Chapter 7

A verse says: 　　　　The wind bears song, the moonlight's shadow cold, 　　　　A startled dream recalls, with tears untold. 　　　　Can Blue Bridge path be found, as known of yore? 　　　　To Bright Mount I will go, of crimson bold. The story tells that Squire Xu, having gone that day with Hanwen to the apothecary shop on Fifth Street and seen that Madam Bai’s beauty was peerless and extraordinary, felt a profound love and admiration in his heart. When he returned home, he thought of her morning and night, sighing deeply and groaning. Madam Chen, his wife, asked him repeatedly, but he simply gave no answer. Within several days, he fell ill in the study, his whole body burning like fire, and taking medicine had no effect. The entire household was panic-stricken, with no way out. Among them was a servant named Laixing, who had accompanied the Squire that day and quite understood his intent. Standing below the steps, he sighed and said, "Not worshiping the living Bodhisattva right before our eyes, but instead wishing to worship the living Buddha of the Western Heaven!" Unexpectedly, the wife came out, heard this in her ears, and asked, "Laixing, what are you saying: 'Not worshiping the living Bodhisattva right before our eyes, but instead wishing to worship the living Buddha of the Western Heaven'?" Laixing said, "Alas, Madam, the Squire’s illness is self-inflicted." The wife said, "How is it self-inflicted? Speak and let me hear." Laixing wanted to speak yet held back. The wife angrily said, "If you have something to say, then say it. Why hesitate?" Pressed beyond endurance by the wife, Laixing had no choice but to say, "Madam, because the Squire saw the wife of Xu the commoner, Madam Bai, looking extremely beautiful the other day, he returned and dwelled on her, brooding himself into this illness. Is that not self-inflicted?" Upon hearing this, the wife was both exasperated and amused. She stepped into the study, lifted the bed curtain, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Seeing that the Squire was delirious and unresponsive, she called out, "My lord, how is your body?" The Squire fixed his two eyes on his wife, remained silent for a long moment, and only sighed. The wife said, "My lord, if you have something weighing on your mind today, you might as well explain it clearly to your concubine. I am not a fierce and jealous woman; my lord need not conceal it." Hearing the root cause spoken in a single phrase by his wife, the Squire figured it would be difficult to keep it hidden, and thus cried out, "Virtuous wife, your foolish husband because of seeing commoner Xu’s Madam Bai’s beauty, morning and night thinking of her, has brought on this illness. What wondrous plan does my virtuous wife have that can enable me to meet with Madam Bai? Otherwise, my life will surely be hard to preserve." The wife smiled and said, "My lord, you are truly foolish. You have your own wife and concubines at home, yet you consider that Madam Bai to be a withered willow and fallen flower—what goodness does she have, that you should fall ill for her sake? Since my lord is so devoted now, let me carefully ponder a stratagem to cure and rescue my lord." Hearing this, the Squire joyfully said, "If my virtuous wife has a wondrous plan, quickly devise the method for your foolish husband." The wife lowered her head in thought, and called out, "My lord, I have a stratagem right here, but it must wait until my lord’s body is healed before it can be used." The Squire said, "Since my virtuous wife has a wondrous plan, I have no need for medicine and am already joyful." He immediately leaped up and sat straight, demanding that the wife explain it to him. The wife said, "Presently the peonies in the study courtyard are in full bloom; I will feign to invite her to come and view the peonies. When she comes, we shall arrange a banquet in the study, and my lord can hide within the room. When the banquet is over, I will accompany her into the room to change clothes, and I will deliberately go out. Once the fish enters the net, I have no fear that she will not submit. Only, since my lord is not yet healed, you must wait until your body is robust before you can do it." Hearing this, the Squire was greatly rejoiced, and said, "My virtuous wife’s plan is truly marvelous; eight-tenths of your foolish husband's illness has already vanished." The wife smiled and said, "My lord, set your mind at ease and do not be impatient." The two looked at each other and smiled. Exactly as the verse goes: 　　　　Rather die beneath the peony flower, 　　　　As a romantic ghost, content I cower. After a few days, the Squire’s body was healed. Having deliberated thoroughly with his wife, he immediately dispatched Laixing to carry an invitation for Madam Bai to attend a banquet the next morning. Laixing nodded in understanding, accepted the order, and went out the door, arriving at Hanwen’s shop. He called out, "Brother Xu, because the peonies in the study of our master’s house are in full bloom, and it just so happens the Squire is away, our Madam specially ordered this humble servant to present an invitation asking Madam Bai to come over and view them. It is hoped the brother will graciously consent." Having spoken, he handed the invitation to Hanwen. Hanwen took it and said, "How could we trouble your household’s Madam so? Please sit." Thereupon he entered the interior quarters, smiled at Madam Bai, and said, "Xu’s Madam has sent a person bearing an invitation for you to go tomorrow morning and view the peonies. I do not know if you wish to go or not." Madam Bai already knew the underlying meaning in her heart, and happily consented. Hanwen came out and said to Laixing, "Trouble you to give my highest regards to the Madam: tomorrow morning we shall call at the estate to accept your kindness, only do not go to too much trouble and expense." Laixing happily agreed, hastily took his leave of Hanwen, and returned home to report to the Squire. The Squire was