Chapter 87: Moved by deep autumn, Qinwen plays melancholy tunes on the zither; Lost in meditation, she falls into demonic possession

Now, as Tanchun, Xiangyun, Li Wen and Li Qi were leaving, Tanchun suddenly turned back and said, "It's early yet. Why don't we all go over to the Bamboo Lodge and see Cousin Lin?" The others agreed, and they all went together.

As they entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of a zither coming from inside. Tanchun smiled and said, "Cousin Lin is playing the zither. Let's not disturb her. Let's wait until she finishes." So they stood outside and listened. After a while, the music stopped, and they heard a deep sigh from within.

Xiangyun said, "She must be thinking of something. Let's go in." They entered and saw Daiyu sitting at the zither, her head bowed in thought. When she saw them, she rose to greet them.

Tanchun said, "We heard your zither playing, Cousin, and didn't want to disturb you. It sounded so beautiful, but also so sad."

Daiyu smiled faintly. "I was just idly playing. I didn't realize anyone was listening." She invited them to sit down, and Xuedan served tea.

After some casual conversation, Daiyu brought up the chrysanthemum poems from two years ago. "Since Cousin Baochai moved out, she's only come twice. Now she doesn't even come when there's something important. It's really strange. I wonder if she'll ever come back here."

Tanchun smiled slightly. "Why wouldn't she come? She'll come eventually. But now her sister-in-law is difficult, her aunt is getting on in years, and with Cousin Xue Pan's troubles, naturally Baochai has to take care of everything. She doesn't have as much free time as before."

Just then, they heard a sudden gust of wind rustling through the leaves, and many dead leaves were blown against the window paper. After a moment, a faint fragrance drifted in. Everyone smelled it and asked, "Where is this fragrant wind coming from? What kind of fragrance is this?"

Daiyu said, "It smells like osmanthus."

Tanchun laughed. "Cousin Lin, you never lose your Southern speech. In this ninth month, where would there still be osmanthus flowers?"

Daiyu smiled. "That's true. That's why I didn't say it was definitely osmanthus, only that it seemed like it."

Xiangyun said, "Third Sister, don't be so sure. Do you remember the line 'Ten miles of lotus flowers, three autumns of osmanthus'? In the South, this is exactly the time when late osmanthus blooms. You've just never seen it. When you go South someday, you'll know."

Tanchun laughed. "What business do I have going South? Besides, I already know about such things. You don't need to tell me." Li Wen and Li Qi just smiled silently.

Daiyu said, "Sisters, you can never be sure about these things. As the saying goes, 'People are earthbound immortals.' Today we're here, tomorrow who knows where we'll be. Take me, for example. I was originally from the South, so how did I end up here?"

Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed. "Today Third Sister has been stumped by Cousin Lin. It's not just that Cousin Lin came here from the South. Even among us, there are differences. Some were originally from the North, some have Southern roots but grew up in the North, some grew up in the South and came to the North. And today we're all gathered together. So you see, people have their fixed destinies. People and places each have their own affinities."

Everyone nodded at this, and Tanchun just smiled. They chatted a while longer, then prepared to leave. Daiyu saw them to the door, and they all said, "You've just recovered. Don't come out. You'll catch the wind." So Daiyu stood at the door, exchanging a few more pleasant words with them, and watched until they had left the courtyard.

She went back inside and sat down. It was already evening, with birds returning to their nests in the woods and the sun setting in the west. Xiangyun's mention of the South had stirred her thoughts. "If my parents were still alive," she thought, "I would be in the South, enjoying the scenery—spring flowers and autumn moons, beautiful mountains and clear waters, the Twenty-Four Bridges, the relics of the Six Dynasties. I would have many servants to wait on me, and I could do as I pleased, speak without restraint. In my fragrant carriage and painted boat, with red apricot blossoms and green banners, I would be mistress of all. But now I'm living under someone else's roof. Even though I receive much care, I have to be careful in everything. I wonder what sins I committed in my former life to deserve such loneliness in this one. Truly, as Emperor Li Yu said, 'In this world, I can only wash my face with tears all day long.'" Lost in these thoughts, her mind wandered far away.

