第二回

第二回 贾夫人仙逝扬州城 冷子兴演说荣国府

却说封肃因听见公差传唤，忙出来陪笑启问。那些人只嚷：“快请出甄爷来！”封肃忙陪笑道：“小人姓封，并不姓甄。只有当日小婿姓甄，今已出家一二年了，不知可是问他？”那些公人道：“我们也不知什么‘真’‘假’，因奉太爷之命来问，他既是你女婿，便带了你去亲见太爷面禀，省得乱跑。”说着，不容封肃多言，大家推拥他去了。封家人个个都惊慌，不知何兆。

那天约二更时，只见封肃〔二〕方回来，欢天喜地。众人忙问端的。他乃说道：“原来本府新升的太爷姓贾名化，本贯湖州人氏，曾与女婿旧日相交。方才在咱门前过去，因见娇杏那丫头买线，所以他只当女婿移住于此。我一一将原故回明，那太爷倒伤感叹息了一回；又问外孙女儿，我说看灯丢了。太爷说：‘不妨，我自使番役[4]务必探访回来。’说了一回话，临走倒送了我二两银子。”甄家娘子听了，不免心中伤感。一宿无话。

至次日，早有雨村遣人送了两封银子、四匹锦缎，答谢甄家娘子；又寄一封密书与封肃，转托问甄家娘子要那娇杏〔三〕作二房。封肃喜的屁滚尿流，巴不得去奉承，便在女儿前一力撺掇[6]成了，乘夜只用一乘小轿，便把娇杏送进去了。雨村欢喜，自不必说，乃封百金赠封肃，外谢甄家娘子许多物事，令其好生养赡，以待寻访女儿下落。封肃回家无话。

却说娇杏这丫鬟，便是那年回顾雨村者。因偶然一顾，便弄出这段事来，亦是自己意料不到之奇缘。谁想他命运两济，不承望自到雨村身边，只一年便生了一子；又半载，雨村嫡妻忽染疾下世，雨村便将他扶侧作正室[7]夫人了。正是：

偶因一着错，便为人上人。[8]

原来，雨村因那年士隐赠银之后，他于十六日便起身入都，至大比之期，不料他十分得意，已会了进士，选入外班[9]，今已升了本府知府。虽才干优长，未免有些贪酷之弊；且又恃才侮上，那些官员皆侧目而视。不上一年，便被上司寻了个空隙，作成一本，参[10]他“生情狡猾，擅纂礼仪[11]，且沽清正之名，而暗结虎狼之属，致使地方多事，民命不堪”等语。龙颜大怒，即批革职。该部文书一到，本府官员无不喜悦。那雨村心中虽十分惭恨，却面上全无一点怨色，仍是嘻笑自若；交代过公事，将历年做官积的些资本并家小人属送至原籍，安排妥协[12]，却是自己担风袖月，游览天下胜迹。

那日，偶又游至维扬[13]地面，因闻得今岁鹾政[14]点的是林如海。这林如海姓林名海，字表如海，乃是前科的探花[15]，今已升至兰台寺大夫〔四〕[17]，本贯姑苏人氏，今钦点出为巡盐御史，到任方一月有馀。原来这林如海之祖，曾袭过列侯，今到如海，业经五世。起初时，只封袭三世，因当今隆恩盛德，远迈前代，额外加恩，至如海之父，又袭了一代；至如海，便从科第出身。虽系钟鼎之家[18]，却亦是书香之族。只可惜这林家支庶不盛，子孙有限，虽有几门，却与如海俱是堂族而已，没甚亲支嫡派的。今如海年已四十，只有一个三岁之子，偏又于去岁死了。虽有几房姬妾，奈他命中无子，亦无可如何之事。今只有嫡妻贾氏生得一女，乳名黛玉，年方五岁。夫妻无子，故爱如珍宝，且又见他聪明清秀，便也欲使他读书识得几个字，不过假充养子之意，聊解膝下荒凉[19]之叹。

雨村正值偶感风寒，病在旅店，将一月光景方渐愈。一因身体劳倦，二因盘费不继，也正欲寻个合式之处，暂且歇下。幸有两个旧友，亦在此境居住，因闻得鹾政欲聘一西宾[20]，雨村便相托友力，谋了进去，且作安身之计。妙在只一个女学生，并两个伴读丫鬟，这女学生年又小，身体又极怯弱，工课不限多寡，故十分省力。

堪堪[21]又是一载的光阴，谁知女学生之母贾氏夫人一疾而终。女学生侍汤奉药，守丧尽哀，遂又将辞馆别图。林如海意欲令女守制[22]读书，故又将他留下。近因女学生哀痛过伤，本自怯弱多病的，触犯旧症，遂连日不曾上学。雨村闲居无聊，每当风日晴和，饭后便出来闲步。

这日，偶至郭外[23]，意欲赏鉴那村野风光。忽信步至一山环水旋、茂林深竹之处，隐隐的有座庙宇，门巷倾颓，墙垣朽败，门前有额，题着“智通寺”三字，门旁又有一副旧破的对联，曰：

身后有馀忘缩手，眼前无路想回头。

雨村看了，因想到：“这两句话，文虽浅近，其意则深。我也曾游过些名山大刹，倒不曾见过这话头，其中想必有个翻过筋斗来的[24]亦未可知，何不进去试试。”想着走入，看时只有一个龙钟老僧在那里煮粥。雨村见了，便不在意。及至问他两句话，那老僧既聋且昏，齿落舌钝，所答非所问。

雨村不耐烦，便仍出来，意欲到那村肆[25]中沽饮三杯，以助野趣，于是款步行来。将入肆门，只见座上吃酒之客有一人起身大笑，接了出来，口内说：“奇遇，奇遇。”雨村忙看时，此人是都中在古董行中贸易的号冷子兴者，旧日在都相识。雨村最赞这冷子兴是个有作为大本领的人，这子兴又借雨村斯文之名，故二人说话投机，最相契合。

雨村忙笑问道：“老兄何日到此？弟竟不知。今日偶遇，真奇缘也。”子兴道：“去年岁底到家，今因还要入都，从此顺路找个敝友说一句话，承他之情，留我多住两日。我也无紧事，且盘桓两日，待月半时也就起身了。今日敝友有事，我因闲步至此，且歇歇脚，不期这样巧遇！”一面说，一面让雨村同席坐了，另整上酒肴来。二人闲谈漫饮，叙些别后之事。

雨村因问：“近日都中可有新闻没有？”子兴道：“倒没有什么新闻，倒是老先生你贵同宗[26]家，出了一件小小的异事。”雨村笑道：“弟族中无人在都，何谈及此？”子兴笑道：“你们同姓，岂非同宗一族？”雨村问是谁家。子兴道：“荣国府贾府中，可也玷辱了先生的门楣么？”雨村笑道：“原来是他家。若论起来，寒族人丁却不少，自东汉贾复[27]以来，支派繁盛，各省皆有，谁逐细考查得来？若论荣国一支，却是同谱。但他那等荣耀，我们不便去攀扯，至今故越发生疏难认了。”

