Chapter 75

开夜宴异兆发悲音

赏中秋新词得佳谶

Youshi is advised against going to see Lady Wang – the Zhens are visiting on secret business – so she goes to talk to Li Wan. She drinks and washes, and hints at the previous night’s investigations before Baochai arrives. They chat about Baochai’s plan to move out for a while to look after her mother, and are soon joined by Tanchun and Xiangyun. Tanchun is in a bad mood, and tells the others how she slapped Wang Shanbao’s wife before Youshi tells of her encounter with Xichun. They disperse, Youshi and Tanchun going together to Grandmother Jia’s, where Lady Wang is telling her the offences the Zhens have been charged with. She is shaken, and takes the opportunity of their arrival to talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival. They eat, Grandmother Jia fussing over each guest and the tribute dishes sent to her. Youshi starts eating later, along with the servants, and they fuss further over plain maids’ rice given to her – they cannot afford to be extravagant any more. After a jovial evening, Youshi returns to Ningguo. There are a lot of carriages present, and she decides to make a detour to spy on the large party of men, gathered by Cousin Zhen, who are gambling (the gatherings were originally for archery, which is not banned during mourning, but soon developed into gambling). Youshi watches a very drunk Xing Dequan 邢德全 lash out at and make up with two boys. He then tells Cousin Zhen about family developments regarding Lady Xing in embarrassing detail, which Youshi overhears with some relish. Having seen enough, she moves on. The next night, Zhen has arranged a family dinner for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which they can’t celebrate in full due to mourning. They eat, drink and are moved by the concubines’ music. Near midnight, they hear a long drawn-out sigh coming from the Hall of the Ancestors. The shock and dread sobers them all and they retire; entering the ancestral temple the next day to give an offering, Zhen can find nothing untoward and puts it down to drunkenness. He firmly locks the temple.

Zhen and Youshi go to Rongguo the next night, and having visited and chatted with Grandmother Jia and the male household members, they all go to make their Mid-Autumn offering. Grandmother Jia then suggests going to the mountaintop Convex pavilion to observe the moon. They venture up; Grandmother Jia comments on how small the family gathering looks. They play drinking games; Jia Zheng has to tell a joke, the mere prospect of which has everyone in convulsions. It is then Baoyu’s turn; feeling the pressure thanks to Zheng’s presence, he asks to be excused a joke and has to write a poem. Zheng likes the poem and gives him a fan. Jia She then tells a rather tactless, but well-received, joke. It is Jia Huan’s turn and, emboldened by Baoyu’s poem, tries one of his own, but it is weird and Zheng does not like it. He provides a harsh literary analysis of the two brothers’ work, which provokes laughter if not comprehension. Jia She reads Huan’s poem and disagrees with Zheng, complimenting and rewarding Huan. Zheng and She, along with the other men, have a final drink and leave Baoyu and the younger boys with the women.