第一一四回

第一一四回 王熙凤历幻返金陵 甄应嘉蒙恩还玉阙

却说宝玉宝钗听说凤姐病的危急，赶忙起来。丫头秉烛伺候。正要出院，只见王夫人那边打发人来说：“琏二奶奶不好了，还没有咽气，二爷二奶奶且慢些过去罢。琏二奶奶的病有些古怪，从三更天起到四更时候，琏二奶奶没有住嘴说些胡话，要船要轿的，说到金陵归入册子去。众人不懂，他只是哭哭喊喊的。琏二爷没有法儿，只得去糊了船轿，还没拿来，琏二奶奶喘着气等呢。叫我们过来说，等琏二奶奶去了再过去罢。”宝玉道：“这也奇，他到金陵做什么？”袭人轻轻的和宝玉说道：“你不是那年做梦，我还记得说有多少册子，不是琏二奶奶也到那里去么？”宝玉听了点头道：“是呀，可惜我都不记得那上头的话了。这么说起来，人都有个定数的了。但不知林妹妹又到那里去了？我如今被你一说，我有些懂得了。若再做这个梦时，我得细细的瞧一瞧，便有未卜先知的分儿了。”袭人道：“你这样的人可是不可和你说话的，偶然提了一句，你便认起真来了吗？就算你能先知了，你有什么法儿！”宝玉道：“只怕不能先知，若是能了，我也犯不着为你们瞎操心了。”

两人正说着，宝钗走来问道：“你们说什么？”宝玉恐他盘诘，只说：“我们谈论凤姐姐。”宝钗道：“人要死了，你们还只管议论人。旧年你还说我咒人，那个签不是应了么？”宝玉又想了一想，拍手道：“是的，是的。这么说起来，你倒能先知了。我索性问问你，你知道我将来怎么样？”宝钗笑道：“这是又胡闹起来了。我是就他求的签上的话混解的，你就认了真了。你就和邢妹妹〔二〕一样的了，你失了玉，他去求妙玉扶乩，批出来的众人不解，他还背地里和我说妙玉怎么前知，怎么参禅悟道。如今他遭此大难，他如何自己都不知道，这可是算得前知吗？就是我偶然说着了二奶奶的事情，其实知道他是怎么样了，只怕我连我自己也不知道呢。这样下落可不是虚诞的事，是信得的么！”宝玉道：“别提他了。你只说邢妹妹罢，自从我们这里连连的有事，把他这件事竟忘记了。你们家这么一件大事怎么就草草的完了，也没请亲唤友的。”宝钗道：“你这话又是迂了。我们家的亲戚只有咱们这里和王家最近。王家没了什么正经人了。咱们家遭了老太太的大事，所以也没请，就是琏二哥张罗了张罗。别的亲戚虽也有一两门子，你没过去，如何知道。算起来我们这二嫂子的命和我差不多，好好的许了我二哥哥，我妈妈原想要体体面面的给二哥哥娶这房亲事的。一则为我哥哥在监里，二哥哥也不肯大办；二则为咱家的事；三则为我二嫂子在大太太那边忒苦，又加着抄了家，大太太是苛刻一点的，他也实在难受：所以我和妈妈说了，便将将就就的娶了过去。我看二嫂子如今倒是安心乐意的孝敬我妈妈，比亲媳妇还强十倍呢。待二哥哥也是极尽妇道的，和香菱又甚好，二哥哥不在家，他两个和和气气的过日子。虽说是穷些，我妈妈近来倒安逸好些。就是想起我哥哥来不免悲伤。况且常打发人家里来要使用，多亏二哥哥在外头帐头儿上讨来应付他的。我听见说城里有几处房子已经典去，还剩了一所在那里，打算着搬去住。”宝玉道：“为什么要搬？住在这里你来去也便宜些，若搬远了，你去就要一天了。”宝钗道：“虽说是亲戚，倒底各自的稳便些。那里有个一辈子住在亲戚家的呢。”

宝玉还要讲出不搬去的理，王夫人打发人来说：“琏二奶奶咽了气了。所有的人多过去了，请二爷二奶奶就过去。”宝玉听了，也掌不住跺脚要哭。宝钗虽也悲戚，恐宝玉伤心，便说：“有在这里哭的，不如到那边哭去。”

