“贼人怎么打仗？”上夜的男人说：“幸亏包大爷上了房把贼打跑了去了，还听见打倒一个人呢。”包勇道：“在园门那里呢。”贾芸等走到那边，果见一人躺在地下死了。细细一瞧，好像周瑞的干儿子。众人见了诧异，派一个人看守着，又派两个人照看前后门，俱仍旧关锁着。

林之孝便叫人开了门，报了营官，立刻到来查勘。踏察贼迹是从后夹道上屋的，到了西院房上，见那瓦破碎不堪，一直过了后园去了。众上夜的齐声说道：“这不是贼，是强盗。”营官着急道：“并非明火执杖，怎算是盗。”上夜的道：“我们赶贼，他在房上掷瓦，我们不能近前，幸亏我们家的姓包的上房打退。赶到园里，还有好几个贼竟与姓包的打仗，打不过姓包的才都跑了。”营官道：“可又来，若是强盗，倒打不过你们的人么。不用说了，你们快查清了东西，递了失单，我们报就是了。”

贾芸等又到上屋，已见凤姐扶病过来，惜春也来。贾芸请了凤姐的安，问了惜春的好。大家查看失物，因鸳鸯已死，琥珀等又送灵去了，那些东西都是老太太的，并没见数，只用封锁，如今打从那里查去。众人都说：“箱柜东西不少，如今一空，偷的时候不小，那些上夜的人管什么的！况且打死的贼是周瑞的干儿子，必是他们通同一气的。”凤姐听了，气的眼睛直瞪瞪的便说：“把那些上夜的女人都拴起来，交给营里审问。”众人叫苦连天，跪地哀求。不知怎生发放，并失去的物有无着落，下回分解。

[1] 狗彘（zhì至）——猪狗，喻卑劣者。

[2] 辞灵——出殡之前，死者亲属向灵柩告别。

〔一〕 “小蓉大奶奶”，原作“奶奶大小蓉”，藤本作“蓉哥的大小奶奶”。从程乙本乙。

〔二〕 “比”，藤本、王本作“立”。

[5] “喜怒哀乐”一段——本于宋代朱熹《四书集注·中庸》注：“喜怒哀乐，情也；其未发，则性也。”

[6] 发（fá伐）送——送灵柩去殡葬。这里用作名词，指丧葬费用。

[7] 奠酒——以酒祭奠死者。

[8] 衰麻——同（cuī崔）麻，旧时丧服胸前所缀的麻布。因“衰”是丧服的主要标志，故称丧服曰“衰”。

[9] 撂不了的——意谓没处放的。“撂”在这里是存放、保存的意思。

[10] 赢了半子——围棋双方共三百六十一个子，平均每方各一百八十又半个子，即使棋逢对手最后也必有半子之差，得子一百八十一个者即赢了对方半子。

CHAPTER 111. A devoted maid renders a final service, and accompanies her mistress to the Great Void A villainous slave takes his revenge, and betrays his masters into the hands of thieves

Patience hurried forward, and with the help of another maid she raised Xi-feng from the ground and gently escorted her to her room. There she laid her down with great care on the kang and told Crimson to bring a cup of hot water and hold it to her lips. Xi-feng drank a sip of the water and then sank into a heavy sleep. Autumn came briefly into the room, glanced at her lying there, and walked out again. Patience did not ask her to stay, but turned instead to Felicity who was standing at her side and said:

‘Go and tell Their Ladyships at once.’

Felicity informed Ladies Xing and Wang that Xi-feng had vomited blood and would be unable to continue with her duties. Lady Xing suspected Xi-feng of malingering, but refrained from expressing her suspicions in front of her female relatives.

‘Tell Mrs Lian to go and lie down then,’ she said.

No one made any further comment. That evening an endless stream of family and friends came to call, and only thanks to the help of a few close relations could a semblance of normality be maintained. Xi-feng’s absence was the cue for many of the staff to give up working altogether, and little now stood between Rong-guo House and total chaos.

At ten o’clock in the evening, when those guests who lived a long way off had departed, the family began to prepare for the wake, and a chorus of lamentation rose from the womenfolk gathered within the funeral screen. Faithful wept herself into a faint, and had to be propped up and given a vigorous pummelling. When she came round, all she could say was:

‘Her Old Ladyship was always so good to me! I want to go with her!’

