The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei

by Roy, David Tod

  It was the premier temple in the realm. Behold:

  The temple is located at the Eastern Peak,

  The mountain that rules over the universe.

  It is the most venerable of all mountains,

  The presiding director of the myriad gods.

  If you lean on a balustrade at the summit,

  You can see as far as the River of Weak Water

  or the Isles of the Blest;9

  If you climb the evergreens on the crest,

  You will find yourself to be enveloped by the

  thick clouds and thin fog.

  Towers and terraces soar aloft,10

  As though ready for the gold raven to spread

  its wings and fly there;

  Halls and galleries rise steeply,

  As if prepared for the jade rabbit to leap

  aloft and come to visit.11

  The temple features carved rafters and painted beams,12

  And is enhanced with azure tiles and vermilion eaves.13

  The translucent latticework on phoenix gates

  brightens the yellow silk;

  From the tortoiseshell-patterned embroidered

  drapes hang brocade tassels.

  Gazed at from afar, the sacred images,

  With their nine-tasseled crowns, show the eyes

  of Shun and the eyebrows of Yao;14

  Seen close up, the aspects of the gods,

  Dressed in dragon robes, display the shoulders

  of T’ang and the back of Yü.

  The Lord of Destiny of the Nine Heavens,15

  Is adorned with a hibiscus cap, enhancing his

  robe of crimson silk;

  Ping-ling, Duke of Awesome Transcendence,16

  Is clad in a yellow robe, set off by a girdle

  of Indigo Field jade.

  To their left are arrayed officers wearing

  jade pins and pearl-studded shoes;17

  To their right stand officials with purple

  sashes and golden seals of office.18

  The whole edifice exhibits an air of gravity,

  Defended by three thousand armor-bearing generals;

  The two corridors exude a martial atmosphere,

  Protected by a hundred thousand ironclad soldiers.

  Underneath the Hao-li Hill,19

  The Assessor presides over the seventy-two

  bureaus of the underworld;

  Within the White Mule Shrine,20

  The tutelary god regulates the twenty-four

  terms of the solar year.

  The iron-faced Defender-in-chief of the

  lakes of fire,

  Day after day, shows off his powers;

  The General of the Five Ways who rules

  life and death,

  Year after year, reveals his potency.

  The burning of sacred incense never ceases,

  As the celestial spirits on their flying steeds

  convey their vermilion texts;

  The sacrifices are celebrated on schedule,

  As both old and young express their hopes for

  the granting of good fortune.

  Within the Chia-ning Hall,

  Propitious clouds hover densely;

  Outside the Southern Gate,

  Auspicious vapors swirl around.21

  Truly:

  A myriad citizens come to worship in the

  Temple of Iridescent Clouds;

  Within the four seas, all pay homage to

  the God of the Eastern Peak.22

  Wu K’ai conducted Yüeh-niang to the Tai-yüeh Temple, where she proffered incense in the main hall and paid obeisance before the sacred image of the God of the Eastern Peak. A Taoist head priest stood beside her and intoned the text of her declaration. She then went on to burn paper money before the images in the two corridors and eat a vegetarian meal, after which, they embarked on the climb to the summit, ascending the forty-nine switchbacks, and:

  Grabbing the vines and grasping the creepers,23 to help them on their way up. The golden edifice of the Temple of the Goddess of Iridescent Clouds seemed to be suspended in space, shrouded in clouds and mist, forty-five li above the foot of the mountain. From its vantage point, one could look down upon the wind-blown clouds and thunderstorms below. Yüeh-niang and her entourage had set out from the Tai-yüeh Temple at 8:00 that morning, and after climbing the switchbacks and reaching the summit it was after 4:00 P.M. before they arrived at the Golden Edifice of the Goddess, which was adorned with a vermilion plaque, with the three characters Temple of Iridescent Clouds inscribed in gold. They entered the temple and paid obeisance to the gilded image of the goddess. What did it look like? Behold:

  On her head is coiled a nine-dragon

  flying-phoenix coiffure;

  Her body is clad in a gown of red silk

  enhanced with golden threads.