于是两人一直到凤姐那里。只见好些人围着哭呢。宝钗走到跟前，见凤姐已经停床，便大放悲声。宝玉也拉着贾琏的手大哭起来。贾琏也重新哭泣。平儿等因见无人劝解，只得含悲上来劝止了。众人都悲哀不止。贾琏此时手足无措，叫人传了赖大来，叫他办理丧事。自己回明了贾政去，然后行事。但是手头不济，诸事拮据，又想起凤姐素日来的好处，更加悲哭不已，又见巧姐哭的死去活来，越发伤心。哭到天明，即刻打发人去请他大舅子王仁过来。那王仁自从王子腾死后，王子胜又是无能的人，任他胡为，已闹的六亲不和。今知妹子死了，只得赶着过来哭了一场。见这里诸事将就，心下便不舒服，说：“我妹妹在你家辛辛苦苦当了好几年家，也没有什么错处，你们家该认真的发送发送才是。怎么这时候诸事还没有齐备！”贾琏本与王仁不睦，见他说些混帐话，知他不懂的什么，也不大理他。王仁便叫了他外甥女儿巧姐过来说：“你娘在时，本来办事不周到，只知道一味的奉承老太太，把我们的人都不大看在眼里。外甥女儿，你也大了，看见我曾经沾染过你们没有！如今你娘死了，诸事要听着舅舅的话。你母亲娘家的亲戚就是我和你二舅舅了。你父亲的为人我也早知道的了，只有重别人，那年什么尤姨娘死了，我虽不在京，听见人说花了好些银子。如今你娘死了，你父亲倒是这样的将就办去吗！你也不快些劝劝你父亲。”巧姐道：“我父亲巴不得要好看，只是如今比不得从前了。现在手里没钱，所以诸事省些是有的。”王仁道：“你的东西还少么！”巧姐儿道：“旧年抄去，何尝还了呢。”王仁道：“你也这样说。我听见老太太又给了好些东西，你该拿出来。”巧姐又不好说父亲用去，只推不知道。王仁便道：“哦，我知道了，不过是你要留着做嫁妆罢咧。”巧姐听了，不敢回言，只气得哽噎难鸣的哭起来了。平儿生气说道：“舅老爷有话，等我们二爷进来再说，姑娘这么点年纪，他懂的什么。”王仁道：“你们是巴不得二奶奶死了，你们就好为王了。我并不要什么，好看些也是你们的脸面。”说着，赌气坐着。巧姐满怀的不舒服，心想：“我父亲并不是没情，我妈妈在时舅舅不知拿了多少东西去，如今说得这样干净。”于是便不大瞧得起他舅舅了。岂知王仁心里想来，他妹妹不知攒积了多少，虽说抄了家，那屋里的银子还怕少吗。“必是怕我来缠他们，所以也帮着这么说，这小东西儿也是不中用的。”从此王仁也嫌了巧姐儿了。

贾琏并不知道，只忙着弄银钱使用。外头的大事叫赖大办了，里头也要用好些钱，一时实在不能张罗。平儿知他着急，便叫贾琏道：“二爷也别过于伤了自己的身子。”贾琏道：“什么身子，现在日用的钱都没有，这件事怎么办！偏有个糊涂行子又在这里蛮缠，你想有什么法儿！”平儿道：“二爷也不用着急，若说没钱使唤，我还有些东西旧年幸亏没有抄去，在里头。二爷要就拿去当着使唤罢。”贾琏听了，心想难得这样，便笑道：“这样更好，省得我各处张罗。等我银子弄到手了还你。”平儿道：“我的也是奶奶给的，什么还不还，只要这件事办的好看些就是了。”贾琏心里倒着实感激他，便将平儿的东西拿了去当钱使用，诸凡事情便与平儿商量。秋桐看着心里就有些不甘，每每口角里头便说：“平儿没有了奶奶，他要上去了。我是老爷的人，他怎么就越过我去了呢。”平儿也看出来了，只不理他。倒是贾琏一时明白，越发把秋桐嫌了，一时有些烦恼便拿着秋桐出气。邢夫人知道，反说贾琏不好。贾琏忍气。不题。

再说凤姐停了十馀天，送了殡。贾政守着老太太的孝，总在外书房。那时清客相公渐渐的都辞去了，只有个程日兴还在那里，时常陪着说说话儿。提起“家运不好，一连人口死了好些，大老爷和珍大爷又在外头，家计一天难似一天。外头东庄地亩也不知道怎么样，总不得了呀！”程日兴道：“我在这里好些年，也知道府上的人那一个不是肥己的。一年一年都往他家里拿，那自然府上是一年不够一年了。又添了大老爷珍大爷那边两处的费用，外头又有些债务，前儿又破了好些财，要想衙门里缉贼追赃是难事。老世翁若要安顿家事，除非传那些管事的来，派一个心腹的人各处去清查清查，该去的去，该留的留，有了亏空着在经手的身上赔补，这就有了数儿了。那一座大的园子人家是不敢买的。这里头的出息也不少，又不派人管了。那年老世翁不在家，这些人就弄神弄鬼儿的，闹的一个人不敢到园里。这都是家人的弊。此时把下人查一查，好的使着，不好的便撵了，这才是道理。”贾政点头道：“先生你所不知，不必说下人，便是自己的侄儿也靠不住。若要我查起来，那能一一亲见亲知。况我又在服中，不能照管这些了。我素来又兼不大理家，有的没的，我还摸不着呢。”程日兴道：“老世翁最是仁德的人，若在别家的，这样的家计，就穷起来，十年五载还不怕，便向这些管家的要也就够了。我听见世翁的家人还有做知县的呢。”贾政道：“一个人若要使起家人们的钱来，便了不得了，只好自己俭省些。但是册子上的产业，若是实有还好，生怕有名无实了。”程日兴道：“老世翁所见极是。晚生为什么说要查查呢！”贾政道：“先生必有所闻。”程日兴道：“我虽知道些那些管事的神通，晚生也不敢言语的。”贾政听了，便知话里有因，便叹道：“我自祖父以来都是仁厚的，从没有刻薄过下人。我看如今这些人一日不似一日了。在我手里行出主子样儿来，又叫人笑话。”

