第一○四回

第一○四回 醉金刚小鳅生大浪 痴公子馀痛触前情

话说贾雨村刚欲过渡，见有人飞奔而来，跑到跟前，口称：“老爷，方才进的那庙火起了！”雨村回首看时，只见烈炎烧天，飞灰蔽目。雨村心想，“这也奇怪，我才出来，走不多远，这火从何而来？莫非士隐遭劫于此？”欲待回去，又恐误了过河；若不回去，心下又不安。想了一想，便问道：“你方才见这老道士出来了没有？”那人道：“小的原随老爷出来，因腹内疼痛，略走了一走。回头看见一片火光，原来就是那庙中火起，特赶来禀知老爷。并没有见有人出来。”雨村虽则心里狐疑，究竟是名利关心的人，那肯回去看视，便叫那人：“你在这里等火灭了进去瞧那老道在与不在，即来回禀。”那人只得答应了伺候。

雨村过河，仍自去查看，查了几处，遇公馆便自歇下。明日又行一程，进了都门，众衙役接着，前呼后拥的走着。雨村坐在轿内，听见轿前开路的人吵嚷。雨村问是何事。那开路的拉了一个人过来跪在轿前禀道：“那人酒醉不知回避，反冲突过来。小的吆喝他，他倒恃酒撒赖，躺在街心，说小的打了他了。”雨村便道：“我是管理这里地方的。你们都是我的子民，知道本府经过，喝了酒不知退避，还敢撒赖！”那人道：“我喝酒是自己的钱，醉了躺的是皇上的地，便是大人老爷也管不得。”雨村怒道：“这人目无法纪，问他叫什么名字。”那人回道：“我叫醉金刚倪二。”雨村听了生气，叫人：“打这金刚，瞧他是金刚不是！”手下把倪二按倒，着实的打了几鞭。倪二负痛，酒醒求饶。雨村在轿内笑道：“原来是这么个金刚么。我且不打你，叫人带进衙门慢慢的问你。”众衙役答应，拴了倪二，拉着便走。倪二哀求，也不中用。

雨村进内复旨回曹[1]，那里把这件事放在心上。那街上看热闹的三三两两传说：“倪二仗着有些力气，恃酒讹人，今儿碰在贾大人手里，只怕不轻饶的。”这话已传到他妻女耳边。那夜果等倪二不见回家，他女儿便到各处赌场寻觅，那赌博的都是这么说，他女儿急得哭了。众人都道：“你不用着急。那贾大人是荣府的一家。荣府里的一个什么二爷和你父亲相好，你同你母亲去找他说个情，就放出来了。”倪二的女儿听了，想了一想，“果然我父亲常说间壁贾二爷和他好，为什么不找他去。”赶着回来，即和母亲说了。

娘儿两个去找贾芸。那日贾芸恰在家，见他母女两个过来，便让坐。贾芸的母亲便倒茶。倪家母女即将倪二被贾大人拿去的话说了一遍，“求二爷说情放出来”。贾芸一口应承，说：“这算不得什么，我到西府里说一声就放了。那贾大人全仗我家的西府里才得做了这么大官，只要打发个人去一说就完了。”倪家母女欢喜，回来便到府里告诉了倪二，叫他不用忙，已经求了贾二爷，他满口应承，讨个情便放出来的。倪二听了也喜欢。

不料贾芸自从那日给凤姐送礼不收，不好意思进来，也不常到荣府。那荣府的门上原看着主子的行事，叫谁走动才有些体面，一时来了他便进去通报；若主子不大理了，不论本家亲戚，他一概不回，支了去就完事。那日贾芸到府上说“给琏二爷请安”。门上的说：“二爷不在家，等回来我们替回罢。”贾芸欲要说“请二奶奶的安”，生恐门上厌烦，只得回家。又被倪家母女催逼着说：“二爷常说府上是不论那个衙门，说一声谁敢不依。如今还是府里的一家，又不为什么大事，这个情还讨不来，白是我们二爷了。”贾芸脸上下不来，嘴里还说硬话：“昨儿我们家里有事，没打发人说去，少不得今儿说了就放。什么大不了的事！”倪家母女只得听信。

岂知贾芸近日大门竟不得进去，绕到后头要进园内找宝玉，不料园门锁着，只得垂头丧气的回来。想起“那年倪二借银与我，买了香料送给他，才派我种树。如今我没有钱去打点，就把我拒绝。他也不是什么好的，拿着太爷留下的公中银钱在外放加一钱[2]，我们穷本家要借一两也不能。他打谅保得住一辈子不穷的了，那知外头的声名很不好。我不说罢了，若说起来，人命官司不知有多少呢。”一面想着，来到家中，只见倪家母女都等着。贾芸无言可支，便说道：“西府里已经打发人说了，只言贾大人不依。你还求我们家的奴才周瑞的亲戚冷子兴去才中用。”倪家母女听了说：“二爷这样体面爷们还不中用，若是奴才，是更不中用了。”贾芸不好意思，心里发急道：“你不知道，如今的奴才比主子强多着呢。”倪家母女听来无法，只得冷笑几声说：“这倒难为二爷白跑了这几天，等我们那一个出来再道乏罢。”说毕出来，另托人将倪二弄了出来，只打了几板，也没有什么罪。