Her words were not taken seriously, but were considered a natural, if rather hyperbolic, expression of her grief. Later, when the time came for the wake proper, and over a hundred family and servants were gathered together for the ritual, Faithful was nowhere to be seen, and in the general flurry of activity no one bothered to check where she was. The turn came for Amber and Grandmother Jia’s other maids to lament and make their offering, and they would have looked for Faithful then to join them, but thought she had probably worn herself out with weeping and gone to lie down somewhere, and decided to let her be.

When the ritual was over, Jia Zheng told Jia Lian to ensure that all was ready for the funeral cortège, and discussed with him who was to look after the house in the family’s absence.

‘I’ve told Yun to stay at home and take charge,’ said Jia Lian. ‘And Steward Lin and his family will stay behind as well and supervise the dismantling of the awning. I still don’t know which of the ladies should be left in charge of the inner apartments.’

‘I heard your mother say that Xi-feng was ill and wouldn’t be going,’ replied Jia Zheng. ‘So she will be staying at home anyway. And Cousin Zhen’s wife suggested that, as she is so seriously ill, Xi-feng should have Xi-chun and a few maids and serving-women to keep her company. Between them they can keep an eye on Grandmother’s apartments.’

Jia Lian had his reservations about this proposal.

‘You-shi doesn’t like Xi-chun,’ he thought to himself, ‘and is deliberately preventing her from going on the procession. But Xi-chun can’t take charge on her own. And Xi-feng is too sick to be of any help.’

‘You should go and rest now, Uncle,’ he said to Jia Zheng. ‘I’ll report back to you when I’ve had a word with Mother.’

Jia Zheng nodded, and Jia Lian went in to Lady Xing’s apartment.

Earlier in the evening, Faithful had wandered off on her own, brooding tearfully to herself:

‘All my life I’ve lived with Her Old Ladyship, and now that she’s dead I’ve nowhere to turn. Sir She is not at home, that’s something to be thankful for, but I don’t like the way Lady Xing is behaving. Sir Zheng will never intervene on my behalf, and one way or another the future looks very bleak. The young masters will all be trying to get their way. We shall each of us be dealt with as they think fit, some kept for their beds, some married to their page-boys … Well, I for one won’t stand for it! I’d rather die! But how? That’s the question …’

She had made her way towards Grandmother Jia’s inner room. From the threshold she detected a faint form in the dim lamplight within, a lady with a sash in her hand, poised as if in the very act of hanging herself from a beam. Faithful was not in the least frightened.

‘Who can this be?’ she asked herself. ‘Someone bent on the same course as myself, but with greater resolve …’

‘Who are you?’ she said aloud. ‘We seem to have the same thought! Let us die together!’

There was no reply. Faithful walked a little closer and could see now that it was not one of the maids from Grandmother Jia’s apartment. She looked more carefully. A chill breeze blew past her, and the lady’s form vanished into thin air. Faithful stood there for a moment longer in a daze, then walked back into the outer room and sat down on the edge of the kang, lost in thought. Suddenly she exclaimed:

‘Of course! That’s who it was! Mr Rong’s first wife, from Ning-guo House. But she died long ago. What was she doing here? I suppose she must have come to fetch me. But why was she going through the motions of hanging herself?’

After a few moments’ thought:

‘That’s it! She was showing me how!’

With this realization, the evil had entered the very marrow of her being, and her resolve was formed at last. She rose to her feet as if in a trance and went to her toilet box, opening it and weeping all the while. She took out the lock of hair that she had once cut from her head, and slipped it inside the bosom of her dress. She untied the sash from around her waist and looped one end of it over the beam where Qin Ke-qing had just stood. Then she gave herself up to one last fit of weeping. Hearing the guests leave in the distance, and fearing that someone might come in and surprise her before the deed was done, she quickly pulled the door to and fetched a footstool. Standing on the stool, she tied a slip-knot in the sash, put her head through the knot and kicked the stool away. Alas! The last breath was soon strangled from her throat, and her gentle soul fled its mortal frame.

The wandering soul was still uncertain whither to proceed when it saw once more the faint form of Qin Ke-qing standing before it. ‘Mrs Rong!’ it cried, advancing urgently towards the apparition. ‘Wait for me!’