两人正说着，门上的进来回道：“江南甄老爷到来了。”贾政便问道：“甄老爷进京为什么？”那人道：“奴才也打听了，说是蒙圣恩起复了。”贾政道：“不用说了，快请罢。”那人出去请了进来。那甄老爷即是甄宝玉之父，名叫甄应嘉，表字友忠，也是金陵人氏，功勋之后。原与贾府有亲，素来走动的。因前年挂误革了职，动了家产。今遇主上眷念功臣，赐还世职，行取[3]来京陛见。知道贾母新丧，特备祭礼择日到寄灵的地方拜奠，所以先来拜望。贾政有服不能远接，在外书房门口等着。那位甄老爷一见，便悲喜交集，因在制中不便行礼，便拉着了手叙了些阔别思念的话，然后分宾主坐下，献了茶，彼此又将别后事情的话说了。贾政问道：“老亲翁几时陛见的？”甄应嘉道：“前日。”贾政道：“主上隆恩，必有温谕。”甄应嘉道：“主上的恩典真是比天还高，下了好些旨意。”贾政道：“什么好旨意？”甄应嘉道：“近来越寇[4]猖獗，海疆一带小民不安，派了安国公征剿贼寇。主上因我熟悉土疆，命我前往安抚，但是即日就要起身。昨日知老太太仙逝，谨备瓣香[5]至灵前拜奠，稍尽微忱。”贾政即忙叩首拜谢，便说：“老亲翁即此一行，必是上慰圣心，下安黎庶，诚哉莫大之功，正在此行。但弟不克亲睹奇才，只好遥聆捷报。现在镇海统制是弟舍亲，会时务望青照。”甄应嘉道：“老亲翁与统制是什么亲戚？”贾政道：“弟那年在江西粮道任时，将小女许配与统制少君[6]，结褵已经三载。因海口案内未清，继以海寇聚奸，所以音信不通。弟深念小女，俟老亲翁安抚事竣后，拜恳便中请为一视。弟即修数行烦尊纪[7]带去，便感激不尽了。”甄应嘉道：“儿女之情，人所不免，我正在有奉托老亲翁的事。日蒙圣恩召取来京，因小儿年幼，家下乏人，将贱眷全带来京。我因钦限迅速，昼夜先行，贱眷在后缓行，到京尚需时日。弟奉旨出京，不敢久留。将来贱眷到京，少不得要到尊府，定叫小犬叩见。如可进教，遇有姻事可图之处，望乞留意为感。”贾政一一答应。那甄应嘉又说了几句话，就要起身，说：“明日在城外再见。”贾政见他事忙，谅难再坐，只得送出书房。

贾琏宝玉早已伺候在那里代送，因贾政未叫，不敢擅入。甄应嘉出来，两人上去请安。应嘉一见宝玉，呆了一呆，心想：“这个怎么甚像我家宝玉？只是浑身缟素。”因问：“至亲久阔，爷们都不认得了。”贾政忙指贾琏道：“这是家兄名赦之子琏二侄儿。”又指着宝玉道：“这是第二小犬，名叫宝玉。”应嘉拍手道奇：“我在家听见说老亲翁有个衔玉生的爱子，名叫宝玉。因与小儿同名，心中甚为罕异。后来想着这个也是常有的事，不在意了。岂知今日一见，不但面貌相同，且举止一般，这更奇了。”问起年纪，比这里的哥儿略小一岁。贾政便因提起承属包勇，问及令郎哥儿与小儿同名的话述了一遍。应嘉因属意宝玉，也不暇问及那包勇的得妥，只连连的称道：“真真罕异！”因又拉了宝玉的手，极致殷勤。又恐安国公起身甚速，急须预备长行，勉强分手徐行。贾琏宝玉送出，一路又问了宝玉好些的话。及至登车去后，贾琏宝玉回来见了贾政，便将应嘉问的话回了一遍。

