The Golden Lotus, Volume 1

by Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng

  Madam Qiao would not allow the ladies to go. She took them to the inner court, where she had prepared all kinds of delightful refreshments for them. It was not until the first night watch that Yueniang was able to leave.

  “My dear relative,” she said to Madam Qiao, “you must come to our poor house tomorrow.”

  “You are very kind,” Madam Qiao said. “My husband has spoken to me of your invitation, but I fear I am no fit person to come to your party just now. Perhaps you will allow me to come some other time.”

  “There will be no strangers present,” Yueniang said. “Please do not stand on ceremony.” Then she said to Aunt Wu: “There is no reason why you should leave when we do. You will be coming with Madam Qiao tomorrow.”

  “Madam Qiao,” said Aunt Wu, “if you do not care to go tomorrow, any other day will serve as well, but the fifteenth is your new kinswoman’s birthday, and that day you must not fail to go.”

  “Oh,” Madam Qiao said, “if it is my relative’s birthday, how should I dare not go?”

  “If Madam Qiao does not come to see me, I shall blame you,” Yueniang said to Aunt Wu. Then, leaving Aunt Wu behind, she said good-bye and got into her chair. Two soldiers carried a large red lantern before the sedan chair, and behind it were two boys with lanterns. Yueniang was at the head of the procession, then Li Jiao’er, Meng Yulou, Pan Jinlian and Li Ping’er each in her place. Then came the chairs with Ruyi’er and Huixiu. The nurse had Guan’ge closely wrapped in a red silk coverlet, and as still further protection against the cold, she had a brass warming pan in the chair. Two more boys followed her.

  When they came to their gate and got out of their chairs, Ximen Qing was drinking in Yueniang’s room. Yueniang and the others came in and made reverence to him. Then Yueniang sat down and all the maids came to kowtow to her. She told her husband about the betrothal. He asked what ladies had been present. She told him.

  “This marriage,” he said, “is all very well, but the families are not of equal rank.”

  “It was my sister-in-law’s doing,” Yueniang said. “She saw the Qiaos’ baby lying on the same bed as Guan’ge, covered with the same bedclothes, so that the children looked like two young lovers, and she called to me to look at them. When we were having supper, we could not help talking about it, and it was arranged. I sent the boy to tell you and get you to send the boxes of fruits.”

  “Now that it has been settled,” Ximen Qing said, “it doesn’t matter, but there is a certain inequality of position. Qiao has some property, but he is only a private citizen, while I am an officer and have duties at the courts. If we have to ask him to a party here, he will wear an ordinary hat, and I don’t see how I can invite him to sit with me. It will be most awkward. Only the other day Jing Nangang sent one of his people to try to arrange a marriage. His daughter was five months old, the same age as our own child, but I did not care much for the arrangement because the baby’s mother is dead. Besides, she was not the daughter of the first wife. So I would make no promises. Now, without my knowing anything about it, you have gone and settled everything yourself.”

  “If you did not care for that child because she is a second wife’s daughter, what are you going to do now?” Jinlian said. “The Qiao baby is a second wife’s daughter too. It seems to me like Xian Daoshen and the God of Long Life, one complaining that the other is too tall, and the other objecting that the first is too short.”

  This made Ximen Qing very angry. “You strumpet,” he shouted, “why don’t you take yourself off? We are talking, but nobody asked you to put in your word.”

  Jinlian flushed and went out of the room. “Of course,” she said, “I have no right to speak in this place, or in any other place, for that matter.”

  When, at the party, Jinlian saw the arrangements being made between Madam Qiao and Yueniang, and Li Ping’er wearing flowers and red charms upon her hair, it had made her very jealous. Now that Ximen Qing spoke angrily to her, she was still more upset and went to cry in Yueniang’s inner room.

  “Why has Aunt Wu not come back with you?” Ximen Qing asked Yueniang.

  “Madam Qiao said she would not come tomorrow because we have ladies of rank coming, so I left Aunt Wu there, and they will come together.”

