Chapter 92: Qiaojie Admires the Virtuous in Biographies of Women; Jia Zheng Grasps the Meaning of Gathering and Scattering While Playing with a Mother-of-Pearl
CHAPTER 92
On Judging the Biographies of Women, Qiaojie Admires Virtuous Ladies; On Playing with the Mother-Pearl, Jia Zheng Learns of Gathering and Parting
As Baoyu came out of Bamboo Lodge, he quickly asked Qiuwen, "What does Father want me for?" Qiuwen laughed and said, "He didn't call for you. Sister Xiren asked me to invite you, and I was afraid you wouldn't come, so I tricked you." On hearing this, Baoyu's mind was set at ease. He said, "It's fine for you to invite me, but why frighten me like that?" As he spoke, he returned to Happy Red Court. Xiren then asked him, "Where have you been all this time?" Baoyu said, "At Miss Lin's place. We got to talking about Aunt Xue and Cousin Baochai, and I sat down and stayed." Xiren asked again, "What did you talk about?" Baoyu recounted the conversation about the Chan riddles. Xiren said, "You two never have any sense. It would be better to talk about ordinary household matters or discuss some poems. How did you get onto Chan riddles again? You're not monks." Baoyu said, "You don't understand. We have our own Chan insights; no one else can put a word in." Xiren laughed and said, "You've turned Chan meditation upside down, and now you'll have us all baffled." Baoyu said, "Before, I was still young and she was childish, so when I said something careless, she got angry. Now I'm careful, and she doesn't get angry anymore. But lately she hasn't been coming over often, and with my studying, when we do meet occasionally, it seems as if we've grown distant." Xiren said, "That's exactly as it should be. You've both grown a few years older—how can you still act like children?" Baoyu nodded and said, "I know. Let's not talk about that now. Let me ask you, has the Old Lady sent anyone over with any message?" Xiren said, "Nothing was said." Baoyu said, "The Old Lady must have forgotten. Isn't tomorrow the first day of the eleventh month? Every year the Old Lady keeps to the old custom and holds a "Dispelling the Cold" party, where we all sit together drinking and laughing. I've already asked for leave from school today. Now with no news, should I go tomorrow or not? If I go, I'll have asked for leave for nothing; but if I don't go, Father will find out and say I was playing truant." Xiren said, "In my opinion, you should go. You've only just started studying well, and now you want to rest again. If you ask me, you should be working harder. Yesterday I heard Madam say that Lan is really good at his studies. When he comes back from school, he still studies on his own and writes essays, staying up every night until after the fourth watch before sleeping. You're much older than he is, and his uncle besides; if you can't keep up with him, the Old Lady will be upset. It would be better for you to go early tomorrow." Sheyue said, "In this cold weather, if you've already asked for leave and then go, they'll say at school, 'If that's the case, you shouldn't have asked for leave in the first place.' It'll look like you took false leave to shirk your duties. In my opinion, you might as well take the day off. Even if the Old Lady has forgotten, does that mean we can't have our own 'Dispelling the Cold' party here? Wouldn't it be nice for us to have a little gathering?" Xiren said, "It's always you who starts things; Second Master will be even less willing to go now." Sheyue said, "I just want to enjoy the day while I can. I'm not like you, trying to win a good name, serving for a month just to get two extra taels of silver!" Xiren spat and said, "You little vixen! When someone's talking seriously, you come butting in with nonsense." Sheyue said, "I'm not talking nonsense; I'm doing it for you." Xiren said, "For me? How?" Sheyue said, "When Second Master goes to school, you pout and think about him, wishing he'd come back a moment sooner, and then you're all smiles and laughter. Now you're pretending to be aloof—what's the point? I've seen it all."
Xiren was about to scold him when a maid arrived from the old lady’s quarters, saying, “The old lady says Master Bao need not go to school tomorrow. She has invited Aunt Xue to keep him amused tomorrow, and likely all the young ladies will come—Miss Shi, Miss Xing, and Miss Li from our own household have all been invited to attend some sort of Cold-Dispelling Gathering tomorrow.” Before she had finished, Bao-yu beamed and said, “Exactly! The old lady is in the best of spirits. Tomorrow I’m officially excused from school.” Xiren said nothing more, and the maid left. Bao-yu had been studying diligently for several days and was eager for this day off. Hearing that Aunt Xue was coming, he thought, “Then Baochai will surely come too.” Delighted, he said, “Let’s go to sleep quickly, so we can rise early tomorrow.” So the night passed without further incident.
