An Old Scholar at Leisure Solicits a Ballad of the Fair Warrior; A Foolish Young Gentleman Fabricates a Dirge for the Hibiscus Maiden

After the two nuns had taken Fangguan and the others away, Lady Wang went to Grandmother Jia’s rooms to pay her respects. Seeing that Grandmother Jia was in good spirits, she took the chance to report: “That maid Qingwen in Baoyu’s room is grown up now, and this past year she has been ill again and again. I found her particularly unruly and lazy. A while ago she was sick in bed for more than ten days. The doctor said it was consumption, so I quickly had her moved out. Even if she recovers in the future, she is not to enter the garden again. She is to be given to her family to marry off. As for those opera girls, I also took it upon myself to release them. For one thing, they can all sing opera, and they speak without weighing their words. If the other young ladies heard them, it would not be good. For another, they came from an opera troupe to begin with, so releasing them is only proper. Besides, there are already too many maids, and not enough hands. We can simply choose a few more.”

Grandmother Jia nodded. “That reasoning is sound enough. I had been thinking about the matter too. Only, that girl Qingwen—I thought her excellent. In looks, quickness, and needlework, none of the other maids could compare with her. I had meant to keep her to serve Baoyu in the future. How has she come to this?”

Lady Wang smiled. “The one you favored, Old Ancestor, was naturally not bad. I fear only that she lacked good fortune and caught this illness. The old saying goes, a girl changes greatly as she grows up. Those with ability are apt to have wayward temperaments. You have seen every side of the world, Old Ancestor. Three years ago I began to watch her closely. At first I also thought highly of her. But observing her quietly, I saw that she was capable in every way, only not steady enough. As for steadiness and understanding of rules, Xiren is first. It is true that in taking a wife one values beauty and talent, but a gentle nature and steady conduct matter more. Xiren’s looks are somewhat below Qingwen’s, but even in a room she would count as first-rate. She conducts herself generously, her heart is honest, and in these years she has never gone along with Baoyu’s wild behavior. When Baoyu goes too far, she only earnestly urges him to mend. I observed her for two years and felt she was reliable, so I quietly stopped her ordinary maid’s monthly allowance and gave her two taels of silver a month from my own monthly allowance. I let only her know in her heart, so that she would be even more careful. I did not tell Baoyu plainly: first, because Baoyu is still young, and if Jia Zheng knew, he would say it interfered with his studies; second, because if Baoyu knew Xiren was my special arrangement, he would become even more unrestrained. That is why I have only told you today, Old Ancestor.”

Grandmother Jia smiled. “So that is how it is. That is even better. Xiren was silent and sparing of speech from childhood. I used to think she was a gourd without a mouth. Since you have judged her accurately, there can be no mistake. Your idea of not telling Baoyu is very good. We need only understand in our own hearts. I know Baoyu well. Even if he marries in the future, he may not be willing to listen to the advice of wife or concubines. I have never quite understood the child. Other mischief is normal enough, but his particular closeness to maids is truly hard to explain. I often watched him secretly, thinking it was because he had grown up and understood the matter between men and women, and so loved to dally with them. But when I tested him carefully, it was not so. It is truly strange. Could it be that he was meant to be a girl and was mistakenly born a boy?” Everyone laughed. Lady Wang then told how Jia Zheng had praised Baoyu that day and taken them out to enjoy the autumn and write poems. Grandmother Jia was even more pleased.

Before long, Yingchun finished dressing and came to take leave, as she was returning to Lady Xing’s side. Xifeng also came to pay her respects and supervise breakfast. They talked and laughed for a while. After Grandmother Jia’s noon rest, Lady Wang called Xifeng and asked whether the menstrual-regulating pills had been made up. Xifeng said, “Not yet. I am still drinking decoctions. Do not worry, madam. I am much better.” Lady Wang saw that her color had improved and believed her. She told her about dismissing Qingwen and the others, and then asked, “How is it that Baochai went home to live without you knowing? A few days ago, on my way, I looked in. Jia Lan’s new wet nurse has frivolous manners. I did not like her, and I have already spoken to your elder sister-in-law. When Jia Lan is a little older, she is to be sent away. I asked your elder sister-in-law: how did you not know that Baochai had moved out of the garden? She said Baochai had told her she was going home for two or three days and would return when her aunt was better. Aunt Xue has no serious illness, only her usual cough and backache. Baochai’s sudden move—could someone have offended her? That child takes things deeply. We are relatives, and we must not make her unhappy.”

Xifeng smiled. “Who would offend her without cause? She is in the garden every day, and the people she meets are only the sisters.”