‘I am not Mrs Rong,’ came the reply. ‘I am Disenchantment’s younger sister, Ke-qing.’

‘But you’re most definitely Mrs Rong,’ protested Faithful. ‘How can you deny it?’

‘Listen,’ replied the other. ‘I will tell you the true story of all this, and then you will surely understand. I once occupied the highest seat in Disenchantment’s Tribunal of Love. My responsibility was the settlement of Debts of Passion. I went down into the human world, where naturally I was destined to become the world’s foremost lover, my mission being to draw lovesick lads and lovelorn maidens with all speed back to the tribunal and the settlement of their debts. As part of this mission it was my Karma to hang myself. I have now seen through the illusion of mortal attachment, and have risen above the Sea of Passion to return to the Paradise of Love. This leaves a vacancy in the Land of Illusion, in the Department of Fond Infatuation. You have been chosen by Disenchantment to take my place, and I have been sent to guide you there.’

‘But I am a most unpassionate person!’ protested Faithful. ‘How can I be considered a lover?’

‘You don’t understand,’ replied the other. ‘Earthlings treat lust and love as one and the same thing. By this means they practise all manner of lechery and immorality, and pass it off as “harmless romance”. They do not understand the true meaning of the word “love”. Before the emotions of pleasure, anger, grief and joy stir within the human breast, there exists the “natural state” of love; the stirring of these emotions causes passion. Our kind of love, yours and mine, is the former, natural state. It is like a bud. Once open, it ceases to be true love.’

Faithful’s soul signalled understanding with a nod, and followed Qin Ke-qing.

When the wake was over, Ladies Xing and Wang began giving instructions to those of the servants who were staying behind to look after the house, and Amber went in search of Faithful to ask her whether their carriages had been hired for the next day. She looked in vain in the outer room of Grandmother Jia’s apartment, and then she noticed that the door to the inner room was on the latch, and putting her eye to the crack peered through into the half-lit interior. A flickering lamp filled the room with eerie shadows. No sound could be heard from inside and she retraced her steps, saying to herself:

‘Where can the wretched girl have disappeared to?’

On her way out she bumped into Pearl.

‘Have you seen Faithful?’ she asked.

‘No,’ replied Pearl. ‘I’ve been looking myself. Their Ladyships want to speak to her. Most probably she’s fallen asleep in the inner room.’

‘I’ve just had a look – she didn’t seem to be there,’ said Amber. ‘The lamp needs trimming, and it’s awfully dark and spooky inside. I didn’t actually go inside. Shall we go in together and look properly?’

The two maids entered the room. First they trimmed the lamp.

‘Who put this footstool here?’ exclaimed Pearl. ‘I nearly tripped over it.’

As she spoke she looked upwards and let out a horrified cry.

‘Aiyo!’ She fell back and collided with Amber, who looked up in turn, screamed and stood rooted to the spot. Their cries were soon heard, and other maids came running into the room. There were more shrieks of horror, and word was sent at once to Ladies Xing and Wang.

When Lady Wang and Bao-chai heard the news, they both burst into tears and set off to Grandmother Jia’s apartment to see for themselves.

‘I never thought Faithful had it in her to do this!’ exclaimed Lady Xing. ‘Send someone at once to inform Sir Zheng.’

Bao-yu stood dumbfounded, an expression of glazed horror in his eyes. Aroma and his other maids rallied him:

‘Cry if you must, but don’t bottle it up like this!’

Finally he managed to emit a piercing wail.

‘What a rare girl Faithful was to choose such a death!’ he had been thinking to himself. ‘The purest essence of the universe is truly concentrated in her sex! She has found a fitting and noble death. We, Grandmother’s own grandchildren, are despicable by comparison. We have shown ourselves less devoted than her maid.’

He found something strangely comforting in this thought, and by the time Bao-chai had come to his side to soothe his tears, he was smiling again.

‘Oh dear!’ cried Aroma. ‘Mr Bao’s going mad again!’

‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ Bao-chai reassured her. ‘No doubt he has his reasons.’

Bao-yu was pleased to hear Bao-chai say this.

‘Perhaps she really does understand me,’ he thought to himself. ‘If so, she is the only one.’

He was drifting off into some other fantastic reverie when Jia Zheng arrived.

