第一一六回

第一一六回 得通灵幻境悟仙缘 送慈柩故乡全孝道

话说宝玉一听麝月的话，身往后仰，复又死去，急得王夫人等哭叫不止。麝月自知失言致祸，此时王夫人等也不及说他。那麝月一面哭着，一面打定主意，心想：“若是宝玉一死，我便自尽跟了他去！”不言麝月心里的事。且言王夫人等见叫不回来，赶着叫人出来找和尚救治。岂知贾政进内出去时，那和尚已不见了。贾政正在诧异，听见里头又闹，急忙进来。见宝玉又是先前的样子，口关紧闭，脉息全无。用手在心窝中一摸，尚是温热。贾政只得急忙请医灌药救治。

那知那宝玉的魂魄早已出了窍了。你道死了不成？却原来恍恍惚惚赶到前厅，见那送玉的和尚坐着，便施了礼。那知和尚站起身来，拉着宝玉就走。宝玉跟了和尚，觉得身轻如叶，飘飘摇摇，也没出大门，不知从那里走了出来。行了一程，到了个荒野地方，远远的望见一座牌楼，好像曾到过的。正要问那和尚时，只见恍恍惚惚来了一个女人。宝玉心里想道：“这样旷野地方，那得有如此的丽人，必是神仙下界了。”宝玉想着，走近前来细细一看，竟有些认得的，只是一时想不起来。见那女人和和尚打了一个照面就不见了。宝玉一想，竟是尤三姐的样子，越发纳闷：“怎么他也在这里？”又要问时，那和尚拉着宝玉过了那牌楼，只见牌上写着“真如福地”四个大字，两边一副对联，乃是：

假去真来真胜假，无原有是有非无。

转过牌坊，便是一座宫门。门上横书四个大字道：“福善祸淫”。又有一副对子，大书云：

过去未来，莫谓智贤能打破；

前因后果，须知亲近不相逢。

宝玉看了，心下想道：“原来如此。我倒要问问因果来去的事了。”这么一想，只见鸳鸯站在那里招手儿叫他。宝玉想道：“我走了半日，原不曾出园子，怎么改了样子了呢？”赶着要和鸳鸯说话，岂知一转眼便不见了，心里不免疑惑起来。走到鸳鸯站的地方儿，乃是一溜配殿，各处都有匾额。宝玉无心去看，只向鸳鸯立的所在奔去。见那一间配殿的门半掩半开，宝玉也不敢造次进去，心里正要问那和尚一声，回过头来，和尚早已不见了。宝玉恍惚，见那殿宇巍峨，绝非大观园景象。便立住脚，抬头看那匾额上写道：“引觉情痴”。两边写的对联道：

喜笑悲哀都是假，贪求思慕总因痴。

宝玉看了，便点头叹息。想要进去找鸳鸯问他是什么所在，细细想来甚是熟识，便仗着胆子推门进去。满屋一瞧，并不见鸳鸯，里头只是黑漆漆的，心下害怕。正要退出，见有十数个大橱，橱门半掩。

宝玉忽然想起：“我少时做梦曾到过这个地方。如今能够亲身到此，也是大幸。”恍惚间，把找鸳鸯的念头忘了。便壮着胆把上首的大橱开了橱门一瞧，见有好几本册子，心里更觉喜欢，想道：“大凡人做梦，说是假的，岂知有这梦便有这事。我常说还要做这个梦再不能的，不料今儿被我找着了。但不知那册子是那个见过的不是？”伸手在上头取了一本，册上写着“金陵十二钗正册”。宝玉拿着一想道：“我恍惚记得是那个，只恨记不得清楚。”便打开头一页看去，见上头有画，但是画迹模糊，再瞧不出来。后面有几行字迹也不清楚，尚可摹拟，便细细的看去，见有什么“玉带”，上头有个好像“林”字，心里想道：“不要是说林妹妹罢？”便认真看去，底下又有“金簪雪里”四字，诧异道：“怎么又像他的名字呢。”复将前后四句合起来一念道：“也没有什么道理，只是暗藏着他两个名字，并不为奇。独有那‘怜’字‘叹’字不好。这是怎么解？”想到那里，又自啐道：“我是偷着看，若只管呆想起来，倘有人来，又看不成了。”遂往后看去，也无暇细玩那画图，只从头看去。看到尾儿有几句词，什么“相逢大梦归”一句，便恍然大悟道：“是了，果然机关不爽，这必是元春姐姐了。若都是这样明白，我要抄了去细玩起来，那些姊妹们的寿夭穷通没有不知的了。我回去自不肯泄漏，只做一个未卜先知的人，也省了多少闲想。”又向各处一瞧，并没有笔砚，又恐人来，只得忙着看去。只见图上影影有一个放风筝的人儿，也无心去看。急急的将那十二首诗词都看遍了。也有一看便知的，也有一想便得的，也有不大明白的，心下牢牢记着。一面叹息，一面又取那《金陵又副册》一看，看到“堪羡优伶有福，谁知公子无缘”，先前不懂，见上面尚有花席的影子，便大惊痛哭起来。

待要往后再看，听见有人说道：“你又发呆了！林妹妹请你呢。”好似鸳鸯的声气，回头却不见人。心中正自惊疑，忽鸳鸯在门外招手。宝玉一见，喜得赶出来。但见鸳鸯在前影影绰绰的走，只是赶不上。宝玉叫道：“好姐姐，等等我。”那鸳鸯并不理，只顾前走。宝玉无奈，尽力赶去，忽见别有一洞天，楼阁高耸，殿角玲珑，且有好些宫女隐约其间。宝玉贪看景致，竟将鸳鸯忘了。宝玉顺步走入一座宫门，内有奇花异卉，都也认不明白。惟有白石花阑围着一颗青草，叶头上略有红色，但不知是何名草，这样矜贵。只见微风动处，那青草已摇摆不休，虽说是一枝小草，又无花朵，其妩媚之态，不禁心动神怡，魂消魄丧。宝玉只管呆呆的看着，只听见旁边有一人说道：“你是那里来的蠢物，在此窥探仙草！”宝玉听了，吃了一惊，回头看时，却是一位仙女，便施礼道：“我找鸳鸯姐姐，误入仙境，恕我冒昧之罪。请问神仙姐姐，这里是何地方？怎么我鸳鸯姐姐到此还说是林妹妹叫我？望乞明示。”那人道：“谁知你的姐姐妹妹，我是看管仙草的，不许凡人在此逗留。”宝玉欲待要出来，又舍不得，只得央告道：“神仙姐姐既是那管理仙草的，必然是花神姐姐了。但不知这草有何好处？”那仙女道：“你要知道这草，说起来话长着呢。那草本在灵河岸上，名曰绛珠草。因那时萎败，幸得一个神瑛侍者日以甘露灌溉，得以长生。后来降凡历劫，还报了灌溉之恩，今返归真境。所以警幻仙子命我看管，不令蜂缠蝶恋。”宝玉听了不解，一心疑定必是遇见了花神了，今日断不可当面错过，便问：“管这草的是神仙姐姐了。还有无数名花必有专管的，我也不敢烦问，只有看管芙蓉花的是那位神仙？”那仙女道：“我却不知，除是我主人方晓。”宝玉便问道：“姐姐的主人是谁？”那仙女道：“我主人是潇湘妃子。”宝玉听道：“是了，你不知道这位妃子就是我的表妹林黛玉。”那仙女道：“胡说。此地乃上界神女之所，虽号为潇湘妃子，并不是娥皇女英之辈，何得与凡人有亲。你少来混说，瞧着叫力士[1]打你出去。”