倪二回家，他妻女将贾家不肯说情的话说了一遍。倪二正喝着酒，便生气要找贾芸，说：“这小杂种，没良心的东西！头里他没有饭吃要到府内钻谋事办，亏我倪二爷帮了他。如今我有了事他不管。好罢咧，若是我倪二闹出来，连两府里都不干净！”他妻女忙劝道：“嗳，你又喝了黄汤便是这样有天没日头的，前儿可不是醉了闹的乱子，捱了打还没好呢，你又闹了。”倪二道：“捱了打便怕他不成，只怕拿不着由头！我在监里的时候，倒认得了好几个有义气的朋友，听见他们说起来，不独是城内姓贾的多，外省姓贾的也不少。前儿监里收下了好几个贾家的家人。我倒说，这里的贾家小一辈子并奴才们虽不好，他们老一辈的还好，怎么犯了事。我打听打听，说是和这里贾家是一家，都住在外省，审明白了解进来问罪的，我才放心。若说贾二这小子他忘恩负义，我便和几个朋友说他家怎样倚势欺人，怎样盘剥小民，怎样强娶有男妇女，叫他们〔一〕吵嚷出来，有了风声到了都老爷耳朵里，这一闹起来，叫你们才认得倪二金刚呢！”他女人道：“你喝了酒睡去罢！他又强占谁家的女人来了，没有的事你不用混说了。”倪二道：“你们在家里那里知道外头的事。前年我在赌场里碰见了小张，说他女人被贾家占了，他还和我商量。我倒劝他才了事的。但不知这小张如今那里去了，这两年没见。若碰着了他，我倪二出个主意叫贾老二死，给我好好的孝敬孝敬我倪二太爷才罢了。你倒不理我了！”说着，倒身躺下，嘴里还是咕咕嘟嘟的说了一回，便睡去了。他妻女只当是醉话，也不理他。明日早起，倪二又往赌场中去了。不题。

且说雨村回到家中，歇息了一夜，将道上遇见甄士隐的事告诉了他夫人一遍。他夫人便埋怨他：“为什么不回去瞧一瞧，倘或烧死了，可不是咱们没良心！”说着，掉下泪来。雨村道：“他是方外[4]的人了，不肯和咱们在一处的。”正说着，外头传进话来，禀说：“前日老爷吩咐瞧火烧庙去的回来了回话。”雨村踱了出来。那衙役打千请了安，回说：“小的奉老爷的命回去，也不等火灭，便冒火进去瞧那个道士，岂知他坐的地方多烧了。小的想着那道士必定烧死了。那烧的墙屋往后塌去，道士的影儿都没有，只有一个蒲团、一个瓢儿还是好好的。小的各处找寻他的尸首，连骨头都没有一点儿。小的恐老爷不信，想要拿这蒲团瓢儿回来做个证见，小的这么一拿，岂知都成了灰了。”雨村听毕，心下明白，知士隐仙去，便把那衙役打发了出去。回到房中，并没提起士隐火化之言，恐他妇女不知，反生悲感，只说并无形迹，必是他先走了。

雨村出来，独坐书房，正要细想士隐的话，忽有家人传报说：“内廷传旨，交看事件。”雨村疾忙上轿进内，只听见人说：“今日贾存周江西粮道被参回来，在朝内谢罪。”雨村忙到了内阁，见了各大人，将海疆办理不善的旨意看了，出来即忙找着贾政，先说了些为他抱屈的话，后又道喜，问：“一路可好？”贾政也将违别以后的话细细的说了一遍。雨村道：“谢罪的本上了去没有？”贾政道：“已上去了，等膳后下来看旨意罢。”正说着，只听里头传出旨来叫贾政，贾政即忙进去。各大人有与贾政关切的，都在里头等着。等了好一回方见贾政出来，看见他带着满头的汗。众人迎上去接着，问：“有什么旨意。”贾政吐舌道：“吓死人，吓死人！倒蒙各位大人关切，幸喜没有什么事。”众人道：“旨意问了些什么？”贾政道：“旨意问的是云南私带神枪一案。本上奏明是原任太师贾化的家人，主上一时记着我们先祖的名字，便问起来。我忙着磕头奏明先祖的名字是代化，主上便笑了，还降旨意说：‘前放兵部后降府尹的不是也叫贾化么？’”那时雨村也在旁边，倒吓了一跳，便问贾政道：“老先生怎么奏的？”贾政道：“我便慢慢奏道，‘原任太师贾化是云南人，现任府尹贾某是浙江湖州人。’主上又问‘苏州刺史奏的贾范是你一家了？’我又磕头奏道：‘是。’主上便变色道：‘纵使家奴强占良民妻女，还成事[5]么！’我一句不敢奏。主上又问道：‘贾范是你什么人？’我忙奏道：‘是远族。’主上哼了一声，降旨叫出来了。可不是诧事。”众人道：“本来也巧，怎么一连有这两件事。”贾政道：“事到不奇，倒是都姓贾的不好。算来我们寒族人多，年代久了，各处都有。现在虽没有事，究竟主上记着一个贾字就不好。”众人说：“真是真，假是假，怕什么。”贾政道：“我心里巴不得不做官，只是不敢告老。现在我们家里两个世袭，这也无可奈何的。”雨村道：“如今老先生仍是工部，想来京官是没有事的。”贾政道：“京官虽然无事，我究竟做过两次外任，也就说不齐了。”众人道：“二老爷的人品行事我们都佩服的。就是令兄大老爷，也是个好人。只要在令侄辈身上严紧些就是了。”贾政道：“我因在家的日子少，舍侄的事情不大查考，我心里也不甚放心。诸位今日提起，都是至相好，或者听见东宅的侄儿家有什么不奉规矩的事么？”众人道：“没听见别的，只有几位侍郎心里不大和睦，内监里头也有些。想来不怕什么，只要嘱咐那边令侄诸事留神就是了。”众人说毕，举手而散。

贾政然后回家，众子侄等都迎接上来。贾政迎着，请贾母的安，然后众子侄俱请了贾政的安，一同进府。王夫人等已到了荣禧堂迎接。贾政先到了贾母那里拜见了，陈述些违别的话。贾母问探春消息。贾政将许嫁探春的事都禀明了，还说：“儿子起身急促，难过重阳，虽没有亲见，听见那边亲家的人来说的极好。亲家老爷太太都说请老太太的安；还说今冬明春大约还可调进京来，这便好了。如今闻得海疆有事，只怕那时还不能调。”贾母始则因贾政降调回来，知探春远在他乡，一无亲故，心下不悦。后听贾政将官事说明，探春安好，也便转悲为喜，便笑着叫贾政出去。然后弟兄相见，众子侄拜见，定了明日清晨拜祠堂。