子兴叹道：“老先生休如此说。如今的这宁荣两门，也都萧疏了，不比先时的光景。”雨村道：“当日宁荣两宅的人口也极多，如何就萧疏了？”冷子兴道：“正是，说来也话长。”雨村道：“去岁我到金陵地界，因欲游览六朝遗迹，那日进了石头城[28]，从他老宅门前经过。街东是宁国府，街西是荣国府，二宅相连，竟将大半条街占了。大门前虽冷落无人，隔着围墙一望，里面厅殿楼阁，也还都峥嵘轩峻；就是后一带花园子里面树木山石，也还都有蓊蔚洇润[29]之气，那里像个衰败之家？”冷子兴笑道：“亏你是进士出身，原来不通！古人有云：‘百足之虫，死而不僵。’[30]如今虽说不及先年那样兴盛，较之平常仕宦之家，到底气象不同。如今生齿[31]日繁，事务日盛，主仆上下，安富尊荣者尽多，运筹谋画者无一；其日用排场费用，又不能将就省俭，如今外面的架子虽未甚倒，内囊却也尽上来了。这还是小事。更有一件大事：谁知这样钟鸣鼎食之家，翰墨诗书之族，如今的儿孙，竟一代不如一代了！”雨村听说，也纳罕道：“这样诗礼之家，岂有不善教育之理？别门不知，只说这宁、荣二宅，是最教子有方的。”

子兴叹道：“正说的是这两门呢。待我告诉你：当日宁国公与荣国公〔五〕是一母同胞弟兄两个。宁公居长，生了四个儿子。宁公死后，贾代化袭了官，也养了两个儿子：长名贾敷，至八九岁上便死了，只剩了次子贾敬袭了官，如今一味好道，只爱烧丹炼汞[33]，馀者一概不在心上。幸而早年留下一子，名唤贾珍，因他父亲一心想作神仙，把官倒让他袭了。他父亲又不肯回原籍来，只在都中城外和道士们胡羼[34]。这位珍爷倒生了一个儿子，今年才十六岁，名叫贾蓉。如今敬老爹一概不管。这珍爷那里肯读书，只一味高乐[35]不了，把宁国府竟翻了过来，也没有人敢来管他。再说荣府你听，方才所说异事，就出在这里。自荣公死后，长子贾代善袭了官，娶的也是金陵世勋史侯家的小姐为妻，生了两个儿子：长子贾赦，次子贾政。如今代善早已去世，太夫人尚在，长子贾赦袭着官；次子贾政，自幼酷喜读书，祖、父最疼，原欲以科甲出身的，不料代善临终时遗本一上，皇上因恤先臣，即时令长子袭官外，问还有几子，立刻引见，遂额外赐了这政老爹一个主事[36]之衔，令其入部习学，如今现已升了员外郎了。这政老爹的夫人王氏，头胎生的公子，名唤贾珠，十四岁进学，不到二十岁就娶了妻生了子，一病死了。第二胎生了一位小姐，生在大年初一，这就奇了；不想次年又生了一位公子，说来更奇，一落胎胞，嘴里便衔下一块五彩晶莹的玉来，上面还有许多字迹，就取名叫作宝玉。你道是新奇异事不是？”

雨村笑道：“果然奇异。只怕这人来历不小。”子兴冷笑道：“万人皆如此说，因而乃祖母便先爱如珍宝。那年周岁时，政老爹便要试他将来的志向，便将那世上所有之物摆了无数，与他抓取[37]。谁知他一概不取，伸手只把些脂粉钗环抓来。政老爹便大怒了，说：‘将来酒色之徒耳！’因此便大不喜悦。独那史老太君还是命根一样。说来又奇，如今长了七八岁，虽然淘气异常，但其聪明乖觉处，百个不及他一个。说起孩子话来也奇怪，他说：‘女儿是水作的骨肉〔六〕，男人是泥作的骨肉。我见了女儿，我便清爽；见了男子，便觉浊臭逼人。’你道好笑不好笑？将来色鬼无疑了！”雨村罕然厉色忙止道：“非也！可惜你们不知道这人来历。大约政老前辈也错以淫魔色鬼看待了。若非多读书识事，加以致知格物之功，悟道参玄[39]之力，不能知也。”

子兴见他说得这样重大，忙请教其端。雨村道：“天地生人，除大仁大恶两种，馀者皆无大异。若大仁者，则应运而生，大恶者，则应劫而生[40]。运生世治，劫生世危。尧、舜、禹、汤、文、武、周、召、孔、孟、董、韩、周、程、张、朱，皆应运而生者。蚩尤、共工、桀、纣、始皇、王莽、曹操、桓温、安禄山、秦桧[41]等，皆应劫而生者。大仁者，修治天下；大恶者，挠乱天下。清明灵秀，天地之正气，仁者之所秉也；残忍乖僻，天地之邪气，恶者之所秉也。今当运隆祚永[42]之朝，太平无为之世，清明灵秀之气所秉者，上至朝廷，下及草野，比比皆是。所馀之秀气，漫无所归，遂为甘露，为和风，洽然[43]溉及四海。彼残忍乖僻之邪气，不能荡溢于光天化日之中，遂凝结充塞于深沟大壑之内，偶因风荡，或被云摧，略有摇动感发之意，一丝半缕误而泄出者，偶值灵秀之气适过，正不容邪，邪复妒正，两不相下，亦如风水雷电，地中既遇，既不能消，又不能让，必至搏击掀发后始尽。故其气亦必赋人，发泄一尽始散。使男女偶秉此气而生者，在上则不能成仁人君子，下亦不能为大凶大恶。置之于万万人中，其聪俊灵秀之气，则在万万人之上；其乖僻邪谬不近人情之态，又在万万人之下。若生于公侯富贵之家，则为情痴情种；若生于诗书清贫之族，则为逸士高人；纵再偶生于薄祚寒门，断不能为走卒健仆，甘遭庸人驱制驾驭，必为奇优名倡。如前代之许由、陶潜、阮籍、嵇康、刘伶、王谢二族、顾虎头、陈后主、唐明皇、宋徽宗、刘庭芝、温飞卿、米南宫、石曼卿、柳耆卿、秦少游，近日之倪云林、唐伯虎、祝枝山，再如李龟年、黄幡绰、敬新磨、卓文君、红拂、薛涛、崔莺、朝云[44]之流，此皆易地则同之人也。”

子兴道：“依你说，‘成则王侯败则贼’了。”雨村道：“正是这意。你还不知，我自革职以来，这两年遍游各省，也曾遇见两个异样孩子。所以，方才你一说这宝玉，我就猜着了八九亦是这一派人物。不用远说，只金陵城内，钦差金陵省体仁院总裁[45]甄家，你可知么？”子兴道：“谁人不知！这甄府和贾府就是老亲，又系世交。两家来往，极其亲热的。便在下也和他家来往非止一日了。”

雨村笑道：“去岁我在金陵，也曾有人荐我到甄府处馆。我进去看其光景，谁知他家那等显贵，却是个富而好礼之家，倒是个难得之馆。但这一个学生，虽是启蒙，却比一个举业[46]的还劳神。说起来更可笑，他说：‘必得两个女儿伴着我读书，我方能认得字，心里也明白；不然我自己心里糊涂。’又常对跟他的小厮们说：‘这女儿两个字，极尊贵、极清净的，比那阿弥陀佛[47]、元始天尊[48]的这两个宝号还更尊荣无对的呢！你们这浊口臭舌，万不可唐突了这两个字要紧。但凡要说时，必须先用清水香茶漱了口才可；设若失错，便要凿牙穿腮等事。’其暴虐浮躁，顽劣憨痴，种种异常。只一放了学，进去见了那些女儿们，其温厚和平，聪敏文雅，竟又变了一个人了。因此，他令尊也曾下死笞楚[49]过几次，无奈竟不能改。每打的吃疼不过时，他便‘姐姐’‘妹妹’乱叫起来。后来听得里面女儿们拿他取笑：‘因何打急了只管叫姐妹做甚？莫不是求姐妹去说情讨饶？你岂不愧些！’他回答的最妙。他说：‘急疼之时，只叫“姐姐”“妹妹”字样，或可解疼也未可知，因叫了一声，便果觉不疼了，遂得了秘法：每疼痛之极，便连叫姐妹起来了。’你说可笑不可笑？也因祖母溺爱不明，每因孙辱师责子，因此我就辞了馆出来。如今在这巡盐御史林家做馆了。你看，这等子弟，必不能守祖父之根基，从师长之规谏的。只可惜他家几个姊妹都是少有的。”