宝玉听了发怔，只觉自形秽浊，正要退出，又听见有人赶来说道：“里面叫请神瑛侍者。”那人道：“我奉命等了好些时，总不见有神瑛侍者过来，你叫我那里请去。”那一个笑道：“才退去的不是么？”那侍女慌忙赶出来说：“请神瑛侍者回来。”宝玉只道是问别人，又怕被人追赶，只得踉跄而逃。正走时，只见一人手提宝剑迎面拦住说：“那里走！”唬得宝玉惊惶无措，仗着胆抬头一看，却不是别人，就是尤三姐。宝玉见了，略定些神，央告道：“姐姐怎么你也来逼起我来了。”那人道：“你们弟兄没有一个好人，败人名节，破人婚姻。今儿你到这里，是不饶你的了！”宝玉听去话头不好，正自着急，只听后面有人叫道：“姐姐快快拦住，不要放他走了。”尤三姐道：“我奉妃子之命等候已久，今儿见了，必定要一剑斩断你的尘缘。”宝玉听了益发着忙，又不懂这些话到底是什么意思，只得回头要跑。岂知身后说话的并非别人，却是晴雯。宝玉一见，悲喜交集，便说：“我一个人走迷了道儿，遇见仇人，我要逃回，却不见你们一人跟着我。如今好了，晴雯姐姐，快快的带我回家去罢。”晴雯道：“侍者不必多疑，我非晴雯，我是奉妃子之命特来请你一会，并不难为你。”宝玉满腹狐疑，只得问道：“姐姐说是妃子叫我，那妃子究是何人？”晴雯道：“此时不必问，到了那里自然知道。”宝玉没法，只得跟着走。细看那人背后举动恰是晴雯，那面目声音是不错的了，“怎么他说不是？我此时心里模糊。且别管他，到了那边见了妃子，就有不是，那时再求他，到底女人的心肠是慈悲的，必是恕我冒失。”

正想着，不多时到了一个所在。只见殿宇精致，彩色辉煌，庭中一丛翠竹，户外数本苍松。廊檐下立着几个侍女，都是宫妆打扮，见了宝玉进来，便悄悄的说道：“这就是神瑛侍者么？”引着宝玉的说道：“就是。你快进去通报罢。”有一侍女笑着招手，宝玉便跟着进去。过了几层房舍，见一正房，珠帘高挂。那侍女说：“站着候旨。”宝玉听了，也不敢则声，只得在外等着。那侍女进去不多时，出来说：“请侍者参见。”又有一人卷起珠帘。只见一女子，头戴花冠，身穿绣服，端坐在内。宝玉略一抬头，见是黛玉的形容，便不禁的说道：“妹妹在这里！叫我好想。”那帘外的侍女悄咤道：“这侍者无礼，快快出去。”说犹未了，又见一个侍儿将珠帘放下。宝玉此时欲待进去又不敢，要走又不舍，待要问明，见那些侍女并不认得，又被驱逐，无奈出来。心想要问晴雯，回头四顾，并不见有晴雯。心下狐疑，只得怏怏出来，又无人引着，正欲找原路而去，却又找不出旧路了。

正在为难，见凤姐站在一所房檐下招手。宝玉看见喜欢道：“可好了，原来回到自己家里了。我怎么一时迷乱如此。”急奔前来说：“姐姐在这里么，我被这些人捉弄到这个分儿。林妹妹又不肯见我，不知何原故。”说着，走到凤姐站的地方，细看起来并不是凤姐，原来却是贾蓉的前妻秦氏。宝玉只得立住脚要问“凤姐姐在那里”，那秦氏也不答言，竟自往屋里去了。宝玉恍恍惚惚的又不敢跟进去，只得呆呆的站着，叹道：“我今儿得了什么不是，众人都不理我。”便痛哭起来。见有几个黄巾力士执鞭赶来，说是“何处男人敢闯入我们这天仙福地来，快走出去！”宝玉听得，不敢言语。正要寻路出来，远远望见一群女子说笑前来。宝玉看时，又像有迎春等一干人走来，心里喜欢，叫道：“我迷住在这里，你们快来救我！”正嚷着，后面力士赶来。宝玉急得往前乱跑，忽见那一群女子都变作鬼怪形像，也来追扑。

宝玉正在情急，只见那送玉来的和尚手里拿着一面镜子一照，说道：“我奉元妃娘娘旨意，特来救你。”登时鬼怪全无，仍是一片荒郊。宝玉拉着和尚说道：“我记得是你领我到这里，你一时又不见了。看见了好些亲人，只是都不理我，忽又变作鬼怪，到底是梦是真，望老师明白指示。”那和尚道：“你到这里曾偷看什么东西没有？”宝玉一想道：“他既能带我到天仙福地，自然也是神仙了，如何瞒得他。况且正要问个明白。”便道：“我倒见了好些册子来着。”那和尚道：“可又来，你见了册子还不解么！世上的情缘都是那些魔障。只要把历过的事情细细记着，将来我与你说明。”说着，把宝玉狠命的一推，说：“回去罢！”宝玉站不住脚，一交跌倒，口里嚷道：“阿哟！”