overjoyed, wishing impatiently that it were already tomorrow morning. Exactly as the verse goes: 　　　　Secretly preparing hands to steal fragrance and purloin jade, 　　　　To plot and capture one of fair form and lovely face made. A single night passed. Early the next morning, things were all set up at home, when suddenly Laixing came running over to report, "Commoner Xu’s Madam’s sedan chair has arrived at the gate." In a flurry, the Squire hid away into the room. The wife came out to welcome her. Madam Bai alighted from the sedan chair and leisurely ascended the hall. Raising her eyes to look, the wife saw she truly possessed the beauty to make fish sink and wild geese drop, the looks to make the moon hide and flowers blush, and secretly thought: No wonder my lord thought himself into an illness over her. Thereupon she ordered the sedan chair bearers to be sent back. The two exchanged ritual greetings in the hall and took their seats. Madam Bai opened her mouth to say, "My clumsy husband has received the great, generous grace of the Squire’s promotion, without having been able to repay it by so much as a fraction. Now I, your humble concubine, have once again been summoned by the Madam; to refuse would be to risk treading upon discourtesy, and therefore I have hurried here to respectfully receive your lavish kindness." The wife smiled and said, "Madame, your words are too heavy, making this bondwoman uneasy. Because my lord has gone out to visit relatives and will return only tomorrow, and just now I saw the peonies are in full bloom, I have specially prepared a cup of wine to invite and compel Madame to view them together. I earnestly pray you will not disdain this vulgar crudeness." Madam Bai rose and expressed her thanks. While the two were conversing, Laixing came up to report, "The banquet is prepared; I invite the Madam to the feast." The wife together with Madam Bai arrived at the study. Looking at those peonies, sure enough, reds and whites competed in elegance, and their dense, brilliant colors vied in splendor. The two viewed them for a while. The maidservant urged them to enter the banquet. The wife deferentially yielded the seat of honor to Madam Bai, while she herself accompanied her as the host. After several rounds of wine, Madam Bai rose to take her leave. The wife said, "Madame, you and I shall enter the room to change our clothes and pass the time pleasantly." Madam Bai nodded in consent, and thereupon entered the room together with the wife, took off their outer garments, and sat down. The wife called for tea, calling out several times without anyone answering. The wife feigned and said, "These cheap maidservants do not know where they have gone; there is not a single one here to wait upon us. Madame, please sit; let this bondwoman go and fetch some." Madam Bai said, "How could we trouble the Madam to go fetch it?" The wife said, "It is quite my place." Having spoken, she whirled around and went out the room. At this time, the员外 was hiding behind the bed and hurriedly came out. Lady Bai, upon seeing him, feigned great surprise and rose to her feet. The员外 approached, knelt on both knees, and called out: "Auntie, ever since I beheld your lovely countenance, my soul and dreams have been overturned. I have forgotten meals and neglected sleep, nearly losing my remaining years. Today Heaven grants this opportunity, with Auntie here; I beg you to take pity on me and grant me but a moment of pleasure—I shall never forget it even to my dying day." Lady Bai helped him up with both hands and said: "My husband was pardoned and freed from his sentence through your grace, allowing husband and wife to be reunited. This great kindness remains unrepaid, and even a hundred deaths could not atone for it. Since you, sir, are so taken with this humble person, how dare I disobey? I would thus repay a tiny fraction of your great kindness. But I fear that the madam might arrive and find us in an unseemly state." The员外 rejoiced: "Since Auntie deigns to consent, my gratitude knows no bounds. As for the madam, she is my Zhuge Liang, my military counselor—she will certainly not come; no matter." Lady Bai smiled and said: "So it was you who laid this beauty trap to deceive me into taking the bait. Since that is so, go and close the door before you come." Having said this, she first went up onto the bed and lowered the bed curtains. The员外, seeing this, was overjoyed and flustered; he hastily shut the door, turned back, came to the bedside, and lifted the silk curtain—only to cry out in shock. Why, you ask? Because the bed was empty, with not a trace of Lady Bai. Outside, the madam and the serving women heard the loud cries from within and hurried over; seeing the door tightly shut, they forced it open with great effort, entered the room, and found Lady Bai nowhere to be seen—only the员外 lying on the ground in terror, his eyes staring blankly. They quickly revived him. The madam noticed a sheet of writing by the bedside, snatched it up, and handed it to the员外 to read. On it was written: I am a maiden of the Golden Que in Jade Pool, Riding phoenix and crane, roaming the immortal terraces. Because of a past bond with Hanwen, I came down the mountain by my master's stern command. Then a wanton rogue set his cunning scheme, Vainly hoping for union of cloud and rain in mutual delight. I advise you to rein in your restless horse-thoughts, Lest your bones be left to dust upon the floating earth. After reading this, the员外 hung his head in dejection. The madam comforted him with a few words and then instructed everyone not to spread the matter outside. But they did not know where Lady Bai had gone, and fearing that Hanwen's family might come looking for her, they could not help but feel some anxiety. After several days passed with no one from the Xu family coming to inquire, they finally relaxed. From then on, the员外 put away his wicked thoughts—but let us not dwell on this; listen to the next chapter for its unfolding.