子兴道：“便是贾府中，现有的三个也不错。政老爹的长女，名元春，现因贤孝才德，选入宫中作女史[50]去了。二小姐乃赦老爹之妾所出〔七〕，名迎春；三小姐乃政老爹之庶出，名探春；四小姐乃宁府珍爷之胞妹，名唤惜春。因史老夫人极爱孙女，都跟在祖母这边一处读书，听得个个不错。”雨村道：“更妙在甄家的风俗，女儿之名，亦皆从男子之名命字，不似别家另外用这些‘春’‘红’‘香’‘玉’等艳字的。何得贾府亦落此俗套？”子兴道：“不然。只因现今大小姐是正月初一日所生，故名元春，馀者方从了‘春’字。上一辈的，却也是从弟兄而来的。现有对证：目今你贵东家林公之夫人，即荣府中赦、政二公之胞妹，在家时名唤贾敏。不信时，你回去细访可知。”雨村拍案笑道：“怪道这女学生读至凡书中有‘敏’字，皆念作‘密’[52]字，每每如是；写字遇着‘敏’字，又减一二笔，我心中就有些疑惑。今听你说，的是[53]为此无疑矣。怪道我这女学生言语举止另是一样，不与近日女子相同，度其母必不凡，方得其女，今知为荣府外孙，又不足罕矣，可伤上月竟亡故了。”子兴叹道：“老姊妹四个，这一个是极小的，又没了。长一辈的姊妹，一个也没了。只看这小一辈的，将来之东床[54]如何呢？”

雨村道：“正是。方才说这政公，已有衔玉之儿，又有长子所遗一个弱孙。这赦老竟无一个不成？”子兴道：“政公既有玉儿之后，其妾又生了一个，倒不知其好歹。只眼前现有二子一孙，却不知将来如何。若问那赦公，也有二子，长名贾琏，今已二十来往了，亲上作亲，娶的就是政老爹夫人王氏之内侄女，今已娶了二年。这位琏爷身上现捐的是个同知，也是不肯读书，于世路上好机变，言谈去的，所以如今只在乃叔政老爷家住着，帮着料理些家务。谁知自娶了他令夫人之后，倒上下无一人不称颂他夫人的，琏爷倒退了一射之地[55]：说模样又极标致，言谈又爽利，心机又极深细，竟是个男人万不及一的。”

雨村听了，笑道：“可知我前言不谬。你我方才所说的这几个人，都只怕是那正邪两赋而来一路之人，未可知也。”子兴道：“邪也罢，正也罢，只顾算别人家的帐，你也吃一杯酒才好。”雨村道：“正是，只顾说话，竟多吃了几杯。”子兴笑道：“说着别人家的闲话，正好下酒，即多吃几杯何妨。”雨村向窗外看道：“天也晚了，仔细关了城。我们慢慢的进城再谈，未为不可。”于是，二人起身，算还酒帐。方欲走时，又听得后面有人叫道：“雨村兄，恭喜了！特来报个喜信的。”雨村忙回头看时——

[1] 演说——铺演陈说。《北史·熊安生传》：“问所疑，安生皆一一演说，咸就其根本。”

〔一〕 本回回目之后，原有一大段解题性文字和回前诗，今迻录于下：“此回亦非正文。本旨只在冷子兴一人，即俗〈语所〉谓（〈 〉中系底本旁添或旁改文字，下同）冷中出热、无中生有也。其演说荣府一篇者，盖因族大人多，若从作者笔下一一叙出，〔尽〕（〔 〕中系原文点去者，下同）一二回不能〈说〉明，〔则〕成何文字。故借用冷〔字〕〈子兴〉一人略出其文，〈好〉使阅者心中已有一荣府隐隐在心。然后用黛玉宝钗等两三次皴染，〔则〕〈必〉耀然于心中眼中矣。此即画家三染法也。未写荣府正人，先写外戚，是由远及近、由小及大也。若使先叙出荣府，然后一一叙及外戚，又一一至朋友，至奴仆，其死反（疑系“板”之抄误）拮据之笔，岂作十二钗人手中之物也。今先写外戚者，正是写荣国一府也。故又怕闲文瘰，开笔即写贾夫人已死，是特使黛玉入荣府之速也。通灵宝玉于士隐梦中一出，今又于子兴口中一出，阅者已洞然矣。然后于黛玉宝钗二人目中极精极细一描，则是文章〈关〉锁何（此字疑衍）处，盖不肯一笔直下，有若放闸之水，然信之爆，使其精华一泄而无馀也。究竟此玉原应出自钗黛目中，方有照应。今预从子兴口中说出，实虽写而却未写。观其后文，可知此一回则是虚敲傍击之文，笔则是反逆隐曲之笔。诗云：

一局输赢料不真，香销茶尽尚逡巡。

欲知目下兴衰兆，须问旁观冷眼人。

〔二〕 “封肃”，原作“封素”，从各本改。

[4] 番役——又称“番子”。原为明代厂卫司中任缉捕的差役。清代则“专司缉捕盗贼，访拿逃亡及娼赌凶棍”。见福格《听雨丛谈》。这里泛称官衙中负责稽查、捕盗的差役。

〔三〕 “娇杏”，原作“姣杏”，俄藏、卞藏本同底本。本回“娇杏”之名凡四见，底本及己卯、蒙府本均“娇”“姣”通用。今从甲戌、戚序本之一。

[6] 撺掇（cuān　duó汆夺）——怂恿。

[7] 扶侧作正室——谓嫡妻死后将妾作妻。旧时称妻为正室，妾为侧室或曰偏房。《儒林外史》第五回：“王氏道：‘何不向你爷说，明日我若死了，就把你扶正做个填房？’”《啼笑姻缘》第十九回：“你若是跟着我，也许就把你扶正。”

[8] “偶因”二句——一着：下棋术语，一步棋谓之一着。这里比喻人的一个行动。女子私顾外人，是封建礼法所不允许的，故云“一着错”；但娇杏却因此由奴婢变为主子，成了“人上人”。

[9] 会了进士，选入外班——指会试考中进士，分发外省任官。进士分为三甲（三等），除一甲三名外，其馀进士再经“朝考”，录取的称庶吉士；没有录取的，经过候选的程序，分发各部或外省听候委用。“班”是指官员补缺的班次。