‘Faithful is a commendable child!’ exclaimed Jia Zheng with a sincere sigh of admiration. ‘Lady Jia’s love for her was not in vain!’ He turned to Jia Lian:

‘Send someone to buy her a coffin, and lay her in it this very night. Tomorrow her remains can be conveyed together with Mother’s, and her coffin can lie in state behind, that of her mistress. In this way her noble act can be carried to a fitting conclusion.’

Jia Lian went out to execute these instructions, and gave orders for Faithful’s body to be let down and laid out in Grandmother Jia’s inner room.

When Patience heard the news of Faithful’s suicide, she came with Oriole and a whole crowd of other maids and they all wept bitterly before Faithful’s body. The occasion caused Nightingale to think of her own future and the precariousness of her present situation, and she regretted that she herself had not chosen Faithful’s path and followed Dai-yu to the grave. By so doing she would at least have fulfilled her duty as a maid and died a noble death. In Bao-yu’s apartment she was doing little more than marking time. Although he was very considerate and affectionate towards her, she knew that nothing would ever come of it. All these thoughts added a note of personal grief to her lamentations.

Lady Wang sent at once for Faithful’s sister-in-law. She told her to supervise the encoffinment, and after consulting with Lady Xing, issued her an allowance of one hundred taels (from Grandmother Jia’s fund). She also promised to sort out all Faithful’s private effects and give them to her as soon as she had time. The sister-in-law kowtowed, and so far from exhibiting any signs of grief, seemed rather pleased.

‘What wonderful courage Faithful showed!’ she exclaimed. ‘And what a lucky girl she is, to have won such glory, and such a splendid funeral into the bargain!’

One of the serving-women nearby rebuked her:

‘That’s quite enough from you! A hundred taels is a poor bargain for your own sister-in-law’s life! Think how much more profit you’d have made out of her if you’d only managed to. flog her earlier on to Sir She! Then you’d have had something to crow about!’

The words struck home, and Faithful’s sister-in-law departed blushing. At the inner gate she met Steward Lin with a team of men carrying in the coffin and returned with them, helping them lay Faithful’s corpse in the coffin, and herself putting on a show of mourning.

Since Faithful had died in the best Confucian tradition, ‘out of devotion to her mistress’, Jia Zheng sent for incense and himself lit three joss-sticks before her coffin.

‘For her loyalty and devotion,’ he said, having made a solemn bow, ‘she deserves to be elevated above the rank of a mere maid. The younger generation must pay homage to her.’

Bao-yu’s delight knew no bounds. He came forward and with almost exaggerated reverence performed a series of full-blown kowtows. Jia Lian also recalled Faithful’s past kindnesses to him, and would have followed suit, but Lady Xing restrained him:

‘One of the masters is quite enough. Too much of this might ruin her chances of being born again …’

Jia Lian desisted. But Bao-chai felt uneasy at Lady Xing’s words. ‘Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t kowtow to her,’ she said. ‘But this is a special case. We are all of us too bound by our commitments to the living to give in to any extreme display of grief. But Faithful has acted for us. She has given the fullest expression to our devotion, and now we should ask her to continue serving Grandmother in the next world on our behalf. That would at least be a small token of our love!’

She walked forward on Oriole’s arm and poured a libation of wine before Faithful’s coffin, the tears streaming in profusion down her cheeks. When the libation was completed, she kowtowed several times in succession and sobbed emotionally. Some of the assembled company commented wryly that now Bao-yu and his wife were both demented; others protested that their conduct evinced a sincere grief; while some restricted themselves to observing that they had at least manifested a sense of what was right and proper. Jia Zheng, for his part, was pleased with them.

He had by now settled the caretaking arrangements, and it was agreed that Xi-feng and Xi-chun would stay behind, while all the other ladies would take part in the procession. No one slept a great deal that night.

At four in the morning, the cortège could be heard gathering outside, and by seven it was ready to move off, with Jia Zheng at the head, in full mourning attire and weeping profusely, as the rites demanded of a filial son. The street was lined with the funeral booths of countless families, which need not be described in detail here. At last they reached the Temple of the Iron Threshold and the coffins were set out, while the menfolk in mourning prepared to spend the night at the temple.