  “I told you there would be difficulties about precedence,” Ximen said. “I don’t know what you are going to do about it.”

  Some time later, Yulou went into the inner room and found Jinlian in tears. “Why are you so upset?” she said. “Let him say what he likes.”

  “You heard what I said to him,” Jinlian cried. “It was nothing wrong. He said that child was not born in proper wedlock, and I said that neither was the Qiao baby. There is nothing there to complain about. But that bandit— he will come to a bad end—glared at me and swore without rhyme or reason. What does he mean by saying I had no right to speak? He has changed his tune completely. I’ll see he gets paid back for it. There is that baby, a miserable, puny little thing that can do nothing but piddle, and they begin arranging a marriage for him. It is because they have so much money they don’t know what to do with it. May he tear his coverlets and have nothing to cover him! May he be like a dog snapping at a bladder and get no joy out of it.

  “Today the prospects of this marriage seem rosy. Let us hope they won’t look different in time to come. They are behaving just like a man who puts out the light, blinks his eyes, and wonders what on earth is going to happen next. They think this is a good house to marry into; we shall see what they think in four or five years’ time. This is the only child he has.”

  “In these days, people are always trying to be clever,” Yulou said. “I don’t care much for this sort of behavior, myself. It seems to me too early. The baby is so young. They might have dispensed with the cutting of the cloth. But perhaps they only want to be friendly and do this sort of thing for fun.”

  “If it is meant for fun, well and good,” Jinlian said, “but why should that rascal curse me?”

  “You shouldn’t have said what you did say,” Yulou said. “He couldn’t help himself.”

  “I find it hard to say all I think about it,” Jinlian said. “That woman is not a second wife any longer. She is the lady of the house. But even if Qiao’s baby is the daughter of a second wife, there is no doubt she has old Qiao’s blood in her veins. Whereas, in our household, people have not always gone straight, and who knows whose blood runs in our baby’s veins?”

  Yulou said nothing. They talked a while longer, then Jinlian went to her own room. Li Ping’er waited until Ximen Qing had gone away, then she kowtowed most gracefully to Yueniang.

  “I am grateful to you,” she said, “for all that you have done for my child today.”

  Yueniang smiled and returned her reverence. “It is you who are to be congratulated.”

  “You also, Sister,” Li Ping’er said. She stood up while Yueniang and Li Jiao’er sat down to talk. Sun Xue’e and Ximen’s daughter came in and kowtowed to Yueniang, making an equal reverence to Li Ping’er. Xiaoyu brought tea. While they were drinking it, Xiuchun came and said the baby needed his mother. Ximen Qing had told her to come.

  “It was thoughtless of the nurse to take the child to my room,” Li Ping’er said. “I ought to have gone with them, for I don’t suppose there was a light.”

  “When they came home,” Yueniang said, “I told Ruyi’er to take the child to your room. It was so late.”

  “I saw Ruyi’er with the baby,” Xiaoyu said. “Laian was carrying a lantern for them.”

  “That is all right, then,” Li Ping’er said, and went to join her baby. She found Ximen Qing in her room and the baby asleep at his nurse’s breast.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to bring the child here?” she said to the nurse.

  Ruyi’er told her that Yueniang had seen Laian with a lantern and told her to bring the baby to his mother’s room. “Young Master cried for a while,” she said, “but I have got him to sleep now.”

  “Yes,” Ximen Q
ing said, “the baby wanted you for a while, but he has gone to sleep now.”

  “He has been betrothed today,” Li Ping’er said, “and I must kowtow to you.” She knelt down. Ximen was very pleased with her and beamed with delight. He quickly raised her to her feet and sat beside her. They told Yingchun to set a table, and they drank together.

  Jinlian went to her room in a most vicious temper. She knew that Ximen Qing was with Li Ping’er and, when Qiuju was a moment slow in opening the door for her, she boxed her ears and cursed her loudly.