Lady Wang said, “Perhaps Baoyu is outspoken and says whatever comes into his head.”

Xifeng said, “Madam worries too much. Outside, when Baoyu has proper business, he seems dull and foolish. But before his sisters and the maids, he is most considerate and afraid of giving offense. No one would be angry with him. In my view, Cousin Xue moved out mostly because of the recent search of the maids’ things. A search means suspicion of people in the garden. She is a relative, and her maids and old women also lived in the garden. It was not convenient for us to search her people. She feared we might suspect her, so she moved out of her own accord to avoid suspicion. That is only reasonable.”

Lady Wang thought this made sense. She bowed her head in thought, then sent someone to invite Baochai over, to set her mind at ease and ask her to return to the Grand View Garden. Baochai smiled and said, “I had long intended to move out. It was only that there is so much business in your household, Aunt, that I did not find it convenient to speak. It happened that a few days ago my mother was unwell, and two capable old women in our house also fell ill, so I took the chance to go home. Since you already know, Aunt, I may as well speak plainly. Today I will pack my things and move out.”

Lady Wang and Xifeng both urged her: “You are too stubborn. Move back. Do not let such a small matter distance us as relatives.”

Baochai smiled. “It is not because of any quarrel. First, my mother’s spirits are not what they were, and at night there is no one by her side but me. Second, my brother is soon to take a wife, and there are still many pieces of needlework and many things to prepare. I must go home and help my mother manage them. Third, while I lived in the garden, the small southeast side gate was often left open especially for my convenience. It was hard to prevent others from using that gate too, to save trouble, with no one to check them. If some disaster came through there, neither side would look good. When I first entered the garden, it was because I was young, my family had no troubles, and we sisters lived together, doing needlework and playing. Now we have all grown up and each has her own concerns. Recently your household has had one trouble after another. The garden is too large to watch over properly. With fewer people living there, there will be less to worry about. So I insist on moving out. I also urge you, Aunt, to reduce the number of people where reduction is needed. It will not harm the dignity of a great family. In my view, even the expenses of the garden could be stopped. There is no need to cling to old arrangements. You know our Xue family well, Aunt. We were not always as quiet as this.”

After hearing this, Xifeng turned to Lady Wang and smiled. “She is right. There is no need to force her to stay.” Lady Wang nodded. “I have nothing to say either. I can only follow your wishes.”

As they were speaking, Baoyu and the others returned. They said that Jia Zheng’s guests had not yet dispersed, and fearing it would grow dark, Jia Zheng had sent them home first. Lady Wang quickly asked, “Did you disgrace yourself today?” Baoyu smiled. “Not only did I not lose face, I received many gifts.” The old women took the things from the pages: three fans, three fan pendants, six boxes of brushes and ink, three strings of fragrant beads, and three jade girdle rings. Baoyu introduced them one by one: they were from Hanlin Mei, Vice Minister Yang, and Secretary Li, one set from each. Then Baoyu took from his breast a small sandalwood Buddha. “This was given to me alone by Duke Qing.”

Lady Wang asked in detail about the guests at the feast and the poems written, then had Baoyu’s gifts put away and took Baoyu, Jia Lan, and Jia Huan to see Grandmother Jia. Grandmother Jia was delighted with the gifts and asked question after question. Baoyu’s heart was still fixed on Qingwen. He answered a few words perfunctorily and then said that riding had jolted him and made his whole body ache. Grandmother Jia told him, “Go back to your room quickly, change your clothes, and move about. Do not lie down and sleep.” Baoyu hurried back to the Grand View Garden.

Sheyue and Qiuwen, with two little maids, were waiting at the gate. When they saw Baoyu take leave of Grandmother Jia and return, Qiuwen picked up the brushes and ink, and they all entered the garden together. Baoyu said he was hot and, as he walked, took off his cap and belt and handed his outer robe to Sheyue. He wore only a pine-green silk lined jacket, beneath which showed red trousers. Qiuwen saw that these trousers had been made by Qingwen’s own hand. She sighed, “Put these trousers away. The things remain, but the person is gone.” Sheyue also sighed. “Truly, the thing is here and the person is not.” Qiuwen nudged Sheyue and teased with a smile, “This pine-green jacket with red trousers and dark blue boots sets off your black hair and snow-white face.” Baoyu, walking ahead, pretended not to hear. After a few steps he stopped. “I want to walk a little. What will you do?”

Sheyue said, “It is broad daylight. What is there to fear? Can you get lost? I will tell two little maids to follow you. We will take the things back and come again.”

Baoyu said, “Good sisters, wait for me.”

