The next day, (she and her cousins) got up at an early hour and went over to pay their respects to dowager lady Chia, after which upon coming to madame Wang's apartments, they happened to find madame Wang and Hsi- feng together, opening the letters which had arrived from Chin Ling. There were also in the room two married women, who had been sent from madame Wang's elder brother's wife's house to deliver a message.
Tai-yue was, it is true, not aware of what was up, but T'an Ch'un and the others knew that they were discussing the son of her mother's sister, married in the Hsueeh family, in the city of Chin Ling, a cousin of theirs, Hsueeh P'an, who relying upon his wealth and influence had, by assaulting a man, committed homicide, and who was now to be tried in the court of the Ying T'ien Prefecture.
Her maternal uncle, Wang Tzu-t'eng, had now, on the receipt of the tidings, despatched messengers to bring over the news to the Chia family. But the next chapter will explain what was the ultimate issue of the wish entertained in this mansion to send for the Hsueeh family to come to the capital.
CHAPTER IV.
An ill-fated girl happens to meet an ill-fated young man.
The Hu Lu Bonze adjudicates the Hu Lu case.
Tai-yue, for we shall now return to our story, having come, along with her cousin to madame Wang's apartments, found madame Wang discussing certain domestic occurrences with the messengers, who had arrived from her elder brother's wife's home, and conversing also about the case of homicide, in which the family of her mother's sister had become involved, and other such relevant topics. Perceiving how pressing and perplexing were the matters in which madame Wang was engaged, the young ladies promptly left her apartments, and came over to the rooms of their widow sister-in-law, Mrs. Li.
This Mrs. Li had originally been the spouse of Chia Chu. Although Chu had died at an early age, he had the good fortune of leaving behind him a son, to whom the name of Chia Lan was given. He was, at this period, just in his fifth year, and had already entered school, and applied himself to books.
This Mrs. Li was also the daughter of an official of note in Chin Ling. Her father's name was Li Shou-chung, who had, at one time, been Imperial Libationer. Among his kindred, men as well as women had all devoted themselves to poetry and letters; but ever since Li Shou-chung continued the line of succession, he readily asserted that the absence of literary attainments in his daughter was indeed a virtue, so that it soon came about that she did not apply herself in real earnest to learning; with the result that all she studied were some parts of the 'Four Books for women,' and the 'Memoirs of excellent women,' that all she read did not extend beyond a limited number of characters, and that all she committed to memory were the examples of these few worthy female characters of dynasties of yore; while she attached special importance to spinning and female handiwork. To this reason is to be assigned the name selected for her, of Li Wan (Li, the weaver), and the style of Kung Ts'ai (Palace Sempstress).
Hence it was that, though this Li Wan still continued, after the loss of her mate, while she was as yet in the spring of her life, to live amidst affluence and luxury, she nevertheless resembled in every respect a block of rotten wood or dead ashes. She had no inclination whatsoever to inquire after anything or to listen to anything; while her sole and exclusive thought was to wait upon her relatives and educate her son; and, in addition to this, to teach her young sisters-in-law to do needlework and to read aloud.
Tai-yue was, it is true, at this period living as a guest in the Chia mansion, where she certainly had the several young ladies to associate with her, but, outside her aged father, (she thought) there was really no need for her to extend affection to any of the rest.
But we will now speak of Chia Yue-ts'un. Having obtained the appointment of Prefect of Ying T'ien, he had no sooner arrived at his post than a charge of manslaughter was laid before his court. This had arisen from some rivalry between two parties in the purchase of a slave-girl, either of whom would not yield his right; with the result that a serious assault occurred, which ended in homicide.
Yue-ts'un had, with all promptitude, the servants of the plaintiffs brought before him, and subjected them to an examination.
'The victim of the assault,' the plaintiffs deposed, 'was your servants' master. Having on a certain day, purchased a servant-girl, she unexpectedly turned out to be a girl who had been carried away and sold by a kidnapper. This kidnapper had, first of all, got hold of our family's money, and our master had given out that he would on the third day, which was a propitious day, take her over into the house, but this kidnapper stealthily sold her over again to the Hsueeh family. When we came to know of this, we went in search of the seller to lay hold of him, and bring back the girl by force. But the Hsueeh party has been all along
When Yue-ts'un heard their appeal, he flew into a fiery rage. 'What!' he exclaimed. 'How could a case of such gravity have taken place as the murder of a man, and the culprits have been allowed to run away scot-free, without being arrested? Issue warrants, and despatch constables to at once lay hold of the relatives of the bloodstained criminals and bring them to be examined by means of torture.'
Thereupon he espied a Retainer, who was standing by the judgment-table, wink at him, signifying that he should not issue the warrants. Yue-t'sun gave way to secret suspicion, and felt compelled to desist.
Withdrawing from the Court-room, he retired into a private chamber, from whence he dismissed his followers, only keeping this single Retainer to wait upon him.
The Retainer speedily advanced and paid his obeisance. 'Your worship,' he said smiling, 'has persistently been rising in official honours, and increasing in wealth so that, in the course of about eight or nine years, you have forgotten me.'
'Your face is, however, extremely familiar,' observed Yue-ts'un, 'but I cannot, for the moment, recall who you are.'
'Honourable people forget many things,' remarked the Retainer, as he smiled. 'What! Have you even forgotten the place where you started in life? and do you not remember what occurred, in years gone by, in the Hu Lu Temple?'
Yue-ts'un was filled with extreme astonishment; and past events then began to dawn upon him.
The fact is that this Retainer had been at one time a young priest in the Hu Lu temple; but as, after its destruction by fire, he had no place to rest his frame, he remembered how light and easy was, after all, this kind of occupation, and being unable to reconcile himself to the solitude and quiet of a temple, he accordingly availed himself of his years, which were as yet few, to let his hair grow, and become a retainer.
Yue-ts'un had had no idea that it was he. Hastily taking his hand in his, he smilingly observed, 'You are, indeed, an old acquaintance!' and then pressed him to take a seat, so as to have a chat with more ease, but the Retainer would not presume to sit down.
'Friendships,' Yue-ts'un remarked, putting on a smiling expression, 'contracted in poor circumstances should not be forgotten! This is a private room; so that if you sat down, what would it matter?'
The Retainer thereupon craved permission to take a seat, and sat down gingerly, all awry.
'Why did you, a short while back,' Yue-ts'un inquired, 'not allow me to issue the warrants?'
'Your illustrious office,' replied the Retainer, 'has brought your worship here, and is it likely you have not transcribed some philactery of your post in this province!'
'What is an office-philactery?' asked Yue-ts'un with alacrity.
'Now-a-days,' explained the Retainer, 'those who become local officers provide themselves invariably with a secret list, in which are entered the names and surnames of the most influential and affluent gentry of note in the province. This is in vogue in every province. Should inadvertently, at any moment, one give umbrage to persons of this status, why, not only office, but I fear even one's life, it would be difficult to preserve. That's why these lists