The next day, he indeed went early to pay his respects to the old lady, then to Jia Zheng and Lady Wang. He informed them that the old lady had excused him from school that day; Jia Zheng said nothing, and Bao-yu slowly withdrew. After a few steps, he dashed like smoke straight to the old lady’s room. Seeing no one else had arrived, only Nanny from Xifeng’s quarters, who had brought Qiaojie along with a few little maids to pay respects to the old lady. Qiaojie said, “Mother sent me first to pay respects and keep you company for a while. She’ll come herself shortly.” The old lady smiled and said, “Good child, I’ve been up since early, waiting for everyone, but no one came—only your Second Uncle.” The nanny then said, “Miss, greet your Second Uncle.” Bao-yu also asked, “How are you, little niece?” Qiaojie replied, “Last night I heard Mother say she wanted to invite you over for a talk.” Bao-yu asked, “About what?” Qiaojie said, “Mother said I’ve been studying characters with Nanny Li for a few years, and she doesn’t know if I really recognize them. I said I do, and I’d show her. Mother said I was guessing, didn’t believe me, and said I just play all day—how could I know them? I think those characters aren’t so hard, and even the ‘Classic of Filial Piety for Girls’ is easy to read. Mother said I was fooling her and wanted to ask you, Second Uncle, when you have time, to sort them out for me.” The old lady laughed and said, “Good child, your mother can’t read, so she thinks you’re fooling her. Tomorrow, let your Second Uncle sort it out for her to see, and then she’ll believe you.” Bao-yu asked, “How many characters have you learned?” Qiaojie said, “Over three thousand. I’ve read one copy of the ‘Classic of Filial Piety for Girls,’ and half a month ago I started the ‘Biographies of Exemplary Women.’” Bao-yu said, “Do you understand what you’ve read? If not, I can explain it to you.” The old lady said, “As an uncle, you should indeed explain it to your niece.” Bao-yu said, “The consort of King Wen goes without saying—I assume you know about her. As for Queen Jiang, who removed her hairpins and awaited punishment, and the ugly Wuyan of Qi, who could stabilize the state—these were virtuous and capable among consorts. As for the talented ones, there are Ban Zhao, Ban Jieyu, Cai Wenji, Xie Daoyun, and others. Meng Guang with her thorn hairpin and plain dress, Bao Xuan’s wife fetching water from the well, Tao Kan’s mother cutting her hair to entertain guests, and the mother who taught her son by drawing with reeds—these were not averse to poverty. Among the suffering, there is Princess Lechang whose broken mirror was reunited, and Su Hui whose palindrome poem moved her husband. The filial ones are even more numerous: Mulan took her father’s place in the army, Cao E drowned seeking her father’s corpse—there are many such cases, too many for me to list. That Cao family story about cutting off her nose is from Wei. The chaste ones are even more, so I’ll have to go slowly. As for the beauties, there are Wang Qiang, Xishi, Fansu, Xiaoman, Jiangxian, and others. The jealous ones, like cutting off a concubine’s hair, or the resentment of the Luo River goddess—these are fewer. Zhuo Wenjun and Hongfu are among the women of…” The old lady interrupted, “Enough, no need to go on. You’re saying too much; how can she remember it all?” Qiaojie said, “What Second Uncle just said, some of it I’ve read, some I haven’t. The ones I’ve read, once you explained them, I understood much more.” Bao-yu said, “You must recognize the characters well enough—no need to sort them out further. I have to go back to school tomorrow.” Qiaojie said, “I also heard Mother say yesterday that our little maid Xiaohong was originally with you, Second Uncle. Mother took her, but no one’s been assigned to fill her place. Mother was thinking of having Liu Wuer from the Liu family fill in, but she’s not sure if you, Second Uncle, would want that.” Bao-yu was even more pleased and said with a smile, “Listen to your mother! Whoever she wants to replace, let her replace them—why ask if I want it or not?” Then he turned to the old lady and said with a laugh, “I think this little niece, with her looks and her cleverness, might even surpass Sister Feng in the future, and she knows more characters too.” The old lady said, “It’s good for a girl to know characters, but needlework and sewing are more important.” Qiaojie said, “I’ve been learning from Nanny Liu too—things like embroidery and chain stitching. Though I’m not good at it, I can manage a few stitches.” The old lady said, “In a household like ours, we don’t rely on doing it ourselves, but it’s best to know a bit, so you won’t be taken advantage of later.” Qiaojie replied, “Yes,” and was about to ask Bao-yu to explain more from the “Biographies of Exemplary Women,” but seeing him lost in thought, she dared not say more.