贾政回到自己屋内，王夫人等见过，宝玉、贾琏替另[6]拜见。贾政见了宝玉果然比起身之时脸面丰满，倒觉安静，并不知他心里糊涂，所以心甚喜欢，不以降调为念，心想“幸亏老太太办理的好。”又见宝钗沉厚更胜先时，兰儿文雅俊秀，便喜形于色。独见环儿仍是先前，究不甚钟爱。歇息了半天，忽然想起“为何今日短了一人？”王夫人知是想着黛玉。前因家书未报，今日又初到家，正是喜欢，不便直告，只说是病着。岂知宝玉的心里已如刀绞，因父亲到家，只得把持心性伺候。王夫人家筵接风，子孙敬酒。凤姐虽是侄媳，现办家事，也随了宝钗等递酒。贾政便叫：“递了一巡酒都歇息去罢。”命众家人不必伺候，待明早拜过宗祠，然后进见。分派已定，贾政与王夫人说些别后的话，馀者王夫人都不敢言。倒是贾政先提起王子腾的事来，王夫人也不敢悲戚。贾政又说蟠儿的事，王夫人只说他是自作自受，趁便也将黛玉已死的话告诉。贾政反吓了一惊，不觉掉下泪来，连声叹息。王夫人也掌不住，也哭了。旁边彩云等即忙拉衣，王夫人止住，重又说些喜欢的话，便安寝了。

次日一早，至宗祠行礼，众子侄都随往。贾政便在祠旁厢房坐下，叫了贾珍贾琏过来，问起家中事务，贾珍拣可说的说了。贾政又道：“我初回家，也不便来细细查问。只是听见外头说起你家里更不比往前，诸事要谨慎才好。你年纪也不小了，孩子们该管教管教，别叫他们在外头得罪人。琏儿也该听听。不是才回家便说你们，因我有所闻，所以才说的，你们更该小心些。”贾珍等脸涨通红的，也只答应个“是”字，不敢说什么。贾政也就罢了。回归西府，众家人磕头毕，仍复进内，众女仆行礼，不必多赘。

只说宝玉因昨贾政问起黛玉，王夫人答以有病，他便暗里伤心。直待贾政命他回去，一路上已滴了好些眼泪。回到房中，见宝钗和袭人等说话，他便独坐外间纳闷。宝钗叫袭人送过茶去，知他必是怕老爷查问工课，所以如此，只得过来安慰。宝玉便借此说：“你们今夜先睡一回，我要定定神。这时更不如从前，三言可忘两语，老爷瞧了不好。你们睡罢，叫袭人陪着我。”宝钗听去有理，便自己到房先睡。

宝玉轻轻的叫袭人坐着，央他把紫鹃叫来，有话问他。“但是紫鹃见了我，脸上嘴里总是有气似的，须得你去解释开了他来才好。”袭人道：“你说要定神，我倒喜欢，怎么又定到这上头了？有话你明儿问不得！”宝玉道：“我就是今晚得闲，明日倘或老爷叫干什么便没空儿。好姐姐，你快去叫他来。”袭人道：“他不是二奶奶叫是不来的。”宝玉道：“我所以央你去说明白了才好。”袭人道：“叫我说什么？”宝玉道：“你还不知道我的心也不知道他的心么？都为的是林姑娘。你说我并不是负心的，我如今叫你们弄成了一个负心人了！”说着这话，便瞧瞧里头，用手一指说：“他是我本不愿意的，都是老太太他们捉弄的，好端端把一个林妹妹弄死了。就是他死，也该叫我见见，说个明白，他自己死了也不怨我。你是听见三姑娘他们说的，临死恨怨我。那紫鹃为他姑娘，也恨得我了不得。你想我是无情的人么？晴雯到底是个丫头，也没有什么大好处，他死了，我老实告诉你罢，我还做个祭文去祭他。那时林姑娘还亲眼见的。如今林姑娘死了，莫非倒不如晴雯么，死了连祭都不能祭一祭。林姑娘死了还有知的，他想起来不要更怨我么！”袭人道：“你要祭便祭去，要我们做什么？”宝玉道：“我自从好了起来就想要做一首祭文的，不知道我如今一点灵机都没有了。若祭别人，胡乱却使得；若是他断断俗俚不得一点儿的。所以叫紫鹃来问，他姑娘这条心他们打从那样上看出来的。我没病的头里还想得出来，一病以后都不记得。你说林姑娘已经好了，怎么忽然死的？他好的时候我不去，他怎么说？我病时候他不来，他也怎么说？所以有他的东西，我诓了过来，你二奶奶总不叫我动，不知什么意思。”袭人道：“二奶奶惟恐你伤心罢了，还有什么！”宝玉道：“我不信。既是他这么念我，为什么临死都把诗稿烧了，不留给我作个纪念？又听见说天上有音乐响，必是他成了神或是登了仙去。我虽见过了棺材，到底不知道棺材里有他没有。”袭人道：“你这话益发糊涂了，怎么一个人不死就搁上一个空棺材当死了人呢。”宝玉道：“不是嗄！大凡成仙的人，或是肉身去的，或是脱胎去的。好姐姐，你倒底叫了紫鹃来。”袭人道：“如今等我细细的说明了你的心，他若肯来还好，若不肯来，还得费多少话。就是来了，见你也不肯细说。据我主意，明后日等二奶奶上去了，我慢慢的问他，或者倒可仔细。遇着闲空儿我再慢慢的告诉你。”宝玉道：“你说得也是。你不知道我心里的着急。”正说着，麝月出来说：“二奶奶说，天已四更了，请二爷进去睡罢。袭人姐姐必是说高了兴了，忘了时候儿了。”袭人听了道：“可不是，该睡了，有话明儿再说罢。”宝玉无奈，只得含愁进去，又向袭人耳边道：“明儿不要忘了。”袭人笑说：“知道了。”麝月笑道：“你们两个又闹鬼了。何不和二奶奶说了，就到袭人那边睡去，由着你们说一夜，我们也不管。”宝玉摆手道：“不用言语。”袭人恨道：“小蹄子，你又嚼舌根，看我明儿撕你！”回转头来对宝玉道：“这不是二爷闹的，说了四更的话，总没有说到这里。”一面说，一面送宝玉进屋，各人散去。

那夜宝玉无眠，到了明日，还思这事。只闻得外头传进话来说：“众亲朋因老爷回家，都要送戏接风。老爷再四推辞，说：‘唱戏不必，竟在家里备了水酒，倒请亲朋过来大家谈谈。’于是定了后儿摆席请人，所以进来告诉。”不知所请何人，下回分解。

[1] 回曹——即回衙。曹：古代分科办事的官署。

[2] 加一钱——高利贷的一种，月息为本金的十分之一。

〔一〕 “他们”，原作“你们”，从藤本改。

[4] 方外——世外。《庄子·大宗师》：“孔子曰：‘彼游方之外者也；而丘，游方之内者也。’”成玄英《疏》：“方，区域也。……不为教迹所拘，故游心寰宇之外。”

[5] 成事——此处意为成事体、像样子。

[6] 替另——单另。

CHAPTER 104. Drunken Dime at large again – a small fish whips up a mighty storm Our Besotted Hero in agony once more – a chance thrust quickens a numbed heart

‘The temple you visited has just caught fire, sir!’