At home, Steward Lin supervised the dismantling of the funeral awning, carefully bolted the doors and put up the shutters on the windows, swept the courtyard and appointed wardens for the night-watch, to commence their duties that evening. It was a well-established rule at Rong-guo House that the innermost gate was closed at ten, and after that hour entrance to the inner apartments was strictly forbidden to males. Female domestics kept the watch inside. Xi-feng, despite a night’s rest, had still not recovered from her attack, and although she seemed a little more composed, she was certainly not capable of getting about. Patience and Xi-chun therefore undertook a tour of inspection, and gave the women on night-watch their instructions before retiring to their separate apartments.

Our narrative turns at this point to Zhou Rui’s foster-son, He San – who, it may be remembered, had been flogged and expelled from Rong-guo House by Cousin Zhen the previous year for fighting with his fellow-servant, Bao Er, and had since then spent most of his time in the gambling-dens. With Grandmother Jia’s death, He San thought there might be a possibility of reinstatement, or at least a job of some kind in the offing for him, and he made enquiries at Rong-guo House several days in succession. Finally it became clear that he was engaged on a futile quest, and heaving many a disgruntled sigh he made his way back to one of his usual haunts, and slumped into a chair. His cronies noticed his depressed air and called out to him:

‘San, old mate, why not have another fling? Who knows, your luck might turn.’

‘I’d love to!’ exclaimed He San bitterly. ‘But I haven’t a penny left to play with.’

‘Come off it! After all the time you’ve been away at your old Pa Zhou’s place? You must have fixed yourself up all right! Don’t come the beggar on us!’

‘That’s what you think! Oh, they’ve got plenty – millions in fact – but they’re keeping it all tucked away. They won’t spend it. They’ll hang on to it and hang on to it and in the end it will take a fire or a thief to make them let go!’

‘You can’t expect us to believe they’re that rich, after what they had confiscated in that raid?’

‘You don’t realize,’ replied He San. ‘It was only what they couldn’t hide that got taken. The old lady left behind a stash of her own when she died, and they won’t part with a penny of it. It’s all put away in her room. They’re going to decide what to do with it after the funeral.’

These words seemed to make a particularly strong impression on one member of the company, who exclaimed after a few more throws of the dice:

‘All I ever do is lose! I’ll never break even. I’m off to bed.’

As he walked out, he took He San to one side and muttered:

‘A word, old San.’

He San followed him out.

‘I can’t bear watching a clever fellow like you go skint, when there’s no need …’

‘It’s my luck,’ muttered He San. ‘What can I do about it?’

‘I thought just now you said Rong-guo House was stacked with money. Why not get some of it for yourself?’

‘Wait a minute,’ rejoined He San. ‘It may be stacked with money, but that doesn’t mean they’d give us a penny of it!’

The man laughed.

‘Well, if they won’t give it away, why don’t we just help ourselves …’

He San began to catch his drift.

‘And just how do you propose to do that?’ he asked.

‘Oh show some guts, man! Don’t be so feeble!’ was the reply. ‘I’d have got my fingers on it long ago.’

‘What sort of “guts” have you got then?’

The man’s voice dropped to a whisper:

‘If you want to make a lot of money out of this, all you have to do is show us the way in – I’ve got some friends in this line of business, first-class operators. They’re just the ones for this job. And it so happens the Jias are all away at this funeral, and there’s only a few women left at home. Mind you, a whole garrison of men wouldn’t scare my friends … But maybe you’re scared?’

‘Me!’ objected He San hotly. ‘I’m not scared! Do you think I’m worried about old Zhou? Why, I only let him be my foster-dad because his missus asked me to. He’s nothing. But it all sounds a bit dodgy to me. Could land us in a lot of trouble. The Jias have got connections with every yamen. Supposing we do manage to get the stuff out, it’ll be hard to get rid of it.’

‘This time you’re in luck, old friend,’ said the other. ‘Some of my seafaring mates happen to be in the area at this very moment, waiting for a job like this to crop up. Once we’ve got our hands on the money, you and I would be wasting our time in these parts. We’d be far better off going to sea with my mates and spending our fortune there! Good idea, eh? Of course, if you can’t bear the thought of parting from your old foster-mum, we’ll just have to lug her along too. One big happy family, eh!’

‘You’re drunk!’ exclaimed He San. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. The whole idea’s a crazy one.’