王夫人等正在哭泣，听见宝玉苏来，连忙叫唤。宝玉睁眼看时，仍躺在炕上，见王夫人宝钗等哭的眼泡红肿。定神一想，心里说道：“是了，我是死去过来的。”遂把神魂所历的事呆呆的细想，幸喜多还记得，便哈哈的笑道：“是了，是了。”王夫人只道旧病复发，便好延医调治，即命丫头婆子快去告诉贾政，说是“宝玉回过来了，头里原是心迷住了，如今说出话来，不用备办后事了。”贾政听了，即忙进来看视，果见宝玉苏来，便道：“没的痴儿你要唬死谁么！”说着，眼泪也不知不觉流下来了。又叹了几口气，仍出去叫人请医生诊脉服药。这里麝月正思自尽，见宝玉一过来，也放了心。只见王夫人叫人端了桂圆汤叫他喝了几口，渐渐的定了神。王夫人等放心，也没有说麝月，只叫人仍把那玉交给宝钗给他带上，“想起那和尚来，这玉不知那里找来的，也是古怪。怎么一时要银一时又不见了，莫非是神仙不成？”宝钗道：“说起那和尚来的踪迹去的影响，那玉并不是找来的。头里丢的时候，必是那和尚取去的。”王夫人道：“玉在家里怎么能取的了去？”宝钗道：“既可送来，就可取去。”袭人麝月道：“那年丢了玉，林大爷测了个字，后来二奶奶过了门，我还告诉过二奶奶，说测的那字是什么‘赏’字。二奶奶还记得么？”宝钗想道：“是了。你们说测的是当铺里找去，如今才明白了，竟是个和尚的‘尚’字在上头，可不是和尚取了去的么。”王夫人道：“那和尚本来古怪。那年宝玉病的时候，那和尚来说是我们家有宝贝可解，说的就是这块玉了。他既知道，自然这块玉到底有些来历。况且你女婿养下来就嘴里含着的。古往今来，你们听见过这么第二个么。只是不知终久这块玉到底是怎么着，就连咱们这一个也还不知是怎么着。病也是这块玉，好也是这块玉，生也是这块玉——”说到这里忽然住了，不免又流下泪来。宝玉听了，心里却也明白，更想死去的事愈加有因，只不言语，心里细细的记忆。那时惜春便说道：“那年失玉，还请妙玉请过仙，说是‘青埂峰下倚古松’，还有什么‘入我门来一笑逢’的话，想起来‘入我门’三字大有讲究。佛教的法门最大，只怕二哥不能入得去。”宝玉听了，又冷笑几声。宝钗听了，不觉的把眉头儿肐揪[2]着发起怔来。尤氏道：“偏你一说又是佛门了。你出家的念头还没有歇么？”惜春笑道：“不瞒嫂子说，我早已断了荤了。”王夫人道：“好孩子，阿弥陀佛，这个念头是起不得的。”惜春听了，也不言语。宝玉想“青灯古佛前”〔一〕的诗句，不禁连叹几声。忽又想起一床席一枝花的诗句来，拿眼睛看着袭人，不觉又流下泪来。众人都见他忽笑忽悲，也不解是何意，只道是他的旧病。岂知宝玉触处机来，竟能把偷看册上诗句俱牢牢记住了，只是不说出来，心中早有一个成见[4]在那里了。暂且不题。

且说众人见宝玉死去复生，神气清爽，又加连日服药，一天好似一天，渐渐的复原起来。便是贾政见宝玉已好，现在丁忧无事，想起贾赦不知几时遇赦，老太太的灵柩久停寺内，终不放心，欲要扶柩回南安葬，便叫了贾琏来商议。贾琏便道：“老爷想得极是，如今趁着丁忧干了一件大事更好。将来老爷起了服，生恐又不能遂意了。但是我父亲不在家，侄儿呢又不敢僭越。老爷的主意很好，只是这件事也得好几千银子。衙门里缉赃那是再缉不出来的。”贾政道：“我的主意是定了，只为大爷不在家，叫你来商议商议怎么个办法。你是不能出门的。现在这里没有人，我为是好几口材都要带回去的，一个怎么样的照应呢，想起把蓉哥儿带了去。况且有他媳妇的棺材也在里头。还有你林妹妹的，那是老太太的遗言说跟着老太太一块儿回去的。我想这一项银子只好在那里挪借几千，也就够了。”贾琏道：“如今的人情过于淡薄。老爷呢，又丁忧；我们老爷呢，又在外头，一时借是借不出来的了。只好拿房地文书出去押去。”贾政道：“住的房子是官盖的，那里动得。”贾琏道：“住房是不能动的。外头还有几所可以出脱的，等老爷起复后再赎也使得。将来我父亲回来了，倘能也再起用，也好赎的。只是老爷这么大年纪，辛苦这一场，侄儿们心里实不安。”贾政道：“老太太的事，是应该的。只要你在家谨慎些，把持定了才好。”贾琏道：“老爷这倒只管放心，侄儿虽糊涂，断不敢不认真办理的。况且老爷回南少不得多带些人去，所留下的人也有限了，这点子费用还可以过的来。就是老爷路上短少些，必经过赖尚荣的地方，可也叫他出点力儿。”贾政道：“自己的老人家的事，叫人家帮什么。”贾琏答应了“是”，便退出来打算银钱。

贾政便告诉了王夫人，叫他管了家，自己便择了发引长行的日子，就要起身。宝玉此时身体复元，贾环贾兰倒认真念书，贾政都交付给贾琏，叫他管教，“今年是大比的年头。环儿是有服的，不能入场；兰儿是孙子，服满了也可以考的；务必叫宝玉同着侄儿考去。能够中一个举人，也好赎一赎咱们的罪名。”贾琏等唯唯应命。贾政又吩咐了在家的人，说了好些话，才别了宗祠，便在城外念了几天经，就发引下船，带了林之孝等而去。也没有惊动亲友，惟有自家男女送了一程回来。