Jia Yu-cun turned round, to see flames leaping from the ground and a cloud of whirling ashes darkening the sky.

‘How extraordinary!’ he thought to himself. ‘I left the place only minutes ago, and have walked but this little distance. How could such a fire have started? What if old Mr Zhen has perished in it?’

To return and investigate would almost certainly make him late for the ferry. On the other hand he felt a little uneasy about not going back at all. After a moment’s thought, he asked the man:

‘Did you notice whether the old Taoist managed to escape or not?’

‘I was not far behind you, sir. I had a stomach-ache, and went for a bit of a stroll. That was when I looked back. When I saw the blaze and realized it was the temple that was on fire, I came here as fast as I could to let you know. I certainly didn’t see anyone coming out of the flames.’

His twinge of conscience notwithstanding, Yu-cun was at heart a man who put his career first, and he felt insufficient concern to involve (and inconvenience) himself any further.

‘Wait here until the fire has died down,’ he told the servant. ‘Then go back and see if you can find any trace of the old man. Report to me directly.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Reluctantly the man stayed behind to carry out these instructions.

Jia Yu-cun crossed the river and continued his tour of inspection, putting up for the night, a few stops later, at the official lodgings provided. Next morning, his duties were completed and he was greeted at one of the city gates by the usual throng of runners, who then escorted him through the streets with a great deal of noise and pomp. On the way, he heard from within his sedan one of the criers having some kind of altercation in the street, and asked what the trouble was. A man was dragged forward and deposited kneeling at the foot of the sedan. The crier himself then fell to his knees and gave the following account of the incident:

‘This drunkard, instead of keeping out of Your Honour’s way, came lurching right in front of your chair, sir. I told him to get off the road, but he answered back in a drunken and insolent manner, threw himself down on the ground in the middle of the street, and accused me of hitting him.’

Jia Yu-cun addressed the offender directly:

‘This entire district, as you know, is in my charge, and every one of its residents falls under my jurisdiction. You, sir, must have known this only too well, and must also have been aware of my presence in these parts. In your drunken state the very least you could have done was to keep out of my way. But instead you have polluted the highway with your obnoxious person, and have then had the effrontery to slander one of my men! Explain yourself!’

‘Paid fir the wine meself, din I?’ grumbled the man. ‘An’ the ground’s ’is Majesty’s, innit? ’is Majesty never said I couldn’t sleep on it if I’d adda few! Can’t see what it’s gorra do with you, yerroner!’

‘Why, this fellow seems to consider himself completely above the law!’ snapped Jia Yu-cun angrily. ‘What’s his name?’

‘Ni Er,’ replied the man. ‘But they calls me the Drunken Diamond.’

Jia Yu-cun was not amused.

‘Give this precious rogue a good thrashing,’ he ordered grimly, adding by way of a vicious pun: ‘That should soon cut him down to size!’

His attendants pinned Ni Er to the ground and administered a few hefty cracks of the whip. The pain soon cleared Dime’s head, and he began begging abjectly for mercy. Yu-cun laughed loudly at him from his chair:

‘Diamond, indeed! All right, leave him alone for the present. Take him back to the yamen. We can question him at leisure there.’

There was a cry from the runners, who immediately bound Dime and dragged him along behind the chair, ignoring his continued pleas for mercy.

Yu-cun went first to the Palace to report on his tour, and then returned to his yamen, where daily business soon engulfed him. He was too busy to give Dime another thought. But the bystanders who had witnessed the flogging in the street lost no time in telling the story to their friends, and the news soon spread that Ni Er the swank, Ni Er the drunken bully, had fallen foul of Mayor Jia and landed himself in deep water. Rumour of it eventually reached the ears of his wife and daughter, and that night when he failed to come home his daughter, fearing the worst, went to all the gambling-dens in search of him. His cronies only confirmed the story, and Dime’s daughter was reduced to tears at the thought of what might have happened to her father.

‘Don’t take it to heart so, miss!’ they said. ‘That Mayor Jia’s related to the Rong-guo Jias. And isn’t young Jia Yun a buddy of your dad’s? Why don’t you and your mum go and ask him to put in a word for Dime? That should fix it.’

Dime’s daughter thought this over to herself:

‘They’re right. Father has often said how friendly he is with young Mr Jia Yun next door. Perhaps I should go and see him.’

She hurried home and told her mother, and the following morning the two of them went to call on Jia Yun. He happened to be at home that day, and invited them both in, while his mother told the little maid to serve them tea. They related the story of Dime’s arrest, and begged Jia Yun to help them secure his release.

‘Of course!’ agreed Jia Yun without the slightest hesitation. ‘No trouble at all. I’ll drop in at Rong-guo House, mention it to them, and the matter will soon be settled. This Mayor Jia owes everything to his connection with the Rong-guo Jias. One word from them and Dime will be a free man again!’

Dime’s wife and daughter returned home in high spirits and with great expectations. They went to visit Dime in the yamen where he was being held prisoner, and told him the good news, that thanks to the intervention of Jia Yun and the Jia family he would shortly be set free. Dime was greatly relieved.

