Chapter 94

宴海棠贾母赏花妖

失宝玉通灵知奇祸

The novices are dismayed to find that they are being kept as prisoners; everyone knows only the official line. Zheng is detained at work and authorises Lian to deal with them. He consults Lady Wang in order not solely to incur Zheng’s wrath should his actions not be effective. Lady Wang reiterates her belief that they shouldn’t have kept them and should get rid of them, and tells Lian to do so by sending them home, finding them husbands and banning family men from the Temple. Lian transmits this to Lai Da, who deals with it while he disposes of Jia Qin. When Zheng returns, he considers the matter closed.

Nightingale tries to find out more about the novices from Faithful, but she doesn’t know. Two of Fu Shi’s women arrive to promote his daughter to Grandmother Jia, but she is sleeping; Nightingale wonders why they don’t marry her to Baoyu, before regretting to herself how besotted Daiyu – and the rest of the household – is with the flittish Baoyu, and how is causes her suffering. Compassion gives way to annoyance and she resolves to detach herself from their relationship. Back at the Naiad’s House, her off-hand manner shocks Daiyu. There is a hubbub in the Garden – Baoyu has found that the crab trees, assumed dead, have budded, and the senior ladies come to inspect them. Daiyu gets herself ready and goes to join the gathering, where they discuss the unexpected and unseasonal flowering. Tanchun silently thinks that it is an ill omen; Daiyu gives a parable to show that it is an auspicious result of Baoyu’s studying. Zheng and She arrive; both feel they are evil manifestations, but Lady Jia is determined on a positive interpretation and decides to have a party. After they are reminded of the Crabflower Club and Baoyu, Huan and Lan write quatrains for Lady Jia; Baoyu is reminded of Skybright. As Lady Jia leaves, a package of silk arrives from Xifeng, with the ambiguous phrase ‘happy event’. In truth, Xifeng thinks the omen is bad and the silk is to combat that bad luck.

Baoyu, who had had to change quickly for Lady Jia’s arrival, changes back into comfortable clothes, but cannot find the jade. Aroma is alarmed and questions the maids before they spend most of the day searching. In the evening, Musk and Ripple are sent off to make furtive inquiries in case a maid or guest had taken it, with no luck. All at Green Delights are petrified, and before long others arrive to help search the Garden. Li Wan suggests that all the maids and servants are strip searched. They agree, but Tanchun thinks it’s futile and hints that it must be Huan’s doing. Patience fetches Huan who stomps out when questioned; an exasperated Baoyu starts a discussion to decide what excuse to tell Lady Jia. Aunt Zhao arrives to defend Huan angrily; not long after, Lady Wang arrives to ask if it’s true. She sees through his excuse that he left it at the theatre and extracts the true story. Xifeng arrives and suggests that, to ensure that the thief doesn’t destroy the jade, they make it known that he threw it away while they carry out a low key three day search. The Garden is sealed off; Lin Zhixiao’s wife suggests consulting a diviner and Xiuyan suggests getting Adamantina to hold a séance. Lin’s wife brings news; the divination is eerily accurate, and indicates that the jade will be found in a pawnshop. Hope and calm is restored when Tealeaf arrives with reliable news of the jade’s whereabouts.