Li K’uei, Black Whirlwind, bloodthirsty outlaw from Sung Chiang’s band who massacres the household of Liang Shih-chieh and kills Yin T’ien-hsi.
Li Kung-pi, Bare Stick Li, only son of Li Ch’ang-ch’i, student at the Superior College of the National University, falls in love with Meng Yü-lou at first sight and arranges to marry her as his second wife, severely beaten by his father for his part in the abortive attempt to frame Ch’en Ching-chi, forced to return with his bride to his native place to resume his studies.
Li Kung-pi’s deceased first wife.
Li Kung-pi’s servant.
Li, Leaky. See Li Wai-ch’uan.
Li Ming, younger brother of Li Chiao-erh, uncle of Li Kuei-ch’ing and Li Kuei-chieh; actor and musician from the Verdant Spring Bordello on Second Street in the licensed quarter of Ch’ing-ho; employed by Hsi-men Ch’ing to teach Ch’un-mei, Yü-hsiao, Ying-ch’un, and Lan-hsiang to sing and play musical instruments; driven out of the house by Ch’un-mei for having the temerity to squeeze her hand during a lesson but allowed to return on many subsequent occasions; assists Li Chiao-erh, Li Kuei-ch’ing, and Li Kuei-chieh in despoiling Hsi-men Ch’ing’s property after his death.
Li Pang-yen (d. 1130), minister of the right, grand academician of the Hall for Aid in Governance, and concurrently minister of rites, alters Hsi-men Ch’ing’s name to Chia Lien on a bill of impeachment in return for a bribe of five hundred taels of silver, promoted to the ranks of pillar of state and grand preceptor of the heir apparent for his part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park, one of the Six Traitors impeached by Ch’en Tung.
Li P’ing-erh, Vase, Mrs. Hua, Mistress Hua, one of the three principal female protagonists of the novel, concubine of Liang Shih-chieh, wife of Hua Tzu-hsü, commits adultery with her husband’s neighbor and sworn brother Hsi-men Ch’ing, wife of Dr. Chiang Chu-shan, Hsi-men Ch’ing’s Sixth Lady, mother of Hsi-men Kuan-ko, dies of chronic hemorrhaging brought on by grief over the death of her son and Hsi-men Ch’ing’s insistence on trying out his newly acquired aphrodisiac on her while she is in her menstrual period, commemorated in overly elaborate funeral observances that are prime examples of conspicuous consumption, haunts Hsi-men Ch’ing’s dreams.
Li P’ing-erh’s former incarnation. See Wang family of Pin-chou.
Li P’ing-erh’s deceased parents.
Li P’ing-erh’s reincarnation. See Yüan, Commander.
Li Ta-t’ien, district magistrate of Ch’ing-ho, relative of Chu Mien, appoints Wu Sung as police captain and later sends him to the Eastern Capital to stash his ill-gotten gains with his powerful relative, accepts Hsi-men Ch’ing’s bribes to abuse the law in the cases of Wu Sung, Lai-wang, Sung Hui-lien, Miao T’ien-hsiu, and others.
Li the Third, seller of won-ton in front of the district yamen in Ch’ing-ho.
Li the Third. See Li Chih.
Li the Third, Auntie, madam of the Verdant Spring Bordello on Second Street in the licensed quarter of Ch’ing-ho, mother of Li Kuei-ch’ing and Li Kuei-chieh, partially paralyzed, prototypical procuress who milks her customers for all she can get.
Li, Vice Minister, employer of Licentiate Shui.
Li Wai-ch’uan, Leaky Li, influence peddling lictor on the staff of the district yamen in Ch’ing-ho who is mistakenly killed by Wu Sung in his abortive attempt to wreak vengeance on Hsi-men Ch’ing for the murder of his elder brother Wu Chih.
Li Yen (d. 1126), Eunuch Director Li, entertains Miao Ch’ing in his residence behind the Forbidden City in the Eastern Capital, rewarded for his part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park, one of the Six Traitors impeached by Ch’en Tung.
Li Yen’s adopted son, granted the post of battalion vice commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard by yin privilege as a reward for his father’s part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park.
Liang, Privy Councilor. See Liang Shih-chieh.
Liang Shih-chieh, Privy Councilor Liang, regent of the Northern Capital at Ta-ming prefecture in Hopei, son-in-law of Ts’ai Ching, first husband of Li P’ing-erh, forced to flee for his life when his entire household is slaughtered by Li K’uei.
Liang Shih-chieh’s wife, née Ts’ai, daughter of Ts’ai Ching, extremely jealous woman who beats numbers of maidservants and concubines of her husband to death and buries them in the rear flower garden, forced to flee for her life when her entire household is slaughtered by Li K’uei.
Liang To, professional boy actor in Ch’ing-ho.
Liang Ying-lung, commandant of security for the Eastern Capital.