贾政命他二人散去。贾琏又去张罗算明凤姐丧事的帐目。宝玉回到自己房中，告诉了宝钗，说是：“常提的甄宝玉，我想一见不能，今日倒先见了他父亲了。我还听得说宝玉也不日要到京了，要来拜望我老爷呢。又人人说和我一模一样的，我只不信。若是他后儿到了咱们这里来，你们都去瞧去，看他果然和我像不像。”宝钗听了道：“嗳，你说话怎么越发不留神了，什么男人同你一样都说出来了，还叫我们瞧去吗！”宝玉听了，知是失言，脸上一红，连忙的还要解说。不知何话，下回分解。

〔一〕 “历幻”，程乙本同，藤本、王本作“历劫”。

〔二〕 “邢妹妹”，藤本、王本同，程乙本作“我们二嫂子”。

[3] 行取——行文调取的意思。明、清时代，皇帝召见地方官，或地方官按规定年限，经上司保举，进京考选，补授京官，皆由京中有关部门发公文调取。

[4] 越寇——越地（古之会稽，今属浙江）的盗寇。

[5] 瓣香——指劈作瓜瓣形的沈香、檀香等。本为敬佛所用，也用于祭尊长者。

[6] 少君——旧时对他人之子的客气称呼。

[7] 尊纪——犹言您的仆人。旧称仆人为纪纲，语本《左传》。这里是烦对方办事的一种委婉说法。

CHAPTER 114. Wang Xi-feng ends her life’s illusion and returns to Jinling Zhen Ying-jia receives the Emperor’s favour and is summoned to the Palace

It was the middle of the night when Bao-yu and Bao-chai were awoken and informed that Xi-feng was dying. They rose from bed at once, a maid brought a lighted candle, and they were on their way out of the courtyard, when another message came from Lady Wang:

‘Mrs Lian’s condition is critical, but she is still alive, and Mr and Mrs Bao should wait a while. There is something odd about Mrs Lian’s state; from midnight until two o’clock this morning she wouldn’t stop talking, and we couldn’t make head or tail of what she was saying. One minute she was demanding a boat, the next a sedan-chair; then she was “off to Jinling to be entered on the Register” … No one could understand a word, and she just kept on crying and wailing. There was nothing for it but for Mr Lian to go and get a paper boat and sedan made for her. He hasn’t come back with them yet, and Mrs Lian is waiting for him, gasping for breath. Her Ladyship wants you both to wait and to come after Mrs Lian has finally passed away.’

‘How extraordinary!’ exclaimed Bao-yu. ‘What does she want in Jinling?’

‘Didn’t you see some registers in a dream once?’ whispered Aroma. ‘Perhaps that’s where Mrs Lian is going.’

Bao-yu nodded:

‘Yes! If only I hadn’t forgotten what was written in them. Our lives are clearly preordained by destiny. I wonder where destiny has taken Cousin Lin? What you said just now, Aroma, about the registers, has set me thinking. If I ever have a dream like that again, I must be more observant. I may see things and be able to predict the future.’

‘Hark at you!’ retorted Aroma. ‘It’s impossible to have a sensible conversation with you. You insist on taking a chance remark of mine in deadly earnest. Even supposing you could see into the future, what good would it do you anyway?’

‘It will probably never come to pass,’ replied Bao-yu. ‘But if I ever did know the future, then at least it would mean an end to all the worries that plague me on your account.’

Bao-chai came up to them:

‘What are you two talking about?’

Bao-yu was afraid of being subjected to one of her inquisitions, and merely replied:

‘We were discussing Cousin Feng.’

‘There she is dying,’ exclaimed Bao-chai, ‘and you’re discussing her! You accused me last year of being unduly gloomy and bringing her bad luck; but wasn’t my interpretation of that oracle the right one after all?’

Bao-yu thought for a moment, then clapped his hands:

‘Of course! Of course you were right! You’re obviously the prophet in the family! Well, let me consult you myself. What’s in store for me?’

‘Off you go on one of your hobbyhorses again!’ Bao-chai chided him with a smile. ‘Mine was simply an off-the-cuff explanation for the wording of the oracle. There’s really no need to take it seriously. You’re as bad as Xiu-yan. When you lost your jade, she asked Adamantina to consult the planchette, and the answer was totally unintelligible to everyone; but that didn’t stop Xiu-yan from talking to me in private about Adamantina’s amazing powers of clairvoyance, saying how enlightened and advanced she was in her Zen practice. And yet look at this calamity that’s befallen Adamantina now – why couldn’t she have predicted that? What sort of clairvoyance is that supposed to be? Just because I said something once about Cousin Feng, that doesn’t mean I ever claimed to see into her future, or into my own for that matter. Claims of that sort are fantastic and don’t deserve to be taken seriously.’

