Chapter 14

The Ningguo Chief Steward Lai Sheng 赖升warns the staff of Xifeng’s hard reputation. Xifeng discusses arrangements with Lai Sheng’s wife and assembles all the married women of Ningguo, assigning them roles, notably more organised than Ningguo normally is, earning Xifeng respect.

On the 35^th day, a particularly important religious day, Xifeng rises at 4 to commence work. She makes an example of one latecomer by giving her twenty lashes, and shouts at servants who present poorly totalled tallies. She earns the fear of the women and servants, and people work efficiently.

Baoyu brings Qin Zhong to Xifeng for a chat. He suggests that someone could forge tallies and fleece them out of money. Baoyu coaxes Xifeng to get the servants to work harder on his study so that he can study at night. A servant arrives with the news that Lin Ruhai has died and is to be buried in Suzhou. Daiyu is to stay permanently.

Xifeng again rises early as the funeral approaches. Zhen deals with monks as Xifeng manages many competing affairs for both Rongguo and Ningguo; she is in her element. Many distinguished guests arrive for the funeral, including the Prince of Beijing 北静王. He watches the procession from the roadside, and asks after the boy born with jade in his mouth, and Baoyu is fetched.

Chapter 12

王熙凤毒设相思局

贾天祥正照风月鉴

Rui is delighted to be received by Xifeng, and by her informal dress. He puts his claim as a lover, and she leads him on. She tells him to come back at night, and she’ll give the watchman the night off. He does so, creeping in but finds himself locked in an alley; he lasts the night in the midwinter cold and slips out first thing. As the Grandfather of orphaned Rui, Dairu is angry at his absence for a whole night and his excuse, and lashes him.

Rui returns to see Xifeng, who scolds him for failing her, and tells him to come back that night. While waiting, he observes a figure and launches on it, assuming it to be Xifeng. A light flashes, and Jia Qiang is holding a candle: Rui is trying to bugger Jia Rong. Qiang has been briefed by Xifeng, and holds him captive. Rui tries to negotiate, and Qiang accepts fifty taels as an IOU; after pressing, Rong does too. He leaves, but a slop bucket is emptied on him before he can.

Rui is unable to sleep, and doesn’t dare to visit Rongguo again, but his passion isn’t quelled. The stress of work, worry, and debt leads to illness confining him to bedridden delirium. The illness worsens into spring, and Dairu begs Rongguo for medicine which he can’t afford. Xifeng deliberately sends little. A Daoist gives him a two-sided mirror, fashioned by Disenchantment, which he says will cure him of the ill effect of impure mental activity, if he looks into it everyday, but only into the back of it. He looks at the back and sees a skull. He looks at the front and sees Xifeng; his soul follows her and they make love. This happens three or four times, each time ending with the skull reappearing. The last time, two figures approach him, chain him and lead him away. Rui dies, and all present curse the Daoist, who reappears and angrily snatches the mirror back. He is given a stylish funeral.

Lin Ruhai falls seriously ill and writes, asking to see Daiyu again. Grandmother Jia and Baoyu are upset at this, and Jia Lian is asked to accompany her.

Chapter 3

托内兄如海荐西宾 
接外孙贾母惜孤女
 

Yucun learns from Zhang Rugui 张如圭 of a motion to reinstate officials, and Leng suggests asking Lin Ruhai to ask Jia Zheng to help him. It happens that Lin’s mother-in-law had already sent men to take Daiyu to Rongguo, but this was delayed due to her illness. Yucun is to accompany her journey. Having made a good impression on Zheng, he is appointed to the position of magistrate of Yingtianfu near Nanjing.

A nervous Daiyu is met by Grandmother Jia 贾母 and introduced to the ladies, girls and maids of the household. They discuss her mother and illness before Wang Xifeng 王熙凤 enters, making a big impression on Daiyu with her brash ways. Daiyu is carried, with Lady Xing 邢夫人 to another courtyard. A servant gives Jia She’s 贾赦 welcome and apologies for his absence.

Daiyu enters Rongguo mansion proper to pay respects to Jia Zheng. He is in retreat, however, so she talks with Lady Wang 王夫人, who warns her about her wild cousin Baoyu. She sits down to eat with Grandmother Jia and her cousins, when Baoyu enters, who looks attractive and strangely familiar.

Baoyu leaves and gets changed before welcoming Daiyu. Baoyu also finds her attractive and familiar. Daiyu lies about her education while Baoyu shows off and reacts impetuously to talk of the jade. Baoyu persuades Grandmother to let them sleep next to each other. Daiyu is given one of Grandmother’s maids, Nightingale 鹦哥, as a body-servant. Daiyu cries over Baoyu’s turn, and Baoyu’s maid Aroma 袭人warns her not to be so sensitive round him. The next morning, it transpires that a cousin, Xue Pan 薛蟠, is being investigated for murder in Yingtianfu.

Chapter 2

贾夫人仙逝扬州城

冷子兴演说荣国府

Feng Su is summoned to the yamen to find Jia Yucun is the magistrate, who gives them money and silk and requests Lucky’s hand in marriage. Yucun had been successful in the examinations but had fallen from favour, and, short of cash in Yangzhou whilst travelling, became tutor to aristocrat Lin Ruhai’s 林如海 only child, daughter Lin Daiyu 林黛玉, whose mother died a year later and so who had suffered from recurrent sicknesses, leaving Jia idle.

In a temple, he meets an antique dealer acquaintance, Leng Zixing 冷子兴. Leng tells Jia that his relatives, the Jias of Rongguo and Ningguo, who Yucun consider too exalted for him, are feeling the pinch of extravagant living. Jia Zhen 贾珍 at Ningguo was degenerate, along with many Jia males, and Jia Zheng 贾政 at Rongguo, was a scholar and now Under Secretary in the Ministry of Works. He had a son and daughter, then twelve years later a boy called Jia Baoyu 贾宝玉 born with jade in his mouth. Zheng has little affection for him since, on his first birthday, he reached for feminine objects instead of masculine, but his grandmother adores him. Leng says he is now ten, very bright and a future libertine, but Yucun interprets the description as someone philosophically astute and declaims on the subject – he had a similar case when tutoring in Nanjing.

Leng explains the Rongguo family tree, and Jia learns that Lin Daiyu’s mother was Jia Zheng’s sister.