Lin Ch’eng-hsün, judicial commissioner in the Huai-ch’ing office of the Provincial Surveillance Commission.
Lin Hsiao-hung, younger sister of Lin Ts’ai-hung, singing girl in Yang-chou patronized by Lai-pao.
Lin, Lady, widow of Imperial Commissioner Wang I-hsüan, mother of Wang Ts’ai, former mistress of P’an Chin-lien who learns to play musical instruments and to sing as a servant in her household, carries on an adulterous affair with Hsi-men Ch’ing under the transparent pretext of asking him to superintend the morals of her profligate son.
Lin Ling-su (d. c. 1125), Perfect Man Lin, Taoist priest who gains an ascendancy over Emperor Hui-tsung for a time and is showered with high-sounding titles, rewarded for his part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park.
Lin, Perfect Man. See Lin Ling-su.
Lin Shu (d. c. 1126), minister of works rewarded with the title grand guardian of the heir apparent for his part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park.
Lin Ts’ai-hung, elder sister of Lin Hsiao-hung, singing girl in Yang-chou.
Ling, Master, fortune teller in Ch’ing-ho who interprets Meng Yü-lou’s horoscope when she is about to marry Li Kung-pi.
Ling Yün-i, prefect of Yen-chou in Shantung.
Little Iron Rod, son of Lai-chao and his wife Hui-ch’ing.
Little Jade. See Hsiao-yü.
Little Whirlwind. See Ch’ai Chin.
Liu, Assistant Regional Commander, officer of the Hsi-hsia army who gives a horse to Chai Ch’ien, who in turn presents it to Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Liu Chao. See Lai-chao.
Liu Chü-chai, Dr., physician from Fen-chou in Shansi, friend of Ho Yung-shou who recommends him to Hsi-men Ch’ing when he is in extremis but whose treatment exacerbates his condition.
Liu, Company Commander, younger brother of Eunuch Director Liu, indicted for illicit use of imperial lumber in constructing a villa on a newly purchased estate at Wu-li Tien outside Ch’ing-ho, let off the hook by Hsi-men Ch’ing in response to a bribe proffered by Eunuch Director Liu.
Liu, Consort (1088–1121), Consort An, a favorite consort of Emperor Hui-tsung, mother of Chao I.
Liu, Dame, Stargazer Liu’s wife, medical practitioner and shamaness frequently called upon by the women of Hsi-men Ch’ing’s household.
Liu, Eunuch Director, elder brother of Company Commander Liu, manager of the Imperial Brickyard in Ch’ing-ho, resides on an estate outside the south gate of the city, intervenes with Hsi-men Ch’ing to get his younger brother off the hook when indicted for misappropriation of imperial lumber but supplies Hsi-men Ch’ing with bricks from the Imperial Brickyard for construction of his country estate.
Liu, Eunuch Director, landlord of Dr. Hu’s house on East Street in Ch’ing-ho.
Liu, Eunuch Director, resides near Wine Vinegar Gate on the North Side of Ch’ing-ho, patron of Li Ming.
Liu Hui-hsiang. See Hui-hsiang.
Liu Kao, commander of An-p’ing Stockade, friend of Shih En who gives Wu Sung a hundred taels of silver and a letter of recommendation to him when he is sent there in military exile.
Liu, Mr., official serving in Huai-an who passed the chin-shih examinations the s
ame year as Sung Ch’iao-nien.
Liu Pao, servant employed as a cook in Hsi-men Ch’ing’s silk dry goods store.
Liu, School Official, native of Hang-chou, educational official in Ch’ing-ho who borrows money from Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Liu the Second, Turf-protecting Tiger, brother-in-law of Chang Sheng, proprietor of My Own Tavern west of the bridge in Lin-ch’ing, pimp and racketeer, boss of unlicensed prostitution in Lin-ch’ing, beaten to death by Chou Hsiu at the behest of P’ang Ch’un-mei after Chang Sheng’s murder of Ch’en Ching-chi.
Liu the Second, Little, seller of ready-cooked food in front of the district yamen in Ch’ing-ho.
Liu Sheng, foreman on the domestic staff of Yang Chien.
Liu, Stargazer, husband of Dame Liu, blind fortune teller and necromancer who interprets P’an Chin-lien’s horoscope, teaches her a method for working black magic on Hsi-men Ch’ing, and treats Hsi-men Kuan-ko ineffectually.
Liu the Third, servant of Company Commander Liu.
Liu Ts’ang, younger brother of Hui-hsiang, brother-in-law of Lai-pao with whom he cooperates in surreptitiously making off with eight hundred taels worth of Hsi-men Ch’ing’s property after his death and using it to open a general store.
Liu Yen-ch’ing (1068–1127), commander-general of the Shensi region who leads the forces of Yen-sui against the Chin invaders.
