Chapter 4 - supercondensed

In his new post, Yucun deals with the case of the Jias’ cousin Xue Pan. Pan visits the Jias with his mother and sister Xue Baochai, and they are invited to stay on at Rongguo. Pan is pleased when he sees that it will not end his proclivities.

Chapter 4

薄命女偏逢薄命郎

葫芦僧乱判葫芦案

 

Dealing with the Xue case, a yamen usher who knew Jia Yucun at Bottle-Gourd Temple advises him not to cross just a powerful family. Pan had absconded with a slave girl, who transpires to be Zhen Shiyin’s daughter Yinglian. Yucun arrives at a judgement of suitable compensation, before sending the usher to the frontier.

Xue Pan, whose widowed mother is Lady Wang’s sister, also has a younger sister, Baochai 宝钗, who had been a promising scholar before taking up more feminine activities after her father died to help her mother. Visiting the capital, they decide to stay at Rongguo when his uncle Wang Ziteng 王子腾 is promoted to the frontier.

Lady Wang is despondent at this promotion, but cheered to see the Xues. Jia Zheng suggests inviting them to stay at Rongguo – only Pan is not pleased with this at first, as he fears being cooped up, but he realises that the other young Jia men enjoy the same pleasures and that he has a private door to use.