Sheyue said, “We will be back quickly. With two people carrying brushes, ink, clothes, and cap, we look like a ceremonial procession. It is not nice.” Baoyu was glad at heart and let them go ahead.

Baoyu took the two little maids behind the rockery and quietly asked, “After I went out, did Xiren send anyone to visit Qingwen?”

The little maid said, “Mother Song was sent to see her.”

Baoyu asked, “What did she say when she came back?”

The little maid said, “Mother Song said that Qingwen spent the whole night stretching her neck and gasping for breath. This morning she closed her eyes and could not speak. There was only the death rattle.”

Baoyu quickly asked, “Whom did she call all night?”

The little maid said, “All night she called only for her mother.” Baoyu wiped his tears. “Did she call anyone else?”

The little maid said, “I did not hear anyone else.”

Baoyu said, “You are muddled. You surely did not listen carefully.”

Another sharper little maid nearby came forward. “It is she who is muddled. I heard clearly, and I even slipped away to see Qingwen. She was always good to us. Now she has been wronged and driven out. We could not save her. To go and look once was the least we could do to repay her former kindness. Even if Lady Wang found out and beat me, I would be willing. I slipped over there. Qingwen was clever to the end. She did not want to speak with vulgar people and kept her eyes closed to rest. When she saw me, she opened her eyes, took my hand, and asked, ‘Where has Baoyu gone?’ I told her the truth. She sighed and said, ‘I will not see him again.’ I urged her to wait until Baoyu returned and see him once more. She smiled and said, ‘You do not know. I am not dying. Heaven is short one flower spirit, and the Jade Emperor has sent an order summoning me to take charge. At the second quarter after noon I must take up my post. Baoyu will not reach home until the third quarter after noon. There is only a quarter of an hour between. We cannot meet. When ordinary people die, little ghosts come to hook their souls, and one can burn paper money to delay them a little. But I am fetched by heavenly spirits. Not a moment can be delayed.’ I came back and checked the time. Indeed, at half past two she breathed her last, and at a quarter to three someone came to report that you had returned. The times all matched.”

Baoyu was overjoyed. “You do not read, so you do not know of such things. Flowers have flower spirits. Each kind of flower has one, and there is also a chief flower spirit. I wonder whether she is in charge of all flowers or only one kind.” The little maid could not make anything up for the moment. It happened to be the eighth month, when the hibiscus was in bloom in the garden. She at once borrowed the scene and invented: “I asked what flower she was in charge of, so that we might make offerings later. She said heaven’s secrets could not be revealed, and she could tell only Baoyu. If she leaked it, she would be struck by five thunderbolts. She said she was the spirit of the hibiscus.”

When Baoyu heard this, his grief turned to joy. Pointing at the hibiscus, he said, “Only a person like her deserves to be in charge of the hibiscus. I had long guessed that such a person must have some destination. Though she has left the dusty world and we can never meet again, I cannot help feeling sorrow.” Then he thought: Since I could not see her at the last, if I go now and make offerings before her coffin, it will be a way to fulfill the affection of our five or six years together.

Baoyu returned to his room, changed his clothes, and, on the pretext of going to see Daiyu, went out of the garden alone to the place where Qingwen’s coffin was laid. But he had not expected that as soon as Qingwen breathed her last, her cousin and his wife had reported it to the household, wanting to get the funeral money quickly. When Lady Wang learned of it, she rewarded them with ten taels of silver and ordered, “She had consumption. The body cannot be kept long. Carry it out at once and cremate it.” When the cousin and his wife got the silver, they immediately placed her in the coffin and carried her straight outside the city to the cremation ground. The clothes and jewelry Qingwen left behind were worth three or four hundred taels of silver, and the cousin and his wife swallowed it all. The two locked the door and went together to the funeral. The house was empty. Baoyu had come for nothing.

Baoyu stood there blankly for a long time. There was nothing he could do, so he had to return to the Grand View Garden. Back at Happy Red Court, he was depressed. He went to see Daiyu on the way. Daiyu was not in; the maids said she had gone to Baochai’s. Baoyu went to Alpinia Court. The courtyard was cold and quiet, the rooms stripped bare. He was greatly shocked. An old woman came over. “Miss Baochai has moved out. This place has been left for us to look after. The things are not all moved yet. You had better go out. We are cleaning, and you need not come here again.”

