At a Crabapple Feast, Grandmother Jia Admires a Flower Omen; The Magic Jade Is Lost, and Its Spirit Knows a Strange Calamity

Lai Da led Jia Qin out. The night passed quietly, and they waited only for Jia Zheng to return. The nuns and Daoist women were sent back into Prospect Garden. They were still cheerful at heart, thinking they might stroll in the garden and wait until the next day to be sent into the palace. But Lai Da had already instructed the old women and pages guarding the garden to keep strict watch. They were given food and drink, but not allowed to take a single step about freely. The girls could not understand why, and could only sit until dawn. The maids in the garden had only heard that the nuns had been brought back in preparation for palace service; none of them knew the scandal of lust that lay behind it. Early the next morning, Jia Zheng had intended to come off duty, but the ledgers for reviewing the provincial works were sent over and had to be checked at once. For the moment he could not go home. He sent word to Jia Lian: “When Lai Da returns, you must get to the bottom of this matter. Deal with it as you see fit. There is no need to wait for me.” When Jia Lian......