Unfortunately Jia Yun, having had his previous overtures rebuffed by Xi-feng, had been too cowed to visit her again, and since that day had hardly set foot inside Rong-guo House. The men on the Rong-guo gate treated callers strictly according to their standing with the family. If the family were known to have received a person with cordiality and respect, that person was welcomed and announced immediately; if, on the other hand, a person had once been cold-shouldered, the servants were quick to take their cue. If such a person called again, even if he were a relative, they would refuse to report his arrival and would send him away without more ado. So, when Jia Yun turned up and asked to pay his respects to Jia Lian, he got a very cool reception at the gate:

‘Mr Lian is not in. When he comes home, we will inform him that you called.’

Jia Yun would have persisted and asked to see Mrs Lian, but he was afraid to provoke the gatemen any further, and with some reluctance turned about and went home. He had to face renewed importuning from Dime’s wife and daughter the next day:

‘But Mr Yun! We thought you said the Jias could get anything they wanted out of anyone! You’re one of the family, and this isn’t a big thing to ask. You can’t have failed! You can’t let us down like this!’

Jia Yun felt thoroughly humiliated, and tried to bluff his way out:

‘Yesterday my relatives were too busy to send anyone. But I’m sure they will do something about it today, and then Dime will be set free. There’s really no need to worry.’

Dime’s wife and daughter waited to see how things would turn out. Jia Yun, having failed to gain access by the front entrance of Rong-guo House, now tried the back, thinking he might be able to get in touch with Bao-yu in the Garden. To his surprise he found the garden gate locked, and was obliged to return home once more, dejected and crestfallen.

‘It was only a few years ago that Dime lent me that money,’ he thought to himself. ‘I used it to buy Mrs Lian a present of camphor and musk, and as a result she gave me the tree-planting job. But this time, just because I can’t afford presents, I get the brush-off. She’s got nothing to be proud of, lending out money – money that’s been handed down in the family – while poor householders like us can’t even borrow a tael when we need it. I suppose she thinks she’s being clever, that this is a nice little nest-egg, a clever way to protect her own future. She doesn’t know what a stinking reputation she’s earned for herself. If I keep my mouth shut, well and good; but if I tell people what I know, she’ll have more than one life to answer for in court!’

He found Dime’s wife and daughter waiting for him when he got back, and this time he had to admit, albeit in a modified form, that his mission had not borne fruit:

‘The Jias did send someone to put in a word for Dime, but I’m afraid Mayor Jia won’t set him free. You might have more luck if you try Mr Leng Zi-xing. He’s related to Mrs Zhou, and she works for the Jias.’

‘What earthly good will a servant be,’ complained Dime’s family, ‘when a respectable member of the family such as yourself can do nothing for us!’

Jia Yun found this highly mortifying. ‘What you don’t seem to realize,’ he protested indignantly, ‘is that nowadays servants can have more pull than their masters!’

Dime’s wife and daughter could see that they were wasting their time with him.

‘We’re much obliged to you for all the trouble you’ve gone to, Mr Yun,’ they muttered sarcastically. ‘When Father gets out he’s sure to want to thank you himself …’

They went their way. Eventually they found somebody else to assist in the extrication of Dime, who was duly acquitted and released, having suffered no more by way of punishment than a few strokes of the rod.

Upon his return to the family hearth, his womenfolk related to Dime how the Jias had failed to intervene on his behalf. Dime had already broached his first bottle, and angrily announced his intention of seeking out Jia Yun and teaching him a lesson:

‘Lousy bastard! Ungrateful, sneaky little sod! When he had an empty belly and needed a job, who did it, who gave him a helping hand? Right first time: yours truly. ’Course, now I’m in a bit of a spot meself, he doesn’t want to know, does he! Bloody marvellous I call it! I’m tellin’ you, if I want to, I can take those Jias and rub their snotty little noses in the mud where they belong!’

The women tried anxiously to forestall any more of his grandiose threats:

‘Drunk again, Dad! You’re out of your mind! The bottle was your undoing a couple of days ago, and you got a good hiding for it. And now hark at you! At it again, before your bruises have even had a chance to heal!’

‘Think a licking’s going to scare me, do you?’ bragged Dime. ‘All I needed was a lead. It was all I needed. And now I’ve got one. Now I can nail ’em! Oh yes, I got pally with some fellers while I was inside, and I learnt a thing or two. Accordin’ to them, this country’s crawling with Jias of one breed or another, and a few days back there was a fair number of Jia servants taken in. I was pretty surprised to hear that. I mean, I knew the younger Jias and their servants were a bad lot, but I’d always thought the older ones were all right. How come they’d got into trouble?

‘In the end, turns out that these Jias they were talking about were all from out of town – course, they’re still related to the ones in town. Anyway, there’s been some sort of hoo-ha, so these servants have been sent here for trying. So now I’ve got my lead! I’m laughing! That little Yun’s an ungrateful beggar, that’s what he is! My mates and I can spread the word on his family’s carry-on, the cheating and bullying, the lending money at wicked rates, the wife-snatching … Oh, if that gets to the top, some heads’ll roll all right then! That’ll learn ’em who Dime is!’

‘Go to sleep, you drunken old pisspot!’ cried Dime’s missus. ‘Snatching whose wife, in the name of heaven? I never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life!’

‘Fat lot you’d know, stuck at home all day!’ retorted Dime. ‘Coupla years back, I was having a throw in one of the dens, met this young feller, name of Zhang, and he told me how his woman was taken off of him by the Jias. Asked me for some advice. I just told him to forget it. Dunno where he is now, haven’t seen him these two or three years. Next time I bump into that Zhang feller, I’ll know what to tell him. Roast that little Yun alive! Make him crawl on his knees! Got my lead now …’

Dime promptly collapsed onto his bed in a stupor, mumbling incoherently to himself, and was soon soundly asleep. His wife and daughter dismissed his threats as the ravings of a drunkard, and early the next morning Dime set off once more for his gambling haunts, where we must leave him.

We return to Jia Yu-cun: the morning after his return home, refreshed by a good night’s sleep, he told his wife (who, it will be remembered, had once been in service with the Zhen family in Soochow) of his encounter with Zhen Shi-yin. She reproached him for his heartlessness:

‘Why did you not go back to look for him? If he has been burnt to death, we will be guilty forever of having done him a great wrong!’

She began to weep, and Jia Yu-cun tried to justify himself:

‘How could I have intervened? A being like that lives on a different plane from people like us. He would only have resented the interference.’