Baoyu stood rooted to the spot. The vines in the courtyard were still green, but everything had suddenly become desolate. On the embankment by the green shade, where maids used to come and go, now no one was seen for a long while. Below the embankment the water still flowed quietly. Baoyu thought with feeling: How heartless heaven and earth can be. Then he thought of Siqi, Ruhua, Fangguan, and the other five who had left; Qingwen was dead; Baochai had moved away; Yingchun, though still in the garden, often went back to Lady Xing’s side, and matchmakers were constantly coming to arrange her marriage. It seemed that everyone in the garden would soon scatter. There was no use in grieving. He thought of going to keep Daiyu company, then returning to be with Xiren. Perhaps only these two or three might stay with him to old age. He went again to Bamboo Lodge. Daiyu still had not returned. Baoyu did not want to indulge his sorrow further. Dejected, he went back to Happy Red Court.

Just as he was feeling miserable, a maid from Lady Wang’s room came looking for him. “The master has returned and wants you. There is another good topic for a poem. Hurry!” Baoyu had no choice but to go out. When he reached Lady Wang’s room, Jia Zheng had already gone to his study. Lady Wang sent Baoyu to the study.

Jia Zheng was discussing autumn outings with a group of his literary guests when he suddenly brought up a strange tale from ages past, one that combined romance and loyalty, just right for a memorial poem. The others asked what the story was.

Jia Zheng said: Formerly there was a Prince Heng who guarded Qingzhou. Prince Heng loved beautiful women. In his spare time from official business, he loved martial arts, and he selected many beauties and trained them daily in arms. At banquets he had the women practice combat. Among them was one Lin Siniang, the most beautiful of all and unmatched in martial skill. Everyone called her Lin Siniang. Prince Heng thought highly of her and promoted her to command all his concubines, giving her the title of the Fair Warrior.

The literary guests exclaimed, “Wonderful! Fair and lovely is the meaning of fair, and yet paired with warrior it becomes both charming and martial. Truly a strange thing. Prince Heng must have been a romantic figure through the ages.”

Jia Zheng said, “There is something even more moving. The next year, remnants of rebels like the Yellow Turbans and Red Eyebrows gathered and plundered Shandong. Prince Heng despised the bandits and rode out with light cavalry. But the rebels were crafty. He lost two battles and was killed. The civil and military officials in Qingzhou all said, ‘Even the prince was defeated. It is useless for us to resist.’ They planned to surrender the city. When Lin Siniang learned the terrible news, she summoned all the women and gave the order: ‘We have received great kindness from Prince Heng. Now the prince has died for his country. I shall follow him in death. Those willing to go out and fight with me may come at once. Those unwilling may disperse.’ All the women were willing. Lin Siniang led them out of the city by night into the rebel camp and killed several rebel leaders. When the rebels saw that they were only a group of women, they turned their troops and attacked fiercely, killing them all. Thus Lin Siniang won a name for loyalty and righteousness. When the news reached the capital, ruler and ministers alike were amazed. Later the court sent troops and wiped out the rebels; that need not be told in detail. But this one matter of Lin Siniang—is it not lamentable?”

Everyone praised it and said it was worthy of a memorial poem. Someone took up a brush and, from Jia Zheng’s account, wrote out a short preface. Jia Zheng said, “There was originally a preface, and it has already been sent to the Ministry of Rites. Recently the emperor issued an order to seek out loyal and righteous people of every age, whether monks, nuns, beggars, or women, and to report any good deed to the Ministry of Rites for commendation. Hearing of this, everyone wanted to write a Ballad of the Fair Warrior to commemorate her loyalty.” All praised the emperor’s boundless grace.

As they were speaking, Jia Huan and Jia Lan arrived. Jia Zheng let the three read the topic. Jia Lan and Jia Huan wrote poems, being skilled in the rules of examination essays, but their thinking was rigid. Baoyu, though he did not study the classics seriously, had read widely in miscellaneous books, and his thinking was lively and free. Jia Zheng, growing older, had come to look lightly on fame and office. Seeing that Baoyu’s poetic talent was uncommon, he no longer forced him to concentrate only on the examinations. Whenever poems were to be written, he called the three—uncle and nephews—to write together.

Jia Zheng ordered the three to each write a memorial poem. The first to finish would be rewarded, and the best would receive an extra reward. Jia Lan and Jia Huan were used to writing poems in public and had grown bold. They quickly finished. Jia Lan wrote a seven-character quatrain:

The Fair Warrior, Lin Siniang,
Jade her bones and iron her heart.
She gave her life to repay Prince Heng;
Today the soil of Qingzhou is fragrant.

The literary guests praised it, saying that a boy of thirteen with such a pen showed the depth of family learning. Jia Zheng said, “A child’s poem—it is rare enough.” Then he read Jia Huan’s five-character regulated verse:

Powder and rouge knew no sorrow,
The general’s will did not rest.
Hiding her tears, she left the embroidered tent,
Carrying her grief out of Qingzhou.
She thought to repay the prince’s kindness—
How could she avenge the foe?
Who will inscribe the tomb of loyalty and righteousness?
Through all ages she alone is fair.

