In Ning-guo House, Kin Fall Ill and Disaster Looms; In Prospect Garden, Talisman Water Drives Out Evil Spirits

Lady Wang sent for Baochai. Baochai hurried over and paid her respects. Lady Wang said, “Your Third Sister-in-law is soon to be married. You and she should talk with her and comfort her more. You are sisters after all. Besides, Tanchun herself is a sensible girl, and I see the two of you get along well. I also hear that when Baoyu learned Third Girl was to marry, he wept bitterly. You must comfort him too. These days my body always aches here and there, and your Second Sister-in-law Wang Xifeng is sometimes better, sometimes worse. You are clear-minded and understanding. In many matters, do not simply give way for fear of offending people. Sooner or later, the household affairs will fall into your hands.” Baochai quickly agreed.

Lady Wang went on, “There is one more thing. Yesterday your Second Sister-in-law brought the Liu family’s daughter into the house, saying she was to fill a place in your rooms.” Baochai answered, “Ping’er brought her over today. I heard it was arranged by you, madam, and the Second Mistress.” Lady Wang said, “That is right. Your Second Sister-in-law mentioned it to me, and I thought it was no great matter, so I did not oppose it. Only one thing: I see that girl’s eyes and manner are not very settled. In the past, some maids in Baoyu’s rooms behaved frivolously, and I dismissed several. You know of that matter; otherwise you would not have gone home for a time. Now that you are managing things, it is naturally different from before. I tell you only so you will be more watchful. In your rooms, only Xiren is steady and reliable.” Baochai assented. They chatted a little more, and then Baochai left. After the meal, she went to Tanchun’s rooms and comforted her warmly. Of this we need not speak in detail.

The next day Tanchun prepared to set out for her marriage. She came especially to take leave of Baoyu. Baoyu could not bear to part with her. Tanchun spoke to him of moral principles and the conduct proper to a man. At first Baoyu lowered his head and said nothing. Later his grief gradually eased, and his face showed pleasure, as if he had understood something. Only then did Tanchun feel relieved. She bade farewell to everyone in the household, got into her sedan, and set out by water and land for her husband’s home.

Formerly all the young ladies had lived in Prospect Garden. After the Imperial Concubine’s death, the garden was seldom repaired or cared for. After Baoyu married, Lin Daiyu died, Shi Xiangyun returned to her husband’s family, and Xue Baoqin stayed in her own home, fewer and fewer people lived there. Moreover, the weather turned cold, so Li Wan, Tanchun, Xichun, and the others moved back to their old quarters. Only on festivals, or when the moon was fine and the flowers good, would they arrange to visit the garden. Now that Tanchun had married far away and Baoyu, after his grave illness, seldom went out, there was no one left with the heart for lively gatherings. Prospect Garden became cold and deserted. Only a few caretakers remained inside.

That day You-shi had come to see Tanchun off. It was already very late, and she did not want to harness a carriage and go around by the main road, so she took the small gate that had been opened years before between Ning-guo House and Prospect Garden. Everywhere she looked was desolate. The pavilions and towers were still there, but the empty ground along the walls had been turned into vegetable plots. You-shi felt empty and deeply sad. After returning to Ning-guo House, she began to run a fever. She forced herself to hold on for a day or two, then collapsed into bed. In the daytime the fever was still bearable, but at night her whole body burned and she spoke wildly. Jia Zhen quickly called physicians. The doctor said that at first it had only been a cold, but now the evil had entered the stomach meridian, causing confusion and hallucinations. Once her bowels moved freely, she would improve. You-shi took two doses, but instead of improving, she grew worse and began to rave and struggle.