At that moment a message was brought in for Yu-cun:

‘The runner sent by Your Honour yesterday to investigate the fire at the temple has come to deliver his report.’

Yu-cun strolled out to receive the runner, who dropped one knee to the ground and said:

‘I went back as you told me to, sir. I braved the flames and went into the temple to see if I could find the Taoist. His hut was completely razed to the ground, even the wall behind it had collapsed, and there was no trace of the old man. He must have been roasted alive … All that was left was his prayer-mat, and drinking-gourd; somehow they both seemed to have survived intact. I looked all over the place for any human remains, but there was not so much as a bone to be seen. I was going to bring you the prayer-mat and gourd, to show you, in case you didn’t believe me, sir; but when I picked them up they just turned to ashes in my hands.’

Yu-cun deduced from this account that Zhen Shi-yin’s departure from the scene of the fire had been no ordinary death, but rather some miraculous process of etherealization. He dismissed the runner, and went in again to his private apartment, where he made no mention to his wife of Shi-yin’s metamorphosis by fire, thinking she would fail to understand and would only be distressed; instead he simply told her that no trace of the old man had been found, and that he had most probably escaped alive.

Leaving his private apartment, Yu-cun went to his study, and was sitting there pondering the few words Zhen Shi-yin had spoken during their brief encounter, when one of his attendants came in to convey an Imperial summons to the Palace, to peruse certain state papers. Yu-cun hurriedly took a sedan-chair to the Palace. As he arrived he overheard someone say:

‘The Kiangsi Grain Intendant, Jia Zheng, has been impeached, and is at court to plead for clemency!’

Yu-cun pressed on into the Cabinet Office and greeted the various Ministers of State gathered there. He first performed his duty and glanced through the state papers (which spelled out His Majesty’s displeasure with the state of the coastal defences), and then left the Cabinet Office at once to find Jia Zheng and to commiserate with him on his impeachment, expressing his relief that it was not too serious a charge, and asking if his journey to the capital had been a comfortable one. Jia Zheng replied with a detailed account of his misfortunes.

‘Has your plea for clemency been presented to the throne yet?’ asked Yu-cun.

‘It has,’ replied Jia Zheng. ‘I am expecting to receive the Rescript when His Majesty returns from lunch.’

Even as they were speaking, Jia Zheng was summoned to the Imperial presence, and hurried in. Those senior ministers who were connected with him waited anxiously in one of the antechambers; and when, after a lengthy audience, he finally emerged again, his face beaded with sweat, they all pressed forward to greet him.

‘Well?’ they asked. ‘How did it go?’

‘Frightened the life out of me!’ gasped Jia Zheng, his tongue popping out of his mouth. ‘I must thank you all, gentlemen, for your concern. I am relieved to inform you that I have come out of this business relatively unscathed.’

‘On what subjects did His Majesty question you?’

‘His first question concerned the smuggling of firearms in Yunnan Province. The original memorial on the case identified the ringleader as a member of the household of Jia Hua, the former Grand Preceptor. His Majesty thought he remembered the name as that of my father’s cousin, and asked me if it was indeed the same man. I kowtowed at once and reminded him that my father’s cousin was Jia Dai-hua. His Majesty laughed. Then he went on to ask me if there was not another relative of mine named Jia Hua, who had once been President of the Board of War, but had subsequently been demoted and then appointed Mayor.’

Jia Yu-cun was among those present. His more formal personal name was indeed Hua, Yu-cun being merely a commonly used sobriquet, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard this.

‘And how did you reply to this, sir?’ he asked Jia Zheng.

‘I replied most deliberately that the former Grand Preceptor Jia Hua hailed from Yunnan, whereas the Jia who was at present Mayor of the Metropolitan Prefecture was a Chekiang man.

‘His Majesty’s second question concerned the Jia Fan recently impeached by the Soochow censor. He asked me if this man also belonged to my family. I kowtowed and replied that he did. A cloud seemed to pass over His Majesty’s countenance, and he said: “A disgraceful affair, for a man to let his own household servants run riot and lay their hands on the wives of innocent citizens!” I did not dare utter a word. “What relation of yours is this Jia Fan?” “A distant one, Your Majesty,” I hastily replied. His Majesty gave a sound of disapproval and told me to withdraw. Altogether, I think you will agree, a most alarming experience!’

‘Certainly an astonishing coincidence that these two other cases should have come up at the same time as yours,’ concurred the others.

‘The cases in themselves are not so very remarkable,’ replied Jia Zheng. ‘But the fact that both the gentlemen concerned belong to the Jia clan certainly bodes ill for us. I suppose in a way it’s only to be expected: our clan is, after all, a large one, and over the centuries has spread itself throughout the entire Empire.

‘There may be no scandal at present involving our branch of the family directly, but I fear that after this the name Jia will be very much in the forefront of His Majesty’s mind. Not a prospect I view with relish, I must say.’

‘Come, you have nothing to fear,’ the others reassured him. ‘Remember, the truth will always prevail.’

‘I should dearly like to retire from public life altogether,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘But alas, I can hardly plead old age, and the hereditary family titles are an obligation that neither branch of the family can relinquish.’

‘Now that you are reinstated at the Board of Works, sir,’ put in Jia Yu-cun, ‘I think you will find life a great deal less fraught with difficulty.’

‘Metropolitan posts may be less troublesome in principle,’ replied Jia Zheng, ‘but since I have now served twice in the provinces, there’s no saying what unpleasantness may still lie in store for me.’

‘We all hold your integrity in the highest esteem,’ the others reassured him again. ‘And your brother’s character is beyond reproach. However, you could perhaps be a little stricter with your nephew and the younger generation.’

‘It is true, I have spent far too little time at home,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘And I have not kept a sufficiently careful watch on my nephew’s behaviour. It is something I have been uneasy about myself. Since you have raised this issue, and since I know you to be well disposed towards my family, I would be obliged if you could be a little more specific. Tell me, for example, have you heard of any irregularities in my nephew Zhen’s family at Ning-guo House?’

