A Brother's Slander Moves Lips and Tongue; Various Misdeeds Receive a Severe Flogging

Lady Wang had Jinchuan's mother brought up and presented her with several hairpins and trinkets, then ordered monks to be invited to chant sutras for the dead. The mother kowtowed her thanks and withdrew.

Baoyu, having returned from meeting Jia Yucun, heard of Jinchuan's death and knew she had drowned herself out of shame and anger. His heart was torn. When Lady Wang scolded him, he had nothing to say. Taking the chance when Baochai came in, he slipped out, not knowing where to go. He walked slowly, hands behind his back, head bowed, sighing as he wandered into the hall. Just as he turned past the screen, he collided with someone coming the other way. A voice shouted, "Stop!" Startled, Baoyu looked up—it was his father. He caught his breath and stood at attention. Jia Zheng said, "What's this—sighing and moping? Yucun came to see you and you kept him waiting. When you finally appeared, you had nothing to say, all cowering and shrinking. Your face is full of gloom, and now you're sighing again. What's wrong with you?" Baoyu, usually quick-tongued, was so stricken with grief for Jinchuan that he wished he were dead too. He barely heard his father's words and stood there in a daze.

Jia Zheng, seeing his fearful, listless manner, grew somewhat annoyed. Just then a servant announced, "Someone from Prince Zhongshun's mansion has come to see you." Surprised—since they had no dealings with that house—Jia Zheng ordered him in. It was the Chief Steward of the Prince's mansion. Jia Zheng welcomed him and offered tea. Before any pleasantries, the Steward said, "I have not come uninvited, but on the Prince's orders to ask a favour. For the Prince's sake, I beg you to intervene—not only will the Prince be grateful, but I and my colleagues as well." Puzzled, Jia Zheng rose and said, "Since you come on the Prince's orders, what instruction have you? Pray tell me, so I may comply." The Steward sneered, "No need for much—just a word from you will suffice. We have an actor, Qi Guan, who plays female roles. He was always at the mansion, but for three or five days now he hasn't returned. We've searched everywhere and cannot find him. Inquiries show that eight out of ten people say he has lately been very close with your son, the one born with the jade. Since your mansion is not like others, we dare not search without permission. So we reported to the Prince, who said, 'If it were any other actor, I wouldn't care—but Qi Guan is discreet and dependable, and I can't do without him.' So I beg you to tell your son to release Qi Guan. This will satisfy the Prince's earnest wish and save us the trouble of searching." He bowed.

Jia Zheng was shocked and furious. He ordered Baoyu brought in. Baoyu, not knowing why, hurried in. Jia Zheng said, "You wretch! Not studying is bad enough, but now you commit such lawless deeds! Qi Guan is in the Prince's service—how dare you lure him away and bring trouble on me!" Baoyu was terrified, "I truly know nothing of this! I don't even know who Qi Guan is, let alone 'lure' him!" He wept. The Steward sneered, "Don't try to hide it, young master. If you've hidden him or know where he is, tell us now to save us trouble—and you'll earn our thanks." Baoyu swore he didn't know. The Steward sneered, "We have proof—why deny it? Must I say it in front of your father? If you don't know him, how did that red sash end up around your waist?" Baoyu was dumbfounded. He thought, "How does he know that? If he knows such secrets, he knows everything. Better send him off before more comes out." So he said, "Since you know so much, surely you know he bought a house and land. I hear he has a place at Zitan堡, twenty li east of the city, with a few acres and rooms. Perhaps he's there." The Steward smiled, "If so, he's there. I'll look—if he's not, I'll be back." He left in a hurry.