Jia Zhen was anxious. He called Jia Rong and told him to find a better doctor outside. Jia Rong said, “The imperial physician we called before is already one of the most famous now. I fear Mother’s illness may not be cured by medicine.” Jia Zhen scolded him. “Nonsense! If she does not take medicine, are we to leave her alone?” Jia Rong explained, “I do not mean we should not treat her. A few days ago, when Mother returned from the Rong-guo House, she came straight through Prospect Garden. As soon as she reached home, she began to burn with fever. Perhaps she offended something unclean. There is a southerner outside called Mao Banxian. His divination is very accurate. It would be better to invite him and cast a hexagram. If the divination offers a way, we will follow it. If it is useless, we will seek other famous doctors.” Jia Zhen heard this and at once sent for Mao Banxian.

Mao Banxian arrived, sat in the study, drank tea, and asked, “What does your household wish me to divine?” Jia Rong said, “My mother is gravely ill. I beg you, sir, to cast a hexagram.” Mao Banxian said, “In that case, bring clean water to wash my hands and set up an incense table. I will cast a hexagram and see.” Soon the servants arranged everything. Mao Banxian took a divination tube from his bosom, walked to the incense table, bowed respectfully, and shook the tube while reciting: “The Great Ultimate divided into yin and yang; yin and yang joined to produce all things. The River Chart and Luo Writing reveal endless changes in the world. A sincere prayer will surely move the gods. Now there is a believer, Jia of this house, whose mother is ill. He sincerely invokes the four sages Fu Xi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius to descend. If the prayer is sincere, they will manifest. If ill, show ill; if good, show good. First I seek the three lines of the inner trigram.” Then he poured the coins from the tube onto a tray and said the first line was a crossing line. He picked up the coins, shook them again, and cast a single line. The third was again a crossing line. He put away the coins and said, “The inner trigram has appeared. Now I seek the three lines of the outer trigram to complete the hexagram.” After shaking, he obtained single, broken, single. Mao Banxian put away the tube and coins, sat down, and said, “Please be seated, everyone. I will interpret carefully. This hexagram is Wei Ji. The world line is in the third position. The noon-fire brothers will damage wealth. Calamity and ill fortune are unavoidable. Now, for the mother’s illness, the useful spirit is the first line. The parent line moves and produces the official ghost. The fifth line is another official ghost. From this one can see that the lady’s illness is not light. Fortunately the power of water is weak, and yin wood generates fire. The world line produces the descendant line, which can control the evil official ghost. Moreover, the sun and moon protect the body. After two more days, the water line representing disaster will disperse, and by the xu day the illness will improve. But the parent line producing the official ghost suggests that you, the master, may also have some misfortune. In addition, the world line has too many brother劫s. On days when water is strong and earth is weak, you must be careful.” With that, he stroked his beard and sat there.

At first Jia Rong had nearly laughed to see him make such a show. But hearing him speak so plausibly, and even warning that his father might suffer, he asked, “Your divination is profound, sir. But what illness exactly has my mother contracted?” Mao Banxian said, “From the world line noon-fire being controlled by water, it is cold and fire stagnating within. That alone is not precise enough. One must use the Great Six Ren method to determine it clearly.” Jia Rong asked, “Are you also skilled in the Great Six Ren?” Mao Banxian answered, “A little.” Jia Rong then gave the hour when the illness had begun. Mao Banxian drew the chart, arranged the gods and spirits, and said, “By calculation, the xu position is the White Tiger. This lesson is called ‘Soul Transformed.’ The White Tiger is itself an evil god. If suppressed, it will not harm people. If it meets a death evil, it becomes a starving tiger and will certainly harm someone. It is like a person’s soul being frightened and scattered, hence ‘soul transformed.’ This lesson indicates that someone in the household has met a ghost. Disasters will come one after another. Illness easily becomes dangerous, and lawsuits will bring fright. According to the hexagram, the illness was contracted at dusk. The hexagram also says that in this lesson, the old residence hides an evil spirit at work, and strange sights and sounds will appear. Now, divining for the lady, this corresponds exactly. The White Tiger harms men in the yang position and women in the yin position. This lesson is very dangerous.”