  From her girdle of Indigo Field jade

  is suspended a lengthy flap;

  She lifts a white jade scepter between

  her variegated sleeves.

  Her face resembles a lotus blossom,24

  Her natural-looking eyes and brows

  enhance her cloudy locks;

  Her lips are like gilded vermilion,

  Her euphoric demeanor embellishes

  her snow-white physique.

  She looks like the Queen Mother of the West

  feasting at the Jasper Pool;

  It is just as though Ch’ang-o has come down

  from her palace in the moon.

  The majestic quality of her immortal demeanor

  is impossible to depict;

  The dignified bearing of her figure would be

  difficult to delineate.25

  When Yüeh-niang had finished paying her obeisance to the image of the goddess, she noticed that the head priest of the temple was standing beside her. He looked to be about forty years old, was short in stature, and sported a three-forked beard, bright eyes, and white teeth. On his head he wore a Taoist cap, held in place with a pin, his body was clad in a crimson robe, and on his feet he wore a pair of shoes with cloud-patterned toes. Stepping forward, he proceeded, on her behalf, to intone the text of the declaration she had prepared in fulfillment of her vow, ignite the incense in a gilded brazier, and burn the paper money and imitation gold and silver ingots, after which, he told a young acolyte to accept the sacrificial offerings she had brought.

  It so happens that this Taoist head priest was not the sort to abide by his lot. He was the principal disciple of Abbot Chin of the Tai-yüeh Temple at the foot of the mountain, and his name was Shih Po-ts’ai. He was an extreme example of:

  The sort who are covetous of wealth

  and given to lust;

  The kind who pander to the powerful

  and broker events.

  In this area there was a character known as Year Star Yin, whose real name was Yin T’ien-hsi, who was the younger brother of the wife of Kao Lien, the prefect of T’ai-an. He was accustomed to leading a bunch of vagrants:

  Sporting bows and flaunting arrows,

  Along with their falcons and hounds,

  to engage in scrutinizing the hordes of female pilgrims from all quarters who were visiting the two temples, above and below. His reputation was such that no one dared to cross him. The Taoist priest Shih Po-ts’ai endeavored to curry favor with him by:

  Disguising his iniquitous intent,

  and luring females into his abbot’s quarters, where Yin T’ien-hsi was free to slake his lust on them in whatever way he liked.

  When Shih Po-ts’ai saw that Yüeh-niang possessed:

  An unusually attractive countenance,

  and was wearing a mourning cap, indicating that she must either be a woman from an official’s family or a female member of a powerful household, and that she was accompanied by an elderly man with a gray beard, and two domestic page boys, he came forward and saluted them in the Taoist manner by touching one hand to his forehead, expressed his thanks for their offe
rings, and said, “Will you two benefactors not come into my abbot’s quarters for a cup of tea?”

  “Don’t bother to trouble yourself,” responded Wu K’ai. “We are about to go down the mountain.”

  “Even though you plan to descend the mountain,” said Shih Po-ts’ai, “there is time enough yet.”

  In no time at all, he succeeded in persuading them to come into his abbot’s quarters. The walls of the chamber were covered with snow-white plaster. At the head of the room stood a couch with a sesame flower design and willow-yellow brocaded curtains. Above an incense stand in a position of honor there was suspended a scroll painting that depicted the scene of Lü Tung-pin flirting with the courtesan White Peony.26 To either side of it there hung scrolls with the two lines of a parallel couplet written in large characters of varying vividness that read:

  Raising two sleeves swelled by a clear breeze

  we posture like cranes;

  Facing a chamber suffused with bright moonlight

  we expound the scriptures.

  When Shih Po-ts’ai asked Wu K’ai his name, he replied, “My surname is Wu, and my given name is K’ai. This is my younger sister, née Wu, who has come to fulfill a vow that she made on behalf of her deceased husband. But we should not impose on your exalted establishment.”

  “Since the two of you are related,” said Shih Po-ts’ai, “be good enough to sit down together in the seats of honor.”

  He then sat down himself in the position of host and directed his disciples Shou-ch’ing and Shou-li to serve the tea.