[10] 参——参究、稽考，引伸为控告、弹劾。弹劾所用的文书，称“详参”。

[11] 擅纂礼仪——擅纂：擅自纂集。封建时代的礼制仪式，例由礼部掌管，官员擅自纂集，要受惩处。

[12] 妥协——意谓妥当、妥贴、停当。

[13] 维扬——即扬州，今江苏省扬州市。《尚书·禹贡》：“淮海惟扬州。”“惟”，通“维”，后称“维扬”，本此。

[14] 鹾（cuō搓）政——这里指朝廷派到地方管理盐务的官员，带原衔品级。鹾：盐。

[15] 探花——明、清科举制度，殿试取为第三名者称探花。

〔四〕 “兰台寺大夫”，底本、俄藏、卞藏本作“蓝台寺大人”，从己卯、梦稿、甲戌、蒙府、戚序、甲辰本改。

[17] 兰台寺大夫——作者沿古虚拟的官名。兰台是汉朝宫内藏书的地方，由御史中丞主管，兼任纠察。后因称主管弹劾的御史台为兰台，御史府也叫兰台寺，设官曰兰台史令。

[18] 钟鼎之家——“钟鸣鼎食之家”的简称。钟：乐器。鼎：一种三足两耳的金属器皿，这里是指盛菜肴的食具。贵族家庭宴享祭祀时，鸣钟列鼎。后常用“钟鼎之家”代指贵族豪门。

[19] 膝下荒凉——指没有子嗣。膝下：指幼儿环绕于父母的膝下，后为子女代称。见《孝经·圣治》。

[20] 西宾——亦称西席。古代以西为尊，宾客或教师的座位，居西面东。见梁章钜《称谓录》。故以西宾或西席为家庭教师或官僚幕客的代称。

[21] 堪堪——即“看看”，“看”本多音字，这里读如kān。估量时间之辞，义近转眼。

[22] 守制——古人父母或祖父母死后，嫡长子或承重孙（长房嫡长孙）要守孝三年，须闭门读书，谢绝世务，称为“守制”。

[23] 郭外——指城外郊区。《孟子·公孙丑下》：“三里之城，七里之郭。”

[24] 翻过筋斗来的——比喻饱经世事动荡或遭受重大挫折后“看破世情”的人。筋斗：一作“觔斗”，通作“跟头”。

[25] 村肆——这里指乡村酒店。

[26] 同宗——按古代宗法制度，本指同出于一个远祖者为“同宗”，后用以泛称同族或同姓。

[27] 贾复——东汉南阳冠军（今属河南邓县）人，曾任执金吾、左将军，封胶东侯。见《后汉书·贾复传》。

[28] 石头城——故址在今南京市。三国时孙权所建。后用以代指金陵或南京。上文讲的六朝（吴、东晋、南朝的宋、齐、梁、陈），皆建都金陵。

[29] 蓊（wēnɡ翁）蔚洇（yīn因）润——茂盛润泽的样子。

[30] 百足之虫，死而不僵——比喻大贵族官僚家庭，虽已衰败，但表面仍能维持某种繁荣的假象。语见三国魏曹冏（jǒnɡ窘）《六代论》。百足之虫：指马陆、蜈蚣一类节肢动物。僵：仆倒。

[31] 生齿——人口，古代把长出乳齿的男女登入户籍。

〔五〕 “与荣国公”，原无。卞藏本作“宁国府与荣国府”。从己卯、梦稿、甲戌、蒙府、戚序本补。

[33] 烧丹炼汞——道教以朱砂（丹）、水银（汞）等烧炼“仙药”，即所谓“金丹”的一种方术，以此妄求飞升成仙，长生不死。

[34] 胡羼（chàn忏）——犹言“鬼混”。《说文》：“羼，羊相厕也。”引申为搀杂。

[35] 高乐——恣意寻欢作乐。

[36] 主事——清代六部之下设司，司的主管官是郎中，其副手是员外郎，再下就是主事。下文的入部，指的是工部，主管建筑、水利诸事。

[37] 抓取——即“抓周”，俗名“试儿”。婴儿满一周岁，家人陈列各种物品、用具，任其抓取，以预测他未来的志向和前途。见《颜氏家训·风操》。

〔六〕 底本“水”涂改为“木”，俄藏、卞藏本作“木”。甲戌、蒙府、戚序、甲辰、舒序本均作“水”，从原文。

[39] 致知格物、悟道参玄——致知格物：语出《大学》：“致知在格物，物格而后知至。”致：推导。格：推究。悟道参玄：宗教用语。领会和推究宗教中玄妙的道理。

[40] 应运而生、应劫而生——运：宋邵雍《皇极经世书》中，以三十年为一世，十二世为一运，三十运为一会，十二会为一元。这里指气数，吉祥和顺的时代气运。劫：这里指时代的灾难、厄运。

[41] 尧、舜……秦桧——尧、舜：即唐尧虞舜，传说中原始社会的两个部落联盟领袖。禹：夏禹，夏代开国君主。汤：成汤，商代开国君主。文、武：周文王、周武王。姬姓，周朝开国的两个君主。周、召：即周公旦、召（shào邵）公奭（shì试）。周武王的两个弟弟，也是辅佐他开国的两个大臣。孔、孟：即孔丘、孟轲，两个儒家代表人物。董：西汉经学家董仲舒。韩：唐代文学家韩愈。周：北宋理学家周敦颐。程：北宋理学家程颢（hào号）、程颐兄弟。张：北宋思想家张载。朱：南宋理学家朱熹。蚩尤：传说中的上古部族首领，曾与黄帝战于“涿鹿之野”。共工：传说中的“四凶”之一。桀：夏朝末代君主。纣：商朝末代君主。始皇：即秦始皇。王莽：西汉末年的大官僚贵族，篡位称帝，改国号为新。曹操：即魏武帝，三国时政治家、军事家。桓温：东晋时大司马，专擅朝政。安禄山：胡人，唐玄宗时节度使，曾与史思明发起“安史之乱”。秦桧：南宋高宗时宰相，历史上有名的奸臣。

[42] 运隆祚永——国运兴隆，皇位传世久远。

[43] 洽（qià恰）然——协和滋润的样子。

[44] 许由……朝云——许由：传说中的上古高士。陶潜：东晋诗人。阮籍：魏晋之际诗人。嵇康：魏晋之际文学家。刘伶：与阮、嵇皆为“竹林七贤”之一。王谢二族：指东晋王导、谢安两家族。顾虎头：顾恺之，字虎头。东晋名画家。陈后主：南朝陈末代皇帝陈叔宝。唐明皇：即唐玄宗李隆基。宋徽宗：北宋末代皇帝赵佶（jí急）。刘庭芝：刘希夷，字庭芝，唐代诗人。温飞卿：温庭筠，字飞卿，晚唐诗人。米南宫：即米芾，北宋书画家。石曼卿：石延年，字曼卿，北宋文学家。柳耆卿：柳永，字耆卿，北宋词人。秦少游：秦观，字少游，北宋词人。倪云林：倪瓒（zàn赞），号云林子，元代山水画家。唐伯虎：唐寅，字伯虎，明代画家、文学家。祝枝山：祝允明，号枝山，明代书法家、文学家。李龟年：唐玄宗时宫廷乐师。黄幡绰（fān　chuò番辍）：唐玄宗时艺人。敬新磨：五代后唐庄宗时宫廷艺人。卓文君：见第5页注④。红拂：隋代越国公杨素的侍女，私奔李靖。薛涛：唐代名妓。崔莺：即《会真记》中的莺莺。朝云：宋代钱塘名妓。

[45] 钦差金陵省体仁院总裁——钦差：由皇帝指派出外办理重大事情的官员，其中由皇帝特命并授予关防者，权力更大，称“钦差大臣”。体仁院总裁：作者虚拟的官衔。

[46] 启蒙、举业——启蒙：启发蒙昧。这里指旧时儿童开始上学读书，读物有《三字经》、《百家姓》之类。举业：指旧时科举应试，其读物有《四书》、《五经》之类。

[47] 阿弥陀佛——梵文音译，习称“弥陀”。意译为“无量寿”、“无量光”，为大乘佛教的佛名。佛经说他是“极乐世界”的教主，净土宗宣称诵此名号，即可往西方“极乐世界”。