宝玉因贾政命他赴考，王夫人便不时催逼查考起他的工课来。那宝钗袭人时常劝勉，自不必说。那知宝玉病后虽精神日长，他的念头一发更奇僻了，竟换了一种。不但厌弃功名仕进，竟把那儿女情缘也看淡了好些。只是众人不大理会，宝玉也并不说出来。一日，恰遇紫鹃送了林黛玉的灵柩回来，闷坐自己屋里啼哭，想着：“宝玉无情，见他林妹妹的灵柩回去并不伤心落泪，见我这样痛哭也不来劝慰，反瞅着我笑。这样负心的人，从前都是花言巧语来哄着我们！前夜亏我想得开，不然几乎又上了他的当。只是一件叫人不解，如今我看他待袭人等也是冷冷儿的。二奶奶是本来不喜欢亲热的，麝月那些人就不抱怨他么？我想女孩子们多半是痴心的，白操了那些时的心，看将来怎样结局！”正想着，只见五儿走来瞧他，见紫鹃满面泪痕，便说：“姐姐又想林姑娘了？想一个人闻名不如眼见，头里听着宝二爷女孩子跟前是最好的，我母亲再三的把我弄进来。岂知我进来了，尽心竭力的服侍了几次病，如今病好了，连一句好话也没有剩出来，如今索性连眼儿也都不瞧了。”紫鹃听他说的好笑，便噗嗤的一笑，啐道：“呸，你这小蹄子，你心里要宝玉怎么个样儿待你才好？女孩儿家也不害臊，连名公正气的屋里人瞧着他还没事人一大堆呢，有功夫理你去！”因又笑着拿个指头往脸上抹着问道：“你到底算宝玉的什么人哪？”那五儿听了，自知失言，便飞红了脸。待要解说不是要宝玉怎样看待，说他近来不怜下的话，只听院门外乱嚷说：“外头和尚又来了，要那一万银子呢。太太着急，叫琏二爷和他讲去，偏偏琏二爷又不在家。那和尚在外头说些疯话，太太叫请二奶奶过去商量。”不知怎样打发那和尚，下回分解。

[1] 力士——即黄巾力士，神话传说中上界值勤的神将。

[2] 肐揪（ɡē　jiū疙纠）——眉头紧皱的样子。

〔一〕 “古佛前”，藤本、程乙本同，王本作“古佛傍”。

[4] 成见——这里是主见、定见的意思。

CHAPTER 116. Human destinies are revealed in a fairy realm, and the Stone is restored to its rightful owner Mortal remains are transported to their terrestrial home, and duty is discharged by a filial son

Musk’s untimely reference to a sensitive episode from the past sent Bao-yu into a sudden swoon and he slumped back onto his bed once more. Lady Wang and the assembled family broke into a fresh bout of wailing and weeping, while Musk herself, realizing that her thoughtlessness was to blame for this terrible turn (though Lady Wang had not yet had time to scold her), began to weep and at the same time made a desperate resolution:

‘If Bao-yu dies, I shall take my own life and die with him!’

Lady Wang could see that this time none of their efforts to rouse Bao-yu was having any effect, and sent an urgent message to the monk, begging him to come to the rescue again. But the monk was nowhere to be seen. Jia Zheng had returned earlier to the hall, only to find that his eccentric guest had vanished into thin air. This fresh outcry from the inner apartment now reached Jia Zheng’s ears and he hurried back, to find Bao-yu unconscious again, teeth clenched and with no trace of a pulse. He felt his chest, and finding it still quite warm, sent in desperation for a doctor, to attempt resuscitation by forcing down a draught of some kind.

But Bao-yu’s spirit had already quit its mortal frame. Then that means he was dead, you say? The exact situation, dear Reader, was as follows: the spirit had flitted in its incorporeal fashion out to the reception hall, where it saw the jade-bearing monk and saluted him with a bow. The monk hurriedly rose to his feet, grasped the spirit by the hand and set off. Bao-yu (spirit) followed, light as a leaf drifting in the breeze. They made their way out not by the main entrance but by a route he failed to recognize, and presently they reached an open space, a wilderness, whence in the far distance he spied a strangely familiar monumental archway. He was on the point of asking the monk what it was, when a misty female form came gliding towards him.

‘What is a beautiful creature like that doing in such a desolate place as this?’ Bao-yu asked himself. ‘She must be some goddess come to earth.’

He approached her and looked more closely. Her face was as familiar as the archway had been, but somehow he was unable to remember exactly who she was. She greeted the monk, and then in an instant vanished from view. In that same instant Bao-yu knew who it was that she resembled: You San-jie. More puzzled than ever (for what could she be doing here?), he wanted to question the monk. But before he could do so, the monk was leading him by the hand on through the archway. On the lintel of the arch were inscribed in large characters the words:

THE PARADISE OF TRUTH

A couplet in smaller characters ran down on either side:

When Fiction departs and Truth appears,

Truth prevails;

Though Not-real was once Real, the Real

is never unreal.

Having negotiated the archway, they presently came to the gate of a palace, above which ran a horizontal inscription:

Blessing for the Virtuous; Misfortune for the Wicked

whilst the following words were inscribed vertically on the two sides:

Human Wit can ne’er unveil the Mysteries of Time, Nor Closest Kin defy the Stern Decrees of Fate.

‘So …’ thought Bao-yu to himself. ‘It is time I began to learn more about the operation of fate.’ Even as this thought was passing through his mind, he saw (of all people) Faithful standing a little way off, beckoning and calling to him.

‘All this time and I’m still at home in the Garden!’ he reflected in astonishment. ‘But why is it so changed?’

He hurried forward to speak to Faithful, but a second later she too had vanished and he was left standing there, more perplexed than ever. He continued to advance towards the place where Faithful had been, and as he did so he observed a range of buildings on either side of him, and above the entrance to each building a board proclaiming its name. He felt no great inclination to inspect any of these buildings closely, but hurried on in quest of Faithful. The entrance beyond the spot where she had stood was ajar, but he did not dare to enter, thinking he should consult his guide first. And yet when he turned to find him, the monk had vanished. The buildings all around him suddenly seemed very grand, and it began to occur to Bao-yu that perhaps this was not Prospect Garden after all. He stood still and raised his head to read the words above the doorway immediately in front of him:

AWAKEN FROM LOVE’S FOLLY

The couplet on either side ran:

Smiles of gladness, tears of woe, all are false; Every lust and every longing stems from folly.

Bao-yu nodded his head and sighed. He still wanted to enter the doorway and go in search of Faithful, to ask her what this place was that he had come to. He felt a growing certainty that he had been here on some previous occasion. Finally he plucked up the courage to push the door open, and went in. There was no sign whatsoever of Faithful. It was pitch dark inside and he was about to give in to fear and retrace his steps when his eyes discerned, looming in the darkness, the shapes of a dozen large cupboards, their doors apparently pushed to but unlocked. A sudden realization swept over him:

‘I know I’ve been somewhere like this before. I remember it now. It was in a dream. What a blessing this is, to return to the scene of my childhood dream!’

Somehow in his confusion his original intention of finding Faithful had gone, giving way to a new and more generalized curiosity about what lay before him. He plucked up his courage again and opened the door of the first cupboard. Within it he saw a number of albums, and a thrill of excited delight ran through him.