Before Jia Rong had finished listening, he turned pale with fright. He said, “What you say is very true, sir. But it differs somewhat from the earlier hexagram. Is there danger to life or not?” Mao Banxian said, “Do not panic. Let me calculate again carefully.” He lowered his head and muttered for a while, then said, “Fortunately, there is a savior! In the si position there is a noble god to resolve it. This is called ‘Soul Transformed, Soul Returns.’ First there is trouble, but in the end there will be peace. There will be no death, only the need for great care.”

Jia Rong gave him the divination fee and sent him away. He went back and reported to Jia Zhen: “Mother contracted the illness at dusk in the old garden, where she offended the evil corpse White Tiger.” Jia Zhen said, “Your mother did indeed return through Prospect Garden that day. She must have met something unclean there. Do you remember your Second Aunt Wang Xifeng? Some time ago she went into Prospect Garden and fell ill after returning. She said she did not see anything with her own eyes, but later the maids and old women all said there was a furry monster near the rockery, with eyes as big as lanterns, and it could even speak. It frightened the Second Mistress so much that she ran back and had a serious illness.” Jia Rong said, “Of course I remember. I also heard Mingyan, who serves Uncle Bao, say that after Qingwen died she became the hibiscus flower spirit of Prospect Garden. And when Lin Daiyu died, immortal music was heard in midair. No doubt she too governs some kind of flower. With so many ghosts and spirits in the garden, how can it be endured? In the past, when many people lived there, the yang energy was strong, and people came and went without trouble. Now the garden is desolate and cold. Mother passed through and may have stepped on some flower spirit or offended an evil thing. The divination is fairly accurate.” Jia Zhen asked, “Then is there danger to her life?” Jia Rong said, “The gentleman said she would improve by the xu day. I only hope she either recovers two days early or two days late.” Jia Zhen did not understand. “What do you mean by that?” Jia Rong said, “If his divination is accurate, I fear you, Father, may also be unwell soon.”

As he was speaking, a clamor came from inside. A maid cried, “The mistress insists on sitting up and going to Prospect Garden. We cannot stop her!” Jia Zhen and Jia Rong hurried in to calm You-shi. They heard You-shi muttering wildly, “The one in red is calling me; the one in green is driving me away.” The servants in the room were both frightened and uneasy. Jia Zhen told someone to take paper money into Prospect Garden and burn it as an offering. Sure enough, that night You-shi broke into a sweat and became much quieter. By the xu day she slowly recovered. This matter spread from one to ten and from ten to a hundred. Everyone said there were monsters in Prospect Garden. The caretakers were so frightened that they dared not prune the flowers or water the vegetables. At first they did not dare walk there at night. Birds and beasts ran wild. Later, even in the daytime, they would only go out in groups, carrying weapons. Before long Jia Zhen indeed fell ill. He did not seek a doctor. For minor illness he went into the garden to burn paper and make vows; for serious illness he invited people to worship the stars and pray. Jia Zhen had just recovered when Jia Rong and others fell ill one after another. This went on for several months. Everyone in the Ning and Rong households was terrified. Everywhere they heard wind and thought it rain; every grass and tree seemed a monster. The garden’s income was entirely abandoned, and the monthly allowances of each branch had to be supplemented, making the finances of the Rong-guo House even tighter. The caretakers saw no benefit and all wanted to leave. They spread tales of flower spirits and tree monsters everywhere, all wanting to move out. The main gate of Prospect Garden was sealed shut, and no one dared enter again. The tall, splendid towers and pavilions all became dwelling places for birds and beasts.