‘We have only heard,’ they replied, ‘that he has somehow managed to fall foul of several Vice-Presidents, not to mention a few eunuch chamberlains at the Palace. It is nothing to worry about unduly as yet, but you should perhaps warn him to be a little more circumspect in future.’

When the conversation was over, the ministers saluted Jia Zheng and took their leave. Jia Zheng returned home, and was welcomed at the main gate by a full turn-out of the younger male Jias. He enquired first after Grandmother Jia, and then they each greeted him in turn, dropping one knee to the ground, and followed him into the mansion. Lady Wang and the other ladies had assembled for a formal welcome in the Hall of Exalted Felicity, after which Jia Zheng went to pay his respects to Grandmother Jia in her private apartment. He told her all his news, and when she asked about Tan-chun, gave her a detailed account of the wedding.

‘I had to leave at short notice, and was unable to celebrate the Double Ninth festival with her. But although I did not see her then myself, some of her husband’s family came to visit me and told me that she was getting on very well there. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law both send you their regards. They said that they might be moving to the capital this winter or next spring, which would certainly be most welcome. But since these recent coastal disturbances, I very much doubt if they will be able to move so soon.’

Grandmother Jia had at first been most upset by the news of Jia Zheng’s demotion and return to the capital: apart from anything else it would mean that Tan-chun, who was living so far away from home, would be even more isolated from the family. But when Jia Zheng explained the favourable outcome of his audience with the Emperor, and set her mind at rest about Tan-chun, she cheered up considerably, and a smile could be seen on her face when she told him he could leave. Jia Zheng went next to see his brother, and then the younger men, and it was agreed that they would worship at the family ancestral shrine first thing the following day.

These duties performed, Jia Zheng retreated to his private apartment, where he spoke with Lady Wang and his other womenfolk, and then with Bao-yu, Jia Lan and Jia Huan. To his relief he observed a considerable improvement in Bao-yu, who seemed plumper and healthier than at the time of his departure for Kiangsi. He still knew nothing of the boy’s mental derangement, and this discernible outward improvement was a source of some satisfaction to him and a welcome antidote to his own anxieties. He dismissed any reservations he still had about the way in which Grandmother Jia had handled the wedding. Bao-chai too, he noticed, seemed more mature and poised than ever, while young Lan was growing into a fine, cultured young man. Jia Zheng was visibly pleased by what he saw. The only blot on the landscape was Jia Huan. He did not seem to have changed in the slightest, and still failed to arouse in his father any flicker of paternal affection or pride.

After a silence lasting several minutes Jia Zheng suddenly seemed to think of something.

‘There seems to be one person missing.’

Lady Wang knew he must be thinking of Dai-yu, whose death she had refrained from mentioning in any of her letters; and as she did not wish to spoil the pleasure of his homecoming by breaking the news to him now, she replied that illness had prevented Dai-yu from being present. This act of deception cut Bao-yu to the quick, but he did his utmost to appear composed, out of respect for his father.

Lady Wang invited all the children and grandchildren to the welcoming feast, and they drank to the Master’s return. Xi-feng, although she was strictly the daughter-in-law of Jia She and Lady Xing, was also present by virtue of her role as manageress of the household, helping Bao-chai to pour the wine. Jia Zheng cut the party short, saying that after one more round they should all retire. The servants were also dismissed, with instructions to call on him the next day, after the ancestral sacrifice.

Jia Zheng and Lady Wang were at last alone and able to talk together. Lady Wang was still reluctant to broach any serious topic; when Jia Zheng referred to her brother Wang Zi-teng’s death, she did her best not to appear too distressed; and when he mentioned Xue Pan’s fresh calamities, her only comment was that he had brought them upon himself. At an opportune moment however she broke the news of Dai-yu’s death, which seemed to come as a great shock to Jia Zheng, and to affect him deeply. Tears stole down his cheeks, and he sighed several times. Lady Wang herself could no longer contain her tears. Suncloud and her other maids who were standing close by gave her dress a discreet tug, and she quickly composed herself and steered the conversation towards a more cheerful subject. Soon afterwards they went to bed.

Early next morning, a ceremony was performed in the ancestral shrine, in the presence of all the young male members of the family, and afterwards Jia Zheng received Cousin Zhen and Jia Lian in the gallery at the side of the shrine, where he asked them for a report of the household accounts, which Cousin Zhen supplied, albeit in a highly selective form.

‘As I have only just returned home,’ commented Jia Zheng, ‘I do not intend to subject you to an inquisition now, Zhen. But let me say this: while I have been away, I have heard it said that you have been allowing standards to slip. You must exercise the utmost diligence and caution. You are older than the other members of your generation, and should set an example to the younger ones. There must be no offence caused to people outside. And that applies to you too, Lian. This is no routine homecoming homily. I have my reasons for warning you. There are things I have heard. I repeat: you must both be more careful in future.’

Cousin Zhen and Jia Lian were by now bright red in the face, and all they could muster was a feeble, ‘Yes, sir.’ Jia Zheng did not pursue the matter any further, but went in to his own reception hall, where all the menservants were waiting for him; thence he proceeded to the inner apartments, to be welcomed by all the maids and serving-women. But we will not describe these events in any great detail.

Our story returns to Bao-yu, and to the occasion on the previous day when he had been secretly so upset to hear Lady Wang speak of Dai-yu’s ‘illness’. Jia Zheng had finally granted him permission to leave the family gathering, and he returned to his apartment. He arrived, having cried most of the way there, to find Bao-chai and Aroma chatting together, and went off at once into an outer room to be on his own and nurse his grief in private. Bao-chai told Aroma to take him some tea, and then decided to go out herself and join him, surmising that he was nervous of an impending confrontation with his father, when his failure to make any progress in his studies would be discovered (and no doubt punished). It was therefore her duty to offer him some comfort. Bao-yu turned the misunderstanding to his advantage:

‘It’s all right. You can go to bed. I just need some time to concentrate and collect my thoughts. Lately my memory has been so poor, and there will be trouble if I make a fool of myself in front of Father. You go to sleep. Aroma can sit up and keep me company for a bit.’

Bao-chai thought it advisable to humour him, and nodded her assent. As soon as she was out of the way, Bao-yu went to find Aroma, and whispered in her ear:

‘Please will you ask Nightingale to come and see me? There’s something I need to speak to her about. You must explain to her how things really are. Maybe then she’ll stop being so angry with me.’