Everyone praised it, saying the conception was uncommon. Jia Zheng commented, “It is not greatly wrong, but it is not heartfelt enough.” He turned and asked Baoyu. Everyone said that Baoyu’s writing would surely be romantic and sorrowful, unlike others. Baoyu said, “This subject does not suit quatrains or regulated verse. It suits an old-style long poem, a song-form, to be written truly and movingly.” The others clapped and said this topic suited a long song. Jia Zheng then took up the brush and had Baoyu dictate while he wrote.

Baoyu recited as it came, and wrote the long Ballad of the Fair Warrior:

Prince Heng loved arms and loved beauty too,
He taught his fair women riding and shooting.
Rich songs and gorgeous dances did not please him;
He found his joy in marshaled ranks and spears.
No dust of battle rose before their eyes;
The general’s slender shadow moved among red lamps.
Her scolding voice was sweet with perfume;
The frost-white spears and snowy swords too heavy for delicate hands.
Clove-knotted tassels and lotus silken cords—
Not pearls hung there, but precious swords.
When the drill was over and night deepened, her strength failed;
Lip rouge and powder stained the shark-silk.
Next year rebels swept through Shandong,
Swallowing tigers and leopards, swarming like bees.
The prince led heaven’s soldiers, thinking to wipe them out;
One battle, then another, and no success.
Bloody winds broke the wheat on the ridge;
Sun shone on banners, but the tiger tent was empty.
Green hills were silent, waters murmured—
It was then Prince Heng fell in battle.
Rain soaked white bones, blood dyed the grass;
The moon was cold on yellow sand, ghosts guarded the corpse.
One by one the officers only saved themselves;
Qingzhou seemed already dust.
No one expected loyalty and righteousness to shine in a woman’s chamber,
But the one Prince Heng had favored rose in wrath.
Who among Prince Heng’s favorites was foremost?
The Fair Warrior, Lin Siniang.
She ordered the Qin beauties and drove the Zhao girls,
Fresh as plums and peaches, onto the battlefield.
Tears on embroidered saddles, spring sorrow heavy;
Iron armor silent in the cold night air.
Victory or defeat could not be foreknown;
They swore life and death to repay their former prince.
The rebel force was fierce and could not be withstood;
Willows broke, flowers were maimed—truly pitiful.
Their souls clung to the city wall, near their native place;
Horses trampled rouge, and marrow was fragrant.
A starry courier brought the news to the capital;
Whose sons and daughters would not grieve?
The emperor was alarmed and grieved that the city had fallen;
At that moment civil and military officials all bowed their heads.
Why should the civil and military who uphold the court
Be less than Lin Siniang in her chamber?
For Siniang I heave a long sigh;
The song is finished, but my feelings still wander.

When he had finished, everyone cheered loudly. Jia Zheng, however, said, “There are good lines, but after all it is not heartfelt enough.” He sent the three back. Baoyu felt as if he had been granted a pardon and returned to his room with Jia Huan and Jia Lan.

When Baoyu returned to the Grand View Garden, he saw the hibiscus in the pool and remembered the little maid saying that Qingwen was the hibiscus spirit. In his grief he found a little comfort. He thought: Since I could not make offerings before her coffin, I might as well make them before the hibiscus, as a way to fulfill my heart. It would be more elegant than the worldly custom of mourning before a coffin. Then he thought he must not be careless. He should dress properly and prepare offerings. He also thought he should not use a worldly memorial text, but strike out on a new path. There was no need to seek costly offerings; sincerity was what mattered. The dirge, too, must be original, not a copy of ancient clichés. Every word must hold tears. He imitated the style of the Songs of Chu, Li Sao, and Summons of the Soul, and with free brush wrote a long dirge, A Dirge for the Hibiscus Maiden, on the ice-blue mermaid silk Qingwen had loved, with a preface and a song.

That night, under the moon, he prepared four offerings that Qingwen had liked and told a little maid to carry them. He came beneath the hibiscus. After making his bows, he hung the dirge on a hibiscus branch and read it aloud through tears. (The text of the dirge has been appended above.)

When he had finished, he burned silk and poured tea as offerings. Baoyu could not bear to leave for a long time. The little maid urged him again and again before he turned. Suddenly someone behind the rockery laughed and said, “Pray wait a moment.” The two were greatly startled. The little maid turned and saw a figure coming out from the hibiscus cluster. She screamed, “A ghost! Qingwen’s spirit has appeared!” Baoyu also looked quickly—what happened next will be told in the next chapter.