‘People always say that dreams are false,’ he thought to himself. ‘But it seems that this one was real! How often I’ve wished I could dream that dream of mine again! And now here I am, and my wish is coming true. I wonder if these are the very albums I saw?’

Stretching out his hand he took the top one, and held it in his hand. It bore the label ‘Jinling, Twelve Beauties of, Main Register’.

‘I do remember seeing this,’ he thought to himself. ‘I think I do … If only I could remember more clearly!’

He opened it at the first page, and found himself looking at a picture, but one that was so blurred he could hardly tell what it represented. There followed a few rows of characters, written in an almost indecipherable hand, among which he could faintly trace the forms of ‘jade belt’ (dai yu) and ‘greenwoo’ (lin).

‘Surely that must be a riddle for Cousin Lin?’ he thought to himself, and read on in earnest. The next line contained the words ‘the gold pin beneath the snow (xue)’.

‘Why that’s Bao-chai’s surname!’ he exclaimed aloud.

He read to the end of the fourth and last line.

‘It doesn’t seem to say very much. It’s just a series of riddles on the names Lin Dai-yu and Xue Bao-chai. There’s nothing very exceptional about that. But some of the phrases sound rather ominous. I wonder what it’s all supposed to mean?

‘Silly me! I’m not really supposed to be here at all,’ he rebuked himself. ‘If I spend my time daydreaming like this and someone comes, I’ll have wasted my chance to look through the rest.’

He continued his inspection of the albums. He did not allow himself time to linger over the next picture, but went straight to the poem, which ended with the words:

When hare meets tiger, your great dream shall end.

They brought a sudden burst of illumination:

‘What a brilliant prediction! It must refer to the death of my eldest sister. If they are all as clear as this, I should copy them down and study them carefully. That way I can find out everything about my sisters and cousins, how long they’re going to live, whether they will fail or succeed in life, be wealthy or poor. At home I shall have to keep my knowledge a secret of course. But my inside information will at least save me a lot of unnecessary worrying …’

He looked everywhere for writing implements, but could see neither brush nor inkstone, and fearing that someone might surprise him, he hurriedly scanned through the rest of the album. The next leaf bore an impressionistic representation of a figure flying a kite. He did not feel in the mood to dwell on the pictures but quickly read the remaining poems in the set of twelve. In some cases he was able to grasp the hidden meaning at a first reading, others required a moment’s reflection, while some remained obstinately unintelligible. He committed all of them carefully to memory none the less. With a sigh he took out the next album, labelled ‘Supplementary Register No. 1’, and began to read. He stopped at the lines:

You chose the player fortune favoured, Unmindful of your master’s doom.

At first they meant nothing to him. Then he studied the accompanying picture, a bunch of flowers and a mat painted in the same impressionistic style as the kite-flying girl. Suddenly he burst into tears.*

He was about to read further, when he heard a voice saying:

‘Daydreaming again! Come now, Cousin Lin wants to see you.’

The voice was very like Faithful’s, but when he turned to look, to his great bewilderment there was no one there. Then suddenly he saw Faithful again, standing outside the doorway and beckoning to him. He ran out after her in delight, but her shadowy form drifted constantly ahead of him and he was unable to overtake her.

‘Dear Faithful! Please wait for me!’ he cried.

She took no notice but hurried on ahead, while he ran panting after her. Suddenly another vista loomed in front of him, of high buildings and intricately carved roofs, among which he could dimly perceive the figures of palace ladies. In his eagerness to explore this new realm Bao-yu forgot Faithful completely. Wandering in through one of the gateways, he found himself among all sorts of strange and exotic plants and flowers, none of which he could identify. One in particular caught his eye, a herbaceous plant surrounded by a marble balustrade, the tips of its leaves tinged a faint red.

‘What rare plant can that be,’ he wondered, ‘to be accorded such a place of honour?’

A gentle breeze had arisen and the plant fluttered its leaves with a long drawn-out trembling motion. It was small and flowerless, but its delicate charm held Bao-yu’s heart spellbound and enraptured his soul. He was still staring at it dumbfounded when a voice beside him spoke:

‘Where are you from, you great booby? And what do you think you’re doing peeping at our Fairy Plant?’

Startled from his reverie, Bao-yu turned to see a fairy maiden standing at his side. He bowed and said in reply to her questions:

‘I came here to find Faithful. Excuse me if I have clumsily trespassed on your fairy domain. Please can you tell me, Sister Fairy, what this place is, and why Faithful said that Cousin Lin wanted to see me? Please will you explain?’

‘Sister this, Cousin that! Such names mean nothing to me!’ replied the fairy. ‘All I know is that this Fairy Plant is my responsibility, and that it is strictly forbidden for mortals like you to loiter here. You must leave at once.’

Bao-yu could not bring himself to obey the fairy’s command.

‘Sister Fairy!’ he pleaded once more. ‘If you are in charge of a Fairy Plant, then you must be a Flower Fairy yourself. Can you tell me: what is so special about this particular plant?’

‘That’s a very long story,’ replied the fairy. ‘Once it grew by the banks of the Magic River and then it was called the Crimson Pearl Flower. It wilted and began to die, but was revived and given immortal life through the intervention of the Divine Luminescent Page-in-waiting, who generously watered it with sweet dew. Afterwards it descended into the world of men to repay its debt with the tears of a lifetime, and now that this has been done it has returned to its true abode. Fairy Disenchantment has given me instructions to tend it and to stop the bees and butterflies from molesting it …’

Bao-yu still did not understand. He had a growing conviction that this really must be a Flower Fairy that he had met, and was determined not to let such a rare opportunity slip through his hands. He asked her politely:

‘So you, Sister Fairy, are in charge of this plant. But each of the many other fine flowers must have its own fairy-in-attendance. I hate to bother you, but I wonder if you could tell me which fairy is in charge of the Hibiscus?’

‘I don’t know. You’ll have to ask my mistress about that.’

‘Who is your mistress, pray?’

‘My mistress is the River Queen.’

‘I knew it!’ exclaimed Bao-yu. ‘That’s my cousin Lin Dai-yu!’

‘Stuff and nonsense!’ retorted the by now highly exasperated fairy. ‘May I remind you again that this is a heavenly realm and the abode of fairies. My mistress may be called the River Queen, but she is nothing like your earthly queens and consorts. How could she possibly be related to a mortal? Stop talking such utter nonsense or I shall have you beaten and thrown out by one of our guards.’