Lo, Mohammedan, one of the “ball clubbers” patronized by Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Lo Ts’un-erh, singing girl of Ch’ing-ho patronized by Hsiang the Fifth.
Lo Wan-hsiang, prefect of Tung-p’ing.
Love. See Chu Ai-ai.
Lu Ch’ang-t’ui, Longleg Lu, madam of the brothel on Butterfly Lane in Ch’ing-ho where Chin-erh and Sai-erh work.
Lu Ch’ang-t’ui’s husband.
Lu, Duke of. See Ts’ai Ching.
Lu Hu, clerical subofficial on the staff of Yang Chien.
Lu Hua, Snake-in-the-grass, “knockabout” who, along with Chang Sheng, shakes down Dr. Chiang Chu-shan at the behest of Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Lu, Longleg. See Lu Ch’ang-t’ui.
Lu Ping-i, Lu the Second, crony of Ch’en Ching-chi who suggests how he can recover his property from Yang Kuang-yen and goes into partnership with him as the manager of the Hsieh Family Tavern in Lin-ch’ing.
Lu the Second. See Lu Ping-i.
Lung-hsi, Duke of. See Wang Wei.
Lü Sai-erh, singing girl in Ch’ing-ho.
Ma Chen, professional boy actor in Ch’ing-ho.
Ma, Mrs., next-door neighbor of Ying Po-chüeh.
Man-t’ang, maidservant in the household of Li Kung-pi.
Mao-te, Princess (fl. early 12th century), fifth daughter of Emperor Hui-tsung, married to Ts’ai Ching’s fourth son, Ts’ai T’iao.
Meng Ch’ang-ling (fl. early 12th century), eunuch rewarded for his part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park.
Meng Ch’ang-ling’s adopted son, granted the post of battalion vice commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard by yin privilege as a reward for his father’s part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park.
Meng-ch’ang, Little Lord. See Ch’ai Chin.
Meng the Elder, elder brother of Meng Yü-lou.
Meng the Elder’s wife, Meng Yü-lou’s sister-in-law.
Meng Jui, Meng the Second, younger brother of Meng Yü-lou, a traveling merchant constantly on the road.
Meng Jui’s wife, Meng Yü-lou’s sister-in-law.
Meng the Second. See Meng Jui.
Meng the Third. See Meng Yü-lou.
Meng Yü-lou, Tower of Jade, Meng the Third, one of the female protagonists of the novel, widow of the textile merchant Yang Tsung-hsi, Hsi-men Ch’ing’s Third Lady, confidante of P’an Chin-lien, marries Li Kung-pi after the death of Hsi-men Ch’ing, forced to return with her husband to his native place in Hopei after their abortive attempt to frame Ch’en Ching-chi, bears a son to Li Kung-pi at the age of forty and lives to the age of sixty-seven.
Meng Yü-lou’s elder brother. See Meng the Elder.
Meng Yü-lou’s elder sister. See Han Ming-ch’uan’s wife, née Meng.
Meng Yü-lou’s son by Li Kung-pi.
Meng Yü-lou’s younger brother. See Meng Jui.
Miao Ch’ing, servant of Miao T’ien-hsiu who conspires with the boatmen Ch’en the Third and Weng the Eighth to murder his master on a trip to the Eastern Capital, bribes Hsi-men Ch’ing to get him off the hook, and returns to Yang-chou where he assumes his former master’s position in society and maintains relations with his benefactor Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Miao-ch’ü, teenage disciple of Nun Hsüeh.
Miao-feng, teenage disciple of Nun Hsüeh.
Miao Hsiu, servant in the household of Miao Ch’ing.
Miao Shih, servant in the household of Miao Ch’ing.
Miao T’ien-hsiu, a wealthy merchant of Yang-chou who is murdered by his servant Miao Ch’ing on a trip to the Eastern Capital.
Miao T’ien-hsiu’s concubine. See Tiao the Seventh.
Miao T’ien-hsiu’s daughter.
Miao T’ien-hsiu’s wife, née Li.
Ming-wu. See Hsi-men Hsiao-ko.
Mirror polisher, elderly itinerant artisan in Ch’ing-ho who polishes mirrors for P’an Chin-lien, Meng Yü-lou, and P’ang Ch’un-mei and elicits their sympathy with a sob story.
Mirror polisher’s deceased first wife.
Mirror polisher’s second wife.
Mirror polisher’s son.
Monk, Indian, foreign monk presented as the personification of a penis whom Hsi-men Ch’ing encounters in the Temple of Eternal Felicity and from whom he obtains the aphrodisiac an overdose of which eventually kills him.
Moon Lady. See Wu Yüeh-niang.
Ni, Familiar. See Ni P’eng.
Ni, Licentiate. See Ni P’eng.