None the less, he took the man aside into an out-of-the-way alley, and the two of them stood there talking a while longer before going their separate ways. Our story must leave them for the time being.

We must return to Rong-guo House and to Bao Yong, the former Zhen family retainer now living with the Jias, who after a dressing-down from Jia Zheng had been demoted to caretaking duties in the Garden. In the general bustle of Grandmother Jia’s funeral, no one thought of assigning him a task. He was unconcerned by this and continued to mind his own business, cooking for himself and leading a somewhat carefree and independent life. If he felt bored, he would take a nap, and on waking would practise with sword and stave in the Garden. On the day of Grandmother Jia’s funeral procession, of which he was quite aware, although he had been given no part to play in it, he was taking a stroll in the Garden when he saw the figure of a nun accompanied by an old matron, making their way to the side gate, where they began knocking. He went up to them:

‘Where would you be going, Reverend Mother?’

The old matron replied:

‘We heard that Lady Jia’s wake is over, and as we couldn’t see Miss Xi-chun in the procession we thought she must have stayed at home. Sister thought she might be lonely and has come to call on her.’

‘None of the family are at home,’ said Bao Yong. ‘I’m in charge of the Garden and I must ask you to return to your quarters. If you want to visit, please wait until they have come back from the procession.’

‘And who do you think you are, you ruffian?’ the matron protested indignantly. ‘What business is it of yours where we go?’

‘I don’t like your type,’ replied Bao Yong. ‘I say you can’t go, and that’s final.’

‘Why, this is downright mutiny!’ the old matron retorted angrily and noisily. ‘When Lady Jia was alive they never stopped us going anywhere. What kind of an upstart are you, to start throwing your weight around in this insolent manner? I don’t care what you say, I will go out this way!’

She seized the door-knocker and struck it several times with all her might.

Adamantina was speechless with rage as she listened to this exchange. She was on the point of going home when the old women on the other side of the gate heard the sound of an argument and opened up to investigate. Deducing that Adamantina must have been offended by Bao Yong, and knowing that she was on intimate terms with the ladies of the house, especially Miss Xi-chun, the women feared that at some later date she might report them for not letting her through, and thereby get them into serious trouble. They hurried after her:

‘We had no idea you were here, Your Reverence. Our apologies for being so slow in opening the gate. Miss Xi-chun is at home, and would be so pleased to see you. Please come on in. That stupid caretaker is new here. He doesn’t know anything. We’ll report him later to Her Ladyship and she’ll have him beaten and get rid of him.’

At first Adamantina refused to change her mind. But the old women kept on pestering her, begged her not to get them into trouble, were on the point of falling to their knees, until in the end she really had no choice but to turn back and follow them into the mansion. Bao Yong, seeing how things stood, understandably made no further attempts at obstruction but went back to his room, scowling and fuming to himself.

Adamantina went straight to Xi-chun’s apartment. She offered her condolences and they chatted for a while.

‘I still have a few more nights to last out before the others come home,’ said Xi-chun. ‘Xi-feng is sick, and I’m all on my own. It’s so boring and lonely – and scaring! If only I had someone to keep me company! Now that you’ve come all this way, won’t you stay the night? Please! We could play Go together and chat.’

At first Adamantina was reluctant. But she felt sorry for Xi-chun, and then at the mention of the game Go her eyes lit up and she agreed to stay, instructing the matron to return to the Hermitage and send one of the novices with her tea things, her clothes and her bedding. Xi-chun was delighted and for her part instructed Landscape to go and fetch some of the supply of the previous year’s rainwater, which had been stored and put aside for making tea. She made a point of saying that Adamantina would not be needing a cup, as she had her own set. The novice presently arrived with Adamantina’s things, Xi-chun made the tea, and the two of them were soon carried away in a spirited conversation that lasted until eight o’clock in the evening, when Landscape laid out the Go-board, and they settled down to play. Xi-chun lost the first two games, but then Adamantina gave her a handicap of four and she managed to win the next by half a point.

Before they knew, it was two o’clock in the morning. Outside, the night was breathlessly still.

‘I must meditate at four,’ said Adamantina. ‘You go in now and rest. My own girl can wait on me.’