‘All right,’ said Bao-yu, ‘let’s drop the subject. Tell me about Xiu-yan instead. We’ve been so busy that her wedding seems to have passed us by altogether. That was an important event for your family, and yet it was celebrated with so little ceremony. Didn’t you even invite any relatives and friends?’

‘You’ve missed the point again,’ replied Bao-chai. ‘My own family’s closest relatives are the Jias and the Wangs. There’s no one respectable left in the Wang family now, and the Jias weren’t invited because my mother knew we’d be too busy with Grandmother’s funeral. Lian lent a hand, and one or two other relations came – but you wouldn’t know about that, as you weren’t there. If you think about it, things were much the same for Xiu-yan as they were for me. She was formally engaged to Cousin Ke, and Mama wanted a stylish wedding. But in the first place, Pan was still in gaol, so Cousin Ke wanted to keep it simple; then there was Grandmother’s funeral; and Xiu-yan was having such a hard time at Aunt Xing’s, especially after the confiscation, when Aunt Xing became stingier than ever. Poor Xiu-yan, she could hardly bear it. I talked to Mama, and in the end she decided to go ahead and make do with a simple ceremony. Xiu-yan seems a lot happier now and she is so good to Mama, far better than her real daughter-in-law ever was. She’s a wonderful wife to Ke, and gets on very well with Caltrop. If Ke has to be away for some reason, the two of them still manage very happily together. They are a bit hard up, but Mama is a great deal more relaxed than she used to be. She still gets upset about Pan, and he’s always writing to her from gaol and asking for more money. But luckily Cousin Ke has been able to collect some of the debts that were owing, and has sent Pan the money from that. Some of our town properties have had to be mortgaged too. We still have one house left, and that’s where Mama is planning to move now.’

‘What’s the need?’ protested Bao-yu. ‘It’s so much more convenient for you to have them living close by. If they move so far away, it will be a whole day’s expedition to visit them.’

‘Even when families are as closely related as ours,’ said Bao-chai, ‘it’s really much better in the long run to be independent. Mama can’t go on for ever living on charity.’

Bao-yu was about to expand on the reasons for their not moving, when a final message came from Lady Wang, to say that Xi-feng had passed away, and all the family had now arrived in her apartment. Would Bao-yu and Bao-chai please join them there? Bao-yu stamped his foot and seemed about to burst into tears. Bao-chai too was deeply moved, but controlled herself for fear of upsetting Bao-yu any further.

‘We should keep our tears for later,’ she counselled.

They both made their way directly to Xi-feng’s room, where they found a weeping throng gathered. Bao-chai went forward to the bedside, where Xi-feng’s body was already laid out, and gave a great cry of grief. Bao-yu held Jia Lian’s hand and sobbed loudly, which set Jia Lian off again. Patience, seeing that no one else was capable of offering any comfort, stepped forward, and tried to mask her own grief and urge moderation. Sounds of inconsolable weeping continued to fill the room none the less.

Jia Lian was in a helpless dither. He sent for Lai Da, and told him to make whatever preparations were necessary for the funeral. He himself reported Xi-feng’s death to Jia Zheng and then went to see what other arrangements he could make. But there were simply no funds; it was an impossible task. Fond memories of Xi-feng brought tears constantly to his eyes and his distress was made still more acute by the pitiful sight of Qiao-jie, crying her heart out for her mother. The weeping continued all that night. At dawn Jia Lian sent a messenger for Xi-feng’s elder brother Wang Ren.

The death of his older uncle Wang Zi-teng had left Wang Ren free to carry on very much as he pleased. Zi-sheng, the surviving younger uncle, was too ineffective a character to control him, and Wang Ren had already by his behaviour succeeded in causing considerable discord in the family. Now, learning of the death of his younger sister, he hurried over (with a slightly ill grace) to perform his duty as a bereaved brother and mourn for her. On his arrival he observed immediately how makeshift the funeral arrangements were and voiced his indignation in no uncertain terms:

‘Years my sister toiled for you, did a fine job of it too. The least you owe her is a proper funeral. You should be ashamed of yourselves, making such a poor show of it!’

Jia Lian had never been on good terms with his brother-in-law, and, when he heard him blustering on like this, turned a deaf ear. Wang Ren next called Qiao-jie aside.

‘My girl,’ he said to her, ‘while your mother was alive, she had one shortcoming: she was too anxious to please Lady Jia, and as a result she neglected her own family. But you’re old enough now to make decisions yourself, my dear! Look at me, have I ever tried to profit from you? Now that your mother is dead, you must look to me and do as I tell you. Your great-uncle and I are your mother’s family. I know your father, he’ll go out of his way to bow and scrape to anyone, rather than take any notice of us. When that fancy woman of his, that Auntie You, died, I wasn’t in town, but I heard that a lot of money was spent on her. And now he’s scrimping on your own mother’s funeral. Don’t you think you ought to have a word with him about it, and make him see sense?’