Do you know what Bao-yu was thinking about? It was because Liu Wuer was to enter Happy Red Court. The first time, she was ill and couldn’t come. The second time, Lady Wang dismissed Qingwen and dared not pick anyone with much beauty. Later, when he went to see Qingwen at Wu Gui’s house, Wuer had accompanied her mother to deliver things to Qingwen, and he saw her—she seemed even more delicate and charming. Today, thanks to Xifeng’s idea of having her fill Xiaohong’s spot, he was overjoyed beyond his hopes. So he sat there lost in thought about her.
The old lady waited for the others, but seeing it was so late and no one had come, she sent a maid to invite them again. Soon, Li Wan arrived with her sister, along with Tanchun, Xichun, Shi Xiangyun, and Daiyu. They all paid respects to the old lady and greeted each other. Only Aunt Xue had not yet come, so the old lady sent for her again. Sure enough, Aunt Xue arrived with Baoqin. Bao-yu paid his respects and exchanged greetings. Only Baochai and Xing Xiuyan were missing. Daiyu asked, “Why hasns’t Baochai come?” Aunt Xue made an excuse that she was unwell. Xing Xiuyan knew that Aunt Xue was present and so had not come. Though Bao-yu was puzzled that Baochai hadn’t come, with Daiyu there, he set aside his thoughts of Baochai for the moment. Before long, Lady Xing and Lady Wang also arrived. Xifeng, hearing that her mothers-in-law had come first, felt she couldn’t be late, so she sent Pinger ahead to apologize, saying she was about to come but had a fever and would arrive shortly. The old lady said, “If she’s unwell, she needn’t come. It’s time for us to eat now.” The maids moved the brazier back a little and set two tables in a row before the old lady’s couch. Everyone took their seats in order. After the meal, they gathered around the stove for idle chat—no need for further detail.
Let me tell you why Xifeng had not come. Earlier, because she had arrived later than Lady Xing and Lady Wang, she felt embarrassed. Then, Lai Wang’s wife came back to report: “Someone from Miss Yingchun’s place has come to pay respects to you, Madam, and said that she has not gone to the upper quarters, only come here to you.” Xifeng was puzzled upon hearing this, wondering what business it could be, so she told the person to come in and asked, “Is the young lady well at home?” The person said, “What good could there be? The servant was not sent by the young lady; it was really Siqi’s mother who begged me to come and ask a favor of you, Madam.” Xifeng said, “Siqi has already been sent away, why come to me for help?” The person said, “Ever since Siqi was sent out, she has wept day and night. Suddenly, one day, her cousin arrived. When her mother saw him, she hated him bitterly, saying he had ruined Siqi, and grabbed him to beat him. The young man dared not speak. Who would have thought that Siqi heard this, hurried out, and shamelessly said to her mother: ‘It was because of him that I was sent out. I also hate him for being heartless. Now that he’s here, if you want to beat him, you might as well strangle me instead.’ Her mother scolded her: ‘Shameless creature, what do you want?’ Siqi said: ‘A woman should be matched with one man. I stumbled and fell into his trap; I am now his woman, and I will never give myself to another. I hate him for being such a coward—a man should bear the consequences of his own actions. Why did he run away? Even if he never came back for life, I would never marry another. If you tried to betroth me to someone else, I was ready to die. Now that he’s here, ask him what he intends. If he hasn’t changed his mind, I’ll kowtow to you, Mother, and consider myself dead. Wherever he goes, I will follow, even if it means begging for food, I’ll be willing.’ Her mother was furious, and cried and cursed: ‘You are my daughter, and I refuse to give you to him—what can you do about it?’ Who would have thought that this foolish Siqi would bang her head against the wall, smashing it open, blood streaming everywhere, and she died. Her mother wept and could not revive her, and then wanted the young man to pay with his life. The cousin said: ‘Don’t be anxious. I had made a fortune outside, and came back only because I was thinking of her—my heart is true. If you don’t believe me, just look.’ With that, he pulled out a casket of gold and pearl jewelry from his bosom. When her mother saw this, she softened and said: ‘If you had intentions, why didn’t you speak earlier?’ The nephew said: ‘In general, women are as fickle as water and as changeable as flowers. If I had said I had money, she would have been after my silver. Now that she acted only for the person, that is rare. I give you these gold and pearls; go and buy a coffin to lay her out.’ Siqi’s mother took the things, no longer caring for her daughter, and let the nephew do as he pleased. Who would have known that the nephew would have two coffins brought in? Siqi’s mother was astonished and said: ‘Why two coffins?’ The nephew laughed: ‘One is not enough; two are needed.’ Seeing that the nephew did not weep, Siqi’s mother thought he was dazed with grief. But he busied himself preparing Siqi, without any crying, and when no one was looking, he took out a small knife and slit his own throat, also killing himself. Siqi’s mother then regretted it and wept bitterly. Now the neighborhood has found out and wants to report it to the authorities. She is frantic and begged me to come and ask you to intercede, and she will come and kowtow to you.” Xifeng heard this and said in astonishment: “What a silly girl, to meet such a silly fellow! No wonder that day when those things were discovered, she acted as if nothing was wrong—she was simply such a fierce-spirited child. To be honest, I don’t have that much time to bother with these trivial matters, but what you just said is truly pitiable. All right, go back and tell her that I will speak with your Second Master and have Lai Wang handle it for her.” Xifeng sent that person away and then went over to Lady Jia’s place. So much for that.
Now, on this day, Jia Zheng was playing a game of go with Zhan Guang. The overall outcome was nearly even, but they were in a ko fight over the life and death of a single corner. The gatekeeper servant came in to report: “Outside, Mr. Feng Ziying wishes to see you, sir.” Jia Zheng said, “Invite him in.” The servant went out to invite him, and Feng Ziying entered. Jia Zheng immediately went to greet him. Feng Ziying came in and sat down in the study. Seeing the go board, he said, “Go ahead and play; I’ll just watch the game.” Zhan Guang laughed and said, “My game is not worth watching.” Feng Ziying said, “You’re too polite; please continue.” Jia Zheng said, “Is there some business?” Feng Ziying said, “Nothing in particular. Uncle, just go on playing; I’ll also learn a few moves.” Jia Zheng said to Zhan Guang, “Brother Feng is a good friend of ours. Since there’s nothing pressing, let’s finish this game and then talk. Brother Feng can watch from the side.” Feng Ziying said, “Are you playing for stakes or not?” Zhan Guang said, “We are playing for stakes.” Feng Ziying said, “If you’re playing for stakes, it’s not good to interrupt.” Jia Zheng said, “Interrupting is fine; after all, he’s lost over ten taels of silver, and in the end, he never pays up. In the future, I’ll just have to make him host a feast as a penalty.” Zhan Guang laughed and said, “That would work.” Feng Ziying said, “Are you playing even, Uncle and Mr. Zhan?” Jia Zheng laughed and said, “We used to play even, and he lost; now I give him two handicap stones, and he still loses. Often he wants to take back moves, and if I don’t let him, he gets anxious.” Zhan Guang also laughed and said, “That’s not true.” Jia Zheng said, “Just try and see.” As they chatted and laughed, they finished the game. When they counted the stones, after Zhan Guang returned the handicap, he had lost seven stones. Feng Ziying said, “This game was ultimately lost in the ko fight. Uncle had fewer ko threats, so he came out ahead.”