Zijuan came in and saw her like this. She guessed that the talk about North and South had touched Daiyu's heart. "The young ladies were here talking for so long," she said. "I'm afraid you've tired yourself out again. Just now I asked Xuedan to tell the kitchen to make you a bowl of ham and cabbage soup, with a little dried shrimp and some bamboo shoots and seaweed. Does that sound good to you, miss?"

Daiyu said, "That will do."

Zijuan added, "I also had some rice congee made."

Daiyu nodded. "You and Xuedan should make the congee yourselves. Don't have the kitchen do it."

Zijuan said, "I was afraid the kitchen wouldn't keep things clean, so we're making it ourselves. As for the soup, I also told Xuedan to tell Aunt Liu to make sure it's clean. Aunt Liu said she would prepare everything properly and have her daughter Wu'er watch over it while it's cooking."

Daiyu said, "It's not that I mind the dirtiness. But I've been sick for so many days, and everything has been done for me by others. Now to be ordering soup and congee, I'm afraid of making myself a nuisance." As she spoke, her eyes reddened.

Zijuan said, "Miss, you're overthinking again. You are the old lady's granddaughter and the apple of her eye. Others would be only too glad to curry favor with you. Who would complain?"

Daiyu nodded. Then she asked, "This Wu'er you mentioned—isn't she the girl who used to be with Fangguan over at Baoyu's place?"

Zijuan said, "Yes, that's her."

Daiyu said, "I heard she was supposed to come and work here, wasn't she?"

Zijuan replied, "Yes, but she fell ill, and by the time she recovered and was ready to come, that was when Qingwen and the others got into trouble, so it was delayed."

Daiyu said, "That girl has a fairly clean appearance."

Just then, an old woman came with the soup. Xuedan went out to receive it, and the woman said, "Aunt Liu asked me to tell the young lady that Wu'er made this herself. She didn't dare make it in the main kitchen, for fear the young lady would find it unclean." Xuedan acknowledged this and brought the soup in.

Daiyu had heard this from inside the room. She told Xuedan to go out and tell the old woman to thank Aunt Liu for her trouble. Xuedan went out and delivered the message, and the old woman left.

Xuedan set out Daiyu's bowl and chopsticks on the small table and asked, "Miss, there's also some spiced Sichuan preserved vegetable we brought from the South. Would you like some mixed with sesame oil and vinegar?"

Daiyu said, "That will do, but don't make it too elaborate." She took half a bowl of congee and a few spoonfuls of soup, then put them down. The two maids cleared away the dishes, wiped the small table clean, and replaced it with the usual one. Daiyu rinsed her mouth and washed her hands, then asked, "Zijuan, have you added incense to the burner?"

Zijuan said, "I'll go and add it now."

Daiyu said, "You two go ahead and eat the soup and congee. The flavor is good, and it's clean. I'll add the incense myself." The two maids agreed and went to the outer room to eat.

Here Daiyu added incense and sat down by herself. She was about to pick up a book to read when she heard the wind in the garden sweeping straight through from the west to the east, passing through the branches, and setting up a continuous rustling and clattering sound. After a while, the iron chimes under the eaves also began to clang and clatter noisily. Before long, Xueyan finished eating first and came in to attend to her. Daiyu then asked, “The weather has turned cold. The other day I told you to air those fur-lined clothes of mine—did you do it?” Xueyan replied, “Yes, they have all been aired.” Daiyu said, “Fetch one for me to put on.” Xueyan went and brought back a bundle of fur-lined clothes. She opened the felt wrapper and let Daiyu choose for herself. Inside, Daiyu noticed a silk-wrapped packet. She reached out, took it, and opened it to find the old handkerchief that Baoyu had sent when he was ill, with her own poem written on it, the tearstains still visible. Wrapped inside were the cut-up sachet and fan pouch, along with the tassel from Baoyu’s jade of spiritual understanding. It turned out that when the clothes were being aired, these had been found in the chest, and Zijuan, fearing they might be lost, had tucked them into this felt wrapper. Had Daiyu not looked, it would have been fine, but upon seeing them, she said nothing about which garment to put on. She simply held the two handkerchiefs in her hands, staring blankly at the old poem. After gazing at them for a while, she could not help but let tears fall silently. Zijuan had just come in from the outer room and saw Xueyan standing there in a daze, holding the felt bundle of clothes. On the small table lay the cut-up sachet, the fan pouch in two or three pieces, and the severed tassel, while Daiyu held the two old handkerchiefs with writing on them, tears streaming down as she looked at them. Truly it is said:

The disappointed person encounters disappointing things;

New tearstains mingle with the old.

Seeing this, Zijuan knew that these objects had stirred her emotions and brought back memories of the past. She thought that persuasion would be useless, so she forced a smile and said, “Miss, why still look at those things? They’re just jokes from when the Second Master Bao and you were young—sometimes getting along, sometimes quarreling. If things were as respectful and proper as they are now, how could such things have been wasted like that?” Zijuan said this to cheer Daiyu up, but unexpectedly, these words only further reminded Daiyu of the old times when she first arrived and her past with Baoyu, and her tears flowed even more continuously. Zijuan urged again, “Xueyan is waiting here, miss. Please put on a garment.” Only then did Daiyu set down the handkerchiefs. Zijuan hastily picked them up, wrapped up the sachet and other items, and put them away. Then Daiyu put on a fur coat and, feeling downcast, went to sit in the outer room. Turning her head, she saw that Baochai’s poetic message was still lying on the table, not yet put away. She took it up and looked it over twice, then sighed, “Our circumstances differ, but the sorrow is the same. I might as well compose four stanzas, set them to the qin score, so they can be played and sung. Tomorrow I’ll write them out and send them as a response.” So she called Xueyan to bring the brush and inkstone from the outer table, moistened the brush, and wrote out four verses. Then she took out the qin score, borrowed the two melodies “Yi Lan” and “Si Xian,” combined their tonalities, matched them with her own composition, and then wrote it all out, ready to send to Baochai. She then told Xueyan to fetch the short qin she had brought from the south, tuned the strings, and practiced her fingering technique. Daiyu was extremely intelligent by nature and had studied a bit in the south, so although she was a little out of practice, she soon became proficient once she got the hang of it. After playing for a while, the night had grown deep, so she told Zijuan to tidy up and go to sleep. No more of this.

Meanwhile, Baoyu had gotten up, washed, and combed his hair that day. He was heading to the study with Boming when he saw Moyu running toward him with a grin, saying, “Second Master, you’re in luck today. The tutor isn’t in the study; everyone’s been let out of school.” Baoyu asked, “Is that true?” Moyu replied, “If you don’t believe me, Third Master and Master Lan are coming this way.” Baoyu looked and saw Jia Huan and Jia Lan, followed by their young servants, both grinning and chattering about something as they approached. When they saw Baoyu, they stopped and stood respectfully with hands at their sides. Baoyu asked, “How is it that you two have come back?” Jia Huan said, “The tutor had business today and said we have a day off. We’re to go back tomorrow.” On hearing this, Baoyu turned back to report to Lady Dowager and Jia Zheng, then returned to Happy Red Court. Xiren asked, “Why have you come back?” Baoyu told her the reason. He sat for only a moment, then headed for the door. Xiren said, “Where are you going in such a hurry? Even if you have a day off, in my opinion, you should rest a bit.” Baoyu stopped and lowered his head, saying, “What you say is reasonable. But it’s not often we get a day off; let me have a little fun. You should have some pity on me.” Seeing how pitiful he sounded, Xiren smiled and said, “Do as you please, master.” Just then, the meal was brought in. Baoyu had no choice but to eat, wolfing down his food in a few hurried bites, rinsing his mouth, and then slipping away like a wisp of smoke to Daiyu’s room.