Jia Zheng was speechless with rage. He saw the Steward out, then ordered Baoyu, "Don't move! I'll question you when I return." As he turned, he saw Jia Huan running wildly with some pages. Jia Zheng shouted, "Stop!" Jia Huan, terrified, stopped and hung his head. Jia Zheng said, "Why are you running? Don't your attendants look after you?" He ordered the school attendants called. Jia Huan, seeing his father's fury, took the chance to say, "I wasn't running—I passed by the well and saw a drowned girl in it. Her head and body were so swollen it was terrifying, so I ran away." Jia Zheng was alarmed, "Who jumped into the well? Our house has never had such a thing—our ancestors have always been kind. Lately I've neglected affairs, and stewards have abused their power, leading to such a life-ending disaster. If outsiders hear, what will become of our ancestors' reputation?" He ordered Jia Lian, Lai Da, and Laixing summoned. As the pages went to call them, Jia Huan tugged at Jia Zheng's robe and knelt, "Don't be angry, Father. Only those in Aunt's room know about this. My mother told me..." He looked around. Jia Zheng understood and dismissed the pages. Jia Huan whispered, "My mother said that Brother Bao tried to rape Aunt's maid Jinchuan the other day, and when she refused, he beat her. She drowned herself in shame." Before he finished, Jia Zheng's face turned ashen. He shouted, "Bring Baoyu here!" He went to the inner study and ordered, "Whoever tries to stop me today—I'll give my rank and property to him! I'll shave my head and find a quiet place to die, to avoid the shame of raising such a rebel!" The servants and retainers, knowing it was about Baoyu, withdrew. Jia Zheng sat panting, tears streaming, shouting, "Bring Baoyu! Bring the big stick! Tie him up! Lock all the gates! Whoever sends word inside will be beaten to death!" The pages obeyed, and some went for Baoyu.

Baoyu, told to stay, knew it was bad, but had no idea Jia Huan had added fuel to the fire. He was desperate to send word inside, but no one was around—even Beiming was gone. Just then an old woman came out. Baoyu grabbed her, "Quick—tell them Father is going to beat me! Hurry!" But he was so flustered and the woman so deaf that she misheard "urgent" as "jumped in the well." She laughed, "If she jumped in the well, let her—why worry, Master?" Baoyu, seeing she was deaf, said, "Go and call my page." The woman said, "What's there to worry about? It's all settled—the lady gave clothes and silver." Baoyu stamped his foot in despair. Just then Jia Zheng's page came and dragged him away.

Jia Zheng, his eyes red, didn't even ask about his son's wild behaviour—befriending actors, giving gifts, neglecting studies, molesting his mother's maid. He only shouted, "Gag him and beat him soundly!" The pages, not daring to disobey, pinned Baoyu to a bench and struck him a dozen times with the heavy board. Jia Zheng, finding it too light, kicked the one holding the board aside, seized it himself, and delivered thirty or forty vicious blows. The retainers, seeing it was going too far, tried to stop him. But Jia Zheng wouldn't listen, "Ask him if his deeds are forgivable! You've all spoiled him—and now you defend him. Will you still defend him when he commits treason and parricide?" Seeing his fury, they withdrew and tried to send word inside.

Lady Wang, not daring to tell the Dowager first, hurriedly dressed and rushed to the study, ignoring everyone. Jia Zheng, seeing her, was like fuel on fire—the blows came faster and harder. The pages holding Baoyu let go and stepped back—Baoyu could no longer move. Jia Zheng was about to strike again when Lady Wang caught the board. Jia Zheng said, "Enough—you'll have me dead!" Lady Wang wept, "Baoyu deserves to be beaten, but you should take care of yourself. It's so hot, and the Dowager is unwell—killing Baoyu is one thing, but if the Dowager is upset, that's another!" Jia Zheng sneered, "Don't speak of that. I've raised this unfilial wretch—I'm already unfilial. When I discipline him, everyone protects him. Better to strangle him now and be done with it!" He called for a rope. Lady Wang held him, weeping, "You should discipline your son, but think of our marriage. I'm nearly fifty, with only this one child. If you must make an example of him, I won't stop you. But if you kill him, you're killing me too. Stangle me first, then him—we won't complain, and in the underworld we'll have each other." She threw herself over Baoyu, weeping. Jia Zheng sighed, sat down, and wept. Lady Wang, seeing Baoyu pale and weak, his green gauze trousers bloodstained, untied his sash and saw from buttocks to calves—black, blue, torn—not a patch of good skin. She cried out, "My poor child!" Then she thought of Jia Zhu and wept, "If you were alive, even if a hundred died, I wouldn't care!" By then Li Wan, Xifeng, and the girls had come out hearing Lady Wang. Li Wan, hearing Jia Zhu's name, wept too. Jia Zheng's tears fell like rolling melons.