Xi-chun was reluctant to go, but complied out of respect for Adamantina’s religious practice. She was about to go into her bedroom when suddenly she heard a great cry coming from the women on night-watch in Grandmother Jia’s apartment, which was soon taken up by her own serving-women:

‘Help! Help! Someone has broken in!’

Xi-chun, Landscape and the other maids were scared out of their wits. Next they heard shouting coming from the men on night-duty in the outer apartments.

‘Dear oh dear!’ exclaimed Adamantina. ‘There must be burglars in the house!’

She hurriedly closed the door of the room and covered her lamp. Peeping through a hole in the window, she could see several men standing in the courtyard outside. Speechless at first with terror, she turned and crept quietly back into the room, gesturing with her hands and finally saying to the others:

‘Heaven save us! What great burly fellows there are out there!’

As she spoke, there was a clatter on the roof-top above her head and she heard the night-watchmen bursting into the courtyard with cries of ‘Stop thief!’

‘Everything has been taken from Lady Jia’s apartment! We must find the thief!’ called one of them. ‘The others have already gone to the east wing. We’ll search the west.’

One of Xi-chun’s old women, hearing familiar voices, called out from inside:

‘Some of them have climbed up on our roof!’

‘Look!’ cried the night-watchmen. ‘There they are! Up there!’

A confused hubbub ensued, several tiles came hurtling down from the roof, and none of the watchmen had the courage to climb in pursuit. They were all standing there rather helplessly when a fresh burst of noise came from the direction of the side gate to the Garden, followed by the sound of the gate itself being broken down, and in stormed a great hefty fellow with a wooden club in his hand. They all tried to hide, without any success.

‘We must stop them all, every one of them!’ bellowed the new arrival. ‘Follow me!’

They stood there paralysed with fear, while the club-wielding man continued to harangue them. One of the more perspicacious among them finally identified him as Bao Yong, and gradually the others regained their nerve and began saying shakily:

‘One of the thieves managed to escape altogether! But some of them are still up on the roof.’

The instant Bao Yong heard this, he vaulted up onto the roof and went in hot pursuit.

After the main part of their mission was accomplished, the thieves, knowing how unprotected the Jia mansion was, had been casually snooping around in Xi-chun’s courtyard, and had caught a glimpse there of a very attractive young nun, which had put all sorts of mischievous ideas into their heads. They knew that the apartment was unguarded save by a handful of scared old women, and were about to kick the door in and put an abrupt end to Adamantina’s meditations when they heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside and escaped onto the roof-top. They soon saw that they outnumbered their pursuers and had decided to fight it out when a man leapt up onto the roof and came after them.

He was on his own and they therefore moved into the attack with short swords, only to find themselves quickly outmatched. With a few powerful and deftly placed strokes of his club, Bao Yong had soon despatched one of them off the roof, while the rest fled over the wall into the Garden, where others of the gang had been stationed to receive the stolen goods. These now drew their swords in defence of the returning party, and seeing there was only one man following them, they closed in on him.

‘Petty thieves!’ stormed Bao Yong. ‘Do you dare to do battle with me?’

‘They knocked one of us down!’ exclaimed one of the gang. ‘He may not even be alive, but we’d better try to get him out!’

Bao Yong moved into the attack, and four or five of the thieves formed a ring around him, brandishing their swords in a confused mêlée, which finally broke up when some of the night-watchmen plucked up enough courage to come to Bao Yong’s aid, and the outnumbered thieves made good their escape. Bao Yong, still in hot pursuit, tripped over some unseen obstacle lying on the roof, and when he clambered to his feet and saw that it was a chest, he deduced that the thieves had failed to take their loot with them, and therefore abandoned his pursuit. They must anyway be well ahead and beyond reach by now, he reflected. He told the servants to fetch lights. On closer inspection he discovered that there were several chests and that they were all empty. He gave orders for them to be removed and himself headed back to the main apartment. His lack of familiarity with the lay-out of the mansion caused him to wander into Xi-feng’s apartment, where all the lights were ablaze.

‘Have the thieves been here?’ he asked.

‘We haven’t opened the doors,’ came Patience’s trembling voice from within. ‘But we heard cries from the main apartments – you’d better go there.’

Bao Yong had no sense of direction, but he saw the other watchmen in the distance and followed them to the main apartment, where he found doors and windows thrown open and the women on night-duty sobbing.