Bao-yu was struck dumb by the fairy’s words and became painfully conscious of his own uncleanliness. He was taking his leave when he heard someone hurrying towards them, calling:

‘They’re asking for the Divine Luminescent Page-in-waiting!’

‘I know,’ replied the fairy. ‘I was told to look out for him. That’s why I’ve been waiting here all this time. But I haven’t seen any such Page go by. So what am I to do?’

‘Surely that was him – the one who left just now!’ cried the messenger with a laugh, and rushed out to waylay Bao-yu.

‘Will it please the Divine Luminescent Page-in-waiting to return?’

Bao-yu thought she must be addressing someone else. He was afraid of being overtaken and caught, and continued stumbling forwards, in an effort to make good his escape. When he looked up, he saw before him a formidable figure barring his way with a large sword:

‘Where are you going?’

Bao-yu was frightened out of his wits, but managed to pluck up enough courage to take another look. He was astonished, and then somewhat reassured, to find himself face to face with You San-jie.

‘Oh Cousin!’ he begged her. ‘Why are you after me too?’

‘You men, you’re all the same!’ was her reply. ‘There’s not a good one in your entire family. You ruin a girl’s reputation, then you destroy her marriage. Well I’ve got you now, and you won’t escape me!’

Bao-yu could tell that she was in deadly earnest and was beginning to panic when he heard another voice behind him saying:

‘Sister! Stop that man at once! He must not be allowed to leave!’

‘I have my orders from the River Queen,’ replied San-jie, ‘and I’ve been waiting a long while for something like this. Now you’re in my grasp, and with one blow of my sword I shall sever the ties that bind you to the mortal world.’

Bao-yu was terrified. He could not understand what she was saying, and turned and fled, only to see that the face from which the voice behind him had issued was that of Skybright. Joy and sorrow mingled in his heart.

‘I’m lost!’ he cried pathetically. ‘I’m all on my own and I seem to have run into the arms of the enemy. I wanted to escape and go home, but I couldn’t find any of you to take me back. Now I shall be safe! Dear Skybright, please will you take me home now?’

‘You must not lose heart,’ replied the maiden. ‘I am not Skybright. I have been specially commissioned by our Queen to escort you into her presence. I will not do you any harm.’

Bao-yu was now utterly bewildered:

‘You say your Queen sent you; but who is your Queen?’

‘Don’t ask now,’ replied Skybright. ‘Soon you will see for yourself.’

Helplessly Bao-yu followed her, and as they walked he studied her more closely. She resembled Skybright in every detail.

‘Her face, her eyes, her voice are all Skybright’s!’ he reflected to himself. ‘How can she say she isn’t Skybright? Oh dear, I’m in such a muddle. I’d better take no notice of what she says. Whatever it is that I’ve done wrong, when I am admitted into the presence of her Queen, I can ask her to help. Women have kind hearts, after all. She will surely forgive me.’

They had now reached a magnificent palace, lavishly and brilliantly appointed in every respect. In the courtyard before them grew a clump of bright green bamboo, while by the main doorway stood a row of dark pine-trees. There were several ladies-in-waiting standing under the eaves, dressed in fine palace robes, and when they saw Bao-yu come in they began whispering among themselves:

‘Is that the Divine Luminescent Page?’

Bao-yu’s attendant informed them:

‘It is, so you’d better hurry in and announce his arrival.’

One of the ladies beckoned to Bao-yu with a smile, and he followed her in through several apartments, till finally they arrived at what seemed to be the entrance to the main hall of the palace. It was hung with a pearl blind. Stopping before this blind, the lady-in-waiting turned to Bao-yu and said:

‘Wait here for your instructions from Her Majesty.’

Bao-yu did not dare breathe a word, but waited obediently outside the doorway. Presently the lady-in-waiting returned and announced:

‘Will the Page please enter now for his audience?’

Another attendant began to roll up the pearl blind, and as she did so Bao-yu caught sight of a regal figure seated within, dressed in richly embroidered robes and wearing a crown of flowers on her head. Raising his head a fraction to look more closely, he saw that the Queen did indeed resemble Dai-yu and cried out impulsively:

‘Here you are at last, Coz! Oh how I’ve missed you!’

The lady-in-waiting outside the blind whispered in a shocked tone:

‘Ill-mannered Page! Out with you at once!’

She had barely said this when the other attendant lowered the blind again. Bao-yu was too scared to go in, and yet the thought of leaving was inconceivable. He wanted to ask one of the other ladies-in-waiting for an explanation, but when he looked round he realized that they were all of them strangers. They were forcing him out now and he had no choice but to leave. He thought as a last resort of trying to ask ‘Skybright’, but when he looked for her she was nowhere to be seen. A deep feeling of confusion and foreboding descended on him and he dragged himself dejectedly away, this time without a guide. There was no trace of the way by which he had come and he was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to find his way back, when to his delight he saw the figure of Xi-feng beckoning to him from beneath the eaves of another building.

‘Thank goodness! I’m home again! How could I have lost my bearings so quickly?’

He rushed up to her:

‘Here you are! They’ve all been so cruel to me, and Cousin Lin wouldn’t see me. I don’t know why!’

He was standing right next to Xi-feng. But on closer inspection it turned out not to be Xi-feng at all but Jia Rong’s first wife, Qin Ke-qing. He hesitated for a moment and then asked her where Xi-feng had gone. But the lady made no reply and presently turned and went inside.

Bao-yu stood there in a daze, not daring to follow her in, but staring blankly before him.

‘What have I done wrong today,’ he sighed, ‘that I should be spurned like this wherever I turn?’

Just as he was bursting into tears, a cohort of guards in yellow turbans with whips in their hands descended upon him.

‘Where are you from, and who do you think you are to come sneaking into this fairy realm? Off with you! Be gone!’

Bao-yu did not dare say a word, but continued to search for a way out of the place. In the far distance he spied a crowd of ladies laughing and walking in his direction, and thought to his relief that he could recognize among them Ying-chun and some of his other cousins.

‘Help!’ he cried. ‘I’m lost! Save me!’

Even as he shouted, the guards continued relentlessly to push him on from behind, and he stumbled helplessly forward. Then to his horror he saw that his ‘cousins’ had been transformed into strange ghoulish monsters and were pursuing him too. His nerves were at breaking point. Suddenly the monk appeared before him, and shone a mirror in his face:

‘By the order of Her Grace the Imperial Jia Concubine I have come to save you!’