Now to speak of Wu Gui, Qingwen’s cousin. His home was at the gate of Prospect Garden. His wife, ever since she heard that Qingwen had become a flower spirit after death, did not dare go out at night. One day Wu Gui went out to buy things and returned very late. His wife had already had a slight cold and had taken the wrong medicine during the day. By the time Wu Gui reached home, she was already dead on the kang. People outside had always thought this woman’s conduct was poor, so they spread the story that a monster had climbed over the wall, sucked out her vital essence, and killed her. Grandmother Jia was very worried and especially added many servants to surround Baoyu’s courtyard and patrol all night. The little maids also began to talk wildly. Some said they had seen a red-faced ghost; some said they had seen a beautiful female ghost. They chattered without end. Baoyu was frightened every day and uneasy in his heart. Fortunately Baochai was steady in handling matters. When she heard the maids spreading wild rumors, she threatened to have them beaten, and the rumors quieted somewhat. But the servants in every room were suspicious and fearful, and more night watchmen were added, increasing household expenses by a great deal.

Only Jia She did not quite believe in ghosts and spirits. He said, “A fine garden—where would monsters come from?” He chose a day when the wind was gentle and the sun bright, took several servants with weapons, and went to inspect Prospect Garden himself. Others urged him not to, but he would not listen. When he entered the garden, it was indeed cold and gloomy. Jia She forced himself to go on. The servants following him all shrank back. One young servant was already very frightened. Suddenly he heard a rustling sound. He turned and saw a many-colored thing flash past. He gave a great cry and fell to the ground in fright. Jia She turned and asked what had happened. The servant gasped, “I saw with my own eyes a monster with a yellow face, red beard, green clothes, and a blue skirt. It went into the cave behind the woods.” When Jia She heard this, he too began to be afraid. He asked the others, “Did you all see it?” Several servants followed along. “How could we not see it? Only you were walking in front, master, and we did not dare disturb you. We could still hold ourselves up.” At this, Jia She was thoroughly terrified. He did not dare go farther and hurried home. He told the servants not to spread the matter and said only that he had inspected the whole garden and found nothing unusual. But in his heart he believed it and planned to invite Daoist priests to drive out the evil. Yet these servants loved to make trouble out of nothing. Seeing that Jia She was afraid, instead of keeping quiet, they exaggerated and embellished the story until everyone was terrified.

Jia She had no other way. He had to invite Daoist priests to set up an altar in Prospect Garden and drive out the evil spirits. An auspicious day was chosen. The altar was set up in the great hall where the Imperial Concubine had once visited her family. The Three Pure Ones were enshrined above. On either side were the twenty-eight constellations and the four great generals Ma, Zhao, Wen, and Zhou. Below were images of the thirty-six heavenly generals. The hall was filled with incense, flowers, lamps, and candles. Bells, drums, and ritual instruments were set on both sides, and banners of the five directions were planted. The official Daoist registry assigned forty-nine priests to their duties. First they purified the altar for a day. The three masters took incense and water, then beat the dharma drum. The priests all put on seven-star caps, eight-trigram robes, cloud-climbing shoes, and held court tablets. They submitted memorials and invited the holy gods to descend. They chanted the Dongyuan Sutra for a whole day to avert disaster, drive out evil, and pray for blessing. Afterward they posted a notice summoning the divine generals. The notice read in large characters: The Great Master of the Lingbao Talisman Teaching of the Three Realms of the Supreme Oneness of Taiyi orders all local gods to come to the altar and await command.

The men of the Ning and Rong households all hoped the masters would catch the monster and came in crowds to watch. They all said, “This rite is so grand. With such a summoning of gods, even the most powerful monster will be scared away.” They crowded before the altar. The young priests raised banners of various kinds and took their places in the five directions—east, south, west, north, and center—awaiting the masters’ commands. The three masters stood before the altar. One held a sword and talisman water, one held a black seven-star flag, and one held a peach-wood demon-beating whip. When the instruments stopped, the master struck the token three times and chanted incantations. The five-direction banners waved and scattered. The masters descended from the altar and, with the Jia household people, went to every tower, pavilion, corridor, room, cliff, and waterside, sprinkling talisman water and drawing talismans with their swords. Returning to the altar, they struck the token again and again and waved the seven-star flag. The priests gathered the banners and raised the demon-beating whip, striking the air three times. The Jia household all thought the monster had been caught and pressed forward to look, but they could see no trace of any monster. The masters told the priests to bring out bottles and jars. They said the monster had been collected into the jars and sealed. The masters wrote talismans in cinnabar and had them taken back to the temple to be pressed beneath a pagoda. Then the altar was dismantled and the divine generals thanked.