[48] 元始天尊——道教的尊神。道经说他“生于太元之先”，故称“元始”。他居于天界最高的“玉清”仙境，为“三清”之首。

[49] 笞（chī痴）楚——即鞭打；抽打。笞：竹板。楚：荆条。都是打人的工具。这里作动词用。

[50] 女史——古代宫中女官名。掌管王后的礼职。见《周礼·天官·女史》。后也成为尊贵、文雅女子的泛称。

〔七〕 “赦老爹之妾所出”，原作“政老爹前妻所出”。诸本各异：己卯、梦稿本作“赦老爷之女，政老爷养为己女”；甲辰本作“赦老爷姨娘所出”；舒序本作“赦老爷前妻所出”；甲戌本作“赦老爹前妻所出”。俄藏、卞藏本作“赦老爷之妻所生”。蒙府、戚序本作“赦老爷之妾所出”，从之，并据上下文改“爷”为“爹”。

[52] “敏”念“密”——古代有避讳之制，对君亲的名字，不能直读其音，直书其字。必须改字、改音或省笔，以示敬避之意。

[53] 的是——的确是。

[54] 东床——指女婿。晋代太尉郗（xī希）鉴派人到丞相王导家选女婿，王家的子弟都很矜持，惟独王羲之不以为意，坦腹躺在东床上吃东西。郗鉴欣赏他这种“名士”风度，就选中了他。见《世说新语·雅量》。

[55] 一射之地——约当一百二十至一百五十步。亦称“一箭道”。见宋代法云编《翻译名义集·数量》。

CHAPTER 2. A daughter of the Jias ends her days in Yangchow city And Leng Zi-xing discourses on the Jias of Rong-guo House

Hearing the clamour of yamen runners outside, Feng Su hurried to the door, his face wreathed in smiles, to ask what they wanted. ‘Tell Mr Zhen to step outside,’ they were shouting. ‘Hurry!’

Feng Su’s smile became even more ingratiating. ‘My name is Feng, not Zhen. My son-in-law’s name is Zhen, but he left home to become a Taoist more than a year ago. Could he be the one you want?’

‘“Feng” or “Zhen”, it’s all the same to us,’ said the runners; ‘but if you’re his father-in-law you’d better come along with us to see the magistrate.’ And they hustled him off, leaving the entire household in a state of panic, quite at a loss to know what the trouble could be.

It was ten o’clock before Feng Su returned, and everyone pressed him to give a full account of what had transpired.

‘It seems that the new mandarin is a Hu-zhou man called Jia. He used to be an acquaintance of Shi-yin’s in the old days. He guessed that Shi-yin must have moved to these parts when he saw our Lucky in the doorway buying silks. That’s why he sent the runners here. I explained what had happened to Shi-yin, and he seemed very upset. Then he asked me about Ying-lian, and I said she was lost while out watching the lanterns. “Never mind,” he said, “wait till I send some people out to look for her. We shall have her back in no time.” Then we chatted a bit longer, and just as I was going, he gave me two taels of silver.’

Mrs Zhen could not help being affected by this account. But the rest of that night we pass over in silence.

Early next day a messenger arrived from Yu-cun bearing two packets of silver and four bolts of silk brocade for Mrs Zhen as a token of the sender’s gratitude. There was also a confidential letter for Feng Su commissioning him to ask Mrs Zhen for Lucky’s hand as Yu-cun’s second wife. Enraptured at the prospect of doing a good turn for a mandarin, Feng Su hastened to urge upon his daughter the importance of complying with this request, and that very night Lucky was bundled into a small covered chair and carried off to the yamen. Yu-cun’s delight goes without saying. Another hundred taels of silver were despatched to Feng Su, together with a number of good things for Mrs Zhen, to cheer and sustain her until such time as her daughter’s whereabouts could be discovered.

Lucky was, of course, the maid who had once turned back to look at Yu-cun when they were living at the house in Soochow. She could scarcely have foreseen at the time what singular good fortune that one glance would procure for her. But she was destined to be doubly fortunate. She had not been with Yu-cun more than a year when she gave birth to a son; and a mere six months later Yu-cun’s first wife died, whereupon Lucky was promoted to fill her place and became Her Ladyship. As the proverb says,

Sometimes by chance

A look or a glance

May one’s fortune advance.

When Yu-cun received the gift of money from Zhen Shi-yin he had left for the capital on the day after the festival. He had done well in the Triennial examination, passing out as a Palace Graduate, and had been selected for external service. And now he had been promoted to the magistracy of this district.

But although his intelligence and ability were outstanding, these qualities were unfortunately offset by a certain cupidity and harshness and a tendency to use his intelligence in order to outwit his superiors; all of which caused his fellow-officials to cast envious glances in his direction, with the result that in less than a year an unfavourable report was sent in by a senior official stating that his ‘seeming ability was no more than a mask for cunning and duplicity’ and citing one or two instances in which he had aided and abetted the peculations of his underlings or allied himself with powerful local interests in order to frustrate the course of justice.

The imperial eye, lighting on this report, kindled with wrath. Yu-cun’s instant dismissal was commanded. The officials at the Prefecture, when notice that he was to be cashiered arrived from the Ministry, rejoiced to a man. But Yu-cun, in spite of all the shame and chagrin that he felt, allowed no glimmer of resentment to appear on his face. Indeed, he joked and smiled as before, and when the business of handing over was completed, he took his wife and family and the loot he had accumulated during his years of office and having settled them all safely in his native Hu-zhou, set off, free as the air, on an extended tour of some of the more celebrated places of scenic interest in our mighty empire.

One day Yu-cun chanced to be staying in the Yangchow area when he heard that the Salt Commissioner for that year was a certain Lin Ru-hai. This Lin Ru-hai had passed out Florilege, or third in the whole list of successful candidates, in a previous Triennial, and had lately been promoted to the Censorate. He was a Soochow man and had not long taken up his duties in Yangchow following his nomination by the emperor as Visiting Inspector in that area.

Lin Ru-hai came of an aristocratic family and was himself fifth in line since his ancestor’s ennoblement. The original patent had been inheritable only up to the third generation, and it was only through the magnanimity of the reigning sovereign that an exceptional act of grace had extended it for a further generation in the case of Lin Ru-hai’s father. Lin Ru-hai himself had therefore been obliged to make his way up through the examination system. It was fortunate for him that, though the family had up to his time enjoyed hereditary emoluments, it had nevertheless enjoined a high standard of education on all of its members.

Lin Ru-hai was less fortunate, however, in belonging to a family whose numbers were dwindling. He could still point to several related households, but they were all on the distaff side. There was not a single relation in the direct line who bore his name. Already he was fifty, and his only son had died the year before at the age of three. And although he kept several concubines, he seemed fated to have no son, and had all but resigned himself to this melancholy fact.

His chief wife, who had been a Miss Jia, had given him a daughter called Dai-yu. Both parents doted on her, and because she showed exceptional intelligence, conceived the idea of giving her a rudimentary education as a substitute for bringing up a son, hoping in this way somewhat to alleviate the sense of desolation left by the death of their only heir.

Now Jia Yu-cun had had the misfortune to catch a severe chill while staying in his lodgings at Yangchow, and after his recovery, found himself somewhat short of cash. He was therefore already looking around for some more permanent haven where he could rest and recuperate, when he chanced to run into two old friends who were acquainted with the new Salt Commissioner and who, knowing that the latter was looking for a suitable tutor for his daughter, took Yu-cun along to the yamen and introduced him, with the result that he was given the job.