‘Father would like nothing more than to have a nice funeral,’ said Qiao-jie. ‘But things have changed. We haven’t enough money, so of course we have to be a bit careful.’

‘What about your own things?’ pursued Wang Ren relentlessly. ‘Surely you’ve something left yourself?’

‘It all went in the raid last year,’ said Qiao-jie. ‘I’ve got nothing left at all.’

‘Are you trying me on too?’ expostulated Wang Ren. ‘I know that Lady Jia gave away all sorts of things. You ought to produce your share now.’

Qiao-jie could not bring herself to admit that her father had already taken her share and sold it, and so pretended not to understand what he was referring to.

‘I know!’ exclaimed Wang. ‘You’re keeping it for your trousseau!’

Qiao-jie refused to say another word. Wang Ren had already offended her with his remarks and she began to sob until she was almost choking with emotion.

‘If you have anything else to say, sir,’ protested Patience heatedly, ‘please wait until Mr Lian comes back. Miss Qiao-jie is much too young to understand.’

‘As for you, you’ve just been itching for my sister to die, haven’t you!’ sneered Wang Ren. ‘The lot of you! So you could step into her shoes … I’m not asking for much; just a decent funeral. Surely you don’t want to disgrace your own family?’

He sat himself down in a surly fashion.

Qiao-jie was feeling very miserable. ‘I know Father does care,’ she was thinking to herself. ‘And besides, when Mother was alive, Uncle Ren sneaked off with all sorts of stuff of hers himself, so he’s got no right to complain.’

In her eyes Wang Ren was rather a despicable sort of person. He for his part secretly reckoned to himself that Xi-feng must have kept her own private hoard, and that despite the raid there was bound to be silver somewhere in her apartment – and a fair amount of it too.

‘They probably think I’ve come to sponge, and the girl is trying to protect them. She won’t be any use to me, the little wretch!’

He began to conceive an intense dislike for his niece.

Jia Lian was far too busy trying to rustle up money for the funeral to take in all these complications. He had delegated the ‘outer’ formalities to Lai Da, but he still needed a lot of money for the ‘inner’ reception and could not see how he was going to find it. Patience was aware of his predicament.

‘You mustn’t overdo things, sir,’ she urged him. ‘You’ll only make yourself ill.’

‘Ill!’ exclaimed Jia Lian, somewhat histrionically. ‘That’s the least of my worries! We can’t even find the money to get by from day to day, let alone pay for the funeral. And to make matters worse, now I’ve got this idiot round my neck!’

‘There’s really no need to work yourself into such a state, sir,’ said Patience. ‘If you’ve no money, I’ve a few things that were not taken in the raid. Use them if you like.’

‘What a wonderful stroke of luck!’ thought Jia Lian to himself. He smiled at Patience:

‘That would be a real help. It would save me from having to race around trying to raise the money. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.’

‘Whatever I have was given me by Mrs Lian in the first place,’ said Patience. ‘So there’s really no need to pay me back. I just want the funeral to be done properly, that’s all.’

Jia Lian accepted Patience’s offer with sincere gratitude, and pawned her belongings for the funeral expenses. From then on he made a point of discussing everything with her. Autumn was most put out, and took every opportunity to mutter complaints:

‘Now that Mrs Lian is gone, Patience thinks she can take over. The Master gave me to Mr Lian; how can Patience think to climb above me?’

Patience noticed Autumn’s disgruntled attitude, but paid no attention. Jia Lian, for his part, found Autumn’s resentment (which he observed soon enough) most objectionable, and whenever anything happened to annoy him he vented his bad humour on her. Lady Xing criticized him for this, and he felt obliged to restrain himself. But of this no more.

In due course, after Xi-feng’s encoffined corpse had been laid out for ten days, it was escorted to the temple. Jia Zheng was still in mourning for Grandmother Jia and was confined to his study during the period of Xi-feng’s funeral. His entourage of literary gentlemen had gradually deserted him. Only Cheng Ri-xing still called regularly. On one occasion Jia Zheng was speaking to him on the general subject of the family’s decline:

‘See how one by one we are dying off! My elder brother and young Zhen are both in exile. Our finances deteriorate daily. And who knows what has become of our country estates in the Eastern provinces. Altogether, a disastrous state of affairs!’