Jia She respectfully thanked the masters. Jia Rong and the younger generation secretly laughed among themselves. They said to one another, “They made such a grand show. I thought they would drag the monster out for us to see. Instead they just collected it like that. Was the monster really caught or not?” Jia Zhen heard them and scolded, “Fools! Monsters gather together to show form; when scattered, they turn into a mass of yin air. With so many heavenly gods and generals present, how would it dare show itself? If the evil air is collected and no longer harms people, that is the power of the rite.” The others were half doubtful, half believing, and waited to see whether anything happened afterward. When the servants heard the monster had been subdued, their fear lessened. They no longer made a great fuss, and later no one mentioned it again. Jia Zhen and the others recovered one after another and all praised the masters’ divine power. Only one servant privately laughed and said to another, “I do not know whether those strange things before were true or false, but that day when I followed the Eldest Master into the garden, what flew past was clearly a large male pheasant. The servant Shuan’er was dazzled by fear and told it as if it were true. We had to go along and cover for him. The Eldest Master actually believed it, and we wasted a grand and lively rite for nothing.” Even if others heard this, they would not believe it. Prospect Garden remained a place no one dared live in.

One day Jia She had nothing to do and was about to send several servants to move into Prospect Garden to guard the buildings and prevent wicked people from hiding there at night. He was just about to give the order when Jia Lian came in to pay his respects and reported that he had heard a rumor at his eldest uncle’s house that day: “I hear Second Uncle Jia Zheng has been impeached by the military commissioner. The charge is failure to supervise his subordinates, who over-collected grain. The memorial requests that he be dismissed from office.” Jia She was greatly shocked. He said, “I fear it is only a rumor. Not long ago your Second Uncle wrote home saying Tanchun had arrived safely at her husband’s home, and that an auspicious day had been chosen to send your sister to the sea frontier. The journey was calm, and we were not to worry. He also said the military commissioner had recognized the marriage connection and even held a banquet to celebrate. Since they have become in-laws, how could he impeach him? Do not spread this. Go at once to the Ministry of Personnel and find out the true news, then report back to me.”

Jia Lian went out at once. In less than half a day he returned and reported, “I have just confirmed at the Ministry of Personnel. Second Uncle has indeed been impeached. The memorial was sent up, but fortunately the emperor was gracious and did not send it to the Ministry of Justice. Instead he issued a direct decree: Jia Zheng failed to supervise his subordinates, and his underlings over-collected grain and oppressed the people. He should be dismissed. But considering that he had only recently been posted outside and did not understand official affairs, and was deceived and kept in the dark by his underlings, he is demoted three grades and may retain his post as vice director of the Ministry of Works. He is ordered to return to the capital at once. This news is certain. While I was at the Ministry, I met a Jiangxi magistrate who had come to the capital to report on his duties. When he spoke of Second Uncle, he was still grateful, saying he was a good official himself but had used the wrong people. His household servants had bullied local officials and ruined his good name. The military commissioner also knew in his heart that Second Uncle was not a bad man. I do not know why he still impeached him this time. Perhaps the underlings had gone too far, and he feared a greater disaster later, so he used the charge of failure to supervise as a way to make the matter smaller.” Before Jia Lian had finished, Jia She told him, “First tell your aunt Lady Wang about this. Do not tell the Old Ancestor for the time being.” Jia Lian went to report to Lady Wang. What happened afterward will be told in the next chapter.