Since Yu-cun’s pupil was both very young and rather delicate, there were no regular hours of instruction; and as she had only a couple of little maids studying with her for company who stayed away when she did, Yu-cun’s employment was far from arduous and left ample time for convalescence.

A year or more passed uneventfully and then, quite unexpectedly, Lin Ru-hai’s wife took ill and died. Yu-cun’s little pupil helped with the nursing throughout her mother’s last illness and mourned for her bitterly after her death. The extra strain this placed on her always delicate constitution brought on a severe attack of a recurrent sickness, and for a long time she was unable to pursue her lessons.

Bored by his enforced idleness, Yu-cun took to going for walks as soon as lunch was over whenever the weather was warm and sunny.

One day a desire to savour country sights and sounds led him outside the city walls, and as he walked along with no fixed destination in mind, he presently found himself in a place ringed with hills and full of murmuring brooks and tall stands of bamboo where a temple stood half-hidden among the trees. The walled approach to the gateway had fallen in and parts of the surrounding wall were in ruins. A board above the gate announced the temple’s name:

THE TEMPLE OF PERFECT KNOWLEDGE

while two cracked and worn uprights at the sides of the gate

were inscribed with the following couplet:

(on the right-hand side)

As long as there is a sufficiency behind you, you press greedily forward.

(on the left-hand side)

It is only when there is no road in front of you that you think of turning back.

‘The wording is commonplace to a degree,’ Yu-cun reflected, ‘yet the sentiment is quite profound. In all the famous temples and monasteries I have visited, I cannot recollect having ever seen anything quite like it. I shouldn’t be surprised to find that some story of spectacular downfall and dramatic conversion lay behind this inscription. It might be worth going in and inquiring.’

But when he went inside and looked around, he saw only an ancient, wizened monk cooking some gruel who paid no attention whatsoever to his greetings and who proved, when Yu-cun went up to him and asked him a few questions, to be both deaf and partially blind. His toothless replies were all but unintelligible, and in any case bore no relation to the questions.

Yu-cun walked out again in disgust. He now thought that in order to give the full rural flavour to his outing he would treat himself to a few cups of wine in a little country inn and accordingly directed his steps towards the near-by village. He had scarcely set foot inside the door of the village inn when one of the men drinking at separate tables inside rose up and advanced to meet him with a broad smile.

‘Fancy meeting you!’

It was an antique dealer called Leng Zi-xing whom Yu-cun had got to know some years previously when he was staying in the capital. Yu-cun had a great admiration for Zi-xing as a practical man of business, whilst Zi-xing for his part was tickled to claim acquaintanceship with a man of Yu-cun’s great learning and culture. On the basis of this mutual admiration the two of them had got on wonderfully well, and Yu-cun now returned the other’s greeting with a pleased smile.

‘My dear fellow! How long have you been here? I really had no idea you were in these parts. It was quite an accident that I came here today at all. What an extraordinary coincidence!’

‘I went home at the end of last year to spend New Year with the family,’ said Zi-xing. ‘On my way back to the capital I thought I would stop off and have a few words with a friend of mine who lives hereabouts, and he very kindly invited me to spend a few days with him. I hadn’t got any urgent business waiting for me, so I thought I might as well stay on a bit and leave at the middle of the month. I came out here on my own because my friend has an engagement today. I certainly didn’t expect to run into you here.’

Zi-xing conducted Yu-cun to his table as he spoke and ordered more wine and some fresh dishes to be brought. The two men then proceeded, between leisurely sips of wine, to relate what each had been doing in the years that had elapsed since their last meeting.

Presently Yu-cun asked Zi-xing if anything of interest had happened recently in the capital.

‘I can’t think of anything particularly deserving of mention,’ said Zi-xing. ‘Except, perhaps, for a very small but very unusual event that took place in your own clan there.’

‘What makes you say that?’ said Yu-cun, ‘I have no family connections in the capital.’

‘Well, it’s the same name,’ said Zi-xing. ‘They must be the same clan.’

Yu-cun asked him what family he could be referring to.

‘I fancy you wouldn’t disown the Jias of the Rong-guo mansion as unworthy of you.’

‘Oh, you mean them,’ said Yu-cun. ‘There are so many members of my clan, it’s hard to keep up with them all. Since the time of Jia Fu of the Eastern Han dynasty there have been branches of the Jia clan in every province of the empire. The Rong-guo branch is, as a matter of fact, on the same clan register as my own; but since they are exalted so far above us socially, we don’t normally claim the connection, and nowadays we are completely out of touch with them.’

Zi-xing sighed. ‘You shouldn’t speak about them in that way, you know. Nowadays both the Rong and Ning mansions are in a greatly reduced state compared with what they used to be.’

‘When I was last that way the Rong and Ning mansions both seemed to be fairly humming with life. Surely nothing could have happened to reduce their prosperity in so short a time?’

‘Ah, you may well ask. But it’s a long story.’

‘Last time I was in Jinling,’ went on Yu-cun, ‘I passed by their two houses one day on my way to Shi-tou-cheng to visit the ruins. The Ning-guo mansion along the eastern half of the road and the Rong-guo mansion along the western half must between them have occupied the greater part of the north side frontage of that street. It’s true that there wasn’t much activity outside the main entrances, but looking up over the outer walls I had a glimpse of the most magnificent and imposing halls and pavilions, and even the rocks and trees of the gardens beyond seemed to have a sleekness and luxuriance that were certainly not suggestive of a family whose fortunes were in a state of decline.’

‘Well! For a Palace Graduate Second Class, you ought to know better than that! Haven’t you ever heard the old saying, “The beast with a hundred legs is a long time dying”? Although I say they are not as prosperous as they used to be in years past, of course I don’t mean to say that there is not still a world of difference between their circumstances and those you would expect to find in the household of your average government official. At the moment the numbers of their establishment and the activities they engage in are, if anything, on the increase. Both masters and servants all lead lives of luxury and magnificence. And they still have plenty of plans and projects under way. But they can’t bring themselves to economize or make any adjustment in their accustomed style of living. Consequently, though outwardly they still manage to keep up appearances, inwardly they are beginning to feel the pinch. But that’s a small matter. There’s something much more seriously wrong with them than that. They are not able to turn out good sons, those stately houses, for all their pomp and show. The males in the family get more degenerate from one generation to the next.’

‘Surely,’ said Yu-cun with surprise, ‘it is inconceivable that such highly cultured households should not give their children the best education possible? I say nothing of other families, but the Jias of the Ning and Rong households used to be famous for the way in which they brought up their sons. How could they come to be as you describe?’

‘I assure you, it is precisely those families I am speaking of. Let me tell you something of their history. The Duke of Ning-guo and the Duke of Rong-guo were two brothers by the same mother. Ning-guo was the elder of the two. When he died, his eldest son, Jia Dai-hua, inherited his post. Dai-hua had two sons. The elder, Jia Fu, died at the age of eight or nine, leaving only the second son, Jia Jing, to inherit. Nowadays Jia Jing’s only interest in life is Taoism. He spends all his time over retorts and crucibles concocting elixirs, and refuses to be bothered with anything else.

‘Fortunately he had already provided himself with a son, Jia Zhen, long before he took up this hobby. So, having set his mind on turning himself into an immortal, he has given up his post in favour of this son. And what’s more he refuses outright to live at home and spends his time fooling around with a pack of Taoists somewhere outside the city walls.

