Chapter 13

秦可卿死封龙禁尉

王熙凤协理宁国府

Qinshi appears to Xifeng in a dream, offering caution of hard times and investment advice, before Xifeng is woken with the news of her death and all mourn. Baoyu is also woken by the news, and feels a stab of pain to the heart and coughs up blood. He insists on travelling to her room, where Zhen is addressing the assembled crowd. Zhen makes arrangements for the funeral; Xue Pan donates an extravagant coffin. They learn that Qinshi’s maid Gem 瑞珠 has killed herself out of devotion. When a eunuch arrives with condolences, Jia Rong is given a formal commission in order to add pomp to the funeral banner. Throughout the 49 days of mourning there are many visitors to Ningguo.

Youshi’s illness has left Ningguo without anyone to run the house, and Zhen fears an etiquette breach with so many visitors. On Baoyu’s suggestion, he asks Xifeng to step in. Lady Wang is concerned that she has no experience of funerals, but consents. Xifeng agrees, and is briefed by Zhen on the arrangements. Xifeng identifies five major abuses habitual in Ningguo.

Chapter 11

庆寿辰宁府排家宴 
见熙凤贾瑞起淫心
 

It is the birthday of the nominal head of the Ningguo House, Jia Jing 贾敬, who lives outside the city. Jing isn’t present to celebrate, so a troupe of entertainers arrives. Grannie Jia was taken ill after eating bad peaches, but attends, and Xifeng discusses Qinshi’s illness with Zhen and Rong as the guests arrive. Xifeng and Baoyu go with Rong to see Qinshi, who regrets her fate. Baoyu is reminded of his dream, but is moved to tears by Qinshi’s words.

Baoyu leaves first, and Xifeng bumps into Jia Rui on her walk back; she struggles to identify him, he ogles her. She senses his game, and leads him on, despite finding him odious. With Youshi, Lady Wang and Aunt Xing, Xifeng selects the plays for the entertainment, before they head home exhausted.

Rui visits the Rong household on numerous occasions, invariably finding Xifeng absent, often visiting Qinshi at Ningguo. During one visit, Rui asks Patience to ask Xifeng to pay him a call. Xifeng has a plan for next time he calls.

Chapter 10

金寡妇贪利权受辱 
张太医论病细穷源

Jokey Jin apologises, but broods. His mother admonishes him – it was hard to get him into the school, and they’re saving a lot of money as a result – including receiving some from Pan. His aunt, Jia Huang 贾璜 of Ningguo’s wife, who also is not wealthy, visits and is told the story. She heads to Ningguo to talk to Qinshi, but her anger subsides and she hears the other side of the story from Youshi, and learns that brooding over it had made Qinshi ill.

Cousin Zhen and wife Youshi discuss the illness, and Zhen reveals that he’s arranged for an esteemed doctor, Zhang Youshi 张友士, to call the next day, and asks Jia Rong to tell him the symptoms. They discuss arrangements for his father’s birthday too. Zhang examines Qinshi, and is able to determine quickly what is wrong with her, unlike other doctors who had given conflicting views, leading the condition to deteriorate. He writes a prescription, and predicts a full recovery if she makes it to the spring equinox.

Chapter 7

送宫花贾琏戏熙凤

宴宁府宝玉会秦钟

Baochai gives Zhou Rui’s wife details of her illness and complex medication. Aunt Xue 薛姨妈 gives her artificial flowers for the girls, and she discovers that Caltrop 香菱 is Zhen Shiyin’s daughter, Yinglian. She delivers flowers to Yingchun 贾迎春, Tanchun 贾探春 and Xichun 贾惜春, who is playing with Sapientia 智能 from Watermoon Priory, but Wang Xifeng is detained in her bedroom with Jia Lian 贾琏, so Patience deals with them. Daiyu is playing with Baoyu, who snatches the flowers which Daiyu sneers at. Zhou Rui’s son-in-law, Leng Zixing, is in trouble; Zhou Rui’s wife is confidant in Wang Xifeng’s power to influence.

Xifeng is invited to Ningguo and agrees to take Baoyu; they are greeted by Youshi 尤氏 and served tea by Qinshi, who tells Baoyu that her brother Qin Zhong 秦钟, who he had wanted to see, was here, and he is led in. Each is extremely taken with the other, and they talk at length about the clan school and tutoring arrangements, moving to a different room while the others play (with the result that Qinshi and Youshi owed Xifeng a night of drinks and entertainment). The Ningguo staff offend a surly old servant who had once saved the grandfather’s life; he is restrained in the stables, and Baoyu repeats some of his bad language to Wang.

Chapter 5

贾宝玉神游太虚境

警幻仙曲演红楼梦

Daiyu has developed favourite status with Grandmother Jia and an intense bond living with Baoyu, but has been put out by Baochai’s arrival. Baoyu leaves a party to sleep in Qinshi’s 秦氏 delightful room, bedecked with artefacts belonging to famous sensual women, when the Fairy Disenchantment leads him away to the Land of Illusion to perform the Dream of Golden Days.

In the land, Baoyu is shown the offices which keep the registers of girls’ lives, and sees the register of the 12 Beauties of Jinling, featuring numerous paintings and poems. Disenchantment stops him for fear of leaking celestial secrets. She justifies bringing him to a bevy of fairy maidens, who are introduced to Baoyu over tea, wine and the performance, for which Baoyu is given a libretto. Baoyu is bored by the performance, and is chided for not understanding, but he is very drunk.

Disenchantment, on a bed, talks to Baoyu of the nature of lust and gives him her sister Two-in-One 一人, known as Keqing 可卿, as a bride, telling him to consummate the marriage and instructing him in the matter. After the act, Baoyu walks with Keqing, but is shouted at by Disenchantment to turn back when they reach the Ford of Error. Demons and monsters rise out of the Ford and clutch at Baoyu. Aroma and the maids rush in to look after Baoyu and Qinshi reveals her nickname at home had been Keqing.