Presently Jia Yun and Steward Lin arrived, appalled by the news of the burglary. They found Grandmother Jia’s door wide open and could see by the lamplight that the lock had been wrenched open and the chests and cupboards inside had all been broken apart. There were curses for the women on night-duty:

‘Are you all half-dead? Didn’t you even know there were thieves in the house?’

‘There’s a roster for night-duty,’ came the tearful reply, ‘and we’re on second and third watches. We never stopped on our rounds, we checked front and back. The thieves came during the fourth and fifth watches, just after we finished duty. We heard the shouting, but couldn’t see anyone, and when we came to look, the things had already gone. Please, sirs, question the fourth and fifth watch, not us!’

‘You deserve to die, the lot of you!’ exclaimed Steward Lin. ‘I’ll talk to you later. First I must inspect the rest of the house.’

The night-watchmen led him to You-shi’s apartment, which was securely closed. They heard voices crying from within:

‘We nearly died of fright!’

‘Has anything been taken from here?’ asked Lin. The women finally opened the door.

‘No, we’ve had nothing stolen.’

Next Lin led his men to Xi-chun’s, where again they heard voices inside:

‘Lord save us! Miss Xi-chun’s died of fright! Please wake up, miss!’

Lin told them to open up, and asked them what had happened. An old woman appeared in the doorway:

‘The thieves were fighting in our courtyard, and Miss Xi-chun was terribly frightened. Luckily Sister Adamantina and Miss Landscape have brought her round. We’ve had nothing stolen.’

‘What do you mean – fighting?’ asked Lin.

One of the watchmen replied.

‘It was young Bao Yong who saved the day, sir. He climbed onto the roof and chased them away. And I heard one got knocked down.’

‘Yes,’ put in Bao Yong. ‘The body’s over by the Garden gate. You’d better hurry over there and have a look.’

Jia Yun and company went to the Garden gate, and sure enough there lying on the ground was the dead body of a man, which on closer inspection was found to resemble very closely Zhou Rui’s adopted son He San. They were all greatly taken aback by this discovery. One man was left to stand guard over the body and two were sent to keep a watch on the front and rear Garden gates, which were both found to have their locks intact. Lin now gave orders to open the main gate and to report the burglary to the police.

The police arrived straight away and began their investigation. The thieves, they concluded, had climbed up onto the roof-top from a back alley and had made their way across to Grandmother Jia’s apartment, where broken tiles were found and more tracks leading straight to the Garden at the rear.

‘They were armed!’ cried all the servants on night-duty.

The police officer seemed somewhat put out by this:

‘There is no evidence of torches or anything that would point to armed robbery. What grounds have you for this accusation?’

‘When we chased them, they started throwing tiles at us from the roof and we couldn’t get near them. But our Bao Yong managed to climb onto the roof, and he went after them and chased them as far as the Garden, where a whole lot more of them were waiting and put up a fight. But when they found they couldn’t beat our Bao Yong, they fled!’

‘You see,’ exclaimed the officer. ‘If they were really armed robbers, they would surely have been able to overpower a single opponent. Anyway, enough of that. Find out exactly what’s been taken and provide us with an inventory. Then we can make a proper report on the matter.’

Jia Yun and the other men now went to the main apartment, where they found Xi-chun, and with her Xi-feng, who had dragged herself there despite her illness. Jia Yun enquired after Xi-feng’s health, and greeted Xi-chun, and then they all set about the unenviable task of determining what was missing. With Faithful dead, and Amber and the other maids away at the funeral, no one knew where to start. The stolen things were all Lady Jia’s personal belongings and had always been kept stored away under lock and key. They had never been properly inventoried.

‘The chests and cupboards were full of so many different things,’ they said. ‘And now they’re all empty. The thieves must have had ample time to do their work. What were the women on night-duty doing, for heaven’s sake? Since the dead body was He San’s, and since he is the adopted son of the Zhous, they were probably all in on it together.’

Xi-feng was livid with rage when she heard this.

‘Tie up all the women concerned,’ she ordered, ‘and hand them over to the police for questioning.’

There was a general outcry, pleas for mercy, women down on their knees begging. To learn what was done with them, and whether or not any of the stolen goods were found, please turn to the next chapter.