  “You thievish slave,” she cried, “why did I have to knock so long before you opened the door? What are you here for? I shall not speak to you again.” She went into her room and sat down. Chunmei came and gave her some tea.

  “What was that thievish slave doing?” Jinlian said. “She was sitting in the courtyard,” Chunmei said. “I told her to open the door for you, but she didn’t pay any attention.”

  “Oh, I know,” Jinlian cried; “just because he and I have had words, she is like Grand Marshal Dang eating a tablet. She thinks she will put on airs and annoy me.”

  Jinlian would have liked to give Qiuju a beating, but she was afraid Ximen Qing might hear. She said no more for the moment, but she was angry nonetheless. Then she undressed. Chunmei prepared her bed. She got into it and went to sleep.

  Next day, when Ximen Qing had gone to his office, Jinlian made Qiuju balance a piece of stone on her head and kneel down in the courtyard. When she had finished dressing her hair, she told Chunmei to take down Qiuju’s trousers and beat her with a thick stick.

  “I shall soil my hands if I take down your trousers,” Chunmei said to her fellow maid. She went to the front court and called for Huatong. The boy took down the girl’s trousers while Jinlian stood by and cursed her.

  “You thievish slave,” she cried, “where did you learn to give yourself such airs? Others might forgive you, but I never will. Sister, you know I understand your little ways, and you would do well to restrain yourself. Who are you to put your face forward and show what a great person you are? Sister, don’t count on getting help from any other quarter. I shall keep my eyes skinned and watch you.” She struck and cursed her and cursed and struck her till Qiuju squealed like a pig being killed.

  Meanwhile Li Ping’er had got up. The nurse was trying to rock the baby to sleep, but he kept on waking. She could hear Jinlian cursing Qiuju, and recognized all the references to herself in what was said. But she said nothing, and only covered Guan’ge’s ears with her hand.

  “Go and ask the Fifth Lady not to beat Qiuju,” she said to Xiuchun. “Tell her the baby has just had his milk and is going to sleep.”

  Xiuchun gave the message, but Jinlian beat Qiuju more severely still. “You thievish slave,” she cried, “you shout as loudly as though someone were sticking ten thousand knives into you. But I am a queer person; the louder you cry, the more I shall beat you. I did not expect outsiders to interfere because you were having a beating. Why do you come to have a look? My good sister, you ought to tell our husband to get rid of her.”

  Li Ping’er heard all this, and knew that the curses were aimed at her. She was so angry that her hands were as cold as ice, but she swallowed her anger and did not show any temper. That morning she had no tea. She carried Guan’ge in her arms and rocked him to sleep.

  When Ximen Qing came back from his office, he went to see his son. The Sixth Lady’s eyes were red with weeping, and she was lying on the bed.

  “Why have you not dressed your hair?” he asked her. “The one in the upper room wishes to see you. And why are your eyes red?”

  Instead of telling him about her trouble with Jinlian, Li Ping’er said she was not very well. Ximen told her that the Qiaos had sent some birthday presents for her, a roll of silk, two jars of southern wine, a plate of longevity peaches, another plate of noodles, and other dishes. “They have sent something for the baby too,” he said, and told her all the different things that had come. “We have done nothing for them,” he added, “and now they have sent all these things for your feast day. That is why the one in the upper room wishes to talk to you. They sent old woman Kong and Qiao Tong with the presents. Aunt Wu has come back. She says Madam Qiao cannot come until the day after tomorrow. She has a relative, Lady Qiao the Fifth, who is related in some way to the royal family. This Lady has heard about the betrothal and is very pleased. She is coming on the fifteenth too, so we must send a card to her.”

  Li Ping’er got up and slowly dressed her hair. Then she went to the inner court to see Aunt Wu and old woman Kong. They were having tea in Yueniang’s room. The presents were set out there. She looked at them all. The cases were returned, and old woman Kong and Qiao Tong were each given two handkerchiefs and five qian of silver. When a card of thanks had been written out, they went away.