In a trice the monsters vanished, and Bao-yu was spirited back to the bleak stretch of wilderness from which he had first entered the fairy domain. He grasped the monk’s hand:

‘You brought me here – that I can remember; and then the next thing I knew you had vanished and I saw some of my family but they would have nothing to do with me and in the end they turned into monsters! Was it all a dream, or was it real? Please, Master, I beg you to tell me the truth.’

‘When you first entered this place,’ said the monk, ‘did you steal a look at anything in particular?’

Bao-yu thought for a moment:

‘If he can whisk me off to a fairy paradise, he must be an Adept himself, so it’s no use trying to fool him. Besides, I want to know more.’

He confessed to the monk that he had seen several registers.

‘Hark at you!’ exclaimed the monk. ‘You have seen the Registers themselves and are still blind! Now listen to me carefully: predestined attachments of the human heart are all of them mere illusion, they are obstacles blocking our spiritual path. Ponder deeply on what you have experienced. I shall explain it to you further when we meet again.’

With that he gave Bao-yu a hefty shove.

‘Back you go!’ he cried.

Bao-yu missed his footing and stumbled forward, calling out in alarm.

The family were standing by his bedside when suddenly he began to show these unmistakable signs of life. They called his name, and he opened his eyes, to find himself lying on his old kang. Before him were Lady Wang, Bao-chai and other members of his family, their eyes red and swollen with tears. He reflected for a moment and tried to compose himself.

‘So!’ he said to himself. ‘I have visited the land of death, and now I have returned once more to the living!’

He lay pondering one by one the experiences of his wandering soul, and as he did so a glazed look came over his eyes. To his great delight, he found that he could still remember every detail of his dream, and he chuckled aloud with satisfaction:

‘So! So!’

Lady Wang suspected a recurrence of his old fit and decided that the doctor had better be summoned again at once. She sent a maid and one of the serving-women to inform Sir Zheng that Bao-yu had recovered consciousness and that his previous (and apparently fatal) crisis had only been a temporary mental affliction from which he now seemed to have recovered. Since he was now obviously on the mend, and was even able to utter a few words, they could safely suspend the funeral arrangements. Jia Zheng came hurrying in to verify this news for himself.

‘Luckless creature,’ he exclaimed. ‘Do you want to frighten us all to death?’

He was weeping despite himself. Heaving a few gusty sighs, he went out again and sent for a doctor to take Bao-yu’s pulses and prescribe a medicine for him.

Musk, it will be remembered, had only recently been contemplating suicide; but now that Bao-yu was recovered she set her mind at rest. Lady Wang ordered some longan soup, and told Bao-yu to drink a few mouthfuls. She was greatly relieved to see him gradually revive and regain his composure and she did not even scold Musk for her original blunder, but merely told one of the maids to give the newly recovered jade to Bao-chai, who was to hang it once more round Bao-yu’s neck.

‘I wonder where the monk found it?’ she asked out loud. ‘It seems so strange. One minute he was demanding his money, the next minute he had disappeared. Do you imagine he was some sort of Immortal?’

‘To judge by the “mysterious” way he came,’ said Bao-chai, ‘and the equally “mysterious” way in which he left, I should say he never found it at all, but that it was he who took it in the first place.’

‘How could he have taken it from under our very eyes?’ asked Lady Wang.

‘If he could bring it back, then he could take it,’ persisted Bao-chai.

‘When the jade was lost,’ put in Aroma and Musk, ‘Steward Lin consulted a word-diviner – we told you about it ma’am, soon after the wedding. The character he divined was shang meaning “reward”. Do you remember, ma’am?’

‘Yes, you’re right,' said Bao-chai. ‘You said it had something to do with a pawnshop. But now I can see it was really pointing to the word “monk”, which is contained in the upper part of the character shang. We were being told by the word-diviner that a monk had taken it!’

‘The monk was a strange enough creature,’ said Lady Wang. ‘When Bao-yu was ill before, another monk came, I remember, and told us that Bao-yu had a precious object of his own at home that could cure him. He was referring to the jade. He too must have known all about its magical properties. It is extraordinary that Bao-yu came into the world with the Stone in his mouth! Have you ever heard of such a thing happening, in the whole of history? Who knows what will become of the Stone in the end? And who knows what will become of him! It seems to be an inseparable part of his life, in sickness and health, at his birth and …’

She stopped short suddenly and tears started to her eyes. Bao-yu felt in his own mind that he now knew the answer to her questions only too well. Thinking back, he understood more clearly the significance of his visit to the ‘other world’. But he said nothing, and stored these thoughts silently in his mind.

It was Xi-chun who spoke next:

‘When the jade was lost, we asked Adamantina to consult the planchette on our behalf. The reply she received from the spirit contained the lines:

Gone to Greensickness Peak, to lie At the foot of an age-old pine.

It ended with:

Follow me and laugh to see Your journey at an end!

There’s much food for thought contained in those two words “follow me”. The gate of the Dharma is certainly wide and all-embracing, but somehow I doubt if Cousin Bao could squeeze through it, whoever he happened to be “following” …’

Bao-yu sniffed scornfully. Bao-chai noted this reaction of his, and involuntarily she frowned and stared abstractedly into space.

‘Trust you to drag the Buddha into it!’ snapped You-shi. ‘Are you still pining for your nunnery?’

Xi-chun smiled caustically.

‘Actually, sister-in-law, I have already taken the first step. Long ago I vowed that meat should never touch my lips again.’

‘My child!’ said Lady Wang. ‘In the name of Lord Buddha himself! You must abandon this foolish idea!’

Xi-chun was silent.

During this exchange Bao-yu recalled two lines from one of the albums he had seen:

Alas, that daughter of so great a house By Buddha’s altar lamp should sleep alone.

He could not refrain from uttering a few sighs. Then he remembered the bunch of flowers and the mat, and glanced at Aroma. Tears started to his eyes. When the family saw him behaving in this strange fashion, laughing one minute and crying the next, they could only think it a symptom of his old fit. None of them knew that their conversation had sparked off a flash of illumination in Bao-yu’s mind, with the result that he could now remember word for word every poem from the registers in his dream. Although he said nothing, in his mind a new resolve was already formed. But we anticipate.

After Bao-yu’s sudden recovery, his spirits improved daily, and with the regular administration of medicine he continued to make steady progress. Now that his son was out of danger, Jia Zheng was anxious to proceed with the interment of Lady Jia’s coffin, which had been resting for a long while in the temple. He himself was still in mourning and therefore free from official obligations. There was no telling when (or if) Jia She would be pardoned, so Jia Zheng decided to act on his own initiative and arrange for his mother’s mortal remains to be transported to the South and given proper burial there. He sent for Jia Lian to discuss the matter.