When he reached the entrance, he saw Xueyan in the courtyard airing some silk handkerchiefs. Baoyu asked, “Has your mistress eaten yet?” Xueyan replied, “She had half a bowl of congee early this morning and hasn’t felt like eating. Right now she’s dozing off. Second Master, please go elsewhere for a while and come back later.” Baoyu had no choice but to turn back.

With nowhere else to go, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t seen Xichun for several days, so he strolled over to the Fragrant Plant Studio. As he reached the window, everything was quiet, with not a sound of anyone. Baoyu thought she might be taking a nap and didn’t want to disturb her. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a faint noise inside, but couldn’t tell what it was. Baoyu stopped and listened again. After a long pause, there was another sharp sound. Before he could identify it, he heard someone say, “You placed a piece here; why didn’t you respond there?” Baoyu then realized they were playing go, but he couldn’t immediately recognize whose voice it was. Then he heard Xichun say, “What’s there to fear? If you capture me like this, I’ll respond like this; then you capture again, and I respond again. There’s still a move in reserve; eventually, I’ll connect.” The other voice said, “What if I capture like this?” Xichun replied, “Ah, there’s a ‘counter-attack’ involved! I didn’t see that coming.” Baoyu listened, and the second voice sounded very familiar, but it wasn’t one of the sisters. He assumed there were no outsiders in Xichun’s room, so he gently lifted the curtain and entered. When he looked, it was none other than the one beyond the threshold of Green Bower Hermitage—Miaoyu. Seeing it was Miaoyu, Baoyu dared not disturb her. Miaoyu and Xichun were deep in thought and didn’t notice him. Baoyu stood to the side, observing their play. He saw Miaoyu lower her head and ask Xichun, “Aren’t you going to take this corner?” Xichun said, “Why wouldn’t I? All your pieces there are dead; I’m not afraid.” Miaoyu said, “Don’t boast too soon; let’s see.” Xichun replied, “I’ll just capture, and then we’ll see what you do.” Miaoyu smiled faintly, connected the edge piece, then turned and captured, taking all of Xichun’s corner pieces. Smiling, she said, “This is called the ‘Taking Off the Boots’ maneuver.”

Before Xichun could answer, Baoyu, standing nearby, could not restrain himself and burst out laughing, startling both of them greatly. Xichun said, “What do you mean by that? Coming in without a word, playing such a trick to scare people. When did you get here?” Baoyu said, “I came in some time ago and was watching the two of you arguing over this ‘corner spot’.” As he spoke, he bowed to Miaoyu and then asked with a laugh, “Miaoyu, you rarely leave your Zen retreat. What fate brings you down to the mortal world today?” Miaoyu, upon hearing this, suddenly blushed, but did not reply, lowering her head to look at the chessboard. Baoyu realized he had been too forward and quickly apologized with a smile, “Well, those who have left the world are not like us laypeople at home. The first thing is that their minds are still. Stillness leads to clarity, clarity leads to wisdom.” Before Baoyu finished, Miaoyu slightly raised her eyes, glanced at Baoyu, then lowered her head again, and the color on her face gradually deepened to a blush. Seeing that she ignored him, Baoyu had no choice but to sit down awkwardly to one side. Xichun was about to make another move, but Miaoyu said after a long pause, “Let’s play another time.” She then stood up, smoothed her clothes, and sat down again, staring blankly at Baoyu and asking, “Where have you come from?” Baoyu was eager for this question, hoping to clear up his earlier remark, but then suddenly thought, “Perhaps this is one of Miaoyu’s Zen ripostes.” He turned red and could not answer. Miaoyu gave a faint smile and began talking to Xichun. Xichun also laughed and said, “Second Brother, what’s so hard to answer? Haven’t you heard people often say, ‘From whence I came’? Is that worth turning red in the face, as if you’d met a stranger?” When Miaoyu heard this, she thought of herself, felt a stir in her heart, and a heat on her face, which must have turned red, and she felt embarrassed. So she stood up and said, “I’ve been here a long time; I need to go back to the nunnery.” Xichun knew Miaoyu’s temperament and did not press her to stay, seeing her to the door. Miaoyu said with a smile, “I haven’t been here for a long time, and the paths are so winding; I’m afraid I’ll lose my way going back.” Baoyu said, “Then perhaps I should guide you, how about that?” Miaoyu replied, “I wouldn’t dare. Please go ahead, Second Master.” So the two of them took leave of Xichun, left Liaofeng Pavilion, and walked along the winding paths, approaching the Xiaoxiang Lodge, when suddenly they heard a tinkling sound. Miaoyu said, “Where is that lute music coming from?” Baoyu said, “It must be Sister Lin playing the lute in there.” Miaoyu said, “So she can play that too? How come I’ve never heard anyone mention it?” Baoyu recounted the details of Daiyu’s story and then said, “Let’s go see her.” Miaoyu said, “Since ancient times, one only ‘listens to the lute’; there is no such thing as ‘looking at the lute’.” Baoyu laughed and said, “I said I was a layman.” As they spoke, the two arrived outside the Xiaoxiang Lodge and sat on a rock to listen quietly, finding the tones clear and distinct. They heard a soft chant:

The wind sighs and the autumn deepens,

The beauty a thousand miles away broods alone.

Where is my homeland, I long for it,

Leaning on the railing, tears wet my gown.

After a pause, they heard another chant:

The mountains stretch far and the waters flow long,

Moonlight shines on the window of my room.

Restless, sleepless, the Milky Way is vast,

My gauze robe feels chill in the wind and dew.

There was another pause. Miaoyu said, “The ‘-in’ rhyme was the first stanza; now the ‘-ang’ rhyme is the second. Let’s listen further.” From inside came another chant:

Your fate is not your own,

My lot is full of sorrow.

Your heart and mine are truly linked,

Thinking of the ancients, let me have no blame.

Miaoyu said, “This is another movement. How deep her melancholy is!” Baoyu said, “Though I don’t understand it, from the tone I feel it’s too sorrowful.” Inside, she tuned the strings again. Miaoyu said, “The first string is too high; it probably doesn’t match the key of Wu Yi.” Inside, another chant came:

Man’s life in this world is like light dust,

Between heaven and earth, I feel the past cause.

Feeling the past cause, I cannot stop,

My pure heart is like the moon in the sky.

When Miaoyu heard this, she turned pale with shock and said, “How did it suddenly shift to a mournful tone? The sound can split metal and stone. But it’s too extreme.” Baoyu said, “What happens if it’s too extreme?” Miaoyu said, “I’m afraid it won’t last long.” Just as they were discussing, they heard the first string snap with a twang. Miaoyu stood up and hurried away. Baoyu said, “What’s wrong?” Miaoyu said, “You’ll know in the future; you don’t need to say more.” She left directly, leaving Baoyu full of doubts and downcast as he returned to the Happy Red Court. We will say no more of that.