‘This Jia Zhen has got a son of his own, a lad called Jia Rong, just turned sixteen. With old Jia Jing out of the way and refusing to exercise any authority, Jia Zhen has thrown his responsibilities to the winds and given himself up to a life of pleasure. He has turned that Ning-guo mansion upside down, but there is no one around who dares gainsay him.

‘Now I come to the Rong household – it was there that this strange event occurred that I was telling you about. When the old Duke of Rong-guo died, his eldest son, Jia Dai-shan, inherited his emoluments. He married a girl from a very old Nanking family, the daughter of Marquis Shi, who bore him two sons, Jia She and Jia Zheng.

‘Dai-shan has been dead this many a year, but the old lady is still alive. The elder son, Jia She, inherited; but he’s only a very middling sort of person and doesn’t play much part in running the family. The second son, though, Jia Zheng, has been mad keen on study ever since he was a lad. He is a very upright sort of person, straight as a die. He was his grandfather’s favourite. He would have sat for the examinations, but when the emperor saw Dai-shan’s testamentary memorial that he wrote on his death bed, he was so moved, thinking what a faithful servant the old man had been, that he not only ordered the elder son to inherit his father’s position, but also gave instructions that any other sons of his were to be presented to him at once, and on seeing Jia Zheng he gave him the post of Supernumerary Executive Officer, brevet rank, with instructions to continue his studies while on the Ministry’s payroll. From there he has now risen to the post of Under Secretary.

‘Sir Zheng’s lady was formerly a Miss Wang. Her first child was a boy called Jia Zhu. He was already a Licensed Scholar at the age of fourteen. Then he married and had a son. But he died of an illness before he was twenty. The second child she bore him was a little girl, rather remarkable because she was born on New Year’s day. Then after an interval of twelve years or more she suddenly had another son. He was even more remarkable, because at the moment of his birth he had a piece of beautiful, clear, coloured jade in his mouth with a lot of writing on it. They gave him the name “Bao-yu” as a consequence. Now tell me if you don’t think that is an extraordinary thing.’

‘It certainly is,’ Yu-cun agreed. ‘I should not be at all surprised to find that there was something very unusual in the heredity of that child.’

‘Humph,’ said Zi-xing. ‘A great many people have said that. That is the reason why his old grandmother thinks him such a treasure. But when they celebrated the First Twelve-month and Sir Zheng tested his disposition by putting a lot of objects in front of him and seeing which he would take hold of, he stretched out his little hand and started playing with some women’s things – combs, bracelets, pots of rouge and powder and the like – completely ignoring all the other objects. Sir Zheng was very displeased. He said he would grow up to be a rake, and ever since then he hasn’t felt much affection for the child. But to the old lady he’s the very apple of her eye.

‘But there’s more that’s unusual about him than that. He’s now rising ten and unusually mischievous, yet his mind is as sharp as a needle. You wouldn’t find one in a hundred to match him. Some of the childish things he says are most extraordinary. He’ll say, “Girls are made of water and boys are made of mud. When I am with girls I feel fresh and clean, but when I am with boys I feel stupid and nasty.” Now isn’t that priceless! He’ll be a lady-killer when he grows up, no question of that.’

Yu-cun’s face assumed an expression of unwonted severity. ‘Not so. By no means. It is a pity that none of you seem to understand this child’s heredity. Most likely even my esteemed kinsman Sir Jia Zheng is mistaken in treating the boy as a future libertine. This is something that no one but a widely read person, and one moreover well-versed in moral philosophy and in the subtle arcana of metaphysical science could possibly understand.’

Observing the weighty tone in which these words were uttered, Zi-xing hurriedly asked to be instructed, and Yu-cun proceeded as follows:

‘The generative processes operating in the universe provide the great majority of mankind with natures in which good and evil are commingled in more or less equal proportions. Instances of exceptional goodness and exceptional badness are produced by the operation of beneficent or noxious ethereal influences, of which the former are symptomatized by the equilibrium of society and the latter by its disequilibrium.

‘Thus,

Yao,

Shun,

Yu,

Tang,

King Wen,

King Wu,

the Duke of Zhou,

the Duke of Shao,

Confucius,

Mencius,

Dong Zhong-shu,

Han Yu,

Zhou Dun-yi,

the Cheng brothers,

Zhu Xi and

Zhang Zai

– all instances of exceptional goodness – were born under the influence of benign forces, and all sought to promote the well-being of the societies in which they lived; whilst

Chi You,

Gong Gong,

Jie,

Zhou,

the First Qin Emperor,

Wang Mang,

Cao Cao,

Huan Wen,

An Lu-shan and

Qin Kuai

– all instances of exceptional badness – were born under the influence of harmful forces, and all sought to disrupt the societies in which they lived.

‘Now, the good cosmic fluid with which the natures of the exceptionally good are compounded is a pure, quintessential humour; whilst the evil fluid which infuses the natures of the exceptionally bad is a cruel, perverse humour.

‘Therefore, our age being one in which beneficent ethereal influences are in the ascendant, in which the reigning dynasty is well-established and society both peaceful and prosperous, innumerable instances are to be found, from the palace down to the humblest cottage, of individuals endowed with the pure, quintessential humour.

‘Moreover, an unused surplus of this pure, quintessential humour, unable to find corporeal lodgement, circulates freely abroad until it manifests itself in the form of sweet dews and balmy winds, asperged and effused for the enrichment and refreshment of all terrestial life.

‘Consequently, the cruel and perverse humours, unable to circulate freely in the air and sunlight, subside, by a process of incrassation and coagulation, into the bottoms of ditches and ravines.

‘Now, should these incrassate humours chance to be stirred or provoked by wind or weather into a somewhat more volatile and active condition, it sometimes happens that a stray wisp or errant flocculus may escape from the fissure or concavity in which they are contained; and if some of the pure, quintessential humour should chance to be passing overhead at that same moment, the two will become locked in irreconcilable conflict, the good refusing to yield to the evil, the evil persisting in its hatred of the good. And just as wind, water, thunder and lightning meeting together over the earth can neither dissipate nor yield one to another but produce an explosive shock resulting in the downward emission of rain, so does this clash of humours result in the forcible downward expulsion of the evil humour, which, being thus forced downwards, will find its way into some human creature.

‘Such human recipients, whether they be male or female, since they are already amply endowed with the benign humour before the evil humour is injected, are incapable of becoming either greatly good or greatly bad; but place them in the company of ten thousand others and you will find that they are superior to all the rest in sharpness and intelligence and inferior to all the rest in perversity, wrongheadedness and eccentricity. Born into a rich or noble household they are likely to become great lovers or the occasion of great love in others; in a poor but well-educated household they will become literary rebels or eccentric aesthetes; even if they are born in the lowest stratum of society they are likely to become great actors or famous hetaerae. Under no circumstances will you find them in servile or menial positions, content to be at the beck and call of mediocrities.

‘For examples I might cite:

Xu You,

Tao Yuan-ming,

Ruan Ji,

Ji Kang,

Liu Ling,

the Wang and Xie clans of the Jin period,

Gu Kai-zhi,

the last ruler of Chen,

the emperor Ming-huang of the Tang dynasty,

the emperor Hui-zong of the Song dynasty,

Liu Ting-zhi,

Wen Ting-yun,

Mi Fei,

Shi Yan-nian,

Liu Yong and

Qin Guan;

or, from more recent centuries:

Ni Zan,

Tang Yin and

Zhu Yun-ming;

or again, for examples of the last type:

Li Gui-nian,

Huang Fan-chuo,

Jing Xin-mo,

Zhuo Wen-jun,

Little Red Duster,

Xue Tao,

Cui Ying-ying and

Morning Cloud.