‘I have been here many years, sir,’ said Cheng, ‘and I have seen for myself how busy your staff are, enriching themselves at your expense. Every year sees money draining from your pockets into theirs. It is ruining you. Then there is the money needed for the families of Sir She and Mr Zhen, and the sizeable debts incurred besides, and the loss sustained as a result of the recent burglary, which I hardly think will be recovered. If you wish to put your house in order, sir, the only remedy I envisage is for you to assemble your staff, and to charge your most trustworthy steward with a comprehensive investigation of their accounts. In that way you can judge in which department retrenchment is possible. Deficits should be made good by the individual steward responsible. That way you will at least know where you stand.

‘Then there’s the Garden. It is too large for anyone to buy. But it is a shame that a place with such potential for profit should have been so neglected. During the years that you have been away, sir, the staff there have been manufacturing all manner of frightening tales, which have had the effect of deterring everyone from entering the place. All your troubles are, in short, the doing of the servants. You should make a thorough investigation, and dismiss any unsatisfactory elements among them. It is the only remedy that makes sense.’

‘My dear Cheng,’ replied Jia Zheng, nodding his head gravely, ‘you do not seem to realize: I cannot even trust my own nephew, let alone the servants! And if I myself were to try to carry out an investigation such as you suggest, I could never hope to get to the root of the problem. Not that I could engage in such a thing anyway, while still in mourning. Even if I did, I have never paid much attention to household details in the past, so I really have no idea what we are supposed to have and what we don’t have. I would not know where to look.’

‘You are altogether too charitable and virtuous a man, sir,’ rejoined Cheng. ‘In any other family of comparable position, even if things had reached this critical state, the masters would count on being able to stave off disaster for another five or ten years by asking their stewards for money. I understand that one of your men has even been appointed to a district magistracy …’

‘No!’ cut in Jia Zheng firmly. ‘When a man stoops to borrowing from his own servants, it is the beginning of the end. We shall simply have to draw in our belts a little. If we still own the property that is down on our books, well and good. But personally I am inclined to believe that there may be very little reality behind some of those entries.’

‘Precisely, sir,’ replied Cheng. ‘That was my very reason for suggesting an inspection of the accounts.’

‘Why, have you heard something?’ asked Jia Zheng.

‘Word has reached me of some of the iniquities perpetrated by those servants of yours,’ answered Cheng. ‘But I hardly dare mention them in your presence, sir.’

Jia Zheng realized from Cheng’s tone of voice that he was speaking the truth.

‘Alas!’ he sighed. ‘Since my grandfather’s day, we have always had a tradition in my family of being considerate and generous to our servants. We have never treated them harshly or given them cause for complaint. What is the present generation coming to! And if I were suddenly to start acting the strict master now, I hardly think I would be treated seriously.’

As they were talking, one of the janitors came in and announced that Excellency Zhen of the Nanking family had come to call.

‘What brings him to the capital?’ asked Jia Zheng.

‘I understand, sir,’ replied the servant, ‘that he has been reinstated by Imperial favour.’

‘Show him in at once,' said Jia Zheng.

The servant went out to usher in the visitor. This Excellency Zhen was the father of Zhen Bao-yu; his full name was Zhen Ying-jia, his courtesy name You-zhong (Friend of the Loyal). The Zhens were, it will be remembered, like the Jias, an illustrious old family from Nanking, and the two families had a long-standing family connection and had always seen a good deal of each other. Zhen Ying-jia had lost his post a year or two previously for some misdemeanour, and the family property had subsequently been confiscated. Now His Majesty the Emperor had shown him a special favour as the descendant of a loyal and deserving subject, had restored him to his hereditary position and had summoned him to the capital for an audience. Knowing that Lady Jia had recently passed away, Zhen had prepared an offering and had chosen an auspicious day in the almanac on which to convey the offering to the temple where her remains were lying. Before so doing he called at Rong-guo House to pay his respects.

Mourning etiquette prevented Jia Zheng from going out to greet his guest, but he welcomed him at the threshold of his outer study. When Zhen Ying-jia saw him, sorrow and joy mingled in his breast. Both gentlemen refrained from any elaborate display of ceremony, and instead clasped each other simply by the hand and exchanged greetings. They sat down at either side of a table, Jia Zheng offered his guest some tea and they continued to talk for some little while.

‘When were you received by His Majesty?’ asked Jia Zheng.

‘The day before yesterday,’ replied Zhen Ying-jia.

‘His Majesty in his great kindness must surely have favoured you with some words of instruction.’

‘Yes indeed. His Majesty, whose kindness exceeds the heavens, has favoured me with a decree.’

‘May I enquire as to its import?’

‘In view of the recent outbreak of piracy on the South coast, and the unsettled conditions prevailing among the people there, His Majesty has despatched the Duke of An-guo on a mission of pacification against the rebels. Because of my familiarity with the region, he has ordered me to take part in the campaign. I shall have to leave almost immediately. When I learned yesterday that Lady Jia had passed away, I prepared a humble offering of petal-incense to burn before her coffin, as a small expression of my devotion.’