Let us speak only of Miaoyu’s return. A nun was already there to greet her. She closed the nunnery gate, sat for a while, and recited the “Daily Chants of the Zen School” once. She ate her evening meal, lit incense, bowed to the Bodhisattva, and told the nun to go rest by herself. Her meditation couch and backrest were all prepared. She held her breath, lowered the curtain, sat cross-legged, cut off all delusions, and aimed for true suchness. She sat until after the third watch, when she heard a clattering of tiles on the roof. Miaoyu, afraid there might be thieves, got off the meditation couch and went to the front veranda. There she saw clouds floating across the sky and the moonlight like water. The weather was not yet very cool. She stood alone by the railing for a while, when suddenly she heard two cats on the roof meowing at each other in succession. Miaoyu then suddenly recalled Baoyu’s words from earlier in the day, and before she knew it, her heart raced and her ears burned. She quickly composed herself, went back into the meditation room, and sat again on the meditation couch. But her mind was unsettled; for a moment it felt like thousands of horses galloping, and the meditation couch seemed to sway. Her body was no longer in the nunnery. Then many young gentlemen and nobles came wanting to marry her, and some matchmakers pulled and tugged at her, trying to help her into a carriage, but she refused to go. In a moment, thieves came to kidnap her, brandishing knives and clubs to force her, so she could only cry for help. This soon woke up the nuns and the lay sister in the nunnery, who all brought lamps to look. They saw Miaoyu with her arms flung wide and foam at her mouth. They quickly tried to wake her, but her eyes were fixed and staring, and her cheekbones were bright red. She cursed, “I am protected by the Bodhisattva! What do you ruffians think you can do?” Everyone was terrified and didn’t know what to do. They said, “We are here; wake up quickly!” Miaoyu said, “I want to go home. Is there any good person here to send me back?” The lay sister said, “This is where you live.” As she spoke, another nun hurriedly prayed to Guanyin, drew a fortune slip, and opened the fortune book to read. It said she had offended a female spirit in the southwest corner. One of them said, “That’s it. In the southwest corner of Grand View Garden, no one lives, so there is yin energy.” They bustled about making soup and water. The nun, who had originally been brought from the south, naturally served Miaoyu more attentively than the others. She surrounded Miaoyu, sitting on the meditation couch. Miaoyu turned her head and asked, “Who are you?” The nun said, “It’s me.” Miaoyu looked carefully and said, “So it’s you.” She then hugged the nun and sobbed, saying, “You are my mother! If you don’t save me, I won’t live.” The nun, while trying to wake her, rubbed her back. The lay sister brought her tea, which she drank. She did not sleep until dawn.

The nun then sent someone to call a doctor to take her pulse. Some said it was worry damaging the spleen, some said it was heat entering the blood chamber, some said it was an attack by evil spirits, and some said it was a combination of internal and external colds. There was no final diagnosis. Later, they invited another doctor who examined her and asked, “Has she been practicing meditation?” The lay sister said, “She always meditates.” The doctor said, “Did this illness come on suddenly last night?” The lay sister said, “Yes.” The doctor said, “This is caused by going astray and fire entering the mind.” The others asked, “Is it serious?” The doctor said, “Fortunately, she hasn’t meditated for long, so the deviation is shallow; she can be saved.” He prescribed medicine to subdue the heart-fire. After taking one dose, she calmed down a little. Outside, some idle and reckless youths heard about it and spread many rumors, saying, “At her age, how could she hold back? Besides, with such a charming appearance and such a clever nature, who knows whose hands she’ll fall into, and who will be lucky?” After a few days, although Miaoyu’s illness had somewhat improved, her mind had not recovered, and she remained somewhat dazed.

One day, as Xichun was sitting quietly, Caiping suddenly entered and reported, "Miss, do you know what happened to the nun Miaoyu?" Xichun asked, "What happened to her?" Caiping said, "I heard Miss Xing and the eldest young mistress talking about it yesterday. That day, after she played chess with you and returned home, she was suddenly possessed by an evil spirit in the night. She kept shouting that bandits had come to seize her, and she still hasn’t recovered. Isn’t that strange, Miss?" Xichun listened, fell silent, and thought: "Although Miaoyu is pure, her worldly ties are not yet severed. It’s a pity I was born into this kind of family, making it inconvenient to become a nun. If I were a nun, how could evil spirits trouble me? With not a single thought arising, all karmic bonds would be stilled." As she thought this, she suddenly felt a spiritual connection, as if she had gained some insight, and she spontaneously recited a gatha:

"The Great Creation has no fixed form; where then should one dwell?

Since we come from emptiness, we should return to emptiness."

Having said this, she ordered a maid to light incense. She sat quietly for a while, then opened the book of chess manuals again, reading through several works by Kong Rong, Wang Jixin, and others. Among them, the "Lotus Leaf Wrapping Crab Formation" and the "Oriole Seizing Hare Formation" were not particularly remarkable, while the "Thirty-Six Moves to Corner Kill Formation" was difficult to grasp and memorize at once. Only when she came to the "Eight Dragons Charging Steeds" did she find it very intriguing. As she was pondering this, she heard someone enter the courtyard outside, calling repeatedly for Caiping. Who it was will be explained in the next chapter.