As the scene grew chaotic, a maid announced, "The Old Ancestress is here." Before she finished, a trembling voice said, "Beat me first, then him—then all is clean!" Jia Zheng, seeing his mother, was both pained and alarmed. He went out to meet her—she was coming, leaning on a maid, out of breath. He bowed, "Mother, why come in this heat? You should have sent for me." The Dowager stopped, caught her breath, and said sternly, "You speak to me! I have words to say, but I've never raised a good son—who can I tell?" Jia Zheng knelt, weeping, "I discipline my son to honour our ancestors—how can you say that?" The Dowager spat, "You can't bear my words, but can Baoyu bear your merciless blows? You speak of honouring ancestors—how did your father discipline you?" She wept. Jia Zheng said, "Don't grieve, Mother—it was my anger. I'll never beat him again." The Dowager sneered, "Don't test me. Your son is yours—I shouldn't stop you. But I suspect you're tired of us. Let us leave you, and all will be clean." She ordered carriages prepared, "Your wife and I and Baoyu will return to Nanjing at once!" The servants could only agree. The Dowager said to Lady Wang, "Don't cry. He's young, you dote on him, but when he's grown and an official, he won't think of you as his mother. Better not dote on him—you'll save yourself grief." Jia Zheng kowtowed, weeping, "You leave me no place to stand." The Dowager sneered, "You leave me no place—and you talk of me! When we're gone, your heart will be at ease—who will be there for you to beat?" She ordered the luggage and carriages prepared. Jia Zheng begged and confessed his fault.

The Dowager, worried for Baoyu, went in and saw the beating was worse than usual. Grieved and angry, she wept. Lady Wang and Xifeng consoled her. When maids tried to help Baoyu, Xifeng scolded, "Fools! Can't you see? In this state, can he walk? Bring the cane couch!" They brought it and carried Baoyu to the Dowager's room. Jia Zheng, seeing his mother still angry, followed. He saw how badly Baoyu was beaten. Lady Wang wept, "If you had died instead of Zhu'er, at least Zhu'er would be here—I wouldn't have spent half my life in vain. If anything happens to you, who will I have?" Jia Zheng's heart sank; he regretted the severity. He tried to console the Dowager, who said tearfully, "Why are you still here? Aren't you satisfied—must you see him dead?" Jia Zheng withdrew.

Aunt Xue, Baochai, Xiangling, Xiren, and Xiangyun were all there. Xiren, full of grievance, couldn't show it. Seeing the crowd attending to Baoyu, she slipped out to the second gate and asked a page to fetch Beiming. "Why was he beaten? Why didn't you warn us?" Beiming said, "I wasn't there—I heard about it halfway through. I found out it was about Qi Guan and Jinchuan." Xiren said, "How did the master know?" Beiming said, "The Qi Guan business was probably stirred up by Master Xue, out of jealousy, setting someone to whisper in the master's ear. The Jinchuan business was told by Third Master—I heard it from the master's attendants." Xiren, hearing both stories matched, was mostly convinced. She returned. Everyone was tending to Baoyu. When all was done, the Dowager ordered him carried back to his room. They carried him to the Crimson Delight Court and laid him on his bed. After the bustle subsided, Xiren came to attend him and asked what had happened. To know more, read the next chapter.