Jia Zheng kowtowed his thanks and replied:

‘I am sure this enterprise will be an opportunity for you to set His Majesty’s mind at rest, and to bring peace to the nation. I have no doubt too that it will bring you great personal glory! I only regret that I shall not be able to witness it with my own eyes, but will have to content myself with hearing the news of your victories from afar. The present commander of the Zhenhai littoral is a relation of mine, and I hope that when you meet him you will receive him favourably.’

‘How are you related to the commander?’ asked Zhen Ying-jia.

‘During my period of office as Grain Intendant in Kiangsi,’ replied Jia Zheng, ‘I betrothed my daughter to his son, and they have been married three years now. A protracted coastal disturbance and the continued concentration of pirates in the region have prevented news of them from reaching us for quite some time. I am most concerned for my daughter’s well-being, and earnestly beseech you to visit her, when your duties are completed and a convenient opportunity presents itself. In the meanwhile I shall write her a short letter, and if you would be so kind as to have it delivered for me by one of your men, I should be eternally grateful.’

‘Children are a source of concern to us all,’ rejoined Zhen. ‘I myself was on the point of asking you a similar favour. When I received my instructions from His Majesty to proceed to the capital, I decided to bring my family with me; my son is of a tender age and we have so few servants at home now. I have had to hurry on ahead, while my family are following at a more leisurely pace and should arrive here any day. I have been given my marching orders already and cannot delay here any longer. When my family arrive they are sure to call on you, and I have instructed my son to kowtow to you in the hope of benefiting from your counsel. Should a suitable offer of marriage make itself known to you, I should be most grateful if you would make representations on our behalf.’

‘But of course,’ Jia Zheng assured him. After a little more chat, Zhen Ying-jia rose to take his leave, saying:

‘I shall hope to see you tomorrow outside the city.’

Jia Zheng knew that Zhen must have many other engagements and would not be prevailed upon to stay. He saw him to the study door, where Jia Lian and Bao-yu were waiting to escort him out (in the absence of a summons from Jia Zheng they had not ventured into the study). The two younger men stepped forward to salute him. Zhen Ying-jia seemed quite stunned by the sight of Bao-yu.

‘Take away the white mourning clothes,’ he thought to himself. ‘and this young man is the very image of our own Bao-yu!’

‘It is such a long time since we last met,’ he said politely, ‘that I have quite forgotten your names.’

Jia Zheng indicated Jia Lian:

‘My elder brother She’s son, Lian.’

Then pointing to Bao-yu:

‘My own second son, Bao-yu.’

Zhen clapped his hands:

‘How extraordinary! I heard tell at home that you had a well-loved son born with a jade, and that his name was Bao-yu. I was at first greatly surprised that our sons should share the same name, but later I reflected that such coincidences must be quite frequent. Now I have seen him in the flesh, I am amazed all over again! He is the living likeness of my own son! Not only his features, his whole manner and bearing are the same!’

On being told Bao-yu’s age, he commented:

‘My son is a year younger.’

Jia Zheng went on to say that he had already gathered a little information about Zhen Bao-yu from Bao Yong, the former Zhen retainer whom Zhen Ying-jia had himself recommended to them. Zhen Ying-jia seemed too engrossed in Bao-yu to enquire after his old servant, but kept exclaiming:

‘Most extraordinary! Most extraordinary!’

He took Bao-yu by the hand and was most affable towards him. Their conversation would have been longer had it not been for the fact that the Duke of An-guo was in a hurry to leave. Zhen did not wish to delay his superior, and himself needed to make hasty preparations for the long journey ahead. He therefore forced himself to say farewell and made a dignified departure, escorted by Jia Lian and Bao-yu. All the way he was still plying Bao-yu with questions. At last he mounted his carriage and was gone, and Jia Lian and Bao-yu returned to report to Jia Zheng. When they were dismissed Jia Lian went once more to endeavour to settle the accounts for Xi-feng’s funeral.

Bao-yu returned to his own room and told Bao-chai of his encounter with Zhen Ying-jia.

‘I never thought I’d have a chance to see that Zhen Bao-yu we are always hearing about, but now I’ve seen his father, and apparently the son will be coming any day to call on Father. Excellency Zhen called me the “living likeness of his son”, which I find hard to believe. If this other Bao-yu does come, you must all be sure to take a peep at him, and judge whether there really is a resemblance.’

‘Shame on you!’ exclaimed Bao-chai. ‘Honestly, you grow more and more thoughtless with every day! First you treat us to a story about some young man who’s supposed to look like you, then you want us to go and “take a peep” at him! What next!’

Bao-yu realized that he had said the wrong thing, and blushed. He tried to think of some way of rectifying his gaffe, but to learn more you will have to turn to the next chapter.