Ni P’eng, Familiar Ni, Licentiate Ni, tutor employed in the household of Hsia Yen-ling as a tutor for his son, Hsia Ch’eng-en, who recommends his fellow licentiate Wen Pi-ku to Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Nieh Liang-hu, schoolmate of Shang Hsiao-t’ang employed in his household as a tutor for his son who writes two congratulatory scrolls for Hsi-men Ch’ing.
Nieh, Tiptoe. See Nieh Yüeh.
Nieh Yüeh, Tiptoe Nieh, one of the “cribbers” in the licensed quarter of Ch’ing-ho who plays the tout to Wang Ts’ai on his visits to the licensed quarter and upon whom Hsi-men Ch’ing turns the tables by abusing the judicial system at the behest of Lady Lin.
Nieh Yüeh’s wife.
Nien-erh, elder daughter of Lai-hsing by Hui-hsiu.
Nien-mo-ho. See Wan-yen Tsung-han.
Niu, Ms., singing girl in the Great Tavern on Lion Street who witnesses Wu Sung’s fatal assault on Li Wai-ch’uan.
Old woman who tells the fortunes of Wu Yüeh-niang, Meng Yü-lou, and Li P’ing-erh with the aid of a turtle.
Opportune Rain. See Sung Chiang.
Ostensibly Benign. See I Mien-tz’u.
Pai, Baldy. See Pai T’u-tzu.
Pai the Fifth, Moneybags Pai, father-in-law of Feng Huai, notorious local tyrant and fence for stolen goods in the area west of the Grand Canal.
Pai the Fourth, silversmith in Ch’ing-ho, acquaintance of Han Tao-kuo.
Pai Lai-ch’iang, Scrounger Pai, crony of Hsi-men Ch’ing, member of the brotherhood of ten.
Pai Lai-ch’iang’s wife.
Pai, Mohammedan. See Pai T’u-tzu.
Pai, Moneyboys. See Pai the Fifth.
Pai, Scrounger. See Pai Lai-ch’iang.
Pai Shih-chung (d. 1127), right vice minister of rites rewarded with the title grand guardian of the heir apparent for his part in facilitating the notorious Flower and Rock Convoys and the construction of the Mount Ken Imperial Park.
Pai T’u-tzu, Baldy Pai, Mohammedan Pai, “ball-clubber” in Ch’ing-ho who plays the tout to Wang Ts’ai on his visits to the licensed quarter and upon wh
om Hsi-men Ch’ing turns the tables by abusing the judicial system at the behest of Lady Lin.
Pai Yü-lien, Jade Lotus, maidservant purchased by Mrs. Chang at the same time as P’an Chin-lien who dies shortly thereafter.
Palace foreman who plays the role of master of ceremonies at the imperial audience in the Hall for the Veneration of Governance.
Palefaced Gentleman. See Cheng T’ien-shou.
Pan-erh, unlicensed prostitute in Longfoot Wu’s brothel in the Southern Entertainment Quarter of Ch’ing-ho patronized by P’ing-an after he absconds from the Hsi-men household with jewelry stolen from the pawnshop.
P’an Chi, one of the officials from the Ch’ing-ho Guard who comes to Hsi-men Ch’ing’s residence to offer a sacrifice to the soul of Li P’ing-erh after her death.
P’an Chin-lien, Golden Lotus, P’an the Sixth, principal female protagonist of the novel, daughter of Tailor P’an from outside the South Gate of Ch’ing-ho who dies when she is only six years old; studies in a girls’ school run by Licentiate Yü for three years where she learns to read and write; sold by her mother at the age of eight into the household of Imperial Commissioner Wang and Lady Lin where she is taught to play musical instruments and to sing; resold in her mid-teens, after the death of her master, into the household of Mr. Chang who deflowers her and then gives her as a bride to his tenant, Wu Sung’s elder brother, the dwarf Wu Chih; paramour of Hsi-men Ch’ing who collaborates with her in poisoning her husband and subsequently makes her his Fifth Lady; seduces her husband’s page boy Ch’int’ung for which he is driven out of the household; carries on a running affair with her son-in-law, Ch’en Ching-chi, which is consummated after the death of Hsi-men Ch’ing; responsible, directly or indirectly, for the suicide of Sung Hui-lien, the death of Hsi-men Kuan-ko, and the demise of Hsi-men Ch’ing; aborts her son by Ch’en Ching-chi; is sold out of the household by Wu Yüeh-niang, purchased by Wu Sung, and disemboweled by the latter in revenge for the death of his elder brother Wu Chih.
P’an Chin-lien’s cat, Coal in the Snow, Snow Lion, Snow Bandit, long-haired white cat with a black streak on its forehead that P’an Chin-lien trains to attack Hsi-men Kuan-ko with fatal consequences.
P’an Chin-lien’s father. See P’an, Tailor.
The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei Page 5