‘Your proposal is an excellent one, Uncle,’ said Jia Lian. ‘It would be best to proceed with this important task now. Once the mourning period is over, it may be harder for you to find the necessary time. Father is not at home, and it would be presumptuous of me to undertake a task of this nature. My one concern is the cost. You will require several thousand taels. Our stolen property must I am afraid be written off as an irretrievable loss.’

‘My mind is made up to do this,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘In your father’s absence I sent for you merely to discuss the best ways and means. You cannot go, since that would leave no one at home. I am proposing to go myself, and to take several coffins simultaneously. I will need some assistance, and am thinking of taking young Rong with me. There will be three coffins altogether, including your wife’s and your cousin Lin’s. It was your grandmother’s wish that her granddaughter should be buried with her in the South. As for the money, we shall simply have to borrow a few thousand taels from somewhere.’

‘There is little generosity left in the world these days,’ commented Jia Lian bitterly. ‘You are in mourning, Uncle, and Father is in exile. I fear that it may prove impossible to borrow the money. We shall be obliged to mortgage some of our property.’

‘But our residence was granted us by Imperial decree,’ objected Jia Zheng. ‘We are not free to dispose of it in this way.’

‘That is true,’ said Jia Lian. ‘But we have other properties available for mortgage. They can be redeemed after your period of mourning, and after Father’s return – all the more so if he is reinstated. Our chief concern is that you may overtax yourself, embarking on such a strenuous journey at your age.’

‘It is a duty I owe your grandmother,’ said Jia Zheng. ‘While I am away, I am counting on you to be diligent here at home, and keep things firmly under control.’

‘You can set your mind at ease on that score,’ said Jia Lian. ‘I shall do my utmost. As you will be taking several servants with you, that will mean fewer mouths to feed here, so we should be able to save a little. If you need any help along the way, you will be travelling close by the official residence of Lai Shang-rong, Steward Lai’s son, so you can always call on him for assistance.’

‘This affair is my responsibility,’ commented Jia Zheng drily. ‘Why should I need his or anyone else’s assistance?’

‘Of course,’ Jia Lian hastily concurred, and withdrew to make his own financial calculations.

Jia Zheng informed Lady Wang of his plans, exhorted her to keep a careful eye on the household, and selected a day in the almanac auspicious for setting out on his long journey. Then he made his preparations to leave.

Bao-yu was now completely restored to health, and Jia Huan and Jia Lan were earnestly engaged in their studies. Jia Zheng entrusted them all to Jia Lian, reminding him:

‘The state examinations will be held this year. Huan will not be able to compete because he will still be in mourning for his mother. There is nothing to prevent Lan from doing so, however, since his mourning period is shorter and will be over by then. He and Bao-yu should attend together. If they can pass the examination and become Provincial Graduates, it will help to redeem the family from its present disgrace.’

Jia Lian hastened to assure him that he would carry out these instructions. Jia Zheng then addressed the domestics at some length, took ceremonial leave at the ancestral shrine, and after a few days spent outside the city attending religious services at the temple, was finally ready to board his barge and set off. Steward Lin and a handful of servants were travelling with him, and a few members of the family came some of the way to bid him farewell and see him on his way. He did not trouble any other relatives or friends.

Now that Bao-yu had been given his orders to attend the next Civil Service examinations, Lady Wang began to apply more pressure and came constantly to see how his work was progressing, while Bao-chai and Aroma added their support in the form of periodic lectures. They observed the daily improvement in his spirits, but remained quite unaware that a great inner change had been wrought within him, drawing him in an unprecedented (indeed for him almost perverse) direction. In addition to his inveterate contempt for worldly success and advancement, he had of late begun to adopt an attitude of indifference towards the whole gamut of romantic attachment – in a word, towards love itself. But this radically new departure was hardly noticed by those around him, and he himself said nothing to enlighten them.

Nightingale was one of the few to detect the early symptoms of this inner change, and she drew her own conclusions. She had just returned from accompanying Dai-yu’s coffin to the landing-stage, and was sitting in her room brooding and weeping to herself.

‘How cold-hearted Bao-yu is! It doesn’t seem to have upset him in the slightest to see Miss Lin’s coffin taken away. He didn’t so much as shed a single tear. He could see me crying my eyes out, and didn’t even try to comfort me, but just stared at me and smiled. What a deceiver! All those fine things he used to say to us in the past were just meant to fool us. Thank goodness I’d seen through him the other evening and didn’t fall for it again! But there’s still one thing I don’t understand. He even seems to have become cold towards Aroma. I know Mrs Bao has never been a very warm or close person by nature – so she probably doesn’t mind his change of heart. But what about Musk and the others, don’t they feel hard done by? They’ve let their feelings make fools of them and have wasted half their lives over him, only to be forsaken like this!’

As she was brooding, she saw Fivey coming towards her.

‘You’re not still weeping for Miss Lin, are you?’ asked Fivey, seeing Nightingale’s tear-stained face. ‘If you want my opinion of Mr Bao, I think it’s high time we forgot about his reputation, and looked at what he really is. I was always being told how kind he was, especially towards girls. That’s why my mother tried so hard to get me into service with him. Since then I’ve waited on him from the beginning of this illness of his. But now that he’s better, I haven’t had so much as a kind word from him! In fact he won’t even acknowledge my existence!’

Nightingale burst out laughing at this comical tale of woe.

‘Pshh! Why, hark at you, you little vixen!’ she exclaimed. ‘How do you want Mr Bao to treat you? Really, you should be ashamed of yourself! When he’s not even interested in the maids that are closest to him, do you expect him to find time for you?’

She laughed again and drew a reproving finger across Fivey’s face.

‘What kind of a niche are you carving out for yourself in Bao-yu’s affections?’

Fivey blushed at her own foolishness. She was on the point of explaining that it wasn’t so much her own treatment at Bao-yu’s hands that was worrying her as his whole attitude towards the maids, when they heard someone calling from outside:

‘The monk is back! And he’s demanding his ten thousand taels! Her Ladyship doesn’t know what to do and wanted Mr Lian to go and talk with him, but Mr Lian’s not at home! The monk is outside, ranting and raving. Her Ladyship wants Mrs Bao to go over and consult with her.’

To learn how they placated the monk, please read the next chapter.