Aroma: ‘I thought I heard you say you wanted time to concentrate and collect your thoughts. But now look at you! What kind of concentration is this? Whatever you want to ask her can wait till tomorrow, surely?’

Bao-yu: ‘But I have this evening free. Tomorrow who knows what may happen? I may be sent for by Father, and then I won’t have a moment to myself. Dear Aroma! Go and do as I say, please!’

Aroma: ‘You know perfectly well she won’t come unless Mrs Bao sends for her.’

Bao-yu: ‘She might do, if you were to explain things to her first.’

Aroma: ‘But what do you want me to say?’

Bao-yu: Surely by now you know what my feelings are, and why Nightingale has turned against me. It’s all because of Dai-yu. It’s all a big misunderstanding. You must convince Nightingale that I’m not the faithless monster she takes me for, that it’s you and the others who have made me seem like one to her!’

As he said this, he glanced towards the inner room, and pointing in that direction, continued:

‘I never wanted to marry her. It was forced on me by Grandmother and the rest. It was all a trick. It was they who drove Dai-yu to her death. They were to blame. If only I could have seen her once before she died and been able to tell her the truth! Instead, she died thinking that I had betrayed her! You heard yourself what Cousin Tan said; with her dying breath Dai-yu spoke of me with bitterness and resentment. That’s why Nightingale has set herself so violently against me – out of loyalty to her mistress.

‘Do you think I’m heartless? Think back to Skybright’s death. Skybright was only my maid, and not as dear to me as Dai-yu; but even so, when she died I wrote a funeral ode for her and made an offering to her spirit – there’s no need to keep it a secret from you any longer. Dai-yu witnessed it with her own eyes. Now she herself is dead; and is she to be ranked lower than Skybright? But I haven’t been able to make her an offering of any kind. Won’t her spirit see this as further proof of my heartlessness? Won’t she feel greater bitterness towards me than ever?’

Aroma: ‘I don’t understand. If you want to write an ode and make an offering, then go ahead. Who’s stopping you?’

Bao-yu: ‘I’ve wanted to ever since I’ve been better. But somehow I seem to have lost all inspiration. For another person I might have been content with something uninspired. But for Dai-yu nothing but the very purest and the very best will do. That’s why I must see Nightingale. I want to ask her what she can tell me of her mistress’s feelings; I want to find out exactly how she came by that knowledge. I can remember what it was like before I fell ill. I can remember Dai-yu’s feelings towards me then. But from that time onwards, everything becomes a blur in my mind. Didn’t you tell me that her health had improved? Then why did death come so quickly? What did she say when I didn’t visit her, while she was still well? And then when I fell ill, did she ever say why she never came to see me? I managed to get her belongings brought over here, but Mrs Bao won’t let me touch them. I don’t understand why.’

Aroma: ‘Because she’s afraid it will only upset you. Why else?’

Bao-yu: ‘I don’t believe that. There must be more to it. Then again, if Dai-yu cared about me, or missed me, why did she burn her poems before she died? Surely she would have left them for me as a memento? It’s all so confusing. And what about the music that was heard in the air when she died? She must have become a fairy, or risen to heaven in the form of an immortal. If it comes to that, I don’t even know if she’s really dead. I’ve only seen the coffin; how can I be sure that she is still inside it?’

Aroma: ‘Honestly! You get more ridiculous with every word! Are you trying to suggest that she could have been put in the coffin while she was still alive, and then somehow climbed out of it?’

Bao-yu: ‘No. I meant something quite different. You see, if humans achieve immortality, there are two ways in which they can depart from this world: either they go in the flesh, in their earthly form, or they may discard their bodies, and their etheric body is then magically transported to another realm. Oh, Aroma, please help me! Tell Nightingale to come!’

Aroma: ‘You’ll have to wait till I’ve had a chance to explain all this to her properly. Then, if she agrees to come, well and good. If not, I can see I shall have to try again and have another long talk with her, and even after that, supposing she does come, she probably won’t be prepared to say much to you. If you want my advice, you should at least wait till tomorrow. In the morning when Mrs Bao goes in to see Her Old Ladyship I’ll have a word with Nightingale. We might get somewhere that way. I’ll come back as soon as I’ve spoken to her and tell you how it went.’

Bao-yu: ‘I suppose you’re right. But you don’t know how impatient I feel.’

At this point, Musk appeared:

‘Mrs Bao says, it’s already well past midnight, and will you go in to bed now, Mr Bao. Aroma must have got carried away chatting to you, and forgotten the time …’

‘Goodness, it is late!’ exclaimed Aroma. ‘Time to go to sleep. If there’s anything else, it can wait till the morning.’

Bao-yu rose reluctantly to go in to the bedroom, whispering in Aroma’s ear as he passed by:

‘Be sure not to forget tomorrow, whatever you do!’

‘Of course I won’t!’ said Aroma with a smile.

‘You two at it again!’ said Musk, touching her cheek at Aroma in a saucy fashion. Then, to Bao-yu: ‘Why don’t you just go straight to Mrs Bao and tell her that you’d like to sleep with Aroma? Then the two of you can carry on “talking” till dawn. None of us will interfere, you needn’t worry.’

Bao-yu raised his hand:

‘That is quite uncalled for, Musk!’

‘Little hussy!’ said Aroma heatedly. ‘Always having your little dig! You’d better look out! One of these days I’ll rip that nasty little tongue of yours out of your mouth for good!’ Turning to Bao-yu, she continued:

‘Now see what you’ve done! This is all your fault. Keeping me up talking like this till one o’clock in the morning …’

She escorted him into his room and then went her separate way to bed.

Bao-yu was unable to sleep that night, and in the morning was still preoccupied with the same gloomy thoughts.

The new day began with an announcement from outside:

‘The Master’s family and friends have expressed a wish to hold a theatre-party to welcome him home. The Master however is insistent that plays would be inappropriate on this occasion; instead he will give a simple party at home, to which all family and friends are invited. The date has been set fot the day after tomorrow. This is the preliminary announcement.’

To learn who was invited, please read the next chapter.