Chapter 71

嫌隙人有心生嫌隙

鸳鸯女无意遇鸳鸯

Jia Zheng has arrived home. After reporting to the Emperor he is granted a month’s recuperation leave. It is Grandmother Jia’s birthday, there are to be eight days of celebration in both houses for various groups of guests, including royalty. At one of the banquets, the Princess Dowager of Nan’an asks after the cousins, and five of the girls are presented to her. Grandmother Jia is exhausted by the celebrations.

Throughout the celebrations, Youshi is staying at Rongguo and helping Xifeng. One night when she is free and Xifeng is not available, she goes to the Garden to see the cousins. Her maid cannot find a soul, and has an argument with two stewardesses as the gate is open and lights on. She reports this with indignation to Youshi, who has found Aroma, Xiangyun and Baoqin. Youshi stalls on punishing them, due to the celebrations, but word reaches Xifeng via an over-attentive Zhou Rui’s wife, and she orders them to be detained and sent to be death with by Youshi after the celebrations finish. Zhou Rui’s wife orders Lin Zhixiao’s wife to go to Youshi immediately, leading to an awkward meeting. After she leaves, she complains to Aunt Zhao and manages the entreating daughters of the two stewardesses. Gossip spreads, and a busybody relative of one of the stewardesses complains to Lady Xing. Lady Xing, currently jealous of Xifeng who is more favoured by Grandmother Jia, sees this as an attack on herself by Xifeng. The next day there are further elaborate celebrations. In the evening, just before leaving, Lady Xing confronts Xifeng about the detained stewardesses in public. Xifeng is humiliated and tries to laugh it off, but when there is agreement that they should be released her humiliation is compounded. She runs back to her quarters to weep, but is summoned by Grandmother Jia immediately. She hides her tears and they eat. Faithful explains Xifeng’s tears to Grandmother Jia after she leaves; she feels Xifeng acted correctly. She sends Faithful to the Garden to complete the arrangements for two guests, Xiluan 喜鸾 and Sijie 四姐, to stay on and while there she discusses Xifeng’s difficult position with Li Wan, Youshi and the cousins. Conversation soon turns to Baoyu’s happy-go-lucky attitude to life, the future and death; young Xiluan is embarrassed by talk of marriage.

When returning, Faithful notices one of the side gates is not barred, and she takes the opportunity to empty her bladder. She spots two figures hide in the bushes and identifies one as Yingchun’s maid Chess and calls after her in jest. Chess has a guilty conscience and is terrified – she begs her not to cry out. Faithful notices that the other figure is a boy; Chess says that he’s her cousin, and they are all embarrassed. Faithful swears she will have mercy on them and won’t tell, and leaves through the gate.