All of these, though their circumstances differed, were essentially the same.’

‘You mean,’ Zi-xing interposed,

‘Zhang victorious is a hero,

Zhang beaten is a lousy knave?’

‘Precisely so,’ said Yu-cun. ‘I should have told you that during the two years after I was cashiered I travelled extensively in every province of the empire and saw quite a few remarkable children in the course of my travels; so that just now when you mentioned this Bao-yu I felt pretty certain what type of boy he must be. But one doesn’t need to go very far afield for another example. There is one in the Zhen family in Nanking – I am referring to the family of the Zhen who is Imperial Deputy Director-General of the Nanking Secretariat. Perhaps you know who I mean?’

‘Who doesn’t?’ said Zi-xing. ‘There is an old family connection between the Zhen family and the Jias of whom we have just been speaking, and they are still on very close terms with each other. I’ve done business with them myself for longer than I’d care to mention.’

‘Last year when I was in Nanking,’ said Yu-cun, smiling at the recollection, ‘I was recommended for the post of tutor in their household. I could tell at a glance, as soon as I got inside the place, that for all the ducal splendour this was a family “though rich yet given to courtesy”, in the words of the Sage, and that it was a rare piece of luck to have got a place in it. But when I came to teach my pupil, though he was only at the first year primary stage, he gave me more trouble than an examination candidate.

‘He was indeed a comedy. He once said, “I must have two girls to do my lessons with me if I am to remember the words and understand the sense. Otherwise my mind will simply not work.” And he would often tell the little pages who waited on him, “The word ‘girl’ is very precious and very pure. It is much more rare and precious than all the rarest beasts and birds and plants in the world. So it is most extremely important that you should never, never violate it with your coarse mouths and stinking breath. Whenever you need to say it, you should first rinse your mouths out with clean water and scented tea. And if ever I catch you slipping up, I shall have holes drilled through your teeth and lace them up together.”

‘There was simply no end to his violence and unruliness. Yet as soon as his lessons were over and he went inside to visit the girls of the family, he became a completely different person – all gentleness and calm, and as intelligent and well-bred as you please.

‘His father gave him several severe beatings but it made no difference. Whenever the pain became too much for him he would start yelling “Girls! girls!” Afterwards, when the girls in the family got to hear about it, they made fun of him. “Why do you always call to us when you are hurt? I suppose you think we shall come and plead for you to be let off. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!” But you should have heard his answer. He said, “Once when the pain was very bad, I thought that perhaps if I shouted the word ‘girls’ it might help to ease it. Well,” he said, “I just called out once, and the pain really was quite a bit better. So now that I have found this secret remedy, I just keep on shouting ‘Girls! girls! girls!’ whenever the pain is at its worst.” I could not help laughing.

‘But because his grandmother doted on him so much, she was always taking the child’s part against me and his father. In the end I had to hand in my notice. A boy like that will never be able to keep up the family traditions or listen to the advice of his teachers and friends. The pity of it is, though, that the girls in that family are all exceptionally good.’

‘The three at present in the Jia household are also very fine girls,’ said Zi-xing. ‘Sir Jia Zheng’s eldest girl, Yuan-chun, was chosen for her exceptional virtue and cleverness to be a Lady Secretary in the Imperial Palace. The next in age after her and eldest of the three still at home is called Ying-chun. She is the daughter of Sir Jia She by one of his secondary wives. After her comes another daughter of Sir Zheng’s, also a concubine’s child, called Tan-chun. The youngest, Xi-chun, is sister-german to Mr Jia Zhen of the Ning-guo mansion. Old Lady Jia is very fond of her granddaughters and keeps them all in her own apartments on the Rong-guo side. They all study together, and I have been told that they are doing very well.’

‘One of the things I liked about the Zhen family,’ said Yu-cun, ‘was their custom of giving the girls the same sort of names as the boys, unlike the majority of families who invariably use fancy words like “chun”, “hong”, “xiang”, “yu”, and so forth. How comes it that the Jias should have followed the vulgar practice in this respect?’

‘They didn’t,’ said Zi-xing. ‘The eldest girl was called “Yuan-chun” because she was in fact born on the first day of spring. The others were given names with “chun” in them to match hers. But if you go back a generation, you will find that among the Jias too the girls had names exactly like the boys’.

‘I can give you proof. Your present employer’s good lady is sister-german to Sir She and Sir Zheng of the Rong household. Her name, before she married, was Jia Min. If you don’t believe me, you make a few inquiries when you get home and you’ll find it is so.’

Yu-cun clapped his hands with a laugh. ‘Of course! I have often wondered why it is that my pupil Dai-yu always pronounces “min” as “mi” when she is reading and, if she has to write it, always makes the character with one or two strokes missing. Now I understand. No wonder her speech and behaviour are so unlike those of ordinary children! I always supposed that there must have been something remarkable about the mother for her to have produced so remarkable a daughter. Now I know that she was related to the Jias of the Rong household, I am not surprised.

‘By the way, I am sorry to say that last month the mother passed away.’

Zi-xing sighed. ‘Fancy her dying so soon! She was the youngest of the three. And the generation before them are all gone, every one. We shall have to see what sort of husbands they manage to find for the younger generation!’

‘Yes, indeed,’ said Yu-cun. ‘Just now you mentioned that Sir Zheng had this boy with the jade in his mouth and you also mentioned a little grandson left behind by his elder son. What about old Sir She? Surely he must have a son?’

‘Since Sir Zheng had the boy with the jade, he has had another son by a concubine,’ said Zi-xing, ‘but I couldn’t tell you what he’s like. So at present he has two sons and one grandson. Of course, we don’t know what the future may bring.

‘But you were asking about Sir She. Yes, he has a son too, called Jia Lian. He’s already a young man in his early twenties. He married his own kin, the niece of his Uncle Zheng’s wife, Lady Wang. He’s been married now for four or five years. Holds the rank of a Sub-prefect by purchase. He’s another member of the family who doesn’t find responsibilities congenial. He knows his way around, though, and has a great gift of the gab, so at present he stays at home with his Uncle Zheng and helps him manage the family’s affairs. However, ever since he married this young lady I mentioned, everyone high and low has joined in praising her, and he has been put into the shade rather. She is not only a very handsome young woman, she also has a very ready tongue and a very good head – more than a match for most men, I can tell you.’

‘You see, I was not mistaken,’ said Yu-cun. ‘All these people you and I have been talking about are probably examples of that mixture of good and evil humours I was describing to you.’

‘Well, I don’t know about that,’ said Zi-xing. ‘Instead of sitting here setting other people’s accounts to rights, let’s have another drink!’

‘I am afraid I have drunk quite a lot while we were busy talking,’ said Yu-cun.

Zi-xing laughed. ‘There’s nothing like a good gossip about other people’s affairs for making the wine go down! I’m sure an extra cup or two won’t do us any harm.’

Yu-cun glanced out of the window. ‘It’s getting late. We must be careful we don’t get shut out of the city. Why not continue the conversation on our way back? Then we can take our time.’

The two men accordingly rose from their seats, settled the bill for the wine, and were just about to start on their way, when a voice from behind called out, ‘Yu-cun, congratulations! I’ve got some good news for you.’

Yu-cun turned to look.

But if you wish to know who it was, you will have to read the next chapter.