  It so happens that he had two disciples, one of them named Kuo Shou-ch’ing and the other Kuo Shou-li, both of whom were fifteen years old and naturally endowed with good looks. They wore black satin Taoist caps on their heads, their topknots were held in place by red cords with two floating ribbons dangling behind, on their bodies they wore black silk Taoist robes, and their feet were clad in sandals and white socks. From their bodies:

  A fragrant aroma assailed the senses.

  When guests arrived, they were there to:

  Serve tea or serve water,

  Pour wine and serve food;

  while at night, they were available for Shih Po-ts’ai to hump from behind like a carrier hugging a trunk, using them to:

  Assuage his lust and gratify his hunger.

  Although ostensibly they were the disciples of the head priest, in actuality they were nothing more than the master’s concubines. And there is yet another feature that is hardly mentionable, which is that each of them, when they took down their trousers, had a large sanitary napkin strapped over his crotch to prevent the leakage of urine.

  Gentle reader take note: All families with good boys and good girls should be sure never to deliver them to Buddhist monasteries or Taoist temples to leave the family and become monks or priests, Buddhist nuns or Taoist priestesses. Once exposed to those:

  Male thieves and female whores,

  nine out of ten of them are likely to be victimized. There is a poem that testifies to this.

  For what purpose are Taoist sanctuaries and

  Buddhist temples established?

  The Taoists worship their Heavenly Worthies,

  the Buddhists worship Buddha.

  They are beautifully landscaped in order to

  give a false sense of purity;

  Providing for visitors and welcoming guests

  they engage in perverse doings.

  Accoutering their disciples with attractive

  clothes and handsome outfits;

  They make use of wanton wine and leisured tea

  in ravishing female beauties.

  How sad that the tenderly nurtured offspring

  of respectable families;

  Should be entrusted to such monastics only to

  serve as their concubines.

  Before long, the two disciples, Shou-ch’ing and Shou-li, set up a table in the room and laid out a vegetarian repast including mouth-watering sweetmeats, pastries, steamed and fried vegetarian dishes, and an assortment of other delicacies that filled the entire surface of the table. The first-class Sparrow Tongue tea, brewed with sweet water, was served in cups of white Ting-chou porcelain, with silver teaspoons in the shape of apricot leaves. When they finished their tea and the utensils had been cleared away, a selection of delicacies to go with the wine was served in:

  Large platters and large bowls,

  consisting of chicken, goose, fish, duck, and other such nonvegetarian fare.

  Pouring amber-colored wine,

  Into chased silver goblets,

  The wine flowed in golden ripples.27

  When the wine was served, Yüeh-niang wished to take her leave and called for Tai-an to come forward with a bolt of muslin and two taels of silver on a red lacquer tray and present them to Shih Po-ts’ai as an expression of their gratitude.

  “We ought not to put your esteemed temple to so much trouble,” said Wu K’ai. “These paltry gifts are merely an expression of our gratitude to Your Reverence. There is no need for you to offer us wine and food. It is growing late, and we must set out to descend the mountain.”

  This threw Shih Po-ts’ai into such consternation that he expressed no end of thanks, saying, “Untalented as I am, it is only thanks to the generous patronage of the Goddess that I am serving as the head priest of the Temple of the Iridescent Clouds here on the sacred peak, where I am dependent on the contributions received from the four quarters. Were I not to use these funds to entertain the donors from the four quarters, what should I use them for? And now, having offered merely these meager refreshments, I have put you to the trouble of presenting me with these generous gifts. You put me in a position in which it would be:

  Discourteous to refuse, and

  Embarrassing to accept.”

  Only after repeatedly refusing to accept the proffered gifts did he finally direct his disciples to put them away.

  Endeavoring to detain Yüeh-niang and Wu K’ai, he said, “Be so kind, whatever else you do, as to return to your seats for a little while, and imbibe three cups of wine. By so doing you would allow me to fully express my humble feelings.”

  When Wu K’ai saw how assiduously they were being pressed to stay, he felt obliged to sit down again with Yüeh-niang.