  CHAPTER 42

  Ximen Feasts in Lion Street

  Stars and moon make glorious the sky

  Ten thousand candles burn on earth.

  Heavens and Earth make festival today.

  Spring is the season of harmony.

  Now people wear their finest clothes and even their horses are proud.

  The days pass quickly: we must not spend them idly

  White hair is a judge who spares no man.

  Fools spend a thousand pieces of gold to buy a moment’s happiness

  And bid the watchman strike the night drum softly.

  When the messengers from the Qiao family had been sent away, Ximen Qing went to the upper room to discuss matters with Wu Yueniang Aunt Wu, and Li Ping’er.

  “We must, of course, send them something in return for these presents,” Yueniang said, “and something for the baby too, to show that we consider the betrothal definite. Besides, we do not wish to show ourselves behind them in courtesy.”

  “Yes,” Aunt Wu said, “and we must send a marriage maker.”,

  “They sent old woman Kong,” Yueniang said. “Whom shall we send?”,

  “One guest never troubles more than one host,” Ximen Qing said. “Old woman Feng is good enough for us.” He had eight cards of invitation written; then he sent for old woman Feng, and told Daian to take the presents and the cards.

  The invitations were for the fifteenth day. All the ladies who had been present at the Qiaos’ party, and Lady Qiao the Fifth, were invited to celebrate the birthday of Li Ping’er and to enjoy the Feast of Lanterns. Ximen ordered Laixing to buy cakes and buns and fruits and food, two suits of silk clothes, a little scarlet cloak, a silk hat with golden ornaments, two lanterns made like sheep’s horns, that came from Yunnan, a box of ribbons, a pair of tiny gold bracelets, and four gold and jade rings. These things were all packed up on the morning of the fourteenth, and Chen Jingji and Ben the Fourth were told to put on their black clothes and take them to the Qiaos.

  Master Qiao received them well, and gave them presents of some value in return, particularly little things for the baby. While they were busying themselves with the presents, Ying Bojue came to talk to Ximen Qing about the money that had been lent to Huang the Fourth and Li Zhi. Seeing them so busy, he asked what it was all about. Ximen Qing told him about the betrothal.

  “On the fifteenth,” he said, “you must ask your Lady to come and spend an hour or two here.”

  “Your lady has only to give the command,” Bojue said, “and my wife will come.”

  “A number of ladies are coming,” Ximen said, “and I think we men had better go to Lion Street to see the lanterns.” Ying Bojue agreed, and went away.

  The same day Wu Yin’er brought four boxes of birthday presents to Li Ping’er and asked to be adopted as her ward. Li Ping’er accepted the presents and sent away the sedan chair. When, next day, Li Guijie came and found Wu Yin’er already there, she asked Wu Yueniang why she had come. Yueniang told her what had happened. Guijie made no comment but, all that day, she was sulky and would not speak to Wu Yin’er.

  From the princely family of Wang there came a troop of twenty actors
with two managers to direct the performance. They brought their chests of costumes. When they came and kowtowed to Ximen Qing, he told them to use the rooms in the west wing as their dressing rooms, and there they had their meals.

  Major Zhou’s wife, General Jing’s mother and Captain Zhang’s wife came. They all had soldiers to clear the way before their sedan chairs, and a number of attendants and serving women. Yueniang and the others, dressed in their long cloaks, came out to welcome their guests, and took them to the great hall where they exchanged greetings. Then they sat down and drank some tea, but not ceremonially, for they were waiting for the wife of Magistrate Xia. They waited a long time but she did not come. Two or three times they sent boys to see if she was coming. At last she came with soldiers to clear the way for her, and a number of attendants, with a woman to carry her dressing case. When she came into the great hall, she was received with music. There she greeted the other ladies, and they took their places according to their rank. They had tea under the awning and then went to the great hall, where Chunmei, Yuxiao, Yingchun, and Lanxiang, all exquisitely dressed, served them with tea and wine. The actors performed the Story of the Western Pavilion. It was a most brilliant scene.