Jia Zheng said to Feng Ziying, “I am remiss, I am remiss. Let us talk now.” Feng Ziying said, “Your nephew has not seen you for a long time. I came first to visit you, and second because the Assistant Prefect of Guangxi came to the capital for an audience and brought four kinds of foreign goods that can serve as tribute. One is a screen with twenty-four panels, all carved from rosewood. Though what is in the panels is not jade, it is excellent crystal stone, with landscapes, figures, pavilions, flowers, and birds carved on the stone. On each panel there are fifty or sixty figures, all palace ladies in court dress, called ‘Spring Dawn in the Han Palace.’ Their eyebrows, eyes, mouths, noses, and the folds of their sleeves are carved clearly and delicately. The arrangement and decoration are both fine. I thought the main hall in your Grand View Garden could use it. There is also a clock, over three feet tall, where a little boy holds a time plaque and announces the hour as it comes. Inside there are also some figures playing music. These two items are heavy and cumbersome and have not been brought yet. The two items I have with me here are rather interesting.” He then took out a brocade case from his person. They saw it was wrapped in several layers of white brocade. When the brocade was opened, the first layer was a glass box, with a gold tray lined with crimson crepe silk inside, on which lay a pearl the size of a longan, dazzling and bright. Feng Ziying said, “They say this is called the Mother Pearl.” He then called for a plate. Zhan Guang quickly brought a black lacquer tea tray and asked, “Will this do?” Feng Ziying said, “It will.” He then took a white silk pouch from his bosom, poured the pearls from the pouch onto the tray so they scattered, placed the Mother Pearl in the middle, and set the tray on the table. They saw the small pearls rolling and tumbling toward the large pearl, and soon the large pearl was lifted up, and not a single small pearl remained elsewhere—they all adhered to the large pearl. Zhan Guang said, “This is strange indeed.” Jia Zheng said, “This is plausible, hence it is called the Mother Pearl, for it is the mother of pearls.” Feng Ziying then turned to his attendant and said, “Where is that case?” The attendant quickly brought over a padouk wood case. When they opened it, they saw the case was lined with tiger-striped brocade, and on the brocade was folded a bundle of blue gauze. Zhan Guang said, “What is this?” Feng Ziying said, “This is called a Mermaid-silk Curtain.” When he took it from the case, it was folded to less than five inches long and less than half an inch thick. Feng Ziying opened it layer by layer, and after ten or more layers, it already could not fit on the table. Feng Ziying said, “Look, there are still two folds inside. It must be hung in a tall room to be fully spread. This is woven from mermaid silk. In hot summer weather, when hung in the main hall, not a single fly or mosquito can enter, and it is both light and bright.” Jia Zheng said, “No need to open it completely; it will be troublesome to fold again.” Zhan Guang then helped Feng Ziying fold it layer by layer and put it away. Feng Ziying said, “The price of these four items is not very high. He will sell them for twenty thousand taels. The Mother Pearl is ten thousand, the Mermaid-silk Curtain five thousand, and ‘Spring Dawn in the Han Palace’ along with the chiming clock five thousand.” Jia Zheng said, “How could we afford to buy them?” Feng Ziying said, “You are relatives of the imperial house. Can the palace not use them?” Jia Zheng said, “There is much need for them, but where would we get the silver? Let me have someone take them inside for the old lady to see.” Feng Ziying said, “Very well.”
Jia Zheng then sent someone to call Jia Lian to take these two items to the old lady’s quarters, and also had Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and Xifeng summoned to look at them, and had the two items tested one by one. Jia Lian said, “He also has two more: one is the screen, and one is the musical clock. Altogether he wants to sell them for twenty thousand taels.” Xifeng then said, “The items are fine, naturally, but where would we find such idle money? We are not like provincial governors or censors who have to prepare tribute. I have thought for years that for a family like ours, we must acquire some immovable foundations—whether it be sacrificial lands, charitable estates, or burial grounds. That way, if future descendants encounter misfortune, they will still have some resources and not be utterly ruined. That is my opinion. I wonder what the old lady, the master, and the ladies think. If the gentlemen outside want to buy, let them buy.” The Dowager and the others all said, “What you say makes sense.” Jia Lian said, “Return them to him. It was the master who told me to bring them for the old lady to see, thinking they might be presented at court. Who said anything about buying them to keep at home? Before the old lady has even spoken, you have already blurted out a lot of discouraging words!”