  In no time at all, some heated delicacies were served, and Shih Po-ts’ai said to his disciples, “This wine is hardly worth drinking. Go and open that jug of lotus blossom wine with its penetrating fragrance that His Honor Prefect Hsü gave me the other day so we can share it with His Honor Wu.”

  Before long, his disciples brought in another heated flagon and poured out the warm wine, the first cup of which Shih Po-ts’ai offered to Yüeh-niang with both hands, but she refused to accept it.

  “My younger sister is not accustomed to drinking wine,” said Wu K’ai.

  “My lady,” said Shih Po-ts’ai, “You may encounter wind and frost along the way. Have a little. What harm can it do. Just drink a moderate amount.”

  So saying, he poured out half a cup for Yüeh-niang and another cup for Wu K’ai, saying, “Your Honor Wu, take a taste of this wine to see how you like it.”

  Wu K’ai drank a mouthful, and finding it to be:

  Fragrant, sweet, and delicious,

  With a robust and lingering flavor,

  said, “This is indeed a fine wine.”

  “I would not deceive you, venerable sir,” said Shih Po-ts’ai, “but this wine was given to me by His Honor Prefect Hsü of Ch’ing-chou. His elderly lady, his daughter, and his son come to the Temple of the Eastern Peak every year to burn incense and sponsor a performance of the chiao rites of cosmic renewal.

  Their relationship with me is extremely close.

  Both his daughter and his son were brought here to undergo the ceremony of having religious names bestowed upon them under the aegis of the Goddess of Iridescent Clouds. On seeing that I:

  Possessed a placid disposition,

  Was devoted to burning incense,
<
br />   And was invariably trustworthy,

  they have shown me both respect and affection. In the past, half the resources of these two temples at the foot and the summit of the mountain have been subject to taxation, but in recent years, thanks to the benevolent patronage of His Honor Prefect Hsü, who has memorialized the throne to suspend these exactions, these resources are no longer taxed but are allowed to remain in the possession of the temples to be expended first of all on the worship of the goddess and secondly on the entertainment of incense-burning pilgrims from the four quarters.”

  While this parley was taking place in the abbot’s quarters, down below, Tai-an, Lai-an, and the chair bearers who had brought them were provided with a place to sit down and were served soup, rice, and other snacks along with wine and meat in:

  Large platters and large bowls,

  until they had eaten their fill.

  Gentle readers take note: Since Shih Po-ts’ai had concealed Yin T’ien-hsi on his premises and inveigled Yüeh-niang into his quarters with a view to giving him an opportunity to consummate a secret liaison with her, he could hardly fail to do whatever he could to play up to her.

  After drinking several cups of wine, Wu K’ai saw that it was getting late and wanted to get up and go, but Shih Po-ts’ai said, “The sun is about to set, and it is already too late for you to make your descent of the mountain. If you are not unwilling to stay overnight in my quarters, it would be easier for you to go down the mountain tomorrow morning.”

  “It so happens that we have left some luggage in the inn,” said Wu K’ai, “and I fear that our absence might give petty people an opportunity for mischief.”

  Shih Po-ts’ai laughed at this, saying, “There is no reason to worry about that. If anything untoward should occur, and it became known that you were on a pilgrimage to our temple, the inhabitants of the villages and inns would be scared to death. How do you suppose they would like it if the innkeepers were dragged into the prefectural yamen and given a taste of the squeezers to induce them to uncover the whereabouts of the culprits?”

  Upon hearing this, Wu K’ai continued to sit in his place while Shih Po-ts’ai poured him another large goblet of wine. When Wu K’ai became aware how potent the wine was, he concealed it under his clothing, pretended to be drunk, and asked to be escorted to a bathroom, after which he expressed a desire to be given a tour of the temple sanctuary. Shih Po-ts’ai, accordingly, directed his disciple Kuo Shou-ch’ing to accompany him, gave him the keys needed to open the doors, and sent Wu K’ai off to explore the premises. Wu Yüeh-niang was physically exhausted and wanted to lie down on the bed for a nap. Shih Po-ts’ai responded by going outside to sit down and locking the door behind him.