With that, he took the two items out and told Jia Zheng that the old lady did not want them. He then said to Feng Ziying, “These two items are fine, fine indeed, but we simply have no silver. I will keep an eye out for you. If I find someone who wants to buy them, I will send word.” Feng Ziying had no choice but to pack them up, sat down, and made some small talk. Losing interest, he prepared to leave. Jia Zheng said, “Stay and have dinner with me before you go.” Feng Ziying said, “Enough—would I presume to impose on you like this?” Jia Zheng said, “What are you saying?” Just then, a servant announced, “The senior master has arrived.” Jia She had already entered. They exchanged greetings and made some polite conversation. Soon the table was set, dishes were laid out, and they began drinking. After four or five rounds, the conversation turned to the foreign goods. Feng Ziying said, “These goods are hard to sell. Only a family like yours could afford them; for others, it is difficult.” Jia Zheng said, “That is not necessarily so.” Jia She said, “Our household is not what it was. Nowadays it is just an empty front.” Feng Ziying then asked, “How is Uncle Zhen of the Eastern Mansion? I saw him the other day, and when we spoke of family matters, he mentioned that his son’s second wife is far inferior to the late Mrs. Qin. Which family is this new wife from? I never asked.” Jia Zheng said, “This grand-nephew’s wife of ours is also from a great family here—the daughter of Mr. Hu, who formerly served as Intendant of the Capital Circuit.” Ziying said, “I know of Intendant Hu. But his family’s upbringing is not particularly good. Still, it is fine, as long as the girl herself is good.”
Jia Lian said, "I heard from people in the Grand Secretariat that Jia Yucun is about to be promoted again." Jia Zheng replied, "That would be good, but it's hard to know if it's certain." Jia Lian said, "It seems likely there's such an intention." Feng Ziying said, "I came from the Ministry of Personnel today and heard the same thing. Is Mr. Yucun a member of your clan?" Jia Zheng said, "Yes." Feng Ziying asked, "Is he a relative within the mourning degrees, or outside them?" Jia Zheng said, "It's a long story. His native place was Huzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang, but he drifted to Suzhou and was quite unsuccessful. There was a Zhen Shiyin who was friends with him and often helped him. Later, he passed the metropolitan examination and became a county magistrate at the top of the list, then married one of the Zhen family’s maidservants. His current wife is not his original spouse. Who would have thought that Zhen Shiyin would fall into such dire straits that he could not be found anywhere? After Yucun was dismissed from office, he was still unknown to our family. It was only because my brother-in-law, Lin Ruhai, the Salt Commissioner in Yangzhou, hired him as a tutor at home, and my niece was his student. Since he had news of reinstatement and was coming to the capital, and coincidentally my niece was coming up to visit relatives, Uncle Lin entrusted him with escorting her here, along with a letter of recommendation asking me to speak on his behalf. At that time, he seemed decent, and we met often. Who would have thought Yucun was also strange—from our hereditary lineage, starting from the Dai generation down, he knew all about the population, houses, and daily affairs of both the Ning and Rong mansions, which made him feel close." Then he added with a laugh, "In just a few years, the gatekeeper has also learned to curry favor. From prefect, he was promoted and transferred to censor, and in a few years, he rose to Vice Minister of Personnel, acting as Minister of War. He was demoted three grades for some matter, and now he's about to be promoted again." Feng Ziying said, "The rise and fall of human affairs, the gains and losses in officialdom—ultimately, they are hard to predict." Jia Zheng said, "Yucun is considered fortunate. There are families like ours, such as the Zhen family, who once had the same merits, the same hereditary titles, the same way of life, and we often associated with them. Within a few years, they came to the capital and sent people to pay respects here, still quite lively. Then suddenly their family property in their hometown was confiscated, and to this day there’s been no news. I don’t know how they are now, and I truly worry about them. Seeing this, don’t you think being an official is frightening?" Jia She said, "Our family is the safest." Feng Ziying said, "Indeed, your esteemed house need not fear. First, there is the Consort looking after you; second, you have many old friends and good relatives; third, from the old lady down to the young masters, there isn’t a single sharp or harsh person." Jia Zheng said, "Though there are no sharp or harsh ones, we lack virtue and talent. Enjoying the rents and taxes for nothing—how can we bear it?" Jia She said, "Let’s not talk about such things; let’s all drink." They drank a few more cups, then the meal was served. After eating, they had tea. A young servant from the Feng household came in and quietly said something to Ziying, and Feng Ziying prepared to take his leave. Jia She and Jia Zheng asked, "What did you say?" The servant said, "It’s snowing outside, and the night watch has already struck." Jia Zheng sent someone to look, and the snow was already over an inch deep. Jia Zheng said, "Have you packed those two items?" Feng Ziying said, "They’re packed. If your esteemed house wants to use them, the price can naturally be reduced a bit." Jia Zheng said, "I’ll keep it in mind." Ziying said, "I’ll wait for word. It’s cold; please go back, no need to see me out." Jia She and Jia Zheng then ordered Jia Lian to see him out. If you want to know what happened later, it will be explained in the next chapter.